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CPJ’s annual prison census 2009: In Sub-Saharan Africa, 9 out of 10 detained without charge

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New York, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – On December 1, a total of 25 journalists were imprisoned in Sub-Saharan Africa in retaliation for their journalism, and nearly 90 percent of these journalists were detained without charges in secret detention facilities, according to an annual census of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Countries as wide ranging as Eritrea, Iran, and the United States were on the list of nations who had imprisoned journalists without charge.

With at least 19 journalists behind bars, Eritrea by far leads the list of shame of African nations that imprison journalists. Eritrea holds this dubious distinction since 2001when the authorities abruptly closed the private press by arresting at least ten editors without charge or trial. The Eritrean government has refused to confirm if the detainees are still alive, even when unconfirmed online reports suggest that three journalists have died in detention. CPJ continues to list these journalists on its 2009 census as a means of holding the government responsible for their fates. In early 2009, the government arrested at least six more journalists from state media suspected of having provided information to news Web sites based outside the country.

Eritrea’s neighbor, Ethiopia ranked second among African nations with journalists in jail. Four journalists were held in Ethiopian prisons, including two Eritrean journalists who are detained in secret locations without any formal charges or legal proceedings since late 2006. The Gambia, with its incommunicado detention of reporter Ebrima Chief Manneh since July 2006, and Cameroon, which has imprisoned the editor of a newspaper since September 2008, completes the list of imprisoned journalists for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Worldwide, a total of 136 reporters, editors, and photojournalists were behind bars, an increase of 11 from the 2008 tally. The survey also found that freelancers now make up nearly 45 percent of all journalists jailed across the globe.

China continued to be the world’s worst jailer of journalists, a dishonor it has held for 11 consecutive years. Iran, Cuba, Eritrea, and Burma round out the top five jailers from among the 26 nations that imprison journalists. Each nation has persistently placed among the world’s worst in detaining journalists.

At least 60 freelance journalists are behind bars worldwide, nearly double the number from just three years ago. CPJ research shows the number of jailed freelancers has grown along with two trends: The Internet has enabled individual journalists to publish on their own, and some news organizations, watchful of costs, rely increasingly on freelancers rather than staffers for international coverage. Freelance journalists are especially vulnerable to imprisonment because they often do not have the legal and monetary support that news organizations can provide to staffers.

“The days when journalists went off on dangerous assignments knowing they had the full institutional weight of their media organizations behind them are receding into history,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Today, journalists on the front lines are increasingly working independently. The rise of online journalism has opened the door to a new generation of reporters, but it also means they are vulnerable.”

The number of online journalists in prison continued a decade-long rise, CPJ’s census found. At least 68 bloggers, Web-based reporters, and online editors are imprisoned, constituting half of all journalists now in jail. Print reporters, editors, and photographers make up the next largest professional category, with 51 cases in 2009. Television and radio journalists and documentary filmmakers constitute the rest.

The number of journalists imprisoned in China has dropped over the past several years, but with 24 still behind bars the nation remains the world’s worst jailer of the press. Of those in jail in China, 22 are freelancers. The imprisoned include Dhondup Wangchen, a documentary filmmaker who was detained in 2008 after recording footage in Tibet and sending it to colleagues overseas. A 25-minute film titled “Jigdrel” (Leaving Fear Behind), produced from the footage, features ordinary Tibetans talking about their lives under Chinese rule. Officials in Xining, Qinghai province, charged the filmmaker with inciting separatism.

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Most of those imprisoned in Iran, the world’s second-worst jailer, were swept up in the government’s post-election crackdown on dissent and the news media. Of those, about half are online journalists. They include Fariba Pajooh, a freelance reporter for online, newspaper, and radio outlets. Radio France International reported that she was charged with “propagating against the regime” and pressured to make a false confession.

“Not long ago, Iran boasted a vigorous and vital press community,” CPJ’s Simon added. “When the government cracked down on the print media, journalists migrated online and fueled the rise of the Farsi blogosphere. Today, many of Iran’s best journalists are in jail or in exile, and the public debate has been squelched alongside the pro-democracy movement.”

Cuba, the third-worst jailer, is holding 22 writers and editors in prison, all but two of whom were rounded up in Fidel Castro’s massive 2003 crackdown on the independent press. Many have seen their health deteriorate in inhumane and unsanitary prisons. The detainees include Normando Hernández González, who suffers from cardiovascular ailments and knee problems so severe that even standing is difficult. Hernández González was moved to a prison hospital in late October.

With Eritrea as the world’s fourth-worst jailer, Burma is the fifth with nine journalists behind bars. Those in custody include the video-journalist known publicly as “T,” who reported news for the Oslo-based media organization Democratic Voice of Burma and who helped film an award-winning international documentary, “Orphans of the Burmese Cyclone.” Journalism is so dangerous in Burma, one of the world’s most censored countries, that undercover reporters such as “T” are a crucial conduit to the world.

The Eurasian nations of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan placed sixth and seventh on CPJ’s dishonor roll. Uzbekistan is holding seven journalists, among them Dilmurod Saiid, a freelancer who exposed government agricultural abuses. Azerbaijan is jailing six reporters and editors, including investigative journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, a 2009 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee. A seventh Azerbaijani journalist, Novruzali Mamedov died in state custody in August, after authorities denied him adequate medical care.

Here are other trends and details that emerged in CPJ’s analysis:

· About 47 percent of journalists in the census are jailed under antistate charges such as sedition, divulging state secrets, and acting against national interests, CPJ found. Many of them are being held by the Chinese, Iranian, and Cuban governments.

· In about 12 percent of cases, governments have used a variety of charges unrelated to journalism to retaliate against critical writers, editors, and photojournalists. Such charges range from regulatory violations to drug possession. In the cases included in this census, CPJ has determined that the charges were most likely lodged in reprisal for the journalist’s work.

· Violations of censorship rules, the next most common charge, are applied in about 5 percent of cases. Charges of criminal defamation, reporting “false” news, and engaging in ethnic or religious “insult” constitute the other charges filed against journalists in the census.

· Internet and print journalists make up the bulk of the census. Radio journalists compose the next largest professional category, accounting for 7 percent of cases. Television journalists and documentary filmmakers each account for 3 percent.

· The worldwide tally of 136 reflects a 9 percent increase over 2008 and represents the third-highest number recorded by CPJ in the past decade. (The decade high came in 2002, when CPJ recorded 139 journalists in jail.)

· The United States, which is holding freelance photographer Ibrahim Jassam without charge in Iraq, made CPJ’s list of countries jailing journalists for the sixth consecutive year. During this period, U.S. military authorities have jailed numerous journalists in Iraq—some for days, others for months at a time—without charge or due process. U.S. authorities appear to be using this tactic less frequently over the past two years.

CPJ believes that journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their jobs. The organization has sent letters expressing its serious concerns to each country that has imprisoned a journalist. Over the past year, CPJ advocacy helped lead to the release of at least 45 imprisoned journalists.

CPJ’s list is a snapshot of those incarcerated at midnight on December 1, 2009. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year; accounts of those cases can be found at www.cpj.org. Journalists remain on CPJ’s list until the organization determines with reasonable certainty that they have been released or have died in custody.

Journalists who either disappear or are abducted by nonstate entities, including criminal gangs, rebels, or militant groups, are not included on the imprisoned list. Their cases are classified as “missing” or “abducted.”

Oil boom eludes Equatorial Guineans

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Malabo, 7 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Equatorial Guinea is Africa’s third-largest exporter of oil and gas, but the vast majority of its 500,000 people live in dire poverty.

The small country pumps out nearly 300,000 barrels of oil each day but the production in effect is controlled by foreign companies, leading to fears that Equatorial Guinea is not developing the skills of its own people.
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There are also concerns that Equatorial Guinea will become too dependent on just one export – like most oil-rich African nations.

Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege reports from the capital, Malabo.

Source: Al Jazeera (English)

SABC: Jamal Ali Hussein on Somaliland and Somalia

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Johannesburg, 7 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Jamal Ali Hussein, former Somaliland Forum president and CEO of Citigroup Bank (Ivoary Coast) talks to South Africa’s leading network, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

Jamal Ali Hussein is an international banker with an MBA from Harvard University.

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Discovery Of Gorilla Species in Somaliland

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SHEIKH, 7 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — It is always exciting when a new species are discovered in country, but the idea that most animals are long gone from Somaliland either by migration or the due to the civil war in the 1980s.

Now, it’s been reported that at least two gorillas has been discovered in mountains about 20-kms east of the town of Sheikh in Somaliland.

According to local reports, the inhabitants of the area, who never seen a gorilla before, described the animal about the size of a small donkey and moving around by knuckle-walking. At the time of the sighting, the locals said one of the gorilla was chasing a chimpanzee.

The sighting has created fear among the people of Geed-Lookor area. Many feared the animal could attack their livestock, which is livelihood to many here in Somaliland, while others feared it would create health hazards.

Mr. Mohamed Adan who is prominent expert on ancient studies, has been collecting data on the sighting of this animal. Mr Mohamed  stated that the fear of the locals is that this animal might come to the water wells and ponds in search of water and could transmit diseases to local people and animals. Mr Mohamed is also a staff member of the Ministry of tourism in Somaliland.

In the past, diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever broke out in number of African states and is highly contagious and causes a range of symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding. Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a deadly illness with case-fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent that can occur in humans and in primates (monkeys, gorillas).

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Although, gorillas are strong and powerful animal, it is a ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous, therefore posses no direct threat to local livestock and other animals. However, because we share 98% genetic material with gorillas we can easily transmit diseases to each other, therefore it’s important that the government determines if there really are gorillas in Somaliland’s Geed-Lookor mountains and protects both the endangered animal and the locals.

Somaliland ministry of tourism said they plan to send a surveillance team to investigate further into the sightings and will do health examinations if required.

It is not clear how and when these animals arrived in Somaliland because gorillas typically inhabit the forests of central Africa.

Gorillas were unheard of in Somaliland until now, however due to over-hunting, climate change and socioeconomic unrest animals such as ostriches, lions, and kudu that once were found in great numbers in this land are either extinct or near-extinct.
Even though, in the past eighteen years, many animals have slowly returned because of stability in the region, many are endangered due to deforestation and land clearance.

According to a study by the Academy for Peace and Development, more than 2.5 million trees are felled annually and burned for charcoal in Somaliland in 2007. The report stated that each household in Somaliland consumed an equivalent of 10 trees a month.

On 30 April of this year, Hargeisa’s regional governor, Maroodi Jeeh, passed a bill banning the trade in charcoal and the burning of trees, however no one knows what impact it had thus far even though charcoal trade has fallen from 2007 levels in 2008.

Somalilandpress.com

Former Somali leader writes to Museveni over market bombing

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MOGADISHU, 7 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The former president of the Transitional National Government [TNG] in Somalia, Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, has said that they had sent a letter to President Museveni of Uganda over the bombardment of Mogadishu by AMISOM peacekeeping forces.

Mr. Hassan, who was speaking by phone from Egypt, said the bombardment by AMISOM of Bakara market in Mogadishu, the biggest trading center in Somalia, was regrettable.

He said he had conveyed to the president of Uganda on the need to end the bombardment of civilian areas by his soldiers.

The reply for that letter from Ugandan president remains unrevealed.

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Bakara, an open-air weapons bazaar, has long been viewed by the government and the AU force AMISOM as a stronghold of hardline Islamist al Shabaab insurgents trying to overthrow the country’s transitional administration.

For two years, the Al-Shabab and its allies such as Hezb al-Islam fought against Ethiopian troops in the country but after the Ethiopians pulled out their troops from Somalia in January, the militias have made the African peacekeeping forces their target, accusing them of being the fore guard of a Christian crusade.

Since May, more than 165,000 residents have fled Mogadishu amidst increasing violence, including several suicide bomb attacks, once a rarity in Somalia, authorities said.

Abdinasir Mohamed Guled
Somalilandpress
Mogadishu, Somalia

Somalia: Explosion in Mogadishu injures two doctors of SOS Hospital

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HARGEISA, 6 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – An explosion at a graduation ceremony being held at a hotel in Mogadishu/Somalia has injured many people including two doctors who work at the SOS Hospital in the city.

Dr Abdullahi Hussein, the senior medical officer at the SOS Hospital and his colleague Dr Tahlil Abdi were attending a graduation ceremony for medical students of Banadir University. They were among the invited guests at the ceremony, who also included government ministers and other dignitaries. According to the BBC the huge explosion occurred in a meeting hall of the hotel which held several hundred people. It is reported that at least two government ministers died in the blast including the minister of health.

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An arrangement between Banadir University and SOS Children’s Villages allows medical students from the university to get practical experience at the SOS Hospital. For that reason several SOS medical staff were in attendance at the graduation ceremony.

Dr Abdullahi is a paediatrician who was trained in Mogadishu and first worked at the SOS Hospital in 1991. In 1995 he went to Italy for further training before taking up a post in the UK. He returned to Mogadishu to work for SOS Children’s Villages in 2005 and has been instrumental in keeping the hospital running while setting up a satellite facility in Afgoye, 30 km from the capital. Both Dr Abdullahi and Dr Tahlil are being treated in hospital. A third doctor from Hargeisa in Somaliland, who was an intern at the SOS Hospital, is still missing.

Source: SOS-Kinderdorf International

University of Hargeisa Chancellor visits Swedish National Defence College

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STOCKHOLM, 5 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — University of Hargeisa Chancellor, Dr. Hussein A. Bulhan and Somaliland Representative Sweden, Mr. Eidarus Sh Adan, visited the Swedish National Defence College in Stockholm on Friday.

The delegation was received at the Swedish National Defence College (SNDC) by Mats Utas, Head of Africa Programme and at the same representing The Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala. Mats Utas gave a brief information about the National Defence College and The Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala.

Mr Utas joined SDFC in 2009 and focused on researches on informal regimes, networks of power and alternative security providers in fragile African states such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Kongo, the Central Africa Republic, Sudan and Somalia.
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The National Defence College’s task is to contribute towards national and international security through research and development. The college gives courses in crisis management, leadership, military technology, political science with a special focus on crisis management and international co-operation, and security policy.

The Nordic Africa Institute is dedicated to providing timely, critical and alternative research and analysis of Africa in the Nordic countries and to strengthen the co-operation between African and Nordic researchers.

The Institute hosts several categories of guests: study grant holders from Nordic universities as well as guest researchers from Africa and the Nordic countries. Our current guests are listed below.

Dr Hussein A Bulhan informed about Hargeisa University and the Conflict resolution Department. Furthermore, the parties discussed future cooperation between The Nordic Africa Institute, Defence College and Hargeisa University.

Mr Mats Utas showed interest in developing the cooperation between Hargeisa University and The Nordic Africa institute. One of the issues discussed was the possibilities of scholars from University of Hargeisa to visit Sweden and do post graduate research courses as well as participating in seminars in Sweden.

The meeting ended in a good atmosphere and good spirit.

Mr. Bulhan is currently touring a number of EU countries to promote educational ties between University of Hargeisa and European colleges and universities.

On 16th of November, Mr. Bulhan signed an agreement of cooperation with vice-Chancellor Kimberly Matheson of Canada’s Carleton University. The two universities will exchange skills and expertise in range of fields and researches.

Two other Chancellors from two leading Somaliland universities, Professor Abdulsalam Yassin and Professor Suleiman Ahmed Guled of Burao University and Amoud University respectively are currently in Sweden as well for talks with number of Swedish universities. This is the first time, all three Chancellors have visited one country at once and to many Somalilanders it highlights the importance of Sweden when it comes to higher education, development, democracy and conflict resolution.

Source: Qarannews

Somalia's new order: filthy rich pirates

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MOGADISHU, 5 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — A parcel of land here that sold for $US12,000 ($A12,900) two years ago now costs more than $US20,000 ($A21,500). The price of a nice pair of men’s shoes has gone up from $20 to $50.

The reason: pirates.

The influx of millions of dollars in ransoms has changed life in this coastal Muslim community, driving prices up and creating a schism between the pirate haves and have-nots.

As piracy ramps up again with the end of the monsoon season, the lifestyle of the pirates – big houses, fast cars and easy drugs – is decried by both religious leaders and ordinary villagers.

“The use of drugs such as cannabis and the drinking of alcohol, sex and other obnoxious misconduct are now becoming common within the pirates, causing social problems,” said Sheik Ahmed, a mosque leader in the town of Galkayo. “That is what is worrying us, a lot more than the risk they pose to the foreign ships and crew.”
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Just last month, pirates were paid a reported $3.3 million to release 36 crew members from a Spanish vessel held hostage for more than six weeks. Pirates stand to make tens of thousands from the payment, money that will pulse through the community in gifts, loans and payments to family, friends and businesses.

The European Union Naval Force says pirates now hold 11 ships and 264 crew members hostage off the coast of Somalia. There is little doubt that more ransom money is coming.

“There is mad money circulating here, and it affects everybody directly or indirectly,” said Haji Said, a hotel owner.

A lone paved road passes through the middle of Bossaso, and hotels, businesses and new construction line its sides. SUVs and luxury vehicles from Asia ply the road with American, Somali and Indian music blasting from within.

The price of clothes, shoes and cosmetics is climbing, said Anshur Kamil, a businessman. Pirates do not even have to pay upfront. Those holding ships hostage who have not yet received ransom can buy goods on credit, at elevated prices, and settle up their debts when the ransom money comes in, villagers say.

The pirates pay in dollars and do not bother to haggle, said Khadra Abdullahi, a shop owner in Bossaso, a coastal town on the northern edge of Somalia across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. “Sometimes they leave change behind, which shows that money is nothing to them.”

When villagers think the price of a cosmetic is too high, their reply is “we are not pirates,” said Abdullahi.

The closer to the pirate dens one gets, the higher the prices go. In the nearby town of Eyl, a cup of tea costs three times as much as in Bossaso. In Eyl, pirates pay $5 for a shoeshine, compared with 50 cents in Bossaso, said Hashim Salad, a store owner.

Two years ago, a teenager named Adani lived on the streets of Bossaso. Now, at only 19 years old, he is a pirate and owns a big house and large truck. He says he has taken part in two hijackings that earned him $75,000 and plans to participate in one more high-seas heist.

“When you have nothing, people despise you, and if they see that you have money, you will be respected,” said Adani, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals. “This next job will be my last in the piracy trade. I know it’s a big risk but I believe in gambling. If I win, I will get married and give up piracy.”

Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the average ransom has risen from roughly $1 million last year to $2 million this year. He said pirates have been paid more than $100 million in the last two years, although he stressed that the number was an estimate only. No one has hard figures.

“I’m sure there’s some resentment at the way pirates behave and the lifestyle they lead. It’s not a traditional or righteous one,” Middleton said.

Middleton also noted that pirate foot soldiers make not millions, but tens of thousands over a year. The big money goes to the bosses, he said, and they are likely to spend it overseas or invest it.

Clerics and village elders say they do not approve of the pirate lifestyle. Teenagers threaten their parents that they will join the pirates if they do not get their way, said a prominent Bossaso elder, Suldan Mohamud Aw-nor.

Marriage has also been affected by pirates with pockets full of cash. Hundreds of cars escort the bride and groom to the reception, where the house is crammed with expensive furniture, and the bride wears expensive gold jewelry, said Shamso Ahmed, the owner of a beauty salon. Thousands of dollars are paid to brides’ families as a dowry.

“Pirates do not waste time to woo women, but instead pay them a lot,” said Sahro Mohamed. “They did this to several girls I know.”

Source: Associated Press by Mohamed Olad Hassan

In the heart of Somaliland, a climate tragedy

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HARGEISA, 4 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Muhammed interrupted me by pounding the ground, laughing out loud and exchanging a few words with Seleban Yussuf , the village’s elder sitting next to him.

“Unbelievable. Can you believe this guy came all the way from America to see Somaliland?,” he said in Somali. “All the way just to talk to us. Sorry Mr. Louis, carry on.”

Indeed, Muhammed Yassin Abdel Llahi was right. There aren’t too many people that make the journey to Somaliland these days. The place is sort of the forgotten corner of what used to be a united Somalia. It has a President, a lower house, an upper house, its own money, and more importantly has been relatively stable for over 15 years. If you imagine Somalia as the number seven, Somaliland is at the top left corner, bordering tiny Djibouti and Ethiopia. It’s one of the most underdeveloped regions I have ever seen.
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Father of seven, Muhammed is the head of over 450 households, based in Ununley, in the heart of Somaliland. He tells me of “changing weather”, of his seven children being away and of the drought that has hit the region and its people. All of the households are pastoralists, caring for animals and living a nomadic life.

The communities we met in Ununley told us that they’ve seen the climate changing in the last decade but “more drastically in the last four years”. In Eastern Africa this means a lack of rain which affects every aspect of life for pastoralist communities. Little rain means no green pastures from which animals can feed themselves. The lack of water and irregular rains have become a critical problem for tens of thousands of herdsmen in the region

As a result, many animals become weak, sick and simply start dying one by one. The Ununley community lost 40% of its livestock last year as animals in search of green areas crumbled under the heat, including the stronger ones like camels and cows.

“This is new for us. We have never seen so many animals dying so quickly. There is even a new phenomenon when a cow or even a camel just collapses and dies right there. They would usually fight for a day or two. I think it’s an illness they have,” Muhammed tells me.

Faced with recurring poor rainy seasons, loss of livestock, loss of lives even, community leaders are wondering what to do next. They are even considering leaving the arid rural areas for the towns in search of a different life. But they are not there yet.

“The thought of splitting our community to go to cities is hard to imagine. What will we do? Beg? For now, we can only pray for rain. With a few days of rain, everything can be good again,” the 45 year old leader told me, nervously biting his nails.

Oxfam’s partner in the region, Candlelight, recently responded to community requests to coordinate water projects. With the communities, it builds water dams, truck water into villages and improve water basins, called Burkads. In some instances, this has literally saved lives.

2009-12-04-Photo5villageofUnunley.jpg

“Without water, people and livestock will die, but Oxfam has saved this from happening,” explained Safia Hussein Ibrahim, a local villager. “Now we have cash, we can buy food for the children and fodder for the animals. We only ask those who have something to train those who are strong, educate people, give them healthcare. We are expecting God to change our situation in a good way.”

With a few weeks left of what should be the rainy season, the people of Ununley are still hopeful. Despite having lost so much and seen their way of life threatened in the last decade, one thing that has not gone away is their resilience. A few rain showers before the end of the year.

That’s all they pray for.

Inshallah.

*********************************

For more information on Oxfam’s work: http://www.oxfam.org
Follow the new blog on humanitarian issues: Conflict Voice

Author: Louis Belanger, Oxfam International Spokesman in New York
[Photo: Seleban Yussuf Noor, 75, Ununley village, Togheer, Somaliland Oxfam/Louis Belanger]
Source: Huffington Post

Somaliland forces arrest six terror suspects

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LAS ANOD, 4 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Somaliland anti-terrorist forces have arrested six men suspected of planning acts of terrorism in the southern town of Las Anod, the regional capital of Sool on Tuesday [1st December], QaranTv reported.

Somaliland government issued a statement on their website stating the six men were arrested after bomb-making materials and small arms were discovered in their possession.

In a separate press conference in Las Anod, Somaliland’s police chief of Sool region, Mr Farah Awale told local reporters that the weapons consisted of two anti-personnel landmines, mobile phones and bomb-making materials.
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It is not clear if the men have being charged yet but Mr Farah said there was an on-going investigation. The police did not give details of how they arrested the six suspects but said they had been under police surveillance for two weeks.

The arrest comes a month after a roadside bomb killed Somaliland’s 12th infantry division commander, Mr Osman Yusuf and wounded four others in a blast that rocked Las Anod.

Somaliland forces in Sool often combat terrorists who cross the border from Somalia and tribal militants who are opposed to Somaliland.

Source: Somalilandpress