June 4, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

UN envoy pledges support to people, government of Somalia as new political mission opens

03 Jun- Source: UN News Centre- 511 words

The head of the new United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) today pledged to support the Government and the people of the country in their quest for security and prosperity, as he arrived in the country’s capital for the Mission’s start of operations. “I am very pleased to be in Mogadishu and to have this opportunity to support the federal Government and people of Somalia to bring peace, security and prosperity back to Somalia,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, upon his arrival in the country.

Key Headlines

Somali defense minister on his Kismayo visit (Radio Bar-kulan/BBC)
UN launches new mission in Somalia with fresh mandate (Africa Review)
President Uhuru and President Farole discuss Somali affairs (Garowe Online)
Somali government and AMISOM troops conduct security operation in Mogadishu (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV)
Kenyan deputy president meets UN chief discuss Somalia (Raxanreeb)
Somali prisoners facing problems in India (Radio Shabelle)
Somalia concerned over xenophobic attacks in SA (sowetanlive)
UN says 18000 Somali refugees return home since January (Xinhua)
Taxi service brings change to Somalia ( ENCA)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali defense minister on his Kismayo visit

03 Jun- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/BBC Somali Servive/Radio Mogadishu/ SNTV/Shabelle-156 words

The defense minister of the Somali Federal government Abdikarin Hajji Mohamud Fiqi has given details about his recent visit to Kismayo for the first time since he led a government delegation to southern port city. Speaking to the BBC Somali Service, Fiqi stated that the delegation’s visit to Kismayo aimed to pass the government’s message on the reconciliation conference that is expected to be held in Mogadishu for Kismayo stakeholders. The defense minister added that the people of Kismayo are fully supporting the government. Minister Fiqi also said that they wanted to meet local residents and know more about their daily lives and security situation. Fiqi stated that they will hold meetings with security forces and civil society groups paving the way for the upcoming reconciliation conference.

President Uhuru and President Farole discuss Somali affairs

03 Jun- Source: Garowe Online- 256 words

Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday at the statehouse in Nairobi where the two discussed Somalia, Garowe Online reports.

The two leaders discussed Somali affairs including the Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) Jubaland state, security and bilateral relations.

Somali government and AMISOM troops conduct security operation in Mogadishu

03 Jun- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/ Radio Kulmiye- 144 words

Somali Government troops and AMISOM have conducted security operation in parts of the capital, Mogadishu in Southern of Somalia on Monday. The allied troops have early morning on Sunday gone to Hamar Jajab and Waberi districts to conduct operations. During the operations, the troops have seized several people including youth suspected to have been involved in the insecurity in the capital. The officials leading the operations said that the operations are aimed at maintaining the security in the city and pledged they will continue the operations until they secure the city.

Armed Men kill civilian in Mogadishu

03 Jun- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 166 words

Armed men have reportedly killed a civilian on Monday night in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. Three men armed with pistols have shot dead the civilian in Abagado village in Dharkenley district. The perpetrators have escaped from spot after the killing. Eyewitness speaking to Mustaqbal radio said the victim was a worker at Mogadishu port,. adding that the government troops have reportedly arrested the perpetrators.

Kenyan deputy president meets UN chief, discuss Somalia

03 Jun – Source :Raxanreeb – 173 words

Governments of Kenya and Somalia are seeking assistance with the repatriation of large number of Somali refugees in Kenyan camps. Kenyan and Somali minister of foreign affairs have held a meeting in Nairobi in which they discussed the resettlement of Somali refugees in the country, according to a press statement issued by Kenyan ministry of foreign affairs. The statement also said the two ministers agreed that an international conference on the issue which is to be co chaired by Somali president Hasan Shaykh Mahmud and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, be held. Somali Minister for Foreign Affairs Fowsiyo Yusuf Haji, who is in Nairobi is currently holding talks on the issue of Somali refugees in the country with senior Kenyan officials. Somali president and Kenyan vice president yesterday held a meeting in Yokohama Japan in which they agreed to organize an international conference to seek support for the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in Kenyan camps.

Somali prisoners facing problems in India

03 Jun- Source: Radio Shabelle- 100 words

Almost 120 youths from Somalia imprisoned in India are complaining of different problems that they are facing while in custody. Some the youth who contacted Shabelle radio in Mogadishu said that majority of them were arrested at the Shores of Somalia coastline while fishing while others were illegal immigrants who wanted to seek refuge to other peaceful countries. The prisoners informed the media that they were accused of piracy. Some of the prisoners have been in custody for more than 3 years and the federal government of Somalia requested the Indian government to hand over their cases.

REGIONAL MEDIA

UN launches new mission in Somalia with fresh mandate

03 Jun- Source: Africa Review/ Xinhua- 315 words

The United Nations has opened a new Somalia to replace the previous UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS). The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) was launched on Sunday after the arrival of UN envoy Nicholas Kay in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Somalia concerned over xenophobic attacks in SA

03 June – Source: sowetanlive – 184 words

The Somali government called on South Africa to protect Somali nationals living in the country after a spate of attacks on foreigners. Residents in a township near Johannesburg rioted against the Somali community last week, while tensions have also flared in Port Elizabeth in the east of the country.The unrest in Diepsloot township came after a Somali shop owner allegedly shot dead two Zimbabweans last week. Somali shop owners in Port Elizabeth have also been targeted.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

UN envoy pledges support to people, government of Somalia as new political mission opens

03 Jun- Source: UN News Centre- 511 words

UN says 18,000 Somali refugees return home since January

03 Jun- Source: Xinhua- 386 words

The UN humanitarian agency said on Monday that some 18,000 Somali refugees living regional countries have so far returned home since January. A brief update from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) citing statistics from the UN refugee agency said majority of the refugees who returned to the Horn of Africa nation were from neighboring Kenya.

Taxi service brings change to Somalia

03 Jun- Source: ENCA- 182 words

A new taxi company is changing the way people travel in Somalia’s capital. Offering cheaper prices and using radio communication to pick up customers, Mogadishu Taxi is the first of its kind in Somali in more than two decades. The idea to create this company started in 2012 when the city of Mogadishu began to resurface as security was getting better. “Radio communications were set up in every taxi, with another one in the office. When a customer calls the company, we’ll see if anyone is close by,” said Mogadishu Taxi co-owner Liban Agmed.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“In Mogadishu, I don’t think 3G will be available soon. I think it was something like $130 for

a 5K to 12K Internet connection for an office. There’s great cell phone coverage, though. It’s difficult because there isn’t the digital infrastructure in Mogadishu to fully leverage this technology. But one thing I learned in Afghanistan is that those technologies will be there.”

Life After Warfare: How a Digital Map Could Help Revive Mogadishu

03 June- Source: Wired Blog-1169 Words

Think “Mogadishu” and you probably picture Black Hawk Down, a feral city of bombed-out buildings patrolled by thugs in machine-gun-equipped pickup trucks. And until a couple of years ago, you’d be right. Today the Somali capital is at peace, but decades of war destroyed its informational soul—the systems that keep data on tax collection, property ownership, road repair, and so on that let a city function as a city. Mitchell Sipus is trying to recapture that data. He’s an urban planner running a municipal project to digitally map Mogadishu, encoding not just geography but also businesses, infrastructure, and people. The technology works, but can a map tame what’s arguably the most dangerous city on earth? Sipus thinks so.