Ainashe.net

The Los Angeles Times says writes:

Somalia’s Islamist movement distanced itself from Osama bin Laden’s view that deployment of foreign troops to the Horn of Africa country would be part of a crusade to crush Islamic rule. “Osama bin Laden is expressing his views like any other international figure. We are not concerned about it,” said Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, former leader of the Islamist group. An audio recording by Bin Laden on Saturday warned the United States and other countries against sending troops to Somalia. It also praised Al Qaeda’s new leader in Iraq. The CIA said a technical analysis confirmed that the speaker was Bin Laden.

If true, it is a wise move by Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union.

Click here for the full dispatch on the LA Times. Please note that the LA Times requires free registration for access.

Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, the current chairman of the pan-African body, told a news conference today:

We have decided that the African Union, together with regional groups like IGAD, should take the situation in Somalia in hand.

President Denis Sassou Nguesso went on by saying:

The African Union will give all its support to the interim government, and we invite the international community to join us in supporting them, while favoring internal dialogue in Somalia.

This is, without a doubt, a grave political mistake by an organization run by dictators and oppressors which could have serious security repercussions for Somalia and for its neighbors. Indeed it could inflict damage to the political and security stability of the entire region and to a lesser degree the world as a whole.

Somalia does not need any foreign troops at the moment. The internal political conflict must be resolved by Somalis before armed foreigners can be invited into the country. As Tim Craig of the Washington Post newspaper reported today (see below) the misguided American military involvement in Somalia drastically altered the political landscape in the country-for the worse. A hasty and poorly thought plan to deploy foreign troops into Somalia as peace-keepers will most probably make things much worse. The political fire in Somali does not need more gasoline! Foreign troops must stay out for the moment!

It goes without saying that the fact that the AU will support the TFG is a step in the right direction.

You can click here to view a note I wrote about few days ago

Alisha Ryu of the Voice of America Radio sent following dispatch from Baydhabo.

Residents here received a flood of phone calls Sunday morning from anxious friends and family in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, asking if Ethiopian troops had really arrived in Baidoa. Residents in both cities say they have heard media reports that at least six large Ethiopian military trucks, carrying troops, entered Baidoa late Saturday night. Somalia’s interim Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Geedi, told VOA, the reports are not true. “There are no foreign troops in Somalia, and in Baidoa, as well,” said Ali Mohammed Geedi. “There are no Ethiopian troops in Somalia and Baidoa. These rumors are originating from opportunists, who are trying to create a clash between Somalia and our neighbors.” Two weeks ago, the Islamist leadership that has taken control of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, accused Ethiopia of sending several hundred troops into Somalia in order to prop up the internationally recognized, but weak interim government. Militias loyal to the Islamist leaders in Mogadishu now control a large area of southern Somalia.

To put it politely, I think, Cali Geedi is making misleading statement at best!

Click here to view the full dispatch

The Online Monster and Critics reports:

A decision whether to approve a peacekeeping force for Somalia still looms as African leaders prepare for the second and last day of the annual African Union summit in the Gambian capital Banjul. It was not immediately clear if a purported recording of Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden warning against deployment of foreign troops to Somalia would be discussed. The recording warns Somalis against negotiations with the weak transitional authority. Hardline Islamists, thought by the United States of having links to bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network, currently control most of southern Somalia.

Click here to view the full article.

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.

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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!

Click here to view the full dispatch on VOA.

The Newsweek has a long article on Somalia. However, the title of their article says lot about how little they know about Somalia and its people. Somalia has always been an ISLAMIC country!

Click here to view the full article on MSNBC website.

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.

Click here to view more on Presidents remarks on IRIN NEWS.

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.

Click here to view the full article on IRIN News.

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 Somalia”. Radio Shabelle must be allowed to continue its broadcast.

Click here to view the full news dispatch on the Sudan Tribune.

Martin Plaut of the BBC News says:

Independent sources are now also saying that about 500 Ethiopian troops are indeed inside Somalia - just east of Baidoa.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the BBC News.

The CNN International reports:

Members of militias fighting for control of the Somali capital could face war crimes charges for attempting to prevent the wounded and civilians from receiving assistance during the conflict, a U.N. official warned Monday.

Eric Laroche, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia was quoted as saying:

Increasingly worrying reports from Mogadishu describe indiscriminate shelling of civilian populations and the city’s medical facilities, with dozens dead in the last few days. (…) Due to the intensity of the recent fighting, an increased number of civilian casualties have been unable to reach medical facilities.

Mr. Laroche went on by saying that:

(…) Any deliberate attempt to prevent wounded or civilians receiving assistance and protection during fighting in the city may constitute elements of future war crimes.

This warning seems to be directed to Muuse Suudi Yalaxow who is currently using a Hospital in Mogadishu as a hidding ground and keeping its entire staff as hostages.  Mr. Laroche’s warning is certainly a step in the right direction. However, what Mr. Laroche failed to mention is the fact that the main reason why the warlords are keeping a whole nation as a hostage is a direct result of United Nations’ confused and incoherent policy towards the Somali conflict. The problem of warlordism would have ended long time ago if the UN allowed the Somali Transitional Federal Government to carry out its main political objective which is to secure the country and bring law and order by lifting the Arms Embargo. The UN has as much Somali blood on their hands as the Mogadishu warlords if not more! It is time for the UN to do the right thing and act sensibly. The continuation of the arms embargo serves no purpose other than empowering the warlords to murder more innocent Somalis. The UN’s failure in Rwanda should not be forgotten!

Click here to view the full dispatch on CNN International.

 

The Soviet made MIG 23 of the now defunct Somali Air Force. It is beyond human imagination to grasp the magnitude of the destruction that has taken place in Somalia in the last decade or so!  It will probably take decades to rebuild the Somali Armed Forces but it is task that must begin now rather than later. President Cabdullahi Yuusuf and his government must speed up the rebuilding process so that both internal and external threats to Somalia’s national security can be averted. General Daa’uud must feel proud again! 

The Los Angeles Times has a very critical editorial on U.S. current clandestine activities supporting the warlords in southern Somalia. It reads:   

In Somalia, it’s not merely stupid to assume that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. It’s liable to get you killed. Yet the United States appears to be supporting one group of Somali warlords, who have repackaged themselves as secular anti-terrorists, to fight another group of equally brutal Islamist Somali warlords. The U.S. involvement, an open secret since 2002, became undeniable this month after fighting between the two sides killed at least 140 people in Mogadishu. Last week, White House and State Department spokesmen didn’t bother, even when asked, to shoot down reports that the U.S. is backing one of the warring militias — thus backhandedly confirming that the Somalia operation had White House approval. (John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, did deny that the United States had violated a U.N. embargo on sending arms to Somalia. Cynics say that means the U.S. gave the warlords cash instead of guns.).   

The LA Times concludes by saying that: 

The Bush administration fears that Al Qaeda operatives and “foreign fighters” are profiting from Somalia’s chaos to establish a beachhead in the strategic Horn of Africa. Even if these concerns are valid, arming thugs to fight a proxy war against Islamists is a clumsy game the U.S. is likely to lose. …. National security advisor Stephen Hadley, a veteran of decades of mostly failed Third World proxy battles with the Soviet Union, should put a stop to this silliness now. Instead, the U.S. should stick to its policy of trying to help create a government that can finally end the anarchy in Somalia.   

I agree with the LA Times that the U.S. is currently pursuing a counter-productive foreign policy in Somalia. The long-term strategic U.S. interests as well as the national security interests of Somalia can be best served by helping the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to fulfill its mandate of stabilizing the country politically, economically and militarily. Undermining the TFG by showering millions of dollars to the enemy of the Somali Nation will not yield desired political outcome for either party. The U.S. must change course! 

Click here to view the full editorial by the LA Times. 

Sharif Xasan Adan; the Speaker of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament was quoted as saying:

I appeal to the international community to extend financial assistance and expertise to Somali government to ensure peace and stability in our country.

Well, it goes without saying that what Sharif Xasan failed is to understand is the fact that neither the TFG nor anyone else can stop the bloody fighting in Mogadishu without an external security force that could stabilize the chaos in Mogadishu and else where in the country. Having said that, the fact the Sharif Xasan realized that we Somalis cannot do it alone and we need foreigners to help us sort things out is indeed a step in the right direction. Sharif Xasan Adan must work with President Cabdullahi Yuusuf Axmed and help the parliament approve the deployment of foreign troops into Somalia.
Click here to view the full dispatch by the Chinese News Agency; Xinhuanet.

The Associated Press reports:    

Islamic militiamen and secular fighters battled for control of Somalia’s capital Wednesday despite promises of a cease-fire. Six people were killed Wednesday, bringing the death toll to at least 96, with nearly 200 others wounded, according to officials. Heavy weapons fire echoed through the city as the fighting spread to another Mogadishu neighborhood. The battle between the Islamic Court Union and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter Terrorism has centered on the northern neighborhood of Sii-Sii, with neither side gaining an advantage. Most of the victims in the most recent fighting were civilians caught in the crossfire.   

It saddens me to see so many innocent Somalis murdered senselessly every day. However, I believe the blame should go squarely on the shoulders of the United Nations that is refusing the deployment of peace-keeping forces under the auspices of the Arab League, the African Union and IGAD. It time for Mr. Francis Fall, the UN Special Envoy to Somalia to admit his failure and leave quietly. Indeed, I would go as far as saying that the entire staff of the United Nations political office for Somalia must be replaced as soon as possible. The fact is that they are doing more harm than good. 

My heart bleeds for my country and its people! Unfortunately, there is very little that I can do at the moment! However, I will keep SHOUTING on its behalf as much as I can so should every one else! 

Click here to view the full report on CNN’s website.

The Chinese News Agency; Xinhuanet reports:   

East African military chiefs began a three-day meeting here on Monday to review security progress in the region ravaged by conflicts, insecurity and poverty. The East African Chiefs of Defense Staff Meeting which drew military chiefs from 12 states called on regional governments to support the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade to deal with conflicts in Sudan, northern Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia and other trouble spots. In his opening remarks, Kenya’s Defense Minister Njenga Karume said the African Union (AU) is assembling a strong rapid response force to deal with conflicts and disasters on the continent. “The African Union has formed a standby force aimed at ensuring quick intervention in conflicts arising within the continent,” Karume told military chiefs from Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Mauritius, Madagascar, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.   

Well, this is at best another way of wasting much needed resources! The fact is that almost all the countries in the above list are undemocratic and dysfunctional states that have deeply rooted internal conflicts with their own people. Not to mention the fact that majority of them are at war with each other. The question is: how can a country that cannot even protect its own borders help others to achieve peace and security? More importantly, Somalia has no business of forging military alliance with East African States. As I wrote many times before on this page and elsewhere, I do not see any reason why Somalia should be part of failed states club! We have our problems to deal with! Personally, I believe that Somalia should look north politically and economically. Indeed, I have argued that we should leave the African Union altogether. The notion behind the creation of the OAU and African Union is indeed racist! For instance, we have been told that “Europe” is not a geographical location but and idea based on common cultural and religious heritage. Yet, the overriding criterion for the creation of the African Union is indeed skin color. How can you explain Somalia and Ghana being in the same union? 

Click here to view the full article on Xinhuanet. 

The EU strengthened relations with Somalia and stepped up aid for the troubled country on Tuesday. European commission president José Manuel Barroso and development commissioner Louis Michel signed a memorandum of understanding with Somalia’s president Abdullahi Yusuf. Addressing a press conference in Brussels, Michel assured Somalis that the EU had not forgotten their bloody domestic conflict. “For 15 years Europe has been supporting Somali people. This memorandum sets out key principles which will govern our co-operation,” he explained.  It is hoped that Somalia’s recently instated transitional institutions will provide the EU with a partner for peace in the troubled region.  “The memorandum gives Somalia the political backing it needs and also recognises the transitional government as a partner,” a commission spokesman explained.  But despite the transitional government Somalia remains a volatile and dangerous place.

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As animals die by their hundreds each minute due to the severe drought that is ravaging Somalia, the livelihoods of millions of Somali pastoralists die along with it! Consequently, those who lost everything their lives depended upon will have no choice but to migrate to the more urban areas and into the Somali cities and towns with all economic and political repurcussions that comes along with it. Sadly, this is the looming human tragedy that no one is talking about. 

Copy Right (picture): Jason Beaubien; Africa Correspondent for the National Public Radio (NPR). You may like to click here to view Jason Beaubien’s dispatches from the drought devestated Somalia

Benson Amollo of the Kenyan Times writes:

The post-conflict reconstruction and the possibility of deploying a peace keeping mission to Somalia by the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries is set to feature prominently at the ordinary session of the Heads of State of the seven-member countries in Nairobi today. The Heads of State meeting in Nairobi, to be hosted by Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki, will determine the fate of the war-torn Horn of Africa’s country, currently recuperating from a 22 year-old civil strife under a Transitional National Government (TNG) and Parliament. The Heads of State are set to deliberate and pass recommendations on whether IGAD partners should send peace keepers to Somalia as agreed last year. They should also agree on an action plan aimed at wooing the international community to chip in donor support for the country’s reconstruction.

Well, I am very skeptical about the effectiveness of IGAD as an organization. Indeed, they have created lots political and legal problems for Somalia. For instance, the dispute regarding the UN Security Council arms embargo and the deployment of foreign peace-keeping forces to Somalia is based upon a wrongful interpretation of the Security Council Resolution # 733. The fact is that Resolution 733 is not applicable to peace-keeping in Somalia, yet, IGAD council of ministers ignorantly thought that the arms embargo must be lifted before IGAD headed peace-keeping forces could be send to Somalia.  I believe Somalia is pursuing a wrong foreign policy at the moment. We should leave both IGAD and the African Union and established better political relations with the Arab and Islamic countries! I do not see any reason why Somalia should be in the same political, cultural and economic union with countries like Ghana, Gongo, Uganda etc. The whole concept of creating a club (African Union) for the poor African blacks is racist!

Somalia must join with countries that we have political, economic, cultural and religious ties! We do not have anything to do with Ghana, Gongo, Uganda or South Africa for that matter.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the Kenyan Times.

The United Nations’ Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia says:

Given the significant possibility of a below normal outcome - combined with the current precarious humanitarian emergency in southern Somalia and the sustained possibility of widespread conflict - it is prudent for all stakeholders to prepare for a worst-case humanitarian and livelihood scenario.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the AlertNet. 

In an statement released yesterday, UNICEF Acting Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator Christian Balslev-Olesen said:   

Aid workers should be able to operate without fear and we appeal again to all political and religious leaders, elders, the business community and opinion leaders in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and the critically-needed assistance they deliver, especially during the current drought. (…) We cannot save lives if we cannot reach the communities that are in need, and we are not guaranteed safe passage.   

Click here for a news dispatch on this by the Chinese News Agency (Xinhuanet). You may also like to click here to view previous UN Appeals for access and some comments we made about it. 

The Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) reports:   

An Arab ministerial committee assigned to follow ‏up the situation in Somalia on Saturday put forth a strategy that would help Somalia’s interim government ensure security and stability of the African country. A resolution adopted by the committee at the Cairo meeting, stipulated that the plan will be submitted to the next Arab Summit. The strategy urges Arab countries to relieve Somalia from its debt and calls on Arab nations to honor their pledges to the USD 26 million special funds for support to Somalia that was established during the Algiers Summit to meet the needs of the Somali transitional government. It also called on Arab nations to offer immediate humanitarian aid to prevent an outbreak of famine in Somalia, which threatens 400,000 people. The committee urged Arab countries to lift the ban on Somali imports especially livestock. The Committee also assigned the Arab League to coordinate with the African ‏Union to prepare and execute a joint program to disarm Somali militias. The meeting was held in the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo. The Committee’s meeting took place on the sidelines of the 125th session of the Arab League Ministerial Council due to begin late Saturday.

I thought our brothers and sisters in the Arab World left Somalia for the wolves to feed, luckily this news proves me wrong. Having said that, I think, the Arab League should do more to help the starving Somalis. 

Click here to view the KUNA website. 

In an opinion article on the Nation newspaper today, Bo Goransson, the Swedish Ambassador to Kenya writes:   

East Africa and the Horn of Africa are facing one of their worst crises in decades. Food production has fallen drastically. Energy bills are soaring as oil is imported to compensate for the lack of rainwater for hydropower. Governments’ resources are depleted as public funds are diverted to short-term emergency efforts. Power is rationed and industrial production is set to drop, escalating under- and unemployment. The human capacity - the ability of the people to cope, to work and to grow - is reduced when they are out of jobs, malnourished, marginalized and pushed into dependency on relief food and water rations.   

It seems to me that Western Embassies are running Africa these days! Is this a new Neocolonialism from the back door? I wonder! Seriously, I think Mr. Goransson’s “analysis” is too over simplistic and are based on pure stereotypes rather than objective observations of the facts on the ground! Needless to say, the ambassador’s prescriptions to Africa’s economic and social ills are too superficial for anyone to take them seriously! As the saying goes, “habar fadhida lagdini wax uga fudud”. Perhaps, the Ambassador wrongly believes that everyone in Africa lives the way he does in Nairobi! 

The Nations requires registration for access. However, the article is being republished on the AllAfrica.com. 

François Lonsény Fall; Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Envoy to Somalia was quoted as saying:   

I am deeply troubled by reports of recent fighting in Mogadishu and the news that civilians, including children, are among those who have been killed and wounded. (…) I am also alarmed by reports that hundreds of families have been forced from their homes by the indiscriminate exchange of fire from heavy weaponry. It is totally unacceptable that the lives, homes and security of Somali civilians should be the theatre for such violence. (…) I appeal to those in charge of these forces in Mogadishu to resolve their grievances peacefully. 

I share Mr. Fall’s serious concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation in Somalia, and Mogadishu in particular. However, I do believe that the UN should acknowledge the fact that it is increasingly becoming part of the problem in Somalia and not the solution! The UN’s policy towards Somalia is without a doubt full of contradictions based on poorly thought and badly researched situational analysis on the ground in Somalia. The UN certainly lacks people with an expert knowledge on Somalia, its people and its culture; someone who could put the current Somali problems into its proper economic and political context. 

For instance, on one hand the UN is complaining about the security problems in the country (and rightly so) and the lack of access to the victims of drought, on the other hand the UN is refusing bizarrely the deployment of keeping security forces into the country! You can’t have your cake and eat it. Can you?  The UN is failing the Somali people and it should do better!

Click here for the full article on the UN Newswire. 

The South African Independent Online reports:   

Militias in Somalia are looting shipments of aid for drought victims and forcing aid drivers to pay bribes, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Attacks by Somali pirates in recent months have caused aid agencies to start transporting relief supplies over land and the convoys have been subjected to pillaging by gun-toting militias at hundreds of road blocks across the country.   

The paper quoted Max Gaylard; the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia as saying:   

We need across the board support and commitment of everyone to ensure access and protection so that we can alleviate the suffering of Somalis. (…)We cannot do so if the food convoys, medical supplies and other critically needed assistance are targeted by opportunists and so called uncontrolled militiamen. 

Well, the tribal warlords killed thousands of innocent Somalis and now they intend to kill hundred of thousands if not millions through starvation by looting the looting the food supplies for the hungry Somalis. This must not be tolerated. The myopic Somali tribalists must recognize that the tribal warlords that they are supporting politically and economically are indeed destroying their communities though starvation!  Mr. Gaylard must stop being too “politically correct” and ask for an international security force through the United Nations. The UN’s policy towards Somalia is full of contradictions and it needs a major overhaul! The UN cannot complain about security problems hampering food distribution to the staving Somalis and at the same time refuse Peace-Keeping forces to come to Somalia. This sounds silly, counter-productive and illogical! 

Click here to view the full article on the IOL. 

The Stratfor online reports:

Somalia’s president, prime minister, and parliamentary speaker have agreed to work together to promote national unity, the leaders said in a joint-statement released Feb. 13. President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi and Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden concluded a three-day meeting by pledging to work closely together to unite the country’s 275-member legislature and restore confidence in the remainder of the Transitional Federal Government. The three leaders also urged Somali’s to “stop inter-clan wars and meaningless hostilities” in an effort to end the ongoing anarchy and benefit all citizens. 

Well, we have been here before haven’t we? I do not want my hopes shattered again. Hence, I am inclined to stay as a hard-headed skeptic for few more weeks and wait until tangible political returns are achieved! Having said that, I must say that it seems to me that the nuts and bolts of the Somali tribal political puzzle are getting together at last! 

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and wait for a better outcome this time around! 

Stratfor online is a paid service. Hence, no link for further access of the website is provided here. Sorry!

We have contracted several agencies in the United Nations system, countless number of NGOs, ICRC and many governments in the West and the Arab World. We will occasionally publish selected email responses from our current campaign to inform the world about the plight of the starving Somali people in Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and in Western Somalia (Ogaden) occupied by the Ethiopia.

Below is an email we received from the UNDP Somalia office in Nairobi. The email summarizes the food crisis emergency relief efforts by the UN system and some other international humanitarian agencies.

1.  There is now a common understanding of the magnitude of the crisis. The already dire humanitarian situation is now further aggravated by the worst drought in Somalia in a decade. Approximately 1.9 million people are in need of urgent assistance and protection, including up to 400 000 IDPs. The Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) of FAO further estimates that about 240,000 people are at high risk of falling into a state of Acute Food an Livelihood Crisis. Hence, the number of people in a state of livelihood crisis and humanitarian emergency has almost tripled (more than 500,000 people identified in the Post 2005 Gu survey and now almost 1.5 million people) . More than 600′000 people - some of whom were already in a state of humanitarian emergency - in Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba and areas of Bay and Bakool face a moderate risk of famine.  FSAU reports total crop failure in 6 Southern regions and livestock loss up to 80% in some districts in Gedo.

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