March 10, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Two Killed On The Outskirts Of Kismayu

09 March – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 110 Words

At least two people have been killed and three others injured following clashes between Al-Shabaab fighters and government soldier in Laba Birood in the outskirts of Kismayu. The area is 14 km west of Kismayu , the headquarters of the Lower Juba region of Somalia. Police commander who spoke to Radio Bar-Kulan says the deceased soldiers were taking part in government security operation when they clashed with Al-Shabab. A massive operation to flush out Al Shabaab members has started in the area.

Key Headlines

Polio Vaccination Starts In Central Shabelle Region (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somalia To Recruit Women Officers In The Justice Department For First Time (Horseed Media)
Information Minister Holds Talks With UAE Ambassador (Radio Goobjoog)
Somali Investment Forum In Nairobi Kenya (Hiraan Online)
Two Killed On The Outskirts Of Kismayu (Radio Bar-kulan)
Selection Of IJA Regional Lawmakers Kicks Off In Kismayo (Radio Goobjoog)
Gunmen Kill Government Soldier In Beledweyne (Radio Bar-kulan)
FM Meets Somali Counterpart On Bilateral Ties (Kuwait News Agency)
UAE Ambassador Meets Somali Prime Minister (Emirates News Agency)
U.S. Top Court Refuses To Shield Former Somali Official From Suit (Reuters)
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport’s Somali Workforce (Star Tribune)
Attacks By Somali Pirates Cost $ 6.5 Million Per Year To The Malagasy Economy (Neptune Maritime Security.com)
On Somaliland’s Hidden Charms Wild Roads And Abiding Mysteries (Ethno Traveler)
Somali Charcoal: Funding Terrorism Through Deforestation (Mongabay.com)
Why Am I Silent! (Wardheer News)

SOMALI MEDIA

Polio Vaccination Starts In Central Shabelle Region

09 March – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 67 Words

A polio vaccination campaign has started in the towns of Jowhar, Balcad, Mahadaay, War-sheekh iyo Cadale, this is according to WHO official in central Shabelle, Ali Hasssan Gedi. The Deputy District Commissioner Hassan Barow Boor who spoke during the opening ceremony of the polio vaccination appealed to members of the public to vaccinate their children in order to save them from the dangers of the disease.

Somalia To Recruit Women Officers In The Justice Department For First Time

09 March – Source: Horseed Media/Radio Goobjoog – 183 Words

In a rare move intended to empower women in Somalia, authorities will start recruiting females in the Justice department for the first time in many years, a top judge has revealed. The Attorney General of Somalia, Ahmed Ali Dahir announced while addressing a crowd of women in Mogadishu while celebrating International Women’s Day said that women will be appointed in several key positions of the Justice institutions. “Women have played a key role in the revolution and development of various sectors of life, so this is the time for educated women to have a role in the justice department,’’ said the Attorney General. For many decades, Somali women have had a very limited representation in the government institutions and Parliament.” Soon you will see women holding positions such as judges and prosecutors in our justice institutions,’’ he added. Mr Dahir encouraged the Somali women to come forward and play their due role in the field. Earlier, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud stressed that his government will continue to take effective steps for the development of women in Somalia.

Information Minister Holds Talks With UAE Ambassador

09 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 103 Words

Somali minister for information Abdi Hayir Mareeye has met with the ambassador of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohamed Al-Othman in Mogadishu. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and ways of enhancing the relationship in all areas. Mr. Hadliye has commended the government of UAE for its commitment uphold Somali government so as to bounce back on its feet and thanked UAE government for helping many victims of the Central Hotel. Mohamed Al-Othman for promised that his government will support Somali people and its government.

Selection Of IJA Regional Lawmakers Kicks Off In Kismayo

09 March – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 103 Words

Reports from Interim Jubba Administration indicate that the regional parliamentarian selection commenced in the administrative capital of IJA, Kismayo on Monday. Some of the traditional elders, who are participating Kismayo meeting, came from Dollow town, which was hosting Gedo Lawmakers selection conference in recent days. On the other hand, IJA officials and IGAD delegation in Kismayo are expected to hold a press conference following meetings to discussed wide range issues including the formation of IJA assembly and security situation of the regional state. The IJA has been selecting MPS of the upcoming Assembly across all the districts under its administration.

Gunmen Kill Government Soldier In Beledweyne

09 March – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 90 Words

Armed gunmen have on Sunday night killed a government soldier in Beletweyne, the headquarters of Hiiran region. According to the a police commander in Beledweyne , gunmen armed with pistols killed the soldier in his house located in the Bundaweyne. The deceased soldier is said to be Diriye Abdullahi. The commander who spoke to Radio Bar-Kulan says they have now launched an investigation into the incident. He said they have already carried operations in various parts of the town, but nobody has been arrested in connection with the killing yet.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Foreign Minister Meets Somali Counterpart On Bilateral Ties

07 March – Source: Kuwait News Agency – 102 Words

Means of enhancing bilateral ties in all fields were the focus of talks held in Cairo on Monday between Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his Somali counterpart Abdusalam Hadliye Omer. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 143rd session of the Arab Foreign Ministers. The Kuwaiti-Somali talks were attended by the Foreign Minister’s office Director Ambassador Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Arab World Department Ambassador Abdulhamid Al-Failakawi, Kuwait’s Ambassador in Cairo Salem Ghassan Al-Zamanan and the country’s permanent delegate to the Arab League Aziz Al-Daihani.

UAE Ambassador Meets Somali Prime Minister

09 March – Source: Emirates News Agency – 102 Words

Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, the UAE Ambassador to Somalia, yesterday met with Omar Abdul Rashid Sharmarke, Somali Prime Minister, at the Cabinet headquarters in Mogadishu. The two parties discussed strong bilateral relations between the two countries. The Somali Prime Minister extended thanks and appreciation to the UAE, hailing the efforts exerted by the UAE to support Somalia in various developmental and humanitarian domains. On his part, Othman extended thanks and appreciation to Sharmarke for his efforts to enhance ties between the UAE and Somalia.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

U.S. Top Court Refuses To Shield Former Somali Official From Suit

09 March – Source: Reuters- 260 Words

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to block a lawsuit filed by a group of Somalis against their country’s former prime minister seeking to hold him responsible for torture and human rights abuses in Somalia.The justices declined to review a ruling by a U.S. appeals court that allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Mohamed Ali Samantar, who served as Somalia’s defense minister in the 1980s and then as prime minister from 1987 to 1990. Samantar is attempting to claim immunity from the lawsuit. When the case first came to the court in 2010, the justices ruled that Samantar could not claim immunity via the federal Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act but might be able to claim immunity under common law.Lower courts subsequently ruled that Samantar, who now lives in Virginia, cannot claim immunity. Samantar asked the justices to review that conclusion.

The lawsuit, filed by a small group of Somalis, seeks damages for alleged torture and other abuses by Somali soldiers or other government officials under Samantar’s general command.The U.S. State Department has said Samantar cannot claim immunity. Since the appeals court ruling in November 2012 that allowed the case to proceed, the U.S. government has officially recognized the Somali government for the first time since 1991.The Obama administration urged the court not to hear the case.The plaintiffs claim that although Samantar did not personally commit the atrocities, he is still liable for acts committed by officials under his command. The case is Samantar v. Yousuf, U.S. Supreme Court, 13-1361.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport’s Somali Workforce

09 March – Source: Star Tribune – 858 Words

At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last week, I was emerging from a concourse when three electric carts driven by Somali airport workers whizzed past, startling me. Many Somalis have a distinctive look — very dark skin, slender frames and broad, roundish foreheads — and, to those who know a little about Somalia, it should not be surprising to encounter them at the Minneapolis airport.” Mark’s characterization is accurate and puts into words attributes Somalis use to identify each other. When I was an undergrad student at the University of Minnesota, I participated in a study abroad program in Beijing, China. Two of my Somali friends participated as well. The three of us stopped for coffee in a Beijing Starbucks one afternoon and immediately locked eyes with a man with Somali attributes.

He was reading the newspaper in Chinese. I was convinced we had found a fellow Somali. But my friends argued that finding a Somali in Beijing reading the newspaper in the local language was equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. No way they said. Our debate was ended when the man greeted us in Somalia. Compared to Beijing, finding and positively identifying a Somali at the Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is not very difficult. Many Somalis are employed there. An estimated 1,000 Somalis work at the airport, performing functions critical to the operation while earning $8 an hour and often with no access to healthcare. Their jobs range from driving taxis to rental car services, luggage handling and facility services. At one point, more than 900 Somalis drove taxis at MSP. The story of Somali taxi drivers refusing to transport clients with alcohol became national news in 2007.

Attacks By Somali Pirates Cost $ 6.5 Million Per Year To The Malagasy Economy

09 March – Source: Neptune Maritime Security.com – 198 Words

Somali pirates operating in the Mozambique Channel are causing huge losses to the economy of the Big Island. Millions of dollars are lost.According to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), pirates from Somalia who roam the Mozambique Channel and attacking merchant ships and their occupants would impact heavily economy Madagascar. In fact, $ 6.5 million, the equivalent of 6 million would thus be lost to the economy of the Big Island after the ships attacked setting sail for Madagascar were attacked and emptied of their cargo. African countries in the East and the Indian Ocean islands, through the program to fight against piracy and maritime security (MASE) developed a regional maritime strategy. This is to set up three information centers and intervention to coordinate actions at the regional level. “The center of training and documentation has been set up in Djibouti, the center of maritime information fusion and will meanwhile installed in Madagascar. We receive applications to host the central management of offshore operations conducted a country has already submitted his” explained François Laurent, an expert against maritime piracy IOC sidelines of the 19th meeting of the intergovernmental committee of experts was held from March 2 to 5.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

If Somaliland has one persistent vice, it is khat. At that hotel in Zeila, I had fallen asleep to the quiet murmurs of a group of travelers who sat up chewing deep into the night. The next morning, I awoke to the sound of a goat chewing on the leftover khat leaves strewn all over the sandy floor. This went on for a while until a stocky man with a husky voice cornered the goat and dragged it out of the compound by the ears.

On Somaliland’s Hidden Charms, Wild Roads, And Abiding Mysteries

09 March – Source: Ethno Traveler – 1716 Words

I lay down a few meters away from a grave. At the time, I didn’t know it was a grave. Tired and exhausted, I just put down my backpack, stretched on the makeshift bed with no pillow and bedcover, and stared at the constellation of stars forming in the dark sky. I was in Zeila town in Somaliland, once considered one of the most vibrant and historically significant ports in eastern Africa. The hotel was the Kaboode Guest House, the only one in town. Its two rooms were already occupied, but there was a courtyard fenced with wire mesh and cardboard where weary travelers slept on wooden bed frames with cheap, uncomfortable mattresses, listening to each other’s snores.

It was February 2013, towards the end of my travels throughout Somaliland, the self-declared republic that separated from Somalia in 1991. Over the last two decades, this nation of 3.5 million people has dispensed with the violence and danger that many associate with the Horn of Africa. More than anything, Somaliland is a nation united by its sleepy hamlets, desert plains and scrubby badlands. In these dry terrains, in decrepit hotels like the Kaboode, the best people, the best stories – and at times, the best food – hide away. From the outset, I was besotted with Somaliland.

I began my travels at the opposite extreme, in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, a somewhat vibrant city that is literally careening its way towards development. It is also a city of contrasts. The slim dusty roads bustle with big SUVs. Police officers chew khat while guiding traffic. Boys in slim-fit jeans, flip-flops and big nerdy glasses talk loudly while sipping tea in open-air cafés. Docile dogs, black-headed sheep and goats also roam the streets, unharmed – much like the holy cows of India. Fashionable women wear colorful dirac dresses and gold necklaces. It seems everything around this city – and much of Somaliland itself – is painted or decorated in green, white and red: the colors of the breakaway state’s flag.

“Of course, it’s not just Al-Shabaab looking to cash in on this Somali black gold rush. The illegal trade is apparently so robust that a report from the United Nations Environment Programme last year found that setting up roadblocks and imposing a “road tax” on charcoal shipments is another one of the militant group’s primary income streams. According to the report, Al-Shabaab can make as much as $18 million per year from just one road block.”

Somali Charcoal: Funding Terrorism Through Deforestation

06 March – Source: Mongabay.com – 762 Words

Militant terrorist group Al-Shabaab funds itself, in part, through the illegal production and sale of charcoal, turning Somalia’s trees into “black gold.” Because areas of the country controlled by the group aren’t accessible to researchers, it’s difficult to determine just how many trees are cut down to fuel Al-Shabaab’s violent agenda. So Michele Bolognesi, a researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, decided to use satellite imagery to solve that problem. His team’s results were recently published in the scientific journal Energy for Sustainable Development. As the study states, there is a critical need for data on tree loss in Somalia.

“Despite high exports of charcoal from Somalia, and its contribution to tree cover loss, consequent land degradation, and reduction of ecosystem services provided by trees, little quantitative information on tree cover loss in Somalia during the past two decades is available,” the authors write. “Moreover, Somalia is predicted to be one of the nine African countries that will face water scarcity by 2025, and therefore land degradation will worsen the water scarcity effects by increasing the population’s vulnerability to drought.” Somalia is sparsely forested. Data on tree cover loss is available from Global Forest Watch (GFW), but is limited to areas where forest covers more than 10 percent of the ground. As such, GFW shows only 6 percent of Somalia has significant forest cover, all of it located in the far south of the country. The inset map shows satellite-detected tree cover loss from a portion of Bolognesi’s study area occurring from 2001 to 2011.