14^th August 2013

Press Statement: AMISOM Troops Commit Brutal Gang Rape in Mogadishu, Somalia

On the 8^th August 2013, a 20 year old Somali woman was kidnapped close to her village in Yaqshid district, Mogadishu and brutally raped by AMISOM forces. The woman in question was initially approached by a group of five armed personnel, four men and one woman, in Somali government uniforms who claimed that she was being arrested for suspected involvement in terrorist activities. She was informed she was being taken to the police station for investigation; instead she was taken directly to Maslah Military Camp which houses AMISOM troops in Hurwaa District. She was drugged and then raped by a number of men, understood to be members of the AMISOM forces.  It is believed that the Somali’s who initially arrested her did not participate in the rape itself, but served as intermediaries to bring her to the AMISOM troops. She was finally released on the 10^th August after having been kept inside the barracks for nearly 2 days.

The Somali Women’s Development Centre, based in Mogadishu, provided emergency response services to the woman with medical and psychosocial support and has instigated legal action. A medical report has also confirmed the injuries sustained by the woman in question is consistent with being raped multiple times. The woman however is now with a secondary organisation for further support.

It is understood that the Somali Military Court arrested two of the five persons connected with the initial kidnap of the woman, a Somali man and woman. The actual perpetrators of the gang rape are still to be arrested. It is understood that the case is to be transferred to the Somali Police Force and that investigations are ongoing.

As yet, it is unknown what action is being taken against the perpetrators of the gang rape.

Additional information currently coming to light indicates that there may be further Somali women held inside the Maslah military camp who are being used for sexual purposes.

A spokesperson from the Somali Women’s Development Centre stated that, “The recent gang rape of this young woman is one of the many brutal incidents of sexual violence women and girls in Somalia are facing on a daily basis. Irrespective of the wealth, status or nationality of the perpetrator, justice must be served and the Somali government should see to it that no perpetrator walks free.”

Hala Alkarib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa stated that:

“The United Nations and the African Union must address the repeated incidents of vulnerable Somali women being raped by AMISOM troops. Sexual Violence and Impunity have been known within international military deployments for many years  – this abuse should be stopped immediately and be addressed at the highest levels, both within the AU and the UN. There is no justification for military forces committing rape under any circumstances. Rape and enslavement are brutal crimes against which the international community must take concrete steps to address.”

For more information, please contact Joanne Crouch at SIHA Network on +256 779 386 476 or joanne@sihanet.org

Barclays bank says it doesn’t want to enable money laundering, but critics say it is cutting vital flows of money into the country.

By Tom Murphy/ August 13, 2013

Somalis are bracing for the impact of the British bank Barclay’s decision to sever ties with most money transfer companies in Somalia. About 250 remittance agencies lost their partnership with Barclays on Monday.

The banking giant says it is concerned that it does not know where money transfers are going and who is sending the money. With little ability to track cash flows, the company says it is much easier for money launderers and the financing of terrorist activities.

“It is recognized that some money service businesses don’t have the proper checks in place to spot criminal activity and could unwittingly be facilitating money laundering and terrorist financing,” said Barclays spokesperson Daniel Hunger to the UN humanitarian news agency IRIN.

Somalis living in and out of Somalia say that the plan will cut vital flows of money.

More money is sent to people in Somalia through remittances ($1.2 billion) than is provided in international aid (~$800 million). The sum of remittances accounts for roughly half of Somalia’s gross national income (GNI). Money set by family members living abroad helps to support the education of siblings or a parent’s business. Various vendors have proliferated across Somalia as a result of the amount of money flowing both in and out of the country through person to person transfers.

It is not only people who benefit. NGOs and civil society organizations use cash transfer services to process cash disbursements and budgetary funds. For instance, British-Somali Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah issued a call for Barclays to reverse its decision, citing the impact it will have on Somalis and charities like his charity.

“The Mo Farah Foundation, along with some of the world’s biggest charities and organizations, including the UN, relies on these businesses to channel funds and pay local staff,” he said in late July. “This decision could mean life or death to millions of Somalis.”

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pleaded with Barclays in June not to go though with the decision. He expressed concerns that the progress made by Somalia over the past few years may be set back.

“Somalia is on the brink of a breakthrough after two decades of chaos. We have the support ofBritain and the world and we need the support of all our friends across all sectors. Barclays are a friend and we cannot understand their sudden decision to foreclose on legitimate accounts that support money transfer,” said Mr. Mohamud.

British politicians also urged Barclays to consider delaying the implementation of its new policy. Forty-Seven Labour ministers of parliament sent a letter to Barclays and the government to consider waiting six months.

They recognize that the decision by the United States to fine the bank HSBC $1.9 billion for its weak money laundering checks has an impact on Barclays. They say that the reaction is too harsh and will also damage the British businesses that participate in the sending and receiving of money with Somalia.

Electronic money transfers are the most efficient way to send money home, writes Somali Nadifa Mohamed in the Guardian. She says her father used to have to deliver the money he made by hand to his family in Somaliland. Now Ms. Mohamed can send money almost instantly to her family who are still do not have easy access to paved roads.

Her family is not alone – an estimated 40 percent of people in the region are reliant on remittances. She says it may be a conservative guess, nevertheless it means major cuts will have an immediate impact on regional families. And there are the 80 percent of Somali businesses that use remittances for starting up funds, said Mohamed Ali, who runs the Somali NGO Iftiin Foundation, to Al Jazeera.

Electronic cash transfers are a major technological jump in Africa. Kenya’s MPESA, a service run by phone company Safaricom, allows people to send money from one cell phone to another. It can be used to make a purchase at a street-side business

Many recognize that Barclays is concerned about funding terrorist networks in Somalia. They say that should not scare the bank away, as it has for other major transfer providers. Rather, leaders should look for regulatory solutions, Mr. Ali writes.

The regulatory burden for monitoring Hawalas (the traditional money transfer system) should be placed on the government and not banks, with clear guidelines that limit bank obligations and government officials in charge of due diligence and risk evaluation of remittance agencies. Banks, regulators and Hawala operators also need to work together to develop due diligence and monitoring strategies that work within the Hawala framework, which has its own system of checks.

185 Somali civil society groups add to the list of advocates for a change to Barclays’ pending policy change. The UK government has responded to the growing chorus by saying that it is a private decision by the bank. The changes are still on course to be enacted.

Somalia’s economy has been seriously weakened by the devastating civil war. In this part, agriculture is considered as the most important sector for livelihood as the livestocks account to 40% of the GDP and 65% of export earnings. In this area, a large portion of the population is occupied by the nomads and semi nomads. They directly depend on the livestocks growing in this land. Well, the small industrial sectors, based on the processing of agricultural products have been shut down due to the civil strife. However, there is a constant intervention in Somalia economy by the Italian Fascists, Somalia Marxists and International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists for restoring the economy.

The IMF has set three agendas on the list in order to rebuild the Somali economy. At last after 22 years, IMF extends its support to check the Somali economy. As a matter of fact, the focus is on restoring security and to meet humanitarian needs, establish institutions and offer services to the citizens. So, IMF is trying to establish central bank as well as fiscal institutions in Somalia.

Recently, the Federal Government of the Somalia received international recognition. So, it’s easier for the IMF to provide technical support as well as offer policy advice to war devastated east African Nation.

After two decades, the IMF is trying to bridge the gap with Somalia and it is attempting to understand country’s current economic and institutional facts. In fact, Somalia has been severely affected with constant internal conflict over 20 years. During this phase, the Somalia didn’t have a central government that got international recognition. Previously, IMF didn’t have a counter government with which it managed to coordinate.

In 2012, the situation started improving with the election of the new Federal Parliament along with broad representation from all across Somalia. In this situation, President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud elected as the head of the new Federal Government of Somalia. He and his team governed the nation successfully and managed to build friendly relation with the international community. The Federal government allowed the IMF to provide Somalia technical help as well as advices on implementation of different policies.

As a matter of fact, Somalia is considered as one of the poorest and least developed country in the world. Its horrific past in relation to the civil wars and internal conflicts took a toll on the country’s infrastructure as well as human capital. In this part, most of the Somalis escaped to other countries for better education and life. Well, the economy of this country is largely based on agriculture and fishing. This part of the economy is sluggish due to fractured nature of the country and has suffered setback in terms of infrastructure development.

However, the Somalia’s federal government is focusing to restore peace and security of the country that addresses immediate need of the population that has been trampled by the long civil war. Therefore, the Federal government requires cooperation from the International partners restore peace and stability in the country with the help humanitarian aid.

In collaboration of Federal Government, the IMF is planning to build capacity in the key economic agencies like the ministry of finance, the central bank, and the statistics office. The Ministry of Finance managed to raise capacity as well as control public finances. The central bank staffs will be assisted by the IMF for developing the ability to license and monitor commercial banks. In addition to this, the IMF will also assist to establish functioning domestic and international payment system. They may prioritize in restoring systems to collect and process vital economic data in the areas of national accounts and price statistics, money and banking along with the public finance.
But the IMF has avoided providing new loans to Somalia and extending its support to clear the pending liabilities of the country to IMF. In this situation, the IMF is only concentrating on providing technical assistance and advice the authorities on appropriate macroeconomic policies. A sound economic policy is being established for the betterment of the country.

By Savion Sage

SomalilandPress.Com

Date: 31^st May 2013

To: H.E Ambassador Sayid Sherif Hassan

Somali Ambassador in Pretoria

South Africa

Dear Ambassador Sayid Sherif;

I write for a two-fold purpose; first to express my sentiments on the establishment of the Somali embassy in Pretoria, and then to suggest on impact projects that the embassy may become involved.  I have been resident in South Africa for well over 13 years – a period in which I gained insight into the socio-economic and academic structure of our host society.

Congratulations on your appointment as the ambassador of Somalia to the Republic of South Africa. I am delighted at the opportunity to serve Somalia accorded to you. You have no reason to be alienated as Somalis have established themselves as a participative community. Welcome to South Africa.

I am writing this very important communiqué as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner of the African Union (AU).

Over the years, the search for a better life saw us (as the Somali community) migrating to South Africa. A better life some have found, nonetheless the thought of a lack of such back home leaves a fowl taste in the mouth. The Somali community is therefore motivated to contribute to the development of Somalia and at the same time plough back to South African society.

Further, the presence of an embassy now gives impetus to this cause, knowing our individual and collective rights are now protected, even in a foreign land. Receive therefore our pledge to support efforts toward the progress of Somalia in the re-making.

A number of issues are contentious. What resonates with many are memories of the violence against Somalis and xenophobic attacks against migrant Africans at large. Most regrettable, are the remedies to this phenomenon which have not been pragmatic and failed to eliminate xenophobia in totality.

In a country whose Truth and Reconciliation Commission is renowned as a classic case study, it is unfortunate the principles of the TRC have not been implemented in dealing with hate crimes such as the very current horrific scenes and hate related crimes taking place some of the informal settlements within Gauteng, Free-State and in P.E in the Eastern Cape. Fairly so, the host government is not solely responsible for amicable community relations and integration. This is the opportunity for the embassy to move beyond administrative routines by engaging the South African citizens.

Through various higher institutions in S.A including; GIBS in the University of Pretoria’s Social Entrepreneurship Programme, Wits Business School, UJ and other civic organisations and social enterprises, a Social Entrepreneurship program is proposed. In this entrepreneur skills hands-on and practical course to empower youth and communities we trade with, I’m working hard with Somalis businesses like Salama Cash and Carry to enhance the outlook of township retailers by transferring soft skills, while the hard skills will be exchangeable as well.

The objective is to diminish negative sentiments and utterances against our community and make integration with host society easy and successful; the programme can then be scalable to others. This is also serving as a public relations vehicle for the Somali government, showcasing their contribution towards the disadvantaged youth who are unemployed and mostly unskilled/unemployable and general communities’ development in South Africa. Meanwhile tensions amongst Somali and South African township retailers will subside and social integration will take place throughout this beautiful country.

I wish to discuss this amongst other ideas with you, at the earliest opportunity. The scope of discussion ranges from the involvement of the embassy in this social entrepreneurship program, to establishing Somali-South Africa trade forums. Kindly advise if I should furnish you with particular details.

Thank you

Sincerely

Mr. Saeed Furaa

Mr. Saeed is a Social Entrepreneur, Freelance Journalist, Entrepreneur, founding president of the newly established Horn of African Social Entrepreneurs in South Africa.  HASEFSA are passionate about addressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges from South Africa to Horn of Africa.

Saeed has also chiefly contributed in the establishment of Salama Cash and Carry (biggest Somali owned Cash n Carry in South Africa) and served as a member of its executive board.

Johannesburg

South Africa

E-mail: hasefsa@gmail.com

E-mail: sedsa.edu@gmail.com

E-mail: saeed@salamacashncarry.co.za

Friday 9 August 2013

The closure of UK bank accounts belonging to cash-transfer firms would force many people to find new ways of sending money home. What are the alternatives?

Studying in Istanbul on a full government scholarship, Somali student Nur Hassan Bukhari is worried that attacks targeting Turkish interests could derail relations between the two countries.

“It was brutal,” Bukhari told Al Jazeera of a bombing on the Turkish mission in Mogadishu on July 27. “Al-Shabaab always wants our country to become lawless. I hope our relations with Turkey will not suffer.”

A Turkish police officer was killed along with three attackers when an explosives-laden car rammed into an office building housing the Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital.

While the killings shocked the Turkish public, analysts are not suprised that al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The al-Qaeda-linked group has long opposed the Turkish presence in Somalia. Denouncing Turkey’s involvement as a cover for Western invaders, al-Shabaab posted a message on Twitter to justify the attack.

“The Turkish are part of a group of nations bolstering the apostate regime and attempting to suppress the establishment of Islamic Sharia,” it read.

Al-Shabaab  was forced out of Mogadishu by Somali and African Union forces two years ago. In August 2011, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Somalia, making him the first non-African leader to visit Somalia in the past two decades.

Erdogan brought a plane full of ministers and consultants with him, during one of the worst famines to hit the Horn of Africa in 60 years. Since then, Turkey has launched a major diplomatic, economic and humanitarian effort in Somalia.

Soft power

“Turkey gave more than $1bn in humanitarian aid in 2012,” the Global Humanitarian Assistance 2013 report says , making it the fourth-largest donor in the world. In 2011, Somalia was the largest recipient. According to the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office of Public Diplomacy, Turkey sent $365m in cash and in-kind aid to the country last year.

There are hundreds of Turkish relief workers in Mogadishu . Among 20 Turkish aid agencies operating in Somalia, the Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency are playing an active role in rebuilding the country.

They have assisted with drilling boreholes across the country, building hospitals, rehabilitating parts of Mogadishu airport and restoring some government buildings, including the National Assembly.

In March 2012, Turkish Airlines became the first international airline in two decades to operate regular flights to Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport.

Turkey hopes to gain not only from Somalia’s potential oil reserves, but also wants to play an active role in Africa’s emerging markets.

The Turkish Ministry of Economy has been implementing the “Strategy for Enhancing Trade and Economic Relations with African Countries” since 2003. Turkey’s exports to the continent grew four-fold between 2003 and 2011, leaping from $2.1bn to $10.3bn. The number of Turkish embassies in Africa increased from 12 in 2009 to 34 in 2013.

The Turkish parliament approved an agreement last November to train Somali security forces. This policy, according to Abdullah Bozkurt, Ankara bureau chief for the newspaper Today’s Zaman, was the motive behind the al-Shabaab attack on the Turkish mission.

“The security dimension is a direct challenge to al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda affiliated groups because Turkey, a country that has been fighting with terror groups for years, can make a difference in training Somali forces on how to address to the terror issue,” Bozkurt told Al Jazeera. “I believe the aim of the attack is to deter Turkey from engaging further in rebuilding Somalian security forces including intelligence service; a kind of warning to the Turkish government to stay away from Somalia.”

Security forces knew an attack would be possible, diplomats said.

“There was a threat to Turkish institutions, that’s why the sandbags were placed to the outer walls of buildings. We warned the Somali police, but unfortunately they didn’t take the necessary measures,” Turkey’s ambassador to Somalia, Cemalettin Kani Torun, told Al Jazeera. “If they [had] prevented the vehicle coming to our front door, this incident wouldn’t [have] occured.”

“The message to us is to get out of here, but of course we will stay and complete the projects we’ve launched; that’s what the vast majority of Somalia request.”

The recent bombing was not al-Shabaab’s first attack against Turkish targets. In April, several Somalis were killed and three Turkish officers injured when a humanitarian convoy of the Turkish Red Crescent was hit in a bomb attack in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab’s largest attack was in October 2011. It wasn’t directly targeting Turkey’s convoys or buildings, but rather its humanitarian efforts. A suicide truck-bomber killed more than 70 people, many of them students and their parents, waiting for the results of scholarships offered by Turkey outside of the Ministry of Higher Education.

The Somali Students Union in Turkey states that there are around 1,600 Somali students who live and study in Turkey, and 99 percent of these students received scholarships. But it is rare for Somali students to complete their studies in Turkey. Many have other plans, like Nur Bukhari.

“I am planning to return home soon to serve my people and my country with what I had studied so far,” Bukhari said. “My country needs educated people who can turn this bad situation into a good one.”

Follow Dilge Timocin on Twitter:  @dilgetimocin

The international community at large have eye witnessed the misery of Somalia ever since from the collapse of Siyad Barre regime in 1991. The departure of the regime is followed by a power vacuum, which generated a supremacy struggle between the various political factions, tribal leaders, war lords, piracy groups and terrorist groups

Even though the international are fully acquainted the agony of the Somali people, however, a nominal assistance have been extended, although the world community are viewer for the uninterrupted thorny circumstances for the Somali people over the last twenty years throughout all the worldwide news bulletins.

Had the Somali exchange houses such as Dhabshil were not accessible to deliver the transfer of funds throughout Somalia; it is understandable that, situation would have been much worse in contrast with the present.

In reality, there are many stable quarters in Somalia and in particular Somaliland or Puntland, which the intercontinental banking system is absent due to lack of political reorganization, in the case of Somaliland.  in view of the of the above, the only means, in which the Somalis here in United Kingdom extending support to their suffering blood related relatives at home, is through the exchanges houses in the country, principally Dahabshil, which have strongly gained the people’s hearts and minds in view of the trust, which they have built with the people owing to the long sustainable service with their clients.

Despite of the above fact, recently, we have become aware through the media, that Barclays Bank, in which these exchange houses were dealing for a long time with regard to transmittal of finances is about to end their business cooperation with the exchange houses, which will harm over millions of lives, in the event the bank execute their old declaration regarding discontinue business dealing with Dhabshil.  It is worth to bring up that most of the clients dealing with Dahabshil with regard the remittances issue are British citizens originated from Somalia.

Taking into consideration the catastrophe consequent in the event the Barclays Bank convert into reality, we the Somalis here in United Kingdom appeal the bank management reversing their old announcement in order not make worse for the circumstances over millions of lives, which are already in agony condition.

Likewise, we call for the British government to get involved the standoff in the favor of millions of suffering lives. Total punishment for millions of lives is against the human rights acts, since the same preaches the protection helpless lives. We look forward hearing pleased end result with regard the subject of concern soonest        

Ismail Lugweyne.

M.Arrale