Health Minister director general instructs all gynecologists in Israel’s four health maintenance organizations not to inject women with long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera if they do not understand ramifications of treatment
Israel admits Ethiopian women were given birth control shots
Health Minister director general instructs all gynecologists in Israel’s four health maintenance organizations not to inject women with long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera if they do not understand ramifications of treatment.
Members of the Falashmura community in Ethiopia, waiting to immigrate to Israel. Photo by Anshel Pfeffer
A government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.
Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu has instructed the four health maintenance organizations to stop the practice as a matter of course.
The ministry and other state agencies had previously denied knowledge or responsibility for the practice, which was first reported five years ago.
Gamzu’s letter instructs all gynecologists in the HMOs “not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”
He also instructed physicians to avail themselves of translators if need be.
Gamzu’s letter came in response to a letter from Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, representing several women’s rights and Ethiopian immigrants’ groups. The letter demanded the injections cease immediately and that an investigation be launched into the practice.
About six weeks ago, on an Educational Television program journalist Gal Gabbay revealed the results of interviews with 35 Ethiopian immigrants. The women’s testimony could help explain the almost 50-percent decline over the past 10 years in the birth rate of Israel’s Ethiopian community.According to the program, while the women were still in transit camps in Ethiopia they were sometimes intimidated or threatened into taking the injection. “They told us they are inoculations,” said one of the women interviewed. “They told us people who frequently give birth suffer. We took it every three months. We said we didn’t want to.”
Foreign Office Travel Advice already advises against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland, and advises all British nationals to leave. We are now aware of a specific threat to Westerners in Somaliland, and urge any British nationals who remain there against our advice to leave immediately. As our travel advice continues to make clear, kidnapping for financial or political gain, motivated by criminality or terrorism, remains a threat throughout Somalia. Our new travel advice for Somalia, including Somaliland, can be found here
We will keep our Travel Advice under constant review. We cannot comment further on the nature of the threats at this time.
There is an English saying that describes the current hubbub in Somalia and Somaliland regarding the ‘recognition’ extended by the Obama administration to the government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamed – Somalia’s latest, foreign-sponsored and foreign-financed putative ‘government’. The saying is: ‘a storm in a teacup’. This phrase sums up the fatuity of the entire event, the nothing-ness of it, if you will, and, therefore the futility of the heated discussion and debate around it that Somalis have so eagerly and energetically devoted to it. What is truly laughable, however, are the supposedly learned pieces crafted around this ‘recognition’ by the US government by members of the Somali intelligentsia which seek to derive the ‘true meaning’ and ‘underlying consequences’ of this supposedly watershed event. These pieces remind me of a rather scathing definition of ‘intellectual’ which was once offered by a very witty and very wise Somali man – an intellectual, he told me, is one who has been educated beyond his intellect! Since then, I have forever eschewed the title.
Let us call a spade, a spade. The US government has been intimately involved, whether behind the scenes or in a direct sense, in the creation of ‘governments’ for Somalia since the creation of the TNG at the Arta Conference in 2000. Successive US administrations have worked with the TNG and its successors TFG-1 (of Abdillahi Yusuf) and TFG-2 (of Sheikh Sharif Hassan) and extended to it not only financial and material aid, but all the diplomatic niceties due a legitimate (read recognised) government, even though these ‘governments’ did not control any territory except for a couple of city blocks around the Presidential residence in Mogadishu, and possessed no popular mandate from the people they purported to govern. Let us also remember that the US government was very instrumental in Ethiopia’s intervention in Somalia to rout the ICU (Islamic Courts Union) in 2006, unseat Abdillahi Yusuf in 2008 and install Sheikh Sharif as President under TFG-2. I seem to remember a beaming Hilary Clinton shaking the hand of a bemused Sheikh Sharif in Nairobi in late 2008 and hailing him as the saviour of Somalia, much as she did with a much less bemused Hassan Sheikh Mohamed recently at the State Dep’t.
As the French say, plus ça change! However, in truth, something has changed. This is that the Western Powers, and the US in particular, have become frustrated that their efforts over the last two decades have not produced a result in Somalia that is satisfactory to them, and have thus resolved to use the present military weakness of Al-Shabaab to withdraw from their deep involvement in Somali affairs. However, in order to do this they need to ‘establish’ a ‘permanent’, ‘legitimate’ government in that country to which they can then cede responsibility, and blame for future failures. This is the true reason behind all the drama and hoopla surrounding the creation of this latest version of the TFG (or TFG-3 as I like to term it). Professor Michael Weinstein, an astute chronicler and analyst of Western policy on Somalia, has cogently outlined the Western policy perspective and the reactions to it by the political actors in Somalia. His articles are published on www.garoweonline.com. It is in this context that the ‘recognition’ by the US of TFG-3 can be properly understood. By claiming that Somalia now has a ‘real’ government which it recognises, the US can legitimately withdraw from direct engagement in Somali affairs and reduce its commitment of financial, material and human resources.
The Western Powers have concluded that Somalia is probably beyond their capacity to fix and they have now chosen to leave it largely to its own devices, while they will, of course, retain the option to respond to perceived terrorist threats through the use of Special Forces and drone attacks. In the meantime, they are happy for their regional allies, Ethiopia and Kenya, to carve out such ‘spheres of influence’ or ‘buffer zones’ in southern and western Somalia as they deem necessary, i.e. Jubaland and Galmudug autonomous regions. In short, the ‘recognition’ afforded the TFG of Hassan Sheikh Mohamed is nothing more or less than the second, neo-imperial carve-up of ex-Italian Somalia. This is the bitter fruit of some 22 years of anarchy and calculated opportunism by the political elite of that poor, benighted country.
Finally, I would like to address the issue of the impact this US ‘recognition’ has on Somaliland and its quest for international recognition. The simple, short and unequivocal answer is that this supposed ‘recognition’ will have no impact whatsoever upon Somaliland and its future. In fact, if anything, this ‘recognition’ probably strengthens Somaliland’s position in the medium term since it is, and will continue to be, the only functioning state in the region with which the world can engage. Irrespective of this, however, the fact remains that the sovereignty of Somaliland lies in its people and their decision to recover their precious freedom which they had surrendered nobly some 53 years ago in the cause of pan-Somali unity. The fact that their noble sacrifice was turned into their enslavement and attempted extermination merely highlights the evil against which they had to extricate themselves, and the nightmare to which they can never be induced to return. Increasingly, Africa and the rest of the world is being forced to deal with the simple reality that the people of Somaliland have forged for themselves a successful, indigenous democracy and that they are building their nation and their future, bit by bit, with their own hands and their own will.
The true danger to Somaliland and its hopes for a better future lies in the corruption, venality, ineptitude and treasonous tribalism of the Silanyo administration. This government has reduced our politics to a tribal auction, our quest for international recognition to a charity drive begging for alms as aid and our proud tradition of conflict resolution and national reconciliation to a tawdry spectacle of sharing the spoils of power. This government has abandoned the mission of national unity and the primacy of the ‘Somaliland Project’ for the narrow perspective of clan loyalty and the fleeting pleasure of personal aggrandisement, and in so doing they have demoralised the people. The danger to Somaliland lies not in the corridors of Washington but in the Presidency in Hargeisa.
Please take this from me: Do not read too much into the warm reception accorded to the new president in Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, during his recent visit to the US capital.
The foreign policy of the US and other western countries is driven by the economic and geopolitical interests of those countries. It is not determined by any altruistic, idealistic or emotional factors. The lawlessness of Somalia profoundly affected the western world economically and demographically because of the large influx of refugees fleeing into those countries from Somalia.
It also affected their geopolitical security interest because of threats from the Al Qaida affiliated Al Shabab as well as the danger posed by pirates to the free flow of energy and human traffic on the Indian Ocean. The defeat of Al Shabab and the semblance of peace gave the western world hope the threats posed to their interest by the lawlessness in Somalia is finally turning the corner. Probably, the western world would continue to give economic and security assistance to Mogadishu so that the triple problems of piracy, terrorism and refugees are under full control. Remember, they are doing so out of their own self interest and not because they love Somalia or President Hassan Sheikh!
There has never been any threat from Somaliland to the western world. Somaliland has been peaceful and genuinely democratic. The western world will never push Somaliland to rejoin Somalia. They know the history of these two countries. Any hostilities that break out between the two nations will jeopardize international security and peace.
There is NO interest for Somaliland to continue holding bilateral talks with Somalia. This is not the time for such talks. We have 15 years or more to go before such talks will be useful to be held. Great Britain should not have initiated those talks in the first place. The Somali President has a lot of work to do for many years to come in order to put Mogadishu on its feet again. Somaliland should not even come into his radar. No president any where else in the world inherits the totally failed state that President Hassan Sheik inherited. He needs to focus on his country and forget about Somaliland.
Somalilanders should focus like laser beam on moving their country forward and close their eyes from the flirtations between Somalia and western donors. The driving force behind the dance is not emotional feeling but real, cold interest.
Domestically, Somaliland needs to employ the bottom up, grass roots process that served the country so well in the past to straighten her electoral system. People in villages, towns, and cities should discuss the need for every body to abide by the rule of one person one vote. Then leaders of political parties, elected and appointed officials and all civil society groups- business, clergy, women, youth, media, and sultans- must meet and reach agreement on making certain election are free and fair. The electoral process is very important because it ensures orderly transfer of power at all levels of the government and enhances the reputation of the country. Any elite anywhere in the country who acts unethically during election time must understand that he is destroying the country.
Somaliland must remain very vigilant against terrorism. During the last decade there were several acts of terrorism in the country. Even though Al Shabab is weaker today, still vigilance is the way to protect the lives and properties of all as well as the progress of the country. There should not be any complacency when it comes to terrorism. There are those who are against the very existence of the country let alone for the dark forces of evil to see the people of Somaliland achieve substantial progress.
Somalilanders need to rely upon their resources and expertise to develop their country. If they can pave a small of stretch roadway at a time, build a school, a clinic, a business, and drill a well at a time, over time they will go a long way in developing their country. To foster trade they need to keep maintaining good relations with their neighbors- Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia.
If they follow such a strategy of self-reliance, they will end up being much better off than those who enjoy in being the grave yard of a foreign aid that ends up in the hands of few and is no good for the rest.
LONDON (AP) — The Times of London says a secret section of a United Nations report has linked British citizens with Somali piracy.
The newspaper says that a 2012 report drawn up by the UN’s Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea carried a secret annex naming a British businessman of Somali origin as one of the key organizers of a pirate kidnapping in 2009.
The Times quotes the annex as saying that the businessman is responsible for “co-organizing hijackings and abductions” and was directly involved in the abduction of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held captive for 13 months before a ransom was paid in 2010.
Efforts to reach some of the report’s authors weren’t immediately successful Saturday.
No contact information for the businessman could immediately be located.
Source: AP
Somaliland First Lady Amina Sheik Mohamed Jirde (Amina Weris) was the guest of honor in a well-attended opening ceremony of a new children’s Hospital today in Hargeisa which was built by the widow of the late Mohamed Adan Sheik who was former Health Minister in the Said Barre Government.
This is the first exclusive paedratic hospital to cater for the health needs of the children.
The First Lady speaking after cutting the tape to the new children’s Hospital “We the people of Somaliland are grateful to all who contributed towards the building of this new children’s hospital especially the widow of the late Mohamed Adan Sheik, the good people of the city of Torino, the government of Italy and all those Somalilanders who made this dream come true,”.
“The late Mohamed Adan Sheik was a personal friend of mine and the President; he shall forever have a special place in our hearts, as I also express my deepest gratitude to his widow,, his friends and most of all the people who embraced this noble idea which will improve the health of many citizens of this country,” said the first lady.
Hon Hussein Mohamed Muhumed (Hussein Hoog) said that the Hospital will not only provide vital health services to the society but will also act as a learning institution where medical trainees will acquire skills.
“Mohamed Adan Sheik Children’s Medical Hospital will offer a comprehensive internship program in child clinical and pediatric psychology to pre-doctoral students in psychology, and will also act as national institution committed to initiating breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for all Somalilanders,”added the Health Minister.
The head of Paedtric department at the University of Turin said, his team of doctors from Italy will be performing specialized medical procedures to children at the Hospital which is fully fitted out with the latest state of the art medical equipment.
Among those notables attending the opening ceremony were the minister of National Planning Dr. Sacad Ali Shire, the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon Abdurrahman Mohamed Abdillahi and veteran Politician Dr. Mohamed Abdi Yusuf Gaboose.
It is unfortunate that the tens of dozens of hours and hundreds of thousands of words in both hard and electronic print in our media industry posses only a fraction of words of wisdom, words on developments and constructive critiques for the good of the nation;
This is whether we consider material development strategies or even remote morale boosting purposes.
It is mainly because of such short-sightedness and non-sensicle media innuendoes that we fail to become the forth Estate in its true expected and constructive developmental colours.
Our sheer whimsical drives have for instance made us fail to bring our parliamentarians to their senses. In other words we have abetted the MPs crimes of giving raw deal to their subjects.
We have failed to notice that in the over the eight years of their existence our MPs have not done even a tiny fraction of the work they were supposed to have done for their constituents.
On the contrary, it is as if their jobs have only focused on only polishing or rubberstamping policies formulated mainly, not by them, but by NGOs from given “seminars”.
Worse of all, they have never made rapport with those who elected them to lead the causes of their constituencies.
If our MPs have not yet still learnt what their jobs are supposed to be other than snobbing around, then they should look over their shoulders ogling at the likes of Hon. Ali Marehan.
We can logically and rightly vouch that the MP knows what representative task entails and marks highly in our scorecard.
It should not be assumed that we laud Hon. Ali Marehan for helping and contributing to public causes for eking out of his pockets.
We are not asking other MPs to eke out of their pockets hand outs to build bridges, hospitals or schools. If the MP did, does or continues to do so, it is only a plus upon his laudable duties.
What we practically, out rightly and factually praise him for is for his constant visits to his constituency, being in good rapport with his constituents, understanding his subjects and their needs, trying to solve them to the best ways he ably can, constantly lending his ears to them and above all, endearing himself, the governance and statehood to his people.
This is the sort of an MP the world knows and expects. They keep their honour and live up to their honourable status.
Do we have others out there, coming even a distant second or third, like him? Have we put them in check? Are even their names recognizable in the streets, schools or in media rooms?
It is heartbreaking that we ponder on issues usually stirred up for egotism and mostly with whose results being always retrogressive or boomeranging with stinging volatile repercussions.
Kudos Hon. Ali Marehan, your colleagues should emulate you, however late, for its better than never.
The residents of War-Ibran had a standing ovation for their area parliamentarian on the occasion of the opening of a police station funded by Hon. Ali Hassan Mohammed aka Ali-Marehan.
The ceremony which was graced by the participation of Togdeer deputy regional governor Mr. M.M Yusuf Ubahle, Regional Police Commander Mohammed Farah and the MP himself profoundly praised the honourable parliamentarian who has contributed substantially to local causes in the provision of public services.
“The MP is way ahead of his colleagues in keeping abreast with the needs of his constituents”, quipped the regional police boss.
Local administration and traditional leaders were in unison as to the significance of the addressed dire security need in the area.
They all acknowledged the fact that the area was very much starved of a police station.
“Now that you have a new station, it is incumbent upon you to maintain it”, Hon. Ali Marehan told the residents.
The MP is known to have contributed immensely to local causes especially in the security sectors.
He had provided several vehicles to the police department as personal donations.
His feat has not been even imitated, let alone equaled, by any of his colleagues.
He happens to be the only national parliamentarian to warm up to the needs of his constituents. (See also editorial).
Most notable are those of the Doqoshey and Qoriolle donations to the police department.
In a deafening silence, Djibouti saw oppression that comes to a new victim, Hafez Mohamed Hassan, 14 years old schoolboy, shot dead by the services of Ismail Omar Guelleh regime while demonstrating to protest the lack of sports facilities in the region of Obock . This is what happens when Djibouti elections approaching and we dare to assert their rights and demand free elections, fair and transparent. Since more than ten years, opponents, trade unionists, human rights defenders and citizens suffer brutal repression intensifies approach each election.
During the presidential April 2011, the results of this repression was the heaviest in the history of the country, dozens of young protesters killed, hundreds more arrested and detained for months. The former European Commissioner for Development and Cooperation, Mr Louis Michel, on site at the time of the facts himself had said at the time that “what has happened recently in Djibouti is obviously not acceptable. The EU must express his disapproval with force “. [1]
The EU is the largest donor to Djibouti where she has decided to strengthen its presence. In return for an annual rent of $ 30 million each, France, Japan and the United States will have an important military base for the fight against terrorism and piracy in particular. It is no longer possible accept such a regime continues to kill, to torture, to stop, to gag the press, freedom of association to prevent and repress peaceful demonstrations without reacting and continuing cooperation in the name of defending our strategic interests and commercial.
Faced with a disastrous social situation and intensification of harassment, opposition political parties have decided for the first time in ten years to participate in parliamentary elections in February 2013 rather than boycott. Mr Farah, president of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD), has also decided to close its decade of exile in Belgium to return home and mobilize voters. Courageous bet when you know none of ten claims made by the opposition to President Guelleh has been accepted and that no progress has been registered in respect of civil and political rights for more than a decade less.
Principle and lest the situation progressively degenerate in a region already highly unstable, the international community can not allow yet another election be held in Djibouti truncated and let continue the extra-judicial executions, systematic torture in prisons, arbitrary arrests and detentions, lack of press freedom and justice entirely dependent on the executive.
Help Djiboutians to speak and make sure to stop violations of human rights. In addition to the two technical experts dispatched to the scene by the EU support the cost of deploying a civilian mission and independent election observation. Finally, remember that the Djibouti authorities to strengthen our presence requires a strengthening of our requirements towards Djibouti in terms of respect for human rights. Argues that this requirement currently in disfavor of the candidacy of Ambassador of Djibouti Rachad Farah President of UNESCO. This same requirement is that you can not kill a schoolboy 14 years, which does not violate his mother, that we do not torture her father, that you do not run and that his brother is allowed to vote freely sister. Why would this requirement too high for Djibouti?
[1] in the situation of human rights in Djibouti on the eve of the 2011 presidential elections, ACP Publishing asbl.
Hi guys,
Just thought it would be a good idea to share my tips and info on my trip to Somaliland in December, 2012. Hopefully it’ll help anyone else going there.
So firstly I was in Ethiopia and I got the visa in 20 minutes at the Somaliland Liason office in Addis. It was 40 bucks and really simple. Just a quick form and a photo and that was it.
I flew with Ethiopian airways to Berbera (Hargeisa is still under construction). At the airport immigration is quick and simple and everyone is willing to help you out. There’s a 34 dollar entry fee too which everyone has to pay. I went straight to Hargeisa and all the airlines provide transport there. They’re just small buses direct from Berbera airport to the airline offices in Hargeisa. No escort is required too so no need to worry about organising one for the trip to Hargeisa if you take their transport.
I stayed at the Oriental Hotel in Hargeisa which is right in the centre of town. It’s 15 for a single, 30 for a twin/double. The hotel has free wifi and satellite tv. It’s also very clean and the only place I saw other travellers. Furthermore, they can organise tours etc. I organised a Las Geel/Berbera tour (one way though…the usual tour is back to Hargeisa) for 140 dollars.
Hargeisa is a great vibrant city. The camel market is a must, although it’s a while out of town. Not really walking distance. I was the only foreigner there so I was more popular than the camels. Lots of men, women, and children came up to me, chatting and asking me questions and following me around. It’s a bit full on but they all mean well. Some speak crap English while others are actually quite good. The money changers and gold sellers are quite cool too. There is just LOADS of cash floating around – it’s insane. Somali food is scarce though unfortunately. All up I spent two nights in Hargeisa.
The tour to Las Geel was really interesting too. Definite must.
Berbera is the other city I went too. I spent two nights there at the Maan Soor hotel. It’s 50 dollars a night which is bit of a rip off compared to the Oriental Hotel in Hargeisa. It’s aesthetically ugly but the rooms have aircon, 200 channel satellite tv, showers, double beds etc. The beach out the front is meant to be the best in Berbera but the foreshore is pretty polluted which is disappointing. If you walk a kilometre up though it gets much cleaner. The water is crystal clear though. I spent half a day on the beach and half a day in the town taking photos of all the beautiful crumbling colonial buildings. I was also invited to some ‘qat’ and lunch with some businessmen from Hargeisa. Great fun. The Somalis LOVE talking politics and they certainly told me a lot of interesting stuff about Somaliland and the rest of Somalia. A trip from Berbera town to Maan Soor is 7ish bucks by taxi. I walked to town though from the hotel through the rubbish tip which is ‘interesting’ in its own way. There’s a cool restaurant there called Xayaat or something like that. It’s in the Lonely Planet and you can get some good photos of all the derelict ships there.
Ok, so what else can I say? Telecommunications there is way better than most places in Africa. I used my Somali simcard to call Australia several times and it only cost $2! The internet is surprisingly fast too. Taking photos is a tad tricky because it’s super Islamic so most women are in hijabs, abeya and niqabs and some take offence to photos. I had a few incidents when people told me not to take photos but 99% of the time people were happy to let me take photos of them. it’s easier having a friendly local with you. Speaking of women, the few female travellers I met were all wearing abeyas or similar outfits and covering their hair so it’s wise for any females planning to go to do the same.
There’s also ‘qat’ which you’ll see everyone chewing. It’s meant to give you a high but I didn’t feel it. You’ll notice when someone is on it though because their mouth will be green and their pupils super dilated. It’s worth giving it a go…. Although make sure you brush your teeth afterwards! One thing you’ll notice is Somalis don’t brush their teeth so their teeth a rotten and just non-existent.
With the money situation, it’s best to bring as much USD in SMALL denominations, especially $1 and $5 bills. Of course it’s possible to change to Somali shillings but you’ll end up getting one kilo of cash to carry around which isn’t fun. The exchange rate on the 28th of Dec, 2012 when I was there was 1US=6700 shillings.
Somaliland is super safe though. Even petty crime is almost non-existent. It’s perfectly safe to walk around even at night with no problems. Everyone will look out for you. You may get ripped of every once in a while by a taxi driver but no different from anywhere else in the developing world.
There’s also a 34 dollar exit fee too by the way plus a $10 security luggage fee that, again, everyone has to pay.
Overall, the four day trip was a lot of fun. The people are super friendly and willing to help anyone out. There are a lot of people returning from the diasporas in Canada, UK, America, Australia etc so a lot of people on the streets can speak English. It’s also amazing being a ‘freak’ in the country…I’ve never been stared at so much, but in a fun, intriguing way. They’re very curious people. The only downside to Somaliland is that there is ZERO alcohol (obviously) so for an Aussie like me, four days without beer was tough.
Anyway, hope some of this info helps. If you’ve got any questions feel free to send me a private message or post on this forum.
