Tuesday, May 31, 2011

SERBIAN WAR CRIMES SUSPECT RATKO MLADIC TRANSFERRED TO UN TRIBUNAL FOR TRIAL


SERBIAN WAR CRIMES SUSPECT RATKO MLADIC TRANSFERRED TO UN TRIBUNAL FOR TRIAL
New York, May 31 2011  5:10PM
The Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic was today transferred to the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to face charges of genocide and other crimes committed against Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995.

Mr. Mladic, who was arrested by Serbian authorities last Thursday after almost 16 years on the run was admitted to the UN Detention Unit in The Hague, where the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is based.

Following a full medical examination by the detention unit's medical staff, Mr. Mladic's health will be continuously monitored and any treatment required will be provided, the tribunal <"http://www.icty.org/sid/10678">said. His initial appearance will be announced in due course.

According to the indictment, forces under the command of Mr. Mladic, who headed the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) Main Staff, committed genocide, amongst other crimes, when they summarily executed more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in July 1995.

He is also charged with genocide for crimes committed in eastern and north western Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment lists over 70 incidents of murder in 20 municipalities. It also alleges that Mr. Mladic's forces tortured, mistreated and physically, psychologically and sexually abused civilians confined in 58 detention facilities in 22 municipalities. He is also facing charges for the shelling and sniping during the prolonged siege of the city of Sarajevo, in which thousands of civilians were killed and wounded.

The indictment states that Mr. Mladic committed the crimes as part of a joint criminal enterprise whose objective was to eliminate or permanently remove Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb inhabitants from large areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

CHARGES AGAINST RECENTLY ARRESTED FUGITIVES MUST EXPOSE SEXUAL CRIMES -- UN ENVOY


CHARGES AGAINST RECENTLY ARRESTED FUGITIVES MUST EXPOSE SEXUAL CRIMES -- UN ENVOY
New York, May 29 2011  5:10PM
Welcoming the recent arrests of two men long sought for their roles in the Balkans conflicts and the Rwandan genocide, a top United Nations official today stressed the need to ensure that the crimes of sexual violence they both stand accused of are exposed in the legal process under way.

Ratko Mladiæ was apprehended last week in Serbia after evading capture for almost 16 years, while Bernard Munyagishari was arrested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, said that the indictments of the two men show that the fight against impunity for crimes of conflict-related sexual violence continues to yield results.

"In most media reports on their respective apprehension, however, sexual violence used as a tactic or weapon of war is repeatedly neglected from being mention
ed," she said in a statement.

Mr. Mladiæ, the war-time leader of the Bosnian Serb forces, is awaiting transfer to The Hague, where he will stand trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

He is charged with 15 counts that include the murder of close to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in July 1995. In the indictment, sexual abuse or sexual violence is mentioned five times.

Mr. Munyagishari, the former head of the Interahamwe Hutu militia for the city of Gisenyi in western Rwanda, is charged with five counts that include genocide, and rape as a crime against humanity, during the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus that took place in little more than three months beginning in April 1994.

He is awaiting transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is based in Arusha, Tanzania.

"It is crucial that the terrible acts of sexual violence they both stand accused of are exposed in
the legal process currently under way," stated Ms. Wallström.

"Only by explicitly bringing these horrible deeds into the open can we help to break history's greatest silence."



Ten seized in Somaliland crackdown

Ten seized in Somaliland crackdown

By ABDULKADIR KHALIF in MogadishuPosted Sunday, May 29 2011 at 16:59

More than ten people were on Friday night rounded up by authorities in Las Anod town in the self-declared republic of Somaliland.

Although no statement has been made on the seizure of the civilians in Sool region, some 1,150 km northwest of Mogadishu, the crackdown appeared to have been related to insecurity.

Las Anod is where where Somalia's last democratically elected president, Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, was assassinated on October 15 1969 and has been proving ungovernable for Somaliland.

Gunmen have targeted officials in the region as a sign of discontent with a rule many people believe as unwanted.

On the eve of Somaliland's Independence Day on May 18, the acting judge of Sool region was gunned down.

On April 30, the commander of the traffic police in the region was killed.

Disputed

Other killings and public demonstrations against the presence of Somaliland authority have been carried out since Las Anod was seized by pro-Somaliland forces in 2007 from Puntland, a self-styled autonomous region in Northeastern Somalia.

Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions are disputed by Somaliland and Puntland

Two remain in custody on suspicion of murdering Birmingham teenager

Two remain in custody on suspicion of murdering Birmingham teenager  

Mercury
Sunday, May 29, 2011

TWO men last night remained in custody on suspicion of murder after a Birmingham teenager was shot in the head.

Mohammed Abdi Farah, 19, and his friend Amin Ahmed Ismail, 18, died after being shot as they fled down an alleyway in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire on Thursday night.

The pair were chased into the path of the waiting killer, who coldly blasted both in the head with a 9mm handgun.

He first shot Mr Farah at point-blank range before firing at Mr Ismail, who collapsed on top of his friend's body.

Mohammed died at the scene. Amin, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, hung on but lost his battle for life after being taken to Milton Keynes Hospital.

The men being quizzed by cops, aged 33 and 21, were arrested on Friday night by armed officers from Thames Valley Police.

A 13-year-old boy, also arrested on Friday, has been released on police bail until the middle of June, a force spokesman said.

Mohammed's uncle, Rashid Hirad, last night revealed that his nephew had been in hiding for the last few weeks.

He said Mohammed had been beaten up repeatedly, and that his mother had moved to Birmingham in an attempt to avoid the trouble – but he kept returning to Milton Keynes to visit friends.

Mr Hirad said: "Mohammed's mother decided to move from Milton Keynes to Birmingham because she wanted to run away from these people – but she couldn't. All the time he was coming back to Milton Keynes to visit friends and at last it happened."

The two adult suspects were arrested late on Friday and remain in police custody, Thames Valley Police said.

Detective Superintendent Rob Mason, who is leading the police probe, said: "Although we have made a number of arrests, I am keen to stress that we are still in the very early stages of the investigation.

"I would continue to urge anyone with information about the incident to contact police as a matter of urgency.

"We have made significant progress this afternoon and we are continuing to follow up on a number of leads. I would like to emphasise that this is still very much a live investigation."

Both victims were known to police for low-level incidents and friends of the pair said that they were killed after being chased in a gangland mix-up. Detectives, however, have ruled out the killings being gang-related at this stage.

Police have placed two videos, one in English and one in Somali, on YouTube to appeal for witnesses to the shooting.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Egypt opens Rafah border with Gaza - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Egypt opens Rafah border with Gaza - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Somaliland’s First Woman Mayor Takes role in Gabiley City

Somaliland's First Woman Mayor Takes role in Gabiley City  

Hiiraan Online 

Somaliland's district of Gabiley appointed its first woman mayor in the history of the self-declared republic that has been struggling to get recognition from the international community over the past few years.

Elders and officials of Gabiley District Committee nominated Ms. Kadra Haaji in an acting capacity following a vote of no confidence against former mayor Aden Muhumed, who is allegedly embroiled in corruption allegations.

The extra ordinary sitting of the local committee attended by Somaliland's Attorney General Hassan Ahmed, Director of the ministry of internal affairs Abdullahi Hussein and Deputy Provisional Commissioner of Gabiley province, endorsed Ms. Haaji to take over as the new mayor.

The 18-member committee elected Ms. Haaji who has previously served as a deputy in the North West city which is located 54 km from Hargeisa the capital of Somaliland.

Ms. Haaji replaces former Mayor Muhumed who according to the office of attorney general of the breakaway republic misappropriated more than 250million Somaliland shillings during his tenureb as Gabiley boss.

Little is known about Ms. Haaji but sources indicated that she had previously made some unbounded attempts to take part in community initiatives to foster development in a country where many loaded the dice in life.

Her position as a full mayor will be confirmed when or if the former immediate mayor's case is settled by a court of law which is investigating the case against him.

The appointment of a woman to the top civic role in the largely male-dominated Somali politics, defies the trend in the conservative population where leadership remained a no-go zone for women like Ms. Haaji.

Her appointment has certainly shaken the norms in Somalia and in the entire parched and bare Horn of Africa region, where women lag far behind men in almost every sphere of life. In Somalia women's progress in the public arena has been slow.

La-taliyaha Madaxwaynaha arimaha Dhaqaalaha ,Ganacsiga iyo maalgashiyga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo oo boogasho ku yimid Dalka Qatar.

La-taliyaha Madaxwaynaha arimaha Dhaqaalaha ,Ganacsiga iyo maalgashiyga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo oo boogasho ku yimid Dalka Qatar.

 

La taliyaha Madaxwaynaha ee Dhaqaalaha , Gacansiga iyo Maalgashiga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo ayaa socdaal shaqo oo qaatay 5 cisho ku yimid Magaalada Doha ee dalka Qatar isagoo ka soo kicitimay dalka Imarate ka Carabta oo uu kulamo kala duwan la soo yeeshay Jaaliyada Somaliland ee halka ku dhaqan kagalana qayb galay debaaldegii 20 guuradii 18ka May.

 QATAR2.jpg

Lataliyaha Madaxwaynaha Axmed Xasan Carwo intuu joogay dalka Qatar wuxu kulamo kala gedisan la yeeshay Jaaliyada ku dhaqan dalka Qatar , Mahad naqa iyo soo dhawaynta  ka sokow wuxu lataliyuhu uga xog waramay Odayaasha , aqoon yahanka iyo haweenka ku sugan dalka Qatar xaaladda guud ahaan wadankii ku sugan yahay gaar ahaan dadaalada faraha badan ee ay dawladu wado , hadday tahay adkaynta nabad galyada , dhaqaalaha , ganacsiga iyo maalgashiga. Waxuuna hoteelka uu deganaa ee Retaj Hotel kula kulmay xubno isagu jira aqoonyahano, ganacsato, iyo madaxda Jaaliyadda isagoo la yeeshay warbxin iyo aqoon-is-weydaarsi si saraaxada leysu dhaafsaday. Axmed waxuu ku booriyey in loo baahan yahay inay sharkado samaystaan si ay qayb libaax uga qaataan maalgashiga dalka. Dalka oo dihin una baahan uun maal lagu dhaqaajiyo.Waxa kale oo uu xusuusiyey doorka jaaliyadda ka saran isku-xidhka labada dal, iyagoo ah dhammaantood ambasadooro matalaaya dalkooda hooyo.

 

 "…Xidhiidh kasta oo Somaliland dal kale la sameysatay waxa hormood ka ah qurbajooga dalkaas degan", ayuu yidhi La-taliyaha Dhaqaalahu.

 

 " Waxaan door bidiyaa inaydun idinku ka muwaadin ahaan iyo dadkeena gudaha joogaaba aydun awoodiina isku darsataan oydun samaysataan shirkado intii shisheeye ina maalgalin lahaa…waxii se taas loo waayo waa lama huraan in la soo jiito maalgashiga shisheeye, si dalka horumar looga sameeyo..waad aragtaan oo maalgashi shisheeye dalalkii hore-umaray ayaan ka maarmin..kan aad joogtaan ayaad aragtaan inuu soo jiidanaayo maalgashi isla markaasna uu maalgashi kale ku sameynaayo dunida kale..casriga la joogaa waa mid ku salaysan xuduud furan kolka maalgashiga la eego..dunidina ay noqotay tuule la wado deganyahay…"", Ayuu yidhi Axmed Carwo  

 

 QATAR5.jpgQATAR4.jpg

 

Waxa Axmed la kulmay rag ay ka mid yihiin Aqoonyahanada Cumar Ducaale- (Cumar Laydh), Maxamed Mahdi Xuseen, Maxamed Cabdisalaan, Cabdillahi Maxamed Diiriye, Muxumad Maxamed Xasan, Cumar Muxumad Dhamac, Aadan Xuseen Cali, Maxamed M Adan, Siciid Cabdi Cilmi iyo dhalinyaro badan. Dhinaca odayaasha Qatar waxuu kala kulmay rag ay ka mid yihiin Madaxda Jaaliyada oo kale ah Cali Maxamed Yuusuf, Maxamed Cabdi Jama, Maxamed Yuusuf Maxamed, Xasan Cismaan Cajab, iyo Dubbe Aadan Dhere.

 

Waxay labada dhinac isla garteen in la xoojiyo xidhiidhka xukuumadda iyo Jaaliyadda, iyo in la fududeeyo maalgashiga dalka loona dhiso sharciyo iyo nidaam arrintaas soo jiita. Cali Maxamed, Maxamed Cabdi iyo Maxamed Yuusuf oo afka odayaasha iyo dadweynahaba ku hadlaayey ayaa aad ugu mahadnaqay sida buuxda ee murtida iyo aqoonta ah ee Axmed ugu xog-waramay, iyagoo mahad balaadhan u jeediyey Axmed iyo habka xukuumaddu u abaartay wax-qabadka muuqda muddada yare e ay jirtay. Waxayna balan qaadeen inayna waxba kala hadhayn dhismaha dhaqaale ee dalka inta karaankooda ah iyo inay doorkooda ka soo bixi doonaan sidii dalka Qadar iyo oomaliland leysagu xidhi lahaa. Waxayna Axmed u fidiyeen martiqaad danbe ooy iyagoo tusaalayntiisa ka faaíideysanaaya ay ka sii midho-dhalin doonaan, ayna filayaan inuu soo noqdo iyagoo waxqabad muuqda qaaday.

 

Axmed Xasan Carwo kulanka kala duwan ee uu la qaatay Jaaliyada ku dhaqan dalka Qatar wuxu kulamo kale duwan la yeeshay, shirkado ,ganacsato kala duwan oo danaynaya inay maalgashi ku samaystaan dalka Jamhuuriyada Somaliland , isagoo uga xog waramay khayraadka dihin ee dalka Jamhuuriyada Somaliland leeyahay iyo fursadaha ka banaan , balan qaadayna in dawlada Somaliland soo dhawaynayso maalgashiga dawliga ah  gaar ahaan wadamada carabta isla markaana loo fududayn doono wixi dawlad ahaan iyaga ku xidhan. Waxa kale oo Axmed wada-hadal la yeeshay masúuliin rag iyo dumarba leh oo uu ka mid yahay Ku-xigeenka Maamulaha Guud ee Xidhiidka xafiiska gaarka ah ee Amiirka, iyo Xoghaynta khaaska ah ee Amiirada. Iygoo balan qaaday inay fariinta gaadhsiin doonaan xukuumadda ayna dib ula soo xidhiidh doonaan Axmed iyadoo albaabkii u horreeyey hadduun uu furmay.

 240520111710 (3).jpg

Kulamada Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo la yeeshay , Ganacsatada , shirkadaha iyo Jaaliyada ku dhaqan Dalka Qatar waxay dhamaantood ku dhamaadeen guul iyo isfaham waxaana loo balamay in halka laga sii wado xidhidhka iyo wada shaqaynta.

QATAR3.jpg 


Waxa Axmed Carwo intaanu iman Qatar soo maray Imaaradka isagoo ka qaybgalay debaaldegii 18 May ee ka dhacay Dubai. Waxuuna ka jeediyey qudbad dheer isagoo ku matalaaya Madaxweynhana hanbalyo iyo bogaadina u soo jeediyey Jaaliyadda UAE. Waxa xafladda ku weheliyey Xaji Cabdi Waraabe oo matalaayey Golayaasha Sharcidejinta iyo Cabrirahman Cabdiqaadir oo matalaayey xisbi xaakimka Kulmiye. Waxa kale oo Axmed Carwo la yeeshay waraysi dheer shabakadda Hadhwanaagnews wakiilka u jooga Imaaradka oo dhowaan la soo deyn doono.  

 

Axmed Xasan Carwo wuxu u kicitimay dalka Boqortooyada Ingiriiska halkaas oo uu u tegay hawlo shaqo oo ku sahabsan arimaha dhaqaalaha iyo ganacsiga Jamhuuriyada Somaliland, xidhiidhka Jaaliyadaha iyo xukuumadda, iyo xoojinta xidhiidhka dhaqaale ee UK iyo Soomaliland.

 

 

Guul iyo Gobannimo

Mohamed M Aden

Doha

mohamedmaden@gmail.com

 

 

La-taliyaha Madaxwaynaha arimaha Dhaqaalaha ,Ganacsiga iyo Maalgashiga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo oo boogasho ku yimid Dalka Qatar.


La-taliyaha Madaxwaynaha arimaha Dhaqaalaha ,Ganacsiga iyo Maalgashiga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo oo boogasho ku yimid Dalka Qatar.

 

La taliyaha Madaxwaynaha ee Dhaqaalaha , Gacansiga iyo Maalgashiga Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo ayaa socdaal shaqo oo qaatay 5 cisho ku yimid Magaalada Doha ee dalka Qatar isagoo ka soo kicitimay dalka Imarate ka Carabta oo uu kulamo kala duwan la soo yeeshay Jaaliyada Somaliland ee halka ku dhaqan kagalana qayb galay debaaldegii 20 guuradii 18ka May.

QATAR2.jpg

Lataliyaha Madaxwaynaha Axmed Xasan Carwo intuu joogay dalka Qatar wuxu kulamo kala gedisan la yeeshay Jaaliyada ku dhaqan dalka Qatar , Mahad naqa iyo soo dhawaynta  ka sokow wuxu lataliyuhu uga xog waramay Odayaasha , aqoon yahanka iyo haweenka ku sugan dalka Qatar xaaladda guud ahaan wadankii ku sugan yahay gaar ahaan dadaalada faraha badan ee ay dawladu wado , hadday tahay adkaynta nabad galyada , dhaqaalaha , ganacsiga iyo maalgashiga. Waxuuna hoteelka uu deganaa ee Retaj Hotel kula kulmay xubno isagu jira aqoonyahano, ganacsato, iyo madaxda Jaaliyadda isagoo la yeeshay warbxin iyo aqoon-is-weydaarsi si saraaxada leysu dhaafsaday. Axmed waxuu ku booriyey in loo baahan yahay inay sharkado samaystaan si ay qayb libaax uga qaataan maalgashiga dalka. Dalka oo dihin una baahan uun maal lagu dhaqaajiyo.Waxa kale oo uu xusuusiyey doorka jaaliyadda ka saran isku-xidhka labada dal, iyagoo ah dhammaantood ambasadooro matalaaya dalkooda hooyo.

 

"…Xidhiidh kasta oo Somaliland dal kale la sameysatay waxa hormood ka ah qurbajooga dalkaas degan", ayuu yidhi La-taliyaha Dhaqaalahu.

 

" Waxaan door bidiyaa inaydun idinku ka muwaadin ahaan iyo dadkeena gudaha joogaaba aydun awoodiina isku darsataan oydun samaysataan shirkado intii shisheeye ina maalgalin lahaa…waxii se taas loo waayo waa lama huraan in la soo jiito maalgashiga shisheeye, si dalka horumar looga sameeyo..waad aragtaan oo maalgashi shisheeye dalalkii hore-umaray ayaan ka maarmin..kan aad joogtaan ayaad aragtaan inuu soo jiidanaayo maalgashi isla markaasna uu maalgashi kale ku sameynaayo dunida kale..casriga la joogaa waa mid ku salaysan xuduud furan kolka maalgashiga la eego..dunidina ay noqotay tuule la wado deganyahay…"", Ayuu yidhi Axmed Carwo  

 

QATAR4.jpgQATAR5.jpg

 

 

Waxa Axmed la kulmay rag ay ka mid yihiin Aqoonyahanada Cumar Ducaale- (Cumar Laydh), Maxamed Mahdi Xuseen, Maxamed Cabdisalaan, Cabdillahi Maxamed Diiriye, Muxumad Maxamed Xasan, Cumar Muxumad Dhamac, Aadan Xuseen Cali, Maxamed M Adan, Siciid Cabdi Cilmi iyo dhalinyaro badan. Dhinaca odayaasha Qatar waxuu kala kulmay rag ay ka mid yihiin Madaxda Jaaliyada oo kale ah Cali Maxamed Yuusuf, Maxamed Cabdi Jama, Maxamed Yuusuf Maxamed, Xasan Cismaan Cajab, iyo Dubbe Aadan Dhere.

 

Waxay labada dhinac isla garteen in la xoojiyo xidhiidhka xukuumadda iyo Jaaliyadda, iyo in la fududeeyo maalgashiga dalka loona dhiso sharciyo iyo nidaam arrintaas soo jiita. Cali Maxamed, Maxamed Cabdi iyo Maxamed Yuusuf oo afka odayaasha iyo dadweynahaba ku hadlaayey ayaa aad ugu mahadnaqay sida buuxda ee murtida iyo aqoonta ah ee Axmed ugu xog-waramay, iyagoo mahad balaadhan u jeediyey Axmed iyo habka xukuumaddu u abaartay wax-qabadka muuqda muddada yare e ay jirtay. Waxayna balan qaadeen inayna waxba kala hadhayn dhismaha dhaqaale ee dalka inta karaankooda ah iyo inay doorkooda ka soo bixi doonaan sidii dalka Qadar iyo oomaliland leysagu xidhi lahaa. Waxayna Axmed u fidiyeen martiqaad danbe ooy iyagoo tusaalayntiisa ka faaíideysanaaya ay ka sii midho-dhalin doonaan, ayna filayaan inuu soo noqdo iyagoo waxqabad muuqda qaaday.

240520111710 (3).jpg

 

Axmed Xasan Carwo kulanka kala duwan ee uu la qaatay Jaaliyada ku dhaqan dalka Qatar wuxu kulamo kale duwan la yeeshay, shirkado ,ganacsato kala duwan oo danaynaya inay maalgashi ku samaystaan dalka Jamhuuriyada Somaliland , isagoo uga xog waramay khayraadka dihin ee dalka Jamhuuriyada Somaliland leeyahay iyo fursadaha ka banaan , balan qaadayna in dawlada Somaliland soo dhawaynayso maalgashiga dawliga ah  gaar ahaan wadamada carabta isla markaana loo fududayn doono wixi dawlad ahaan iyaga ku xidhan. Waxa kale oo Axmed wada-hadal la yeeshay masúuliin rag iyo dumarba leh oo uu ka mid yahay Ku-xigeenka Maamulaha Guud ee Xidhiidka xafiiska gaarka ah ee Amiirka, iyo Xoghaynta khaaska ah ee Amiirada. Iygoo balan qaaday inay fariinta gaadhsiin doonaan xukuumadda ayna dib ula soo xidhiidh doonaan Axmed iyadoo albaabkii u horreeyey hadduun uu furmay.

 

Kulamada Mudane Axmed Xasan Carwo la yeeshay , Ganacsatada , shirkadaha iyo Jaaliyada ku dhaqan Dalka Qatar waxay dhamaantood ku dhamaadeen guul iyo isfaham waxaana loo balamay in halka laga sii wado xidhidhka iyo wada shaqaynta.

 

Waxa Axmed Carwo intaanu iman Qatar soo maray Imaaradka isagoo ka qaybgalay debaaldegii 18 May ee ka dhacay Dubai. Waxuuna ka jeediyey qudbad dheer isagoo ku matalaaya Madaxweynhana hanbalyo iyo bogaadina u soo jeediyey Jaaliyadda UAE. Waxa xafladda ku weheliyey Xaji Cabdi Waraabe oo matalaayey Golayaasha Sharcidejinta iyo Cabrirahman Cabdiqaadir oo matalaayey xisbi xaakimka Kulmiye. Waxa kale oo Axmed Carwo la yeeshay waraysi dheer shabakadda Hadhwanaagnews wakiilka

 

u jooga Imaaradka oo dhowaan la soo deyn doono.

 

  QATAR3.jpgQATAR6.jpg

 

Axmed Xasan Carwo wuxu u kicitimay dalka Boqortooyada Ingiriiska halkaas oo uu u tegay hawlo shaqo oo ku sahabsan arimaha dhaqaalaha iyo ganacsiga Jamhuuriyada Somaliland, xidhiidhka Jaaliyadaha iyo xukuumadda, iyo xoojinta xidhiidhka dhaqaale ee UK iyo Soomaliland.

 

 

Guul iyo Gobannimo

Mohamed M Aden

Doha

mohamedmaden@gmail.com

 


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Somaliland: The little nation that could

Somaliland: The little nation that could  

Members of the Somaliland community in Britain's capital celebrate the 20th anniversary

 of Independence Day (REUTERS/Olivia Harris


by Simon Allison
Friday, May 20, 2011

Wednesday was a momentous day in the history of the Republic of Somaliland. The country, if we can call it that, celebrated the 20th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Somalia. It's shown it is possible to rise above chaos and build a lasting legacy.

HARGEISA — The quiet, dusty, unpaved streets of Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa, came alive as thousands of people crowded the major thoroughfares, all sporting commemorative T-shirts or hijabs in the national colours of red, white and green. A well-organised, if occasionally ramshackle, parade of students, sports stars and professionals forced their way through the crowd, with the help of the hundreds of soldiers lining the route. This was followed by a full-scale military procession, with ranks of soldiers and sailors marching in time, for the most part, to the beat of the marching band. The president, Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, his trademark dark shades firmly in place, watched it all from the temporary viewing platform, surrounded by ministers and military top brass. The parade kicked off a day of partying across the country. No champagne in sight, of course; Somaliland is a deeply conservative Muslim country, and the people's drug of choice is instead khat, the ubiquitous bundle of mildly narcotic leaves almost everyone chews on.

But amid the celebrations, one small niggle: Somaliland is not independent. At least not in the eyes of the rest of the world. Certainly not in the eyes of Somalia, which continues to see the very existence of Somaliland as a threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Which it would be, of course, if Somalia had any territorial integrity or real sovereignty. But the "failed state" of Somalia struggles to control even its own capital city, Mogadishu, and has been in the throes of civil wars of varying intensities since the fall of dictator Siad Barre 20 years ago. The Somali government operates courtesy of a mandate from the international community, but enjoys little authority in the country. Al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgent group behind the World Cup attacks in Kampala, controls huge parts of Somalia, and the rest is divided into tribal areas and semi-autonomous regions, none of which answer to the central government for very much.

Somaliland, on the other hand, works like a real country. It has its own currency, infrastructure and laws. They are enforced, most of the time. There's a functioning police service, armed forces and lots of schools, universities and hospitals. There is bureaucracy, lots of it; perhaps the ultimate sad sign of a functioning state. Historically, Somaliland has been distinct from the rest of Somalia since the colonial era. The Italians controlled most of Somalia while the UK turned Somaliland into a British protectorate. In 1960, when the UK realised the colonial times were over, it granted Somaliland independence. The new country enjoyed five brief days of sovereignty before deciding to throw its lot in with Somalia, pursuing the dream of a single nation of united Somali people.

But the whole Somali unity thing never quite worked out. Siad Barre, who took power in an army coup, was as brutal as they come and concentrated power in the hands of those he trusted, specifically in the clans to which he was related. None of these was in the Somaliland region, and the areas around Hargeisa were starved of resources and targeted for special attention by the secret police. A resistance movement soon sprang up, the Somalia National Movement, and in the late 1980s a particularly vicious civil war killed tens of thousands. Barre's fighter jets stationed at the Hargeisa airport would take off and drop their bombs almost immediately on the city below them, levelling it. Almost everyone in Hargeisa knows someone who died in the war.

The civil war weakened Barre's control, terminally as it turned out; rebel groups proliferated and eventually he was ousted by one in 1991. The SNM, under intense public pressure, used this opportunity to announce Somaliland's withdrawal from the union of Somalia, and that it would henceforth be independent.

And since then that's how they've operated. Somalia has never been strong enough to reassert its authority by force and the government of Somaliland has carried on with the business of ruling. Nonetheless, diplomatic recognition has not been forthcoming. Only Ethiopia has any kind of official representation in Somaliland. The Ethiopian mission consists of a single trade representative to make sure Ethiopia can continue to access Somaliland's port in Berbera. And the costs of this are significant. Somaliland receives a pittance in development aid, because most of it flows to Mogadishu. It can't join international institutions; for example, it has no international postal system, because it's not allowed to join the International Postal Union. And its citizens can't travel. A Somaliland passport can get you into Djibouti, Ethiopia and South Africa, but that's about it.

And there's no sign that recognition will be forthcoming any time soon. Because Somaliland has very little geopolitical significance, the international community takes its lead on this from the African Union, which has made no progress on the issue. This stems largely from the fact that most of the big movers in the AU face secessionist movements at home themselves, and to recognise Somaliland would create a compelling precedent. For Ethiopia, the issue is particularly sensitive. Although the country needs Somaliland for its port, there is also a large Somali population in Ethiopia, who have in the past agitated for secession.

The issue highlights the weaknesses of the state system, which conspires to fund a hollow government in Somalia while impeding the progress of a democratic entity in Somaliland which offers the services a state is supposed to provide to its people. But Somaliland has gone it alone for 20 years, and seems to be managing alright. Just this week, in his address to the nation, President Silanyo declared the country will go it alone forever if it has to – that Somaliland will be remain independent in its own eyes, even if no one recognises it for a hundred years. The huge crowd in Hargeisa's Liberty Garden seemed to agree with him, if the cheering was anything to go by. DM

________________________________
Simon Allison is a specialist in African and Middle East politics, with degrees from Rhodes university and the School of Oriental and African Studies. He lived in Egypt for four years. He also co-authors the politics blog Third World Goes Forth.

Analysis: IDPs as political pawns in Kenya


Analysis: IDPs as political pawns in Kenya

NAIROBI/NAKURU, 26 May 2011 (IRIN) - Belonging to the "wrong" ethnic group in Kenya's Rift Valley Province cost Milka Wanjiru her home, her farm and her shop. After elections in 1992, the mother of 11 lost it all to looters and arsonists.

 "It is now 20 years since I became displaced, I have known no peace since then," Wanjiru told IRIN in Nakuru, the main town in Rift Valley, where the family lives in a rented house. "Two years after we were displaced, we tried to return to our home to rebuild our lives but we were shocked to find a note on the charred kitchen door saying 'We have already burnt everything, now we want your husband's head'. We left and have never gone back."

 To survive, Wanjiru and her children turned to casual labour in farms at Mutukanio, Nakuru North District. Her family is one of 2,700 grouped under the Greater Subukia Zone internally displaced persons (IDPs), who were uprooted from their homes in the Rift Valley during the 1992 and 1997 election years.

 Thousands of families such as Wanjiru's find themselves uncertain of ever resettling as political, policy and technical difficulties persist in the country's handling of IDPs.

 The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), an NGO, has a caseload of 50,000 IDPs, whose displacement predates the post-election violence of 2008, often by two decades.

 Across the country, there are now between 200,000 and 250,000 conflict-related IDPs in Kenya, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) [ http://www.internal-displacement.org ], a project of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

 Pre-2007

 Muthoni Wanyeki, KHRC executive director, told IRIN not enough attention had been paid to those displaced before the 2007 elections, when disputed results unleashed violence that pushed some 600,000 people to flee their homes.

 "The KHRC is only one organization. Reports have been produced on the clashes that led to displacement in 1997 and in 1992, yet none of these reports has been acted on," she said.

 "Fundamentally, the underlying reasons for displacement remain. The Ministry of Lands should initiate discussion on ways and means of dealing with the various [competing] claims to land [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90012 ] in the Rift Valley and Coast," she said.

 Wanyeki also took issue with a 2008 government resettlement plan, dubbed Operation Rudi Nyumbani ("Return Home" in Kiswahili) saying this failed to acknowledge the socio-economic variety among those displaced that year, treating them all as "as if they were smallholder farmers who had land of their own".

 "We have IDPs who lived in urban and peri-urban areas and who were renting houses; there were those who had homes and land and those who did not have land," Wanyeki said. "There was no planning for these IDPs in the implementation of the resettlement programme.

 "Secondly, resettlement was beset by corruption at local levels - district levels - regarding payment of compensation for IDPs who lost property. Thirdly, there was large-scale corruption with regard to buying land and building houses for the IDPs."

 Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, IDMC's Horn of Africa analyst, said Kenya had several categories of IDPs whose situation remained dire.

 "We have those historically displaced during the colonial days from their land in Central and Rift Valley provinces; those displaced as a result of human rights violations like the case of Wagalla massacre [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=92788 ] and lately in Mount Elgon [western Kenya]; those displaced as a result of politically instigated violence in 1992 and 1997; the 2007-2008 post-election displaced; the Mau evictees [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90950 ]; those displaced by natural disasters; those displaced as a result of violation of Kenya's territories and; finally, those who are regularly displaced as a result of conflict over water and pasture resources."

 Political interference

 Unfortunately, Sheekh said, the IDP situation had become politicized. "You find that politicians always invoke IDPs but rarely deal with the situation in a comprehensive manner," he said. "The political elites are so pre-occupied with the 2012 elections that the welfare of IDPs has been put on the back burner for the time being. Political priority has become the ICC [International Criminal Court, where proceedings [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91619 ] against six prominent Kenyans have been initiated over their involvement in the 2007-2008 violence], and the 2012 elections.

 "To be fair to the government, positive steps have been taken to find durable solutions for IDPs," Sheekh said. "Durable solutions include return, resettlement in another part of the country and local integration. However, these steps were not undertaken in the spirit of the UN Guiding Principles [ http://www.idpguidingprinciples.org ] or the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance to IDPs [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=86762 ].

 "Most importantly [in 2008] the government mostly attended to Kikuyu IDPs and ignored the needs of other sections of the IDP population, such as pastoralist Somalis, Turkanas, etc," he said.

 Sheekh added that Operation Rudi Nyumbani violated IDPs' right, enshrined in the Guiding Principles, not to be forcibly returned to areas of high risk to their lives, safety and liberty. "The government rushed the programme through and settled IDPs in transit camps despite protests from sections of the IDP population.

 "Monitoring and analysis of this programme has shown that very little consultation was carried out and the programme was implemented in the absence of proper reconciliation between communities," Sheekh said.

 Unresolved tensions

 David Tebelewa fled his home in the Rift Valley's Njoro district in 1998 after an attack by a rival community, which left his mother and two brothers dead. He had a 0.8 hectare potato farm before he was forced to flee and is now a casual labourer around Nakuru.

 "Those of us who were displaced were allocated land in [another] district but the land was also allocated to people who bribed government officials. In the end, only those close to power got land while were remain landless and suffering."

 Patrick Githinji, the chairman of the National Network of IDPs, an NGO, said: "People at grassroots have yet to achieve peace; they [different communities] only co-exist with a lot of mistrust and suspicion."

 Of the IDPs displaced before the 2007 polls, Githinji said, the largest single group consisted of tens of thousands of families, displaced between 1992 and 2006, who have since integrated into local communities around Nakuru.

 "This group forms a large number of hawkers, informal sector workers, prostitutes and street families in Nakuru town," he added.

 Githinji said there was a need to sensitize IDPs against manipulation by politicians seeking votes. He said he feared IDPs may not be resettled this year so politicians can use them during their campaigns for the 2012 elections.

 Efforts by IRIN to obtain comment from the Ministry of State for Special Programmes, which is in charge of the IDP resettlement, were unsuccessful.

 Sheekh of the IMDC told IRIN: "For Kenya to find a durable solution to the perennial IDP problem, it is important that she adopts the Draft National IDP Policy [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=88485 ] which is still lying at the Ministry of State for Special Programmes. It is also important that the government ratifies the African Union IDP Convention.

 "These instruments provide a framework for IDP protection. That said, the implementation of the new constitution is likely to address issues that have been causing grievances and will hopefully redress these grievances."

 js-rk/am/mw[END]

SOMALIA: Helping young people to find work


SOMALIA: Helping young people to find work

NAIROBI, 26 May 2011 (IRIN) - Instead of joining militias or idling at street corners, the youth in Garowe, the regional capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, are learning skills to help them earn a living, officials said.

 A local NGO, the Farsano Technical Institute, is implementing the project, which is funded by the Education Development Centre (EDC), an American NGO. Trainees learn skills such as welding, plumbing and electrical services; carpentry, auto mechanics, bookkeeping and IT.

 "These are young people in their teens and 20s; most, if not all, were born during the civil war," said Abdihakim Mohamed Jama, of the Farsano Technical Institute. "We have to find something for them to do or they may end up in criminal gangs, such as militia groups."

 Jama said the project, Shaqa Doon ("Looking for a job" in Somali] started early this year with 156 trainees.

 "We have two types of trainees; those with no education and those with some education," he said, adding that some had completed primary school while others had a secondary school education, "but most are illiterate".

 Jama told IRIN: "Bookkeeping and IT are taught to those with education, because the others cannot manage. We also teach reading, writing and basic mathematics to those who never had an education. So while they are learning the skills, we are also teaching them how to read and write."

 Of the total number of current trainees, Jama said, 38 are women.

 One of the trainees, Amina Mohamed Nur, 20, said after completing primary school, she could not afford secondary school fees.

 "I was basically sitting at home doing nothing; when I heard about the project I applied and was accepted."

 Nur chose to train as a mechanic, an unusual profession for a woman from a conservative community. "I am not the only one," she told IRIN. "Four other girls are with me in this training. Since I was a child, I always wanted to work with cars. I don't know why but that is what I wanted to do."

 She said she would eventually like to own a garage.

 Nur Hassan Hussein, 25, from Garowe, was unemployed when he heard about Farsano. He had dropped out of school due to a lack of funds and is training to become an electrician. "I want to be the best electrician I can be and then eventually start my own business."

 Hussein said there were many young people like him "who would do anything to get this opportunity; I am very lucky".

 Jama said that once they have finished the course, trainees "go out and become self-employed, placed in jobs with government agencies or with businesses and other groups. If they don't get the first two options, we absorb them in Farsano and they help with the project."

 "All these trainees are at-risk young people; if we save them now, they, in turn, will save others and contribute to the well-being of the community instead of becoming a menace," he said.

 The Farsano Technical Institute project is the only one in Garowe targeting the youth.

 "There are many young people out there who need help, but we cannot take them all," Jama said, urging other agencies to help with the growing number of unemployed youth by "giving them the ability and capacity to be productive members of their community".

 ah/mw[END]

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

SOMALIA: Mogadishu's "lost generation"


SOMALIA: Mogadishu's "lost generation"

NAIROBI, 24 May 2011 (IRIN) - Most Somalis, especially in the capital, Mogadishu, have always lived amid war and joblessness. More than half the country's population was born after the 1991 ouster of Mohammed Siad Barre that sparked the country's slide into anarchy.

 "This is a group of people who have never known anything other than conflict and violence," Ahmed Dini, a civil-society activist involved with children and young people's welfare, told IRIN on 24 May.

 "They have never had stability in their lives; they moved from one displacement to another with little possibility of getting an education or any other opportunity to earn a decent livelihood," Dini said.

 They have developed three ways of coping in such an environment, said Dini. "Some join the violence by being recruited into the fighting groups; others find drugs, such as khat and narcotics, as a way out; while others undertake very dangerous sea journeys to Europe or the Gulf Arab states."

 The fighting between government forces backed by the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Al-Shabab insurgents continues in Mogadishu, escalating in the past week, say local sources.

 According to UN estimates, at least 2.4 million Somalis need help. These include internally displaced people in areas controlled by Al-Shabab: 410,000 in the Afgoye corridor, 15,200 in the Balad corridor (30km north of Mogadishu) and 55,000 in Dayniile, northwest of Mogadishu.

 Some 600,000 Somalis are refugees in neighbouring countries.

 Dini said if the conflict were not resolved soon, this generation and others "would be lost for ever, if we have not already lost them".

 He told IRIN: "If we don't find a solution to the youth problem, Somalia's problems will continue into the next 20 years."

 Civil society groups such as Dini's are trying to help the youth but, he cautioned, "our efforts are a drop in the ocean. There are too many of them with too many problems and we don't have much."

 Lost teenage years

 Abdi Ahmed, 19, has never been to school or done anything that a normal teenager would do.

 "My father was killed when I was seven years old; my mother could not afford to send me to school and at the same time feed us," Ahmed told IRIN.

 Ahmed's first job at 15 was to be part of a crew of gunmen working for a clansman. "I took up my first gun at 15; it is the only thing I know."

 Ahmed was almost killed when the technical (battle-wagon) he was on was ambushed and three of his colleagues were killed. He and two others were injured.

 "I did it because it is the only thing available to me," he said. "If I get other opportunities to help my mother I will take them."

 Ahmed is unemployed because the man he was working for could not pay him any more. "I don't know what is next for me but if my life so far is any guide I am sure I will pick up the gun again."

 Emigration bid

 Another young man, Mohamed Dini Ali, 20, lost his father in the civil war when he was 12 but his family managed to put him through secondary school, which he completed in 2009.

 However, Ali did not get a chance to go to university and decided to emigrate. He went to Bosasso, in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, in early 2010 and took a boat to the Gulf.

 "I first went to Yemen and then to Saudi Arabia, but I was deported back to Mogadishu," Ali said. "There were no jobs, so I had two choices - join the militias or emigrate and I chose to leave."

 In Somalia, Ali said, even if you are not a member of the fighting groups, "you can be accused of being a member of one or other; being young in Somalia, especially Mogadishu, is not good".

 Ali said he intended to try to emigrate again. "The only other alternative is joining a militia and I don't want to do that."

 Salado Adow, 39, is the mother of a 15-year-old who has been recruited into a militia group.

 "I have removed him three times but each time they take him back," she told IRIN.

 Adow said her son was likely to grow up in an environment of violence.

 "I cannot blame them [the youth]; there are no other options for them," she said. "Violence is their recreation, their sport. It is the only thing they have seen since they came into this world. I pray that the violence will end, so I don't lose another child to it.

 "I am still hopeful that I will get him back."

  

Saturday, May 14, 2011

AS HUNDREDS FEARED DROWNED OFF LIBYA, UN AGENCY URGES BETTER RESCUE METHODS


AS HUNDREDS FEARED DROWNED OFF LIBYA, UN AGENCY URGES BETTER RESCUE METHODS

Nearly 600 people may have drowned when a boat broke up off the coast of Libya, the United Nations refugee agency <"http://www.unhcr.org/4dc939c86.html">reported today as it called on European countries to urgently improve their mechanisms for rescues at sea.

The exact death toll from the latest tragedy remains unknown, but most of the passengers are believed to have been from sub-Saharan Africa, according to Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Passengers say the ship – which broke up shortly after departing Tripoli last Friday – was carrying about 600 people. A diplomat based in the Libyan capital reported that 16 bodies have been recovered so far, including those of two babies.

In the wake of the latest reports of drowning deaths of people fleeing Libya by boat, the UN refugee agency on Tuesday reiterated its call for European nations to urgently improve mechanisms for rescue at sea.

Ms. Fleming <"http://www.unhcr.org/4dc9116b9.html">told journalists in Geneva that UNHCR is urging "States, commercial shipping companies and others present in the Mediterranean to consider that all boats leaving Libya for Europe are likely to require assistance."

She also appealed to ship masters to be extra vigilant and to continue to adhere to the long-standing maritime obligation of aiding people in distress.

UNHCR first appealed to European States early last month to urgently put in place more reliable and effective mechanisms for rescues at sea.

Europe has, until now, received less than two per cent of the people fleeing Libya to escape the continuing conflict in the North African country – but the number of people risking the boat journey is rising.

Ms. Fleming added that five boats carrying almost 2,400 people, including many women and children, arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday and Sunday.

"All five boats needed rescuing by the Italian coastguard and maritime police, with one boat running aground close to the Lampedusa shore," she said. "Yesterday three bodies washed ashore, thought to have been passengers from the boat that ran aground."

The number of people who have arrived in Italy and Malta from Libya since the crisis there started in mid-February stands at 12,360. Before Friday's sinking, family members and survivors told UNHCR of boats running into problems, and as many as 800 people are unaccounted for.


UN FUND AND PRIVATE FIRM ENCOURAGE COMPANIES TO SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN CAUSES


UN FUND AND PRIVATE FIRM ENCOURAGE COMPANIES TO SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN CAUSES

A partnership between the United Nations humanitarian office and a major financial services company unveiled today is urging the corporate world to raise $500,000 in honour of the fifth anniversary of a UN fund that ensures timely assistance to people affected by natural disasters and conflicts.

To meet or exceed a fundraising goal of $500,000, the Western Union Foundation will match all new corporate donations to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000.

"CERF is invaluable. It is the first port of call when immediate injections of cash are needed to kick-start the response during new crises," said Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

"The matching grant challenge by Western Union will go a long way to raise awareness for our efforts, and the donations will help ensure that a pool of funds is available for relief work within hours after a disaster strikes, anywhere around the globe," she said.

A trust fund created by the General Assembly and managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), CERF relies on voluntary contributions by UN Member States, individuals and the private sector.

Last year, CERF allocated more than $276 million for a quick response in 37 countries and more than $139 million for under-funded emergencies in 17 countries, including Yemen, Chad and Eritrea, where chronic humanitarian needs persist.

"CERF can be there to provide relief during so-called silent emergencies, and to ensure a coordinated response to major disasters," said Hikmet Ersek, Western Union's chief executive officer. "Aid agencies should not have to pass the hat when lives hang in the balance. We encourage corporations across the globe to join us in making a difference by having funding at the ready, before crisis strikes."

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

GENUINE DEMOCRACY ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, UN CHIEF SAYS

GENUINE DEMOCRACY ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, UN CHIEF SAYS
New York, May  9 2011  7:10PM
Human development is far more likely to take root if there is genuine democracy in a society, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, stressing the need for authorities everywhere to give people a greater say in their own governance.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=5255">message for the opening of The Doers of Democracy, a photo exhibition featuring projects assisted by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), Mr. Ban noted that "experience has taught us, time and again, that democracy is essential to achieving our fundamental goals of peace, human rights and development.

"We also know that neither peace nor development nor democracy can be exported or imposed from abroad," he said in the message, which was delivered by Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, to the exhibition opening at UN Headquarters in New York.

"All must be underpinned by the will of the people – including and especially by a strong and active civil society."

Created by the Secretary-General in 2005, UNDEF was established to support democratization efforts around the world. The fund's most recent round of grants focused on projects in such areas as community development, women's empowerment, better governance, rule of law and human rights.

Mr. Ban said UNDEF gives life to a critical principle – "that the UN does not seek to export or promote any particular national or regional model of democracy.

"It works on the understanding that the democratic ideal is rooted in philosophies and traditions from all parts of the world; that effective democratic governance enhances the quality of life for men and women everywhere; and that human development is more likely to take hold if people are given a real say in their own governance, and a chance to share in the fruits of progress."

He emphasized that although the word 'democracy' does not appear once in the UN Charter, the UN does more than any other organization to develop and strengthen democratic institutions and practice around the globe.

"From supporting free and fair elections to strengthening the rule of law, from educating young people in democratic principles to helping citizens hold institutions accountable – advancing democracy is a central mission for the United Nations."


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

UN REFUGEE AGENCY ALARMED BY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FLEEING SOMALIA


UN REFUGEE AGENCY ALARMED BY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FLEEING SOMALIA

The United Nations refugee agency today <"http://www.unhcr.org/4dbac2516.html">voiced alarm at worsening insecurity in Somalia, which has forced 50,000 people out of the country in the first three months of this year, more than double the number of refugees who fled the Horn of Africa nation during a similar period in 2010.

The refugees have sought safety in Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen, according to Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Kenya received most of the new arrivals – more than 31,400 – with most taken into the Dadaab refugee camp complex. The three camps around Dadaab in eastern Kenya accommodate more than 300,000 Somali refugees.

The majority of the latest group of refugees came from the Bay and Bakol regions of southern and central Somalia, two of the major conflict zones in the country, Ms. Fleming told reporters in Geneva.

"They all spoke of a grim situation inside the country, marked by relentless violence and human rights abuses.  Somali refugees told UNHCR teams about forced conscription by some of the warring parties and crippling drought," she said.

Despite the civil unrest in Yemen and the risks involved, more than 22,000 refugees and migrants from other countries in the Horn of Africa had arrived on Yemeni shores between January and March, according to Ms. Fleming.

Some of the new arrivals told UNHCR officials in Yemen that they were unaware of the political and social upheaval there, while others said they had no option but to flee.

"For these Somali refugees the situation in Yemen was still, by comparison, much safer than the one back home," said Ms. Fleming.

Somalia has had no fully functioning national government and has been wracked by factional warfare since the collapse in 1991 of the administration led by the late Muhammad Siad Barre.

SOMALIA URGENTLY NEEDS HELP OF GLOBAL PARTNERS TO CONSOLIDATE GAINS – UN REPORT


SOMALIA URGENTLY NEEDS HELP OF GLOBAL PARTNERS TO CONSOLIDATE GAINS – UN REPORT

Despite the gains achieved by Somalia's interim Government, the country urgently needs more help from its international partners to tackle a host of challenges and achieve greater stability and peace, says a new United Nations report released today.

In recent months, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allies, with the support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), have gained ground against Al-Shabaab militants, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon notes in his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2011/277">report to the Security Council on Somalia.

The TFG has undertaken efforts to expand its area of control in the capital, Mogadishu, to enhance security for its people, and has also opened new fronts in south-central Somalia and taken control of major towns.

"Now that there has been progress on the security track, the Transitional Federal Government, with the support of its partners, must deliver on the political and development tracks to sustain and consolidate the hard-won gains," Mr. Ban writes.

He says the Horn of Africa nation faces levels of violence, damaging weather conditions and insecurity that would "shake even stable countries," and the TFG and AMISOM need additional support.

"The international community must keep its end of the bargain," he states. "The Transitional Federal Government urgently needs assistance for Mogadishu's stabilization, recovery and reconstruction.

"If we reinforce the military gains, provide humanitarian relief and achieve political progress, we can set Somalia on course to greater stability and peace. If we fail, we risk a growing humanitarian crisis, a deteriorating security situation and a worsening threat to regional peace and stability."

The number of people in Somalia needing humanitarian assistance and livelihood support has reached 2.4 million, an increase of 20 per cent over the previous six months, according to the report. Somalis have been adversely affected by continued civil insecurity, displacement and food insecurity.

Drought and conflict have been the main reasons for new displacements, the report adds, noting that nearly 55,000 people have been displaced owing to drought since December. In addition, almost 16,000 people were displaced in Mogadishu in the first two months of the year owing to heavy fighting.

Mr. Ban also states that the current disagreement among the transitional federal institutions over the extension of the transitional period distracts from the urgency of the manifold tasks that are before them, including providing basic services, recovery and reconstruction, and humanitarian aid.

In February, Somalia's interim Parliament voted to extend its mandate by three years beyond the August deadline by which it was to enact a new constitution ahead of general elections. The move drew criticism from UN officials, who said the decision was made in haste and without the required consultations.

Mr. Ban cites the need for effective leadership to complete the priority transitional tasks, chief among them being the constitution-making process. Other tasks to be completed include political reconciliation and building civilian and security institutions.

The development of the Somali security sector institutions is crucial, as is speeding up the deployment of additional troops for AMISOM. "A stronger AMISOM would help the Transitional Federal Government to bring and sustain more territory under its control and to begin delivering services to the Somali people," he states.


Sunday, May 8, 2011

UN DEMOCRACY FUND SHORTLISTS 65 PROJECTS WORLDWIDE TO RECEIVE SUPPORT


UN DEMOCRACY FUND SHORTLISTS 65 PROJECTS WORLDWIDE TO RECEIVE SUPPORT
New York, May  4 2011  6:10PM
The United Nations Democracy Fund (<"http://www.un.org/democracyfund/">UNDEF) has identified 65 projects – including 10 in the Arab world, the scene of many popular uprisings this year – to receive funding during the current round of disbursements to support democratization efforts.

Of the projects that pre-qualified for funding, 34 per cent are in Africa, 23 per cent in Asia and 15 per cent in the Arab world, including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, according to the latest issue of the UNDEF newsletter, released today.

Thirty-two per cent of the proposals are in community development, followed by 26 per cent in women's empowerment; 15 per cent in youth; 9 per cent in media; 8 in strengthening governance; 6 per cent in rule of law and human rights; and 3 per cent in tools. Overall, 20 per cent specifically address the needs of marginalized communities.

Funding for the proposals, estimated at about $14 million, is now subject to approval by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and to a successful negotiation about the project documents between UNDEF and each shortlisted applicant.

UNDEF received a record 3,754 project proposals for its fifth round of funding – almost twice as many as the average in previous years. The proposals came from organizations in 149 countries, the majority of them local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 230 proposals originated from North Africa and the Middle East.

The shortlist is the product of a thorough process of assessment, quality vetting, due diligence and lessons learned from previous rounds. The proposals were first vetted by a team of six independent international assessors.

The criteria used to assess the quality of the proposals include: impact, the capacity to promote inclusiveness and gender equality, prospects for successful implementation, track record, technical soundness, value for money and prospects of sustainability beyond the project duration.

UNDEF was established by the Secretary-General in 2005 as a UN General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world. It supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.