Nairobi, 6 February 2008 - Puntland government officials said most of the victims were Ethiopian migrants who were likely preparing to cross the Gulf of Aden to Yemen from the port of Bosasso.
Puntland's Minister of Information, Abdulrahman Mohamed Banga said 67 people were injured in the attack late Tuesday, though witnesses have put the figure at more than 100.
Feb 2008
This year will see The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expand substantially activities designed to improve the lives of citizens of Somaliland. Resources amounting to twice those spent in 2007 will be spent on projects focusing on the rule of law and security, democratic governance and on recovery and sustainable livelihoods, as well as on additional staff to increase the range of the ambitious programme in different regions of Somaliland.
The plans were announced at a recent meeting in Hargeisa between Somaliland government officials, civil society representatives, donors and UNDP
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Washington, 8 February 2008 - While much attention is being focused on Kenya’s political turmoil, the situation in neighboring Somalia has gotten worse in recent weeks. The violence continues on a daily basis and more people are being displaced.
Dawn Blalock is a spokesperson for OCHA-Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. From Nairobi, she spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about Somalia and whether Kenya’s troubles are affecting aid operations.
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Ambulance workers began retrieving rotting corpses from the dusty streets of Chad's capital yesterday, as the country's government tried to restore an air of normality after a failed coup attempt by rebels that left at least 100 dead.
President Idriss Déby, who is accused by opponents of plundering the country's oil revenues and leaving the population in poverty, appeared in public for the first time to declare he was still in charge, as residents began to venture outside under the watchful eye of government soldiers.
Former Islamic Courts chairman, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed |
DUBAI, Feb 8 - An exiled leader of Somalia's opposition Islamists said on Friday they may accept talks to end a year-long insurgency that has killed some 6,500 civilians, if war crimes are punished and Ethiopian troops are withdrawn.
"This government has committed war crimes and high treason in Somalia and must be put on trial. But if they take bold measures ... on war crimes and the presence of Ethiopian troops, then we may accept to hold talks," said Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, an exiled leader of the Alliance For the Re-Liberation of Somalia.
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4 February 2008
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) held informal consultations on Monday, 4 February 2008, on the developments in Chad and Kenya, in light of the decisions adopted by the 10 th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 31 January to 2 February 2008.
 Dubia, UAE, February 8 , 2008 - For centuries Dubai Creek has been at the centre of life in the emirate – from its humble beginnings as a fishing and pearling community to a global trading hub of the 21st century.
MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 9 2008 - Somali government soldiers shot and killed at least three civilians on Saturday in a continuation of violence that has plagued the country since the transitional government arrived in the capital Mogadishu early last year.
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, 10 Feb 2008 - Fair winds and warm weather prevailed as the commander of U.S. Central Command passed the colors of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa from its outgoing commander to its incoming commander during a change-of-command ceremony held here Feb. 8.
Garowe, Somalia, 10 February 2008 - There are ongoing efforts in Egypt being undertaken by Arab League officials, who are planning to host face-to-face talks between representatives from the Somali government and the opposition, sources said.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the chairman of the Somali opposition alliance (ARS), led a delegation to the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday.
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Geneva, 10 Feb 2008 - Somalia faces a severe humanitarian crisis for which the international community must take some of the blame, aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said Friday.
Around a quarter of a million people have fled the capital Mogadishu alone due to heavy fighting between Islamist rebels and Ethiopian-backed government forces, MSF Operations Director Bruno Jochum told Agence France-Presse.
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Kismayo, Somalia, 9 Feb 2008 - The militiamen controlling Kismayu city, southern Somalia were put on high alert on Saturday after receiving reports over possible invasion from the supporters of the ousted Islamic Courts, sources say.
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Sana, Yeman, 9 February 2008 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced last Wednesday, February 6, 2008 that it was expanding its operations in Yemen to feed thousands more Somali refugees fleeing the conflict in their country.
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Post-election violence in Kenya has pitted rival groups against each other |
Nairobi, Kenya, February 8, 2008 - Unrest in Kenya threatens humanitarian and commercial operations throughout the Great Lakes region, potentially affecting more than 100 million lives, according to analysts.
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Mogadishu, Somalia, 9 Feb 2008 - The UN compound in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu has come under grenade attack but no one was injured, a UN official told AFP.
Attackers hurled three grenades Friday evening, two of which landed inside the compound housing UN agencies in Mogadishu, said the official, who asked not to be named.
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WFP country Director, Mr Peter Goossens |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, 9 February 2008 (SL Times) - The World Food Program country Director for Somaliland/Somalia, Mr Peter Goossens arrived Thursday in Hargeysa from Nairobi to finalise his organisation's 2008/09 work program and project commitments with the government, in particular, the ministry of Planning and Coordination.
Mr Goossens held a press conference on Thursday afternoon at WFP headquarters in Hargeysa and briefly described the purpose of his visit and the outcome of his meetings with the government.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, 9 February 2008 (SL Times) - The Director General of the Ministry of Water & Minerals (MWM), Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Sultan on Sunday acknowledged that his ministry has been approached by the Swedish registered Lundin Petroleum Company and that the company made inquiries with the MWM for exploration petroleum license.
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Journalist from the private media gathered in front of the main entrance of the Ambassador hotel where Jendayi Frazer was meeting with Somaliland government officials. |
Hargeysa, February 9, 2008 (SL. Times) - Somaliland government officials and security personnel obstructed reporters belonging to the independent local press from gaining access to the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Ms Jendayi Frazer, when she visited Somaliland’s capital city Hargeysa, last Sunday.
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Somaliland Cross-parliamentary members and UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group |
London, February 9, 2008 (SL. Times) - The Somaliland Cross-parliamentary Group (CPG) which consists of 15 members has met with the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Wednesday the 6 th of February 2007 at the House of Commons. APPG composed of politicians from all political parties including members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The representative of APPG consists of RH Mr. Allum Michael MP, RH Mrs. Kerry McCarty, RH Mr. Clive Betts, and Lord Anderson. Also Mark Malloch-Brown the minister for Africa was presented in the meeting.
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Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdillahi Mohamed Duale |
Hargeysa, February 9, 2008 (SL. Times) - The Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdillahi Mohamed Duale presented a report to the Somaliland House of Representatives Standing Committee in Hargeisa. Abdillahi Mohamed gave the report on the efforts by his ministry and other Somaliland government bodies in regard to establishing overseas ties and on the issues of international recognition.
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A woman walks in front of a UMP poster in Djibouti |
DJIBOUTI, 8 Feb, 2008 - The poor but strategically important Red Sea state of Djibouti held a parliamentary election Friday with opposition parties boycotting the poll assailing it as undemocratic.
Only 65 candidates from a coalition loyal to President Ismael Omar Guelleh are running for the 65 seats in the legislature, and many voters have not bothered to register.
Analysis
by Scott A Morgan
For what its worth the Kenyan Elections were nothing more than an excuse for extremists to go on a Rampage. There was one Group the Kikuyus which had such a stranglehold on Power in the Country that the other 22 Ethnic Groups became Disenfranchised. So when the violence began in the Western Part of Kenya resulting in the deaths of over a thousand people and having Hundreds of Thousands lose their homes and businesses It was felt that a resolution of this crisis was needed in a quick short of time.
Iraqi children scavanginfor food from refuse |
In January 2007, the Iraq Solidarity Campaign informed the international community about the damage which the growth of poverty has caused to the children of Iraq, through the much publicised paper "Western Civilisation - The Unspoken Fate of Iraqi Children".
The report, which was published by a wide variety of publications including the Morning Star, URUKNET, the UN Observer, Palestine Chronicle and the Global Research Institute, reported that the increase in poverty since the 2003 invasion has resulted in the growth in the child sex trade, the forced separation of families, an increase in drug and alcohol abuse.
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According to the UN, the worst catastrophe in Africa is not taking place in Kenya, or even Darfur.
A Somali soldier stands guard at Bakara market inMogadishu, December 2007 |
9 February 2008
Khalid Abdullahi lives down a winding dusty track, among cactus trees and chickens pecking at the rubbish piled up against rusting corrugated iron walls. In this anonymous corner of Mogadishu, a city destroyed a dozen times over in the past 17 years, he shares a dirt-floored shack with more than 20 brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, a niece and nephews.
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Commentary
By ABDULKADIR KHALIF
After the toppling of the Siad Barre regime, Somalis were optimistic as warlords negotiated power sharing deals but it soon dawned on them that warlords begat warlords. Kenya must avoid this path.
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Chinese entrepreneurs are invading Africa and reviving the fortunes of the world’s poorest continent.
February 10, 2008
During the last decade tens of thousands have uprooted themselves from China and migrated to Africa, with Chinese-government approval. There are estimated to be 750,000 Chinese across the continent, 900 Chinese companies, and an overall Chinese investment of $6 billion. Yet most Chinese speak neither English nor any African language.
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Taipei, Taiwan, Feb 04, 2008 - It was the Taiwan-Africa Progressive Partnership forum, held in Taipei on the 10th September 2007 which was the first ice breaking visit from Somaliland, delegates who has represented Somaliland at the forum.
The Somaliland representatives included King Osman Aw-Mohamed Mohamed (Buurmadow) and Dr Isman H Warsame and now further visits are planned to exclusively established a bilateral relations wit Taiwan
By Richard Backus
American as well as all western white and blue collar workers will soon realize that they will either have to decrease their wage demands to conform with "global standards" or chose jobs in the service sector. These global standard wages are now being set by worker in India and China, where average hourly wages are about 65 cents and one dollar respectively.
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Analysis
By FRED OLUOCH
Special Correspondent
Kenya’s image as an influential regional and continental player was dented at the February 1 African Union Commission elections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when the country managed to get only one post out of the four it had wanted to contest for.
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British Prime minister and Libyan leader Colonel Qaddafi |
The Middle East and North Africa are in the process of being divided into spheres of influence between the European Union and the United States. Essentially the division of the Middle East and North Africa are between Franco-German and Anglo-American interests. There is a unified stance within NATO in regards to this re-division.
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Asha Ali Abdille being escorted from the tarmac at Christchurch airport. |
Christchurch, NZ, February 09, 2008 - A determined bid by the media to film the court appearance of the woman charged with hijacking an Air New Zealand plane yesterday was ruled out by Justices of the Peace in Christchurch District Court this morning.
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Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 10 2008 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Exxon Mobil Corp.'s attempt to freeze $12 billion in Venezuelan assets a case of U.S. ``economic sabotage'' and said such behavior could drive him to cut off oil supplies.
A cutoff would drive oil to $200 a barrel, Chavez said today on his ``Alo, Presidente'' weekly talk show on state radio and television.
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US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer’s visit to Somaliland was a win-win situation for both the United States and Somaliland. For the United States, the visit has cemented its budding relationship with a stable and proven ally in a dangerous part of the world. It has also answered Somali skeptics who argue that the United States is not really interested in working with moderate Somalis or in establishing democracy among Somalis. By landing in Hargeysa, the top US diplomat on Africa has shown that, indeed, the US is serious about supporting moderate and pro-democracy Somalis.
As far as Somaliland is concerned, Jendayi Frazer’s visit was a very important breakthrough on several levels:
- It broke Somaliland’s diplomatic isolation
- It raised Somaliland’s international profile
- It sent a strong a message to Somaliland’s friends and foes that the United States puts a high stock on its relationship with Somaliland
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In November 2005, the Centre for Human Rights began investigating the possibility of a third destination for the LLM field trip. The reasons for increasing the number of field trip destinations to include Somaliland include the following: Somaliland is a state in the making; it would be ideal for students on the programme to have a first hand experience of this.
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By Mohamed A. Osman
We are engaging our community, and return, politicians about things that are vital to people and different segments of the society. The case in point is the corrupt, lacklustre leadership of Mr. Mohmoud Abdilllahi -- the current Governor of Awdal. In this missive, I will try to shed some light on few deeply troubling issues regarding the region’s gubernatorial leadership failures, including rampant corruption, incompetence and flagrant abuses of basic human rights to cite among few.
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By Noah Arre
When It Comes To Hygiene And Sanitation, Did You Know That
Nearly all so-called waterborne diseases, from quick-killing cholera to uncomfortable stomach-ache, are really spread through poor hygiene and sanitation practices. But water is unfairly blamed?
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By Dr. Hirsi Sa'ed Hildiid
On the eve of the creation of the political parties in Somaliland, there was a tremendous euphoria in that there was finally the hope that these parties would pave the way for a true democratic process to take root in our "Best Kept Secret". Many of us in the Diaspora have remained impartial to the political parties and instead invested our time in cultivating and encouraging the process itself by, at minimum, cheering for all parties.
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The face behind the Vail: A close look at Kulmiye and Mr. Mohamed Silanyo
By Abdirahman Ahmed Ali
The visit of Somaliland President to London and Washington was successful and productive for three main reasons. First, the trip was the president’s maiden official visit to U.S. and dwelt upon many issues including immigration, security, and development of democracy in Somaliland.
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By Ahmed S. Mohamed
I want to comment on an article wrote by Mr. Mohamud Tani entitled “The Funny Kulmiye” that was published this week in Somaliland.org. I want to point out that Mr. Tani was selective in the views he quoted in his article. Mr. Tani quoted here the views of certain elements within Kulmiye who, do not represent the thinking of the main stream party members. By being doing so Mr. Tani chose to ignore, or at least did not research enough, the fact that Kulmiye secretary for foreign affairs, Dr. Ahmed H. Essa publicly supported and welcomed the visit of the president. He did so because he knows the visit was a very good step in advancing the cause of Somaliland.
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By Abdidrahman Momahad Dule
The trip of His excellence, the President, Mr. Riyaale caused storms of protests both sides of Atlantic ocean , why Somalis or punt Landers as they like to be called. demonstrated against the president of another country, Somaliland, when they heard the pentagon is extremely pushing State Department to recognize Somaliland, does the trip to London and Washington had any relationship to Somalia whatsoever?
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By Bashir GothLanguage fails me in trying to write a tribute to an eminent and enigmatic playwright like Hassan Sheikh Mumin. A man of unfathomable and versatile philosophy, a superbly creative and lucid style, a prophetic vision and cultural connoisseur who dived to the deepest depths of the language and adorned words with different hues and layers of meaning.
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Can rule by the people be reconciled with the sovereignty of Allah?
Jan 10th 2008 | BOSTON AND ISTANBUL
“ TURKEY sets a fantastic example for nations around the world to see where it's possible to have a democracy coexist with a great religion like Islam.” Those were George Bush's words of welcome, this week, to Turkey's President Abdullah Gul.
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By Ivan Simic
The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The Prize was established from Alfred Bernhard Nobel's will on 27 November 1895.
Every year, since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
Martin Fletcher, of The Times |
February 8, 2008
As one who has been hauled in front of a Sharia court I would like to risk having my hand — or head — chopped off a second time by suggesting that the Archbishop of Canterbury just might have a point.
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By Paul Berton
They came 150 years ago along the Underground Railroad from the United States. They were among the first black Canadians, escaping slavery to the relative safety of such communities as Buxton, near Chatham, Canada's first black settlement, or London, Lucan and Dresden.
But as Michelle Edwards, chairperson of the Black History Month committee points out, they might have come from anywhere at anytime. They might have come yesterday from Kenya, or five years ago from Rwanda, or from Somalia, Botswana, Nigeria, Jamaica, Ethiopia or dozens of other countries.
Somaliland goats and sheeps grazing in countryside |
By Hussein Al-Alak
When considering either the Iraqi or Middle Eastern population within Britain, the first thought that comes to mind is a statement by Leon Trotsky, who once said, to understand and perceive truly, to feel to the very bottom, the section of time in which we live, one has to know the past of mankind one has to know the history of mankind, the picturesqueness and the personalities of contemporary life .
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By Sam Underwood
A teenager wrestling the demands of his strict Muslim upbringing and life as an up-and-coming rapper has spoken of his dilemma.
Jamal Ali was shadowed by an MTV film crew for three months to document his day-to-day experiences.
PARIS, 10 Feb 2008 - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born former Dutch deputy threatened with death for her outspoken criticism of Islam, sought European protection and possible French citizenship at the start of a visit to Paris on Sunday.
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Book Review
Jan 10th 2008
CONVENTIONAL wisdom has it that Italy's economy is failing, in part because it cannot produce corporations big enough to compete internationally. “ Gomorrah” is a useful corrective to that view.
Roberto Saviano demonstrates that the Camorra, the Naples Mafia which provides the word-play for his book's title, is doing just fine in the globalised economy. Once a web of mobsters whose most international activity was
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By Sacha Ismail
9 February, 2008
The December election was, by all accounts except the Kenyan government’s, rigged to ensure the “re-election” of president Mwai Kibaki. Since then Kenya has been plunged into ethnically-based violence.
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