Somaliland’s Legal Clinic Spreads its Wings

Medeshi Sept 13, 2008

Somaliland’s Legal Clinic Spreads its Wings
Four years ago UNDP helped establish a service which has transformed the lives of many citizens of Somaliland. The UNDP Legal Clinic based out of Hargeisa University has been offering free legal advice to the people of Hargeisa since 2004, giving guidance and representation to people formerly excluded from the legal process by their inability to pay the cost of hiring a lawyer.
The Legal Aid clinic is staffed by nine legal aid lawyers assisted by students from the university’s law faculty. Last year saw them expand their activities beyond Hargeisa to provide outreach services in Burao, Berbera, Erigavo, Boromo and Gabilay, recruiting legal aid lawyers in those regions to take on cases and represent clients free of charge.
A dedicated human rights section was added to the clinic last year, with funds partly provided by UNHCR, and has resulted in an increase in legal assistance provided to IDPs and refugees living in the settlements around Hargeisa. They have benefited from advice in a variety of civil and criminal cases as well as on immigration and asylum claims.
This expansion has seen a rapid increase in the number of cases dealt with by the Legal Clinic from 174 in 2006 to 509 in 2007, including 250 remand cases, a tribute to the dedication and determination of the clinic team and an indication of its growing profile and reputation not only in Hargeisa but throughout Somaliland.
The head of the Regional Court in Gabiley, a town an hour and a half drive from Hargeisa, says, "We have been impressed with the Legal Clinic over the last year. Whenever people have requested lawyers and they cannot afford one, the Legal Clinic has been on hand to help. We hope this cooperation continues".
The Clinic has represented clients in a number of ground breaking cases over the last year. One such case was a civil matter concerning a client from a clan affiliated with the former regime. He had owned property in Hargeisa which was then appropriated by persons belonging to a Somaliland based clan. He approached the Legal Clinic who agreed to assist.
After a number of hearings throughout the Court System, the Supreme Court of Somaliland eventually found in favour of the Legal Clinic and ordered the property to be returned to its rightful owner. The case was seen as a landmark, illustrating the transparency and growing independence of the Judiciary here in that the court was not afraid to go against what is perceived to be the status quo.
Another important case involved a victim of an assault in which he had suffered extensive head and facial injuries, leaving him scarred and destitute as a result of being incapacitated. The Legal Clinic agreed to act, bringing a civil claim for loss of earnings and compensation against the suspect, and referring the case to the police who brought a criminal prosecution. The court sentenced the suspect to six months imprisonment and ordered him to pay compensation to the client. Following his release from prison, he is paying this compensation in monthly installments to the court.
The Dean of Hargeisa University’s law faculty and director of the Legal Clinic, Mohamoud Hussein Farah, explains, "The case was important because of the linkages between civil and criminal law, it is rare here that in criminal cases that a civil action will necessarily follow. This case was an important development."
Goals for 2008 include building on the growth of last year, expanding the clinic’s coverage in the regions while consolidating their work in Hargeisa. The Dean is an enthusiastic supporter of the clinic.
"The Legal Clinic has an important role to play in the administration of justice, in developing jurisprudence in Somaliland and in ensuring that everyone who wants to is represented when they have their day in court. This can only help to ensure that everyone has a fair trial."
Bringing justice for the poor motivates paralegal adviser
Hussein Aw Deria has been working as a paralegal in UNDP’s Legal Clinic since November last year. He and another paralegal, Adam Ali Buale, visit each of Hargeisa’s eight police stations twice a day where they are given free access to the cells and the police registers detailing arrests and charges. Their aim is simple: to provide legal assistance to the poor and vulnerable in Hargeisa and to provide that advice free of charge.
In the few months since he started this work, Hussein has helped provide free legal advice in more than 50 criminal and civil cases including assault, theft, extortion as well as as domestic violence and rape in one month. He has also provided assistance in a number of civil cases involving land issues and compensation. In each of these cases Hussein has used his experience and judgement and either referred the case to UNDP Legal Aid lawyers or, where appropriate, sought to resolve them himself.
He is enthusiastic about the impact of his and the Legal Clinic’s work, "we provide free legal assistance for everyone. In the past suspects might wait on remand for months, but we are trying to reverse this and ensure that people’s cases are dealt with quickly and, moreover, that they have their day in court".
Hussein, 55, and Ali, a former police officer, are themselves graduates of Hargeisa law faculty and amongst the first group to graduate in 2006 after UNDP’s support for the faculty began in 2004. Hussein was not able to afford the fees and applied for and was granted a full scholarship by UNDP. He is now committed to assisting his Community through the Legal Clinic saying, "I believe it is important to give a voice to the poor and the vulnerable. The Legal Clinic has been able to do that. It is important for these people to have a lawyer if we are serious about giving everyone, rich or poor, a fair trial."
Over the last two months Hussein has helped personally in resolving a number of civil and criminal cases. Earlier this year he represented a 13 year old girl who had been arrested for shoplifting and was being held in detention at a police station in Hargeisa. Hussein explained "because of my intervention, the case was expedited and heard by the Court within three days. Before the hearing I mediated between the child’s parents and the owner of the shop, during which the owner agreed to an out of court settlement and all charges against the child were dropped. She has now been reunited with her parents".
Hussein is committed to providing free legal assistance to the people of Hargeisa.
"The chance UNDP gave me in helping me gain a quality legal education at Hargeisa University now means I can put my knowledge into practice and also improve the administration of Justice in Somaliland. Thank you to UNDP for giving me the opportunity to help to realize this".
Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/

ETHIOPIA: More parents saying no to FGM

ADDIS ABABA, 11 September 2008 (IRIN) - Fewer Ethiopian parents are subjecting their daughters to female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM), according to an NGO campaigning to eradicate the practice.
"The knowledge [that FGM is harmful] is increasing," said Abate Gudunfa, head of the Ethiopian National Committee on Traditional Practices (commonly referred to as EGLDAM - its name in Amharic]. "Children born more recently are safer."

(Photo: Girls dance at a past FGM initiation ceremony in Ethiopia: Female circumcision is one of the 140 harmful traditions still commonly practised )
A network of 40 NGOs, including EGLDAM, the government and international organisations, are involved in anti-FGM campaigns in Ethiopia. Policies have also been reviewed to ensure participants are punished.
"Prevalence, especially among newly born children is decreasing - meaning that more families have sufficient awareness and do not support this practice anymore," Abate added.
A 2007 survey conducted by EGLDAM found that prevalence across the country had dropped from 61 percent in 1997 to 46 percent.
Nine regions including Tigray, the Southern and Oromiya as well as two city administrations namely the capital Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, showed the highest improvement.
Other regions recorded minimal change. "There is almost no decrease in Afar and Somali [regions] - the strongholds of infibulation," the survey noted.
Assessing prevalence among various ethnic groups, EGLDAM found a decrease in almost all. Some 29 groups reflected a 20 percent decline, of which 18 were located in the Southern Region.
"Those ethnic groups ...should be considered real success areas and given due attention as possible learning sites," EGLDAM said. "Six ethnic groups show about or less than 10 percent decrease and should be considered as groups of probable major resistance to change."
These included the Harari, Shinasha, Alaba and Hadia ethnic groups. Old tradition Female circumcision is one of the 140 harmful traditions still commonly practised in Ethiopia. Often female circumcision involves the removal of part of the clitoris or the clitoris and all or some of the labia.
In some cases, genitalia are sewn up, leaving a small hole for urine and blood to pass. When combined with excision, this is the most severe form of FGM, according to experts.
In some communities, the girls are secluded for a month with their legs bound together to immobilise them, as they wait for the bleeding to stop and scar tissue to form.
FGM is carried out on girls as young as 80 days old, particularly in the predominately Christian highlands, and up to 14 years of age in the lowland Muslim regions. Some excisors use the same knife or razor blade on all their victims, regardless of the danger of spreading infections.
Globally, an estimated two million girls are still at risk of undergoing FGM each year. Activists say FGM is deeply entrenched in society despite various efforts to stop it.
According to the Inter-African Committee, the practice is a serious health issue affecting women, helping to spread HIV/AIDS and responsible for high female mortality rates in Africa.

Shipping insurance cost soars with piracy surge off Somalia

Medeshi Sept 10, 2008

Miles Costello
A dramatic increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia and a ten-fold increase in insurance premiums has sent the cost of sending ships through one of the world's busiest transport routes, soaring, shipping experts said yesterday.
The warning came as pirates hijacked the latest cargo ship off the Horn of Africa yesterday. The South Korean vessel and its nine crew joined 10 other ships being held for ransom by pirates in Somali waters as the country suffers a crippling humanitarian crisis and its worst bout of insecurity since the early 1990s.
Insurance companies have increased premiums for sending a cargo shipment through the Gulf of Aden to about $9,000 from $900 a year ago.Meanwhile, the pirates, who use speed boats and are armed with rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles, have become increasingly sophisticated in their attacks. Ships are typically held for at least three months before a ransom, which averages $1million, can secure their release.
Robert Davies, head of specialist risks at Hiscox, the London-based insurer, said that embattled ship owners are facing a big increase in ransom demands, as well as the cost of settling tense negotiations that last an averge 100 days. The average kidnap settlement is now $1 million. Previously, the pirates would have happily settled for payments “in the low hundreds of thousands”, Mr Davies said.
Related Links
Somalia intent on sliding into further anarchy
Shipping threatened as piracy rises again
Pirates demand $1m ransom for yacht couple
“It's not just a growing frequency, there is also a growing cost of piracy, kidnap and ransoms,” he said. “The size of the ransom, depending on the vessel and its cargo, is growing. The time these things are lasting is also increasing. Before, they were quick in and out events. Now, the bad guys are a bit more sophisticated.”
Pleasure craft are also being targeted by the Somali pirates. A Kenyan-based shipping agency reported yesterday said that the bandits were demanding $1.4million for the release of a French couple seized last week as they sailed their yacht between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
Jean-Yves Delanne and his wife Bernadette were dropped ashore on the Somali coast before being taken to a pirate hideout in the Xaabo mountains, according to the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme. It said that the group were also demanding the release of six pirates seized by French commandos in April as part of the ransom deal. The organisation claimed the couple's luxury yacht, the 24 metre (79 foot) twin-masted Carre D'as IV, was probably being used as a decoy vessel to capture other ships.
“It might very well be used as a decoy to approach other unsuspecting yachts or simulate and signal an engine failure or other emergency at sea, whereby it then would attack any ship coming closer in order to provide assistance,” it said.
“If you think about Somalia - it's not really a country anymore. It is being controlled by a bunch of warlords. It has become a haven for lawlessness. If you are a shipowner and want to get your cargo east to west, you pretty much have to go through the Gulf of Aden,” Mr Davies said.
In the first half of this year, 94 crew and passengers were taken hostage while trying to cross the Gulf of Aden, according to figures compiled by maritime experts at the International Maritime Bureau, part of the International Chambers of Commerce (ICC-IMB).
A further 63 people have been taken hostage in Somalia over the same period, according to the ICC-IMB.
And the evidence shows that Somalia is by far the most dangerous location for commercial travel this year - considerably ahead of the Philippines and Indonesia.

Source: Times Online

Somali Week Festival 2008

Medeshi Sept 10, 2008

Somali Week Festival 2008
Thursday, 9 October – Wednesday 15 October
Oxford House in Bethnal green
Derbyshire, E2 6HG
http://oxfordhouse.org.uk/template.php?ID=173&PageName=somaliweekfestival2008
http://www.redsea-online.com/swf/

Oxford House in Bethnal Green in partnership with http://www.red-seaonline.com/, Culture and Heritage Foundation, Halabuur Centre for Culture and Communication in the Horn (HCCC), Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committee (HAVOYOCO) and a range of national and local community organisations is pleased to present the Somali Week Festival as a part of Black History Month. The Festival will take place at Oxford House from the 9th to 15th October 2008.

Attracting over 2,000 people last year, this year’s festival builds on that, offering the best of Somali culture, old and new, through an eclectic mix of events including poetry, literature and music. This year’s Somali Week Festival will focus on the Somali concept of gobannimo. Gobannimo is a very complex word with a broad range of meanings including freedom and liberty, but also implying a dignified, coherent, independent, giving, tolerant, and respectful approach to dealing with other people. In other words, it encompasses all that is good and achievable by free and responsible human beings. Gobannimo has an inherent sense of reaching an ultimate state of human responsibility and thus is very relevant to the interlinked notions of citizenship and freedom. Although it relates to personal development and individual dignity it is also at the heart of many strands of current social and political thought amongst Somalis, which will be explored through art and literature.

The festival will focus on poetry, prose literature and music which will be presented and discussed by artists and audiences. We are proud to have invited a range of guests including renowned artists, academics and commentators:

Ali Sugule (renowned poet, UAE), Abdiqaadir Abdi Shube (poet, Somalia), Ahmed Aw Geeddi (poet, Somaliland), Mahamed Dahir "Afrah" (Chair of Somali Pen, Djibouti), Yusuf Shaacir (poet, Somaliland), Abdi Mahamud Aamin (writer and educator, Djibouti), Nimco Deggan, (vocalist, UK), Abdikariim Raas (vocalist, UK), Abdilahi Bootaan (poet, UK), Adan Tarabi (poet, Somaliland), Martin Orwin (SOAS, UK), Boobe Yusuf Duale (writer, Academy for Peace and Development, Somaliland), Hassan Adan Samatar (vocalist, Netherlands), Jama Musse Jama (writer, Italy), Abdillahi Awed Egeh,(writer, UK), Mahamed Hassan "Alto" (SOAS, UK), Qaboojiye (vocalist, UK), Jihaan (vocalist, UK), Mahamed Baashe (writer, UK), Aar (composer and vocalist, UK), Abdifitaah Yare (vocalist, UK), Mohamed Rashid (BBC, UN, Somaliland), Warsan Shire (poet, UK), Michael Walls (UCL, UK), Ibrahim Hashi Jama (lawyer, UK), Anna Lindley (University of Oxford, UK) and many more.

We will highlight and explore not only the importance of tolerance as expressed through gobannimo but will also promote the idea that only free, liberated individuals can develop a culture of tolerance and a deep sense of personal responsibility.

We also want to encourage and support emerging Somali artists, who themselves are promoting a sense of gobannimo. Our aim is to facilitate collaboration and exchange between young and established artists, UK-based Somalis and people from the Somali territories. We will also continue to advocate the importance of Somali art throughout the wider Somali community.

The international aspect of the festival is an important part of our continued development and partnership work with artists and organisations in Somali speaking territories.
Join us at this exceptional festival to celebrate and explore the uniqueness of Somali art and culture.
For more information about the Festival’s Programme visit; http://www.oxfordhouse.org.uk/template.php?ID=173&PageName=somaliweekfestival2008 and http://www.redsea- online.com/ swfhttp://www.redsea- online.com/ bimgs/inside/ swf_468x60. gif"

For more information about the Festival’s Programme, call Ayan Mahamoud, the Festival Coordinator on 020 7749 1140 or e-mail: http://us.mc568.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=ayan.mahamoud@oxfordhouse.org.uk

Insight: Somaliland - Getting it Right in Africa
In May 1991 Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia and over the past 17 years the government there has restored law and order to make it one of the must democratic and functioning societies in the Horn of Africa .
In stark contrast to its neighbour Somalia, Somaliland has become an oasis of peace, stability and progress and a haven for thousands of Somalis fleeing from their war-torn country.
Yet Somaliland's independence and sovereignty is still not recognised by most of the international community including Britain.
What are the obstacles in the way of international recognition and is this really the best way forward?How have the people of Somaliland built such a stable democracy, society and institutions in such a war-torn region and what are the lessons other de facto states can learn from it?
Richard Dowden is director of the Royal African Society. He worked for the Times until 1986 when he became Africa Editor of the Independent and in 1995 he took the post of Africa Editor at The Economist. He has also made three television documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 on Africa.Adam Mussa Jibril has been the Somaliland representative in the UK since January 2008.Michael Walls is chair of Somaliland Focus UKEdward Mason is head of the London Office of Independent Diplomat. He joined the organisation in November 2005 and has worked on all of ID’s current projects with the governments of Kosovo, Somaliland and Western Sahara. He is ID’s expert on Somaliland.

Click on the title for complete video of the Insight.

Ethiopian occupation and Chaos in Somalia

Medeshi Sept 10, 2008
By Lee Jay Walker
December 2006 the Ethiopian government dislodged the Islamists from power in order to bring some fresh hope to the people of Somalia and also to prevent the spread of Islam.
(Photo : Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia)
Shortly after Ethiopia crushed the Islamists in Mogadishu they appealed for global help and support. After all, the United States of America stressed the importance to fight back against international terrorism. However, the international community appeared to turn a blind eye, with the notable acception being Uganda and some other nations who gave basic support. Therefore, why did major powers ignore Ethiopia and will this nation pull out of Somalia in order to fight a rear guard action via Ethiopia?
Before focusing on current events it is important to briefly mention the past between both nations. If we go back to the 1977-1978 Ogaden War, then it is clear that both nations do not trust each other and power politics is a major issue, and this is based on ethnic and religious lines. During the Ogaden War the Soviet Union (once an ally of Somalia) and Cuba helped Ethiopia to defeat Somalia because at one point Ethiopia could only control 10% of Eastern Ethiopia in the Ogaden region. For Somalia the Ogaden should belong to them because of ethnic and religious factors, however, to Ethiopia this region is vital because after the loss of Eritrea, in recent times, this nation can not afford to lose even more territory.
Therefore, in history the rulers of both modern nations have not trusted each other and this goes back centuries and under various different names, for example ancient Abyssinia (Ethiopia) was often at loggerheads with the Somali people and other ethnic groups. Also, the role of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity was central to the rulers of Abyssinia and to them they feared losing power to Islam and other ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, Eastern Ethiopia was a weak spot because the majority of people were Muslim and the traditional rulers of Ethiopia, the Amhara and the Tigrean, feared losing power. So in history and modern times the history of Ethiopia and Somalia is often inter-linked and sadly this linkage is usually negative.
If we move closer to modern times, then it is clear that both nations have been ravaged by the Cold War, civil wars, starvation, ethnic or clan based politics, outside manipulation, and other major factors. Given this, the mechanics of democracy and mutual understanding appears to be lost and the past vicious circle remains today. Also, the role of the United Nations and the United States in Somalia was also an abject failure in the 1990s. Added to this is the growth of radical Islam in Somalia, international terrorists using this nation for their own political gains, just like in Afghanistan, and continuing outside meddling, means that instability is flourishing throughout the region.
Therefore, from an Ethiopian perspective the nation of Somalia is vital with regards to the war on international terrorism and preserving the unity of Ethiopia. Yet, to the leaders of modern day Ethiopia they see little international support and they are not sure why? However, the answer is not that simple because major problems already exist throughout the world and of course the mass media focuses on Iraq, the Israel-Palestinian issue, and Afghanistan, the most. However, if radical Islamists managed to rule in Somalia then this nation could destabilise the entire region. Also, Islamic terrorists could use this nation in order to cause mayhem in other nations. This reality is obvious in Ethiopia, however, the government of this nation feels betrayed because of being let down by the international community.
Since dislodging the Islamists from power in late 2006 the Ethiopian government suffered the usual war syndrome, just like America in Iraq, because the insurgents have hit back via breathing space. Given this reality, the Ethiopian government is alarmed by her neighbour Eritrea because Ethiopia claims that this nation is causing chaos in the Islamic heartlands of eastern Ethiopia. Also, the rulers of Ethiopia claim that Eritrea is also helping the Islamists in Somalia via economic support and they also accuse wealthy outside organizations of being involved in this crisis. Of course, Eritrea denies this and instead blames Ethiopia for causing the mayhem. Whatever the "real truth" is, it is clear that regional disunity is not helping and instead it is merely adding "fuel to the fire."
Therefore, the policy enacted by Ethiopia is now in danger because of the growing insurgency and lack of outside support. If Ethiopia fails, then more chaos may spread to Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and other nations. Also, Ethiopia will face enormous internal problems and this situation is extremely grave now. Given this, the leader of Ethiopia, PM Meles Zenawi, stated "We didn't anticipate that the international community would be happy riding the Ethiopian horse and flogging it at the same time for so long." PM Meles Zenawi also rebuked the international community for not funding the African Union and its peacekeeping force. Therefore, Ethiopia may decide to pull out of Somalia if a solution can not be found in the near future?
So why did the international community fail Ethiopia and Somalia? Maybe for politicians and military leaders in America, it is the terrible memories of their failed policy in Somalia and the lasting images of American troops being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Meanwhile, for the leaders of the European Union (EU) they may deem this war to be too distant and some nations may also be divided within Europe. After all, not all nations support the Ethiopian theory and some nations have sympathy with the opposition or they are neutral. In Africa it is more complex because many nations fear the chaos of Somalia, however, regional nations like Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda, have many internal problems to deal with and their resources are limited.
However, if Ethiopia does pull out or the civil war increases, which in turn could lead to growing malnutrition and starvation, or a base for international terrorism; then the international community will rue this missed opportunity. Therefore, the international community should either be supporting the Somali interim government via economics, peacekeepers, and other viable methods to enhance stability. Or the international community should be working with Ethiopia in order to crush the forces of disorder. Sadly, the Ethiopian leader, PM Meles Zenawi, may be correct because it does appear that the international community is not interested and like he states, they are "...happy riding the Ethiopian horse and flogging it at the same time for so long." Therefore, Ethiopia may decide to pull out and strengthen their border with Somalia and fight via a proxy force, if so, then a missed opportunity will have gone begging and the people of Somalia will continue to suffer.
Lee Jay Walker Dip BA MA

MP killed in provincial town in lawless Somalia

Tuesday, September 09, 2008
MOGADISHU (AFP) — A gunman Tuesday killed a Somali lawmaker in the provincial town of Baidoa, the latest in a series of attacks in the lawless African nation, a witness and colleague said.
Mohamed Osman Maye(Photo) died on the spot outside a mosque in Baidoa, site of the country's transitional parliament, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu, they said.
"He was shot in the head outside a mosque where he had attended evening prayers. Maye is now dead and may Allah rest his soul in peace," Amir Shaketi, another lawmaker, told AFP.

Witness Yassin Mohamed said a lone gunman fled the scene after shooting the lawmaker, who did not have bodyguards.
"I saw a man running from the scene after shooting the MP, then people gathered around his body," Mohamed added.
Maye becomes the second Somali lawmaker to be killed in Baidoa since the country's parliament and government relocated from exile in Kenya in June 2005 to attempt to pacify the country.

Somalia plunged into civil war after the 1991 ouster of president Mohamed Siad Barre, setting off a deadly power struggle that has defied numerous attempts to restore a functional government.
Source: AFP, Sept 09, 2008

HORN OF AFRICA: Calm sea lures African migrants

Medeshi Sept 10, 2008

Hundreds of African migrants, mostly Somalis, have taken advantage of calm seas to make the perilous journey from Somalia to Yemen in the first week of September and more are expected, Hussein Hajji, the Somali consul in Aden, said.
Hajji told the press on 7 September that more than 2,000 Africans, mostly Somalis, landed on Yemeni shores after crossing the Gulf of Aden. "Between three and five boats arrive at Yemeni shores on a daily basis," he said.
Almost all the new migrants had arrived safely due to the calm sea. However, one incident claimed the lives of 14 Somalis who drowned in deep waters offshore. "Their bodies were buried," he said.
In one boat a girl died of lack of oxygen after being confined to a very small cabin. "These are fishing boats and are not designed to carry passengers. After three hours at sea it is difficult to breathe in the cabins. When passengers try to get out [of cabins], the smugglers stop them," he said.
According to Hajji, 85 percent of the new arrivals intend to seek a better life in the oil-rich Gulf States.
New security plan Yemeni authorities, meanwhile, have prepared a new security plan to stem the illegal migration of Africans into Yemen by preventing the boats from entering Yemeni territorial waters.
Ahmed Hayel, head of the Ministry of Interior's Information Centre, said the plan would be implemented in cooperation with neighbouring countries as well as international marine forces operating in the Red and Arabian seas.
"The plan aims at decreasing the continuous African influx which overburdens Yemen. It will put an end to the arrival of smuggling boats in Yemen," Hayel told the press.
Implementation will begin next month, he said.
Yemen has been receiving thousands of African migrants since 1991 as a result of civil wars and instability in the Horn of Africa. It is the only country in the Arabian Peninsula that has signed the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its related 1967 Protocol.
Somalis are given automatic refugee status by the government of Yemen, while non-Somalis (mostly Ethiopians and Eritreans) must apply to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for refugee status.
"When the African migrants reach the Yemeni shores, we are committed to receive them. Non-Somalis are not allowed to stay and so they get deported [if they do not qualify for refugee status]," Hayel said.
The Yemeni official said the new plan would not contradict the government's signing of the UN Convention. "Signing the convention does not mean we should receive large numbers of Africans. The government has to take all necessary measures to stop their influx. Yemen cannot stand the burden," he said, adding that large numbers of African migrants were expected in the coming days. According to UNHCR, more than 22,532 people have arrived in Yemen since the beginning of 2008. Some 165 died while trying to reach the shore, and another 220 are missing, presumed dead. UNHCR has registered over 100,000 Africans, mostly Somalis, in Yemen.

SOMALIA: Puntland villages facing starvation

NAIROBI, 9 September 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of villagers in Mudug region of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are on the brink of starvation due to severe food and water shortages, local officials said.
The high level of inflation is contributing to the suffering of the people. "Everything costs three to four times more than it did a year ago," said Dahir Abdulkadir, the governor of Mudug. "This is disastrous for people whose only source of income [livestock] is no more."
"People in the villages of Beer Dhagahtuur, Baadweyn and others nearby, all part of Harfo district, are facing the worst food crisis in a very long time," Bashir Mahamud Mire, the deputy governor of Mudug region, who recently visited the area, told IRIN.
He said severe drought, loss of livestock - the economic mainstay of the area - and hyperinflation had pushed many families to the brink of starvation. "These are people who depend on their livestock and it is dead or is so weakened it is of little use," added Mire.
Abdulkadir said the plight of the villagers was a "reflection of a broader humanitarian problem faced by people of this region both in rural and urban areas". The area has endured three years of little or no rains.
An estimated 3,000 families (about 18,000 people) live in the area. Abdulkadir told IRIN of reports from other villages on the verge of catastrophe through hunger.
"There are families that have lost everything," he added, appealing to aid agencies to help the people "before it is too late".
Mire, who oversees the health and social services of the region, told IRIN that lack of food had weakened the people and was having a negative impact on their health.
He witnessed about 80 people, most of them children, who were also suffering from watery diarrhoea. ah/mw

Somaliland: Teacher Training for All

Medeshi Sept 8, 2008
One effective way of realizing Education for All is to educate more teachers. Unfortunately there are not enough universities or college buildings to educate everyone in the world. But with e-learning we can reach more, even in the rural and remote areas and people that usually shouldn’t be able to participate in higher studies depending on lack of money or life situations.
MKFC Stockholm College are running teacher training in Somaliland from Stockholm, Sweden. The teacher training is based on the British standard and here is an extract of an interview with the tutors from MKFC Stockholm College website.

Emma Hedlund, educating tutor, and Mohamed Xarbi, tutor and communicator, are excited after the start up of a complete Teacher Training End-to-End eLearning™ education in Somaliland
–It’s a quite comprehensive education lasting for three years and a half, says Emma, tutor at the course. And it will give the 13 teachers very good common teacher qualifications. Most of the teachers have long experience at the school and are well educated, but there is a great value in getting a common platform in method and pedagogic.
While Emma is the formal tutor of the course, responsible for course content and educational tutoring, Xarbi plays the role of a communicator and supporter in technical matters.
–I am pushing the students and I inform and explain things. Simultaneously I do some support in course administration on the learning platform, says Xarbi.
Then, are there any problems when performing the course?
–The lack of computers and a slow Internet connection at the school may cause some waiting, says Xarbi, but we have sent the course materials on CD-roms, so they can do most of the job without any connection.
The End-to-End eLearning™ concept offers different channels for managing a course despite modest technical equipment. Also, the standard of equipment as well as connections will certainly improve; it’s surely just a matter of time.
The Somaliland school also has a blog where they post about their processes of participating in the teacher education, you find it here.
Imagine when we won’t be limited by the picture of a physical building when thinking about education, but rather thinking of learning in a connected world. Then our vision of Education for All will be realized.

Africa in pictures: 30 Aug-5 Sept

On Friday, a displaced woman in Somalia looks out of her ruined makeshift house outside the capital, Mogadishu, after torrential rain. For more on Africa's week, tune into BBC Weekend Network Africa.

Children play football on the outskirts of Manzini in Swaziland where nearly 40% of adults are unemployed.

On Wednesday, thousands of Swazis protest in Manzini at the amount of money being spent to celebrate Swaziland's 40th year of independence and the king's 40th birthday this coming weekend...

Algerian film director Tariq Teguia waves to photographers before the screening of his movie Gabbla (Inland) at the Venice International Film Festival on Thursday.

An illegal African migrant awaits medical attention at a beach on Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands on Tuesday after making the treacherous - and often deadly - crossing from Africa.

On the same day, Ivory Coast's ex-President Konan Bedie waves to supporters. The country, split in two six years ago in an armed rebellion, has reunited and goes to polls at the end of November.

A South African fan gives the thumbs up after his team - the Springboks - beat the Australian Wallabies during their Tri Nations rugby union match in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The next day, relatives of those accused of killing a US diplomat and his driver in Sudan earlier this year shout slogans outside a courthouse in the capital, Khartoum, before the beginning of the trial.

Residents of the drought-stricken southern

Ethiopia town of Boricha wait for their names to be called out to receive their 10kg food ration on Saturday

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began this week - on Tuesday, a Tunisian vendor at the central market in the capital, Tunis, sells dates to those preparing to break their fast.

Unidentified warship captures 14 Somali pirates

Unidentified warship captures 14 Somali pirates
Abdiqani Hassan
Reuters
Sunday, September 07, 2008
BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - An unidentified warship off pirate-ridden Somali waters captured 14 pirates and destroyed their boat, a minister of the northern Puntland region said on Sunday.
Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, fisheries minister for the semi-autonomous region said the pirate vessel met a warship "that we think could be American" and all the pirates on board were captured and their boat destroyed.
However, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said there was no American involvement in the operation.
Yusuf said local authorities were still investigating the identity of the warship."
Two French nationals were seized in their yacht in the perilous waters on Tuesday and the French navy has said it is ready to try to free them, although their safety came first.
The two captives were safe in a hill village 750 km (465 miles) east of Bosasso, Puntland's capital, a man who said he was the pirates' servant told Reuters on Sunday.
"The French tourists, whose boat was also hijacked, are now held inside the hilly areas of Habo village. They are safe and healthy," Abdinur Farah told Reuters from the deck of a seized Iranian ship.
He said the Iranian ship with 28 crew members including two Russians, two Pakistanis and a Syrian would soon be freed once the $2 million ransom agreed upon was paid.
"The bargaining about the ransom is over and pirates are just waiting for the money," he said.
"Puntland requested the pirates two weeks ago to hand over this Iranian ship, saying that it is carrying weapons to Eritrea. I have seen food and other odd items on the ship but I do not know what is hidden underneath."
HEFTY RANSOMS
Somali gunmen are holding more than 10 ships for ransom at Eyl, a lawless former fishing outpost now used by gangs behind a sharp rise in sea attacks.
The hijackings have become commonplace, especially in Puntland. However, pirates often treat hostages well in the hope of hefty ransoms. Most captured ships bring ransoms of more than $10,000 and in a few cases much more.
The gunmen in Eyl are also demanding a ransom of more than $9 million to free two Malaysian tankers, a Japanese-managed bulk carrier and a Nigerian tug boat.
The pirates are currently holding over 130 crew members.
Attacks at sea have boomed as lawlessness increased in Somalia, where there has not been a working government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Since the start of last year, more than 8,000 civilians have been killed in fighting between allied Somali government and Ethiopian soldiers and Islamist rebels. Another 1 million have been driven from their homes.
The chaos in Somalia have also made the Horn of Africa a dangerous place for aid workers or foreigners. Two journalists, Canadian Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, an Australian freelance photojournalist, were kidnapped last month.
A local radio station reported on Sunday that negotiations for their release were ongoing.
"We contacted (people in) Australia. We made him talk to his Australian relatives," Ahmad Ali, one of the kidnappers, told Somalia's Shabelle Radio. "Negotiations are progressing currently and, God willing, will be concluded."
(Additional reporting and writing by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu ; Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Robert Hart)

Piracy Grips Gulf of Aden

Medeshi Sept 8, 2008

Piracy Grips Gulf of Aden
Attacks on Shipping In Mideast Raise Insurance Costs
By CHIP CUMMINSSeptember 8, 2008
Pirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the specter of military intervention in one of the world's most important sea lanes.
The waterway lies between Yemen and Somalia, and connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. It is an important energy corridor, especially for Persian Gulf oil heading west through the Suez Canal. Ships laden with some 3.3 million barrels of crude -- almost 4% of daily global demand -- move through the waters each day, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. The waterway is also an important thoroughfare for goods heading to Europe and the U.S. from Asia.
The surge in piracy has suddenly turned it into one of the most dangerous passages in the world for sea captains.
"They've been just running the gauntlet" in the gulf, says Gavin Simmonds, head of international affairs for the British Chamber of Shipping, an industry trade group based in London.
Pirates have long plied the waters along the southeastern coast of Somalia, which for years has lacked a functioning central government. But this spring and summer, bands of well-trained pirates appear to have moved north into the Gulf of Aden.
The International Maritime Bureau, a marine-crime watchdog, reported 33 attacks or attempted attacks in or near the gulf this year. That is up from 13 for all of last year. In recent weeks, reported incidents have surged: Three ships were seized by pirates within 12 hours between Aug. 20 and 21. An additional four ships were captured over a 48-hour period the following week, according to reports made to the IMB.
A handful of ships are still being held by pirates in the area, including two large Malaysian vessels and a French yacht. Pirates typically seize ships and crew, and demand large cash ransoms.
In response to the increased number of attacks, a consortium of maritime-insurance underwriters in London added the Gulf of Aden to its list of war zones in May. The designation spurred many insurance brokers to boost premiums for ship owners seeking coverage for a transit.
In late August, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said it would set up a special patrol area, monitored by American and other naval vessels and aircraft, to counter the piracy threat in the gulf. A United Nations Security Council resolution in June authorized international naval vessels to enter Somalia waters in pursuit of pirates.
Piracy has been a problem in other critical shipping lanes in the past, including in the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, and in West African waters. But the surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden is worrying officials because of its sophistication.
In a warning to mariners in late August, the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre described three large "mother ships" -- two Russian-made stern trawlers and a tugboat -- that officials suspect are coordinating at least some of the recent attacks.
"There is a degree of organization" in recent attacks, said Commodore Keith Winstanley, a British naval officer and deputy chief of a coalition of U.S.-led navy ships operating in the Middle East region. "Which is why we're taking action," he said.
Other governments are, too, raising the possibility of armed confrontation in the strategic waterway. In April, French forces arrested a number of alleged pirates after they released crew members aboard a luxury yacht that was captured in the Gulf of Aden. Further military action could rattle energy markets, which have reacted sharply to even minor shipping disruptions in other important choke points.
On Tuesday, Malaysian shipping heavyweight MISC Berhad said it had stopped sending its vessels into the Gulf of Aden entirely. The company is negotiating for the release of two ships seized there last month.
The MT Bunga Melati II, with a crew of 39 and a cargo of palm oil, was seized on Aug. 19. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said pirates are demanding a ransom of $3 million.
Ten days later, MISC's MT Bunga Melati V was attacked. It was carrying 41 crew members and a 30,000-ton cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore from Saudi Arabia. MISC said it has recently made contact with the ship.
The country's deputy prime minister was quoted last week in the local press ordering Malaysian naval ships into the waterway. A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official, contacted late Friday in Kuala Lumpur, said the government was discouraging Malaysian ships from the gulf, but he couldn't confirm whether ships were being deployed to the waterway.

Amnesty International Urgent Action- Somalia: Health Concern/Kidnap of more than 130 hostages

Medeshi Sept 8 ,2008

Amnesty International Urgent Action- Somalia: Health Concern/Kidnap of more than 130 hostages

PUBLIC

AI Index: AFR 52/015/2008

05 September 2008
UA 244/08 Health concern/Kidnapping

SOMALIA More than 130 hostages
More than 130 people – crew members of at least nine ships – are being held hostage by pirates close to the coastal town of Eyl in the region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia. A number of the hostages are reported to have been injured during gun battles as the ships were seized and have not had access to medical care. According to the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, there is insufficient food and water for the large number detained.
On 29 August, a Malaysian tanker with 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew on board was hijacked by Somali pirates. During the hijacking, one crew member is believed to have been killed, and an unknown number of others wounded. On 3 September, one French and one Egyptian vessel were boarded by pirates.
This followed the earlier hijacking of four ships registered as Malaysian, Iranian, Nigerian and Thai, and two registered as Panamanian. The crews of all nine of these ships are all currently detained by Somali pirates who have demanded millions of US dollars in ransom.
The Puntland Government has faced repeated allegations that senior government and security officials have supported the pirates and shared in ransom payments. On 4 September, the Puntland Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ahmed Saed Nur, admitted that some of the Puntland police are involved in piracy “because they can make a hell of a lot of money."

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia has said that the issue of piracy “needs to be addressed very strongly by the government of Puntland” and that piracy is increasing the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to Somalia.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Pirates from Somalia have hijacked at least 30 ships in the Puntland region of Somalia so far this year. In June 2008, the UN Security Council voted to allow international navies to enter Somali waters to combat the problem, with the consent of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. Canadian navy vessels are currently providing security escorts to UN World Food Program vessels bringing aid to the country.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

To the Puntland and Transitional Federal Government authorities, in English or your own language:
- calling on the authorities to take action to ensure the safe release of more than 130 individuals currently detained by Somali pirates in Puntland, Somalia;
- urging the authorities to use their influence to ensure that detainees are given immediate and regular access to all necessary medical care, and to adequate supplies water and food.

APPEALS TO:
President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
Email: adam_somalia@yahoo.ca
Salutation: Dear President

President Mohamud Muse Hersi
President of Puntland
Email: puntlandstate@yahoo.com
Salutation: Dear President

Ahmed Saed Nur
Minister of Fisheries
Puntland State Government
Email: amsaed77@yahoo.com
Salutation: Dear Minister

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 17 October 2008.

US $2.5 ransom for the release of Canadian Journalsit

Medeshi Sept 8, 2008

Monday, September 08, 2008
CREDIT: Handout/Facebook.com
File photo of Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian freelance journalist, who was kidnapped in Somalia.
CALGARY - Kidnappers holding an Alberta journalist in Somalia have demanded a $2.5-million US ransom in exchange for her release, a local chief in contact with the abductors said Sunday.
Dahir Farah has been participating in negotiations to free Amanda Lindhout - a 27-year-old journalist from Sylvan Lake, Atla. working out of Baghdad - Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and their Somali fixer, who were all abducted on August 23. The three were on the road between the capital Mogadishu and Afgoye, when they were kidnapped at gunpoint.
"The kidnappers demanded $2.5 million (US) and we are trying to secure their release," Farah said.
News of the ransom demand was welcomed back in Calgary by Lindhout's friend Jeremy Kroeker, who said he is encouraged by the development.
"It is good news," he said Sunday. "It means they see her as a commodity. They're not trying to make a political statement."
The fact the abductors want money also means they will take good care of Lindhout and not do anything rash, he added.
"The fact that there's dialogue is also very encouraging. That means someone out there knows who has her," said Kroeker.
Kroeker met Lindhout last winter in Damascus while he was on a motorcycle tour. He said Lindhout was a "strong and strong-willed" woman.
Kroeker has been trying to stay on top of developments as they unfold and has read about similar cases. While optimistic, he said he is prepared for a lengthy delay in Lindhout's release.
"Some other negotiations in Somalia took weeks or months," he said.
Meanwhile, another person claiming to be an intermediary for the kidnappers, contacted Agence France-Presse and spoke of the same ransom demand.
He also allowed two people claiming to be the foreign journalists to speak briefly.
"I'm Amanda, the Canadian journalist. Our health situation is very well for the time being," Lindhout purportedly said.
A man claiming to be Brennan said: "We are very well now mentally and physically."
They were speaking from an undisclosed location.
"We need a ransom of $2.5 million to free the hostages," said the intermediary, Adan Nur Siad, who added that he had been in touch with representatives of the Australian police in Nairobi.
Journalists and humanitarian workers are frequently abducted in Somalia, a country torn apart by unrest since 1991. Most kidnappings include ransom demands.
With files from Agence France-Presse