June 26, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Prime Minister Abdiweli leaves for Equatorial Guinea to attend AU Summit

25 Jun – Source: Office of the President – 282 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has this afternoon jetted out the country to attend the 23rd Ordinary African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, which opens in Equatorial Guinea tomorrow. The summit, which will run until Friday, will discuss peace and security as well as a variety of issues concerning the continent although the main theme is agriculture and food security.

Prime Minister Abdiweli will join other heads of state and government from the continent in Malabo for the 23rd AU summit which is being held under the theme: ‘Agriculture and Food Security. The AU declared 2014 the year of agriculture and food security coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

The Prime Minister has been colorfully escorted at airport by ministers, parliamentarians, politicians and other government officials. H. E. Abdiweli has informed the press that his visit To Equatorial Guinea is to attend the AU Summit and to engage with many African heads of state and government to discuss the issues of common concern and interest. Addressing the press, the Prime Minister said:

“Our visit is intended to attend the 23rd Ordinary African Union Heads of State and Government Summit which will take place in Malabo of Equatorial Guinea. I and My delegation will engage with our African brothers, friends and partners in order to strengthen our co-operation. “Somalia is a founding member of African Union and it’s a part of my national duty to represent Somalia in such important summit. I will deliver a key note speech at the summit concerning Somalia and the continent as well”.

Key Headlines

Somali President Mohamud fires senior military commanders (Radio RBC/Kismaayo News)
Two journalists sentenced to 3 and 4 years in prison in Somaliland (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somalia: Federal Govt Ministers arrive in Puntland (Garowe Online)
Hiiraan Security meeting opens in Beledweyne (Radio Goobjoog)
Russia offers to train Kenya police on anti-terrorism (KBC/Daily Nation)
Local charity donates food to displaced families in Dhusamareb (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali government urged to revise proposed media law (Report Without Borders)
Terrorism threatens East Africa region: Kenya FM (Turkish Weekly)

PRESS STATEMENT

Prime Minister Abdiweli leaves for Equatorial Guinea to attend AU Summit

25 Jun – Source: Office of the President – 282 words

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has this afternoon jetted out the country to attend the 23rd Ordinary African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, which opens in Equatorial Guineatomorrow. The summit, which will run until Friday, will discuss peace and security as well as a variety of issues concerning the continent although the main theme is agriculture and food security.

SOMALI MEDIA

Two journalists sentenced to 3 and 4 years in prison in Somaliland

25 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio RBC/Goobjoog/Somali Current – 107 words

A court in Hargeisa has sentenced two journalists in Somaliland to three and four years of imprisonment and fines of up to nine thousand dollars respectively. Yusuf Abdi Gabobe, the owner of Haruf Newspaper was sentenced to 3 years in jail and a fine of nine thousand dollars. Ahmed Abdi Igeh, the editor-in-chief of the same newspaper who was not present at the courtroom during the time of the verdict was given 4 years in prison. The court also revoked the license of Hatuf Newspaper in which it said will not be allowed to operate in Somaliland. Deputy prosecutor, Aden Salad Seed who talked to the press after the guilty verdict was announced said that the two journalists were found guilty of spreading false information and deformation against government officials. He added that the verdict was based on Somaliland’s press law.

Hiiraan Security meeting opens in Beledweyne

25 Jun – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 98 words

The administration of Hiiraan region has organized an extra-ordinary meeting in Beledweyne district where the security of the region is discussed. The meeting was attended by Hiiraan regional governor, elders, intellectuals and civil societies in the region. Hiiraan governor Abdifatah Hassan Afrah while addressing the participants of the meeting asked the residents of Hiiraan region particularly Beledweyne to actively co-operate with agencies that are obliged to maintain security. This security meeting comes a time when government forces and African union peace-keeping troops, Djiboutian forces have seized control of many areas from Al-shabab after massive operation in Hiiraan region.

Local charity donates food to displaced families in Dhusamareb

25 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 107 words

A local charity has today distributed food and other essential items to over 150 internally displaced families in Dhusamareb, the provincial capital of Galgadud region. PASOS in conjunction with local authorities donated 75 KG of food including rice, flour, sugar, cooking oil, blankets and praying mats for each family. Dhusamareb local administration’s head of social services, Abdullahi Abdinur Barre told Bar-kulan that the internally displaced families were in great need of the donation and urged relief agencies and Somali people to assist the needy. Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the scene expressed joy over the donation and thanked the local charity for its timely assistance.

Somali President Mohamud fires senior military commanders

25 Jun – Source: Radio RBC/Kismaayo News – 202 words

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has fired the two senior military commanders replacing their positions with new officers amid major security changes in the capital ahead of the holy Ramadan month. In a decree issued by the President this week, which the local media obtained a copy of it has mentioned that President Mohamud has directed the changes of the military commanders in a move to improve the country’s security. General Aden Elmi Indha-qarshe, the Chief of the National Army and General Abdirisaq Khalif who was the deputy army chief were both sacked from their positions. According to the decree, General Abdullahi Anod, the former commander of presidential guard unit has been appointed as the new Army Chief while General Abdullahi Osman Agey was appointed as the new Deputy Chief of Army. Both Indha-qarshe and Khalif Elmi were appointed at a transfer ceremony in Mogadishu on March last year.

Somalia: Federal Govt Ministers arrive in Puntland

25 Jun – Source: Garowe Online – 230 words

Amidst relations frayed by Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) and foreign aid, Federal Government of Somalia’s ministers arrive in Puntland for official missions in a bid to normalize ties with once a vital ally in the northern part of the country. Minister of Livestock and Animal Husbandry Salim Aliyow Ibrow who has been on visit to Puntland over the last few days toured Bossaso Animal Holding Ground (Quarantine Station) where heads of livestock are screened in advance of exportation on Tuesday. Ibrow participated in a meeting with key international partners in the state capital Garowe as Puntland cabinet ministers flock in Mogadishu. The wave of respective visits far and away spurred debates over the level of cooperation between both sides among the members of the public.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Russia offers to train Kenya police on anti-terrorism

25 Jun – Source: KBC/Daily Nation – 231 words

Russia has offered to train Kenya Police officers in anti-terrorism, to boost their capacity to deal with the vice. Speaking when he met President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi today, Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russia will initially provide 25 scholarships for the police officers but would increase the number depending on the demand. “Russia has also suffered terror attacks and this gave us the impetus to scale up our expertise and technological capacity to dealing with the evil,” Mr. Gatilov said. The Foreign Deputy Minister said Russia has not changed its stand on the International Criminal Court and firmly believed in local solutions to country-specific problems. He praised President Kenyatta’s role in promoting regional peace, notably in Somalia and South Sudan.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali government urged to revise proposed media law

25 Jun – Source: Reporters Without Borders – 724 words

Reporters Without Borders cautions the Somali cabinet against adopting an incomplete and overly restrictive media bill, which it is to examine tomorrow. Reporters Without Borders is also disturbed by the information ministry’s sudden decision to submit the bill to the cabinet before the start of Ramadan. While the government has consulted some civil society figures about the proposed law, media community critics continue to say that the choice of persons consulted was one-sided and not truly representative of the journalistic community and Somali civil society. Reporters Without Borders is of the view that the current draft is no more than a preliminary one that establishes broad outlines but suffers from major omissions that must be addressed.

Terrorism threatens East Africa region: Kenya FM

25 Jun – Source: Turkish Weekly/ Anadolu Agency – 182 words

Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs Amina Mohamed Jibril said Tuesday that terrorism poses a threat to East Africa region. “Terrorism has become a threat to the region,” Jibril told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the meeting of the African Union (A.U.)’s Executive Council in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. She said Kenya has taken the brunt of terrorism as the country was hit by attacks in recent years. “Terrorism is expanding to East African countries and this requires joint efforts to put an end to it,” Jibril said. She said that militant groups as Boko Haram in Nigeria, al Shabaab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) “are posing a threat to the region.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Islamic extremists have seized the opportunity to wreak havoc in countries where they know there is a good chance they will be successful, combining chronic dissatisfaction with existing governing authorities with brute force. Their timing is good, in the sense that donor countries are suffering from “terrorism fatigue,” running out of financial resources to combat the problem as well as the political will to carry on fighting.”

Islamic Extremism in Africa

25 Jun – Source: Huffington Post – 627 words

Last week’s attacks on innocent civilians in Kenya are a reminder of the growing threat posed by Islamic extremists in many parts of Africa. In spite of all the resources devoted to fighting Somalia-based al Shabaab in recent years, the group has grown stronger, and continues to cross the region’s borders with impunity. The same is true with Boko Haram in Nigeria and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The West and regional governments appear to be fighting a losing battle. The reasons for this vary from a lack of sufficient resources devoted to the problem, to a failure to efficiently implement existing resources, to a lack of will to do what is necessary to adequately address the issue. Pervasive poverty, porous borders, and a thriving arms trade compound the problem. The result is that extremist groups are flourishing. Africa is particularly ripe for this because so many of its countries are either failed or failing states, unable to either provide basic needs for their people or control all of their sovereign territory. Kenya is ranked 17th in the Failed States Index — sandwiched between Nigeria and Niger. Number one on that list is its neighbor Somalia; number four is another neighbor, South Sudan; and next to that is number nine, the Central African Republic. In fact, Africa is the home of 15 of the top 20 failed or failing states on the Index.