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'Somaliland Can Not Be Recognized As an Independent State' – TFG

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Mogadishu, 7 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – The authorities of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia have said that the breakaway republic of Somaliland can not be recognized as an independent state, just as Israel said recently it gave identification to Somaliland administration, officials told Shabelle radio on Thursday.

Abdiwahid Abdi Gonjeh, the deputy prime minister of the transitional government of Somalia told reporters in Mogadishu that Somaliland is one of the Somali administrations in the horn of African state saying that they can not break from the other Somalis.

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Mr. Gonjeh said that there is no government or group that Somaliland or the other administrations in country could identify as a self-governing state disproving statement from a spokesman of foreign ministry of Israel who said that the Jews recognizes Somaliland.

“The news form Israel is baseless propaganda. It is not also clear that news from the foreign minister of Israel. I do not know where the journalists had quoted that news,” said Abdiwahid Gonjeh.

Lastly the deputy prime minister of the transitional government Mr. Abdiwahid Abdi Gonjeh said that there was difference between the Somali government and administrations saying that a mediating process was continuing to end the divergences.

Somaliland, a breakaway republic of Somaliland had announced a self-governing state in 1991 as the former Somali president Mohamed Siad Barre’s government collapsed and since then Somaliland was seeking a recognition which was not achieved yet.


Source: Shabelle radio

How food and water are driving a 21st-century African land grab

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We turned off the main road to Awassa, talked our way past security guards and drove a mile across empty land before we found what will soon be Ethiopia‘s largest greenhouse. Nestling below an escarpment of the Rift Valley, the development is far from finished, but the plastic and steel structure already stretches over 20 hectares – the size of 20 football pitches.

The farm manager shows us millions of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables being grown in 500m rows in computer controlled conditions. Spanish engineers are building the steel structure, Dutch technology minimises water use from two bore-holes and 1,000 women pick and pack 50 tonnes of food a day. Within 24 hours, it has been driven 200 miles to Addis Ababa and flown 1,000 miles to the shops and restaurants of Dubai, Jeddah and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Ethiopia is one of the hungriest countries in the world with more than 13 million people needing food aid, but paradoxically the government is offering at least 3m hectares of its most fertile land to rich countries and some of the world’s most wealthy individuals to export food for their own populations.

The 1,000 hectares of land which contain the Awassa greenhouses are leased for 99 years to a Saudi billionaire businessman, Ethiopian-born Sheikh Mohammed al-Amoudi, one of the 50 richest men in the world. His Saudi Star company plans to spend up to $2bn acquiring and developing 500,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia in the next few years. So far, it has bought four farms and is already growing wheat, rice, vegetables and flowers for the Saudi market. It expects eventually to employ more than 10,000 people.

But Ethiopia is only one of 20 or more African countries where land is being bought or leased for intensive agriculture on an immense scale in what may be the greatest change of ownership since the colonial era.

An Observer investigation estimates that up to 50m hectares of land – an area more than double the size of the UK – has been acquired in the last few years or is in the process of being negotiated by governments and wealthy investors working with state subsidies. The data used was collected by Grain, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Land Coalition, ActionAid and other non-governmental groups.

The land rush, which is still accelerating, has been triggered by the worldwide food shortages which followed the sharp oil price rises in 2008, growing water shortages and the European Union’s insistence that 10% of all transport fuel must come from plant-based biofuels by 2015.

In many areas the deals have led to evictions, civil unrest and complaints of “land grabbing”.

The experience of Nyikaw Ochalla, an indigenous Anuak from the Gambella region of Ethiopia now living in Britain but who is in regular contact with farmers in his region, is typical. He said: “All of the land in the Gambella region is utilised. Each community has and looks after its own territory and the rivers and farmlands within it. It is a myth propagated by the government and investors to say that there is waste land or land that is not utilised in Gambella.

“The foreign companies are arriving in large numbers, depriving people of land they have used for centuries. There is no consultation with the indigenous population. The deals are done secretly. The only thing the local people see is people coming with lots of tractors to invade their lands.

“All the land round my family village of Illia has been taken over and is being cleared. People now have to work for an Indian company. Their land has been compulsorily taken and they have been given no compensation. People cannot believe what is happening. Thousands of people will be affected and people will go hungry.”

It is not known if the acquisitions will improve or worsen food security in Africa, or if they will stimulate separatist conflicts, but a major World Bank report due to be published this month is expected to warn of both the potential benefits and the immense dangers they represent to people and nature.

Leading the rush are international agribusinesses, investment banks, hedge funds, commodity traders, sovereign wealth funds as well as UK pension funds, foundations and individuals attracted by some of the world’s cheapest land.

Together they are scouring Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Congo, Zambia, Uganda, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ghana and elsewhere. Ethiopia alone has approved 815 foreign-financed agricultural projects since 2007. Any land there, which investors have not been able to buy, is being leased for approximately $1 per year per hectare.
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Saudi Arabia, along with other Middle Eastern emirate states such as Qatar, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, is thought to be the biggest buyer. In 2008 the Saudi government, which was one of the Middle East’s largest wheat-growers, announced it was to reduce its domestic cereal production by 12% a year to conserve its water. It earmarked $5bn to provide loans at preferential rates to Saudi companies which wanted to invest in countries with strong agricultural potential .

Meanwhile, the Saudi investment company Foras, backed by the Islamic Development Bank and wealthy Saudi investors, plans to spend $1bn buying land and growing 7m tonnes of rice for the Saudi market within seven years. The company says it is investigating buying land in Mali, Senegal, Sudan and Uganda. By turning to Africa to grow its staple crops, Saudi Arabia is not just acquiring Africa’s land but is securing itself the equivalent of hundreds of millions of gallons of scarce water a year. Water, says the UN, will be the defining resource of the next 100 years.

Since 2008 Saudi investors have bought heavily in Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. Last year the first sacks of wheat grown in Ethiopia for the Saudi market were presented by al-Amoudi to King Abdullah.
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Some of the African deals lined up are eye-wateringly large: China has signed a contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo to grow 2.8m hectares of palm oil for biofuels. Before it fell apart after riots, a proposed 1.2m hectares deal between Madagascar and the South Korean company Daewoo would have included nearly half of the country’s arable land.

Land to grow biofuel crops is also in demand. “European biofuel companies have acquired or requested about 3.9m hectares in Africa. This has led to displacement of people, lack of consultation and compensation, broken promises about wages and job opportunities,” said Tim Rice, author of an ActionAid report which estimates that the EU needs to grow crops on 17.5m hectares, well over half the size of Italy, if it is to meet its 10% biofuel target by 2015.

“The biofuel land grab in Africa is already displacing farmers and food production. The number of people going hungry will increase,” he said. British firms have secured tracts of land in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania to grow flowers and vegetables.

Indian companies, backed by government loans, have bought or leased hundreds of thousands of hectares in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Mozambique, where they are growing rice, sugar cane, maize and lentils to feed their domestic market.

Nowhere is now out of bounds. Sudan, emerging from civil war and mostly bereft of development for a generation, is one of the new hot spots. South Korean companies last year bought 700,000 hectares of northern Sudan for wheat cultivation; the United Arab Emirates have acquired 750,000 hectares and Saudi Arabia last month concluded a 42,000-hectare deal in Nile province.

The government of southern Sudan says many companies are now trying to acquire land. “We have had many requests from many developers. Negotiations are going on,” said Peter Chooli, director of water resources and irrigation, in Juba last week. “A Danish group is in discussions with the state and another wants to use land near the Nile.”

In one of the most extraordinary deals, buccaneering New York investment firm Jarch Capital, run by a former commodities trader, Philip Heilberg, has leased 800,000 hectares in southern Sudan near Darfur. Heilberg has promised not only to create jobs but also to put 10% or more of his profits back into the local community. But he has been accused by Sudanese of “grabbing” communal land and leading an American attempt to fragment Sudan and exploit its resources.

Devlin Kuyek, a Montreal-based researcher with Grain, said investing in Africa was now seen as a new food supply strategy by many governments. “Rich countries are eyeing Africa not just for a healthy return on capital, but also as an insurance policy. Food shortages and riots in 28 countries in 2008, declining water supplies, climate change and huge population growth have together made land attractive. Africa has the most land and, compared with other continents, is cheap,” he said.

“Farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is giving 25% returns a year and new technology can treble crop yields in short time frames,” said Susan Payne, chief executive of Emergent Asset Management, a UK investment fund seeking to spend $50m on African land, which, she said, was attracting governments, corporations, multinationals and other investors. “Agricultural development is not only sustainable, it is our future. If we do not pay great care and attention now to increase food production by over 50% before 2050, we will face serious food shortages globally,” she said.

But many of the deals are widely condemned by both western non-government groups and nationals as “new colonialism”, driving people off the land and taking scarce resources away from people.

We met Tegenu Morku, a land agent, in a roadside cafe on his way to the region of Oromia in Ethiopia to find 500 hectares of land for a group of Egyptian investors. They planned to fatten cattle, grow cereals and spices and export as much as possible to Egypt. There had to be water available and he expected the price to be about 15 birr (75p) per hectare per year – less than a quarter of the cost of land in Egypt and a tenth of the price of land in Asia.

“The land and labour is cheap and the climate is good here. Everyone – Saudis, Turks, Chinese, Egyptians – is looking. The farmers do not like it because they get displaced, but they can find land elsewhere and, besides, they get compensation, equivalent to about 10 years’ crop yield,” he said.

Oromia is one of the centres of the African land rush. Haile Hirpa, president of the Oromia studies’ association, said last week in a letter of protest to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon that India had acquired 1m hectares, Djibouti 10,000 hectares, Saudi Arabia 100,000 hectares, and that Egyptian, South Korean, Chinese, Nigerian and other Arab investors were all active in the state.

“This is the new, 21st-century colonisation. The Saudis are enjoying the rice harvest, while the Oromos are dying from man-made famine as we speak,” he said.

The Ethiopian government denied the deals were causing hunger and said that the land deals were attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign investments and tens of thousands of jobs. A spokesman said: “Ethiopia has 74m hectares of fertile land, of which only 15% is currently in use – mainly by subsistence farmers. Of the remaining land, only a small percentage – 3 to 4% – is offered to foreign investors. Investors are never given land that belongs to Ethiopian farmers. The government also encourages Ethiopians in the diaspora to invest in their homeland. They bring badly needed technology, they offer jobs and training to Ethiopians, they operate in areas where there is suitable land and access to water.”

The reality on the ground is different, according to Michael Taylor, a policy specialist at the International Land Coalition. “If land in Africa hasn’t been planted, it’s probably for a reason. Maybe it’s used to graze livestock or deliberately left fallow to prevent nutrient depletion and erosion. Anybody who has seen these areas identified as unused understands that there is no land in Ethiopia that has no owners and users.”

Development experts are divided on the benefits of large-scale, intensive farming. Indian ecologist Vandana Shiva said in London last week that large-scale industrial agriculture not only threw people off the land but also required chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers, intensive water use, and large-scale transport, storage and distribution which together turned landscapes into enormous mono-cultural plantations.

“We are seeing dispossession on a massive scale. It means less food is available and local people will have less. There will be more conflict and political instability and cultures will be uprooted. The small farmers of Africa are the basis of food security. The food availability of the planet will decline,” she says. But Rodney Cooke, director at the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, sees potential benefits. “I would avoid the blanket term ‘land-grabbing’. Done the right way, these deals can bring benefits for all parties and be a tool for development.”

Lorenzo Cotula, senior researcher with the International Institute for Environment and Development, who co-authored a report on African land exchanges with the UN fund last year, found that well-structured deals could guarantee employment, better infrastructures and better crop yields. But badly handled they could cause great harm, especially if local people were excluded from decisions about allocating land and if their land rights were not protected.

Water is also controversial. Local government officers in Ethiopia told the Observer that foreign companies that set up flower farms and other large intensive farms were not being charged for water. “We would like to, but the deal is made by central government,” said one. In Awassa, the al-Amouni farm uses as much water a year as 100,000 Ethiopians.

John Vidal, Juba, Sudan

The Observer, Sunday 7 March 2010

The Bullets Find Us No Matter What

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In south and central Somalia, there is nowhere to escape from the worsening conflict between the rebels and the pro-government forces, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, mostly women and children. People hoping for a new life during the new year were killed, maimed, and injured; aid agencies and offices were robbed; houses and hospitals were destroyed by mortar shells.

Beledweyne, a strategic town in central Somalia, turned one morning into a war zone. It was on January 21, 2010; the crowded streets became empty, and thousands of the residents, including the internally displaced persons (IDPS) from Mogadishu vacated their home.

A number of people simply live under trees, with no shelter from the scorching sun and the heavy downpour. The situation can only be described as the nastiest ever in the history of the town.

“It’s like going from the frying pan into the fire for the displaced people from Mogadishu. A number of them died, and others were injured after the warring groups fought inside the town,” said Ilyas, a journalist based in Beledweyne.

“Most of those injured in the clashes were women and children,” he added.

Ilyas said the people are now living under the trees with no clean water, sufficient food, shelter, sanitation, and medical facilities.

Deadliest Month Since August 2009

Early 2010 in central Somalia, the New Year was marked with deadly clashes between pro-government Islamists and Al-Shabaab rebel group. January was the deadliest month since August 2009. Approximately, 258 people died, and 253 others were injured. Thousands of families were displaced, according to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Andrej Mahecic UN refugees’ spokesman said, Violence in Somalia sharply escalated in January 2010, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths, and widespread destruction.

Andrej adds the fighting displaced over 80,000 Somalis during that month, including 18,000 who fled their homes in the capital Mogadishu.


From Bullets to Bullets

“I fled from my second home in Beledweyne. I don’t know where to go; I am in misery,” Shukriya Yahye a 29-year-old, mother of five, told IslamOnline.net.

Shukriya said she fled from the restive capital Mogadishu, and now lives under a tree at the outskirt of Beledweyne town with her five children. Shukriya lost some of her relatives in the restive capital:

“I would like to go back to my home to get my sister and relatives, but I can’t go back; I don’t have any clue as to how to find them.

“Schools were closed; there was no business and lack of food. I lived under constant fear, wondering when mortars would hit my home, but Allah saved me,” Asli Hashi , another displaced person from Beledweyne told IOL.

“I witnessed six of my neighbors dying; I was unable to help them because the militias who were fighting in the town were roaming outside my house.”

She added that the militias had no regard for the civilians.

“Imagine your neighbors are dying, and you can’t assist them in any way. What kind of life is this?” Hashi asked in desperation.

You would always hear the bullets, and then everyone would try to escape. When you return to your house, you will find everything diminished.


No Hope for Education in Central Somalia

Somalis want their children to go to school like most parents, get educated, and have a bright future to help themselves and their country, but this dream was cut short when the central government collapsed in 1991. Central Somalia was calm compared with the chaotic capital, allowing conducive learning environment for the youngsters
“We thought our children would have an education, but that was wiped out by the events of 21st January,” Mohamed an elder in Beledweyne told IOL.

Amina Adow, a mother of seven and one of the IDP’s in Hiran region, said she wanted her children to go back to school, but her dream was shuttered after the deadly fighting broke out in the town.

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“My children haven’t gone to school since early this year. We fled to a village near Beledweyne town,” she said.
Omar Abdi Jelani, a displaced person from Mogadishu hoped that he would join the secondary level and continue with his study.

“I was very happy to join form one this year; I had hope to finish my secondary school in central Somalia, but now I don’t know what to do! I am one of the IDPs on the outskirts of Beledweyne town,” he said, adding that his hopes were shattered.

No Food and Water

“My kids haven’t had clean water for the last three weeks. We left our homes in central Somalia after heavy fighting erupted,” Duale Farah in Dusamareb camp told IOL by phone.

“After we fled, we ate once a day, but Allah helped us survive from the difficulty. We pray to get peace, we hope Allah will accept our prayers,” she concluded.

Fighting has forced many families to seek refuge with relatives, but some families have become overstretched, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Unfortunately, most families can no longer sustain the burden of hosting additional family members,” said Andrea Heath, the ICRC’s assistance coordinator for Somalia.

This has left many displaced families living in deplorable conditions — sleeping in makeshift huts, and lacking even the most basic items needed for daily survival, as most lost all their belongings and are without money or work.

“All warring parties in central Somalia don’t obey the rules of the international humanitarian law,” an aid agency worker who requested not to be named told IOL.

Hussein left his home and some of his children in Wadajir district in Mogadishu; he fled to Galgadud region in central Somalia.

“I had a small shop in Mogadishu, but it was reduced to ashes by mortars. I left for Beledweyne town, where some of my relatives live,” Hussein told IOL.

Few days later, he says, his house came under shelling, forcing him, his wife, and children to flee again.

“Now I am at a village about 90 km to the west of Beledweyne; we don’t have enough meal and water. We live in makeshift house,” he added.

“The life here is very difficult; the sun is very hot, no clean water and food.”

No one can help them…

The desperation situation is compounded by the withdrawal of almost all aid agencies from the region due to the nature of the hostility from the warring sides.

“To work in central Somalia as an aid agency worker is very hard; you can risk your life. You must be ready every minute to die because the militias don’t like aid workers,” an aid worker told IOL.

Somalia is one of the world’s most dangerous places and it’s very hard to work for the affected war civilians
“So far, the deteriorating security conditions have made it hard, if not impossible, for humanitarian workers to access the needy population,” said Mahecic, the UN refugees’ spokesman.

According to the UN, Somalia is currently experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis in 18 years of almost uninterrupted civil strife and one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian tragedies.

More than 1.4 million people are displaced in Somalia, while another 560,000 Somalis have sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the UNHCR.

By ‘Abdul Kareem Muhammed Jimale
Correspondent, Freelance Writer – Somalia

Source : Islamonline

Child Sponsorship Report 2009, from Somaliland

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It is a pleasure to send you our warmest greetings and share information with you this festive season.

Current Situation

The failure of the rains in many parts of Somaliland has led to massive loss of livestock, particularly for the rural population, many of whom are pastoralists. Yet despite this drought Sheikh has been the most peaceful zone in the horn of Africa. However, the security situation in the southern region, known as Somalia, is totally different: it has witnessed a lot of violence and intensified fighting between the government forces and the opposing Islamists factions.

SOS Sheikh Secondary School

The school has a total of 218 students, including the 60 new students admitted in form one, and there are 180 boys and 38 girls. All new students wrote entry exams in order to qualify for the school. New uniforms and bedding were issued to these students so as to make them feel part of the school community. Continuing students went ahead with their classes as usual. Special coaching for the weaker students was organised and regular afternoon classes were also introduced in the school.

Examination

The form four students (age 18) sat for their advanced computer external examination (from India).  Similarly, the form two students are preparing to sit for their International General Certificate for the Secondary Education (I.G.C.S.E.) in the near future. All the SOS Sheikh School students take the I.G.C.S.E syllabus and the Somaliland National Examination respectively.

Staff

At the moment there are 16 teaching personnel for the school,  four administration staff, one library attendant, nine maintenance staff and nine cooks respectively, while three people take care of the school’s security.

Donations

A scholarship for the whole year was offered to a few students by the Somali Union in United Kingdom. At the same time a parent donated a bread oven and 85 books to the school.

Co-curricular activities

The students have a number of association and clubs, like the new Environment Conservation Club (ECO) which is concerned with the conservation of the environment. After conducting a quiz, a question and answer book was released by the club. In addition to this, it has also endeavoured to plant trees in the school and to clean the compound.
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Furthermore, this year the debating club is sharing its achievements with the rest of the school fraternity. For example, the club debated the rights of the girl child in the Somali region.

The school’s football club also excelled after beating the community school in the four games it played.

Visitors

This year has seen a number of friends coming to the school. Among them were personnel from the Edna Maternity Hospital, who gave a talk on personal cleanliness and well being to the students. At the same time, girls from the school were given advice by the gynaecologists on current health problems affecting women in societies and ways of curbing them.

In addition, the head of the African Educational Trust, Mr Paul Mattison, advised the outgoing form four students who would like to undertake a career in education, on different teaching methodologies to be applied especially to the people of Somaliland.

We are glad to tell you about our successful endeavours and thank you for your concerned efforts throughout the year. We hope that you will continue with your generosity in subsequent years for our school.

Happy New Year to you all.

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Rukia Abdirahman
Sponsorship Co-coordinator
National Office
Somalia/Somaliland

SOS Children’s Villages, 7 March 2010

In Kenya, Iran's Mottaki Addresses Somali Crisis

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Nairobi, 7 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has kicked off his visit to Kenya by highlighting the importance of finding a solution to the Somali crisis.

Mottaki arrived in Nairobi on Saturday morning after a trip to Uganda. The Iranian foreign minister, who is on a two-day tour of Africa, met with his Kenyan counterpart Moses Wetangula.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mottaki said that he hoped to see the four-way meeting between Iran, Kenya, Somalia and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) raise regional and global awareness about the problem in Somalia.

IGAD is a seven-country regional development organization of East African nations, with headquarters in Djibouti.

Other than the gathering, Mottaki’s visit to Africa is also expected to include trade talks.

Commenting on that aspect of the Iranian foreign minister’s trip, Wetangula said that Nairobi was eager to multiply its trade with Iran by tenfold by passing the annual one-billion-dollar mark.

He said Iranian companies were already active in Kenya, especially in road construction projects, but added that removing bureaucratic restrictions, such as visa requirements, could further facilitate business transactions between the two sides.

MJ/MMN


Source: Press TV

Djibouti: Is DAF a Leader Or a Warlord?

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Have you noticed lately that Mr. Daher Ahmed Farah, alias DAF, (self-exiled and sectarian Politician) has been exposed to what he really stands for: helping to destabilize the Republic of Djibouti for foreign enemies? Thanks for the internet based-radio: Kulanka.com, hiiraan.com and VOA.

All he talks about recently is, that there’s a civil war in the north; in the other word – he is striving to entice a fear into the minds of Djiboutian people – instead of him mobilizing the Djiboutians to band together against Eritrea, who occupied their piece of territory. Up to now, we haven’t heard him yet publicly condemning the Eritrean naked aggression against Djibouti nor that he’s letting, the mad man in Asmara, Isayas Afawerki, know that the Djiboutians are one; when it comes to their interest and defense of their country, in spite of what their political differences might be. I hope; he understands the Djiboutian national security is been at stake.

How could he claim to be a legitimate leader when he wishes to see his country becomes like Somalia? Because, he often reiterates; there’s a fighting faction of ‘FRUD’ in the North. We cannot longer stand by and watch him disrupts the Republic or advocate for violent groups. It seems that Daher Ahmed Farah is in a desperate position. It sure shows that he is politically bankrupted; if one hears his interviews on various Radio Stations –will sure realize, who he really is: a demagogue.

Apparently, he turns out to be the Public Relation Representative of whomever those bandits of the North, might be – if they exist. Does he not know – that’s not a good politics? I thought Mr. DAF was politically skillful or astute. I was wrong; if he thinks this will help him gain few Djiboutian Afars. He blew it!

Is he aware that the ninety-nine percent of Afars oppose to take arms in order to solve the current political crisis? Because they know this route will not bring a sensible result; but would only exacerbate the suffering of the people. Or he is only telling us: ‘if I can’t take over the power – let the country be doom.’ If Mr. Daher managed to get his family out of the country –he should remember there are over nine hundred thousands Djiboutian that he left behind, still remain at home. A civil war is not a wise solution; we must learn from Somalia. I vehemently oppose any form of violence or fighting for political solution- or- for a power mechanism.[ad#Google Adsense (336×280)]

It’s proving that he’s not yet went beyond clannish politics. The Djiboutian people remember him when he used to just criticize only the President Ismail O. Guelleh, General Zakaria of the Army and the Minister of Interior, Yacin E. Bouh, based on their clan affiliation, not on their policies. Needless to say, he did not attack the Minister of environment, Mr. Johar and Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Hassan Farah for the sake of belonging the same sab-clan. He also praised and endorsed the illegal action taken by then, the former head of the Djiboutian Police, the late General Yacin Yabe (May Allah bless his soul) of taking over the Djiboutian Radio Station (RTD) back in 2000, and dispatched his troops to block the roads and ordered them to arrest the elected President, Mr. Ismail O. Guelleh.

What some call it an attempted but failed, ‘coup-d’etat’, Mr. DAF on his article, calls it, ‘la colere du general’ (Just angry General), and excuses for the late General’s ‘mal-a-droit’, simply because of his clan affiliation.

It’s obvious; he realized that he failed to persuade or convince the Djiboutian Citizens to his ideas; wherever that might be. Then, he began to spread repeatedly unfounded-rumors about Djibouti’s fragile security. The majority of Djiboutian is shock to hear him sound more and more like war-lords of Southern Somalia.

Patient is a virtue, Mr. Daher Ahmed Farah. An opposition leader must have a political program and policies of unification with all Djiboutian nationals. Lastly a real leader should not and must not exploit the differences of his people for his/her personal gain.

By: Mohamed Awaleh

Djibouti, 7 March 2010 Somalilandpress

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Views expressed in the opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial

Somaliland FM requests U.S. to extradite alleged War Criminal

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ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) — Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Abdullahi Duale is believed to have asked U.S. officials for the extradition of the former Somali Prime Minister, Gen. Mohammed Ali Samantar on charges of war crimes in Somaliland in the 80s and early 90s.

In a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Mr Duale is believed to have asked Mr. Karl E. Wycoff, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting), to extradite the former Somali official to Somaliland to face justice.

Ali Samatar served as Defense Minister from 1980 to 1986, and as Prime Minister from 1987 to 1990, when the military regime collapsed.

In 1980s, Somalia’s military junta led by Mohammed Siad Bare and Gen. Mohammed Ali Samatar hired Rhodesian mercenaries to bombard Somaliland’s three major towns – Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera, an estimated 50, 000 were killed and more than 800, 000 people were forced to leave their homes. Many of these refugees fled to neighbouring Ethiopia.

Those who survived the bombings or the deliberate starvation were often rounded up, tied together using barbed wires and gunned down from a point-blank range. If that method was not cruel enough, they would often tie them together in barbed wires, bulldozed and were left to rot in the streets.
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Mohamed Ali Samatar who now lives in the Virginia area under the name of Samatar Ali is being sued in a civil court. However before the case can move to civil court the Supreme Court of the United States has to decide if a head of “sovereign“ can be sued.

Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), whom the civil suit is filed under insist that Mr Samatar is no longer head of state and that immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not apply to him as an individual but only foreign states.

Mr. Samatar’s legal team insist he was not directly involved but army generals who served under him at the time have came out this week claimed he gave direct orders to target civilians in the north of the country.

A number of American leaders including senior Democratic Party United States Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Arlen Specter have supported the civil case against the former Somali leader.

The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the issue and could hand down a ruling in the early summer.

Somaliland delegation consisting of government and Parliamentary officials led by Mr Abdullahi Duale are due to arrive in Washington the coming days.

No one knows if the Americans will hand him over but it’s highly not possible.

In another development, Mr. Duale met with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Mr. Takeda Alemu, the two discussed ways to strengthen ties in the fields of economy, security and longstanding bilateral relations.

They have also discussed about rehabilitating the roads connecting the border town of Wajale to the port of Berbera and how the two states could work together in a true partnership.

Mr. Duale also met with the new Ethiopian Ambassador to India and the two discussed how Ethiopia could assist Somaliland to develop ties with India. India considers Ethiopia one of it’s most important partners in Africa and in recent years number of scholarships India offers to Ethiopia has more than doubled.

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Somalilandpress, 7 March 2010

Somaliland draws Chinese investors

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HARGEISA (Somalilandpress) — A 14-member delegation from the People’s Republic of China are on official visit to the Republic of Somaliland to study the economic and investment climate in the country.

The delegation which consists of some of China’s leading investors, government officials and members of China’s leading media-houses arrived in the capital Hargeisa on Friday afternoon. They were received at the airport by Ali Mohamed ‘Waran Adde’, Somaliland Aviation minister and Hussein Mohamud , the Mayor of Hargeisa.

Mr. Qi told local press that they were delighted with their trip to Somaliland and expressed their desire to invest in number of places in the country. They praised the people of Somaliland for their warm hospitality and for their achievements without international help.
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Mr. Mohamed said a Chinese firm awarded to renovate and expand Egal International airport to international standards is due to arrive soon along with their equipment and staff.

The delegation are expected to remain in the country for the next few days, while some will assist the investment capacity of the country, others are also here for fact-finding mission.

The Chinese delegation was accompanied by Ahmed Hassan Egal, Somaliland Special Representative to China, who also thanked the Somaliland authority for their warm welcome.

The Mayor of Hargeisa, Mr. Ji’ir, also said that the Chinese were keen to invest in the country and that Chinese-Somaliland relationship were strong.

They also said China will assist Somaliland in the education sector and a Somaliland delegation from the ministry of education is expected to travel to Beijing.

This is the largest delegation from China to visit Somaliland since declaring the restoration of it’s sovereignty in 1991 after a military campaign against Somalia’s dictator, Maj. Mohamed Siad Bare.

On Saturday, the Chinese business and press delegation were received by the President of Somaliland, Mr. Dahir Rayale at the presidential Palace. The president warmly welcomed the Chinese investors and promised them Somaliland’s commitment to work with them in area of common interest including investing in coal mining in the Sahil region as well as developing a free zone facility at the port of Berbera.

The president added that Somaliland was a virgin country with known resources and is the ideal place for investment.

Mr. Ji Shiaw Shie said they were pleased with Somaliland’s achievements without recognition and promised to showcase Somaliland’s investment opportunities to Chinese private firms.

Somaliland is the 7th African nation the delegation has visited in less than a month.

Even though Somaliland functions like any state, it is not recognized by any international body.

Trade between Africa and China is worth more than $100-billion and this figure is expected to grow in the next years with more Chinese investing in Africa.

The Chinese are known for their deals that include commitments to build infrastructure, like roads and railways without interfering with local politics and issues and Africa favours this over the Western policies. The Chinese due to arrive is also expected to rehabilitate some of Hargeisa’s most neglected roads and other infrastructure.


Also see:

1: SOMALILAND: Hargeisa Airport launches upgrade as Aviation Minister returns from China

2: Somaliland’s Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Ali Mohamed (Waran Ade’) signed a contract with a Chinese firm

Somalilandpress, 6 March 2010

Foreign Minister trip to pave way for Somaliland visit to Washington

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ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) — Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Abdullahi Duale has visited the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday to meet with U.S. officials to prepare for high-level Somaliland delegation visit to Washington, Somaliland’s official news agency reported on Friday.

Duale’s visit will pave the way for an official visit to the country by high level of Somaliland delegation after receiving an invitation from the Obama administration.

Mr. Duale met with Mr. Karl E. Wycoff, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting), Bureau of African Affairs, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Ambassador John Yates, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Ethiopia and Kirk McBride, Political/Economic Counselor at the US embassy in Ethiopia.
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During the hour-long meeting at the Sheraton Hotel, Mr. Duale briefed the U.S. officials on the current situation, U.S.-Somaliland relations, security in the region and urged the U.S. to give Somaliland assistance in democracy, development and to strengthen the relationship between the two states.

Mr. Wycoff said he was very pleased with the progress Somaliland has made over the years in democracy, stability and development. He praised the leadership, citizens and the government for their achievements and made it clear that the US-Somaliland relationship will strengthen and is one based on mutual interest. He added that the upcoming visit to Washington will be fruitful and beneficial for both nations.

No official date has yet been set for the visit but it is expected the delegation will leave Hargeisa for Washington in the coming days.

Mr. Duale was accompanied by Ayanle Salad Deria, Somaliland Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia.

After being a British protectorate since 1884, Somaliland became an independent country on June 26, 1960, five days later, it unified with the South and the two became known as the Republic of Somalia. However that union failed and after a bloody-war, Somaliland declared independence from the rest of the failed state in 1991.

No country has since recognised even though it enjoys diplomatic ties with a number of countries including Western and African nations.

Somalilandpress, 6 March 2010

Somali Troops To Engage Islamists

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MOGADISHU (Somalilandpress)- According to senior officials in the weak
Somali government, the government troops backed by the African union
peacekeepers will soon embark on operations meant to recapture the
country that mostly come under the hard-line Islamists’ harsh law
administrations.

Troops on trucks, tankers and loaded ammunitions are being discharged
into the frontlines, as the AMISOM troops designed a chart of their
possible bases in Mogadishu, those under the Islamists at the moment,
a senior Somali government military official told Somalilandpress on
condition of anonymity.

Despite, the prime objective for the onslaught is Mogadishu but the
next head on offensive marked-areas are Jubba, Gedo, Bay, Bakool and
Shabelle regions.

“Our plans are progressing well and we have now formed a special
committee that is looking into how best we can regain control of these
areas some of which have been out of our hands for a long time now,”
the official says.

Mogadishu resident have recently been desperate to the government’s
much repeated offensive promises, as the insurgents pop in the pockets
controlled by the government in Mogadishu with attacks.

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Sources say most of the government troops are on standby and trained
in neighboring countries, in the face of their discipline, the
military officials vowed harsh punishment on soldiers caught of
robbing civilians in the areas that government may recapture from the
politically fractured Islamists. The troops mostly receive accusations
from residents over robbery and rape, a different way from the
Islamists who are accused by residents of beheading, flogging,
executions and out of courts’ sentences along with enforced support.

Military officials escorted by the army are looingk into how best the
rebels can be torn apart, and to recapture most of the population
centres and disrupt the militants’ arms’ supply line.

The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on Eritrea, accusing the
country of backing Islamist insurgents in Somalia.

The resolution places an arms embargo on Eritrea, and also imposes
travel bans and asset freezes on businesses and individuals.

Previous test offensives in Mogadishu by the government have ended
with vain, which critics argued allowed militants to re-arm, and
analysts warn that Somali government could be overthrown.

The African Union presented a range of fresh incentives to the weak
Somali government in the recent Addis Ababa summi, including enhancing
intelligence sharing and military cooperation, but doubts are falling
into the leaders’ seriousness to restore peace.

The current government controls less 40% of the its predecessor
government led by ex-president colonel Abdullahi Yusuf.

Islamist militants plague vast swathes of southern Somalia, where they
stage their harsh Sharia interpretation on the moderate Sufi Somalis.

By: Abdinasir Mohamed
Email: abdinasir4@gmail.com
Mogadishu-Somalia