London gears up for G20 'battle'

Medeshi April 1, 2009
Focus THE 2009 G20 LONDON SUMMIT
London gears up for G20 'battle'
By Hamish Macdonald in London
Police and security forces are gearing up for a day of protests before the G20 summit in London, with this year's demonstrations expected to contain a new, angrier, element.
For building contractors suffering as a result of the current economic squeeze, the G20 summit has been good for business.
The City of London, the square mile that marks the financial centre of the capital, has been a hive of activity over the past week.
Builders have moved in to board-up shopfronts and protect doors and windows from the expected arrival of thousands of protesters.
This G20 is proving to be an epic summit, and not just because of the sheer scale of the problem the world leaders are trying to solve.
The security operation, which according to some estimates will cost up to of $30m, will see London transformed into one of the most heavily guarded cities on the planet.
'Sterile' zone
There will be 84,000 police "man-hours" devoted to Operation Glencoe, which will rely upon six separate police forces, drawing in officers from the regions surrounding London.
The location of the G20 meeting itself, the ExCel centre in the east of the city, will apparently be a "sterile" zone.
The venue is considered highly secure, with water on one side that are patrolled by the police with marine launches.
Checkpoints and other cordons will also be in place and once opened, the focus will turn to protecting the delegates' journeys in and out of the centre.
But beyond this area the city could become a battleground, with thousands of protesters facing off against the extensive security apparatus.
The biggest protest is planned for Wednesday, the day before the actual summit.
'Lunatic fringe'
There is a veritable feast of marches planned, representing just about every lobby group imaginable and they will not be confined to one area.
The groups range from "Youth March for Jobs" and "Jobs not Bombs" to "Climate Camp".
All of them are anti-establishment and many of them have spent years being branded by the media and politicians as "the lunatic fringe".
But times have changed and suddenly these activists are feeling vindicated.
Many of those protesting feel that the spiralling global economic crisis has given them the right to say "we told you so!".
This will not be your bog-standard day of anti-globalisation protest action because suddenly the people holding the banners do not just represent themselves and a small band of academic elite, they represent those thousands of people losing jobs, losing homes and losing faith in the system.
A few pin-striped bankers, or at least recently unemployed bankers, are also expected to take to the streets, with placards in their hands.
In total, up to 100,000 protesters are expected to turn up on Wednesday.
The biggest potential flash point seems likely to be outside the Bank of England, where three or four separate marches are expected to converge around lunchtime.
In casual clothes
Staff working in the financial sector surrounding the central bank have been told to turn up to work in casual clothes instead of their usual suits.
They have been encouraged to bring a packed lunch, not to book outside meetings and alter their travel times in a bid to avoid the angry mobs.
There seems to be a sense that widespread violence during these protests is inevitable, but that may not be the case.
Both the police and the protesters are demonstrating immense organisational skills, which could keep the day under control.
Either way, the demonstrations will be big and loud, and people will take notice. Perhaps this time their calls won't be ignored.
AJZ

Why the War Crimes?

Medeshi April 1, 2009
Why the War Crimes?
By : Harry Shearer
Actor, author, director, satirist, musician, radio host, playwright, multi-media artist
Read More: Abu-Zubaydah, Afghanistan, Bush Administration Torture, Dick Cheney, Dick Cheney Torture, John Ashcroft, Richard Clarke, Ron Suskind, Torture, Politics News
Sunday's Washington Post article, recapitulating much of Ron Suskind's earlier reporting, that Abu Zubaydah wasn't the feared number 3 of Al-Qaeda, and that the intelligence he spilled after being waterboarded was all junk, was--or should be--the last step in removing the scales from the eyes of all but the Cheney retainers. Along with the outing of the International Red Cross report, which clearly and unequivocally called "enhanced interrogation" what it is--torture, the Post piece and Dan Froomkin's accompanying blog post make the case a slam dunk that our previous administration committed war crimes.
But why? Why persist in a policy that, according to the Post, wasted the time of FBI and CIA officers chasing down false leads, wasting millions, and didn't make us any safer, all the while proudly boasting the opposite? Col. Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, offered a partial answer in a blog post three weeks ago. In it, Wilkerson asserts that high officials at State knew early on that most Guantanamo inmates were guilty of nothing more than being in the wrong zip code, people who were rounded up and delivered to Americans because we were paying cash money for bodies in and around Afghanistan, and warlords and their friends were more than eager to settle some scores while replenishing the old coffers.
More importantly, he suggests why the knowledge that "the worst of the worst" were really innocent was no impediment to the continued incarceration and interrogation of these people: an intelligence program called Mosaic, in which even innocents could contribute useful shreds of information--where were the mailboxes on their street?--that could combine with actual intel to paint a broader picture.
That doesn't explain, however, the case of Abu Zubaydah, known to higher-ups to be wasting time and resources with bogus intel just to stop the horror. Why persist with the charade? Froomkin cites one possible reason:
But according to (author Ron) Suskind, even as Bush was publicly proclaiming Zubaida's malevolence, he was privately being briefed about doubts within the intelligence community regarding Zubaida's significance -- and mental stability. Suskind quotes the following exchange between Bush and then-CIA director George Tenet:
"'I said he was important,' Bush said to Tenet at one of their daily meetings. 'You're not going to let me lose face on this, are you?'
"'No Sir, Mr. President.'"
Well, he does have a nice face, shame to lose any of it. More substantively, the Bush administration had one clear, unambiguous message after 9/11. You may remember the mantra. It was, "everything has changed". It was specious, of course, most of our lives are resolutely the same as before the attack, except for the necessity of putting up with bad security theater at the airport while cargo whizzes through our seaports uninspected. But the underlying message of that mantra was that 9/11 didn't represent a failure of the government to connect the dots, to be alert to, and correlate the fusillade of warnings that was famously setting terrorism advisor Richard Clarke's "hair on fire" in the summer of 2001, that John Ashcroft's reported statement to the interim head of the FBI that he didn't want to hear any more warnings about terrorism didn't reflect a systemic failure.
In the post-9/11 world, the gloves had to come off. The fault was in the silly restrictions that prevented tough-minded people from doing what had to be done. If the criticism from the 9/11 commission and other critics was that the dots hadn't been connected, in the new world we would connect anything that even looked like dots, and where there weren't dots, we'd create some. You want dots? We got 'em.
So, an administration that showed a public face that professed a belief that every human life was sacred was prepared to treat innumerable humans as nothing more than fodder for the dot machine, merely to prove that the horrific attack in its eighth month in office couldn't possibly have been its fault.
So the mantra from Bush supporters the past year has been "he kept us safe for seven and a half years," as if the first half year doesn't count, because "everything has changed."
That's a credible defense in a war-crimes trial, right?
Around the Web:
The Raw Story Cheney admits authorizing detainee's torture
Think Progress » Cheney Defends Torture: It ‘Would Have Been ...
White House Denies Cheney Endorsed Torture - CBS News
digg Huffpost - stumble reddit del.ico.us

ShareThis
More in Politics...
Bill O'Reilly Threatens To Not Travel To...
Cheney May Have Mole In Obama Government:...
McCain: Obama Opened Himself Up To Charges...
The New Neocon Alliance with Obama

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON SOMALIA

Medeshi
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CLOSES TENTH SESSION, EXTENDING MANDATE OF INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON SOMALIA
Also Adopts Resolutions on Human Rights Situation in the Democratic Republic Of Congo and on Racial Discrimination, Among Others
27 March 2009
This afternoon, the Human Rights Council concluded its tenth session after adopting seven resolutions on human rights bodies and mechanisms; racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; and on technical assistance and capacity building, notably extending the mandate of the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Somalia for six months. The report of the tenth session of the Human Rights Council was also adopted ad referendum
Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, President of the Human Rights Council, in concluding remarks, recalled that, when it opened earlier this month with a High-Level Segment, some 70 dignitaries had spoken and, for the first time in the history of the Council, the President of the General Assembly had addressed the Council. In the course of the session, the Council adopted some 34 resolutions and decisions related to various issues in the field of human rights. Most of those texts had been adopted by consensus. The Council also appointed a new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, elected four members of the Advisory Committee and had created a new mandate: the Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights.
In a resolution on the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, the Council welcomed the initiative of the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training to organize a seminar to further reflection on elements to be included in the draft declaration; and requested the Advisory Committee to submit its draft Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training to the Council for consideration at its thirteenth session in March 2010.
Concerning the Social Forum, the Council requested that the next meeting be held during 2009, in Geneva, and that it should focus on negative impacts of economic and financial crises on efforts to combat poverty; national anti-poverty programmes; and international assistance and cooperation in combating poverty; and decided that the Social Forum would remain open to the participation of representatives of United Nations Member States and all other interested stakeholders.
By the resolution on publication of reports completed by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, adopted with 29 votes in favour, 3 against, and 15 abstentions, the Council decided that all reports of the Sub-Commission mandated by the Commission on Human Rights that had been completed and submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights would be issued as United Nations documents.
In the resolution on elaboration of complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted by a vote of 34 in favour and 13 against, with no abstentions, the Council endorsed the road map adopted by the Ad Hoc Committee of the Human Rights Council on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards during the second part of its first session as a guiding framework document for all future work in that regard.
In a resolution entitled “From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”, the Council requested the Secretary-General to examine the challenges that had impeded the work of the Group of Five Independent Eminent Experts in fully discharging its mandate in following up on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and, in that regard, requested that the Council take appropriate action in accordance with its process of review, rationalization and improvement of mandates.
Concerning assistance to Somalia in the field of human rights, the Council invited the Independent Expert to continue his work till the end of September 2009 and encouraged in the meantime the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to reach a comprehensive agreement with Somali Authorities on technical cooperation and human and institutional capacity building at the national and regional level in the field of human rights in Somalia.
By the resolution on situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the strengthening of technical cooperation and consultative services, adopted with 34 votes in favour, none against, and 14 abstentions, the Council welcomed the commitment of the Government to pursuing technical cooperation with the various thematic representatives and special rapporteurs; encouraged the Democratic Republic of the Congo to finalize the establishment process of a national commission for human rights; and called on the Office of the High Commissioner to increase and enhance its technical assistance programmes and activities, in consultation with the authorities.
Speaking in introduction of resolutions were Morocco, Cuba, the Czech Republic, on behalf of the European Union, South Africa, on behalf of the African Group, and Egypt, also on behalf of the African Group.
Speaking in general comments were Germany, Brazil, Chile and India.
Speaking in explanations of the vote before the vote were Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Cuba, China, Germany, on behalf of the European Union, and Chile.
Japan, Brazil and Italy spoke in explanation of vote after the vote.
Concerned countries speaking today were Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo.
After the adoption of all resolutions under all items the Observer States Singapore, Sri Lanka, Côte d’Ivoire, Spain, Turkey, Thailand and Algeria took the floor for to make general comments.
The eleventh session of the Human Rights Council will take place in Geneva from 2 to 18 June 2009.
Read full text here: http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/042684379605A48FC12575860050E986?OpenDocument

Somali opposition leader quits Eritrea for Sudan

Medeshi
Somali opposition leader quits Eritrea for Sudan
Tue Mar 31, 2009
Opposition leader in Sudanese capital
May go to Mogadishu to back new government
By Ibrahim Mohamed
MOGADISHU, March 31 (Reuters) - Somalia's hardline Islamist opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has quit self-imposed exile in Eritrea for neighbouring Sudan and may return to Mogadishu soon, Somali media said on Tuesday.
Aweys, 62, is on a U.S. list of terrorism suspects. He is a former chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Somalia's capital in 2006 until being ousted by Ethiopian troops.
He worked alongside his country's moderate Islamist president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, in the Islamic Courts and they later founded the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia.
Earlier this year, Ahmed was elected president by lawmakers at U.N.-hosted talks in Djibouti.
Radio stations in Mogadishu said Aweys was in Khartoum and held talks on Tuesday with two senior Sudanese officials. They said he was expected to fly to the Somali capital later to offer his support to Ahmed's new administration.
The endorsement of Aweys would be a boost for Ahmed, who faces the daunting task of trying to establish a new national security force and persuade heavily-armed Islamist guerrillas to back his government in the interests of peace.
But it could prove difficult for the United Nations and Western countries, which were once wary of Islamists being in power but now see Ahmed as the best hope for bringing peace to the failed Horn of Africa state after 18 years of violence.
A close ally of Aweys in Mogadishu, who asked not to be named, told Reuters Aweys was expected to arrive in the city within two weeks. The ally said Awey's plans were not yet clear, but he denied he had met any Sudanese officials.
One senior Somali source in Sudan confirmed Aweys was in the country, and said it was possible Ahmed might travel to Khartoum to meet him there. He gave no other details.
In a Reuters interview by telephone from Asmara earlier this month, Aweys denounced Ahmed as just another Ethiopian stooge and said he was a traitor to the Islamic faith. [ID:nL4915892]
Aweys is on the U.S. list of foreign terrorists, as is the hardline Islamist insurgent group al Shabaab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia. Ahmed has been pushing to have Aweys removed from the list.
Washington accuses Somalia's hardline Islamists of having ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and fears the chaotic country could be used by foreign groups to destabilise the region. (Additional reporting by Abdiaziz Hassan in Nairobi; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Reuters

Migrant boat sinks off Libya, hundreds feared dead

Medeshi March 31, 2009
Migrant boat sinks off Libya, hundreds feared dead
By ABDEL MAJEED FERGANY and MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writers
TRIPOLI, Libya – An overcrowded boat packed with migrants seeking a better life in Europe capsized in the stormy Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, killing at least 21 and leaving 200 missing and feared dead four days after the accident, officials said Tuesday.
The boat, which a Libyan police official said had a capacity of just 50, overturned Friday in high winds with about 250 on board. Pictures showed six drowned bodies pulled from the water and stretched out among piles of nets and frayed ropes on the deck of a fishing boat that took part in the rescue.
"It is hard to imagine that there are survivors among the missing by now," said Laurence Hart, an official of The International Organization for Migration.
The missing boat was one of two struggling boats weighed down with migrants in the 60-degree waters on the most heavily traveled route for illegal migrants trying to reach Italy, Hart told The Associated Press.
The second boat, a flimsy vessel packed shoulder to shoulder with about 350 migrants, was rescued safely in the same area about 30 miles (50 kilometers) off land overnight into Sunday after an Italian merchant ship received its distress call, said Italian port authority spokesman Capt. Cosimo Nicastro.
Shown on Libyan television, most of the migrants appeared to be African men, with a few women and children in the group. One man on the rescued boat held a baby as he helped a woman struggling to walk.
Libyan police spokesman Col. Najy Abou Harous said only 21 people — the few passengers able to swim — were rescued from the missing craft.
"We found 21 other corpses. The rest are believed dead," he added. "The boat capacity is 40 to 50 and the smugglers packed it with hundreds. These are wooden fishing boats, not for sailing," Harous said.
Libyan officials released no information on the accident until Tuesday and by then, rescue efforts appeared to be over.
Harous said survivors told him a hole in the rickety boat may have caused it to sink.
"The first boat was rescued and is back to Tripoli. All of them are alive and safe," Hart said.
The rescued boat was spotted near an oil platform that notified Libyan authorities, Hart said.
According to Ron Redmond, chief spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, this is the beginning of the smuggling season in the Mediterranean Sea.
Both boats carried migrants from Africa and the Middle East, Hart said.
Italy has been pressing Libya to crack down on illegal immigration, including with joint Libyan-Italian patrols against the thousands who try to cross the Mediterranean each year. Rome says that many of the illegal African immigrants who arrive in Italy transit through Libya.
According to figures from the IOM, some 33,000 people crossed from North Africa to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2008 alone. Many of the boats are not seaworthy, and deadly accidents are frequent.

Somalia/Somaliland : Urgent help needed for drought-affected

Medeshi
Somalia/Somaliland : Urgent help needed for drought-affected
Date: 31 Mar 2009
NAIROBI/HARGEISA, 31 March 2009 (IRIN) - A severe drought that has gripped most of Somalia is worsening, with the affected populations needing urgent help after losing their livelihoods, Mahamud Abdi Ibrahim, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, told IRIN on 31 March.
"The reports we are getting are that people and livestock in drought-affected areas are dying of shortages of water, inadequate food, and lack pasture for livestock," he said. "It is really a very grim situation."
Ibrahim said the worst-affected regions were in Hiiraan, Galgadud, Mudug and parts of Bay and Bakol and Gedo, Middle and Lower Shabelle, and Lower and Middle Juba, in central and southern Somalia.
He urged humanitarian agencies "to come to the aid of those affected", saying the government had informed the agencies of the situation and was seeking "immediate and sustained assistance to save lives".
Haji Ahmadey Gurey, an elder in Torotorow in Lower Shabelle, said almost all the villages around the town were affected.
"Both farmers and nomads are suffering," he said. "We had no rains in the Deyr season [October-December]; now many nomads are coming into the town with nothing."
Gurey said lack of water and food was the main problem: "People are drinking untreated water, which is causing a lot of sickness and death."
Ibrahim said the government would help in facilitating access to affected areas, adding that where the security situation did not allow for access by foreign agencies, local partners should be used to deliver the aid.
"The government will help them identify local aid groups that can be trusted to deliver the aid," he said. "As government we don't care who delivers the assistance and where, so long as it reaches those in need. Now is the time to help if you are going to help."
Some rains reported
Meanwhile, in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, rains have started in parts of the region but the east remains drought-stricken.
"Some little rain was reported in the mountain areas of Erigavo [near the region's capital] and other areas, but it's not enough for the drought-affected region as a whole," Hashim Go'd, a journalist based in Borame, Awdal region, told IRIN.
He said the rains started on 28 March in Borame, Bon, Qulujeed and surrounding areas as well as in the capital, Hargeisa, and Gabiley and Sanag regions.
However, he said, there was still a lack of water in areas such as Jiidali, 35km southeast of Erigavo, Yufle, Goofa and Booca, with the local government sending four to five water trucks daily to these areas.
Mohamoud Awed Du'alle, the deputy mayor of Erigavo, said: "The situation is getting worse in these areas; animals such as cattle and sheep have already started dying in the region. Some families are taking their cattle to the urban areas to sell because of a lack of water."
Du'alle said the price of the water had increased dramatically in remote areas, as many donkeys used to ferry water have died.

Challenging the Dogma of Yesterday's Men

Medeshi March 30 ,2009

Challenging the Dogma of Yesterday's Men

Ann Pettifor
New Economist, Author, Debtonation - The Coming First World Debt Crisis

Read More: Alternative Economists, Economy, Imf, Larry Summers, Liberal Economists, President-Lula, Tim Geithner, Washington-Concensus, Business News

As I'm sure he expected, President Lula's "blue-eyed Banker" statement caused an international uproar. But Lula's point was beautifully illustrated last week when the CEOs of the major U.S. banks - 'Yesterday's Men' - emerged from the White House after being "wooed" by the Administration.
In her latest op-ed piece, Maureen Dowd called Lula's comment "...international lunacy." But if white bankers and economists have angered US citizens and roiled Congress, we should have the humility to understand how much more they have angered people in far-away countries - people suffering collateral damage from the crises in the US, Europe and Japan. Crises for which they have no responsibility.
For years the leaders of countries in these regions were lectured by white, largely Chicago-trained economists on how to run their economies. The same economists that encouraged de-regulated bank lending in the US, reviled government intervention, and encouraged the growth of AIG's reckless build-up of liabilities -- they also spread their dogma to poor countries.
In ways that were to foreshadow the crisis in the US, financial de-regulation policies were effectively imposed on poor countries by the 'Washington Consensus.' These policies led to frequent crises: to a massive build-up of liabilities and debt, to cuts in government spending, bank failures and even country (sovereign) insolvency.
And then double standards were, and are imposed. The US, Europe and Japan responded to their own financial crises by government (central banks) creating money (as opposed to borrowing money). This money is used to finance a fiscal stimulus, or government spending, to build and repair infrastructure, create jobs and moderate the crisis.
In contrast, poor countries are forbidden by the Washington-based International Monetary Fund from creating money, and instead are forced to do the reverse. That is: contract their economies by hiking, not lowering interest rates; by bankrupting, not bailing-out their finance and other industries. And by slashing government spending. This causes bankruptcies and unemployment to rise dramatically - leading to a further downward spiral, and to social and political unrest.
Last week the International Labour Organisation predicted that in 2009, between 40%-50% of men and women globally will not be able to earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the $2 a day poverty line.
Most of these men and women will be black and poor, and will have had no responsibility for the crisis. Indeed their political protests will have been drowned out by the power and influence of white, often faceless, foreign economists.
Their descent into deeper poverty will be fostering widespread anger -- and enthusiastic support for President Lula's comments. We would be foolish to dismiss their anger.
Instead we should be acknowledging the fact that this crisis is not of their making. And we should be encouraging an infusion of new blood into the economics profession -- to develop alternatives to the failed economics of these last three decades.In my last post I promised a list of economists and financial experts that President Obama could usefully call upon to challenge the advice he gets from Larry Summers, Tim Geithner et al.
Thanks in part to Huffpost, we have been hearing from many liberal economists that appear not to be part of the White House magic circle, namely: Paul Krugman; Dean Baker of CEPR; Prof. Joseph Stiglitz; Simon Johnson of MIT, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs; Prof. James Galbraith; Prof. Nouriel Roubini and Prof. Kenneth Rogoff.
But there are many more he could call upon. I would strongly suggest that he seeks the advice of that sage of Steady State Economics, Prof. Herman Daly of the University of Maryland. Prof. Daly is a 'new economist'; advised the World Bank in the 1980s, and has pioneered ecological economics. His time has come.
I strongly recommend that the President set aside time on his visit to London next week to meet up with Graham Turner a former City of London economist. He has carefully studied the experience of Japan's long debt-deflationary agony, has written a book about it and, to my mind, has a better grasp of the management of Quantititave Easing than many in central banks.
In preparing my list it rapidly became clear: as far as diversity goes, economics, banking and finance still looks very much like America in the 1950s. The journal of Blacks in Higher Education undertook a survey back in 1994 and found 11 black economists at the nation's 30 highest-ranked universities. By 2006, this had risen to a miserly 13.
I strongly advise the President to include all 13 in his deliberations. The broader the spectrum of advice, the better.
Next the President should look to the example of Iceland, where, after the catastrophic meltdown of the Icelandic economy, women are at the forefront of the clean-up. " It goes back to our Viking women" said one of them. "While the men were out there raping and pillaging, the women were running the show at home."
First on the list of women he should seek advice from would be our own Arianna Huffington, an economist and one of the 50 most influential figures shaping the direction of the upcoming G20 summit, according to London's Financial Times.
Then he should consult the woman who, way back in 1997, took on Greenspan, Summers and Rubin over the need to regulate derivatives. The woman who was roundly beaten by that triumvirate: Brooksley E. Born of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Again the President might take the opportunity of his London trip to meet up with Prof. Victoria Chick Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of London. Prof. Chick is a Keynesian true to Keynes and an expert on Keynes's advice to Roosevelt's administration in the 1930s. Advice that helped lift the US of out of the Great Depression.
Next I nominate Carmen M. Reinhart, Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics at the University of Maryland. And finally, Professor Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Professor of International Affairs at the New School, New York.
By broadening the spectrum of economic advice -- President Obama would both strengthen his own position; but also offer the most effective rebuttal to the taunts of President Lula.

Related articles:

Brazil's President Lula: 'White, Blue-Eyed Bankers Have Brought World Economy To Its Knees'

US Condemns Eritrea On Somalia Matters

Medeshi, March 30, 2009

US Condemns Eritrea On Somalia Matters

Office of Press and Public Diplomacy

United States Mission to the United Nations

140 East 45th Street

New York, N.Y. 10017
Statement by Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo, U.S. Alternate Representative to the U.N. for Special Political Affairs, on Somalia, at the Security Council, March 20, 2009 :

Thank you, Mr. President. I too, would like to welcome Foreign Minister Omaar to the Council and thank him for his comments. My government congratulates you, Mr. Minister and other members of the unity government and assures you of our cooperation and support.
I would also like to welcome Special Representative Ould-Abdallah and thank him for his briefing today.
Mr. President, recent events present an opportunity to make real progress in Somalia. We welcome the election of President Sharif and the unity government’s move to Mogadishu. We must support the Somali people so that they can take advantage of this opening.
We remain encouraged by the political progress made under the Djibouti Agreement. My government strongly supports President Sharif’s efforts to encourage parties that are still outside the Djibouti Process to join him to rebuild their troubled country.
In this spirit, we urge all groups that have yet to lay down their arms and join the peace and reconciliation process to do so. Unfortunately, the terrorist organization al-Shabaab has failed to join this process, vowing instead not only to target the new government but also to continue its campaign against AMISOM and humanitarian NGOs. At the same time, Eritrea continues to provide financial, logistical, and political backing to al-Shabaab and other extremists and has issued a formal statement rejecting the new Somali government. We condemn these actions by al-Shabaab and Eritrea: they serve only to prolong the conflict in Somalia, and cannot be tolerated.
We highly commend the brave troops from Burundi and Uganda serving in AMISOM, who continue to operate under difficult conditions. They are doing crucial work in securing key infrastructure and allowing for the delivery of humanitarian aid, and they deserve our support.
The United States for its part has provided logistical assistance to AMISOM totaling over $100 million since 2007. We urge African Union member states that have pledged to provide troops to AMISOM to arrange to deploy them soon. And we strongly urge member states to support AMISOM.
Of course, Somalia must begin to provide for its own security, and we should consider ways to assist in the development of a Somali security sector.
Mr. President, this Council has made significant efforts to address the problem of piracy off the Somali coast. The United States is encouraged by the international community’s response. On any given day, ships from 15 to 20 different countries are now patrolling these waters.
My government also believes that the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia is proving to be an effective coordinating mechanism and we look forward to the third meeting of this group.
We also commend the Government of Kenya for offering to prosecute suspected pirates captured by the international community. We urge all states, especially those directly harmed by piracy, to help the Kenyan government manage the logistical and financial challenges of prosecuting suspected pirates. This is a burden that should not fall upon the shoulders of Kenya and its neighbors alone.
Finally, let me thank the staff of the UN agencies and the aid groups that are providing needed assistance to the Somali people under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. We strongly condemn those who impede the delivery of needed assistance through attacks against aid workers and AMISOM troops.
Mr. President, progress in Somalia will not come easily. The Secretary-General’s upcoming donors’ conference presents us with an opportunity to support the Somalis during this critical period. Let’s take advantage of it.
Thank you, Mr. President.

Food Aid Imports Enter Via Berbera Port

Medeshi March 30, 2009
Food Aid Imports Enter Via Berbera Port
The World Food Program (WFP) imported 375 metric tons of Sorghum to Ethiopia through the Port of Berbera last Thursday, March 26, 2009.
The WFP made a cross-border delivery of food commodities to Ethiopia from Berbera Port in Somaliland.
WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, used the port as an alternative entry port into Ethiopia to bring in its relief and emergency food stock.
The food aid is destined for the needy Somali region in the eastern part of Ethiopia for those obviously affected by famine.
"We are happy that the WFP sorghum has reached the region," Mitiku Kasa, state minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told Fortune.
WFP confirmed that a convoy of 16 trucks and lorries had arrived in the eastern town of Jijiga from Berbera Port. The trucks were loaded with some 375 metric tons of sorghum for WFP beneficiaries in the Somali region. Men, women and children who are still enduring the impact of last year's severe drought and of high global food and fuel prices will benefit from this aid.
Out of the general 4.9 million people in need of food aid throughout the country, 1.5 million are found in this region.
"We will be able to help food insecure communities in the Somali region in an even more timely and efficient manner now that food supplies can arrive from across the border in Somaliland." Mohamed Diab WFP (PhD) country director in Ethiopia said in a press release sent to Fortune on Thursday, March 26, 2009.
The initial delivery of food commodities is part of a total consignment of 2,000 metric tons of sorghum that is expected to arrive in the country through the Berbera Port in the next few weeks.
WFP had sought for an alternative port to bring food stocks into Ethiopia since the recent heavy congestion at Djibouti Port. The new access from Berbera Port will complement the 'hubs and spokes' logistical system that WFP and the government implemented last October, and which operates in seven of the nine zones in the Somali region.
WFP confirmed that the 'hubs and spokes' delivery mode created three new storage points in the Somali region from which food is transported down multiple spokes to almost two hundred final distribution points. The restructuring has also involved the establishment of a secondary transport system using local transport companies.
By MERGA YONAS
FORTUNE STAFF WRITER

Ethiopia's dam project could kill Kenya's Lake Turkana

Medeshi

Ethiopia's dam project could kill Kenya's Lake Turkana
March 30, 2009

Lake Turkana’s clear waters emerge like a glassy screen, breaking through the rugged rocks and dry earth that precede its approach.
This most northerly of Kenya’s lakes, on the border with Ethiopia, formerly known as Lake Rudolf and referred to as the ‘Jade Sea’, brings life to its dry surroundings like an oasis in the desert.
But Lake Turkana, slightly salty and alkaline and abounding in 40 fish species, faces a severe threat from across the border in Ethiopia.
The row with Uganda over the tiny Migingo Island in Lake Victoria is nothing compared to the environmental catastrophe staring at Lake Turkana.
Ethiopia is midway through construction of a dam upstream on River Omo, which is Lake Turkana’s main tributary, giving it 80 per cent of its water. The other rivers, Turkwel and Kerio are seasonal and can barely sustain the lake’s water level.
Local and international impact reports have indicated the Turkana could start drying up once the huge dam, owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), cuts off the river to fill up a capacity of 11 billion cubic meters of water.
Big danger
The giant project poses a greater danger to 300,000 people around the lake in Turkana Central and Turkana North.
Its aquatic life, including the Nile perch, which they largely depend on for food and cash, could die out as salinity increases with the lowering of water level.
Similarly, a lake-dependent forest, one of the last pristine dry land forests in Africa, would also be in grave danger.
The tragedy looks real as the Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric dam project is being built with the knowledge of the Kenya Government, which hopes to benefit from surplus power projected to be generated.
Irked by government indifference to the looming danger, residents, led by an NGO, Friends of Lake Turkana (FLT), recently demonstrated at Kalokol in Turkana North to drive their point home.
Ms Ikal Angelei, FLT chairperson, explained the realities of the endangered lake, saying it would never be the same again once the dam closes off its main water source.
"Nobody can touch the Nile from Alexandria (Egypt) down to its source at Jinja (Uganda). Egypt can even go to war if the river is interrupted. Why is our Government allowing this violation to our right," Angelei said.
Turkana politicians led by Mr Christopher Nakuleu, an East African Legislative Assembly MP, said in a joint statement that the Turkana, Rendile, Dassanch, Elmolo and Gabbra, who depend on the lake for food and water, would be affected.
"It is recognised that any interference with the Lake Turkana ecosystem could be catastrophic, but no effort has been made to avert disaster," says Pius Ewoton, the Executive Director of Arid Lands Integrated Programme.
He says since the start of the dam project on River Omo in 2006, the water levels have dropped by eight metres.
Mr Ewoton says Kenyan and Ethiopia’s governments approved the programme in total disregard of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.
Since August 2006, Kenya has been negotiating with Ethiopia for a power supply deal.
Ethiopia has a total power demand of about 400 MW against a production capacity of more than 1,875 MW.
Already, a memorandum of understanding, which also involves KenGen, has been signed with the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation.
Feasibility studies
While the African Development Bank has provided Sh68 million for the project’s feasibility study, EEPCO needs Sh51 billion to export power to Kenya. Djibouti and Sudan will also benefit. Project designing is under way. It will take another three years to complete interconnection.
The Turkana leaders said while a power purchase agreement outlining the terms of electricity sale was reportedly signed between Ethiopia and Kenya in 2006, there are no bilateral agreements on the use of the Omo-Turkana waterway and the dam’s downstream effects to Kenya.
The leaders claim that an EIA submitted to donors for funding of the damming project was ‘incredibly sloppy’.
"Shockingly, it does not even mention that RiverOmo supplies 80 per cent of Lake Turkana waters. It suggests that the dam will regulate the natural flooding cycle of the Omo, eliminating the seasonal floods critical to downstream farmers," said Nakuleu.
The leaders are now urging President Kibaki to intervene and save the Turkana ecosystem and way of life.
During a visit to the area two weeks ago, Fisheries Minister Paul Otuoma said the Government was holding talks with Ethiopia on the matter. He said a Kenyan delegation had visited the neighbouring country and held negotiations.
The Ethiopian authorities, quoted by the BBC, maintain they are building the Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectricity dam — the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa — to solve a regional energy crisis.
(By Osinde Obare, Isaiah Lucheli and Vincent Bartoo The Standard)

Somaliland youth risk death in search of better life

Medeshi
Somaliland youth risk death in search of better life
HARGEISA, 30 March 2009

Harir Omar Yusuf, about to finish high school, should be choosing a degree course and deciding on a career direction; instead, he spends most of his time planning a perilous escape from his hometown of Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland in the northwest of Somalia, to Europe. (A street in Hargeisa. Young people are leaving Somaliland in droves because of insufficient opportunities (file photo)
"As soon as I finish high school I will go there, because I have nothing to stay for in Somaliland," he told IRIN, adding that his parents could not afford university fees and he was not assured of a place even if they could.
Yusuf has many friends who have made the journey - first through Ethiopia, then Sudan and Libya and finally to Italy via the Mediterranean Sea - and are now living as illegal immigrants in Italy and other European nations. He also has many friends languishing in Sudanese or Libyan jails, arrested for entering the country illegally, and knows of many who died making the trip, but he remains determined.
Tens of thousands of Somalis also try to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen every year aboard small vessels run by people-traffickers operating from Somali ports; according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), one out of every 20 people attempting the journey in 2007 died.
Yusuf says he would rather risk death than live a life of certain poverty in Somaliland.
Unemployment "The issue of young people running away is very problematic in Somaliland," said Omer Ali Abdi, the director of the youth department in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. "Year after year, graduates from secondary schools are increasing and our universities just don't have the capacity to take in all of them - and even when they graduate from university, there is no guarantee they will get a job."
According to Ahmed Hashi Abdi, vice-minister in the Ministry of Planning and Coordination, only 10-20 percent of people under 35 are employed.

"Because it is unrecognised internationally, Somaliland has no access to bi-lateral funding, which has caused our economy to suffer, especially after the livestock ban of 1999, which destroyed the main source of income of most of our people," Abdi said. "For the same reason, international scholarships and higher education exchange programmes are not open to our students."
An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Saudi Arabia in 1999 resulted in a regional ban on imported livestock from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti; the ban on Somalia remains in place and now includes several other Middle Eastern nations. After the ban, remittances became the main foreign exchange earner; thousands fled the country during an outbreak of war in 1988, and regularly send money to their families. The Ministry of Planning estimates remittances account for US$500 million - or about 80 percent of Somaliland's economy. "When people leave the country legally, we are happy that they are able to send back money, but as much as possible we try to discourage young people from leaving illegally - then it becomes a matter of life and death and we cannot encourage that," Abdi said. Despite the risks, many families scrimp and save to send their children on these journeys. Over the past year, Amina Rooble (not her real name) has spent more than $6,500 on transport, communication, paying traffickers and bribing prison officers, all in an effort to get her son Hashim to Italy. Although his boat sank, Hashim survived and is now seeking asylum in Italy. "Even though my son was rescued, two other members of my family died on that boat," Rooble said. Incentive to stay

The government and local NGOs have run campaigns to discourage young people from leaving, but according to Yahye Mohamoud Ahmed, head of the Somaliland National Youth Organisation NGO, unless the government can provide some motivation, young people will continue to escape in droves.
"They have no incentive to stay - no jobs and no businesses, so it is fairly futile to tell them to stay," he said. "They need to be given the capacity to feed themselves here."
Ahmed added that many young men were now taking swimming lessons and using hi-tech communication equipment - such as satellite telephones to make SOS calls - to make their trips safer.
"When they hear about their friends and relatives in London or Italy, they get encouraged to go; even when their relatives have no jobs there, they still think they have a better life than here," he added.
According to Ahmed Abdi, the national development plan includes the creation of two vocational training institutes in every region of Somaliland to boost the number of tertiary institutions and the variety of courses available.
"We also intend to set up micro-finance schemes to enable them to be self-supporting," he added.
He noted that despite the continued livestock ban, a few countries in the Arab world were starting to buy Somaliland's meat, and the government hoped the Saudi ban would be lifted, restoring the industry.
Youth policy
The Ministry of Youth and Sports, in partnership with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), is drafting a national youth policy - due to be passed by parliament in 2011 - that hopes to address issues of youth emigration, unemployment, education and political participation.
"What we need more than anything is resources from our international partners focused on development rather than strictly emergencies - resources focusing on education and building the economy would encourage young people to stay and build their own nation," the Ministry of Youth's Abdi said.
maj/kr/mw
Theme(s): (IRIN) Education, (IRIN) Food Security, (IRIN) Governance, (IRIN) Migration, (IRIN) Refugees/IDPs

Binladen and Somalia

Medeshi March 29, 2007
Bin Laden and Somalia
By: Brydon Eady
Bin Laden has been very active with his communication lately. Releasing three recordings since January was three times more communicative than he was from 2001 to 2007.
His latest communication calls for the purge of the UN backed Somali government and its President (Mr. Sharif Sheikh). Last week, a cabinet minister of his (who himself led an Islamist group) was attacked. Although the cabinet minister wasn't killed, members of his security team were.
The north-east of Somalia contains an autonomous region called Puntland (also recently with a newly elected government). Puntland is unable to maintain legitimate control over vast parts of its borders (meaning the people of Puntland have a failed federal government as well as a failed provisional government). It also has a lot of beach ports that allow easy passage from the Horn of Africa into Yemen and even Saudi Arabia. Many people take this route on their pilgrimage to Mecca.
Bin Laden used to live and work in the horn - in Sudan where he was the engineer for the road networks. He ended up there after he was kicked out of Saudi Arabia for angering the royal family. He only left the Horn to go to Afghanistan because pressure from the United States (during the Clinton administration) was so great. He only went to Afghanistan because he knew the area (from his time fighting, leading and recruiting with the mujahideen).
The world has its eye on Tora Bora, the mountainous border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan where most of the world is convinced that he and other elite from al Qaeda and the Taliban are located. Obama is sending in 17 thousand troops, with another 4 thousand promised.
Nawaz Sharif is returning to power in the Punjab province, a massive "U-Turn" (the al-Jazeera term) in policy from the Pakistani province. Relating back to my first post with Shaharyar Khan, the former Secretary of Pakistan and his belief that the people of Pakistan want to return to a normal state of affairs and to have positive relations with countries like India. Read: On paper, and if things stay on course, Pakistan will be stable and have de facto control over its land. This is a bad thing if you're bin Laden.
I'm suggesting that there are multiple incentives for bin Laden to relocate to Somalia (if he hasn't done so already). This relocation would fit a trend he has shown in the past. The first and most obvious reason to leave Tora Bora/Jalalabad is because if Pakistan becomes politically stable, it will be harder to hide. With the American troop increase it will become increasingly difficult. He needs to go somewhere.
Out of all the places in the world, I see a parallel between Somalia/Puntland today and Afghanistan when he left Sudan. He left one place to go to another he is familiar with (Sudan-Afghanistan ~ Afghanistan-Somalia). There is no governing authority in Somalia (making it easy to hide) international presence is almost void (making it a much better place to be than Afghanistan). Salafism, and extreme conservative versions of it are also found in Somalia.
Which brings me to this next point- he keeps talking to Somalians. January 15th, on a communication that focuses on Jihad in Gaza he mentions Somalia twice. On March 14th he mentions the country twice again. On March 19th he states "fight on, Champions of Somalia" and dedicates a whole audio tape towards turning over the UN backed President of Somalia. Zawahiri also dedicates a recording "From Kabul to Mogadishu" on February 22nd. Keeping Somalia as a failed state is in his best interests.
Lastly, referring back to the Somali beach ports, Puntland/Somalia offer easy access to both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, which is where many prominent scholars (versed better than I) believe his real passion lies. Moving to Somalia would allow greater access to the states he wants to disrupt the most.

Sudanese President Received By Qatari Emir in Doha

Medeshi
Sudanese President Received By Qatari Emir in Doha
March 29, 2009
Al-Jazeera Satellite Television at 1337 gmt on 29 March carries a live relay of the arrival of Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir at the Doha Airport and Qatari Emir Shaykh Hamad Bin-Jasim Al Thani giving him a red carpet reception.
Showing Umar al-Bashir walking out of the plane and received by the Qatari emir, A-Jazirah anchorwoman says: "Some of the Sudanese ruling party members had fears about the Sudanese president's decision to take this flight."
At 1340 gmt, Al-Jazeera interviews live over satellite Al- Jazeera's correspondent Muhammad al-Kabir al-Kutubi, from Doha, who begins by saying that the expected final statement of the Doha summit will voice solidarity with Sudan and rejection of the decision of the International Criminal Court, ICC. He adds that "Al- Bashir's arrival in Doha is the first success of the Qatari diplomacy which culminated in bringing the Sudanese president and in his participation, which will definitely steal the lights at the summit."
Speaking further of the expected final statement at the Doha summit, Al-Kutubi adds: "I would like to note that the draft statement has been approved by all Arab countries without exceptions, including Jordan, Djibouti, and Comoros who are signing parties to the ICC."
For her part, Al-Jazeera anchorwoman notes "news leaks to Al- Jazeera from the Arab League that Arab leaders will make a request or a recommendation that Arab countries in general reconsider dealing with the ICC."
Originally published by Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1337 29 Mar 09.
(c) 2009 BBC Monitoring Middle East. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Book launch: "Diiwaanka Qosolka” - collection of Somali wisdom jokes

Medeshi March 29, 2009
Book launch:
"Diiwaanka Qosolka” - collection of Somali wisdom jokes
By Jamal Ali Hussein in London and Bristol
Language of the event: Somali
London: Saturday, 11 April, 14pm at Arts Lecture Theatre, Queen Mary, university London E1 4NSO
Bristol: Sunday, 12 April, 15PM at St Pauls Community Sports Academy, New Foundland Street, Bristol, BS2 9NH
Kayd Somali Art and Culture is very excited to launch “Diiwaanka Qosolka”- Collection of Somali Wisdom Jokes. This is the first time the book will be launched and we are glad that the author, Jamal Ali, will be with us to share and present some of the 150 wonderful and hilarious short stories and poems which he has collected. Jamal Ali Hussein has collected a total of seven thousand ‘wisdom jokes’ and this is the first publication of its sort.
This book will give you an insight into the richness of Somali ‘wisdom jokes’, which have their roots in the traditional, nomadic Somali life style as well as addressing conteporary issues of immigration, exile and urbanization. The book will provide a greater understanding of Somali traditions, codes and life style.
The author, who is an International Banker with Citibank/Citigroup, and the CEO of the Bank’s operations in Ivory Coast and West Africa, has proven with this collection of Somali ‘wisdom jokes’ that laughter may be the best answer to the credit crunch! In addition to our main guest, there will be other books available for sale and there will be other poets and writers presenting some of their works, including Mohamed Baashe H. Hassan, Mawliid Aadan Aideed , Faysal Aw-Abdi, Abdirahman Ibrahim (Abees) and more.
More information: Ayan Mahamud: 0790371-2949
Mohamed Baashe: 07852239595
Faysal Aw-Cabdi: 07931892659
HADALADII BUUGA XAGIISA DANBE (Back Coverka)
Sheekooyinka buuggan “Diiwaanka Qosolka” ku jiraa waxay qofka ka fududaynayaan culays saaran, aadna waa looga helayaa. Waxa loo baahan yahay in sheekooyinka Buuggan ku jira loo tarjumo bulshooyinka aan furfurnayn sida caalamka Reer Galbeedka. Jamaal Cali Xuseen waxa uu ka mid yahay inta xiisaysa sheekooyinka noocan ah. Inta samaysa ee hibada u lehna waa ka mid.
Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame (Hadraawi): Abwaan Weyn, Mufaker Maansoole iyo Xeel-dheere Aqoonta Bulshada
Daraasado badan oo ku saabsan cilmi-nafsiga ayaa sheegaaya in qosolku yahay astaanta caafimaadka isla markaana qosolku kobciyo farxadda iyo himilada qofka. Bulshadu dhibaatooyinka nolosha waxay kaga gudbaan ama ay isku illowsiiyaan sheekooyin qosol, farxad, iyo xikmad leh, sida sheekooyinkan uu Jamaal Cali Xuseen ku soo ururiyey Diiwaankan qiimaha leh.
Dr. Xuseen Cabdillaahi Bulxan: Guddoomiyaha Jaamacadda Hargeysa, Bare Sare (Professor) ka ahaan jirey Jaamacadda Boston ( USA ), Xeel-dheere Cilmi Nafsiga
About Kayd: Kayd promotes Somali Art & Culture through a broad combination of poetry, literature, music, film and discussions. We wish to contribute to the creation of a culture of tolerance in the context of an appreciation of the richness of Somali culture; the Somali Week Festival remains one of the key events for
Managing Director: Ayan Mahamoud,Tel: 0-44(0)7903712949,
Email: ayan_mahamoud@kayd.org,
Website: www.kayd.org

Violence Hits Puntland

Medeshi
Violence Hits Quiet Somali Region
Written by The Media Line Staff
Published Sunday, March 29, 2009
At least one person was killed and three were wounded in two explosions that hit the relatively quiet Puntland region in northeastern Somalia on Saturday.
All the casualties were Ethiopian nationals, news reports said.
Witnesses said an explosion in of Puntland’s commercial city Bosasso took place near the headquarters of the Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS).
Last Monday, PIS agents arrested a cleric for alleged ties with A-Shabab, an Islamic group seeking to undermine the central government in Somalia, according to media reports.
Last week, at least two civilians and one policeman were killed and seven others were wounded after hundreds of stampeding demonstrators took to the streets of Bosasso to protest the cleric’s detention. Protesters hurled stones and metal objects while approaching a police post. Officers fired shots into the air in order to clear one of the nearby roads, but shot dead two of the protesters and wounded seven others, Nimco Afrah, a nearby shopkeeper told The Media Line. Puntland’s Vice President Abdi Samad Ali Shire said it was still uncertain whether troops arrested the sheikh, and urged people to maintain calm. However, Puntland Security Minister Abdullahi Said Samatar confirmed that security forces had arrested the sheikh and that he was being interrogated. Both Puntland and the neighboring Somaliland are relatively quiet areas of Somalia, which has been plunged in conflict for the past two years.
Puntland is a self-declared autonomous state, which has been self-governing since 1998, but unlike Somaliland, it does not seek independence from Somalia.
Puntland is home to a third of the Somali people.
Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991.
Violence in the country, particularly in the capital Mogadishu, has claimed thousands of lives. Many civilians have been killed in crossfire as gunmen roam the streets. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in recent months.
In addition, Somalia is also blighted by famine, disease, poverty and piracy.
Several Islamist groups do not recognize the new government, even though it is headed by the former leader of the Islamic Courts Union, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad.
The political vacuum and other problems have allowed lawlessness to flourish, with pirates controlling Somalia’s waters and Islamists and other factions the streets.
An AFP report last week said foreign jihad warriors have been flocking to Somalia over the past few months and joining forces with local Al-Qa’ida sympathizers in order to turn the anarchic country into an Al-Qa’ida haven.
According to the report, some 450 fighters are cooperating with the homegrown A-Shabab Islamists.
A former Somalia security official said the numbers of foreigners entering the country were increasing dramatically. He said they hailed from Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia, and many were concentrated in Puntland.
The Puntland government has dismissed the report as unsubstantiated and false allegations.

A Promising Glimpse of Africa's Future Can Be Found in its Children

Medeshi ,March 29, 2009

A Promising Glimpse of Africa's Future Can Be Found in Its Children

Queen Rania of Jordan
Ironic. The peace conference, that brought me to South Africa, has been postponed.
A gathering billed to bring people together... that symbolized the power of dialogue and intercultural understanding... that was to be a medium for solutions to ongoing conflicts around the world has, instead, polarized opinions, fuelled frustration, and caused divisions. (Photo: Queen Rania of Jordan with school children )
In many ways, this unfortunate turn of events underscores many of the unresolved problems that our global community faces today. In my part of the world, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is an open wound that we desperately need to heal. Perhaps if we all subscribed to the African concept of Ubuntu -- that we all become people through other people, and that we cannot be fully human alone, we could learn a lot. There'd be less hatred and more harmony.
And that's a good word on which to start my reflections because I had the best possible start to my working visit to Johannesburg: a meeting with President Mandela and Graça Machel. This was a moment in time...an experience to cherish forever.
In Madiba's presence, even before he speaks, something magical happens. Goodness and goodwill flow from this great man. Grace, humility, and courage light up the room. He makes you feel as if you, too, can be a force for good. People say that Madiba has slowed down, but as he spoke of his efforts to secure his legacy, especially for the children of South Africa, I wondered how everyone kept up with him.
He has said in the past, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
Currently, only three children's hospitals serve the entire African continent with its population of 741 million. Countries like Australia, Canada, and Germany, each boast nineteen or more facilities. The inequity is glaring and unfair. Madiba's state of the art Children's Hospital, due to open in July this year, is an example of how he believes children should be treated.
He smiles, his eyes crinkle, his infectious laugh fills the room...and I leave feeling like I can take on the world.
Next stop, Soweto and the Phefeni Secondary School to learn about the Girls' and Boys' Education Movement (G/BEM) run by the South African government and UNICEF. South Africa is on track to meet the MDG gender equality goal by 2015, but there is still work to do. G/BEM empowers girls by involving girls and boys in activities and discussions covering everything from teenage pregnancies and drug abuse to sexual harassment and human rights. Their logo, rather movingly, reads, "I am my brother's and sister's keeper.' And they are.
When I was growing up, I remember being told what to do by adults. But, 16 year old, Zanele taught me something that day. Her name, in Zulu, means "girls are enough," and she certainly lived up to that. This unbelievably articulate young woman told me about the progress of the G/BEM club that she coordinates, and how poetry, art, music and drama give everyone the chance to express themselves. It struck me that peer-to-peer learning was much more effective than anything adults could hope to achieve.
On the way to my next stop -- one of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund projects -- I was able to bear the traffic with help from U2's new album on my iPod and the lush landscape passing by outside.
Kids' Haven, started by the big-hearted Moira Simpson in 1992, is a residential shelter offering care to children who have been abused or abandoned. Part of the haven is a children's village with six homes for girls and boys. The houses are very simple; the children don't have much, but there is warmth and love in every home; the children are grateful for a second chance.
One little boy I met, Moses, is 2 and the cutest little guy ever. He and his siblings are from Burundi, and have been at the village for five months. They were victims of last year's xenophobic riots in Soweto, during which his mother was arrested and jailed. Her five children were about to be deported back to Burundi, all alone, until Lawyers for Human Rights intervened at the airport and called Moira, who took them all in.
Each one of Moira's children has a frightening and heartbreaking story to tell. But no matter what trauma they've experienced, she believes that with love and support, they can live happy, fulfilled lives. And while her and her tireless team has the heart, they also need support.
Back in my hotel, sitting outside, dreamily watching the fish, on a balmy African evening, my husband calls to reassure me that he's conscientiously holding down the fort back home. I miss them all, but I worry about my youngest the most. He finds the disruption of our playtime, bath, dinner, story, and bed routine unsettling. But, he was sufficiently compensated today by the treat of having daddy pick him up from pre-school! I was told that as he climbed into the car, he cast a proud, almost boastful, glance at his toddler mates!
South Africa
Africa
Ironic. The peace conference, that brought me to South Africa, has been postponed. A gathering billed to bring people together... that symbolized the power of dialogue and intercultural understandi...
Ironic. The peace conference, that brought me to South Africa, has been postponed. A gathering billed to bring people together... that symbolized the power of dialogue and intercultural understandi...

Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots

Medeshi
Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots
Waterboarding, Rough Interrogation of Abu Zubaida Produced False Leads, Officials Say
By Peter Finn and Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, March 29, 2009
When CIA officials subjected their first high-value captive, Abu Zubaida, to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, they were convinced that they had in their custody an al-Qaeda leader who knew details of operations yet to be unleashed, and they were facing increasing pressure from the White House to get those secrets out of him.
The methods succeeded in breaking him, and the stories he told of al-Qaeda terrorism plots sent CIA officers around the globe chasing leads.
In the end, though, not a single significant plot was foiled as a result of Abu Zubaida's tortured confessions, according to former senior government officials who closely followed the interrogations. Nearly all of the leads attained through the harsh measures quickly evaporated, while most of the useful information from Abu Zubaida -- chiefly names of al-Qaeda members and associates -- was obtained before waterboarding was introduced, they said.
Moreover, within weeks of his capture, U.S. officials had gained evidence that made clear they had misjudged Abu Zubaida. President George W. Bush had publicly described him as "al-Qaeda's chief of operations," and other top officials called him a "trusted associate" of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and a major figure in the planning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. None of that was accurate, the new evidence showed.
Abu Zubaida was not even an official member of al-Qaeda, according to a portrait of the man that emerges from court documents and interviews with current and former intelligence, law enforcement and military sources. Rather, he was a "fixer" for radical Muslim ideologues, and he ended up working directly with al-Qaeda only after Sept. 11 -- and that was because the United States stood ready to invade Afghanistan.
Abu Zubaida's case presents the Obama administration with one of its most difficult decisions as it reviews the files of the 241 detainees still held in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Abu Zubaida -- a nom de guerre for the man born Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein -- was never charged in a military commission in Guantanamo Bay, but some U.S. officials are pushing to have him charged now with conspiracy.
The Palestinian, 38 and now in captivity for more than seven years, had alleged links with Ahmed Ressam, an al-Qaeda member dubbed the "Millennium Bomber" for his plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999. Jordanian officials tied him to terrorist plots to attack a hotel and Christian holy sites in their country. And he was involved in discussions, after the Taliban government fell in Afghanistan, to strike back at the United States, including with attacks on American soil, according to law enforcement and military sources.
Others in the U.S. government, including CIA officials, fear the consequences of taking a man into court who was waterboarded on largely false assumptions, because of the prospect of interrogation methods being revealed in detail and because of the chance of an acquittal that might set a legal precedent. Instead, they would prefer to send him to Jordan.
Some U.S. officials remain steadfast in their conclusion that Abu Zubaida possessed, and gave up, plenty of useful information about al-Qaeda.
"It's simply wrong to suggest that Abu Zubaida wasn't intimately involved with al-Qaeda," said a U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because much about Abu Zubaida remains classified. "He was one of the terrorist organization's key facilitators, offered new insights into how the organization operated, provided critical information on senior al-Qaeda figures . . . and identified hundreds of al-Qaeda members. How anyone can minimize that information -- some of the best we had at the time on al-Qaeda -- is beyond me."
Until the attacks on New York and Washington, Abu Zubaida was a committed jihadist who regarded the United States as an enemy principally because of its support of Israel. He helped move people in and out of military training camps in Afghanistan, including some men who were or became members of al-Qaeda, according to interviews with multiple sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He was widely known as a kind of travel agent for those seeking such training.
That role, it turned out, would play a part in deciding his fate once in U.S. hands: Because his name often turned up in intelligence traffic linked to al-Qaeda transactions, some U.S. intelligence leaders were convinced that Abu Zubaida was a major figure in the terrorist organization, according to officials engaged in the discussions at the time.
But Abu Zubaida had strained and limited relations with bin Laden and only vague knowledge before the Sept. 11 attacks that something was brewing, the officials said.
His account was echoed in another U.S. interrogation going on at the same time, one never previously described publicly.
Noor al-Deen, a Syrian, was a teenager when he was captured along with Abu Zubaida at a Pakistani safe house. Perhaps because of his youth and agitated state, he readily answered U.S. questions, officials said, and the questioning went on for months, first in Pakistan and later in a detention facility in Morocco. His description of Abu Zubaida was consistent: The older man was a well-known functionary with links to al-Qaeda, but he knew little detailed information about the group's operations.
The counterterrorism official rejected that characterization, saying, "Based on what he shared during his interrogations, he was certainly aware of many of al-Qaeda's activities and operatives."
One connection Abu Zubaida had with al-Qaeda was a long relationship with Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, officials said. Mohammed had approached Abu Zubaida in the 1990s about finding financiers to support a suicide mission, involving a small plane, targeting the World Trade Center. Abu Zubaida declined but told him to try bin Laden, according to a law enforcement source.
Abu Zubaida quickly told U.S. interrogators of Mohammed and of others he knew to be in al-Qaeda, and he revealed the plans of the low-level operatives who fled Afghanistan with him. Some were intent on returning to target American forces with bombs; others wanted to strike on American soil again, according to military documents and law enforcement sources.
Such intelligence was significant but not blockbuster material. Frustrated, the Bush administration ratcheted up the pressure -- for the first time approving the use of increasingly harsh interrogations, including waterboarding.
Such treatment at the hands of the CIA has raised questions among human rights groups about whether Abu Zubaida is capable of standing trial and how the taint of torture would affect any prosecution.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a confidential report that the treatment of Abu Zubaida and other, subsequent high-value detainees while in CIA custody constituted torture. And Abu Zubaida refused to cooperate with FBI "clean teams" who attempted to re-interview high-value detainees to build cases uncontaminated by allegations of torture, according to military sources.
"The government doesn't retreat from who KSM is, and neither does KSM," said Joseph Margulies, a professor of law at Northwestern University and one of Abu Zubaida's attorneys, using an abbreviation for Mohammed. "With Zubaida, it's different. The government seems finally to understand he is not at all the person they thought he was. But he was tortured. And that's just a profoundly embarrassing position for the government to be in."
His lawyers want the U.S. government to arrange for Abu Zubaida's transfer to a country besides Jordan -- possibly Saudi Arabia, where he has relatives.
The Justice Department declined repeated requests for comment.
Even before President Obama suspended military commissions at the military base in Cuba, prosecutors had expunged Abu Zubaida's name from the charge sheets of a number of detainees who were captured with him and stood accused of conspiracy and material support for terrorism.
When they were first charged in 2005, these detainees were accused of conspiring with Abu Zubaida, and the charge sheets contained numerous references to Abu Zubaida's alleged terrorist activities. When the charges were refiled last year, his name had vanished from the documents.
Abu Zubaida was born in 1971 in Saudi Arabia to a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother, according to court papers. In 1991, he moved to Afghanistan and joined mujaheddin fighting Afghan communists, part of the civil war that raged after the 1989 withdrawal of the Soviet Union. He was seriously wounded by shrapnel from a mortar blast in 1992, sustaining head injuries that left him with severe memory problems, which still linger.
In 1994, he became the Pakistan-based coordinator for the Khalden training camp, outside the Afghan city of Khowst. He directed recruits to the camp and raised money for it, according to testimony he gave at a March 2007 hearing in Guantanamo Bay.
The Khalden camp, which provided basic training in small arms, had been in existence since the war against the Soviets. According to the 9/11 Commission's report, Khalden and another camp called Derunta "were not al Qaeda facilities," but "Abu Zubaydah had an agreement with Bin Laden to conduct reciprocal recruiting efforts whereby promising trainees at the camps could be invited to join al Qaeda."
Abu Zubaida disputes this, saying he admitted to such a connection with bin Laden only as the result of torture.
When the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, Abu Zubaida was in Kabul, the Afghan capital. In anticipation of an American attack, he allied himself with al-Qaeda, he said at a 2007 hearing, but he soon fled into hiding in Pakistan.
On the night of March 28, 2002, Pakistani and American intelligence officers raided the Faisalabad safe house where Abu Zubaida had been staying. A firefight ensued, and Abu Zubaida was captured after jumping from the building's second floor. He had been shot three times.
Cowering on the ground floor and also shot was Noor al-Deen, Abu Zubaida's 19-year-old colleague; one source said that he worshiped the older man as a hero. Deen was wide-eyed with fear and appeared to believe that he was about to be executed, remembered John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer who participated in the raid.
"He was frightened -- mostly over what we were going to do with him," Kiriakou said. "He had come to the conclusion that his life was over."
Deen was eventually transferred to Syria, but attempts to firmly establish his current whereabouts were unsuccessful.
His interrogations corroborated what CIA officials were hearing from Abu Zubaida, but there were other clues at the time that pointed to a less-than-central role for the Palestinian. As a veritable travel agent for jihadists, Abu Zubaida operated in a public world of Internet transactions and ticket agents.
"He was the above-ground support," said one former Justice Department official closely involved in the early investigation of Abu Zubaida. "He was the guy keeping the safe house, and that's not someone who gets to know the details of the plans. To make him the mastermind of anything is ridiculous."
As weeks passed after the capture without significant new confessions, the Bush White House and some at the CIA became convinced that tougher measures had to be tried.
The pressure from upper levels of the government was "tremendous," driven in part by the routine of daily meetings in which policymakers would press for updates, one official remembered.
"They couldn't stand the idea that there wasn't anything new," the official said. "They'd say, 'You aren't working hard enough.' There was both a disbelief in what he was saying and also a desire for retribution -- a feeling that 'He's going to talk, and if he doesn't talk, we'll do whatever.' "
The application of techniques such as waterboarding -- a form of simulated drowning that U.S. officials had previously deemed a crime -- prompted a sudden torrent of names and facts. Abu Zubaida began unspooling the details of various al-Qaeda plots, including plans to unleash weapons of mass destruction.
Abu Zubaida's revelations triggered a series of alerts and sent hundreds of CIA and FBI investigators scurrying in pursuit of phantoms. The interrogations led directly to the arrest of Jose Padilla, the man Abu Zubaida identified as heading an effort to explode a radiological "dirty bomb" in an American city. Padilla was held in a naval brig for 3 1/2 years on the allegation but was never charged in any such plot. Every other lead ultimately dissolved into smoke and shadow, according to high-ranking former U.S. officials with access to classified reports.
"We spent millions of dollars chasing false alarms," one former intelligence official said.
Despite the poor results, Bush White House officials and CIA leaders continued to insist that the harsh measures applied against Abu Zubaida and others produced useful intelligence that disrupted terrorist plots and saved American lives.
Two weeks ago, Bush's vice president, Richard B. Cheney, renewed that assertion in an interview with CNN, saying that "the enhanced interrogation program" stopped "a great many" terrorist attacks on the level of Sept. 11.
"I've seen a report that was written, based upon the intelligence that we collected then, that itemizes the specific attacks that were stopped by virtue of what we learned through those programs," Cheney asserted, adding that the report is "still classified," and, "I can't give you the details of it without violating classification."
Since 2006, Senate intelligence committee members have pressed the CIA, in classified briefings, to provide examples of specific leads that were obtained from Abu Zubaida through the use of waterboarding and other methods, according to officials familiar with the requests.
The agency provided none, the officials said.
Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

GOP Begs Dick Cheney: Go Back Into Hiding

Medeshi March 29, 2009

The Hill:

GOP Begs Dick Cheney: Go Back Into Hiding
Congressional Republicans are telling Dick Cheney to go back to his undisclosed location and leave them alone to rebuild the Republican Party without his input.
Displeased with the former vice-president's recent media appearances, Republican lawmakers say he's hurting GOP efforts to reinvent itself after back-to-back electoral drubbings.

Read the whole

Warmonger Rumsfled Struggles To Board Bus

From the archives

Medeshi March 29, 2009

Donald Rumsfeld Struggles To Board Bus

Jason Linkins
One of the unseen costs of Tom Daschle using up all of America's car services is that ordinary war-mongering political has-beens are forced to fend for themselves at street corners, waiting for buses. That's the situation that ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld found himself in Monday, in a report from Roll Call's Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton. (Roll Call's story is behind a pay-firewall. You can read John Byrne's witty retelling on Raw Story here.)
Basically, Rumsfeld was in Dupont Circle, attempting to catch the 42 bus, and all this happened:
With his SmarTrip card in hand -- the DC metro's rechargeable fare card -- Rumsfeld "stood quietly" waiting for the bus.
"It was almost like the guy at the first day of work," Heil and Brotherton's source remarked. "He was looking at the card, thinking, 'How does this work?'"
The bus eventually came but "was too packed to pick up any more passengers," the reporters wrote.
At least Rumsfeld was in possession of a SmarTrip card, clear and convincing evidence that he did not receive his public transportation intelligence from celebrated pinhead Douglas Feith.
Unable to board the bus, Rumsfeld took it on the arches. As Roll Call's source details, "He made it down the hill just fine...He didn't fall or anything."
So there you have it! Donald Rumsfeld, a man for whom reports of being able to walk must be corroborated by witnesses.

Al-Shabaab nabs 50 over Khat ban demo

Medeshi March 28, 2009

Al-Shabaab nabs 50 over Khat ban demo

Al-Shabbab fighters have arrested more than 50 people in the southern Somali town of Baidoa for staging a protest against a ban on Khat.
(Photo:A market trader sells Khat in Somali capital, Mogadishu.)

Witnesses said hundreds of people took to the streets of Baidoa and blocked major roads in the city which consequently prompted Al-Shabba fighters to disperse the protestors using live bullets, Press TV correspondent reported.
The report added that Al-Shabaab militants went on rampage after the demonstration subsided, and destroyed kiosks used by traders to sell the popular narcotic drug in the town.
Al-Shabaab, which controls the southern Somali town imposed a ban on the sale of Khat, on Tuesday.
Khat leaves, used by Somalis for centuries, are known for their energy-giving qualities, and for making people more relaxed, talkative and friendly.
They are also said to improve sexual prowess -- although in some men it can actually have the opposite effect.
US military chiefs, who lost 18 soldiers during Operation Restore Hope in 1993, were amazed by the endurance of Somali militiamen who fought on for days boosted by Khat.
Many Somalis believe Khat is no more dangerous or anti-social than alcohol or tobacco and should not be criminalized. This is partly due to the fact that the Somali community has high levels of unemployment and non-engagement with the rest of society.
Somalia, located at Horn of Africa, has been mired in political and military anarchy since 1991 when Mogadishu warlords toppled former president Siad Barre.

The Unheard Saga of Oromo Refugees: The Unvoiced Weeps from Nairobi to Mogadishu

Medeshi March 28, 2009

The Unheard Saga of Oromo Refugees: The Unvoiced Weeps from Nairobi to Mogadishu

By Kadiro A. Elemo*
It is not exaggeration if I made a bold statement that Ethiopia is among those countries where the dignity of a human being is absolutely disregarded. This goes from the fact that human rights violations and naked tyranny are commonplace experiences under the regime of Meles Zenawi. There is no trend of improvement in human rights protection in the country and a general culture of impunity for violating human rights is rampant. Lack of respect for the fundamental human rights, arbitrary and illegal detentions, tortures, killings of members of the political opposition and demonstrators, summary executions of suspected insurgents, lengthy pretrial detentions, poor prison conditions, violations of individual privacy rights and laws regarding search warrants, and lack of freedom of press are among a few characterizing features of the police state of Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, all types of human rights are virtually violated and basic freedoms are infringed now and then. The routines of human rights violation, the lack of trend of improvement in human rights protection, and the culture of impunity for violating human rights by the oppressive regime loom largely over the Oromo nation, a numerical majority, but a political minority in Ethiopia.
Horn of Africa: Oromo Refugee Sufferingstock

In order to escape persecution and harassment by the repressive regime, an exodus of Oromo refugees cross from Ethiopia into neighboring countries every day and every month. However, to the consternation of Oromo refugees, the other Horn countries are putting salt on the injuries of Oromo refugees. In other words, the reality for Oromo refugees in the other Horn countries squarely fits with the reality in Oromia, a TPLF open-field prison-house. Handing over Oromo refugees to the oppressive regime of TPLF, forcibly sending them back or detaining them with total disregard to international norms are part of common phenomena in the region. This aberration in international law happens repetitively in Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti and Somaliland. The case of Somalia is even worse to mention: the TPLF regime, exploiting the political anarchy and statelessness in Somalia, can jump to there anytime to massacre and torture Oromo refugees living there. In the worst scenario, the TPLF regime uses its warlord vassals in Somalia to wipe out Oromo political dissidents, who are lucky enough to escape from TPLF’s torture machinery at home. Oromo refugees are becoming more and more vulnerable to abuses of the state actors and non-state actors in the Horn. These days, being raped, being robbed, being attacked and being abused have become part of Oromo refugees’ daily lives. Moreover, becoming targets of terror attacks is a new emerging trend. The case in point is the heinous murders of innocent Oromo refugees by two simultaneous hand-grenade attacks in Bosaso restaurants.
Every single day, the agonies and plights of Oromo refugees are smoldering and touching. This is the ongoing problem and needs the attention of every person who feels the sufferings of human beings.
Are the Behaviors of the Horn Countries Acceptable under International Laws?
To understand the protection of the refugee law under international laws, it is necessary to understand the complementarity among the refugee protection law, international human rights law and humanitarian law.
International refugee rights are integral parts of the broader international human rights that an individual enjoys by virtue of humanity. Refugee rights have been anchored in several international human rights instruments. For instance, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the bedrock of international human rights regime that has attained the status of customary international law and jus cogens, has clear provisions about the rights of refugees (asylum seekers). Article 14 of UDHR, the right to seek and enjoy asylum in other countries, is one of those principles, which reached the status of the peremptory norm binding on non-signatory states erga omnez.

Right to life, absolute prohibition of tortures, or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatments/punishments, and protection against genocides and crimes against humanity are also considered as some of the fundamental state obligations on the international plane. More importantly, these state obligations and international human rights instruments prohibit refoulement, sending back the refugee to the country where he/she fears persecution. Every country in the world, whether de facto or de jure state, (including Kenya, Somaliland, Puntland, Djibouti, Sudan…), has the duty to honor their international obligations by protecting individuals (Oromo refugees) from persecution. Hence, these countries cannot refouler Oromo refugees to Ethiopia since their lives and freedom can be threatened because of their race, religion, political opinions, and membership to particular social group.
In case of temporary protection, too, these countries are duty-bound to grant temporary protection status for the mass influx of the people falling outside the competence of 1951 Convention since forcible return can pose substantial threat to the lives, liberty, and security of these persons. Refoulement is tantamount with violation of the international law, and non-compliance with international obligations has consequences (at least in theory) on them. Hence, in this scenario, too, these countries have the incumbent duty to protect the right of refugee until the situation in the refugee’s country improves or the refugee is resettled in a third country. And also, in case of Protection Elsewhere (Third Host Countries), these countries have to observe their obligation to non-refoulement. The fact that refugee has got or might get protection in third country cannot discharge these countries from international obligation.
In a nut shell, these are among a few legal bases for the Horn nations not to hand over (refouler) Oromo refugees to Ethiopian authorities.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)The right to seek and enjoy asylum is a peremptory norm of international law binding an all states of the world. Logically, refoulement is forbidden to the state where life and freedom of the individual might be periled.
The Convention against Torture (CAT)The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane and Degrading Treatment or Punishment provides protection from refoulement. This cardinal principle binds even those countries, which are not party to the Convention, on the ground that it has attained the status of customary international law.
The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) prohibits refoulement to torture. The Convention secures right to life (Article 6), protection from torture (Article 7), and more importantly, it says that these rights are applicable to all persons within territory or jurisdiction of state [Article 2(1)]. Optional Protocol 1 to this Convention gives individuals including refugees the right to bring complaint to Human Rights Committee if their rights are violated.
The Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) The Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC), which applies to all children without discrimination, whether they are national or refugees or asylum seekers, prohibits refoulement.
Countries should honor their Constitutional and Municipal LawsHuman rights are inalienable, universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated. No one can neither give nor alienate these especial entitlements of human dignity. As the result of their natures, human rights provisions are applicable to all human beings regardless of their nationality: the principle of non-discrimination. Therefore, it is plausible to argue that a refugee can benefit from the rights guaranteed by the Constitutions and municipal laws of the Horn countries. Forcibly returning refugees to the country, where they might be persecuted, is the violation of the laws of these countries. These also reinforce and supplement these countries’ duties to safeguard the right of refugees.
The examples given above are simply a tip of an iceberg. There are numerous international conventions and instruments that prohibit refoulement, such as International Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, International Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women, International Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination and so on.
What should the Oromo Diaspora do to ensure the maximum possible protection for the rights of Oromo refugees in the Greater and Unstable Horn of Africa?
To be continued …
* Kadiro Elemo is a host and a producer of Voice of Oromia (http://www.voiceoforomia.com/).

Ethiopia dam 'could spark water wars'

Medeshi March 27, 2009

Ethiopia dam 'could spark water wars'

By Peter Greste

BBC News, Ethiopia
Most people in Ethiopia's lower Omo River Valley continue to exist much as they have done for hundreds of years with virtually no concession to the 21st Century, with one disturbing exception: automatic weapons.
Almost every male carries a Kalashnikov or an M-16 assault rifle, and what might in the past have been a fairly innocuous dispute over grazing or water-rights between different groups, now frequently escalates into bloody warfare.
“ I don't think the government likes the Omo tribes. They are going to destroy us ” Bargaeri Mursi priest
Some fear the potential for dispute could be about to increase, because a huge dam - the second biggest in sub-Saharan Africa - is being built upstream.
The government denies that the river's flow will be affected and indeed says the Gilgel Gibe III Dam will reduce flooding.
"It increases the amount of water in the river system. It completely regulates flooding in the Omo, which has been a major problem," said Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
But local people - and some academics - simply don't believe it.
'Rumours'
The Mursi people are one of about two dozen groups who depend, either directly or indirectly, on the river and its annual cycle of flood and recession for their survival.
They are famous for the coaster-sized clay disks that the women insert into their ear lobes and lower lips.
In the shade of a fig tree, a group of Mursi elders gathered to discuss "rumours" of the dam.
One of the senior community priests, Bargaeri, said although they were aware of the dam, they had heard nothing official.
"We will suffer because there will be no more floods," he said. "I don't think the government likes the Omo tribes. They are going to destroy us."
The floods lie at the very heart of the dispute over the dam.
The government plainly believes they will continue pretty much as they always have, except that the dam will allow the authorities to manage the timing and the height of the flood in a way that nature never did.
Richard Leakey - the renowned ecologist and most vocal critic of the dam - was blunt in his assessment of its consequences.
"My problem is that the dam is going to affect a huge number of people who have no voice, a huge number of people who will fight over the decreasing resources.
"Innocent people will be killed in conflict over those resources, and I don't believe it is necessary."
“ If the river goes down, there will be war ” Nyangatom elder
Mr Leakey's criticisms echo those of a collection of European, American and East African academics who have banded together as the "African Resources Working Group".
The group has released a highly detailed commentary on the electricity company's environmental impact assessment (EIA) that criticises almost every element of both the dam and the study.
In a section dealing with the impact on indigenous communities, the commentary asserts:
"Additional dispossession and disruption of the ethnic groups of the lowermost Omo basin, from the planned irrigation agricultural schemes and industrial projects described in the downstream EIA and planned by the Ethiopian government… will precipitate waves of new conflicts among groups already competing with one another over the shrinking natural resource base available to all of them."
Adaptation
The Nyangatom is amongst the most heavily armed of the communities in the Omo Valley.
Half of the group lives over the border inside South Sudan, where most young men fought with the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement during its long civil war with Khartoum. They brought back training, experience and weapons, raising the stakes even further.
In the village of Kangaten, the Nyangatom's elder spokesman called Kai shook with rage as he condemned the authorities.
"Let them first bring helicopters to kill us all; then the government can build its dam," he said.
Another elder bluntly declared: "If the river goes down, there will be war."
According to anthropologist Marco Bassi, of Oxford University, the tribes have developed sophisticated agricultural techniques that have allowed them to live comfortably and sustainably for centuries.
Each wet season, the riverside communities retreat to higher ground, waiting for the flood that inevitably comes.
Once the waters retreat, the communities move back to plant their crops on the damp and newly replenished soils.
Their cattle feed on the fresh grasses. The higher the flood, the more land is inundated, and the more becomes available to farm.
“ They will not be able to... deal with this change. They will simply die ” Marco Bassi,
Oxford University
Even the highest of floods are necessary to replenish the outlying bush lands that the communities use to feed their livestock during the equally inevitable droughts.
"It looks very primitive from the outside," Mr Bassi said. "But when you investigate it, you discover that they have a very intimate knowledge of the land and its fertility.
"Each family has maybe seven or eight different varieties of sorghum that responds to different conditions. And combined, the community has 20 or 30.
"They know how to plant in a way that guarantees enough food whatever happens through the year."
But the tribal lands have become increasingly squeezed between newly gazetted national parks and large commercial landholders, and growing populations on the other.
The government has promised irrigation schemes as a way of mitigating any negative effects of the dam, but that too is dismissed by the community elders like Mursi priest Biyatongiya.
"It's not true," he said. "I haven't seen anything like irrigation before. They're just lying to us. Maybe they come and tell us these things but it's not true."
And anyway, Marco Bassi doubts the communities will be able to adapt to irrigated farming which would mean a wholesale transformation of their centuries-old nomadic cultures.
"The issue is how to empower these communities to face this change in a way that they can manage. How do you empower, enable these people to deal with this change?
"Under the current circumstances, they will not be able to do that… Simply, they will die."
Story from BBC NEWS:

Israeli warplanes conducted air strike on arms smugglers in Sudan: CBS

Medeshi

Israeli warplanes conducted air strike on arms smugglers in Sudan: CBS
March 25, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — An airstrike that targeted a convoy of arm smugglers inside Sudan last January was launched by Israeli planes and not American ones, according to a US television network.
Yesterday a Sudanese government official said that a “major power bombed small trucks carrying arms” Northwest of Port Sudan city killing Sudanese, Eritreans and Ethiopians passengers.
An Egyptian newspaper had reported this week that US planes destroyed a convoy heading towards the borders carrying arms believed to be on its way to Gaza strip.
It also quoted an unidentified Egyptian official as suggesting that the planes flew from US bases in Djibouti.
However CBS news quoting unidentified US officials disputed the report about US involvement in the operation.
CBS News national security correspondent who covers the Pentagon was told by those officials that “Israeli aircraft carried out the attack”.
“Israeli intelligence is said to have discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north toward Egypt, whereupon they would cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into Hamas-held territory in Gaza” the officials said.
However the officials did not say whether they provided any assistance to the operation or if they were notified before it took place.
In Tel Aviv Israeli offcials speaking to Haartez newspaper refused to comment on the report of an air strike in Sudan or on the role that Israel may have played in that attack.
However Haartez said that Israeli defense sources reiterated on a number of occasions that Iran embarked on an intensive effort to supply Hamas with weapons and ammunition during Operation Cast Lead.
Hamas Islamic group is in control of the Gaza strip.
In Cairo the Sudanese foreign minister Deng Alor told reporters that he has no information on any airstrikes conducted in Eastern Sudan.
The US signed an agreement with Israel last January that calls for an international effort to stem the flow of weaponry and explosives to complement those of Egypt.
American and Israeli diplomats said at the time the agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of US and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels.
The convoy is believed to have consisted of 17 trucks carrying 39 passengers that were all destroyed in the operation. None of the people on board the trucks survived the attack.
Israeli officials in the past have said that arms are funneled into Sudan and then to Sinai, where they pass through the tunnels into Gaza.
(ST)

.Somali pirates hijack 2 tankers in 24 hours

Medeshi March 26, 2009
Somali pirates hijack 2 tankers in 24 hours

BRUSSELS – Pirates armed with machine guns pursued and captured a Norwegian chemical tanker off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, the owners said, less than 24 hours after a smaller Greek-owned vessel was seized in the same area.
The U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, confirmed both hijackings and said they happened in the same area but separate from the gulf, one of the world's busiest — and now most treacherous — sea lanes.
The 23,000-ton Norwegian-owned Bow Asir was seized 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the Somali coast on Thursday morning, and the 9,000-ton Greek-owned Nipayia, with 19 crew members, was attacked about 450 miles (720 kilometers) off Somalia on Wednesday afternoon, the European Union's military spokesman said.
Norway's shipowner's association said the Bow Asir had a crew of 27 with a Russian captain, but the 5th Fleet said there were 23 crew on board. Fleet spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said the Norwegian ship was Bahamian-flagged, but he did not know its cargo. U.S. Cmdr. Jane Campbell confirmed the hijacking on Wednesday of the Nipayia.
Both vessels are chemical tankers but their cargoes were not immediately made public
A Nairobi-based diplomat said the Nipayia had 18 Filipinos on board and a Russian captain. He said the ship is managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The owner of the Norwegian Bow Asir, Salhus Shipping AS, said it received a security alert message from the Bow Asir at 0729GMT saying the ship was being chased by two small boats with suspected pirates on board.
At 0745GMT, the captain reported that the pirates had boarded the vessel, and three hours later, Salhus Shipping received an e-mail from the ship confirming that 16 to 18 pirates carrying machine guns had gained control, managing director Per H. Hansen said in a statement.
"We have no reports of any injuries," he said. "We are doing our utmost to ensure the safety of the crew, and have established communication lines with naval forces, insurance companies, flag state and charterer."
NATO announced Thursday that its anti-piracy flotilla of five ships was resuming patrols off the Horn of Africa, joining an international squadron already operating in the region.
The flotilla will join at least 20 warships from the EU, the U.S., China, Russia and other navies are patrolling the region in an effort to prevent pirate attacks on the sea lanes around the Horn of Africa.
An earlier NATO mission — sent to the region in October in response to appeals by the United Nations — was replaced in December by an EU flotilla. Its main task is to escort cargo ships chartered by the U.N. World Food Program carrying humanitarian aid to Somalia, which has been without a functioning government since 1991.
Naval officers say controlling an ocean area the size of Western Europe is difficult, even with the help of ships' helicopters and maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
Pirate attacks off the Somali coastline hit unprecedented levels in 2008. The pirates made 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels, mostly in the Gulf of Aden last year. Seven have been seized so far this year, although there were roughly 10 times as many attacks in January and February 2009 as there was over the same period last year. There have been almost daily attacks in March, including an incident in which a Korean sailor received a bullet wound in the head.

Associated Press correspondents Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, and Katarina Kratovac in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.

SOMALIA: Thousands need aid to return home from Somaliland

Medeshi

SOMALIA: Thousands need aid to return home from Somaliland
HARGEISA, 26 March 2009 (IRIN) - At least 15,000 Somalis, who had fled to the self-declared republic of Somaliland to escape violence in Mogadishu, want to return home following the recent change of government but lack the means to do so, aid workers said.
Moreover, the circumstances of the estimated 2,500 families are complicated by the fact that Somaliland authorities consider them refugees while aid agencies consider them internally displaced.
"The families want to return due to the difficult conditions they live in here," Zainab Mohamud, head of the Gashan Women’s Development Organisation, who works with the displaced families, told IRIN on 25 March.
She said the families shared camps with locally displaced people and "receive very little help. The main problem is the lack of clarity over their status; are they refugees or displaced?"
She said the families had received some food aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) but little else.
Mukhtar Mohamed, a father of six who fled Mogadishu and now lives in Mohamed Moge district of Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa, said: "I have been in Somaliland for the last nine months and have received very little help. We have safety but nothing else."
Mohamed Moge district is one of the most populated IDP settlements in Hargeisa.
Since the situation in Mogadishu seems to be improving, Mohamed said, he would like to return home, "but I lack the means to do so".
According to Mohamud, in the past two months more than 15,000 Somalis displaced in Somaliland and in neighbouring Djibouti had returned home to Somalia through Somaliland.
She said the families in Hargeisa should be assisted to return home, "instead of living in these difficult conditions and in limbo”.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Somaliland is hosting 80,000 IDPs.
Roberta Russo, associate public information officer for UNHCR Somalia, said: "No IDP has approached UNHCR to ask for assistance to return to south-central Somalia yet."
She said that since the beginning of 2009, at least 52,000 people had returned to Mogadishu. However, she cautioned that the "returnees are mainly heads of families coming to assess the situation, leaving the rest of their families in IDP camps".
Russo said the humanitarian community "is seriously concerned about the spontaneous returns to Mogadishu as the security situation is still volatile and basic services to help the returnees are not in place".
A task-force, which includes UNHCR, has been set up to assess as soon as possible the situation in the capital "and make recommendations on how best to assist people who are spontaneously returning as well as people who are still in the camps", she added.

Yoshia Morishita:Distance matters but every little connection also matters for the future

Medeshi March 26, 2009

Section 3 of 3:

Distance matters but every little connection also matters for the future.
By Yoshia Morishita

Saporro, Japan
Reading newspapers of Japan and Europe is pretty interesting. Different headlines, different issues, and different perspectives, even about the same story. One thing for sure is that with only Japanese media, my awareness of international issues will definitely decline. In general Japanese people are less aware of international issues than other nationals.
(The picture attached shows an aquaduct in France. I attached it because I hope my articles will play a role of a bridge that connects Japan, Somalia/land and the Horn!
The other day Japan won the international baseball tournament! We are still excited, too excited )
This may be good in some ways though; in general, many ‘foreign’ cultures are new to them and so Japanese people are curious about different cultures and do not discriminate against them. Also, I have heard that people in developing countries, for instance, do not complain about Japan’s development assistance because Japan does not tell them what to do; you are less bossy when you show respect to and interest in others who have different perspectives. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun of Japan and BBC, Japan, together with Canada, is considered as having the most positive impact on the international society, although some Japanese critics say that no one needs to complain about Japan because the country has no strong opinions or does not play an influential role internationally. It is like one of your classmates who always goes out for lunch with you, smiles, nods and is ready to pay for a few of the classmates’ meals who are currently short of money.

In Section 2 of this article I wrote that although the dispatch of a few Japanese Navy ships to the areas off Somalia/land is a big issue, the vast majority of Japanese people do not take it as seriously as they probably should. We import a wide range of commercial goods carried by vessels that go through the sea areas in question. Our economy depends so much on trading. By dispatching the Navy ships, we may be able to get rid of the image that Japan contributes to the international society only financially. We know that financial contribution, however big it is, does not bring a good international reputation or respect (e.g. Kuwait never thanked Japan for our financial help during the Gulf War, and Japan never seems to get a permanent seat at the Security Council despite its financial contribution the amount of which is the second biggest, or actually the biggest as the US does not pay as much as they should in time).

The politicians of Japan’s government party argue that by the dispatch Japan would be properly recognised as a committed and cooperative nation; it is good for national interest. Maybe... Politicians represent citizens in democratic countries and are supposed to think and act in future-oriented ways, although they often pursue short-term interests. Some of the Japanese media do support the dispatch. They do mention protecting Japan-related vessels is very important given the economic structure of Japan, but also tend to say that the dispatch is necessary because a number of other countries have already dispatched their war ships. Japan does not have the courage to do anything new. The country prefers to see what others do before it takes action itself, meaning that it is, in a sense, very cooperative and clever.

Distance also matters. Africa in general and Somalia/land are unknown and a probably-never-to-visit continent. No direct flights. Very limited connections. A distant place that suffers and needs help. On top of it, the pirates, which we only see in films or amusement parks. Naturally, all these are beyond ordinary Japanese people’s imagination. Protecting Japan-related vessels is important, but the dispatch and all the related issues, probably to many people in Japan, sound like other people’s business. Many others are already operating near Somalia/land and so it should be safe and legitimate to go there to join them. Supposedly this is how ordinary Japanese people see the issue of the dispatch.

One of Japan’s neighbours is that mysterious North Korea. Compared with Somalia/land, it is just a stone’s throw away from us, and yet we know very little about the country; we only know it is such a troublemaker. However, we pay attention to North Korea as it is near to us and preparing for a missile launch in early April. It may affect us. When we still do not know much about our troublesome neighbour, how come we are aware of issues surrounding Somalia/land which is really far? The necessity to know such issues is minimal. There are plenty of other issues to be dealt with in our daily life… One thing for sure is that Japan has no intention of expanding its sphere of influence to Somalia/land. It is simply too late and too far in the first place. I think Japan only wants to protect unarmed commercial vessels (and civilians like that Japanese female medical doctor who was kidnapped to Somalia when she was treating the disadvantaged in the Horn) from heavily armed people, be it Somalis or others.

The above being said, very few people have hatred towards Somali/land. We are very far, very different and so on. I hope my articles will help the visitors to the web site Medeshi to know that there is an ordinary Japanese citizen like me who wants to contribute to building an invisible but solid bridge between the two countries. That way, little by little, the distance will be overcome.

Thank you for reading! ( End of Section 3).

About the writer : (Mr) Yoshia MORISHITA is a Japanese national who studied and worked in the UK, as well as Turkey and Eritrea. He has visited around 25 countries of the world and developed his international perspectives. He has a Master’s degree in International Development from UCL, University of London and worked as a research associate at a British NGO. Currently he is living in Japan running a small business in the area of various international programmes and businesses facilitation and co-ordination, while reading sociology at Hokkaido University.

Arab unity in the shadows of empire

Medeshi March 26, 2009

Arab unity in the shadows of empire

In the midst of huge strategic and economic upheavals, the leaders of the Arab world appear divided.
Immersed in domestic disputes and bilateral bickering, Arab nations are facing stark choices.
Emerging from a history of colonial domination, the Arab world is now influenced by competing global and regional powers.
The failure of George Bush's policies to transform the greater Middle East through military force has left new threats and new opportunities for this energy rich, conflict-ridden region.
In the new world order, we examine the possibilities of Arabs engaging with the world's superpowers on an equal footing.
But with countries as diverse as Egypt and the Comoros Islands, is the era of pan-Arabism an outdated concept?
On the eve of the Arab League Summit in Doha, Empire asks the questions that have divided generations: How can Arabs improve their poor standing in the world and at the same time, deal collectively with the dramatic regional and global challenges engulfing their countries?
Empire, Arab Unity in the Shadow of Empires can be seen from Wednesday March 25 at the following times GMT: Wednesday 1900; Thursday 0600 and 1400; Friday 0300 and 1000.

Israeli use of phosphorus in Gaza 'a crime'

Medeshi March 26 , 2009
Israeli use of phosphorus a crime
A report by an international rights group has said that Israel's use of white phosphorus during its recent offensive on the Gaza Strip is evidence of war crimes.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday that the munitions were fired indiscriminately and over densely populated areas during the 23-day war, leading to many casualties.
"In Gaza, the Israeli military didn't just use white phosphorus in open areas as a screen for its troops," Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher at HRW and co-author of the report, said.
"It fired white phosphorus repeatedly over densely populated areas, even when its troops weren't in the area and safer smoke shells were available. As a result, civilians needlessly suffered and died."
'Senior approval'
The report said that senior commanders must have approved what they saw as a pattern or policy in white phosphorus use.
In depth
HRW has called for Israeli senior commanders to be held to account and for an international investigation to take place, since an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) inquiry is likely to be neither "thorough" nor "impartial".
The 71-page report documents evidence of spent shells and white phosphorus found in residential areas, city streets, a hospital and a UN school.
It follows reports by Amnesty International, the international rights group, and the UN alleging the improper use of white phosphorus by Israel.
Armies typically use the munition to obscure their operations on the ground via the thick smoke created. It can also be used to set targets alight.
The munitions are legal in open areas, but illegal when used unnecessarily and in civilian areas.
'Truely terrible'
Talking to Al Jazeera Abrahams said: "This is our first report of a series in Gaza, because what we saw was truly terrible."
"I've covered five wars and for me personally it was a traumatic experience to go to Gaza," Abrahams said.
"Israel repeatedly used [white phosphorus] in densely populated areas, such as downtown Gaza City," he said.
'It is a thoroughly inappropriate way to use this munition. It spreads 116 burning wafers of white phosphorus down in an area of up to 200 metres.
Abrahams said that Israel's past use of the munitions in the 2006 Lebanon war and repeated warnings of the proximity of their shelling to populations meant they knew the danger they were subjecting Palestinians to.
"So to us this indicates a pattern, a policy. Investigations of small fish, low level soldiers, is not enough," Abrahams said.
"We believe top level commanders should be investigated and where there's evidence they should be held accountable."
Abrahams called on either the UN Security Council or Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary general, appoint an international investigation that looks at all abuses in the war not just attacks on UN locations.
Location critical
Chris Cobb-Smith, a security consultant who co-authored a report with Amnesty International on the munitions' use, said that the important point was not the employment of the weapon, but where it was used.
"An important thing to remember about white phosphorus is that it is not an illegal weapons system. It is perfectly legal, but it must be used in the right way," Cobb-Smith told Al Jazeera.
"It is illegal to fire at humans. It is even illegal to fire this weapons system at enemy troops.
"It is purely an obscurant. It is purely to provide a smoke screen for soldiers on the battlefield.
"But there is absolutely no military tactical reason to use white phosphorus in a built up area. It can provide no use whatsoever.
"It was used at a time before the IDF actually commenced their ground offensive into Gaza itself. They were miles away from Gaza City when they first used this weapons system."
Israel originally denied using the munitions during its war on the Gaza Strip which began on December 27 last year, but later said it would hold an internal investigation into its improper use.

AJZ

The Tallest Dam in the world is nearly finished in Ethiopia

Medeshi March 26 , 2009

The Tallest Dam in the world is nearly finished in Ethiopia
The World's tallest dam is under construction in Ethiopia and BBC Special report has extensive coverage on the construction and the controversies surrounding the dam.
By Peter GresteBBC News, Ethiopia
Deep in the gorge country that falls off the Ethiopian plateau, workers in boots and hard hats are hammering, drilling, blasting and digging their way into the mountainside for the foundations of the vast wall that will, when finished, create the second largest hydroelectricity dam in sub-Saharan Africa.
Teams of workers are blasting out the "keyhole" - the slot in the side of the valley that will hold the dam wall in place.
Others are finishing the concrete lining to the last of three 1,000m long tunnels that have already begun diverting the Omo River waters around the main construction site.
The Gibe III dam is under construction on the Omo River, approximately 300km southwest of Addis Ababa. It is the third in a series of cascading hydroelectric projects in the region.
The first, the Gilgel Gibe dam (also called Gibe I), was completed north of the Gibe III dam site in 2004. The Gibe II project is a power plant associated with the Gibe I dam that is still under construction.
The new Gibe III dam is expected to produce 6500 GWh of energy a year, and surplus energy is expected to create 300 million euros (£282m; $407m) in revenue, according to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), the sole provider of power in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's neighbours, such as Djibouti, Yemen, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt, would all be in a position to purchase the excess energy.
EEPCo sees another benefit of the project in regulating the flow of the river, which floods annually, and thereby making it navigable all year.
The resulting reservoir of approximately 200 sq km would be used as a fishery, according to an environmental and social impact assessment by EEPCo.
Read More from BBC News including Pictures, Video report

Nazret

Disaster warning as drought worsens in Puntland

Medeshi

Disaster warning as drought worsens in Puntland
NAIROBI, 25 March 2009 - More and more people in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland are relying on water trucking as the drought that has gripped the region worsens, with officials warning the situation could become a "full-blown" disaster within months.
(A donkey in a drought-affected area: Puntland officials have warned that the drought that has gripped the region was worsening and the situation could become a disaster within months - file photo)

"Some of the population has reached the stage where they are no longer able to cope," Warsame Abdi, Puntland's information minister, told IRIN on 25 March.
Abdi said at least 133 localities in Puntland were now dependent on water trucking, adding that the region's authorities did not have the resources to ameliorate the situation.
Warning of a disaster in a month or two "if there is no quick intervention", Abdi urged international aid agencies to come to the region's rescue.
He said the first priority was to deliver water to affected areas and to distribute food to those who had lost their livestock.
Abdi said although there were about two weeks left of the rainy season, signs were that most parts of the region would continue to experience yet another season of little or no rains.
He said the problem was most acute in Mudug, Nugal and parts of Sool and Sanaag, which are claimed by both Puntland and the neighbouring self-declared republic of Somaliland.
Abdiaziz Diriye, of the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency of Puntland (HADMA), told IRIN a recent assessment it had conducted in the affected areas found water shortages to be the main problem.
"We found that 24 wells in the most affected areas are in urgent need of repairs," Diriye said.
They had also observed high incidence of malnutrition among the elderly and children in some parts: "Food is either not available or is too expensive for most."
Abdiaziz Sheikh Yusuf, the district commissioner of Jariiban, in Mudug region, one of the most affected areas, said 42 out of 47 of the district’s townships were facing "major” water problems.
"We had very little rains last year and almost all the barkads [water catchment areas] in the district are empty," he said.
Yusuf said that many nomadic families who had lost their livestock were moving to towns and setting up temporary shelters or moving in with relatives. "Our estimate is that some 400 nomadic families [2,400 people] are now in urban centres, with more coming every day."
He said minority clans in the area were especially affected. "They occupy some of the driest parts and need urgent help," he said.
He said that almost 40 percent of the livestock had succumbed to drought.

Saudi women to spurn lingerie shops over salesmen

Medeshi March 26, 2009

Saudi women to spurn lingerie shops over salesmen

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Before her wedding last year, Huda Batterjee went abroad to buy her bridal lingerie — she just couldn't bear the humiliation of discussing her most intimate apparel with a man. She had little choice: there are almost no saleswomen in Saudi Arabia. Now a group of Saudi women — sick of having to deal with male sales staff when buying bras or panties, not to mention frilly negligees or thongs — have launched a campaign this week to boycott lingerie stores until they employ women.
It's an irony of the kingdom's strict segregation of the sexes. Only men are employed as sales staff to keep women from having to deal with male customers or work around men.
But in lingerie stores, that means men are talking to women about bras or thongs, looking them up and down to determine their cup sizes, even rubbing the underwear to show how stains can be washed out.
The result is mortifying for everyone involved — shoppers, salesmen, even the male relatives who accompany the women.
"When I buy underwear in Saudi, some salesmen say, 'This is not the right size for you,'" said Batterjee. "You feel almost taken advantage of. Why is he looking at me in this way?"
So for her wedding trousseau, the 26-year-old went to neighboring Dubai to shop. She now lives in Virginia with her husband.
Heba al-Akki, a businesswoman who supports the boycott, said when she shops for underwear, "I go to a store, pick this, this and that and leave quickly. It's as if I'm buying illegal stuff."
It's not easy on the salesmen either.
At one lingerie boutique in a Riyadh mall Wednesday, salesmen blushed when asked about their jobs. All said they back the campaign to hire female sales staff.
"Even in such open regions as the U.S. and Europe, men do not sell underwear to women," said store manager Husam al-Mutayim, a 27-year-old Egyptian. "I don't let any of my female relatives buy underwear from men. It's just too embarrassing."
Mannequins — headless in keeping with a ban on realistic depictions of women — were displayed in the shop window dressed in modest pajamas. Inside, racks held an array of colorful bras, lacy panties and sexy nighties — along with more day-to-day undergarments.
Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic law, women are required to cover themselves head-to-toe in black robes in public. But in the privacy of their own homes — and bedrooms — they can wear whatever they want, and sexy undergarments are popular.
But buying them is another story. Fitting rooms are banned in the kingdom — the idea of a woman undressing in a public place with men just outside is unthinkable. So a woman is never sure she has chosen the right size until she gets it home.
"I have bras with sizes ranging from 32 to 38 because I can't get to try them on," said Modie Batterjee, Huda's sister and one of the boycott organizers.
Even male relatives get dragged into the embarrassment. Women are allowed to shop without a male relative, but husbands or brothers sometimes insist on coming along — or the women want them there — to ensure salesmen stay respectful.
Modie Batterjee recalls how her husband fled a lingerie store because he could not bear to hear her explain to a salesman that she wanted high-waisted underwear to hold in her tummy after their daughter's birth.
The boycott was launched on Tuesday by about 50 women who gathered in the Red Sea port of Jiddah at the Al-Bidaya Breast-feeding Resource and Women's Awareness Center, which is run by Modie Batterjee.
The aim is to push for implementation of a law that has been on the books since 2006 which says only female staff can be employed in women's apparel stores.
The law has never been put into effect, partly due to hard-liners in the religious establishment who oppose employing women in mixed environments like malls, where religious police are always on the lookout to keep men and women from interacting.
Hiring women would also deprive men of jobs in a country where more than 10 percent of men are unemployed.
"We are raising awareness and calling for the implementation of the law," said Reem Asaad, a finance lecturer at Dar al-Hikma Women's College in Jiddah, who supports the boycott.
The campaign calls on women to shop at the country's few women-only lingerie stores. Usually stand-alone boutiques or located in malls that have women-only sections, these shops have no windows to ensure passing men cannot look in — and giving women the freedom to actually try things on.
How much impact the boycott call will have is unclear. Almost 1,700 people signed an online petition posted by Asaad on the social networking Web site Facebook. A few Saudi papers have written about it, but the campaign depends mostly on word of mouth.
Not all women support the idea. At the Riyadh lingerie shop on Wednesday, one woman — only her eyes visible through the black veil covering her face — said she is suspicious of women-only lingerie shops.
"Bad things happen there," she said.
What might that be?
Women can sneak a picture of you changing with their mobile phones, she replied and refused to give her name.

Pirate-Chasers Find Busting Brigands Is Easier Than Trying Them

Medeshi
Pirate-Chasers Find Busting Brigands Is Easier Than Trying Them
By Gregory Viscusi
March 26 (Bloomberg) -- The world’s navies have gotten better at catching Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Now they have to figure out how to bring them to justice.
European Union and U.S. naval forces have captured dozens of presumed brigands in recent months after beefing up their presence in the Gulf of Aden, the world’s most dangerous waters. Most have been let go or dumped on the shores of neighboring Somalia because of a lack of evidence or confusion over what jurisdiction can prosecute them.
“International law is very clear about giving any warship from any sovereign nation the right to suppress piracy in international waters,” said John Kimball, a maritime expert at law firm Blank Rome LLP in New York. “But it’s a messy burden. They need to be processed and given trials. Not many governments are willing to do this.”
Spurred by a spike in piracy last year, about 20 warships from 15 countries are patrolling the gulf between Yemen and Somalia, and nearby waters. Pirates assaulted 165 ships last year, seizing 43 of them for ransom, with 10 boats taken in November alone. Only five ships have been seized so far this year, and only one this month.
Since last August, when international naval forces began aggressively patrolling off Somalia, 127 presumed pirates have been apprehended and then released, according to the U.S. Navy. Another 35 are awaiting trial in Europe or Kenya, and 91 were handed over to authorities of Somalia’s various entities. At least three have been killed in gun battles with French and British commandos.
Somalia has lacked a central government, and a working justice system, since 1991.
Legal Framework
“We do appreciate what’s been done and it’s starting to have an effect,” said Giles Noakes, head of security at Copenhagen-based BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association. “Now the issue is, how do we assist the naval operation with the right legal framework?”
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea gives sovereign nations the right to repress and prosecute pirates. France is one country that has tried, with little success.
In April 2008, French commandos leaped from helicopters onto Somali soil to seize six alleged pirates who had made off with $2.15 million in ransom from the hijacking of a French yacht.
The Somalis are still sitting in French prisons a year later, along with six other people captured by naval commandos who freed a hijacked French yacht in September. They haven’t been charged, and any eventual trial is at least 18 months away because of legal challenges and a backlog of criminal cases. A judge will rule April 6 on a defense motion to release them.
Detention Rules
Court-appointed defense lawyers argue that the detentions violated the French requirement that suspects be released or placed under investigation within 48 hours of arrest. The military held the presumed pirates for seven days before sending them to France. After they arrived, authorities waited four days before placing them under investigation.
“No one is contesting that France is competent to judge piracy attacks against its citizens,” said Gustave Charvet, a lawyer for one of the Somalis, Mohamed Said Hote, who is being held in prison outside Paris. “But there has to be some legal framework. Here we are in a world of no law and no rights.”
Isabelle Montagne, a spokeswoman for the French prosecutor’s office in Paris, said the national law was respected and the investigation “is progressing.” Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the French military’s joint chiefs, said previous court cases determined that arrests at sea aren’t bound to the same time limits.
Danish, Dutch
The Netherlands is the only other country to bring pirates home for prosecution. Five presumed Somali pirates were captured Jan. 2 by Danish frigate HDMS Absalon after attacking a Dutch Antilles merchant ship. They were held in Bahrain while a Dutch arrest warrant was processed and arrived in Rotterdam Feb. 11.
It’s the first time the Netherlands has put pirates on trial since the 17th century, said Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch prosecutors. “We have a clear case based on videos and photos provided by the Danish Navy” that show the people attacking the boat, he said.
Reinier Feiner, a Rotterdam court-appointed lawyer defending one of the Somalis, disagreed: “They spent a month without legal assistance,” he said, adding that his clients deny attacking any ship. A public hearing is planned for May.
Let Them Go
More commonly, the suspects are just released. On March 20, the USS Gettysburg, a guided-missile cruiser, captured six presumed pirates after responding to a distress call from a Philippine-flagged ship. A helicopter pilot from the Gettysburg could see objects being thrown overboard, said U.S. Navy spokesman Matt Snodgrass in Bahrain. The Somalis were briefly detained and then returned to their skiff.
In the past two months, the U.S. and the EU have signed agreements with Kenya allowing them to turn suspected pirates over to the East African country for prosecution. Germany’s FGS Rheinland-Pfalz frigate delivered nine such detainees to a court in Mombasa, Kenya’s main seaport, on March 11. On March 5, the U.S. Echo turned seven over to Kenya.
The first trials are expected to start this summer, said Githu Muigai, managing partner of Nairobi law firm Mohammed Muigai.
Kenyan courts are likely to reject any jurisdiction challenges from defense lawyers, Muigai said. Even so, trials could drag on because of a backlog in Kenyan courts and the logistics of bringing foreign marines to testify.
“The real challenge will be to hold these trials expeditiously,” said Muigai. “But that’s a problem for the people on trial, not the prosecution.”

More People Seeking Asylum in Industrialized Countries

Medeshi
UN: More People Seeking Asylum in Industrialized Countries
By Lisa Schlein Geneva
24 March 2009
A new report by the U.N. refugee agency finds the number of asylum seekers in industrialized countries increased in 2008 for the second consecutive year. It says asylum requests have been rising in part because of the higher number of applications from Afghanistan, Somalia and other countries in turmoil or conflict.
The U.N. refugee agency says more than 380,000 new asylum applications were submitted last year in the 51 industrialized countries. This is 12 percent more than in 2007 and represents the second consecutive annual increase in the number of asylum seekers.
The report says the number of Iraqi asylum seekers declined by 10 percent in 2008. Despite this, Iraqis continue to be the largest nationality seeking asylum in the industrialized world. Somalia is in second place.
UNHCR Spokesman, Ron Redmond, says the number of Somali asylum seekers has gone up to 21,800 and reflects their increasing desperation. He says tens of thousands flee across the Gulf of Aden seeking a better life.
"Others flee up through Africa towards the Mediterranean Coast and then across the Mediterranean. So, in Somalia, it is ongoing conflict over a wide area, lack of economic opportunities. People cannot feed their families," Redmond said.
Redmond says the growing number of Afghans seeking asylum is a worrying sign. He notes Afghan asylum seekers peaked in 2001 and then dropped dramatically with the fall of the Taliban. But, now, he says, the numbers are going up again.
"And that reflects the difficulty of Afghans in resuming their lives, particularly for returning refugees who go back to very, very little in many cases ... So, Afghanistan needs a lot of attention. I would just say that this is a warning sign that Afghanistan still needs a lot of help from the international community so people can go home and stay home," he said.
The report finds the United States continued to be the main country of destination for asylum seekers of all nationalities in 2008. It received about 49,000 new asylum claims, accounting for 13 percent of all applications in industrialized countries.
After the United States, the study says the main countries of destination were Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

TB treatment success against the odds in Somaliland

Medeshi
TB treatment success against the odds in Somaliland
HARGEISA, 24 March 2009 (PlusNews) - Despite rampant poverty, high levels of illiteracy and limited international support, the self-declared republic of Somaliland in the northwest of Somalia has become an unlikely TB success story.
"We adopted the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course) system for treating TB in 1995, so someone is always present to ensure patients take their medication," said Dr Ismail Adam Abdillahi, coordinator of the national TB programme. "As a result, adherence is very high and treatment success is over 90 percent."
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a global target of 85 percent treatment success by 2015; Somalia, part of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, ranks second in the region's 22 countries in terms of treatment success.
"The majority of the population has access to a health facility with TB services that have at least one doctor able to treat TB," Ismail said. "There is no shortage of drugs, which we get from the Global Fund [to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] through World Vision International."
Education has ensured that almost all patients have a basic knowledge of TB, while the establishment of a wide network of TB centres implementing close supervision and monitoring means TB treatment continues to make progress. The global target for TB case detection is 70 percent by 2015, but Somaliland has already achieved a case detection rate of 68 percent.
"In 2008 we diagnosed 4,153 cases; we believe these were most of the people who contracted the disease," Ismail said. Although the country does not have the technology to detect multidrug-resistant TB, he noted that there were very few cases of "chronic" or recurring TB.
This progress has been made despite the fact that Somaliland, which has not achieved international recognition as a sovereign state, is extremely poor - a decade-old livestock ban by Saudi Arabia and several other meat-importing countries in the Middle East has devastated its main source of income.
Although the country has been relatively peaceful since its formation in 1991, it continues to experience some insecurity, which hampers access and limits staff movement to certain areas.
Sustaining the response in a difficult environment
"We also have a lot of IDPs [internally displaced persons] and refugees in Somaliland from the south; when people are in such emergency situations, personal health is not a priority and people do not seek treatment," Ismail said.

"The war before 1991 also destroyed our health infrastructure, and we still need many more health facilities and staff trained to handle TB." The largest urban centre, Hargeisa city, with a population of more than 500,000, still has only one health centre equipped to treat TB.
"Our regulations are not as strong as they could be, and we do get unlicensed practitioners treating patients and private pharmacies selling TB drugs over the counter, which risks patients getting incorrect information and taking drugs the wrong way," said Dr Abdirashid Hashi Abdi, the Global Fund HIV/AIDS coordinator for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Hargeisa. "There is also no known data for the level of multi- and extensively drug-resistant TB."
Ismail noted that one of the groups still causing his department some concern were the nomads, who roamed the countryside, never settling anywhere long enough for TB education to reach them, and often grazing their herds far from health facilities with TB services.
"Men who chew khat [a mild stimulant widely used in the Horn of Africa] in small, poorly ventilated rooms for hours are also particularly at risk," Ismail said. "This explains the fact that the ratio of men to women infected with TB in Somaliland is two to one."
Somaliland and Somalia combined have an annual TB incidence of about 324 cases per 100,000 people, with more than half aged between 15 and 34. The disease is strongly associated with poverty, and many TB patients also suffer from malnutrition, making treatment more difficult.

Israel accused of 'new Gaza crime'

Medeshi March 24, 2009
Israel accused of 'new Gaza crime'
A senior UN official has suggested that Israel should be held accountable for a "new crime against humanity" during its January assault on the Gaza strip.
Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Israel had confined Palestinian civilians to the combat zone in Gaza, a unique move which should be outlawed.
"Such a war policy should be treated as a distinct and new crime against humanity, and should be formally recognised as such, and explicitly prohibited," Falk said in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
Palestinian civilians were prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip during the three-week bombardment by the Israeli authorities.
Falk also called for an investigation into Israel's attack on Gaza, in which more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed and homes destroyed.

Israel said it carried out the assault to stop Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.
Report condemned
Falk's comments formed part of a much longer report from nine UN investigators including specialists on the right to health, food, adequate housing and education, as well as on summary executions and violence against women.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN secretary-general's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, accused Israeli forces of using a child as a human shield in one incident.
Soldiers forced an 11-year-old boy to walk in front of them for several hours as they moved through the town of Tal al-Hawa on January 15, even after they had been shot at, her report said.
Aharon Leshno Yar, Israel's ambassador to the UN rights council, condemned the report, saying it "wilfully ignores and downplays the terrorist and other threats we face", and the alleged use by Palestinian fighters of human shields.
The US accused Falk of being biased.
"We've found the rapporteur's views to be anything but fair. We find them to be biased. We've made that very clear," Robert Wood, a US state department spokesman, told a media briefing on Monday.
'War crime'
Falk called for the probe to assess if the Israeli forces could differentiate between civilian and military targets in Gaza.
"If it is not possible to do so, then launching the attacks is inherently unlawful, and would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law," Falk said in the report.
"On the basis of the preliminary evidence available, there is reason to reach this conclusion," he added, saying that attacks occurred in densely populated areas.
Falk, who has been critical of Israel in the past, was expelled from Israel during an attempt to visit Gaza in December, after he said Israel's policies on the territory amounted to a crime against humanity.

Meles tells parliament it does not need to know how many soldiers died in Somalia

Medeshi March 24 , 2009

(Human lives don't matter to Meles)

Ethiopia - Meles tells parliament it does not need to know how many soldiers died in Somalia

By Kirubel Tadesse

Capital

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia refused to disclose to parliament the casualties suffered by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) during its two year stay in Somalia. The PM's stance upset some members of parliament, who said it undermined the authority of the house.
Before parliament last Thursday, Meles responded to most of the questions MPs asked. However, he said he is not obligated to answer parts of the last question which asked him to disclose the gains and losses from Ethiopia's recently concluded intervention in Somalia.
"How many soldiers did we send to Somalia and how many of them were injured and how many did we lose?" MP Legesse Biratu, whip of the opposition Coalition Unity and Democracy (CUD) asked the PM. However, Meles only responded to the first part of the question about how the diplomatic community is reacting and major accomplishments the intervintion has secured.
Meles said despite a wish to see Ethiopian troops continue to help stabilize Somalia, the diplomatic community has very much welcomed Ethiopia's efforts.The PM added he is neither obligated to disclose, nor is it important for the House to learn, the details of the casualties and fatalities suffered by Ethiopian soldiers. Ethiopia's spending in Somalia was also not discussed by the PM.
"The parliament is the one that has ordered the measure in self defence and it is not only its right to learn the details of what its decision has resulted, but it is also responsible and accountable to oversee its decision and its implementation," MP Lidetu Ayalew explained to Capital, adding that the PM's response was "not appropriate".Lidetu, who chairs the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), which took a different stance from most of the opposition groups by supporting the government's proposals on Somalia, said like the parliament, the nation too has the right to the information."It is the nation that made the sacrifices and for it to be part of such future efforts it needs to be informed what endured.
"We can never tell this nation to simply pay the price and not know the cost. The PM is accountable to the House and when the House asks questions it was not appropriate to say 'I am not obligated to detail' when in fact the PM is very much obligated," Lidetu added.He referred to international practices, like in the US, where the public is updated daily on its sons and daughters sacrifices in Iraq and Afghanistan.Dr. Negasso Gidada, the former president, who was the only candidate to win an independent seat back in 2005, said it was outrageous for Meles to respond as he did: "He just insulted us by trying to determine which information should be important for us and which isn't.
"The boss should be the parliament, but it was seen to be the opposite."Without going into details, the Ethiopian government on various occasions reported that its soldiers came across very weak resistance from the Somalia jihadists and terrorists groups that had their operations orchestrated by the Eritrea government.The PM told parliament spending was kept very low, as the soldiers were trained to keep their costs down almost to the level they would have spent if they were home.However, MPs like Temesgen Zewdie argue that whatever the cost may be, both parliament and the public are entitled to full disclosure.
"It is becoming common in Africa as one way of building a complete dictatorship. Here in Ethiopia it is the executive that controls everything, but I hope we will see a day when there will be accountability, including for what really happened in Somalia," he commented to Capital.

Safe water improves quality of life for families in Berbera, Somalia

Medeshi

Safe water improves quality of life for families in Berbera, Somalia

By Iman Morooka
World Water Day, observed on 22 March, raises global awareness of the critical importance of safe water and sanitation in developing countries. Here is the story of one UNICEF-supported water project.

(Photo: Safe water improves quality of life for families in Berbera, Somalia
© UNICEF Somalia/2009/Ysenburg
Fatma Ali, a resident of Berbera and member of the town’s Water Management Board, holds a piece of the rusty iron pipe that was replaced by a new one through a UNICEF-supported water project.)
BERBERA, Somalia, 23 March 2009 – Until recently, the coastal town of Berbera, north-west Somalia, suffered from insufficient and poor quality of water delivered through its rundown water-supply system.
Berbera’s original water supply dates back to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, when this gravity-induced system used the Dubar Spring, at the foot of the mountains, as its natural source. The spring water flowed to collection wells and then to water points through asbestos-cast iron pipes.
“I almost left town because the quality of water was very bad and I was afraid for my health, as well as my children’s,” said Fatma Ali, a resident of Berbera and mother of eight, holding up a piece of the old rusty and cracked pipe that used to deliver water to people in the town.
“There used to be many cases of diarrhoea and people with kidney problems in Berbera,” she added. “I used to advise people to boil water before using it to avoid getting sick.”
Rehabilitating the water systemTo respond to increased demand for water beginning in the early 1980s, improvements to the existing system were made by various international organizations. This included the addition of a set of boreholes with better water yield, to supply the bulk of the town’s water needs.
However, the capacity of the existing system had decreased drastically due to lack of maintenance and poor management, and rusting of the well screens and pipes. Furthermore, clogging of the old pipes with incrustation of sediments had caused a serious decrease in the water supply, and cracks in the networks during times of low flow allowed surrounding contaminants to pollute the water.
In July 2008, in response to these needs and with funding from the European Union, UNICEF started working with the community in Berbera to rehabilitate and expand the existing system and fundamentally improve its operation and management.

(Photo: One of the rehabilitated Dubar spring water collection wells, protected by a new roof and fences that prevent animals, logs and other large objects from contaminating the well.)
A comprehensive approachThe project consists of two main components. The physical component has improved the water system through:
• Rehabilitation, cleaning and protection of the Dubar Spring source and existing boreholes• Replacement of the blocked sections of the old transmission pipes as well as installation of a new supply pipe• And construction of three kiosks where displaced people living in the Jalamaaye settlement in Berbera can get water.
The other component is the improvement of water system management through a public-private partnership that involves all stakeholders – the community, the water authority and the private sector – to ensure more sustainable delivery of services.
Public-private partnership“This project’s comprehensive approach, that addresses the entire set of problems that plagued the water system, is what makes it sustainable,” said UNICEF Somalia Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Zaid Jurji.
© UNICEF Somalia/2009/Ysenburg
One of the rehabilitated Dubar spring water collection wells, protected by a new roof and fences that prevent animals, logs and other large objects from contaminating the well.
“The enthusiasm and ownership of all stakeholders towards this initiative is remarkable. The community has taken part in conducting the social survey and in labour-intensive work, such as excavating pipe channels and removing old pipes, while the national and local authorities have assumed leadership and promoted the adoption of the public-private partnership approach.”
Through this approach, the different and complementary roles of government and private sector are strengthened, with UNICEF as facilitator to the process.
‘Thanks to clean water, I feel safe’Fatma Ali is one of the members serving on the Water Management Board. “I am very proud to be part of this project, and I consider it one of the largest and most important ones in this area,” she said. “Thanks to clean water, I feel safe to be living in Berbera.”
Through this project, safe water provided to the 12,000 residents of Berbera, including the displaced population, has increased by 30 per cent.
UNICEF and the European Union pioneered the public-private partnership approach in Somalia in 1997. Since then, several other key donors, including USAID and the Danish Government, have also come on board to support this initiative. Today, there are 10 such projects being implemented across the three zones of the country.

Move Over, Karzai

Medeshi March 23, 2009

Move Over, Karzai

US will appoint Afghan 'prime minister' to bypass Hamid Karzai

The US and its European allies are ­preparing to plant a high-profile figure in the heart of the Kabul government in a direct challenge to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the Guardian has learned.
The creation of a new chief executive or prime ministerial role is aimed at bypassing Karzai. In a further dilution of his power, it is proposed that money be diverted from the Kabul government to the provinces. Many US and European officials have become disillusioned with the extent of the corruption and incompetence in the Karzai government, but most now believe there are no credible alternatives, and predict the Afghan president will win re-election in August.
A revised role for Karzai has emerged from the White House review of Afghanistan and Pakistan ordered by Barack Obama when he became president. It isto be unveiled at a special conference on Afghanistan at The Hague on March 31.
As well as watering down Karzai's personal authority by installing a senior official at the president's side capable of playing a more efficient executive role, the US and Europeans are seeking to channel resources to the provinces rather than to central government in Kabul.
A diplomat with knowledge of the review said: "Karzai is not delivering. If we are going to support his government, it has to be run properly to ensure the levels of corruption decrease, not increase. The levels of corruption are frightening."
Another diplomat said alternatives to Karzai had been explored and discarded: "No one could be sure that someone else would not turn out to be 10 times worse. It is not a great position."
The idea of a more dependable figure working alongside Karzai is one of the proposals to emerge from the White House review, completed last week. Obama, locked away at the presidental retreat Camp David, was due to make a final decision this weekend.
Obama is expected to focus in public on overall strategy rather than the details, and, given its sensitivity, to skate over ­Karzai's new role. The main recommendation is for the Afghanistan objectives to be scaled back, and for Obama to sell the war to the US public as one to ensure the country cannot again be a base for al-Qaida and the Taliban, rather than the more ambitious aim of the Bush administration of trying to create a European-style democracy in Central Asia.
Other recommendations include: increasing the number of Afghan troops from 65,000 to 230,000 as well as expanding the 80,000-strong police force; ­sending more US and European civilians to build up Afghanistan's infrastructure; and increased aid to Pakistan as part of a policy of trying to persuade it to tackle al-Qaida and Taliban elements.
The proposal for an alternative chief executive, which originated with the US, is backed by Europeans. "There needs to be a deconcentration of power," said one senior European official. "We need someone next to Karzai, a sort of chief executive, who can get things done, who will be reliable for us and accountable to the Afghan people."
Money and power will flow less to the ministries in Kabul and far more to the officials who run Afghanistan outside the capital – the 34 provincial governors and 396 district governors. "The point on which we insist is that the time is now for a new division of responsibilities, between central power and local power," the senior European official said.
No names have emerged for the new role but the US holds in high regard the reformist interior minister appointed in October, Mohammed Hanif Atmar.
The risk for the US is that the imposition of a technocrat alongside Karzai would be viewed as colonialism, even though that figure would be an Afghan. Karzai declared his intention last week to resist a dilution of his power. Last week he accused an unnamed foreign government of trying to weaken central government in Kabul.
"That is not their job," the Afghan president said. "Afghanistan will never be a puppet state."
The UK government has since 2007 advocated dropping plans to turn Afghanistan into a model, European-style state.
Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who will implement the new policy, said it would represent a "vastly restructured effort". At the weekend in Brussels, he was scathing about the Bush administration's conduct of the counter-insurgency. "The failures in the civilian side ... are so enormous we can at least hope that if we get our act together ... we can do a lot better," he said.

US Asked Binyam Mohamed To Drop Torture Claim In Exchange For Freedom: British Court

Medeshi March 23, 2009
US Asked Binyam Mohamed To Drop Torture Claim In Exchange For Freedom: British Court
LONDON — A British court says U.S. authorities asked a Guantanamo Bay detainee to drop allegations of torture in exchange for his freedom.
A ruling by two British High Court judges published Monday says the U.S. offered Binyam Mohamed a plea bargain deal in October. Mohamed refused the deal and the U.S. dropped all charges against him later last year. He was released last month.
Mohamed is an Ethiopian who moved to Britain when he was a teenager. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2002 and claims he was tortured both there and in Morocco. He was transferred to Guantanamo in 2004.
The court said the plea bargain also asked Mohamed to plead guilty to two charges and agree not to speak publicly about his ordeal.
The judges considered the plea bargain issue during an appeal to the High Court by Mohamed's lawyers demanding the British government release documents they claim would prove he was tortured.
Issuing a judgment on the case in February, Thomas said there was evidence to show Mohamed was tortured, but that the documents could not be made public because of the British government's national security concerns.
He said Britain's government had said releasing the documents could undermine intelligence-sharing with the United States.
Mohamed claims British intelligence officers supplied questions to his interrogators and were complicit in his torture _ a claim Prime Minister Gordon Brown has rejected.
In investigating Mohamed's claims, the British court reviewed the draft plea bargain and correspondence between military prosecutors and Mohamed's lawyers.
The ruling quoted testimony from Mohamed's lawyer about the offer.
"Mr. Mohamed must sign a statement saying he has not been tortured, which would be false. And he must agree not to make any public statement about what he has been through," Clive Stafford Smith told the court in October, according to the ruling.
The ruling also quotes then-U.S. military prosecutor Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld as saying Mohamed would be given a date for his release if he agreed to the terms.
Vandeveld _ who has since quit his post _ had said Mohamed would need to plead guilty to two charges in exchange for a three-year sentence and to testify against other suspects, according to the court documents.
The ruling discloses that, had Mohamed agreed to the plea bargain, the British government told the U.S. it would not allow him to serve the three-year sentence in a U.K. jail.
Since February, Mohamed has given interviews to the BBC and a British newspaper.
Read More: Binyam Mohamed, Foreign Affairs, Guantanamo, Guantanamo Plea Bargain, GuantáNamo Bay, Us Plea Bargain Guantanamo

Saudi Human Rights Group Criticizes Religious Police For Discriminating Against Women

Medeshi March 23, 2009
Saudi Human Rights Group Criticizes Religious Police For Discriminating Against Women
DONNA ABU-NASR
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi human rights groups has strongly criticized the kingdom's religious police, judiciary and security agencies in a new report and called for changing laws that discriminate against women.
The report, issued Sunday by the National Society for Human Rights, also urged an end to the marriage of underage girls and demanded a faster pace for judicial reform, including retraining judges.
This is the group's second report, since its founding in 2004.
The report highlighted violations by the powerful Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice which runs the religious police and accused it of "infringing individuals' rights."
People detained by the religious police have been "interrogated and sometimes assaulted and made to confess under duress to acts they did not commit," the report said, adding that in some cases this has led to deaths in custody.
"In commenting on the incidents, the commission leans toward denying them, belittling their importance or saying they are individual acts," said the report.
Currently there are efforts to retrain members of the religious police through workshops, but the report said these do not go far enough.
"There is a need to accurately define the powers and authority of the commission members," the group's statement said.
The report also listed several aspects of the Saudi judicial system that have resulted in unfair trials, including the difficulty women have litigating, closed trials, the intimidation of complainants and wildly varying sentences for the same offense.
The report also said it has received complaints from families whose children have been jailed without trial, some for more than four years, on vague accusations of being members of "deviant" groups _ often a euphemism for al-Qaida.
The report praised the appointment of women to key positions, including as deputy education minister and urged the government to continue such steps.
But it said that while women have been allowed to run and vote in chamber of commerce elections, their participation in municipal elections, is "unclear." A law should be issued to "guarantee equality and a lack of discrimination between men and women in this respect."
The report also called for giving women more opportunities in the workplace. It said the major obstacles against women working in professions such as lawyers, lie in traditions rather than existing laws.
"This calls for a national plan to change social trends that violate Islamic law texts ... and lead to the loss of many of (women's) legal rights," it said.
Read More: Human Rights, Middle East, Muslim Womens Rights, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Human Rights, Saudi Religious Police, Saudi Women, Women's Rights, Womens Human Rights, Womens Rights, World News

Ethiopia - Meles Zenawi named 16th Worst Dictator in the world - Magazine

Medeshi March 23, 2009

Ethiopia - Meles Zenawi named 16th Worst Dictator in the world - Magazine

Parade, a weekly insert magazine that is distributed with more than 400 Sunday newspapers in the United States, named Ethiopian Prime MInister Meles Zenawi as the World's 16th Worst Dictator, in its latest annual list of the World's nastiest dictators. Meles Zenawi has been at the helm of power in Ethiopia since 1991, and prime minister since 1995. The most competitive election in Ethiopia's modern history took place in 2005, but Meles Zenawi was accused of stealing the election, in which more than 190 people were killed in election related violence.
A former guerrilla leader, Meles shows no signs of sharing power with anyone. In January, his government passed a law forbidding any NGO that receives more than 10% of its budget from abroad from doing human rights work in Ethiopia. Despite Meles’ excesses, the U.S. considers him an important regional ally and continues to train his military.
Isayas Afeworki, his kin in Eritrea, is ranked nastier by the Parade magazine as the 8th worst dictator in the world. Afewerki announced in May 2008 that elections would be postponed for "three or four decades" or longer because they "polarize society." All forms of media are controlled by the government. At least 10 local journalists remain in prison since their arrests in 2001.
Topping the list is Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as the World's Worst Dictator for 2009.
Here is the run down.

The World's 10 Worst Dictators
1. Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe
2. Omar al-Bashir - Sudan
3. Kim Jong-Il - North Korea
4. Than Shwe - Burma (Myanmar)
5. King Abdullah - Saudi Arabia
6. Hu Jintao - China
7. Sayyid Ali Khamenei - Iran
8. Isayas Afewerki - Eritrea
9. Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov - Turkmenistan
10. Muammar al-Qaddafi - Libya

16. Meles zenawi

Nazret

Japan /Somalia confrontation

Medeshi March 23, 2009
Japan /Somalia confrontation
Somali Sea Salvation corps (Coastguards) fire on Japanese ship off Somalia
A pair of small Somali coast guard vessels fire on ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
Front of ship damaged but not seriously; There are no injuries
In 2008, Somali coast guards attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia
Pirates attacked a Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia on Sunday, a Japanese Transportation Ministry official said.
A pair of small vessels fired on a ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines about 4 p.m. Somali time (9 a.m. ET), damaging the front of the ship, but not seriously, according to Masami Suekado.
There were no injuries.
The exact number and makeup of the crew were not immediately known, although none of the crew members is Japanese, Suekado said.
Attacks off Somalia has increased over the past four or five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that protecting their sea shores is a way of survival.
The act of Somali coast defense , which is hard to prevent, has raised concerns internationally.
In 2008, Somali coast guards attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
In response, a number of countries have deployed ships from their navies to the region, including the United States, China and Japan.
Two Japanese destroyers set sail earlier this month on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, the Japanese defense ministry said.
All AboutSomalia
Agencies

Autism the Scourge of the 21st Century

Medeshi
March 23, 2009
Autism the Scourge of the 21st Century
(Somali Immigrants in Minneapolis and Autism – Epidemic or Statistical Fluke?)
Managing Editor's Note: At the end of this magnficent post by Mr. Khalif are links to our past stories about the Somali/Autism epidemic in Minnesota, including J.B. Handley's article that so interested Mr. McNeil.
By Abdulkadir A. Khalif
The story in the New York Times by Donald McNeil Jr. and datelined 03/16/2009 (HERE) has started a storm within the autism community, especially the victims of the scourge in Minneapolis. The author picked on a few unsuspecting Somali immigrant families who could understand neither the English language nor the motive of those chaperoning them for the ‘interviews’.
They were deliberately selected so as to appear as representative as possible (one of the kids was born outside the USA). I happened to know the families involved as well as some of the officials quoted. I have read and re-read the NYT story and I am still at a loss of what purpose it really served, or what the real motive of the author is. Mr. McNeil had no opinions of his own on the topic he chose, nor did he qualify any statements he extracted from the people he interviewed. He went to great lengths to quote people and then used others to unravel their arguments. He quoted from government officials and others from nonprofits, all of who are known to have been working together in their elaborate cover-up schemes. All those he met were officials who helped organize the infamous forum in Minneapolis last November. He excluded the Hmong community from the ravages of autism while showing prevalence of the scourge within Somali immigrants in Sweden. That way he was indirectly alluding to a vulnerable gene within the Somalis everywhere.

I will listen to the argument that a gene may predispose all peoples for an autism attack. I will also listen to arguments that some people may be more at risk than others. But we all know that gene knows no race or color or creed, and least of all religion. I was born in East Africa and have just come back from a visit to Kenya. Autism does not have a name in those countries and its incidence (especially in Kenya) has been associated with vaccines, because Kenya has a vaccine schedule that is fast approaching the Swedish and American models. In Somalia where public health facilities and immunizations are still few and far in between you will find diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines but autism is unknown. Even in Kenya, autism has been noticed amongst the affluent and the highly educated in society. This, as you will guess, is because of their adherence to new vaccine schedules and their awareness of the benefits of vaccines.
I will repeat again: I am not anti-vaccine, nor are others like J.B. Handley who have been wrongly labeled as such. We all know what benefits accrue from immunizations. We are also fortunately aware of what risks can come with those benefits. We are only asking that the two be balanced and risks be totally eliminated on both sides. We know that vaccines prevent all the diseases they are intended to prevent. We must however be aware of the diseases they (vaccines) may cause in that endeavor. The CDC and the FDA both know that mercury in vaccines is in excess of what they themselves termed as safe limits. They also know that mercury can be removed from vaccines without compromising the efficacy of the vaccines. Economic considerations should not therefore be allowed to interfere with the wellbeing of our children and the future generations.
The purpose of the NYT story was obviously to show that there is no autism cluster in Minneapolis and that the Somali people, because of their cultural practices were already naturally predisposed for the disease. The author, very cunningly avoided being judgmental and did everything to put words into the mouths of the people he interviewed. He carefully selected his subjects and through them vainly covered his guise, ignorance and bias. He deliberately avoided talking with families who have had success with alternative therapies by labeling them as ‘anti-vaccine’. Through his guides he talked down on Somali immigrant victims of mercury in vaccines by alluding to the fact that they came to the USA already plagued by diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, depression from the civil war, and vitamin D deficiencies. He even qualified that by quoting a Somali doctor. But then, in a classical double standard he ripped that argument apart as a “dubious explanation”.
I am grateful for this opportunity to share my story and express my personal opinion on the subject of autism which conditions my son Abdimalik I am told is likely to live with his entire life. I got this confirmation from all the experts who have thus far diagnosed, evaluated and tried to treat Abdimalik. For my family, this verdict is equivalent to a life of imprisonment in solitary confinement for our beautiful baby. Abdimalik is the only child in my family who was born in the USA, and when he was born I told my wife that his coming was the best gift we got in America. We even nicknamed him “Mr. President”, because he is the only one who had the opportunity of a shot for the White House, hopefully becoming the first African American to win the Presidency of the United States. While recent events have wiped out that opportunity, Abdimalik would still have had great things happening for him in this great country had autism not plagued his system and isolated him in a cocoon’s nest.
Why did autism strike my son? What did we do wrong to expose him to this disease? Why is he the only one in my family to have it? How is he different from his siblings? Could we have avoided it? Was his autism a pre-existing condition, probably inherited from us, or was it something he acquired after birth? What did we do differently to him that might have exposed him to this danger? Can his condition be reversed now that we know he is different? Are there services, treatments and therapies out there that we are not aware of and which we can afford? What do we do now? Can we take a chance and have another child? These and many more are questions we ask ourselves and which I am sure many other families also do; questions for which answers are not readily available, or if they are would just set a stage for more confusion and questions. I am not a medical professional or an expert of any kind in health issues. My opinion as expressed here is therefore part superstition and part human instinct. But I bet you I will be closer to the truth than the senior MDH official who last November said: “Whenever there is a complex problem, people invent simple solutions which are always wrong”.
In order to find answers to the above questions, we first need to understand and define autism. Experts say that it is a spectrum disorder which is neurological in nature. They describe its symptoms in terms that place the victims somewhere between an angel and the devil. Although it is possible that autism may have existed since time immemorial, it’s hand-flapping, anti-social, sleepless type that also sends the victims into uncontrollable tantrums, and which also affects about 1 in every 166 kids in the USA is both new and worrying. The first time I ever heard about autism was when my son was diagnosed with it. He was about 1 ½ years old at that time and we were concerned that he had lost the few words he had learned and was displaying behaviors that were utterly at variance from his peers of similar age. We have had many kids and knew what milestones to expect and when. We actually theorized that his language loses or delay was as a result of his confusion with the many languages we speak at home. Anyhow, the autism verdict was the harshest thing we have ever heard and it really changed our lives from there on. We still remember the last words Abdimalik uttered, and those came when the nurse who was about to give him his MMR shot stuck a beautiful sticker to his shirt pocket in order to create rapport with him. The words were: “thank you.”
If as pundits say, autism has always been around, we would have seen autistic adults in the same proportions as the children of nowadays. Autism definitely did not exist in East Africa in the numbers or manners we see here today. Is it lack of diagnoses or is it just not made public because of the stigma that goes with all uncommon things? I personally believe that its incidence or occurrence is limited; Kids with autism are so dysfunctional that there is no way it could have been missed or remained un-identified for all these years. It does not even have a name where we came from. What then is happening with our children here in America?
To answer this question, I would like to refresh your minds a little with some historical events that occurred in Africa many years ago. They are relevant to the issue of autism today because, simple as they may be, those events set the stage for research that revolutionized human medicine.
About 150 years ago an English explorer and adventurer by the name Richard Burton set on a voyage that took him to Somaliland to ‘discover’ the north eastern approaches to the African Great Lakes region. As he trekked through Somaliland he came upon Somali nomads who slept in ‘tree-houses’ on treetops, high above the ground in order to escape mosquitoes during the night. The Somalis believed that mosquitoes caused malaria and also knew that they could not fly higher than five feet above the ground. In Europe at that time, everybody believed that malaria was caused by ‘bad air’ – hence the term ‘malaria’. Richard Burton was amused and wrote a long report on the ‘stupidity of the Somali people’. Curious scientists of that age picked on the cue and invented medicines to prevent or treat malaria, and confirmed that mosquitoes are actually carriers of the bug that caused malaria. Complex problem, simple solution, and it worked.
In West Africa, there is a disease known as Kwashiorkor which strikes children when they attain a certain age. That age is when a baby is weaned out of breast milk and a new baby is on its way. Kwashiorkor is therefore defined as ‘the disease the old baby gets when a new baby is born’. Malnutrition was the condition that plagued those kids and lack of milk protein was the cause. The timing of that disease jolted clever minds and associated milk with the disease. Another complex problem, with a simple solution that also worked. Why can’t the timing of the MMR vaccine and the coincidence with language loss and other behavioral regression in our kids be associated by the CDC and the FDA? It makes sense to look there instead of running away from what could be the answer to the puzzle. Our children are too important to be sacrificed for political or economic expediencies.
The traditional foods of the Somali people are milk and meat, mostly from camels. Camel meat and milk is a world different from cow milk and meat. They have less fat and are more easily processed by the human body. They are also known to have a very different chemical composition and are known to be ‘more friendly’ as a human diet. Camel milk is not available in the USA and cow milk in its processed form has been frowned upon by many. Other processed foods like wheat have also been associated with some allergic reactions, especially with autistic children. Shouldn’t these be something our public health officials concerned about? You bet.
Abdimalik, his mother and I stayed up most of the nights during the winters of 2006 and 2007. We were all depressed and stressed beyond tolerance and the rest of our children showed the same signs. After recommendations from other parents of autistic kids, we placed Abdimalik on a strict GFCF regime throughout the following summer and fall. We noticed remarkable improvements in his sleeping and feeding habits. We decided to wait until the winter of 2008 to see if he would revert to his sleepless schedules. He did not and boy, are we relieved. Had he gone back to his conditions of 2007, we would have concluded that the cold winters of Minnesota were to blame and we would have been out of here forever. No, it is not the cold winters of Minnesota. It was his allergies to gluten and casein that were to blame. He had no trouble with milk and wheat before November of 2006 when he turned 1 ½ years. Yes, the efficient and prize-winning Minnesota vaccine schedule had caught up with him.
Today we are faced with questions about autism and its prevalence in the Somali immigrants in the USA, especially in Minnesota. We are trying to figure out if there truly is a higher incidence of autism amongst the Somali people or if there is a misdiagnosis that profiles them. We have heard of parents’ concerns about vaccines and officials telling us that they are safe. I have no doubts in my mind that vaccines are beneficial and have eliminated many diseases, and that the human race is forever grateful to the scientists who discovered them and the pharmaceutical companies that produced them. But as with everything new and beneficial, there are side-effects and other things that give. I believe that what is beneficial for one person may be harmful to another. There are allergies that afflict some people and not others. Some people react to certain medicines while others don’t - that is why doctors always ask if we have allergies of any kind before they prescribe medicine. Is it therefore possible that some children have allergic reactions to some chemicals in the vaccines? How is it possible that all kids will accept the vaccines in the same way, so that doctors don’t have to ask the parents about the possible allergies they may have? There are the same vaccines in East Africa too although their administration is very different. Could we borrow a leaf from countries like Kenya who have a vaccine schedule and where many Somali people also live? Or are we going to be defensive in the face of criticism because we have no answers to these many questions?
The CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health are the jury and judge. They will hand down a verdict that vaccines do not cause autism. They will base their decision not on scientific evidence that identifies the cause of autism but on the lack of evidence that vaccines do actually cause autism. They may be taking a decision similar to one taken by a judge sentencing an innocent person to death only to discover 10 years after the person’s execution that he was innocent. Just imagine the sense of guilt that will plague that judge. Many of our children are still very young and many more will be born in the future. We have to take action now because if we don’t we will have a country of psychotics and mentally retarded people in the not too distant future.
Please note that I am not arguing that vaccines cause autism just as I cannot argue that mosquitoes cause malaria because they don’t. But just as we now know that mosquitoes actually carry the bugs that cause malaria I am suspicious that the many vaccines that we give our children may carry substances that cause autism. I have no proof and I maybe superstitious. But the ‘superstitious’ beliefs of the Somali nomads in 1854 jogged the minds of curious scientists who eventually found the causes and cures of malaria. I hope that the scientists of today will have the courage to accept their ignorance and give a second look at our superstitious beliefs. I also hope that bureaucracy and bad policy, the politics of ‘non-profit’ and the psychology of ‘for-profit’ will not get in our way as we march forward in our war against autism. We will all look forward to the day when our kids will have another chance to thank the nurse practitioner during a subsequent vaccine visit and that what was supposed to protect them will not silence them forever. I also hope that our scientists will stop following the gene highway to nowhere and try the alternative route to salvation. My wife and I are not cousins, nor are our parents.

THANK YOU.

ABDULKADIR A KHALIF.
Abdulkadir Khalif Chair: Board of Directors, Parents United Against Autism-Minneapolis.Father of a four year old autistic boy called Abdimalik, and six other children.Land Surveyor by profession working in Engineering Department of the City of Burnsville, MN.Born in Somalia and worked and lived in both Somalia and Kenya. Came to the USA in August 1999 and did not live anywhere else in the USA.HERE: Out of Africa and Into Autism: More Evidence Illuminates the Somali Anomaly in MinnesotaHERE: David Kirby on HuffPo: Minneapolis and the Somali Autism RiddleHERE: Minnesota and the CDC Confer on Somali Autism Situation: CDC’s Office of the Director: Autism May Result from “Chemical Exposures”
HERE: Somali Parents Give the Autism Forum a "C+"
HERE: Minnesota Investigates Autism in Somali Children
HERE: Somali Gloves Come Off: Autism in Minnesota
HERE: An Open Letter from JB Handley to the Somali Parents of Minnesota
HERE: Autism Strikes 1 in 28 Somali Children in Minnesota

We still need binoculars to see beyond the distance: Japan’s Navy Dispatch

Medeshi March 23, 2009

By Yoshia Morishita

Saporro, Japan

Section 2 of 3:

We still need binoculars to see beyond the distance: Japan’s Navy Dispatch
Once again, geographical distance seems to have lost its significance. It certainly has, but to some extent. Why to some extent? Because it still matters.
Several days ago I received a message from an angry M. I kind of sensed even before opening the e-mail what he had written about. It should be about the Japan Marine Defense Force (Navy, to put simply) dispatching a few ships to the areas off Somalia/land. Bingo!
The Horn of Africa is very far from Japan. It takes the ships about two weeks to get there. Therefore the crew members will eat curry twice onboard. It’s their tradition to have curry on Fridays so they are reminded it’s a Friday. They see the ocean every single day during the voyage. The sun rises and sets today, like yesterday, and definitely tomorrow too. It is possible that they forget the day. The curry helps in this regard (I hear the curry tastes great. I never tried it myself but the recipe should be available at the Navy’s web site).
Putting the weekly curry aside, there are a huge number of Japan-related ships that go through the areas off Somalia/land, and this justifies the dispatch of the ships. It is very rare for Japan to send the troops overseas as the constitution strictly forbids it, unless there is an international agreement/request for the dispatch. A few Japanese commercial vessels have been attacked by some pirates there. There are a great number of ships of a great number of countries that already request the Navy’s protection. The government of Japan believes the dispatch is necessary. It also hopes the Navy will not use force, just like the Japanese Ground Army that never fired a single bullet in Iraq over a period of more than six years.
One thing for sure, in any case, is that the way that the vast majority of Japanese people see our military forces is perhaps fundamentally different from the way the other nationals see their military. I understand that the military of many nations of the world, because of the shared land borders with their neighbouring countries and their operations overseas, is considered as a military ‘force’, while in Japan people tend to see the military as an organisation that supplements the police and help people in case of emergencies, such as frequent earthquakes, typhoons, landslides, rescue activities after avalanches in winter mountains and so on. I get confused when our troops are viewed by outsiders in exactly the way as the military forces of other nations; we do not talk about spreading democracy, human rights, good/bad governance and other ideas that tend to be imposed on some people by the self-proclaimed leaders of the world. Things are naturally different from place to place.
The dispatch is a big issue anyway. Some opposition parties and civic organisations are strongly against the dispatch, referring to the military expansion of the past (some of them actually refuse the use of the national flag and anthem even on formal/official occasions). But perhaps the web master M took it more seriously than I and most of Japanese actually did. So how come we are not taking this issue as seriously as we probably should? Distance seems to matter…

(End of Section 2)

About the writer:(Mr) Yoshia MORISHITA is a Japanese national who studied and worked in the UK, as well as Turkey and Eritrea. He has visited around 25 countries of the world and developed his international perspectives. He has a Master’s degree in International Development from UCL, University of London and worked as a research associate at a British NGO. Currently he is living in Japan running a small business in the area of various international programmes and businesses facilitation and co-ordination, while reading sociology at Hokkaido University.

The Economist cancels conference with Zenawi

Medeshi March 22, 2009
The Economist cancels conference with gov’t
BY HAYAL ALEMAYEHU
The Economist canceled Friday what would have been its first business conference with the government of Ethiopia scheduled to run under the theme “Realizing potential in one of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest market” on March 23 and 24, it was learnt.
The cancellation of the conference came suddenly amidst high expectations and hopes that the event will serve as a ‘best and ideal’ platform to sell Ethiopia to foreign investors and high profile business executives, according to knowledgeable sources.
The Economist Conference canceled the event after it failed to reach an agreement concerning an article which was supposed to be included in the conference material, according to the event organizers.
“The government of Ethiopia has decided that it will no longer participate in the business roundtable,” the Economist Conference emailed to The Reporter. “The decision was made today [Friday] by the Ethiopian government after they had reviewed the Economist article we planned to include in the conference material. We have therefore decided to cancel the round table.”
The conference, about which much was talked amongst scholars and business executives both here in the country and outside, was meant to exchange ideas on Ethiopia’s investment climate and issues that matter to doing business in Ethiopia, according to the event organizers.
The major topics scheduled to be raised and discussed at the conference include whether Ethiopia could position itself as a regional hub for foreign investment, the effect of the global economic crisis on the country, the economic and business outlook for 2009 and 2010, whether domestic challenges, including infrastructure, low skills levels and corruption can be overcome to support investment and the prospects for tourism.
The key speakers were Prime Minster Meles Zenawi and five of his ministers, Eyesus Work Zafu, the Chairman of the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, Abi Wolde Meskal, the director general of the Ethiopian Investment Authority, Zemedeneh Negatu, the managing partner of Ernst & Young, Ethiopia, among others.
Economist Conferences is a division of the Economist Intelligence Unit and a leading provider of international forums for senior executives seeking new insights into strategic issues, according to information posted at the its website.
These meetings include industry conferences, management events and government roundtables held around the world.

Somali man's return to Minn. has locals buzzing

Medeshi
Somali man's return to Minn. has locals buzzing
The 22-year-old from Minneapolis is in hiding, a community leader said, adding that the recruit for jihad had a change of heart.
By ABBY SIMONS and RICHARD MERYHEW, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: March 22, 2009
A young Somali man from Minneapolis believed to have been recruited by a terrorist group to travel to his war-torn homeland has returned to Minnesota, a community leader said Saturday.
Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, said Saturday that the 22-year-old man was recruited for jihad before a change of heart led him to return in recent months. Jamal wouldn't confirm the man's identity, saying that he and his family fear for their safety and are in hiding. Others identified him only as Kamal.
The disappearances of perhaps a dozen young men from the Twin Cities have traumatized and divided the local Somali community.
Jamal also wouldn't say why the man went to Somalia or how he financed the trip, but said he apparently returned because "his expectation was not what he wanted when he went over there. ... I think he simply didn't like what he saw over there."
Jamal said the man has met with FBI investigators but is not in jail.
FBI special agent E.K. Wilson declined Saturday to comment about the development or the status of the travelers "because of the ongoing investigation," he said.
Federal authorities have been investigating the possible connection between terrorist groups and the disappearances of seven to 20 young Somali men in the Twin Cities since last fall, when Shirwa Ahmed, a 27-year-old college student from Minneapolis, blew himself up in Somalia in an October attack that killed up to 30 people.
Ahmed immigrated with his family to Minneapolis in the mid-1990s but returned to Somalia after he was recruited by a militant group, FBI Director Robert Mueller said last month. Mueller said that Ahmed had apparently been indoctrinated into extremist beliefs while living in Minneapolis.
Members of the Somali community were called to testify before Congress on March 11. Others have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in Minneapolis.
Farhan (Omar) Hurre, director of the Abubakar As-Saddique mosque in south Minneapolis, said Saturday that he knows of at least 10 people within the Somali community who received subpoenas in the past two months.
"They turn to us for help because most of the people are not familiar on what to do with the subpoena," Hurre said. "They get a letter from an FBI agent saying 'You have to appear at such and such date.' These people are pretty well connected to the mosque, and they turn to us for help."
'He's really afraid'
Jamal said the man who returned to Minnesota had been recruited by a group called al-Shabab, an Al-Qaida off-shoot, and left Nov. 4 for Somalia, where he expected vocational training and study but encountered war and further indoctrination.
"The mobilization of the jihad and what have you is different when they really go over there," Jamal said.
The man's family has since changed their address and telephone number.
"He's really afraid at the moment," Jamal said. "I think you know by now the level of sensitivity and seriousness of this issue. ... The community is completely divided over this, and it's creating a serious pressure. Because of that, there's a collective fear and concern over this."
Jamal said the man is not a terrorist.
"We believe that this guy and many others that have gone missing are victims of people who are led to be part of something that's bigger than them."
Osman Ahmed, president of the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association, whose 17-year-old nephew, Burhan Hassan, also left home in November, said he has not personally encountered a missing man that has returned. But several close friends told Ahmed that a 22-year-old man named Kamal has returned, although the circumstances are not clear.
Minneapolis connection
While FBI director Mueller never said where Shirwa Ahmed ( who blew himself up in Hargeisa , Somaliland in 29 Oct, 2008 killing dozens of innocent civilians) was influenced, much of the focus has been on Twin Cities mosques, and Abubakar specifically.
In late November, an imam and youth director from Abubakar were prohibited from boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia. At that time, an attorney representing the mosque, the largest in the Twin Cities, said they were put on a federal ''no fly'' list because they and the mosque were connected by rumor to the missing men.
Sources close to the federal investigation have said that Ahmed, along with some of the other missing men, including Burhan Hassan and Mustafa Ali, 17, of St. Paul, spent time at or had ties to Abubakar.
Hurre, the mosque director, has said that he did not know Shirwa Ahmed, but that others at the mosque knew him and were aware that he had spent time there.
"He used to worship here, come here, yes," Hurre said again Saturday.
Nevertheless, he and other officials at Abubakar have repeatedly denied that the mosque had anything to do with the men's disappearance.
"We have nothing to do with these kids who left," he said in February.
Hurre said again Saturday that mosque leaders have discussed the issue many times among themselves and are convinced that nobody on the staff taught or influenced the young men.
"I'm so confident the mosque message that we are teaching here has nothing to do with that and that none of the administration has something to do with that or preaching that."
Hurre said that mosque officials are still hoping to meet with the FBI to talk about the investigation and learn how they can help.

Puntland President Fears Loss of Autonomy

Medeshi
Puntland President Fears Loss of Autonomy
By Harun Maruf
Washington 21 March 2009
The president of Somalia's northern Puntland region is expressing concern that the new government of national unity led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed may abandon the federal system that gives his region its semi-autonomous status. President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole says even the name "Government of National Unity" violates the basic concept underlying the formation of the Transitional Federal Government. The federalism issue has the potential to undermine efforts to stabilize a country that has been without an effective central authority for nearly two decades.During a visit to Addis Ababa for talks with Ethiopian leaders, President Farole emphasized Puntland is part of a federal Somalia set up under a 2004 charter. It gives Puntland substantial autonomy within the transitional government. In a VOA interview, he questioned whether the new coalition government headed by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed might abandon that the system.President Farole says federalism is the only system that will bring Somalia together, and believes most Somalis favor it, even those in the breakaway northwestern Somaliland region.
"We know the middle river people are also for federalism, and we know the people of the central and Jubaland region are for that," he said. "We know Somaliland can be negotiated only to come back from secession only in the federal system. That is the only choice that Somalis can reconcile among themselves."
Farole, who was elected in January, refused to comment on whether Puntland would secede if President Sheikh Sharif gives into pressure from hardline Islamists to repeal the federal structure to force nationwide implementation of Islamic Sharia law. He said that Puntlanders would reject any attempt to take away the region's autonomy.
Earlier this month, Sheikh Sharif's government was forced to adopt Sharia law, despite previous indications he would hold the constitution as the country's supreme law. Farole said his administration is going to "'wait-and-see" what the government in Mogadishu does.
"It depends on what they intend to do. Somalis are Muslims and all the laws are based on Sharia," said the president. "Any law that will not recognize Sharia is not law in Somalia, and that was the case since independence. But the main thing they are saying when they adopt Sharia law, we will see what they mean, whether they mean there will be a constitution or not."
Puntland has traditionally rejected the militant brand of Islam favored by some hardline groups prominent in the southern part of the country. Some of the worst clashes between hardline Islamists and more moderate Muslims took place in Puntland in the early 1990s when the local faction, led by former President Abdullahi Yusuf battled militants of Al-Itihad, headed by the militant cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Farole says Puntlanders are still firmly opposed to religious extremism.
"We are for the constitution," he said. "Constitution which rejects everything against Sharia, but constitution for the Somali people."
Puntland has enjoyed relative stability since regional administration began in 1998. But its reputation as an oasis of tranquility in an otherwise failed state has been shattered in recent months by a surge in piracy and the abduction of foreign journalists. A United Nations report this week alleged links between pirates operating off the Somali coast and senior Puntland government officials.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.

The Rent-A-Country

Medeshi March 21, 2009

10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now

Idea no: 7

The Times

7. The Rent-A-Country

Take a moment to consider breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Maybe you grabbed a banana or ate a bowl of granola. Whatever it was, chances are that some — if not all — of your morning meal came from a country you don't live in.
Food isolationism is dead. It collapsed in a messy, public heap last year when oil hit $100-plus per bbl. and the world's crush on biofuels pushed food prices to unprecedented highs. Thirty-six nations needed food aid. Twenty-five imposed export bans or restrictions to keep staple crops like rice and wheat at home. As prices shot up 50%, food riots erupted in Haiti, killing at least five, and eventually brought down the government.
And then something else happened. A few diplomats and business leaders quietly boarded their jets and got to work. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and South Korea — well-off states without enough good land or water to feed their people — started to look outside their borders. "It's economically not viable to grow food in the desert," says David Hallam, deputy director of trade and markets for the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. "They said, 'If we can't grow our own food, we'll grow it somewhere else.'"
Their words did not fall on deaf ears. In April, diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Qatar were officially established. In May, the Presidents of South Korea and Sudan discussed food cooperation at the launch of the Korea-Arab Society in Seoul. The Saudi Binladin Group penned nonbinding agreements with Indonesia to plant rice on some 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) of island paradise, and millions more have reportedly been earmarked, from Pakistan and Kazakhstan to Burma and the Philippines. Alwi Shihab, a special economic adviser on the Middle East to the President of Indonesia, sees this new investment as a boon to the nation's agricultural sector. "We have large, sizable, fertile -land and good water," says Shihab.
Growing crops for strangers, of course, is nothing new. The long, grim march of colonialism was driven by Europe's penchant for sugar, tea, tobacco and other crops that don't flourish in northern climes. But as climate change and growing populations put ever more pressure on the earth, state-backed searches for land and food contracts as part of a national food-security strategy strike many as fundamentally new. "We're talking about a whole different logic," says Renée Vellvé, a researcher for Grain, an organization that has been compiling media reports of these deals. Vellvé's group sees a downside. When farmers in food-insecure countries like Laos and Cambodia are scrambling to feed their children, does it make sense to lease out vast tracts to grow rice for foreign governments? "These are not fallow fields," says Paul Risley, a World Food Program spokesman based in Thailand. "These are villages where families have farmed for centuries."
And for investors, moving into regions where so many depend so fiercely on the land can translate into risk. "You see a backlash," says Rajesh Behal, a principal investment officer for International Finance Corp., which has just put $75 million into an emerging-market agribusiness fund. "People say, 'Who are these people, and how long will they be there?'" In July, South Korea's Daewoo Logistics signed contracts to lease more than 2.2 million acres (900,000 hectares) in Madagascar — more than a third of the island nation's arable land — to grow corn and oil palms. A violent political dispute erupted in the capital soon after, complicating the deal. "Farming is a pretty dirty business," says Behal. "You have to know the nuances and withstand the volatility."
But in countries where governments can't afford — or don't prioritize — significant domestic agricultural investment, foreign money has the power to deliver better roads, irrigation, technology and training. "One thousand times we say yes on private and public agricultural investment, but done in a certain way," says Jean-Philippe Audinet, acting director of the policy division at the U.N.'s International Fund for Agricultural Development. "It's very important not to look negatively at this trend. We have to try to look at the win-win."
After all, is there a choice? Some of these deals are probably doomed to fall under the ax of the global credit crunch, if they haven't already. But for land-poor countries, the underlying problem of relying heavily on imports will remain. Encouraging a new generation of deals to come out of the diplomatic closet may be the best chance we have to make sure that people on both ends of the bargain end up with food on their plate.
—With reporting by Jennifer Veale in Seoul

Read full ideas here: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884761,00.html

Intellectual arrogance : Should We Talk Like This?

Medeshi March 21, 2009

From the archives

Should We Talk Like This?
by Charley Reese
A habit of conversation conducted as a form of Twenty Questions is becoming a fad in Washington. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is probably the most famous user of the Twenty Questions style of talking.

(Photo: Rumsfeld pointing "The US has not run out of targets to bomb. Afghanistan has run out of targets. Ha, Ha, Ha!")
You've probably heard him say something like: "Do we know where Bin Laden is? No. Are we searching for him? Yes. Will we eventually find him? You bet. But do I wake up every morning worrying about where Bin Laden may or may not be? No."
Maybe all Americans should adopt this habit. Imagine going to a restaurant, and the waitress says, "What'll you have?"
And you reply: "Do I want fried chicken? No. Do I like fried fish? No. Would I prefer to have a plain steak and baked potato? You bet."
Then the waitress says, "And what would you like to drink?"
You reply: "Should I drink coffee this late in the day? No. Does Coke have a lot of caffeine in it, too? Yes. Would I prefer just a plain glass of water? I think so."
And the waitress would say: "When I return with your order, will I dump it on your head? Wait and see."
I much prefer the old-fashioned way of direct speech, such as, "We don't know where Bin Laden is, but we'll find him eventually, and in the meantime, I have more important things to think about."
The Twenty Questions style seems patronizing to me, as if the person believes his audience is so ignorant that everything has to be explained to them in kindergarten language. Rumsfeld is by no means the only political figure to use this technique, but behind his facade of affability and humor, he is an arrogant man. It does no credit to the Washington press corps members that they like Rumsfeld just because he knows how to refuse to answer their questions and to make them laugh at the same time.
Years ago, I covered a politician who had a different style of dealing with questions. Suppose I asked him a simple question: "Are you going to vote for or against the road bill?" This guy, who was earnest sincerity personified, would begin with the history of road building just before the Roman Empire, carry you forward to the 19th century, then start to talk about Indian trails and early road-building efforts in the North American wilderness. Finally, he would arrive at the 20th century, after which he discussed previously passed laws about road building, carefully dissecting each law into pros and cons. By this time, your eyes had glazed over, and you were trying not to topple over, fall on the floor and snore. You dreaded asking him another question, and before you could regain full consciousness, he was gone. It usually took a few minutes to figure out he had never answered the question.
We need to pay more attention to language, how our leaders use it, how journalists use it, and how we use it. Human civilization literally rests on three pillars — the ability to communicate, knowledge, and the ethic of telling the truth. If even one of those pillars rots, then the civilization will collapse. Most empires die of their own corruption. Ours is not exactly what any careful observer would call in perfect health.
I cannot think, for example, what a politician could do that would cause his constituents to vote him out of office, short of child murder. Lying and cheating and thinking nothing of it seems to be on the increase. Simple good manners seem to be vanishing.
Hasn't America always produced great leaders to get us out of the soup? No. Can people lower their own standards so much that they can't recognize greatness? Yes. Will they lose the ability to recognize even mediocrity? You bet. Where do people led by mediocrity end up? On the trash heap of history.
Gazette's Commentary: Is Donald Rumsfeld an arrogant jerk? Yes.

Bush Scandals List
Hugh Makes a List
because there are just too many scandals to remember

Bush Scandals List
A Table of Contents is available here for the complete list, or by category via the category links. Hugh's List of Bush Scandals was written primarily during the last two years of the Bush Administration. For more information, please see Hugh's diary The Bush Scandals List as Bush Leaves Office.Updated 2/6/09, recent changes in red. Please contact us with corrections and additions. -->

Scandal No: 35 : Marginalization of the UN

Marginalization of the UN. Neocons hate the UN.

It doesn’t do what neocons tell it to do.
It is multilateral and neocons think only unilateral action by the US is effective.
It does not opt for military force as a first resort.

So, of course, on August 1, 2005, Bush named UN hating neocon John Bolton as UN Ambassador in a recess appointment. Bolton famously stated in a 1994 speech that “If the U.N. building in New York lost its top 10 stories it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” The top floors are where highest ranking UN officials have their offices. His thinking has not moderated since.

Of course, the Administration has not hesitated to use the UN when it has suited its purposes. It cited Security Council resolutions from the First Gulf War in its AUMF (Authorization for the Use of Force against Iraq) (see item 128). It would have gone for a Chapter 7 UN resolution authorizing military force for the 2003 invasion of Iraq if it thought it could get one. That wasn’t in the cards. This explains why, despite the incongruity, resolutions from the First Gulf War were used to give a patina of international legitimacy to the Second Gulf War. Later on June 8, 2004 as the CPA was coming to a close, the Administration sought and obtained Security Council Resolution 1546 which sanctioned the presence of American forces in Iraq for a limited time subject to update. This permission was most recently updated in Resolution 1790 on December 18, 2006 which extends the American mandate in Iraq to December 31, 2008.

Read full scandals here: http://www.netrootsmass.net/hughs-bush-scandals-list/

WHO Ethiopia monthly report Feb 2009

Medeshi March 21, 2009

Ethiopia monthly report Feb 2009
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Full_Report (pdf* format - 53.8 Kbytes)
HIGHLIGHT:
According to November 2008 nationwide multi agency need assessment on food and none food sectors for 2009 estimated that over 12 million people will continue to require assistance including 7.5 million people assisted through the National Productive Safety Net Program(PSNP).Nearly another 5 million people will require emergency food and nutrition support and some 1 million will need assistance through a Targeted Supplementary Food(TSF)programme. The Government led Multiagency need assessment also identified an additional 1.2 million children under five, pregnant and lactating women will require targeted supplementary food.

From epidemic week 6-9 only 4 suspected cases of meningitis were reported throughout the country and 2 cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea were reported during the same period form one district of the country (Moyale district of Borana zone in Oromia region).

I. GENERAL SITUATION

a. Political, social and security:
The over all security situations in the country remained stable during this month except unpredictable security situation in Somali region mainly in zones where Ogden clans are residing. The Ethiopia Defense Force is still operating l in zones where ONLF exist. The inter clan conflict in Warder zone of Somali region still continues unresolved. The killing of commercial truck drivers in Gewanie, Mille and Chifra district of Afar region was reported in February2009. Increase numbers of Somalia asylum seekers continue to enter Ethiopia so far an estimated 10,000 refugees have arrived at the boarder town of Dolo Ado of Somali region. UNHCR reported 150 people are currently crossing the border daily fleeing insecurity and to seek asylum.
b. Main events of interest/ concern for health( including food insecurity and malnutrition, disease outbreak, etc):
Food insecurity and malnutrition Situation and response in Ethiopia.
The food security situation remains critical in Ethiopia according to Government led Multi-agency need assessment in November 2008 for 2009. Thus, Government and Humanitarian Partners' issued a joint Humanitarian Requirements Document that summarizes emergency food and non-food requirements for 2009. A total of 4.9 million beneficiaries are identified to require emergency assistance in 2009. The document seeks for a total net emergency requirement including food needs for the year and non-food needs for the first six months of 2009 amounts to USD 454,396,769.The net food requirement stands at 450,611 MT, amounting to USD 389,327,904. In addition, an estimated 1.2 million beneficiaries will be reached with a net 30,327 MT of supplementary food that amounts USD 26,202,528. A total of USD 38,866,337 is requested to respond to non-food needs of identified beneficiaries in the health and nutrition, water and sanitation and agriculture and livestock sectors. The effects of food insecurity caused by poor performance of seasonal rains, poor crop production coupled with the soaring cereal prices posed several humanitarian challenges to the lives and livelihoods of many in some areas in eastern half of the country. Favorable food security prospects are, however, expected in the western meher crop producing areas.

As part of the response some of the OTPs and SCs opened last year are still functional in Oromia (eastern part) and SNNPR. . WHO, UNICEF and other partners support regions and federal government The support includes:
- Staff training on screen and case management;
- Nutrition survey, data collection, analysis and dissemination and supervision
- WHO recently assigned 3 EHA focal person to region (1 Amhara, 1 Oromia and SNNPR, 1 Dire Dawa, Somali and eastern part of Oromia region) for coordination and technical support to emergency(nutrition, disease outbreak and others) and including HIV/AIDs.

Full_Report (pdf* format - 53.8 Kbytes)
(*) Get Adobe Acrobat Viewer (free)

36 Hours in Doha, Qatar

Medeshi

36 Hours in Doha, Qatar

By SETH SHERWOOD
Published: March 22, 2009

(The Sky View Bar on the 15th floor of La Cigale hotel.)

JUST a few years ago, you could almost hear tumbleweeds blowing through this city, the capital of Qatar. These days, any remaining tumbleweeds are colliding with the giant skyscrapers and sprawling megaprojects that are exploding from the sands. Still plump with petrodollars despite the continuing economic rollercoaster, the home of the Al Jazeera network has been bingeing on luxury hotels, world-class spa villages, Vegas-sized supermalls, cultural venues designed by top-shelf architects and artificial islands that aim to blow those of its neighbor-rival Dubai out of the water.

Friday
6 p.m.

1) THE ROYAL TREATMENT
You’ve probably had a long flight to Doha, so a late-afternoon trip to the Six Senses Resorts & Spas at the sprawling, Moorish-style Sharq Village and Spa (Ras Abu Aboud Street; 974-425-6999; http://www.sixsenses.com/) is a no-brainer. Sugar scrub with hydrating date wrap? Desert hot stone massage? Moroccan hammam therapy? The globe-trotting menu is packed with treatments you might find in the Hamptons — and others you definitely won’t. One-hour massages and treatments typically range between 500 and 700 rials ($135 to $189 at 3.7 rials to the dollar). For those looking for that post-meal mellow, the spa, which is part of a chain with properties in 16 countries, is open every day until 11 p.m.
8 p.m.

2)FROM SEA TO TABLE
Within the candle-lit confines of Al Dana restaurant (974-425-6227; http://www.sharqvillage.com/) in Sharq Village, chipper waiters deliver global fusion specialties with an emphasis on seafood: oysters in chili-lime sauce; mussels in Thai curry and coconut milk; lobster from Oman with jasmine rice. The grilled Gulf tiger prawns, as meaty as undersea steaks, get an excellent zing from Goa-style red curry, while the lemon-grass crème brûlée with pineapple compote brings some Thai zest to the creamy Gallic classic. A dinner for two, without wine, runs about 400 rials.
9:30 p.m.

3) A SPECIAL KIND OF HIGH
With its D.J.-spun lounge music, glowing surfaces, plush low couches and knockout views — courtesy of a 15th-floor location in the stylish La Cigale hotel — the outdoor Sky View Bar (60 Suhaim Bin Hamad Street; 974-428-8204; http://www.lacigalehotel.com/) couldn’t exude more sex appeal if they mixed the drinks with pheromones. The clientele is heavy with the tie-sporting British financiers, air-kissing Lebanese socialites and sundry international wheeler-dealers who make up the city’s robust expat crowd. Order a So High in the Sky cocktail (Martini Rosso, Tanqueray gin and Campari; 70 rials), turn your view outward and relish the ever-changing Doha skyline. Reservations recommended.
Saturday
10:30 a.m.

4) THE ARABIAN ARTS
No building more boldly trumpets Doha’s upsurge than the new Museum of Islamic Art (Corniche; 974-422-4444; http://www.mia.org.qa/), which had its gala opening last November. Designed by I. M. Pei, this poetic jumble of white cubes and rectangles is filled with exquisitely wrought creations — furniture, books, tilework, textiles, scientific instruments — spanning more than a millennium and covering territory from Morocco to China. Some of the most dazzling pieces include sleek medieval Central Asian ceramics and intricate 14th-century Moorish astrolabes whose golden dials, levers and gears rival the work of the finest Swiss watchmakers. Admission is free.
2 p.m.

5)A PERSIAN PAUSE
Yemeni, Turkish, Iraqi, Moroccan: the culinary options along the main drag of Doha’s huge Souq Waqif — an early 20th-century bazaar that got a stylish refurbishment in 2006 — offer a crash course in Arab and Middle East cuisine. Tap your inner sheik and sit in a plush cushioned alcove at Isfahan Gardens (pedestrian walkway, Souq Waqif; 974-528-7521). This Iranian restaurant features a dazzlingly colorful décor that combines intricate mosaics, ornate chandeliers and thousands of tiny mirrors. After complimentary warm flatbread with sesame seeds, try the juicy jojeh kababmasti (chicken marinated in yogurt with sweet red cabbage) or one of the daily-changing stews. A three-course meal for two runs about 250 rials. No alcohol.
3:30 p.m.

6) BEDOUIN BARGAINS
It’s tough to find a decent sport falcon these days. Fortunately the Souq is also home to Birds Center (Bird Souq, Souq Waqif; 974-468-4366 or 974-468-7029). Even if you don’t have thousands of rials to drop on a feathered friend, the shop’s ranks of falcons and accessories (landing pads, electronic guidance systems) offer a fun window into this Qatari pastime. Something like a Bedouin outlet sale unfurls at Al Rumailah (pedestrian walkway, Souq Waqif; 974-672-4152), which is filled with daggers, jewelry, striped blankets and other collectibles. Inside Al Zubair Shop (pedestrian walkway, Souq Waqif; 974-657-2004), Arabian autoharps, 12-string ouds and darbuka drums put you on your way to a Middle Eastern jam session. In each shop, haggling is essential.
7 p.m.

7) A TWILIGHT STROLL
Sunset is the ideal time for a walk on the Corniche, along the crescent-moon curve of Doha Bay. The temperature cools. The lights glimmer on the water. Couples of every nationality come out to stroll. For a journey through Doha’s evolution, start in the east bay and trace the arc westward. Gradually, the trappings of Doha’s past — Souq Waqif, mosque minarets, moored wooden dhows — give way to soaring glass-and-steel skyscrapers, luxury hotel towers and the flashy City Center mall. The nocturnal view from the west bay looking back east, which takes in the white-glowing Museum of Islamic Arts and the spiral tower of the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center, might be the city’s best.
9 p.m.

8) BITES OF BEIRUT
You can’t hurl a date in Doha without hitting a Lebanese restaurant. Devotees of the Arab world’s most celebrated cuisine should target Al Mourjan (Balhambar building, Corniche; 974-483-4423; http://www.almourjanrest.com/). Opened last fall, the bayside restaurant is already winning over the city’s chicest set with its stylish white interiors, stellar waterfront vistas and fine Levantine dishes. The zesty baba ghanouj hits the sweet spot between chunky and creamy, while the sojok sausages are judiciously spiced and served in zesty tomato sauce. There’s no booze, but thick fruit juices, syrupy Turkish coffee and the sweet smoke of a shisha pipe are a satisfying accompaniment. A full meal for two people costs around 300 rials.
Midnight

9) SHEIKH, BABY, SHEIKH
Just past the parked Lamborghinis, the flashy Pearl Lounge Club (Doha Marriott Hotel, Ras Abu Aboud Street; 974-429-8444) is both an intriguing anthropological experience and a great place to shed unwanted cash. True, it’s so dark inside that you could develop film. Also true, the house and Arabic pop soundtrack is so loud that you can barely hear the doormen demanding the 150 rial cover charge. But the mix of deep-pocketed international dealmakers, global club kids, women dressed to the nines and free-flowing liquor will demolish any lingering notions that “Islamic-world night life” is an oxymoron. Add some White Pearl cocktails (gin and Cointreau; 45 rials), and the Pearl casts an undeniable spell.
Sunday
11 a.m.

10) VENICE BY WAY OF VEGAS
If you’ve ever wondered how to write “Krispy Kreme” in Arabic calligraphy, the answer awaits within the bombastic Vegas-like Villaggio Mall (Al Waab Street). It’s a fascinating mish-mash of cultures and makes for some of the city’s best people-watching — and bears a striking resemblance to the Venetian in Las Vegas. Under a vast trompe l’oeil sky, Filipino oarsmen welcome families for gondola rides (15 rials) along a boutique-lined canal. There’s no indoor skiing, à la Dubai, but winter-sports enthusiasts can visit an ice rink (30 rials), well protected from temperatures that can hit 110 degrees. Then join the Western expats and black-veiled local women at the Virgin Megastore for CDs of Lebanese pop and glossy coffee-table books on Qatar. Or just buy a vanilla cake doughnut (5 rials) at that Krispy Kreme. You’re almost home.

THE BASICS
Fast-expanding Qatar Airways (http://www.qatarairways.com/) began direct nonstop service from Kennedy Airport to Doha last year. Direct flights from Washington are also available. According to a recent online search, nonstop flights from New York start at $1,338.
After opening earlier this month, the W Doha Hotel and Residences (West Bay; 973-453-5353; www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels), which features 445 rooms, a Bliss spa, Crystal Lounge bar and Spice Market restaurant from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is the buzz crash pad of the moment. Double rooms start at about 1,700 rials (about $460 at 3.7 rials to the dollar), taxes included, with bonuses like two free drinks at Crystal Lounge and a tour of Souq Waqif.
Hotel Souq Waqif (northern edge of Souq Waqif, near Al Souq Street; 974-443-3030; http://www.hotelsouqwaqif.com.qa/), which opened at the end of 2008, bills itself as Doha’s first boutique hotel. The 13 rooms and suites are outfitted in plush Arab-chic décor. Standard doubles are 980 rials.
Roger Federer, Andrea Bocelli and other V.I.P.’s have stopped in at the luxurious La Cigale (60 Suhaim Bin Hamad Street, 974-428-8888; http://www.lacigalehotel.com/), which also opened in 2008. In addition to the Sky View bar, the 227-room hotel is popular for its Madison Piano Bar and its Cigar Lounge. Low season doubles start at 1,500 rials.

Israeli Soldier Says Military Rabbis Framed Gaza Mission as Religious

Medeshi
Israeli Soldier Says Military Rabbis Framed Gaza Mission as Religious
By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, March 21, 2009
JERUSALEM, March 20 -- A soldier involved in Israel's recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip said in published reports Friday that the military's rabbinical staff distributed material characterizing the operation as a religious mission to "get rid of the gentiles who disturb us from conquering the holy land."
In the second day of published accounts from soldiers critical of the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, the daily Maariv ran excerpts of an interview with a squad commander in Israel's Givati Brigade. He was identified only by his first name, given as Rahm.
The daily quoted him as saying that the Gaza operation from the beginning had "the feeling of almost a religious mission."
While military rabbis provided routine services -- such as distributing books of psalms and leading prayers at the start of the operation -- some religious materials veered in a political direction, he said.
"The military rabbinate brought many magazines and articles with a very clear message: 'We are the Jewish people, a miracle brought us to the land of Israel, God returned us to the land, and now we have to struggle so as to get rid of the gentiles who disturb us from conquering the holy land.' All the feeling throughout all this operation of many of the soldiers was of a war of religions," he said. "As a commander, I tried to explain that the war is not a war of Kiddush Hashem [the sanctification of God's name, including through martyrdom] but over the stopping of the launching of the Qassam rockets."
The rockets are one of several types that Hamas and other Islamist groups fire from Gaza into Israel. Palestinian health officials said about 1,400 Palestinians died in the three weeks of fighting in December and January, including what United Nations officials said were hundreds of civilians. Thirteen Israelis died, including three civilians.
The publication of the soldiers' accounts has elevated a set of issues that Palestinian organizations and human rights groups have raised since early in the Gaza operation. On Thursday, the IDF's chief lawyer opened an investigation following the publication of reports in which soldiers spoke of unnecessary civilian deaths and needless property destruction.
The soldiers' accounts were elicited by the head of a training school for future military recruits. At a recent gathering, graduates of the school described how the realities of military life clashed with the values taught in the school's curriculum.
The school is named in honor Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli leader who signed the 1993 Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians and who was assassinated by an Israeli who opposed the agreements. The school is secular in nature and its graduates would likely be sensitive to the intrusion of religious politics into the conduct of a military operation, said retired Brig. Gen. Meir Elran, a security analyst with the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Given that one of Israel's chief struggles is against organizations, such as Hamas, that entwine religion and violence, the presence of similar material among Israeli soldiers is disturbing, Elran said.
"You cannot but think about the other side, too," said Elran, who noted that the traditional role for military rabbis was to ensure that kitchens were kosher and to conduct services as needed. Although ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service on religious grounds, Elran said the number of religious Jews in the military has been increasing.
Still, "when you talk about the military in a country where you have compulsory service, I find it a bit odd that military rabbis would go further than just giving religious services to those who want it or need it," he said.
The issue surfaced publicly shortly after the Gaza operation, known as Operation Cast Lead. An Israeli human rights group publicized material that encouraged soldiers to show no mercy to their enemies and that said there was a biblical ban on surrendering Israeli territory to non-Jews.
The material, according to excerpts published at the time in the daily Haaretz, cut to the core of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, comparing the Palestinians to Old Testament invaders who now "claim they deserve a state here."
IDF spokesman Elie Isaacson said that there was an investigation at the time and that a member of the rabbinical staff was reprimanded for distributing unauthorized material. Isaacson said it was considered an isolated incident.
"If you are religious, the army gives you the right to practice, but the mixing of politics and religion -- it is a big taboo," he said. The military rabbis "don't make policy. They don't make decisions."

UK politician denied Canadian visa

Medeshi March 21, 2009

UK politician denied Canadian visa
George Galloway, the British politician, has been barred from visiting Canada on grounds that he is a threat to national security, the Canadian immigration minister's office has said.
"I'm sure Galloway has a large rolodex of friends in regimes elsewhere in the world, willing to roll out the red carpet for him," Alykhan Velshi, spokesman for Jason Kenney, the Canadian immigration minister, said on Friday.

(Gallloway, left, traveled to Gaza last week to give aid to Palestinians after Israel's war)
"Canada, however, won't be one of them," he added.
Galloway was to give a speech in Toronto at the end of the month, but has been denied entry over his opposition to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, the UK's Sun newspaper reported.
In a comment piece published in the UK's Guardian newspaper on Saturday, Galloway described the ban as "absurd, hypocritical, and in vain" because his allies in the country were seeking a judicial review.
"And there are other ways I can address those Canadians who wish to hear me," he wrote.
"From coast to coast, minister Kenney notwithstanding, I will be heard - one way or another."
Security threat
Velshi said Galloway was deemed inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns.
It was an "operational decision" by border security officials "based on a number of factors, not only those mentioned in the Sun piece," he said.
Such a decision could be overturned by ministerial order, but it is not warranted in this case, he said.
George GallowayBritish politician"We're going to uphold the law, not give special treatment to a street-corner Cromwell who brags about giving "financial support" to Hamas, a terrorist organisation banned in Canada," Velshi said.
Olivia Chow, a politician from the Opposition New Democratic Party, however, accused the government of "censorship" for not allowing Galloway to tout his anti-war messages in Canada.
Denying him entry to this country is "an affront to freedom of speech" and shows the Canadian government "is frightened of an open debate on an unpopular war," she said in a statement on Friday.
Last week, Galloway traveled to Gaza at the head of a humanitarian convoy.
He praised the Palestinian "resistance" and condemned Israel's 22-day offensive launched in December, in which 1,300 Palestinians died.
The British MP also donated thousands of dollars and dozens of vehicles to the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip.

ALJ

Iraq: Six Long Years Of Deception

Medeshi March 21, 2009

Iraq: Six Long Years Of Deception

(Casuality pictures)

John Bruhns
Veteran and freelance writer
Six years ago today I was in Kuwait awaiting orders to cross the border into Iraq with the first wave of invading forces. It was predicted that U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators, weapons of mass destruction would be found, and democracy would flourish across the Mideast. What a gross miscalculation of the aftermath. Iraq became a slaughterhouse while political and social unrest emerged here at home.
So many questions remain unanswered. Did the Bush administration knowingly deceive us into an unnecessary war? Did we kill Iraqis to protect America? Did our troops die fighting terrorism? Or was it just for an ideology of a select group of people in power? Was it for oil? Was it all for nothing?
Why do I torture myself with these questions when I already know the answers? I know this was a needless war of choice, but at the same time I just can't fully grasp the abusive political authority exercised by our government.
Many Americans still don't understand the ramifications of the Iraqi occupation. Reason being is that the sacrifice was/is very much unshared. This war has generated great support from people who could serve but don't. So many young able-bodied American males have lobbied for a continuation of the Iraq conflict yet never had the guts to go anywhere near it. On many occasions they've called veterans who have served in Iraq "traitors" for conveying their disillusionment with the war to the public. These cowardly imbeciles view their activity as a substitute for military service. What a crock. My crowd calls them chicken hawks, but that's an understatement. They're one of the worst elements of society. There is nothing American or patriotic about advocating for others to die for your cause while you stay home. They're true followers of Bush and Cheney's foot steps. They can't fade away into obscurity quick enough for me.
The war has caused much bloodshed for the Iraqi people. How many Americans care about that? Not too many. We can't envision a foreign army invading this country and changing our way of life at gunpoint. If the tables were turned we would be out in the streets demonstrating our right to bear arms -- kicking ass and taking names. Would that make us terrorists? Hell no! So why is it shocking that Iraqis have violently resisted our occupation of their country? The human psychology behind this should not be difficult to understand. The fact of the matter is we don't want to accept the reality of the situation.
Imagine if the Russians or the Chinese invaded Iraq and seized control of the oil fields. We would have been singing a totally different song all of these years. We would call it aggression and communism. So what affords us the right to do it?
Our troops and the Iraqi people who've lived through this war will have a lifetime to dwell on it. My hope for the Iraqis is that something good comes out of this catastrophe. That one day Iraq does become a free and peaceful nation. However, I don't see that happening for a long time. As for our troops many return home to families and friends who don't understand and don't want to understand. This pushes our veterans further into isolation from the world they once knew. For some vets the menu of options consists of divorce, suicide, substance abuse, and permanent mental health problems.
No one promises members of the military a rose garden after war. At the same time their government should never abuse them in such a way that we've seen over the last six years. Our military men and women have been used, thrown around, involuntarily extended, stop-lossed, and recalled. How much can we expect from our service people?
Maybe it's time to stop beating this drum and move on. However, if everyone were to do that what's to stop a future president from using our military for his/her own personal agenda? Nothing.
Where does accountability factor in? Sadly, it doesn't. Should Bush and Cheney be prosecuted for their crimes? Absolutely. But it's not going to happen. If you're waiting for Congress or the Justice Department to conduct investigations, hold hearings, and bring charges against the Bush administration don't hold your breath. George W. Bush received overwhelming bi-partisan approval from Congress for his war. He blatantly and repeatedly lied to our faces and we reelected him. Now it's over. Bush and the members of his administration will have the rest of their lives to spend with their children and grandchildren. Kind of ironic since they deprived so many others of that right.
It's frightening that the government of the United States was run by such corrupt leaders for eight years. It's often said that no one is above the law. Well obviously that's not true -- just ask George W. Bush.
I know this comes off as a redundant "Bush bashing" piece. However, who else is to blame on the sixth anniversary of the war? Even though Bush was president he was extremely impressionable and susceptible to peer pressure from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and other neocon intellectuals who know nothing about war except for what they read in books. They are so smart they're actually stupid as they demonstrated over and over again.
Hopefully Iraq will teach us what we failed to learn from the war in Vietnam; that we never let it happen again.

Read More: George W. Bush And Iraq, Iraq Veterans, Iraq Veterans Suicide, Iraq Veterans' Mental Health, Iraq War Anniversary, Iraqi Civilian Deaths, Truth Commission, War In Iraq, Politics News

The Huffington

Why I Keep Going Back to Somalia

Medeshi

Why I Keep Going Back to Somalia

What the world's most dangerous place looks like behind the screen of bullets.

By Jeffrey Gettleman

Friday, March 20, 2009

In the more than a dozen times I have been to Somalia, I've visited refugee camps, insurgent hide-outs, mosques, schools, dimly lit warlord dens, and famished villages. Most of what I do is interviewing and information gathering for the news stories I write. But some of my most vivid experiences never make it into print. Those memories remain in my mind as some of the reasons -- work aside -- to keep going back in spite of all the dangers.
I've danced at a Somali wedding with beautifully made-up women who, behind the closed doors of our hotel, tossed off their veils and grooved to Somali hip-hop. I've guzzled glass after glass of camel milk -- and paid the price later! I've motored up the crocodile-infested Shabelle River and swam in the pirate-infested Somali seas. I sweated it out at a jihadi rally where thousands of Somalis were packed into a basketball stadium cheering "Death to America!" -- with a U.S. passport burning in my back pocket. I've ducked bullets zipping over my head and seen countless kids cut down by them. I curled an old tank shell (which I think was still live) that some Somali boys were using as a dumbbell. I've crisscrossed the country in countless beat-up pickup trucks lavishly decked on the inside with suffocating amounts of air freshener and the occasional pink feather boa.
Once, while I was riding around with some Islamist fighters, we stopped in the middle of nowhere and offered a lift to a specter-like nomad who materialized from the bush. He was an old man with a map of wrinkles on his face and a long, thin staff. We exchanged greetings. He climbed in next to me, smelling like smoke. I handed him a bottle of mineral water, and he looked at it hard, suspicious. "That's not water," he insisted. "Water's not clear." He took a sip. His lips spread into a knowing smile. "See!" he said. "Water doesn't taste like that!" The Islamist fighters burst into laughter. The old man had been drinking from mud puddles and stagnant rivers his entire life; he had no idea that any other kind of water existed. We tried to persuade him that, yes, this was water too. But he didn't buy it. When we dropped him off, again at a seemingly random spot in the bush where all I could see were thorn trees and sand dunes, half his bottle was still full. I'm sure he was going to show it to his family -- this "water" that these weird foreigners drink.
This is why I keep going back to Somalia. This dysfunctional, poverty-stricken, war-ravaged country has cast a spell over me. It's one of the most exotic, authentic, sealed-off places in the world. Its isolation isn't surprising because the place is dangerous as hell. You can't just stroll the streets and soak up the mood. I did that in 2006, taking an absorbing walk along Mogadishu's crumbling seafront. Not far into my saunter, I was taken at gunpoint by the Shabab, a hard-line Islamist group, which wasn't so much fun. We eventually worked things out, and later one of the Shabab leaders, a tall, grave man named Abu Monsoor, came to my hotel. I could tell from the unblinking way his eyes drilled into me that he wasn't just another opportunistic warlord. Abu Monsoor was a true believer. He had fought in Afghanistan and was proud of it. He said he had dreamed all his life about bringing Islamic law to Somalia. He handed me a Koran in English, a lovely, hard-bound copy."Please read it," he said. "I bought it for you."
Somalis are incredibly hospitable -- when they're not shooting at you. As their guest, you'll get the sturdiest chair to sit on, the coolest slice of shade, and the choicest chunk of camel meat. I've had some bona fide feasts in the country, which always stirs up mixed emotions because so many people here are desperate for a handful of grain. I've dined on steak and lobster in a hotel with bullet holes in the walls and drained gallons of fresh-pressed watermelon juice at breakfast. My wife turned 34 while we were working together in Mogadishu in 2007. The hotel staff decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons, grilled some steaks, and capped the fabulous meal with a bright pink birthday cake.
That meal was organized by an older waiter nicknamed "Camel Rib." Apparently back in the day, he used to be a real brute, strong as a camel. Everyone in Somalia has a nickname. Some of the biggest, baddest warlords have names like "Mohammed the Tall," "White Eyes," or "Long Hands." My nickname is "Adde Yero," which means something like "little white man."
Jeffrey Gettleman is East Africa bureau chief for the New York Times.

Somali Islamists behead two sheikhs - group

Medeshi
Somali Islamists behead two sheikhs - group
By Abdi Sheikh and Abdi Guled
MOGADISHU, March 20 (Reuters) - Somalia's hardline al Shabaab insurgents have beheaded two sheikhs from a rival Islamist movement, a spokesman for the Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca group said on Friday.
The killings happened on Thursday, the same day al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged Somalis in an audio tape to topple the new president of the lawless Horn of Africa nation.
Al Shabaab, which Washington accuses of having close ties to al Qaeda, has been battling rival Islamists from the Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca movement for control of central regions.
An Ahlu Sunna spokesman said the two religious leaders had been injured by stray bullets during the clashes. He said they were later captured by al Shabaab gunmen as they were being driven to hospital in the capital.
"Elders told al Shabaab that the sheikhs were not fighters, but they turned a deaf ear and beheaded them," Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, the spokesman, told Reuters.
Yusuf said the killings took place in Balad town, 30 km (19 miles) north of Mogadishu. He also accused al Shabaab militants of decapitating three elderly women last weekend. Al Shabaab officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Thursday, bin Laden urged Somalis to overthrow their new president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate Islamist elected this year in the 15th attempt to form a central government.
But experts say bin Laden's message is unlikely to be heeded: al Qaeda's violent brand of militancy repels ordinary people and real hope now exists among many Somalis that Ahmed can end 18 years of chaos. [ID:nLJ970165]
Violence in Somalia has killed more than 16,000 civilians since the start of 2007, uprooted more than a million and left about a third of the population depending on food aid.
In a statement posted on their website, www.kataaib.infor, on Friday, al Shabaab welcomed bin Laden's support and again denounced Ahmed as the leader of a "non-Muslim" government."May Allah bless and protect Sheikh Osama," it said. (Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Katie Nguyen)

Somalis reject Bin Laden threats

Medeshi March 20, 2009
Somalis reject Bin Laden threats
One of Somalia's hardline Islamist leaders and the information minister have both told Osama Bin Laden not to interfere in Somalia's affairs.
The al-Qaeda leader on Thursday called for Somalia's president to be toppled.
Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who denies US charges he has links to al-Qaeda, has been reported as saying only Somalis should decide on their future.
Information Minister Farahan Ali Mohamoud said Bin Laden should concentrate on his own survival.
"We know that bin Laden has his own problems in the mountainous area of Tora Bora where he is hiding, so he has no place making such statements at a time when Somalia is keen to emerge from 21 years violence," the AFP news agency quotes the information minister as saying.
“ Somalia knows [its] future and who can involve, but it is not something for Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda either ” Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys
Bin Laden's call was published by known militant websites on Thursday, although there has been no independent confirmation of its authenticity.
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, was inaugurated in January after UN-brokered reconciliation talks.
He has promised to introduce Sharia law to the strongly Muslim country.
But hardliners in the al-Shabab movement say his version of Sharia will not be strict enough and have continued to fight against his government.
They, and other Islamist groups, now control much of southern and central Somalia.
'Infidel'
The 12-minute audio recording of Bin Laden - entitled "Fight on, champions of Somalia" - carried an often-seen image of the al-Qaeda leader with a map of Somalia in the background.
It accused Mr Ahmed of having "changed and turned back on his heels... to partner up with the infidel" in a national unity government.
"This Sheikh Sharif... must be fought and toppled," the tape said, before comparing the Somali leader to "the [Arab] presidents who are in the pay of our enemies".
It was Bin Laden's third broadcast this year.
Mr Ahmed was a leader of the Union of Islamic Courts which controlled Mogadishu in 2006 before being ousted by Ethiopian forces, backing the previous Somali president.
Mr Aweys was also in the UIC but the two have since split.
"Somalia knows [its] future and who can involve, but it is not something for Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda either," he reportedly told Arabic TV.
Somalia, a nation of about eight million people, has not had a functioning national government since warlords overthrew President Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other.
As part of a UN-brokered deal to reconcile moderate Islamists and dissident lawmakers in a unity government, Ethiopian troops withdrew in January.
President Ahmed has the support of several Islamist groups but al-Shabab has continued to fight the Somali government and the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
Story from BBC NEWS:

Ethiopia to double earnings from livestock exports

Medeshi March 20, 2009

By Tsegaye Tadesse

Ethiopia to double earnings from livestock exports
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia plans to more than double earnings from livestock exports to $85 million in 2009 by curbing illegal trade and opening new marketing centres, a government official said on Friday.
The Horn of Africa country sold 297,662 heads of livestock for $40 million in 2008 but hopes to raise this by exporting 429,244 livestock for $85 million this year, according to Berhe Igziabher, head of the Animal and Plant Health Regulatory Body.
"The country plans to transform the old and backward type of animal husbandry into a modern ranching system and export processed meat, hides and skin and other leather goods rather than live animals," Berhe said.
Ethiopia has an estimated 41 million cattle, 25 million sheep, 23 million goats and 150,000 camels, but poor husbandry and contraband trade with neighbouring countries have kept the industry underdeveloped.
The country has also started programmes to check smuggling of animals through neighbouring Djibouti and Somalia.
"We know that Djibouti, a Red Sea state where animals could not thrive due to the country's climatic conditions, has become a livestock exporter and we also know that 60 percent of livestock being exported by Somalia are those taken from Ethiopia through contraband trade," Berhe said.
To curb the black market trade, the government has established markets in remote areas to cater for pastoralists in far flung areas such as Afar and Somali.
Berhe said the main thrust of Ethiopia's livestock development policy would not centre on live animal exports alone.
The government has established a new institution -- Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Technology Institute -- whose mandate is to enhance modern dairy farming and improve the stock and quality of cattle in the country, he said.
The body will also help pastoralists protect their livestock against the vagaries of climate change by providing feeds and water and veterinary medicine in each districts, he said.
The country's leather sector earned $103 million last year and plans to take $190 million from leather exports in 2009, according to the Ethiopian Leather Industries Association.

US Navy Submarine And Ship Crash Near Iran

Medeshi

US Navy Submarine And Ship Crash Near Iran
Friday, March 20

Sky News
A US Navy submarine and an American amphibious ship have collided in the Strait of Hormuz.
The stretch of water is between Iran and the Arabian peninsula.
According to the navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, the USS Hartford submarine was submerged before the crash.
Fifteen soldiers aboard the Hartford were slightly injured but able to return to duty.
No injuries were reported on the amphibious ship, the USS New Orleans.
But the ship suffered a ruptured fuel tank, which resulted in an oil spill of approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel.
The damage to both vessels is still being evaluated.
Both ships are currently operating under their own power. The crash is currently under investigation.
The Navy said both ships were on regularly scheduled deployments to the region and conducting security operations.
Officials said the collision happened about 1am local time.

Greece says pirates seize cargo ship off Somalia

Medeshi
Greece says pirates seize cargo ship off Somalia
Thu Mar 19, 2009 ATHENS, March 19 (Reuters) - Pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia late on Thursday, the third such incident in the past two months, Greece's merchant marine ministry said.
"The Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo vessel Titan with 24 crew was sailing from the Black Sea to Korea when it was attacked by pirates," a ministry official who declined to be named said. "We have informed the anti-piracy centres in the region."
Three of the crew were Greeks, police said.
Piracy off Somalia, one of the world's busiest shipping areas, and other coasts of Africa has increased sharply over the past year, earning the pirates millions of dollars of ransom payments and pushing up maritime insurance rates.
Last month, pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship, with 22 crew off Somalia. In January, pirates seized another Greek vessel off the coast of Cameroon and killed its Greek captain.
EU forces foiled a pirate attack on a Greek-flagged crude oil tanker off the coast of Somalia in the same month. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

Peace Pipes & Smoking Guns

Medeshi March 20, 2009

Peace Pipes & Smoking Guns: Southern Ethiopia’s Struggle for Water

Water may be declared a human right, but such declarations do little for those living in the southern lowlands of Ethiopia where the resource remains preciously limited. Violent episodes break out when rain fails to fall. Instead of precipitation, villagers find their families and livestock fleeing from a storm of bullets.
Recently 70,000 people were displaced from their homes due to a water war over a newly installed borehole, the BBC reports. Conflicts occur near the border between two ethnic states. With an ambiguous and hence contentious border, schemes for water increasingly provoke anger and retaliation.
Local emergency-response officer Mohamed Nur told the BBC the recent violence “affected a huge number of people from both sides. In past conflicts, communities would fight, but they wouldn’t destroy government property, like the drilling rig.”
While the southern part of Ethiopia continues to struggle over water, the northern highlands seldom face such extreme scarcity. “Water conflicts rarely occur where I grew up,” Elyas Gebrehiwot, a human ecologist from the north, told Circle of Blue.
“I am from the highlands and water conflicts are common in the lowlands. Most lowlanders are pastoralists or nomads; because water and grazing land is so scarce in their region, they have to compete for it.”

Read more here.

A special three-section contribution: Distance still matters?

Medeshi March 20, 2009

A special three-section contribution: Distance still matters?
Yoshia Morishita
Section 1: Distance lost its significance?

(Photo: aerial view of Sapporo city where Yoshia lives)
In the age of globalisation when we can travel in the way that was totally unimaginable to our grandparents and even parents, we tend to think that geographical distance has lost its significance. Is this true? Yes, this is true in many ways.
Let’s go back in time to the 1950s. In those days, Japanese people, after the bitter experiences during WWII, were determined to re-construct the country through economic growth and development, which resulted in a miraculous success, as you have probably heard somewhere.

During the course of Japan’s rapid economic growth, there were three things which Japanese people wanted to purchase as soon as they saved enough money for them: a monochrome television, a washing machine and a fridge. As these items became widespread by the 1960s, they continued to work hard so they could afford another three items, that is, a Colour TV, a Car and a Cooler (in fact this refers to an air conditioner). These items are mentioned as ‘the three Cs’ in the modern history textbooks used in Japanese schools. What a contrast this is to our life today, which, I would say, is full of high-tech products at home! In the past, everyone was concerned with the household and did not even dream of travelling beyond the national borders. By the way, be reminded that Japan does not share any land borders with any other country.

Today we live in a totally different world. I am typing this article over a cup of lukewarm green tea using this little SONY laptop. And where does this article go once it is written up? To the UK. To the web master M, a long-term friend of mine. How does it go? Via e-mail. How long does it take? A few seconds. How does it work? A single click on the SEND button that appears in a web-based free e-mail account of mine. Impossible in the past. Possible now. Distance is nothing. Is that so? Maybe… In the next section, I will consider the significance of geographical distance in relation to Japan and Somalia/land. (End of Section 1).

About the writer:(Mr) Yoshia MORISHITA is a Japanese national who studied and worked in the UK, as well as Turkey and Eritrea. He has visited around 25 countries of the world and developed his international perspectives. He has a Master’s degree in International Development from UCL, University of London and worked as a research associate at a British NGO. Currently he is living in Japan running a small business in the area of various international programmes and businesses facilitation and co-ordination, while reading sociology at Hokkaido University.

Obama lacks interest in Africa

Medeshi March 19, 2009
Obama lacks interest in Africa
The first tip-off as to where Africa ranks in importance in the new Obama Administration was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks at her confirmation. Of the 5,000 words, two paragraphs — a little over 100 words — were devoted to Africa. As an American who gave to Obama until it hurt, that brush-off was disappointing.
But as a Kenyan resident who would like to see this country both safe and democratic, what concerned me even more was Clinton’s assertion that the top US priority in Africa was “security”, which she described as “combating al-Qaida’s efforts to seek safe havens in failed states in the Horn of Africa”.
In short, America isn’t going to think about Africa much, but when it does, it will be to continue the Bush-era habit of worrying that there is an al-Qaida militant under every bed.
It didn’t take long to see where such thinking leads. On February 7, the New York Times reported that Africom — the Pentagon’s new military command for the continent — had worked closely with Ugandan officers on a pre-Christmas mission against the LRA that had gone horribly awry, resulting in the LRA massacre of up to 900 civilians.
The Times said that the operation — for which the US provided satellite phones, intelligence, and $1 million in fuel — “was poorly planned and poorly executed.”
We’ve heard that one before. Somalia, for example, where the US sent in proxy Ethiopian troops in 2006 and conducted bombing raids that killed dozens of civilians in an effort to topple the Islamic Courts. Result? Rising militancy within Somalia, the presence of 250,000 Somali refugees in northern Kenya, and threats of retribution against those, including Kenya, seen as aiding Washington.
“SOMALIA REMAINS A FAILED STATE, in large part because of misguided US counter terrorist initiatives’” writes Africa specialist Stephen A. Emerson in the Winter 2008/2009 World Policy Journal.
Yet if Obama’s hawkish new national security advisor has his way, American military involvement in Kenya’s neighbourhood is likely to grow. James L. Jones, as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, sought increased engagement of US and Nato forces in Africa and supported the creation of Africom, calling Africa “a continent of growing strategic importance”, according to the US Nation.
Similarly alarming should be the Obama Administration’s support for continuing the CIA’s “renditioning” of prisoners to other countries without legal rights and its indefinite detention of terror suspects.
The New York Times, on February 18, noted that Obama’s new CIA director said at his confirmation hearing that if approved interrogation techniques were not sufficient to get detainees to talk, he would ask for “additional authority” — a chilling reminder of the torture that Kenyans “renditioned” to Ethiopia have claimed were used on them.
We all want to believe that Obama stands for change, but the reality is that we must be prepared for a continuation — or even an acceleration — of America’s Bush-era focus on military solutions.
I wish now that I’d pushed for some straight talk about Africa from the Obama campaign officials who kept filling my inbox with requests for money. There’s still time for course corrections before the Obama Administration. But I’m beginning to feel like the victim of a bait-and-switch campaign, and my reservoir of hope is moving in the same direction as my bank account.
Ms Rothmyer, a veteran journalist, teaches at the University of Nairobi

RCA (Abu Dhabi) to rehabilitate Hargeisa Hospital

Medeshi
RCA delegation heads for Somaliland on Friday
Abu Dhabi, Mar. 19, 2009 (WAM) -- A delegation from the Red Crescent Authority (RCA) will leave here Friday for Somaliland on humanitarian mission to deliver medical equipment, including dialysis equipment, in support of the health situation in that war-torn Horn of Africa country.
The mission of the delegation, which also include rehabilitating the Hargeisa Hospital to boost its capacity to offer health care delivery services for the people, is in line with the directives of RCA Chairman, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the UAE Deputy Prime Minister.
According to RCA Secretary General, Ahmed Yusuf Gaith Al-Suwaidi, the humanitarian assistance was part of humanitarian programme of the RCA in Somalia, and is in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is closely following up development in Somalia. He said Sheikh Hamdan attaches great importance to the situation in Somalia and has given the directives for extending all forms of assistance to the people to alleviate their sufferings and improve their living condition, adding that the RCA had intensified its relief operations in that country to help the needy and the poor out of their current dire situation.
WAM/SA

Israeli soldiers admit 'murdering' Gazans

Medeshi March 19, 2009
Israeli soldiers admit 'murdering' Gazans
Israeli soldiers have confessed to wanton killing of Palestinian civilians and behaving immorally during the Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
The soldiers who fought in the Gaza war told a post-operation conference that they had killed Palestinian civilians and intentionally destroyed their property under permissive rules of engagement.
"When we entered a house, we were supposed to bust down the door and start shooting inside and just go up story by story... I call that murder. Each story, if we identify a person, we shoot them. I asked myself - how is this reasonable?", an Israeli soldier said.
The testimonies includes killing of a Palestinian mother and her two children by an Israeli sharpshooter and the case of an elderly Palestinian woman who was killed as she was walking 100 meters (yards) from her home.
"We had taken over the house" and the family was released and told to go right. A mother and two children got confused and went left. "The sniper on the roof wasn't told that this was okay and that he shouldn't shoot", a soldier said.
"I don't know whether she was suspicious, not suspicious, I don't know her story. . . I do know that my officer sent people to the roof in order to take her out" It was cold-blooded murder."
Their testimony contradicts the Israel Defense Forces' claims that its troops had
"observed a high level of moral behavior during the operation".
Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead on the Gaza Strip on December 27. Three weeks of ensuing airstrikes and a ground incursion killed around 1,350 Palestinians and injured nearly 5,450 people - mostly civilians.
The carnage also inflicted more than $1.6 billion in damages on the Gazan economy.
Press TV

The lead is cast
By Haaretz Editorial
Operation Cast Lead ended two months ago in a show of arrogance by Israeli leaders: Hamas had been dealt a crushing defeat that would deter it from firing rockets, and if it continued to smuggle weapons into Gaza the entire international community, from Washington to Cairo, would rally together to intercept them.
The price paid by Gaza's civilian population - hundreds killed, in addition to the hundreds of armed men from Hamas and other organizations - was presented as an unfortunate, but necessary, result of the combat methods required to protect soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
With disappointment growing as the operation's declared achievements dissipate, a second wave of evidence and revelations is being heard from the soldiers who were there, who saw what was happening and are sometimes even describing what they themselves did.
Amos Harel reports in Haaretz today and tomorrow about a discussion held a month ago among the graduates of the pre-army program at Oranim, who took part in the Gaza fighting as combat soldiers and junior officers.
This is a modern version of "The Seventh Day," the book published after the Six-Day War that highlighted the soul-searching of the generation that fought a justified defensive war, but found itself dragged afterward into acts that contradicted the moral values it prided itself on. The grandchildren of this same Six-Day War group are now teaching in their testimony that the situation is even more worrying than in 1967.
The soldiers describe the killing of innocent civilians, pointless destruction, expulsions of families from homes seized as temporary outposts, disregard for human life and a tendency toward brutalization. This scandalous behavior did not stem from the policy of the senior commanders. It resulted from the disconnect between the battalion commanders and higher officers, versus their subordinates in the companies, platoons and houses where the soldiers waited for fighting to resume after Hamas retreated from the crowded urban battlefield. When the soldiers had no one to fight, they fought what was there.
The IDF's internal investigations, which are moving ahead very slowly, are not enough. The army is absorbing more and more religious extremism from the teachings of the IDF's rabbinate. It would be appropriate to investigate the problems from outside the IDF and root them out before the rot destroys the IDF and Israeli society.
Haartz.com

Somali Woman Deported from U.S into the hands of Al Shabaab

Medeshi March 19, 2009

Somali Woman Deported from U.S into the hands of Al Shabbab

Washington, DC (HOL) - After living in the U.S. for 16 years and migrating from a country that was recently categorized to top the most dangerous countries in the world - even more dangerous than Iraq and Afghanistan - Muna Absiya would still have to be deported to Somalia despite evidences showing apparent prosecutions.
Ms. Absiya arrived in Los Angles, California in November 1993 at the age of six and with her family as refugees. Soon, the family moved to Seattle, Washington where they would readjust and establish life in the new country. But as immigrants know from experiences, challenges in the new country are often more insurmountable than those at home.
The painful trauma of war in Somalia as a backdrop, her older sister’s death, Safiya; and that of her father passing away in 2002 implicated Ms. Absiye’s mental equilibrium, clearing the way for minor infractions that would play out into the grounds for a deportation after losing her immigration status in April 2007.
Her family, [mother name], had done everything to rehab the 23-year old until she fully recovered. With the existing deportation order from an immigration judge, Ms. Absiya has been out for Supervised Release Program that required her to report to a deportation officer, as a routine monitoring for twice a month.
On Thursday February 26, as part of undergoing her scheduled interviews with SRP, the deportation officer requested her to come back in five days, for another appointment before the regular dates, which precisely was the Monday of March 2nd, and surely incognizant of what awaits her in there.
Farhia Absiya, an older sister, works for the Voice of America as a journalist. She recalls talking to her sister in the morning before she embarked to the immigration. “I told her to take a Cab and to call me when she is done,” Farhia says as last word before parting her sister.
“She called me at 6pm in that Monday evening; crying and told me she is being deported to Somalia right now.”
In a letter obtained by HOL, dated March 3rd, from Ms. Absiya’s attorney, through family, states that she could face death in deporting her to Somalia. “We were shocked, because Ms. Absiya had informed her deportation officer that she feared torture and or murder if she were returned to Somalia at this time.”
It added that under the Geneva agreements of U.N. Convention Against Torture, in which the U.S. is a signatory to it, no one “should be returned to a country where he/she would face imminent torture.”
However, her saga did not end with the deportation. Ms. Absiya was initially landed in Kenya to transfer her onto flights bound to Mogadishu, according to her attorney.
“The airline staff at the airport were so concerned about this young woman’s life that they decided not to let her off in Mogadishu,” attorney details her ordeal, as she spent a whole week with swirling flights between four Airports everyday, from Nairobi to Mogadishu and to Hargeysa and Djibouti and back to Nairobi where each airport had to detain her temporarily until next flights –presumably to nowhere- without granting her an official entry to the country.
Like other families whose members face similar trials, Farhia asks questions that probe for humane answers, fearing for her sister’s fate, which, according to her, could be dumped out any day from the detentions of Djibouti and Kenya to the detriment that lay in Somalia.
“Why would the United States of America, the so called Human Rights leader, put a young westernized woman’s life at risk and try to deliver her to Al-Shabaab, wearing prohibited attire like pants and shirt with no headscarf? Why?” asks Farhia, whose fury was perplexed by the lack of response from authority to address the safety concerns they harbor in which her sister was consequently exposed to by deportation.
“My sister is endangered when they throw her away like that. She speaks no Somali, and knows nothing about the culture there.”

Source: HOL

Do not leave Africa in a scramble

Medeshi
Do not leave Africa in a scramble
Published: March 16 2009
To many minds, Africa is a picture of hopeless misery: afflicted by poverty, scarred by corruption and ravaged by Aids and war. These facts are true, but they tell only half the story. In many sub-Saharan African countries output briskly outpaced population growth during the last decade, leading to sustained growth in income per capita and promising a lasting escape from poverty.
Behind the success lies many African leaders’ willingness to adopt solid macroeconomic policies and move towards more transparency and less red tape. Economic integration with the world deepened and trading relations diversified. Record-breaking prices boosted commodity exporters’ incomes. The private sector’s success, for example in telecommunications, showed that Africa does not lack good business opportunities. Before the crisis, countries such as Ghana were on course to escaping aid dependence by entering global capital markets.
But Africa is now slipping. Foreign direct investment has shrivelled. Capital markets have seized up as funds flee to the safety of rich-country sovereign bonds – with which the market is flooded. The price of trade credit has soared, sharply halting trade flows, with commodity exporters suffering additionally from the drop in prices.
As tax revenues fall and demands on public services rise, governments without large savings are in a squeeze. African leaders warn of a popular backlash: if the public suffers undeserved pain after governments followed what rich countries told them to do in the 1990s, economic growth and democratic stability are at risk. Already coups and riots are on the rise.
The world’s leading countries must act to end the global crisis as soon as possible. In the meantime, Africa should not be a casualty of other priorities. African governments that have shown a commitment to sound policies must be helped to fill temporary funding gaps. And rich countries should quickly prop up trade finance: it would do much good and cost little.
Development aid can do ill as well as good; the long-term goal must be to get rid of it. But that is no argument against short-term crisis assistance, which has been provided – quickly – to small and relatively rich European countries; many African countries need the same. Moreover, rich countries made aid promises at the Gleneagles summit that they have yet to fulfil.
The potential cost of the crisis in Africa is not just unemployment; it is starvation, civil war and the closing of an escape route from poverty. That is a price the world cannot afford to pay.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Topple Somali leader - Bin Laden

Medeshi March 19, 2009
Topple Somali leader - Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden has called for the overthrow of Somalia's moderate Islamist president in an audio recording published on the internet.
Bin Laden said President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed had "changed to partner up with the infidel".
Mr Ahmed was inaugurated in January after UN-brokered reconciliation talks and has promised to introduce Sharia law to the strongly Muslim country.
But al-Shabab insurgents allied to al-Qaeda have continued to fight him.
Correspondents say the voice on the recording could not be immediately verified but it resembles that of Bin Laden and was published on known militant websites.
'Enemies' pay'
The 12-minute tape - entitled "Fight on, champions of Somalia" - carried an often-seen image of Bin Laden with a map of Somalia in the background.
The Somali leader's election had been "induced by the American envoy in Kenya", the tape said.
“ This Sheikh Sharif... must be fought and toppled ” Bin Laden tape
It accused Mr Ahmed of having "changed and turned back on his heels... to partner up with the infidel" in a national unity government.
"This Sheikh Sharif... must be fought and toppled," the tape said, before comparing the Somali leader to "the [Arab] presidents who are in the pay of our enemies".
It added: "How can intelligent people believe that yesterday's enemies on the basis of religion can become today's friends?"
Mr Ahmed was a leader of the Union of Islamic Courts which controlled Mogadishu in 2006 before being ousted by Ethiopian forces, backing the previous Somali president.
Somalia, a nation of about eight million people, has not had a functioning national government since warlords overthrew Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other.
As part of a UN-brokered deal to reconcile moderate Islamists and dissident lawmakers in a unity government, Ethiopian troops withdrew in January.
President Ahmed has the support of several Islamist groups but al-Shabab has continued to fight the Somali government and the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
The hardline Islamist guerrillas now control much of southern and central Somalia.
Earlier this month the Somali cabinet backed President Ahmed's plan to introduce Sharia law, a move analysts say is designed to drain support for al-Shabab.
But the hardline Islamists rejected the move, saying it would not be a strict enough version of Islamic law.
On Saturday, a tape purportedly from Bin Laden urged holy war to liberate the Palestinian territories.
A similar message was issued in January in another a tape - just days before US President Barack Obama took office - which was the first recording in eight months attributed to Bin Laden.
Story from BBC NEWS:

Canada to act on Bashir Makhtal's case

Medeshi March 17, 2009
Canada to act on Bashir Makhtal's case
OTTAWA — Days before a Canadian businessman is to appear in an Ethiopian court to face terrorism charges, the government officials are sending "strong signals" that they are watching to see whether Bashir Makhtal has any hope of a fair trial — and if he doesn't, they'll be taking steps to bring the former Toronto businessman home.
"Thursday is going to be a very important day," said Transport Minister John Baird on Tuesday. "What is required is that after two years of holding Mr. Makhtal with no charge, they now put up the evidence."
Baird said he will be speaking to embassy officials Wednesday to ask that the Canadian ambassador attend Makhtal's hearing in Addis Ababa, to underscore to Ethiopian authorities that "the government of Canada at senior levels will be watching this very closely."
Baird took on the Makhtal case last year at the urging of Ottawa's Somali community. Born in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, Makhtal is an ethnic Somali who immigrated to Canada in 1991.
The 40-year-old trader was arrested crossing the border between Somalia and Kenya in late 2006. He is accused of being an Islamic extremist. A month later, he was illegally deported to Ethiopia, where he was held for two years in solitary confinement with no access to a lawyer or to Canadian embassy officials.
Makhtal's case was recently transferred to civilian court, where he finally heard the charges against him. The Ethiopian government alleges that he was a leader of the Ogaden National Liberation Front from 2003 until his arrest in 2006. As the head of a military and political training centre, he is alleged to have led 800 fighters into Somalia on a "terrorist mission."
The ONLF is fighting for Ogadeni independence from Ethiopia, which considers the group a terrorist organization (the Canadian government does not). Makhtal has repeatedly denied any active involvement in the ONLF, and said he is being persecuted because his grandfather, Makhtal Dahir, helped found the ONLF decades ago.
The evidence listed on the charges includes the names of six witnesses, all of whom Makhtal's lawyer and family believe were coerced into making statements against him. It also includes three pieces of documentary evidence, one of which is an ONLF news release claiming responsibility for an April 2007 attack on an Ethiopian oilfield.
The news release makes no mention of Makhtal, who had already been in solitary confinement for four months by the time of the attack.
Another piece of documentary evidence listed is the case number of an Ethiopian military court decision from the fall of 2008. Makhtal was brought before a secret military tribunal half a dozen times last year. He was blindfolded, the proceedings were in Amharic — a language he barely understands — and he was not allowed to have a lawyer present.
The evidence "underscores the fact that trials in Ethiopia, particularly in a political context and certainly when ONLF suspects are involved, generally fall far, far short of international standards," said Alex Neve, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, adding that political trials in Ethiopia are "quite unpredictable."
"I can't say there's a good chance a judge will look at the flimsy evidence and laugh it out of court and Mr. Makhtal will be a free man, because this could very well stretch out for many more sittings of the court," Neve said.
Baird has previously said he would consider going to Ethiopia to press for Makhtal's release, and members of the Makhtal family say they have been told that the minister plans to go in April.
"I'm hoping to welcome Mr. Makhtal home before then," Baird said Tuesday. "But I've had good discussions with Lawrence Cannon, the minister of foreign affairs (about going to Ethiopia) . . . I'll be speaking to that issue after I see what goes on Thursday."
Baird met Tuesday with Makhtal's cousin and main advocate, Said Maktal, to deliver the same message.
"At least now, after two years, I feel like the case is getting some attention from senior levels of government," said Said Maktal. "I think it's clear my cousin is never going to get a fair trial."
Said Maktal said he asked the minister to make sure that, if he does travel to Ethiopia, he goes armed with a letter from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
"Meles Zenawi will not give it the attention it deserves unless it comes from the Canadian prime minster," he said.

Cheney's Legacy of Deception

Medeshi March 17, 2009

Cheney's Legacy of Deception
By Robert Scheer

(Note: this article was published earlier in the Nation in Dec 30, 2008)
In the end, the shame of Vice President Dick Cheney was total: unmitigated by any notion of a graceful departure, let alone the slightest obligation of honest accounting. Although firmly ensconced, even in the popular imagination, as an example of evil incarnate--nearly a quarter of those polled in this week's CNN poll rated him the worst vice president in US history, and 41 percent as "poor"--Cheney exudes the confidence of one fully convinced that he will get away with it all.
And why not? Nothing, not his suspect role in the Enron debacle, which foretold the economic meltdown, or his office's fabrication of the false reasons for invading Iraq, has ever been seriously investigated, because of White House stonewalling. Nor will the new president, committed as he is to nonpartisanship, be likely to open up Cheney's can of worms.
Cheney has even had a pass on torture, the "enhanced interrogation" policy that he initiated in his first months in office. "Was it torture? I don't believe it was torture," he told The Washington Times on Monday, a week after the release of a unanimous Senate report concluding that the policies Cheney initiated indeed were responsible for torture. In fact, the Senate committee concluded that the model for the Cheney-Bush interrogation policy was the torture practices of the Chinese communists during the Korean War. But it's not torture when the US president does it, according to the legal judgments that Cheney's chief counsel, David Addington, pushed through the administration.
Fortunately, Cheney's view of the unquestioned unitary power of the presidency was scorned by Vice President-elect Joe Biden: "His notion of a unitary executive" Biden said, "meaning that, in time of war, essentially all power, you know, goes to the executive I think is dead wrong."
With Biden occupying Cheney's old office and presumably his secret bunkers as well, maybe we will, at last, learn a bit more of the nefarious truth about the man. One place to start is with the statement of retired US Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who was Colin Powell's chief of staff and who stated unequivocally that Cheney was the primary author of the torture policy: "There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated--in the vice president of the United States' office."
That lame-duck Cheney was bellowing his claim of innocence in a series of friendly interviews should have been expected. For he, like the president he served, can use the self-proclaimed "global war on terror" as a convenient cover for eight years of treachery on all fronts: "If you think about what Abraham Lincoln did during the Civil War, what FDR did during World War II; they went far beyond anything we've done in a global war on terror."
Actually, neither of those presidents authorized the waterboarding of prisoners or the other explicit acts of torture approved by this administration largely under the vice president's direction. But the true absurdity of Cheney's self-defense is in placing the nebulous war on terror at the same level of threat as the civil war that tore apart this country or the Nazi military machine that rumbled unstoppable across most of Europe, augmented by the military might of Japan.
The invocation of a "global war on terror" is a big-lie propaganda device that has no grounding in reality. The proof that "terrorism" does not exist as an enemy identifiable by commonality of structure, purpose and leadership comparable to the World War II Axis or the Confederacy can be found in its use as a target to justify the invasion of Iraq. An invasion billed as a response to the 9/11 attacks, which had nothing to do with Iraq.

The Bush administration, with Cheney in the lead, did not so much fight the danger of terrorism as exploit it for partisan political purpose. The record is quite clear that the administration was asleep at the switch before 9/11, blithely ignoring stark warnings of an impending attack. But the hoary warmongering after 9/11 afforded a convenient distraction from the economic problems at home. As I asked in a column on June 26, 2002: "Has the war on terrorism become the modern equivalent of the Roman circus, drawing the people's attention away from the failures of those who rule them? Corporate America is a shambles because deregulation, the mantra of our president and his party, has proved to be a license to steal."
That is the true legacy of Dick Cheney and the president he ill-served.
About Robert Scheer
Robert Scheer, a contributing editor to The Nation, is editor of Truthdig.com and author of The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America (Twelve) and Playing President (Akashic Books). He is author, with Christopher Scheer and Lakshmi Chaudhry, of The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq (Akashic Books and Seven Stories Press.) His weekly column, distributed by Creators Syndicate, appears in the San Francisco Chronicle. more...

Reader Rating: See Detailed Ratings

Khat use spreads to British youth

Medeshi March 17, 2009
Khat use spreads to British youth
By Anna Holligan BBC World Service
'Khat' is a popular stimulant chewed across east Africa. Now it is crossing cultural divides and becoming a drug of choice for an increasing number of young people in the UK.
The khat plant, Catha edulis , has been chewed by east Africans for hundreds of years and plays a large part in the social lives of both men and women.
It is banned across America, Canada and most of Europe, but remains legal in Britain.
Khat user Steve [not his real name] is a philosophy student. He is one of an increasing number of students who are taking up the habit.
Steve, who is 22, comes from a good middle-class family and in a slightly apologetic tone he tells me he was drawn to the leaves because they looked harmless.
"They looked really natural, not like a normal drug and they were all wrapped up in this really shiny banana leaf."
Crossing divides
Chewing khat according to those who do it, gives them a mellow high. Some describe it as a cross between cannabis and cocaine.
“ Young people have no idea about the dangers, they think because it's legal it must be ok, but it's not ” Dr Eleni Palezido, Psychiatrist
"You're really alert," says Steve, "but at the same time you have a bit of the feeling you have on cannabis... not hallucinations but going that sort of way."
In Somalia, khat is popular among taxi drivers and farm workers - people who have to stay alert while the rest of us are tucked up in bed.
In the UK, some students are using it for the same reasons, saying it helps them stay up all night studying.
It is relatively easy to get, and it's cheap too - your average bundle costs about £3 ($.4.20).
When I went in search of some for this piece, I was pointed in the direction of an Ethiopian butchers in north London.
They had sold out, but assured me they were expecting a fresh batch to be delivered in a couple of days.
The woman behind the counter suggested I try down the road.
Next stop and sure enough there it was, nestled innocently between the cucumbers and courgettes.
"Aren't you worried about selling it," I ask.
"No, why should I be?" The store owner asks, with a slightly bemused look on his face.
"Its legal, we pay taxes and people want to buy it, so I sell it."
Controversial status
But there growing concern that khat houses are trying to appeal more to younger users.
And that according to Asha, a teenager we meet at a community centre in east London, is setting a dangerous precedent.
"I see so many kids who...start because they just want to try it, but then they end up going there 24/7," he says.
"I know [people who] have ended up dropping out of college because they've been up chewing all night and can't get out of bed. Plus you get people selling other harder drugs in there."
But it's not just the impact on academic results critics are concerned about.
KHAT FACTS
Heavy use can lead to insomnia, high blood pressure, heart problems and impotence
Longer-term risk of developing mouth cancers
Can create feelings of anxiety and aggression, and cause paranoid and psychotic reactions
Can make pre-existing mental health problems worse

Source: www.talktofrank.com
Psychiatrist Dr Eleni Palezido reckons that khat can be a catalyst for mental health problems.
"When you stop taking khat all the dopamine (a chemical associated with feelings of pleasure in the brain) leaves your system, so people get depressed, they can get paranoid, hear voices and it can lead to a full blown psychotic state."
Cathinone and cathine are the main ingredients of the plant. Both are class C drugs in the UK, but the plant khat itself is not classified and can be bought openly in shops.
Cathinone is almost identical to amphetamines and it is this that creates a high. It's known to cause mental health problems like psychosis and depression.
And that is one of the reasons why some in the medical profession, like Dr Palezido, are worried.
"Young people have no idea about the dangers, they think because it's legal it must be ok, but it's not."
So far, the Government has been reluctant to introduce a ban on khat.
KHAT: LEGAL STATUS
Banned in the US and Canada
Banned in many European countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland - but not the UK
Although, the Home Office told us they were "continuing to monitor the situation."
Around seven tonnes of khat arrives at Heathrow every week from Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen.
The fact that it is legal here has meant the UK has become something of an international hub for illicit trade in khat to other countries where it is banned.
There are no official figures on how many young British people are using khat, but Asha reckons the politicians should act now before it's too late.
"The government should be doing something about it. They think it's just Somalis who are doing it but it's not....everyone's now getting involved."

Types of Khat
There are two main types of khat - miraa and hereri
Miraa is grown mainly in Kenya
Hereri comes from Ethiopia
A bundle of khat costs about £3 ($6) in Britain
Khat is illegal in the US and a bundle there sells for between $50 (£28) and $80 (£41)
BBC

African leaders tell G20 crisis threatens 'chaos'

Medeshi March 17 ,2009

African leaders tell G20 crisis threatens 'chaos'
LONDON (AFP) — Some African countries could "go under" if they are not helped through the global downturn, threatening "total chaos and violence", Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi warned the G20 on Monday.
At a meeting of African leaders in London ahead of next month's summit of the Group of 20 rich and emerging countries, presidents and prime ministers from across the continent warned of the costs of ignoring Africa.

(Photo: M.Zenawi)
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was meeting African leaders to hear their concerns about the world economic downturn in the G20 build-up.
"They should care about Africa because it is in their interests," Meles, who will attend the G20 as the chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), told reporters.
"Any stimulus money spent in developed countries is going to have less global impact than if the same amount of money were to be spent in Africa.
"Some countries could go under and that would mean total chaos and violence. In the end the cost of violence is going to be much higher than the cost of supporting Africa.
"We are talking about the range of money that is being spent on the mid-sized banks. Consider Africa as one of those banks."
Meles said specific amounts were not discussed in London.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf added: "The cost of sustainability in reform and recovery is much, much less than the cost of peacekeeping were the crisis to engender a return to conflict."
African countries are expected to be hit by falls in prices for commodities such as oil, gold, zinc and cooper, as well as drops in tourism, aid and money being sent home by workers in the developed world.
Brown told the meeting that the global economic crisis should be used as an opportunity to move more quickly towards building a fairer and more equal world order.
South Africa is the only African country in the G20, though NEPAD chairman Meles will attend the April summit, as will the AU Commission chairman.
Meles said the African leaders believed they had won Brown's agreement on the fundamental issues of providing the continent with additional aid and greater ease of access to funds.
Among those attending Monday's gathering were Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, plus the finance ministers from South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Cape Verde and Rwanda. Eleven countries in total were represented.
Central bank chiefs plus delegates from pan-African bodies, including the African Union, also attended.
Kikwete warned: "This is a very unprecedented problem. Africa is a victim. We are not responsible for its genesis but all of us are suffering."
Odinga added: "When there are problems in Africa, Africans will vote with their feet by coming to Europe.
"We want to retain those people in Africa by making conditions in Africa more attractive because otherwise they become a burden to Europeans."

Update on Somaliland election preparation

Medeshi March 17, 2009
Update on Somaliland election preparation
Progress on preparation for the elections has been slow in the past weeks. Data cleaning based on fingerprinting has been going well, but it seems that the facial recognition part of the process may take longer than expected.
Many of you may have heard the tragic news that the newly appointed head of the Voter Registration process within the Electoral Commission (NEC), Hassan Mohamed Loshade, died of heart failure on Friday afternoon. He had only resumed his role as Chair of VR that morning and had had a series of meetings with Interpeace, members of the Democratisation Programme, and other groups earlier in the day, before collapsing and dying in hospital that afternoon. Loshade came from the eastern Sanaag, and they are now involved in nominating his replacement on the Commission. The Chair of NEC, Jama 'Sweden', has meanwhile appointed a past NEC Chair, Mohamed Yusuf, as Chair of Voter Registration.

President Rayaale has just returned to Hargeisa after the trip that took him to London for talks with Foreign Secretary Miliband and to Ethiopia.
Over two weeks has now elapsed since the NEC announced that a 90 day delay would be needed in order for preparations for the election to be completed, and in the light of recent events, including the lack of visible progress on agreeing a firm new date, there is some discussion that even an election day of 31st May may not allow sufficient time. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by NEC,donors and political parties, no new date can be announced until all those groups have agreed to it. All parties have not yet agreed to 31 May, so that date has never been made official, and neither has any new date.
The President has asked that the Supreme Court provide an interpretation of Article 83 of the Constitution, which outlines the process of transfer of power from one executive to another. The current situation is not envisaged, and Kulmiye are arguing that a caretaker government should be formed once the existing term expires. The Government is arguing that this is not necessary. The Constitution is available at http://www.somalilandlaw.com/Somaliland_Constitution/body_somaliland_constitution.htm
M. Walls

Slaughtered by the enemy with permission of the TFG

Medeshi March 15, 2009
Slaughtered by the enemy with the permission of TFG
Al-Shabaab fighters have discovered what they described as the remains of thirteen bodies in a factory in Baidoa, south central Somalia.
Journalists and local elders were asked to come to the former factory of Hasey - about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Baidoa - to see the bodies, allAfrica reported.
Al-Shabaab spokesman, Sheik Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansoor, said that he was saddened by the discovery, blaming the country's former government, the US and Ethiopia for the killing.

(Photo : Mass graves found in Baidoa)
"As you can see they have cruelly killed our brothers and this is the same thing jointly done by the governments of Somalia, Ethiopia and the United States," Abu Mansoor said.
He called on al-Shabaab fighters to investigate other compounds used by foreign soldiers to look for possible bodies of people, who may have been killed over the past two years.
Since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, Somalia has not had a functioning national government and has been plagued by fighting and humanitarian crises.
In recent years, ensuing instability, coupled with drought, high food prices as well as the collapse of the local currency have significantly worsened the dire humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa state.

Ethiopia is aiding Somali pirates

Medeshi
Ethiopia is accused of aiding Somali pirates
By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
March 15, 2009
Riyadh: Eritrean Minister of Information Ali Abdu accused some parties in the Ethiopian government of aiding and abetting pirates off the coast of Somalia in the Red Sea. "They are extending logistic support to the pirates besides harboring them at the Ethiopian camps located on the Somali-Ethiopian boarder regions. Ethiopian Troops gave them protection even inside Somali territories before their pull out," he said.
Speaking to Gulf News during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Ali Abdu accused that some decision makers at the Ethiopian government are the real beneficiaries of piracy, which brought them millions of dollars.
'"After carrying out each and every act of piracy, pirates used to flee into the Ethiopian camps on the Somali border," he said while reiterating that it is impossible to end this criminal activity without returning sovereignty to the government of Somalia and driving out all the regional and international players, especially the Ethiopian elements that are interfering in the internal affairs of the lawless country.
According to Ali Abdu, the issue of piracy on the Red Sea is directly linked to the anarchy and political instability in Somalia. "If this is not the position, why are these acts of piracy restricted to the Somali coast alone? Why aren't they taking place on the coasts of Eritrea or Sudan or Yemen? he asked.
Denying reports about Iranian security or military presences on the Eritrean coast, the minister challenged those who raise such claims to produce substantial evidence for it. "These were false notions and were tantamount to the claims that have been raised ever since 15 years about the security and military presence of Israel on the Red Sea off the cost of Eritrea," he said while stressing that Eritrea is an independent sovereign country maintaining diplomatic relations with various countries in a way protecting the interests of the people of the country.
"We have never made relations with any country either in the East or the West in a way putting at risk the interests of our people. Likewise, we are not in need of the support of the military forces of any country," he clarified.
Replying to a question about Eritrea's continued opposition to the new government of Somalia under President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed even though several countries came forward in recognizing it, Ali Abdu said that this was nothing to do with Sharif Sheikh Ahmed or Abdullah Yousuf or anybody else.
"Rather we are only concerned about the security, sovereignty and stability of Somalia. It is unacceptable for Eritrea to recognize any government in Somalia that was imposed by one foreign country or the other," he asserted.
According to Ali Abdu, the government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is a group of individuals pushed to the Somali leadership. "Recognition of the new Somali government by some countries is not a significant thing as these countries' role in Somalia was that of mediation.
That doesn't mean that the government is really representing the people of Somalia," he said while drawing attention to the fact that the new government, though recognized by a large number of countries, is still facing stiff popular resistance in the country.
Ali Abdu noted that Eritrean government last month underlined the need for pulling out of the African Peace Keeping Forces (AMISOM), comprising of 3200 troops from Uganda and Burundi, from Somalia in order to ensure peace and security in the violent-stricken Horn of Africa country. "Eritrea sees that it is inevitable to establish durable peace in Somalia. Ending the so called foreign interference and occupation should be put as a mandatory condition for realizing the aspirations of Somali people in rebuilding the war-ravaged country," he said.
The Eritrean minister renewed his country's solidarity with the government and people of Sudan against the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese President Omar Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Darfur region. "Such decisions would undermine the sovereignty and unity of Sudan.
Eritrea has rejected outright the arbitrary move of ICC on the very first day. We are of the firm view that the ICC move is posing a threat not merely to Sudan and its president but to all the countries in the region as well," the minister said.
Referring to a question about Eritrea's rejection of a Libyan initiative to solve the border dispute with Ethiopia, Ali Abdu said that the International Border Commission that was constituted following the Algiers Accord of 2000, had come forward with the final settlement of the border dispute between the two countries. "There was an agreement between the two countries earlier to accept provisions of the settlement.
However, the Ethiopian regime disavowed the agreement and refused to implement its provisions," he said while rejecting any new initiative to settle the differences with Ethiopia as ‘they are not at all political'. "On the other hand, they are purely legal concerning with occupation of our land. We are determined not to hold talks with the neighboring country unless it withdraw forces from the Eritrean territories," he said.
Ali Abdu refused to comment on the allegations of former US Administration that Eritrea was behind inciting troubles in Somalia. "False accusations against Eritrea were gone with the Bush Administration. Everybody knows the positive role of Eritrean government in Somalia as well as in its efforts to solve the problems in eastern Sudan, its mediatory role between Sudan and Chad and efforts to solve the Darfur problem,' he said.
Referring to the government of Barack Obama, he hoped that the new US Administration would adopt a balanced and peaceful approach in its dealings with Eritrea. Ali Abdu blamed former President Bush for deteriorating the relations between Eritrea and the United States.

Riches of Somaliland remain untapped

Medeshi March 15, 2009

Riches of Somaliland remain untapped
By James Melik

Business reporter, BBC World Service
Until Somaliland gets official international recognition it cannot exploit its rich reserves of natural resources.
Although agriculture is the most successful industry, surveys show that Somaliland has large offshore and onshore oil and natural gas reserves.
Several wells have been excavated during recent years but because of the country's unrecognised status, foreign energy companies cannot benefit from it.
Somaliland is in north east Africa but, as far as the outside world is concerned, it is simply a region of war-torn Somalia which has not been a nation since Britain gave it independence in 1960.
Yet the area the size of England declared independence 18 years ago and, while the rest of Somalia remains in a chaotic state, Somaliland has established a stable government, peace and relative prosperity.
Self reliance
The country's progress is limited however, because aid donors and trade partners do not officially recognise its existence.
After declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland formed its own hybrid system of governance consisting of a lower house of elected representatives, and an upper house which incorporated the elders of tribal clans.
Somaliland made its final transition to multi-party democracy with elections in 2003.
“ We have to rely solely on our meagre revenues and the investments of our own people ” Foreign Minister Abdillahi Duale
The country has its own flag, national anthem, vehicle number plates and currency - although the Somaliland shilling is not a recognised currency and has no official exchange rate.
It is regulated by the Bank of Somaliland which was established constitutionally in 1994.
Foreign minister Abdillahi Duale says the recession affecting the rest of the world is causing him particular concern.
"As a country which is not yet recognised this global phenomenon is affecting us very seriously," he laments.
"We do not have access to international trade or international financial institutions," he says. "So we have to rely solely on our meagre revenues and the investments of our own people."
'De facto' state
Mr Duale insists that his people have a great entrepreneurial spirit and are business-oriented.
“ We need butter, we are not asking for guns ” Foreign Minister Abdillahi Duale
Most trade is carried out with the Gulf States, Indonesia and India.
"Trade doesn't require recognition," he says.
The main export is livestock, with sheep and camels being shipped from Berbera, the country's largest port.
In order to export livestock, a veterinary license has to be issued.
To facilitate that, a veterinary school has been built in Sheikh and it attracts students from the Horn of Africa and as far afield as Uganda and Kenya.
Mr Duale is unperturbed that such licences will not have the force that a United Nations-sponsored veterinary licence would have.
"We are not members of the UN but nevertheless, the international community trades with us because we are a de facto state," he says.
He admits however, that one of the major problems the lack of official recognition creates is the inability to access international financial institutions.
"We cannot talk to the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank because they only talk to recognised states," he says.
"We rely on ourselves and our Diaspora, which accounts for almost $600m of revenue a year.
"People get by but it is very difficult without infrastructure," he says, "We need butter, we are not asking for guns."
Growth industry
Apart from livestock, other exports include hides, skins, myrrh and frankincense.
Mining has the potential to be a successful industry although simple quarrying is the extent of current operations - despite the presence of diverse mineral deposits including uranium.
One industry which has seen growth however, is tourism.
The historic town of Sheikh is home to old British colonial buildings which have been untouched for 40 years, whilst Zeila was once part of the Ottoman Empire.
Due to the fertility of some regions, many people travel to see the wildlife, while the offshore islands and coral reefs provide another major attraction.
Whoever is brave, or reckless enough, to break ranks with the world community and gives Somaliland the recognition is craves, must surely be well placed to take advantage of the riches the country has to offer.
Story from BBC NEWS: