Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Somalia
Newsline: Somalia, Zambia face diplomatic row
Somalia government Sunday clarified that the diplomatic row in Lusaka, leading to the temporal closure of the embassy in the country, was caused by a Somali national masquerading as an envoy. Zambian authorities closed the embassy after confusion emerged when another “diplomat” was sent in to take up the appointment without the knowledge of the one serving Shirwa Ibrahim. “It is a very embarrassing situation that we had to disclose our differences at the police station,” Mr Ibrahim, who took up office three months ago, said. According to the ambassador, the man who turned up to claim his post, only identified as Muhammed, was a resident and a member of the Somali-Zambia Friendship Association. The ambassador also accused Somalis in Zambia of frustrating his government’s operations in the country. Mr Ibrahim also blamed the Zambian government for the problems facing his embassy, claiming that some corrupt Somalis based in Lusaka have been gaining access to government departments through “bribes”. So far, Zambian government has not responded to the allegations. Currently, Somalia is run by a transitional government and has been categorised as a failed state. It has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/?p=34496
Newsline: Kenya to reopen their embassy in Mogadishu
A high level delegation from the neighboring Kenya has on Sunday visited Somali capital, Mogadishu, a move that Nairobi wants to accelerate its military operations against Al shabab militants. The visiting delegation is led by the Kenya’s deputy foreign minter Richard Onyango has received at Mogadishu airport a cordial welcome from Somali officials and held talks at the state house, Villa Somalia with President Sharif Sheik Ahmed and other senior TFG authorities. Sources said Both Somali and Kenya officials discussed more range of issues including bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries and the battle against Al-Shabaab militant.
http://www.mareeg.com/fidsan.php?sid=23910&tirsan=3
Newsline: Car Bomb Kills 4 Near Egyptian Embassy in Somalia
An ambulance official and a witness in Somalia say a car bomb exploded in Mogadishu, killing four people. Ali Muse, the head of the city’s ambulance service, said the Tuesday blast killed three civilians. Shopkeeper Abdiqadir Abdulahi said he saw one dead policeman as well. The blast happened near the former Egyptian Embassy though the circumstances weren’t immediately clear. A policeman named Abdi Hassan said a would be suicide car bomb was intercepted hours before the blast and the suicide bomber arrested. The car somehow exploded hours later while in the custody of police.
http://world.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=26264&external=1238453.proteus.fma
Newsline: Turkey opens embassy in Somali capital
Turkey’s embassy in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has opened, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the embassy opened to help relief efforts from the most devastating drought and famine in Somalia in over 60 years. “The Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu will coordinate ongoing and future aid efforts inSomalia. Our embassy went fully operational on Tuesday after the arrival of our Ambassador Kani Torun and the accompanying diplomatic staff,” the ministry said.
Newsline: U.S. Embassy in Kenya warns citizens of ‘imminent threat’
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya warned American citizens Saturday of an “imminent threat of terrorist attacks” after Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia to pursue suspected Islamic militants from Al-Shabaab. “This is to informU.S.citizens residing in or visitingKenyathat the U.S. Embassy inKenyahas received credible information of an imminent threat of terrorist attacks directed at prominent Kenyan facilities and areas where foreigners are known to congregate, such as malls and night clubs,” the U.S. Embassy said in an emergency message. It added that it has taken measures to limit officialU.S.government visits and that citizens should consider deferring travel to Kenya. Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda and has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, is fighting to impose its own interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, on Somalia. The group has said it considers the Kenyan forces crossing the border as “an affront to Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.” It previously threatened to “come into Kenya” if Kenyan forces did not leave Somalia. Recent abductions of tourists and aid workers inKenyahave heightened tensions. On September 11, armed bandits broke into a beachfront cottage where Britons Judith and David Tebbutt, both in their 50s, were staying. David Tebbutt was shot dead while trying to resist the attack. His wife was grabbed and spirited away on a speedboat, and is believed to have been taken into Somalia. On October 1, pirates made another cross-border raid, this time snatching a French woman in her 60s, who used a wheelchair and was believed to be in bad health, from a holiday home on Manda Island where she lived part of the year. She later died, likely because of the kidnappers’ refusal to give her medicine, according to the French Foreign Ministry. Al-Shabaab has denied responsibility for the abductions.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/22/world/africa/kenya-us-warning/
