Hargeisa, Somaliland, 22 March 2008 - The Somaliland Minister of Education, Mr Hassan Haji Mohamud Hassan recently came before the Somaliland House of Elders (Guurti) to give the annual report on the state of education in Somaliland.
In a session chaired by the deputy chair of the House, Mr Ahmed Sheikh Nuh, the Somaliland Education minister, Hassan Haji Mohamud presented a report on the current state of education in Somaliland and its future development.
MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 19, 2008 – Islamic militants in Somalia welcomed being added to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations, saying Wednesday they only wished the designation had come sooner.
The State Department announced Tuesday that it added the military wing of the Council of Islamic Court to its list of foreign terrorist organizations. Some members of its military wing, called al-Shabab or "the youth," are affiliated with the al-Qaida terror network, U.S. officials said.
Nairobi, Kenya, March 17, 2008 – In Chad, Janjaweed militia from Sudan killed 100 elephants in one afternoon; in Kenya, Somali warlords armed with rocket-propelled grenades killed four wildlife rangers during a bloody raid on herds in the Tana Delta; in Democratic Republic of Congo, a whole host of rebel groups have turned the country's dwindling elephant population into a new cash crop.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, Mar 20, 2008 – The sounds of algebra and sewing machines ring out and the smell of freshly-baked cakes wafts through the Shamsudin Skills Development Center. Women from nearby camps of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are learning valuable skills that can help them earn an income here in Hargeysa, capital of Somaliland.
This is a 'Food for Training' project where the World Food Programme (WFP), with support from UNV, NGOs and other partners, is providing education in tradable skills. In simple rooms lined with wooden benches, local tutors provide classes in reading, writing and arithmetic, and practical lessons in cooking, sewing and dying cloth.
NAIROBI, March 18, 2008 - The United States has formally designated Somalia's al Shabaab militants a foreign terrorist organization to increase pressure on what Washington says is al Qaeda's main link in the Horn of Africa nation.
The al Shabaab is the militant wing of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council that took over most of southern Somalia for the second half of 2006, until Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian military allies routed the group in a two-week war.
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Western Australia, March 17, 2008 – The emerging oil and gas industry in the autonomous state of Puntland, northern Somalia, is set to receive a significant boost as a result of a one month visit to Western Australia by three ministry representatives of the Puntland Government.
The visit provided the government representatives with the opportunity to undertake an intensive resource management course with the world-class learning institute Curtin University of Technology..
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UNICEF highlights time-tested efforts to avert cholera in Somalia
Nairobi, Kenya, March 20, 2008 – On the occasion of International Water Day, UNICEF Representative Christian Balslev-Olesen, took the time to highlight a known truth - suspected cholera outbreaks do not have to occur in Somalia on a periodic basis. The cycle can be broken through proper disposal of human waste, the use of latrines and hand washing with soap.
Main Developments
Drought
The drought that has hit the country's central regions is spreading to northern parts of Somalia. The preliminary findings of an inter-agency drought assessment conducted from 13 to 15 March in Togdheer, Sanaag, Sool, and Wogooyi Galbeed regions of Somaliland conclude that parts of these regions are currently facing severe water and food crisis as a consequence of failed Deyr rains (short rains - October to December) and worsening drought conditions. In Togdheer region the areas most affected are Burco, Balidhiig, Buuhoodle districts and southern parts of Owdweyne district. Livestock conditions are deteriorating, and some families have already lost up to 30% of their herds.
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The Islamists controlled Somalia for much of 2006 |
An Islamist group called al-Shabab, which literally means "the lads" in Somali, has been added to the United States' list of "foreign terrorist organisations".
Its name stems from its first incarnation as the youth and military wing of a group of Sharia courts who controlled much of southern and central Somalia in 2006.
ARUSHA, 24 March 2008 - The Spokesman of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Roland Amoussouga, has appealed to Kenyan citizens to help in efforts to establish the exact whereabouts and subsequent arrest of the most wanted Rwanda Genocide fugitive, Félicien Kabuga.
Addressing a congregation of senior journalists and editors from Africa who visited the tribunal’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, last week, Amoussouga said that the US government has put a US$5m (approx. Frw2.7b) bounty on his head.
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Nairobi, Kenya, 19 March 2008 - A British captain who was held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia for 46 days was released yesterday, along with his Irish chief engineer and four Russian crew members.
The captain of the Danish-owned Svitzer Korsakov, who has yet to be named, and his crew were said to be "safe and healthy". After being released yesterday he was back in charge of his vessel, steering to a port in the Gulf under escort from coalition naval forces - a journey which is estimated to take three days. From there the hostages will be flown home to be reunited with their families.
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Mogadishu, Somalia, 22 March 2008 - A blast, the second such attack in almost 12 hours, hit an Ethiopian military convoy near Garas Baley in the south of Somalia's troubled capital.
The insurgents attack on three vehicles of Ethiopian forces left at least 26 dead and 38 more injured, Press TV correspondent in Somalia reported.
Following the severe explosion of one of the vehicles, the street was flooded with Ethiopian soldiers who checked civilian movements in the area.
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Pirates: Somali sea bandits, who captured a British captain's boat, are a constant threat |
Nairobi, March 19, 2008 – Somali pirates have released a captured ship captained by a Briton after after a £350,000 ransom was paid by its Russian owners, it emerged today.
The sea bandits seized the Svitzer Korsakov during its maiden voyage last month, taking the skipper, his Irish chief engineer and four Russian crew members hostage.
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MOGADISHU, Somalia 22 March 2008 - A private security force organized and funded by traders in Somalia's largest market went into operation today, a move the interim government supports as an alternative to attacks on government security forces.
The 100-strong force of men dressed in black pants and yellow shirts was seen patrolling different sections of Bakara market for the first time today.
Customers and traders alike welcomed the new private force, who brandished assault rifles and walked in groups.
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Minister of Water and Minerals Qassim Sheikh Yusuf |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, March 22, 2008 (SL Times) – The Somaliland minister of Water and Minerals Qassim Sheikh Yusuf has been accused of receiving at least hundreds of thousands of US dollars in kick-backs from foreign companies and middlemen seeking concessions for exploration of oil resources and minerals in Somaliland.
According to an article published by the Somali language daily Haatuf on March 16, 2008, both the Somaliland minister and the ruler of Somalia’s Puntland regional state Adde Muse, have in the past 4 years been involved in deals that granted exploration and production sharing rights to dubious oil and minerals companies.
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President Dahir Riyale Kahin |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, March 22, 2008 (SL Times) – President Dahir Riyale Kahin issued today in a presidential press statement the formation of additional new regions and districts which will alter the current regional makeup of Somaliland beyond recognition. Read full text...
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Chairman of the National Electoral Commission Mohamed Yusuf Ahmed |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, March 22, 2008 (SL Times) – The Chairman of the National Electoral Commission Mohamed Yusuf Ahmed has offered his resignation of the post he had held since October 5, 2007 for health reasons.
Mr. Yusuf who was known to have a serious liver problem, will keep his membership of the commission.
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March 21, 2008 – The Somali-speaking Writers Centre of International PEN calls on the President of Somaliland, Dahir Rayale Kahin, to lift the new restrictions he has imposed on the independent media's accessibility to government-generated information.
According to The Somaliland Times (issue 320/8th March, 2008,) sister publication of Haatuf newspaper in Hargeysa, the capital of Somaliland, a new directive by the presidency says "only journalists sanctioned by the minister of Information will be allowed to attend press conferences to be held by the president in his office."
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DUBAI/HARGEISA, 16 March 2008 - Humanitarian authorities in the UAE are preparing shipments of foodstuff and other relief supplies to Somaliland.
An informed source told Awdalnews Network that the supplies including water well drilling equipment and 75 tons of foodstuff would reach Somaliland’s port of Berbera by the end of March.
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Somaliland foreign minister briefs gathering
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 21, 2008 – A workshop organized by the Brenthurst Foundation, the Center for Policy Research and Dialogue, and the Commission of the African Union, which looked towards the prospects of building peace and the application of the Tswalu protocol in Africa, was conducted last week. The meeting brought together a cross-section of speakers from the military, academia, think tanks, policy makers and government officials in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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London, March 8, 2008 – A Commonwealth Parliamentary seminar recently concluded in London, England. The participants from 35 Commonwealth nations met at the British House of Commons to part in the 57th seminar on parliamentary practices and procedures.
Close the one hundred parliamentarians participated in the seminar to share experiences and knowledge
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A journalist threatened with death flees his homeland, only to find that nearby countries and regions don't want him or have their own problems
Several of the 600,000 Somalis forced from their homes by the violence in their war-torn country wait last year at a camp for internal refugees in Jowhar north of Mogadishu. |
Nairobi, Kenya, March 22, 2008-- I left my native Somalia in August, days after an unidentified man called my cellphone to inform me that I was about to be killed.
Seven months later, living in exile, I've found that the threatening phone calls haven't stopped. Nowadays, however, they are not from would-be assassins. Instead my cellphone rings with warnings from immigration officials in countries where I have sought, usually without success, to find a safe place to live.
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Analysis
By Hashim Duale
Major changes proposed to the way foreign nationals achieve British citizenship. The proposed changes follow a consultation and a series of 'listening events' held last year. That research found that most people want new residents to speak English, pay their way, obey the law and give something back to their communities.
A government green paper released 20 th February 2008 proposes to build on those suggestions, starting with a 'citizenship contract' that would set out each new citizen's rights and responsibilities.
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By Faysal Gabanow
The controversial oil exploration deal singed between the administration of the Puntland State of Somalia and foreign companies has again hit the headlines, with the local administration intent on putting its bid into action by mid-year.
The semiautonomous region signed a contract of oil exploration with a company named Consort Private LTD in Dubai in August 2005, but after two months the company sold shares to a small Australian company named "Range Resources" and then to others.
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"The human shield movement arose in response to a frustration at the efficacy of traditional forms of protest."
March 17, 2008 - Five years ago as the first bombs rained down on Iraq Robin Banks, a 49 year old music journalist from London, paced the makeshift dormitory at the Doura power station, southern Baghdad. Someone played the mouth organ in an attempt to drown out the sound of explosions whilst others huddled on their beds or in corridors covering their ears. These temporary residents of the power station were among the eighty human shields who, having traveled to Iraq to try and forestall the outbreak of war, carried out their commitment to place themselves in civilian infrastructure sites in an attempt to ‘shield’ essential electricity, water and food supplies.
Nairobi, Kenya, 22 March 2008 - The unprecedented violence that rocked parts of the country after last year’s General Election had one man worried.
Prof Dan Kaseje knew if the skirmishes escalated, many people would suffer, especially the rural poor.
During the period, many health centres remained inaccessible, especially in rural areas where the poor live.
Road to nowhere ... goats in the capital of Samaliland. Photograph: Alamy |
18 March 2008 - Presenter Simon Reeve beats a track in Somaliland.
In a world where almost everywhere can be reached on a comfortable scheduled airline, there are still a few places so far off the beaten track they don't even appear on maps. Somaliland, in the chaotic Horn of Africa, is an oasis of democracy and order; a pro-Western Muslim country, keen to welcome foreign visitors: but officially it does not exist.
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Commentary
By Ahmed M.I. Egal
The Rationale behind the Impending Recognition
During the last several months, it has become clear that the recognition of Somaliland by the world is now on the cards. It seems that a ‘critical mass’ of support among the international community for accepting the painfully self evident reality that Somaliland has made itself into a peaceful, mature, stable and democratic state has won the day against the previous, ostrich-like policy of senseless denial. The juridical argument that Somaliland won its independence from Britain in 1960 and was a recognized nation-state before joining with the Italian-administered UN Trust Territory to the south to form the Republic of Somalia is true, and it certainly provides legal justification for the recognition that is now in the offing.
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Dar Salam, Tanzania, 22 March 2008 - Tanzanians have been asking themselves many questions regarding President George W. Bush�s state visit to Tanzania. This was the case during the announcement that President Bush was coming, during the visit itself and even after his departure.
People raised a number of questions and some are still wondering to date what made Bush come to a poor country like ours.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hugs award recipient Farhiyo Farah Ibrahim of Somalia. |
Washington, March 10, 2008 -- Ambassadors and other diplomats, members of Congress and leaders of nonprofit organizations gathered at the U.S. Department of State March 10 to honor eight women who have risked harassment and death to fight for women’s rights.
“In too many parts of the world, unfortunately, women still struggle for basic rights and liberties in places where discrimination and exploitation and violence against women is all too common and all too often accepted or tolerated,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at the awards ceremony.
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Glascow, Scotland, 22 March 2008 - DOCTORS in Glasgow are treating the first patient in the UK to be diagnosed with a super-strong form of tuberculosis.
The man, who is in his 30s and came to Britain from Somalia last year, is in an isolation unit at Gartnavel General Hospital.
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On his way to the woodshed: Valeri Litskai will have to answer questions for his failings as PMR's Foreign Minister |
TIRASPOL, 19 March 2008 - Being unrecognized is no excuse for having a weak diplomacy. That is the opinion of Pridnestrovie's Parliament which on 2 April 2008 will take Foreign Minister Valeri Litskai to task for his Ministry's failings in establishing an effective diplomatic presence abroad, and for lack of breakthroughs in the efforts to seek international recognition of the country's de facto statehood.
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In Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster explains the difference between story and plot this way: “The king died and then the queen died’ is a story. ‘The king died, and then the queen died of grief’ is a plot.” Forster further elaborates that the story tells us what happens next and is what ties the novel together, while the plot deals with causality, a higher level than the story.
If we ignore all the esoteric pro and con legal arguments about Somaliland’s right to be independent, and just analyze the narrative used by Somaliland’s opponents with the aid of Forster’s schema, it becomes quickly apparent that the anti-Somaliland narrative does not work. And the reason it does not work as a story is because the story of Somalia for the last two decades is essentially the same story, a story of endless war, murder and chaos that has made many people numb and uninterested in whatever is happening in Somalia.
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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 Noah Arre
I have recently posted, on our Wesbsites, an article that articulated the hardships I went through in the USA since I came to Arkansas in 1981. And based on the responses I have received from my readers to date, I have to say that I am amazed how different people see the same story differently. To some it is a hilarious but encouraging piece that deserves attention and positive simulations.
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By Ahmed Nagashe
I was in search of the truth for a long time. Unfortunately I have recently realized that, at least to me, the truth is that after all I don’t want to know the truth.
You might find this strange but to be honest, truth – if it exists- has revealed to me nothing other than this. I was born in a family that believed in what they always termed as the ultimate truth; knowing whom you are. I know I would challenge them but had not given the chance to ask why truth has to always be the only thing my family knew.
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By Istahiil Beysaare
How do we cultivate homegrown talented folks from among ourselves, and how do we identify this talent?
You can't make sense of your role as a leader unless you know yourself first. Look to others for guidance but be true to who you are, really. Great leaders have to be capable of inspiring others, either by offering an exciting vision of the future, even if it turns out to be the dark and perverted vision offered by Hitler, and by that token a dull speaker like Bill Gates can inspire people with his vision of the future.
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The Vortex Leadership Issue of Somalia
For nearly two decades, a major factor which has prolonged statelessness in Somalia has been the issue of too many individuals after the role of the nation’s leadership. In 2003, one of the rulers of our neighbours has been quoted to have said: “The reason why Somalia was without a government for so long was because there were too many actors on the stage.” We know nobody fights over the steering a sunken ship. What could have been the reasons behind the fight over the leadership of the sunken State of Somalia?
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By Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi
The future of Somaliland rests in hands of its people, and they voted for independence on 18th May 1991 followed by referendum in 2001. The Somalilanders ruled out future reunion with failed state of Somalia. However, the future of Somalia remains uncertain, shaky and undetermined.
Somalia is run by traditional rival country– Ethiopia, which suffered from Somali invasion twice in less than two decades. Somalia, under leadership of Dictator Mohammed Siyad implemented policy of bringing the Somali-speakers under one government. This ideology led him to go war with Ethiopia and dispute with Kenya.
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By Hana Mohamed Muse
It is amazing that donors talk of good governance and normally deny aid to some of the poorest countries in the world on the pretext of bad governance while they nurture when and where they see their interest. Good example is Egypt where there is a gross violation of human right and all characteristics of bad governance.
I want to confine my self to Somaliland Red crest Society. This is one of the munificently funded organizations in Somaliland. Somaland Red Crescent projects comes from ICRC, European Union, German Red cross, Norwegian Red cross and others.
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DJIBOUTI, March 19th 2008 – IN THE centre of the blazing whiteness, four Afar herdsmen chip away at the salt with pickaxes. The milk-green waters beyond the salt pans look almost glacial, but the burning hot wind, the camels and dizzying mirages dispel the illusion. This is Lake Assal. At 155 meters (509 feet) below sea-level, it is Africa's lowest point—and one of its hottest. The Afars (sometimes known as the Danakil) gather the salt into sacks. They used to carry the salt on camels west into the Ethiopian highlands but times have changed. These Afars sell it for $7 a sack in Djibouti town, a couple of hours' drive away.
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By Sarah Thoms
Europe, Mar 20, 2008 – People sending money to family and friends in Somalia stand to get a better deal with the launch today of a programme to boost transparency and competition among money transfer companies.
The DFID-backed ‘Send Money Home’ for Somalis programme introduces a new consumer advice leaflet and a dedicated page on the free, independent money transfer price comparison website www.sendmoneyhome.org to help Somalis find the best deal for their needs.
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Ugandan officer reports tensions with Libyan leader's guards during visit Leaders gathered for opening of massive mosque in Kampala, Uganda About a dozen presidential guards seen bleeding from compound fractures |
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attend the opening of the mosque |
KAMPALA, Uganda, March 20, 2008 – A fight between Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on Wednesday.
Several of the guards to the visiting heads of state from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti sustained serious injuries in the fight, which included punches, kicks and the drawing of guns.
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Ahmed Abdikarim "Antar Jenyo"pleads for son's killer to turn himself in |
Toronto, Canada, March 18, 2008 - The father of Abdikarim Ahmed Abdikarim made a passionate appeal for the Lawrence Heights community to help solve his son's cold-blooded murder.
Ahmed Abdikarim, speaking publicly for the first time since Friday's shooting, asked for witnesses to come forward to help police.
Bags are made from plastic discarded on the streets of Accra |
Accra, March 18, 2008 – “Our bags are complete trash" may not strike you as the perfect sales pitch. But one Ghanaian entrepreneur would beg to disagree. His Trashy Bags venture is turning the scourge of discarded plastic that litters this corner of west Africa into a cool fashion accessory.
Plastic bags are a ubiquitous feature of the African landscape not seen in coffee table books or travel magazines. In Ghana they line roads, hang from palm trees, float in the sea and gather in drifts on the white sandy beaches.
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Abdifatah Abdinur of Rochester says he supports Obama because of his positions on health care, education and the economy, ''all those things that will make a difference for our families.'' |
Rochester MN, March 18, 2008 – Rahma Shakur never considered herself very political.
But that was before this year's presidential race and the rise of Sen. Barack Obama as a Democratic presidential contender. Now, like hundreds of other Somali immigrants from the Rochester area, Shakur can't get enough of the presidential drama.
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Taiz, Yemen, March 21, 2008 – Having no money to buy qat and cigarettes, Ahmad Al-Dhabri sold his eldest child, 11-year-old Aisha, for YR 30,000, or approximately $150, and forced his three other children to beg on the streets, thereby exposing them to molestation and other forms of abuse.
However, the Prosecution’s investigative minutes reveal that Al-Dhabri has been found guilty of mistreating his children and hasn’t rule out his involvement – along with his second wife and his brother – in selling Aisha after the prosecutor heard testimony by one witness after another and verified that their testimonies were identical in support of a June 12, 2007 lawsuit the victim’s mother filed against the father.
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By Mahmoud Liban
Historic Islamic state of eastern Africa, Adal state in the Danakil-Somali region southwest of the Gulf of Aden, with its capital at Harer (now in Ethiopia). Its rivalry with Christian Ethiopia began in the 14th century with minor border raids and skirmishes.
In the 16th century, Adal rose briefly to international importance by launching a series of more serious attacks. The first phase, in which the forces of Adal were led by Mahfuz, governor of Zeila – city on the Gulf of Aden, ended in 1516, when Mahfuz and many of his followers were killed in an Ethiopian ambush.
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