November 18, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

AMISOM express concern over the row between Somali leaders

17 Nov- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Dalsan- 132 words

African Union Mission in Somalia has on Sunday expressed concern over the row between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. Asked about the row between the two leaders, AMISOM spokesman Col. Ali Aden Humad said African Mission in Somalia is concerned with the latest rifts between the leaders. He lamented the division might jeopardize the territorial gains and development progress made in the past year by the Somali government and its African allies. He stated that AMISOM will consult with the government leaders and stakeholders to bring the division between the two leaders to an end. The row between the two leaders came into light last week after reports indicated that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked his Premier to resign accusing him of being ineffective in his job.

Key Headlines

It is political not constitutional dispute says former justice minister(Dalsan Radio)
Somaliland presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on time- FM(SomalilandInformer)
17 journalists complete training course in Garowe(Radio Bar-kulan)
Farmers at a loss as floods destroy crops(Radio Ergo)
Puntland Storm Survivors waiting for help(Garowe Online)
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud PM Abdi Farar Shirdon engaged in supremacy war(Standard Media)
Somalia’s al Shabaab militants ban residents from using smartphones(Daily Nation)
Sheikh Madobe Welcomes Somali Refugees Repariation(Citizen News)
Marine insurance rates could drop as piracy reduces(The East African)
Somalia: Aid for cyclone and flood victims(ICRC)
Exclusive: Former member of Somali al Shabaab talks about own experience(CCTV)
Samantha Lewthwaite linked to series of murders(Telegraph )

SOMALI MEDIA

AMISOM express concern over the row between Somali leaders

17 Nov- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Dalsan- 132 words

Somaliland presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on time- FM

17 Nov- Source: SomalilandInformer – 92 words

Somaliland government led by president Ahmed Silanyo reiterated that it is hundred percent committed to hold the coming presidential and parliamentary elections on scheduled as planned and are about to take place in the country in mid 2015. While addressing Chatham House in the United Kingdom recently, Mohamed Biihi Yonis, Somaliland Minister of foreign affairs stated that the current administration in Somaliland is working with the international community to conduct voter registration which will pave the way for elections which are free and fair to happen very smoothly in the country.

17 journalists complete training course in Garowe

17 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 137 words

17 Somali journalists who have completed 1 month training have on Sunday been awarded certificates in Garowe, the capital of Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Speaking at the ceremony, Ahmed Awil Mohamud, the head of Relief International’s media project said that the trainees were taught how to produce programs, newspapers and the modern equipments used for media production. He stated similar projects will continue in the future to enhance the awareness of journalists and media staff in the country. Puntland’s Minister of Information Ahmed Sheikh Jama who attended the ceremony urged the 17 students who completed the training course to utilize their education and skills in order to contribute to the wellbeing of their communities. The ceremony in Garowe was attended by officials from the administration, media experts and other dignitaries.

Farmers at a loss as floods destroy crops

16 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 191 words

Farmers in Somalia’s north-eastern regions are counting their losses after their harvests were swept away by the storm and floods that hit Puntland. Deputy Chairman of the Farmers Association in Nugal region, HasanYusuf Karshe ,said more than 900 farms were washed away by the floods, meaning hundreds of families have lost their livelihoods. He said water melons, lemons, onions, tomatoes, corn, mangoes and guavas among othercrops were destroyed in the heavy rains that pounded the area. The worst affected farmlands are in Darayle, Jibagale, Shimbiralay, Una, Timir, Ano Iskah, and Yibayir villagesof Nugal. “The storms have severely damaged the farmers,” Karshe told Radio Ergo’s local reporter in Garowe. He said more than 150 water pumps used for irrigation had also been destroyed. Vegetable and fruit production has been increasing in Puntland in recent years, so that local production was overtaking imports. Karshe said vegetables and fruits prices would now go up as the next new harvests would take at least four months. “The price of tomatoes has already increased. One kilo of tomatoes was 20,000 Somali shillings before the storm, but it now costs 80,000 Somali shillings,” he said.

Puntland Storm Survivors waiting for help

16 Nov- Source: Garowe Online- 567 words

The survivors of a severe cyclonic storm that rammed into Somalia’s northeastern region of Puntland are desperate for food, medicines and clean water but, with so much anxiety and chaos in the hardest-hit areas the distribution is limited, Garowe Online reports. Despite the efforts of Puntland government, few aid agencies on the ground and the neighbouring countries of Ethiopia and Djibouti, food remains scarce for many of the neediest survivors in Nugal region where storm with life-threatening flooding washed thousands of livestock into the Indian Ocean, leaving 350,000 households more destitute according to local authorities.

It is political not constitutional dispute, says former justice minister

16 Nov- Source: Radio Dalsan- 143 words

Speaking exclusively to radio dalsan concerning the uncertainty that has gripped between the President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, Former justice minister Abdulrahman Hosh Jibril said it is not the constitution but rather politics that has resulted the dispute between the two Somali principles. Mr. Abdulrahman who was justice minister in the former transitional federal government under President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said it is better for the prime minister to step down and gladly pave way for political transition while saving the country out of the political deadlock. “Political standoff between president and prime minister is not new in this country it used to happen even in 1960s,” he said. The speaker of national assembly Mohamed Osman Jawari vowed to solve the standoff in the parliament through votes if the president and prime will not agree on matter.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, PM Abdi Farar Shirdon engaged in supremacy war

17 Nov- Source: Standard Media- 412 words

Tension remains high in war-torn Somalia after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked Prime Minister Abdi Farar Shirdon to resign last week. The development is a major blow to Somalia, which has experienced a rare period of political stability for the past year, since the new negotiated government was set up with the backing of the United Nations and the international community. Sources within the Somalia government say the President asked the Premier to resign on grounds that Shirdon was ineffective in his job. But the adamant Prime Minister has declined to leave office and has instead called for Parliament’s intervention, terming his attempted ouster unconstitutional.

Somalia’s al Shabaab militants ban residents from using smartphones

17 Nov- Source: Daily Nation- 398 words

Al Shabaab militants have banned residents from using smartphones in Lower Shabelle, a region south of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. Residents who declined to be named for security reasons say that no person from the general public is allowed to use smartphones. “Use of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy is strictly prohibited,” one resident said. He added that a public notice by the militants warned that any person found using iPhones would be punished. He did not elaborate the kind of punishment offenders would face.

Sheikh Madobe Welcomes Somali Refugees Repariation

17 Nov- Source: Citizen News- 02:48 min

We welcome the repatriation of the Somali refugees,,, these are the words of Sheikh Ahmed Madobe the leader of the southern Somalia otherwise known as lower Juba. Madobe is currently in Kenya to among other things visit the refugee camps to persuade the asylum seekers on the importance of going back home. This comes even as the federal government of Somalia is in talks with Madobe on the secession plans for the southern Somalia. Michael Njenga spent time with Sheikh Madobe and files the following report.

Marine insurance rates could drop as piracy reduces

16 Nov- Source: the East African- 415 words
Piracy incidents in the Indian Ocean have dropped drastically this year pointing to a possible reduction in the cost of marine insurance, a move that would help reduce the cost of doing business in East Africa. New statistics from the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atlanta, show there has not been a single successful case of a pirated vessel this year compared with the peak piracy period of 2010 when 47 vessels were successfully pirated. The number fell to 25 successful pirates in 2011 and five in 2012.

Origins and growth of Africa’s most dangerous militant group

15 Nov- Source: The East African- 803 words

In 2005, while a US-funded secret war against militants in Somalia was in progress, a group of like-minded young men decided that if they were to win the war, they would have to get a bigger base to train fighters. They then disinterred hundreds of remains from the former Italian cemetery in the capital, Mogadishu, to make way for the base, which was named after the Islamic warrior Salahudin. That site would, years later, become the first fully-fledged, training camp for what would emerge as the first al Qaeda-linked group in the Horn of Africa.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia: Aid for cyclone and flood victims

17 Nov- Source: ICRC- 456 words

A tropical storm and flooding that hit parts of Somalia on 10 November have had catastrophic consequences for thousands of people, mainly in northern Puntland, and Middle Shabelle in the south. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Somali Red Crescent are responding to the most urgent needs on the ground. “A lot of people in these areas are in dire need,” said Patrick Vial, head of the ICRC delegation in Somalia. “Reports reaching our staff in the field speak of dozens of dead and the loss of significant numbers of livestock.” In Puntland, access to the affected areas remains extremely difficult owing to the impact of the storm on the road network. The worst-affected area is a triangular zone of some 300 square km between Bender Bayla and Eyl on the coast and the town of Dungayaro in the interior. So far, about 1,000 households (6,000 people) have received one-month food rations and other essential items.

Exclusive: Former member of Somali al Shabaab talks about own experience

16 Nov- Source: CCTV- 02:28 min

The al Shabaab is an al Qaeda-linked radical group based in Somalia. It once controlled large swathes of Southern parts of the country and it was also behind the Westgate Mall attack in neighboring Kenya in September. A former member from the extremist group has been interviewed by CCTV Christy Scull brings you details of the member’s experience there. According to the former member, theal Shabaab militants were able to block the government troops’ progress in Somalia. “Al Shabaab people are bad people. When the transitional federal government’s troops tried to make any developments,al Shabaab came to attack. When troops went to Kismayo, al Shabaab also attacked Kismayo. When the troops went to Jilib, al Shabaab attacked it. When the troops went to Afgoye, al Shabaab also attacked the place. Everywhere the troops made developments, al Shabaab would follow and attack,” Former member of Somali al Shabaab said.

Samantha Lewthwaite linked to series of murders

17 Nov- Source:Telegraph – 441 words

Kenyan police have linked Samantha Lewthwaite, the British “white widow” terror suspect on the run from global police, to series of murders in Kenya, including of two Christian clergymen.
The soldier’s daughter from Aylesbury, whose husband Gemaine Lindsay was one of the July 7 suicide bombers, is wanted for questioning in relation to the deaths of seven men on Kenya’s coast. They include fundamentalist Muslim preachers, two Christian pastors and three others, according Aggrey Adoli, the head of Kenyan police for its coastal province. His officers were searching for eight people over the killings, which date back to August last year, and he initially said the suspects were Kenyan, Somali, Tanzanian and Ugandan. But he added that Lewthwaite, 29, may also be involved and that she should give herself up to answer questions over the deaths.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

Planning is prudent, but premature returns would increase the vulnerability of refugees and further destabilize Somalia. This is an outcome the international community must vigorously seek to avoid.

Returning refugees from Kenya will destabilize Somalia

16 Nov- Source: Global Post Blog-800 Words

Somalia, Kenya, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) this week signed an agreement outlining the return to Somalia of nearly half a million refugees from Kenya. Raising the specter of returns has reignited fear among Somali refugees and intensified a discussion in capitals across the Horn of Africa about the future of an additional half-million Somali refugees living in those countries. Refugees and aid organizations are worried about so-called induced repatriation, whereby refugees will be pushed to return to Somalia prematurely. Undeniably, there has been political and economic progress in Somalia, and stability has improved. The country has a new elected government, private investment is on the rise, and the military has made important gains, especially in bringing more security to Mogadishu. However, the central government’s ability to translate these fragile gains into an inclusive political transition remains uncertain.

“More than 30,000 elephants were killed last year for their tusks – almost 100 per day. This is the highest figure since the ivory trade was banned in 1989. And it’s not just elephants that are suffering from the illegal trade. Rhino are also poached for their horns, which are sold in China and other parts of Asia as cures for everything from cancer to food poisoning and smallpox.”

How al Shabaab is keeping the black-market African ivory trade alive

16 Nov- Source: Spectator Blog-643 Words

It has taken a while, but finally the world appears to be taking the illegal trade in ivory seriously. Why now? Reports of a ‘terror trail’ that links al Shabaab and black-market ivory. The Elephant Action League investigated the ivory trail into Somalia, and found that ivory, or ‘white gold’, is ‘one of the lifelines of al Shabaab’. EAL found that according to sources within the militant group, ‘between one to three tons of ivory, fetching a price of roughly $200 per kilo, pass through the ports in southern Somalia every month’. Al Shabaab’s monthly income from ivory is – according to EAL – between $200,000 and $600,000. On Thursday, Obama organised for a six ton hoard of ivory confiscated in the US, worth millions of dollars, to be crushed in front of ‘visiting dignitaries’ in Colorado in bid to make a stand against the illegal ivory trade. It’s a symbolic move for a country that has the second-largest market for ivory in the world, but opponents to the crush argued that the destruction will only push ivory prices higher.