November 20, 2013 | Morning Headlines.
Aid arrives for Somalia’s cyclone hit Puntland region
19 Nov- Source: AFP/Relief Web/Al Jazeera English-321 Words
Food and medical supplies have begun to arrive in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, badly hit by a ferocious storm and flooding, the United Nations has said. The UN World Food Programme has sent 340 tonnes of food, enough for 4,000 households for a month, while Puntland’s government has sent 32 trucks of supplies. The local government in the semi-autonomous region has said as many as 300 people were feared to have been killed in the aftermath of the storm, but the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update released late Monday that 80 were so far confirmed dead.
http://reliefweb.int/report/
Key Headlines
- AU Special Representative Condemns attack at a Police Station in Beledweyne (AMISOM)
- AMISOM may renew offensive on al Shabaab (New Vision/Reuters)
- UN renews Kenya regional states roles against Somali piracy (Daily Nation)
- Prime Minister condemns terrorist attack targeting police station in Beledweyne (Office of the Prime Minister)
- Thriving sport shows Somalia is back on track says President kicking off football match in Mogadishu(Office of the President)
- United Nations to carry out survey in Dadaab Refugee Complex (Radio Bar-kulan)
- Ex. Somalia President calls on Federal Govt leaders to end Political Dispute(Hiiraan Online)
- Somali leaders condemn attack on Beledweyne police station(Radio Bar-Kulan)
- Daynile hospital runs out of supplies funds(Radio Ergo)
- 22 Killed in al Shabaab attack on Somali Police(VOA)
- Paris denies Frenchman held in Somalia is a spy (AFP)
PRESS STATEMENT
AU Special Representative Condemns attack at a Police Station in Beledweyne
19 Nov- Source: AMISOM- 202 words
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif has strongly condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack at a police station in Beledweyne capital of Hiraan region.
A car laden with explosives detonated at the entrance of the regional police station headquarters. Gunmen then opened fire at the Somali police officers and civilians based in the headquarter causing several casualties.
“We must not drop our guard. As we have repeatedly said, the threat of attack remains real even when the extremists were forced out of various urban towns,” said Ambassador Annadif adding that AMISOM will continue to stand by the people of Somalia as they strive to achieve sustainable peace.
While sending his condolences to those who had lost loved ones in the attack, Ambassador Annadif reaffirmed the commitment of AMISOM in particular to helping the Somali National Army and National Security Forces to enhance security in the country.
This is the second attack in Beledweyne carried out by al Shabaab fighters following last month’s attack targeting Ethiopian and Djiboutian forces in a restaurant, killing 16 people.
Somali National Army supported by AU Troops pushed al Shabaab out of Beledweyne more than a year ago.
Prime Minister condemns terrorist attack targeting police station in Beledweyne
19 Nov- Source: Office of the Prime Minister- 122 words
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon condemned the terrorist attack targeting a police station in Beledweyne and sends his condolences to the casualties.
The Prime Minister, said: “I condemn this attack in Beledweyne against our brave Somali security forces and AMISOM partners and send my condolences to the families and friends of all the innocent victims. Once again the enemies of peace show their true colours to Somalia and the world.
“Al Shabaab offer nothing but indiscriminate violence and suffering to innocent Somalis. This cowardly attack will not hamper the progress made in Central Somalia by the Somali security forces in partnership with AMISOM in eliminating the threat posed by al Shabaab.”
Thriving sport shows Somalia is back on track, says President, kicking off football match in Mogadishu
19 Nov- Source: Office of the President- 105 words
His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today kicked off a football match in Mogadishu in Somalia’s newly launched Serie A league.
In a landmark visit to the recently renovated Benadir Stadium in the Abdulaziz district of Mogadishu, the President watched the Elman against Jenyo fixture in Somalia’s Serie A, loosely modeled on the Italian league.
After meeting the players from the two sides, the President said the football stadium was a powerful symbol of the transformation in Somalia from terrorism to peace.
“I salute you players here today as living proof of the great progress Somalia has made in recent times,” the President said. “Only two years ago this stadium was an al Shabaab militia base from which atrocities were planned and launched. Today it is back in the right hands, allowing young Somali men and women to play the world’s most popular sport entirely peacefully.”
Sport was to be enjoyed in its own right, the President said, but it also had a vital role to play in peacebuilding, development and integration.
“You are role models for the new Somalia,” the President said. “I applaud your professionalism and commitment. Somalis, like people all over the world, love sport. Playing here today sends a message to the world that we are back on track doing things the rest of the world considers normal. That is our achievement here today and I thank you for making it happen.”
The President paid tribute to the “heroic efforts” of the Somali Football Federation and FIFA, who together had brought football back to the heart of the Somali capital after renovating the stadium. The President also wished the national Somali football team well ahead of the CECAFA tournament later this month for the top teams from Central and East Africa.
SOMALI MEDIA
United Nations to carry out survey in Dadaab Refugee Complex
19 Nov- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 143 words
The United Nations is preparing to carry out a survey in Dadaab Refugee Complex in northeastern Kenya to find out how many of the Somali refugees in the camp are willing to return home. The move comes after the UN Refugee Agency and the two governments of Somalia and Kenya signed tripartite agreement to assist Somali refugees that are willing to voluntarily return to Somalia. However, the refugees have expressed their dissatisfaction with the repatriation process citing insecurity and a lack of opportunities in Somalia. The presence of hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in Kenya has created a heated political debate between Kenyan politicians ever since Al Shabaab militant group claimed the responsibility of Westgate Shopping Mall attack in Nairobi. Dadaab Refugee Complex, the largest refugee camp in the world is a home to over half a million people, mostly from Somalia.
Ex. Somalia President calls on Federal Govt leaders to end Political Dispute
19 Nov- Source: Garowe/Jowhar Online/Hiiraan Online- 139 words
Former President of Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia Abdiqasim Salad Hassan called on Mogadishu-based Federal Government leaders to put an end the political dispute. Speaking to the media via telephone from Egypt, Hassan said those who oppose Somalia progress may exploit the ongoing row between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, referring to the possibility that foreign entities are stoking the issue but he didn’t elaborate the powers.“The dispute can spark and such political disputes have been dragging on since Arta government [TNG Govt],” said Hassan adding: “a committee have to be tasked with the mediation process, if they fail to reach a deal on the prevailing matters”. He expressed concern over the disagreement that comes to ahead after Shirdon revealed row with President Mohamud on the grounds of the constitution last week.
Somali leaders condemn attack on Beledweyne police station
19 Nov- Source: Bar-kulan/134 Words
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon have strongly condemned the attack on a police station in Beledweyne claimed by al Shabaab. The president said in a statement that the militant group has been weakened by Somali forces and their African allies in the country. He said that the group’s strategy has been restricted to sporadic attacks with no regard to human life. The government has once again reiterated its commitment to eliminate al Shabaab fighters from the rest of the country. Both the president and the prime minister sent their condolences to those affected by the attack. Security agencies and local administration officials are carrying out investigations at the moment. Al Shabaab has claimed to have killed Somali and Djibouti forces in the attack which cannot independently be confirmed.
Daynile hospital runs out of supplies, funds
19 Nov- Source: Radio Ergo- 202 words
Daynile hospital, one of Mogadishu’s largest and busiest hospitals, has run out of money and medicines following the withdrawal of Médecins Sans Frontières(MSF) from Somalia four months ago. The hospital was able to provide free healthcare to hundreds of patients mainly due to the financial and medical support it used to received from the international medical charity. “MSF has left behind medicine supplies and staff salary for three months, and all are now over,” the hospital director, Abdirahman Abdulle Barise, told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. But Barise was hopeful that another source of funding would be found, promising the hospital doors would never close and patients would not be charged. He said the hospital had been delivering free health services since its establishment in 2007 due to the support of the MSF. “We called the staff members for a meeting and asked whether we should keep the doors open until another source of funds is received, or if we should lock the doors and leave,” said Barise. He confirmed that all the staff members agreed to keep working voluntarily until funds came in. More than 110 patients are currently admitted in the hospital. Basic supplies such as intravenous saline solutionhas finished.
REGIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM may renew offensive on al Shabaab
19 Nov- Source: New Vision/Reuters- 454 words
U.N.-backed African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, bolstered by more than 4,000 new soldiers, may return to the attack against al Qaeda-linked militants, according to a senior AU commander. The AU force known as AMISOM will have more than 22,000 troops when the reinforcements agreed last week arrive. Brigadier Dick Olum, a Ugandan commander in charge of one of the four AMISOM sectors covering Somalia, said the extra 4,000 soldiers could tilt the military balance against al Shabaab.
UN renews Kenya, regional states roles against Somali piracy
19 Nov- Source: Daily Nation- 504 words
Kenya and other regional countries have been given renewed duties in the prosecution and prevention of piracy off the coast of Somalia until Somalia establishes proper institutions. A resolution passed on Mondayby the United Nations Security Council allows countries such as Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania and Mauritius to continue prosecuting pirates as the international community helps Somalia to establish special courts mean for trying suspects of piracy.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
22 Killed in al Shabaab attack on Somali Police
19 Nov- Source: VOA-212 Words
More than 20 people were killed Tuesday when Islamist militants attacked a police station in central Somalia. Militant group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in the town of Beledweyne. Ahmed Mohamed Khalif, the director of the Beledweyne Hospital, said 22 people were killed and at least 17 others were wounded in the attack. Witnesses said a car driven by the militants exploded outside the police station entrance. A group of four gunmen then stormed the building and began shooting. Pro-government forces soon surrounded the facility, sparking a firefight that lasted several hours. Officials said all of the attackers as well as a number of police officers and civilians were killed during the incident. In a statement, al Shabaab said it had killed both Somali and Djiboutian soldiers.
Aid arrives for Somalia’s cyclone hit Puntland region
19 Nov- Source: AFP/Relief Web/Al Jazeera English-321 Words
Food and medical supplies have begun to arrive in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, badly hit by a ferocious storm and flooding, the United Nations has said. The UN World Food Programme has sent 340 tonnes of food, enough for 4,000 households for a month, while Puntland’s government has sent 32 trucks of supplies. The local government in the semi-autonomous region has said as many as 300 people were feared to have been killed in the aftermath of the storm, but the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update released late Monday that 80 were so far confirmed dead.
Paris denies Frenchman held in Somalia is a spy
19 Nov- Source: AFP-213 Words
A Frenchman detained in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region is not a spy as claimed by local authorities, France’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The Frenchman and a Briton have been held since last Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said. “We are working with the British to provide them with consular protection and to obtain their release as quickly as possible,” he said. “He is not a spy,” Nadal said, referring to the French national, who he said was a corporate employee. Puntland Security minister Kalif Ise Mudan said on Monday that the two men were spies “who entered the country while disguised as NGO workers.” A statement from Puntland’s government, carried by the Garoweonline.com news website, said the pair were “illegally gathering classified information on public and private institutions in Puntland” and “sharing this information with foreign entities.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“With this analysis, we have tried to think critically about how Somali model piracy could spread, what conditions may facilitate it, and the role of various networks in the diffusion of the innovation.”
Good Things don’t come to an end. They Spread
19 Nov- Source: World Peace Foundation-1706 Words
Maritime piracy, thought by many to be a quaint relic of history, is booming. Modern-day buccaneers have upgraded from swords to AK-47s and spyglasses to GPS, but their motive remains the same: profit. Traditionally, pirate groups made a risk-reward calculation: operations that had higher earning potential also came with higher risk of interdiction. Somali pirates have upended this risk-reward tradeoff, by pioneering hijack-ransom piracy, a technique that minimizes their risk, while maximizing their profits. While successful, so far this type of piracy has remained limited to the waters near Somalia. This article will explore whether this innovative technique is poised to spread beyond the Horn of Africa. Of late, the international community has found success in the fight against Somali piracy. Intensive efforts by an international naval flotilla in the western Indian Ocean, new protection efforts by shipping companies, and increasing chaos in Somalia have led to a dramatic drop in the number of Somali pirate attacks.