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The International Somalia Conference 2013 final communique.

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The Somalia Conference took place at Lancaster House on 7 May 2013, co-hosted by the UK and Somalia, and attended by fifty-four friends and partners of Somalia.

We met at a pivotal moment for Somalia. Last year Somalia’s eight-year transition ended and Somalia chose a new, more legitimate Parliament, President and Government. Security is improving, as Somali and AMISOM forces, and their Ethiopian allies, recover towns and routes from Al Shabaab. The number of pirate attacks committed off the coast of Somalia has drastically reduced. The famine has receded. The diaspora have begun to return. The economy is starting to revive.

But many challenges remain. Al Shabaab is still a threat to peace and security. The constitution is not complete. Piracy and terrorism remain threats. Millions still live in Internally Displaced Persons and refugee camps. The country lacks developed government structures, schools, hospitals, sanitation and other basic services.

The Federal Government of Somalia has set out its plans to address these challenges in its Six Pillar Policy. At the Conference, the international community came together to agree practical measures to support the Federal Government’s plans in three key areas – security, justice and public financial management. The Federal Government presented its vision for the implementation of federalism, the adoption of a permanent constitution and holding of elections. We also agreed to work together to tackle sexual violence in Somalia.

We agreed that partnership between Somalia and the international community would form the basis of our future cooperation: the international community is committed to provide coordinated and sustained support for implementation of the Federal Government’s plans.

Political

We agreed that political progress remains the key to ensuring long-term stability for Somalia. We welcomed the Federal Government’s plans to resolve outstanding constitutional issues, including the sharing of power, resources and revenues between the Federal Government and the regions. We further welcomed the Government’s commitment to hold democratic elections in 2016. We reiterated our support for building capacity in democratic institutions throughout Somalia, beginning with support for local elections in Puntland next month.

We welcomed the dialogue on the future structure of Somalia that has begun between the Federal Government and the regions. We welcomed progress on forming regional administrations and looked forward to the completion of that process. We encouraged the regions to work closely with the Federal Government to form a cohesive national polity consistent with the provisional constitution.

We welcomed the IGAD Extraordinary Summit, held in Addis Ababa on 3 May under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, which agreed a framework for dialogue on regional issues. We looked forward to further progress ahead of a meeting of IGAD in the margins of the African Union Summit in May.

We welcomed the dialogue between the Federal Government and Somaliland at Ankara in April 2013 to clarify their future relationship, building on the meeting at Chevening in June 2012, and welcomed the Ankara communiqué. We expressed our appreciation for the facilitating role played by Turkey.

We welcomed the protection of fundamental rights in the constitution, and the Federal Government’s commitment to uphold human rights, including by establishing an independent National Human Rights Commission. We further welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to protect women and children, and take steps to end the involvement of children in armed conflict. We commended the recent visit of the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to Somalia, and the plan for a Somali and international team of experts to make recommendations on how sexual violence could be addressed. We agreed on the important role a free and independent media should play in Somalia, and welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killing of journalists, and to promote press freedom.

Security

We shared the Federal Government’s view that security is the essential prerequisite for further progress in all other spheres. We commended the bravery and commitment of Somali and AMISOM forces, and those fighting alongside them. We expressed appreciation to countries contributing troops and police. We applauded the forces’ successes in freeing towns and routes from Al Shabaab. We reiterated the need for adequate and sustained funding for AMISOM, welcomed partners’ support to date, and called upon new donors to contribute.

We welcomed the Federal Government’s determination to take responsibility for providing Somalia’s security. We welcomed the Government’s plans for national security architecture and for developing its armed forces, including the integration of militias, and police. We welcomed the commitment to ensure that these security structures are accountable, inclusive, proportionate and sustainable; and respect a civilian chain of command, the rule of law, and human rights. We recognised the need for support to help the Government manage disengaged fighters.

We agreed to support implementation of the Federal Government’s security plans including through existing structures. We also agreed to provide assistance which should be coordinated by the Federal Government.

We welcomed the extension of AMISOM’s mandate for a further year in UN Security Council Resolution 2093. We noted the partial suspension of the arms embargo as recognition of political progress, and urged the Federal Government to fulfil its obligations to provide safeguards to protect Somalia’s citizens and neighbours.

We commended the Somalis and international partners for progress made in combating piracy over the last year including the efforts of Puntland and other regional or local governments and welcomed the Federal Government’s Maritime Resource and Security Strategy. We reiterated our determination to work with Somalia to eradicate piracy and other maritime crimes, and expressed our support for the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to establish internationally recognised Somali waters, which will help it protect its abundant maritime resources and revitalise economic activities, as well as end toxic dumping and illegal fishing. We welcomed international support to develop Somali maritime security capacities and looked forward to the UAE conference in Dubai on 11-12 September. We welcomed partners’ continued efforts to bring to justice to those behind piracy and positive, ongoing initiatives in Somalia and the region. We recognized the need for these efforts to be complemented by work on land to generate alternative livelihoods and support communities affected by piracy.

Justice and Policing

We welcomed the Federal Government’s vision for equal access for all to a robust, impartial and effective justice system. We commended its justice action plan setting out immediate priorities for assistance, developed at the National Dialogue on Justice in Mogadishu, and applauded this inclusive dialogue with stakeholders.

We welcomed the Government’s four-year action plan to create an accountable, effective and responsive police service for Somalis. We agreed to align our assistance for both justice and police behind Federal Government plans. We looked forward to the establishment of a Rule of Law Fund, under the leadership of the Federal Government, and invited UNDP and the Federal Government to present the agreed governance and technical arrangements for the fund at the Brussels Conference in September.

We committed to support the Government’s efforts to combat terrorism. An effective and secure criminal justice system, including the establishment and maintenance of prisons administered with respect for human dignity, will be central to Somalia’s ability to tackle terrorism in a human rights-compliant manner and reduce the threat from Al Shabaab in the long-term.

Public Financial Management

The Federal Government set out its determination to tackle corruption, and fund public services. We welcomed the Government’s four-year plan to establish transparent and effective public financial management systems. We encouraged the Federal Government to establish more robust controls through the Ministry of Finance’s operations including public reporting of budgets, expenditure and audits. We committed to coordinate assistance using the structure set out by the Government.

We acknowledged the Government’s financing gap and urgent need for short-term support to pay for salaries and operations while public financial management reforms are underway and until sufficient domestic revenues can be collected. In this context we welcomed the Federal Government’s creation of a Special Financing Facility as an early opportunity for the Federal Government to demonstrate its commitment to financial accountability and transparency.

In line with the outcomes of the G8 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, we welcomed the re-engagement of the International Financial Institutions (the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund), including IMF recognition of the Federal Government and progress made at the Spring Meetings.

We recognised the importance of investment and economic growth to increase domestic revenue. We encouraged investment into Somalia, recognising the important role the diaspora could play.

Rationalisation of Funding

The Federal Government appealed to its international partners to provide funding for Somali national plans. The Federal Government expressed its appreciation for continued bilateral support and asked partners to channel funding through mechanisms agreed with the Federal Government, such as the Special Financing Facility and the Rule of Law Fund, wherever possible. We looked forward to development of a longer term sustainable financing architecture for Somalia including a World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund which will be important on the path to normalisation of Somalia’s financial relationship with the International Financial Institutions.

Stabilisation

We welcomed the Federal Government’s efforts to develop major initiatives on stabilization, including a comprehensive strategy on disengaged fighters, alternative dispute resolution and at-risk youth. The Federal Government appealed for immediate support for stabilisation projects, to enable local administrations to provide services for their people.

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

We recognised the importance of scaling up efforts to create the conditions for the voluntary return and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees, in accordance with international law. We praised neighbouring countries for providing protection and assistance for refugees, and agreed to continue supporting them in shouldering this burden. We recognised that the return of refugees and IDPs should take place within a context of increased security conditions and livelihoods opportunities. We endorsed the tripartite dialogue initiated by the Somali and Kenyan governments alongside UNHCR to develop modalities and a framework for safe, orderly, sustainable return and resettlement of Somali refugees on a voluntary basis, and looked forward to the forthcoming conference in Nairobi.

Role of Multilateral Organisations and International Support

We recognised the role of the United Nations and the African Union in Somalia and welcomed their commitment to a strengthened strategic partnership. We underlined the importance of close coordination by both organisations with the Federal Government, other international and regional organisations, and Member States. We welcomed the creation of a new UN Assistance Mission (UNSOM) in Somalia and urged the UN to deploy the mission by the target date of 3 June. We recognised the important role of Somalia’s neighbours in promoting long-term stability in the region, and encouraged IGAD to continue to work to promote dialogue and mutual understanding. We underlined the importance of EU action through its commitments in the fields of security, development and humanitarian aid. We also recognised the role of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

We recognised the valuable support provided by bilateral partners, and encouraged them to continue their efforts in coordination with others.

We acknowledged that the Somalia Conference was one of a series of events in 2013 aimed at providing international support to Somalia. We looked forward to the planned Special Conference on Somalia on the socio-economic development agenda in the margins of the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in late May. Taking note of the Federal Government’s commitment to implement the New Deal engagement in fragile states in the form of a Compact, we welcomed Somalia’s efforts to develop an overarching reconstruction plan encompassing Somali priorities on inclusive politics, security, justice, economic foundations, revenue and services. We looked forward to the EU/Somalia Conference in Brussels in September.

Conclusion

The Conference agreed that Somalia had made significant progress. We congratulated all who had made that possible, notably the Somali people, Federal Government, Members of Parliament, civil society and diaspora. We commended the sustained commitment of Somalia’s international partners, and urged continued results-orientated support. We recognised the need to consolidate progress quickly and reiterated our determination to support Somalia over the long-term.

Source: www.gov.uk

 

Somalia asks for more funds at London conference

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Somalia asks for more funds at London conference to aid its recent gains in security, justice

LONDON (AP) — Somalia’s president urged donors at an international conference Tuesday to provide “considerable investment and support” for his beleaguered government, arguing that the fate of his country and the region hangs in the balance.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and British Prime Minister David Cameron were co-hosting the conference in London that aimed to bolster Mohamud’s government in Mogadishu.

“There is a huge amount at stake right now,” Mohamud told the delegates. “The future of our country, the security of the region, and the wider world, and the removal of the piracy stranglehold on the Gulf of Aden.”

Somalia was expected to detail its plans to develop the country’s security forces, justice sector and financial management systems in hopes of getting more international aid.

The British prime minister praised the gains made in Somalia over the past year, saying that extremism is in retreat, piracy attacks are down and the government is moving ahead.

“After two decades of bloodshed and some of the worst poverty on earth, hope is alive in Somalia,” Cameron said. “Now it is time to fulfill the hope for the people of Somalia. That is what they have been living and waiting for, and we must not let them down.”

Cameron acknowledged that the east African nation still faces huge challenges from poverty, malnourishment and extremism.

“These challenges are not just issues for Somalia,” Cameron told the conference. “When young minds are poisoned by radicalism, and they go on to export terrorism and extremism, the security of the whole world, including people here in Britain, is at stake. “

He said support for Somalia must include humanitarian relief and helping the Somali government provide security — which includes protecting women from sexual attacks — as well as stability and services.

Donors should help Somalia develop a transparent government so it can access the funding it needs, Cameron said, adding that Britain will commit 10 million pounds ($15.5 million) to help develop Somalia’s armed forces and 14.5 million pounds ($22.5 million) toward increasing the number of police officers and training judges and lawyers.

Delegates at the conference included a number of African heads of state and representatives from the IMF and the World Bank.

The meeting came under harsh criticism from Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliate that seeks to overthrow the Mogadishu-based government and install an Islamic one.

Al-Shabab, which counts several hundred foreign fighters among its ranks, controlled Mogadishu from roughly 2006 to 2011 until African Union troops forced it out of the capital. The group still controls wide swaths of south-central Somalia.

Al-Shabab leader Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr released an audiotape over the weekend in which he called Tuesday’s meeting a plot to “plunder” Somalia’s mineral wealth “under the guise of international trade relations and fighting corruption.” He said the international community wanted to discard Islamic law in Somalia and replace it with Western laws and constitutions.

Zubeyr also urged his followers to increase suicide attacks to “permanently cripple” Mohamud’s government. The next day a suicide car bomb attack in the Somali capital killed at least seven people.

Zubeyr blames the area’s tensions over land and ethnicity on Britain’s colonial-era partitioning of Somalia between Kenya and Ethiopia.

Mohamud, the president, was inaugurated in September at the end of an eight-year U.N.-backed transitional government.

 Source: AP

British warning at Somalia peace conference

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British Prime Minister David Cameron warned on Tuesday that failure to support the rebuilding of Somalia would lead to “terrorism and mass migration”, as he opened an international conference aimed at helping to end more than 20 years of conflict.

Representatives of more than 50 countries and organisations attended the London meeting, which is co-hosted by Cameron and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The meeting is aimed at boosting political stability in the impoverished Horn of Africa country, which has had no effective government since 1991.

It is also expected to pledge action on rape, which the United Nations says is “pervasive” in Somalia.

Opening the conference, Cameron praised improvements in Somalia’s security in recent months, but warned that huge challenges remained in preventing it from sliding back into abject lawlessness.

“To anyone who says this isn’t a priority or we can’t afford to deal with it, I would say that is what we’ve said in the past and look where it has got us — terrorism and mass migration,” Cameron said.

“These challenges are not just issues for Somalia. They matter to Britain — and to the whole international community. Why? Because when young minds are poisoned by radicalism and they go on to export terrorism and extremism, the security of the whole world is at stake.”

Britain has raised eyebrows by inviting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces an international trial for crimes against humanity, to the meeting.

A British government source said the invitation counted as “essential contact” with Kenyatta, who is due to go on trial at the International Criminal Court in July.

Downing Street said Kenya played a “vital” role in Somalia, because it has nearly 5,000 troops stationed there and it hosts more Somali refugees than any other nation.

The UN, African Union and International Monetary Fund are among the organisations attending.

Somalia has been battered by conflict since 1991 but a new UN-backed government took power in September, ending more than a decade of transitional rule.

Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants were driven out of the Somali capital Mogadishu by African troops in August 2011, but the Islamists have carried out a series of brutal attacks in recent months.

About a dozen people were killed in the city on Sunday when a suicide bomber rammed a car full of explosives into a government convoy carrying officials from Qatar. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

Despite the unrest, Somalia appears to be slowly turning a corner, with businesses reporting growth in activity. Business is booming at the country’s ports in particular.

Britain last month became the first EU country to re-open an embassy there since the conflict broke out, while the UN Security Council set up a special mission to Somalia last week that will bring in up to 200 security, human rights, political and financial experts to work with the fledgling government.

Somalia’s president urged the international community to pour investment into his country, arguing that his government’s progress over the last year had defied sceptics.

“We are here today to begin a four-year process that must begin with considerable investment and support but which I hope will finish with very little,” he told the conference.

“My vision is for a federal Somalia at peace with itself and its neighbours and which poses no threat to the world; a Somalia with a resurgent economy.”

Mohamud’s government remains weak, and large parts of Somalia are still carved up between rival militias.

Pirates operating from the Somali coast are still causing trouble for international shipping companies, although Cameron said piracy had dropped 80 percent since London hosted the first Somalia conference in February 2012.

A second conference was held in Istanbul four months later.

Campaigners Human Rights Watch say rape by soldiers and gunmen is an “enormous problem” in Somalia.

Britain and the UAE last month announced £1 million ($1.6 million, 1.2 million euros) each to help tackle sexual violence.

More than a million Somalis are refugees in surrounding nations and another million are displaced inside the country, often living in terrible conditions.

Somalia was also hit by a terrible famine between 2010 and 2012, leaving almost 260,000 people dead, half of them children, according to the UN.

 Source: AFP

Somaliland: London hosts Somalia meeting to aid post-war gains

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London hosts international Somalia conference to aid post-war gains in security, justice

 

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s president over the weekend received the country’s first pieces of mail in more than two decades. It’s the kind of small but hopeful development that leaders meeting in London on Tuesday want to see more of.

Britain and Somalia on Tuesday co-host an international donors’ conference that aims to provide international support for the Somali government as it continues to leave behind two decades of conflict.

Though Mogadishu still suffers from intermittent terror attacks by the Islamic extremists of al-Shabab, including a car bomb Sunday that killed at least seven people, the capital is much more peaceful today than in years past, when deadly battles took place daily.

The weekend mail delivery to Mogadishu came courtesy of the United Nations Postal Administration. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent letters to Somalia’s president.

“It’s a victory and a sign of development. We have received the first letters now, and we are going to process sending letters soon,” said Abdullahi Elmoge Nor, Somalia’s Minister of Information, Telecoms and Transport.

At the London conference Somalia is set to share its plans to develop the country’s security forces, justice sector and financial management systems. International donors are likely to pledge aid to help get Somalia’s plans moving. Britain said in February it would give 3 million pounds ($4.7 million), with a large chunk intended to help train Somali lawmakers.

Eradicating sexual violence — a cause championed by British Foreign Secretary William Hague — will also be on the agenda. In the run-up to the conference Britain and the United Arab Emirates announced 2 million pounds ($3.1 million) in joint funding to help tackle sexual violence in Somalia.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it expected representatives of “nearly 50 governments,” as well as groups like the United Nations, the African Union, the World Bank, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League. Also expected to attend is Kenya’s new President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges at the International Criminal Court for allegations connected to 2007-08 post-election violence.

After Sunday’s attack in Mogadishu, Britain’s Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said the bombing demonstrated the importance for the Somali government and international partners to work together to combat extremism. Gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Mogadishu’s Supreme Court complex last month, killing more than 35 people.

Despite the attacks, new construction is up in the capital. New restaurants have opened and citizens are participating in sports leagues, which had been banned by the extremists. Britain last month opened an embassy in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years.

Human Rights Watch urged international donors meeting in London to make accountability and women’s rights a priority. It also said the government should exclude power brokers who violate human rights from any role in the security forces.

“International goodwill for the new Somali leadership and its proposed reforms should not mean unqualified support,” said David Mepham, Britain director at Human Rights Watch.

The Somalia NGO Consortium — a group of civil society actors — noted that Somalia’s new constitution requires the implementation of federalism but has not yet done so.

The northern Somali region of Somaliland — a semiautonomous region that has been agitating for years for independence — is not attending the conference despite the fact that furthering dialogue between the governments of Mogadishu and Somaliland had been one of the goals of the conference.

 Source:AP

Bomb hits convoy carrying Qataris in Somalia, eight dead

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MOGADISHU (Reuters) – A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a convoy carrying Qatari officials through the center of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least eight Somalis, officials said.

The visiting delegation of Qataris, who were traveling in the Somali interior minister’s bullet-proof vehicle, were “safe”, a security officer told Reuters, without going into further detail. The minister was not in the car at the time.

The Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack and threatened further strikes against Somalia’s government, which it called a “puppet” of Western powers.

“More explosions are on the way,” al Shabaab’s military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters by telephone.

The al Qaeda-linked rebels, who want to impose their version of Islamic law or sharia on the country, have kept up a campaign of guerrilla-style attacks since African peacekeepers pushed them out of bases in the city and other major towns.

Western powers, long worried Somalia is a launch pad for militant Islam in east Africa and beyond, fear it could slide back into chaos if security forces cannot cement security gains.

The blast tore through the busy ‘Kilometre 4’ road junction in the center of Mogadishu’s commercial and administrative district, hurling metal debris over a wide area. Nearby buildings were blackened and power cables hung loose from poles.

It was not clear in the confusion that followed the blast how many people had been killed. A coordinator for Mogadishu’s emergency services said ambulances had carried away the 15 bodies.

Earlier, the chairman of the city’s Hodan district, where the attack took place, told reporters at the blast site eight people had died.

“A silver 4×4 sped around the roundabout blaring its horn as it chased the convoy,” college student Abdullahi Ismail told Reuters at the scene, nursing a gash in his forehead. “It hit the last car in the convoy.”

LONDON CONFERENCE

Qatar has been forging closer political ties with Somalia in recent years as it seeks to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa region.

Sunday’s bomb was a stark reminder of two decades of civil strife in a country where the central government depends heavily on a near 18,000-strong African peacekeeping force for its survival.

While there has been a significant improvement in the coastal capital since African Union troops drove the Islamist al Shabaab group out of the city in 2011, the attack showed the relative ease with which the militants can still strike.

Parts of Mogadishu were in lock-down last week after security officials received a tip-off about an imminent attack, but security was relaxed on Saturday.

The ‘Kilometre 4’ intersection connects the city’s fortified airport, where the United Kingdom opened an embassy on April 25, with the presidential palace, parliament and other ministries.

The state of Somalia’s security forces will top the agenda at conference in London on May 7. Britain and Somalia are hoping to use the event to drum up more international support at a time when al Shabaab are weakened as a fighting force but can still inflict devastating strikes.

Civil war after the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 left Somalia without effective central government and awash with weapons. The turmoil opened the doors for piracy to flourish in the Gulf of Aden and deeper into the Indian Ocean.

Source: Reuters

Somalia: No hijacking by Somali pirates in nearly a year

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UNITED NATIONS   — The fight against Somali pirates has been so effective that they haven’t been able to mount a successful hijacking in nearly a year, the chair of the global group trying to combat the pirates said Thursday.

U.S. diplomat Donna Leigh Hopkins credits the combined efforts of international naval forces and stepped-up security on ships including the use of armed guards. But there are also other factors including the jailing of some 1,140 Somali pirate in 21 countries “which started deglamorizing piracy,” she said.

Somali pirates hijacked 46 ships in 2009, 47 in 2010, but only 25 in 2011, an indication that new on-board defenses were working. In 2012, there were just 75 attacks reported off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden — down from 237 attacks in 2011 — and only 14 ships were hijacked, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

“Pirate attacks are down by at least 75 percent,” Hopkins said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“There are still pirate attacks being attempted but there has not been a successful hijacking since May 2012,” she said. “May 12 will be the one year anniversary of no successful hijacking off the coast of Somalia.”

Combating the pirates was discussed at a meeting at the U.N. Wednesday of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia which includes over 85 countries as well as international organizations and private sector representatives.

Hopkins, the group’s chair, and Danish Ambassador Thomas Winkler, who chairs its legal committee, stressed that there’s no room for complacency, citing safe havens for pirates on the northern Somali coast and ransoms in the millions of dollars to release hijacked ships and crews that continue to attract young men to piracy.

Winkler said in an interview that prosecuting more than a thousand pirates and transferring a significant number to Somali prisons where conditions are grim appears to be having a preventive effect.

“The number of active pirates is perhaps 3,000,” Winkler said. “So if you put a thousand behind bars, and 300-400 die every year at sea from hunger (or) drowning … you will quickly come down” in numbers.

Hopkins said ships from NATO, the European Union, China, Russia and many other countries have succeeded in disrupting and discouraging Somali pirates but they haven’t given up and still roam a huge part of the Indian Ocean as well as the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden looking for vessels to hijack.

The last successful hijacking — on May 12, 2012 — was of the MV Smyrni, a Greek-registered oil tanker less than two years old loaded with crude worth tens of millions of dollars that was released after 11 months of negotiations and payment of “a record-breaking ransom nearing $15 million,” Hopkins said.

“In my opinion, it is a poster child for what happens when ship owners don’t employ the best management practices … to prevent your ship from being hijacked,” she said. “They did none of them, and they got exactly what one might expect. They got hijacked and they paid a very heavy price for it.”

Hopkins said that while “not a single ship that has employed armed security has ever been hijacked,” there are also many other security measures that have proven effective including training crew members and posting lookouts.

How optimistic is Hopkins that there won’t be a hijacking before May 12?

“I’m not going to count days,” she said. “Every day without a successful attack is a good day.”

 Source: AP

Kenyan leader, charged by ICC, invited to Somalia meeting in London

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By Edmund Blair

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, is expected to visit London at Britain’s invitation next week for a conference on Somalia.

It will be his first trip to a Western capital since his election in March. Britain and other countries said before his victory that, if he won, they would only have “essential contacts” with him because of the court case.

“Kenya is a vital partner on Somalia and we judge our contact according to the issue concerned,” a spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office said.

Kenya was playing a crucial role in stabilising neighbouring Somalia and housing refugees, he added.

A source close to the Kenyan presidency and a diplomat both said Kenyatta was likely to travel to the meeting, which aims to build international support for Somalia, where Kenyan troops have battled Islamist militants.

The move reflected the West’s desire to keep Kenya as a stable ally at the expense of other principles, Kenyan rights activist GeorgeMorara said.

“It is a U-turn in the UK and the Western world’s approach to the whole issue of impunity,” Morara said.

The March election passed off peacefully, a relief to many Kenyans after ethnic violence erupted following the vote five years ago. The charges against Kenyatta’s in The Hague relate to allegations he had a role in orchestrating bloodshed last time.

Western states view Kenya as an ally in their battle against Islamist militancy in the region and it has sent about 5,000 troops to Somalia as part of an African force that has driven back al Shabaab Islamist fighters.

The British spokesman said the decision to invite Kenyatta was taken in part because the president had committed to cooperating with the court in The Hague.

Britain’s high commissioner (ambassador) to Kenya, Christian Turner, whose remarks about essential contacts had angered Kenyatta’s backers in the former British colony, offered the invitation during a meeting with him on Wednesday.

After the election result, Western diplomats had privately indicated that they would take a pragmatic or “flexible” approach in assessing the level of contacts with Kenyatta, 51.

As well as concerns about alienating an ally, Western powers are wary of jeopardising trade ties with east Africa’s biggest economy and worry the diplomatic wrangle could open the way for China and other Asian states to extend their influence.

Source: Reuters

Somalia’s security forces hamstrung by corruption, infiltrators

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By Richard Lough and Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s security forces need rebuilding to cement gains made by foreign troops against Islamist militants, but how to pay and arm recruits, tackle corruption and prevent rebels infiltrating their ranks remain hurdles for the cash-strapped government.

Proving the dire state of the Somali forces, when Islamist gunmen attacked a court in Mogadishu in April, police said they couldn’t tell who was friend or foe, while members of the force say a $100-a-month salary is not enough to inspire loyalty.

“Shoe shiners have a better life,” said a junior police officer, who only gave his name as Hussein. “They are not targets and they get a better income.”

Emerging from two decades of anarchy, security gains in the past two years have been made largely thanks to African peacekeepers spearheading the fight against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels.

Western powers, long worried Somalia is a launch pad for militant Islam in east Africa and beyond, fear the nation could slide back into chaos if local forces cannot cement gains.

How to overhaul its security forces will top the agenda at a May 7 conference in London, where Britain and Somalia will seek more international support at a time al Shabaab are weakened and piracy off the Horn of Africa is at an all-time low.

A threat by Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia has raised questions over how the stretched African Union peacekeeping force, known as AMISOM, would be able to plug the gap and highlighted the need for Somalia to build its own capacities.

“Somali armed forces need building up, their police need expanding,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague told Reuters when he re-opened Britain’s embassy in Mogadishu.

“There are many huge challenges and dangers that remain and the world mustn’t think that we have solved all the problems or that its help isn’t needed,” he said. Washington and Brussels already help pay African troops and Somalia’s forces.

Hague said Britain’s permanent diplomatic presence signaled London’s confidence, although the makeshift embassy’s four metal cabins lie behind two blast walls within the fortified airport.

Elected in September, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said security was “priority number one, two and three”.

PEACEKEEPERS

It is clear why. Mohamud’s government depends on the 18,000 or so African troops to survive, and the poorly armed, poorly paid and ill-disciplined military is in no position to take over.

When Ethiopia grumbled AMISOM was not doing enough to take over places its troops had secured and withdrew in a huff from Hudur, near Ethiopia’s border, al Shabaab retook the dusty town.

That signaled how swiftly al Shabaab, now largely confined to rural areas, could regroup if any vacuum is left. Diplomats do not expect Ethiopia to leave the African troops stranded.

“It is not in Addis Ababa or anyone’s interest to see al Shabaab move back in. Ethiopia clearly understands that,” a senior Western diplomat said. “But now we have to tie up what AMISOM is doing and what the Somali National Army is doing.”

More a collection of rival militias than a cohesive fighting force, the army lacks sophisticated command structures and has been dogged by soldiers selling off their guns and uniforms.

Frequently that gear ends up in Mogadishu’s markets, or in the hands of al Shabaab. More worrying, security officials say, is the number of militants infiltrating the armed forces.

In the April attack on the capital’s law courts, the attackers were disguised in official military fatigues.

During the chaotic gun battle, a Reuters photographer saw one group of soldiers point their guns at another group, also in uniform. “Hey stop, who are you? Go back!” They too raised their rifles and replied “We are security forces, and who are you?”

“EAT YOUR BULLETS”

Mistrust is not limited to those in Somalia’s forces. Somalia’s allies are also wary. The United Nations has partially lifted an arms embargo, allowing in light weapons to help Somali forces, but has maintained a ban on heavy arms.

“They have to visibly demonstrate they can control what they buy and receive before we go further,” said a Western official.

President Mohamud and foreign powers say security sector reform must extend beyond the military to the police force which officially numbers around 6,000, nearly all of whom are in Mogadishu – reflecting the government’s limited reach.

Plans to add 4,000 more would still leave the national force less than a third the size of New York city’s police department.

A government-approved strategic plan for the police force acknowledged some officers have never received any training while others learned their trade as militia loyal to warlords.

One diplomat said foreign assistance to the police force amounted to “life support”. More generosity may be required to make it a more professional security operation.

“If only we could get $500 a month, al Shabaab would be extinct,” said a second officer who identified himself as Omar. “We would stand in the alleyways day and night and pick them off like ripe bananas.”

Source: Reuters

Somali President Says Terrorists Are Defeated

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Al Shabaab terrorists operating in Somalia have been “defeated as a fighting force” after decades of creating havoc, according to the country’s president.

But President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned that the extremists are an international network with links to al Qaeda and they still have the ability to mount attacks both inside Somalia and abroad.

The president is travelling to England next week to jointly chair an international conference with the British Prime Minister on Somalia’s future.

He will be trying to convince backers like Britain and America that, despite more than two decades of financial support, their help is not only still needed but as crucial as ever.

“Somalia is so close to coming out of the quagmire,” he told Sky News in his only television interview ahead of the conference.

“I say, please bear with us and stretch your patience just a little bit and you will get the kind of Somalia you have been dreaming of for 22 years.”

The president is the first elected leader in more than two decades and is heading up the first permanent government in that time.

He has only been in his job for eight months but with United Nations support there finally seems to be some progress in a country known as being the world’s most fragile state.

International money along with the 18,000 African Union peacekeepers in the country has meant tentative stability in a nation more used to war.

The extremists have mostly been driven out of the capital Mogadishu and the joint Somali and African Union troops continue to take territory once held by the Islamists.

Many Somalis who once fled to safety in exile are now returning from their bolt holes around the world to set up businesses and live once again in their homeland.

There are big efforts to train the newly bolstered national army and police force, and the first permanent government is widely seen as legitimate and progressive.

But the terrorists’ capacity to wreak havoc was demonstrated just a few weeks ago when al Shabaab extremists stormed the capital’s court buildings, firing guns and setting off explosions.

The attack triggered a gunfight between the terrorists and the Somali security forces and at least 20 people were killed.

And over the past few days the capital has been virtually locked down due to fears of another attack.

But there is still a definite feeling of confidence among the Somali forces and the African Union peacekeepers that progress is being made bit by bit.

Colonel Kassim Roble is one of the returning diaspora, lured back to his motherland after becoming convinced Somalia has turned the corner.

He had spent the previous eight years in Leicester before deciding to return home last year.

“Security is getting better every day, every month, every hour,” he told Sky from the newly renovated Ministry of Defence in the capital. “We are in charge of 85% to 90% of the city (of Mogadishu).”

He put much of the change down to a fresh focus by the country’s new president who has insisted funds be used to improve conditions for the troops with better salaries, better food and better training.

“The morale is now very good,” said the colonel.

His words were echoed by peacekeepers from the African Union who are involved in helping secure areas but also mentoring and training the Somali security forces.

“Peace is coming back to Somalia,” one Nigerian commander said. “The people are out on the streets, doing business again. The danger is not so much now. There’s is a lot of difference even since a few months ago.”

But the insecurity is never far away and there are concerns that without international community help, the fragile stability will shatter and be reversed.

“Al Shabaab is an international operation. They are operating inside Somalia but they are part of an international terror network,” the president told Sky News.

“Somalia is just a small country, ill-equipped and ill-trained. Shabaab is defeated as a fighting force. Soon there will be no front line or no place they are in control of.

“But when they are defeated militarily, the way they work is they go into the society – so the suicide bombers and roadside bombings and grenade-throwing will go on for some time.

“But they will be defeated. They are about to be defeated and they are on the run.”

Source: Sky news

Somalia: Somali pirates release Danish vessel with six crew

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Nairobi, May 2 (IANS) Having kept the Danish coaster — M/V Leopard — in their custody for two years, Somali pirates have released it along with six crew members, a Kenyan maritime official said Wednesday.

The vessel which was captured in January 2011 was released Tuesday with the crew, reported Xinhua citing Seafarers’ Union of Kenya secretary general Andrew Mwangura.

“The two Danish and the four Philippine sea men have very recently been released off the Somali coast and are now in safe surroundings,” Mwangura said.

The Danish owned vessel was attacked by pirates while underway Jan 12, 2011.

During the attack two Danish sailors and four Filipino crew members of the vessel were kidnapped from the ship and taken ashore in Somalia.

Source: IANS