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Drought Leads to Severe Food Shortages in Ethiopia
The Northeastern lowlands of Ethiopia and especially the Afar and Oromya and some parts of Somali regions are facing a serious hunger situation due to drought. The failure of the Belg rains and the delayed commencement of the Meher rains led to crop failure and adversely affected the health of livestock. The government of Ethiopia through its Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) has stated that a total of 348,340 MT of food will be required for the period July to December, 2002. Some of the indicators already showing of an impending food disaster mentioned by the ACT/JRP members are:
- The nutritional status of children in most of the areas is plummeting (especially
Afar and Somali).
- People are migrating in search of food and work.
- District towns are under mounting pressure from people in search of daily-paid
labor or resorting to begging.
- Price of staple crops have increased dramatically.
- Competition to sell firewood and livestock is depressing the prices.
- Livestock prices are low compared to cereal - indicating a deteriorating
terms of trade for pastoral population.
- Livestock death reported from both low and high altitude areas (the reason
for livestock death in high altitude area is not yet known).
- Lack of milk production for another year.
- Rising tension and conflict between pastoral population due to competition
for water and pasture for livestock.
Field visits by ACT/JRP forum members field staff, the United Nations Country Team, the UN-EU as well as reports from the Church units in affected areas, all conclude that the situation is critical and that emergency interventions are needed to avoid a disastrous level of food deprivation.
According to the ACT members in the country, currently about 20 teams from the Government, NGOs, donor community and UN agencies are on an assessment mission countrywide. The mission is expected to return from the field next week. In addition to this, the NCA representative will travel to the southern part of Ethiopia to assess the situation in that part of the country. A needs assessment team headed by the JRP Co-ordinator will visit the lowlands of Bale zone to collect information and assess the situation in those areas. The Ethiopia Orthodox Church (EOC) staff will travel to their operation areas in Gondar also next week to assess the situation in the highlands. ACT/JRP feel that in two weeks time they will be able to have detailed information on the current situation. They also feel they have the responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of the poor farmers in Ethiopia who have no choice other than depending on outside assistance at this moment. With the information from the field, the ACT/JRP partners have agreed to revise the current ACT appeal so that the ACT partners respond to the immediate problems of the drought affected communities.
Posted on Saturday 31st August at 13:07:41 EC Humanitarian Aid Office Funds UNHCR Ethiopia 1.35 Million Euros for Voluntary Repatriation of Somali Refugees
The Regional Liaison Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR-RLO) announced a contribution of 1.35 million EUROs, (equivalent to ETB 11,550,600) by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) for the implementation of the voluntary repatriation operation of Somali refugees from Ethiopia to safe areas in North Western Somalia (NWS) for 2002.
The overall objective of ECHO’s humanitarian assistance to the UNHCR is to promote durable solutions for the Somali caseload that has received care and maintenance assistance in the eastern Ethiopian camps for a period ranging between 10 and 13 years through the pursuit of their voluntary repatriation to safe areas in NWS and dispersal of Ethiopian nationals (of ethnic Somali origin) in their communities of origin.
In July, UNHCR closed Rabasso refugee camp after the successful repatriation of 9,806 refugees to N.W. Somalia. Since January 2002, some 17,800 Somali refugees have been repatriated from the eastern Ethiopian camps to NWS, leaving 49,182 Somali refugees in the camps of Aisha, Camaboker,
Hartisheik and Kebribeyah.
UNHCR plans to close Camaboker refugee camp by the end of this year, thus, reducing the Somali refugee population in Ethiopia to less than 30,000 by the end of this year.
In 2003, 15,000 Somalis would be repatriated to NWS while the remaining 15,000 from Southern Somalia would be provided with care and maintenance assistance in Ethiopia until such a time that the security situation in southern Somalia can allow safe return to areas of origin.
ECHO’s contribution which is mainly targeted for food allowances, transport, transit, visibility programmes, personnel and other related administrative costs will go a long way towards alleviating UNHCR’s funding shortfall in support of the voluntary
repatriation of Somali refugees in 2002. (UNHCR Press Release)
Posted on Saturday 31st August at 13:04:34 Eight Somali Immigrants Arrested at Jkia
The East African Standard/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) Immigration Department officials based at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) have arrested eight Somali aliens for holding and travelling on fake documents.
The eight illegal immigrants, including an infant, were nabbed on Wednesday night at the airport. They were holding forged Ethiopian passports.
According to the Asssistant Principal Immigrations Officer in charge of investigation and prosecution, Peter Muthiga, the aliens were arrested by security personnel attached to the airport as they were about to board an Emirates flight. They are believed to have been on their way to Bangkok, Thailand, where they have been living illegally since the year 2000.
They are being held at the Immigration offices cells at Nyayo House. Their luggage was also confiscated.
The eight are expected to appear in court today to face several charges, among them being in the country unlawfully and holding forged documents.
They will also be charged with failing to register as aliens and to report their entry into the country two years ago.
by Nancy Khisa
Copyright The East African Standard. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Saturday 31st August at 13:03:00 UN Condemns Abduction of Employee
NAIROBI, 29 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The UN has condemned the abduction of a staff member in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, two days ago.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said Mohamed Farah Omar, a UN national project staff member, was abducted by armed men in the Towfiq area of Mogadishu on the morning of Tuesday 27 August, as he left his house for the office.
Omar, who works for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is the fourth UN staff member to be abducted in Mogadishu this year. The statement added this was the second abduction this month of a staff member from the same UN office.
"As always, the UN is concerned about the welfare of the abducted staff member, and is working to secure the unconditional release of Mr Omar," the statement said.
"The UN condemns criminal acts that interfere with its mandate to provide humanitarian assistance to the Somali people, and asks all responsible leaders to work together for the immediate release of Mr Omar," it added.
Posted on Thursday 29th August at 17:27:00 Peace Talks May be Delayed
JEDDAH, 29 August — A meeting of the foreign ministers of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya to discuss the Somali peace process has been postponed until sometime next week, a press report said on Monday. The three countries, which all border Somalia, have been mandated by the East African body of Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to organize the Somali peace talks. The talks are scheduled to open on Sept. 16 in Eldoret, Kenya.
The sources, however, said that the delay in holding the IGAD ministerial meeting would affect the convening of the talks. It is reported that most ministers are currently attending the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. The talks, which are expected to bring together the Transitional National Government (TNG) and Somali warlords were originally scheduled to take place in April.
By Salad F. Duhul
Posted on Thursday 29th August at 14:35:46 Annan Names Panel to Investigate Violations
NAIROBI, 29 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named a three-member panel of experts to investigate violations of the arms embargo on Somalia. The UN imposed the embargo in 1992, following the outbreak of civil war in Somalia.
UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said on Wednesday, that Annan "recently informed the Security Council that he has appointed three people to serve as a panel of experts to acquire information on violations of the UN arms embargo on Somalia and consider practical steps for implementing those sanctions".
The experts he named are Ernst Jan Hogendoorn of the Netherlands, Mohamed Abdoulaye M’Backe of Senegal and Brynjulf Mugaas of Norway.
The UN Security Council approved the establishment of a panel to gather information on violations of the embargo in a resolution unanimously adopted on 22 July, in which it asked Annan to set up a "three-person panel within one month". The panel will be based in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and operate from there for a period of six months.
Under this resolution, the panel would "pursue all relevant sources", including states, international law enforcement bodies, NGOs, financial institutions and the business community.
Posted on Thursday 29th August at 14:27:32 Editor Imprisoned in Somaliland
NAIROBI, 29 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - A court in Hargeysa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, has sentenced a newspaper editor to four months' imprisonment, according to official Radio Hargeysa.
Abdirahman Isma'il Umar, the editor of the Hargeysa-based daily newspaper Wartire, had been found guilty of "misreporting", the radio said on Wednesday. The Somaliland attorney-general had accused the editor of "fabrications and baseless reports".
A humanitarian source in Hargeysa told IRIN the paper had published an article claiming that Somaliland President Dahir Riyale Kahin had, during a recent visit to Djibouti, signed a secret pact with Djibouti President Ismael Omar Gelleh. According to Radio Hargeysa, "this was found to have been a fabrication and an example of irresponsible journalism".
The opposition Party SAHAN issued a statement on Thursday condemning the imprisonment of the journalist, and called upon the president of Somaliland not to encourage the suppression of press freedoms, the source added.
In June, the Somaliland authorities banned all private radio stations. A circular issued at the time by the information ministry said that until broadcasting regulations were laid down, there would be no private radio stations because of the "potential dangers" of such operations.
It went on to say: "No other voice can be heard on the airwaves except Radio Hargeysa, which is the national voice."
Posted on Thursday 29th August at 14:26:53 Intensified International Naval Patrols Noted off Northeastern Coast
American-led international forces have intensified their patrols in the waters off the northeastern coast Somalia. The move comes after incidents of piracy against civilian ships.
A vessel carrying animals and other merchandise was forced to return to Boosaaso [in Puntland] after it was held for quite sometime and searched thoroughly by the international forces.
Business people in the region have expressed concern that the increased military activities in the waters off the coast of the region could have a negative impact on trade.
Source: Codka Xoriyadda
Posted on Wednesday 28th August at 14:33:09 RRA Faction Leader Denounces His Deputies
Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud [president of the Southwestern Somalia State and leader of the Rahanwein Resistance Army, RRA] has strongly criticized the talks reportedly held between one of the RRA's deputies and the Speaker of the transitional parliament. He said the talks were not in the interests of the Digil and Mirifle clans but were instead a conspiracy against the Digil and Mirifle.
Abdalla Derow Isaq [Speaker of the transitional parliament] and I differed on politics long time ago, and if he was working in the interests of the Digil and Mirifle then he wouldn't have held talks with the betrayers [a reference to the two RRA deputies who revolted against Shatigadud] of the Digil and Mirifle tribes, he said...
There are no mediation efforts in place which are expected to resolve the problems, since they became obstacles to the previous mediation efforts, said Mr Shatigadud.
He added that he would not allow them [the two deputies] to stay in any town of the Southwestern Somalia State since it was clear that they had made an alliance with the Arta faction [the transitional government] and the presence of [RRA Deputy Chairman] Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade in Mogadishu was proof by itself.
Mr Shatigadud said that his relationship with the Ethiopian government was good and that he would attend the forthcoming Somali peace talks [in Kenya] despite not so far having received an invitation.
Source: Xog-Ogaal web site
Posted on Wednesday 28th August at 14:31:12 UN Human Rights Expert Visiting
NAIROBI, 28 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - A UN-appointed independent expert on human rights for Somalia, Dr Ghanim Alnajjar, arrived in the region this week on an 11-day mission.
He was due to meet "a variety of diplomats, local authorities, civil society representatives, and international organisations in [the Kenyan capital] Nairobi and different regions of Somalia as time and security permit", a press statement from the UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office for Somalia said.
Alnajjar, who was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June last year, is making his second visit to Somalia. At the time of his last visit a year ago, Alnajjar told IRIN that he would write to Annan and the UN Security Council urging them to appoint an independent committee of experts to investigate human rights abuses in Somalia.
During his current visit, from 28 August to 2 September, Alnajjar's three member team "will look into a variety of issues related to human rights, including the state of the judicial system, law enforcement and prison conditions, the challenges of demobilisation and child soldiers, economic and social rights, the status of women, human rights education, difficulties faced by tens of thousands of internally displaced persons, and related matters", the statement said.
"I am concerned that, since my last visit one year ago, there has been an escalation of violence in parts of Somalia and a deterioration in security, which is having an impact on the human rights of thousands of ordinary people. It is vital that peace and human rights are respected and protected," the statement quoted Alnajjar as saying.
He is due to address a press conference in Nairobi on 4 September.
[The visit will result in a follow-up report to his initial findings from last year, published as E/CN.4/2002/119 and available at www.unhchr.ch or www.unsomalia.org. ]
Posted on Wednesday 28th August at 14:16:11 Somali UN worker kidnapped in Mogadishu
ug 28 2002 MOGADISHU, Aug 27 (AFP) - Unidentified gunmen abducted a Somali employee of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Mogadishu on Tuesday, witnesses and relatives said. Mohamed Farah Omar was abducted in Towfiq district of north Mogadishu, the witnesses said.
He was snatched by four gunmen travelling in a small car, his wife Medina Ali Hirane said.
"He left home to serve his people but later I got the news of his abduction," she added, appealing to the kidnappers to release her husband unharmed.
Omar was travelling in the Towfiq area as part of a food security assessment unit.
The unit's team leader, Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, was abducted for five days earlier this month.
Abikar "was released (on August 10) unconditionally, without payment of any money, following pressure from the UN and mediation efforts by FAO officials and members of his family," relatives told AFP at the time.
The United Nations briefly suspended its activities in Mogadishu on May 7, after another UN official, Mohamed Ali Abukar, was grabbed by gunmen on his way home in south Mogadishu on April 28.
Abukar was eventually released on May 25 after pressure from the international community and Somali clan elders.
Abductions are an important source of revenue for gunmen in Somalia, which has lacked an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Bare.
Even members of the struggling transitional regime established in the capital in 2000 are not immune. Tourism Minister Ahmed Mohamed Nur "Alliyow" has not been freed since his abduction in January.
For the last decade, Somalia has been a battleground for feuding clan-based warlords armed with a bewildering variety of weapons.
Foreign visitors to Mogadishu generally move around under an escort of freelance gunmen.
Posted on Wednesday 28th August at 8:58:23 Boys Guilty of Drugs Debt Murder
Two teenagers who stabbed a boy to death over a £10 drugs debt have been warned they face life sentences.
The boys, aged 14 and 16 at the time, attacked Abdul Maye as he left his east London school after finishing a mock GCSE exam.
They claimed the 15-year-old owed them £10 for cannabis.
An Old Bailey jury found the boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of murder.
'Loss of face'
Judge Paul Focke warned: "I must make it plain I can only pass one sentence of detention during Her Majesty's pleasure, so no-one is unaware of it."
Abdul was attacked and stabbed in the back as he stood outside his school with friends on 7 December 2001.
The older youth lunged at him with a knife and Adbul appeared to deflect it with his hand.
But the younger boy was standing behind Abdul and plunged the knife into his back - piercing his heart.
Probation reports
Susan Edwards, prosecuting QC, told the court that as Abdul collapsed into the road his friends chased the teenagers who had been harassing him for the debt.
She said the non-payment of the £10 for some cannabis had resulted in "a considerable loss of face".
The youths, who had denied murder, did not attend the same school as Abdul, Miss Edwards said, but they were frequently seen hanging around.
They had also been in the playground and youth centre threatening him.
On a previous occasion, CS gas was sprayed in Abdul's face and he was challenged to a fight, Miss Edwards said.
After the attack, the younger boy said: "It's done, it's done" as he pulled the knife out, she told the jury.
The judge adjourned sentencing until 30 September for further psychological and probation service reports.
Posted on Wednesday 28th August at 8:54:29 Puntland Clan Elders Ask for Democracy and Peace
Aug 27, 2002 (Somali Peace Rally/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- The Somali Peace Rally (SPR) welcomes the strong statement of traditional clan elders at Qardo City meeting, issued on August 25, in support of democracy and peace in the Puntland State of Somalia.
The statement of Puntland Clan elders insists on, among other things, to remove the militiamen of Col. Abdullahi Yousuf from illegitimately captured cities of Bari regions so as to bring the horrendous evil activities of Col Yousuf to an end, to set up independent committee so as to shed a light on mass human rights violations in the Puntland State, to generate a reconciliation process, and to request International human rights organisation to send experts with capacity to investigate human rights violations in Puntland State of Somalia.
The statement by Puntland clan elders is a profound manifestation of the sentiment of the Puntland people for an end to the power abuse and the destructive activities by warlord Col. Abdullahi Yousuf who profoundly dented the social fabric of Puntland people.
The Puntland traditional clan elders in Qardo City displayed political tolerance and good judgement which in turn strongly encourage sustainable and equitable peace stability in whole regions of Puntland State, elimination of dictatorial characters in the regions and call for effective democratic regional institutional arrangements.
The statement gives confidence to Puntland people, Puntland politicians and civil society to strive for a lasting peace in Puntland and to generate a principled, balanced and comprehensive framework for the resolution of all the issues that underlie Punland State's current political crisis. It is through a dialogue that the Puntland people will decide their political future.
The crisis in Puntland is a crisis arising from Col. Yousuf's culture of lack of respect to constitutional principles and his inability to gauge the consequences of his contempt of the law of the land. Col. Yousuf and his supporter are determined to spend the taxpayers' collected money in all sorts of activities to divide people of Puntland and firmly rule the people with foreign forces and their selfish militiamen.
The SPR urges Puntland clan elders, intellectuals and civil society to build the pillars of stability in all regions of Puntland State: security, justice, peace and respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms. The SPR also strongly urges the Puntland traditional clan elders to prevent the Puntland State from degenerating into catastrophes.
We, Somali Peace Rally (SPR), endorse our clan elders' wise decision for calling for a lasting peace and democracy in Puntland State of Somalia.
Copyright Somali Peace Rally. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Tuesday 27th August at 20:37:55 Drugs Destroyed in Mogadishu
NAIROBI, 27 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) has destroyed a consignment of drugs weighing about 1,000 kg, Mogadishu's police chief said.
Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdid told IRIN the drugs were burned in public in front of the police academy on Saturday. The event was attended by senior TNG officials, including President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan.
The drugs, mostly cannabis, had been seized in special operations over the past few months by anti-narcotics police. "We have so far detained 280 people on drugs charges," Qeybdid said.
He added that the drug was found mostly in the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, Shabelle, Lower Juba, Middle Juba and some districts of the capital. "We also seized about 40 kg of cannabis seed from India," he said.
According to Qeybdid, drug abuse and trafficking had become rampant in the country which was why he had set up a special task force to fight the menace. He blamed much of Mogadishu's crime problem on drug abuse, and estimated that "up to 30 percent of crime is directly related to drug abuse".
Qeybdid said the police were convinced that some of the drugs seized were in transit to other countries.
"We are certain that some of it, if not most, was meant for foreign countries," he stressed. He said the police needed support if they were to succeed in curbing the threat "not only for us but for the outside world".
He appealed to the international donor community, in particular aid agencies working in Somalia, to help with training, drugs education and equipment.
Posted on Tuesday 27th August at 20:36:03 Decline in Livestock Reproduction
NAIROBI, 26 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - A third consecutive year of below normal rainfall in northern Somalia has caused a significant decline in animal reproduction due to damaged pasture and adverse water conditions, a report has warned.
USAID's Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) said this was particularly true of the grazing lands of the Sool plateau, where this year the reproduction rates of sheep, goats, cattle and camels have dropped by 44 percent, 73 percent, 77 percent, and 90 percent respectively compared to a normal year.
This had caused "a significant decline" in the building up of herds, and in the supply of milk as well as meat, FEWS reported.
Despite the decline however, the continuing import ban on livestock from Somalia to the Gulf states had caused an oversupply of animals to local markets, which in turn served to depress prices. This had resulted in "unfavourable" terms of trade for pastoralists.
Food prices had also risen in the capital, Mogadishu, during June and July, due to insecurity. Clan fighting in central and southern Somalia had disrupted the movement of people and commodities between Baidoa - the main food-producing area -, Gedo in the southwest and the capital.
"If the clan fighting extends to the neighbouring sorghum-producing belt during this critical stage of crop harvest, it could further hamper harvesting and exert a negative impact on food security throughout Somalia," FEWS added.
Posted on Monday 26th August at 16:26:49 Violence and Drugs a Constant Fear for Glasgow's Young Asylum Seekers
VIOLENCE and racism remain daily concerns for the children of Glasgow's asylum seekers, according to the largest survey of their experiences.
Starting Again, a joint report by Save the Children and Glasgow City Council's education service, also found widespread concern among asylum seekers about the prevalence of drugs and alcohol in the areas where they had been placed under the Home Office's dispersal programme.
The findings, which were compiled to inform government and the voluntary sector about the pros and cons of the dispersal programme, will be launched formally in October.
However, an executive summary will be shown to Glasgow councillors tomorrow. The city is home to around 7400 asylum seekers, and of the 1231 enrolled in its schools in early March, 738 took part in the study.
The group included 509 pupils in 20 primary schools and 229 children from seven secondaries. There were also 35 focus groups involving 525 pupils. In total, 54 different nationalities were included, with the largest groups from Afghanistan (13.3%), Somalia (11%), Turkey (10%) and Iran (10.3%).
Young asylum seekers said the best things about life in Glasgow were school and teachers, doing sport, and being with friends and family. The worst things were violence, lack of safety, racism, bullying, and drug and alcohol abuse. Lack of safety was often attributed to the "chaotic lives" of local residents.
Parents also expressed concern about where they lived and said they worried about letting their children out to play because of racism and harassment.
The survey was conducted seven months after the murder of a 22-year-old Turkish asylum seeker, Firsat Dag, in Sighthill, at a time when official efforts to ease people's fears were in over-drive.
The report makes three broad recommendations: sustained resources to help families settle and integrate; city-wide initiatives to "proactively" deal with racial harassment; new efforts to provide asylum seekers with information and advice.
It also makes 24 specific recommendations for schools, local government, the Scottish Executive and the UK government on ways to improve children's lives, including help with homework, first language development and anti-racist training.
Councillor Archie Graham, the council's asylum spokesman, said the findings were disappointing but not surprising.
He said: "In any urban centre in the world there's going to be violence, and fear of violence and drugs.These issues are very common to cities and modern urban life. So we are not exactly surprised, but it just shows we have to redouble our efforts."
Posted on Monday 26th August at 16:21:30 IGAD Foreign Ministers' Meeting Again Postponed
NAIROBI, 26 Aug 2002 (IRIN) A meeting of the foreign ministers of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya to discuss the Somali peace process has again been postponed.
The meeting was originally fixed for 16 August, then postponed until last Friday (23 August) and further delayed until this week. But a source involved in the Somali reconciliation talks told IRIN on Monday the meeting would not go ahead. "They will most likely meet sometime next week," he said.
The three countries, which all border Somalia, have been mandated by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to take the lead in preparing for the Somali reconciliation conference, which is to be held in Kenya.
The delay is due mainly to logistical and time constraints. "Most of the ministers are attending the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, and therefore are not available at this time," the source said.
The three countries' technical committee completed a report two weeks ago, after ending a fact-finding mission to Somalia, during which it held talks with the Transitional National Government (TNG) and other groups. The ministerial meeting was expected to discuss this report.
The delay in holding the ministerial meeting would also affect the convening of the Somali reconciliation talks, scheduled to open on 16 September in Eldoret, western Kenya, an IGAD source added.
However, he believed the delay would be of short duration, "maybe a week to two weeks". "I am confident that the conference will take place, if not on the 16th, at the latest towards the end of September," he told IRIN.
He said Somali faction leaders had requested the postponement of the Eldoret conference. "They have made their views known through the press and through delegations," he said.
The talks, which are expected to bring together the TNG and other Somali parties, had originally been scheduled to take place in April, but have been repeatedly postponed.
Previous reconciliation talks in Kenya last December resulted in an agreement between the TNG (TNG) and some opposition factions.
Posted on Monday 26th August at 13:45:51 Khat Dilemma
The chewing of khat leaves is common in the Horn of Africa, but in eastern Ethiopia it is both big business and a big worry for the authorities.
Khat is a major agricultural crop. Yet some say it is addictive, harmful to health and a threat to young people and the smooth working of the economy.
In the Hararge region of Ethiopia it is hard to avoid the impact of the stimulant leaf.
The first thing that strikes you in the main market in Awadai is the deafening noise.
The market square is a scene of total chaos as you make your way through bustling crowds preoccupied with the business of bartering for a prized commodity – the green leafed plant khat.
Awadai market is an international market for khat. Over 25,000 kg pass through it daily.
The buyers and sellers take their jobs seriously, shouting to one another in the local dialect of Afaan Oromo. They gesture excitedly as they trade hundreds of dollars daily for the Khat.
Ahmedin Muktar has been a khat trader for over a decade.
“I buy khat from the local farmers here in Awadai, and sell more than 200 kg every day. I send it to other areas in Ethiopia, like Addis Ababa and the Somali region and I also export it overseas,” he says. “khat is very good for Hararge. It is the backbone of the economy.
“If you compare khat farmers with other farmers, you will see their standard of living is so much better. They have good houses and some even have cars - how many farmers do you know that have cars? “ he asks.
Valuable crop
Khat is chewed for hours and users say it “elevates your mood and stimulates your mind.”
Ethiopia’s Hararge region is the main area for cultivation of the crop. Acres and acres of khat farms can be seen far into the distance.
In every town, people while away their spare time chewing the stimulant leaf. It is part of the culture of Hararge.
“Khat is a cash crop which really benefits the khat growers, traders and the government.
“In 1999-2000, Ethiopia earned approximately $60million from khat cultivation,” according to Dechassa Lemessa of the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (UNEUE).
“The employment created through khat cultivation is very high as large numbers of people are involved in growing, harvesting, sorting, packing, transporting, loading and unloading the commodity,” says Dechassa.
The wood of the plant is used for fuel and, because of its resistance to termites, is used to make fences.
Khat is also believed to have medicinal value, being used locally to treat influenza, gonorrhea and asthma.
Official suspicion
Ali Mohammed has been growing khat for five years. “I used to grow maize, sorghum and teff (a cereal crop), but these crops are dificult to grow as they require a lot of rains and a lot of attention,” he says. “Khat requires little water or cultivation. For poor people like me, if you chew it, then you don’t feel hungry and this is good if you don’t have enough food to feed yourself,” he explains.
Khat cultivation is expanding at an amazing rate as farmers realise its earning potential.
It is exported to Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Britain. Khat has become Ethiopia’s biggest export, second only to coffee.
But despite the cash earnings and the tradition of khat growing and use among the Hararge people, Ethiopia’s regional government does not encourage it.
“It is addictive and this has a negative impact in our communities. People forget about their work commitments and spend hours chewing,” according to Ato Mustafa from East Hararge Zone Administration.
Like most of his colleagues, Ato Mustafa chews Khat himself.
“We have to change our culture and find an alternative cash crop,” he says.
Youth Problem
Non-users condemn chewing, but the number of users is increasing, particularly among the youth.
In urban areas, the use of Khat combined with alcohol, is having an adverse effect on family life.
Many students and lecturers at schools and colleges chew Khat because they say it increases their concentration.
But in Hararge, Somali and Afar regions, business punctuality is a frequent problem, as the time after lunch is usually spent chewing khat.
Khat is banned in the United States and Canada, but Ethiopia’s central government has no clear policy on the stimulant. The issue is left for regional governments to decide.
Even in regions like Tigray, where the plant has been banned, cultivation and usage continues and attempts to replace Khat with cash crop like coffee have failed.
Experts agree that more research needs to be done before rash decisions are made and livelihoods ruined.
They say that the best knowledge comes from Ethiopia’s Khat farmers and advise that the government work more closely with them to decide whether Khat really is good for Ethiopia’s log-term development.
By Nita Bhalla, BBC, Eastern Ethiopia
Posted on Saturday 24th August at 13:29:08 Annan says humanitarian situation worsens in Somalia
UNITED NATIONS, (Xinhua via COMTEX)The humanitarian situation in many parts of Somalia has worsened in recent months with some 700,000 people now living at or below subsistence level, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a latest report.
In his report to the UN General Assembly on Somalia, Annan blamed the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Somalia on drought, conflict and displacement. The report was made known at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.
Although the United Nations is able to maintain a strong presence in the north, access to northeast, central and southern areas remains restricted because of the volatile security situation, Annan said.
He said the United Nations remained committed to Somalia with some 900 projects to provide humanitarian and development assistance to its people.
The United Nations will undertake peace-building activities to help strengthen communities and encourage factional reconciliation, Annan said, urging UN member countries to contribute to the trust fund for such activities.
Meanwhile, Maxwell Gaylard, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, told a press briefing in Geneva on Thursday that "the sanctity of the UN flag, and all that it stands for in terms of peace and development, must be restored so that vital humanitarian assistance can be delivered where it is most needed."
A current wave of crime in the Somali capital Mogadishu, notably kidnappings, has made work in the city difficult, said Gaylard, noting that three UN national staff had been abducted and eventually released in the past six months.
In the southwestern town of Baidoa, intermittent but heavy fighting took place in late July and early August, forcing the temporary evacuation of UN staff, while in southwestern Gedo region the laying of landmines during clan fighting has hampered access to parts of the drought-stricken region, according to Gaylard.
The United Nations has appealed for some 83 million US dollars in aid to Somalia, but so far only over 40 percent of the amount has been raised.
Copyright 2002 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY.
Posted on Friday 23rd August at 14:07:07 Civilian in Puntland State Suffer Atrocities And Ethnic Cleansing
(Bay Centre for Conflict Prevention/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) "Bay Centre for Conflict Prevention" (BCCP) The BCCP monitoring officials deeply deplore the circumstances of the arrest, intimidation, killings and ethnic cleansings of Puntland intellectuals, traditional clan elders, political activists and civilian populations in Puntland State of Somalia.
The militiamen of Col. Abdullahi Yousuf have caused untold hardships, killings and atrocities among civilian populations in Bossasso, Qardo, Garowe and Galkaio Cities of Puntland State of Somalia. The evil actions of Col. Abdullahi Yousuf and his militiamen bring into serious question his contempt to internationally recognized standards of human rights.
There are disturbing reports that Col. Yousuf's militiamen used force to break up a peaceful demonstration in Bossaso City in direct violation of the right to peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Puntland constitution. The participants were protesting killings, ethnic cleansing, intimidation, imprisonment and hyperinflation caused by militiamen of Col Yousuf in Puntland State of Somalia. Over 100 demonstrators were reportedly arrested, and at least 70 are still in custody.
Since June 2nd, Puntland intellectuals, civilian populations and traditional clan elders are more and more experiencing atrocities, brutal campaign of repression, imprisonment and assisantions by the forces of Col. Abdulahi Yousuf.
On 17th August 2002, Suldaan Ahmed Mohamed Hurre, a well-know traditional clan elder in Puntland State of Somalia and Somalia was deliberately shot and brutally killed in front of his mother's house in Kalabayr village between Garowe and Galkaio by the militiamen of Col. Abdullahi Yousuf. Suldan Said Irbad, a well-respected traditional leader in Puntland, is under arrest by the forces of Col. Yousuf in Bossasso and his health condition is deteriorating. He is not allowed to receive appropriate medical treatment. Col. Farah Dhere, a well-known businessman, was deliberately shot and killed in Garowe few months ago by the militiamen of Col. Yousuf.
On June 5th 2002, Mr. Yousuf Abdiasis, President of East African University in Bossasso City, is brutally beaten and forcefully taken from his home in Bossasso City by militiamen of Col. Yousuf. No one can confirm if he is alive.
The cases of Suldan Hurre, Suldan Irbad, Col. Farah Dhere, and Mr. Yousuf Abdiasis are unfortunate examples of Col. Yousuf's continued disregard for internationally-recognized human rights and for peace.
The Centre sends clear message to warlord Abdullahi Yousuf and his militiamen who are collectively committing crimes against humanity in the Puntland State of Somalia. Each of them is not immune from prosecution now or in the future.
The Centre urges international human rights organization and international community to bring warlord Yousuf to International Court of Criminals in accordance with international human rights standards to prevent any recurrence of such criminal activities in Somalia. The BCCP urges that all those arrested to be released unconditionally. The BCCP also urges warlord Yousuf and his militiamen to respect the rights of civilian and desist from willful targeting of Puntland intellectuals, clan elders and civilian populations in Puntland regions, and to live up to international human rights standards.
The Centre has raised its concern and is closely continuing to monitor evil activities of Col. Yousuf in the Puntland State of Somalia and their implication for the stability of region and Somalia at large.
Copyright Bay Centre for Conflict Prevention. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Friday 23rd August at 14:06:25 UN Concerned About Humanitarian Access
NAIROBI, 22 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Humanitarian access to vulnerable communities caught up in recent conflict is the UN's paramount concern in Somalia at present, Maxwell Gaylard, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said at a press briefing in Geneva.
"In key locations throughout Somalia, factional armed conflict is again on the rise at levels not seen in years," Gaylard was quoted as saying in a press release issued on Thursday.
Gaylard noted that a crime wave - notably kidnapping - had rendered the UN's work in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, difficult. In the past six months alone, three UN national staff had been abducted and subsequently released. Heavy fighting in the southwestern town of Baidoa between rival factions of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), which controls the area, had forced the UN to temporarily evacuate its staff.
At the same time, in the southwestern region of Gedo, "the laying of landmines during clan fighting has hampered access to parts of the drought-stricken region".
Gaylard called for a renewal of respect for the UN flag and all that it stands for in the promotion of peace and development, "so that vital humanitarian assistance can be delivered where it is most needed".
However, Gaylard said that while accessing some regions in the country had become more difficult in recent months, "others – notably the northwest – are peaceful and enjoying that 'peace dividend' by benefiting from not just humanitarian aid, but recovery and development assistance as well".
The UN had appealed for some US $83 million in funding for 2002, but so far received just over 40 per cent. "Many urgent needs remain unmet, especially in the protection and security sector, education, economic recovery, and coordination," said the press release.
Posted on Thursday 22nd August at 19:05:09 Warlords Should be Disarmed for Real Peace
JEDDAH, 22 August — Somali Interim Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah has reiterated his administration’s request for UN Security Council to pass a resolution to authorize member states to disarm Somali people. He said no genuine reconciliation can be possible while numerous arms and ammunitions remain in the hands of the warlords and teeming militias.
"The Transitional National Government (TNG) has faced numerous obstacles since its formation two years ago. The TNG has not succeeded in its reconciliation efforts. The major reasons are large arms and ammunitions in the hands of the warlords, lack of the expected international financial support and outside interference," Farah told the Arab News during a visit last week to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment.
He had very fruitful discussions with Prince Abdullah, the regent, Prince Saud Al Faisal, the foreign minister and other senior Saudi officials.
The prime minister said that his administration has met with some of its opponents and had reached viable agreements. "Whatever TNG wanted to do was impeded by the continuous Ethiopian intervention. Ethiopia supplies large quantities of arms and ammunition to the warlords, spreads baseless propaganda against the TNG, sends its troops to Somalia and publicly denies the legitimacy of the TNG," he said.
The absence of international assistance, he said, has minimized the ability of the TNG to provide basic social and economic services to the Somali people.
The East African body of Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) is organizing peace talks between TNG and warlords. IGAD comprises Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan. The talks will be held in Kenya next month.
In reply to question, he said any warlord or armed group that rejects the recommendations of the conference should be prosecuted before an international legal tribunal.
The premier said that he requested the Saudi leaders to support the reconciliation process, to lift the ban of livestock exports from the country and to give scholarships to Somali expatriate children in the Kingdom.
"The Saudi government has pledged to support the Somali people and has made a commitment to see Somalia emerges out of its troubles," he concluded
By Salad F. Duhul, Special to Arab News
Posted on Thursday 22nd August at 14:25:46 Somalis in Spotlight
The city is squinting under a hot national spotlight, and in a convoluted way it has Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo to thank.
First the Chicago Tribune, then the Boston Globe, then Fox News and Public Radio International. On Sunday, three stories about Lewiston appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On Tuesday Assistant City Administrator Phil Nadeau had a team from ABC News in his office filming a segment for World News Tonight – the same day an article from Newhouse News Service published on the Internet.
It’s a regular media frenzy. The fixation: Lewiston’s new Somali community.
“I don’t think it was their intention to come here to be a national news story,” quipped Nadeau. “They are being analyzed and scrutinized on a microscopic level, and there’s nothing we can do about that.”
About 1,000 Somalis have moved here since February 2001, and they continue to arrive at the rate of 20 families a month, on average.
Heather Lindkvist, an anthropologist who returned to Maine to work with the Somali community, is writing an academic article on the recent preoccupation of the press. She links some of the publicity to the influx happening here so rapidly and Maine’s population being so predominately white.
There’s also the condition of the city itself.
“Lewiston is considered a ‘depressed’ city in a sense: lack of employment and new jobs but has lots of housing and space for Somalis to live and grow,” Lindkvist said. “The question is: Will this migration help to turn Lewiston around?”
The media attention started on June 13 when reporter Patrick Reardon wrote a story for the Chicago Tribune.
Another story
That he wrote it at all was almost a fluke, Nadeau said. Reardon traveled to Maine to interview Richard Russo, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. “His editors said, ‘Check to see if there’s another story we may be interested in.’”
So he did a story on the new Somali community in Lewiston. Then other media outlets picked up on it.
A story on July 16 in the Boston Globe, in which Nadeau was again interviewed, left him “very disappointed,” he said. The reporter described Lewiston as “shabby,” “down at the heels” and a “fraying parochial backwater” after spending one morning here.
“I clearly, clearly believe he stepped over the line because of the editorial comments,” Nadeau said.
Other coverage has been fair, he said. Nadeau added that it’s his job as a public official not to control what’s written but to make sure it’s accurate.
“I think it’s important for the public to know we didn’t request the interest of the media in this story,” he said.
Ali fight
Nadeau doesn’t think Lewiston has gotten this much national attention since the Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight in 1965.
He was told the ABC News piece, by reporter Ron Claiborne, is scheduled to air over Labor Day weekend.
By then, the odds look good Nadeau will have granted a few more interviews. “They’ll stop asking the questions when they stop perceiving it’s a story,” he said patiently.
For the Somali community, that may be welcome relief. Lindkvist said several people have expressed discomfort to her over all the attention.
“From their perspective, (the media are) basically saying ‘You don’t belong in this area,’” she said.
Source: http://www.sunjournal.com
Posted on Thursday 22nd August at 14:23:51 Puntland Declines Request to Support Ethiopia-Backed Southern Alliance
Major clans in Puntland Region have declined to back Gen Muhammad Sa'id Hirsi Morgan's request for military support in order to recapture Kismaayo [southern port city controlled by pro-interim government forces]. Gen Morgan is the Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council [SRRC, Ethiopia-backed southern alliance] defence secretary.
Gen Morgan, who has of late been in Somalia's northeastern region of Puntland, was greatly demoralized when most of the major clans refused to support his military campaign.
This followed a meeting he held with a parliamentary committee in Col Abdullahi Yusuf's [Puntland president] administration. Gen Morgan's movement in Boosaaso town [Puntland's commercial port city] has, since then, reduced significantly.
Source: Qaran, Mogadishu
Posted on Thursday 22nd August at 14:16:25 Minister Darawal Comments on UK visit.
The minister of resettlement of the republic of Somaliland, Abdullahi Husayn Iman Darawal, today gave a briefing on his recent visit to the Britain.
The minister said during his visit to Britain he forwarded to the British government reports explaining the needs and priorities of development projects in Somaliland, adding that the British government had now changed its previous position towards Somaliland. He said the British government had now resolved to assist the Somaliland government in its development needs.
He said he had requested the British government to channel its future assistance through British agencies that are currently operating in Somaliland...
Posted on Wednesday 21st August at 14:17:40 Puntland Leader Warned Against Visiting Sool Region
Traditional clan elders in Sool Region have warned Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad [Puntland leader] not to visit Laas Caanood town, the HQ of Sool Region. The elders' decision was made during a meeting in which they discussed the prevailing situation in Puntland.
Garad Suleyman Garad Guled [clan elder] earlier spoke out against Col Yusuf's planned visit of the region. It is not clear whether Col Yusuf would heed the warning.
Meanwhile, the Somaliland administration has massed several of its troops in the area.
Source: Qaran, Mogadishu
Posted on Wednesday 21st August at 14:14:57 Ship Not a Public Health Threat
NAIROBI, (IRIN) - A Romanian ship carrying fertilisers which was allowed to dock at the Djibouti port over the weekend does not pose a health hazard to the country, a Djibouti port official told IRIN on Wednesday.
The Sylvia, a bulk carrier, docked at Djibouti after three members of its crew reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes. "The ship was allowed to dock on humanitarian grounds, after three crew members died, and others were taken ill," said Muhammad Abar, the Djibouti harbour master. The decision had been reached following confirmation that "the problem was internal to the ship and posed no risk to Djibouti", he added.
Apparently, the crew members died after they went down to the engine room and "were exposed to exhaust gas fumes, which suffocated them", he said. The official said the dead included the ship's captain. The bodies, which had been taken from the ship, would be dispatched to Romania on Saturday. According to Abar, three other crew members were successfully treated for minor ailments.
However, the crew were refusing to leave with the ship until they were assured that the problem would not recur on the high seas. The ship's destination was China, and the crew "are afraid that something similar may occur while they are at sea", Abar said.
Meanwhile, the Romanian consul in Yemen had arrived in Djibouti to reassure the crew and repatriate the deceased, he said.
Fears of a widespread environmental and humanitarian crisis arose after 10 containers holding a highly toxic substance known as chromated copper arsenate began leaking at the port in January, contaminating five sites, with a number of people having to undergo treatment in Djibouti hospitals as a result.
Posted on Wednesday 21st August at 14:12:52 IGAD Ministers to Meet on Somali Peace Process
NAIROBI, 21 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - A meeting of the foreign ministers of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya to discuss the Somali peace process, originally fixed for 16 August, has now been scheduled for the 23rd, a Kenyan official told IRIN. The three countries have been mandated by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to take the lead in preparing for the Somali reconciliation conference, which is to be held in Kenya.
An IGAD technical committee completed its report last week, after ending a fact-finding mission to Somalia, during which it held talks with the Transitional National Government (TNG) and all other groups. The committee, whose membership comprises representatives from the front-line states of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia, was established by the foreign ministers of the IGAD member states when they met in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in February.
The committee's mandate comprises monitoring the Somali peace process, as well as drawing up the terms of reference of the forthcoming conference, determining the criteria for participation and deciding on the number of participants.
The date for the ministerial meeting had been put back "because of logistical and time constraints", a source involved in the Somali reconciliation process told IRIN. "There was inadequate communication between the hosts [Kenya] and the other members of the committee," said the source.
The ministerial meeting, which is expected to discuss the technical committee's report "will either approve it in its entirety, or make some changes to it", said the Kenyan official.
The ministers were also expected to discuss the number of participants to be invited to attend the conference and set a definitive date for it, the source told IRIN.
The talks, which are expected to bring together the TNG and other Somali parties, had originally been scheduled to take place in April, but were subsequently repeatedly postponed.
Posted on Wednesday 21st August at 14:02:19 UNICEF Envoy Discusses Somalia with Kawaguchi
Actress Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, told Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Tuesday about her recent visit to Somalia and asked for Japan's continued support for UNICEF, Foreign Ministry officials said.
Kuroyanagi briefed Kawaguchi on the plight of children in orphanages and women in refugee camps in the war-torn African country, which the goodwill ambassador visited in late July, the officials said.
During the meeting, Kawaguchi pledged the governments willingness to support education in Africa and the preservation of water resources ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg to be held from Monday to Sept. 4, they said.
The Japan Times
Posted on Wednesday 21st August at 14:01:32 Puntland administration Reportedly Acts Against Local NGO
Yesterday morning, forces loyal to [Puntland leader] Col Abdullahi Yusuf raided the OTP [Ocean Training Promotion, a local NGO] office in Boosaaso [Puntland, northeastern Somalia], took away all its office equipment and arrested its seven officials.
This follows the Puntland administration learning that the NGO had invited some human right activists [from abroad] who were expected to arrive at Boosaaso airport today.
The director of OTP advocates the setting up of [regional] governments and is strongly opposed to dictatorship, a situation which has irritated Col Abdullahi Yusuf who wants to govern Puntland region by military rule...
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 14:29:53 At Least 38 Dead In Five Days of Fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least 38 people have been killed in five days of fighting in central Somalia between sub-clan-based gunmen, sources in the region said Tuesday.
Most of the victims appeared to be the fighters themselves, the sources reached by VHF radio said, asking not to be further identified.
They said there does not seem to be any underlying political or economic reason for the violence.
An argument that turned violent and resulted in the death of one of the gunmen reportedly led to the fighting in the village of Masaggo-Waay, about 310 kilometers (192 miles) north of Mogadishu.
Village residents fled as reinforcements for both the Ali-Gaaf and Mohamed Addeh groups poured in on pickup trucks mounted with machine guns.
Since the ouster of President Mohamed Siad Barre in January 1991 and the subsequent civil war in Somalia, assault weapons and light artillery have become commonplace, and squabbles that were once settled in a duel with spears now become major armed confrontations.
Mohamed Mohamud Garreh Wargadhi, who lives near Masaggo-Waay, said efforts by the area's leading elders to mediate in the quarrel have proved fruitless.
The national transitional government of President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, whose influence is limited outside Mogadishu, has appealed for peaceful dialogue without success.
Somali warlords, clan leaders and government representatives are supposed to gather in neighboring Kenya next month in another attempt at securing peace in the Horn of Africa nation.
By OSMAN HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 19:01:31 Media Groups Protest against Restrictions
A press statement issued by the independent media [in Mogadishu] says they have completely halted their reporting of the sessions of the transitional parliament and its other businesses.
The decision was taken following a meeting conducted by media practitioners and owners at the east African media HQ in Mogadishu to discuss, in particular, the decision taken by the transitional parliament's Speaker [Abdallah Derow Isaq] to ban Radio Banaadir [from covering parliamentary sessions] and his stern warning against the media.
The three-day meeting, which was attended by 16 members of various media groups in Mogadishu, resolved that the media will not report anything pertaining to the parliament until the Speaker changes his attitude towards the media.
Similarly, the Mogadishu independent media groups expressed concern over restrictions facing the media in northeastern Somalia [Puntland]. The group condemned [Puntland leader] Col Abdullahi Yusuf's administration for restricting the media and recently banning two journalists [presumably a reference to two local BBC journalists who were banned from reporting in Puntland].
The group further urged the regional administrations and politicians in the country to respect freedom of speech and stop intimidating the independent media.
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 18:59:36 The TNG President Denies Reports of "Secret Deal"
The Speaker of parliament has been accused of being in the pocket of the president of the TNG and working in accordance with his wishes. Several MPs have claimed that the two men struck a secret deal to work together.
Frequent unofficial meetings between the Speaker and President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan have given rise to suspicion and finger pointing, especially now as preparations are being made to attend a Somali peace conference in Kenya.
President Abdiqasim has strongly defended himself against the accusation, rejecting the idea that he had a secret deal with the Speaker. He acknowledged, however, that he held frequent meetings with the parliamentary leader for the purpose of briefing each other on new developments.
The president said his relationship with the speaker was normal, adding that it was wrong for MPs to try to spark a conflict between him and the Speaker.
Source: Codka Xoriyadda
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 18:58:00 Reservations Voiced About Reconciliation Conference
NAIROBI, 20 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Mogadishu-based faction leaders are having serious doubts about participating in the Somali reconciliation conference due to be held next month, one of them told IRIN on Tuesday.
The conference, sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is scheduled to open in Eldoret, western Kenya, on 16 September.
Muhammad Qanyare Afrah, one of the most important faction leaders in Mogadishu, speaking on-behalf of his counterparts Usman Hasan Ali Ato, Umar Mahmud Finish, and Mawlid Ma'ane, said they had "serious reservations" about the way the conveners were preparing for the conference, including the fact that the faction leaders had not been consulted.
"The mediators have failed to tell us what exactly we are going to talk about once we are there," Qanyare said. "We don't know about the criteria for participation or the number of participants."
He said care needed to be taken to ensure participational balance in terms of clan and faction. There were clans who had representatives in the Transitional National Government (TNG), factions and in regional administrations, he noted. "You may end up having a conference at which one clan is represented by 10 individuals wearing different hats, while another clan will be represented by one person", Qanyare told IRIN.
There must be agreement on participation before any conference takes place, "if the conveners are serious about having a successful conference", he said.
"Secondly, we need to talk about what outcome we want to get from this conference. There is so much secrecy surrounding the conference. I have yet to meet a Somali who knows anything about it. Please tells us what you are cooking up for us, since we are the ones who eventually have to eat it", said Qanyare.
Qanyare said his group wanted the outcome of the Arta conference (held in Djibouti in 2000 and at which the Transitional National Government was established) to be the basis for negotiations and "to correct the mistakes made there," but does not agree with the notion of starting from scratch. "Let's use what we have and change what needs to be changed," he said.
Those who knew the history of Somali conferences knew that to try and start a new one "is a recipe for failure, and that is the last thing Somalis want or need", he stressed.
Meanwhile, Isma'il Warsame, the chief of cabinet of Col Abdullahi Yusuf, leader of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, told IRIN on Tuesday that Puntland was "worried that the conference is being rushed. There should be thorough preparations if it is to succeed."
IGAD should also send more missions and spend more time in the country to explain about the conference, Warsame added, and it should involve all civil society groups. Another concern was the criteria for participation. "We don't know who will be invited and what criteria will be applied in this context," he said.
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 16:13:05 Killing of Traditional Elder "Unintentional"
NAIROBI, (IRIN) - The killing of a traditional elder, who was also a UK passport holder, in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, was accidental, Isma'il Warsame, chief of cabinet of the Puntland leader, Col Abdullahi Yusuf, told IRIN on Monday.
Sultan Ahmad Mahmud Muhammad, better known as Sultan Hurreh, was killed on Saturday in the village of Kala-Bayrkah, 50 km south of Garowe, the region's capital.
According to Isma'il, Sultan Hurreh, who had opposed Abdullahi Yusuf, was one of those targeted for arrest by the Puntland security forces, "because of his association with extremist elements". "He died in a shoot-out between his guards and security forces, who were trying to apprehend him", he said. "It was unintentional, and we regret that it happened", he added.
However, a journalist eyewitness, who requested anonymity, told IRIN that the killing of Sultan Hurreh, had been deliberate. According to this source, a convoy of vehicles escorting Abdullahi Yusuf, who was moving from Garowe to Galkayo, passed Sultan Hurreh's Land-Cruiser on the way. Recognizing the car, then two technicals (battle-wagons) sent to intercept Hurreh caught up with him at Kala-Bayrkah, "and he was killed by the militia, who opened fire". "There was nothing accidental about it. His two guards did not put up any resistance since they were surrounded", said the source.
Sultan Hurreh, like Abdullahi Yusuf is a member of the Umar Mahmud sub-clan of the Majeerteen, had been one of the strongest critics and opponents of Abdullahi's administration, said the journalist. Hurreh was one of the elders who met in Garowe last year and elected Jama Ali Jama as president, he added. "There was no love lost between the two."
The killing is likely to create tension in Galkayo, which is the home town of both the deceased and Abdullahi Yusuf. However, Isma'il told IRIN that elders were meeting to investigate the killing, and that "we don't expect the incident to create any political or security concerns".
Meanwhile, Isma'il has denied that the success of Abdullahi Yusuf's military operations led to widespread human rights abuses. A group calling itself the Human Rights Organisation (HRO), based in Qardo, 240 km south of Bosaso, has accused Abdullahi Yusuf of large-scale arrests of people suspected of opposing him. In a statement made available to IRIN, the HRO said "the figure of civilians arrested and imprisoned or abducted on the orders of Col Yusuf is 102".
Isma'il Warsame described these accusations as "pure fabrication", and said that the actual number of people detained was two. "We are not arresting anyone. We are in fact releasing the prisoners of war captured in the fighting," he asserted.
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 14:14:18 Somaliland Raps Interim Somali President Over "Fabricated Lies"
A press release from the republic of Somaliland presidency stated that the government of Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, interim president of Somalia about the Somaliland people, adding that if he had power, he would have, first of all, formed an administration in one of Mogadishu's estates.
According to what has been published in newspaper, Abdiqasim, after having failed to establish an administration in Mogadishu, and even after having appealed for an international intervention force, wants to earn fame by fabricating lies on Somaliland by saying he had sent elders to Hargeysa Somaliland capital city and that the elders had reported back to him.
The elders, claimed by Abdiqasim to have been his envoys, as reported by a BBC corespondent in Mogadishu, were people who had made their own arrangement and travelled to Somaliland to convey condolences from their people to the family of the late president, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal.
Source: Radio Hargeysa
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 14:08:50 SPR Condemns Slaying of Traditional Leader
(Somali Peace Rally/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) The Somali Peace Rally is shocked, deeply saddened and outraged by the murder of Puntland Traditional Leader, Suldaan Ahmed Mohamed Hurre, a prominent and courageous voice for peace and stability in Puntland and Somalia at large. The Suldan was pulled out of his mother's home in Kalabayr village (between Garoowe and Galkacyo) and brutally shot five times in the head by the special guards of Col. Abdullahi Yousuf on Saturday morning 17 August 2002 as reported by eyewitnesses. The Suldan Hurre and the perpetrator, the man who gave the introduction to kill Hurre have accidentally met in the village.
We strongly condemn and denounces those responsible for the assassination of Mr. Hurre, specifically the barbaric attacks done by Col. Yousuf and his ruthless militia who are bent on killing the traditional leaders, military leaders as well as the intellectuals. We urge that evil perpetrators be brought to justice. The SPR also strongly condemns the unprovoked and senseless killing of unarmed civilians and kidnapping of civil society leaders from their houses by Col. Yousuf's militia..
Mr. Hurre was a well-known and relatively young responsible traditional leader in Puntland and a courageous voice for the truth and peace.
Sultan Hurre had been harassed numerous times by Col. Yousuf's militiamen. In spite of such intimidating tactics Sultan Hurre never tired in his efforts to promote peace campaign, freedom of speech and provide his fellow citizens with alternatives to dictatorial character of warlord col. Yousuf. Suldan Hure consistently challenged Col. Abdullahi Yousuf's policy of eliminating political adversaries in Puntland regions. He was also one of the traditional leaders who opposed the prolongation of Col. Yousuf's unconstitutional mandate in August 2001.
Suldan Hurre who always stood for dialogue and common sense, indeed an examplenary leader, will be missed by the people of Puntland and all peace loving Somalis. His death was a tragic national loss, and a broad-day-light murder by some one claiming leadership. Certainly his murder demonstrates the dangerous environment the Col. Yousuf's dictatorial actions has created in his attempts to silence independent voices and minds in Puntland.
We note that the killing of Mr. Hurre has following Col. Abdullahi Yousuf's barbaric killing of another leader in Garowe (Col. Farah Dheere) few months ago, and indiscriminate massacre to the people of Bari Region.
We strongly urge the World Community to stand up to new Miloshevic in Puntland and call for Human Rights organisations to investigate the mass barbaric killings of Col. Yousuf in Puntland State.
SPR believes that political grievances be addressed through dialogue and the democratic structures of the traditional society and the constitution of the state - not through brute force and elimination of people with diverging political stances.
The SPR would like to express its deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased and to all the families of the recent victims of terrorist violence of Col. Yousuf in Puntland.
Our condolences and thoughts are with Mr. Hurre's family, Puntland people and the Somalis at large, and his friends and Colleagues in this time of grief.
Copyright Somali Peace Rally. Distributed by All Africa Global Media(
Posted on Tuesday 20th August at 14:06:07 Somali Children in Dire Straits
Takeyoshi Tanuma, president of the Japan Professional Photographer's Society, has a personal message for the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg from Aug. 26. He wants the Earth Summit to lay the foundation for a world where children are no longer the victims of adult's problems.
Tanuma, 73, knows a lot about the effects of poverty. For the past 30 years, he has photographed children in nearly 20 African countries. Late last month, he visited Somalia where environmental destruction has added to the problems of deep-rooted poverty.
He was in the northern part of Somalia for a week with UNICEF goodwill ambassador Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, who is an actress and TV personality. During their visit, a number of battles took place among armed militias in various parts of the country. But it is Somali children who are the real victims.
During his visit, he went to a hospital in Burco during a heat wave that sent the mercury soaring above 40 C. On a hospital bed lay a 1-year-old emaciated boy who turned his large eyes to Tanuma's camera. Racked by malnutrition, the boy could only manage to digest a little food at a time.
A UNICEF staffer, accompanying Tanuma sighed: "Infant mortality in Somalia is 132 in 1,000. We have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world."
Internal fighting has trapped Somalis in a vicious circle. The poor scrabble to get their piece of such limited natural resources as firewood and water, but in doing so further damage an already strained environment. In addition, tribal conflicts have accelerated the grueling poverty.
Plants and trees are consumed as food for domestic animals and firewood. This deforestation has caused the rivers to dry up. Tanuma watched young boys in a city dig a hole in a dried-up riverbed and scoop up the dirty water that seeped into the hole.
Most residents in Somalia's cities live in tents that have been patched up with used clothing. "All of Somalia seemed to be one huge refugee camp," Tanuma said.
Lack of sex education and birth-control devices have led to a population increase of about 2 percent a year. Chronic food shortage have been exacerbated by cholera outbreaks, which last year claimed the lives of many people living in densely populated areas.
"The situation in African countries has not improved in the 30 years I've been taking photographs there. The best way to break the vicious circle is to provide education for the children. I hope advanced countries at the summit will come out in favor of giving educational support to developing countries," Tanuma said.
Posted on Monday 19th August at 14:08:44 Inter-clan Fighting Kills 12 in Somalia
Mogadishu - At least 12 people have been killed and scores of others injured in inter-clan fighting in central Somalia's Galgudud region, elders and militia officials said on Sunday.
The fighting, in Masaguway village of Galgudud region's Eldeer district Saturday, involved gunmen from the Ali-Gaf and Mahadade sub-clans of the Abgal clan, and elders and militia officials attributed its cause to hostilties between them in the Somali capital Mogadishu last year.
Somalia last had a nationally recognised government in 1991 when the regime of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre collapsed and has since been the scene of battles between rival clans and sub-clans. - Sapa-AFP
Posted on Monday 19th August at 14:07:44 Over Dozen Battlewagons Reportedly Sent From Mogadishu to Baidoa
The president of the Southwestern Regional State of Somalia, Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, yesterday paid a sudden visit to Buur Hakaba, Bakool Region [south-central Somalia], where he reshuffled his frontline militia commanders and held talks with elders and intellectuals from the region.
On the other hand, Col Shatigadud is today expected to lead a convoy of technicals [pick-ups fitted with heavy guns] numbering close to 12 to Baydhabo.
The technicals were sent from Mogadishu and for Col Shatigadud, according to well-informed sources. It is not however clear who had sent them and their motive for going to Baydhabo.
Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade [former deputies of Shatigadud], who were recently dislodged by Shatigadud from Baydhabo, have in the past blamed the Transitional Government of Somalia for supporting Col Shatigadud militarily.
Source: Qaran, Mogadishu
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 14:13:02 Puntland Leader Launches Campaign to Become President of Somalia
Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, the man who has taken over the leadership of the Puntland regional administration by force, has requested clan elders and intellectuals from Puntland to support his presidential bid at the forthcoming Somali peace talks in Nairobi.
Col Yusuf, who held a well-attended meeting with clan elders in Garoowe town, including Islan Muhammad Islan Muse, said he wanted to be the president of Somalia and requested the Puntland delegates invited to the Nairobi meeting to give him their support.
Commenting on Puntland's relationship with Somaliland, Col Yusuf said the two regions were enjoying good relationship. He praised the new Somaliland president as a man who could easily work with the rest of the leaders in the country.
Col Yusuf said the fighting that had been going for awhile in Puntland between him and the forces of the Arta group [interim government] and Al-Ittihad [Islamists] was over, adding that they had finally been rooted out of Puntland.
Source: Qaran, Mogadishu
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 14:06:09 Somali Premier in Talks with Saudi Foreign Minister
The Saudi Arabia minister of foreign affairs, Prince Sa'ud al-Faysal and the chairman of Islamic Development Bank, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ali, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the prime minister of the interim government of Somalia, Hasan Abshir Farah, at a royal guest palace in Saudi Arabia.
The officials discussed many issues including the prevailing situation in Somalia and ways of assisting the interim government's programmes. The officials finally resolved to look into the matters raised by the prime minister, Hasan Abshir, especially in areas where Arab countries are considered to have done little, as far as assisting the Somali people is concerned.
Source: Radio Banaadir
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 14:05:16 Leader of Southwestern State Administration Appoints Deputy
The president of Southwestern State of Somalia, Hasan Muhammad Nur, alias Shatigadud, whose forces control Baydhabo, has announced some members of his administration.
Ambassador Abdullahi Shaykh Isma'il, a member of the Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council SRRC [Ethiopia-backed southern alliance] rotational chair, has been appointed as the vice-president of the regional administration. While, Muhammad Husayn Diriye and AVV [as published] Ahmad Ibrahim Muhammad, were appointed to head the health, and the justice and religious affairs ministries respectively.
Source: Xog-Ogaal
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 14:03:39 Regulations 'Denying Somalis Work Chance'
Somali families in Leicester say they are desperate to take on the city's unfilled jobs - but Government regulations are denying them permission to work.
The Government is refusing to issue National Insurance numbers to about 80 families, because it says it cannot establish who they are.
Without wages or state benefits, they are now surviving on emergency payments from Leicester City Council.
The city council has asked the Government to help it cover the cost of the emergency payments it is forced to make every week, but the Government has refused to help.
Ross Willmott, leader of Leicester City Council, said: "These people could be working and earning a living, it's a sheer waste. There is a strong argument for Leicester to get special treatment from the Government and I'm disappointed we have not had a more positive response."
The Somali community in Leicester is now believed to be about 6,000-strong.
Most of them have travelled from the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, where they first settled after fleeing war and famine in their home country.
They say they have full European Union passports and national identity cards which prove they have settled here legitimately.
They say they came to Leicester because the city has an established Muslim community and a good record on race relations.
Kinsi Hassan, a trained nurse, cannot work because she does not yet have an NI number.
She said: "My main aim is to get employment here in Leicester as a nurse, but now it is beginning to look hopeless.
"I have rented a home and my children are going to school, but the money I came with has gone now and I have had to go to social services for help."
The city council has a duty to support the families with emergency money from its social services budget. It believes this will bring the total bill for supporting the Somali community to £2.5 million this year.
Many of the cases are being taken up by advice workers at the Hitslink Centre in Highfields. A group of women said they were desperate to settle and work here.
Safeyah Ali, 32, said: "They are saying that we are not the people our passports say we are, they're calling us liars."
Fardus Duale, 44, already six months behind on her rent, said: "It's not easy to go to social services and say 'I need money'. Often we have to rely on other people for help."
Reiza Khan, from the centre, said: "These people are EU citizens, have passports and identity cards. What more can they do to establish who they are?"
A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "We have a procedure for anyone applying for a National Insurance number, which involves applicants being interviewed and asked to produce documents proving identity."
Leicester East MP Keith Vaz has pledged to look into the cases
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 15:08:33 Police Arrest Somali Nationals
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug. 18 — Special Pakistani police forces said Sunday that they had arrested five Somali nationals with possible links to the al-Qaida terror network.
The men were detained during a raid of their house about 2 a.m. in University Town, a new section of Peshawar, said a police official speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The detainees, all of whose visas had expired, were in the custody of investigators.
They were identified as Ali Ahmad Hussain, also known as Waheed Akram; Hussain Muhammad, also known as Kultoom Sheikh; Ahmad Noor, also known as Muhammad Muhammadi, Abdul Rashid, and Abdul Nabi.
The official did not release any other details.
cannot say anything about them, he said, adding, ''a search operation for the arrest of al-Qaida is in progress and we shall arrest anyone found in our jurisdiction.''
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there has been speculation that Somalia, a largely lawless Muslim country on the Horn of Africa, might have ties to al-Qaida.
© 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 15:06:07 Situation in Somalia tense after death of sultan
MOGADISHU, Aug 18, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- There's growing tension Sunday in Galkaio town following the killing Saturday of a well known British-Somali national sultan in the Kala-Bayrkah village, about 60 km south of Garoweh town, the capital of the semi-autonomous regional government of Puntland.
The deceased traditional elder is Sultan Ahmed Mohamud Mohamed best known as Sultan Hurreh.
According to eyewitnesses who do not want to be named, a convoy of several battle wagons escorting Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed from Garoweh town stopped as soon as they passed through the village after they probably have recognized the truck of Sultan Hurreh.
"Two battle wagons with nearly 20 heavily armed men immediately drove back and one truck stopped just in front of the Sultan's vehicle and the other stopped just behind it," said the eyewitness.
"Some of the gunmen opened fire, and as the Sultan tried to get down from the vehicle he was shot dead on the spot," the eyewitness added.
The body of Sultan Hurreh was driven back to Galkaio where he left earlier in the day and he was buried Sunday morning in the graveyard of the town with the participation of most of the traditional leaders in Puntland.
There's no word as yet from Colonel Yussuf's administration over the killing of Sultan Hurreh, but it is known that late Sultan Hurreh has strongly opposed to Colonel Yussuf's political doctrine in Puntland.
Sultan Hurreh has been one of those elders who deprived Colonel Yussuf from the presidency of Puntland in the meeting in Garoweh town last year and has lately been supporting ousted president Jama Ali Jama.
Copyright 2002 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY.
Posted on Sunday 18th August at 15:02:44 Foreign Minister Urges UN To Honour Commitments
ABU DHABI, (QNA via COMTEX) Somali Foreign Minister Yousuf Hassan Ibrahim urged the international community, the UN and regional and international organizations to honor their commitments, in extending necessary support to the Somali government, in order to enable it to restore law and order in Somalia, particularly following the success of Arta Conference, which achieved comprehensive compromise.
Speaking at a lecture at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Zayed Center for Coordination and Follow Up (ZCCF) on the Somali cause, the Minister lauded President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who spared no effort in extending help and humanitarian assistance to the Somali people at times of natural disasters and hardships.
During his lecture, which was attended by the diplomatic corps accredited to the UAE and representatives of foreign and local press, the Somali minister offered congratulations to Sheikh Zayed on the occasion of his accession, wishing him continuous good health and more progress and prosperity for the UAE people.
Copyright (C) 2002 QNA. All Rights Reserved.
Posted on Saturday 17th August at 21:08:36 UN Worried Over Somalia Situation
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Maxwell Gaylard has expressed deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation resulting from insecurity in many parts of Somalia. According to a UN humanitarian publication, Gaylard said fighting was preventing UN aid agencies and civil society groups from protecting communities caught in areas of conflict as well as disrupting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people already suffering from acute poverty, malnutrition and lack of access to the most basic of services.
“Recent fighting in Baidoa, southern Somalia, killed about 20 civilians and an equal number of militia, while fierce clashes in Puntland left over 100 dead and the area effectively cut off from humanitarian access. In Mogadishu, a wave of kidnappings severely curtailed the UN’s ability to assist about 150,000 internationally displaced people and other vulnerable groups,” Gaylard said, “Several hundred thousand people are displaced nationwide, thus compounding their vulnerability.
Posted on Saturday 17th August at 21:05:53 Leaders "Actively Mobilizing" Militia Ahead of Peace Talks
An impeccable source has told us that President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan is trying to get military and economic help from clans supporting his government to neutralize faction leaders opposed to him before the Kenya peace conference starts.
Abdiqasim succeeded in uniting the subgroups of his clan at a recent meeting during which it was agreed that the Habar Gidir, especially the Sa'ad, join in the effort. The Sa'ad is strongly opposed to the government, and the two sides had in the past fought in Mogadishu when the government tried to subdue it.
The president's new move, which is being supported by influential members of his government, has come at a time when faction leaders opposed to the government, such as those in Mogadishu, Baydhabo and Puntland, are weakened by internal conflicts.
Minister of Monetary Affairs Umar Hashi, the most active supporter of the president's plan, is mobilizing militia forces to be used for security operations before Kenya conference is held.
Other members of the interim government also pledged to contribute their militias. The president's own clan is actively mobilizing forces.
This is not the first time the government of Abdiqasim has attempted to conduct what it refers to as security operations in Mogadishu. The government controls a small enclave in the city, compared to factions which control a large chunk of territory. Political observers believe that the secret agents of the transitional government are behind the recent horrible criminal acts in Mogadishu, which, they say, are aimed at giving the government an excuse to attack faction leaders, such as Muse Sudi Yalahow.
People close to the State House told us that President Abdiqasim was having final meetings with members of the Hawiye clan serving in his government. He is also scheduled to hold talks with Mogadishu faction leader Uthman Hasan Ali Ato when he returns to the city.
Source: Balcad web site
Posted on Saturday 17th August at 21:04:42 Puntland Administration Bans Local BBC Reporters from Working
A press statement issued by the office of the emergency committee [of Puntland administration] today banned BBC reporters Muhammad Khalif Gir and Ahmad Muhammad Kismaayo from reporting.
The emergency committee had previously closed down SBC [Somali Broadcasting Corporation; a rebroadcasting partner of the BBC] in Boosaaso [Puntland's main commercial town].
Source: Radio Midnimo
Posted on Saturday 17th August at 21:03:06 EU Offers Support for Broad-Based Provisional Government
NAIROBI, 16 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The EU Council of Ministers has offered financial and technical support to a "provisional, all-inclusive, broad-based" government in Somalia, as successor to the Transitional National Government.
The support would, however, be conditional on a number of requirements, including the functioning of the main infrastructures in the country, such as the port and airport in the capital Mogadishu, the free circulation of people and goods, the launching of a partnership with the country's various regions, and the establishment of harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, a statement from the Council said.
In order to encourage a "bottom-up approach", the EU would support "emerging regional governance" which had effective control of population centres and economic infrastructures, and demonstrated a commitment to peace, the Council said.
It would also continue to use declarations and demarches to pass rapid and clear messages to the various Somali and regional stakeholders, as part of its support to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development's peace and reconciliation initiative in Somalia.
An EU special envoy could be appointed, the Council added, if progress in the peace process so merited. Smart sanctions targeting individuals blocking peace could also be introduced, as well as positive incentives such as targeted financial support.
Posted on Friday 16th August at 18:50:27 U.S. Proposes Lifting Asset Freezes
UNITED NATIONS (AP) Moving to ease restrictions on more than 200 people allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden, the United States proposed releasing their financial assets to allow them to pay for food, rent and other living expenses.
A draft resolution circulated to the 15-member U.N. Security Council and obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday would authorize the country where the individuals live to determine the amount of money that can be released.
The Security Council in January shifted sanctions from the government of Afghanistan to bin Laden, his Al-Qaida terror network, and the remnants of the country's former Taliban rulers.
It ordered all nations to impose a travel ban and an arms embargo and freeze the assets of individuals and groups on a list compiled by a council committee monitoring the sanctions. The latest list issued on May 22 includes more than 200 individuals and over 60 banks, companies, organizations and other entities.
The individuals on the list come from a range of countries including Afghanistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sweden, Somalia, Italy, the United States, Britain, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, Germany, Kenya, Tanzania, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Switzerland.
The U.S. draft resolution is a response to complaints from some individuals on the list and their governments that the January resolution was making people subject to sanctions destitute because it did not make sufficient provisions for living expenses.
Security Council members also agreed Thursday on steps to address another problem with the list -- how to get off it, a U.S. official said.
A statement on what individuals and groups must do to have their names removed will be circulated and issued next week by the sanctions committee, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
On living conditions, a proposed U.S. ``technical amendment'' would allow the countries where individuals on the list live to determine the amount of money necessary for basic expenses ``including payments for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges.''
Funds could also be unfrozen to pay for some legal fees and service charges, and for ``extraordinary expenses'' which would have to be approved by the sanctions committee.
In addition to providing for the release of some frozen money, the draft resolution would provide that any interest earned on frozen assets, and any payments under contracts or other agreements to individuals whose assets have been frozen, will be frozen as well.
The United States is expected to formally introduce the resolution to the council next week.
The statement that council members agreed on Thursday says individuals or groups seeking to get off the list can ask the government of the country where they live, or where they are a citizen, to request a review of their case. They must provide ``justification for the de-listing request.''
The government must then consult the country that put them on the list and persuade it to request the sanctions committee to take the individual or group off the list. The vast majority of those on the list were put there by the United States.
The sanctions committee's decision must be by consensus, but if consensus can't be reached the request can be submitted to the Security Council.
Since the January resolution was adopted, the sanctions committee has removed several groups and a Canadian man from the list.
Copyright © 2002 Associated Press Information Services, all rights reserved.
Posted on Friday 16th August at 14:42:29 Baidoa Under Curfew
Reports reaching us from Baydhabo [alternative spelling Baidoa, south-central Somalia] say all activities in the town, including the movement of people, grind to halt every evening when the clock strikes 8 p.m. as well-armed security forces begin patrols.
Col [Hasan Muhammad Nur] Shatigadud [chairman of Rahanwein Resistance Army, RRA] who is preparing to defend the town against his ousted deputies [Shaykh Adan Madobe and Ibrahim Habsade] who are planing to launch an attack to recapture the town, has strengthened the security of the town and its entry points.
The curfew imposed on Baydhabo, which is the second one [since the recent fighting], has not been clearly explained but the residents were told indirectly that they should stop all their activities in the evening.
The first curfew imposed on Baydhabo used to begin at 5 p.m. in the afternoon till morning while this one starts at 8 p.m. till morning...
Source: Xog-Ogaal web site
Posted on Friday 16th August at 14:39:56 Aid Agencies Uncoordinated in Somaliland
NAIROBI, 15 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - International aid agencies lack coordination when dealing with long-term assistance for internally displaced and returnee populations in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, says a report from the United Nations Coordination Unit/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNCU/OCHA).
"The primary reason is the problem associated with which agency has, or should have, a mandate to assist these communities," said the joint report. Efforts to form a joint committee to sort out this issue had also not materialised, it added.
As a result, the "little assistance" delivered to the region to date had been on an ad hoc basis. This meant that the prospect of as many as 80,000 returnees to Somaliland arriving over the next two years was raising "grave concerns" with regard to increased social and economic pressures on both local authorities and resident populations.
UNCU/OCHA recommended that any further assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly those in Dima camp in the Somaliland capital, Hargeysa, should be conducted with the consultation of the IDPs themselves, as complaints regarding the diversion of relief supplies by local authorities had been lodged. It was also necessary to establish a system of monitoring and evaluating the delivery of any relief supplies.
Specific projects recommended in the report included a food-for-work programme in Dima camp to rebuild roads that were destroyed by floods in 1999, as well as generating employment and improving the nutritional status; the rehabilitation of roads on the outskirts of Hargeysa; and a long-term urban planning programme as local authorities lacked both the capacity and funds to rehabilitate returning IDPs and returnees.
"Given the fact that thousands of more returnees are expected over the next two years, it is vital that international agencies assist in the preparation and planning for the upcoming influx," the report stressed.
Posted on Thursday 15th August at 14:18:55 Somali Official Calls for Peacekeepers
A visiting Somali Transitional Government official yesterday called for the deployment of international peace-keeping forces to disarm warlords, warring groups and factions to help peace return to the 'Horn of Africa'.
Yousuf Hassan Ibrahim, Foreign Minister in the Transi-tional National Government of Somalia, said the key and pressing issue for peace in the country is to disarm all the warring factions and groups, "which can only be achieved with strong involvement and support of international peace-keeping forces."
The minister, who is on a tour of the region to brief Arab leaders about the situation in Somalia, said: "We need an urgent intervention from the international community to stop the bloodshed and disarm warring factions in order to help peace return to Somalia."
Ibrahim, who is here on a two-day visit to meet government officials, said the international community can help restore peace by sending forces or assisting the security agencies of the transitional government to disarm heavily armed tribes in Somalia.
Ibrahim is in the UAE on the first leg of a tour of the Arab region to explain the situation in his country to the Arab leaders and seek assistance to help restore the political system and rescue the country's crippled economy following years of civil war.
"We realise that the foreign assistance, specially from Arab brother countries, is a necessity to help bring life back to normal under a democratic set up," he said.
Referring to the country's infrastructure, the minister said everything, including the security establishment, has completely been destroyed due to many years of lawlessness and absence of an administration.
About regional and international efforts to restore stability, he said so far 13 reconciliatory conferences have been held to bring peace in the country. All the previous 12 initiatives failed to make a breakthrough.
He recalled: "However, the peace initiative by Djibouti's President Omar Jili in 1999, the 13th conciliatory conference, proved successful. More than 2,500 representatives from various tribes, political organisations and parties, from north to south and from east to west, attended the grand meeting to end the war."
He said the grand meeting was a historical event, bringing people from all corners of the country for just one cause – peace and tranquillity.
The reconciliation conference formed the Transitional National Government and a temporary constitution for three years. It elected Dr Abdul Qassim Salat from among 47 candidates to become the first post-civil war president of the country.
Ibrahim also called upon the international organisations, such as the Arab League, the African Union and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), to extend financial and moral support to the transitional government and to the Somali people to help bring stability and prosperity to their country.
"These organisations can also mediate to accomplish reconciliation and restore the political system," he said, adding that Somalia has been promised by Arab countries at the Amman and Beirut summits financial assistance and humanitarian aid.
"But unfortunately nothing has happened so far. We are still waiting for their response and really need urgent support," he added.
He also referred to the forthcoming summit in Nairobi, saying hopefully it will prove to be successful in bringing together all the factions, including the Somalil and and Puntland administrations to restore the unity of the country and bring lasting peace.
The Nairobi Summit, likely to be held in September, has been brokered by Daniel Arap Moi, the Kenyan President, to help restore peace in neighbouring Somalia.
He said: "We hope this conference will not be restricted to Somali parties. We are looking forward to seeing all the regional and international organisations and the five permanent members of the Security Council to guarantee national reconciliation and a united Somalia."
Referring to Al Qaida activities, the foreign minister said Somalia is clear of terrorist outfits.
The minister also said that his transitional government has pledged its full support to the international community against worldwide terrorism.
He also added that the U.S. and other European naval fleets are monitoring the area to look for terrorists taking sanctuary in the region.
"The U.S. sent its fleets to Somali regional waters which conducted daily aerial and land surveillance and found no evidence whatsoever in this regard," he said.
Elaborating on UAE-Somalia relations, Ibrahim said his government and the people of his country are grateful to the leadership of the UAE for the material and political support to bring stability and social development in Somalia.
"I will take this opportunity to greet President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on his 36th accession anniversary as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi Emirate. On behalf of my government and the people, I thank Sheikh Zayed, his government and the people of the UAE for their continued support to Somalia," he said, adding that relations between the two countries are deep rooted.
The minister also called upon the UAE and other Arab investors to tap the country's natural resources, saying Somalia is full of mineral and agricultural resources, which need to be explored through foreign investment.
He also called upon the regional countries to lift their ban on Somali livestock, which, he added, is one of the main sources of income for many Somalis.
Posted on Wednesday 14th August at 14:27:27 Kenya to Host Somalia Peace Talks
Sporadic fighting between rival warlords has intensified in parts of Somalia in the past months, but Kenya said it was hopeful it would be able to convince all the main faction leaders to come to the table this time.
There's not a single group which has said they're not interested, they've all said they're interested in participating,'' Foreign Affairs Minister Marsden Madoka told a news conference in Nairobi.
We believe that unless we can get everybody who has some interest in Somalia on board...then the process will not be a success,'' he said.
Previous Kenyan attempts to hold reconciliation talks for Somalia have been hindered by the absence of key faction leaders who oppose a fledgling Transitional National Government (TNG) set up in August 2000 to try to unify the country.
Madoka declined to name which faction leaders had agreed to turn up to the talks, due to be held in the town of Eldoret, 260 kms (160 miles) northwest of Nairobi. The talks aim to attract 250-300 delegates and last between two and six weeks.
Kenya had planned to hold the conference earlier this year, but the plans have been repeatedly postponed.
The Kenyan government of President Daniel arap Moi is also hosting talks between government and rebels in neighbouring Sudan, aiming to end 19-years of civil war in Africa's largest country. Those talks opened on Monday.
Somalia, a broken country of seven million, has endured 10 years of strife between rival faction leaders since the collapse of central authority with the overthrow of former military ruler Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991.
The United Nations warned on Monday that it was deeply concerned over the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia due to escalating violence and insecurity, particularly in the capital Mogadishu, the southern town of Baidoa and the breakaway northeastern region of Puntland.
Kenyan officials aim to gather a multitude of players including the transitional government and the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC) -- a loose coalition of opposition warlords.
The SRRC chiefs, allies of neighbouring Ethiopia, have in the past refused to attend, saying the talks were aimed at confirming the rule of the transitional government, which they view as illegitimate.
The transitional government controls only parts of the capital and other patches of territory in the country, divided into a patchwork of rival fiefdoms.
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited.
Posted on Wednesday 14th August at 14:17:52 Forced Exit
(New Vision/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) THE Somali referees who handled the Uganda versus Egypt Africa Youth Cup tie on Saturday were forced to go back home on a Kenya Airways flight on Sunday.
Referee Jama Osman and his two assistants Salah Omar and Ali Mohammed had refused to leave the country demanding for a refund from FUFA.
The referees alleged that the money was spent during four days spent connecting to Uganda. Immigration officials at Entebbe were forced to intervene by Ugandan official Nelson Mubanda, and the trio were herded onto the plane.
FUFA insist they asked the Somalis if they needed return tickets from Mogadishu to Entebbe weeks before they arrived. The Somalis said they would do with tickets from Nairobi, where FUFA claims they are based.
The referees produced receipts from their travel agents saying they want a refund of $900 (sh1.6m) since they are returning to Mogadishu and had refused to leave the country.
Immigration officers intervened after Mubanda explained FUFA's position.
FUFA general secretary Haruna Mawanda confirmed the incident.
"We sent air tickets for the trip and on reaching here, we gave them their allowance of $750 (sh1.35m) each. We could not give them more money," said FUFA treasurer Patrick Isiagi.
FUFA yesterday received faxes from the Somalis, saying they are stranded in Nairobi and need their money.
Somali and Burundi referees have been a headache to FUFA, as they have always demanded for more pay.
r SC Villa's postponed Nile Special Super League match against Lyantonde URA is set for Thursday at Mandela Stadium Namboole.
by Norman Katende
Copyright New Vision. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Wednesday 14th August at 14:11:48 "Three CIA Officers" Said Visiting Northeast Somalia
Reports we have received from Boosaaso [Puntland, northeast Somalia] say that three CIA officers visited the town following an invitation from [Puntland leader] Col Abdullahi Yusuf's administration. Col Abdullahi Yusuf's administration had informed the public that the officials, who were in Boosaaso for several days, were not from the CIA but were independent journalists.
The officials are reportedly gathering information regarding Islamic groups in northeast Somalia. Previously, Col Abdullahi Yusuf had said that the region was hosting terrorist groups, although there was no tangible proof of these allegations.
Journalists from various places had earlier visited parts of northeast Somalia where Abdullahi Yusuf had said there were bases for the Al-Ittihad group.
Source: Ayaamaha
Posted on Wednesday 14th August at 8:44:46 Puntland Leader Reportedly in Talks With Captured Rival Official
Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, the president of Puntland regional administration, has held talks with Muhammad Haji Adan who was captured following yesterday's fighting launched by Abdullahi Yusuf against Qardho [Puntland, northeastern Somalia] town. Col Abdullahi Yusuf succeeded in taking over the town's administration.
Meanwhile, the town of Qardho is said to be calm after yesterday's fighting. Our reporter Abdishakur Mire Adan has more details on this.
[Abdishakur] Muhammad Haji Adan's [Puntland's former minister of livestock, strongly opposed to Puntland leader Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad] hands and legs were chained after he was captured in the same way as prisoners in Guantanama base [in Cuba].
Mr Muhammad Haji Adan was taken to a place 20 km outside the fighting scene to meet Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad who had been commanding his forces during the fighting. Brought before him, Col Abdullahi Yusuf ordered [his militiamen] to unchain Mr Muhammad Haji Adan.
Abdullahi Yusuf and Muhammad Haji sat under a tree for an hour discussing, although it was not clear what they had been talking about.
Muhammad Haji Adan who is well-versed in guerrilla fighting tactics and Abdullahi Yusuf left the place laughing.
Later, Abdullahi Yusuf told his militiamen that Mr Muhammad was a politician and as far as politics was concerned two people can agree or differ on politics.
Source: Holy Koran Radio
Posted on Tuesday 13th August at 8:40:54 RRA Faction Officials Reportedly Call for Ethiopian Military Support
Reports from Waajid [all place names southcentral Somalia] town say that the two RRA [Rahanwein Resistance Army] deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade held talks with some Ethiopian officials yesterday night.
It is not clear what they had discussed, although reports say that the two deputies request the Ethiopian government for a military support.
The Ethiopian officials who left Waajid town for their country [Ethiopia] are expected to brief their government on the issue.
Militiamen loyal to Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade are closing in on the town of Baydhabo and are said to be some 20 km outside Baydhabo.
It is feared that the militia group would again clash with those loyal to Hasan Muhammad Nur (Shatigadud), [president of the newly formed Southwest Somalia State and RRA leader]...
Source: Ayaamaha
Posted on Tuesday 13th August at 8:39:30 Abdullahi Yusuf Takes Qardho
NAIROBI, 13 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Col Abdullahi Yusuf has captured the town of Qardho, 240 km south of Bosaso, the commercial capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, a local journalist told IRIN on Tuesday.
Forces loyal to Abdullahi entered the town on Monday without a fight, with forces loyal to his rival for the presidency of the region, Jama Ali Jama, having retreated, said Fadumo Yasin of the Bosaso-based Midnimo radio. Qardho is a strategically important town and was one of Jama's last remaining strongholds.
"The Darawish [Abdullahi Yusuf's] forces entered Qardo at 10:30 a.m. local time [07:30 GMT]", Fadumo told IRIN on Tuesday. "There was no fighting inside the town, and the Darawish are in full control", she said. Abdullahi's forces had met very little resistance from the militia loyal to Jama. "There was some fighting in Sanjilbo village, 12 km north of Qardho, but it lasted less than 20 minutes."
In that battle, Abdullahi's forces reportedly captured a prominent figure in Puntland. "One of the prisoners captured was Muhammad Haji Adan," Fadumo told IRIN. He had been livestock minister in Abdullahi's first administration, but subsequently defected to the Jama camp and became a fierce opponent of the colonel, a source in Garowe, the regional capital, told IRIN.
Abdullahi was currently in Qardho, where he had been warmly welcomed by the residents, Isma'il Warsame, Abdullahi Yusuf's chief of cabinet told IRIN. Isma'il said that "the president is meeting elders today [Tuesday] to discuss security issues", and would spend the next couple of days in Qardho to meet the people. "The Puntland security forces will proceed to Garowe very soon", Isma'il said. "Puntland will then return to its renowned peace and stability."
Meanwhile, Jama's forces had reportedly collapsed and dispersed into the mountains around Qardho, the source in Garowe said. He doubted that they could mount any serious counter-offensive capable of challenging Abdullahi's forces.
"The fighting in Puntland seems to be at an end for now," the source said. "Whether it is the end of Jama Ali Jama and his supporters is a different matter. It will all depend on how successful Abdullahi Yusuf is in winning the hearts and minds of the people."
Controversy over Puntland's leadership has been increasingly vocal since June 2001, when Abdullahi, whose presidential term ended then, claimed that parliament had extended his mandate.
A number of Puntland's traditional elders meeting in Garowe in July 2001 rejected his claim, and named Yusuf Haji Nur, Puntland's former chief justice, as "acting president" until the election of a new administration. The elders then convened a general congress in August and, on 14 November 2001, elected Jama Ali to a three-year term in the hope that this would end the leadership wrangle.
Puntland declared itself autonomous in 1998, following a conference of local elders. Abdullahi Yusuf was then elected as the region's first president for a three-year term.
Posted on Tuesday 13th August at 16:27:14 Somali Pirates Hold Greek Tanker
A ship seized by pirates off the Somali coast two weeks ago is a Greek-owned vessel, not a British tanker as first thought, according to a maritime crime watchdog.
The International Maritime Bureau identified the vessel as the North Korean registered Jenlil.
There had earlier been confusion about the identity of the vessel and British naval forces in the area had tried to resolve the issue.
Somali militiamen holding the boat's six Georgian crew are reportedly demanding a $1m ransom.
Somali waters have been the scene of several acts of piracy and vessels are advised to keep at least 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the coast.
The country is ruled by rival warlords, having been without a central government for more than 10 years since the overthrow of President Siad Barre.
The seized vessel has been moored off the coast of Puntland, a breakaway region in the northwest of the country, aid workers in Somalia told AFP news agency.
Negotiations
They said the pirates were members of a powerful clan and that they had originally demanded $300,000 (£200,000) for the ship's return before increasing the ransom.
Ransom negotiations are already underway between a North Korean ship's owners and the pirates.
Following an earlier seizure off Puntland in the past month, the owners of a Cyprus-registered vessel paid a $400,000 (£260,000) ransom.
A helicopter from British Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland scoured the coast near the Somali port town of Bossasso on Sunday after reports that the vessel was British-registered.
The British Ministry of Defence told BBC News Online that the frigate had completed its search and was now continuing with its duties as part of the war against terror.
Warships from countries in the international coalition against terror formed after the 11 September attacks have been patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
US officials have pointed to Somalia as a likely haven for wanted militants fleeing Afghanistan
Posted on Tuesday 13th August at 14:23:13 Pirates 'Demand $1m for Ship'
Armed militia men are reportedly holding an oil tanker and its six crew hostage in Somalia, demanding a $1m ransom.
A helicopter from British Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland scoured the coast near the Somali port town of Bossasso on Sunday after reports that the vessel was British-registered.
But British maritime officials say they have had no reports of a missing British ship and it is thought there may be confusion with a North Korean ship that went missing earlier this month.
The tanker was seized nine days ago and has been moored off the coast of Puntland, a breakaway region in the northwest of the country, aid workers in Somalia told AFP news agency.
They said the pirates were members of a powerful clan and that they had originally demanded $300,000 (£200,000) for the ship's return before increasing the ransom.
However, the deputy director of the International Maritime Bureau, Captain Abhyankar, said it was possible the incident was being confused.
Ransom negotiations are already underway between a North Korean ship's owners and the pirates. The six crew members are from another former Soviet republic, Georgia.
The waters off Somalia are some of the most dangerous in the world, full of sharks and pirates. On land, anarchy and confusion reign.
The country is without a central government, and ruled instead by rival warlords, hence, it seems, the confusion over this latest act of piracy, BBC correspondent Andrew Harding said.
Piracy warnings
The Ministry of Defence told BBC News Online that the HMS Cumberland had completed its search and was now continuing with its duties as part of the war against terror.
If confirmed, the seizure would be the third off Puntland in less than a month and follows the payment of a $400,000 (£260,000) ransom by the owners of a Cyprus-registered vessel.
Following the hijacking of a cargo ship on 30 July the IMB warned crews: "Ships anchoring near or passing close to the Somali coast should note they will, repeat, will be seized by one of the warring factions from shore."
It said ships should remain at least 50 miles, and if possible 100 miles, from shore, with radio communications kept to a minimum to avoid detection.
Posted on Monday 12th August at 14:29:38 New Consensus Needed to Avert Famine
NAIROBI, 12 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - A number of priority issues must urgently be addressed - by governments, aid agencies, donors, media, and local communities directly affected - in order to avert famine in the Horn of Africa, according to a discussion paper from the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System (FEWS Net) and the international aid agency, CARE.
While the technical, logistical and financial resources had long existed to eradicate the phenomenon of famine - which had led to "significant progress" being made towards its elimination in some parts of the world - vulnerability appeared to be on the increase in the Horn of Africa, said the authors of the paper.
Clear consensus definitions of what constituted a "famine" (as opposed to a "crisis"), the various factors involved (disease and exposure as well as lack of food), and on when to use the term (considering its political implications) were essential, said FEWS Net/Care. "The definition frames the understanding of the problem and consequently shapes the response."
Differences between chronic and transitory food insecurity must also be understood, and response programmes tailored accordingly. In much of the Horn of Africa, food aid was being used in the name of emergency response to ameliorate what was essentially chronic food insecurity, said the paper.
Furthermore, famines were complex events which were part of "a process", and not an event to be taken in isolation, said FEWS Net/Care. "Famine events are, in effect, the tip of an iceberg." An understanding of economic issues in a given region, as well as of governmental policy, was essential to the understanding any famine situation. "Currently, humanitarian relief is often carried out in isolation from the agenda of policy and government reform," said the paper.
FEWS Net/Care emphasised that media organisations must accurately report on the causes of famines, as well as on "the event". "Promoting a public discussion of the underlying causes is central to forming effective policies and governance structures aimed at eliminating famine." Local media could play a more effective advocacy role, said FEWS Net/CARE. "As long as the media continues to focus on famines as news 'events' there is likely to be little pressure for change."
The "rural bias" of early warning and response systems required review, added the paper, as famines were not exclusively rural. Links between HIV/AIDS and food security were also increasingly important, with the current food crisis in southern Africa being partly linked to the pandemic in the region.
Posted on Monday 12th August at 14:26:18 Abducted UN Employee Released
NAIROBI, 12 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The United Nations welcomes the release of Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, a national UN project staff member, who was abducted on 5 August. He was released unconditionally in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on 10 August, a press statement from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator's Office for Somalia said on Monday.
"Mr Abikar has undergone a medical examination and is reported to be in good health. He has been reunited with his family in the city, and is scheduled to resume his duties as the Officer-In-Charge of the Mogadishu office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Food Security Assessment Unit after a short break," said the statement.
It went on to say that the UN strongly condemned abductions and other attacks on its staff members, and took this opportunity to emphasise its humanitarian mandate to help the people of Somalia.
Abikar was the third UN staff member to be abducted in Mogadishu since the beginning of this year. Ahmad Ma'alin Muhammad, better known as Dishapilin, of the UN Children's Programme was abducted by gunmen in Medina district on 28 February and released four days later. Prof Muhammad Ali Abukar of UN Development Programme was abducted on 28 April in the same area, and eventually released on 25 May.
Posted on Monday 12th August at 14:24:44 UN Shuts Down 4th Refugee Camp
Aug 11 2002 Addis Ababa The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday it was closing a no longer needed Somali refugee camp in eastern Ethiopia following a successful repatriation scheme.
The remaining 3 700 refugees from the Rabasso camp in eastern Ethiopia were repatriated last week, on a voluntary basis, towards the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland in north-west Somalia.
UN observers have deemed the area to be safe.
Since last January, some 17 600 Somali refugees have been repatriated from camps in eastern Ethiopia towards Somaliland. The UNHCR has closed down four refugee camps in Ethiopia since June 2001 - in Terefi Ber, Darwanaji, Daror and Rabasso.
Some 3 000 Somalis from the Camaboker refugee camp were also repatriated last week.
In the late 1980s, civil war in Somalia drove tens of thousands of Somali refugees over the border into Ethiopia.
The UNHCR estimates that more than 49 000 Somali refugees are still living in the camps of Aicha, Camaboker, Hartisheik and Kebribeyah in the east of the country.
Posted on Sunday 11th August at 14:36:40 UNICEF Funded Hospital Handed Over to Regional Administration
The Sool regional administration yesterday took over the management of a new hospital which was sponsored by UNICEF.
The new hospital has a maternity wing and a section for the treatment of tuberculosis. The handing over ceremony was held at the hospital in Laas Canood.
The deputy regional governor Abdirahman Hirsi Heyan, the hospital's director Si'id Warsame Goley and other officials spoke about the management of the hospital and its importance in serving the people of Laas Canood. They urged the hospital management and members of the public to preserve and guard the hospital's property. The function was also attended by clan elders and members of the public.
Source: Radio Hargeysa
Posted on Saturday 10th August at 18:19:45 Militiamen Reportedly Hijack British Ship
Controversy surrounds a British ship hijacked by militiamen in the northeastern coast of Somalia. Aweys Muhammad Nur Fodey who contacted Boosaaso [northeastern port city] has more details.
[Fodey] The militiamen who hijacked the ship are reportedly demanding for ransom. Boosaaso residents say militiamen have to be stopped from hijacking ships and demanding for ransom.
Reports from Boosaaso say the number of militiamen who hijacked the ship is not yet known. A report released recently by International Piracy Watchdog says Somali waters are the most dangerous in the world and that there exist militiamen on the coasts, especially in the northeastern.
Recently a business ship was hijacked in the shores of Boosaaso and was released after the militia was paid a ransom, which was the condition they gave for its release.
Source: Radio HornAfrik
Posted on Saturday 10th August at 18:17:11 60 Police Officers Prepare to Attend Training
Around 60 members of the police force are expected to attend training, including that of commanding officers, in Libya. Hasan Ate has more details.
[Ate] The 60 members of the police force who qualified after a controversial examination, are today undergoing medical examination, including testing for HIV, according to Deputy Commander Yusuf Ahmad Muhammad Trailer [phonetic], who talked to Radio HornAfrik.
Some of the officers who sat for the examination are complaining that the exams were not conducted well, and that they were afraid that they [police administration] might tamper with the list at the time of departure.
Police officers who did not qualify lodged their complains with the CID [Criminal Investigation Department] headquarters. They said the examination had been conducted in an unfair manner, and that 10 of the selected officers are not members of the police force...
Source: Radio HornAfrik
Posted on Saturday 10th August at 18:16:02 Two Killed, Four Wounded As Rival Faction Militias Clash in Mogadishu
Two people have been killed and four others wounded after two rival militia groups clashed in Mogadishu's Madina District today.
The fighting broke out following a dispute over a Land Cruiser mounted with a B10 [heavy machine] gun. Somalis call it Abdi Bille.
Reports from sources close to the fighting say that the vehicle, which belongs to Hilowle Iman Omar [anti-interim government Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council, SRRC, official] was now being used by Mr Dagah Tur, one of the signatories of the [Somali] peace accord signed in Nakuru [Rift Valley Province], Kenya, recently.
Mr Dagah Tur is also said to be at loggerheads with [Mogadishu faction leader] Omar [Mahmud Muhammad] Finish...
Source: HornAfrik Online
Posted on Saturday 10th August at 18:14:45 PM Hospitalized in Jeddah
Somali Interim Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah has been hospitalized in Jeddah, according to Somali Consul General Muhammad Elmi Omer. He told Arab News on Wednesday that Farah is being treated at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC).
Omer said that the premier has been suffering from kidney problems. "Farah was flown here on Sunday and immediately admitted to KFSHRC with the assistance of Saudi Arabia government," Omer said. "The Saudi government has extended many similar medical services to Somali leaders in the past as well as humanitarian aid to their Somali brothers." Omer added that the health of the premier is now improving and he will soon be released from the hospital.
Farah was named as prime minister by President Abdi Qassim Salad Hassan nine months ago when former Premier Ali Galaydh Khalif lost a vote of confidence in Parliament.
Posted on Friday 9th August at 14:20:26 Nairobi Ignores Somalia At Its Own Peril
Aug 09, 2002 (The Nation/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- The desperate people of Somalia are crying out for international help and Kenya and Ethiopia had better listen.
For unless these two neighbours take charge and work for peace in Somalia, their people will continue to suffer from its lawlessness.
Guns, grenades and even artillery will continue to flow into Kenya and Ethiopia from Somalia creating a recipe for anarchy. Refugees will continue to stream across the borders, bringing with them additional poverty, disease, and ignorance.
In the last few years for instance, there has been a major proliferation of arms from Somalia to Kenya to the extent that the country's crime rate is an undeclared national disaster. As long as Somalia remains without a government, the cheap supply of arms will continue to find a ready market in Nairobi.
Worse, continuous population movements within Somalia and along nomadic corridors linking Kenya and Ethiopia is creating problems for eradication of small pox and polio in the region. In 2000 for instance, 46 cases of wild polio virus were confirmed in four regions of Somalia
The human crisis is worsening
And the human crisis is worsening. Recently, the Famine Early Warning Systems (Fews-Net) warned in its monthly food security update that Somalia's Gedo Region, faces an acute food security crisis.
"Even though productive animals have reportedly returned from Middle and Lower Juba and Ethiopia and Bakol, these animals are providing no direct benefits (milk and meat) because they have not yet been re-integrated with the people. They are hanging back in Southern Gedo awaiting the end of the fighting," said the report.
The level of poverty I witnessed on a recent Unicef-sponsored visit to the Baidoa area is shocking.
Situated over 200 kilometres from the capital Mogadishu, Baidoa used to be a thriving agricultural town with a modern airport.
But the airport's buildings have since been bombed, leaving out half-destroyed buildings which nobody occupies.
Militia men armed with AK-47 rifles and driving four-wheel pick-ups locally refered to as technicals are in charge.
Most of the children are emaciated and do not go to school; they hang around villages, where an ever present pungent smell of donkey droppings is more common than the rare aroma of cooking food.
"There are no jobs. There is no medicine in the hospitals, and Baidoa needs more water wells and agricultural programmes," said Dr Ali Mohammed of Unicef/WHO Somalia.
Rehabilitation of infrastructure
Yet, the estimated seven million Somalis say they need not live like outcasts.
"We need more international help. We need education, water, health facilities and rehabilitation of both public and private infrastructure," Mr Mohammed Ali Adan Kalinda, the Bay Region Governor of the Interim government said.
Without trade and even with a livestock presence, households have no means of accessing food other than milk. Trade is essential for supporting the poor who do not have the necessary livestock holdings.
According to Fews-Net, there has also been an influx of refugees from Gedo into both Mandera and Dolow, Ethiopia. Of primary concern are about 4,500 people in Mandera who have not received shelter or assistance from the clan network and who are housed in a camp just inside Kenya, between Mandera and Belet Hawa.
MSF Spain in Mandera are treating 60 children in their therapeutic feeding programme and there are 1,000 children and 400 lactating women registered for a supplementary feeding programme. Refugees in Dolow are thought to number between 3,000-5,000 people, none of whom have received any assistance.
In the Sanaag and Sool regions, there is continued food insecurity, following scattered and sporadic rains. The rains were enough to recharge water supplies but pasture remains depleted. Urgent food assistance, for 2,000 households in Sool region and 3,000 in Sanaag region is required.
Somalia needs help. And Kenya and Ethiopia ignore its cries at their own peril.
Mr Mburu writes for The EastAfrican. CommentsViews about this article
by Chris Mburu
Copyright The Nation. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Friday 9th August at 14:17:29 President Disappointed at Lack of International Support
NAIROBI, 9 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The president of the Transitional National Government (TNG), Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, has expressed deep disappointment at the lack of support from the international community for rehabilitation in Somalia.
Addressing a press conference in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, he said if the international community "keeps neglecting us", Somalia could become "a safe-haven" for local terrorists who collaborate with international terrorists.
Hassan added that the country found itself in "a dangerous situation", and said if concerted action was not taken, Somalia could fall apart and fall into the hands of foreign powers. "For this reason, I call on the Somali people to stand up in unison to save the country and people, and to apply nationalism instead of tribalism to achieve national unity."
Although the TNG had achieved "some success" in the national reconciliation process, he said, continuing "external interference" in the country's internal affairs, the supply of arms to the warlords and the lack of support from the international community were "the main hurdles standing in the way of progress".
Hassan recommended that the forthcoming reconciliation conference be attended by the six Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states, as well as representatives from the UN, the EU, the African Union (AU), the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the Arab League, and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. He added that Somali regional authorities and civil society representatives should also participate in addition to the TNG and the warlords.
He called for the conference to effect the completion of the Arta peace and reconciliation process (under which the TNG was created), and not just another new conference.
In conclusion, he called on the UN Security Council and other international organisation to disarm Somali militia groups, and pledged that the TNG would abide by any resolutions adopted at the conference.
Posted on Friday 9th August at 14:16:46 UN condemns Continuing Detention of Staff Member
NAIROBI, 9 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The United Nations has condemned the continuing detention of an abducted UN national project staff member and demanded his immediate, and unconditional release, a press statement from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator's Office for Somalia said on 9 August.
Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, the Officer-In-Charge of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) office in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was abducted on Monday morning, while on his way to work.
The statement quotes Maxwell Gaylard, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Designated Official for UN Security in Somalia, as saying: "This is a further criminal act against staff of the United Nations in Somalia, whose fundamental mandate is to do all that they can to support the Somali people."
Gaylard called for a renewal of respect for the UN flag and all that it stands for in the promotion of peace and development, and for full protection and immunity of UN staff carrying out their duties, said the statement.
Abikar is the third UN staff member to be abducted in Mogadishu since the beginning of this year. Ahmad Ma'alin Muhammad, better known as Dishapilin, of the UN Children's Programme was abducted by gunmen in Medina district on 28 February and released after four days later. Prof Muhammad Ali Abukar of UN Development Programme was abducted on 28 April in the same area, and eventually released on 25 May.
Posted on Friday 9th August at 14:14:20 RRA Chairman Offers to Reinstate His Deputies
Aug 08, 2002 (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- The chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, has called on his two deputies to return to Baidoa and promised they would not be harmed, a member of the RRA told IRIN on Thursday.
Baidoa, which is the headquarters of the RRA, has been the scene of fierce factional fighting between two RRA factions over the past month. The fighting first broke out on 1 July between forces loyal to Shatigadud and those of his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, in an apparent power struggle. On 31 July, Shatigadud's forces drove those of his deputies out of town, and seized control.
However, a Baidoa resident told IRIN that Madobe and Habsade were reassembling their forces in the village of Qurunjiis, some seven kilometres, south of Baidoa. In response, Shatigadud has sent emissaries to Madobe and Habsade in an effort to persuade his erstwhile allies to return to the RRA and be reinstated. He told the emissaries, comprising elders, that there would be no reprisals against the deputies.
The source said that while Shatigadud's offer might be genuine, it was unlikely that Madobe and Habsade would "heed the elders' fresh attempt at mediation". "Their aim seems to be to first gain a foothold in Baidoa before agreeing to mediation, he said. "If the elders, who were in the area of Qurunjiis today [Thursday], do not succeed, then I am afraid we are in for another round of hostilities."
Meanwhile, Shatigadud has appealed to civilians who had fled fighting in Baidoa to come home, saying the town was peaceful. "The curfew imposed on the town for a few days is over," Agence France Presse quoted Shatigadud as saying.
Copyright UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Thursday 8th August at 14:18:50 Baydhabo Residents Fear Fresh Outbreak of Fighting
Tension is rising in Baydhabo Baidoa, southcentral Somalia this morning and residents fear attacks from a militia group headed by Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade [deputy leaders of the Rahanwein Resistance Army, RRA] who were dislodged from the town recently [by forces loyal to RRA Chairman Shatigadud].
Reports we received this morning from Baydhabo say militiamen opposed to Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud are at Qurungees, about 10 km from Baydhabo.
Clan elders headed by Malaq Hasan Shure [phonetic] left Baydhabo and reached Dhiinsoor yesterday with a fresh attempt at a mediation effort between the two rival groups aimed at avoiding another bout of fighting from erupting in the town.
Source: Radio HornAfrik
Posted on Thursday 8th August at 19:02:19 Man Wants to Provide ‘Different Voice’ on Council
Murshid Barud asserts that Eden Prairie needs leaders who can offer a “different voice.” A voice, he insists, that represents the city’s growing diversity. That’s why the 22-year-old Somali native has decided to run for City Council. He will seek one of two four-year council seats – currently held by Ron Case and David Luse – up for election in November.
Residents who meet candidacy requirements can file for council seats from Aug. 27 to Sept. 10. So far, Case, Barud and Harry Davis Jr. have publicly declared their candidacies for council, while Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens and Jerry McCoy will vie for mayor.
“We’ve got to have fresh ideas in city hall,” Barud said last week. “Fresh ideas should come from young people who have an interest in serving their community. I have an interest in serving the community. I have been serving the (Somali) community for the past 3-4 years and I thought I should take one step further and hold an elected position.”
Barud, who has been in the United States for 7½ years, the last three in Eden Prairie, is one of a growing number of Somalis who call the city home. He has done consultant work on behalf of Somalis for two non-profit organizations, and is thinking about setting up his own consulting firm to help Somalis.
But, the married father of one said his candidacy goes beyond just wanting to be the voice for Somalis on the council. He is eager to work for all residents, “no matter what their color.”
Barud doesn’t think the current council represents the city’s diversity. And, because of that, he said many people’s voices are not being heard.
Indeed, Barud wants to change what he deemed a “widely held opinion” that immigrants cannot become public officials.
“I can change that. I will reverse that,” he said. “I want to show residents who vote that they can put anybody they want on the City Council. These positions are not meant for only specific individuals
By Stuart Sudak
Posted on Thursday 8th August at 15:25:56 RRA Chairman Offers to Reinstate his Deputies
NAIROBI, 8 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, has called on his two deputies to return to Baidoa and promised they would not be harmed, a member of the RRA told IRIN on Thursday.
Baidoa, which is the headquarters of the RRA, has been the scene of fierce factional fighting between two RRA factions over the past month. The fighting first broke out on 1 July between forces loyal to Shatigadud and those of his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, in an apparent power struggle. On 31 July, Shatigadud's forces drove those of his deputies out of town, and seized control.
However, a Baidoa resident told IRIN that Madobe and Habsade were reassembling their forces in the village of Qurunjiis, some seven kilometres, south of Baidoa. In response, Shatigadud has sent emissaries to Madobe and Habsade in an effort to persuade his erstwhile allies to return to the RRA and be reinstated. He told the emissaries, comprising elders, that there would be no reprisals against the deputies.
The source said that while Shatigadud's offer might be genuine, it was unlikely that Madobe and Habsade would "heed the elders' fresh attempt at mediation". "Their aim seems to be to first gain a foothold in Baidoa before agreeing to mediation, he said. "If the elders, who were in the area of Qurunjiis today [Thursday], do not succeed, then I am afraid we are in for another round of hostilities."
Meanwhile, Shatigadud has appealed to civilians who had fled fighting in Baidoa to come home, saying the town was peaceful. "The curfew imposed on the town for a few days is over," Agence France Presse quoted Shatigadud as saying.
Posted on Thursday 8th August at 15:16:38 International Crisis Group Member in Mogadishu for Talks
Mr John Brandesgost, a member of International Crisis Group, arrived in Mogadishu today. Mr Brandesgost has held talks with some politicians, intellectuals and clan elders.
The delegation is expected to hold talks with Dr Husayn Haji Bood and some officials of the transitional government.
Mr Brandesgost wrote a report on the current situation in Somalia following a previous visit by an official of the International Crisis Group to Marka town. While in Marka, the delegation held talks with clan elders and intellectuals regarding peace and security in the region.
Source: HornAfrik
Posted on Wednesday 7th August at 19:03:39 Sudan to Mediate Between Ethiopia, Interim Somali Government
A three-way meeting involving the foreign ministers of Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan is being planed for in Khartoum, Sudan.
The meeting is part of the Sudanese government effort to reconcile Somalia and Ethiopia, according to Somali President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, who was speaking today at a news conference.
Reports say the foreign minister of the Transitional Government of Somalia, Yusuf Hasan Ibrahim, alias Yusuf Dheeg, is already in Khartoum, while the Ethiopian foreign minister is expected to arrive there soon.
Source: HornAfrik
Posted on Wednesday 7th August at 19:01:11 Opposition Party Nominates Presidential Candidate
Aug 07 2002 BBC Monitoring Service - The ILEYS party of Somaliland today officially announced its presidential nominee
At a news press conference held today at Hotel Mansor, party officials said the presidential candidate was approved at a meeting held by the party's central committee. Three candidates had competed for the post and Mr Umar Dubdha'c [phonetic] Ali Yare was selected.
ILEYS is the first party to nominate its presidential candidate for Somaliland's forthcoming elections...
Source: Radio Hargeysa
Posted on Wednesday 7th August at 15:15:33 People Are Hungry for Peace, says UNICEF
Nairobi, (African Church Information Service/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- After touring Somalia early last week, the United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) goodwill ambassador, Ms Tetsuko Kuroyanagi from Japan said the local people were hungry for peace.
She witnessed scars of the suffering from internal conflict spanning more than a decade, extreme poverty and physical destruction. Ms. Kuroyanagi, said the conflict should be stopped at all cost. This is her 20th mission to conflict hit countries of the world since 1994, of which 12 missions have been to Africa.
"The situation in Somalia needs immediate intervention to save live of children and their mothers. They suffer from malnutrition, lack water and medical services. But the greatest need for everybody in that country is peace," said Kuroyanagi at a press conference in Nairobi (July 30). "The war should be stopped for the sake of children. These children have no fault. All of the ones I met were cheerful, lovely and have hope, despite their condition."
At a camp of internally displaced persons, Ms Kuroyanagi explained how the 2,300 people in the camp were suffering from hunger and disease due to absence of food.
During her Somalia visit, Ms. Kuroyanagi travelled extensively in the northwest of the country, visiting communities in Hargeisa, Burao and Boroma.The visit involved touring remote rural locations such as watering points, where nomads from hundreds of kilometres brought their camel, goats and sheep for water.
The acclaimed Japanese actress, and Japan's popular television personality, who is also an author, was on trail to raise funds for Somali children.
Through talk shows in Japan, she said she would raise a certain amount that she could not specify.
UNICEF goodwill ambassadors are renowned personalities who volunteer their time and talent to draw the world's attention to the needs of children in developing countries. They earn a salary of one dollar a year.
Meanwhile, an American actress and also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador Mia Farrow will begin a one week tour of Angola today (August 5) to bring hope to the country's children and to put a spotlight on the dramatic challenges - and opportunities - that face a nation emerging from over two decades of war.
Ms. Farrow will journey to four of the most war-affected provinces, including the notoriously ravaged town of Kuito in the central highlands of Angola, which saw some of the heaviest fighting during Angola's years of civil conflict.
She will visit a variety of sites that represent the complex issues facing Angola today. Among these will be a camp housing thousands of displaced civilians; a quartering area for newly de-mobilised troops and their families; HIV/AIDS prevention projects supported by UNICEF; land-mine awareness programs for children; intensive feeding centres for malnourished youngsters; and UNICEF-sponsored immunization efforts that will soon include a national measles campaign.
Ms. Farrow will also meet with government leaders and UNICEF staff who are involved in efforts to register unaccompanied children and to trace and re-unite families. The Angolan government estimates that 100,000 children have been separated from their families by war, and that as many as 700,000 children have lost at least one parent. The births of more than three-quarters of Angola's six million children are thought to be unregistered, leaving them without any official identification.
The UNICEF Representative in Angola, Mario Ferrari, said he hoped that Ms.
Farrow's visit would highlight the dramatic plight facing children and women, but also the hope that exists as the country takes its first steps toward reconstruction and recovery.
"Although Angola is suffering, it is also entering a time of renewal," Ferrari said from Luanda. "The peace accord signed 16 weeks ago symbolises a momentous historical shift; the storm has passed. The world must see that Angola is no longer a doomed vessel, and that with the right assistance, children of this country have a future."
He added that he warmly welcomed the visit of Ms. Farrow, who he said would have a "powerful and inspiring effect on those she meets. Her eyes will be the world's eyes."
by Fredrick Nzwili And Unicef
Copyright African Church Information Service. Distributed by All Africa Global Media
Posted on Wednesday 7th August at 14:06:59 Somaliland Appeals for an End to Saudi Livestock Ban
Recently, Saudi Arabia lifted the livestock ban it imposed on Ethiopia. Since livestock export and trade is the backbone of Somaliland’s economy, a fierce debate has been going on within the Somaliland community. The ban continues to baffle Somaliland livestock traders who ask if the ban is irreversible. The imposed ban by Saudi Arabian government has hampered the traders’ livelihood, in particular, and the livelihood of all the population of Somaliland in general, including government revenues. The effect of the livestock ban has touched all types of employment activities in the country, among them those of pastoralists, truck drivers, livestock traders, animal health staff, brokers, port employees, private businesses and people employed by municipalities. In addition, foreign currency flow to the country decreased.
According to a report based on investigations carried out by the UN agencies (FAO and WHO) regarding the existence of Rift Valley Fever in Somaliland, no traces or evidence of this disease have been found. Not only that, but it is now confirmed that the prevalence of the disease which had affected certain parts of Kenya and adjacent areas has now receded. However, the Saudi authorities are not yet ready to accept such results of the investigations on Rift Valley Fever in Somaliland. But they lifted the ban from Ethiopia, using the results mentioned above.
The economic impact of the ban has been most severe in Somaliland and in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Traders are buying fewer animals than they have in the past, and cash income from livestock exports, the primary source of income for the majority of the population, has dwindled. Pastoralists’ terms of trade are deteriorating: animal prices are falling and grain prices are rising. With significantly reduced local purchasing power, general trade in towns and villages has fallen drastically. Food security has deteriorated for pastoralists, traders, shippers, drivers, and others involved in the export oriented livestock economy.
The continuation of the livestock ban can have a disastrous effect on Somaliland’s fledgling democracy, peace and stability. The Somaliland communities who eke a precarious livelihood from livestock exports, are appealing to the international community for help, in persuading the Saudi authorities to lift the ban and to accept the results of the investigations by such UN organizations as FAO and WHO, which have confirmed that the Rift Valley Fever disease does not exist in Somaliland.
Source: Somaliland Times
Posted on Tuesday 6th August at 14:45:23 ETHIOPIA: Two Million Face Serious Food Shortage
NAIROBI, 5 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday that "exceptionally dry weather" was causing serious food shortages and affecting millions of farmers and pastoralist in eastern, northern and southern Ethiopia.
In a statement, the agency said that the dry weather had been due to the partial failure of the 'Belg' rains (February to May) and a late start of the main 'Meher' rains (June to September).
It said a monthly average of two million Ethiopians had already been identified as being in need of food aid for the second half of the year, but the poor rainfall meant that another two million would also need similar help.
WFP said that it, donors and the government conducted several joint inter-agency assessment missions in June and July, and found that in one of the worst affected areas - the Afar region - at least one-third of the 1.2 million people living there were "in dire need of immediate food assistance" through December. Even though there were no reports of widespread "acute malnutrition" in Afar, WFP said, the nutritional situation of children, women and the elderly was deteriorating rapidly.
"A major step has to be taken to save the remaining breeding livestock from being lost. More food aid should be provided to the population, which in some areas is already migrating in search of food and water," Paul Turnbull, the WFP emergency officer, was quoted as saying after returning from a fact-finding mission to the Afar Regional State.
WFP said there were other areas in the country requiring "substantial amounts" of extra food aid due to the poor rains, such as the eastern parts of Roomy Regional State's lowlands, several areas of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State, and the northern part of the Somali Regional State.
It said that countrywide there was an estimated shortfall of at least 100,000 mt of food to the end of the year.
"WFP is appealing to the donor community to respond quickly with food aid donations to avert this serious situation from developing into widespread hunger and starvation," Turnbull said.
Posted on Tuesday 6th August at 14:09:04 Life Returning to Normal in Baidoa
NAIROBI, 6 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Life in Baidoa, in southwestern Somalia and site of the headquarters of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), is returning to normal, a week after falling to forces loyal to the RRA chairman, Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, a local business source told IRIN on Tuesday.
Baidoa has been the scene of fierce fighting between two RRA factions over the past month. The fighting first broke out on 1 July between forces loyal to Shatigadud and those of his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, in an apparent power struggle.
On 31 July, Shatigadud's forces managed to drive those of his opponents out of the town and secure it. "Shatigadud, is now in full control of the town", a local source told IRIN at the time.
"There has been no gunfire for the past six days," said Abdullahi Haji. The town was now quiet, he said. "Many businesses have reopened, but others have not, waiting to see how the situation develops."
Another source in Baidoa told IRIN that many people who had fled to neighbouring towns "are still not convinced that it is all over. There is still this fear that Shatigadud's opponents will mount a counterattack against the town," he said. "With the pounding the town took, you cannot blame them for being a bit cautious."
Meanwhile, Shatigadud loyalists have reportedly mined many of the roads in the Baidoa area, "especially the road between Baidoa and Hoddur", other sources in Baidoa told IRIN on Tuesday.
Posted on Tuesday 6th August at 14:05:20 UN Employee kidnapped in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU (AFX) - A Somali employee of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, Abdulkadir Mohamed Abikar, has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.
"Three gunmen in a taxi grabbed Abikar at K-4 of south Mogadishu", the witnesses said.
UN officials in Nairobi, in neighbouring Kenya, have confirmed the kidnapping.
Abikar was serving in the FAO's food assessment unit.
Clan militia in Mogadishu have used kidnapping as a means of generating income.
Posted on Monday 5th August at 17:10:48 Up to 120 Killed in Renewed Puntland Fighting
NAIROBI, 5 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - Heavy fighting has again broken out around the villages of Qayadsame and Al-Hamdulillah, near the town of Qardho, some 260 km south of Bosaso, the commercial capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, local media sources said.
The fighting pitted forces loyal to Col Abdullahi Yusuf against those of Jama Ali Jama, both of whom claim to be the legitimate president of Puntland.
Yusuf's forces launched "a fierce attack" on Friday to dislodge Jama's forces" from the area, the sources said. The fighting, which was described as "the heaviest seen in Puntland", lasted well into the night, claiming the lives of over 90 people, with over 100 wounded, they said. Other sources in Bosaso, however, rated the death toll much higher. "At least 120 were killed on Friday, if not more," said one.
Both sides are claiming to have the upper hand. Yusuf's chief of cabinet, Isma'il Warsame, said at least 99 of Jama's forces were killed, and 11 on Yusuf's side, Argence France Presse, reported on Saturday. However, a source in Garowe, the regional capital, told IRIN that Yusuf's side had suffered heavier casualties. "He definitely lost a lot more than Jama did, because the area favours those in defensive positions [Jama's forces]," the source said.
"Whoever has the upper hand, it is very clear that both sides suffered heavy casualties. This has to be the single biggest one-day death toll in Puntland," a reporter in Garowe told IRIN. He said Yusuf's militia leader, Areys, was wounded in the battle. There were indications that sympathisers in Garowe were reinforcing the pro-Jama forces. The area was reported calm, with no reports of clashes Monday, he added.
The fighting followed the failure of the mediation efforts by the Bosaso elders between the two sides, sources in the town said.
Controversy over Puntland's leadership has been increasingly vocal since June 2001, when Yusuf, whose term ended then, claimed that parliament had extended his mandate.
A number of Puntland's traditional elders meeting in Garowe in July 2001 rejected his claim, and named Yusuf Haji Nur, Puntland's former chief justice, as "acting president" until the election of a new administration.
The elders then convened a general congress in August and, on 14 November 2001, elected Jama Ali to a three-year term in the hope that this would end the leadership wrangle.
Posted on Monday 5th August at 17:07:34 330 Refugees Said Voluntarily Repatriated to Somaliland
A convoy of 330 refugees previously camped in Holl Holl [southeastern Djibouti] were yesterday transported to the republic of Somaliland as part of the voluntary refugee repatriation programme co-sponsored by the [Office of the] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the National Office for the Assistance of Refugees and Disaster-stricken populations (ONARS).
According to UNHCR and ONARS officials, this latest voluntary refugee repatriation exercise went on well without any hitches. It is to be noted that these two institutions undertook a similar exercise on 13 July that enabled them transport some 51 families, consisting of some 250 people, to Hargeysa.
In total, this refugee repatriation programme plans to repatriate some 15,000 people out of a total of 24,000 refugees living, for several years now, in various camps in Holl and Ali Adhe.
Posted on Saturday 3rd August at 20:27:49 Faction Says 110 Gunmen Killed in Fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Fighting between rival factions in northeastern Somalia during the last two days has killed 110 gunmen, one of the factions said Saturday.
Forces loyal to Col. Abdullahi Yussuf have killed 99 gunmen loyal to the transitional government during the clashes in the semiautonomous region known as Puntland since Friday, said Ismail Warsame, Yussuf's chief of cabinet. Eleven of Yussuf's forces have been killed, Warsame said by telephone from Bossaso, the region's main port.
The information could not be independently confirmed, but other sources, who did not want to be identified, said at least 35 people, including four civilians, have been killed.
There has been sporadic fighting in Puntland since Yussuf was replaced as the region's president by Jama Ali Jama last November. In May, Yussuf's men captured Bossaso and other key towns, forcing Jama and his supporters to flee.
Yussuf — who was ousted by local militia in August 2001 after refusing to step down at the end of a three year term — accused Jama of having links to Islamic extremists and President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan's government in Mogadishu, which he opposes.
Jama denied the allegations and accused Yussuf of using the specter of terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in a bid to regain power.
The fighting erupted Friday after Yussuf's men launched an operation to remove bandits and "forces of destabilization and extremism" that had set up roadblocks along the highway from Bossaso to Qardho, 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of the port, Warsame said.
Qardho has been Jama's main support base since he was ousted from Bossaso.
Warsame said around two thirds of 91 men captured by Yussuf's forces were members of al-Itihaad al-Islami, a Somali Islamic group.
Al-Itihaad was once one of many armed factions fighting in Somalia following the 1991 ouster of President Mohamed Siad Barre. But most Somalis say the group no longer has a military wing and instead concentrates on social and development work in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.
When asked how he knew the captured men were members of al-Itihaad, Warsame said, "We know our people."
Yussuf, who receives military and logistical support from neighboring Ethiopia, declared Puntland to be an autonomous region in August 1998.
The region had avoided most of the violence that destroyed much of southern Somalia following the ouster Siad Barre.
By OSMAN HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
Posted on Saturday 3rd August at 18:06:50 Heavy Fighting Flares up in Somalia's Puntland
MOGADISHU, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Heavy fighting has flared up Friday in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland between the forces of the rival leaders, Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed and ousted president Jama Ali Jama.
According to the information reaching here in Mogadishu, the fighting has been carried out by the forces of Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed in early morning outside the northeastern port town of Bossaso.
According to the director of the presidency of Puntland, IsmaelHajji Warsameh, the regional government forces have attacked what he called bandits who have erected illegal roadblocks along the road to Qardho town.
"They have been robbing the commuters, extorting money from allkinds of traffic and they made the road linking Bossaso to Garowe town almost impassable," said Ismael Hajji Warsameh.
"As part of our duty, we had to clear the road for our people, and the operation will continue until our forces reach Galkaio town, some 750 km south of Bossaso town," he added.
Warsameh said his forces have crushed what he called the bandits along the road apprehending 50 of them and capturing nine battle wagons.
Warsameh has also claimed that many of the bandits were killed before the rest have fled to the jungle.
"Now the road is clear of banditry, and the businesses can go about smoothly," he said, admitting that two of his fighters were also killed and more than 10 others wounded during the raid.
The two men, Jama Ali Jama and Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf, have been at each other's throat for the presidency of the Puntland regional government and Colonel Yussuf has been reinstated in power in Bossaso town on May 8 this year.
In May 1998, delegates from three north-eastern regions of Somalia met in Garowe to establish a single administration for thearea, modeled on the self-declared "Republic of Somaliland". They named the region "Puntland", and designated Garowe as its capital.In July, the delegates elected Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed as president. According to him, the Puntland regional government supports the unity and territorial integrity of Somalia, advocating the reestablishment of a federal government in the country.
Somalia has been without a central government since the 1991 ouster of Mohammed Siad Barre.
The interim government of Somalia was set up after a conferenceof clan elders in 2000, but so far has failed to convince the warlords to accept its rule, and it controls only parts of the capital Mogadishu and pockets of the rest of the country. Enditem
Posted on Friday 2nd August at 15:04:46 Lecture Focuses on Somalia Conflict
The international community has a responsibility towards the victims of the war and internal strifes, Dhia Uddin Saeed Bamakharmah, advisor to the President of Djibouti, stressed recently.
Many have their basic human rights denied, and the wars have caused uncountable tragedies in which thousands of innocent people had been killed, he pointed out.
He was speaking on the conflicts in the Horn of Africa at the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up.
Bamakharmah observed there are many dimensions to the conflicts as the Somali-Ethiopian war (still ranging in various forms), the Sudanese-Ethiopian and the Sudanese-Eritrean war.
Focusing on Somalia, he said: "It is a leading example of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa which is a member of the League of Arab Nations, the Organisation of African Unity, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC)."
It has been torn apart by warlords in the last decade, he added, and noted that Somalia's strategic position because of its long coast, extending over 3,500 km overlooking Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is directly reflected on the peace of the whole region of the Horn of Africa. It has vast repercussions on the neighbouring countries like Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Bamakharmah highlighted various stages of this conflict since its inception in 1991, and shed light on the attempts to resolve this issue peacefully, particularly at the 13th conference for conciliation in Djibouti in 2000.
Some 4,000 delegates participated in the event which continued for four months to help revive unification of Somalia. But these immense efforts could not restore peace and stability there, he noted.
He explained the entire issue started when Siad Barre's government was ousted by USC, which subsequently split into two factions, each hoping to succeed Siad Barre to the presidency.
These factions were headed by Ali Mahdi and Farah Aidid who set in motion massive conflicts throughout the land. Armed militia were set up in opposition of one another in order to control various territories.
During the same time, a complete collapse of all authority and institutions occurred, and the situation grew even worse as the hostilities throughout Somalia began to threaten the peace that had thus far prevailed in the Horn of Africa.
Those loyal to Aidid were the main instigators of much of the violence and looting that took place regularly in the streets of Mogadishu. These bands of armed men diverted funds sent by way of grants from other countries to aid the starving masses.
"Aidid's influence, and the destructive actions of his followers, added fuel to the already blazing fire in Somalia," he said. Aidid's men inflicted heavy losses to the international intervention force, resulting in rapid withdrawal, leaving Somalia stuck deep in its mire.
Bamakharmah wondered why the UN failed in Somalia while its efforts were successful in other parts of the world like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosova, Liberia, Rwanda, etc.
"Wasn't it the responsibility of international law, the UN and regional organisations to work on activating international legislations and articles of international convention to save war victims in Somalia?" he asked.
"How long would the vested interests of neighbouring countries continue to create tiny anti-government cantons to weaken the interim set up that had been recognised by the United Nations as the only legitimate representative government in Somalia?"
Bamakharmah said that the warring factions in Somalia were not interested in peace and stability. They only survived by stirring up tribal loyalties and clan affiliations, causing untold miseries and tragedies leading to the death of thousands of people, orphans and widows.
According to UN statistics, about 300,000 Somalis died of famine, 700,000 died in the war and 1.5 million are on the verge of death due to starvation. Thous-ands of Somalis have fled to the neighbouring countries like Ethio-pia, Djibouti, Kenya, Yemen and Europe.
He highlighted the role played by the President of Djibouti, whose initiative to end the Somali tragedy began in September 1992. He summarised it into three stages that ended in holding and financing a conference participated in by 4,000 delegates representing all walks of Somali life. This conference managed to elect an interim parliament, which elected Qasim Salad Hassan as President of Somalia.
The Arta conference had a demoralising effect on the warlords who felt they had lost their control. As a result they began to regroup and reactivate to threaten stability and peace in Somalia once again. After the events of September 11, Somalia was accused of sheltering and sponsoring terrorism, thus adding further disrepute to the country.
Concluding his lecture, Bamakharmah presented proposals that consisted of reactivating UN resolutions on banning the export of weapons to Somalia, responding immediately to the legitimate government's request for international intervention, accepting the government's demand for collecting arms from various militants, prosecuting war criminals, and prohibiting regional governments from extending support to the warring factions.
He also called upon the international community to intervene so as to provide humanitarian relief aid to the people and victims of war.
Posted on Friday 2nd August at 15:01:57 African Desertification
While there has been some misunderstanding of natural climatic fluctuations as desertification, that does not mean that there are not desertification, water shortages and related conflict in Africa (13 July, p 50).
Here is a typical example: there may be many more people living in parts of the Sahel now, but that does not mean that desertification and deforestation are not a problem, as Fred Pearce seems to imply. In places in the Sahel, there are Baobab trees hundreds or thousands of years old, but no seedlings.
Across northern Kenya, you see gullies spreading and deepening by many metres a year, where only a few years ago there was thick vegetation. Likewise in Sudan and Somalia, there is severe desertification that is neither climatic nor seasonal. Conflicts over land, wells and grazing in these areas are testament to the problems created by growing human populations. Are we imagining the many riparian and other water shortage problems that many people in Africa face today? Not to mention the land, firewood and other resource shortages.
I think Pearce will also find that environmentalists know full well the dramatic natural changes in the African environment over the past couple of centuries. Desert margins may ebb and flow and "degraded" land may bounce back in some years, but deforestation and erosion in the savannah beyond the desert margin in places like Mali is real.
Or take for example the water levels in East African lakes. Lakes have shrunk or even dried up (like Kenya's Lake Nakuru) in the recent past. But now the problem is that there are so many people dependent on these lakes and their rivers (and yes, destruction of the water catchments and their rivers in these areas is real) that when they dry up, it is a major problem. Pearce accuses others of misunderstanding the fluctuating African environment, but in fact it is he who is confusing genuine natural climatic fluctuations with real, human-induced changes in the landscape.
It is also true that many people in the colonial era may have misunderstood African practices. Some people may have had racist or religious reasons for blaming Africans, but that does not mean that environmentalists are concerned about natural resource degradation for the same reasons. Pearce, a follower of the vitriolic "conservationist as imperialist" cult, with its extraordinarily ignorant and frankly sinister interpretations of people who have the very best of motives, is cleverly mixing causes as usual.
Kenn von Kaufman
London
Posted on Friday 2nd August at 15:00:44 Somaliland's Annual Trade Exhibition Opens
The vice-president of the republic of Somaliland, Hon Ahmad Yusuf Yasin, today opened a national trade exhibition in Hargeysa. The exhibition will run for five days. This is the third annual national trade exhibition in Somaliland.
Local industries, artisans, hotels, telecommunication firms and other national civil society organizations will take part in the exhibition by displaying different products.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the vice-president described the exhibition as encouraging and providing incentives and national economic growth. The vice-president thanked the Somaliland Chamber of Commerce [SCC], which organized the exhibition.
The chairman of the SCC, Abdirahman Farah Sugal, who was present at the opening ceremony said the aim of the exhibition was to show what the country produced. He commended all those who had contributed to the success of the event.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of Somaliland cabinet ministers, MPs, senior government officials, heads of UN agencies and other dignitaries.
Source: Radio Hargeysa
Posted on Thursday 1st August at 18:59:53 42% of Asylum Seekers Accepted as Genuine
More than two-fifths of the asylum seekers who came to Britain last year have been recognised as genuinely fleeing persecution and given permission to stay, according to annual Home Office figures published yesterday.
The 42% official "recognition rate" explodes the popular myth that nearly all asylum claims are unfounded, and is an increase over the 31% of claims given official status in the previous year, 2000.
The annual asylum statistics confirm there were 71,365 applications in 2001 - a fall of 11% on the previous years - with most from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The 11% drop in applications is the first annual fall for five years. The largest increase in applications was from Afghanistan, up from 5,555 to 9,000; Somalia, up from 5,020 to 6,465; and Zimbabwe, up from 1,010 to 2,115.
Britain took the largest number of asylum seekers in Europe last year: 92,000 (including children) applicants out of a European total of 433,000. But the Home Office claimed that when relative population sizes were taken into account the UK ranked only 10th in the European league table.
The annual figures were published as Amnesty International criticised Britain and the United Nations commission for refugees for "rushing to return" refugees to Afghanistan when security remained volatile and the US-led coalition continued bombing.
Alan Travis Home affairs editor
Thursday August 1, 2002
The Guardian
Posted on Thursday 1st August at 14:16:34 Shatigadud Takes Control of Baidoa
NAIROBI, 1 Aug 2002 (IRIN) - The chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, is now in full control of the southern town of Baidoa, a local source told IRIN on Wednesday.
Baidoa, which is the headquarters of the RRA, has been the scene of fierce factional fighting between two RRA factions over the past month. The fighting first broke out on 1 July between forces loyal to Shatigadud and those of his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, in an apparent power struggle.
According to the source, fighting resumed again on Wednesday morning and lasted about three hours. Forces loyal to Shatigadud managed to drive out those of Madobe and Habasade. "The entire town is now in the hands of Shatigadud," he said.
He went on to say that Madobe-Habsade forces had withdrawn from Baidoa and were reportedly regrouping. "They are in Goob-Gaduud Shabelow, 25 km southwest of Baidoa," he said.
Baidoa residents told IRIN the population would welcome an end to the fighting "no matter who wins".
"After what we have been through, those of us who are left welcome with open arms anything that will end this madness," said one. Baidoa has seen a large exodus of people fleeing the fighting over the past week.
Elders are now criss-crossing the town to make sure that armed militias do not take advantage of the situation by either robbing or killing innocent people. "They are trying to make sure that no-one is targeted because of who they may have supported in the fighting," sources said.
Baidoa is reported to be "eerily quiet" after days of heavy shelling and gunfire. "It is incredibly quiet with no-one on the streets, except armed militia," the sources added.
Posted on Thursday 1st August at 14:09:56 Back
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