March 26, 2014 | Morning Headlines.
Heavy gun battle erupts on the outskirts of Elbur
25 Mar – Source: Radio RBC – 144 words
Heavy gun battle has erupted Tuesday at the outskirts of Elbur town in Galgadud region of central Somalia as the joint army from the African Union Forces [AMISOM] and Somalia National Army continue to approach the strategic town now under al Shabaab’s control. The fighting erupted at El-Qoxle village, 30km out of Elbur town where fighters from al Shabab put their defensive positions. According to few residents in the area, the fierce gun battle started at mid Tuesday continued until evening. The number of casualties on both sides could not be known immediately. In this renewed joint operations since early of March, the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces took out more than eight strategic towns in the regions of Bay, Bakool, Hiran, Gedo, Lower Shabelle and Galgadud of Somalia.
Key Headlines
- Killer gunmen detained in Kismayo (Radio Shabelle/Dhanaan Online)
- Puntland President visits forces stationed in Galgala Mountains (Horseed Media/RBC/Halgan News)
- Chaos in Baidao enters third day (Somali Current/Radio Goobjoog/Mustaqbal)
- Heavy gun battle erupts on the outskirts of Elbur (RBC)
- Nairobi mall moves to allay terror fears over empty ammunitions boxes (Star News)
- Puntland Parliament Speaker calls on members to attend extra-ordinary meeting while in holiday (Radio Goobjoog)
- Refugees ordered to relocate to Kakuma Dadaab camps as urban registration centres shut (Standard Media)
- Chinese French German ships hold first combined Somali counter-piracy drills (Janes News)
SOMALI MEDIA
Killer gunmen detained in Kismayo
25 Mar – Source: Radio Shabelle/Dhanaan Online – 80 words
Jubba Interim Administration forces said that after conducting search sweeps, they detained two men and confirmed that they were behind the killing of an elder on Monday in Kismayo. Jubba Administration officials told Rdaio Shabelle that these men will be prosecuted and face their lawful trial before being handed a sentence. In Kismayo, the provincial capital city of the Lower Jubba region, there have been many reports of increase in killings and other attacks that the Jubba Interim Administration accuses al Shabaab of being behind them.
Puntland President visits forces stationed in Galgala Mountains
25 Mar – Source: Horseed Media/RBC/Halgan News – 169 words
The President of Puntland state of Somalia Dr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas has visited to the al Shabaab invested area of Galgala mountains on the southwest of the region’s port town of Bosasso. The Tuesday’s surprise visit to the Galgala area makes President Abdiweli Gaas the first president of Puntland State who pays physical visit in the area which has been a real frontline for Puntland defense forces and the militants linked to al Qaeda since 2009. During the visit, President Gaas toured the defensive positions of security forces against the al Shabaab fighters of the Puntland, which waged several high profile attacks on civilian and government interests.
Chaos in Baidao enters third day
25 Mar – Source: Somali Current/Radio Goobjoog/Mustaqbal – 177 words
Protests is reported from Bay’s capital of Baidoa as the local people intensified their aggressive protests demonstrating their unwavering feelings on the arrival of the former transitional Somali government parliament speaker Sharif Hassan. The demonstrators are unhappy about the appearance of the former parliament speaker Sharif Hassan who is campaigning for the formation of three region state. The protest against the three region formation and Sharif’s arrival entered the third day. Protesters set ablaze tyres in the streets of Baidoa city to restrict the movement of vehicles while calling on ex parliament speaker Sharif Hassan to leave the town. On the other hand, Education centers were closed since the city’s security situation is out of hand.
Heavy gun battle erupts on the outskirts of Elbur
25 Mar – Source: Radio RBC – 144 words
Heavy gun battle has erupted Tuesday at the outskirts of Elbur town in Galgadud region of central Somalia as the joint army from the African Union Forces [AMISOM] and Somalia National Army continue to approach the strategic town now under al Shabaab’s control. The fighting erupted at El-Qoxle village, 30km out of Elbur town where fighters from al Shabab put their defensive positions. According to few residents in the area, the fierce gun battle started at mid Tuesday continued until evening. The number of casualties on both sides could not be known immediately. In this renewed joint operations since early of March, the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces took out more than eight strategic towns in the regions of Bay, Bakool, Hiran, Gedo, Lower Shabelle and Galgadud of Somalia.
Puntland Parliament Speaker calls on members to attend extra-ordinary meeting while in holiday
25 Mar – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 111 words
The president of the regional semi autonomous state of Puntland Abdiweli Mohamed ali Gaas requested the speaker of Puntland parliament to call on the members of the parliament to take part in an extra ordinary meeting as the speaker confirmed to the press. The members of parliament have been in one month holiday. The members of the parliament are expected to approve the budget of Puntland government of 2014-201. Considering the request of the president the speaker Said Hassan shire demanded the members of the parliament to attend the meeting on 30th March so as to start the first reading and discussion of Puntland budget submitted by the ministry of Finance.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Nairobi mall moves to allay terror fears over empty ammunitions boxes
25 Mar – Source: Star-Kenya – 322 words
The management of the Junction shopping mall has assured shoppers and visitors that security measures have been put in place to ensure their safety after four ammunition boxes were discovered in the basement of the premise earlier today. The management of the Junction while allaying fears of a security lapse at the shopping complex said that much of the information appearing in the media regarding the detection of the four empty ammunition boxes has been misinterpreted and should therefore not scare shoppers from visiting the mall. The mall’s management further assured its shoppers and visitors that security measures put in place are reviewed regularly to ensure that the Mall is secure.
Refugees ordered to relocate to Kakuma, Dadaab camps as urban registration centres shut
25 Mar – Source: Standard Media – 299 words
The government has ordered all refugees residing outside Kakuma and Dadaab to return the refugee camps immediately. All refugee registration centres in urban in Nairobi, Mombasa, Malindi, Isiolo and Nakuru have also been closed. Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said any refugee found flouting his directive will be arrested and prosecuted.  â€œAll Kenyans are requested to report to police any refugee or illegal immigrant found outside the designated camps,†said Lenku in a statement. He said the move is part of the measures they are taking to address the increasing threat of terrorism in the country.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Chinese, French, German ships hold first combined Somali counter-piracy drills
25 Mar – Source: Janes News – 101 words
Ships from China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the French and German navies conducted combined counter-piracy drills for the first time, in the Gulf of Aden on 20 March. Chinese state media described the exercise as part of enhancing co-ordination and co-operation between China and European navies in supporting international maritime security. The PLAN’s vessels, from its 16th escort task force, were the Jiankai II (Type 054A)-class guided missile frigate Yancheng and the Fuchi (Type 903)-class replenishment oiler Tai Hu . The vessels were reported to be supplemented by a ship-borne helicopter and a number of special operations personnel.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“By purchasing food from local farmers whenever possible, WFP leverages its power as one of the world’s major food buyers, creating a reliable market for small-scale farmers, stimulating local economies and saving time and money on shipping costs. By empowering farmers in countries like Somalia, WFP is ensuring that communities in need have the right tools to solve hunger for good.”
In Somalia, Helping Farmers Harvest Hope For The Future
25 Mar – Source: WFP Blog – 292 Words
In a country best known among outsiders for piracy, warlords and prolonged droughts, positive news from Somalia can be all too rare. But this month marked a historic achievement: For the first time, farmers in Somalia have become suppliers of high-quality food assistance that can be used to feed fellow Somalis. In south-central Somalia, dozens of small-scale farmers recently harvested and sold nearly 450,000 pounds of maize that will be used by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to feed communities across the country as they work to build and restore infrastructure, including water reservoirs, irrigation canals and roadways. This milestone is even more incredible given Somalia’s recent past. Just three years ago, a severe drought led to widespread crop failure across the very same region, prompting one UN official to declare the subsequent famine “one of the worst humanitarian disasters” in the world at the time. Since then, better rainfall, lower food prices, increased livestock prices and sustained humanitarian intervention have led to better crop yields, according to Laila Ali, WFP’s Public Information Officer in Kenya.