Hargeisa, 3 July 2009 – Egyptian police shot dead two Somali migrants on Thursday who tried to slip across the Sinai desert border into Israel, security sources said, as violence against migrants picked up at the sensitive frontier.
The killings bring to at least six the number of African migrants killed since mid-May at the border.
Egypt for years tolerated tens of thousands of African migrants on its territory, but its attitude hardened after it came under pressure over the past two years to halt a steady flow of Africans trying to cross the border into Israel.
Its border with the Jewish state is a main transit route for migrants and refugees, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, seeking work or asylum in Israel.
In November, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called on Egypt to stop the shootings. There were no killings between mid-December and mid-May, although the reason for the abrupt halt was not clear.
Egyptian security forces shot dead at least 28 migrants at the border last year, and deported hundreds of Eritrean asylum seekers back to Asmara despite objections from the United Nations, which feared they would face torture at home.
Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir has resigned after three decades in power. AHMED YOSRI/EPA
Mogadishu, Jul 3, 2009 – Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, acknowledged Sudan’s support to the government of Somalia in its pursuit to realize stability, security and reconciliation in Somalia.
Al-Bashir delivered these remarks after met the President of Somalia
Sheikh Sharif Ahmad at the sidelines of the 13th Summit conference of
the African Union, currently in session in Sirte.
He explained during the meeting, which reviewed the situations in
Somalia, that Sudan will spare no efforts to realize the security and
stability in Somalia, considering its relations with all the Somali parties.
Elsewhere, the 13th summit of the African Union continues. The AU
Commission chairman, Jean Ping, has expressed concern over increasing
and serious political tensions and persistent conflicts in Africa.
He mentioned Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Niger. However, he called
on the heads of state to pay particular attention to Somalia where the
transitional government is threatened with the advance of radical
Islamists. Brazilian president also calls for partnerships for investing in Africa.
Also the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has expressed support
for the arms given to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
[TFG] by the United States and called upon other countries to follow
suite and provide support in stabilizing the war torn country.
Speaking to the media, the Ugandan president said he has discussed the issue of supporting the Somali government with senior African
officials and that he will continue seeking broader support for the
TFG. He called upon all countries in the United Nations to provide
whatever support they are able to give to the TFG at this time.
The statement by Museveni comes at a time when the United States
government last week said it has given the TFG arms. Museveni also
dismissed claims that arms given to the TFG by the United States is
likely to worsen the situation in Somalia and called upon groups that
are opposed to the TFG to give reconciliation talks a chance. He urged
the opposition to stop the fighting and give the government a time
frame during which they should be able to prepare for national elections.
Uganda peacekeepers are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia
[Amisom] troops deployed in the country as part of the AU force and
provide backup to the TFG and usually come under fire from armed
groups that are opposed to the TFG.
By Abdinasir Mohamed
Email: abdinasir4@gmail.com
Mogadishu-Somalia
Los Angeles, Jul 3, 2009 — The family of Michael Jackson is considering a traditional Muslim burial for the pop icon who had converted to Islam months prior to his death, says a new report.
X 17 online, a celebrity website reported quoting sources close to the family that Jackson’s newfound will states that he will be buried in the traditions of his new faith.
“The family is considering following the Muslim burial traditions because Michael would have wanted to be laid to rest in keeping with his new-found religious beliefs. Michael’s brother Jermaine is educating the family as to the special rites,” the source said Jackson had reportedly converted to Islam in November last year and taken the name of ‘Mikhaail’.
Meanwhile, a public viewing of the performer will take place on Friday at his fantasy themed abode California ranch, Neverland. There has been no official confirmation from Jackson’s family on the location where his body will be laid to rest.
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 01: Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on an initiative called "Make It In America" that includes various job creation legislation. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Hargeisa, 2 July 2009 – Amazing it is how some of the websites talk about the refusal of Somaliland government to participate at the so-called Washington meeting. It is also clear that most of those websites misunderstood or are just misguided by the declaration of Mr Donald Payne about Somaliland refusal. But my reaction and I believe most of the reactions of all Somaliland lovers are moments of joys and happiness. Yes, we are all proud of our government. Let me explain myself.
The other day I was reading an article written by our honorable Mr. Dalmar kaahin and I remember one the quotation of Mr. Kaahin which says: “And because the hearing is convened in Washington doesn’t mean Somaliland will jump on the wagon to join the meeting.” This is absolutely right. Somaliland came because of the will of its people and we will not surrender our hardly gained freedom because an American congressman invited us to reconcile with the south.
The Somaliland government did the right thing by refusing to participate in this meeting, and our government was just doing his job because it was elected to protect the interest of the Somaliland people and it is not in our interest to lower ourselves and surrender our will because a “congressman” says so. Somaliland answers only to God and to its own people.
It is also clear that Mr. Payne was upset when he said: “If they (Somaliland) want to be isolated I will do all I can to isolate them”.
Too many questions arise here:
Is it the meeting really held in Washington? The United States?
The symbol of the free world? It is true that Mr. Payne represent the voice of the United States government?
How dare a United States congressman is talking about suppressing the will of a given people by “isolating them”?
More questions are asked and more answers come out. Let me try to give an honest picture of what is going on here.
It is clear that the United States will not recognize Somaliland as long as the USA interest is to satisfy the Arab world specially Egypt (Which is the most furious opponent of Somaliland sovereignty) for different economic and political reasons. But this will not discourage us because the feeling of freedom and the notion of statehood are something that the Somaliland people are enjoying for 19 years and only God can remove this will.
We all know that the so called International communities are self interest so do the Somaliland people too.
However in order to fulfill its own interest somebody has to be realistic, the international community has to be realistic, Mr. Payne need to be realistic. How long it will take to the international community to understand that the key for Somalia stability is in Somaliland? How many more billions of dollars they will be wasting for a factious government (TFG) before they realize that they are wrong? The first thing that I leaned in Political Science at the university it that: “Politics is the art of the possible”. Somaliland is not a Possibility, it is a Reality. So if the international community needs to stabilize Somalia they need to see the only reality this region, Somaliland.
Some people (especially Somaliland enemies) believe that the key to Somaliland destruction is to not recognize it internationally but they forgot that Somaliland people survived 19 years of isolation and ignorance of the international community; can Mr. Payne do more than that? I really doubt.
And then what was this meeting all about? What were the purposes and results of this meeting? The answer of this question is nothing, absolutely nothing. It was just a mean for Mr. Payne to show to the congress that he is doing some progress on the Somali nightmare.
This meeting was Mr. Payne’s meeting not the United States government. And we can understand Mr. Payne frustration because he did not realize his personal wishes.
I will advise to Mr. Payne to go back and read the history of the Somaliland people then understand the psychology and what is going on inside the mind of a hard working Somaliland patriot, you may me chocked, probably you will hate him but you will never underestimate him.
God bless the land of my fathers, Somaliland.
Jibril Y. Omar
Kabul, Afghanistan
Views expressed in the opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial
Emily will be writing about her experience in Somaliland and will be offering tips to anyone who may want to visit the unrecognized republic along the way – discover Somaliland from a Non-Somali perspective. This is her fourth article – Perception versus Reality.
Hargeisa, Jul 2, 2009 — Tempting as it is to disprove the false and generally negative images of Somaliland worldwide, which are plentiful, I find myself struggling to find a balance between writing only about positive aspects of the country, and thus overlooking some less attractive truths of this very real place, while at the same time I am hesitant to say anything that may be perceived as negative because I want to promote this country which is housing me, feeding me, and caring for my life. Ultimately I have decided to try my best to leave my (positive) biases at the door, because if I don’t expand on the aspects of Somaliland that could be improved upon, I am cheating you, not being true to myself, and also could be hurting the country. It is with these thoughts in mind that I continue to type. I will also keep posting pictures so you can see for yourself those beautiful and ugly things which I am recounting.
I think you will be happy to know that I just returned from my first visit outside of Hargeisa. I spent 6 days in the “wild west” along with my co-workers, which was a great opportunity to learn more about the political and social dynamics of Somaliland and to talk openly about the elections which are scheduled to take place in September. As you may know, the elections have already been postponed and the current president (Dahir Rayaale) has been in power for seven years. The more people I talk to, the more I realize how few people trust or support the current regime for various reasons, including its lackadaisical attitude, corruption, and false promises. At the same time, Rayaale has not been causing physical harm to the people, there have been no killings or false arrests or things like that, peace is real, and so the Somaliland community at large is sitting back, afraid to disturb the peace because they know what war is. So it is a strange situation, where most people have lost faith in the government, even strongly oppose it, but they are willing to sacrifice anything—including employment, education, health services, and economic development— to preserve peace. I am not sure what this will mean for the upcoming elections, but I guess they will reveal themselves in the upcoming months.
Now that I’ve put the heavy stuff out in the open, let me tell you a story. Last week I was complaining to a friend of mine that there are no girls playing sports here, and I feel like I will get fat just sitting, working, eating, and sometimes walking. He told me that was not true, that just next to my office there is a place where girls play basketball. I thought he was joking, but sure enough he took me to this club and we saw about 20 girls donned in hijabs playing basketball, really going at it, and also playing soccer on the other side of the court. I wanted to go join them but I felt too shy. My friend was insistent though, he motioned at one of the girls and she walked over and greeted us. She took me by the hand and practically dragged me into the sports club, and after a few minutes I felt happy and comfortable and even got my hands on the ball. It was great fun—we played a full game, just girls, and they thought it was so funny when I scored. I agreed to come every week to play with them, and intend to keep my word.
Finally, some pictures and commentary. The first picture shows the landscape and some traditional Somali houses—or “aqal Soomaali”. Around the houses are small bushes which are prickly, and people dry their clothes on them because even strong winds do not force the clothes off of the bushes.
aqal Soomaali
The next picture is scenery from the drive between Borame and Baki, where there are beautiful layers of mountains and because this region gets more rain, you can see greenery and farms. There are few areas in Somaliland that support farming, and historically the population is a nomadic one, reliant mostly on cattle and grazing. In fact, the slogan for all Somalis is “nabad iyo caano” which means “peace and milk”. It is a very accurate phrase which reflects the necessities for a good life. For a foreigner the word “peace” is obvious, but why “milk”? Well, if your camels produce large quantities of milk, not only can it sustain you and also be sold, but it means the land is fertile; there is water and abundant rains. So you have enough to live off of economically and physically, and now you just need peace.
Borama mountains
In contrast to the beautiful and natural mountains, and as one person commented in my last article, it is impossible to ignore the piles of trash scattered about. One reflection of the weak government and perhaps finances is the lack of planned trash disposal or collection in Somaliland. I still feel guilty every time I litter, even though it is the only way to dispose of trash.
So I included this picture of the trash mountains in Borama, which are next to a busy soccer field, in an area of stunning natural beauty.
Mountains of trash around Borama
It is my hope that trash collection will improve here, as it could provide a lot of jobs aside from the obvious health and environmental benefits, but I also know that I have been to other countries with the same problem, and the fact is that when you are worrying about finding employment and safety and caano, trash collection is not the first thing on your “to do” list.
Finally, I included a picture of downtown Borama to give you an illustration of a different city. Both Hargeisa and Borama are constantly bustling, the restaurants don’t close until after 11pm and there are always people socializing on the streets.
Borama city – capital of Awdal, once the powerful Adal kingdom that ruled horn of Africa including Ethiopia
That’s all for now. I hope you have enjoyed reading.
This short film was emailed to us by one of our reader Rashid Nur, whom we would like to thank him for this video. Sheikh Mountains are part of the Golis Chain that stretches along the length of Somaliland. Sheikh is a small town atop the Sheikh Mountains, and to get there you take the Sheikh Pass. The veiw from the Sheikh Pass is spectular, as the mountains cascade into the horizon.
Washington, Jul 1, 2009 — Recently General Kip Ward the Commanding Officer of the Highly Controversial US African Command (AFRICOM) gave an Interview to NPR (National Public Radio). Some of the Statements made by General Ward indicate that there is some major concern in Washington over Events currently unfolding in Africa.
The First Major Area of Concern is Somalia. We have heard of the tragic history of the country in the Horn of Africa. The Collapse of a functioning Government, Hunger, Islamist Militias trying to install their belief system and Piracy are just some of the ills that plague this country. The Situation is so dire that the Pentagon sent $10 Million in Arms to prop up the Current Government. The Group Al-Shabaab currently has Power over the Southern Part of the Country.
The US fears situations like Somalia developing throughout Africa. Clearly, there are several locales where such concerns have actually occurred. The Kivu Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Ugandan, Congolese and Rwandan Militias have set up their own fiefdoms where the Central Authorities cannot enforce the Rule of Law. The Niger Delta where there is an abundant supply of Oil but no Investments in Infrastructure in the Region are just two Highlights of Limited Government Influence or None whatsoever.
Currently, the Policy of the US is to support Governments in various areas of the Continent that seek to establish control over areas that they govern. If HR 2478 the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act is passed then the US will assist in developing a Long Term Strategy to achieve the goals mentioned in the Title of the Legislation. This could Mean an Additional Role for AFRICOM in Central Africa. The US Effort to rebuild the Armed Forces in Liberia with the Assistance of the State Department has been successful to this point.
The other area of concern for AFRICOM is the Narcotics Trade. This primarily is an issue that affects West Africa. It can be argued that the Drug Trade has had a role in the Collapse of Two Governments in Recent Years (Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.) The rugged West African Coastline has been used by South American Cartels as a Transit Point to ship Narcotics to Europe.
Previous Testimony on Capitol Hill in June indicated that AFRICOM is working with the Southern Command Joint Interagency Task Force South, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other Bodies to monitor the flow of Narcotics and support Projects with the Goal of Interdicting the flow. It is felt that Now is the time to curtail the Drug Trade before it undermines US Strategic Interests in Africa.
These are two laudable goals that AFRICOM has. And they should succeed at them.
The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet. It can be found at morganrights.tripod.com
Jeddah, 1 July 2009 – Investigations with the six men taken under custody in connection with the killing and burial of an 8-year-old Somali girl have revealed gruesome details about the whole issue.
Police found the body of the girl buried in an under-construction building in Bab Shareef District here on Friday. Besides the six Somalis, the grandmother of the girl was also arrested.
The girl was buried with her clothes on and her head severed, according to the forensic doctor who examined her body. The alleged culprits had admitted that the burial took place about 20 days ago.
Investigators are trying to verify whether the arrested men were involved in any previous crimes. They are also looking into whether the girl’s body had any scars or bruises indicating she was subjected to physical assault. The forensic expert, according to reports, has failed to pinpoint the exact causes of the severed head.
Preliminary reports indicate that the girl was buried with her clothes on. She was neither washed nor was she wrapped in a shroud (Kafan). She was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of trousers.
Col. Misfir Al-Je’aid, the spokesperson of Jeddah Police, said investigations are going on with the arrested men and some of them have proved to be illegal residents.
The girl’s grandmother was arrested Friday after receiving information from a mysterious caller claiming that her neighbor had killed her own granddaughter.
The woman caller said her neighbor repeatedly beat her granddaughter severely, and that the child’s absence from view for several days had concerned her enough to alert the authorities.
Police, acting on directions given by the caller concerning the street and the color of the house door, entered the premises of a Somali family who neighbors said had been receiving guests for a funeral wake, and arrested the elderly woman who initially told investigators that her granddaughter had died after suffering diarrhea and fever, and said she had given her to the girl’s mother who took the body to an unknown address.
When police brought in the mother of the child they discovered that she had known of the death of her daughter, but had left it to others to arrange her burial through a group of Somalis who charged SR400 to carry out the operation at a site where they believed the body would not be discovered.
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 01: Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on an initiative called "Make It In America" that includes various job creation legislation. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
United States Congress (Washington, DC)
Somalia: Prospects for Lasting Peace and a Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism
Donald M. Payne
29 June 2009
document
Washington, DC — Opening remarks of Chairman Donald M. Payne at the hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health on Somalia: Prospects for Lasting Peace and a Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism, as prepared for delivery:
Let me first welcome you all to this important and timely hearing on Somalia. Let me also express my deep appreciation to the witnesses, many of whom came a long distance to be part of this hearing.
The title of today’s hearing, Somalia: Prospects for Lasting Peace and a Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism, says a great deal about the challenges and the difficulties the people of Somalia face today. The primary objective of this hearing is to hear from Somalis themselves about the fate of their country.
We also have witnesses who, though not Somali, have been engaged full time in efforts to bring a just peace in Somalia. Again, we thank all the distinguished witnesses for their participation today and for their dedication on these issues. We invited representatives from all three regions of Somalia — the Transitional Federal Government, the Puntland Government, and the Somaliland Government.
Government, and the Somaliland Government.
Prior to the hearing, I spoke to the president and foreign minster of the TFG, the Puntland president, and the foreign minister of Somaliland. They all accepted and, in fact, the president of Puntland has been in Washington for the past five days. The foreign minister of the TFG was supposed to come but he had to go back to Mogadishu to deal with the ongoing crisis.
Today the TFG is represented by the deputy ambassador to the United Nations.
The Somaliland foreign minister accepted our invitation but last week the government requested if the Subcommittee could have a separate panel for the Foreign Minster.The reason: the Somaliland representative did not want to be part of the panel with the President of Puntland and the TFG representative. We informed the Somaliland government that their request was unacceptable and defeats the main purpose of this hearing. If Somalilanders cannot sit with fellow Somalis to explore ways to bring peace to Somalia at this critical juncture, I wonder what this says about their commitment to all Somalis.
As is now widely known, in April I traveled to Mogadishu to get a firsthand account of conditions in the country. What I saw in Mogadishu then was very encouraging, despite the enormous difficulties many Somalis face everyday. Somali women are still active in trying to help the vulnerable. Human rights advocates, journalists, and humanitarian workers are doing their best in the face of the impossible.
Some concerned friends said why take such a risk and go to places like Mogadishu. I respond with another question: Is my life more important than the children in the streets of Mogadishu? My trip, though marked by the press for the mortar attack, helped bring attention to the conditions on the ground. This so-called attack was an attempt to mar my otherwise very positive and encouraging trip.
It must be clear to all that the crisis we face in Somalia today has devastating implications for the rest of the region. The last defense against this cancer is the TFG and the African Union forces. What we are witnessing is not a liberation struggle or resistance against a brutal regime. The terrorists waging this war have one objective in mind — to make Somalia the Swat Valley of Africa. With the foreign jihadists next to them, often leading them, these terrorists are brutalizing innocent civilians.
This is why we have called this hearing. Somalis from all three regions must come together to counter this challenge. The international community must also help. The Obama Administration has done a great deal to assist the TFG and also to contain the threat and I am encouraged by this.
The Government of Puntland has sent an estimated 1,000 troops to assist in the fight against the terrorists in south-central Somalia. This is commendable. I hope this hearing leads to greater cooperation between the three regions.
As we gather here today, many Somalis continue to be displaced, maimed, and killed. The dreams and aspiration of millions of Somalis are on hold or crushed. Over a year ago, I visited the Somali refugee camp in Kenya called Dadaab. I met thousands of refugees, some of whom were born in the camps.
When I asked a number of young Somalis what they want badly that they currently don’t have, they responded: education. This is the same response I’ve received to the question when posed in Darfur refugee camps in Chad. Somalis, like people everywhere, want and deserve the opportunity to educate their children and have hope for a better life. We can do more to help towards this. I encourage President Obama and Secretary Clinton to engage further in a positive way in Somalia as we have seen so far.
I will now turn to our Ranking Member, Congressman Smith for his opening statement and will read the bios of the distinguished panelists following Members’ opening remarks.
Hargeisa, 1 July 2009 – In order to get an idea of what is wrong with US policy towards Somalis, one only has to look at the title of the congressional hearing that took place on the 25th of this month: “Somalia: Prospects for Lasting Peace and a Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism.”
Three problem areas immediately jump out of this title. First of all there is the obvious problem of whether there is a coherent entity called Somalia that can be approached as a single unit. For anyone who is familiar with the Somali situation, the answer is, of course, there is no such entity. The Obama administration often ignores this glaring fact, which gives its overall Somali policy the quality of being based more on wishful thinking than on reality. What is that wishful thinking? It is that there is a unified country called Somalia, with a legitimate government called the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that governs all over the Somali territory, when in fact there is neither a unified country nor a legitimate government.
The second problem is that of peace. Clearly there is no peace in Somalia. So if the US says it is interested in bringing peace to Somalia, it is a rational even admirable thing. But the question that US policymakers have to answer is if they are really interested in establishing an enduring peace among Somalis, why they have not helped strengthen the peace in Somaliland by extending development aid to Somaliland and thereby showing all Somalis that indeed there is a peace dividend for those who take the path of peace instead of the path of the war?
The third problem is the problem of terrorism. It is this issue that is really driving US policy toward Somalis. But here, too, the US wants Somalis to protect US interests without any regard to Somali interests. As a matter of fact, it could even be said that the US wants Somalis to participate in their own disenfranchisement. This is clear from US policy toward Somaliland for the last two decades, whereby Somaliland has assiduously contributed to anti-terrorism, peace and democracy in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa region without reciprocation from the US when it comes to development assistance, recognition, or even political engagement at a level commensurate with the growing geopolitical weight of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa.
The net result of this US policy of wishful thinking has been failure on two important fronts: it has failed to defeat terrorists in the south and has alienated many people in Somaliland. The invitation of both Somaliland and Puntland to the latest congressional hearing is a somewhat tacit admission of the failure of the previous approach of focusing US policy only on the TFG, but the fact that the US is still insisting on a “unified response” even at this late stage of the game, shows that the US is still attached to the previous policy though with some modification.
That modification is not enough for Somaliland, and that was probably why Somaliland declined to attend the congressional hearing as well as whatever talks that were scheduled behind the scene. As a democratically elected government, Somaliland’s government cannot allow itself to be perceived as one of the parties in Somalia’s conflict, because such behavior is unacceptable to Somaliland’s people who consider their country as sovereign country, not part of Somalia.
To make a long story short, US policy toward Somaliland whether in its previous form or in its latest modified form has been harmful to both Somaliland and the US. This policy does not take into account Somaliland’s interests. If the US wants to protect its interests in Somaliland, then it must also take into account Somaliland’s interests. Otherwise, the US may soon have a problem in Somaliland in addition to its big headaches in Mogadishu.
