PRESS RELEASE 0020/2008
Nairobi, 13 August 2008 – The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, said he was very pleased that the two main Committees in the Djibouti Agreement are being convened this weekend. After consultations with the Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, it was agreed that the Joint Security Committee (Article 8.) and the High Level Committee (Article 9) will meet in Djibouti from 16 – 18 August.
The two sides will have delegations attending each meeting. The Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein as well as the leaders of the ARS, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan plan to attend.
The international community, including diplomats from several countries and regional...
In
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Food Crisis Emergency,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
UN,
Balkanizing Somalia,
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah,
Somalia peace process,
The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia,
UN Political Office
The African Diaspora Mobilization Team of the World Bank Group says:
We are writing to seek your assistance in launching an initiative aimed at registering Firms owned by members of the African Diaspora on a World Bank database called eConsultant, so that these Firms become eligible for consulting opportunities within ongoing Bank projects in Africa.
This is further to the Diaspora Open House in Washington DC last November, where one of the commitments we made to participants was that we would provide them with opportunities to be considered for consulting roles with the World Bank. We continue to remain excited by this because we believe that the African Diaspora’s unique perspective, combined with specialist skills, will add immense value to our work on the continent....
Following is a note from UNDP-USA Somalia section:
Somalia has been without an effective government for over fifteen years and because of this public education has been almost non-existent. As education costs rose fewer and fewer people, especially women, were left without the most basic education. Since women are disproportionately affected by the shortage, they are often left unable to advance into higher education. Just two years ago, a number of Somali women were recruited into the journalism program at Puntland State University. Almost all the women were forced to drop out because they could not afford tuition! Since education and women’s empowerment are some of the necessary backbones to development it is essential that this change.
The United Nations Development Programme...
...
Peter Heinlein of VOA writes:
Washington’s top diplomat on African issues says regional leaders must do more to ease simmering tensions in the Horn of Africa. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer made the comment after leading a team of senior U.S. officials on a tour of Ethiopia’s tense Ogaden region bordering Somalia.
I think the US Government is asking the wrong group of countries to get involved in tragic Somali political conflict. Neither Kenya nor Ethiopia is an honest peace broker. These countries have strategic and security interests that can only be achieved by keeping Somalia weak and fragmented for many years to come. Hence, it is not only illogical but counter-productive to expect those countries to pull Somalia from the current...
The Somalia Prime Minister; Cali Maxamed Geedi was quoted as saying:
We are very grateful for the sacrifice made by the Ethiopians. Ethiopia is the number one friend of this country.
This is where Cali Maxamed Geedi and the fast majority of the Somali people, including myself turn sharply to different and opposing directions. Contrary to what the Prime Minister said, and I must say, with all accounts, Ethiopia has always been, and continues to be Somalia’s worst enemy. Unless one is blind-folded by myopic tribalist agenda, personal greed or irrational self hate, no one need to be a brain-surgeon to understand that Ethiopia is far from being Somalia’s “best friend” as the Prime Minister ignorantly stated.......
In
Commentary,
Cali Maxmed Geedi,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
Africa,
National Security,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed
The European Union’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, condemned Monday the escalating battles in Somalia. Speaking in Brussels, he was quoted as saying:
I express my deepest concern on the reported involvement of foreign forces in Somalia and urge all external players to refrain immediately from intervening militarily in Somali affairs and provoke further violence.
Click here to view the full......
In
Thought of the day,
NFD,
Cali Maxmed Geedi,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed
Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’ade”; the defense chief of the Somali Islamic Nationalists issued an ultimatum and asked Ethiopian troops to leave all Somali territories that they currently occupy within a week or face an all-out war.
Personally, I do not believe that war should be rushed to as it only brings misery and bloodshed. In addition, the TFG is so weak and powerless that it is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own weight. Hence, toppling it by forces will only create more chaos.
Peace must be given a chance!
Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad “Inda’ade”; (on the right).
Copy Right: Shabelle Media/Reuters News Agency....
In
Commentary,
Cali Maxmed Geedi,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed
The Economist magazine writes:
Although Somalia’s Islamists say that their aim is nothing more threatening than to remake the country as a peaceful and tolerant Islamic state, Somalia’s internationally recognised (but dreadfully weak) transitional government insists that they are an “al-Qaeda network”. A recent suicide bombing which narrowly missed the transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf, and the killing of an elderly Italian nun working at a Mogadishu hospital, probably in retaliation for Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks on violence and Islam, confirmed the worst fears of some, including the United States. The Kenyan coast already has direct experience of al-Qaeda’s brand of violence—in 2002 it bombed a hotel full of Israelis in Mombasa, killing 16, and tried...
In
Commentary,
Cali Maxmed Geedi,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed
Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News reports:
Top African military officials are studying a proposal to send a 3,500-strong peace force by October to Somalia, where an internationally recognized government appears increasingly weak in comparison to and its fundamentalist Islamic rivals. Officials said Thursday that four battalions, made up of Ugandan and Sudanese troops, will be trained in Kenya before being deployed in an initial phase to the conflict-ridden country, African military experts told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.
I think it is a huge political mistake to bring unwelcome African foreign troops into Somalia. Indeed, it will do more harm than good. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and the TFG cannot and should not...
In
NFD,
Commentary,
Cali Maxmed Geedi,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion,
Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed
The Irin News reported yesterday that:
After initially refusing to take part in peace negotiations, Somalia’s transitional government and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital Mogadishu, have agreed to resume talks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, officials said. “We have decided to participate in the talks in the interest of the people,” Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the UIC chairman, said on Tuesday. The two sides announced their participation after meeting a Kenyan delegation to the country, led by Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, on Monday.
Personally, I do not understand what difference a “talk” between the collapsed TFG and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) will make? I mean, the ICU control the most strategic parts of...
In
PM Cali Geedi,
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
NFD,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion
The Reuters news agencies reports:
Islamist fighters in Somalia have seized two coastal towns and vowed to rid the area of piracy that has made the country’s Indian Ocean waters some of the most dangerous in the world, residents said on Sunday. The militiamen met little resistance and there were no immediate reports of casualties as they moved into Harardheere, a town 400km (250 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, before advancing north to take Eldher a day later. “We have to secure the town and its surroundings,” one Islamist commander, who did not give his name, told a crowd of residents in Harardheere. “Piracy is a crime.” Fighters loyal to the country’s Islamic courts movement seized Mogadishu and a strategic swathe of southern Somalia in June. They...
In
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
National Security,
Arab World,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
David Gollust of VOA writes:
The Bush administration is again urging the main parties in the Somalia conflict to commit to dialogue for a unity government, and it is calling on Somalia’s neighbors to avoid any actions that might complicate those efforts. The U.S. appeal followed reports Wednesday that a Kazakh cargo plane carrying arms from Eritrea for Islamic militants had arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu, and news accounts last week that Ethiopia had sent troops to shore up the country’s transitional government based in Baidoa. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia have denied intervening in the long-running Somali conflict and officials here say they cannot verify the news reports. However, the State Department is taking the accounts seriously. At a news briefing, State...
In
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Food Crisis Emergency,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution,
Ethiopian Invasion
The leader of the Somali Union of Islamic Courts was quoted as saying:
We do not negotiate with a Government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia.
I do not believe this is a wise move!
There should always be an open channel for a political talk between the opposing factions of the Somali bloody conflict. After all, the lives of millions of Somalis are on the line. Indeed, the future of the entire Somali Nation is at stake. Hence, we must look beyond personal difference and work for the common good of our people. Sheekh Sharif Axmed looked like a cool-headed and reasonable man and he must maintain that image by ordering his troops to move out of Bay region. He must also ask his delegates in Khartoum to resume talks with their TFG counterparts.
It goes without saying that the TFG...
In
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Thought of the day,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
National Security,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
The Los Angeles Times says writes:
Somalia’s Islamist movement distanced itself from Osama bin Laden’s view that deployment of foreign troops to the Horn of Africa country would be part of a crusade to crush Islamic rule. “Osama bin Laden is expressing his views like any other international figure. We are not concerned about it,” said Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, former leader of the Islamist group. An audio recording by Bin Laden on Saturday warned the United States and other countries against sending troops to Somalia. It also praised Al Qaeda’s new leader in Iraq. The CIA said a technical analysis confirmed that the speaker was Bin Laden.
If true, it is a wise move by Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union.
Click here for the full dispatch on the LA Times. Please note...
In
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
News,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
Justin Raimondo of the Anti-War.com has an interested piece on “How we (Americans) messed up Somalia – and paved the way for Islamist domination.” The article has lots of links to references for further reading.
It is a good read..
Click here to view the full article on the Anti-War.Com....
In
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
NFD,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
Development Issues,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, the current chairman of the pan-African body, told a news conference today:
We have decided that the African Union, together with regional groups like IGAD, should take the situation in Somalia in hand.
President Denis Sassou Nguesso went on by saying:
The African Union will give all its support to the interim government, and we invite the international community to join us in supporting them, while favoring internal dialogue in Somalia.
This is, without a doubt, a grave political mistake by an organization run by dictators and oppressors which could have serious security repercussions for Somalia and for its neighbors. Indeed it could inflict damage to the political and security stability of the entire region and to a lesser degree the world as...
In
PM Cali Geedi,
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
The United States Congress (House of Representatives) will have a hearing on Somalia today.
The title of a House hearing, “The Expanding Crisis in the Horn of Africa,” reflects the alarm many lawmakers feel about the political changes in Somalia. Among those testifying at the hearing Thursday is Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
The House hearing will be televised “live” on C-Span. The full program will be rebroadcasted tonight. The transcript will be available on C-Span with a small charge.
Click here to view the full article on the Herald Today......
IRIN News Reports:
Ethiopia’s national avian flu coordination committee has approved a multi-million dollar contingency plan to strengthen preparedness in the event of the disease spreading to the Horn of Africa country. The three-year plan, costing almost US $124 million, was prepared by the Avian Human Influenza National Coordination Committee. It includes the creation of surveillance systems, stockpiling of essential medical supplies and equipment, as well as systems for building national, regional and local response capacity. It also aims to boost public awareness of the disease, and strengthen laboratory diagnostic services. The coordination committee comprises officials from various government ministries, United Nations agencies and aid donors. Seventy percent of the estimated...
I have been in lonely campaign for months arguing for the deployment of foreign troops into Somalia. Needless to say, the objective of bringing African military personnel into Somalia was to eject the warlords that kept the Somali capital and its people hostage for the last fifteen years and thus give the TFG a chance to assert its legitimate authority over the country. However, the political and security landscape have drastically changed over the past few weeks. Mogadishu is now more peaceful than it has ever been. Therefore, I do not see any convincing argument that could support the call for foreign troops into Somalia at the moment.
The new situation that has emerged in Somalia after the popular Somali Islamic Revolution needs political solutions through dialogue. The fact is that a...
In
PM Cali Geedi,
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Commentary,
Somali Peace Process,
News,
Warlords,
National Security,
Arab World,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
Martin Plaut of the BBC News says:
Independent sources are now also saying that about 500 Ethiopian troops are indeed inside Somalia - just east of Baidoa.
Click here to view the full dispatch on the BBC News....
In
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
Development Issues,
News,
Warlords,
National Security,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
Martin Plaut of the BBC News says:
Independent sources are now also saying that about 500 Ethiopian troops are indeed inside Somalia - just east of Baidoa.
Click here to view the full dispatch on the BBC News....
In
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
Commentary,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
Pan Somalism,
Development Issues,
News,
Warlords,
National Security,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora,
Somalia Islamic Courts,
Somali Islamic Revolution
Andrew McGregor writes:
As the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to dominate headlines, a new front in the war on terrorism has opened in Somalia. At a brutal cost to Mogadishu’s civilian population, once-discredited warlords have reinvented themselves as “counter-terrorists,” seeking and apparently gaining U.S. support by characterizing their Islamist opponents as agents of al-Qaeda. The warlords have grouped together as the Anti-Terrorism Alliance (ATA) and insist they are dedicated to expelling foreign al-Qaeda members they allege are sheltered by the Islamic Court Union (ICU). Although nearly all the ATA warlords are cabinet ministers in the new Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) located in Baidoa, they have abandoned the TFG to pursue an...
In
PM Cali Geedi,
Prez Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed,
NFD,
Islamic World,
Somali Peace Process,
News,
Africa,
Warlords,
National Security,
Terrorism,
Somali Foreign Policy,
Western Somalia (Ogaden),
Somali Diaspora
Following is the entire text of a Press Release by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Press release
01 June 2006
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press invitation: Annika Söder to meet Somalia’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation. State Secretary Annika Söder and Abdirizak Osman Hassan, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in Somalia’s transitional government, will hold a press conference at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Friday 2 June at 12.30. The press conference is being arranged in conjunction with a visit to Stockholm by members of the parliament and government of Somalia. The purpose of the visit is to discuss the arrangements for development assistance coordination and to plan a donor conference for Somalia.
Time and place:
Friday...
Somalia’s lost generation is a demographic time bomb that nobody wants to talk about!
...
Dr. Michael A. Weinstein of the Power and Interest News Report (PINR) writes:
At the root of Somali society is a dizzying array of clans and sub-clans that ally with and fall out with one another. The clan structure provides Somalis with protection and traditional means of dispute resolution through elders, but it also reinforces the country’s fragmentation and is a cause of conflict.
Click here to view the full article on the PINR website. ...
U.S. Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota was quoted as saying:
I believe the United States has a vital security interest in helping Somalia succeed. (…) The lack of mature political institutions, protracted state of instability, porous borders and geographic location make it a potential location for international terrorists seeking a transit or launching point to conduct operations. As we saw in Afghanistan, failed states are a recipe for instability and terrorist activity. (…) Through interaction with my Somali constituents I have worked to be the voice of the Somali community in Washington, D.C. (…) I have made it a priority of mine to convey their concerns and ideas to various government officials and I will continue to facilitate dialogue among the different Somali political...
United States Department has issued following “Public Announcement” Friday, May 5th 2006.
It reads..
May 05, 2006
This Public Announcement is being re-issued to remind Americans of the continuing potential for terrorist actions against U.S. citizens in East Africa, particularly along the East African coast, and to note the increasing number of incidents of maritime piracy near the Horn of Africa and the southern Red Sea near Yemen. This supersedes the Public Announcement of November 18, 2005, and expires on November 4, 2006.
A small number of Al-Qaida operatives and other extremists are believed to be operating in and around East Africa. Americans considering travel to the region and those already there should review their plans carefully, remain vigilant with regard to...
Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed; the President of the Somali Transitional Federal Government is currently on an official visit to Sweden and is hosted by the Royal Ministry for International Development Cooperation in Stockholm.
I welcome President Yusuf’s visit to Sweden and the opportunity for bilateral discussions on the great challenges that Somalia faces. Ever since the peace talks started, Sweden has played a prominent role in the international dialogue with the Somali parties. International support is crucial in the difficulties that the transitional leadership in Somalia has to wrestle with, if the progress that has been achieved is to last.
Ms. Annika Söder, Secretary of State for International Development Cooperation, Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,......
According to Dansk Børsen:
During the last 10 years the number of immigrants engaged in active employment has gone up considerably. At the beginning of 2005 46 per cent of immigrants aged 16-66 years were working, compared to 34,5 per cent in 1997. Nearly 75 per cent of the Danish population are employed. The rising number of immigrants on the labour market is a result of more immigrants succeeding in finding a job and a growing number of immigrants and their descendants in the years 1997-2005. The group of non-ethnic Danes consist of more than 150 nationalities. Male immigrants from Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka have an employment frequency of over 60 per cent. On the other hand, less than 20 per cent of the women from Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Afghanistan are employed....