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Somaliland: Two Died As Demonstrations Rock Lasanod

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Lasanod, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – A violent demonstration rock Lasanod today as tens of people burned tires and were throwing stones against the security forces in the city.

The demonstrations took place as the police arrested teachers at Islamic madrasas in the town in connection with the recent bomb attacks.

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The demonstrators were chanting statements against Somaliland government requesting an immediate release of the prisoners.

At least two people died when the police fired at the crowds who are throwing stones and burning tires in the main roads. Others are also wounded.

This comes when a number of Somaliland ministers and other officials are visiting the town to enforce the ongoing investigations of the recent bomb attacks in the city. Somaliland officials believe that Alshabab is behind the attacks but nobody claimed the responsibility.

Somalilandpress

Appeal For Urgent Humanitarian Assistance and Livelihood Support For Humanitarian Crises Prevention in Somaliland

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Hargeisa, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Predictions were made that food security and nutrition situation may worsen in most parts of Somaliland by Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) of FAO in its early warning briefs .
Some of the reasons cited included:

i. Poor “deyr” rains that preceded by dry “Hagaa” season which negatively affected pastural livelihoods.

ii. Very critical nutrition situation reported in agro-pastoral population, based on a data for rapid assessment.

iii. High numbers of children, identified as acutely malnourished, that require rehabilitation. For Togdheer pastoral population, the situation was classified as serious.

iv. Insufficient water and pasture for livestock herds through the “jilaal” dry season (January to March 2010), which will cause early water trucking in Sool, Haud and Haud of Hargeisa.

v. Very low Livestock production and re-production due to poor conception rate during the post “jilaal” and “Gu 2009” as well as livestock diseases during, “Hagaa 09”, that resulted in death and abortion of camels and goats. In Awdal region, cattle and sheep had weak body conditions.

Recent assessment carried out by National Environment Risk and Disaster (NERAD) also confirmed the gravity of the drought faced by the people.

The facts are:

 The ”Gu” rains were below normal
 The “Karan” rains were below normal
 The “ Deyr” was also below normal
 The “Heis “rains in Guban areas didn’t also rain normally
 In certain areas in Sool, Sanag and Togdheer, there were no rains

As a result of above facts, poor pasture, scarcity of water, food and weakend human and animal health has been experienced. Recent Reports received from all regions confirmed (Viz: Togdheer, Sool, Sanag, Awdal,Maroodijeex,and Selel) that both pastoralists and agro- pastoralists are facing serious, but devastating drought. The affected population is estimated to be 40% of the total population of Somaliland of 3.5 million which equals to 1.4 million people.

A serious humanitarian catastrophe seems to be imminent, which is beyond the capacity of national authority, that requires to be prevented.

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The government of Somaliland, therefore, appeals to international community (i.e. Governments, UN Agencies and other humanitarian organizations as well as the business communities and other benevolent institutions for urgent humanitarian assistance and livelihood support to avert worsening of the humanitarian crises.

In addition, assistance and support to urgent water trucking, construction and rehabilitation of boreholes as well as rehabilitation and desilting of “Berkads” and ‘Dams’ and the supplies of necessary medications for affected human and livestock populations will be needed to avert break-out of epidemics. Nutritional support to the weak and sick will also be necessary.

The situation is critical and may continue to worsen in the coming months. It requires rapid and fast responses from the international community, the business community, humanitarian and benevolent institutions to deliver needed humanitarian assistance and livelihood support.

Hon. Ali Ibrahim Mohamed
Minister of National planning, coordination and
Relations with International Organizations

On behalf of
Chairperson of the National Disaster Management Committee
and Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland

Djibouti, Somalia urge enforcing sanctions on Eritrea.

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Addis Ababa (Somalilandpress)- Djibouti and Somalia have argued the international community to tighten the sanctions imposed on Eritrea over Somali Islamists’ backing.

At the conclusion of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the government of Djibouti and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] urged the international community to take new measures against Eritrea in addition to the sanctions that were recently imposed.

They also called for the formation of a new organization to enforce the sanctions on Eritrea and therefore discourage its government from meddling in Somalia’s internal affairs.

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The statement by the two countries comes at a time The African Union heads of states have accused Eritrea of destabilizing Horn of Africa nations.

The governments of Somalia and Djibouti urged the international community to take even further drastic measures against Eritrea in addition to the sanctions on the country in December 2009.

Somalilandpress

Kenya: 50 People Die of Cancer Everyday

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Kenya, (SomalilandPress)-Statistics which was released on Thursday has said about 50 Kenyans die each day various forms of cancers. About 80,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in Kenya each year, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Jotham Micheni announced.

All the patients can only use the required treatment at KNH which is the largest referral hospital in East and Central Africa.
“We have very few specialists in oncology and therefore human resource for health in terms of cancer is definitely a major challenge,” Dr Micheni said. In Kenya only four specialized oncologists (cancer specialists) and another four Radio-Oncologists (doctors who prescribe radiotherapy) were available.

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Only one of these eight cancer specialists was specialised for children, as Dr Micheni told local media. Micheni said this is the result of the high cost of the training which esteemed between Sh7 million and Sh10 million) and South Africa is the only country in the continent which offering the course. “There are no cancer registries in the country and hence the actual burden of cancer is unclear. Very little research has been going on in the area of cancer,” he told. The doctor said the most common cancers in both men and women are those of the oesophagus, prostrate, breast and cervical cancer.

Public Health and Sanitation assistant minister James Gesami has said that the government has did little attention to the non-communicable disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that each year cancer kills more people than HIV, Aids, tuberculosis and malaria combined. World Health Organisation Kenya representative Dr David Okello has said tobacco contributes to 30 percent of cancer deaths in the worldwide.

Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
SomalilandPress,
Nairobi, Kenya

Lessons from Somaliland on self reclamation from mayhem

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Any reader may wonder if anything other than piracy, warlords tussle and the sound of bombs can ever come from Somalia.

Such negative perception of Somalia is understandable if one is to refuse the de facto break-up of Somalia into two disparate parts that have had paradoxically different trajectories since 1990. Prof Iqbal Jhazbay’s recent book, Somaliland: An African Struggle for Nationhood and International Recognition, deals with that part that has attracted huge academic interest but little media attention. In this study, Prof Jhazbhay provides us with a detailed analysis of a part of former Somalia that ironically seems to escape international attention for doing well.

He takes us through a historical journey of the internal struggles in what was viewed as the most successful attempt at re-drawing of colonial demarcation at independence. From a brief history of the genesis of Somaliland alienation from the union project to its unique liberation movement that set the stage for the move from insurgency to clan-based democracy, Jhazbhay provides an interesting academic analysis of Somaliland’s effort to re-establish an independent nation-state.

He also reviews in broader detail the import of its colonial legacy and powerful clan structures on the reconciliation process and the role of its diaspora in providing an important cushion to the minimal support it receives from the international community for its reconstruction process. It is a classic analysis of how a society can retract itself from chaos and establish a relevant and rooted social contract. While the rest of Somalia seems to have failed to move forward from Hobbesian chaos, Somaliland’s remarkable success is rooted in its bottom-up approach that has employed local traditional norms and structures.

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The descriptive analysis gives us adoptable format to execute a social contract where such is required. Although Prof Ali Mazrui suggests in his foreward to the book, that the study significantly contributes to our understanding of the Somali predicament, I am of the view that in terms of its theoretical contribution, there are bits where most African post-conflict societies can reflect on and even find useful and relevant, to their own progression. As an academic and activist with wide connection with continental actors, his analysis of the external factors constraining Somaliland’s aspiration for international legitimacy provides those interested with African diplomacy a mine full of geo-political intricacies. This is not to mention the very interesting analysis of the interaction between disintegrating forces with the paradigm change on integration of the African continent. Closer home, the relevance of this study to our post-election reconciliation process is what he terms “quadrilateral framework” that constitutes, inter alia, reconciliation and reconstruction.

Business as usual in Hargeisa

The analysis of the bottom-up process of Somaliland reconciliation and reconstruction as central variables in acquiring lasting peace can be of significant value to our policy makers if we are serious on ensuring a continued inter-communal peace in affected areas. The public tussles between the top political actors in gatherings that are purporting to be facilitating communal reconciliation fall far short of the professor’s description of the bottom-up approach rooted in local tradition successfully employed by Somaliland.

Rift Valley will not be healed by the establishment of a flimsy political alliance of personalities but rather an elaborate interaction of the communities concerned and a honest and serious commitment by the government in the reconstruction of the economic lives of those affected. A public dance of political heavy weights or knee-jerk fundraising will never constitute reconciliation and reconstruction of the volatile region. I am of the view that whoever is interested in deep-rooted reconciliation and reconstruction of a polity such as the inhabitants of the Rift Valley, Jhazbhay’s study is a must-read.

PDF: Click here

Source: Sunday Nation
ahmed.aideed@gmail.com

Book presentation: Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed

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LONDON (Somalilandpress) — Kayd Somali Arts and Culture is pleased to invite you to the presentation of new book; ‘Black Mamba Boy‘ by Nadifa Mohamed. Join us to discuss this new novel with the author on Friday,12 Feb. 2010 at 6:30pm -9:00pm, Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG. This event will be chaired by Mohamed Mohamud and he will be joined by Dr Virginia Luling, an independent scholar and an expert on Somali Culture. There will also be entertainment from artists Abdifataah Yare and Ga’id

The story begins in Aden,1935; a city vibrant, alive, and full of hidden dangers. And home to Jama, a ten year-old street boy. When his mother dies unexpectedly, and he finds himself alone in the world, Jama is forced home to his native Somalia, the land of his nomadic ancestors. War is on the horizon and the fascist Italian forces who control parts of east Africa are preparing for battle.. Yet Jama cannot rest until he discovers whether his father, who has been absent from his life since he was a baby, is alive somewhere. And so begins an epic journey which will take Jama north through Djibouti, war-torn Eritrea and Sudan, to Egypt. And from there, aboard a ship transporting Jewish refugees just released from German concentration camp, across the seas to Britain and freedom. It is a unique tale, based on the experiences and life of the author’s father, which also tells us the story of the many people of his generation who did not survive.
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Nadifa was born in Hargeysa, Somaliland in 1981 and was educated in the UK, studying history and politics at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. She lives in London and is working on her second novel.

Please join us for this exciting discussion with a new author.

For more information contact: Ayan Mahamoud on 07903712949 or ayan_mahamoud@kayd.org

[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D-8E7HLUaRF4 img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/-8E7HLUaRF4/0.jpg embed=true share=true width=450 height=360 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /]

Book presentation: Black Mamba Boy
Friday 12 Feb. 2010

6:30pm -9:00pm

Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG

Somalilandpress, 5 February 2010

Danish Forces Storm Seized Ship

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Nairobi, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Danish special forces who were taking part in the NATO mission against Somali pirates have stormed a Slovenian cargo ship seized by pirates and rescue 25 crew, EU naval officials and the Danish navy said on Friday.

The crews of the ship has made possible the operation because they managed to send out a suffering call and secure themselves in a safe room where they couldn’t be hit by crossfire or used as human shields, an EU naval spokesman said.

John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Force told AFP that it was the first time a navy had intervened after bandits entered to a vessel.

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It is not clear if the pirates left the ship before the troops arrived, BBC reported.

The 25 crew those were rescued are 15 Filipinos, seven Ukrainians, one Indian, one Bulgarian and other one from Slovakian.

The assault and rescue, by Danish NATO forces, took place in the Gulf of Aden on Friday morning after Somali pirates kidnapped the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel Ariella.

Somali bandits have made tens of millions of dollars for a ransom payment after hijacked ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The pirates currently have over 11 ships and more than 280 hostages in their custody.

Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
Freelance Journalist
Nairobi – Kenya

New Global Health Partnership Stregthens Work in Somaliland

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HARGEISA, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre formally launched a new global health partnership with the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) on 4 February 2010.

Renewing an existing 10 year partnership between THET and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (one of the founding members of King’s Health Partners) this new partnership will allow King’s Health Partners and THET to take steps to develop further their shared agenda and create a new centre of activity within King’s Health Partners.

The new partnership aims to expand delivery of the ‘Health Systems Strengthening’ work, as well as to promote greater involvement of younger members of the health profession by creating further opportunities to be engaged in and learn about global health.

The launch saw guest presentations and speeches from representatives of the existing partnership organisations as well Edna Adan Ismail, former Foreign Minister for Somaliland and Professor Christopher Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of Research at the Department for International Development.

The event was held at the Weston Education Centre based on the King’s College Hospital site, which will now be the home of the Somaliland team from THET, to strengthen the joint working on this partnership.

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Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners said; “We view Global Health as an important part of the work we are doing across clinical care, research, and education and training. As an Academic Health Sciences Centre, we aim to influence healthcare both nationally and internationally. This new partnership with THET will play a key role in our aspirations to be a leader in global healthcare education, and is soon to form part of a wider Institute of Global Health Education and Training at King’s Health Partners.”

Pia McRae, Chief Executive at THET said; “We are delighted to be extending our collaboration with King’s Health Partners, following ten years of successful partnership in Somaliland supporting both the training of health professionals, as well as the development of a health infrastructure. We share some key values with King’s Health Partners including an interest in how to support UK health professionals in providing service to developing countries through working alongside (and at the request of) overseas colleagues. Going forward, we aspire to build on our shared commitment to increasing the understanding, education and awareness of UK health sector students, as well as staff, in global health issues and the needs of developing countries.”

Andy Leather, Director of the King’s International Development Unit, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added; “King’s College Hospital have had a long standing relationship with THET and I am excited that this extended partnership as King’s Health Partners will not only further strengthen the capacity building and educational work in Somaliland but will also catalyse research partnerships with institutions there.”

Source: THET

Somaliland: The Other Somalia

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HARGEISA, 5 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – There are some places you just can’t consider for a vacation. While even Iraq has recently opened up to carefully handled tours, Somalia remains out of bounds. What with an Islamist movement proudly proclaiming its ties to Al-Qaeda, and a decades-long civil war between rival clans, there’s no chance of exploring the Somali culture and landscape, right?

Actually, that’s only half true.

The Republic of Somaliland is the northern third of what most maps show as Somalia. Anyone paying attention to the news knows that Somalia hasn’t been a unified nation for quite some time, but this one region, a little larger than England and home to 3.5 million, has managed to bring stability and a developing democracy to its people. Born out of the colony of British Somaliland, it gained independence in 1960 and immediately joined former Italian Somaliland to create what we now know as Somalia. A brutal dictatorship and a civil war later, it declared independence in 1991 and has quietly built a nation as the rest of Somalia disintegrated into chaos.

But no other country recognizes Somaliland as an independent state, which makes it very hard to get international investment and attention. Now Somaliland officials are hoping an increase in tourism will help to literally put their country on the map. It already has regular contact with its neighbors Ethiopia and Djibouti, and has representatives in several major capitals. The Tourism Ministry is busy making plans and there’s a good website highlighting Somali Heritage and Archaeology.

With a countryside only thinly populated by nomads, Somaliland has good potential for safaris. Lions, cheetahs, zebras, antelope, and other animals are easily spotted. Even more stunning are the well-preserved paintings at Laas Geel, believed to be some of the oldest in Africa. They’re located near the capital Hargeysa and remained unreported until 2002. Colorful paintings of hunters and animals date back an estimated 9,000 years.

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Other towns to check out are Barbera and Zeila, two ports with excellent coral reefs as well as old colonial buildings from British and Ottoman times. More important than bricks and mortar, though, is the chance to interact with a culture that has had comparatively little contact with the outside world. This is a rare chance to see a country unaccustomed to tourism, where there are no “tourist sites” and “local hangouts”. For the adventure traveler, it’s still pretty much uncharted territory.

After almost 20 years of independence, Somaliland is beginning to get some recognition from adventure travelers. The most recent edition of Lonely Planet Ethiopia has a short section on the country, and three young backpackers recently posted a video of their trip there on YouTube. A reporter from the Pulitzer Center has also covered the country on an online video. Somaliland could become the adventure travel destination of the new decade.

While Somaliland has some good potential, travelers should take care. Government bodyguards are required (costing $10 a day each) and there are few facilities for visitors. The country has also attracted the ire of Al-Shabab, an Islamist group with ties to Al-Qaeda that wants to take over the Horn of Africa. In 2008 a series of deadly car bombings blamed on Al-Shabab left two dozen dead in Hargeysa. Also, the countryside is not yet safe enough for foreigners to travel overland from Ethiopia on public transport. There are regular flights to Hargeysa from Addis Ababa and other regional capitals. The office for Somaliland in Addis Ababa (which is not recognized as an embassy by the government of Ethiopia) can issue visas and give advice. If you do decide to go, it’s best to plan well in advance and talk to the government as soon as possible.

Written by:
Sean McLachlan
Source: Gadling

Somalia Islamist Group Bans Video Games

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Mogadishu, 5 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Somalia’s Hezb al-Islam insurgent group on Thursday slapped a ban on video games in areas under its control.

The Islamist organisation argued in a statement that video games, popular with Somali youth and often played in small public game centres, were destroying the country’s social fabric.

“Starting two days after this statement’s date of issue, all video-game playing centres in the areas under Hezb al-Islam control should be closed and playing video games will be prohibited,” it said.

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“Video games are designed in such a way that they destroy our social traditions and for that reason, anybody found ignoring this order will be punishment and equipment will be confiscated,” the statement added.

It was signed by Sheikh Mohamed Omar, head of propaganda for Hezb al-Islam, an insurgent group headed by influential cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and which controls densely populated areas in and around Mogadishu.

Video games became particularly popular in areas on the outskirts of Mogadishu housing tens of thousands of families who fled the fighting in the capital since watching films on DVDs was also banned.

Children and teenagers would gather after school in small centres like cybercafés where PlayStations were wired up and a 30-minute game cost 5 000 Somali shillings (about 15 US cents).

“Hezb al-Islam officials ordered us to close our video-game centres so we today we’re closed, we don’t have a choice,” said Ali Hidig, a game centre owner in Elashabiyaha, a village hosting refugees on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

“Young boys used to like coming here for entertainment after school but it looks like this is now a thing of the past,” said.

The disappointment was deep among teenage boys in the area, where movies and sports are also banned.

“They have basically banned everything that is fun, so we feel increasingly bored,” said one of them on condition of anonymity.

Hezb al-Islam and their insurgency comrades from the al-Qaeda-inspired al-Shabaab are implementing a very strict form of Sharia law in the areas they control.

In recent months across Somalia, people found dancing to traditional songs have been flogged, men guilty of trimming their beards arrested and youth playing football in shorts reprimanded by religious police units.

Source: AFP

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