Ainashe.net

According to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations the Bush Administration is worried about Somalia becoming a “Terrorist Haven”:

Because Somalia is a chaotic, poor, battle-weary Muslim country with no central government. As former Secretary of State Colin Powell has said, “terrorist activity might find some fertile ground there, and we don’t want that to happen.” Moreover, U.S. government officials say that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network supported Somali radical Islamists, organized training camps in Somalia, and threatened American troops in Somalia who were there on a U.N. humanitarian mission in the early 1990s.

Click here to view the full “backgrounder” on the CFR.

You may also like to click here to view Eben Kaplan’s note on “Somalia’s Terrorist Infestation” notes.

The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEW) paint a grim prospect for Somalia by saying:

Prospects for the 2006 main “gu” cereal crops, for harvest from August, are poor due to insufficient rains; the rainy season is complete, with patchy results. This would lead to the third consecutive season of below average harvest. Despite some heavy rains at the beginning of the season, large areas in Gedo, Bakol, Hiran, Bay, Lower Shabelle, Lower and Middle Juba, Galgadud, Toghdeer, Sool, Sanaag and Bari received below normal rains (see map). The gu is the main rainy season (April–June) with about 70 to 80 percent of annual cereal production in normal years.

Despite favourable rains in several drought-affected regions of Somalia, the food security situation of about 2.1 million drought-affected people thus remains precarious. Extremely high levels of malnutrition persist in many areas including Gedo, Bakool and Juba Valley. Recent nutrition surveys of these areas found unacceptably high rates of acute malnutrition between 16.2 and 23.8 percent (GAM), with corresponding severe malnutrition rates of 3.7 to 4.2 percent (SAM).

This is one of the tragedies of the Somali political conflict, while the so called “leaders” (Myopic triblists) are bickering among themselves, thousands of Somalis die everyday due to hunger and starvation!

Click here to view the article GIEW website.

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.

Click here to view the full article on Reuters.

Following is the full text of a statement released by Swedish Foreign Ministry regarding the war in Mogadishu.

15 May 2006

Statement by Jan Eliasson on the situation in Mogadishu

I am greatly concerned about the fighting in Mogadishu in Somalia during the past week. These unacceptable acts of violence primarily affect the already suffering civilian population and have claimed the lives of a large number of people, including many children. We have today received reports of a ceasefire and I call therefore on all the groups involved in the fighting to respect the ceasefire and join the peace process. Sweden’s commitment to support the fragile peace and reconciliation process in Somalia will continue. We support the institutions that have been set up and can lead the country from chaos and conflict to peace and stability. I welcome the initiatives now being taken to encourage the groups involved in the fighting to join the political process for peace, reconciliation and reconstruction. 

Mr. Jan Eliasson,

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Royal Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Click here to view an index of the latest news dispatches on Somalia by the Foreign Press. You may also like to click here to view all blog stories about Somalia.  Ainashe.net will publish updates as they come available. So stay tuned.

Please note that the above Google search link is programmed to expire after few days.   

The American Jewish World Service says:   

The tsunami that struck South Asia in 2004 also devastated the coast of the African nation of Somalia. That fact is often forgotten, now that the term “South Asian tsunami” is fixed in our consciousness. And in a way it’s not surprising. Somalia seems always to be an exception to the rule. Not only is it consistently overlooked in regard to the tsunami, but it’s also the only country in the world without a functioning national government. For nearly 15 years a civil war has raged in Somalia, which is ruled by warlords and clans that dominate various regions of the country.  In this kind of volatile environment, where one’s clan affiliation means everything, women are especially vulnerable to disasters. Inter-clan marriages, which were prevalent before the onset of the civil war, leave women susceptible to accusations of disloyalty to both the clan they were born into and the clan into which they married. After the tsunami, many women survivors found themselves without the means to support themselves or their families and with no one to turn to for support.   

Well, as the saying goes, “Nimaan hadlin habartii wax ma siiyo” .. I think the Foreing Minister of the Somali Transitional Federal Government must do more to advocate our cause in the international arena. As far as I can see, the Minister has been missing in action since he was appointed as minister almost a year ago. I think it is just about time that he start doing something! And he must do it now!

Click here to view the full article on AJWS. The article also is being republished on the Relief Web. 

Here is a detailed map showing all UN Office locations in Somalia for 2005. The file is a PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be downloaded here free of charge.

Following is a picture of Mogadishu from the Italian colonial period (1937). The picture is a part of a collection put together by the University of Swansea in Wales, UK.

 

“Somalia - Mogadiscio, la città” 

Copy Right: Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare and The Univ. Of Swansea, Wales, UK.

Click here to view the full collection. You may also like to click here for more pictures of the Somali Capital (1940s).

Geof Huth wrote this poem about the Somali Capital; Mogadishu, a city raped by the destructive warlords! Please note this is a copy righted material.

The calm palms of Somalia bend inland
along the coast. They bend away
from the wind when the wind blows; they
bend away from the wind when the wind is absent. They are a constant
reminder of storm. Under the coconuts
and sun, in our yard, behind the rock walls, and in the bushes
along the walls, runs a herd

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The following question was sent to the “Dear Economist” of the Financial Times. “Dear Economist” column is written by Tim Harford of The World Bank Group (IFC).

Dear Economist,
For cultural reasons I am probably going to have an arranged marriage. This will mean that I won’t have an opportunity to cohabit first to find out how well things would work. I would have to take a decision that is more rational than emotional. There are a lot of things that I would like in a woman, but hardly anyone has it all. What can you advise?

The “Dear Economist” replies by saying:

When we elect members of parliament, we are the “principals” and they are the “agents” who, supposedly, represent us. Similarly, when shareholders elect a board of directors to maximise shareholder value, the directors are their agents. Those directors will hire managers to do their bidding; again, the managers are the agents.Think for a moment: are principals ever happy with what their agents get up to? You can understand why economists speak of something called the “principal-agent problem”.

Click here for the rest of the column on Tim Harford’s blog.

There are many “development” vacancies at the UN agencies and other Humanitarian NGO’s operating in Somalia. Ainashe.net urges qualified Somalis to apply for those jobs. Remember, by taking one of those vacancies you will not only earning money but you will be helping your country as well!

Ciddina umma Maqna, Ceelna umma Qodna!

Click here to view the full list.

You may also like to click here to view all current UN vacancies.

Ismail Ahmed; a Somali student at the University of Southern Maine wrote the following note and wants to generate a discussion on “leadership” roles of Somali religious scholars or “imams”.

Ismail says:

I have not yet come across research to date; where Imams or Somalis’ Islamic preachers have been included in the discussions of leadership issues afflicting the Somalis (I use Somalis to avoid saying Somalia/land). There is no doubt that they function as important religious authorities in the Somali community. Much has been written about Somali culture and tradition. It is time Somalis examined their faith and spirituality. Somali problems might be caused by what we belief, practice, and profess rather than who we are. According to the constitution of Somalia, Islam is the official religion of the state (No religion other than Islam can be propagated in the country). A state with such a fundamental religious foundation will of course make one pose the following questions:

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Well, what can you say other than admire jealously the true Somali patriotism on display here!

As the song goes, “Walee amma calan jiroo caan ah baad ahaan amma calal maryo ah baad la cayn ahaan” I Hope for the first!…..

For the record, I happen to be a true believer even thought I cannot sing….

Traditionally, milk chocolate was made using cow milk; however, soon camel lovers like me will enjoy a piece of Chocolate made exclusively by using Camel milk! Read this:

A dairy farm in Al Ain is set to produce chocolates made of camel milk.The farm has set up a chocolate manufacturing plant in Al Ain in collaboration with the Vienna-based Chocolatier Hochleitner. Production starts from June 2006 — that’s just about eight months from now. Started by the Al Ain Dairy Farm, the plant will have a capacity of producing 50 tonnes of camel milk chocolate every month. An official told your favourite No. 1 newspaper Khaleej Times that it was the first farm in the AGCC that will produce chocolate from camel milk and honey. The milk from camels of the Al Ain Dairy Farm and honey from Yemen — healthy and delicious.

Click here to read the full article on the Khaleej Times.

Safi Abdi; A Somali author currently living in the United Arab Emirates writes in her first novel “A Mighty Collision of Two Worlds”:

Some people believe in Cupid; the popular angel of love and some people do not. Others have doubts. No matter how many times you think it over, one fact remains, love exists. However, is love only for those who have the same skin color, the same language or the same culture?

Click here to learn more about this book. Interesting read!

The following letter was sent to the “Dear Economist” column at the Financial Times.

Dear Economist,
Parents often find that some of their children turn out wealthier than others. Doting but logical parents have been seen to apportion financial help unequally in order to help the least successful of their children at the expense of the wealthier ones.
So is one is better off being lazy and a failure in life in order to maximize the potential help from one’s parents?
Yours truly,
Alexander Ross, London

Click here to view the response from the “Dear Economist”; Tim Hartford. Mr. Harford works for the IFC of the World Bank Group. His forthcoming book is titled: “The Undercover Economist”.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been receiving loads of inflaming emails from angry Ainashe.net readers complaining about my failure (thus far) to publish my report regarding my recent trip to Somalia. Some of the readers were so angry that they gave me an ultimatum by saying that I should sit down, draft something and publish the final report on this page within weeks or else! Some even speculated that the reason why I did not complete that widely anticipated report is that I have been bribed to silence by Riyaale and his regional government cronies. Others have said that I was too lazy as any Somali or any African for that matter.

What can I say; I understand their frustration and anger!

I am sure many of those readers will find “I have been busy” as an insufficient excuse for my sluggish blogging schedule in recent weeks. However, I am quite certain those readers will be more sympathetic to me if they knew that I am currently baby-sitting my three month old daughter; Amina. As any infant, Amina needs twenty four hour attention and round the clock nursing and care. Indeed, I cannot take my eyes off her even when she is sleeping peacefully in her crib albeit the surveillance equipment monitoring every movement and every sound she makes! (more…)

We changed our domain name from Ainashe.org to Ainashe.net and we are in the process of rebuilding the site soon. Please come back and visit us again soon. Thank you.

My sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Asad Ainashe