November 13, 2013 | Morning Headlines.
UN Security Council approves boost to Somalia peacekeepers
12 Nov- Source: Reuters/AP/VOA/ABCNews/
The United Nations Security Council approved sending additional troops to Somalia to deter the al Shabaab militia from expanding in the country and the wider region. The 15-member council adopted a resolution approving an increase of more than 4,000 troops for the African Union mission in Somalia, logistical support from the UN to the Somali army and deployment of a UN security unit to protect UN compounds in the country. The resolution comes four days after the insurgency linked to al Qaeda bombed a hotel in Mogadishu, the latest in series of terror attacks which included a June strike against a UN compound in the Somali capital and the four-day siege of a Kenyan shopping mall in September that killed at least 67 civilians and security personnel. “As recent attack show, al Shabaab continues to pose a threat, not just to Somalia but to the wider region,” Mark Lyall Grant, the U.K.’s envoy to the UN, told reporters today in New York. “Now was the right time for the Security Council to act.”
Key Headlines
- President calls for end to violence in Middle Shabelle(Office of the President)
- Prime Minister welcomes United Nations Security Council endorsement of greater support to SNA and increase in AMISOM troops(Office of the Prime Minister)
- President welcomes progress on establishment of local administration in Hiiraan(Office of the President)
- Security situation in Burhakaba improves(Radio Bar-kulan)
- Somalia PM reveals row with president asks parliament to intervene( Reuters/Xinhua)
- Food prices rise in Hiiraan(Radio Ergo)
- Tropical Cyclone death toll tops 300 fallen bridge hampers rescue efforts(Garowe online)
- Al Shabaab recruitment drive falls on deaf ears(Sabahi online)
- Ethiopia warns of attacks by Somalia’s al Shabaab(AFP)
- US Senate backs Kenya’s war on terror Somalia incursion(Capital FM)
- Danish aid agency backs deal on repatriation of Somali refugees(Xinhua)
PRESS STATEMENT
Prime Minister welcomes United Nations Security Council endorsement of greater support to SNA and increase in AMISOM troops
12 Nov- Source: Office of the Prime Minister-212 Words
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, today welcomed the United Nations Security Council backing for greater support to the SNA and increase in AMISOM forces.
The United Nations Security Council endorsed the UN’s recommendation that the SNA be provided a package of non-lethal support, including: transport, food, fuel, shelter and medical support through a trust fund. The Security Council additionally backed the recommendation of an increase in the number of uniformed AMISOM personnel to 22,126.
The Prime Minister, said: “I welcome and thank the Security Council for backing the recommendation for greater support to the SNA and increase in AMISOM troops, enabling us to build on the security advances already made.
“We encourage the UN, member states and international partners to ensure that sufficient and regular finance is made through the trust fund. This will allow the SNA, alongside AMISOM, to expand their scope and area of operations, bringing peace and stability to the whole of Somalia and ensuring there is no safe haven for al Shabaab. The long-term security and stability of Somalia will ultimately lie with the Somali National Security Forces.
“This increased support and manpower will help to bring about a final end to the fighting, allowing Somalia to get on with reconstructing our country and rebuilding our economy.”
President calls for end to violence in Middle Shabelle
12 Nov- Source: Office of the President-151 Words
His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on all parties to refrain from violent activities in Middle Shabelle, southern Somalia.
Updating Somali citizens about the situation in the Middle Shabelle during a press conference in Villa Somalia, the President said the Commander of the Somali National Army intervened with his forces to stabilize the area affected by the recent conflict. The Somali army also returned displaced citizens to their villages.
“They’re now safe and the immediate situation has been defused,” said the President. “The Government of Somalia is convening a reconciliation process, and so far elders and civil society are playing their role and are assisting the government in resolving the issues. The fighting must stop. I call on all parties to completely refrain from violence.
The President said AMISOM and the UN were supporting the government with the necessary logistical support for which he extended his thanks and gratitude.
President welcomes progress on establishment of local administration in Hiiraan
12 Nov- Source: Office of the President- 174 words
His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today praised the progress towards building a local administration in the central Somali region of Hiiraan.
“We have had a high-level team from the Ministry of Interior working hard in Beledweyne for the past six weeks and I congratulate all parties for the progress they have made, overcoming differences and coming together in the interests of the region and the nation,” said the President. “Rebuilding a federal Somalia is a formidable task and we must do it step by step, region by region. There is plenty of work ahead and numerous challenges and we must maintain this hard-won momentum.”
A delegation from the Office of the President, accompanied by the Ministry of Interior and an international aid organisation, travelled to Beledweyne to be briefed on political progress by the deputy governor, district commissioner and the mayor of Beledweyne. The delegation also assessed a number of projects, including flood defences, road rehabilitation and the construction of a sports stadium.
SOMALI MEDIA
Security situation in Burhakaba improves
12 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 94 words
Local administration officials in Burhakaba district in Bay region have said that the security situation in the area has vastly improved in recent months. Burhakaba commissioner, Ahmed Mohamed Yusuf told Bar-kulan that the federal government troops and African Union forces have recently taken measures to maintain the fragile security. He stated that the relative calm comes after the residents vastly cooperation between the local resident and security forces. Somali government forces along with AMISOM troops have previously conducted security operations in Burhakaba and its surrounding locations in an effort to maintain the relative security.
Tropical Cyclone death toll tops 300, fallen bridge hampers rescue efforts
12 Nov- Source: Garowe Online- 229 words
The death toll from a heavy tropical cyclone storm which hit Somalia’s northeastern region of Puntland over the weekend could reach 300 people according to reliable sources as a key bridge connecting the capital Garowe to the port city of Bossaso collapsed following torrential rains late on Monday night. Officials said Tuesday that the extent of the devastation by the storm surge became apparent and preliminary reports confirm that nearly 300 people died in the coastal areas along cape Guardafu, Beyla and Nugal valley vicinities close to the Eyl coastal town, 1300 km North-east of Mogadishu. Via irregular telephone, concerned residents of Eyl told Garowe Online that the cyclone whipped up waves of two to three metres, levelling seaside homes and washing away fishing boats while dozens of people still missing. Puntland Disaster management and Rescue Committee have not confirmed the figure as trucks loaded with 60 ton of food, clean water and blankets and Puntland government officials including Interior Minister Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Ilkajir are stuck in the Nugal region due to flash floods which made many areas inaccessible. The emerging reports of the death toll seem a sharp increase from the initial estimates on Monday of at least 100 death.s Many people were killed in the remote towns on the Indian Ocean coast, either crushed in their homes or swept away by the flooding.
Torrential rains kill two in Somaliland
12 Nov- Source: Somaliland Informer- 122 words
Somaliland Minister of Interior Mohamed Ali Warancade and the Foreign Affairs minister Mohamed Biihi Yoonis both confirmed that at least two people died after the rains. Both ministers said that they warn all nationals living in coastal areas to risk their lives. According to joint press conference held by the two ministers, FM said that it is only known that a person died in Oodweyne and the other in Zaylac. Somaliland interior minister expressed his sorrow to the human cost in tropical cyclone that hit Puntland, adding that Somaliland will do whatever it can to help their brothers due to the tragedy. Mr. Warancade urged Somaliland nationals to remain vigilant when it comes to the disasters.
Food prices rise in Hiiraan
12 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 149 words
Prices of staple food items are on the rise in Hiran region, due to a fall in local agricultural production. Commodities such as rice, maize, sorghum and peas are being produced in less quantity by local farmers, and prices have therefore gone up. Dhaqan Abdi Guled, a mother of three, sells local food products in the market in Beletweyne. She said 1kg of peas had risen from 7,000 to 12,000 Somali shillings. One kilo of maize was 5,000 up from 3,000 shillings; and sorghum and rice had doubled in price. Radio Ergo’s local reporter said farmers have been hit hard this season by floods as well as a shortage of seeds for planting. Some food is normally brought into Hiran from neighbouring Middle Shabelle region. But Guled said the floods in Jowhar have also damaged production in that region, and supplies are now very short.Dhaqane Amalow, a businessman in Beletweyne, said roads have been severely damaged by floods in Middle and Lowe Shabelle regions and trade from there to Hiran has been halted.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab recruitment drive falls on deaf ears
12 Nov- Source: Sabahi Online-588 Words
In a bid to build up its ranks of fighters, al Shabaab recently forced residents of three Somali towns under its control to attend recruitment events and listen to sermons filled with militant propaganda. The events, at which attendance was mandatory, took place October 29th in the towns of Barawe, Bulo Burde and El Bur, which, respectively, lie in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle, Hiran and Galgadud regions. They also occurred amid an anticipated troop surge for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). In Bulo Burde, al Shabaab used loudspeakers mounted on vehicles circulating through neighbourhoods to broadcast their message and coerce residents into attending the sermons, said Ali Mohamud, a 58-year-old traditional elder from the area.
Ethiopia warns of attacks by Somalia’s al Shabaab
12 Nov- Source: Capital News/AFP- 247 words
Ethiopia has warned of an increased threat from Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, saying the country should expect more attacks, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The announcement comes after two Somali nationals were killed last month when a bomb they were making exploded in Addis Ababa. Officials said they planned to target crowds gathered for a World Cup qualifying match. “More activities of this nature are expected to happen in Ethiopia, and therefore the need for raising security levels is very, very important,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told reporters.
US Senate backs Kenya’s war on terror, Somalia incursion
12 Nov- Source: Capital FM-363 Words
The United States Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision not to pull out of Somalia despite the September 21 Westgate terror attack. The Senators led by Chris Coons who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Sub-committee on African Affairs lauded the African Union’s military efforts in Somalia and pledged to support them. “The US Senate commends the Government of Kenya’s continued participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia and recognises Kenya as an important regional ally and partner of the United States,” the resolution states. While the United States government has always considered Kenya a strategically located partner in the fight against terror, relations between the two nations have been strained since the superpower said there would be, “consequences,” for electing ICC indictees as President and Deputy President.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UN Security Council approves boost to Somalia peacekeepers
12 Nov- Source: Reuters/AP/VOA/ABCNews/
The United Nations Security Council approved sending additional troops to Somalia to deter the al Shabaab militia from expanding in the country and the wider region. The 15-member council adopted a resolution approving an increase of more than 4,000 troops for the African Union mission in Somalia, logistical support from the UN to the Somali army and deployment of a UN security unit to protect UN compounds in the country. The resolution comes four days after the insurgency linked to al Qaeda bombed a hotel in Mogadishu, the latest in series of terror attacks which included a June strike against a UN compound in the Somali capital and the four-day siege of a Kenyan shopping mall in September that killed at least 67 civilians and security personnel. “As recent attack show, al Shabaab continues to pose a threat, not just to Somalia but to the wider region,” Mark Lyall Grant, the U.K.’s envoy to the UN, told reporters today in New York. “Now was the right time for the Security Council to act.”
Somalia PM reveals row with president, asks parliament to intervene
12 Nov- Source: Reuters/Xinhua-150 words
The Somali prime minister’s office on Tuesday confirmed the reported rift between him and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and said differences were constitutional rather than political. Reports have emerged in recent days about growing rift between the Somali president and the prime minister over a government reshuffle. President Hassan also reportedly demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. “With sadness I want to inform the Somali people that the differences you heard between me and the president is not a political but constitutional one and can be solved through understanding and implementation of the national constitution,” said the prime minister in a statement.
Danish aid agency backs deal on repatriation of Somali refugees
12 Nov- Source: Xinhua-238 words
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) welcomes a tripartite agreement inked on Sunday, saying it has a potential to enhance opportunities for voluntary return for Somali refugees from Kenya. In a statement issued in Nairobi on Tuesday, the global organization called for patience from hosting governments, while expressing confidence that the tripartite agreement can increase the possibility of finding durable solutions for the Somali refugees. “Patience is still needed from hosting governments, in this case Kenya, as developments towards a return environment where legal, material and physical safety for returnees need to take firm root,” said the DRC’s Deputy Regional Director Rikke Johannesen.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“It is good to make arrangements to help Somali refugees to go home but they should not be forced to do so, even if Somalia has not stabilised after another three years.”
Don’t force refugees back to Somalia
12 Nov- Source: The Star (Kenya)-200 Words
ON Sunday Kenya and Somalia signed a deal to return one million refugees to Somalia over the next three years. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees representative attended. Kenya currently hosts around 610,000 documented refugees and 500,000 undocumented refugees in Daadab, Kakuma and elsewhere.The Somalia government only controls about 40 percent of the country. Without AMISOM support, the government might collapse altogether. Refugees do not want to remain abroad. Being a refugee is an awful existence. History has shown that refugees will return home willingly, and even spontaneously, once conditions are right. In the 1990s two million refugees without complaint left Uganda where they had been for 20 years and returned to southern Sudan.