Ethiopia :Profiles of Least Developed Countries

Medeshi April 25, 2009

Profiles of Least Developed Countries

Ethiopia

Region: Eastern Africa
Capital: Addis Ababa
Population: 77,000,000 (2008)
Surface area: 1 104 300 square km
Currency: birr
Background:Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule. One exception was the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995.
Economy – overview:Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income.
Under Ethiopia's land tenure system, the government owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. The government estimates that annual growth of 7% is needed to reduce poverty.
United Nations Membership date: 13 November 1945
New York Mission:Permanent Mission of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations

866 United Nations Plaza, Third Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017

Telephone: 212-421-1830Fax: 212-754-0360

This is a defining moment for America

Medeshi April 24, 2009

The huffington

This is a defining moment for America.
The way we respond -- or fail to respond -- to the revelations about the Bush administration's use of torture will delineate -- for ourselves and for the world -- the kind of country we are.
It is a test of our courage and our convictions. A test of whether we are indeed a nation of laws -- or a nation that pays lip service to the notion of being a nation of laws.
And everyone engaged in our public conversation has a role to play.
So far, the media are not getting high marks. They can't seem to shake their addiction to looking at every issue -- even one that pivots on questions of morality, not politics -- through the archaic prism of right vs. left.
So we got CNN's Ed Henry mainlining a right-left 8-ball at Tuesday's press briefing, asking Robert Gibbs, "Is this an example of this White House giving in to pressure from the left?"
And we got the Washington Post's Dan Balz saying -- in two different pieces -- that Obama's release of the torture memos "has stirred a major controversy on the right and left." According to Balz, "the anger on the right was expected. But Obama faces equally strong reaction from the left, where there is a desire to punish Bush administration officials for their actions... Obama owes his presidency in part to this constituency, who rallied to him during the battle for the Democratic nomination because he presented himself as a staunch and early opponent of the war in Iraq. Now they are demanding that he acknowledge their point of view."
Since when is the need to adhere to the laws that govern us a left-wing "point of view"? Is Thou Shalt Not Kill a "point of view"? When the police arrest a rapist, is it because rape is inherently, inarguably wrong -- or because that's the cops' "point of view"?
Isn't torture one of those things where there really is no legitimate other side?
And if this really is a question of right vs. left, how do Henry, Balz, and all the others framing the discussion that way account for Shepard Smith's table-slamming outburst on FoxNews.com's The Strategy Room? Was his "We are AMERICA! We do not fucking torture!" a left-wing point of view confusingly expressed by a right-wing commentator?
Memo to the media: Time to check in for a serious round of "right vs left" rehab. When it comes to torture, the only appropriate framing is "right vs wrong."
Obama and his team have had their own problems with the issue. Despite a commitment to looking forward, they failed to see the massive wall of public indignation directly in front of them.
After all the internal back-and-forth they apparently had about how to handle the issue, it was interesting to see how fast they reversed course -- the president quickly walking back from Rahm Emanuel's unequivocal "no prosecution" position.
Once the spotlight was turned on, it was impossible to sustain the let's-just-move-on stance. What is at stake is just too huge to sweep under the presidential rug. It leaves too big a lump in the middle of the Oval Office -- and too big a stumbling block in the path of Obama's presidency.
I understand the president's preference for "reflection" over "anger and retribution." But this is not about personal pique or a desire for vengeance. It's about the nation's fundamental morality.
Which is why it is imperative that we keep the pressure on the president, on Congress, and on the Justice Department. Not left-wing pressure. Not blogospheric pressure. Moral pressure. The pressure born of America's values.
Pressure to do the right thing. The moral thing. The legal thing. Pressure to keep the acts of the Bush White House from being implicitly condoned. And to keep the abuse of presidential power -- and the use of torture -- from becoming American precedent.
In pushing for a truth commission on torture, Sen. Patrick Leahy had repeatedly said that "we can't turn the page unless we first read the page." But we've actually read the page -- the torture memos -- and been horrified by what we're read. So now we need to act on that horror. And we can only do that by holding accountable those responsible for authorizing the use of torture.
The clock is ticking while the world waits to see if Yeats was right. Do the best of us really lack the conviction necessary to make sure that justice is done? Is it really only the worst of us who are full of passionate intensity? (See Rove and Cheney and Hayden coming out swinging, acting -- as John Cusack described them to me -- "like caged, cornered animals.")
And do the best of us become the worst of us if our passionate intensity does not make the leap from words to a ction?

Read more : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-torture-moment_b_190687.html

Somalia: Pirates Just a Piece of the Puzzle

Medeshi
Somalia: Pirates Just a Piece of the Puzzle
23 Apr 2009 Written by: Refugees International
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites.
The views expressed are the author's alone.
More than 3 million Somalis are dependent on external assistance; over 1 million are internally displaced; and another 500,000 and counting have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Yet, as the humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate, the world is focused on a lone “pirate” in New York. I can’t help but question where our humanity and moral resolve lies. What was even more disturbing was how the attention on the “alleged pirate” was justified in a recent CNN article. “He's just a little skinny guy, you know, from Somalia where they're all starving and stuff…If he goes to jail here, it will be a whole lot better than living in Somalia.” Such careless sentiments, that suggest imprisonment as a solution to the problems facing the people of Somalia, illustrate the gross misunderstanding of the humanitarian conditions in this failed state. Many reports of recent events have correctly deduced that the overwhelming piracy in the Gulf of Aden is a result of pervasive lawlessness within Somalia. However, what most have failed to mention is that Somalia is currently the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. This fact will not change until the U.S. and its allies direct attention to the millions of people suffering on land, while the world gazes out to sea.Refugees International has publicly called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to address the humanitarian situation in Somalia instead of focusing US policy solely on maritime operations. Tomorrow, US representatives will be in Brussels with other world leaders at the United Nations and European Union’s conference to address the security situation in Somalia. It is critical that the agenda look broadly at security conditions inside the country and, more importantly, stay focused on ensuring the delivery of life saving assistance. This past Sunday, three aid workers were kidnapped and another was killed in central Somalia. These acts were not perpetuated by pirates, but reinforce the overwhelming lawlessness within this region.The US should not allow recent events to shift overall policy away from the root of the crisis. The new government offers the best opportunity in almost 20 years to restore peace, security and stability in Somalia. This is not the time to dedicate millions of dollars to a narrow security agenda, when roughly 60% of the UN’s 2009 appeal for aid in the country has yet to be funded and the current African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is under-staffed and under-resourced. President Sharif agrees that a comprehensive solution is needed to improve conditions and bring security and stability to the region. The US and other donors should utilize the world’s attention on Somalia as an impetus for constructive international engagement that meets the humanitarian needs of millions of displaced Somalis.
--Limnyuy Konglim

Dubai denies laundering Somali pirates’ money

Medeshi April 23, 2009
Dubai denies laundering Somali pirates’ money
Shadiah Abdullah Arab News
DUBAI: The deputy commander in chief of Dubai police has denied allegations published in a UK-based newspaper that the emirate has been laundering money belonging to Somali pirates. The Independent ran a story on Tuesday claiming that huge amounts of money taken in ransom from vessels hijacked off the Horn of Africa were being laundered in Dubai and other Gulf countries.
The paper, quoting investigators hired by the shipping industry, said around $80 million (£56 million) has been paid out in ransom to pirates in the past year. The paper added that the so-called “godfathers” of the illicit operations include businessmen from Somalia and the Middle East, as well as people of South Asian nationalities.
Maj. Gen. Khamis Mattar Al-Mazinah gave a statement to the Arabic daily Al-Emarat Al-Youm saying the report was baseless and untrue.
He stressed that the UAE is the only country in the region that has prosecuted money launderers and issued rulings against them. He pointed out that in the UAE any amount over 40,000 dirhams is considered questionable until proven otherwise.
The Independent quoted Christopher Ledger, manager of Royal Marine Company, as saying that “there is evidence that those groups are active in Dubai and play a fundamental role in the piracy taking place in the Horn of Africa. Huge amounts of money the pirates receive facilitate their access to the latest technology when it comes to ransoms.”
The report added that while some of the money has ended up in Somalia, millions have been laundered through bank accounts in the UAE and other parts of the Middle East.
Al-Mazinah noted that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — an inter-governmental body whose purpose is the development and promotion of policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and terrorist financing — includes the UAE.
FATF issues periodic reports about countries that do not cooperate in monitoring money laundering. “We did not receive any report about money laundering taking place in the UAE,” Al-Mazinah said. He added that Dubai police have been cooperating with other countries in detecting money laundering and fraud that have taken place in those countries.
Al-Mazinah said certain parties, which he declined to mention, were targeting the UAE’s reputation by disseminating unfounded rumors. He reiterated that there are competent authorities tasked with holding noncooperating countries accountable and that the media is not among those authorities.
He underlined that Dubai police did not bar any journalist or any media outlet from seeking verification of stories before publication. He added that people are at liberty to log into the FATF website to read reports about the UAE before propagating rumors.
The Independent published its report without any comments from the security authorities in Dubai or from the UAE Central Bank.

'Somali effect' on piracy in Asia

Medeshi April 23, 2009

'Somali effect' on piracy in Asia

Lucy Williamson

BBC News, Jakarta
It was mid-afternoon when the pirates boarded.
Twelve of them, armed with rifles, swarmed onto the small tug boat chugging through the Malacca Straits - one of the world's busiest and most important waterways.
They quickly took command, stealing the boat's navigational and communications equipment - and the crew's personal belongings - then kidnapping the boat's captain and chief officer.
Both men were released unharmed a few days later. A ransom was almost certainly paid.
It may seem like small fry compared to the situation off the coast of Somalia. But this isolated incident has the power to get some people here in Asia very worried.
This kind of hostage-hijacking was a regular occurrence in the Malacca Straits five years ago, and some are asking why it's reared its head again now.
Noel Choong, at the international piracy reporting centre in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, says he is very concerned.
"I'm afraid of a resurgence of this kind of attack" he said. "There's so much publicity from Somalia, and pirates [here] are looking at how much Somali pirates are making."
“ My concern is that with this new global financial crisis, we're going to see a lot of Somali copycat attacks in Asia ” Analyst and author John S Burnett
Of course, he says, the difference here is that police will look for you.
Indonesia, which shares the Malacca Straits with Malaysia and Singapore, used to be the world's worst piracy hotspot.
In 2003, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) received 121 reports of actual or attempted attacks in Indonesian waters - more than Somali pirates carried out in East Africa last year.
But last year, Indonesia generated only 28 reports - most of them low-level, opportunistic attacks.
That's down to some big changes in counter-piracy operations here. Four years ago, Indonesia and its neighbours began joint patrols of the international waterways here.
Around the same time, the US injected several million dollars to pay for high speed patrol boats and training for Indonesia's marine police. Japan provided more patrol boats, and radars to help detect attacks.
'Quality leadership'
A senior US official involved in the process says that initial investment led to a 300% rise in seizures in the first year, which recouped more than twice the initial investment.
Patrolling Indonesia's vast snaking coastline is expensive, and with the military budget spent before it even hits the kitty, Indonesia needs international help in tackling piracy almost as much as East Africa does.
But there is one thing Indonesia has which Somalia doesn't, and it is crucial: a well-functioning state.
"We believe there's no other answer," Capt Pottengal Mukundan, a spokesman at IMB headquarters in London told me. "Not private security firms or whatever - it's up to the governments to deal with it."
He said: "The US and Japan provided assets to beef up operations, but ultimately it's Indonesian and Malaysian actions which have brought about that change [in the region] - and that's something they don't get enough credit for."
The US says that this kind of result would not have been possible without a huge amount of political will from Indonesia and its neighbours.
A top US official told me: "Quality leadership [in key positions] has really changed things."
So has a new joint security body, which brings together Indonesia's navy, marine police, fisheries, transport and immigration officials to patrol the country's waterways.
"Fighting piracy has been our biggest success story," said Chandra Motik, a special adviser to the Navy chief of staff.
'Somalia effect'
John S Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas, believes there are new reasons why hostage-hijackings like the ones seen in East Africa are becoming more attractive to pirates here too.
"My concern is that with this new global financial crisis, we're going to see a lot of Somali copycat attacks in Asia.
"Pirates now realise that hijacking a ship for human cargo is far more profitable and less risky than dealing with illegal goods."
Greater port security and monitoring of vessels has made it harder to simply repaint a ship and pull into a port to sell its cargo, he says.
As many pirates here are simply petty criminals or unemployed fishermen looking to make a quick buck, the headlines from Somalia send a potent message.
Piracy here reached a peak during the last Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s.
According to the IMB, Indonesia and Malaysia have already increased their patrols to try to contain any rising threat.
"Pirates are lying low because of aggressive patrols," explained Noel Choong from the Piracy Reporting Centre, "but they're not detained or arrested - they'll rise up again once patrols stop."
Capt Mukundan agrees that Indonesia and its neighbours will need to keep a tight grip to stop the situation spiralling back to where it was a few years ago.
But he says copycat attacks like the ones in Somalia simply "can't happen" in Asia.
Isolated incidents are one thing, but 15 vessels held along a small stretch of coastline? "I can't imagine any country tolerating it," he says.
"Of course they're listening, but whether they can pull off an attack like that here, today, is another matter."
Story from BBC NEWS:

Ethiopia Damp (Gilgel Gibe) report

Gilgel Gibe III dam Ethiopia: technical, engineering and economic feasibility study report.

View more documents from Anthony Mitchell.

Press Release: Daily Telegraph: Journalism at its Lowest Ebb of Integrity…

Medeshi
Press Release: Daily Telegraph: Journalism at its Lowest Ebb of Integrity…
23/04/09
Shabait.com
Reporting on Eritrea for the Daily Telegraph of the United Kingdom, Damien McElory, manifested the art of distortion and deceit by trying to align Eritrea with al-Shebab.
President Isaias Afwerki and the Delegation led by Andrew Mitchell, the British Shadow Foreign Secretary, discussed a wide variety of issues; amongst them, Somalia, bilateral cooperation and the role of NGOs. Mr. Andrew Mitchell expressed his appreciation of the President’s deep knowledge of the situation in Somalia and referred the analysis as compelling. Furthermore, Lord Ashcroft, part of the delegation and present at the meeting, clearly entertained the views of the President on the role of NGOs.
Although the journalist was not privy to the meeting, President Isaias had summarized to him the gist of the discussions during his brief interview that lasted above five minutes. But Mr. Damien chose to ignore the briefing and to write something else because, it seems, he had come to Eritrea with an already drafted story. Indeed, his article starts with an alleged statement by an unidentified diplomatic source who claims that the Obama Administration had recently “warned Eritrea”. This was a blatant lie hinged on an incident that never took place and to which Eritrea could not be associated by any stretch of imagination.
Eritrea’s stance on Somalia has been repeatedly echoed by the Government of Eritrea on several occasions. It is also borne out by the facts on the ground which clearly demonstrate that the meddling of external forces has only exasperated the situation in Somalia. Eritrea has no other agenda except the maintenance of peace and stability in our region. Eritrea’s argument originates from the full knowledge of the Somali society and the prevailing realities on the ground. Ignoring the complexities and intricacies of the cultures and experiences of any given society, is the beginning of a failed endeavor.
The most amazing aspect of the Somalia situation is that, initially, the external actors vigorously searched for pretexts to justify their intent of intervention, and claimed the presence of 2000 Eritrean forces in Somalia. Consequently, the Western Media called it a proxy war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The U.S. backed invasion of Somalia was initiated with pompous fanfare and statements of arrogance. At the time, Eritrea warned of the possible consequences. After two years, the pretentious statements of Ethiopia were nowhere to find. They “graciously” accepted a humiliating defeat and hit the road back home with tens of thousands of their dead soldiers left behind. Now, the perpetrators of this fiasco are looking for a scapegoat for their failed policy in Somalia. In this regard, Eritrea has become the target again.
Eritrea has been consistently calling for a comprehensive peace process in which all Somalis have a say in the installation of a lawful and legitimate government. What is more noble than calling for the widest possible participation of the people of Somalia? Eritrea never aligned itself with one group of actors in Somalia. Damien McElory’s inference that Eritrea is courting al-Shabab is a plain fabrication, to say the least. No one group is a solution, but only part of a solution in Somalia or elsewhere, for that matter. Contrary to what Damien McElory insinuates, Eritrea champions the Somali people at large. And at no time has Eritrea claimed to have aligned itself with any isolated group.
Piracy is a disease that was able to mushroom because of the anarchic situation in Somalia and, is indeed, a threat to be reckoned with. But how do you go about curing this disease without addressing the fundamental problem? It is Eritrea’s genuine belief that once the Somalis engage in and complete the reconstitution of their country, piracy will disappear.
The Delegation and the “journalist” had a half day visit to a village in the peripheries of Asmara, with a successful Water and Sanitation Project of which Andrew Mitchell expressed his delight with the appropriate application of Britain’s tax payers money. Not a word was mentioned of this success story in the Daily Telegraph. Instead, the “journalist” chose to disseminate fabricated and deceitful stories about Eritrea and tried to appear as if he has researched his story extensively.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara

Donors pledge over $250 million for Somalia

Medeshi April 23, 2009
Donors pledge over $250 million for Somalia
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
International donors pledged more than $250 million Thursday to help Somalia strengthen its security forces and try to stop the rampant pirate attacks that have plagued one of the world's most important waterways.
The hefty sum included funding for equipment and material that significantly exceeded the request made by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel said.
The U.N.-sponsored international donors' conference originally aimed to raise at least euro128 million ($166 million) to finance African Union peacekeepers already in the Horn of Africa nation as well as Somalia's fledgling police and security forces.
Stabilizing Somalia was the focus of Thursday's meeting - but squashing the persistent piracy jeopardizing international shipping also topped the agenda.
"Piracy is a symptom of anarchy and insecurity on the ground," Ban told the delegates. "More security on the ground will make less piracy on the seas."
"The situation continues to be very difficult, but with this financial help ... I sincerely hope we will be able to control the situation there," Ban said at a joint news conference with Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Union's executive body.
The pledges were a recognition of the need to end two decades of anarchy in Somalia and of the threat that further lawlessness posed to the world, not just one nation.
Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, elected by parliament in January, is a former fighter with the Islamic insurgency. He has been trying to broker peace with warring groups after years of chaos and gain legitimacy, but his Western-backed government wields little control outside the capital of Mogadishu, and needs help from African peacekeepers to do even that.
Most of the funding pledged at the meeting will go for the AU force, which numbers 4,350 now but is expected to expand to 8,000 troops. Funding will also be earmarked for Ahmed's government, which wants to build up a police force of 10,000 along with a separate security force of 6,000 members.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki urged Somalia's interim government to speed up the process of national reconciliation.
"It is a must to encourage all groups that are not in the government, to encourage them to join this new move for stability in Somalia," he said.
Ahmed said his government had taken measures to achieve peace and stability and to reconcile with the warring militias.
"The piracy attacks are ... a symptom of the lack of security," he said. "The restoration of peace and stability to Somalia is the only way to solve these problems."
He also called on the international community to help his government set up a new coast guard to address the problem of piracy.
"It is our duty to pursue these criminals not only on the high seas, but also on terra firma," he said to loud applause.
Those comments may ignore reality. Ahmed's administration has not gone after pirates who flash their cash in the coastal cities because pirate leaders currently wield more power than his shaky government.
In the past year, pirates have hijacked dozens of ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, a key shipping lane linking Asia via the Suez Canal to Europe. Piracy experts estimate the seafaring gangs took in about $80 million in ransom payments in 2008.
Nearly a dozen nations and organizations - including the U.S., the European Union NATO, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea - have deployed warships to the region, but the fleet has been unable to stop hijackings along Somalia's 1,900-mile-long (3,100-kilometer) coastline.
Associated Press writers Deborah Seward, Robert Wielaard, Constant Brand and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.

Open letter to participants in the Somali Donors' Conference

Medeshi
Amnesty International - EU Office
Dear Mr Solana,
Open letter to participants in the Somali Donors' Conference
In advance of the upcoming donors conference on Somalia in Brussels on 23 April 2009, Amnesty International is urging you to place the protection of the human rights for all Somalis at the center of your efforts to support Somalia’s Transitional Federal Institutions.
The donors conference, convened by the United Nations Secretary-General as requested by Security Council Resolution 1863(2009), is intended to solicit contributions for both the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for needs not covered by the United Nations logistical support package, and to support the Somali transitional security institutions. The re-establishment, training and retention of Somali judicial and security forces, encompassing military, police, and judiciary, is a monumental task, particularly given the challenge of ensuring such security institutions comply with human rights, are transparent and accountable, and subject to civilian oversight.
The existing National Security Force (the Somali armed forces) comprises a group of ex-Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and ex-Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) forces. These forces, estimated about 3,000 strong, are joint forces in name only, and still commanded by local security authorities. The Somali Police Force, in turn, consists of some 2,700 members, with a similar lack of clarity regarding composition, and command and control.

Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have documented war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other grave human rights abuses that have been committed by all parties to the conflict in Somalia since the beginning of 2007. These have included violations committed by forces of the Transitional Federal Government, over a period of time when they were receiving funding from international donors and support from the UN. For further information, please see our report Routinely Targeted: Attacks on Civilians in Somalia.

In spite of this history of involvement in human rights violations, it is Amnesty International's understanding that no personnel from any of the Somali National Security Forces have been vetted, and some of those currently active or being considered for service could be responsible for human rights abuses that have characterized the conflict in Somalia over the years. It is therefore essential that, in order to assess human rights compliance by these forces, credible national and international human rights monitoring must be established as soon as possible.
It is Amnesty International's assessment that the provision of funding and equipment to Somali security forces in such a conflict-ridden environment without first resolving issues of vetting, accountability, transparency and good governance of armed forces represents funding without oversight. International donor funding without oversight, however inadvertent, seriously risks providing additional support to individuals and groups who may have committed and could continue to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and other grave human rights violations. Such funding could also exacerbate the conflict, the opposite of its presumed intent.

A related issue is with regard to the current UN arms embargo on Somalia. In accordance with recent UN Security Council resolutions, it is crucial to maintain and strengthen the UN arms embargo on Somalia, including the requirement that all armed forces active in Somalia, as well as the Somali transitional armed forces, must request exemptions to import security-related material and equipment into Somalia. Donor governments should insist on adherence to this requirement with the transitional government. Donor governments should also contribute funding, as well as information and political support to the UN Monitoring Group, to improve enforcement of the embargo, to stem the tide of weapons into Somalia and prevent further human rights abuses against civilians.
In the absence of a permanent United Nations presence in Somalia, most particularly in Mogadishu, and similarly limited international diplomatic, humanitarian, human rights monitoring and protection presence, any UN support for security sector institutions would by necessity rely heavily on local partner organizations, making the possibility of independent and impartial monitoring, and the establishment of accountability and oversight systems difficult. Amnesty International is of the opinion that mechanisms of vetting, accountability, transparency and oversight, with international participation, should be in place before funds and equipment are transferred to any Somali security institution, and are incorporated into any support package for security forces. Such accountability mechanisms should include public monitoring and reporting as well as building the capacity for independent investigation into possible human rights violations, and mechanisms to ensure full adherence with current arms embargo requirements.
The Justice and Reconciliation Working Group established in late 2008 during the Djibouti peace talks, has to date failed to make progress towards its mandated objectives. The main task of this group should be to advance the establishment of mechanisms, such as concrete initial steps towards an international Commission of Inquiry, to investigate past abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law. Such a Commission of Inquiry could make a specific contribution to the vetting process for security and other potential government officials, in addition to sending a strong message that perpetrators of human rights abuses in Somalia will be held to account, and laying the ground work for a future justice mechanism to do so.
Amnesty International welcomes your participation in this important conference, and you commitment to pledge support for Somalia. However, any potential donations to address Somalia’s many significant needs must first be accompanied by support to establish mechanisms to ensure that the rights of Somali civilians are protected. We hope that the above recommendations from Amnesty International will inform decisions at the donors conference this month.
Thank you for your serious attention to these important matters. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like additional information. We look forward to hearing your reply.

Yours sincerely,
Director,
Amnesty International EU Office

Obama Open to Prosecuting Bush Officials Over Abuse

Medeshi

Obama Open to Prosecuting Bush Officials Over Abuse

President Talks of Independent Panel on Interrogation Policy
By Michael A. Fletcher and Perry Bacon Jr.

Washington Post Staff Writers

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
President Obama yesterday declined to rule out legal consequences for Bush administration officials who authorized the harsh interrogation techniques applied to "high-value" terrorism suspects, saying the attorney general should determine whether they broke the law.
Obama also said that if Congress is intent on investigating the enhanced interrogation practices, an independent commission might offer a better means to do so than a congressional panel, which he indicated is more likely to split along partisan lines than to produce constructive results.
Obama last week released a statement that left open the possibility of legal jeopardy for those who formulated the interrogation policy, which critics say amounted to torture, but his comments marked the first time that he has explicitly raised the prospect. They also reversed his administration's apparent opposition to prosecuting those officials -- a stance taken Sunday by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
While Obama defended his opposition to holding CIA interrogators legally accountable, he did not extend that posture to those who created a legal foundation for the policy.
"For those who carried out some of these operations within the four corners of legal opinions or guidance that had been provided from the White House, I do not think it's appropriate for them to be prosecuted," Obama told reporters at the White House. "With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions, I would say that that is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws, and I don't want to prejudge that."
Asked whether there had been a change in policy, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "I don't think so, no. I think, again, the president has stated on any number of occasions -- and as he stated today -- in saying, I think we should be looking forward and not backward."
The president's remarks came as he was under fire from critics on both the left and the right for his handling of formerly classified Office of Legal Counsel memos in which Bush administration officials authorized the interrogation techniques, which Obama banned in the early days of his presidency.
After a lengthy internal debate, Obama released the memos late last week, saying that CIA employees who operated under their guidance should not face legal consequences. That position was opposed by some lawmakers and activists, who said someone should be held accountable for what they considered torture.
Critics on the right, including former vice president Richard B. Cheney, said that Obama was jeopardizing national security by releasing the memos. Obama officials have noted that the techniques have been discussed in news reports and even publicly by former president George W. Bush.
That divide remained evident yesterday.
"I am pleased that the president made clear that he has not ruled out investigations or prosecutions of those who authorized torture, or provided the legal justification for it. Horrible abuses were committed in the name of the American people, and we cannot look the other way or just move on," said Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.). "The final decision will be up to the attorney general and the president, but I urge the Justice Department to take this matter very seriously."
But some Republicans questioned Obama's move. "There is a lot of gray, there's going to be an awful lot of conflict out there," said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), adding: "They would be well served not to depart abruptly from the policies that have kept us safe the last seven years."
Concern about the intense political feelings surrounding the issue shadowed White House deliberations about how to handle the interrogation memos. The idea of a "9/11-style" commission appointed with the president's imprimatur was broadly discussed in the weeks leading up to the release of the memos, according to senior White House officials who participated in the discussions.
But the idea was quashed by Obama, who said that such a panel would provide a forum for a renewed national argument over torture and the broader question about the fight against terrorism.
"His concern was that would ratchet the whole thing up," a senior White House official said. "His whole thing is: I banned all this. This chapter is over. What we don't need now is to become a sort of feeding frenzy where we go back and re-litigate all this."
In the private discussions, Obama acknowledged that Congress might pursue such a course, aides said. But the president was clear: He did not want to put his stamp of approval on a commission.
That, coupled with Emanuel's statement Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that the president thought those who devised the interrogation policy should not be prosecuted, made Obama's comments yesterday surprising.
The Bush Justice Department wrote three of the memos in 2005 in response to a request from John A. Rizzo, senior deputy general counsel at the CIA, who wanted to ensure the agency's interrogation procedures complied with laws and international treaties. The memos were prepared by Steven G. Bradbury, who led the department's Office of Legal Counsel. A fourth was drafted with the help of Jay S. Bybee, who served in the OLC before Bush named him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and John C. Yoo, who became a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Telephone messages left for the three were not immediately returned, and a CIA spokesman said Rizzo declined to comment.
One memo said the agency had used waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning, 183 times on detainee Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein, known as Abu Zubaida, was waterboarded 83 times, the memo stated.
"The department's Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an ongoing review into OLC memos on interrogation techniques to determine whether they were consistent with the professional standards that apply to department attorneys," said Justice Department spokesman Matthew A. Miller. "We have no comment at this time on the outcome of that review or on other possible investigations."
Staff writers Spencer S. Hsu and Michael D. Shear contributed to this report.

SOMALIA: Drought-affected flock to towns in central region

Medeshi

SOMALIA: Drought-affected flock to towns in central region
NAIROBI, 22 April 2009 (IRIN) - More and more drought-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) are flocking to towns across Somalia's central region of Galgadud in search of food, despite the onset of the `Gu’ rains (April-June), local officials told IRIN.
"Some 550 families [3,300 people] have arrived in Abudwaq from rural areas after losing their livestock," said Abdirizak Abdullahi Warsame, a doctor with Hadia Medical Swiss-Somalia, an NGO supported by Somalis in the diaspora and the Swiss government, and operating in Abudwaq District.
Warsame, the only doctor in the town, said people were coming into town because the rains had been "light and patchy".
He said his organisation was providing medical help and water to the camps but this was not enough; the IDPs require food, shelter and more water.
"We are seeing malnutrition cases among the IDPs on the increase," Warsame said.
He said they had written to aid agencies but had so far not received any assistance.
In a 15 April report, the Food Security Analysis Unit of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/FSAU) for Somalia warned that drought-affected populations in the central region faced a continuing deterioration in their food security and nutritional situation as a result of the unusually prolonged and harsh dry `Jilaal’ season (January-April).
Ali Sheikh Mahamud, the Guri-Eil district commissioner, said thousands of drought-affected IDPs people were camped in Guri-Eil town.
"We have 11 camps around the town populated by IDPs and almost 70 percent of them are drought affected," he said, adding that the IDP population in the area was estimated at 10,000 families (60,000 people).
Mahamud said: "Those from Mogadishu have begun returning, but these [the drought-affected] are not going anywhere.”
Livelihoods lost
Halima Ismail, who coordinates activities for IIDA, a local NGO, and represents CISP, an Italian NGO, in Galgadud, said: "The problem with these IDPs, unlike normal IDPs, is that they have nowhere to return to. They have lost their livelihoods."
Ismail said the region's economy was based mainly on livestock and "the loss of livestock by the nomads affects the entire economy of the region."
She said a new approach was needed to deal with the problem. The main options were a livestock restocking programme or training to help people get a skill and make a living.
A humanitarian worker in the region who requested anonymity told IRIN that one of the main problems facing Galagadud "was the lack of an effective local authority with which aid agencies can partner".
However, Mahamud said the security situation in the region had improved and that aid agencies willing to work "will find a very receptive environment".
The aid worker said the drought-displaced were scattered, mostly in the towns of Guri-Eil, Abudwaq, Adado, Balanbale and Dusamareb, the regional capital.
Appeal by US aid agencies
Meanwhile, six US aid agencies working in Somalia have appealed to US President Barack Obama to respond to the humanitarian crisis.
The agencies - American Friends Service Committee, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Refugees International and World Concern - said in a statement issued on 20 April, as the latest piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia captured the world's attention, "the country remains in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis," with three million people in need of emergency assistance.
They said "the humanitarian crisis requires massive support from the international community and in particular the US."
The agencies said only US$251 million had been raised despite the consolidated humanitarian appeal for 2009 of $918 million.
The low response to the appeal could force aid agencies to scale back life-saving programmes in parts of the country. "President Obama must work with US allies to ensure that the Somali people receive life sustaining food, water and shelter," the agencies said.
In a separate statement, ahead of a donor's conference on Somalia in Brussels on 23 April, IRC said the piracy situation must not divert attention from the humanitarian crisis.
“The piracy epidemic is just one symptom of the appalling humanitarian conditions and chronic instability in Somalia,” said Bruce Hickling, who oversees IRC aid programmes in Somalia.

Waterboarding: A Mental and Physical Trauma

Medeshi

Waterboarding: A Mental and Physical Trauma
By Bryan Walsh Monday, Apr. 20, 2009

(Photo: A US soldier and a Vietnamese interpreter use the "waterboarding" technique on a Viet Cong suspect near Da Nang, South Vietnam, January 17, 1968.)

In Chile, they called it submarino, a form of simulated drowning that has much the same effect as what we call waterboarding. During Augusto Pinochet's 17-year-long dictatorship, thousands of Chileans were detained by the military and subjected to torture. During the submarino, they were forcibly submerged in a tank of water, over and over again, until they were on the edge of drowning. (The Chilean military liked to foul the water with urine, feces or worse, something that—so far—hasn't been known to be a part of U.S. waterboarding of terrorism suspects.) Submarino became a popular tool for military interrogators, in part because it left relatively few permanent physical marks.
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But the impact on the torture victim's mind was lasting. After Pinochet's fall in 1990, the new civilian government in Chile investigated incidents of alleged torture, and found deep scars. Years after they were tortured, submarino victims were still haunted. A 2007 study in the International Review of the Red Cross found that "the acute suffering produced during the immediate infliction of the submarino is superseded by the often unbearable fear of repeating the experience. In the aftermath, it may lead to horrific memories that persist in the form of recurrent 'drowning nightmares.'" As one Chilean who was tortured by submarino under Pinochet put it: "Even today I wake up because of having nightmares of dying from drowning." (Read "Obama: No Prosecution for Waterboarding.")
The news that the U.S. waterboarded one al-Qaeda prisoner, Abu Zubaydah, at least 83 times, and another, the confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 183 times, has given new energy to the debate over whether U.S. interrogation methods amounted to torture. Defenders of waterboarding say that the procedure, while awful for the prisoner, is relatively safe and has few long-term effects. But doctors and psychologists who work with torture victims disagree strongly. They say that victims of American waterboarding—like the Chileans submitted to the submarino under Pinochet—are likely to be psychologically damaged for life.
"This is an utterly terrifying event," says Allen Keller, the director of the Bellevue/New York University School of Medicine Program for Survivors of Torture. "Psychologically this can result in significant long-term post traumatic stress, and produce anxiety and depression."
Defenders of the procedure have pointed to the fact that American soldiers are put through a form of waterboarding during the military's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape program, as training for the possibility of capture. But Keller points out that being waterboarded during training, as scary as it might be, bears little resemblance to what a detainee would endure. "The trainees know that they are not going to be hurt," he says. "When someone's being tortured there are no such guarantees. There is no reason to believe they aren't going to be drowned."
If a prisoner is waterboarded repeatedly, as Zubaydah and Mohammed were, it's tempting to believe that the effect would lessen over time; that the victim would no longer fear drowning, knowing that his interrogator would stop the process in time. But waterboarding can be so intense—and the fear of drowning so primal—that each time would be a fresh trauma. Worse, being waterboarded repeatedly raises the possibility that something could go wrong and the detainee could, in fact, drown. (Read "Torture Memos Released.")
"Done 183 times on a single person, each flood of water, each subsequent near-death experience, increases the possibility of debilitating and irreparable harm," says Brad Olson, a research professor of psychology at Northwestern University. "The cumulative impact of this waterboarding is tremendous. It's going to produce permanent psychological damage even in the most resilient human."
Keller, who treats victims at Bellevue, agrees that psychological effects of asphyxiation torture like waterboarding can be insidiously long-lived. One patient whose head was repeatedly submerged during torture has constant flashbacks. "Every time he has a shower, he panics," says Keller. One victim panics every time he becomes the least bit short of breath, even during exercise. And in most cases, it is the helplessness the victims endured under torture that renders the experience ineradicable. "They fear that loss of control," says Keller. "That's what is so terrifying."
It can take years for psychological scars to show, and to truly gauge the long-term psychological impact of torture, psychologists need to follow up with victims well after they are released. That may never happen with detainees like Zubaydah and Mohammed—meaning we may never know the final wages of what CIA agents did in dark rooms under our name. But there should be no doubt now that we tortured. "That we would still be having a discussion about whether or not waterboarding is torture is so disingenuous," says Keller. "They should come out and say what it is."

Senate Report Links CIA To Military's Harsh Tactics

Medeshi
Senate Report Links CIA To Military's Harsh Tactics

NPR.org, April 22, 2009 · The brutal treatment of terror detainees and prisoners by members of the military followed directly from the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques, according to a Senate report that is likely to add fuel to the debate over the United States' use of torture.
The 232-page report released Tuesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee came less than a week after President Barack Obama released Bush-era memos that detailed the use of harsh tactics by the CIA.
The report documents the Bush administration's growing reliance on harsh interrogations that began just two months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. It also ties those unyielding interrogation policies to the abuses of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military authorities at the Abu Ghraib prison as well as to interrogations at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in Afghanistan.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the report shows that abuse of terror detainees and combat prisoners was systematic.
"Authorizations of aggressive interrogation techniques by senior officials resulted in abuse and conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in U.S. military custody," Levin said.
The Senate investigation has been in a Pentagon security review since Nov. 21, 2008. Its findings were drawn from more than 70 interviews and 200,000 pages of classified and unclassified documents.
"In my judgment," Levin said, "the report represents a condemnation of both the Bush administration's interrogation policies and of senior administration officials who attempted to shift the blame for abuse such as that seen at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan to low-ranking soldiers."
Obama said Tuesday that Justice Department officials who authorized harsh interrogation techniques are not immune from prosecution.
"With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions," the president said, "that is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws, and I don't want to prejudge that."
Obama also said he could support a bipartisan inquiry into Bush-era detention policies.
Attorney General Eric Holder had no comment. There is a Justice Department investigation into whether department lawyers who wrote the interrogation memos violated professional guidelines. Holder may be waiting to see that report before he makes a decision on prosecutions.
Since last week, the administration has consistently said CIA officials won't be prosecuted for following Justice Department legal guidance in good faith. That language leaves out at least three groups:
- CIA officials who conducted harsh interrogations before the Justice Department provided legal guidance.
- CIA officials who went beyond what the Justice Department said was legal.
- Justice Department officials who provided legal guidance endorsing harsh interrogations.
The three men facing the most scrutiny are former Justice Department officials Jay Bybee, John Yoo and Steven Bradbury. Bybee is currently a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Yoo is a professor at the University of California Berkeley.
From NPR staff and wire reports.
Read full report here: Inquiry Into The Treatment Of Detainees In U.S. Custody

EU pledges 60 mln euros for security in Somalia

Medeshi
EU pledges 60 mln euros for security in Somalia
22 Apr 2009 12:00:03 GMT 22 Apr 2009
Source: Reuters
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters - The European Union pledged at least 60 million euros ($77.54 million) on Wednesday to support security forces in Somalia and African Union peacekeepers based in the conflict ridden region.
The European Commission made the announcement a day before an international conference in Brussels that will seek funds to boost security in Somalia, which faces an insurgency and is used as a base for pirates attacking global shipping.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the pirate attacks had been "a wake-up call to the international community" but a military response -- which has included the deployment of EU and NATO naval forces -- was not enough.
"Supporting Somalia's future security set-up is critical," he said in a statement, which said security would be established at sea only if there was stability on land.
"The only real and viable solution is to help Somalia from within: by pooling international efforts and supporting the new government to build security, peace and stability," Barroso said.
Thursday's conference will test support for Somalia's new government which says it needs more money to improve security and help provide jobs for unemployed young men, giving them alternatives to piracy and other violence.
The meeting will be hosted by the European Commission and chaired by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and African Union Chairman Jean Ping. It will aim to raise at least $165 million to boost security for the next 12 months.
EU aid commissioner Louis Michel called on the rest of the international community to "dig deep".
Somalia's government has expressed its commitment to building a civilian police force of 10,000 personnel and a 6,000-strong national security force and has said this will require international funding. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Farah Master)

U.S. takes new look at Somalia strategy

Medeshi
U.S. takes new look at Somalia strategy
Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:47pm BST
* U.S. looks for new strategy on Somalia*
Still searching for embassy bombers*
Support for government could backfire
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - Piracy off its shores has made Somalia an early challenge for the Obama administration, which is grappling to devise a new strategy that will not replicate past failed U.S. policies in the Horn of Africa.
The immediate goal, say U.S. officials, is to bolster Somalia's new government and its moderate Islamist president, seen by many as the best hope of bringing stability to the lawless country after 18 years of turmoil.
As a starting point, the United States plans to help fund the country's nascent security force. An overall review of U.S. strategy is looking at what else Washington could do to stabilize the capital Mogadishu and surrounding areas while at the same time tackling the piracy scourge.
But if the United States is too public in its support of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, it could backfire and embolden hardliners, with the new leader being branded as Washington's puppet.
"When the United States embraces a government in Somalia, we de-legitimize it. It is this awful sort of double-edged sword," a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters.
The State Department's key Africa diplomat, acting Assistant Secretary of State Phillip Carter, said Washington had learned from its mistakes of the 1990s when a peacekeeping mission ended in shambles and U.S. forces withdrew.
The United States had no desire to "drive this process" and would let the Somalis push their own peace process forward.
"It can't be a made in the USA kind of thing," said Carter, who will be the U.S. envoy at a donors conference for Somalia in Brussels later this week.
SECURITY THREAT
The Obama administration is deciding how to balance U.S. security interests with Somalia's own political future.
Somalia is seen as a poster child for security threats emanating from Africa, but following the "retributive military strikes" of the Bush administration is not the answer, said Somalia expert John Prendergast.
"Airstrikes during the Bush administration occasionally took out one or two targets on the ground but inspired hundreds more Somalis to join the jihadist insurgency," Prendergast said.
The Bush administration tacitly approved a 2006 invasion by Somalia's regional rival Ethiopia to crush supposed al Qaeda activity and this boosted local suspicion of the U.S. role.
"Absent a state-building strategy, muscle-flexing military approaches are counter-productive for counter-terrorism," added Prendergast, chair of the advocacy group, the Enough Project.
A brazen attack this month on a U.S.-flagged carrier has re-focused attention on fighting piracy off Somalia, with some in the military weighing up hitting pirate camps on land. [nN20517909]
But U.S. air strikes or land raids in Puntland, where most of the pirates are based, were very unlikely, said the defense official, because of the high risk of civilian deaths and the fallout that would follow.
The pirates would then seek common cause with Islamist militants such as Somalia's al Shabaab group, a powerful al Qaeda-aligned group who control large swathes of territory.
However, the United States is looking for cooperation from the new government in tracking down al Qaeda operatives in Somalia, including those suspected of the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
"There are still a couple of really bad guys out there that we would not mind seeing depart from the planet," said the defense official.
POLITICAL SPACE
Somalia's new government is trying to reconcile warring factions, possibly bringing in militants like Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Mogadishu in 2006
Somali expert Ken Menkhaus said the United States needed to provide "political space" for individuals like Aweys, who is on Washington's list of foreign terrorists, to make public commitments to renounce terrorism.
"We need to provide a certain amount of flexibility in these negotiations," said Menkhaus, a professor at Davidson College and former special advisor to the U.N. operation in Somalia.
The State Department's Carter said it was unclear what kind of role Aweys wanted to play. "He has been a spoiler and he is a person of concern for us," he said.
Carter said the United States was banking on a "lot of disillusionment" on behalf of Somalis, both toward groups like al Shabaab as well as spoilers in political reconciliation.
"This is probably the best opportunity that Somalia has had in a long time to develop a sustainable peace and get the country on some kind of a development path. But it is very risky." (Additional reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Patricia Wilson and Paul Simao)