March 9, 2015 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somalia Welcomes US Government’s Removal of Al-Shabaab Defector From The Rewards For Justice List

08 March – Source: Radio Dalsan – 272 Words

The Federal Government of Somalia has warmly welcomed the US Government’s decision to remove senior Al-Shabaab defector, Zakaria Ismail Hersi, aka ‘Zaki’, from the Rewards for Justice List. This follows negotiations between the Somali and the US governments to establish clearly and beyond doubt that Zaki has renounced violence, rejected the terror group, Al-Shabaab, and has fully embraced the peace process – conditions which have been irrefutably established and which have been unequivocally proven to the people of Somalia through Zaki’s statements to the media.

Daud Aweis Spokesperson Office of the President Federal Republic of Somalia said: “the Federal government is grateful to the US Government and Somalia’s other foreign allies for their continued cooperation in the fight against Al-Shabaab and in rebuilding Somalia. The Federal Government reiterates its message to those still trapped inside Al-Shabaab, whether leader or foot soldier: if you are willing to embrace the path of peace, abandon violence as a means of conflict resolution, and turn your back on the extremist doctrine of Al-Shabaab then there you will welcomed to rejoin Somali society and play your part in rebuilding of the nation.” The Federal Government confirms it will support defecting leaders or militants in the transition back into Somali society and, where necessary, will advocate on their behalf, as was the case with Zaki and also with Sheikh Atom. Reach out by any means and you will find a willing ear and a helping hand.

Key Headlines

Somalia Welcomes US Government’s Removal of Al-Shabaab Defector From The Rewards For Justice List (Radio Dalsan)
The German Cabinet Extends Mandate Of The German Contingent Of the EU Training Mission To Somalia (Mareeg Media)
Somalia Commemorates International Women’s Day (Horseed Media)
Somalia Salt Industry Revives (Garowe Online)
Gunmen Kill Three Family Members In Central Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
Report: Police ‘Prophesied’ Massacre (Standard Digital Media)
‘Wonderful Somaliland’: Self-declared Country Aims For Spot 0N Tourist Map (Al-Jazeera America)
Al-Shabaab Bomb Expert Surrenders In Somalia (Anadolu Agency)
UN Envoy Welcomes Progress In Somalia Region’s Efforts To Form Assembly (UN News Centre)
Squeezing Somalia May Backfire (The Washington Post)
AMISOM Women On International Women’s Day (AMISOM)

SOMALI MEDIA

The German Cabinet Extends Mandate Of The German Contingent Of the EU Training Mission To Somalia

08 March – Source: Mareeg Media – 193 Words

The German Cabinet has extended the mandate of the German contingent of the EU Training Mission to Somalia. The EU Training Mission to Somalia trains recruits of the Somali National Army and provides strategic advice to the General Staff and to the Ministry of Defence. Germany has been participating in the EU Training Mission to Somalia since its inception when it started to train Somali soldiers in Uganda. German Ambassador Peschke said on this occasion: “The renewed mandate shows our continuous commitment to improving security in Somalia. Important progress has been made in stabilising the country. However, it is still long a long way to go before lasting peace will be achieved. Germany remains a faithful partner to Somalia on this path.” 2014 has seen the move of EUTM Somalia to Mogadishu with the establishment of the Jazeera Training Camp and with stronger relations to the government counterparts than before. The German contingent will again be mandated for a strength of up to 20 personnel. The German Federal Parliament still has to confirm this mandate.

Somalia Commemorates International Women’s Day

08 March – Source: Horseed Media – 311 Words

Somalia joined the rest of the world on Sunday to mark International Women’s Day. The Occasion was celebrated across the country with top government leaders attending ceremonies and delivering speeches acknowledging the role of the women in the society. In Mogadishu, where the biggest ceremony was held, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud gathered with hundreds of Somali women in the streets. While speaking to the crowd, he said the Somali women were the backbones of the society and have gone through hardships ever since the collapse of the Central government in 1991. “As President, I am committed to ensuring that we tackle barriers that may prevent women’s rights being discussed, committed to and adhered to. There is much more that we must work together to make possible for women in Somalia. There must be no barrier to women’s engagement with society; their voices being heard in public, and in private. As our institutions develop we must ensure that there is no obstacle to women being engaged in both in civic service and in public life. Importantly, education must be fully accessible across Somalia, so that our daughters have the same opportunities to learn as their brothers”.

Somalia Salt Industry Revives

07 March – Source: Garowe Online – 423 Words

After two-decade old civil unrest, Diaspora returnees are seeking to revive Somalia’s salt sector in the coastal towns of Hafun and Hurdiyo- strategic hubs that form the tip of the Horn of Africa. In late 2014, Udug limited alongside US-based consultancy, Redd Engineering began conducting feasibility studies in the salt producing areas along the seaside towns according to Gulled Musse, a Diasporan who spent much of his life abroad. “Udug Limited is proposing creating sustainable enterprises that harness the resources of Puntland,” Musse told Garowe Online, adding that the new initiative would provide employed to people. With strategic salt plant successfully renovated, Somali diaspora returnees are now eyeing the second phase of the income generating programme: “the site is promising and could return to its heyday as one of the principal salt works in the world,” said Lowry Redd, an official with the consultancy referring to 1900s when Italian firm heavily invested in Hafun salt factory. Italian cooperative societies at the time produced around 200,000 metric tonnes of salt and exports mainly went to Far-East Asia.

Amino Mohamed, key backer of the project believes that the revival of salt industry at the peak of the boom is a response to calls by President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali for more investment in the relatively peaceful Puntland which escaped the country’s worst upheavals. “We are trying to do our part as residents of Puntland and we are answering the calls of the government to invest and honestly we see very much promise,” she stressed. Not only does the project create jobs for thousands but it would improve the local economy which is gradually creaking back to life, unveiled an official at Puntland Planning and international cooperation ministry, Mohamed Ahmed. “Under the new deal, improving economy in Somalia has been designated its own peace and state building goal,” said Ahmed. “There is a more concentrated support on economic focus, specifically job creation”. The renovation of salt works in Hurdiya and Hafun was preceded by community-wide consultations. If salt facilities re-erected, the initiative will very likely open a new chapter in the history of investment in a country that has been a spot for bloody stalemate for over two decades.

Gunmen Kill Three Family Members In Central Somalia

07 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 159 Words

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three members of the same family in central Somali town on Friday night the latest in series of deadly incidents in the region that has many fearing for their own safety. The overnight attack took place in Beledweyne, a town in Hiiraan region, officials told Hiiraan Online on Saturday. The attackers were targeting a local elder Ahmed Aden Hassan, killing him, his eight years old son and a bodyguard from the family, confirmed by Mohamed Osman, the governor of the town. The gunmen also wounded the elder’s wife during the attack. Authorities launched an investigation into the incident; however, no arrests have so far been made. No group has immediately claimed the responsibility for the attack. The latest attack comes few weeks after gunmen murdered a well-known businessman Omar Mohamed in the town which serves as a key base for the African Union forces backing the western-backed government.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Report: Police ‘Prophesied’ Massacre

09 March – Source: Standard Digital Media – 420 Words

Eight months after the September 2013 Westgate Shopping Mall attack, an assessment of the terrorism landscape by the Kenyan detectives showed that the Government was fearful of another operation or bigger attacks. Less than a month after the sobering May 2014 assessment, Al-Shabaab attacked Mpeketoni and Poromoko in Kilifi County and killed 65 people. According to security reports leaked to Al Jazeera, there was a sinking feeling within the security establishment that another attack could happen because “the Westgate terror attack did not achieve the intended objective”. The probability of post Westgate attacks had been enhanced. Detectives believed that Al-Shabaab had acquired new capabilities including ability to assemble and deploy vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, established operational links with Al-Qaida and infiltrated operatives into Kenya.

The inability of the police to intervene effectively, in the Mpeketoni and Poromoko attacks appears to have been prophesied in a secret communication between police departments that candidly said security agencies were unable to “fully cover the wide range of terrorism targets across the country”. The document that makes these startling claims did not state what the National Police Service statement to all police investigative agencies meant by “did not achieve the intended objective” but disclosed a conviction within the top police circles that terror groups were committed to establishing an Islamic caliphate covering Kenya and the region through violence. Military involvement When Al-Shabaab militants attacked the mall, they killed close to 70 people in a random orgy of violence that lasted several days. Al-Shabaab said it plotted the attack to protest Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia and published names of militants it claimed attacked the mall and left alive. Kenyan authorities said there were four attackers who were all killed.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

‘Wonderful Somaliland’: Self-declared Country Aims For Spot o0Nn Tourist Map

08 March – Al-Jazeera America – 1, 312 Words

Friday is the day people head to the beach near the ancient maritime town of Berbera, across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. On any other day of the week, the shore is all but deserted. On a recent Saturday afternoon Abdirahman Hashi, 26, cut a lone figure on the sand watching small waves lapping against Baathela Beach. He arrived for a swim, he said. Afterward, he began the walk back to town with the coast line all to himself. Much like the unsignposted beach, there are few international indicators to identify Somaliland’s existence. Most people do not distinguish it from Somalia, and currently, the global community doesn’t either. Although a self-declared independent nation since 1991, Somaliland doesn’t technically exist. Somalilanders, not surprisingly, take umbrage, pointing out the contrary, highlighting how their country has built a functioning, democratic society from the scraps of civil war.

Today, creating a tourist industry based on the country’s beaches, history and cultural sites offers one means to change global perspectives and boost the livestock-export-dependent economy. However, no one thinks it will be easy. “It seems that when you are doing things peacefully and helping yourself, then no one cares about you,” Ayanle Salad Deria, the acting Somaliland ambassador to Ethiopia, said of the international community’s approach to his country’s situation. “Somaliland has been functioning for 24 years, and we’ve got lots of places to visit, including 850 kilometers [528 miles] of beaches.” He left his office briefly, returning with a large black ring binder folder full of visa applications he started to flip through. “American … American … European — these are for this month. There’s about 50,” he boasted. Though hardly a deluge of visitors, for Somaliland such tourist numbers are a step in the right direction. Estimates for tourists in 2014 are hard to verify and vary from 300 to 1,300. Many tourists not captured by the official figures are from the Somaliland diaspora, some visiting their country for the first time since fleeing its troubled past.

Al-Shabaab Bomb Expert Surrenders In Somalia

07 March – Source: Anadolu Agency – 216 Words

A senior leader of Al-Shabaab militant group described as an Al-Qaeda-trained bomb expert has surrendered to authorities in Galgaluud region in central Somalia. “He surrendered to a police station in Galgadud and the police handed over him to the Somali National Army,” Mahad Roble, the district head of security, told The Anadolu Agency. “He is an important defector and was behind most of the bombing we have witnessed in Somalia,” he suggested. The senior militant was identified as Abdullahi Ahmed Muhumed and described as a bomb expert trained by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was said to be a top official at Al-Shabaab’s Amniyat Unit which deals with intelligence gathering and suicide bomb training and recruitment. “He is now ready to help the government fight the terrorists,” Roble told AA. Muhumed is expected to be flown to the capital Mogadishu for interrogation by the Somalia intelligence.

UN Envoy Welcomes Progress In Somalia Region’s Efforts To Form Assembly

07 March – Source: UN News Centre – 180 Words

During an official visit to Kismayo today, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, welcomed the Interim Juba Administration’s progress towards forming a regional assembly. “I welcome the progress on forming the IJA’s regional assembly, and urge the speedy conclusion of a transparent and inclusive process, in which women and minorities are properly represented,” said Mr. Kay. “Ensuring a fair and inclusive process will help build a just and peaceful society for the people of the Juba regions as well as all Somalis.”

He met the IJA’s leader, Ahmed Madobe, and the two discussed political and security issues. Mr. Kay was also briefed by the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) Special Envoy for Somalia, Mohamed Abdi Affey. Mr. Kay congratulated the IJA on its recent engagement with other regional administrations and with the Federal Government of Somalia. “Now it is critical to focus on accelerating federalism, the constitutional review and democratisation ahead of the end of the Federal Government’s term in 2016,” he said.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The irony is that the U.S. regulatory squeeze could well backfire. Disrupting remittance flows in Somalia will force people to turn to a much less transparent black market for money transfers and encourage criminals — and terrorists — to take advantage of those desperate to maintain their financial lifelines.”

Squeezing Somalia May Backfire

06 March – Source: The Washington Post – 848 Words

If Joe Biden really wants to help his Somali American “friends,” now would be a good time to do it. The vice president recently said that he had “great relationships” with Somali taxicab drivers in Wilmington, Del., and that the city had a large Somali community. But a simple fact-check made short work of Biden’s assertions: Wilmington is home to a large number of West Africans, not Somalis. Biden may well have encountered a Somali taxi driver at some point, and if so, chances are that driver was one of the tens of thousands of Somalis in the United States who depend on money-transfer services to send cash to families and small businesses back in Somalia, often to pay for basics such as food, clothes, medicine and school fees. Somalia suffered a political collapse in 1991 and has virtually no central banking sector; it continues to struggle with terrorism, acute food insecurity and criminality. Globally, the Somali diaspora sends back an estimated $1.3 billion annually, which represents 25 percent to 45 percent of Somalia’s gross domestic product. Nearly a fifth of that comes from Somalis in the United States. Somalis are now facing a serious crisis that Washington helped to create. Because of increasing regulatory pressure to comply with counterterrorism and anti-money-laundering guidelines, numerous banks have decided to stop servicing the accounts that money-transfer operators use to help Somalis send cash home — including Merchants Bank in California, which until last month handled 60 percent to 80 percent of the money sent from the United States. This trend, known broadly in the banking industry as “de-risking,” has been accelerating, even as humanitarian assistance to the country has declined. Lately, there has been some cause for optimism in Somalia, but the catastrophic economic, social and political consequences of shutting down remittance flows could severely set back the progress the country has made in recent years.

“I advise Women to join because we need women empowerment. We have been side-lined for so long, and sometimes because of our cultural practices. When a woman goes to the police they say ‘a woman police!?’ This job is prescribed for men, this one is for women because of our culture, but I think it is time for more women to be recruited, especially here and in my country too.”

AMISOM Women On International Women’s Day

07 March – Source: AMISOM – Video – 6:57 Minutes

As the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) joins the rest of the world to mark the International Women’s Day; its female Police officers are sounding the call for women across the African continent to be the champions of lasting peace and security.