NAIROBI (Reuters) - Italy offered on Thursday to help form an anti-terrorist police force for Somalia and urged other international donors to fulfil pledges of support for the beleaguered government in the Horn of Africa nation.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told reporters after meeting Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed that Italian military police, or Carabinieri, were ready to train such a force in neighbouring Kenya.
Two rebel groups hold sway in much of southern and central Somalia and the government controls only a few blocks of the capital Mogadishu, propped up by a 5,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force, Amisom.
Western nations say the chaos in Somalia, which has lacked central government since 1991, is giving Islamist militants a safe haven to train and plot attacks in the region and beyond.
"We offered to President Sharif to form a very robust anti-terrorist police for Somalia," said Frattini after their talks in Kenya's capital Nairobi.
The Amisom force has prevented insurgents from overrunning the capital and driving out the Western-backed government, but government troops have made little headway against the rebels.
Fighting since the start of 2007 has killed more than 21,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes. Washington accuses one rebel group -- al Shabaab -- of being al Qaeda's proxy in the country.
The chaos on land has also allowed piracy to flourish in the busy shipping lanes off Somalia. The International Maritime Bureau said there were 217 attacks last year by Somali pirates.
Source:af.reuters.com/
Showing posts with label Somalia Press Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somalia Press Day. Show all posts
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Somalia Press Day celebrated in Puntland State
The annual 21st January Somali Press Day was on today Wednesday celebrated in Somalia's autonomous state of Puntand with the ceremony held at the office of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in the administrative capital Garowe.
The ceremony was attended by Puntland government officials including Vice President Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire, Ministers, MPs, poetries and journalists from different parts of Puntland.
Vice President Shire who was addressing the guests said the media is important for the community, society welfare, specifically expressing his gratitude to journalist operating from the region for their role in covering political change when the new president was elected 8th of January, 2009.
He however appealed to the journalists the strengthen and uphold the good relation between Puntland media and the government agencies.
"I am requesting from Puntland journalists not to broadcast everything against the stability and development, Puntland respects the rights of the journalists, and we are waiting from the journalists to work on how they can help in Puntland growth," said the Vice President.
Media Association of Puntland (MAP) deputy chairman and the director of Radio Garowe Mohamed Dahir Yusuf (Salim) who addressed the participants, condemned the last year's violence against Puntland journalists.
Mr. Salim pointed that the region are better if compared to what their colleagues in southern Somalia are going through
Puntland Information Minister Abdihakin Ahmed Guled said: "I am sure that Puntland journalists are intelligent and know their work, but they need to upgrade their education and to point the right way they can go forward, we wish to make new college of journalism in Puntland."
He added: "We want to make Television, Radio and Newspaper which talks the voice of the government."
The ceremony, which was attended by 7 different radios and two newspapers, was concluded with common stand and pledge for better working conditions for media.
Source:garoweonline.com/
The ceremony was attended by Puntland government officials including Vice President Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire, Ministers, MPs, poetries and journalists from different parts of Puntland.
Vice President Shire who was addressing the guests said the media is important for the community, society welfare, specifically expressing his gratitude to journalist operating from the region for their role in covering political change when the new president was elected 8th of January, 2009.
He however appealed to the journalists the strengthen and uphold the good relation between Puntland media and the government agencies.
"I am requesting from Puntland journalists not to broadcast everything against the stability and development, Puntland respects the rights of the journalists, and we are waiting from the journalists to work on how they can help in Puntland growth," said the Vice President.
Media Association of Puntland (MAP) deputy chairman and the director of Radio Garowe Mohamed Dahir Yusuf (Salim) who addressed the participants, condemned the last year's violence against Puntland journalists.
Mr. Salim pointed that the region are better if compared to what their colleagues in southern Somalia are going through
Puntland Information Minister Abdihakin Ahmed Guled said: "I am sure that Puntland journalists are intelligent and know their work, but they need to upgrade their education and to point the right way they can go forward, we wish to make new college of journalism in Puntland."
He added: "We want to make Television, Radio and Newspaper which talks the voice of the government."
The ceremony, which was attended by 7 different radios and two newspapers, was concluded with common stand and pledge for better working conditions for media.
Source:garoweonline.com/
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