Nairobi, September 27, 2007 – International officials working in Somalia say they are "deeply concerned" about rising tensions between Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region and the breakaway republic of Somaliland.
Forces from the two sides exchanged artillery fire in the disputed Sool region last week.
Text of report by Somaliland independent daily newspaper Haatuf on 24 September
Three Ethiopian army defectors were arrested by Somaliland police near the border town of Tog-wajaale on Thursday [20 September].
It was later said that three defectors plus their guns were handed over to Ethiopian army officers on the Ethiopian side of the border town on Saturday [22 September].
Addis Ababa, September 24, 2007 – According to sources from the war-torn country of Somalia, the clashes between Puntland and Somaliland have increased to a higher level. Recent conflicts brought accusations from both sides regarding who started the conflict.
Security forces from the opposing regions exchanged fire in the disputed Sool region as various regional players took sides. Tensions remain after battles near Las Anod, the capital of Sool region.
MOGADISHU, September 29, 2007 - Somalia: Somali and Ethiopian troops have ordered thousands to vacate their homes in Somalia's capital to allow them to conduct searches for arms and insurgents, a local human rights group said Saturday.
The order was issued Thursday, after an insurgent attack earlier in the week against a government base, said Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of the independent group Elman Human Rights.
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September 26, 2007
IT is hard enough to have promising oil exploration in strife-torn and chaotic Somalia, but it doesn't help when it is situated in a region named Puntland.
It is no surprise then that Peter Landau, a director at Perth-based Range Resources, likes to pronounce it "Poontland".
And it is a punt that Range is keen to make given some theories that the rich oil and gas resources just across the Gulf of Aden in Yemen also extend into the horn of Africa where Puntland lies.
LONDON, September 25, 2007 - Somalia was named and shamed Tuesday as the worst-governed country in sub-Saharan Africa in a survey of political performance across the continent.
The inaugural annual Ibrahim Index of African Governance, published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, ranks 48 countries against 58 individual measures.
Nairobi, 25 September 2007 - Authorities in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast have appealed for international aid following the loss of thousands of hectares of pasture and farmland to a locust infestation.
"We issued an appeal for help on 23 September; Puntland alone cannot deal with this," Hassan Arab, the deputy minister of rangeland and forestry, told IRIN on 25 September.
27 September 2007 Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the attempted murder on 24 September of privately-owned Radio Shabelle 's acting manager, Jafar "Kukay" Mohammed, the latest target of a wave of political killings that seems to be aimed at demonstrating that the transitional federal government is unable to guarantee security in the Somali capital.
MOGADISHU, Sept 27, 2007 - Ugandan peacekeepers from the African Union on Thursday said plans to train the Somali army were still on despite the insurgency.
Uganda has sent 1,600 soldiers to the Somali capital as part of a planned 8,000-strong AU force, but no other countries have yet arrived to back them up as they try to keep the peace amid an Islamist insurgency against the Somali interim government.
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MOGADISHU, 25 Sept. 2007 - Ethiopian forces operating in Somalia have arrested Afsad Abdi Tafay, deputy commander of the Islamist Shabab militia, in Galguduud region, central Somalia.
A reliable source in Mogadishu told Awadalnews that Afsad, who is considered to be the right hand man of Adan Hashi Ayro, the Afghanistan veteran and commander of the Shabab, was arrested in the Guri Eeel town of Galguduud region, earlier this week.
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LAS ANOD, Somalia, Sep 25 2007 - Police in the semiautonomous Somali region of Puntland detained two journalists Monday but released one of the two journalists later today.
The two journalists were detained in the provincial town of Las Anod, capital of Sool region which is disputed between Puntland and the breakaway republic of Somaliland to the west.
MOGADISHU, Sept 29 2007 - Somalia's president rebuked his top security aides on Saturday after insurgent attacks on police stations that killed five people overnight highlighted precarious security in the capital Mogadishu.
President Abdullahi Yusuf called the meeting to deal with persistent violence by remnants of a militant Islamist group his government ousted with Ethiopian military help in the New Year.
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NAIROBI, Kenya, September 28, 2007 - Somali-based Islamic extremists may try to kidnap American citizens in northern Kenya's beach resorts, the U.S. Embassy said Friday.
"There are indications that Islamic extremists based in Somalia may be planning to target Westerners, especially American citizens, in the Kiwayu Island tourist area and other beach sites frequented by Western travelers on the northeast coast near Somalia," the embassy, which is also responsible for Somalia, said in an e-mail message to U.S. citizens.
Ethiopia's foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin |
Nairobi, 2 5 September 2007 - Ethiopia's foreign minister is expected to travel soon to Somalia's seat of government in Baidoa to help resolve a deepening political crisis sparked by a dispute between the country's top leaders. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi has details.
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Somalia's insurgent forces |
New York, 28 September 2007 - Somalia is the forgotten front in the “War on Terror.” Americans are rarely told anything about what goes on there, who the actors are and, more importantly, the reasons behind conflict in the Horn of Africa. Hence it is not surprising that there has been no concerted activist challenge to U.S. support for Ethiopia’s war in Somalia, but such a challenge is urgently required.
The BBC's Mark Doyle looks at which former African leaders are in the running to win the $5m leadership prize
Mozambique 's Mr Chissano has strong credentials as a democrat |
September 25, 2007
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is next month due to award over $5m to the former African head of state adjudged to have demonstrated exemplary leadership.
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`Haatuf' newspaper reporter Ahmed Adan Dheere |
Berbera, September 29, 2007 (SL Times) –The Sahil region `Haatuf' newspaper correspondent Ahmed Adan Dheere was arrested and taken from his house in Berbera on Thursday night by the local police and is being held in Berbera central police station.
The arrest of the Haatuf reporter took place without an arrest warrant or a court order issued for his detention in Berbera police station.
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Ugandan Foreign minister, Sam Kutesa |
London, September 29, 2007 (SL Times) - The Ugandan Foreign minister, Sam Kutesa, denied that his country’s military presence in Somalia posed no danger to Somaliland’s stability.
The minister told the Somaliland Times reporter in London last week that Uganda’s role in Somalia is of peacekeeping nature.
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Somaliland Foreign Minister Abdillahi Duale |
HARGEISA, 25 Sept. 2007 - Somaliland Foreign Minister Abdillahi Duale urged Arab states to accept Somaliland passport in their countries, saying that Somaliland passport is considered a legitimate travel document in most parts of the world except in Arab countries.
Talking to Awdalnews from Hargeysa, Duale said that citizens holding Somaliland passports had traveled to China, South East Asian, North America and mainland Europe without any problem.
Somaliland Interior Minister Mr Abdillahi Ismail (Irro) |
JOHANNESBOURG, 26 Sept 2007 - Somaliland’s Interior Minister Mr Abdillahi Ismail (Irro) is recovering from a successful heart bypass in the Milpark Hospital, one the best centers for heart care in Johannesburg.
Dr. N Patel, Chief Cardiologist, undertook the operation on Monday. Later, the Minister was moved from the Coronary Care Unit to a normal ward in the Milpark Hospital.
Michael E. Ranneberger, a U.S. diplomat on Thursday dismissed widespread criticism of Somaliland and the “recently concluded national reconciliation conference.
NAIROBI, September 21, 2007- Michael E. Ranneberger, a U.S. diplomat on Thursday dismissed widespread criticism of Somaliland and the “recently concluded national reconciliation conference”, saying it represented a "milestone" in the country's attempt to form its first viable government since 1991.
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MOGADISHU, Somalia September 28, 2007 - Tensions are rising in northern Somalia following clashes between forces of rival regional administrations, officials said Friday, and diplomats called on all sides to show restraint.
Somalia's weak federal government based in Mogadishu, in the south, has been hard-pressed to assert control in the south and was unlikely to have any influence in the confrontation between the autonomous Puntland region and the breakaway republic of Somaliland.
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MOGADISHU, Sep 24 2007 - At least three Somali government soldiers were killed this weekend in some of the worst fighting in the capital since opposition figures vowed war on Ethiopian troops supporting the interim government.
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Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, seen here in 2006 |
MOGADISHU, September 24, 2007 - A deep political row has erupted at the highest levels of Somalia's transitional government, already bogged down in a protracted struggle against a deadly insurgency, officials said on Sunday.
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The gap between the desires of Western and associated actors, and the positions of Somali actors has widened to the point that the donor powers have lost connection to the realities on the ground [PINR]
19 September 2007
With the closing on August 30 of Somalia's National Reconciliation Conference (N.R.C.), which was sponsored by the country's internationally-backed Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G) and failed to produce substantive and enforceable agreements; and the conclusion on September 12 of the Somali Congress for Liberation and Reconstitution (S.C.L.R.), which brought together the country's political oppositions and narrowed its focus to the single aim of removing Ethiopian occupying forces, a political vacuum has opened up in Somalia.
LONDON, Sep 26, 2007 - Myanmar and Somalia have been ranked as the most corrupt nations in Transparency International's 2007 index, released Wednesday — adding pressure to the Southeast Asian country's military regime as it faces the biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades.
Transparency International's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index scored 180 countries based on the degree to which corruption is perceived among public officials and politicians.
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Somalis collecting food aid at the Jowhar refugee camp Wednesday. Tens of thousands who fled violence in Mogadishu are facing a food shortage after poor rains. (Khalil Senosi) |
JOWHAR, Somalia, September 26, 2007 - The instant the sack of grain fell off the truck and thumped down on the ground, it was consumed in a whirl of dust, fists and knees.
The crowd of hungry people, who had been baking for hours in the skin-crisping heat at an emergency distribution center Wednesday, was in no mood to negotiate.
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 By Shashank Bengali
September 28, 2007
Last week the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi held a press conference to discuss the ever-bleak situation in Somalia. The State Department's point men on the crisis -- Michael Ranneberger, the ambassador to Kenya, and veteran diplomat John Yates, special envoy to Somalia -- tried to sound upbeat notes about the interim government's efforts to build an inclusive political system.
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Commentary
September 23, 2007
By Huzir Sulaiman
Why does the United States reject so many international treaties? The answer may lie in its complicated internal politics.
THERE are only two countries in the United Nations that have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international agreement that spells out the basic protections accorded to children.
One is Somalia, which has not, of late, enjoyed a fully functioning central government.
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Amr Moussa at the UN, Re-Liberation of Somalia not shown |
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 28 - Asked about Somalia, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on Friday said that "we support the process of conciliation."
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Residents of Somalia's capital Mogadishu mill around the Bakara market, on 19 September. The market has been the scene of frequent mortar attacks and heavy gunfights. |
MOGADISHU, September 24, 2007 - As the holy month of Ramadan builds up to the Eid al-Fitr feast, market alleyways in Muslim countries usually teem with activity and shoppers stocking up on dates and other products.
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September 24, 2007
How large a role does the "Israeli Lobby" play in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East?
Some answers may be contained in The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, reviewed in the Sept. 23 New York Times, and Rulers and Ruled in The U.S. Empire by James Petras, just published by Clarity Press. Mearsheimer teaches at the University of Chicago and Walt teaches at Harvard.
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MONTREAL, Canada, September 26 - Alcan and International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) today announced the shortlist of candidates for the US$1 million Alcan Prize for Sustainability for 2007. Ten organizations were selected from a field of over 155 entries from 53 countries around the world. The shortlist will now be evaluated by the international Adjudication Panel of distinguished sustainability experts.
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Philadelphia, 27 September 2007 - Philadelphia police have made their first seizure of the drug khat, a narcotic plant that is popular in East Africa and the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
Undercover narcotics cops on Wednesday seized 740 pounds of khat that was being delivered to an East Falls address, said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman. The value of the drugs has been put at about $148,000.
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Helsinki, Filand, September 26, 2007 - Thousands of ethnic Somalis born in Finland will enter the workforce in the coming years. The employment situation of Somalis has improved, but older Somali men are still at risk of discrimination when looking for a job.
The employment level of immigrants is better than ever. While the jobless rate of Somalis has also improved since the 1990s, older Somali men in particular can be faced with discrimination when looking for a job.
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In the last two months, Somaliland has seen a steady flow of foreign delegations. When it comes to long-term impact, the two most important of these delegations are the World Bank and the combined delegation of British parliamentarians and staff of the British embassy in Ethiopia led by Ambassador Dewar. The World Bank visit is important because it could be a signal that Somaliland’s status has changed from being solely a recipient of humanitarian aid to a recipient of development aid, a change in the attitude of the World Bank that Somaliland has been trying to bring about for quite some time.
The visit of the British parliamentarians is important because it sends the message that Somaliland has supporters among the British people who succeeded in persuading their representatives to visit Somaliland. The fact that Ambassador Dewar and other embassy staff were part of the delegation shows that the parliamentarians’ concern about Somaliland is shared by the British government.
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In November 2005, the Centre for Human Rights began investigating the possibility of a third destination for the LLM field trip. The reasons for increasing the number of field trip destinations to include Somaliland include the following:
Somaliland is a state in the making; it would be ideal for students on the programme to have a first hand experience of this.
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By Ibrahim Adam Ghalib, Borama Awdal.
In the past when the month of Sha’ban comes to an end both the people and the government used to be preoccupied with the sighting of the Ramadan crescent to verify the arrival of the Muslim fasting month. The radio used to deliver religious sermons to capture the hearts and minds of the people and to enlighten them about the importance of the holy month of Ramadan. The government was in charge of making the final decision and announcement on the advent of Ramadan.
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By East Africa Policy Institute
As worrisome as things look, the real crisis facing Somaliland is much larger than the current evolving situation. It goes much deeper than whether Qaran gets to run in the next election or not or whether its leadership gets charged with some phony charges and gets barred from participating in the political process, the real problem lays in the fact that there are no real viable mechanisms to resolve this political difference in the country.
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KULMIYE Is The Most Democratic Party, Doctor
By Ahmed Geedismaris
This is an answer to an article written by Dr. Hassan Eiman Egal, campaigning for Dr. Ahmed Hussein Isse in his bid to Kulmiye leadership. Yes Dr. as you said Kulmiye is the future. Kulmiye is the hope of the very existance of Somaliland. It is overcrowded with old supporters and unprecedented waves of new comers. That touched the balance of its leadership.
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Youth Must Prove That They Can Lead
By Abdirizak ahmed hassan (karaani)
The past few months has seen intensified clamor for youth leadership.Depate has been raging in the media and elsewhere about the need for the youth to take over the leadership of the country and participate in shaping its destiny.
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HELP US FIND BRITISH BORN SOMALILANDER FOR GUARDIAN ARTICLE
September 26, 2007
Dear Friends,
I have received this email from a Journalist friend in the British Guardian paper. Please write an article on this subject and ask people to contact me on my Email, who wish to be interview.
I’m looking to interview someone of Somali origin who was born in Britain -- but who has now migrated from the UK back to Somaliland. The move needs to be the result of a positive 'roots' decision (as opposed to eg, accompanying a spouse who happens to be posted to the 'homeland' by his/her company)
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By A Yabarow
In part one I touched on some issues regarding background information about the current affairs of Somalia’s oil and related activities by the TFG president and his prime minister. I highlighted some of the serious implications associated with the actions of the major stakeholders. I also pointed out few recommendations, which I think are the most appropriate for the time being.
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By Noah Arre
Democracy is a government by the people. In the Developed World, it is a form of governance in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. In Somaliland democracy, however, the form of democracy there is blended with the customary law (Xeer) of the nation. And the rights of all must be respected and grievance of any one must be addressed. In that case it means present Somaliland already does not respect the rights of all since many minorities are not represented.
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By Ahmed Arwo
“...The devil wants only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance and to turn you from remembering Allah and from prayer. Will you then desist?" (5:90-91)
These verses are the ones that declared total prohibition of alcohol to the Muslims. After this verse was revealed, the Muslim citizens of Madinah immediately began to spill their stocks of wine into the sand and streets; so that the wine ran through the streets of Madinah. Individuals, who up till that moment were enjoying guiltlessly a glass of wine, quickly emptied their cups on the ground and spit out the alcohol from their mouths. They rushed to make ablutions in order to purify themselves.
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Zaki standing in the middle (light top) with his team in Hargeysa |
By Mukhtaar Mahdi Essa
London, September 29, 2007 (SL Times) - Not many kids in the world think about how they can change the lives of lesser ‘well to do’ kids living-in the developing world.
But eleven year-old Zaki Osman Essa from Colindale, London is not like an ordinary kid. Born UK, has never been to Somaliland before, the country of his origin. Zaki was told by his parents that he would be going to Somaliland this summer (July 2007).
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September 27, 2007
Somaliland Camel Corps - The Somali people are natural camel riders it's in their blood. Camel's are in were as important as the pony's of the mongols. In the drought striken land the camel is really thing other than goats that proved worth domesticating. The British recognized their affinity and after creating the colony the British set out to create a Somaliland Camel Corps. During the Mad Mullah period of Somali history the camel Corps included had grown to included some 700 mounted riders they served gallantly enough against the bandit and captured his Jidali hideout. During the same period they set a an impressive standard by covering 150 miles in 72 hours.
American Ambassador Mr Michael Ranneberger and Mrs Jawahir Mohamed Ali Sheikh Madar |
Hargeysa, September 29, 2007 (SL Times) - The Somaliland Trade Representative for Southern African countries, Mrs Jawahir Mohamed Ali Sheikh Madar has been to several African countries where she has been trying hard to persuade the officials she met to extend diplomatic recognition to Somaliland, and to assist the people of Somaliland.
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Abdull Abubakar when he won the BT sponsored competition of Ireland's 'Young Scientist Of The Year' |
27 September 2007
Sixteen-year-old Somalia-born schoolboy Abdul Abubakar took first prize at the finals of the 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Valencia last week.
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After years of calling Macedonia the FYROM, the government last week abruptly dropped the practice, pleasing the Macedonians, angering the Greeks, and prompting speculation about motive.
Leaders of Canada's Greek community have vowed to punish the Conservative Party in the next election if it continues to call one of Greece's northern neighbours the Republic of Macedonia.
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SPEARHEAD INTO AFRICA CNOOC's head office in Beijing |
28 September 2007
In 1418, the prosperous coastal towns and cities of East Africa were visited by a tremendous fleet, spearheaded by the biggest sea-going ships ever built up to that time, from the mightiest ocean-going navy in the world – that of Imperial China.
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JOWHAR, Somalia, September 26, 2007 - Five months old and weighing less than 10 pounds, Shukri Mohammed stretched her tiny mouth to scream Tuesday when a health worker measured her limp arm for malnutrition.
But scarcely a sound escaped from the baby’s throat, and she sank back exhausted into her mother’s arms.
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UNITED NATIONS, Sept 19, 2007 - The World Bank and United Nations on Monday threw their backing behind developing nations seeking to recover assets pilfered by corrupt leaders, unveiling a scheme to lend muscle to their claims.
"There should be no safe haven for those who steal from the poor," World Bank chief Robert Zoellick said, adding the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) initiative was a warning to corrupt leaders "that they will not escape the law."
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The divide in perceived levels of corruption in rich and poor countries remains as sharp as ever, according to the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released today by Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption. Developed and developing countries must share responsibility for reducing corruption, in tackling both the supply and demand sides.
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