Somalia's President appoints a New Prime Minister

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Wednesday appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the country’s new Prime Minister, becoming the third Premier to serve under the President.

SOMALIA: Meeting in southern Somalia town “Kismaayo” plans to isolate Puntland administration

Preparations are taking place in Kismaayo, Lower Jubba Region, to hold a meeting to be attended by regional administrations and the federal government.

The meeting is organized by President Hasan Shaykh Mahmud and the newly-elected southwestern regional President Sharif Hasan Shaykh Adan and will be attended by Somali and foreign delegates.

IOM, UNHCR Repatriate First Somali Refugees from Kenya

IOM, in collaboration with UNHCR, yesterday (8/12) began the voluntary repatriation of 94 Somali refugees from Kenya, 23 years after conflict and famine drove them from their homeland.

The refugees, from the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex that hosts over 350,000 Somali refugees, travelled in two IOM buses with their possessions to the Dhobley way station in Afmadow District, Lower Juba, on the Somali-Kenya border.

36 people killed in another Mandera attack

36 people have been killed and several others injured in yet another attack by Al Shabaab militants in Mandera this morning.

Somalia: US Journalist released after 32 months in Captivity

Michael Scott Moore was held in Captivity in North Central Somalia for almost three years

American journalist Michael Scott Moore has been freed in Northern Somalia on Tuesday after nearly three years of being held captive, reports confirm.

He was kidnapped by a group of Somali pirate gangs in January 2012 after landing in Galkayo town, located in North-central part of the country, where he had went to do a research about piracy.

Xaalada Puntland Faroole ka dib

8, janaayo, 2014, waxaa Puntland lagu qabtay doorasho ku dhacday si nabad galyo ah, dimuqraadiyada oo waadax ahayd, oo ay ku tartameen murashixiin badan oo uu kamid ahaa madaxweynihii xilligaas mudane Cabdiraxmaan faroole, iyo dhawr murashax madaxweyne ku-xigeeno, prof. Cabdiweli Maxamed Cali (Gaas) ayaa loo doortay madaxweynaha cusub ee dawlada Puntland oo ku guulaystay 33 cod, codadkii ay bixiyeen 66- da xildhibaan ee baarlamaanka dawlada Puntland, Cabdixakiin Xaaji Cabdulaahi Cumar(Camay) ayaa loo doortay madaxweyne-ku-xigeenka cusub ee Dawlada Puntland.

BELIEVING TO STUDY AT HOME

This brief opinion is contributed by: Mohamed Omar Ahmed, 15 September, 2014.

After the collapse of our central government of Somalia in 1991, many Somalis flew and went out of the country to the neighboring countries and far away America for business and studying purposes alike.

SOMALIA: SNA, AU forces plan to attack Barawe town, says governor

Mogadishu: The Governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region Abdukadir Nur Siidii has unfolded that Somali National Army and the African Union Forces [AMISOM] are planning to flush out the Al Qaeda-linked militant group from their strongholds in the region including Barawe town.

Mr Siidii has told local media that Barawe town, the biggest stronghold for the militant group has become the prime target of the fresh joint operation because of its high value for the peace and stability of the nation.

SOMALIA: Galmudug leader rejects comments from Puntland, defends formation of central administration

Mogadishu: The leader of Galmudug administration Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid has rejected recent comments made by the President of Puntland Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas following the disputed formation of the Central Administration in Somalia.

KENYA: HRW documents killings, disappearances by Kenya’s Anti-Terror Police

Nairobi: There is strong evidence that Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) has carried out a series of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Human Rights Watch also found evidence of arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of terrorism suspects in detention.

SOMALIA: UNSOM marks first anniversary in Puntland, pledges continued support

Garowe (bile blog) The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, pledged the UN’s continued support for Puntland today at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNSOM) in Garowe, the State Capital.

Ebola fears nix Sierra Leone troop trip to Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A military spokesman for the African Union mission in Somalia says the AU has canceled a planned troop rotation by Sierra Leonean forces because of the Ebola outbreak.

Somalia: Weapons haul seized from ‘al Shabaab’ suspects in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU Somalia – AMISOM troops together with the Somali National Army have captured an assortment of weapons and ammunition from ‘al Shabaab’ suspects in the capital Mogadishu.

SOMALIA: Six MPs from Puntland withdraw from Somalia Federal Parliament

Garowe: Six parliamentarians from Puntland have withdrawn from the Federal Parliament of Somalia following call from the President of Puntland Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas over the weekend.

SOMALIA: Military court executes three men convicted as Al Shabab members

Mogadishu: Somalia’s military court on Sunday executed three men convicted as members of the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al Shabab and that they have assassinated government officials.

Puntland celebrates 16th anniversary

GAROWE, Somalia August 1, 2014 (bile blog) Across cities and districts in Puntland and worldwide, people  are celebrating Puntland 16^th anniversary.

The festivities began early friday morning with almost every major city holding events, to mark the day Puntland state formed.

In the Puntland capital, President prof. abdiweli ali gaas accompanied by Ministers, MPs and government officials was the keynote speaker as thousands crowded Garowe center to take part in the celebrations.

The celebrations began with a parade which women groups; youth groups, sports teams, horseback riders, schools and universities all took part in Puntland security forces also took part in the parade.

The crowd of thousands of excited Puntlanders, watched as the many different groups paraded including internally displaced Somalis who have sought refuge in Puntland since conflict erupted in southern Somalia.

President gaas addressed the crowds, despite he was postpone his main speech about the anniversary in tonightʹs ceremony will take puntland presieential place,the president expressing his joy at the historical day and hope for the future.

The celebrations which are being held across the world will extend late into the night as Puntlanders wait to celebrate after they break their fast.

Puntland background

The Puntland State was established in 1998, as a result of a series of community-wide consultations and constitutional conferences, aimed at setting up an administration that could bring law and order in the territory, secure stability, reinstitute collapsed public institutions and promote development for its people, waiting to be part of a future federal system of Somalia.

It is unlikely that Puntland returns to the highly centralized form of government that existed before the fall of the central government of Somalia in 1991.

We belie ve that a federal system, in Somalia, can be achie ved by first building state governments in other parts of the country with functional institutions supported by their own constituencies. Puntland State is a stable region of Somalia with a surface land comprising one-third of Somalia and close to half of the country’s coastline. A pproximately 3 million people areestimated to live and work in Puntland, including an influx of seekers of safe home and

economic migrants from other parts of the country. There is a functioning constitutional government with security forces and sound public finance management.

The 16 year old state has been regarded one of the most peaceful areas of somalia, but has faced a number of challenges in the last four years including terrorist groups they were fighting Galgala mountains.

written by: abdi omar bile

Watch more photos here:

SOMALIA: Gunmen kill Somali lawmaker Sheikh Aden Mader in Mogadishu

Mogadishu: Gunmen have shot and killed well known Somali lawmaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Mader in Hamarweyne district today, relatives and fellow parliamentarians confirmed.

Flash: Somalia's Puntland cuts ties with central government

Garowe: Somalia's northeastern Puntland region said  it had cut all relations with the central government in Mogadishu, raising the prospect of further fractures to the already war-torn nation.

SOMALIA: President Hassan Sheikh pays sudden visit to Gedo region

Garbahaarey :Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has paid today sudden visit to Garbaharey town, the capital of Somalia’s southwest region of Gedo.

SOMALIA: Al Shabab fighters flee from Qansah Dhere town as gov’t forces advance

Baidoa: The fighters of the militant group Al Shabab have vacated from Qansah Dhere town of Somalia’s southern region of Baay on Thursday after government forces started to advance, residents and regional officials told RBC Radio.

SOMALIA: Security forces shot and kill two murderers linked to Al Shabab in Bakara Market

Mogadishu: Somali government security forces have shot and killed two murderers linked to Al Shabab in the busy main market of Bakara on Wednesday shortly after a security officer was assassinated in the market.

SOMALIA: UN Representative for Somalia welcomes agreement of intent to form new administration in central Somalia

Mogadishu, 30 July 2014 – The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, welcomed today’s agreement in principle to form a regional administration in central Somalia.

SOMALIA: IOM says boosts its efforts to combat Human Trafficking in Somalia

Mogadishu: In commemoration of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, IOM is calling on all stakeholders to strengthen synergies in order to break the silence on human trafficking.

SOMALIA: PM Abdiweli appeals for peace and rebuild the country for Somalis during Eid days

Mogadishu: Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has appealed for Somali people to maintain peace and rebuild the country as the first day of Eidul Fitr started.

SOMALIA: PM Sends His Heartfelt Condolence​s

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed sends his deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of MP and veteran Somali artist Saado Ali Warsame and Parliament Secretary Abdullahi Hussein Yabarow who were gunned down in Mogadishu by heinous murderers today.

Somali President sends his condolences on the killing of Saado Ali Warsame

The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, sends his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of MP Saado Ali Warsame, a Somali Member of Parliament killed in Mogadishu today.

“Our prayers are with her. I send my deepest condolences to the Honourable Saado Ali Warsame’s family, friends, Members of Parliaments and Somali people. We all pray that Allah grants her a place in Paradise,” the President said.

Flash: Somalia: Al-Shabaab militants shoot dead famed Somali singer and MP

Mogadishu (AFP) – Somali lawmaker and prominent singer-songwriter Saado Ali Warsame was shot dead Wednesday in the capital Mogadishu in the latest attack by Shebab insurgents against the government, police and witnesses said.

The shooting, with gunmen spraying her car with bullets before escaping, is the latest in a string of shootings or bombings targeting government officials.

UN Special Representative for Somalia condemns assassination of female parliamentarian

United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM)

For Immediate Release:

PRESS STATEMENT 33/2014

UN Special Representative for Somalia condemns assassination of female parliamentarian

Gunmen kill at least 4 in Kenyan port city, scatter leaflets

Gunmen killed at least four people and injured several others in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on Sunday, police said.

Witnesses said gunmen went on a shooting rampage on the edge of Kenya’s second-largest city and scattered leaflets saying the attack was retribution for last month’s raid on Mpeketoni, a town about 300 km (186 miles) north of Mombasa along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline.

SOMALIA: Puntland Parliament approves the new media bill

Garowe (Bile Blog) The Parliament of Puntland on Monday approved a new media bill passed by the region’s cabinet of ministers months ago.

Puntland Maritime Police Force: A Vital Component of the Piracy Solution

more detail: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By2ohoSd1vYiNXlWTTFXS1hPTmM/edit?usp=sharing

Government not targeting Muslims in war on terror, Uhuru Kenyatta says

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the Government was not targeting the Muslim community in the crackdown on criminals engaging in terror activities.

Speaking at the Kakamega State lodge on Friday night, the President said the Jubilee administration was not “at war with the Muslims” but was fighting criminals taking advantage of the religion to engage in terrorism and promote insecurity.

President Kenyatta asked Muslims to support the Government in fighting terrorism and insecurity in the country.

“Muslims are out brothers and we ask them to help identify those engaging in terrorist attacks in the name of the religion,” said the Head of State.

The President, who was accompanied by his Deputy William Ruto, was addressing Muslim leaders from Western and Nyanza at Kakamega State Lodge where he hosted them for Iftar (prayers and breaking of the fast).

“Muslims have nothing to fear as they go about their normal life. What we are fighting are criminals out to cause insecurity and cause disunity in the country,” he said.

He said all Kenyans should be vigilant and report suspected criminals to authorities.

He said the biggest challenge for the Government was uniting Kenyans and ensuring communities from all regions were not marginalised in the distribution of resources.

The President said the Jubilee administration was determined to serve all Kenyans equally irrespective of who they supported in the last year’s polls.

Mr Ruto said Jubilee would not allow leaders to use tribalism, religion and engage in divisive politics to promote their selfish interests.

The Cabinet Secretary for Mining Najib Balala and Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale said the Muslim community support President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto in their efforts to unite Kenyans.

But Mr Duale said Muslims were still being discriminated in the registration and issuance of national identity cards.

Source: Daily Nation

SOMALIA: Somali foreign minister with delegation flies to Spain

Somali foreign minister Abdirahman Dualle Bayle accompanied by Somali government officials have departed from Adde Adde International Airport in Mogadishu today.

The minister together with a delegation has officially travelled to European Union member State Spain which backs Somali federal government according to the minister.

Addressing the press before taken off from Mogadishu’s Adde Adde International Airport, Dualla said Spain includes the European states that continuously back the Somali federal government on many sectors including security and health.

Dualle is expected to meet his Spanish counterpart on the superlative methods of helping Somali government on the security and health sectors following a string of terror attacks that the Somali Islamist rebels have carried out against the federal government of Somalia.

Since the election of President’s Mohamud’s election in 2012, Somalia has been regaining the diplomatic ties with world countries which it lost after the collapse of the Said Bare led regime two decades back.

SOMALIA: At least ten dies after two clan militia battled in Hiran region

At least ten people have died and more than that number wounded in gun battle between two rifted local clans in central Somali region, Hiram region administration confirms.
Thursday early morning, two local clan militias have engaged in gun fire confrontations in Defow village, 35Km to Baladwayne, the provincial capital of Hiran region.
Meanwhile 16 wounded people were admitted to Baladwayne general hospital while some have sustained critical injuries, Hiran Health authorities say.
The battle broke out after the two battling clan militias fought before and no successful reconciliation negotiations have been recorded to bring the hostilities to an end. It is becoming the second time these two local clan militias have engaged in direct gun battles leaving dozens dead.
Traditional community elders have reached the scene while the two clan militias are in defense from one another. 

UN Security Council Press Statement on Somalia

New York, 11 July 2014 - On 11 July the Security Council received a briefing from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr Nicholas Kay, on the security situation in Mogadishu.
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the recent Al Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu against Villa Somalia, Parliament and members of Parliament in the last week. The members of the Security Council expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
The members of the Security Council paid tribute to both AMISOM and the Somali National Security Forces for their effective response to the attack against Villa Somalia. The members of the Security Council underlined the urgent need to support the Somali National Security Forces, in order for it to be able to assume full responsibility for security in Mogadishu and beyond. In that context members of the Security Council encouraged Member States to make uncaveated contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund to provide support to the Somali National Army, as authorized in resolution 2124.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with their responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations.
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Somali authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their resolve to continue to stand by the people and Government of Somalia, in the face of deplorable terrorist attacks, as they seek to establish peace and prosperity across their country.

SOMALIA: Prime Minister warns strict measures against “spoilers on media”

Mogadishu: Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has warned what he termed as “spoilers using media to instil fear and insecurity among the society” following deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu in the past days.

During an extraordinary cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister vowed that the government will not tolerate those who use the local media to create a propaganda of security and spread fear during these hard days.

“I want to send direct warning to some individuals who are busy in creating and spreading fear and insecurity through local media, We will not tolerate those individuals,” the Prime Minister said according to a press release from the cabinet meeting late on Sunday.

“If those individuals do not stop this behavior, it will bear severe consequences from the government,” he warned.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister acknowledged the work of the independent media to spread the message of peace and stability across Somalia citing that free media is very vital for a society like Somalia.

The warning came as independent politicians and Members of the country’s Federal Parliament critically spoken of the growing insecurity in the capital since the start of Ramadan month as the militant group Al Shabab claimed dozens of deadly attacks and assassinations against members of the government security forces and civilians.

Update: Somalia: Security Conference was held in Mogadishu

2014/07/08-Security Conference between the council of Ministers, Benaadir Regional Administration and the Defense committee in Parliament was held last night in Mogadishu chaired by H.E Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed. Matters concerning heightened security measures were broadly covered, obstacles discussed and further solutions formulated.
Read more detail here:

Somalia: Minister of Information Praises Latest Consultation Conference on Media Law in Mogadishu

Mogadishu, 08 July 2014 – H.E. Mustafa Duhulow, the Minister of Information today spoke at the two day latest consultation conference on the Media Law, held in the City Plaza Hotel in Mogadishu and attended by over 100 media professionals and representatives of civil society groups. H.E. Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Somalia attended the conference and was keynote speaker.

The Minister of Information said: “The new Media Law is a modern, dynamic piece of legislation that will protect media practitioners and the people alike, one that will create a vibrant and free media environment in Somalia. Freedom of speech is a fundamental part of a free society and a free press and media is a key component of freedom of speech.”

The Minister continued: “This two day consultation completes the process of regional discussion of the Media Law, a process that has taken us INSERT TOWNS. Now, finally, the process returns to the seat of government, Mogadishu, for the Banadir region consultation. This ensures that representatives of the media, civil society, the government including the security apparatus and the people of Somalia have all had the opportunity to discuss the new Media Law and what it means for them.”

The Minister concluded: “It is now our intention to present the Media Law to the Cabinet in the next few days and subsequently to the Parliament for ratification. After that we will implement the law and give Somalia a media sector it can be truly proud of, one that protects both freedom of speech and the rights of the individual.”

END
Ministry of Information, Mogadishu, Somalia

Exclusive: U.S. discloses secret Somalia military presence, up to 120 troops

(Reuters) – U.S. military advisors have secretly operated in Somalia since around 2007 and Washington plans to deepen its security assistance to help the country fend off threats by Islamist militant group al Shabaab, U.S. officials said.

The comments are the first detailed public acknowledgement of a U.S. military presence in Somalia dating back since the U.S. administration of George W. Bush and add to other signs of a deepening U.S. commitment to Somalia’s government, which the Obama administration recognized last year.

The deployments, consisting of up to 120 troops on the ground, go beyond the Pentagon’s January announcement that it had sent a handful of advisors in October. That was seen at the time as the first assignment of U.S. troops to Somalia since 1993 when two U.S. helicopters were shot down and 18 American troops killed in the “Black Hawk Down” disaster.

The plans to further expand U.S. military assistance coincide with increasing efforts by the Somali government and African Union peacekeepers to counter a bloody seven-year insurgent campaign by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab to impose strict Islamic law inside Somalia.

Those U.S. plans include greater military engagement and new funds for training and assistance for the Somali National Army (SNA), after years of working with the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, which has about 22,000 troops in the country from Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

“What you’ll see with this upcoming fiscal year is the beginning of engagement with the SNA proper,” said a U.S. defense official, who declined to be identified. The next fiscal year starts in October.

An Obama administration official told Reuters there were currently up to 120 U.S. military personnel on the ground throughout Somalia and described them as trainers and advisors.

“They’re not involved in combat,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that until last year, U.S. military advisors had been working with AMISOM troop contributors, as opposed to Somali forces.

President Barack Obama last year determined that Somalia could receive U.S. military assistance.

Another official said American forces over the years had provided advice and assistance in areas related to mission planning, small unit tactics, medical care, human rights and communications. The official said U.S. forces in Somalia have also facilitated coordination, planning and communication between AMISOM troop contributors and Somali security forces.

SPECIAL OPS

The comments expand upon a little noticed section of a speech given early in June by Wendy Sherman, under secretary of state for political affairs. She publicly acknowledged that a “small contingent of U.S. military personnel” including special operations forces had been present in parts of Somalia for several years.

Still, it was not immediately clear from her remarks the extent to which U.S. personnel had been operating.

U.S. special operations forces have staged high-profile raids in the past in Somalia, including an aborted attempt in October to capture an al Shabaab operative in the militant group’s stronghold of Barawe. U.S. officials have acknowledged Washington’s support for AMISOM and Somalia’s struggle against al Shabaab.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency officials have been known to operate in the country.

U.S. troop numbers on the ground in Somalia vary over time, the officials told Reuters. Deployments are “staggered” and “short-term,” one official said. But the Obama administration official added that there was overlap in the deployments to allow for a persistent presence on the ground.

Asked about where U.S. forces were deployed, the administration official said they were “in locations throughout Somalia” but declined to elaborate further for security reasons.

The official declined to say precisely when the first U.S. military forces went back into Somalia, saying: “It was around 2007″ and in support of AMISOM.

Asked about why Sherman chose to disclose the information, a State Department official told Reuters: “In the past, our assessment of the security situation in Somalia informed our decision to err on the side of force protection concerns and not divulge their presence.”

That’s changed, the official said. “We do not currently believe that acknowledging the U.S. presence will increase the already high threat to our personnel and citizens operating in Somalia.”

The announcement also reflects a deepening of the U.S.-Somali relationship and comes as the United States prepares to name its first ambassador for Somalia since 1993, who would initially be based out of the country due to security concerns.

“Absolutely there’s been a shift” in the relationship, an Obama administration official said.

Military trainers from the European Union are already on the ground in Somalia training soldiers after shifting their operations at the end of last year to Mogadishu from Uganda, where troops were previously drilled.

Source: Reuters