March 29, 2016 | Morning Headlines
President Mohamud Receives Credentials From Russian Envoy To Somalia
28 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 152 Words
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday received credentials from the new Russian Abassador to Somalia, Sergey Kuznetsov. President Mohamud said Somalia welcomed Russia’s diplomatic presence in the country noting the two countries can work together towards prosperity in many fronts.“The Government of Somalia welcomes the move by Russia to reestablish diplomatic relations. We have common areas of interest to develop such as infrastructure, mining, education, culture and governance. We welcome Russia’s help to rebuild these sectors in Somalia,” said President Mohamud.
Kuznetsov said his country was keen on strengthening ties with Somalia and that Russian companies were ready to invest in Somalia and participate in the construction of infrastructure. Russia reopened its embassy in Somalia early 2014 after over twenty years’ hiatus following collapse of government and subsequent civil war in Somalia. The ceremony was attended by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Ali Kediye, Defense Assistant Minister among other officials.
Key Headlines
- President Mohamud Receives Credentials From Russian Envoy To Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Prime Minister Lays Down Foundation Stone For ICT Center In Garowe (Goobjoog News)
- Tension In Beledweyne After Killing Of An Elder (Shabelle News)
- Somali Soccer Tournament Aims To Keep Teens Away From Gangs (ABC News)
- Somali Forces Kill ‘More Than 100’ Al-Shabaab Fighters (BBC)
- How Piracy Saved Somalia (Fair Observer)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Prime Minister Lays Down Foundation Stone For ICT Center In Garowe
28 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 252 Words
Somali Prime Minister Sunday laid the foundation stone for the centre of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Garowe Town. Speaking at a ceremony attended by Puntland President Abdiweli Ali Gaas, Ministers for Post and Telecommunication and Information Guled Hussein Qassim, the prime minister said the centre will play very important role in Puntland’s telecommunication.
“This will help Puntland government and its people improve telecommunication through information and communication technology (ICT). The Aid donated should be shared equally among Somalia’s regions and this program is part of that” said Prime Minister Omar. Puntland president, Abdiweli Ali Gaas said the system will contribute and improve the information sharing of Puntland’s different ministries as well as whole of Puntland state.
“It will lead significant changes when it comes to information sharing” said president Gaas. This project is implemented by the World Bank, according to the president of Puntland. After the collapse of the central government in 1991 many privately owned telecommunication companies. The privately owned companies companies immediately started their operations with very limited resources.
Most Somalis communicate via email and mobile phones. In 2014 Somalia’s government has launched its first postal service in more than two decades. It has also introduced postcodes nationwide for the first time in the country’s history. The postal service fell into disuse when long serving ruler Siad Barre’s regime collapsed in 1991.
Tension In Beledweyne After Killing Of An Elder
28 March – Source: Shabelle News – 144 Words
A growing Tension of fighting ran high at Howlwadag village, west of the central town of Beledweyne after armed clan militia in and outside the city poured into the area, reports said. Speaking to Radio Shabelle, Osman Mohamud Sharawi who is an elder in the city said the development has raised fears of clan fighting in Beledweyne, the regional capital of Hiiraan region. Mr Sharawi added that the armed clan fighters have blocked the town’s major roads and closed businesses in Howlwadag area on Sunday afternoon after an elder was killed there. The administration of Beledweyne district is reportedly trying to defuse the rising tension and send troops to intervene in the rival warring militia, according to the local elder.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Soccer Tournament Aims To Keep Teens Away From Gangs
28 March – Source: ABC News – 243 Words
Thousands of Somalis are in Central Ohio for the 16th annual Columbus Indoor Soccer Cup. The tournament runs through Sunday at Star Indoor Sports on Busch Boulevard and is free and open to the public. Organizers said they want to celebrate unity in the Somali community. Columbus has more than 50,000 Somali residents and is the second largest in the United States.
Tournament organizer Bashir Gelle said they want to keep young men focused on good so they don’t become vulnerable to extremist groups that could seek to radicalize them. “Diversity, unity, a peace loving community , it says a lot of of things as you know sports are all about unity. This is one of the best things to you can use to make young people so they don’t end up in the wrong way,” said Gelle. The tournament is funded by sponsors and donors.
Fuad Ali said it is good to have players from as far as Dallas, Minneapolis, Canada and Maine. “It brings the community together and we want to keep the kids out of the streets, and have them something they can belong to and be proud of. We want to tell them be proud of your culture but use your common sense this is a country that gives us a place to belong to and raise our kids,” said Ali. “We don’t want them to be vulnerable, we want them to be aware of everything.”
Somali Forces Kill ‘More Than 100’ Al-Shabaab Fighters
28 March – Source: BBC – 197 Words
At least 115 fighters of the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab have been killed in heavy fighting with pro-government forces in northern Somalia, the regional government says. A further 110 militants were captured during the fighting, the Galmudug government added in a statement. There has been no independent confirmation of the claims. The al-Qaeda-linked militants have drifted north after losing ground in southern and central Somalia.
Galmudug’s President Abdikarim Hussein Guled said the security forces were determined to “wipe out” the militants, and to prevent them from establishing bases in stable parts of the north. The militants were defeated after four days of fighting along Galmudug’s border with Puntland, the government statement said. A few of them managed to flee into rural areas, it added. The statement did not give casualty figures for pro-government forces.
The African Union (AU) has some 22,000 troops battling Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, where it was formed nearly a decade ago to fight for Islamic rule. Last month, the militants overran an AU base in the southern town of el-Ade. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said about 180 Kenyan troops, which were part of the AU force, were killed in the attack.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“As piracy increased, so did the wealth transfer that moved millions of dollars from ransom payers to the pirates. As ransom money poured into Somalia, “it [went] into the local economy, creating jobs and wealth and fueling micro economies along the coast.” This significant transfer of wealth affected real estate development, sent basic wages through the roof, employed thousands and even created its own investment market.”
How Piracy Saved Somalia
28 March – Source: Fair Observer – 3,083 Words
Somali piracy has had unintended positive consequences—from the economy to international cooperation. In 2009, piracy off the coast of Somalia splashed onto the global stage at near epidemic levels. The impact of Somali piracy affected the entire international community as shipping expenses soared. The wave of piracy attacks, however, was short-lived due to a quick and comprehensive response by the international community to counter piracy and its causes.
The global response to Somalia continues today and is a reversal of 20 years of alienation prior, which made possible the country’s devolution into a failed state that the world ignored and feared simultaneously. The success in countering the three-year piracy epidemic, however, shadows the success of piracy for Somalia by demanding attention and assistance for a withering nation. In effect, piracy saved Somalia.
To understand Somali piracy, the country’s history must be understood. Unlike the majority of Africa, Somalia was never truly colonized in the traditional manner. The entirety of what is historically known as Somalia has been sliced and diced over the course of a century by the Italians, Ethiopians, British, French, Kenyans and arguably its own people in the northern area known as Somaliland.
Whereas most African nations can be viewed in the chronological construct of untouched, colonized, transitioning or independent, Somalia was effectively passed through colonist hands in more of an asymmetrical way. This left Somalia fitting the profile of a foster child who has been passed from one home to another with no consistency like the other colonized countries. This particular case makes the nation highly difficult to fit into traditional colonial paradigms like other African states.
In 1956, Somalia was granted “Internal Autonomy” by its Italian colonizers. In 1960, Somalia was given full independence. From 1960 to 1969, the country saw a slew of border conflicts and domestic political struggles that left Mohamed Siad Barre as its leader. In 1970, Barre declared Somalia a socialist state with support from the Soviet Union. It seemed that Somalia was on course for being a successful Soviet client-state in a critical juncture of the world, with ample coastline and a strategic asset overall.