October 8, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

US Navy SEALs Somalia raid targeted Kenyan al Shabaab chief

07 Oct- Source: Standard/AP/AFP- 615 words

The man whom US Navy SEALs tried to take down in Somalia over the weekend was a Kenyan who had plotted to attack his country’s parliament building and the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi, according to a Kenyan government intelligence report. The pre-dawn, seaside SEAL raid on Saturday targeted Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir, who is also known as Ikrima, a US official told The Associated Press. The US troops are not believed to have captured or killed their target. The official insisted on anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.

Key Headlines

Finance Minister tells London investment conference we are ready to do business (OPS)
Ahmed Madobe declines to attend Mogadishu conference (Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online/Kismaayo Online)
Middle Shabelle deputy governor visits Mahaday (Radio Bar-kulan)
Somali president calls for police discipline as training begins (Daily Nation)
Somalia’s Stadium Banadir under construction (Raxanreeb)
Mogadishu hosts social gathering (Radio Mustaqbal)
US Navy SEALs Somalia raid targeted Kenyan al Shabaab chief (Standard/AP/AFP)
KFAED to give USD 10 mln in loans to Somalia (Kuwait News Agency)
US raid on Somalia: al Shabaab bolsters presence in Barawe (BBC)
Spain tries 6 Somalis for piracy after ship attack (AP)

PRESS STATEMENT

Finance Minister tells London investment conference we are ready to do business

07 Oct- Source: Office of the Prime Minister-257 words

Minister of Finance and Planning, His Excellency Mohamud Hassan Suleiman, told investors that Somalia is investment-friendly and must “seize the opportunity” to encourage foreign investment.

Speaking today at the international Somalia Oil and Gas Summit in London, the Minister of Finance and Planning, said:

“We are working to improve the investment climate having recently revised the Investment Law to ensure that Somalia is investment-friendly. Foreign investors see the huge steps that Somalia has taken and are keen to invest.

“International investors and multi-national corporations are turning their attention to Somalia and we must now seize the opportunity and work with them.

“The discovery of oil and gas in Somalia opens up an array of hope and opportunities for the new Somalia; enabling it to influence the pace of economic recovery and the future stability of the country.

“The potential for oil and gas to drive Somali people out of the poverty they are in, and positively contribute to the well-being of the war affected communities, will only be realized if they are fully integrated into the Somali Compact just signed in Brussels. Such a move would link this important industry with other productive and service sectors of the economy and becomes a catalyst for rapid economic growth and sustainable development in the country.

“It is important that Somalia gets a fair share of the profit which in turn contributes to economic growth of the new Somalia and improves the livelihoods of our war affected people.”

SOMALI MEDIA

Ahmed Madobe declines to attend Mogadishu conference

07 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Dhanaan Online/Kismaayo Online/RBC/Somali Channel TV- 130 words

The leader of Jubba interim administration Ahmed Mohamed Islan (Ahmed Madobe) has pn Monday declined to attend the upcoming reconciliation conference which is due to be held in the Somali capital in mid-October. Speaking at a press conference in the southern port city of Kismayo, Mr Ahmed Madobe said according to the agreement reached by the Somali Federal government and Jubba Interim administration in Addis Ababa, the accord urged both sides to host a reconciliation conferences, adding that the Jubba administration delegation already attended the Federal government hosted conference in the capital. He further said that they are having no plans of attending the Mogadishu conference. Delegation from the Kismayo-based administration led by Ahmed Madobe previously attended a national reconciliation conference held in Mogadishu.

Somalia’s Stadium Banadir under construction

07 Oct- Source: Raxanreeb- 343 words

President of Somali Football federation Mr Ali Said Guled Roble has visited the country’s second largest football facility (Stadium Banadir) which was fitted with an artificial turf by FIFA under its (win in Africa with Africa project). The facility is expected to host the country’s top league due to kick off in two weeks time. Leading an SFF evaluation committee, the president has checked different parts in the facility including the dressing rooms, post match press conference room, toilets, electricity availability and other important parts in the stadium to see how the rebuilding process is under way and to find out if the stadium was ready to host the most populous Somali sporting event.

Middle Shabelle deputy governor visits Mahaday

07 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 100 words

Deputy governor of Middle Shabelle region Yusuf Abdi Abdulle stated that the administration are in efforts of helping the people of Mahaday district recover from destruction after al Shabaab militant group was dislodged from the area late last month. Abdulle added that the region administration will soon construct schools and hospitals to restore the basic needs. He urged the Mahaday locals to closely work with security in the area in order to ensure security and stability in the region. Yusuf Abdi Abdulle has visited Mahaday district for the first time since al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militant group was removed from the southern district.

Mogadishu hosts social gathering

07 Oct- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 107 words

A well-organised social event that brought together residents, musicians and government officials was held in Mogadishu’s Hawlwadag district on Sunday night. Among those who attended the ceremony was Bandir governor and Mayor of Mogadishu Mohamud Ahmed Nur Tarsan, district commissioners, singers including Husein Shire who recently returned to Mogadishu, legislators and also other civilians. The colorful event hosted activities such as horse riding and other talent competition. The event is meant to bring together the population living in the capital, so as to foster understanding and engagement to better the lives.

REGIONAL MEDIA

US Navy SEALs Somalia raid targeted Kenyan al Shabaab chief

07 Oct- Source: Standard/AP/AFP- 615 words

KFAED to give USD 10 mln in loans to Somalia

07 Oct- Source: Kuwait News Agency- 185 words

Kuwait has signed USD ten-million loan agreements to fund Garoe Airport and Maakhir University in Somali, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic and Development (KFAED) announced in a statement Monday. Kuwait Fund would manage the finance of these two projects which would greatly benefit the country’s infrastructure. Funding the airport would allow it to handle air transportation, inside and outside the country, more easily and securely.

Somali president calls for police discipline as training begins

07 Oct- Source: Daily Nation- 320 words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has praised the move to train police officers inside Somalia as he opened training for 450 officers in the Somali capital Sunday. The event, at Gadiidka Booliska, the headquarters of the police transport department in North Mogadishu, attracted many government officials including the Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled. Speaking to the cadets, President Mohamoud said, “Police discipline is the prerequisite of public confidence.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

US raid on Somalia: al Shabaab bolsters presence in Barawe

07 Oct- Source: BBC- 527 words

Somali militant group al Shabaab has sent reinforcements to the town of Barawe, where US commandos tried to seize one of its leaders on Saturday, residents have told the BBC. The residents say about 200 masked fighters have arrived in the coastal town with heavy machine guns. It appears that the raid was targeting a Kenyan Somali known as Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir, alias Ikrima. The operation follows last month’s attack on a Kenyan shopping centre.

Spain tries 6 Somalis for piracy after ship attack

07 Oct- Source: AP- 129 words

Six Somalis who allegedly attacked a Spanish warship in 2012 off the coast of Somalia went on trial in the Spanish capital, with prosecutors seeking a 23-year sentence for each defendant. A National Court spokesman said Monday the six are charged with piracy, weapon possession and membership of a criminal group. The six were arrested in January 2012 following a shootout when they allegedly tried to board the Patino vessel. The Defense Ministry said the attackers possibly mistook the warship for a freighter.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“The Westgate attack has touched the very top of Kenyan society. Let us hope they will act in ways that meaningfully improve security not only for Nairobi’s well-heeled but also a wider citizenry terrorised by extremist violence and spreading conflict.”

Inconvenient truths for Kenya after Westgate attack

07 Oct- Source: African Arguments-957 Words

Two weeks after al Shabaab militants murdered over 60 shoppers and diners and laid waste to one of Nairobi’s smartest malls, a reckoning has begun: how could an attack of such ferocious brutality happen in the heart of one of the city’s wealthiest enclaves? Could it happen again and, if so, how can an attack of a similar magnitude be prevented? And what does the Westgate massacre say about the state and condition of Kenya as a nation and people? With the fate of 39 missing civilians as well as the number, fate and identity of the militants still unknown, these are the questions Kenyans have begun asking each other as well as the country’s divided political establishment. The search for answers will expose a number of inconvenient truths. The first of these is that violence and insecurity are deeply imprinted in contemporary Kenyan life. Even before the Westgate attack, a number of conflicts and low-level violence were bubbling away at the margins. In recent years militants have attacked churches, bars, bus stations, and police posts in Nairobi, Mombasa, Garissa, Mandera among other towns and cities. Authorities were uncertain and feeble in responding to the violence, even as it encroached further and further into the country and claimed many lives.