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Features
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International News
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Opinion |
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Nairobi, May 9, 2009 – On 8th May 2009
Europe Day was celebrated at the European Commission (EC)
residence in Nairobi. As part of the celebrations the
Somalia operations unit had the great pleasure of showcasing
drawings made by Somali school children,
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Adna Adan
By Stijn Jaspers
Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 8, 2009 – Once in a while, but
definitely not too often, you meet a person that will stay
with you for the rest of your life. Edna Adan Ismail, the
founder of the Edna Hospital of Somaliland, is one of those
people. Her achievements are quite remarkable considering
the difficult circumstances she has been working in for the
past few years.
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Published: April 28 2009
Somalia is a graveyard for bungled foreign interventions. A
succession of US, UN and regional attempts to engineer an
outcome to the civil war raging since 1991 have exacerbated
problems they aimed to solve.
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Holly Bailey
Posted Monday, May 04, 2009
Yes we can… run into Obamamania everywhere. Jeff Bartholet,
Newsweek’s D.C. bureau chief (and your Gaggler’s boss—please
forward all complaints to him, thank you very much) is
traveling in Africa this week and stumbled upon the Obama
Restaurant & Café—yes, named after that Obama—in
Hargeysa,
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 7, 2009 - The humanitarian
delegation sent by the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) to
Somaliland to treat blindness and other eye diseases
continued its medical operations in the capital city of
Hargeysa.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 – The international Labour
Organization (ILO) is to Mark its 90th anniversary under the
theme '90 years working for social justice" with a series of
events and activities held around the world by governments,
workers' and employer's organizations representing its 182
member states.
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NAIROBI, May 08, 2009 (AFP) — The global financial crisis,
growing conflict and unpredictable weather patterns are
threatening the lives of millions of people in the Horn of
Africa, a UN agency said Friday.
An estimated 19.8 million people, among them four million
children, are in need of emergency relief in the region, a
rise of nearly 50 percent from 14 million in September, the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.
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Somaliland Arrests More Pirates |
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Pirates
Hargeysa, 6 May 2009 - Somaliland Navy with the support of
police forces arrested five Somali pirates near Berbera
town. Somalilandpress correspondent in Berbera said the
pirates were around 12 armed persons when the Somaliland
forces attacked them about 80Kms from Berbera
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Somalia: Eritrea Says It Does Not Want to Intervene |
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7 May 2009
Somalia — Eritrea's President Issayas Afeworki said
Wednesday that it was not his policy to intervene Somali
internal affairs and added that the current Somali
government is not deferent from the previous governments.
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Hard
Line Insurgent Group Vows to Increase Attacks on Somali
Government |
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Mogadishu, May 08, 2009 – The Hard line Islamic insurgent
group al-Shabaab is threatening to increase attacks on the
new Somali government after one of its commanders escaped an
assassination attempt. The attack on the insurgent leader's
vehicle in the capital, Mogadishu left at least two people
dead and over 50 others wounded. Al-Shabaab has blamed the
Islamic Court Union allied to the new government for the
assassination attempt. But the Islamic Court Union sharply
denied the accusation.
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U.S. Calls Off ‘Suicide Mission’ to Rescue Pirate Hostages |
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By Noah Shachtman
May 6, 2009
On April 17th, I received an e-mail from someone I had never
met. The message: ”Keep an eye out on the news for the next
week. Rumor has it the GSG 9 der Bundespolizei may make a
move on the German freighter Hansa Stavanger (held by Somali
pirates).” So I kept my eye out. But nothing happened.
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Mps Demand Compensation For Somalia Waters |
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TBy LUCAS BARASA
Nairobi, May 07, 2009 – Somalia MPs are now demanding
compensation from some Western countries for "looting" the
horn of Africa country’s water resources for the last 15
years.
The countries, the legislators said, have engaged in illegal
fishing and dumping of toxic wastes on the Somali coast
line.
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Arsenal Fan Hangs Himself In Kenya |
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Arsenal |
Nairobi, May 06, 2009 – An Arsenal fan in soccer-mad Kenya
hanged himself following his team's 4-1 aggregate drubbing
by arch-rivals Manchester United in the Champions League
semifinal, police said on Wednesday
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Bintel Inks Deal With Almoayed Systems Group To Implement
Microsoft Dynamics NAV |
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Bahrain-based telecom services provider is aggressively
building up its technology infrastructure ahead of its
strategic expansion in Africa
Manama – Bahrain, May 03, 2009: Bintel, one of the fastest
growing telecommunication services providers in MEA, has
signed an agreement with Almoayed
Systems Group, a subsidiary of Almoayed
Group for
the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP solution at
its headquarters in Bahrain. The deal will enable Bintel to
streamline its business processes and boost company-wide
productivity, and allow them to connect to their customers,
suppliers and partners in a more organized and
cost-effective manner.
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Russia Proposes International Pirate Court |
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MOSCOW, May 05, 2009 – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Monday suggested establishing an international court to try
suspected pirates.
Russia last week said it had captured a pirate vessel with
29 people on board off the coast of Somalia, but it has not
yet decided where to try the suspects.
"It is necessary to consider all possibilities, including,
maybe, the formation of some kind of international court on
this theme," Medvedev told Prosecutor General Yury Chaika in
televised remarks.
"Often states where these pirates come from do not take any
actions, in short, they aid this kind of crime," Medvedev
said.
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Headlines |
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International Community Keen On Somaliland’s Coming Election |
Somaliland
Elections
London, UK, May 9, 2009
– International
community members,
particularly those who
want to see Somaliland’s
democracy flourish,
expressed relief about
the five-point agreement
between President Dahir
Rayale Kahin and the two
opposition parties. They
are now pushing for the
implementation of the
agreement without
further delay, so that
full attention would
shift to setting up the
logistics and securing
international monitors.
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Berbera Port Official Denies That Ship Was Hijacked |
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Berbera-Port |
Berbera, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – Deputy
Director of Berbera Port, Bile Hirsi Id, denied that a ship
destined to Somaliland was hijacked in the Indian Ocean.
Mr Bile Hirsi Id was responding to news accounts in
Somaliland's media that said a ship carrying merchandise
destined to Somaliland was hijacked in the Indian Ocean.
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Gaaroodi Establishes Schools In Salahley |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – In a press
conference at Dalhis Hotel, leaders of the community
organization Gaaroodi, revealed that it had established
several schools in Salahley in the last few years, and that
these schools have been making steady progress and have
attained a high level of academic performance.
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Sanyare
Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – A 36-member
Somaliland delegation comprised of ministers, city council
representatives and big businessmen flew to Djibouti this week
to take part in an international conference organized by the
World Bank.
The delegation was led by Somaliland's Minister of Planning, Mr.
Ali Ibrahim Muhammad (Ali-Sanyare).
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Upper House of Somaliland
Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – An Upper House
committee that was tasked with mediating a conflict between two
Ceelbardaale (Northern Gabiley) sub-clans started its
deliberations this week.
Mr Omar Nur Waaye, a member of the Upper House has confirmed
that the mediation is now in progress in Kalabaydh.
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Somaliland Student Breaks Record |
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Mowlid Mahmud Abokor |
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Khartoum, Sudan,
May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – Mowlid Mahmud Abokor, a student at
Sudan's Islamic University who hails from Somaliland received
the highest academic score ever at that University.
According to Oodweynenews.com Mr Mowlid Mahmud Abokor who is a
civil engineering major, got A+ in eight subjects, an unusual
achievement in that university. Mowlid Mahmud Abokor was a
graduate of the Hamdan Bin Rashid High School in Hargeysa, and
was a member of a batch of students who went to study in Sudan
on scholarship.
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Former's President's Wife Passes Away |
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Farmer President of Somaliland Cigaal |
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BHargeysa, Somaliland, May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – Asha Said Abbi,
the Wife of Somaliland's former President Egal passed away last
week. She was buried in Boqol Jire, Hargeysa. Her funeral was
attended by many of Somaliland's prominent personalities,
including Vice-President Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, the heads of the two
opposition parties,
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HAVOYOCO Provides HIV/AIDS Training |
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Havayoco Trainers
Hargeysa, Somaliland,
May 9, 2009 (SL Times) – HAVOYOCO, a Somaliland community
organization, held educational and training sessions on
HIV/AIDS, at Imperial hotel. The workshop was attended by 25
people including community elders, religious leaders, women and
youth. The training sessions went on for two days and were
funded by Handicap International.
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On the Agenda: De Facto States in Brussels |
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Abkhazia and
Somaliland Have Given an Audience of Diplomats and Politicians
in the European Parliament |
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De facto states Conference
at EU's Parliament House in Brussels
Brussels, May 7, 2009
– Abkhazia and Somaliland have given an audience of diplomats
and politicians in the European Parliament, Brussels, an update
on the current security situation in the Caucasus and Horn of
Africa regions.
The European Parliament has once again played host to
representatives of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of
Somaliland.
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Earthquake Strikes Off UAE Coast |
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The earthquake struck 80km off the
Fujairah coast. Source: Google Maps and USGS
Praveen Menon
Dubai, May 8, 2009 – Tremors were felt across the Northern
Emirates this morning after an earthquake struck off the coast
of Fujairah.
Residents in the emirate said they were woken up when their
homes started shaking with many running out of their buildings
in the early hours.
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Residents of Mingora capital of
Pakistani troubled Swat valley flee, 07 May 2009
By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad, 07 May 2009 - Pakistan's army continues to bomb
Taliban positions in the Swat valley and again lifted a curfew
in some places to allow residents to flee. But many civilians
have been unable to reach hospitals and refugee camps outside of
the war-torn region.
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Pres.
Obama asks the audience to be seated as he visits a Spanish
language meeting on H1N1 virus at the White House, 08 May 2009 |
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By VOA News
Washington 08 May 2009 – U.S. President Barack Obama said
the swine influenza A-H1N1 has not been as virulent as
feared, but he said the virus can spread easily, and there
is the potential for many people to get sick from one person
who has the illness.
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Pope Expresses Respect For Islam During Jordan Visit |
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King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen
Rania receive Pope Benedict on his arrival in Amman, 08 May 2009 |
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Amman, Jordan, 08 May 2009 – Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Jordan
Friday at the start of a Middle Eastern tour that will also take
him to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He immediately
expressed respect for Islam and praised Jordan for its efforts
at promoting peace in the Middle East and dialogue between
Christians and Muslims.
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He was once a
shy young man who liked basketball, hip-hop and girls. Years
later he drove a truck full of explosives into a crowd in
Somaliland, leaving only grief and questions behind. |
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Shirwa Ahmed
By Richard Meryhew, Allie Shah and James Walsh
Minnesota, May 6, 2009 – His remains lie a few hundred yards
from a bustling highway, in a section of the Burnsville cemetery
reserved for Muslims called the Garden of Eden. There is no
marker. Only dirt and small rocks cover the final resting place
of Shirwa Ahmed, who lived most of his life almost as
anonymously.
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One of the
world's oldest drugs, khat, is being snapped up in the UK, where
it is legal. Once the preserve of the Somali community, now
students, bankers and former addicts are buying the traditional
chewable plant. |
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A customs official in the
German port of Kiel shows a recent seizure of khat. In March
investigators impounded some 400 kilos in one go.
Click here to launch the image gallery (10 Photos)
By Juliane von Mittelstaedt
Friday, May 08, 2009
The eight perforated cardboard boxes standing in front of Yassin
Abanur's counter look inconspicuous enough. Each box contains 40
bundles, wrapped in banana leaves, of a thin-stemmed plant with
shiny brown leaves that looks like wilted basil.
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My Bio
Submitted by PonteVedraMan on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 20:46.
Why on earth would anyone of sound mind and body think that
we should be in Somalia for any reason? Why would anyone
continue to believe that we are responsible to police the
world? Why, as the UNF students suggest,
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Who Are the Somali Pirates? |
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pirates |
Written by Abdinasir
Mohamed Guled
Published Friday, May 08, 2009
In recent times, stories involving Somali pirates have
ranked among the most read and most followed news stories.
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Beyond Piracy: Next Steps To Stabilize Somalia |
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Author: Ken Menkhaus, John Prendergast, and Colin
Thomas-Jensen
May 7, 2009
For the first time in a long time, Americans are paying
attention to what their government does in Somalia.
Following last month’s hostage drama off the coast of
Somalia, President Barack Obama is under increasing
political pressure to address the threat of piracy in the
Gulf of Aden. While short-term measures to curb pirate
attacks are certainly necessary,
ead
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Somaliland’s Sellout Foreign Policy |
It is difficult to talk about Somaliland’s foreign policy since
after almost two decades, the country does not yet have a
foreign policy establishment, institutions, or even a ministry
of foreign affairs that is worth the name. Instead, what we have
in Somaliland is a foreign policy that is managed by President
Dahir Rayale Kahin and two of his closest aides: Abdillahi
Mohammed Duale (the foreign minister) and Hussein Ali Duale
a.k.a Awil (the finance minister). It is these three individuals
who decide Somaliland’s relations with the rest of the world,
and the results have been catastrophic.
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OPINION |
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Somaliland Mediation Requires A Common Will For Peace And
Reconciliation |
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By: Dr. Shacabi, USA
The recent Mediation Meeting at Presidential Somaliland
Palace in Hargeysa, the political leaders (Ahmed Mohamed
Mohamoud-Sillanyo, Faisal Ali Warabe) and the President of
Somaliland has ended in mutual agreement after failing to
reach a consensus on recent Presidential extensions for
election time-table. The mediation does seem to be serving
its purposes for all three political parties.
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President Is Now Threat To Somaliland’s Peace And Stability |
By Abdillahi H Daud
I was one of those who used to give the President Riyale and
his cronies the benefit of the doubt. In other words, I
debated bombastic KULMIYE supporter numerous times about the
intentions of President Riyale. However, after the President
agreed and then refused to sign the agreement put forward by
the mediation committee, I have lost all patience with him.
The President has repeatedly shown us that he is not a man
of his words. He earlier betrayed the well-intentioned
mediation committee led by the highly respected national
figures such as Hadrawi and Gariye. I now have to believe
the fact that the President is a threat to Somaliland’s
peace and stability.
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Somalia: Somaliland Individuals Perform Exotic Belly Dances |
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By Dalmar Kahin
Freedom of choice, expression, and association with others
remain the core units of human rights. But when those who
demand that freedom abuse and misuse it, then we have the
perfect storm. With that in mind, Somaliland persons in the
current Somali regime: do they exercise their freedom or
perform spectacular belly dances?
Let me assure you one thing: the handful Somaliland
individuals have their God-given rights to join Somalia,
advocate for Somali unity, and express their opposition to
Somaliland independence. And majority of Somalilanders don’t
really care whether these folks join Somalia or China for
that matter. Then what is the big fuss?
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The Political Legacy Of Mohamed Ibrahim Egal (The Seventh
Anniversary Of The Death Of Beloved Late President) |
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By
Ahmed M.I. Egal
Introduction
The aim of this
essay is to piece together the political philosophy of the
late President of Somaliland, Mohammed Ibrahim Egal, into a
set of principles and values that underpinned his political
outlook and his actions. This seventh anniversary of his
death provides an appropriate context to examine Egal’s
political legacy, with the distance afforded by time,
hopefully, enabling a measure of objectivity in the
analysis. As with all such endeavors, this enterprise is
fraught with the dangers of simplification of complex
domestic and foreign policies on one hand and over-analysis
of actions dictated by the practical exigencies of the day
on the other.
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Creating The Conditions For Free And Fair Election In
Somaliland: Challenges And Obstacles |
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Dr. Mohamud A. Jama
The Somaliland
Election commission postponed the presidential elections
scheduled for March 29 2009 to May 31. The Somaliland’s
Council of Elders extended the delay to October 2009,
thereby effectively directing the President and the Election
Commission to act accordingly. The Council of Elders
had previously postponed the election for six months in 2008
and for a year in the 2002 presidential elections. These
successive postponements and resulting disputes raise the
following questions.
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Somaliland Independence Day 18th May: A Day That Moves The
World |
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By Saeed Furaa
Each and every year on the 18th May, we the people of
Somaliland remember, we will always remember the mothers and
fathers who laid down their lives for peace and progress of
this honorable nation. We always remember these fallen
heroes and heroines because of their loyal contribution.
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Iran’s Classified Nuclear Science |
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By Ahmed Ali Abdi
Iran’s national Nuclear Technology Day,
President Ahmadinejad a man of honor, integrity, outstanding
and great Muslim courage announced the country’s latest
nuclear advances, which have become an important source of
national pride and international rancor. April 9 marks the
day when Iran declared to have enriched its batches of
uranium in 2006. Recently, Ahmadinejad inaugurated Iran’s
Fuel Manufacturing Plant (FMP) announced the installation of
new “more
accurate” types of centrifuges at the Fuel
Enrichment Plant (FEP).
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In Somalia, Piracy Is An Attractive Career Option |
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In 2006, Somali fisherman Farah
Ismail became a pirate. But before he was able to
hijack any ships, he was caught red-handed with his
pirate gear — weapons, a boat, a ladder — and
sentenced to 15 years in Mandhera prison near
Berbera, Somalia.
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By
Gwen Thompkins
Listen Now
[7 min 46 sec]
Third in a series
Morning Edition,
May 6, 2009 ˇ
It is called Somalia, but
to most of the world it could easily be renamed the Land of
Pirates. Havoc on the high seas has become routine off the
coast of this East African nation, with scores of hijackings
so far this year. Last month, Navy SEALs rescued an American
merchant captain after Somali pirates raided the Maersk
Alabama as it was making its way around the Horn of Africa
to deliver aid.
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Dr. Terry Lacey |
By Dr. Terry Lacey
Development Economist
There are fears in Indonesia that the electorally powerful
emerging coalition between President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono (SBY) and his victorious Democratic Party, which
won the April 9th general election and four Islamic or
Islam-based political parties, led by the Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS), may become dangerous to democracy and pluralism
in Indonesia.
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Slowdown A Chance For Africa To Cast Off Old Aid Stereotypes |
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ULLA TOERNAES, MO IBRAHIM and GREG MILLS
Below is an
op-ed by Ulla Toernaes, Mo Ibrahim and Greg Mills on the
release of the Africa Commission’s report in Copenhagen
yesterday, published in Business Day, 7 May 2009.
GOVERNANCE is
improving in Africa: last year, more than half the
continent’s countries improved their performance. The bad
news is that Africa’s competitiveness is lagging. According
to the Global Competitiveness Report, eight of the world’s
10 least competitive countries are from sub-Saharan Africa.
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Film Review
“To be Afrikan is to be a spiritual
being.” – Dr Kimani Nehusi
‘Nubian Spirit: The African Legacy of the
Nile Valley’ is a journey through ancient Afrika’s golden
times with director, producer and narrator, Louis Buckley.
We first saw this film at a day of Nubian culture in March
and were impressed by how well the issues of Nubian history
were covered. The DVD documentary has footage of some of the
major sites of Nubian and Kush**e culture from the Sudanese
side of the border with Egypt.
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New
national study by New American Dimensions and the U.S.
African Chamber of Commerce identifies important
characteristics about the estimated $50 Billion African
Immigrant Consumer Market in the United States.
Los Angeles, California May 7, 2009 – U.S. African Chamber
of Commerce Released First African Consumer Segment Study
with 50 Billion Dollar Purchasing Power. African immigrants
are a separate and unique group that is growing in number in
the U.S.
These consumers maintain connections to their friends and
family in their native countries as well as maintain ties to
native traditions, including food, music, and entertainment.
These insights come from an exciting new comprehensive study
by Los Angeles-based multicultural research firm New
American Dimensions in conjunction with The African Chamber
of Commerce, Dr. Bruce Corrie, The Minneapolis Foundation
and Aguilar Productions.
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The Pirate Hunters |
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EYEWITNESS:
Somaliland
By Steve Bloomfield
May 3, 2009 – THE GREY speedboat cuts through the deep blue
waters of the Gulf of Aden, bouncing over waves as it makes
its way out of the Somali port of Berbera. Omar Adir stands
tall, readjusting the anti-aircraft missile soldered to the
floor in the centre of the boat and scouring the horizon.
His crew of eight men, all dressed in ill-fitting sailor
whites, some carrying machine guns, others rocket-propelled
grenade launchers, position themselves along the sides of
the boat.
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Written By Joseph Mayton
Synopsis: This feature tells the story
of 21-year-old Egyptian Samar Mohamed, who has been hiding
from the police and her family ever since she converted to
Coptic Christianity in order to marry Tharwat Riad. Under
Shari’a (Islamic) law, Muslim women are forbidden from
marrying non-Muslims or converting from the faith. Samar has
undergone police torture and abuse from her family in a
story which speaks to the growing tensions between the
minority Coptic population and Muslims in Egypt.
Cairo, Egypt, May 4, 2009 – Conversion is
always a contentious issue in Egypt. Twenty-one-year-old
Samar Mohamed’s conversion to Coptic Christianity in order
to marry Tharwat Riad has left her on the run from police
and her family.
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The Somali Anomaly: Bringing Order To The Epicenter Of Chaos |
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Somalia
By John Prandato | May 7th, 2009
In the wake of the recent surge in piracy, it would be hard
to argue that there is not a silver lining fastened to this
unique international crisis – the tragedy of Somalia has
finally been pushed onto the world stage. Somalia has long
been a political catastrophe, having hit rock bottom after
claiming the #1 ranking in The Fund for Peace’s most recent
Failed States Index. In the last 18 years,
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