POLITICS
Shabelle - The president of Somalia,Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has on Wednesday called the break-away republic of Somaliland to unite with other Somali regions.Ahmed made the comments at Mogadishu mayor organized ceremony held in the capital. He said that the people have no any interest in disintegration and each region to secede, and urged that the unity is a weapon.
Mareeg - Somali political leaders including the T.F.G, Galmudug, Puntland and Somaliland are heading to Denmark capital of Copenhagen , where the Somali Contact Group is hosting a meeting tomorrow. The TFG ministries of interior affairs and defense have left from Mogadishu to Denmark yesterday while delegates from Galmudug, Puntland and Somaliland are supposed to travel today to Copenhagen City.
SECURITY/AL-SHABAAB
Euractiv - The Serbian Secretary of State for Defence Tanja Miščević announced last week (23 September) that he will depoly troops in early November to join the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) of Somali personnel taking place in Uganda. The officials will participate in Atalanta's naval component on the French contingent ship, Miščević said. Since Serbian soldiers participated in foreign missions, they must be approved by the Parliament,the soldiers will go as part of a standing bilateral agreement with France.
MARITIME
The Hindu - India and the U.S. have agreed to enhance their maritime security cooperation, asserting safety of sea lanes of communication across the Indian Ocean is crucial for the economic growth for the entire region. The Indian Ambassador to the United States, Nirupama Rao said, "For instance, we are working together with the U.S. and the international community to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. Indian and U.S. navies are enhancing their collaboration to deal with natural disasters building on the experience gained so far from the coordinated action."
The Financial Times - When Somali pirates crept aboard the Irene SL and took control of the Greek-owned oil tanker at about 7.30 in the morning of February 7, they caused a shock felt far beyond the vessel’s 25 unfortunate crew and their families. "The cost of trade is going to grow," says Mohamed Sharaf, chief executive of Dubai’s DP World, which has a series of terminals in the region. "The risks to human life and the costs of doing business will grow unless something drastic is done." The difficulty is to know how to make any significant impact, short of resolving Somalia’s intractable problems. For oil tanker operators such as Greece’s Lemos family, owners of the Irene SL, there are few obvious alternative routes to export oil from the Gulf.
HUMANITARIAN/CORRUPTION
Shabelle - The Somali national disaster management agency for the transitional government has on Wednesday denied reports saying aid food for famine displaced people are corrupted. The chairman of the national disaster management agency, Abdullahi Mohamed Shirwa said in interview with Shabelle Media Network that the aid supplies which have been recently brought in, were given out in all southern regions of Somalia. He said the critics are needed to bring full evidence showing the corruption which they are accusing the agency.
EDUCATION/TURKEY
Today's Zaman - Turkish charity organization Kimse Yok Mu on Wednesday gave 309 Somalis the opportunity to receive a quality education in Turkey, according to a news report from the Cihan news agency. The students, along with Kimse Yok Mu officials and Somali Education Minister Ahmet Eydid İbrahim, arrived at İstanbul Atatürk Airport early Wednesday morning, where they were welcomed by Kimse Yok Mu representatives. İbrahim thanked the Turkish people and the government for their support and said that education is needed in Somalia. Kimse Yok Mu has done much for the country, İbrahim added, and he said that he has faith that aid will continue in the future.
OP-ED
Wardheernews - The author claims that UN Special representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga has become another advocate of Somaliland and depicts pictures of Mr. Mahiga dancing with his beautiful secretary at Somaliland event in New York and posing pictures in front of Somaliland flag. The author says "While Matt Bryden’s partiality may have been influenced by close family ties with the secessionist enclave, I am still at a loss to figure out what has driven Mahiga to put himself in such an embarrassing situation that is sure to anger many Somalis. As an aside, the name Mahiga rhymes with the Somali words 'Ma Hage' which mean "that who cannot lead." It is obvious that Mahiga is the wrong man for the intractable Somali problem. (Editor's Note: Matt Bryden is the coordinator of UN Monitoring Group for Somalia and staunch advocate of Somaliland as an independent state from Somalia.)
VIDEO
Youtube - This is a 6-minute video of the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton speaking at a meeting for Somalia at the UN General Assembly. The US secretary strongly expressed her dissatisfaction with the al-Shabaab's blockade of humanitarian operations and destabilization of the Horn of Africa and also warned the Somali transitional leaders to take advantage on the international community supports by fulfilling the UN Consultative Conference roadmap or lose the support global community.
RADIO ROUNDUP
Radio Mogadishu - A pro-government radio station
Th anti-peace militias of al-Shabaab in southern regions of Somalia regions have started collecting Zakat money from the civilians at a very difficult time and the people are complaining about it. One of the resident of Lower Juba region said that every individual who have a property worth of $500 will be forced to give out $25 and the people could not afford to pay the enforced fees as Zakat or Taxation.
Reports from Lower Shabelle and Bay regions indicate that there is a heightened tension between the supporters of the two al-Shabaab leaders Ahmed Godane and Mukhtar Robow Ali, known as Abu Mansoor. The supporters of Ahmed Godane are departing from from Bay region and arriving high numbers in the Afgooye and Wanlaweyn districts of Lower Shabelle and ready to confront militias supporting Abu Mansoor who are also preparing themselves in the outskirt of Mogadishu. The supports of al-Shabaab tried to solve the dispute but it was in vain.
Radio Al-Furqaan - A pro-al-Shabaab radio station
The religious elders of Hawiye clan called on all the Somali people to restart a fighting against the foreign troops (AMISOM) in Mogadishu in a time ship carrying weapon and military equipment arrived in Mogadishu port for AMISOM. The spokesman of the Hawiye clan, Mahamad Ahmed Guleed said that it’s necessary to chase the foreign troops from the country.
The TFG troops in Dharkinley district of Mogadishu ordered the management of Safa High School to vacate from the school building to serve as base and for the arrival of foreign troops and two teachers who opposed the call were arrested by the troops. One of the teachers of that school told Radio Al-Furqaan that they were teaching Somali students in that building over the last 15 years.
Radio Andulus - A pro-al-Shabaab radio station
Sources from Luk distirct of Gedo region claimed that there is huge conflict between the pro-infidels militia of TFG and the Ethiopian forces who were protecting them there. The Ethiopia militias who are in Luk have replaced the former administrators after they failed to execute their responsibilities. It is reported that many militias and their senior leaders were chased from Luk. On the other side the chased senior leaders were told to go to Garbaharey so that they can take part in the fight against Islam.
Radio Bar-Kulan - An independent radio station
Al-Shabaab militias in Bardhere district of Gedo region, today ordered the youths and the elders of the city to take part of the fighting against the TFG who are in some part of the regions. One of the senior leaders of al-Shabaab known as Abaas Abdullahi told a large crowd of people that youths and elders should register themselves in a new station in the outskirt of Bardheere.
Over 60 Somali immigrants are missing in Yemen and were feared to be detained by the Yemeni opposition group who were said to have been targeting the Somali people. Yussuf Diriye Googaar who is the deputy chairman of Somali people in Yemen told Bar-kulan that there are dozens of people who were detained some days ago by the opposition group in Shamlaan village, northern part of Sanca.