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Somaliland Marines (photofile) |
Sanaa, Yemen, January 16, 2010 -- Somaliland forces have
helped in releasing a Yemeni-flagged container ship held by
Somali pirates for nearly three weeks, Yemeni Interior
Ministry said on Sunday.
Al-Mahmoud ship, carrying 15 crew members on board, was
freed from Somali pirates on Friday with the help of the
Somaliland naval forces, said the Interior Ministry in a
statement posted on its website.
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By Paul Ames
Brussels, January 16, 2010 – European Union defense experts
are looking at proposals for an ESDP mission to offer
support to the coast guards of nations around the Horn of
Africa region in an effort to strengthen the battle against
Somali pirates. The plan under consideration would involve a
civilian mission to develop the coast guard forces of Yemen,
Djibouti and Kenya as well as Somalia itself, to provide
greater local involvement in efforts to tackle the pirates,
who increased attacks on shipping during 2009 despite the
beefed up international naval presence in the region.
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Representatives of African Union, Arab League Urge
No-fly Zone, Anti-piracy Actions; Stress Importance of
Djibouti Process |
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah |
SC/9844
Security Council
6259th Meeting* (PM)
The crisis in Somalia was no longer local or even regional,
but a global one that could no longer be ignored, Ahmedou
Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's top representative in
that country, said today in a briefing to the Security
Council.
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Somalia: Al-Shabaab
Threatens To Attack Somaliland, Puntland |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, January 16, 2010 – The Al-Shabaab
movement which has been conducting exercises to show off
their military might has said they will take full control of
Somalia and will extend Shari'ah law in all parts of the
country.
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Washington DC, January 16, 2010 – Mohammed Sulaymon Barre
was released from Guantanamo on December 20, 2009, and
returned to his family in Somaliland. Mr. Barre had fled
Somalia during the civil war in the early 1990s. The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees granted Mr. Barre
refugee status in Pakistan where he lived and worked freely
for many years prior to his detention.
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Ahmed Shire
Ali (left) and Mahdi Hassan Ali (right) were charged
with murder in the first degree in connection with a
triple homicide in Minneapolis. |
MINNEAPOLIS, January 16, 2010 – Prosecutors said two
customers were hiding in a freezer at the Seward Market in
South Minneapolis, after two teens entered to commit a
robbery. When they emerged from their hiding spot, three men
were dead.
"It's a tragic, senseless shooting," said Hennepin County
Attorney Mike Freeman. "It's a robbery gone bad."
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Hodan,
10, reads from a Somali
language
textbook during class at
Sheikh
Nur School, Hargeysa, Somaliland |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 16, 2010 – Until the most
recent school semester, every textbook at Sheikh Nur Primary
School was shared by at least four students. But thanks to a
new supply, students can now follow their lessons in their
very own textbooks.
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Nairobi, January 16, 2010 – Italy offered on Thursday to
help form an anti-terrorist police force for Somalia and
urged other international donors to fulfill pledges of
support for the beleaguered government in the Horn of Africa
nation.
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Khartoum, January 16, 2010 – A batch of new Somali currency
will be printed in Sudan following an agreement signed in
Khartoum today, Sudan state media reported.
The Managing Director of Sudan’s Currency Printing office
Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Bahi signed for Sudan Government while
the Somali Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh signed for
his government.
The cost of the printing process will top $17 million, SUNA
reported
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Obama Says No Plans For US
Troops In Yemen, Somalia |
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Washington, January 16,
2010 – The United States does not plan to send its troops to
either Yemen or Somalia amid growing concern about terrorism
threats from those countries, President Barack Obama said in
an interview. "I never rule out any possibility in a world
that is this complex," Obama said in the interview with
People magazine, excerpts of which were released Sunday. "In
countries like Yemen, in countries like Somalia, I think
working with international partners is most effective at
this point."
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Yemen’s Somali Fighters
‘Impossible To Monitor’ |
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KHARAZ, YEMEN, January 16, 2010 – Thousands of Somali boys
and teenagers fleeing war and chaos at home are sailing to
Yemen, where officials who have long welcomed Somali
refugees now worry that the new arrivals could become the
next generation of al-Qaeda fighters.
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Kenyan Police Break Up
Pro-Faisal Demo |
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Tear gas
smoke billows outside the Jamia Mosque in Nairobi's
Banda Street after police broke up a demonstration
called to protest the arrest of radical Jamaican
Muslim cleric Sheikh Abdullag al-Faisal.
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Nairobi,
January 16, 2010 – A demonstration called to protest the
arrest of controversial Jamaican Muslim cleric Sheikh
Abdullah al-Faisal has been broken up by police.
The pro-Faisal demo, called by the Muslim Human Rights
Forum, started peacefully at the Jamia Mosque in Nairobi's
Banda Street.
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Somalia Cabinet Minister
Hails Italy’s Financial Support |
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Mogadishu, January 16, 2010 – A Somali official has praised
Italy’s show of commitment towards President Sheik Sharif
Sheik Ahmed’s efforts to stabilize the country after years
of insecurity.
A Somali official has praised Italy’s show of commitment
towards President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed’s efforts to
stabilize the country after years of insecurity.
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Somali Refugee Growth Poses
Challenges For Yemen |
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Sanaa, Yemen, January 14, 2010 – Continuing strife in
Somalia between Islamist groups has spurred more than
110,000 civilians to seek asylum in neighboring countries in
the past year. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
which provided the figures, says that half that number has
flocked to already overburdened camps in Kenya. 22,000 more
have gone to Ethiopia, and 32,000 have made their way north
by sea across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen.
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Ahlu Sunnah Vows To Take
Al-Shabaab Stronghold |
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Mogadishu, January 16, 2010 – A least 36 people have been
killed and over 50 others injured in the third day of heavy
clashes in central Somalia as Ahlu Sunnah attempts to take
the Al-Shabaab stronghold.
Pro-government Ahlu Sunnah forces and Al-Shabaab fighters
fought for the second day in the central villages of Wabho
and Warhole, in the Galgadud region, causing the death of at
least 16 people while more than 30 others were injured, a
Press TV correspondent reported on Tuesday.
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Somali Suspect In NYC
Pleads Not Guilty To Two More Charges Of Piracy
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New York, January 16, 2010 – A Somali man accused of
hijacking the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama last April pleaded
not guilty for the hijacking of two more vessels, one of
which is still being held hostage, according to local media
reports on Tuesday.
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Ex President Offers To
Mediate Somalia Crisis |
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Nairobi,
January 16, 2010 – Former President Moi has offered to help
seek peace in the crisis-hit Somalia.
Speaking when he met a delegation led by former Somali Prime
Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi Tuesday, Mr Moi said he would
work on a system to help the Horn of Africa nation return to
stability.
“I am willing to facilitate peace in Somalia. It is a
regional, unique and very complex issue.
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Chairman Sillanyo And Dr Muhammad
Omar Update American Officials |
Sillanyo addresses
American officials
Washington DC, January
16, 2010 (SL Times) –
Kulmiye Chairman, Mr.
Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud
(Sillanyo) and Kulmiye’s
Foreign Affairs
Secretary, Dr Muhammad
Omar were invited to
address American
officials this week. The
event took place at the
National Endowment for
Democracy in Washington,
D.C.
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Solar Eclipse In
Somaliland |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland,
January 16, 2010 – (SL Times) – A solar eclipse took place in
Somaliland and the Horn of Africa region this week.
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Chairman Of The
Upper House Returns To Somaliland |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 16, 2010 – (SL Times) – The
Chairman of Somaliland’s Upper House, the Honorable Suleiman
Mohamud Adam, returned to Somaliland on Friday after a two
month visit to Britain.
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Second Livestock Inspection
Facility |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 16, 2010 – (SL Times) –
Somaliland Livestock Minister Dr Idris Abdi laid the foundation
stone for a livestock health inspection facility at the port of
Berbera. The facility was financed by Saudi businessman al-Jabiri
who also financed a previous facility.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 16, 2010 – (SL Times) – An
organization of young journalists called SOYMA honored
Somaliland Speaker of Parliament, Abdirahman Muhammad Abdillahi
(Irro), with a certificate of achievement for his wise and
competent leadership of Parliament for the last four years.
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Kulmiye chairman Ahmed Sillanyo (R),
Donald Paye, the Chairman of US
congress’s Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
(C) and Kulmiye Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Dr
Muhammad Abdillahi Omar |
Washington DC, January 16, 2010
(SL Times) – The Chairman of Kulmiye Party, Ahmad Mohammed
Mohamud (Sillanyo) arrived in the US this week. Mr. Sillanyo was
met at the airport by Kulmiye Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Dr
Muhammad Abdillahi Omar and members of the Somaliland Community
in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area.
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Sheikh Sharif’s Parliamentarians
Say Speaker’s Term Expired |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, January 16,
2010 – (SL Times) – About 60 members of Sheikh Sharif’s
parliament declared that the term of their current Speaker, Mr.
Adan Madoobe, has expired and that parliament should meet and
elect a new leader.
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Gunmen Attack Police Station In
Somaliland |
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Las Anod,
Somaliland, January 16, 2010 (SL Times) – Unidentified attackers
hurled hand grenades and opened fire at a police station in
Somaliland, wounding three officers, police sources said
Wednesday.
Somaliland is proud of its relative stability, unlike southern
regions of the failed Horn of Africa state, where hardline
al Shabaab insurgents control large amounts of territory and
are fighting a weak Western-backed government.
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Dr. Ahmed Esa’s Successful Visit
To South Africa – Press Release |
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Pretoria, SA, January 16, 2010 – Dr. Ahmed Hussein Esa, Director
of the Institute for Practical Research and Training (IPRT) and
co-founder of
Abaarso Tech, the new Science and Technology Academy that
recently opened in Somaliland, spent the last three weeks in
South Africa.
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Haiti Earthquake Displaces 300,000 |
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Earthquake
survivors in a public park in downtown Port-au-Prince,
14 Jan 2010 |
Lisa Schlein
Geneva, January 16, 2010 – In its first estimate, the United
Nations reports about 10 percent of the housing in the Haitian
capital Port-au-Prince has been destroyed, leaving some 300,000
people homeless. The UN says a full assessment of the damages
inflicted by the powerful earthquake will take several days to
complete.
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Yemeni Forces Kill Six Suspected
Al-Qaeda Militants |
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By Sudarsan
Raghavan
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, January 16, 2010 -- Yemeni forces
killed six suspected al-Qaeda militants Friday, possibly
including the network's top military commander in Yemen, in an
airstrike near the Saudi Arabian border, Yemeni officials said.
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U.S. President Barack Obama
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WASHINGTON, January 16, 2010 – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday
Haiti's earthquake had inflicted "heartbreaking" loss and that he would meet
former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on Saturday to discuss the
crisis.
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Annular solar eclipse occurs over
the skies of the southern Indian town of Rameswaram January 15, 2010.
The annular eclipse of the sun, which will last for over 11 minutes
during its maximum duration, will be visible from a 300-km wide track
that passes half of the Earth, according to NASA
Related Video
Africa and Asia view solar eclipse |
Singapore, January 16, 2010 –
The longest, ring-like solar eclipse of the millennium started on Friday, with
astronomers saying the Maldives was the best place to view the phenomenon that
will not happen again for over 1,000 years.
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An Australian report says
that every hour viewers spend watching television increases the risk
of premature death
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Phil Mercer
Sydney, January 16, 2010 – Australian scientists have published new research
that suggests that the more television people watch, the sooner they die.
The Australian report says that every hour viewers spend watching television
increases the risk of premature death. The study was undertaken by the Baker IDI
Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.
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A
relatively stable statelet in the Horn of Africa needs wise
international intervention to bolster its nascent democracy,
says EJ Hogendoorn.
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By
EJ Hogendoorn, January 16, 2010
The Horn of Africa’s unsought status as one of the most volatile
regions in the world is underlined by the deep-rooted conflict
in Somalia and the endemic tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
This makes even more impressive and welcome the progress of the
self-declared independent state of Somaliland in creating a
stable, rules-based government. However, an electoral crisis now
threatens to derail this achievement.
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The Blue Mosque in Istanbul,
Turkey. |
By Adil Salahi
Long before he started to receive his revelations, Muhammad
(peace be upon him) was known for his noble characteristics. One
of the most important of these was that he always cared for the
weaker elements in society. In Arabia, where a tribal society
flourished, the most vulnerable sections of the society were
slaves and women. Muhammad looked after both, extending to them
exemplary treatment. Perhaps the best example to illustrate this
is the way he treated Zayd ibn Harithah, a young lad who was
taken captive in a raid mounted by a tribe hostile to his tribe.
According to the universal custom at the time, captives became
slaves. Zayd was sold as a slave by his captors.
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By
J.Peter Pham, PhD, January 16, 2010
Last Friday, the African Union (AU) Peace and Security
Council voted to extend for another six months the mandate
of its woefully undermanned military force in Mogadishu. The
AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), comprised of some 5,000
soldiers from Uganda and Burundi, has been besieged by
Islamist insurgents since its arrival nearly three years
ago, losing dozens of its members to repeated attacks like
the suicide bombing last September 17th, which killed 17
peacekeepers, including the deputy force commander,
Brigadier General Juvénal Niyoyunguruza of Burundi, and
wounded some 40 others.
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Article by John Knott
January 16, 2010
The recent history of Somalia is more complex than that of
most countries, involving three distinct regions, a
multi-clan indigenous population, and almost twenty years of
turbulence resulting from an absent or ineffective central
government. With the country as a whole credited with having
the worst humanitarian conditions in the world; with nearly
one-half of its people starving; with over one million
people internally displaced; and with the southern half of
Somalia being effectively under the control of extreme,
Islamic insurgents; one can understand that a solution to
the problem of piracy at sea calls for more than the
presence of a few dozen warships.1
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Somaliland Should Take The Fight To The Terrorists |
The foiled terrorist attempt to blow up a mosque in Hargeysa
and the targeting of the police in Las Anod is clear evidence of
the extent to which Somaliland’s enemies are willing to go in
order to harm Somaliland and its people. The police stand for
law and order. Mosques cater to people’s spiritual order. The
fact that the terrorists attacked the symbols of public order
and spiritual order shows that their objective is to destroy any
sense of order and to create chaos in Somaliland.
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A Dialogue With A Cat |
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By By Omar Ibrahim
Hussein (PhD)
At lunch as a matter of routine, I go to one of the
restaurants in Hargeysa. Every time I go to eat, there are a
number of cats who want to eat with me. So whenever I eat, I
am aware of the cats. Most of the time, I throw a little bit
of what I am eating. But I found out it is difficult to
satisfy a cat. To start with, they don’t eat all what you
throw at them. They are very choosy to a point of
irrationality. Whoever said; “beggars are not choosers “was
wrong. Definitely a cat is a beggar and a chooser at the
same time. The cat does not want the rice or the Pasto I
eat. The cat is only interested in fish and meat. The
Economist who postulated that “there is no free lunch” was
wrong too. Cats here in Hargeysa eat free lunch. A cat wants
to sleep in a cozy and warm place too; very unlike other
animals. What makes the cat so different?
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Somaliland And The New Year |
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By Abdulazez Al-Motairi
The Somaliland people, political parties and government
progressed in many areas including state building, democracy
and hosting free and fair elections across the country.
Although, Somaliland foreign diplomacy was not successful to
bring the long-waited international diplomatic recognition
however its performance was acceptable.
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A Letter To Senator John Kerry |
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By Abukar Ali
US Senator John Kerry
218 Russell Bldg
Washington D.C. 20510
Dear Senator,
The purpose of my letter is to draw your attention to the
gravity of the situation in the Horn of Africa and the
consequence of the misguided US foreign policy in the
region. I say misguided because, over the last two decades,
successive US administrations continued to apply the same
failed policy that resulted in the chaotic situation
currently obtaining in the region.
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Deputy Speaker’s Visit To
Somaliland: It Was About Time. |
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By Ahmed Kheyre
The honorable Farah Maalim, deputy speaker of the Kenyan
parliament, visit to Somaliland was well-timed and
well-received. Mr. Maalim took it upon himself to see the
truth about Somaliland. First and foremost, Somaliland
become independent on 26th of June, 1960, five days before
joining Italian Somalia to form a union which become the
now-defunct Somali Republic.
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Mr. Right And Minnesota |
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By Fathia Absie
I recently visited Minneapolis, MN the promise land for Somalis in North
America. Though this was not my first trip there, it was my longest stay, and
lasted about four weeks. I went there for a project and had a delightful time,
even though I was mainly working and didn’t have time for much play. It’s true
when they say find something you love doing and if you can manage to earn a
living out of it, it’ll be like playing every day of your life. That was the
case for me, regardless that I was working almost everyday, I had a blast doing
it. What made it even more enjoyable for me was the fact that the project
involved interacting with Somalis.
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Is Al Qaeda In Yemen Connected To Al Qaeda In
Somalia?
In the wake of the Christmas Day
Northwest airlines bombing attempt, some are wondering if the Al Qaeda branches
in Yemen and Somalia are linked. Most experts don't see evidence of coordination
– not yet. |
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By Scott Baldauf
Yemen and Somalia are separated geographically by the Gulf of Aden, which at its
narrowest point, is just 100 miles across – about the same distance as Miami is
from Cuba. The ethnic, cultural, and linguistic gap between the two nations is
much wider.
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Violence, Fear And
Confusion: Welcome To The Horn Of Africa
In Yemen, Somalia and beyond, the lawless, strife-torn
region has provided disturbing evidence that its myriad
problems cannot be ignored – and that the west must see the
connections between them all |
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By
Peter Beaumont
It looked like many of the dhows that sail the Gulf of Aden,
a nameless boat identifiable only by its registration number
– 11S2. This dhow, however, was not carrying fish, or even
engaged in the lethal people smuggling trade conducted
across these waters.
Tracked by Yemeni intelligence officials, it was laden with
a quite different cargo that had been loaded at Hes Bes on
Somalia's arid coastline.
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Somalia: Al-Shabaab’s
Encirclement Strategy Encounters Resistance
[Intelligence Update #2]
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By: Dr. Michael A.
Weinstein
January 16, 2010
The unfolding conflict between Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen
(H.S.M.) and the clan militias fighting under the banner of
Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama'a (A.S.W.J.) for control of Somalia's
central regions entered a new phase on January 10 and 11,
when A.S.W.J. took major military action against Hizbul
Islam (H.I.), which is tactically allied with H.S.M. in the
central regions, in Beledweyne, the capital and strategic
transit junction of the Hiiraan region; and against H.S.M in
the villages of Wabho and Warhole in the Galgadud region
that lie close to the town of El-Bur, where H.S.M. has its
largest military base in the central regions.
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Hamdi
Mohamed, Executive director of OCISO (Ottawa
Community Immigrant Services Organization), is a
Somali, Muslim woman. As such, she represents a new
generation of leaders in her field, and her goal is
nothing short of reframing the way Ottawa sees
itself. Her job involves a lot of organizing, but at
the root of it all is people. Photographed at the
OCISO offices in Ottawa. Photograph by: Julie
Oliver, The Ottawa Citizen |
By Louisa Taylor,
January 16, 2010
When Hamdi Mohamed gave birth to her son Adam nine years
ago, family and friends filled her room at the Civic
Hospital to celebrate. A young refugee from Somalia, Mohamed
had persevered to complete her PhD in history at the
University of Ottawa. After a decade marked by dislocation
and loss, Mohamed felt a deep sense that now, life was good.
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