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Following is a note from UNDP-USA Somalia section:

Somalia has been without an effective government for over fifteen years and because of this public education has been almost non-existent. As education costs rose fewer and fewer people, especially women, were left without the most basic education. Since women are disproportionately affected by the shortage, they are often left unable to advance into higher education. Just two years ago, a number of Somali women were recruited into the journalism program at Puntland State University. Almost all the women were forced to drop out because they could not afford tuition! Since education and women’s empowerment are some of the necessary backbones to development it is essential that this change.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the African Virtual University (AVU) are working to make huge strives in the education of Somali women. They realize that only through education can real change happen and can an effective government take hold. $1000 is all it takes to cover a Somali women’s full tuition and her course materials for a one year training program. This small donation can help provide women with a variety of skills ranging from medicine to communication business and help them create a new stable Somalia.

Help give Somali women the opportunities they deserve.

To donate, please click here. For more information on UNDP-USA, please click here.

The African Diaspora Mobilization Team of the World Bank Group says:

We are writing to seek your assistance in launching an initiative aimed at registering Firms owned by members of the African Diaspora on a World Bank database called eConsultant, so that these Firms become eligible for consulting opportunities within ongoing Bank projects in Africa.

This is further to the Diaspora Open House in Washington DC last November, where one of the commitments we made to participants was that we would provide them with opportunities to be considered for consulting roles with the World Bank. We continue to remain excited by this because we believe that the African Diaspora’s unique perspective, combined with specialist skills, will add immense value to our work on the continent.

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Peter Heinlein of VOA writes:

Washington’s top diplomat on African issues says regional leaders must do more to ease simmering tensions in the Horn of Africa. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer made the comment after leading a team of senior U.S. officials on a tour of Ethiopia’s tense Ogaden region bordering Somalia.

I think the US Government is asking the wrong group of countries to get involved in the tragic Somali political conflict. Neither Kenya nor Ethiopia is an honest peace broker. These countries have strategic and security interests that can only be achieved by keeping Somalia weak and fragmented for many years to come. Hence, it is not only illogical but counter-productive to expect those countries to pull Somalia out of the current quagmire. The US Government should ask Arab and Islamic countries to assist Somalia!

Engaging the Egyptian and Saudi governments could be a good start!

Click here to view the full dispatch by Peter Heinlein.

The Somalia Prime Minister; Cali Maxamed Geedi was quoted as saying:

We are very grateful for the sacrifice made by the Ethiopians. Ethiopia is the number one friend of this country.

This is where Cali Maxamed Geedi and the fast majority of the Somali people, including myself turn sharply to different and opposing directions. Contrary to what the Prime Minister said, and I must say, with all accounts, Ethiopia has always been, and continues to be Somalia’s worst enemy. Unless one is blind-folded by myopic tribalist agenda, personal greed or irrational self hate, no one need to be a brain-surgeon to understand that Ethiopia is far from being Somalia’s “best friend” as the Prime Minister ignorantly stated. (more…)

The European Union’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, condemned Monday the escalating battles in Somalia. Speaking in Brussels, he was quoted as saying:

I express my deepest concern on the reported involvement of foreign forces in Somalia and urge all external players to refrain immediately from intervening militarily in Somali affairs and provoke further violence.

Click here to view the full dispatch.

Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’ade”; the defense chief of the Somali Islamic Nationalists issued an ultimatum and asked Ethiopian troops to leave all Somali territories that they currently occupy within a week or face an all-out war.

Personally, I do not believe that war should be rushed to as it only brings misery and bloodshed. In addition, the TFG is so weak and powerless that it is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own weight. Hence, toppling it by forces will only create more chaos.

Peace must be given a chance!

Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’ade”; (on the right).
Copy Right: Shabelle Media/Reuters News Agency.

The Economist magazine writes:

Although Somalia’s Islamists say that their aim is nothing more threatening than to remake the country as a peaceful and tolerant Islamic state, Somalia’s internationally recognised (but dreadfully weak) transitional government insists that they are an “al-Qaeda network”. A recent suicide bombing which narrowly missed the transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf, and the killing of an elderly Italian nun working at a Mogadishu hospital, probably in retaliation for Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks on violence and Islam, confirmed the worst fears of some, including the United States. The Kenyan coast already has direct experience of al-Qaeda’s brand of violence—in 2002 it bombed a hotel full of Israelis in Mombasa, killing 16, and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner—and the Nairobi-based intelligence community expects more. So people are nervous.

The paper went on by saying:

Kenya’s Muslims feel disenfranchised. They have had little access to national power, in contrast to neighbouring Tanzania, where Islamist rhetoric has been blunted by socialism and Muslims have held most of the high offices of state (see article). So far, however, Muslims on the Kenyan coast have usually been repulsed by jihadist rhetoric. But a revival of Arabic and access to Arab satellite television, linking local backwaters to a sometimes inflammatory message of Islam under siege, could change that.

The Economist is right to say that one of the reasons the Kenyans are nervous is the fact that “Kenya’s Muslims feel disenfranchised”. However, there is another reason which is far more important than anything else: Kenya occupies a large portion of Somali territory! And the Somali islamic nationalists want that territory to be FREE from Kenyan oppression.

Click here to view the full article on the Economist magazine.

Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News reports:

Top African military officials are studying a proposal to send a 3,500-strong peace force by October to Somalia, where an internationally recognized government appears increasingly weak in comparison to and its fundamentalist Islamic rivals. Officials said Thursday that four battalions, made up of Ugandan and Sudanese troops, will be trained in Kenya before being deployed in an initial phase to the conflict-ridden country, African military experts told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.

I think it is a huge political mistake to bring unwelcome African foreign troops into Somalia. Indeed, it will do more harm than good. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and the TFG cannot and should not be forced into the throats of the Somali people. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of the Somalia people refused to accept the legitimacy of the failed TFG.

Many people including myself have argued endlessly in the past that the TFG could function as a transitional government that could potentially pave the way for a more permanent political settlement for Somalia. Well, we were wrong and as it turned out the people of Somalia knew what is good for them better than any one else!

Now, let me tell you why I believe the deployment of foreign troops into Somalia is very bad idea. First, neither Kenya nor Ethiopia is an honest peace broker that cares about the well being of the Somali people and Somalia. On the contrary, the fact is that neither Kenya nor Ethiopia want emergence of strong and united Somalia. They want fragmented, weak, and disintegrated Somalia surrounded by strong Christian countries with Western political, economic and military support. The reason is that both countries annexed Somali regions illegally and they are afraid that strong future Somali government will revive Somali Nationalism and the noble idea of Greater Somalia including NFD and Western Somalia (Ogaden). I do believe that one of the reasons why the Somali peace process has failed thus far is the fact that both Kenya and Ethiopian were on the driver’s seat. In my opinion, the Somali political conflict need more honest peace brokers, preferably from the Arab and Islamic countries!

Second, the TFG is no more as it collapsed under its weight with cabinet ministers and federal MP’s deserting everyday by their dozens. The question is why would any body care to protect disgraced bunch of warlords, murderers and tribal chiefs with myopic political agenda that are doing nothing other than continuing endless political bickering among themselves? Democracy dictates the supremacy of the political will of the people. And the political will of the Somali people seems to be somewhere else at the moment!

Third, the Somali people will not like Ethiopian or Kenyan troops patrolling their towns and villages imposing illegitimate rulers that are protecting foreign interests that are detrimental to the well being of Somali Nation as a whole. Needless to say, any troops from those countries will most likely aggravate current political conflict in Somalia. As result, the security situation in the country will worsen!

Why put more gasoline on flaming fire?

Bottom-line: there is no rational argument for deploying foreign troops from Africa into Somalia!

Click here to view the full dispatch on FOX News.

The Irin News reported yesterday that:

After initially refusing to take part in peace negotiations, Somalia’s transitional government and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital Mogadishu, have agreed to resume talks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, officials said. “We have decided to participate in the talks in the interest of the people,” Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the UIC chairman, said on Tuesday. The two sides announced their participation after meeting a Kenyan delegation to the country, led by Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, on Monday.

Personally, I do not understand what difference a “talk” between the collapsed TFG and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) will make? I mean, the ICU control the most strategic parts of the country including Mogadishu and they seem to be advancing politically and militarily with an amazing speed. Meanwhile, the powerless TFG is disintegrating everyday with a serious and widening political gap between Cali Geedi and Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed. More importantly, neither Cali Geedi nor Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed has done anything tangible for the Somali people since they came to power almost two years ago. The fact is that Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed was busy building tribal government of his own appointing former taxi drivers and waiters as ministers while Cali Geedi was unable to understand what his role as a prime Minister was really all about!

In this scenario, there is no political incentive for the ICU to even contemplate talking with the failed TFG. Without a doubt, they are the victorious party in this political and military chess game. Hence, they do not need the TFG at all. However, some have argued that the “Western” powers could isolate them if they succeed to take over the entire country and as a result incapacitate any future government by ICU. Therefore, the ICU should try to talk to the TFG in order to reach power sharing agreement that could potentially pave the way for a coalition government.

I do not believe that this is an argument worth any consideration at all. There are several reasons for my out right rejection of this line of argument. First, neither Cali Geedi nor Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf is popular with the West. Second, as I argued before, The ICU made several important political signals indicating that they were willing to address U.S. security concerns in Somalia. Indeed, the initial U.S. policy regarding the ICU did not seem hostile at all. However, the fact that Sheikh Dahir Aways is appointed to very prominent and politically powerful position complicates the matter somewhat. Third, the overwhelming majority of the Somali people are at the moment with the ICU politically and militarily if need be.

In short, the ICU is increasing looking like the legitimate power in Somalia while the TFG is seen by the fast majority of the Somali people as bunch of murderers, warlords and tribal chiefs bickering endlessly among themselves with NO one around to listen them.

Can any sane person tell me why the ICU would waste time talking with those folks? They must push on and liberate the rest of the country including the northern and eastern regions!

Click here to view the full dispatch on Irin News.

The Reuters news agencies reports:

Islamist fighters in Somalia have seized two coastal towns and vowed to rid the area of piracy that has made the country’s Indian Ocean waters some of the most dangerous in the world, residents said on Sunday. The militiamen met little resistance and there were no immediate reports of casualties as they moved into Harardheere, a town 400km (250 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, before advancing north to take Eldher a day later. “We have to secure the town and its surroundings,” one Islamist commander, who did not give his name, told a crowd of residents in Harardheere. “Piracy is a crime.” Fighters loyal to the country’s Islamic courts movement seized Mogadishu and a strategic swathe of southern Somalia in June. They oppose the interim government, based in the provincial town of Baidoa, and threaten its limited authority. Many on the coast applauded the Islamists’ arrival. “Now we will be free fishermen,” said Abdi Warsame, a fisherman in Harardheere. Piracy is a lucrative offshoot of a trade in smuggled drugs, weapons and people by Somalia’s powerful warlords.

Well, Somali pirates did indeed commit serious violation against the international maritime laws and regulations. However, they help to thwart international criminals that looted marine resources from the Somali coast. In short, their crimes help protect the Somali coast and that’s is not a bad thing for the Somali people!

Click here to view the dispatch on the AlertNet.

David Gollust of VOA writes:

The Bush administration is again urging the main parties in the Somalia conflict to commit to dialogue for a unity government, and it is calling on Somalia’s neighbors to avoid any actions that might complicate those efforts. The U.S. appeal followed reports Wednesday that a Kazakh cargo plane carrying arms from Eritrea for Islamic militants had arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu, and news accounts last week that Ethiopia had sent troops to shore up the country’s transitional government based in Baidoa. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia have denied intervening in the long-running Somali conflict and officials here say they cannot verify the news reports. However, the State Department is taking the accounts seriously. At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said it is important that Somalia’s neighbors avoid any actions that would make the political reconciliation process in Somalia more difficult than it already is.

To me the Bush Administrations foreign policy regarding the Somali conflict is at best incoherent and it lacks strategic focus.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the VOA.

The leader of the Somali Union of Islamic Courts was quoted as saying:

We do not negotiate with a Government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia.

I do not believe this is a wise move!

There should always be an open channel for a political talk between the opposing factions of the Somali bloody conflict. After all, the lives of millions of Somalis are on the line. Indeed, the future of the entire Somali Nation is at stake. Hence, we must look beyond personal difference and work for the common good of our people. Sheekh Sharif Axmed looked like a cool-headed and reasonable man and he must maintain that image by ordering his troops to move out of Bay region. He must also ask his delegates in Khartoum to resume talks with their TFG counterparts.

It goes without saying that the TFG must ask foreign invaders to leave Somali territories they captured and leave Somalia for Somalis! President Cabdullaahi Yuusuf must know that legitimate political power is something that must be earned through the collective will of the Somali people. He must stop acting like an Ethiopian viceroy! He is the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia including Western Somalia (Ogaden) which is under Ethiopian occupation!

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.

Justin Raimondo of the Anti-War.com has an interested piece on “How we (Americans) messed up Somalia – and paved the way for Islamist domination.” The article has lots of links to references for further reading.

It is a good read..

Click here to view the full article on the Anti-War.Com.

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

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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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.

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.

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.

Andrew McGregor writes:

As the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to dominate headlines, a new front in the war on terrorism has opened in Somalia. At a brutal cost to Mogadishu’s civilian population, once-discredited warlords have reinvented themselves as “counter-terrorists,” seeking and apparently gaining U.S. support by characterizing their Islamist opponents as agents of al-Qaeda. The warlords have grouped together as the Anti-Terrorism Alliance (ATA) and insist they are dedicated to expelling foreign al-Qaeda members they allege are sheltered by the Islamic Court Union (ICU). Although nearly all the ATA warlords are cabinet ministers in the new Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) located in Baidoa, they have abandoned the TFG to pursue an unauthorized war against their Islamist rivals in Mogadishu. Allegations of U.S. funding for the unpopular ATA leaders are undermining U.S. efforts to stabilize the region.

Click here to view the full report on the Jamestown Foundation (Global Terrorism Analysis)

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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Somalia’s lost generation is a demographic time bomb that nobody wants to talk about!

Dr. Michael A. Weinstein of the Power and Interest News Report (PINR) writes:   

At the root of Somali society is a dizzying array of clans and sub-clans that ally with and fall out with one another. The clan structure provides Somalis with protection and traditional means of dispute resolution through elders, but it also reinforces the country’s fragmentation and is a cause of conflict.   

Click here to view the full article on the PINR 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). 

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

According to Dansk Børsen:

During the last 10 years the number of immigrants engaged in active employment has gone up considerably. At the beginning of 2005 46 per cent of immigrants aged 16-66 years were working, compared to 34,5 per cent in 1997. Nearly 75 per cent of the Danish population are employed. The rising number of immigrants on the labour market is a result of more immigrants succeeding in finding a job and a growing number of immigrants and their descendants in the years 1997-2005. The group of non-ethnic Danes consist of more than 150 nationalities. Male immigrants from Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have an employment frequency of over 60 per cent. On the other hand, less than 20 per cent of the women from Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Afghanistan are employed.

Click here to view the full article on Dansk Børsen. 

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

This is a historical opportunity for the Somalia parliament, government and the people. (…) Let us choose between serving our people or being put on the bad list of history as people who promoted confrontation among Somalis and lacked the skills to administer a modern Somalia.

Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed

President

Somali Transitional Federal Government

Following is a Press Release from the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia; Mr Maxwell Gaylard.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr Maxwell Gaylard, is appealing to local communities, political and business leaders for a general mobilization to fight the unprecedented humanitarian crisis aggravated by the worst drought in a decade. Community leaders are urged to ensure unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need, as well as to ensure the protection of all humanitarian workers in Somalia.  “It is imperative that community elders, religious and political leaders, businessmen and militia create an environment conducive to impartial and independent humanitarian operations. We want to work closely with the Transitional Federal Government, regional authorities and community leaders to quickly reach people in need of assistance and protection, and save the lives that we can,” says Mr Maxwell Gaylard. “We are already seriously challenged by the logistics in central and southern Somalia, and with predicted poor next rains, the situation could quickly deteriorate further. 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.”

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