October 2, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

President Uhuru Kenyatta: Kenya will not withdraw its troops from Somalia

01 Oct- Source: Standard/Daily Nation- 261 words

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday said no amount of intimidation would drive Kenya into removing its troops from Somalia prematurely. The President noted that events leading to a decision by Kenya to send its troops in Somalia were clear but still remain constant and no amount of intimidation would make Kenya think otherwise. “For over twenty years, Somalis fought each other, we have been of help providing camps for their refugees, they have taken our people hostage thinking we would seat back and watch,” Uhuru said.

Key Headlines

Somali Foreign Minister visits in Canada (Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Mogadishu)
Puntland lifts ban on Satellite TV station (Raxanreeb)
IDPs in Kismayo complain of harsh living conditions (Kismaayo Online)
Beled-weyne hospital is running out of medicine (Radio Bar-kulan)
54 Somali nationals nabbed in Eldoret (Standard)
Somaliland president set to hold talks with Turkish officials during visit to Ankara (Somalilandpres)
President Uhuru Kenyatta: Kenya will not withdraw its troops from Somalia (Standard/Daily Nation)
Netherlands hails Uganda on regional peace (New Vision)
Terrorists target unemployed youth says Kenyan Deputy President (Daily Nation)
Kenya must not return Somali refugees (Amnesty International)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali Foreign Minister visits in Canada

01 Oct- Source: Radio Mustaqbal/Radio Mogadishu- 132 words

A Somali delegation led by the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Fowsia Yusuf Haji Aden arrived in Canada. The delegation was cordially welcomed by dignitaries from Canada. In the two-day visit, the foreign minister is expected to meet with foreign minister and other officials of Canada in Ottawa. She will also meet Somali community in Canada, sources told Mustaqbal radio. Aden is accompanied among others the chairman of central Bank of Somalia and other officials from the ministry of foreign and international cooperation of Somali federal government.

Puntland lifts ban on Satellite TV station

01 Oct- Source: Raxanreeb- 232 words

Officials in the Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland has lifted the ban from Universal TV, UK-based Somali satellite TV station, RBC Radio reports. Puntland has banned the operation of Somali satellite TV on Saturday alleging the station did not broadcast the recent speech by president Abddurahman Farole at the Somalia New Deal Conference on September 16th. A letter dated on Monday September 30, from the ministry of information of Puntland said it has lifted the ban on Universal TV station’s operation in Puntland because the station was the only source of living for some local journalists.

Beled-weyne hospital is running out of medicine

01 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 112 words

Reports from the Somali central town of of Beled-weyne, capital of Hiran suggest that the town’s general hospital is running out of medicine. Speaking to Bar-kulan, Dr Omar Hassan Siyad, a senior medical official in Hiran region said the hospital is running out of medicine and called for the government and medical organizations to bring an urgent medical supply. The hospital faces shortage of medicines and struggling to meet the medical needs of patients seeking treatments, said Dr Omar. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who used to run the hospital suspended its operation in the region before withdrawing from the whole of Somalia due to what it explained security threats to its staffs.

IDPs in Kismayo complain of harsh living conditions

01 Oct- Source: Kismaayo Online- 125 words

IDPs in Kismayo are complaining of harsh living condition facing them in the camps, citing lack of humanitarian assistance as well as healthcare. Locals are facing humanitarian crisis, with women and children being the worst affected, according to a camp leader Sidi Derow who spoke to local media. Derow urged local and international aid agencies to come to the aid of the locals who are now in dire need of humanitarian relief. The locals are said to be victims of the drought and famine related crisis that has hit southern Somalia in 2011 and conflict in parts of the Southern regions in the country. There are reportedly more than 50 camps for internally displaced persons in Kismayo.

Somaliland president set to hold talks with Turkish officials during visit to Ankara

01 Oct- Source: Somalilandpress- 600 words

Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud ( Silanyo )and a high level delegation composed of cabinet ministers today flew out of the country headed to Ankara ,Turkey for a state visit after he was officially invited by the leaders of that country. President Silanyo is “Turkey and Somaliland share common history hence the need to strengthen, we expect to meet with the leaders of that country during the trip to discuss issues of shared interest , the exploration of minerals , the ongoing dialogue talks and how to enhance future cooperation between the two countries”,.

REGIONAL MEDIA

President Uhuru Kenyatta: Kenya will not withdraw its troops from Somalia

01 Oct- Source: Standard/Daily Nation- 261 words

Netherlands hails Uganda on regional peace

01 Oct- Source: New Vision- 501 words

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called on Western countries not to focus on residual troubled spots when planning for Africa saying most of the continent is peaceful and secure with no war or the threat of potential war. “There are some problems in Eastern Congo, Somalia and parts of North Africa but almost 70 percent of Africa is peaceful with no possibility of war. When planning for companies to invest in Africa, don’t focus on troubled areas because those are residual,” he said.

Terrorists target unemployed youth, says Kenyan Deputy President

01 Oct- Source: Daily Nation- 340 words

Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has hit out at the terrorists for attempting to exploit unemployment among the youth in Kenya by recruiting them to join their militant group activities in Somalia. Terming the doctrine of the terrorists who attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi as primitive, backward and barbaric, Mr Ruto said the government would turn the unemployment problem into an opportunity. He said the government would work together with the youth to come up with a brigade that will help grow the economy of the country to unprecedented levels.

54 Somali nationals nabbed in Eldoret

01 Oct- Source: Standard- 132 words

Police in Eldoret have nabbed 54 Somali nationals who had boarded a bus headed for Turkana. The foreigners were in a bus which had been stopped for a routine check at a roadblock in Burnt Forest on Mondayevening. They are alleged to have successfully sneaked into the country through the Kenya-Somalia border.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya must not return Somali refugees

01 Oct- Source: Amnesty International- 392 words

Kenya must drop calls to force hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to Somalia where ongoing armed conflict would put their lives and security at risk, Amnesty International said today. It follows calls from the Kenyan MP Ndung’u Gethenji, head of the Parliament’s defence committee, to clear Somali refugees from camps in northern Kenya. He said they are used as “training ground” by armed groups such as al Shabaab. “Returning refugees to Somalia, where all parties to the conflict, including al Shabaab, continue to carry out attacks against civilians, would only make matters worse and would be in violation of international law. Instead, authorities in Kenya must protect those living in a vulnerable situation in refugee camps,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s deputy Africa director.

Uhuru Kenyatta: Kenyan troops ‘will stay in Somalia’

01 Oct- Source: BBC/AP- 156 min

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has addressed a multi-faith prayer service for the 67 victims of the Westgate shopping centre attack. He told the gathering that the Somali militants behind the siege had tried to use religion to divide Kenyans but faith had instead united them. The president added that if al Shabaab fighters thought the mall attack would make Kenya withdraw its troops from Somalia, they were mistaken.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“Somalia’s New Deal is not perfect, but it is likely the best available recipe for progress. We must not let this opportunity go to waste. The recent tragedy in Kenya only underlines this.”

New deal for Somalia is of strategic importance

01 Oct- Source: Daily Monitor-776 Words

The international community turned a blind eye to the Horn of Africa for far too long – and not without consequences. Piracy flourished along the Somali coast. Terrorism gained a foothold and the region is now suffering the consequences. To make matters worse, the population was vulnerable to drought and famine, as we witnessed in 2011. As recent as September 21, Kenya and the world experienced in a tragic way what the neglect of Somalia can entail. Al Shabaab has taken responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, where a large number of people have been killed and injured. We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Nairobi and express our deepest condolences to the relatives of the victims, the Kenyan people and the Kenyan Government. Despite the tragedies in Kenya, there is an emerging hope in the Horn of Africa. The attacks of recent months cannot dim the progress achieved in the wake of two decades of conflict and chaos. One year ago, a new federal government was established in Somalia. A fragile yet important foundation has been established for creating peace and progress.