October 23, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Civil war’ breaks out within al Shabaab

22 Oct- Source: IPS News-1074 Words
For years the Islamist extremist group al Shabaab was seen as the most cohesive, united and powerful force in the failed state of Somalia. But it is now disintegrating like a house of cards because of internal divisions and power struggles within its leadership, according to Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad, a history and political science professor at Kenya’s Kenyatta University. “They [the militants] are transforming into warring mini-groups, hunting each other due to their deteriorating ideological differences, and of course [the group is] on the brink of civil war within itself,” Abdisamad told IPS in Nairobi. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for September’s four-day terror siege on Kenya’s Westgate Shopping Mall that resulted in the death of more than 70 people, and for the Oct. 13 bombing in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, which killed two Somali nationals who were believed to be suspects. But the militant group, which formally linked with al Qaeda in 2012, has been in a leadership and strategy dispute that has divided it into two factions – global jihadists and local nationalists.

Key Headlines

President Hassan says “Those responsible for the attempted assassination of a Somali journalist must be brought to justice”(Office of the President)
Government condemns attack against Somali journalist in Mogadishu
(Radio Mogadishu)
Delegation visits Kismayo(Radio Bar-Kulan)
Somali police commander says joint security operations(Radio Mustaqbal)
Kay urges free and fair elections in Puntland(Bar-kulan)
Somali Westgate attacker trained with al Shabaab(VOA)
Naval officers honoured for work in Somalia(Ports Mouth News)
Oil in Somalia has reduced piracy says IHS Maritime(CPI Financial)

PRESS STATEMENT

President Hassan says “Those responsible for the attempted assassination of a Somali journalist must be brought to justice”

22 Oct – Source: Office of the President – 201 words

H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, strongly condemns the attempted assassination of Mohamed Mohamud Tima’ade from Universal TV and has ordered security forces to do everything necessary to bring those responsible for the attempted assassination to justice.

The President said: “We must bring to justice those responsible for the attempted assassination of Tima’ade. I also appeal to the management and the staff of Universal TV, as well as to all Somali journalists, to keep up their courageous activity to show these thugs and would-be killers that they cannot silence journalists who are doing a magnificent job in Somalia.

I pray to Allah that Tima’ade will be able to recover speedily. These cowardly extremists want to show the world that Somalia is not safe and not stable. And they will fail because the cause of freedom on the one hand and journalists reporting freely on the other will prevail.”

The President concluded: “We will not tolerate targeted assassinations of Somali journalists and there must be no impunity and the government will do everything in its power to bring to justice all those involved in the killing of our journalists or any violence committed against them.”

SOMALI MEDIA

Government condemns attack against Somali journalist in Mogadishu

22 Oct – Source: RBC Radio/Radio Mogadishu- 100 words

Somali Federal Government on Tuesday condemned the assassination attempt against a Somali journalist working with Universal satellite TV station in Mogadishu who was shot and wounded by unidentified armed men in Wadajir district of Mogadishu, RBC reports. “We are strongly condemning this attack like any other barbaric attacks against journalists,” Ridwan Haji Abdiweli, Somali prime minister’s spokesman said. “We call on the Wadajir officials to launch urgent investigation on this case.” he added. The spokesman also mentioned that the government will do its best to secure the town but he said local officials must protect the citizens including the journalists in Mogadishu.

Delegation visits Kismayo

22 Oct – Source: Bar-kulan – 90 words

A high level delegation from European Union, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia & Britain on Tuesday reached the port city of Kismayo in the Lower Jubba region. The delegation that was led by European Union envoy Mr. Michele Cervone d’Urso intended to support agreement reached by the Somali Federal government and Jubba Interim Administration in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The delegation is also set to meet some of JIA officials over the forthcoming reconsolidation conference which is expected to be held in Mogadishu.

Puntland police capture jewelry market robbers in Bosaso

22 Oct – Source: Garowe Online – 109 words

Puntland police forces have captured two alleged robbers who broke into Bossaso Jewelry market where they killed a businesswoman and took away gold ornament worth $30,000 during an armed robbery in the port city of Bosaso on Monday, Garowe Online reports. The two robbers and the looted glass cases of gold Tuesdaywere presented to the media at Bossaso central police station with Bossaso Mayor Hassan Abdalla Hassan, Bari regional Deputy Police Commander Yusuf Musse and jewelry shop owners present. Addressing the media, Musse said that following massive security operation Police forces seized the bandits along with the robbed gold ornaments in the port city’s New Bossaso neighborhood.

Somali police commander says joint security operations

22 Oct – Source: Radio Mustaqbal – 119 words

Somalia’s police chief Gen. Abdihakim Dahir Sa’id toured Baidoa town, capital of Bay region, in a visit aimed at supervising the police forces in the region. While speaking to journalists, the commander also confirmed that the police force is committed to keep the security and peace in Somalia.

Kay urges free and fair elections in Puntland

22 0ct – Source: Bar-kulan – 87 words

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia Nicholas Kay who is in Garowe, the capital of Puntland urged free and credible elections in the upcoming Puntland presidential elections on January 2014. Mr Kay praises stability, progress made in Puntland since inception in 1998 as the northern autonomous state prepares to elect 4th president early in 2014. He further added that Puntland played a key role in the country’s Federalism system and also efforts to bring peace and stability back to the war-torn horn of African country.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Tightened security underway to guard against terrorist attacks: MoFA

22 Oct – Source: Walta Info – 99 words

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said tightened security activities are underway to guard against terrorist attacks. Ministry Spokesperson, Ambassador Dina Mufti, said while briefing journalists here today that security has been stepped up at border areas in collaboration with neighboring states. He further said that activities are underway in collaboration with the public to alleviate the threat. Ethiopia has rich experience in preventing terrorist attack, he said. Regarding the recently concluded Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, he said it was a meeting that testified Africa’s determination to tackle crimes.

Somali journalist wounded in Mogadishu

22 Oct – Source: Africa Review – 75 words

Two men armed with pistols reportedly attacked and wounded Somali journalist Mohamed Mohamoud Tima’ade in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday morning. Tima’ade works for London-based Universal TV, a broadcaster specialising in news on Somalia. He sustained wounds on the shoulder and was immediately rushed to Madina hospital, the largest referral facility in Mogadishu. Officials of Universal TV confirmed the assault on the journalist, adding that the aggressive act occurred in Wadajir District in south Mogadishu.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali Westgate attacker trained with al Shabaab

22 Oct- Source: VOA-199 Words
Sources affiliated with militant group al Shabaab have identified one of the attackers in the deadly Kenya mall assualt as Yahya Ahmed Osman — also known as “Arab” — from the town of Buloburte in Somalia’s Hiiran region. Sources told VOA’s Somali Service that Osman appears to be the same attacker that Kenyan officials named as Omar Nabhan from the Kenyan city of Mombasa. An al Shabaab militant who says he trained with Osman said in an interview with VOA that Osman graduated from an al Shabaab training camp in the town of Balad in 2009. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say the 25-year-old Osman was killed in the Westgate Mall attack and that his family has been informed of his death by al Shabaab. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Westgate attack, in which more than 60 civilians and six Kenyan soldiers were killed.

‘Civil war’ breaks out within al Shabaab

Naval officers honoured for work in Somalia

22 Oct – Source: Ports Mouth News – 89 words

TWO Royal Navy officers have been honoured for their work building up Somalia’s armed forces.
Commanders Mark Barton and Dain Thorne served with the EU’s training mission in Africa for six months. Their aim was to train the country’s military to bring stability and security to one of the world’s most troubled nations. Part of their work involved helping set up a new headquarters in Mogadishu containing accommodation, offices, a hospital and security. Now they have been rewarded for their work by Somali Minister of Defence Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi.

Oil in Somalia has reduced piracy, says IHS Maritime

22 Oct – Source: CPI Financial – 124 words

The dramatic drop in pirate activity off Somalia can be explained by three factors: the presence of on board private armed security, the changing tactics adopted by the international naval forces, and arguably the main factor, the changing situation onshore, which has reduced the operational environment for pirate groups. Since the first successful exploration wells were drilled in semi-autonomous Puntland in early 2012, oil has become a deciding factor in the reduction of piracy, claims Gary Li, Senior Analyst, IHS Maritime. The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), a privately paramilitary force armed and funded by the UAE, celebrated its third birthday this month. The PMPF has been pivotal in reducing pirate operating bases on the coast of Puntland. Onshore dynamics directly impact offshore risks.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“In this age of globalisation, there are more treasure-laden ships than ever before on our oceans’ maritime highways. Inevitably, where there is treasure there are pirates, especially in and around the coast of Somalia, which has become a notorious modern-day pirate lair. There’s good news, however: the fight against Somali piracy is being won, and the same tactics might work elsewhere.”

Winning the war against Somali piracy: so far, so good

22 Oct- Source: Daily Marverick-917 Words
Last month – on 19 September, to be precise – was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It’s a real thing, celebrated mostly by drunken freshmen on university campuses in South Africa and across the world. Except, if you’ve been donning the old eyepatch and peppering your conversation with Jack Sparrow-esque ‘Arrs’ and ‘Ahoy there, mateys’, you’ve been doing it all wrong. These days, pirates are more likely to sling an AK-47 than a scabbard, and Jack Sparrow would be completely incomprehensible to them – unless, of course, he was accompanied by a Somali translator. For the last eight years, the waters off the coast of Somalia have been the most dangerous place in the world for global shipping. At its height, in 2011, there were 199 actual or attempted attacks attributed to Somali pirates – an epidemic of high-seas brigandry which caused panic in the boardrooms of the great maritime trading companies (pirates have pushed global trade costs up by about $18 billion per year). The attacks targeted people as well as goods, with hostage-taking sometimes proving more lucrative than the cargo itself. There are still 97 foreign hostages being held by Somali pirates. But amidst all the doom and gloom coming out of Somalia (pirates are, after all, relatively low on that poor country’s long list of priorities), some good news: piracy is on the wane.