IRIN News Reports:
Ethiopia’s national avian flu coordination committee has approved a multi-million dollar contingency plan to strengthen preparedness in the event of the disease spreading to the Horn of Africa country. The three-year plan, costing almost US $124 million, was prepared by the Avian Human Influenza National Coordination Committee.
The United States Congress (House of Representatives) will have a hearing on Somalia today.
The title of a House hearing, “The Expanding Crisis in the Horn of Africa,” reflects the alarm many lawmakers feel about the political changes in Somalia. Among those testifying at the hearing Thursday is Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
The House hearing will be televised “live†on C-Span. The full program will be rebroadcasted tonight. The transcript will be available on C-Span with a small charge.
Click here to view the full article on the Herald Today newspaper.
The Somalia issue has the Senate’s attention. With Sen. Russ Feingold serving as chief sponsor, the Senate approved a resolution last week that urges U.S. support for “efforts to prevent Somalia from becoming a safe haven for terrorists and terrorist activities.” The House is expected to follow the Senate’s lead. Feingold believes the administration has failed to provide the resources needed to bring about a stable outcome in Somalia. Lawmakers have been told that only $2 million is being spent annually for development of political institutions in Somalia. They also have been told that the number of State Department personnel assigned to Somalia full time is minuscule.
Click here to view the full article on the Herald Today newspaper.
Douglas Mpuga of the VOA’s Washington Bureau has complied the following dispatch.
The Islamic Courts militia, which now control Somalia’s capital, have named a cleric as the head of a new parliament. Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys was appointed Saturday at a meeting of Islamic authorities in Mogadishu. Some in Washington consider Sheik Hassan Dahir a terrorist with suspected ties to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. However, the Islamic Courts have denied any links to terrorism or al-Qaida and say they are interested only in restoring law and order to Somalia.
Is this the end of the TFG’s short life? I wonder!
Al Jazeera; the Pan-Arab Television Network reports:
At least five people have been killed on the edge of the Somali capital after Islamist gunmen attacked two positions held by fighters loyal to a regional commander, militia sources said. In addition to the deaths on Tuesday, at least six people were wounded in the battles, the first clashes around the city since Islamists seized control of Mogadishu this month from a regional commanders alliance thought to be backed by the United States, the sources said. The regional commander whose positions at Lafole village just south of Mogadishu were seized in the fighting, Abdi Hassan Qeybdid, said: “Two of the dead are members of the Somali police and the other three are civilians.â€
Like millions of Somalis both in and outside the country, I am glad to hear Qaybdiid-the murderer got the boot on his bottom!
Click here to view the full news dispatch by Al Jazeera. You also like to click here to view a time-line of the Somali conflict by Al Jazeera.
John K. Cooley of the Christian Science Monitor newspaper writes:
On the map of northeast Africa, Somalia sprawls along the coast with the rough shape of a truncated sea-horse. It’s a torrid, dried-out, postcolonial land of passionate people - poets, pirates, and would-be prophets. It was the delight of European adventure writers and is the despair of American politicians and diplomats eager to implant Western democracy.
Mr. Cooley concluded by saying:
Meeting the Somali challenge should concentrate on control of the incessant arms traffic. It should consider calling in African Union or UN forces to protect aid to hungry Somalis, and lending political support to the transitional regime to transform it into a unified and strong federal system. This might reduce clan politics and encourage constructive action by neighboring African and Arab states to bring about peaceful change.
Charles Onyango-Obbo of the Kenyan Daily Nation newspaper writes:
Everywhere you turn, you are either reading or hearing on TV or radio that the rout of the Somali warlords in Mogadishu by the Islamic Courts Union came as “a surprise”.
The warlords are now dispersed to the far corners of Somalia, leaving the American project of backing their Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in tatters. There are many who are mourning the fact that the Islamic fundamentalists have won, saying that we are all in danger now. It’s not that simple. What we are witnessing is not the triumph of religious fundamentalism, but the crisis of secularism. Those of us who consider ourselves secularists, the fellows who believe in the separation of religion and state, bear the blame for letting the cause crumble in disgrace. Where secularists have risen to power in Africa and other parts of the Third World promising great change, many have ended up being maniacal butchers and thieves. We have let cherished freedoms degenerate into a bottomless pit of immorality and excess. Which is fine, except that we also don’t expect to pay a price for it.
Interesting perspective, however, what Mr Onyango-Obbo is depicting is, at best, a simplified version of the political realities on the ground in Somalia.
Click here to view the article column on the AllAfrica.com
The Reuters news agency reports:
The United States on Monday ruled out any contact with the new leader of Somalia’s powerful Islamists because he is on a U.S. terrorist list but left the door slightly open to dealing with the group later on. Hard-line Muslim cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is also on a U.N. list of al Qaeda associates, was named head of the Council of the Islamic Courts over the weekend. “Of course we are not going to work with somebody like that and of course we would be troubled if this (choice) is an indicator of the direction that this group would go in,†said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Pressed whether this meant the United States would not deal with any member of the group in the future, he replied: “Let’s wait, let’s see what the collective leadership of this group does.†McCormack said there were a lot of “shifting sands†in terms of the leadership and composition of the Islamists and the United States was waiting to see what happened.
There are currently several vacancies in various international organizations including the United Nations. Ainashe.net urges qualified Somalis, particularly Somali women to apply.
Click here to view full list of current vacancies.
The Online USA Religious News writes:
The takeover of Mogadishu this month by Islamic militias marks a major defeat for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which had secretly backed a coalition of warlords that has reportedly been routed from the Somali capital. While the victors, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), sought to assure the international community that they have no intention of setting up a Taliban-style fundamentalist state, U.S. officials have expressed strong concerns about their possible ties to al Qaeda associates believed to be in Mogadishu, including at least one individual who allegedly helped organize the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
Click here to view the full article on the USA Religious News.
Mario Raffaelli, Rome’s special envoy for Somalia was quoted as saying:
There is a real window of opportunity because the defeat of the warlords makes the situation not easier but simpler. The warlords were a factor of destabilization. (…) Of course there will be a lot of problems but for the first time this is a real turning point.
Mario Raffaelli went on by saying:
Whoever supported these people made a mistake because the outcome of this support was exactly the increasing capacity of the radicals to be players in Mogadishu.
Neither Mario Raffaelli nor the Italian Government he represents has any credibility about Somali political affairs. The fact is that the Italians decided foolishly to leave Somalia for the wolves to feed. Indeed, successive Italian governments looked blind eye on Somalia for the past fifteen years. Needless to say, it was not a long time ago when Mario Raffaelli was courting the brutal warlords in Mogadishu.
I don’t think the Somali people can be fooled with a false and insincere smile from Mario Raffaelli and his likes.
Click here to view a full dispatch by Barry Moody of the Reuters News Agency.
President Cabdullahi Yuusuf Axmed was quoted as saying:
There is a government in Somalia and as long as the Islamic Court Union recognises the government (…) and if they harbour democratic processes, then we will negotiate and open dialogue with them.
I think the president should be open-minded in terms of engaging a constructive political dialogue with the Islamic Courts. And he should not be making foolish demands that could unnecessarily widen the political gap between the two parties. He must also realize that the political wind in the country is blowing from a different direction. The popular political upraising in Mogadishu cannot and should not be underestimated.
The Islamic Courts have their own issues to deal with but what they have done for the country and for the Somali people in recent weeks is something that neither the TFG nor anyone else could even dare to contemplate on doing it. They ejected the tyrant warlords from Mogadishu and more importantly they brought peace and security to many regions of our beloved country. The undeniable fact is that guns are being silenced for the first time in almost two decades, people are beginning to go about their lives, economic activities are flourishing again and kids are feeling safe enough to play outside. That is a remarkable achievement. Indeed it is an incredible success beyond believe! Who could even imagine this to happen only few weeks ago!
Only the allmighty knows what the Islamic Courts have in store for the Somali people but so far they have been making remarkably conciliatory speeches despite their strong political and military power that made them overnight heroes in the eyes of many Somalis. The President and the TFG must adopt a similar approach by extending an open hand to the Islamic Courts’ leaders.
Its worth noting that Somalia is a Muslim country and a member of the Arab world, we must use these simple facts as guiding principles in our endeavor of find a lasting peace for our country.
Sheekh Cabdulqaadir Cumar Cali, Vice-Chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia was quoted as saying:
We have received an invitation from the Arab League to come to Khartoum and we have accepted.
Sheekh Cabdulqaadir continued by saying that:
Before any talks, the conditions for talks must be there. They [TFG] have been, of late, using very provocative language that is not conducive to dialogue. It is as if their intention is to scuttle any hope for a dialogue.
Sheekh Cabdulqaadir Cali, vice-chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts was quoted as saying:
We are opposed to any form of foreign military presence in our country. There is no need for them at this time, since the warlords, who were the main obstacle to peace and security in the country, no longer pose any serious threat. With goodwill and dialogue among us [the Somalis], we can solve any remaining minor security issues on our own.
Sheekh Cabdulqaadir Cali went on by saying:
We agreed that priority be given to dialogue, and [this] should take place with the transitional federal institutions and all the parties in Somalia.
I agree entirely with Sheekh Cabdulqaadir Cali that the Somali conflict needs solutions through political dialogue and not through military force.
The Associated Press reports:
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. security team will head to Somalia this week to meet with leaders of an Islamic militant group that has captured much of the country, the first formal contact between the United Nations and the militants, a senior official said Monday. The trip is meant to prepare for a similar visit by U.N. humanitarian agencies that want to ramp up aid to the country, said Francois Lonseny Fall, the U.N. special representative for Somalia. It also reflects a growing realization within the U.N. that the Islamic militants — known as the Islamic Courts Union — are the closest thing Somalia now has to a government after some 15 years as a failed state when different warlords rose and fell, officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the subject.
Timothy Clark; European Union Ambassador to Ethiopia was quoted as saying:
I think we have reached a consensus that we have to move very, very fast on this issue.
Mr. Clark went on by saying:
There is a real sense of urgency that the situation could unravel very, very fast unless there is a muscular response.
Where have the EU been while the situation in Somalia was unraveling for the worst for the past fifteen years? I wonder?
Click here to view the full dispatch on CNN International. You may also like to click here for longer dispatch by the Scotsman Newspaper.
Antonio Guterres; chief of the UNHCR was quoted as saying:
What we appeal to the international community, both in Somalia as in everywhere else, is to do its best to create conditions for a peaceful settlement of the problems and an adequate political solution.
Click here to view article about Antonio Guterres press conference on the Pakistani Daily Times.
The Pan-Arab Al Jazeera Televesion Network reports:
The Islamist alliance that has taken control of key areas of Somalia has said new fighting may occur if Ethiopia refuses to withdraw its troops from the country. However the Somalian government accused the Islamists of lying about an Ethiopian troop incursion as a pretext for attacking the government’s headquarters in the town of Baidoa. Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed, the head of the Joint Islamic Courts, said on Sunday that he had “confirmed” that 300 Ethiopian troops crossed into southwestern Somalia early on Saturday to counter his increasingly powerful group. “We ask them to go (back) to their country, if not their presence will cause a big conflict between the invaders and Somali people,†Ahmed said. The Ethiopian government denies its troops have entered Somalia, saying it had boosted troop levels along the Somali border following provocation from Islamists. A spokesman for the Ethiopia-backed Somali government said the Islamists accusation was “absolutely baselessâ€.
Click here to view the full dispatch on Al Jazeera.
Sheekh Shariif Sheikh Axmed; the leader of the popular Union of Somali Islamic Courts was quoted as saying:
We want the whole world to know what’s going on. (…) Ethiopia has crossed our borders and are heading for us. They are supporting the transitional federal government.
Sheekh Shariif Sheikh Axmed continued by saying:
They have deployed a lot of soldiers around the border towns, which is why we have been saying that Ethiopia is going to send in troops to Somalia.
Click here to view the full dispatch on the Pan Arab Al Jazeera Television website.
I have been in a lonely campaign for months arguing for the deployment of foreign troops into Somalia. Needless to say, the objective of bringing African military personnel into Somalia was to eject the warlords that kept the Somali capital and its people hostage for the last fifteen years and thus give the TFG a chance to assert its legitimate authority over the country. However, the political and security landscape have drastically changed over the past few weeks. Mogadishu is now more peaceful than it has ever been. Therefore, I do not see any convincing argument that could support the call for foreign troops into Somalia at the moment.
The new situation that has emerged in Somalia after the popular Somali Islamic Revolution needs political solutions through dialogue. The fact is that a foreign soldier with a gun will most probably receive a hostile reception in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country. Indeed, the presence of foreign army in Somalia will exacerbate the political conflict in the country thus worsen the security on the ground. The TFG must adopt a cautious approach to this issue and it must consult with all the parties concerned including the Islamic Courts before it invites foreign armies into the country. We must remember that those who courted with foreign powers were removed from power with popular force. I think there is a lesson for the TFG.
The Sudan Tribune reports:
Somali transitional government on Sunday restricted transmission of a radio station and arrested two journalists after it broadcast a report claiming Ethiopian troops had entered the country, officials said. Gunmen loyal to President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed stopped transmission of the Shabelle radio station, the only Mogadishu-based channel that broadcasts in the temporary seat of government in Baidoa, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the capital, at about 10:00 am (0700 GMT) on Sunday, they said. The channel continued broadcasting to others parts of Somalia.Sources said the gunmen carried out the orders given by Agriculture Minister Mohamed Hassan Nur Shatigudud after the radio station aired the claims about Ethiopian troops.
I understand that Shabelle Radio’s objectivity in news reporting can be questioned at times. However, I believe Shatiguduud acted improperly and he should withdraw his orders to shut Radio Shabelle down. It goes without saying that I agree with Abdulmalik Yusuf Muhamoud that this kind of misusing ministerial powers is “a gross violation of human rights and it is an exercise that undermines freedom of expression in Somaliaâ€. Radio Shabelle must be allowed to continue its broadcast.
Click here to view the full news dispatch on the Sudan Tribune.
Andrew Cawthorne of the Reuters News agency writes:
Somali gunman Nur Faryama has wielded an AK-47 for two decades — since he was eight in fact.Like thousands of others in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, Faryama has spent his whole youth charging in and out of battles and riding on the back of “technicals” — pickups made into war machines — with bullet belts draped round him. Finally, however, thanks to the rise to power of the Islamic Courts for whom he fought in recent months, the 27-year-old hopes he may be able to put down his gun and go to school. “For 16 years, when the warlords ruled, there was no economy, no education, no nothing,†he said. “Now we have stability, we can start our lives. I would like to go to school. I don’t want to be a gunman for ever.â€
The Angolan Press Reports:
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) made a desperate plea late on Saturday for the early deployment of a peace support mission in deteriorating Somalia. The council made the statement after its Saturday night session on the turbulent situation in the country, and repeated its demand to the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo to help enable the deployment. The PSC also urged AU partners to provide political, financial and logistical support to help achieve lasting peace and reconciliation in Somalia. East Africa`s Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a conflict resolution body, said AU troops from Sudan and Uganda were ready to deploy but had been stopped due to a lack of funds and the UN arms embargo.
I do not think that it is prudent for the Somali people to put their hopes and political aspiration for a better future on the shoulders of a dysfunctional organization like the African Union. As saying goes “Ninkaad kabo ka tolanayso kabihiisaa la eegaaâ€. In other words, none of the AU member countries can help other nations before they put their own house in order. Somalia has no business of being with the African Union. Indeed, Somalia must termninate its membership of the African Union altogether and it must look north for political, cultural and religious reasons!
Click here to full article on the Angolan Press’ website.
The Reuters News Agencies Reports:
Somalia’s interim government on Sunday accused Islamists who have become a major threat to its limited authority of lying about an Ethiopian troop incursion as a pretext to attack its headquarters. The Islamist militias, who have rapidly seized a strategic swathe of Somalia and flanked the government’s temporary base in Baidoa, said on Saturday 300 Ethiopian troops had crossed into the country.
I know it is a cliché to say that “I have been busy†and it may not be a sufficient excuse for my tardiness. However, the fact is that I have been inundated with lots of pending project deadlines. As result, I was unable to update the site as often as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I am back in business, at least for now and I intend to begin my regular updates by publishing stories twice a day. The first update will appear around 6am (Eastern Standard Time) in the morning and later in the evening around 8pm; once Amina goes to bed! Yeah, you guessed right; my duties as a father have a paramount priority!
Thank you for your patience, please stay with us!
According to the South African Independent online newspaper, League of Arab States said in a statement:
The Arab League expresses deep anxiety and regret over the deaths and injuries of a number of Somali citizens as a result of the armed confrontations…..It calls on the warring sides to immediately stop all the violence and fighting that has torn Somalia.
Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement:
At a time when people most need medical care and surgical attention, the occupation of Keysaney hospital by armed fighters constitutes a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
Mr. Egeland went on by saying:
The recent indiscriminate shelling in Mogadishu and spreading fighting in the environs of the capital have resulted in enormous human suffering.
Mr. Egeland concluded by saying:
This is a potential disaster area, at least from the humanitarian perspective, if it is not contained in the near future.