Mrs Muhubo Saleban Farah, wife of detained former presidential transport chief, Mr Abshir Hassan Hashi |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 3, 2008 (SL Times) – The wife of Abshir Hassan Hashi said that the police who are holding her husband refused to give him the food that she brought him, and that she was harassed when she delivered dinner to the Hargeysa Central Police Station yesterday evening.
Mr. Abshir’s wife Muhubo Saleban Farah complained that during his arrest the police hit him with the butts of their guns and injured his kdney.
This undated frame grab image taken from a video posted on a web site that supports Somali insurgents and provided by IntelCenter, shows Aden Hashi Ayro, a man believed to be the head of al-Qaida in Somalia |
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 1 May 2008 - U.S. missiles destroyed the house of the man identified by the U.S. military as the top al-Qaida commander in Somalia, killing him and 10 others Thursday in a pre-dawn attack that analysts warned could torpedo peace talks.
April 27, 2008
Somali and Kenyan officials say a ransom of $1.2 million was paid to pirates to release a Spanish fishing boat and its crew of 26 hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega told a news conference in Madrid Saturday that the release had been the result of a joint effort from Spain and the ship's owners. She did not mention a ransom
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WASHINGTON, April 29, 2008 - The United States on Tuesday released 40 million dollars in emergency aid for the World Food Program (WFP) to help deal with the growing global food crisis affecting the poorest nations.
The funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will be added to 200 million dollars US President George W. Bush authorized on April 14, the State Department said in a statement.
24 April 2008 –
Lately, news of piracy attacks have entered mainstream media channels as current affair items. Indeed one of our forums has followed this thread more closely, with contributors keeping readers up to date with most recent events and their wise words. However, latest news sheds a new light on the spate of attacks in the more dangerous seas, of the many attacks that go unreported and keep crew on high alert during their passage.
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Hargeisa (Somaliland), 24 April 2008 - Police forces in the capital of Somalia’s separatist state of Somaliland clashed with hundreds of angry rioters on Sunday, prompting opposition parties to condemn the government for using “excessive force” against civilians.
In a joint press communiqué, Somaliland opposition parties Kulmiye and UCID condemned the breakaway region’s government for the “ugly and excessive use of force against civilians,” adding that the episode showed the residents of Hargeisa that the “current government is more merciless than that of [former Somali President] Siad Barre.”
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Washington, DC, 3 May 2008 - Conditions in Somalia have reportedly worsened to their lowest point in many years.
The United Nations Food and Agrigulture Organization says extensive drought is causing a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
Khartoum, Sudan, 22 May April 2008 - The SPLM were having their convention when the south received some sad news that there was a plane crush. All twenty one people on board the South Sudan Air were reported dead in a tragic incident as a result of engine failure 30 minutes after the plane took off this morning from Rumbek Air strip at around 10:30 A.M.
The plane was on its way to Juba the seat of the government of south Sudan , when this unfortunate incident took place between Rumbek and Warap at around 11:00 A.M said a reliable source. Among the dead were nineteen senior government employee including SPLA Minister Dominic Din, Mr. Justin Yak Arop senior government (GOSS) advisor and a number of military and civil servants beside the captain and crew.
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 27 April 2008 - Authorities paid pirates a ransom of $1.2 million to win the freedom of a Spanish fishing boat and its 26-member crew seized off the Horn of Africa a week ago, a Somali official said.
Suspected pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades had seized control of the tuna-fishing boat from Spain's Basque region last Sunday about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, a region where piracy has escalated recently.
2 May 2008
Reporters Without Borders is today issuing an updated of list of its “predators of press freedom” for World Press Freedom Day.
For the past seven years Reporters Without Borders has exposed the world’s “predators of press freedom” – men and women who directly attack journalists or order others to. Most are top-level politicians (including presidents, prime ministers and kings) but they also include militia chiefs, leaders of armed groups and drug-traffickers. They usually answer to no-one for their serious attacks on freedom of expression.
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Former Marine Casey Kuhlman is no stranger to quick deployments. So it won’t seem odd for him to receive his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School on Friday, May 9, then pack his bags to leave the following Monday for the eastern edge of Africa. Kuhlman will travel to Somaliland, a province of Somalia, where he will spend two years working with the provincial election commission to help them reach the goal of achieving best international practices in their electoral system.
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Mr Muthaura at a past news conference. Photo/FILE |
4 May 2008
A move by the Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura to attach the list of serving diplomats to a draft presidential circular containing fresh Cabinet and government appointments is likely to stir new controversy within the Grand Coalition.
There are fears this would be taken to mean the envoys were handed fresh appointments without consultations with the Orange Democratic Movement.
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Nairobi, Kenya, 4 May 2008 - Kenyan anti-terrorism officials are on high alert following the killing of an Islamist said to be the Al Qaeda leader in Somalia in a US attack on Thursday, the Sunday Nation has learnt.
There are fears that the Al Qaeda cells in Somalia plan to retaliate the killing by staging attacks on American interests in Kenya, said an anti-terrorism officer familiar with the details of the plan but who could not be named because he is not authorised to speak to the press.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, 3 May 2008 (SL Times) - Two people were killed in last Sunday’s street demonstrations which rocked the capital, Hargeysa, and virtually brought the city centre and traffic to a halt for more than an hour. Angry crowds of youth from Ahmed Dagah district in Hargeysa fought full street pitch battles with local police and special riot police brought in to quash the demonstration and to disperse the angry crowds from the streets.
Things turned ugly when some protestors overpowered one policeman from his rifle and began to fireback at the security forces who where according to some reports firing live rounds at and above the heads of protestors some of whom were pelting the police with stones and sling shots.
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Abshir Hassan Hashi, former head of transport at the Presidency |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, 3 May 2008 (SL Times) - Three police vehicles loaded with armed policemen swarmed on Thursday night into Imperial Hotel in Hargeysa and forcefully arrested Mr Abshir Hassan Hashi, the former head of transport at the Presidency and currently is serving as an executive committee member of Kulmiye party.
Mr Hashi was quickly ferried to Hargeysa central police station where he is being currently held to date (Saturday). No contact has been made with Mr Hashi since his arrest and according to close family-members access to see Mr Hashi has been denied to all by station police.
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Interview with Mahamud Salah Nur, representative in France : « We have met all the conditions for a fully-fledged state »
Mahamud Salah Nur, Somaliland representative in France |
Versailles, France, April 8th 2008 - Somaliland is asking for international recognition since 1991 when it restored its independence. Some countries have granted a de facto recognition to Somaliland, for instance Ethiopia which hosts a representative based in Addis Ababa. Delegates have also been sent to the United Kingdom, once the colonial power controlling the protectorate of Somaliland, and to the USA and Italy. Recently France has sent twice diplomats from its embassy in Djibouti to Hargeisa to create cultural links with Somaliland.
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DALLAS, Texas, 26 April 2008 - Somaliland Minister of Water and Mineral Resources, Qassim Sh. Yussuf Ibrahim, left here today after several days visit to San Antonio, Texas, aimed at attracting foreign investors for Somaliland’s potential oil explorations, and other untapped mineral resources, on the sidelines of an international petroleum convention.
The visit comes on the heels of the ministry's announcement on April 11, 2008 of the completion of the geophysical surveys of oil prospects in its onshore and offshore areas by the Norwegian TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (“TGS”), raising hopes for significant foreign investment to Somaliland.
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Somali President Abdillahi Yusuf |
Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 April 2008 - The president of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has signed a letter formally approving an oil exploration project in the northern region of Puntland that has been mired in controversy and bloodshed since early 2006, Garowe Online has learned. The letter, dated April 25th, was signed by interim President Abdullahi Yusuf, himself a former Puntland warlord before being elected to the Somali presidency in October 2004 at the conclusion of a two-year peace process in neighboring Kenya.
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ADDIS ABABA , April 30, 2008 – Ethiopia and Djibouti on Wednesday each announced urgent measures to alleviate the effects of the global food crisis on their populations.
"Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the government has no other urgent agenda than issues connected with bringing down the skyrocketing cost of living in the country," the official ENA news agency reported.
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Analysis
By Dr. Terry Lacey
I asked if I could get to Gaza at the gate to the Gaza Strip. The soldiers said it was a closed military zone. Could I try the coast road reserved for military and settlers? They let me try.
I drove up to the last barrier before the city. There was no traffic, no sound. The sun shimmering brightly on the Mediterranean sea, with Gaza City in the distance.
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Thursday's US air strike in Dusamareeb killed al-Shabaab leader Aden Hashi Ayro [REUTERS] |
2 May 2008 A US air raid that killed a senior figure in Somalia's armed al-Shabaab group has put UN-sponsored peace talks under threat as the biggest opposition alliance said it was considering a boycott. The Alliance for Liberation and Reconstitution of Somalia said on Friday that it was considering pulling out of the talks scheduled for May 10. Read full text...
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Dear FRIENDS,
Anyone who has studied 9-11 at all knows it was an inside job.
Bush was not surprised. His brother Marvin's security company closed down one tower the week before and brought in lots of cables and other equipment. The towers, including building 7, were dropped by controlled demolition. The planes provided a dramatic cover story- great pix.
Rumsfeld had control of scrambling planes transferred to himself, exclusively, a few months before, and then disappeared that morning, so no planes intercepted the four hijacked airliners. Instead, there was a "stand-down" of NORAD. By some strange coincidence, a military exercise was being run that am which simulated planes crashing into buildings, so that the air traffic controllers were confused about whether the "attack" was real or part of a drill.
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Commentary
By Dr. Mohamed A. Omar
As Dahir Rayaale hangs on to power beyond his presidential term and delays elections, Somaliland sleepwalks into a political crisis. This puts the country’s democratic process and its international standing at risk – the two most crucial goals that are indispensable for Somaliland’s political future.
Although the president’s term of office ends on 15 May, the country’s Upper Chamber, unelected body known to be close to the President, has unilaterally extended his tenure by one year recently, thereby ignoring the election plans agreed by all political parties and the National Election Commission (NEC). It is widely believed that Rayaale was behind this move, in a bid to extend his time in office.
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WASHINGTON, April 28, 2008 - Somalia’s transitional federal government is looking to emulate the counterinsurgency model employed by General David Petraeus in Iraq in its fight against Islamic supremacists who have made a base in southern Somalia
In an interview with The New York Sun, the Somali foreign minister, Ali Ahmed Jama, said he was hoping to emulate “the Anbar model,” referring to the successful strategy pursued by the Marines in the Sunni dessert province in 2007 that bolstered the tribal rebellion against Al Qaeda.
How Will the New President Handle Frozen Conflicts?
By Sergei Markedonov
30 April 2008
One of the most important and pointed questions facing Dmitry Medvedev in terms of Russia’s foreign policy is the country’s relations with de-facto states in the post-Soviet space. There are few other foreign policy problems that are as closely tied to security inside Russia, while the ethno-political situations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia directly influence the situation in Russia’s North Caucasus.
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| Transitional government forces and Ethiopian soldiers forced the Islamic Courts from Somalia in 2006 [EPA] |
MAY 03, 2008 The African Union has called for more peacekeepers to be sent to Somalia in an attempt to stabilise the war-ravaged country.
Jakaya Kikwete and Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president, agreed during a meeting on Friday on "the need for more troops for AMISOM, and appealed to the countries that pledged troops to fulfil their pledges".
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Sen. Barack Obama pauses for a moment while campaigning at a town hall-style meeting in Hickory, North Carolina, 29 April 2008
U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama has an early lead in Saturday's nominating caucuses in the tiny U.S. territory of Guam.
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Citing the harms from air strikes on Somalia as a reason to continue to bomb, invade and occupy Iraq is the height of incoherent self-justification.
By Glenn Greenwald
(May 03, 2008) -- Glenn Greenwald, who blogs at Salon.com and has written three popular books in recent years, regularly reviews editorials at The Washington Post, under opinion editor Fred Hiatt, taking issue with their hawkish views on the Iraq war.
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3 May 2008
Briefing correspondents on the Security Council’s programme of work for the month of May, John Sawers of the United Kingdom highlighted an open debate on post-conflict peacebuilding on 20 May as “the centrepiece” of his country’s Presidency of the Council this month, aiming to address a gap in the international capability to rapidly respond to the immediate needs on the ground, restore law and order and get the government and economy functioning following the end of a conflict.
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Two sets of distinct but interconnected problems are posing a serious threat to Somaliland. The first set of problems have to do with the economy and living conditions, and they include the rising food and gas prices and until recently the drought that affected large swathes of the country. Admittedly Somaliland’s economic problems are not unique to it but are part of the worldwide phenomenon, however, whereas other governments have taken measures to lessen the impact of the increase in food and fuel prices, Somaliland’s government did the opposite and chose precisely this moment to increase fuel and import prices.
The other set of problems are political in nature, and here, too, instead of making things better, Somaliland’s government has definitely made matters worse. The list of wrong moves by the government is long, but we will cite just a few:
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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 Hassan Gagale
Dear Servicemen and Servicewomen
You are sincerely saluted for your noble service for the people and for the country of Somaliland, and for your patriotic allegiance to the cause of Somaliland. Somaliland people thankfully appreciate your deep nationalism of defending Somaliland independence as well as keeping the internal security of the country without having satisfactory salaries for the basic needs of your families or of you at this difficult time.
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By Abdullahi Dool
The tragic news of the murder of Daud Hassan Ali is shocking news to all Somalis who knew him back home and in the Diaspora. I have known Daud Hassan Ali since 1992 having met him in central London and found him a conscientious and patriotic Somali who even from abroad never ceased to work hard to foster education for the people of Hiiraan, his region of origin. His enthusiasm lay behind the building of a school and a library in Beletweyn. He was the principal of that school.
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By Noah Arre
The disintegration of Somalia back in the early nineties gave birth to a multitude of problems including the creation of tribal fiefdoms that are bent to destroy one another. And despite many international trials to cure the problem and put once great Somalia back on track, to date nothing has materialized. And sorry, things in the TFG are not much better than how they were at the height of the downfall of the nation.
However, one area that proved far different and functions properly to date, albeit the current worrisome setback and confusion caused by its leadership… the Gurti, the President and the MPs, is the struggling democracy of Somaliland.
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In Defense of president Riyale
By Guled Ismail
Many Somalilanders including this writer often criticise, mock and sometimes denounce President Riyale for all kinds of real or perceived shortcomings and weaknesses. We snigger at his supposed lack of gravitas and many amongst the chattering khat-room intellectuals cringe at his naivety on international affairs and his innocence of the cloak-and-dagger moves of international diplomacy.
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By Abdel- Qani
I may still be in school, but I'm able to tell that you guys are irresponsible when it comes to journalism. You guys should try to be a little less bias when it comes to your articles. Is not even politics anymore...You guys are turning into the stuff you write clan-based.
Have you guys published articles that defended the current administration? Riyalle is saving you guys from Habar Vs Habar bull-crap keep that in mind.
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By Rhoda Rageh
I was in Hargeysa last year when Mujahid Yusuf Gabobe was arrested for the articles Haatuf published. Abshir Hassan courageously confirmed on television everything that was quoted in that article and much more. He was a loyal servant of Riyale and his family for too long and he gave up his job when his conscience reached its threshold. I know he went into hiding immediately because his life was threatened.
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30 April 2008
The European Commission would like to set up a project providing funds for African students or students of African descent who have recently graduated to set up their own projects or businesses. In order to ascertain the best way of managing this project, they would like your opinions on how best they can help you
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By Abdulazez Al-Motairi
Somaliland Presidential delegation attending official luncheon hosted by US State Department in honour of the delegation's official January visit to Washington, USA. |
There is no doubt that Somaliland is a fact, as everybody who visits Somaliland can see with plain eyes. Somaliland integrity and sovereignty does not need blessings of anybody including that of the writer Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis and another anonymous writer who accused Somaliland for corruption.
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Muna Noor applied to Carlton College, the so-called Ivy League school of the Midwest. Noor and another woman were the first two Somali students ever admitted to the school. |
April 29, 2008
One woman is making Minnesota history after only being in this country for a few years. Muna Noor is one of the first Somali students ever admitted to prestigious Carlton College in Northfield.
Noor had to overcome a lot to get there. "I came to Minnesota and everything was a discovery," said Noor.
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BY BASHIR GOTH
FROM Darfur to Zimbabwe and from Somalia to the Great Lakes, there is a new wind of change blowing over Africa. Looking at the map of the continent, one may conclude that Africa is destined to bleed.
If not by foreign powers pillaging its wealth and robbing its future workforce, it is home grown tyrants that suck its blood and derive pleasure in teasing the hungry populace with the bare bones. If not by natural disasters, it is by inter-clan fratricides stoked by power thirsty sycophants and clans fighting over meager resources.
To get into most countries, I needed a passport. To get into Somaliland, I needed a lift.
Tanked: Somaliland is dotted with rusted remains of its battles for independence. |
By Graeme Wood
Mohammed had a squirrelly look in his eyes, which together with his green-flecked teeth made me wonder whether to trust him. We had met that morning in Jijiga, Ethiopia, and he volunteered to show me — and then devour with me — the bleak town's one real attraction: qat bushes. Here, near the Somali border, Mohammed cultivated qat and then shipped it all over the world for Horn-of-Africa expatriates who, like him, were utterly addicted to the numbing buzz you get when you chew its leaves for a few hours.
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By Jerry Okungu
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Stranded at the Addis Ababa Airport for the second time in less than five months gave me time to think about Prime Minister Melles Senawe of Ethiopia. Having been around Addis City for two nights and driven across the city on sometimes very rough terrain and seen massive constructions going on, I suddenly realized that no matter how his unflattering human rights records may be, the man has done well for Ethiopia.
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Crowds — from residents to journalists — gather in front of the house of Josef Fritzl, an Austrian father accused of holding captive his daughter, family, for more than two decades. |
AMSTETTEN, Austria - Elisabeth Fritzl has been locked in a windowless cellar in Austria for roughly the same amount of time I have been alive.
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By Tedla Asfaw
May 01, 2008
I have to ask this question because this morning (May 1) the United States from its base in Djibouti sent an airplane to the "Tora Bora of Somalia" in central Somalia and killed the al-Shabab's military commander, Aden Hashi Ayro and his close associates. This was to pave the way for the next week’s meeting in Djibouti between the current rulers of Somalia and the "moderates" from Islamic Somali Court (ICU). They are the current guests of Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea.
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By Abdulazez Al-Motairi
April 28, 2008
Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS) failed to restored law and order in southern Somalia, including the vicious Mogadishu that paralyzed the country for about two decades. IGAD and Arab League also failed to install government in Somalia after 14 Peace Conferences in Arab and IGAD territories. It is likely that UN Trusteeship System that worked in the Italian Somalia for about ten years in 1950´s will again restore order in Mogadishu.
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