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Somalia's Sufis Join The
Battle For Their Country |
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Some
Somalians fear that the Sufis are just the latest
jumble of self-interested holy warriors competing
for turf and power.WASHINGTON POST / SUDARSAN
RAGHAVAN |
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Mogadishu, Somalia, May 29, 2010 – From behind green
sandbags, Abdul Gader fired his rusting AK-47 down a narrow
road. A Koran, its pages open, rested on the earth near his
sweat-soaked body. So did a pile of bullets.
Before him was territory controlled by radical al-Shabaab
fighters. Behind him was territory Gader and his comrades
had taken away from them.
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Sydney, Australia, May 29, 2010 – A New Zealand doctor says
it is unlikely that obstetricians on either side of the
Tasman will agree to a token form of genital mutilation on
baby girls.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently raised but
quickly backed down from the idea that doctors in some
communities should be able to substitute demands for female
genital cutting with a harmless clitoral "pricking" or nick,
in order to "satisfy cultural requirements."
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HOUSTON (AP) — A Somali diplomat said Thursday he's concerned a
member of a terrorist group from his country may be trying to
get to Texas through Mexico but fear oppressed Somalis in Latin
America trying to gain asylum in the U.S. will get caught up in
a terror alert issued by American authorities.
U.S. Homeland Security has asked law enforcement in Houston to
be on the lookout for a suspected member of the al-Shabaab
group, an al-Qaida ally based in Somalia.
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Nairobi,
Kenya, May 29, 2010 – Somalia militia shot and seriously
injured five people after crossing the border to Kenya in
Wajir district Thursday.
They drove into the Dadajabula village, 200km South of Wajir
town in North Eastern province, on two pick-up trucks at
around midnight and opened fire while the residents were
asleep in their Manyattas.
The raid comes just four days after the Somali insurgent
group al Shabaab threatened to carry out attacks in Kenya,
which it accused of “interfering in the affairs of Somalia.”
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A courtroom sketch
shows five suspected Somali pirates attending a hearing in a
Rotterdam court. Photo: AFP/GETTY
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Amsterdam, May 29, 2010 – Five Somali men have protested
that they were shark fisherman not pirates despite being
intercepted off Somalia's coast after attacking a Dutch
vessel with rocket launchers and assault rifles.
Europe's first modern trial for the 17th century crime of
"sea robbery" has opened in Rotterdam amid protestations of
innocence from the accused.
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HOUSTON, May 29, 2010 — U.S. Homeland Security officials
have asked Houston authorities to watch for a member of a
Somalia-based terror group who may be coming to Texas
through Mexico.
The federal department issued an alert last week for a
suspected member of the al-Shabaab group, which has declared
allegiance to al-Qaida.
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Washington, May
29, 2010 – President Barack Obama's new national security
strategy will make clear the United States is not at war
with Islam, a top adviser said on Wednesday as the
administration prepared for a formal break with Bush-era
doctrine.
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Investigation Opens Into
German Mercenaries In Somalia |
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Berlin, May 29, 2010 – The public prosecutor in the German
city of Muenster has opened an investigation into reports
that a German security firm is sending mercenaries to a
Somali warlord amid concerns the deal violates UN sanctions.
A German public prosecutor on Wednesday began an
investigation into reports that a German security firm has
been contracted to provide a Somali warlord with more than
100 German ex-soldiers.
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Prosecutors Demand 7-Year
Sentences For Piracy |
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ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, May 29, 2010 — Dutch prosecutors
have demanded seven-year prison sentences for five Somali
men accused of attempting to hijack a cargo ship, in
Europe's first piracy trial stemming from the rising tide of
banditry in the Gulf of Aden.
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Amanda Lindhout Speaks Out
For Women In Somalia |
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OTTAWA, May 29, 2010 – The idea was conceived in captivity.
It blossomed in a series of windowless rooms and was forged
by the torture, fear and shackles that bound Amanda Lindhout
for 15 months in southern Somalia.
Her captors, Islamic fundamentalists affiliated with the
Hizbul-Islam insurgent group, took away her freedom, her
safety and threatened to take her life if millions of
dollars in ransom money were not paid by her family and the
family of Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan.
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Somali Warlord Hires German
Mercenaries To Provide Security Services |
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A member
of a pro-government militia in Mogadishu: A German
security firm has signed a deal to provide security
for a Somali warlord. Photo: AP |
Berlin, Germany, May 29, 2010 – Politicians have reacted
angrily to reports that a German firm has signed a deal with
a Somali warlord to provide security services. Former
members of German special forces and an elite police unit
could soon be working as bodyguards and trainers in the
lawless country.
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Hostages Urge PM To Clarify
Stance With Somali Pirates |
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LONDON, May 29, 2010 – A British couple kidnapped by Somali
pirates in the Indian Ocean seven months ago appealed in a
video broadcast on Wednesday for the new government in
London to publicly state its position on their plight.
Paul and Rachel Chandler said their kidnappers' expectations
had been raised by the election of the new
Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government on May 6
and called on Prime Minister David Cameron to clarify its
stance on the pirates' demands.
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US Sends More Soldiers On
Covert Missions |
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Pentagon confirms expansion of undercover operations in
Middle East, central Asia and Horn of Africa
Washington DC, May 29, 2010 – The
US military is
expanding covert operations in the Middle East, central Asia
and the Horn of Africa, sending troops on undercover
operations that were previously left mainly to the CIA and
other civilian spy agencies.
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Plot Highlights New Terror
Worry |
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By KEITH
JOHNSON
Washington, May 29, 2010 – White House counterterrorism
chief John Brennan said the U.S. is "facing a new phase of
the terror threat," in which home-grown radicals are
increasingly plotting attacks inside the U.S.
Mr. Brennan made the comments in advance of the Obama
administration's new national-security strategy document, to
be unveiled Thursday. He said during a speech Wednesday that
the document "explicitly recognizes the threat to the United
States posed by individuals radicalized here at home."
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IFAD Program Will Assist
Somaliland Farmers And Pastoralists |
Dr Nadim Khouri, the
Director of the IFAD
program for the Near
East and North Africa
Hargeysa, Somaliland,
May 29, 2010 (SL Times)
– A program to assist
farmers and pastoralists
will begin in
Somaliland. The program
will be financed by the
International Fund for
Agricultural Development
(IFAD) and is expected
to cost $6.5 Million.
The Somali language
newspaper Haatuf which
is a sister publication
of the Somaliland Times
interviewed the Director
of the IFAD program for
the Near East and North
Africa, Dr Nadim Khouri.
According to Dr Khouri,
about 53,000 families in
Awdal and Hargeysa
regions will benefit
from this project which
will be implemented by
TRANSTEC.
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Somaliland’s Young
People Worried About The Job Market |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 29, 2010 (SL Times) – Many of
Somaliland’s young people are expressing concern about the lack
of employment opportunities in the country. Some of them bring
up the promise made by Somaliland President Dahir Rayale Kahin
in 2003 when he was campaigning for President that if elected he
would give a high priority to job creation, and how that promise
was not fulfilled.
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Lecture On
Conflict Resolution At Las Anod’s Nugal University
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Las Anod, Somaliland, May 29, 2010 (SL Times) – Professor
Abdi Ahmed Nuri (Abdi Gurey) of Hargeysa University
delivered a lecture on conflict resolution at Nugal
University in Las Anod.
According to afnugaal.com, the program started with verses
from the Qur’an. Then the Vice president of Nugal
University, Dr. Abdinasir Muhammad Barre (Abu Sheybe) spoke
briefly about the importance of the topic of the lecture for
the region and the world.
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Children’s Health Day Celebrated
In Las Anod |
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Las Anod, Somaliland, May 29, 2010 (SL Times) – Somaliland’s
Minister of Health and Labor, Mr Ahmed Ali Asowe took part in a
conference on children’s health day in Las Anod. The event took
place at Nugal University. Las Anod city officials, ministers
and other dignitaries took part in the occasion. According to
Afnugaal.com, the first person to speak in this program was
Halimo Hasan Ali Ugaso who gave a briefing on the immunization
program that is going in Las Anod and other cities.
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Mogadishu, Somalia, May 29, 2010 (SL Times) – An attempt was
made to kill three of Sheikh Sharif’s ministers with an
improvised explosive device.
One of the ministers who is the Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation, Mr Abdirahman Abdishakur,
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Garowe, Somalia, May 29, 2010 (SL Times) – Puntland’s
administration halted a conference in Garowe that was put
together by PDRC (a Puntland organization) and Interpeace.
Puntland initially gave permission for the conference, but once
the conference started, Puntland administration changed its mind
and decided to close the conference.
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Newly-Found Somali Company To
Bring Peace To Country |
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Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2010
– Five Somali companies signed an agreement here on Sunday to
establish a joint company providing much-needed electricity and
gas infrastructure to the under- developed country.
The agreement was signed at the sideline of the round table
meeting after the closing of the United Nations' Somalia
Conference in Istanbul.
Sharif Ahmed Said, director of the Somalia Business Council,
said: "this project will give Somali people the peace dividend
that has eluded them for so long."
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German Security Deal Raises Worry
Over Mercenaries |
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BERLIN, Germany, May 29, 2010 – A deal struck by a German
private security firm with a Somali politician to provide
soldiers for hire has raised uncomfortable questions about
whether Germany can send mercenaries into combat 65 years after
World War Two.
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Somalia: Al-Qaida's Newest
Safe-Haven |
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NBC's Richard
Engel reports: |
Mogadishu, Somalia, May 29, 2010 – Flying into in Mogadishu
isn't for the faint of heart. We arrived on African Express, one
of only two airlines still operating in Somalia. It's soon clear
why there are so few flights - sitting on the runway is the
wreckage of a plane.
It is a fitting first impression of this country, which hasn't
had a functioning government in 19 years.
Just getting your bags is something of a free-for-all here. At
baggage claim, it's anarchy. There are no belts or X-ray
machines - even Customs is nowhere to be found.
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U.S. Is Said To Expand Secret
Actions In Mideast |
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WASHINGTON, May 29, 2010 — The top American commander in
the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine
military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or
counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other
countries in the region, according to defense officials and
military documents.
The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David
H. Petraeus, authorizes the sending of American Special
Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in
the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to
gather intelligence and build ties with local forces.
Officials said the order also permits reconnaissance that
could pave the way for possible military strikes in Iran if
tensions over its nuclear ambitions escalate.
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By Jim
Michaels
Pirates have stepped up their attacks off the coast of Somalia this
year despite a large international naval flotilla designed
to protect merchant shipping in the Horn of Africa region.
"The pirates are becoming more brazen," said Lt. Cmdr. Corey
Barker, a spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered
in Bahrain.
Pirates launched 47 attacks in the region off the east coast
of Somalia in the first four months of this year, up from 37
during the same period last year, according to U.S. 5th
Fleet statistics.
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Mogadishu, Somalia, May 29,
2010 – The international football governing body (FIFA) has
given complete refereeing equipment to nine Somali
international football referees and assistant referees, as
FIFA’s effort to encourage and develop football in Somalia.
The presentation ceremony of the equipment was held at
Mogadishu’s Sahafi International Hotel on Thursday, where
each of the referees was given one bag full of different
kinds of refereeing dress and a pair of Adidas shoes.
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India Train Attack Kills 73 |
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Rescue
workers gathered at the scene of the crash about 150
kilometers west of Kolkata early Friday. |
By
KRISHNA POKHAREL And PAUL BECKETT
NEW DELHI, May 29, 2010 —India's railways minister blamed Maoist
rebels for a train derailment early Friday that killed at least
73 people in the eastern state of West Bengal.
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Pakistan Mosque Attacks Leave At
Least 72 Dead |
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ISLAMABAD, May 29, 2010 —Taliban militants brandishing assault
rifles and grenades attacked a pair of mosques of a minority
religious sect in eastern Pakistan, killing at least 72 people
and taking a number of worshippers hostage before being overcome
by police.
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The conference expressed 'full
support' to the Somali President |
Sheikh Sharif stresses that ending piracy depends on bringing economic stability
to Somalia.
By Nicolas
Cheviron
Istanbul, May 29,
2010 – Fifty-five countries on Saturday pledged their support to Somalia's
fragile transitional federal government as the only barrier to chaos in the
war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation.
UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon opened an international conference in Istanbul with an
appeal for global support for Somalia's government as it sought to strengthen
its military resources and reconstruct the country.
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Somaliland
remembers its bloody past, as this war memorial shows |
By Sean
McLachlan
The most interesting thing about traveling in Somaliland is that
you get to see a country in the process of creating itself.
When it achieved independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991,
there wasn't much to work with. The capital had been destroyed,
a large number of people were homeless and without work, and the
country wasn't recognized by the outside world. Recognition
still hasn't come, but Somalilanders are slowly building their
nation.
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By Patrick
Mathangani
They are death machines, trained to kill by Somalia’s al-Shabaab,
which has been linked to the world’s most wanted terrorist —
Osama bin Laden.
They roam the country freely after quietly sneaking back
after their quest for fortunes in the lawless country came
to naught.
This is the story of Kenyans lured to enlist with the terror
group, which the US government says is a proxy for Bin
Laden’s al-Qaeda.
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Explo Nani-Kofi
When Barack Obama was elected president of the US, it was
supposed to be the end of the bad old days of George W.
Bush. But in Somalia, the 'war on terror' continues.
March this year saw the start of a new US operation in
support of the transitional government in Somalia.
According to the New York Times, American advisors had spent
the last several months training Somali forces to be
deployed in the offensive against factions of the Union of
Islamic Courts movement, and the US had provided 'covert
training to Somali intelligence officers, logistical support
to the peacekeepers, fuel for the maneuvers, surveillance
information about insurgent positions and money for bullets
and guns'.
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Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2010 – The Istanbul Conference on
Somalia took place in Istanbul from 21-23 May, 2010
reflecting the strong determination of the United Nations,
the Government of Turkey and the International Community to
work with the Transitional Federal Institutions and the
people of Somalia to defeat the cycle of lawlessness,
violence and despair in the country and to build in its
place a peaceful and prosperous future for the Somali
people. The Conference reaffirmed the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, political independence and unity of
Somalia.
The Conference was held within the framework of the Djibouti
Agreement, which provides Somalia and its leaders with a
clear and viable path for achieving a comprehensive and
lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia. The Djibouti
Process remains open for all Somalis to work towards peace,
reconciliation and development. The Conference expressed its
full support to President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and the
Transitional Federal Institutions in their efforts to
implement the Djibouti Agreement. It reiterated its
commitment to improve the lives and security of the Somali
people, foster reconciliation,
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The
Status Quo Is No Longer Acceptable In Buhoodle |
Several conflicting reasons were given for the ugly events
that took place in Buhoodle this week. In an interview with the
BBC Somali Service, one of Buhoodle’s chiefs, Garad Abdillahi
Sofe, said the conflagration in Buhoodle was started by young
traders of the narcotic drug Qat. The Garad may be right in that
the Qat traders were the hands that lit the fuse.
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1969 Military Coup In Somalia
Part XXVII |
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By Dr. Mohamed-Rashid Sh. Hassan
This is the twenty-seventh article of a series of articles that
Dr. Mohamed-Rashid analyses the military coup and its legacy
A brief History about General Mohamed Farah Aidid
I met the General Mohamed Farah Aidid in Kampala Uganda and
had a long interview with him, both about his life and his
vision about the future of Somalia.
General Aidid‘s name dominated the Somali political scene
prior to and in the years that followed the downfall of the
military regime. Aidid’s forces confronted the US forces in
Somalia and his name entered world politics, as the man
whose name was associated with first test of the New World
Order, as proclaimed by President Bush Senior.
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The Somalilanders Yearning For
A Government Accountable To Its People |
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By Mukhtar Mohamed Abby
The D day – the polling day is drawing near with the
Riyale’s ruling party, which is now constitutionally a
care taker government, and the opposition parties –
are currently vying with each other over the ways and the
means to get hold of the minds and the hearts of Somaliland
people in order to vote for their respective parties in the
coming presidential contest - which has recently been
announced by the National Election Commission of Somaliland
to be held on 26 June, 2010.
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Somaliland: Canadian, American
Warlords, Al-Shabaab Vow To Disrupt Election |
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By Dalmar Kahin
A Canadian and an American of Somali origin, among other nationalities, with Al-Shabaab
terrorists plan a massive violent campaign against Somaliland polling stations
in June 2010. A Canadian and an American! Hard to belief, isn’t it? Not only is
it hard to swallow that some of the individuals gearing up for a showdown with
Somaliland security forces live in the heart of Canada and U.S., but also these
warmongers would slip back to Canada and U.S. without any problems.
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Somaliland Deserves
Self-Respect, Not Denigrating Remarks From Tyrants.
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Dear ladies and gentlemen,
In the light of recent interview the president of Djibouti
gave to the BBC Somali, it has transpired that what a lot of
people were wondering has come true: the president of
Djibouti has added his name to a long list of pathetic
losers who are against Somaliland.
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Ethiopians Vote Meles Zenawi
Counts!!!! |
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By Tedla Asfaw
By now you all must have heard that the so called Election in Ethiopia this past
Sunday was peaceful. What you have not heard is why this one is in fact is
breaking the record not only on voters turnout but also in rigging election. We
heard about ethnic cleansing in the 1990s in former Yugoslavia, the Meles led
party pioneered Cleansing Election Observers before voting starts. This is
carried out in the cover of darkness throughout Ethiopia.
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Riyale Is Unwilling To Recognize Or Identify With
The Feelings And Needs Of Others |
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By Amiin Dahir Caynaanshe
Mr. Riyaale, I can hardly imagine the shock you must have felt when you
discovered that you were on losing side of the voice of the people of Somaliland
not just once,
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Africa Dispatch: Somalia's
Money Men |
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By SARAH
CHILDRESS
Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2010 —At this swanky conference on
Somalia over the weekend, the most important guests didn't
hold lofty posts. At least one lacked a college degree. But
they represent some of the most powerful—and moneyed—players
in Somalia: its business leaders.
The United Nations hosted the Conference on Somalia, and it
was predictably high-class. Participants gathered in marbled
five-star hotels scattered across the city, all with
breathtaking views of the Bosphorus, the strait that divides
Asia and Europe. They chatted about Somalia's problems over
hot and cold Turkish dishes and at least a half-dozen types
of dessert.
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Richard Engel On Somalia: It's
'Like You Are Reporting On The Moon' |
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By Kevin Allocca
While NBC News
chief foreign affairs correspondent Richard
Engel is best
known for his reporting in the Middle East, he said he's been spending more time
outside the region lately. "I spent a lot of time in Iraq," Engel tells TVNewser.
"Then, I spent the next several years in Lebanon, and the last year and half or
so, I've mostly focused on Afghanistan."
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After 20 Years Of Conflict In
Somalia, Peace Will Require 'Painstaking, Sustained
Efforts', Long-Term Strategy, Says Secretary-General To
Istanbul Conference |
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SG/SM/12907
AFR/1981
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's opening remarks to the
conference on Somalia, held in Istanbul, Turkey, 22 May:
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Inside The World's Worst
Hellhole: Somalia, The Perfect Failed State |
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By Clemens
Höges in Mogadishu
Somalia, which has been without a functioning government for almost two decades,
serves as a warning for what could happen to other failed states. Rival Islamic
militias battle for control of the capital, where the president, Sheikh Sharif
Sheikh Ahmed, is in constant danger of his life. A visit to the worst place on
the planet.
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