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Following is the entire text of a Press Release by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Press release
01 June 2006
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Press invitation: Annika Söder to meet Somalia’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation. State Secretary Annika Söder and Abdirizak Osman Hassan, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in Somalia’s transitional government, will hold a press conference at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Friday 2 June at 12.30.

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Following is the text of today’s (May 31.06) Press Statement delivered by Acting Security Council President Pascal Gayama ( Congo):

The members of the Security Council received a briefing on 30 May 2006 from the Department of Political Affairs, related to the recent developments in Somalia. They strongly condemned the resumption of fighting in Mogadishu. The members of the Security Council expressed their deep concern over the loss of life, suffering and the renewed violence against the civilian populations.

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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.

William Ballamy; the United States Ambassador to Kenya whose his diplomatic mission also covers Somalia wrote a letter to the Kenyan Daily Nation newspaper and wrote the following: 

Fighting between rival militias in Mogadishu, which some press reports have wrongly blamed on the United States, has dominated recent news coverage of Somalia. The real story of American involvement in Somalia is a much different one. It is true that the US has encouraged a variety of groups in Somalia, in all corners of the country, and among all clans, to oppose the Al Qaeda presence and reject the Somali militants who shelter and protect these terrorists. At the same time, the US has offered strong moral and diplomatic support to the institutions of the newly founded and still struggling Somali Government. Lost in the diplomacy and politics is the fact that the US is reaching out in many ways to help improve the lives of ordinary Somalis.

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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

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.

U.S. Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota was quoted as saying: 

I believe the United States has a vital security interest in helping Somalia succeed. (…) The lack of mature political institutions, protracted state of instability, porous borders and geographic location make it a potential location for international terrorists seeking a transit or launching point to conduct operations. As we saw in Afghanistan, failed states are a recipe for instability and terrorist activity. (…) Through interaction with my Somali constituents I have worked to be the voice of the Somali community in Washington, D.C. (…) I have made it a priority of mine to convey their concerns and ideas to various government officials and I will continue to facilitate dialogue among the different Somali political groups. The United States has an obligation to help put a stop to this chaos and I believe we can play a valuable role in establishing a stable, democratic government for the people of Somalia. 

Click here to view Senator Coleman’s statement. You may also here to click here to view the full text of the U.S. Senate resolution co-sponsored by Senator Norm Colman (R-MN), Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN). 

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has launched a two-month project to improve water availability and accessibility for thousands of drought-affected people in the Tieglow district and Hudur town of Bakol Region, South Somalia.  The ADRA Bakol Water Drought Response (BWDR) project impacts areas severely hit by drought and where ADRA has previously implemented water projects. Due to changes in population, water use in overcrowded villages has increased dramatically.

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The IRIN News reports:   

An outbreak of diarrhoea in Afmadow District in southwestern Somalia has claimed the lives of at least 12 people during the past week, medical sources said on Monday.  Some 80 people were arriving at the district’s main hospital to seek treatment for diarrhoea every day, said Hassan Mursal, a clinical officer at the hospital.

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The Famine Early Warring System (FEWS) says in its latest report that:

Despite the early gu rains in most of the drought-affected regions of Somalia, the food security situation facing 2.1 million drought-affected people remains precarious.  Prices of staple foods in most of the reference markets in the south are still much higher than normal for this time of year.  Humanitarian access problems coupled with impassable roads (due to rains) will likely hamper food aid deliveries during the coming weeks, thereby increasing vulnerability among food aid dependant drought-affected communities.  In the northeast and parts of the central region rains received so far are below-normal leading to serious water shortages.

Click here to view the full report on FEWS. The report is available as a PDF format.

Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed; the President of the Somali Transitional Federal Government is currently on an official visit to Sweden and is hosted by the Royal Ministry for International Development Cooperation in Stockholm.   

I welcome President Yusuf’s visit to Sweden and the opportunity for bilateral discussions on the great challenges that Somalia faces. Ever since the peace talks started, Sweden has played a prominent role in the international dialogue with the Somali parties. International support is crucial in the difficulties that the transitional leadership in Somalia has to wrestle with, if the progress that has been achieved is to last. 

Sweden has provided active political and economic support to the peace process since 2003. Sweden expects to give humanitarian support and support for peace and reconciliation totalling SEK 160 million in 2006. If the peace process makes progress, there is a readiness for more extensive support, partly within the framework of the donor conference that is planned with Sweden and Italy as co-hosts. 

Ms. Annika Söder, Secretary of State for International Development Cooperation, Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden

President Kibaki of Kenya was quoted as saying:   

The transitional federal government of Somalia continues to require sustainable international assistance and support to enable it to carry out its mandate of post conflict reconstruction…..   

Mr. Kibaki went on by saying:. 

In the search for durable peace in the region, IGAD member states have urged the United Nations to lift the arms embargo on Somalia. Likewise, we have emphasized the importance of implementation of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs. 

Well, what Mr. Kibati failed to say is the fact that it was IGADs officials who ignorantly thought that the UN Arms Embargo on Somalia prohibits the deployment of peace-keeping forces from the Arab or African states into Somalia. Indeed, one could reasonably argue that the UN Security Council resolution (733) regarding the Arms Embargo justifies the deployment of the peace-keeping forces into Somalia! Indeed, the resolution states that it “Calls upon all States and international organizations to contribute to the efforts of humanitarian assistance to the population in Somalia”. It goes without saying that the intention of the peace-keepers is to “contribute to the efforts of humanitarian assistance to the population in Somalia”. In short, President Kibaki is either being mislead by his legal advisers or he is just walking in the dark. Either way, I do not believe the President knows what he is talking!

Click here for the full dispatch by the Chinese News Agency; Xinhuanet.

David McGuffin; CBC’s Africa Correspondent writes:   

The day we arrived in Wajid, in southern Somalia, they executed a man on the edge of town. We heard the gunshots. He’d been involved in a scuffle over water at a distribution site the day before and shot another man. The town elders say rough, quick justice is the only way to prevent full-blown anarchy. This is how desperate the drought has made life in Somalia. On the edge of town, refugee camps have sprung out of nowhere. Stand in the middle of them and all you can see are sad, makeshift tents crammed together in a dry, dusty, windblown plain.

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Zlatan Milisic, Somalia-Country Director for the UN’s World Food Program was quoted as saying that: 

The humanitarian situation is getting worse…We have a major number of people who desperately need our assistance and we are struggling to move through and distribute to them the necessary assistance. It doesn’t help their society either when they are in a constant situation of attacks and unrest and problems. 

Somalia is in deep crisis, unfortunately no body seems to be listrening!

Click here to view a long dispatch by David McGuffin; CBC’s Africa correspondent, Mr. David McGuffin’s dispatches are also broadcasted on the National Public Radio in the US. 

Source: UNOSAT.  You may like to click here to view the original map.

Click here to view a map showing locations of international NGO’s operating in Somalia. 

Source: OCHA Somalia 

Click here to view map showing Somalia general population movement, specially inter-regional/district movements for December 31st, 06 through March 15th, 2006).

Source: OCHA Somalia 

According to OCHA report released earlier this week:   

In the last two weeks UNICEF and WHO reviewed their plans to implement key drought response activities including improving stocks of emergency drugs and supplies, strengthening surveillance and early warning, expanding of health care through mobile clinics, and reinforcing ongoing immunization activities. In support of the drought response, WHO is planning on implementing an intensive course on Communicable Disease Control and Emergency Response in Merka, Lower Shabelle and aimed at MOH, UN, Health coordinators, NGOs and Health Facility representatives and also the hiring of a nutritionist for a 2 month period to carry out specific drought related activities. As malaria is endemic in the south, a recent shipment of 60,000 Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) will be distributed to vulnerable groups in drought stricken areas.   

Source: OCHA via Reliefweb 

According to OCHA report release this week:

The Gu planting season is under preparation. Major actors include ICRC and FAO covering respectively 23,000 and 24,600 households. With resources available, it is estimated that close to 50% of the estimated needy families will receive planting material (sorghum and cowpea seeds). FAO is procuring some 492 Mt of sorghum and cowpea from Wajid (21 Mt), Baidoa (255 Mt), Belet Weyne (71 Mt), Afmadow (11,6 Mt), Garbaharey (18,4 Mt), Bardheere (107 Mt) and Dolow (8 Mt). Distribution was concluded in Wajid (FAO/ACF). Seeds are being bagged in Belet Weyne for distribution in Belet Weyne (FAO/DRC) and Balcad (FAO/Agrosphere), while seed testing is on-going at both Nairobi and field level, for the samples received from the other locations. Livestock and pastoralist activities continue to focus on de-stocking, animal health and water trucking.   

Source: OCHA via Reliefweb

According to OCHA reports:

5,000 Mt of food is currently being distributed in Baidoa and Dinsor districts while WFP is currently planning their second round of drought relief food distribution. Since late February a total of 11,800 Mt of food have been distributed to 730,000 beneficiaries in south Somalia and a total of 1,700 Mt of food has been distributed in the north. WFP is proposing to do a rapid assessment in the north east - which has still received no rain - and where some districts are reportedly suffering from chronic drought conditions. CARE has recently completed food distributions in Gedo and has begun water trucking and borehole rehabilitation in affected areas of El Waq. Similar activities are in the pipeline for Dolow and Belet Hawa; the next food distribution in Gedo is scheduled to take place at the end of April.  ICRC interventions continue in Gedo, Lower Juba, Bakol, Lower Shabelle, Mudug and Galgadud involving food distributions (and the rehabilitation of strategic water-points, veterinary interventions and seed distributions).

This is too little too late and it will not do much to help ease the hunger and starvation that is ravaging the Somali people in Somalia, in Kenya and the Somali part of Ethiopia! 

Source: OCHA via Reliefweb  

According to Xinhuanet:

The United States on Thursday appealed for calm in Somalia, urging leaders to work together and exercise restrain as tension mounts over a new round of fighting for control of the capital, Mogadishu. A statement issued by the US Embassy in Nairobi urged the Somali leaders to seek reconciliation through dialogue, calling on all parties to cooperate with the Transitional Federal institutions.  “In response to reports of increasing tensions in Mogadishu, the United States calls upon all Somalis to work together to encourage restraint and calm in the city,”  the US said in a statement.  “Provocations and fresh outbreaks of violence in Mogadishu can serve only the interests of extremist elements,” it added.

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UK’s Secretary of International Development; Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn, was quoted as saying:  

The majority of DFID funding is provided to three multilateral institutions, the UN system, the World Bank, and through the UK’s contribution to the EC, which includes the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO). Support to the UN includes to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for its Rule of Law Programme, the World Food Programme, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for drought related activities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) programme, UN-HABITAT for urban development work and to the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for education work. With the World Bank, DFID is for example, supporting the joint needs assessment work they are co-leading with the UNDP to prepare a five-year reconstruction and development programme and a Community Development Programme. We also provide core funding to the African Development Bank that is providing support to the drought in the Horn of Africa.

Source: Proceedings of the British House of Commons

Barbara Stocking, Oxfam’s director was quoted as saying:

This crisis might be getting less attention than the tsunami did, but the number of people needing help is even greater. …The severity of this crisis means assistance is needed on a huge scale. ..This appeal isn’t designed to be just a sticking plaster…We want to help people across the region to recover and be in a better position when the next crisis hits. With the support of the public, we can work with people to build their futures as well as helping them through the terrible situation they face today.

Click here to view a long article on this on the Independent Newspaper in London. 

Luc Lampriere, WFP spokesperson quoted as saying:

It has been raining and typically, these rains run from mid-March to mid-May, but it is likely we will need more than these rains to recover. (…) The drought affected the lives of 150,000 people, of whom 70,000 are in immediate need of food assistance.

Click here to view the full report on IRIN News.

Lindsey Hilsum of Channel4 News writes:   

Channel 4 News reports on the worsening situation in Somalia where aid is difficult to get through. It’s a land where guns are the law: for 15 years - the world’s only state without a functioning government. It’s almost impossible for aid agencies to operate in Somalia - the UN has even banned delivering supplies by sea because of the risk of piracy. Just this week - three aid workers were shot dead trying to deliver aid in Somalia’s drought-stricken south. Two years of severe drought have left eight million people in need of emergency food aid across the Horn of Africa. Two million of the most needy are in Southern Somalia. The problems encountered in Mererey and Afmadow, show the difficulties of aid relief, in a country with no government.  

Click here to watch the full report on Channel4 News.

The Reuters news agency reports:

A Somali man working with a German-based aid group was shot dead in a gun battle involving bandits in the south of the lawless east African country earlier this week, the organisation said on Wednesday. The man and seven others were caught in crossfire between highway bandits and another vehicle on the road from the capital Mogadishu to the southern city of Kismayu, said Stefan Libisch. The incident occurred on Monday at around 5.30 p.m. local time, said Libisch, spokesman for Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in Stuttgart. Abdulkadir Esse Far’Ade, who was working on a project to clear debris washed up by the Asian tsunami, died at the scene a few minutes after being struck by a stray bullet. “Of course we deeply regret this incident,” Libisch said. “We always try to make sure security is a top priority.” Two other people died in Somalia on Monday when fighting broke out among militia after a United Nations aid convoy was held up at checkpoints. 

Click here to view the full dispatch on the Reuters website (South African Bureau) 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began investigating a deadly shooting near one of its food convoys in central Somalia, in which at least one militiaman was killed and a number injured when gunmen attacked the convoy on the road to the town of Baidoa.The 70-truck convoy was subcontracted to a local vendor and there were no WFP personnel involved, a UN spokesman told reporters today, while the UN’s food agency said the violence occurred after negotiations to obtain safe passage for the convoy around road-blocks had failed.

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Chris Tomlinson of the Associated Press Writes:

The United States is backing a new coalition of Somali militants fighting Islamic extremists for control of the lawless nation’s capital, a U.S. official said, as both sides prepared for a battle that could explode in widespread violence. Clan leaders have put aside their traditional rivalries to take on the extremists, whom they describe as terrorists. The extremists, though, say they can offer unity and order after decades of chaos in Somalia. Residents say both sides have recently received an infusion of cash and weapons as they face off for control of the country, which has had no central government since warlords divided it into clan-based fiefdoms in 1991. The State Department said in March that the U.S. government was concerned about “al-Qaida fugitives responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam (in Tanzania) and the November 2002 bombing of a tourist hotel and attack on a civilian airliner in Kenya, who are believed to be operating in and around Somalia.”  

Click here to view the full dispatch on the Houston Chronicle. 

The South African Mail & Guardian Newspaper reports:   

At least three people were killed and nine wounded in a gun battle over United Nations food aid in drought-stricken central Somalia early on Monday, police and relief workers said.The incident, which underscores the difficulties, faced by aid agencies working in the lawless nation, occurred shortly after midnight near the town of Baidoa, the temporary home of the transitional Somali Parliament, they said.“The shooting involved gunmen who were escorting a convoy of World Food Programme [WFP] aid and others who were manning a checkpoint,” said a truck driver who was part of the procession of vehicles. “The shoot-out was short but intense and I never thought we would survive,” the driver told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity. “By the grace of God we are here to tell the story.” 

Unfortunately, this incident says a lot about the sad realities on the ground in Somalia; many desperate Somalis will kill one another for food. I think it is time that the international community takes a decisive action to fight hunger and starvation in Somalia! The United Nations bureaucracy is proving to be insufficient to avert the food crisis in Somalia. 

Click here to view the full story on the Mail & Guardian.