Development Blogs.com

from the Winnipeg Free Press By: Elizabeth A. Kennedy NAIROBI, Kenya -- With a Russian frigate closing in and a half-dozen U.S. warships within shouting distance, the pirates holding a tanker off Somalia's coast might appear to have no other choice than to wave the white flag.But that's not how it works in Somalia, a failed state where a quarter of all children die before they turn five, where anybody with a gun controls the streets and where every public institution has crumbled.The 11-day standoff aboard the Ukrainian MV Faina raises the question: How can a bunch of criminals from one of the poorest and most wretched countries on Earth face off with some of the world's richest and well-armed superpowers?"They have enough guns to fight for another 20 years," Ted Dagne, a Somalia analyst...

The recent hijacking of a Ukrainian ship by the pirates plaguing the lawless coast of Somalia is the latest outward manifestation of a failed state. The most immediate reaction of the outside world was to come up with prescriptions to improve the naval security of Somali waters through initiatives such as inter-governmental coalitions against the pirates, military escorts of vessels carrying food to Somalia, or an internationally-sponsored coast guard. But while increasing security may alleviate the current excesses of the pirates, it does not address the reason why so many Somalis resort to means of piracy and violence. As the Economist notes, The harder, underlying problem is Somalia itself. With no proper government since 1991, it has been a bloody kaleidoscope of competing clans...

from Yahoo News Somalia remains rooted to the bottom of a global corruption index that also features Iraq and Afghanistan , an international watchdog's annual report said.Rich European countries such as Britain and Italy also have slipped, Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index said. The report said Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand share the honour of being the world's least corrupt countries.There was little change at the bottom from last year - with Somalia closely followed, as in 2007, by Myanmar , Iraq and Haiti. Just ahead of them was Afghanistan , which slipped to 176th place from 172nd.Berlin-based Transparency said the index "highlights the fatal link between poverty, failed institutions and graft." The ranking measures perceived levels of public sector...

from the BBC Twenty-nine bodies have been found washed up on the beaches of Yemen, Medecins Sans Frontieres says.The medical charity says the people died attempting to cross the sea from Somalia in an effort to escape the country's extreme poverty and warfare.Survivors said the smugglers who transported them stopped the boats off the Yemeni coast and forced them to swim to the shore at gunpoint.On Tuesday, the UN warned that the number of Somalis fleeing was rising.The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that 59 boats brought more than 1,700 people to Yemen last month - almost triple the number for the same period last year.So far this year, the agency says more than 24,000 people have made the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden.'Children overboard'According to a 23-year-old Somali...

The Oxford Analytica released following report on “The effect of a growing food emergency on security in the Horn of Africa”. SIGNIFICANCE: Poverty, drought and food insecurity are well known in the Horn of Africa. This latest emergency occurs at a time of global increases in the price of food and fuel and when regional conflicts threaten to destabilise the region. ANALYSIS: The sharp increase in food and energy prices globally has hurt the poorest and most food insecure regions of the world particularly hard. According to the US Agency for International Development’s latest estimates, as many as 16.3 million people in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti) are in need of emergency assistance or face food insecurity. Hunger and security. This latest food...

USAID/OFDA Assistance to Somalia - $47,077,637 USAID/FFP(2) Assistance to Somalia - $197,415,500 State/PRM(3) Assistance to Somalia - $20,100,000 Total USAID & State Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia: $264,593,137 Click here to retreive the full report by the USAID, et, alt. Source:......

According to a Press Pelease by the European Commision: The European Commission has allocated a further €21 million in humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa: Assistance is being provided to vulnerable populations in Somalia (€13m), Eritrea (€4m) and Ethiopia (€4m). So far in 2008, the Commission has provided nearly €120 million in humanitarian aid, including food aid, to needy people in the Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda). The funds are channelled through the Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel. The Press Release went on by saying: The Commission’s assistance will focus on rural populations and internally displaced people (IDPs). It addresses core humanitarian needs, with emergency relief...

The London based Iranian Press TV reports: Four Ethiopian soldiers were killed in heavy clashes with the Union of Islamic Court (UIC) fighters north of the Somali capital Mogadishu. A Press TV correspondent, reporting from Mogadishu, says the fighting between the Ethiopian troops and the UIC fighters is ongoing in the Industrial Street. According to an eye-witness at least six mortars landed in the Pasta Base in north Mogadishu killing 4 Ethiopian soldiers and injuring several others. In a telephone interview with Press TV the UIC spokesman, Abdirahim Isse Addow, confirmed that the UIC has launched two strong attacks on Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers. Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. In 2006,...

from Oregon Live By MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED NAIROBI, Kenya — Somalia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in a decade, and the situation is deteriorating, an international aid agency said Wednesday.Worsening armed conflict, rising global prices of food and fuel, and severe drought in central Somalia are the main factors contributing to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa nation, said Pascal Hundt, head of the International Red Cross' delegation for Somalia."When you put all these factors together this is explaining why we are in front of an acute humanitarian crisis in Somalia," Hundt told journalists in the capital of neighboring Kenya, where the ICRC bases the operation because of insecurity in Somalia. "We have no reason to be optimistic in the short term."Hundt said...

Vibrant Press Threatened by Worsening Chaos, Repression Three Somali journalists have been awarded the prestigious Hellmann/Hammett award in recognition for their journalism while risking their lives and suffering terrible hardships in the midst of Somalia’s worsening armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today....

from The Greeley TribuneChris Casey, (Bio) ccasey@greeleytrib.comThe four Somalis moved into the apartment last August, six floors up in a downtown Greeley building. The living room is furnished with only a metal folding chair and small table covered in papers and a laptop computer. A Somali flag, a white star against light blue, is the only wall hanging, draped behind the table.A 25-year-old man identifying himself as Mohamed Mohamed sits on the floor helping Nafiso Mohamed Abdi, 20, fill out a rental application form for another Greeley apartment complex.It's noon on Wednesday, and in three hours they will be working along with scores of Somalis at the JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plant.Mohamed, who speaks English, is a trainer for new employees, making $12.10 an hour, while Abdi, in...

from World VisionPress contacts:Casey Calamusa 206.310.5476 (c)Rachel Wolff 253.394.2214 (c)Statement comes as UN Security Council members meet to discuss SomaliaNairobi, Kenya, March 25, 2008—On Oct. 30, 2007, 39 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) warned of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Somalia and an impending humanitarian catastrophe. Since then, the crisis engulfing Somalia has deteriorated dramatically, while access to people in need continues to decrease: 360,000 people have been newly displaced and an additional half a million people are reliant on humanitarian assistance.There are now more than 1 million internally displaced people in Somalia. Intense conflict in Mogadishu continues to force an average of 20,000 people from their homes each month. This, combined with...

Video Footage From Mogadishu Shows Devastating Effects of Attacks on Civilians The UN Security Council should strongly condemn serious abuses of civilians in Somalia and establish a commission of inquiry to identify individuals responsible for these crimes, Human Rights Watch said. Later this week, the UN secretary- general is due to present his report on Somalia to the Security Council....

Put Spotlight on Burma, Eastern Congo, and Sri Lanka The UN Human Rights Council should draw attention to the neglected human rights crisis in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today as the council began its first session of this year. The council, meeting in Geneva, should also intensify its engagement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka and Burma, Human Rights Watch said....

from All AfricaGarowe Online (Garowe)By Yusuf AliGaroweParts of Somalia's semiautonomous State of Puntland are currently experiencing drought in villages, which has affected hundreds of nomadic families, the regional government's Interior Ministry said Monday.Some villagers in the regions of Nugal, Mudug, Sool and Ayn are undergoing a drought due to scarce water resources, the Ministry said in a statement.Adde Muse, president of Somalia's Puntland StateThe Interior Ministry dispatched a committee to the aforementioned regions, which inspected remote villages and undertook a survey. Nomadic families have been adversely affected by a market decline in the demand for livestock, their main source of income, business sources said.Awil Gurre, chairman of the government committee, told Garowe...

UN Security Council Should Press Ethiopia and Somalia to Put an End to Abuses The United Nations Security Council should urgently press the Ethiopian and Somali governments to end the grave human rights abuses that are fueling the worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia and eastern Ethiopia’s Ogaden region, Human Rights Watch said today....

Protect Medical Facilities and Aid Workers Ethiopian troops and insurgents have violated the laws of war in killing and wounding dozens of civilians in new clashes in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, Human Rights Watch said today....

from AKIGeneva, 6 Nov. (AKI) - Displaced Somalis who have fled fighting in Mogadishu are suffering from malnutrition, poverty and violence, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).In a statement released on Tuesday the UNHCR said people were experiencing "extremely harsh conditions" with reports of malnutrition and rape.The UNHCR conducted an evaluation of the country with other aid agencies and found that facilities in Afgooye, a small town west of the Somali capital, was struggling to absorb swelling populations with scant resources."Entire families are now crammed into tiny huts," said UNHCR spokesman William Spindler in Geneva.Spindler said hygiene was poor in the crowded settlements raising fears of an outbreak of cholera. He also expressed concern...

Transitional Government Must Protect Journalists, Respect Free Expression The Somali government’s systematic harassment of journalists, its closures of media outlets, and its failure to investigate the killing of eight journalists have deeply damaged independent reporting in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today....

Gaining from Migration: Towards a New Mobility System (OECD, Sept. 2007) [text]Information Services for Refugee Communities in Zambia, Paper presented at 73rd IFLA General Conference (15 Aug. 2007) [text]Library Services for Displaced People: Activities in Burmese Refugee Camps, Paper presented at 73rd IFLA General Conference (15 Aug. 2007) [text]The long road home: Opportunities and obstacles...

UN Should Address Civilian Protection Ethiopian, Somali and insurgent forces are all responsible for rampant violations of the laws of war in Mogadishu, causing massive suffering for the civilian population, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch urged the UN Security Council during its current deliberations on Somalia to include a strong civilian protection mandate in any peacekeeping mission....

Transitional Somali Government Must Respect Freedom of Expression The transitional Somali government’s decision to close three leading radio stations in Mogadishu is a serious blow to freedom of expression and the right to impart and receive information in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today....

from Somali Net(SomaliNet) Rwanda has got over Frw 51billion from United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) as part of an effort to help get rid of extreme poverty.The DFID funds are part of United Kingdom (UK) development assistance to Rwanda, the DFID Director in Africa, Dave Fish told journalists on Thursday shortly after meeting Rwandan President Paul Kagame.“The DFID is satisfied with Rwanda’s accountability. All the funds remitted to the country are managed properly,” Fish said.In 2006, Rwandan government and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding which calls for the two countries’ commitment to end poverty.“The UK has been providing humanitarian and development assistance to Rwanda. It provides bilateral assistance totaling to...

MSF reports Somalian government entered a clinic in Diinsor (Bay Province), threatening Somali staff and confiscating patient...

The UN evacuated 13 NGO staff members and a WFP employee to Kenya as Ethiopian troops entered...

WFP announced it was suspending air operations and relocating support staff due to the escalating conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia. Land operations are currently...