The late Sunday report says the Iranian navy rushed to the site earlier in the day after it received a distress signal from the tanker, which was under attack from some 35 pirate boats.

The report says the pirate boats fled after the Iranian forces opened fire. It did not report any casualties.

From time to time, Iran announces the rescue of Iranian and other vessels from pirate attacks.

Iranian vessels are part of an international flotilla of warships that patrols the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea, to protect shipping from Somalia-based pirates.

Source: AP

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Yemeni Navy Rescue Ship from Pirates
2. Indian navy to rescue Indian hostages in Somalia
3. Yemen court sentences Somali pirates to Five years in prison

Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole

Puntland president Abdirahman Mohamed Farole has called on TFG and Kenyan troops battling Al-Shabaab rebel group in parts of Lower Juba to speed up their efforts to wrest control of the port city of Kismayo.

President Farole was speaking at the 21st Meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia in Djabouti.

Farole said Al-Shaaba still continue to hold strategic areas in Somalia including the port cities of Kismayo and Merka, in Lower Jubba and Lower Shabelle regions, respectively.

He further said these ports, and nearby airports in Baidoa and Bali-dogle towns, serve as Al-Shabaab’s cash flow, adding they must be liberated in a coordinated effort between AMISOM, neighboring countries and Somali forces.

President Farole called for “more rapid progress towards liberating the port city of Kismayo” in order not to avail time for terrorists to regroup and have a morale boost to launch attacks across Somalia and around the world.

He also said there should be more rapid movement towards regional towns under the control of Al-Shabaab, with particular emphasis on towns with airport and port facilities; in order to cut-off the terrorists’ supply of funds, arms and fighters.

He however, cautioned the Kenyan army to avoid collateral damage during military operations in southern Somalia.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Puntland president meet his Djiboutian counterpart
2. Puntland President Travels to Djibouti
3. Puntland president to attend Anti-Piracy forum in London

Reports say the gunmen shot dead the deceased, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdulle, the head of Israa village on the northern side of the city. The assailants immediately fled the area.

The identity and the motive of the gunmen are yet to be established.  No group has so far claimed responsibility of this brutal killing, but the local administration in the area pointed blame fingers at Al-Shabaab.

Abdulle is said to be the second area village elders to be killed since 2010.

Puntland police immediately arrived at the scene of the incident and launched investigation into the incident but no arrests were made so far.

Galkayo has in the past months seen several similar incidents, raising eyebrows among the locals, with local administrations in the south and north of city promising to contain the situation.

Just recently unknown assailants shot dead a traditional elder in the city under unknown circumstances.

Suldan Sa’id Osman, an elder from northern Abudwak, was shot dead by armed gangs as he was walking near Puntland’s area administration headquarters. The assailants immediately fled the area.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Gunmen kill an elder in Galkayo town
2. Gunmen kill an elder in Galkayo town
3. Puntland law maker killed in Galkayo, Mudug region

Some of the internally displaced families in Buhodle/RBK

Internally displaced families in Buhodle town are complaining of harsh living conditions facing them as tension looms in the district.

Doyow Gududow who is the chairman of the displaced families Buhodle town told Bar-kulan that they are facing harsh living conditions, a time tension between local clan militias and Somaliland troops is building up in the area.

He said over 150 families are now facing many life challenges since they receive no support from individuals or organizations.

He said due to the recent clashes in the district, some of them lost their dirty-collar jobs and hence could not make a living.

Gududow added that there are several refugee families who have been displaced by the recent clashes, worsening their already appalling living conditions. He said families worst affected are those camping southern side of the town.

The chairman however urged both local and international humanitarian agencies, business people and the Somali diaspora communities to immediately aid the desperately needy refugee families in the district.

However, the general situation of devastation in Somalia is also one of the causes of the problems facing the disadvantaged people in volatile Buhodle district.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Disabled persons in Bay complain of harsh living conditions
2. IDPs in Lower Shabelle face harsh living conditions
3. Locals urged to aid IDPs in Dusamareb town

University of Kismayo

The University of Kismayo has entered into a partnership with several Universities in Sudan.

Under the agreement, Sudanese Universities will have close cooperation with the University of Kismayo and give recognition to the University as accredited University.

The agreement covers further angles of cooperation in different areas such as academic research, student exchange programmes and experience sharing.

The University of Kismayo representative in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, Ahmed Noor Farah Dalal told Bar-kulan that the president of their University, Dr. Mohamed Abdi Adan signed the partnership agreement for them.

He said those Universities that entered partnership with the University of Kismayo includes the International University of Africa, Omdurman Islamic University and Al-Neelain University, all in Khartoum.

Sudanese Universities have been signing partnership deals with several Universities in Somalia in efforts to boost the standards of these Universities in the chaotic Horn of African country.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. University Student umbrella body announced in Mogadishu
2. TFG and Galmudug signs historic agreements
3. Sudan delivers 30 tonnes humanitarian aid in Mogadishu

Some of the 220 students who qualified for the Turkish scholarship.

The second patch of Somali students have today travelled to Turkey to pursue religious education after they were granted scholarship.

Before their departure, a farewell ceremony was held in Mogadishu for the 220 students who qualified for the Turkish scholarship.

Somalia’s Education Minister Abdinoor Sheikh Mohamed attended the send off ceremony. The plane carrying the students took off Adan Adde International Airport earlier today.

Mohamed urged the student to make use of this opportunity to further their education level and observe their unique culture while in Turkey.

The minister expressed his gratitude towards the Turkish government for supporting Somali children by granting them scholarships and reviving several learning institutions in the country.

The students also expressed their gratitude towards the Turkish government for the educational support it gives the Somali children.

The first patch of the Somali students arrived in Ankara on Thursday in order to join Turkish higher education institutions.

The students were warmly received by several Turkish officials including Deputy Prime Minister, Bekir Bozdağ and other Somali students in the city.

Earlier Turkey’s ambassador to Somalia, Cemalettin Kani Torun, has announced that Turkey plans to extend its educational outreach programs to the famine-stricken Horn of African country.

Ambassador Cemalettin Kani Torun was speaking at a press conference held at the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu, where he announced joint plans by the Turkish Education Ministry and the Directorate of Religious Affairs to oversee the education of 650 students and 50 religious officials from Somalia in Turkey.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Somali students reach Turkey for studies
2. 118 Puntland students receive scholarships from Turkey
3. Galkayo students compete for limited scholarship chances in Turkey

Iranian Red Crescent

Heads of Iranian and Somali Red Crescent societies on Saturday discussed second phase of Iran’s humanitarian aid to Mogadishu.

Appreciating the emergency assistance of Iranian Red Crescent Society to Somali draught-stricken people, the head of Somali Red Crescent Society Ahmed M. Hassan, , said they intend to broaden their long-term cooperation with Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Hassan said Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has set up a Medicare center in Mogadishu, equipping two other centers in the country and supporting the Somali draught-stricken people.

He noted that the IRCS has shown extreme commitment to aid the Somali people under emergency conditions in Mogadishu.

The Iranian official said the first phase of aid supply to the Somali drought-stricken people would be complete by mid February.

He added that the IRCS will start the second phase of aid including Medicare and health services.

He said that Iran ready to begin the second phase of aid shipment to the Somali people.

Source: Islamic Republic News Agency

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Iran to Increase Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia
2. Iran to send its largest shipment of humanitarian aid to famine-hit Somalia
3. Kuwait offers $10 million aid to Somalia

Somali prime minister was recently quoted as saying that South Africa will open its embassy in Mogadishu while Somalia will have its embassy in Pretoria.

Some Community members told Bar-kulan that the proposed diplomatic missions in Pretoria and Mogadishu will strengthen relations between local South African and Somalis living in the country as refugees.

Many thousands of Somalis have fled famine and warfare at home, braving a treacherous journey across the continent to reach South Africa, with most of the Somali population in South Africa living in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

The Department of Home Affairs, in charge of registering refugees and asylum seekers has earlier last year revealed that there were more than 32,000 documented Somalis living in South Africa, according to the BBC.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also confirmed that Somali nationals were the second largest group of asylum seekers in South Africa – after Zimbabweans.

Many Somalis own spaza shops – makeshift kiosks usually run from private houses or a shack of corrugated iron. But due poverty and high unemployment in South Africa, foreigners including Somalis are prone to attacks and shops are looted or burned down as a result.

In 2008, South Africa saw a wave of xenophobic violence which saw foreigners mainly Somalis necklaced – set alight with petrol doused tyres around their necks – and their shops were burned down.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Somali Businessmen Killed in South Africa
2. Somalis in south Africa donate food and clothes to drought victims in Somalia
3. Somali community in Egypt against PM resignation

Kenyan Internal Security minister, George Saitoti.

The Kenyan government has said that regional peace, crucial to Kenya’s tourism industry, is closer to realisation with the capture of strategic strongholds of the Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

Kenyan Internal Security minister George Saitoti said Somalia’s stability is crucial to Kenya’s tourism industry, which has already suffered several setbacks due to Al-Shabaab’s penetration into Kenya.

Speaking at a peace summit in the coastal town of Mombasa, Saitoti said the capture of Al-Shabaab’s strongholds in Somalia gives them hope that Somalia is nearing freedom from captivity, which he says is good news to their own country’s tourism industry.

Kenya sent its troops into Somalia mid October last year in pursuit of what it said were Al-Shabaab rebel fighters abducting foreigners in the country.

At the same time, Kenya has reiterated that the incursion into Somalia has nothing to do with any territorial takeover.

Saitoti said Kenya maintain that it has no intention of being in Somalia longer than necessary.

Source: The Star

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. Kenyan minister call for international intervention in restoring peace in Somalia
2. Kenya urges world to accelerate Somalia peace efforts
3. Kenya to inspect Speed boats and commercial ships entering its waters

Mohamed Abdi, a TFG official in the region told Bar-kulan that armed rebel fighters launched a nighttime attack on a TFG base at an area called Kured, some 18 km from Luq town. He claimed that TFG forces repelled the attacker, inflicting heavy casualties on them.

Abdi added that they killed eight rebel fighters and injured several others during the nighttime attack on government military base in the area. He said they lost only three of their soldiers.

Latest reports from the area say normalcy has now returned to the town as TFG troops keep vigil in the area.

The fight comes ten days after at least another 12 people were killed and several others wounded following a fierce fighting between TFG forces and Al-Shabaab in the same town.

The clash erupted after armed rebel fighters launched a nighttime attack on TFG and Ahlu Sunna bases on the outskirt of the town.

Al-Shabaab have been conducting nighttime attacks on TFG and Ahlu Sunna bases in parts of southern Somalia after the group faced opposition from three fronts.

Maqaaladda La Xiriira:

1. 12 killed in a fight between TFG and Al-Shabaab near Ethiopian border
2. Al-Shabaab launches nighttime attack on Ahlu Sunna base in Dusamareb
3. Al-Shabaab persuades people in Jowhar to fight against Ethiopian troops in Somalia