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A Letter from Lord Avebury, On 6th of August 2009
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:07:24 +0100
From Lord Avebury P0906082
020-7274 4617
ericavebury@gmail.com
ericavebury.blogspot.com
August 6, 2009
Dear Foreign Secretary,
The US Embassy in Nairobi issued a press statement on Monday
expressing the US government’s ‘profound dismay’ at the
decision by President Riyale and the NEC to scrap the voter
registration list, and proceed to the election on September
27 without any list. The expert who had advised the NEC on
the list was declared persona non grata and was expelled
immediately.
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London, UK, August 22, 2009 – At a public
meeting held in West London on last Saturday, Somaliland
organizations based in the United Kingdom joined the chorus
of condemnations over president Rayale’s decision to hold
the forthcoming presidential election planned for 27
September without voter registration list and his unilateral
expulsion of donor countries from Somaliland.
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Paris, France, August 22,
2009 – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on
Thursday has called for the release of journalists and the
end to threats, harassment, attacks and arrest of
journalists in Somaliland.
"Journalists in Somaliland continue to face intolerable
intimidation, including imprisonment to prevent them from
doing their work," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ
Africa Office. "This practice is meant to suppress
independent reporting and proper scrutiny of public
figures."
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 22, 2009 — Reporters Without
Borders calls for the immediate release of two journalists
employed by Radio Horyaal, an independent station based in
Hargeysa, the capital of Somaliland. They are Fowsi Suleyman
Awbindi, held since 30 July, and Yasin Jama Ali, a website
editor and Radio Horyaal stringer, who has been held since
13 August.
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Grasslands in Somaliland have lost their vegetative
cover after several seasons of drought
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Hargeysa,
August 22, 2009 – Some rains have fallen in Somaliland, but
this has not stopped an exodus of drought-affected people
from rural areas to urban centers in Somaliland, local
officials said.
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SYDNEY, August 22, 2009 – Australia's government designated
a Somali extremist group with links to al-Qaida as a
terrorist organization on Friday, just weeks after several
men allegedly associated with the group were charged with
planning a suicide attack on an Australian military base.
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By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa, August 22, 2009 – Ethiopia has confirmed that
pro-government militias from neighboring Somalia are using
Ethiopian territory as a base to launch attacks on rebel
forces. An Ethiopian spokesman lashed out at Horn of Africa
rival Eritrea for its role in the Somalia conflict.
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Ears
didn't match passport photograph
Emily Senger, National Post, with files from Canwest News
Service
Nairobi, Kenya, August 22, 2009 – A Canadian man who has
been stranded in Kenya for three years after a dispute over
the legitimacy of his passport photo may finally return to
Canada in coming weeks, the man's lawyer said yesterday.
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Fighting
between government forces and Islamist militias has
forced many children to live on the streets. |
By Idil Osman
Mogadishu, August 22, 2009 – Life on the streets of
Mogadishu is tough. Somalia has no central government. It
has no strong institutions to protect children.
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IPDC Continues To Support
East African Media |
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Community radio established in East Africa under an IPDC
project
Nairobi,
Kenya, August 22, 2009 – Over the last 29 years UNESCO’s
International Programme for the Development of Communication
(IPDC) has been providing support to developing countries
for projects related to freedom of expression, media
pluralism and community media.
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Somalia: Anniversary Of
Abduction Of Canadian And Australian Journalists |
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Paris, France, August 22, 2009 – Two foreign freelance
journalists are about to complete a year in captivity.
Canadian reporter Amanda Lindhout and Australian
photographer Nigel Brennan were taken hostage by an armed
group as they were returning to Mogadishu from Afgoye
refugee camp, 20 km west of the Somali capital, on 23 August
2008.
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Putnam Murder Trial: Jury
Finds Osman Guilty |
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Mohat Osman was sentenced to 28 years to life in
prison for the murder Donnie Putnam. |
Athens, August
22, 2009 – A 17-year-old Columbus man will spend 28 years to
life in prison for killing a Meigs County man in February.
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Drought Bites Horn Of
Africa Ramadan |
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“I am just praying to stay alive until I observe
this holy month,” Ibrahim told IOL. |
By Abdillahi Jama
MANDERA, Kenya, August 22, 2009 — Ali Ibrahim usually awaits
the holy fasting month of Ramadan with unbaralled eagerness.
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21 Killed As Somali Forces
Attack Shabaab |
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MOGADISHU, August 22, 2009 — A fresh
offensive by pro-government forces against extremist Shabaab
fighters killed at least 21 people, mainly combatants, on
Thursday in central Somalia, officials and witnesses said.
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Somali-Canadians Feel Harassed In Kenya: Activists |
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Hussein
Adani said the last time he was in Kenya he had to
bribe immigrant officials with $50 to get out of the
country, even though he had a valid Canadian
passport. |
Toronto,
August 22, 2009 – Somali-Canadians are often singled out by
border and immigration officials in Kenya as vulnerable
people from a wealthy country who are perfect for a
shakedown, community activists say.
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Boston FBI
Reaching Out To Somali Communities |
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BOSTON, August 22, 2009 – The FBI is
reaching out to Somali communities in New England after
young men in Minnesota were recruited to travel to Somalia
to fight with Islamic militants.
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Mooove Over:
Dromedary Dairy Could Be On Horizon |
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There is pent-up demand among Somali Minnesotans for camel
milk, a traditional drink in much of Africa and the Middle
East. But getting it poses a few problems.
By KAREN YOUSO
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, August 22, 2009 – Appearing
soon in a store near you -- camel milk. Whiter and sweeter
than cow's milk, it is thought in some cultures to have
health benefits not found in ol' Bessie's milk.
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EGYPT: The Man
Who Beat The Pirates |
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Cairo, August
22, 2009 – The owner of one of the two Egyptian fishing
vessels whose crews recently overthrew their Somali pirate
kidnappers has arrived home after a harrowing rescue mission
that led him from East Africa to Yemen.
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Compromise
Sought On Prayer Dispute At US Plant |
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OMAHA,
Nebraska, August 22, 2009 – Officials at a Grand Island
meatpacking plant say they're taking steps to prevent a
repeat of last year when a Muslim prayer dispute set off
protests that led to mass firings.
With the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan beginning Aug. 22, JBS Swift & Co.
officials, Muslim Somali advocates and union representatives
say they're trying to accommodate workers who want to pray
at sunset. The plan also is focused on minimizing disruption
at the plant.
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Latest
News |
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Opposition Parties Position Letter |
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Date: 23 August 2009
It is difficult to imagine a situation where the same problem keeps
reoccurring, and the same failed solution keeps being applied time
and again. At some point lessons need to be learned and the lunacy
of repeating the same experiment and expecting different results
must come to an end. It is our contention that the moment is long
overdue but has finally arrived!
We categorically reject the following demands for:-
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Members Of Mediation Committee
Meet Ethiopian Minister Of State |
Dr. Tekeda Alemu
(Center), Ethiopia’s
State Minister for
Foreign Affairs and
members of Mediation
committee (from left)
Abdirahman Aw Ali, Yusuf
A. Gabobe, Prof. Saed
Ahmed Hassan and
Mohamud Abdi Hamud(Nine)
Hargeysa, Somaliland,
August 22, 2009 (SL
Times) – Six members of
the committee that was
formed to mediate the
political dispute
between the government
and the opposition
parties met with the
Ethiopian Minister of
State for Foreign
Affairs, Tekeda Alemu.
The Ethiopian Minister
of State revealed that
the main reason his
delegation came to
Somaliland was to bring
the various sides
together.
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Hargeysa University
Graduation Ceremony Draws Somaliland Politicians Closer |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland,
August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – Hargeysa University celebrated the
graduation of 340 students from the departments of business,
economic, law, science and technology, IT, health, journalism
and Islamic studies. Parents, students, intellectuals,
parliamentarians, politicians and other distinguished guests
were present.
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Somaliland
Opposition Rally |
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Hundred Thousands
of opposition supporters gathered in front of the
Independent part in Hargeysa on Thursday |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 22, 2009 (SL Times) –
Somaliland’s opposition parties, KULMIYE and UCID held huge
rallies in several Somaliland cities. The organizers of the
rallies insisted that these were not demonstrations but
gatherings to explain to the people their opposition to the
suspension of the voter-registration list and their
rejection of an election without registered voters.
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Edna Hospital Receives Donations |
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Edna Adan (center)
receives a donation of medicine and medical equipment from Dr
Sicid Sh. Maxamed |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – Edna
Hospital received a donation of medicine and medical
equipment from a Canadian youth organization called Dadaal
Development Canada. Speaking at the ceremony in honor of the
donations, Edna Ismail (the founder of Edna Hospital),
thanked the Canadian youth who are originally from
Somaliland for “helping the patients, especially those who
cannot afford to buy medicine.”
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WAM DUBAI, August 22, 2009 – The ban on cattle imports from the
two Somali cities of Bosaso and Barabara into the UAE was lifted
yesterday UAE Minister of Environment and Water Dr. Rashid Ahmed
Bin Fahad in a resolution.
Accordingly, any live cattle from the said Somali cities have to
be coming directly from their designated quarantines. The
resolution demands that all bulls (oxen) be castrated.
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Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr.
Tekeda Alemu [Second left) were welcomed at Hargeysa
International Airport by Somaliland's ministers of
Aviation (right), Interior [second right] and
Foreign Affairs [left] |
Hargeysa,
Somaliland, August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – A high level delegation
led by the Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr
Tekede Alemu arrived in Hargeysa on Aug.19.
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Deep Concern At Prospect Of
One-Party Race In Somaliland Presidential Vote, Says Progressio |
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Progressio,
the Development Planning Unit of University College London (UCL)
and Somaliland Focus (UK) express deep concern at prospect of
one-party election in scheduled presidential vote in Somaliland:
threatens possibility to fulfill international observation
coordination role unless broad engagement in political process
is demonstrated |
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London, UK, August
22, 2009 (SL Times) – International development organization
Progressio, the Development Planning Unit at University College
London (UCL) and Somaliland Focus (UK) are deeply concerned at
developments in Somaliland in the run-up to the much-delayed
presidential elections, now scheduled for 27 September 2009.
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Puntland Interior Minister Defends
Pirates |
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Garowe, Somalia, August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – In an interview
with the BBC Somali Service (Aug.20, 2009), Puntland’s Interior
Minister, Abdillahi Ahmad Jama said that the Egyptian government
should return to Puntland the Somali pirates that are being held
as prisoners in Egypt. He argued that since the pirates are from
Puntland then they should be tried, and if convicted, should
serve their sentences in Puntland.
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Somalia Parliamentarians Challenge
Sheikh Sharif’s Government |
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Cairo, Egypt,
August 22, 2009 (SL Times) – In an interview with the BBC Somali
Service (Aug.18, 2009), Ali Bashe Haji, a member of Somalia’s
parliament accused Somalia’s government of favoritism and
ineptness. Mr Ali Bashe Haji said that the government that was
formed in Djibouti was supposed to improve the situation but all
that happened was that some members of the Islamic Courts split
from their colleagues and are now under attack from their old
partners.
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Karzai, Abdullah Claim Victory In
Afghan Election |
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Afghan men lined up to vote at a polling center in
Kabul. The election was held under tight security amid
Taliban threats to disrupt voting. |
KABUL, Afghanistan,
August 22, 2009 — President Hamid
Karzai and his closest rival,
Abdullah Abdullah, both claimed to be winning the
presidential election as ballots were counted Friday. But
Western officials here said it looked increasingly likely that
the two would face a runoff.
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Muslim Boy Passes 8 A Levels
“I was Inspired by my grandfather”, says 8 A-level boy |
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London, UK, August 22, 2009 – An 18-year old
Muslim boy on north-east England has passed no less than eight
A-levels, including six A grades in Mathematics, Further
Mathematics, Physics, History, Critical Thinking, and Urdu and
two B’s in Arabic and Religious Studies.
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South Africa's ruling African National
Congress President Jacob Zuma
President Jacob Zuma wishes the
South African Muslim community well during the fast in the month of Ramadan.
This period of fasting is regarded as a time of deep introspection, a
strengthening of the bonds of the family and community; increased generosity ˆ
all of which is brought on by heightened spirituality in order to transform the
individual into a better human being.
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President Barack Obama meets with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office of the White House,
August 18, 2009 |
New York, August 15, 2009 – Proposed media laws in Venezuela could be used as a
tool for political intimidation and would seriously curtail press freedom and
potentially criminalize legitimate dissent, an independent United Nations human
rights expert warned on Monday.
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Kenya,
Congo-Kinshasa, and
South Africa each got a failing grade on USCRI's refugee report card for not
adequately protecting refugees from violence and forcing refugees back across
the border. Both Sudan and
South Africa scored an F for arbitrarily detaining more than 200 refugees
and denying them access to courts.
Tanzania even made USCRI's Worst-Country-for-Refugees list for not letting
refugees leave the camp and not allowing them to seek work. Refugees across the
continent continue to suffer because governments are not living up to their
commitment to refugees.
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C.I.A. Said To Use Outsiders To Put Bombs On
Drones |
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By JAMES
RISEN and MARK
MAZZETTI
WASHINGTON, August 22, 2009 — From a
secret division at its North Carolina headquarters, the company formerly known
as Blackwater has
assumed a role in Washington’s most important counterterrorism program: the use
of remotely piloted drones to
kill Al
Qaeda’s leaders, according to government officials and current and
former employees.
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Mogadishu is ground zero for the failed state of Somalia, a
place where pirates and terrorists rule. Yet to the north,
Somaliland is stable and at peace. What happened? |
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Oasis of Order
Rebuilt after dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre bombed it
flat in the late 1980s, Hargeysa is in the midst of a
construction boom—with hotels like the City
Center—mostly financed by returning expatriates. But
experts worry Islamic extremists may be infiltrating
Somaliland: In October 2008 suicide bombers struck
locations across the capital. |
By Robert
Draper
Photograph by Pascal Maitre
It is not an obvious refuge. Built nearly a century ago, the
Italian lighthouse has been in disuse for years. Its spiral
staircase is in a state of mid-collapse. Its hollowed-out rooms
smell of sea rot and urine. Young men sit cross-legged in the
rubble, chewing qat—a plant whose leaves contain a stimulant—and
playing a dice game called ladu for hours. Some huddle in a
corner and smoke hashish. They seem like ghosts in a city left
for dead. But the lighthouse is quiet and it is safe—if anyplace
in Mogadishu can be considered safe.
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Ruins overlook
streets where fighting tore the capital apart in the
early 1990s, leaving the city, and the nation, in chaos. |
By Robert Draper
Photograph by Pascal Maitre
It can happen after one fateful event—a civil war, natural
disaster, or brutal takeover—or insinuate itself gradually, like
a cancer that eats away at a country for decades. But when a
nation is failing, you see it in the eyes of its people.
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Ali
Gulaid (1945-2009) |
By Ahmed
Arwo
"Truly God commands you to give back trusts to those to whom
they are due, and when you judge between people, to judge
with justice.... " (Quran, 4:58)
On 6th August 2009, we were shocked with the sudden death of
a great leader, a hero who stood for justice, a defender of
human rights, and fighter for transparency and
accountability. I would like to honor a man who doesn’t know
the meaning of fear, a man who doesn’t know the meaning of
defeat, quit or surrender.
Read
full text...
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U.S. Policy Shift Needed In
The Horn Of Africa |
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By
Bronwyn E. Bruton, International Affairs Fellow in Residence
U.S. strategic interests in the Horn of Africa center on
preventing Somalia from becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda
or other transnational jihadist groups. In pursuing its
counter terror strategy, the United States has found common
cause with Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has long
feared the renewal of Somali irredentist claims on its
eastern border, or that a powerful Islamist movement may
stoke unrest among its own large Muslim population, and
feels beset both by a powerful indigenous separatist
movement in its Ogaden region and an unresolved border
dispute with its northern neighbor, Eritrea.
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full text...
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Somalia: A
Thorn In Ethiopia's Flesh |
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By G.
Kiristos Andargachew
Somalia is a country inhabited by a culturally uniform
people; they speak the same language, prefer the same
religion, Islam, share a common culture and claim the same
history. Somalia came into existence with the idea of
"Greater Somalia" inculcated into the minds of the Somali
elite.
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full text...
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Free Resources For Somali
Educators And Students |
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By Ali Osman
I believe this information is beneficial to Somali students
who are based in Somali Universities such as Mogadishu,
Hargeysa, Bosaso, Baladweyne and Awdal where the resources
at their universities are not sufficient. This information
is also useful for the professors who may not necessarily
have the latest information on their particular area of
expertise and could utilize this information for their
classes.
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Somalia Illustrates The
High Cost Of Failed States |
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Barrett Sheridan
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Africa visit earlier
this month disappointed experts who’d hoped for
groundbreaking new policies. But it certainly made one man
happy: Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, president of Somalia’s
transitional government, who won promises of more money,
equipment, and training for his beleaguered country.
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Hillary
Clinton’s Trip To Africa |
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Africa was
billed as an attempt to bring a neglected continent into the
international mainstream. The fact that Clinton’s tour came
about three weeks after President Obama’s trip to Africa was
supposed to highlight the importance that the US attaches to
Africa. But behind these explicit explanations lay two unspoken
ones: first, that this was a gesture, or a favor to Africa on
the part of the US; second, that it was a move to further US
interests in Africa.
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Midnight Forever |
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By Dr. Abdishakur Jowhar
Introduction: On July 11, 2009 four prominent
Somaliland citizens were kidnapped from a public highway and
later on massacred in a tribal ritual. On August 6, 2009 Ali
(Marshall) Gulaid died in a car accident on his way to
Berbera. Ali Marshall was an economist, journalist, and
leading opposition politician, in short a renaissance man
who moved from USA back to his country of origin
(Somaliland) to help bring about democracy, freedom, peace
and stability to his people. This ugly massacre and this
untimely death has brought the nation of Somaliland to its
knees.
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Somaliland Will Not Be A
Banana Republic |
By Mukhtar Mohamed Abby
Of late, there has been a great hue and cry about the
Election Commission’s bold step that invalidated the voter
registration administrated by the Interpeace experts, of
which the Somaliland people had initially thought to have
given no hostages to fortune and hassle free, but it
conversely turned to be a harbinger of doom.
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Time To Remake Somaliland’s
Political Parties: Presidential Election Is Only One Small
Step In This Direction |
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By Adam
Musse Jibril
Various positive descriptions and adjectives, such as the
following, have been attributed to Somaliland: “Africa’s
untold success story’, ‘Oasis of peace and democracy, ‘The
healthiest democracy between Israel and Tanzania’, etc. All
these positive attributes reflect the progress made by this
country. They signify achievements that are appreciated and
welcomed worldwide, which are based on attestations by
scholars with human hearts and representatives of democratic
consciousness of our time.
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Interpeace Confusion Of
Biometric Data In Somaliland |
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Chief
Abdi Dahir Elmi
Summary:
In December 2008, a unique biometric data registration has
taken place in Somaliland for the 1st time in new history.
The new formula was an attempt to determine a satisfactory
fare and free elections to undertake in Somaliland. Secondly
it was objectively focused to reshape the electoral history
of Somaliland and make difference in the electoral context
of surrounded governments in east Africa. All the endeavors
of internal arrangements and external assistance by
International communities are stranded in mire situation.
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The Turmoil Of Somaliland
Political Arena |
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Yassin
Abdillahi Ahmed
The play witnessed after the expulsion Interpeace in early
August offered a glimpse into the expected explosive debate
the upcoming campaign will show.
All but one, who participated greatly the heated debates,
was abroad.
The lead actors on the government side included president
Rayale, foreign minister Abdillahi Duale, Finance minister
Awil, Public Works Saeed and recently promoted presidency
minister Hassan Ma’alin.
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Protest Letter
To Mr. Rayaale And His Cronies |
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By: Abdisamad Ali Awaleh, Malaysia
Dear President
On behalf of the poor people of Somaliland, I send you this
protest letter. We are angry. Yes we the people are very
angry. We have endured your ill conceived, hash and austere
economic and social policies for quite too long. We have
watched silently to see you and your cronies enjoy while we
the masses continue to suffer. We have no jobs, no incomes,
no savings and have no place to lay our heads while you and
your selected few live in mansions at the expense of the
very poor you are refusing to take care of. You have
consistently ignored all our cry for help even though you
know our plights very well.
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Somaliland Deserve Better
Than This |
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By Amin Ali
I can only rejoice at the news that Somaliland parliament
passed a four-point motion calling for the immediate
eviction of the president from office if he fails to hold
the presidential election by 27 September and does suspend
the voter registration list. I’m someone who had became
disillusioned by the president’s little ability to deliver
free and fair elections and think that this nation deserve
better.
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Ethiopia
Strongly Believes The Next Election, Must Be Peaceful For
The Sake Of Somaliland, And Of Stability In The Sub-Region |
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Saturday, 22 August 2009
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in its
weekly statement issued on August 21, 2009 raised issues on
Eritrea’s aggression, Somalia, the Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination, visit of Togo's
Foreign Minister, the Ethio-Turkey Industrial Zone, World
Humanitarian Day, continued failure of balanced analysis and
about US policy perhaps.
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A State Of Danger |
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Rival
factions bring terror to the streets, forcing families to
flee their homes and make a perilous journey in search of
refuge From Steve Bloomfield in Hargeysa
WE CANNOT just die here," Siida's husband told her. Mohammed
stood at the doorway of what remained of their five-bedroom
house in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, their three eldest
children at his side. "If I don't come back let us forgive
each other. You must take care of the rest of the family."
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Edna Adan A
former first lady of Somalia and World Health
Organization official, she built her own maternity
hospital in Somaliland.
Enlarge This Image |
By
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF and SHERYL WUDUNN
People always ask us: How can I help the world’s
needy? How can I give in a way that will benefit a real
person and won’t just finance corruption or an aid
bureaucracy? There are innumerable answers to those
questions, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that many of
them involve women. From among the examples in our book
“Half the Sky,” here are a handful:
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Piracy Problem Persists In
Gulf Of Aden |
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The
piracy problem hasn't gone away |
Recent reports
of a ship being hijacked in the Baltic Sea briefly drew
attention from the real piracy hotspot—Somalia. But the
problem there hasn’t gone away.
Piracy attacks around the world more than doubled to 240
from 114 during the first six months of this year compared
with the same period in 2008, according to the ICC
International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre.
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Dr.
Terry Lacey
Development Economist
The Jakarta Post front page story Thursday 20th August
expressed the concern that a role for the army in the fight
against terror may bring back the bad old days of the
Soeharto era for Indonesia. (Jakarta Post 21.08.09). But
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, about to take up his
second five year term, is only reaffirming what is
self-evident, that there is a role for the army, alongside
the police, but in a wider civic context.
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Weekly Humanitarian
Bulletin No. 32, 14 - 21 Aug 2009 |
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Key
Overall Developments
The WFP compound in Waajid, Bakool region, was attacked by
armed militia on 16 August. This is the fourth UN compound
deliberately targeted in Somalia within two months. The UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC), a.i. for
Somalia, Mr. Graham Farmer issued a press statement
condemning the attack. He called on all parties to allow
unhindered humanitarian access. WFP's operations under the
Waajid sub-office are ongoing with supplementary feeding
programs in the region reaching a total of 106,695
beneficiaries.
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Somali Piracy:
An Escalating Security Dilemma |
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By Shani
Ross and Joshua Ben-David*
This article was first published with
Harvard Africa Policy Journal, Vol. 5, Spring 2009, pp.
55-70.
Abstract
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has grown exponentially in
recent years. This paper will explain the growing trend,
which is the result of a number of factors, including the
unstable political environment, the collapsed economy and
the presence of Islamic terror groups in Somalia. The
research concludes that only a unified stance by the
international community that addresses a two-part strategy
can facilitate the eradication of Somali piracy. If the
global actors involved do not enhance cooperation in the
fight against piracy while simultaneously enacting measures
to improve stability in Somalia, global commercial trade
will continue to suffer from extortion, and Islamic
radicalism in Somalia will continue to thrive and
potentially overtake the country.
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Clinton
Tone-Deaf During Africa Trip |
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Francis
Njubi Nesbitt
Editor: John Feffer
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 11-day trip to
Africa, which came less than a month after President Barack
Obama's visit to Egypt and Ghana in July, was an attempt to
emphasize Africa's importance to the United States. Clinton
was supposed to reassure African leaders that the Obama
administration intends to engage with the continent, despite
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and perennial problems in
Israel and the Korean peninsula.
The trip, however, merely reinforced Africa's marginal
position in U.S. foreign policy. Clinton did not announce
any new initiatives or policy directions. Instead, she said
the United States would continue to support Bush
administration initiatives on "faith-based" HIV prevention
and Millennium Development grants. She also pledged to
extend military aid to Somalia and $17 million for victims
of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC).
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Somalia: To
Succeed We Have To Look Forward! |
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Abdillahi Dool
The past is not a home to dwell in. The living must keep on
living. To do so the living must also move forward. Looking
back to a difficult past is a costly habit which is only
holding our nation back. Let us remind ourselves that if we
continue to indulge in hovering around the graveyard of past
governments, past leaders and a dead manifesto, we will
never succeed.
Bashing the past by itself does not say about a wish to a
better future. The past is what it is: past! We need to draw
a line under the past. Surely, the past of one-people
Somalis cannot be more painful than the past of black South
Africans who had to put up with decades of brutalization and
who found the way to live together with their white
compatriots in harmony.
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Somaliland:
The Making Of A Dictator |
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In the twentieth century the world has witnessed some of the
most ruthless dictators, men like Adolf Hitler, Benito
Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco, Mao, Fidel
Castro, Kim Il Sung, and many others in the third world in
the second half of the past century. The many things they
all have in common include Megalomania, Psychopathic,
Personality cult, Paranoia, disregard for and violation of
others rights and intimidation of opponents.
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