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Somaliland Court
Sentences Six Captured Pirates To Jail Terms |
Five of six Somali pirates which a
Somaliland court jailed in last week
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Berbera, Somaliland, June 11, 2011 – Six Somali
pirates were jailed by a Somaliland court for
capturing an Italian vessel in April 2008 and
receiving a $3 million ransom.
The Berbera Regional Court gave five of the pirates
eight- year jail terms, while a sixth received a
sentence of five years after he confessed to the
crime, Osman Ibrahim Direi, head of the court, said
yesterday. The six men were captured by Somaliland’s
coast guard on March 24 near the coastal town of
Maydh.
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A
Somali government soldier mans a position at
southern Mogadishu’s Shirkole-Ofishale
premises (AFP/File, Mustafa Abdi) |
Chicago, IL, June 11, 2011 — US investigators have
identified one of the suicide bombers responsible
for a May 30 attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu
as a 27-year-old man from Minnesota, who left for
the war-torn east African nation in 2009.
Based on fingerprints obtained by the FBI after the
attack, the bomber was positively identified as
Farah Mohamed Beledi, from Minneapolis,
investigators said Thursday.
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Mohamed Sheikh Nor/Associated Press
Somalis in Mogadishu protested a deal that
led to the dismissal of the popular prime
minister. |
Johannesburg, SA, June 11, 2011 — After months of
feuding, Somalia’s bickering leaders on Thursday
agreed on a compromise that extends the transitional
government for one more year but, at the same time,
led to the dismissal of the popular prime minister.
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By Luc van Kemenade
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 11, 2011 – After a
three-day work visit to Ethiopia Dutch Minister for
International Cooperation Ben Knapen is favorably
disposed. Despite concerns of human rights and
imminent drought, he sees great potential for
development, especially in the agricultural sector.
“This country should be an exporter of agricultural
produce.”
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By Isabel Nanton In Dadaab
Nairobi, Kenya, June 11, 2011 – Kenya has had enough
of the expanding refugee camps, but the ongoing
crisis is far from foreign governments’ minds.
A few days before a ship containing 250 unidentified
Somali refugees sank off the coast of Italy in early
April, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António
Guterres had asked the international community not
to lose focus on Somalia.
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By Sarah Young and Kylie MacLellan
London, UK, June 11, 2011 - Oil and Gas Company
Ophir Energy plans to raise $350-$400 million from a
London listing that could value the Africa-focused
firm at more than $1 billion.
The company, which is backed by Indian steel magnate
Lakshmi Mittal, said on Thursday the new funds would
be used to finance further exploration drilling and
added that it aimed to complete the listing in July,
subject to market conditions.
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Somali children, displaced in the drought
gripping the nation, line up at a food
distribution center in Mogadishu on March
15. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor) |
By Krista Mahr
The fleeting moments that Somalia still gets in the
international press these days mostly revolve around
pirates, and understandably so. Piracy, though it no
longer dominates headlines, is still a tremendous
problem both inside Somalia and for the crews and
owners of ships that must make the trip through the
Indian Ocean to get from Europe to Asia. And things
have taken a turn for the worse: recent reports
indicate that Somali pirates are becoming
increasingly violent with their hostages, using them
as human shields and employing torture in their
bargaining tactics.
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It is the
first time Japan has set up such a full-scale base
outside Japan. |
Written By Wanjohi Kabukur
Maritime piracy, much of it directed against
international ships sailing off the coasts of
Somalia, claim lives and many millions of dollars
each year. Wanjohi Kabukuru looks at some of the
African and international efforts under way to stem
the problem, although ultimately only a lasting
political solution on the ground in Somalia itself
will be effective.
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By Robert Wright
Seafarers captured by Somali pirates have
increasingly faced beatings, use as human shields
and other forms of torture over the past year,
according to the authors of a report calling for
greater recognition of the problem.
The authors of The Human Cost of Somali Piracy,
published by the One Earth Future Foundation, a
US-based think-tank, said seafarers were sometimes
locked in freezers, hung from ships’ masts or meat
hooks or had their genitals attached to electric
wires. Pirates also sometimes called seafarers’
families from their mobile telephones, then beat
them in their families’ hearing – a tactic designed
to increase pressure on shipowners to pay ransoms.
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Dahabshiil Response To Allegations Made In The
Detainee Assessment File Of Muhammad Sulayman Barre |
London, UK,
June 15,
2011 –
Dahabshiil
strongly
refutes the
allegations
made about
it in the
Detainee
Assessment
file of
Muhammad
Sulayman
Barre, which
are entirely
untrue.
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Al-Qaeda's E. Africa Chief
Believed Dead: US Official |
Muhammad was
one of the
two
militants
killed (AFP/HO/File)
Washington,
June 11,
2011 — The
United
States
believes the
presumed
head of
Al-Qaeda in
east Africa,
Fazul
Abdullah
Muhammad, is
dead, US
officials
said
Saturday.
"Fazul's
death
removes one
of the
terrorist
group's most
experienced
operational
planners in
East Africa
and has
almost
certainly
set back
operations,"
a senior
official
from
President
Barack
Obama's
administration
told AFP in
confirming
the Al-Qaeda
operative
had been
killed.
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Somalia Suicide Bomb:
Interior Minister Killed By Niece |
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Somalia interior minister Abdishakur Sheikh
Hassan (C) (AFP/File, Mustafa Abdi) |
Mogadishu, Somalia, June 11, 2011 – Somali Interior
Minister Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan has been killed
in a suicide attack at his home in the capital,
Mogadishu.
Officials say the bomber was his own teenage niece,
who had joined the Islamist militant group
al-Shabaab.
The group said it carried out the attack and said
more would follow.
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Berbera Gets New
Equipment For Fixing Roads |
Berbera, Somaliland, June 11, 2011 (SL Times) –
Berbera’s local government acquired a vehicle
that will help it in preparing asphalt for
fixing roads.
The acquisition of the vehicle is a positive
step and is the result of the serious efforts
that Berbera’s local government has lately been
making to improve public services for residents.
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New Building For
Upper House |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, June 11, 2011 (SL Times) –
Somaliland‘s Upper House is getting a new
building. In a brief ceremony in Somaliland’s
capital Hargeysa, the Dutch Minister of European
Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Pen
Knapen laid the corner stone of the new
structure.
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Committee Advises Government To
Allow More Parties |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, June 11, 2011 (SL Times) – The
committee that was set up by the government to find
out whether citizens want more political parties or
not, has finally revealed that it had advised the
government to allow more political parties to be
formed.
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Minister for European Affairs and
International Cooperation |
Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 11, 2011 (SL Times) –
Minister for European Affairs and International
Cooperation Ben Knapen paid a visit last week to
Somaliland. His agenda included a meeting with
Somaliland’s president, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, and
its foreign minister.
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 11, 2011 – To solve the
resent emasculated border conflict between the two
self proclaimed independent countries of Somaliland
and Puntland the conflict in the Sool region, in the
central north of Somalia have agreed to discuss the
border issue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the coming
weeks.
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Engineer services generator at one of
Hargeysa’s private suppliers of
electricity. |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, June 11, 2011 – The U.S.
Agency for International Development’s Partnership
for Economic Growth was launched today in Hargeysa.
The Partnership is working with Somalis to improve
the environment for investment and expand economic
opportunities.
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More Unrest In Yemen
Over Saleh's Future Role |
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By Mohammed Ghobari
Sana’a, Yemen, June 11, 2011 – Tens of thousands of
Yemenis took to the streets of the capital yesterday
in parallel protests - one demanding the country's
wounded leader surrender any claim to power, another
calling for his return.
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Gadhafi Forces Kill 22
Rebels In Misrata Shelling |
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Tripoli, Libya, June 11, 2011 – Libyan government
forces pounded the outskirts of the rebel-held city
of Misrata on Friday, killing at least 22 people, a
hospital physician said.
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Sarah
Palin and Newt Gingrich (Reuters and EPA) |
Juneau,
Alaska, June 11, 2011 --The state of Alaska on
Friday released more than 13,000 e-mails that shed
light on Sarah Palin's tenure as governor — before
she became a vice-presidential candidate, a
reality-TV star, and an undeclared heavyweight in
the 2012 race for the White House.
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Article by: Bradley Dubbelman
The Presidential poll, on June 26, 2010, in
Somaliland, saw the incumbent, Dahir Rayale Kahin of
the Unity of Democrats Party, deposed by his
longtime rival, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo of
the Solidarity party. Silanyo improved his 2003 vote
count by capturing 49,59% of the vote, and
effectively captured the seat of government from
Kahin, who captured 33,23% of the vote.
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Ladies and Gentlemen; happy 20th Anniversary! – I
want to thank the organizers of this event; for the
excellent work they have done, for inviting
Somaliland Mission to join you in Columbus -Ohio and
enjoy this night with you.
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Preparations: Somali pirates ready a boat
for a hijacking mission in Hobyo,
northeastern Somalia (Jan. 4, 2010).
Source: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images |
By Gerhard J. Coetzer
Modern-day piracy has turned peaceful oceans into
dangerous routes for cargo and passenger ships. What
is behind the rash of attacks?
Perched on the edge of an 18-foot boat, Sahal scans
the glistening waters of the Indian Ocean with
long-range binoculars. He is the leader of a group
of 20 men in a small fleet of three powerboats,
armed with AK-47 machine guns, prowling for their
next target.
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By
Courtesy/NTV
IN SUMMARY
NTV reporters John-Allan Namu and Harith Salim
uncovered evidence of recruitment activities in
Kenya by Somalia’s radical al Shabaab group.
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Citizens
queue in Dunoon to vote in the local elections. This
year s elections set the bar at the highest notch,
not just for Africa, but for the rest of the
world, the writer argues. |
By Philip Hedemann
The ‘Amal’ plows along at seven knots across the
glassy sea, 300 nautical miles off the coast of
Somalia. But this fishing boat isn't looking for
tuna or sea bream – it is controlled by pirates who
have their eyes on cold hard cash.
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Yemen
And The Paradox Of Power In Divided Societies |
One of the paradoxes
of deeply divided societies is that the same divisions that
encourage the takeover of these societies by autocrats end up
undermining autocratic rule. The autocrat rises to power because
of the divisions in society but he is also brought down because
of those same divisions.
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Pakistan: A Hireling
Government In The Dark |
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By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye
Islamabad has been serving the needs of all parties
from terror organizations to governments of high
caliber principle and integrity since 9/11 and it
was government for all. During General Perves
Musharraf’s reign, the only senior dignitaries of
the state of Pakistan were middlemen between US and
Taliban, the US knew Taliban was a creation of
Pakistan; hence, is influenced by Pakistan to
greater degree and trusted them to supply only the
truth but the truth but the US seems to be cheated
as the bitter facts of intelligence surfaced after
the death of Osama Bin Laden Pakistani soil;
nevertheless, if Islamabad fought against Alqaeda,
in 2001 they would be a thing of the past.
The first few weeks when US forces launched deadly
assaults in Afghanistan’s stronghold of the Taliban,
Islamabad fed Washington somewhat accurate
information that led to some successes and thus the
US considered Islamabad as a credible essential
partner on war on terror ; however, besides India’s
likelihood of cross-border raids, Pakistan took part
for fear of possible airstrikes on military
installations including nuclear arsenal by US air
force; consequently, Pakistan acted as honest
informer in those days; Islamabad had very few
choices at the time because of George W. Bush’s
world-wide stern warning “ you either with us or
with terrorist” this statement was threat and
bullying to the world, in general, to Pakistan, in
particular.
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U.S. Nation-Building
In The Wrong Place? |
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By
Bernd Debusmann
America’s costly efforts at nation-building in
Afghanistan and Iraq came under intense scrutiny
this month in critical reports and a gloomy Senate
hearing that prompted a memorable assertion. “If
there is any nation in the world that really needs
nation-building right now, it is the United States.”
That came from a Democratic Senator, Jim Webb, who
continued: “When we are putting hundreds of billions
of dollars into infrastructure in another country,
it should only be done if we can articulate a vital
national interest because we quite frankly need to
be doing a lot more of that here.”
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Dual Track Policy In
Somalia Misses The Point |
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Warlords and extremist groups have taken
over Somalia in the absence of real progress
towards statebuilding [GALLO/GETTY]
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The US approach to statebuilding has inadvertantly
led to more clan divisions, but youth groups are
pressing for unity.
By
Afyare Abdi Elmi
The Obama administration's dual track policy toward
Somalia has had disturbing consequences on the
efforts of building peace and a functioning state in
Somalia.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Johnnie Carson revealed the Obama administration's
long awaited US foreign policy toward Somalia in
September 2010: The "dual track approach".
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Pandering To
Stereotypes: iLive |
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By Mark T Jones
The article tells us more about South Africa than it
does of the plight of Somalis and others from the
Horn of Africa who have endeavored to seek refuge in
South Africa.
No mention whatsoever of the economic migrants from
Mozambique, Zambia and those fleeing Robert Mugabe's
tyranny who are routinely persecuted and sometimes
killed by "locals".
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18 May, The Good Decision Day |
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The clock ticks towards a day
Which is in the middle of May
Big to millions in the Horn
That built a nation out of a corn
Unrecognized by the world
Part of the stories untold
That is Somaliland, my home!
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