London, March 15, 2008 – Lord Avebury responds to Dr. Gabose's letter and continues to press Lord Malloch-Brown KCMG, Foreign & Commonwealth Office to impress upon the Somaliland administration to allow free and fair elections in Somaliland. He makes one of his strongest arguments yet why Qaran should participate in the coming elections.
Read full text...
Addis Ababa, March 6, 2008 – On behalf of the Commission of the African Union, Ambassador Saïd Djinnit, Commissioner for Peace and Security received, today 6 March 2008, a donation by Ambassador Cindy L. Courville, Ambassador of the United States Mission to the African Union in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
On that occasion, Ambassador Saïd Djinnit expressed his appreciation for this valuable gesture and the continued support by the United States Government to the African Union efforts to bring about peace in the Continent in general and in Somalia in particular. He indicated that the equipment is of paramount importance to the AMISOM Strategic Planning Unit and will go a long way to enhance its efficiency.
Read full text...
Washington, March 14, 2008 – In Somalia, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance continues to grow. At the same time, there are fears a poor rainy season could worsen what’s already being called a precarious food security situation.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says as many as two million people need some type of help and that number is expected to grow as more people flee the capital, Mogadishu.
Matthew Olins is the deputy head of office for OCHA-Somalia. From Nairobi, he spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua.
Read full text...
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 14, 2008 – The Ethiopian government has announced that it had allocated an additional 75 million birr [~7.97 million USD; 1 USD = ~ 9.4 birr] to the Merchandise Whole Sale and Import Trade Enterprise (MEWIT) in an attempt to stabilize edible oil prices, which have been shooting up since February. The money is in addition to the regular budget the enterprise receives every year.
MEWIT, a government-owned enterprise that distributes merchandises to the public, says it is distributing one liter of oil for 16.40 birr [~1.74 USD], half the current price, and will also take action on other merchants who sell commodities at unfair prices. The price of oil since last month has more than doubled, reaching 34.00 birr [~3.6 USD] per liter.
Nairobi, 12 March 2008 - The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah has welcomed the announcement by Somalia’s transitional government that it is ready to talk to, and is nominating a team to lead the discussions with the opposition.
“I particularly welcomed the fact that President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, the Speaker Sheikh Hassan Madobe and the Transitional Federal Government have officially confirmed their desire and commitment to discuss peace and stability without conditions,” said Mr Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.
ead full text...
|
Headlines |
Affects of the drought (photofile) |
Hargeysa, March 15, 2008 (SL Times) – The effects of America’s so-called war on terror and drought have combined to threaten the livelihood security of hundreds of thousands of Somaliland pastoralists who are already suffering from the Deyr rains failure coupled with the commercial blockade that has been imposed against their livestock exports to Saudi Arabia.
The wells and birkas dried up as early as January due to the loss of the Deyr rains with the Somaliland vice-president Ahmed Yusuf Yassin declaring earlier this month that the country was in drought and in need of rapid humanitarian assistance.
|
New York, March 11, 2008) – The UN Security Council should strongly condemn serious abuses of civilians in Somalia and establish a commission of inquiry to identify individuals responsible for these crimes, Human Rights Watch said. Later this week, the UN secretary- general is due to present his report on Somalia to the Security Council.
Human Rights Watch today also released video footage documenting the consequences of attacks on civilians in Somalia. Shot in Mogadishu in December 2007, the footage shows wounded civilians in hospitals, devastated homes and deserted neighborhoods.
Read full text...
|
Senator Russ Feingold (file photo) |
Washington, March 11, 2008 – Democratic Senator Russ Feingold Tuesday delivered a scathing criticism of the U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa. At a Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he called on the Bush administration to do more to address the worsening security, political and humanitarian conditions in the region, especially in Somalia. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
|
MOGADISHU, March 13, 2008 – Islamist insurgents cut off the heads of three Somali soldiers south of the capital on Thursday and the U.N. special envoy said he would try to set up peace talks between the opposition and government.
It was the first case of beheadings since the government and its Ethiopian military allies ousted the Islamists from power in late 2006, sparking a bloody insurgency characterised by roadside bombs and hit-and-run attacks.
|
Piracy is a major problem off the Somali coast |
11 March 2008 - Pirates are not just mythological characters with peg legs, parrots and pistols. They now carry AK-47s and use speedboats to rule the high seas of the world.
Robbery of the high seas is not confined to 18th-Century history and literature or Hollywood films - it is still very much alive today.
Read full text...
|
   
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 7, 2008 - Forbes released its annual list of global billionaires by geographical region, with the number of African billionaires substantially increased over last year.
Among the handful of billionaires, four are from Egypt and are from the same family. The richest man in the African continent is Naguib Sawiris, the 53 year-old eldest son of ORASCOM conglomerate founder Onsi Sawiris. He is worth USD 12.5 billion, and his wealth initially came from a family inheritance. He continued to expand his Telecom venture in Europe via his holding company, “Weather Investments.”
Read full text...
|
Stones were thrown and buildings burnt in Lhasa
Clashes between protesters and security forces in Tibet's main city, Lhasa, have left at least two people dead, according to reports.
An emergency official said that many people had been hurt and an unspecified number had died.
|
VIENNA, March 11, 2008 — Somali-born model and human rights campaigner Waris Dirie, who briefly went missing in Brussels last week, has accused Belgian police of treating her like a prostitute, media reported Tuesday.
Dirie, a UN ambassador in the campaign against female genital mutilation, said police threatened to put her in jail when she asked for their help in finding her hotel after leaving a nightclub, Austria's Kurier daily reported.
|
|
|
There is increasing evidence that the process of transition for the parts of Sool region that used to be under Puntland’s control and that are now administered by Somaliland is going smoothly. Residents who fled the region, particularly Las Anod, are steadily coming back to their homes. Schools, hospitals, communication, transportation and other vital services are functioning. Of course, it cannot be said that the Sool region problem is solved for good, since there are pockets of that region that are still in the hands of pro-Puntland militias. Nevertheless, it can be said that things are moving in the right direction. None of the threats of major battles that were promised by Puntland or their allied militias have materialized. Just last week, Sool region’s election commission was sworn in Las Anod in preparation for Somaliland’s coming elections.
The Commander of Somaliland’s army, Nuh Tani, was in Las Anod this week to further tighten the security of the region. Qaybe and Habsade, the two most prominent politicians from Sool are pro-Somaliland. Talks between Somaliland’s government and Dhulbahante elders, including those in Buhooodle are making progress.
|
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.
|
|
By Noah Arre
The following story shows the apathy and indifference of our people back home toward their country! It also offers solutions by encouraging people there to realize how even people who live in today’s developed world struggle to make ends meet. The story is part of my personal experience in living overseas.
Read full text...
|
By Abdirahman Ahmed Ali
The cloudless skies over Somaliland are threatening the health and well-being of up to 300,000 people. Somaliland is part of developing world, where the difference between life and death can be decided by the weather. If no rain, then people and livestock die for thirty and starvation.
|
|
By Saeed furaa
“ What people need is not new and better curriculum but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use ideas and make meaning out of them”
Read full text...
|
|
|
|
Liverpool, March 14, 2008 – Two men have been charged with murder over the death of a teenager in a fight between Somali immigrants in Liverpool.
Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim, 17, was killed after a brawl on Monday night on Croxteth Drive, near Sefton Park.
Read full text...
London, Mar.10, 2008 – Newbury Park Primary School in Redbridge, north-east London, has acquired a reputation of sorts.
Here, its 850 pupils reportedly learn phrases in 40 languages by the time they transfer to secondary school.
Read full text...
|
The ambiance at Terminal 1 is nothing to write home about
If anyone stands to benefit most from the opening of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5, say its supporters, it's the “poor infantry” of the air travel world – Heathrow's long-suffering passengers.
|
|
|
|
|
By Ibrahim Adam Ghalib
Borama, Awdal.
Every body must accept that there is no ready made answer. What lies ahead is a painful search for alternative political and socio-economic development. It is difficult to ensure expansion unless drastic changes are allowed events and opportunities for interaction and cooperation between our people. This means placing people’s rights to sustainable livelihoods at the heart of development and equal distribution of resources.
|
|
|
