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Somaliland: The Only Democratic Election In Africa In Recent
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Uganda
bombs — Ugandan authorities suspect the attacks were
the work of Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab insurgents based
in war-torn Somalia |
KAMPALA, Uganda, July 24, 2010— African leaders gathering in
Kampala days after Somalia’s Shabaab carried out deadly
suicide attacks in the Ugandan capital are expected this
weekend to mull sending more troops to war-torn Mogadishu.
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The ISG congratulates the Somaliland people for the
successful Presidential Election held on the 26 June 2010.
The ISG started analyzing the challenges of the Somaliland
Presidential election in March 2009 and has often faced the
wrath of one side or the other of the key stakeholders when
its monthly reports came out.
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Doha, Qatar, July 24, 2010 – Is al-Shabaab taking its fight
beyond Somalia and into the Horn of Africa and does it pose
a regional threat?
After focusing its efforts on Somalia's southern
region over the past three years the group appears to be
gaining momentum as it continues to challenge the country's
weak transitional government.
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Geneva, July 24, 2010 — The United Nations refugee agency
Friday urged the northern Somali breakaway region of
Puntland to halt the expulsion of Somali refugees, saying
around 900 had been pushed back this week alone.
The Somalis had fled fighting in the central part of the
country but Puntland authorities on Tuesday and Wednesday
pushed them back to their conflict-ridden homeland, said the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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KAMPALA, Uganda, July 24, 2010 — Two more countries will
send troops to join a peacekeeping force protecting the
embattled Somali government against al-Qaida-linked Islamist
insurgents, the head of the African Union said Friday, July
23.
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Abuja, Nigeria, July 24, 2010 – The Nigeria Government on
Thursday denied the involvement of its citizen in the July
11 bomb attack which claimed 76 lives in Kampala, the
Ugandan capital.
Reacting to a report in a local newspaper in Kampala, ‘The
New Vision’ on the involvement of a Nigerian in the terror
attack, the Nigeria High Commissioner to Uganda, Mr Fidel
Ayogu, said the claim was unsubstantiated.
The newspaper in Kampala had on Thursday reported that a
Nigerian was among the 43 suspects so far arrested over the
bombing incident.
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WASHINGTON, July
24, 2010 - The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning
on Thursday for Americans in Kenya, citing increasing
threats in the wake of deadly suicide bomb attacks earlier
this month in neighboring Uganda.
The U.S. Embassy in the Kenyan capital urged U.S. citizens
to be cautious in public areas and warned them to avoid
public rallies and demonstrations.
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Four African Nations Eyeing Somalia Mission: Uganda
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KAMPALA, Uganda, July 24, 2010 — Four African nations have
sent army officers to Somalia before deciding whether to
commit troops to the Horn of Africa nation, where rebels are
battling the fragile government, a senior Ugandan military
official said.
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AU Called Upon To Protect African Journalists
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Joe DeCapua
KAMPALA, Uganda, July 24, 2010 — African leaders are being
asked to make the safety of journalists a top priority. The
call comes from the International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) and other groups as the AU summit is being held in
Kampala, Uganda.
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War Of Words Growing In Somalia As Al-Shabaab Establishes
More Radio Stations |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, July 24, 2010 — Top officials of
Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist movement vehemently opposing
the Transitional Federal Government, opened a radio station
in the central regions of Somalia on Sunday.
Sheikh Abukar Zaila’i alias Ibrahim Al-Afghan, a senior
Al-Shabaab official and Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raghe alias
Sheikh Ali Dhrere, the spokesman of the movement, attended
the opening ceremony in Galgadud region.
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SOMALIA: Deadly Skies Above Mogadishu |
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MOGADISHU, 24 July 2010 – As Islamist insurgents battle it
out with government troops backed by African Union forces (AMISOM)
in Somalia’s capital, civilians face continuous danger from
above in the form of the mortar shells used by most parties
to the conflict.
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full text...
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General Outlines U.S. Mission, Challenges In Africa
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WASHINGTON, July 24, 2010 -- As U.S. Africa Command matures
and strengthens ties with African nations, American
interests on the continent become more stable, the command's
top officer said today.
AFRICOM was established in October 2007 to "add value" to
African nations by improving their military capacities and
to help nations achieve their short- and long-term goals,
Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward said during remarks at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies here. He discussed
progress and challenges and explained the strategic
importance of the continent to global security.
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'We Need Foreign Shopkeepers' |
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BY Mandilakhe Tshwete
Cape Town, South Africa, July 24, 2010 – Life is better in
the townships with foreign shopkeepers, say locals.
Somali shopowners have
fled the Cape Flats in droves fearing for their lives.
Now community members say
they can't afford to travel to nearest big stores, which are
cheaper.
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full text...
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Fears Of A New Tora Bora In Northern Somalia |
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An
Islamist fighter parades with a rocket-propelled gun
(RPG) in Mogadishu
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By Mustafa Haji Abdinur
ERIGAVO, Somaliland, July 24, 2010 — A notorious warlord and
arms dealer is training Islamist fighters in the remote
mountains of northern Somalia and setting up what local
officials fear could become a new Tora Bora.
Mohamed Said Atom, one of a handful of men singled out by
the UN Security Council as violating an arms embargo on
Somalia, has established bases in the Sanaag mountains
straddling Puntland and Somaliland, a senior security
official said.
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full text...
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Somaliland's Sillanyo Takes Oath In Show Of Democracy |
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UK Delegation Meets With President
Kahin And Newly Elected President Sillanyo |
Hargeysa, Somaliland,
July 24, 2010 (SL Times)
– A delegation led by
UK's Deputy Ambassador
to Ethiopia John Marshal
arrived in Somaliland
this week. The
delegation was
accompanied by the
Nairobi-based head of
International aid and
development, Emma Moley.
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French Delegation
Visits Somaliland |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – A delegation
led by France's Ambassador to Djibouti, Mr Dominique Decher paid
a two-day visit to Somaliland. Speaking to the press at Mansoor
Hotel, Ambassador Dominique Decher praised Somaliland's
democracy and touted it as a worthy example for many countries
in Africa. The ambassador also said Somaliland-French relations
have progressed to a good level and praised Somaliland's
representative in France, Mr Ali Ismail Hasan.
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World Bank Will
Finance Buro Project |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) –
Somaliland’s government has signed an agreement with the
World Bank in which the latter will finance the building of
an animal slaughterhouse in Buro. The agreement was signed
by the Minister of Livestock, Dr Idris Ibrahim Abdi.
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Eng. Bashe A. Gabobe Says Kulmiye
Won Election Because Of Popular Support |
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Eng. Bashe A. Gabobe |
Hargeysa,
Somaliland, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – In a special interview
with Haatuf Newspaper, the Campaign Manager of Kulmiye Party for
the Western Regions, Eng. Bashe Abdi Gaboobe, spoke about
Somaliland’s presidential election.
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Las Anod, Somaliland, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – The Deputy
Governor of Sool Region, Mr Mohamud Abdi Dhinbiil held a press
conference at Las Anod’s Hamdi Hotel in which he spoke about the
security situation in Sool region and the city of Las Anod in
particular. Mr Mohamud Abdi Dhinbiil said the security status of
Sool region is very good. He did mention though the
assassination of the High Appeals Court Judge Suleiman Jama Isse
(Suleiman Dheere) in Las Anood.
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10
SSC prisoners arrived in Buroa Central Prison
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Burco, Somaliland, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – A militia called
SSC attacked Somali forces in WidhWidh this week. Somaliland’s
forces repulsed the attack and in the process inflicted serious
damage on the SSC militia. The number of the dead among the SSC
militia are unknown but it was reported that at least 20 of the
militia were injured and ten were taken prisoner.
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Gabiley Hospital Built |
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Gabiley, Somaliland, July 24,
2010 (SL Times) – The construction of Gabiley hospital was
finished this week. An event to celebrate this occasion was held
at a hall in the hospital itself and was attended by the city’s
government and health officials, members of the committee for
advancing the region, representatives of the political parties,
traditional leaders, women’s organizations, people from the
diaspora and other distinguished guests.
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Sheikh Sharif’s Minister
Criticizes AMISOM’s Shelling Of Civilians In Mogadishu |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – A number of
ministers in Sheikh Sharif’s government and parliamentarians
held a meeting at Nasa Hablood 2 Hotel in Mogadishu to discuss
the dangerous situation in Mogadishu. During the meeting, the
Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Sheikh Abdirahman Ali
Omar said that, at this point, the situation of the city of
Mogadishu needs to be re-considered and a decision needs to be
made.
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Southern Somalis Deported From
Puntland |
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Bosaso, Somalia, July 24, 2010 (SL Times) – A stream of southern
Somalis continued to be deported from Puntland this week.
Puntland blames refugees from southern Somalia for the almost
daily bombings and assassinations of government officials in
Puntland. Speaking to the Voice of America (July 20, 2010),
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U.N. Court Rules Kosovo Declaration Was Legal |
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By
DAN
BILEFSKY
PRAGUE, July 24, 2010 —
Kosovo’s
unilateral declaration of independence from
Serbia
in 2008 did not violate international law, the
United Nations’
highest court said Thursday in a ruling that Kosovo heralded as
a victory but that legal experts warned could spur separatist
movements around the world.
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US-Led Armada Holds Drills Off Korea As Pyongyang Threatens
Retaliation |
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The USS
George Washington, a nuclear-powered U.S. supercarrier,
leaves for joint military exercises at the Busan port in
Soth Korea. |
ABOARD USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, July 25, 2010 — Fighter jets
buzzed the skies and submarines cruised underwater Sunday as a
flotilla of U.S. and South Korean warships led by a
nuclear-powered U.S. supercarrier began exercises that have
enraged North Korea.
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File: A
predator drone flies over the moon above Kandahar Air
Field in southern Afghanistan. U.S. missiles hit a
suspected militant hide-out killing 16 insurgents in a
troubled Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan
border before dawn Saturday, July 24, intelligence
officials said |
London, UK, July 25, 2010 – A top British spy agency uses its
technology to pinpoint the hiding places of al Qaeda and Taliban
chiefs for controversial “targeted killings” by U.S. drones, it
was revealed Sunday.
GCHQ, the top secret U.K. communications agency, has used
telephone intercepts to provide the Americans with “locational
intelligence” on leading militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
an official briefed on its operations said.
Insiders say GCHQ can provide more extensive and precise
technical coverage in the region than its American sister
organization, the National Security Agency, because Britain has
a better network of intercept stations in Asia.
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Chris Albin-Lackey
Chris Albin-Lackey is a senior researcher at Human Rights
Watch
Ask people what they know
about Somalia and most will probably start talking about
pirates, terrorists, and Black Hawk Down. Not many would
think to mention democracy or free elections as well, but
they should. Last month, Somaliland -- an impoverished
sliver of territory that has maintained de facto
independence from Somalia since 1991 -- held elections that
put the democratic pretenses of its neighbors in the Horn of
Africa to shame.
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Africa is in
the throes of election fever. But more voting does not
necessarily mean more democracy
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BURUNDI has just had one, as has Guinea. That came hot on
the heels of the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland’s,
which followed Ethiopia’s. Rwanda is bracing itself for one
at the beginning of next month, and after that Tanzania,
Chad and several others are due to follow. By the end of
December a score of sub-Saharan Africa’s 48 countries should
have gone to the polls for an assortment of local, regional
and national elections. Kenya is also holding a vital
constitutional referendum on August 4th. This is a big year
for African voters. The electoral calendar has never been so
crowded.
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A
war-ravaged street in Mogadishu.
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Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government
in more than two decades, is experiencing an upsurge in
violence and increased civilian casualties. Clashes have
intensified between al-Shabaab insurgents and the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) led by Sheikh Sharif
Ahmed , which enjoys international recognition but controls
limited territory in and around the capital, Mogadishu.
Troops from Uganda and Burundi comprise the 6,300-strong
peacekeeping mission from the African Union supporting the
TFG – the justification provided when Shabaab claimed
responsibility for the bombings in the Ugandan capital,
Kampala, on July 11 that left more than 70 people dead.
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by Leila Kaddour-Boudadi, Translated by Chigba Njokanma
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the 11/7 twin
bombings in Kampala, Uganda which caused the death of 73
people and wounded 85 more. The extremist group has
installed its own brutal version of the Islamic Sharia law,
which includes a ban on women wearing bras and the killing
of unfortunate women or children who fall victim to rape.
Close-up on this Somali Islamist group that controls over
80% of the Horn of Africa country.
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1969 Military Coup In Somalia
Part XXXV |
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By Dr. Mohamed-Rashid Sh. Hassan
This is the thirty fifth article of a series of articles that
Dr. Mohamed-Rashid analyses the military coup and its legacy
The Gainers and the Losers of the Military Regime
continued...
4. Rahanwein or Reewein
They are divided into two
main clans Digil and Mirifle then to further
sub-clans. They mainly live in the Bay Regions (former upper
Juba) and are by and large farming communities with a great
sense of community values.
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Somaliland: Public Service As
A Means To Personal Fame And Fortune |
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Abdillahi Hussein Daud
Public service is indeed a noble profession as long as
serving public interest is one’s highest priority. Moreover,
the less pay in the public sector as compare to the private
sector is more than compensated by the sense of
self-fulfillment that civil servants feel as they serve
their communities and nations.
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Are Somali Websites
Editors/Webmasters Doing Their Job? |
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Moha Jama
“Will you tell me my
fault, frankly as to yourself, for I had rather wince, than die. Men do not call
the surgeon to commend the bone, but to set it, Sir.”
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830-1886) American poet
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U.S. Should Lead The World In
Recognizing Peaceful, Democratic Somaliland
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By Ali
Mohamed
Somalia
recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its
independence, but most Somalis have nothing to celebrate.
Somalia ranks as the world's most utterly failed state.
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We Expect Recognition Of Our
Homeland, The Republic Of Somaliland |
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Now that the election has occurred and we have a new president in the highest
office of the Somaliland republic, one has to ask what does the international
community needs from us.
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After The Win-win Election: Where To Go From Here?
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Adam Musse Jibril
Background:
Fifty years ago, in June 26, the banner of independence was hoisted in the
Somaliland soil. This has marked the first step towards decolonization of this
part of Africa, before neighboring Somalia and Kenya.
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Disability Is Not In ability |
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Fadumo and her daughter live in Mandeeq village with Somali hut made of shabby
clothes and plastic sheets who at present in desperate condition lacking all
necessities for life.
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Kosovo Freedom Signal Paves Way For Others |
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Court's opinion that independence is legal has far-reaching
repercussions, writes Simon Tisdall.
London, UK, July 24, 2010 – Separatists and
secessionists from Taiwan, Xinjiang and Somaliland to Sri
Lanka, Georgia and the West Country of England will welcome
this week's legal opinion
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The End Of The Battle For Kosovo |
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Separatists, secessionists and splittists from Taiwan, Xinjiang and Somaliland
to Sri Lanka, Georgia and the West Country will welcome today's
precedent-setting legal opinion from the UN's international court of justice
effectively upholding Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from
Serbia.
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African Elections: The Power Of The Angry Voter |
Even bad
elections are better than none
BEFORE
Sudan’s people went to the polls in April, President Omar al-Bashir invested a
great deal of time and money in ensuring that there could be only one outcome.
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In Search Of Africa's Bin Laden |
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He was the man behind the
Ugandan bombings. Now it is feared the leader of Somalia's Shabaab extremists, a
former accountant, will wage war in the West
BY COLIN FREEMAN AND MIKE PFLANZ
As befits a man who fears
he has a U.S. missile with his name on it, Ahmed Abdi Godane knows the
importance of keeping a low profile.
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