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All Eyes On Somaliland
Election
It is almost certain that now Somaliland Election will take
place on June 2010. |
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By Dr. Mohamed-Rashid Sheikh Hassan
What are the expectations?
The expectations of the Somaliland population are different,
according to their clan allegiance, regional residence and,
above all, their interest. For instance, from the clan
level, each clan wants or expects not be on the defeated
side. Soon after when the date of the election is announced,
we shall see more many unelected persons who are emotionally
and enthusiastically bent to advance their clan interest.
Absent in their minds are how the interest of their clans
is interlocked with the interest of the other clans and
unless the election produces a government that service for
all clans justly and equally, it will be almost impossible
that the interest of their specific clans will be
protected.
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Lyon, France, April 24, 2010 – Delegates from across Europe
battled travel chaos to meet in Lyon and discuss ways
forward in support of Somaliland as presidential elections
edge closer this summer.
Below is an article published by UNPO:
Over two days, representatives of the Somaliland diaspora in
Europe met in Lyon, France at the annual Somaliland
Societies in Europe (SSE) conference. Discussions focused on
the long awaited presidential elections. Topics also
included new ways in which to promote the achievements of
Somaliland and to set the agenda for the coming year - which
would mark the twentieth anniversary of Somaliland’s
declaration of independence and the beginning of its
remarkable transformation from the imposed dictatorship of
Siyad Barre to a nascent democracy.
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UNITED NATIONS, April 24, 2010 – A 10-nation board approved
Friday 2.1 million dollars in UN funding for five projects to
help Somalia and neighboring countries prosecute suspected
pirates.
"Piracy off Somalia is a menace to the region and the world,"
said UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn
Pascoe, chair of the board overseeing a new trust fund.
"Prosecuting suspected pirates is an important piece of the
international strategy to combat the problem."
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NAIROBI,
April 24, 2010 – United Nations sanctions imposed on Eritrea
last year will stop it interfering in Somalia, Djibouti’s
foreign minister said on Wednesday. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf
told reporters in Nairobi he was confident Eritrea would be
forced to alter its foreign policies but it would likely
remain the region’s pariah state.
“Eritrea is trying in a way to wage war with each and
everybody in the region,” said Youssouf, who was in the
Kenyan capital to discuss regional security and economic
cooperation with his Kenyan counterpart.
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As Election Day draws closer, many all around the UK are
contemplating whether they should vote or not. Some naively
argue that all politicians are corrupt, while others very
simply ‘can’t be bothered’. But all around the world there
are people who have struggled for and who still yearn for
the freedom to choose a system of governance.
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By Jason McLure
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 24, 2010 -- Ethiopia accused
Egypt of stalling talks aimed at reaching an accord over
sharing water from the Nile River.
“Egypt has employed a delaying tactic which has dragged the
negotiating process,” Shimeles Kemal, a spokesman for the
Ethiopian government, told reporters today in the capital,
Addis Ababa. Ethiopia and six other downstream countries
plan to sign a new accord that will redistribute rights to
water from the Nile. Egypt and Sudan, the two-largest
consumers of Nile water, have refused.
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Somali '' Gestapo" Chief
Lives In Ohio |
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COLUMBUS, OHIO, April 24,
2010 – Today, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA)
and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP filed a lawsuit on
behalf of constitutional law professor Abukar Hassan Ahmed
who was imprisoned and tortured in Somalia during the brutal
regime of Siad Barre. The lawsuit was filed against Abdi
Aden Magan, a resident of Columbus, Ohio and the former head
of the Somali National Security Service (NSS) Department of
Investigations during the Barre regime.
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Somalia Clashes: Five
Headless Bodies Found |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, April 24, 2010 - The beheaded bodies of
five builders have been found in Somalia's capital Mogadishu
and at least 11 people were killed in fighting in the
central region, residents and moderate militia fighters said
Wednesday.
Mogadishu residents said they suspected al Shabaab militants
executed the builders for helping to construct Somalia's new
parliament, an institution seen by the insurgents as home to
stooges of the West.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.
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EGYPT: Minister Rejects
Nile Sharing Deal As Experts Warn Of Water Shortage
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Some of the
crew on board a Korean cargo ship MV Chol San Bong
Chong Nyon Ho in Mombasa, Kenya; ship was earlier
attacked by Somali pirates, 04 April, 2010 Photo: AP
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Cairo,
Egypt, April 24, 2010 – After the recent failure of Nile
River nations to agree on water sharing, Egypt has announced
it will take whatever steps are necessary to protect its
historical rights to billions of gallons of water it needs
each year to survive.
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Circle Oil Rumor Sends
Niche Shares Up 60pc |
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By Thomas Molloy
London, UK, April 24, 2010 – CIRCLE Oil founder John McKeon
is set to join a London-listed shell company on Thursday in
a move which could mark Mr McKeon's return to the oil
exploration business.
Shares in AIM-listed Niche Group jumped as much as 60pc to
0.6p yesterday on rumors Mr McKeon would join the company as
a consultant to identify investment opportunities. The
serial entrepreneur bought a 26.7pc stake in the company
last month.
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Somali Pirates Seek Image
Makeover |
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By Khaled Mahmoud
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Local pirates in Puntland, northeast
of Somalia, have told Asharq Al-Awsat that they are about to
launch a counter media campaign to improve their image and
reputation and respond to the attempt by various
international media organs to depict them as a mere handful
of thieves and outlaws.
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Somali MPs Risk Death, Get
Little Pay |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, April 24, 2010 – Students stayed home
from school and traders closed their shops after Islamist
militants said they would attack a rare political gathering
— a meeting of Somalia's parliament.
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Navy Success Cuts Somali
Pirate Attacks - Watchdog |
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LONDON, April 24, 2010 – Pirate attacks around the world
fell by over a third in the first quarter versus the same
period last year although Somali gangs who accounted for
over half the incidents were striking deeper offshore, a
watchdog said.
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X-Rays May Determine Age Of
Alleged Shooter |
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Judge orders dental exam. Defense lawyer has argued that
client in the triple slaying at a Somali convenience store
is only 15 and shouldn't be tried as an adult.
By
ROCHELLE OLSON, Star Tribune
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Mahdi Ali's teeth will be X-rayed to try to determine his
age when he allegedly shot three men at a south Minneapolis
convenience store in January.
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill on Thursday
granted a prosecution motion to take the X-rays. The defense
agreed with the idea.
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Diplomats Honor Somaliland |
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
April 24, 2010 (SL
Times) – According to a
press release by
Somaliland's Mission in
Ethiopia, A diplomatic
gathering in honor of
Somaliland took place at
the Romanian embassy in
Addis Ababa on Thursday.
Somaliland Foreign
Minister Mr Abdillahi
Mohamed Duale and
ambassadors of thirty
five countries
participated in the
gathering. Represented
in the gathering were
the EU, US, Canada ,
Norway, Japan, China,
Mexico, Brazil, Korea,
Australia.
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Somaliland President
Leaves For France |
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President
Riyale with vice-president Ahmed Yusuf at Hargeysa
Airport on his way to Djibouti |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) – Somaliland
President Dahir Rayale Kahin flew to Djibouti on what is
supposed to be the first leg of a visit to Djibouti, Ethiopia
and France. The president was accompanied by his wife Huda
Barkhad, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Ali
Sandulle, the Manager of Berbera Port Ali Hor-Hor and the
President's Secretary Ahmed Muhammad Ise.
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KULMIYE Party
Presents Its Election Program |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) –
Somaliland’s political party Kulmiye, presented to the
public its election program which is composed of 450 pages.
The program says Kulmiye will encourage investing in the
economy and develop the sectors of agriculture, fisheries,
and minerals. Kulmiye also pledged that, if elected, it will
reduce the required age for holding public office from 35 to
25, a move that should appeal to many young people. Kulmiye
also promised to allow the formation of new political
parties which was one of the points that formed the basis of
the agreement between Kulmiye and Qaran political group.
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Upper House Begins 40th Session |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) –
Somaliland's Upper House ended its recess and began the 40th
session since it was established.
Forty five members of the Upper House attended the session out
of a total number of eighty two.
The agenda for the session included:
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) – Yusuf A.
Gaboobe and over a dozen reporters attended a five-day
conference in Addis Ababa about the role of the press in
Somaliland’s coming presidential election.
Speaking to the Somali language newspaper Haatuf, Mr Gabobe said
the conference involved training the media on how it should
provide information to the public during the election in a
manner that is fair to the three political parties.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24,
2010 (SL Times) – The executive committee of Hadrawi Heritage
Foundation held a press conference on April 21 in Hargeysa. The
aim of the press conference was to announce to the public the
Foundation’s goals. Speaking to the press, poet Hasan Haji
Abdillah (Ganay) said the purpose of the foundation is to “to
collect and preserve the culture and traditions of the Somali
people throughout the Horn of Africa.”
The artist Muhammad Adan Da’ar also spoke in favor of the
Foundation at the press conference and said, “I thank whoever
came up with this idea.”
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Eng. Bashe A. Gaboobe Says Kulmiye
Will Win Election |
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Eng. Bashe
Abdi Gabobe
(photofile) |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 24,
2010 (SL Times) – The Campaign Manager of Kulmiye Party Bashe A.
Gaboobe said that he expects his party will win 95% of the vote
in the presidential election and 70% of the Hargeysa vote.
He also revealed that Kulmiye will soon make public the program
which it plans to carry out if it wins the election, and that
permitting the formation of other parties is part of Kulmiye’s
program which was one of the clauses in the agreement between
Kulmiye and Qaran.
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Four Hundred Soldiers Abandon
Puntland |
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Garowe, Somalia, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) – About 400 soldiers
abandoned their base in the 54th sector after receiving
training. The soldiers who were trained to fight piracy and
terrorism gave no reasons for leaving the base. What makes their
action even more dangerous is that they took their weapons with
them. According to Afnugaal.com, a number of soldiers from
Puntland’s presidency also have deserted their posts.
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Five Men Beheaded In Mogadishu |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, April 24, 2010 (SL Times) – The beheaded
bodies of five men were found in Mogadishu. So far, no
particular individual or political group has claimed to have
carried out the beheading, but family members of the victims
accused al-Shabaab of being behind it because the five men were
construction workers who had lately been re-modeling the
parliament building and al-Shabaab had sent them several phone
messages telling them to quit or else.
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(Pict)
Teachers and student at Abaarso Tech school,
Hargeysa. |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, April
24, 2010 (SL Times) − The other night on 15 April’10, I had
the opportunity to attend Abaarso Tech School’s first ever
annual arts students presentation night. The evening
included acting, singing and poetry in English and Somali
too. Abaarso Tech is a secondary boarding school situated
20km west of Hargeysa.
The school is the brainchild of Dr Ahmed Hussein Isse, the
distinguished intellectual – politician – human
rights/democracy advocate and former foreign secretary of
Kulmiye party.
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By Andrew Welsh-Huggins
COLUMBUS, April 24, 2010 – A former Somali military colonel
now living in Ohio ordered the detention and torture of a
lawyer and human rights advocate in Somalia in 1988, an
ordeal that permanently crippled the victim, according to a
federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
The lawsuit claims Abdi Aden Magan of Columbus authorized
the torture of Abukar Hassan Ahmed when Magan served as
investigations chief of the National Security Service of
Somalia, a force dubbed the "Gestapo of Somalia."
Ahmed, now retired in London, says the three months of
torture he endured make it painful for him to sit and
injured his bladder so much that he is incontinent.
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Nairobi, Kenya, April 25,
2010 – New research commissioned by UNICEF Somalia into
estimates of malaria transmission in Somalia indicates a
major decline in risk from the disease from 2005 to 2009.
This decline has resulted in a nationwide reduction of over
50% in the number of Somalis getting sick or dying from
malaria.
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Biden: Iran Sanctions By The End
Of April |
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US Vice
President Joe Biden |
By
Mina al Oraibi
Washington, London, April 24, 2010 – Whilst Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard began the Great Prophet 5 naval maneuvers in the Arabian
Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz that involved the use of 313
speedboats and rocket ships, US Vice President Joe Biden stated
Thursday said that he expected the Security Council to impose
new sanctions on Iran at the end of April or beginning of May.
He confirmed that Israel will not attack Iran before the option
of sanctions is exhausted.
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New Evaluation Of Rapid Tests
Helps Malaria Control |
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GENEVA, 24 April 2010 – A new evaluation of malaria rapid
diagnostic tests will help health workers quickly identify which
patients have the disease and need immediate treatment, putting
into action recent World Health Organization recommendations to
confirm diagnosis of malaria before treatment.
Malaria kills 860 000 people a year worldwide, mostly children
in Africa. In addition, there are cases in Asia, Latin America,
the Middle East and parts of Europe. World Malaria Day is 25
April.
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Washington, D.C. April 24, 2010 – With the primaries right around the corner on
June 8th, the race for L.A. Superior Court Judge is heating up. Of the eight
candidates looking to replace current Judge Emily Stevens, Mark Ameli would like
to make history by becoming the first ever Iranian American elected to the
position. Ameli’s campaign has been gaining momentum with the recent
endorsements of Alex Ricciardulli, Judge of the Superior Court, West
Hollywood/Beverly Hills Democratic Club, and John Noguez, the Mayor of
Huntington Park. Furthermore, he is very proud to have fought hard and received
endorsements from both the Mexican American Bar Association and the Los Angeles
County Democratic Party.
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Ibrahim Ahmed
walks to the bus stop to catch a ride to work. He is one
of many refugees deeply frustrated by the elimination of
a "picture" driver license test. (Al Hartmann/The
Salt Lake Tribune)
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The state changed driver's tests to
English only, leaving hundreds of refugees unable to drive or
find work.
By Julia Lyon
Saturday, April 24, 2010
When Ibrahim Ahmed's wife recently told him she was out of
diapers for their young twins, it was 11 p.m. So the Somali
refugee, who used to drive a bus in Africa, set out on foot in
Salt Lake City. Nearly an hour later, he arrived at the grocery
store.
After five months living in Utah, Ahmed has tried to pass the
written drivers license test three times. Though he speaks seven
languages, including a fair amount of English, he has yet to
succeed.
Had he arrived in Utah a year ago, he could have taken a
"picture" version of the driver license test, perhaps passed and
vastly improved his and his family's life.
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What happened when rebels in
Mogadishu decreed all music un-Islamic - and banned radio stations from playing
it
by Ash Smyth
Last week, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, more than a dozen radio stations
switched off their music in accordance with an ultimatum from Islamist rebels.
Apparently seeking to bolster their global-jihadist credentials, Somali
extremist groups Hezb al-Islam and their sometime-allies al-Shabaab decreed that
all music - Arab, East African or Britney Spears - ¬ is "un-Islamic", and
ordered all radio stations to cease playing it, in any form, or face "serious
consequences".
Broadcasters were quick to devise light-hearted alternatives to their scheduled
music, re-recording ads and replacing bridging jingles with the sounds of car
horns, frogs croaking, roosters crowing and, with grim irony, gunfire. ¬ The
situation was bizarre enough to earn the beleaguered Somalis a spoof-tribute on
America's National Public Radio.
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"The pirates
threw down their weapons and quickly surrendered,"
said the Dutch commander. The entire operation took
less than 15 minutes. The Somali pirates were
brought to the port of Djibouti from where they were
flown in a military aircraft to Eindhoven. They are
due to be extradited to Germany for trial.
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By
Matthias
Gebauer,
Horand
Knaup and
Marcel
Rosenbach
April 24, 2010
Somali pirates are about to face trial in Germany for the
first time since the EU launched its operation against
piracy off the Somali coast in 2008. It's a clear-cut case
-- the 10 men were caught red-handed. But it poses a legal
and diplomatic headache for the German authorities. Will
this be the first trial of many?
Hans Lodder already knows what command he will issue next
week on Friday. Shortly before the Dutch frigate Tromp
puts into port at the Den Helder naval base in northern
Holland, Captain Lodder will order his crew to bring the
broom on deck. It is a tradition on board the Tromp
that dates back to the ship's namesake, a Dutch admiral who
introduced the custom in 1652. "As a symbol that he has
swept the seas clean of those who do not belong there," says
Lodder.
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ENCINITAS, April 24, 2010 — In 2005, Yasmeen Maxamuud left
Washington, D.C., to begin a new life in Encinitas with her
new husband, Abdel Hassan, a fellow Somali-American she met
at a conference in Minneapolis. Hassan has worked for Ecke
Ranch for several years and is currently operations manager.
“Coming from an ethnically diverse place such as Washington,
it was quite a culture shock,” Maxamuud said of her arrival
in the beach community. “At first I wouldn’t go anywhere
without my husband. After three months I thought, wow,
everyone’s normal.”
Maxamuud said she fell in love with the coast right away.
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US
Sends Right Signal By Inviting Somaliland Delegation To The White
House |
The recent invitation of a Somali delegation to visit the US
and hold talks with the US administration was a positive though
long overdue step. It was positive step for the US because it
helps in correcting the widely held view among Somalis that the
US administration is not interested in contributing towards the
development and reconstruction of either Somaliland or Somalia,
and is only pursuing a narrow and militarized agenda.
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1969 Military Coup In Somalia
Part XXII |
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By Dr. Mohamed-Rashid Sh. Hassan
This is the twenty-two article of a series of articles that
Dr. Mohamed-Rashid analyses the military coup and its legacy
The formation of the movements
2. The Formation of United Somali Congress (USC)
In the 1980s, a lot of pressure came from all walks of the
Hawiye communities both inside and outside the
country, that the Hawiye clan must join the
struggle against the regime, if they wanted to have any
major presence and influence in post-Siyad Somalia. As a
response of these demands, Hawiye traditional
leaders and politicians in the capital held a series of
secret meetings. They finally agreed to form a Hawiye
political organisation outside the country, financed by the
Hawiye business community inside the country.
The United Somali Congress was formed in March 1989 in Rome.
Read full text...
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Parents Are The Primary
Educators |
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By Liban Obsiye
Primary and secondary school education in the United Kingdom
are mandatory and both are free for all students. All
students between the ages of four and sixteen are by law
obliged to attend both of these at different stages in their
lives depending on their age. Educational success is
theoretically determined by nothing other than a student’s
age and ability to learn.
Before the Education Act 1944 education for those without
status and title was limited to the learning of the basic
skills they required to carry out their pre determined roles
in society. Most of the education was delivered by religious
and third sector groups with very little national
co-ordination. However, the 1944 Education Act went some way
towards creating a more formal and structured education for
all students within the system. The Education Act 1944 made
secondary school free and obligatory until the age of 15 and
this was later raised to 16 in 1972.
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Somalia: Who Is The TG Waiting
For To Release The Chandlers? |
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By Abdillahi Dool
The ongoing captivity of the Chandlers,
two elderly British couples in
Somalia, flies in
the face of the presence of any authority let alone a
government in the capital. How long should it take for the
Transitional Government to show leadership and see to the
release of the Chandlers from their captors? Who is the TG
waiting for to act?
On 23 October 2009, Paul and Rachel
Chandler,
who hail from Kent in England, were
cruising
on a small yacht on
the Indian Ocean off the coast of Seychelles when they were
taken hostage by Somali pirates. The two captives who are in
poor health remain in the hands of their captors in
Haradheere, a small coastal town in Somalia less than 250
miles from the capital.
Read full text.....
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Kenya Should Back Somaliland’s
Quest For Recognition |
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By Peter Aringo
A Kenyan parliamentary delegation visited Somaliland last
year and was led by Farah Maalim, the Deputy Speaker of the
Kenya National assembly.
The aim of the delegation was to study the economic,
political and humanitarian situation in Somaliland. They
were to report their findings and recommendations to the
Speaker of the National assembly who, if he approved their
report, would transmit it to the House Business Committee
for allocation of parliamentary time for the House to debate
it and make a decision. The report is before Parliament
awaiting debate and approval.
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US To Allies: “No More, From
Now On, The US Armed Forces Are For Rent Only” |
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By Ivan Simic
Since 1776, when British Revolutionaries gained control of the Thirteen United
Colonies and declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, the United
States was involved in over 280 domestic and international military conflicts
which many times resolved in the destruction of one's territory, nation and
lives.
Some of historical military interventions by the US Armed Forces included: World
War I and II, Vietnam War, Korean War, Gulf War, and ongoing wars: Iraq War
(Second Persian Gulf War), War in Somalia, War on Terrorism (Operation Enduring
Freedom); Afghanistan, Philippines, Trans Sahara, among others. If we look
through world history for the last fifty years, we can see that no country has
been involved in as many military conflicts as the United States has.
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Heartiest Congratulations To The Caring And
Compassionate Face Of Somaliland, Dr. Edna Adan |
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Edna Adan receives her Chevalier de
la Legion d’Honneur from ambassador Mr. Dominique Decherf |
I am
once again very delighted to congratulate the director of Edna Adan Maternity
Hospital, (Dr. Edna Adan) for being awarded the French Chevalier de la Legion
d’Honneur this year (2010) in Somaliland. The honor is well-deserved.
For
decades Dr. Edna have worked to advance not only health sector in Somaliland,
but also the cause of human rights in both Somalia and Somaliland alike.
Dr
Edna’s contributions are by far unmatched. She centered her contributions on a
matter that haunts nations as powerful as the US and Canada, being the health
issue. She is indeed a trailblazer and pace setter, indeed, she is the caring
and compassionate face of Somaliland.
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The Second Battle For
Mogadishu |
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By Ryan Mauro
The U.S., European Union and their African allies are
training and equipping the security forces of Somalia’s
Transitional Federal Government to try to take back the
parts of Mogadishu now under the control of an Al-Qaeda
affiliate. Large portions of the city, known to most
Americans as the site of the 1993 ambush that prompted the
withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, is controlled by
the al-Shabaab terrorist group. Should Al-Qaeda and its
allies succeed in seizing Somalia, they will be able to
resurrect the network they lost in Afghanistan and activate
their Somali networks in the West to deadly effect.
Read full text......
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A Talk With Bureau Of
Investigative Journalism Managing Director, Iain Overton |
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By Mohammed Al Shafey
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Iain Overton is the Managing
Director of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which is
a non-profit organization that aims to produce high-quality
investigations for national and international media, as well
as support the education and training of investigative
journalists. Overton studied at Cambridge University and has
worked for the BBC and ITN. He is primarily known as a
documentary maker, and has produced films on a wide range of
issues including the activities of the minutemen on the US –
Mexico border, child trafficking in India, and honor killing
in Turkey. His films have won numerous awards including a
Bafta Scotland, a Prix Circom, a Peabody Award, and a One
World media award.
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