Ecoterra Press Release 225 – The Somalia Chronicle June – December 2009, no 37

Following the Somalia Spring 2009 Chronicles, I herewith republish the Ecoterra press releases issued in the second half of 2009. I reproduce the integral version of all Ecoterra press releases in a recapitulative effort to provide the global readership with the most comprehensive collection of texts published worldwide about the most abominable Western postcolonial involvement in Africa, namely the systematic effort of extermination of the Somali Nation. The vast documentation provided serves as basic point of reference to students, researchers, analysts and intellectuals.

ECOTERRA Intl.

SMCM
Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor

ECOTERRA INTERNATIONAL - UPDATES & STATEMENTS, REVIEW & CLEARING-HOUSE
2009-08-07 FRI 23h55:08 UTC
Issue No. 225

A Voice from the Truth- & Justice-Seekers, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or elsewhere, and who neither benefit from global naval militarization, from the illegal fishing and dumping in Somali waters or the piracy of merchant vessels, nor from the booming insurance business or the exorbitant ransom-, risk-management- or security industry, while neither the protection of the sea, the development of fishing communities or the humanitarian assistance to abducted seafarers and their families is receiving the required adequate attention, care and funding.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

EA ILLEGAL FISHING AND DUMPING HOTLINE: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed) - email: somalia[at]ecoterra.net
EA Seafarers Assistance Programme EMERGENCY HELPLINE : SMS to +254-738-497979 or sms/call +254-733-633-733

"The pirates must not be allowed to destroy our dream !"
Cpt. Florent Lemaçon - F/Y Tanit - killed by French commandos - 10. April 2009 / Ras Hafun
NON A LA GUERRE - YES FOR PEACE
(Inscription on the sail of F/Y TANIT - shot down on day one of the French assault)

"... obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears, and that any group of people who are degrading another group of people have to be fought against with whatever tools we have available to us. "
B. H. Obama - US-American President, who said also: The world has changed ! YES, WE CAN !

Clearing-House: Cut out the clutter - focus on facts !
(If you find this compilation too large or if you can't grasp the multitude and magnitude of important inter-related complex issues influencing the Horn of Africa - you better do not deal with Somalia or other man-made "conflict zones". We try to make it as condensed as possibly.)

Breaking:

Cargo owners of ship released by pirates from Somalia are the new hostages

Some cargo owners already feared that they were in another bad film and raised an alarm when the German-owned cargo vessel MV HANSA STAVANGER turned first north from Somalia after her release from pirate's hands. An hour later the CEO of the shipping company, Mr. Frank Leonhardt, announced that she turned around and then was escorted to Mombasa in Kenya, where she would arrive on Thursday. By Friday night she still is not there, though she is expected now Saturday. The long delay might also have been caused by medical teams and forensic specialists having some work to do, since the ship has been now declared a crime scene, and in addition the crew has been intensively briefed what to say and what not.

But the big shock for the owners of the around 1070 containers on board the vessel came this morning in form of a declaration by the company, which had been appointed by the ship owners LEONHARDT & BLUMBERG of Hamburg to handle the cargo issues. Therein Stichling-Hahn-Hilbrich Ltd. with offices in the piracy hub London, in Hamburg and Limassol demands from the cargo owners a downpayment of 40% of the cargo value in cash as security for the general average process, if the cargo and container owners have no other insurance to which they could channel the claims, before any container is released. The text reads:

"In the event that the goods are not insured, Cargo Insurers are not prepared to sign the General Average Guarantee in the tendered wording or Shipowners do not accept the Guarantee tendered, a Cash Deposit of the US Dollar equivalent of 40% (Forty per cent) of the CIF, respectively the C&F, value of each cargo / container interest will be required as General Average security. The Cash Deposit should be remitted into the following designated Trust Account (with) DEUTSCHE BANK AG."

So far not one of the cargo owners has given in to these demands of the shipping company and their General Average handlers, which had been made earlier with a request for 25%, and a major legal battle is expected. Also the Kenya Ports Authority then stands to win: In form of the exorbitant storage costs, because the containers might not be released for some time.

Its like in the casino - the bank always wins - and in piracy the pirates as well as the insurances and ship-owners seem to be always the final winners - of course with all the whirly lawyers in between-, while the loosers are the seafarers and the cargo owners - and here maybe even many more, because the held containers will further congest the container terminal in Mombasa.

Many cargo owners are outraged, because many lost the contracts for whoich the good of their cargo were destined and now they shall be in addition the ones, who hold the ship-owners damage free.

The Hansa Stavanger allegedly on her way from Jebel Ali in the UAE to Mombasa was reportedly captured 400nm off Kisimaayo and near the Seychelles, which rised eyebrows at to the true route and location of sea-jacking.

News from sea-jackings, abductions, newly attacked ships and vessels in distress

MV ARIANA has stopped and the vessel with 24 Ukrainians on board is now held around 50nm north of Hobyo. While Ukrainian authorities remain mum, no medical help has come forward for the crew.

German ship released by pirates arrives in Mombasa (Africa News)

A German container ship released on Monday by Somali pirates after four months in captivity has arrived at the Kenyan port of Mombasa, a port official said Saturday.

A port security official said that the Hansa Stavanger arrived late on Friday evening and was now waiting offshore to be cleared to dock on Saturday morning. "The German ship with 24 crew members is in Mombasa but has to be cleared to dock at the port, and that must be done tomorrow morning," he told AFP.

According to an earlier schedule, the ship was due to dock at around 10am (0700GMT) on Saturday.

The pirate gang released the ship after receiving a 2.7 million dollar ransom, one of the pirates told dpa.

The ship's owner, Hamburg-based company Leonhardt & Blumberg, has come under fire for paying a ransom and thus encouraging piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The Hansa Stavanger was seized on April 4 around 400 nautical miles off the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles.

The 20,000-ton ship has five Germans, three Russians, two Filipinos, two Ukrainians, 11 Tuvalus and 1 Fiji sailor onboard.

The captain, in a first interview after the release, confirmed the reports that members of the crew had been carried away on land during the four month ordeal and that mock-executions as well as other forms of psycho-terror were applied. During the whole time the ship-owner had not managed to send additional supplies or medcine to the vessel.

The increase in hijackings comes despite the presence of dozens of international warships.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 12 foreign vessels (11 if M/S IO EXPLORER is truly "gone") with a total of not less than 168 crew members are accounted for (of which 42 are confirmed to be Filipinos) and are held in Somali waters. They are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed. MV JAIKUR 1 remains in Mogadishu harbor, but is an insurance and not a piracy case - all foreign crew was evacuated. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) had been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 151 attacks (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 47 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least three wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces. More than 116 Somalis are held in foreign prisons under charges of piracy. Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail. In the last four years, 22 missing ships have been traced back with different names, flags and superstructures. Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season in winter and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon season starting from mid February and early April every year.

Present multi-factorial risk assessment code: GoA: YELLOW IO: YELLOW (Red = Very much likely, high season; Orange = Reduced risk, but very likely, Yellow = significantly reduced risk, but still likely, Blue = possible, Green = unlikely). Allegedly still/again two groups from Puntland alone are out hunting on the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean, where also groups from Harardheere have set out again, despite the heavy seas and the rough weather.

Directly piracy or naval upsurge related reports

The extended and endless postponements of piracy cases in Kenya is a clear violation of the EU council decision based on the agreement between the EU and Kenya.

Somali Pirates’ Kenya Trial Postponed Until October
By Sarah McGregor

The trial in Kenya of 11 Somali men accused of attacking a Liberian-registered cargo vessel was adjourned until October to give the defense time to mount a proper case, according to their lawyer.

The men, whose trial started on Aug. 2, have been in custody in Kenya since April 22 after the French warship Nivose captured them off Somalia’s coast for allegedly trying to hijack the Safmarine Asia, the charge sheet shows. They were found with four AK-47s, 199 rounds of ammunition and three knives, it said.

The 11 men claim to be innocent fishermen armed to protect themselves at sea, said Avi Singh, a dual U.S.-Indian citizen leading the defense, said by phone today from Delhi, India.

Kenya, which borders Somalia, became a venue for piracy trials after signing prisoner-transfer pacts this year with the U.S., the U.K. and the European Union in exchange for legal and logistical support.

Somalia is unable to host the trials because its legal system has disintegrated following 18 years of civil war.

Piracy in Kenya is punishable by a maximum sentence of lifetime in prison.

The U.S., the U.K. and the European Union are demanding that Kenya improve its corruption-prone legal system, a problem highlighted yesterday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a public dialogue on the second-day of a visit to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

"Why hire a lawyer when you can buy a judge," is a phrase often repeated in Kenya, Clinton said, adding the parlance "tragically sums up" the reality.

U.S. Support

The U.S. will provide more support to help Kenya shoulder the burden of detaining pirates, Clinton said at a press conference on Aug. 4, standing next to the country’s Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula. She didn’t give details.

"Kenya offered to receive the pirates, to hold the pirates. We want to provide more assistance to Kenya, which is offering this very important service," she said.

To date, funds provided to the prosecution and courts have not been matched by resources to help accused hijackers defend themselves, said Singh.

Singh, who is volunteering for the France-based legal aid network Lawyers of the World, said the organization this week received permission to defend 43 suspected pirates in a bid to help improve their chances of a fair trial.

Kenyan Office

The Paris-based network of human-rights lawyers plans to set up an office in Kenya, in conjunction with local lawyers, to ensure the detainment and prosecution of piracy suspects abides by international standards.

That may include coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver food, medicine and other supplies to inmates charged with piracy.

More than 110 suspected Somali pirates have been dropped off at Kenya’s Mombasa port by foreign navies since 2006, of which 10 were convicted, lost their appeal in May and are serving 7-year jail terms.

The number of piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden escalated to 130 in the first half of 2009 from 24 a year-earlier, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Tomorrow, the German-flagged Hansa Stavanger and its crew will be escorted by the EU’s anti-piracy force into Mombasa’s port after being freed from Somali pirates on Aug. 4. The ship was taken four months ago about 400 miles (645 kilometers) east of Kenya, with its 24-man crew including 12 nationals of Tuvalu, five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians and two Filipinos.

Kenya: No link between Somali businesses and pirate money
By Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale

Somalis are investing their business in Nairobi, Mombassa, Nakuru and other places in Kenya. Eastleigh a little neighborhood commonly known "as the little Mogadishu" in Nairobi is the largest Somali business center in Kenya and one of the largest market place in East and Central Africa for textiles.

Eastleigh became the second home for the Somali community after war erupted in Somalia since 1991 and the country has been facing one of the severest humanitarian crisis in the world – millions fled, and thousands lost their lives. Since then the country was upsurge of derailing political upheavals causing many Somalis to refuge and find places to restart their future in neighboring countries including Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

However, many Somalis who are Somali Kenyans and other from Somalia have a business in Kenya like Eastleigh some of them do their business in big shops "known as shopping mall centers"-impressive multi store, some use the normal retail shops and others are as hawkers, peddles and majority who were unable to get such stores opt for their hands.

How does Somalis Money come into Kenya?

Somali's Money is coming to Kenya from Kenyan-Somali's, Somali Diaspora who don't want to invest their money into the war town Somalia because of the increasing violence day after day and Somali Refugees who got their capital from their family living in western countries.

The last two years Somali businessmen who fled from Somalia earlier 2007 when Ethiopian troops who backed Somali government arrived in Mogadishu by force had started new hub of their business in Kenya.

Somalis are investing their money into real estates, shopping malls, hotels and supermarkets and the areas they invest are Nairobi, Mombassa, Nakuru, Kisumu, North Eastern and other districts in Kenya.

Kenyan businessmen in Eastleigh have different ideas of the booming Somali business most of them they see that Somali's are developing the country but it's not good for the poor people because of increasing of every thing like rent of the houses.

A young man who reluctant to give me his name, but tells me he is called George N told Garowe Online "in here –Eastleigh- it's not good for poor people, prices of the houses are increasing day after day so for the poor people it's not good for them because of the expensive rents of the houses" he added Somalis now have developed Eastleigh with big business because they have big money and they have supporters.

Is pirates' money invested in Kenya?

"Last months there were increasing reports which were saying Pirates money are funded in Kenya by Somali's who are suspected they are linked by pirates or the pirates them selves but there is no one until now who proved the pirates money is funded in Kenya" said Hussein Mohamed Aar deputy of the chairman of Eastleigh business community.

Mr. Hussein added that Somali community were having business in Kenya before 1960s and we are Kenyan we have right to make business, to buy houses, to build shopping malls, to make more and more even if we can buy all the lands in Nairobi we will buy because we have right of all and we will not avoid our rights for anybody.

One of the Eastleigh business community who was not authorized to speak to the media told me that the Kenyan-Somali's from Diaspora were bringing a total of $40 million monthly for massive investments in the real estate and other business ventures that has accordingly led to high prices of land. This has caused the increasing rents of houses and prices of the land where Somali community has established.

Mr. Hussein said Garowe Online "money of the pirates got ransom the last year was $32 million and we are investing our business in Kenya $billions of dollars and our business was started before 1960s, the time we started our business there was no piracy, and what I am asking my self is that business started before 1960s can be related to pirates who started from Somalia after 1990s it's impossible for people to say like that" Hussein added now the Kenyan-Somali's are planning to make factories to be part of country's development.

Pirates are coming from Somalia into Kenya, one of the pirates who came in Kenya across the border that I met with him in Eastleigh earlier this year who described his name as Mohamed Gedi, 24 years told me "I have $60 thousand that I got from of a ship that I was one the pirates who hijacked late 2008 that, but the reason I came here is to go to the western countries me and my family, we can't go back to our homeland there is no peace and stability and that is the reason that I am going to the western countries" Mr. Gedi added that he was interesting to be pirate and hijack more ships until the end of his life but his family forced to go to the western countries to start new life.

Hassan Farah, a Somali pirate pirate based in Harardhere, a hub for pirates said he once got 25 thousand dollars from ship they hijacked and bought a speed boat his share to hijack more ships to get more money.

"My decision is that I want to take all my family out of this country because there is no hope that peace is prevailing in Somalia so I am trying to get enough money from the illegal fishing ships that we hijack to get access to go Europe," said Hassan Farah.

Somali community in Kenya are leading booming business in Eastleigh, Nairobi Kenya, the largest market for textiles in east and central Africa but most of them are Kenyan-Somali's and there is also small number of Somalis who came from the war-torn Somalia but have the real documents to stay and work in Kenya.

India's dhow sailors fear pirates who rule high seas
By Anna Cunningham (AFP)

Building and sailing wooden boats or dhows has been the mainstay of local life and work for generations in the village of Salaya, on India's western Gujarati coast.

The boats are moored for repairs during the monsoon season, giving the men who sail them a chance to relax and celebrate the many weddings and religious festivals that add vibrant splashes of colour and deafening sound to the muddy streets.

But this year's rains also bring another dark cloud as the new trading season approaches -- fear that a spate of hijackings by heavily-armed pirates off the Somali coast will be repeated when the boats put to sea once more.

Imran Anwar, 24, sails on the Shah em Shah Medina, plying a route over the often uninviting, stormy waters of the Arabian Sea between India, the Gulf and the Horn of Africa.

Last trading season, pirates armed with rocket launchers, hand grenades and firearms in three speedboats seized the motorised dhow soon after it had delivered a cargo to the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

"They took control and told us they wanted to find an oil tanker or a container ship and forced us to sail, threatening us," he told AFP TV.

"After travelling 600 nautical miles, we reached near a big container ship, but they weren't able to capture it.

"We travelled another 24 hours, then they abandoned us. It was really tough and frightening for all of us. We were thinking about home."

The pirates also took the vessel's only radio, leaving them unable to send any messages to shore. But their release after a week prompted wild celebrations, he said.

Somali hijackers attacked more than 130 merchant ships off Somalia last year, a rise of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

A multinational anti-piracy force, comprising more than 30 ships and aircraft from 16 nations, including members of NATO and the European Union, is operating in the lawless waters to ensure the safe passage of vessels.

The seizures of large oil supertankers in what is one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes have captured world attention, amid no sign of a let-up in the pirates' reign of terror.

And the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet, part of the international Combined Maritime Forces, this month warned of an increase in pirate attacks on all vessels when the monsoon season ends.

That includes the vulnerable dhows, which travel under both motor and sail, and typically weigh upwards of 700 tonnes.

For Salaya's seafarers, their wives and families, the terrifying experience is becoming all too familiar and prompting many young sailors to consider a different way of life.

Rashida, 20, has been Imran's wife for nearly a year, although he has been at sea for 10 months of their married life.

When word reached the village that his boat had been seized, she prayed for his safe return. News of the boat's release sent her running into the streets shouting: "My husband is coming back! At last, he's coming back!"

Now she knows what can happen, her attitude has changed to her husband's occupation.

"I wish he'd never go back, but I know this is the only source of income for us," she explained.

"While my husband was on the ship, my elder brother-in-law fell sick. We spent a lot of money for his hospital treatment, so we are now facing a financial crisis, so he has to go back to sea.

"I have got to be very practical about this. I'm afraid, but I have to let him go. It's not only my husband but my father-in-law is with him (at) sea. I have to be strong. I have to send him."

When the Somalis stormed the dhow, Imran said his first thought was not to go to sea again, as sailing around the Gulf of Aden had become too dangerous.

But he too admits that he has little or no option in Salaya, where boatbuilding and sailing are among the few sources of employment.

"I don?t want to go back, but there is no choice because the business is there," he said.

Ecosystems, marine environment, IUU fishing and dumping, ecology

Greenpeace blocks bottom trawler to send urgency message to governments and industry

Greenpeace activists blocked a notorious bottom trawling fishing vessel, the Seamount Explorer, from leaving Auckland’s harbor in New Zealand, calling for an end to destructive deep sea bottom trawling.

The 45 meter Seamount Explorer has a history of bottom trawling for orange roughy, was blocked by activists in life rafts, who locked themselves to a chain encircling the ship to stop it from leaving port.

Greenpeace called on government and industry to end this destructive practice, previewing the release later this month of a UN review of countries commitments to implement measures designed to protect deep sea habitats. (1)

"Bottom trawling indiscriminately lays waste to everything in its path, including fragile deep sea ecosystems and centuries-old coral. It’s the equivalent to clear-felling our native forests and not nearly enough has been done to protect these vulnerable habitats", said Farah Obaidullah, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner.

"The international community, including New Zealand, has grossly failed to live up to their UN commitment to implement measures protecting high seas marine life", added Obaidullah. (2)

The 2006 UN resolution that contained measures to protect the deep seas in international waters from destructive bottom fishing was to be implemented by 31 December 2008. Requirements include conducting Environmental Impact Assessments, the need to identify where vulnerable deep sea habitats are and subsequently ensure no bottom fishing happens where these are known or likely to occur.

According to the recent landmark study "Major conservation policy issues for biodiversity in Oceania", published earlier this month, an end to bottom trawling has been identified as a priority action needed to address the biodiversity crisis facing the region.(3)

The Seamount Explorer uses highly destructive bottom trawling to target orange roughy, a slow growing long living deep sea fish species that is under serious threat. Already three New Zealand orange roughy fisheries have been fished to collapse and closed - the most recent in 2007.

Growing demand for sustainably caught products already led some retailers in Europe and North America to remove orange roughy from their shelves, including that caught in New Zealand. (4)

"Aside from the known environmental devastation caused by bottom trawling, this type of fishing for orange roughy, is now proving to be an economic liability as well," said Karli Thomas, Greenpeace New Zealand oceans campaigner.
"Governments, industry and retailers alike must take the necessary steps to safeguard our deep sea environment."

Greenpeace is calling on the United Nations General Assembly when it meets in November to adopt stronger measures to stop destructive high seas bottom fishing by fleets whose flag states have failed to fully implement the very clear criteria adopted by the UNGA in 2006 to protect high seas deep seas habitats.

*Notes:

(1) The UN is expected to release in the week of 17 August 2009 a review
on the implementation of measures designed to protect deep seas habitats
in the High Seas.

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 61/105:
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/500/73/PDF/N0650073.pdf?OpenElement

(2) Bottom trawling is laying waste to the precious ecosystems of the
deep sea. Sigourney Weaver calls on delegates of the UN to take
immediate action to stop this destruction in the High Seas. The Bottom
Line, presented by Sigourney Weaver, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0616msQC_M

(3) Kingsford, R. T. et al (August 2009) Major conservation policy
issues for biodiversity in Oceania. Conservation Biology Vol. 23, No. 4.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728102301.htm

(4) Earlier this month Waitrose, one of the United Kingdom’s main food
retailers, confirmed it refuses to stock New Zealand caught seafood that
fails to meet its sustainability criteria including orange roughy. See:
http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294967531

Anti-piracy measures

Kenya: New Anti-Terrorism Unit Formed
By Patrick Mayoyo

A new anti-terrorism unit has been formed in Kenya as part of major reforms in the military to help combat terror threats, the Nation has learnt.

The Ranger Strike Force is composed of Kenya Army soldiers.

Formed with the assistance of the United States Government, the new unit has been behind a number of security operations on the Kenya-Somalia border to prevent terrorist infiltration by al-Qaeda terror group and al-Shabaab militias from war-torn Somalia.

According to a report of the US State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Counter-terrorism, the mandate for the unit covers operations against infiltrators and armed groups, including terrorists.

Matters classified

Other reforms in the military aimed at equipping it to fight terrorism include the acquisition of additional F5 fighter aircraft to be used in maritime and counter terrorism surveillance.

However, Department of Defence (DoD) spokesman Bogita Ongeri denied that there was such a unit, saying all military anti-terrorism activities were being coordinated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.

On the issue of the government acquiring new jets as part of the war against terrorism, Mr Ongeri said: "Matters to do with acquiring of military equipment are classified information."

The Kenya Navy has also received training and equipment from the United States for maritime intervention operations in the country's territorial waters.

The Maritime Police Unit and other government agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), have also received equipment and training for coastal security from the State Department's Anti-terrorism Assistance Programme.

The agencies have also received specialised training in maritime operations from the United States military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The recent establishment of a Regional Maritime Centre of Excellence to deal with terrorism and other maritime security issues was part of measures being put in place by the government to step-up efforts to deal with threats posed by terrorism.

Other anti-terrorism initiatives include installation of a Maritime Security and Safety Information System (MSSIS) in key positions on the Kenyan coast, with the assistance of the United States military.

The American Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Control (CBP) office is also assisting KRA's Customs Department in meeting the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Framework of Standards to Secure Global Trade and addressing Export Border Control Issues.

CBP has provided multi-agency training through workshops, seminars, and courses covering airport, seaport, land border, and export control issues and provided $443,000 (Sh34 million) worth of inspection equipment to customs and other agencies in Kenya engaged in port and border security issues.

CBP is also assisting KRA in improving and expanding its Canine Enforcement Programme.

KRA is scheduled to get four additional canines for its programme from the United States.

In May last year, government officials from different security agencies travelled to the US for training in airport, seaport and border security operations.

U.S. Military Command Aims to Help Africans Help Themselves - General

interview

Soon after General William E. (Kip) Ward became the first commander of the United States Africa Command, known as Africom, in October 2007, he summed up his vision for his new undertaking in a posting on the Africom web site: "Years from now we want Africans and Americans to be able to say Africom made a difference — a positive difference."

Prior to Africom's creation, responsibility for coordinating U.S. military activity in Africa was divided among three other regional commands. The decision by President George W. Bush sparked considerable controversy and debate, and African governments and non-governmental organizations have reacted with a mixture of caution and outright rejection. Ward, who joined the U.S. army in 1971 and is the only African American four-star general on active duty, believes much of the criticism is waning, as he explained in an interview with AllAfrica in his Pentagon office.

Excerpts:

Africom evokes varying reactions and is perceived quite differently by various constituencies. What is the core mission?

Our mission is providing sustained security engagement, working in cooperation and conjunction with our partners, friends, allies. We do our best to help Africans increase their capacity to provide for their own security, and we do that through this notion of sustained engagement, working with the African nations to help them build their structures . . . and doing all of that clearly in line with our foreign policy objectives as opposed to things that anyone of us wearing the uniform think might be a good idea.

We aren't independent operators. We do things that are in line with our foreign policy objectives for the various nations, the continent itself. Our efforts complement and support the achievement of those foreign policy objectives. It's a continent that is rich and diverse and full of opportunities - [and] clearly has challenges. It's important work. It doesn't reap overnight results, but we have to be committed to sustained engagement.

What is Africom's role in combating terrorism?

Terrorism is something that plagues many parts of the world, and Africa is not immune. We are not there to eradicate terrorism for Africans; we are there to work with Africans as they attempt to deal with their own issues of terror, or violent extremism that's committed against innocent civilians. Our role is working with the security structures of the nations to increase their capacity to deal with terror problems. That was going on before the command was created.

We've taken over those programs in a more cohesive and focused way by spending time with these nations, working with them in a very dedicated and collaborative way to do the sorts of things that increase their capacity to provide for their own security, from their borders to how they work together amongst themselves in a region, how they understand the environment, and then clearly the capability of their security forces to deal with the threat of terror and the threat of violent extremism.

That involves training?

It involves training. It also involves equipping, communications, the ability to talk to one another, the ability to see what's going on in their borders [and] territorial waters - to help them be able to have better control over their territory.

What about on-the-ground activities - pursuing terrorist groups, for example? Is that part of Africom's mission?

Africom does not, as its stated mission, go out and pursue. Clearly, should we be directed to do something by our president, our Secretary of Defense, then we would do that. But, as a part of our day-to-day activities, we are not on the ground pursuing terrorists, as you might find in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are those who believe that Africom was created to set up U.S. bases in Africa. In congressional testimony a few months ago you rejected that and talked about the importance of creating 'infrastructure nodes' and 'forward operating sites'. Could you elaborate?

As I've stated over and over again, and as President [Barack] Obama restated, we are not about establishing bases and garrisons on the continent where there are battalions of soldiers and squadrons of seamen and airmen. That's not the case at all.

What we look to do is work with our African partners and friends where there are requirements for infrastructure or logistics hubs or doing the sorts of cooperative activities we do, where we can stage supplies, if needed, for humanitarian [missions] - natural disasters, locations that are suitable for those sorts of things, locations that could be used to add to our flexibility of working with our friends on the continent in various parts of the continent.

It's a huge, huge continent. Having sites, locations identified from which, should an emergency arise, we can operate in partnership with the African nations for staging of supplies, for conducting training activities, for conducting humanitarian assistance sorts of activities, then identifying those locations, is what that was about.

Given the vast distances that you will require, places where you can use for your en route infrastructure, moving from place to place - logistics movement of various things as we conduct those sorts of activities for the continent. That's what I was referring to - those sorts of sites and locations.

But not bases?

Not bases. Obviously there is a base in Djibouti. The creation of the command did not put it there. It was already there at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. We did inherit that as a part of our taking over responsibility for the conduct of Department of Defense activities on the continent of Africa.

From the time you spent in Somalia with Operation Restore Hope, you know how the disastrous experience there made it politically unpalatable for successive administrations to commit boots on the ground in Africa, even when genocidal killing erupted in Rwanda and conflict turned to carnage in Liberia. With Africom in place, won't there be expectations, in Africa and elsewhere, of significant U.S. involvement in the event of large-scale conflict or humanitarian disaster? How do you address those expectations?

You can't predict those sorts of things. It's kind of hard to determine what we would do or not do. Our actions would be a direct result of our foreign policy objectives. We don't have standing forces. It would be a decision that would be made by our government. If there is a requirement for a military activity, then we would be the command responsible [for the command and control of that military activity], after having been properly resourced by our nation to do that job.

If troops were called for, you are saying they would have to be found somewhere else.

Exactly.

What role is Africom playing in resolving the horrific ongoing conflict in eastern Congo?

We don't have a direct role. We are not involved in activities dealing with the insurgents or the rebel groups. That's for Africans to deal with. We are hopefully doing things to increase their capacity to more effectively deal with those sorts of things.

We are working with those nations that we have bilateral relationships with to help them increase their own capacities to control their borders, to increase the effectiveness of their military forces that are there, from command and control, to communications, to equipment, the training things.

The recent collaboration amongst some of the nations in the eastern Congo to address those common threats we would see as very positive. We encourage those nations who have those internal threats to continue to cooperate with one another. To the degree our foreign policy objectives indicate a degree of support for that, then we would certainly be the ones doing that.

Piracy is a major problem in both East and West Africa. Does Africom have a role there?

We do. But, again, it goes back to how littoral nations, on both east and west coast of Africa, know their territorial waters. Their ability to govern their shores [and] their borders requires them to understand what goes on in their territorial waters.

Obviously piracy on the east coast of Africa is largely a result of lack of effective governance in Somalia for so long. How that continues to evolve will portend the future for reducing the piracy threat on the east coast of Africa.

On the west coast, [and] the ability of those nations to govern their territories, their borders is what will ultimately impact illegal trafficking and piracy. Working with them to increase their capacity to deal with those threats - to secure their borders, [improve] their customs regimes [and] the capacities of their maritime forces, increase their readiness – that is how we help them address those types of problems.

The Obama administration is providing arms and ammunition to the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. Does Africom have a role there?

We are not directly involved with the Transitional Federal Government at this point in time. We are partnering with the nations of Africa who look to work with them to support training efforts. But we are not directly involved.

Is Africom the only U.S. command with a civilian component?

The other combatant commands have civilian components in varying capacities. Southern Command, focusing on South America, has a civilian deputy. There has been an evolution towards some of those things in other commands. But our command was stood up to have a civilian component that's represented inside our command structure. One of my two deputies is a State Department ambassador, and that deputy is not there to do Department of State work. But the work our command does is better informed because of the expertise that is brought to our planning, our execution from the knowledge that they have, their experience.

Also [involved are] the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture - such that the work that we do better supports and complements the work that is being done by other parts of our government.

We are not doing their work, nor are we directing their work, but we better understand [their work] because we have, inside our command, expertise that they bring to our staff processes, our planning processes and our execution processes.

Is the civilian component of Africom fully operational or is it still gearing up?

It's gearing up. It's certainly not complete [but] I'm satisfied with it at this point. Until they have additional capacity to have persons assigned to our command, that will be something that won't be realized to its fullest. But there's a very healthy exchange. Persons are inside the command at some number, and we look for those numbers to continue to grow over the coming years as their capacity to participate is strengthened.

By undertaking civilian tasks like building schools or drilling wells, how do you, at the same time, instill in soldiers you are training in Africa the concept of separation of military and civilian roles.

We clearly recognize the distinction between the role of the military in government as opposed to the role of the military in support of its government. The humanitarian projects we do are done by military who have skill sets for that particular activity. Where those things can be done in support of our foreign policy objectives, where they can be done in support of the partner nation, then we all benefit.

Soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen get valuable training in their construction skill requirements - and, by the way, while they get that valuable training, they're also helping out a partner nation. As part of that, side by side are the militaries from the [African] nations so people see their military doing things on their behalf. That really exemplifies and illustrates how militaries work in support of their people, and doing things that have been determined - not by us - but by the local civilian administration, also by our country teams, our Department of State representatives in country, our ambassadors, the USAID program managers.

We are doing things that wouldn't otherwise be done. We aren't doing things in place of someone else, and we do them in a way that highlights this very important distinction: That the military works in support of its people, in support of its government, and doing those things that the government has in fact indicated are appropriate to do.

Because of the nature of the task being done, they also support the military skill set from those that are involved in doing the projects. You have sailors or soldiers who are construction engineers drilling wells. Those are skills that we need in the military for operating in various austere environments. As opposed to doing it in a place where it doesn't matter, we can enhance that skill in a place where people need that particular service, especially when it's not being done by anyone else - and in conjunction with the host government and our country team there in the partner nation.

The way you avoid either supplanting or replacing, for example, USAID activities, is through coordination?

Exactly - coordination with the USAID construction team, but also [with] the host government. Where do you have a need for something that's not being satisfied by anyone else?

Are we always perfect? No. But that's the goal. And, as I said, when people see their soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines working side by side with our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines to bring them something good, it begins to change that mentality of soldiers or militaries who may have been considered as oppressors of their population to being more of protectors and providers for their population.

The administration's budget for the financial year 2010 has a large increase for Africom. Assuming you get additional funds, will this change or add to anything you're doing now?

It probably does not mean a change in what we do. It means we can be more focused. We can sustain our effort to a greater degree. Again, these are not short-term requirements or endeavors. These are long-term activities. And it's not doing for the African nations; it's assisting them as they try to do for themselves - to increase their capacity to do things. As we get additional resources that we can commit to that, it makes those efforts a bit stronger and makes them more relevant to providing the sort of training assistance, the developmental support that will matter to the African people. The type of projects and activities remain basically the same.

Africom had a rocky beginning. As you travel throughout Africa, do you find that the perception of Africom is changing?*

The perception is changing, and it's changing because of what people are not seeing. What the Africans are seeing is not something that they were led to believe by some might be the case. What they are seeing is an enhanced, more dedicated approach to our working with them as true partners, listening to them and doing things with them that clearly are in our interests. Having a stable Africa is in our national security interest. But also, having Africans be responsible for that likewise is in our security interest. Not doing for them; helping them do for themselves.

Will Africom operate out of Stuttgart for the foreseeable future? Are you looking at having more operational capacity on the ground in various parts of Africa?

Stuttgart is a planning headquarters. There is no operational capacity in Stuttgart at all. Our capacity to do our work resides in our security assistance apparatus on the continent. They operate out of our embassies by and large. So the headquarters, as far as I can see for now, is going to remain in Stuttgart.

HSL-46 Welcome Back Detachments

HSL-46 welcomed home three of its detachments last week back home at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida -USA. Detachments Two, Four, and Nine returned after five months underway in support of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. All three detachments were deployed to 5th Fleet where they participated in evolutions ranging from joint training with allied countries to anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

USS Halyburton (FFG 40) and the embarked Chupacabras of Detachment TWO departed Mayport and made three brief port stops in Rota, Spain; Souda Bay, Greece; and Larnaka, Cyprus. After transiting the Suez Canal, Halyburton joined forces with Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1). The presence of SNMG-1 immediately had an impact on pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) as Detachment Two's helicopter quickly located several suspicious skiffs and stopped a pirate attack on a merchant vessel. Over the duration of the deployment, Halyburton and Detachment Two stopped five attacks, prevented numerous others, and aided hundreds of refugees stranded in the GOA and the Horn of Africa (HOA). The Chupacabras also participated in several joint exercises including Noble Eagle with the country of Oman and Inspired Union with the Pakistani Navy.

The highlight of the deployment was the rescue of MAERSK Alabama Captain, Richard Phillips. Detachment Two played a large role in the stand off between the United States Navy and the four pirates holding Captain Phillips hostage on board a small lifeboat. Detachment Two, flying their SH-60B Seahawk helicopters provided real time intelligence to Halyburton and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96). On numerous occasions the aircrews were able to position their helicopter directly in front of the fleeing pirates, preventing them from reaching shore before help arrived. The Chupacabras flew nearly around the clock for three days during the standoff. Their efforts were crucial to securing the safe release of Captain Phillips.

After leaving the GOA in early July, Halyburton, Chupacabras, and SMNG-1 returned to Rota, Spain for a final NATO exercise and port visit followed by a stop in London, England. While there, they participated in "Constable Dues," a British Naval tradition since 1784 where ships moor at Tower Wharf to pay their dues to the constable and the Tower's guns that historically provided protection to passing cargo ships. After three days in England, the ship departed and made best speed for it home port in Mayport, Florida.

"It has been a very successful and rewarding deployment for Detachment Two. There were challenges along the way, but I am proud of each and every member of the Detachment and their families. It was a long deployment and I am glad to get back home," said Lt. Cmdr. Shawn Blickley, Detachment Officer in Charge.
Similarly, Detachment Four returned home from a productive five-month deployment to the Northern Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Detachment FOUR "Varsity" deployed back in February with two hellfire missile capable SH-60Bs and 28 highly skilled "Grandmasters" aboard USS Vicksburg (CG 69). Vicksburg, under the command of Captain Chuck Nygaard, was tasked to provide air defense for Carrier Strike Group Eight (CSG8), and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). "Varsity" lived up to its name, providing nightly surface search and classification for CSG 8. The SH-60B's sensor capabilities and mission flexibility proved an invaluable asset to the Strike Group.

Detachment Four's highly skilled aircrew kept the Strike Group safe and aware of its surroundings with the aid of radar, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), and night vision goggles. The steadfast vigilance of the detachment aircrew allowed the Carrier Airwing to rest worry free for their next day's sorties into Afghanistan.

The detachment's Officer in Charge, Lt. Cmdr. Kathleen Mullen led her detachment to accomplish Captain Nygaard's one rule, to "be awesome." In addition to nightly sorties, Detachment FOUR provided scout aircraft for multiple transits including six transits through the Strait of Hormuz, two transits of the Strait of Babb-al-Mandeb, and two transits to the Strait of Gibraltar. They also supported logistical flights in support of the Strike Group, provided Landing Safety Officer training for HS pilots, and coordinated anti-submarine warfare training with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Five. The detachment's success was a testament to the professionalism, technical and tactical prowess of all "Grandmasters."

The "Wreckin Crew" of Detachment NINE, was embarked with USS Gettysburg (CG 64). They were ordered to the coast of Somalia to participate in Combined Task-Force (CTF) 151's ongoing anti-piracy efforts. The deployment began with a quick trip across the pond to the first liberty port of Civitavecchia, Italy. After transiting the Suez Canal, Gettysburg "chopped" into 5th Fleet under CTF 151's command.

The very first day on-station, the detachment participated in the tracking and interdiction of a suspected pirate vessel loitering in the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). At that time, CTF-151 flag ship was USS Boxer (LHD 4) under Rear Admiral McKnight, which allowed for a rare joint persecution of the suspect vessel involving AH-1 Cobras, AV-8 Harriers and the "Wreckin Crew's" own SH-60B Seahawk. This first interdiction resulted in the capture of suspected pirates. The following three months of surveillance in the IRTC would result in the capture of 39 additional suspected pirates and the confiscation of 21 machine guns, 6 RPGs, numerous cell phones, charts, and other intelligence.

In early May, USS Gettysburg was called upon to depart the op-area and proceed to the Port of Bahrain to embark the new CTF 151 staff, led by the Turkish admiral, Rear Admiral Bener, the first Turkish Leader to command the Force. USS Gettysburg was then christened the CTF 151 flagship for counter-piracy operations in the GOA. Fate was once again smiling on the "Wreckin Crew", as the first day back on station after liberty in Bahrain, a distress call was overheard and with USS Gettysburg the detachment participated the interdiction of a pirate mother ship, the first bust of its kind. It was also the first counter-piracy operations under the newly Turkish led CTF-151. Seventeen suspected pirates were captured and are currently awaiting prosecution in Mombasa, Kenya.

The "Wreckin Crew" and USS Gettysburg turned over counter-piracy duties as well as CTF-151 staff with USS Anzio and the "Guard Dogs" of HSL-48 Detachment Seven. USS Gettysburg returned safely from deployment on July 28.

For the first time in over a year, the hanger of HSL-46 is completely filled with SH-60B helicopters. Morale is high as family, friends and squadron mates are reunited. However, the celebration is short lived as Detachments Five and Three enter the final phases of their training toward deployments in support of national tasking.

-No real peace in sight yet

Tons of Imperial Fun: Hellfire Hillary Pours Oil on Somalia's Fire
By Chris Floyd

There is apparently no path blazed by George W. Bush that Barack Obama will not eagerly follow. Surges, assassinations, indefinite detention, defense of torture, senseless wars and rampant militarism -- in just a few short months, we've seen it all.

To this dismaying record of complicity and continuity, we can add an increasing direct involvement in the horrific, hydra-headed conflict in Somalia, whose latest round of fiery hell was instigated by the American-backed invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia in late 2006. Under Bush, U.S. forces were deeply and directly enmeshed in the murderous action, dropping bombs on fleeing refugees, "renditioning" other refugees to the tender mercies of Ethiopia's notorious prisons, and even sending in death squads to clean up after missile strikes and bombings. (For background, see "Silent Surge: Bipartisan Terror War Intensifies in Somalia.")

The result of that intervention has been the deaths of thousands of innocent people, the displacement and ruination of hundreds of thousands, and the creation of what many experts call the most dire humanitarian crisis in the world today. It has also resulted in the empowerment of violent sectarian groups and criminal gangs, who have stepped forth to fill the gaps of the fledgling state that the American-Ethiopian "regime change" operation destroyed.

So what do we see from the administration of "hope and change"? We see -- wait for it -- a new "surge" of direct American involvement in the war, with Obama's most ferocious war hawk -- sorry, his top diplomat -- Hillary "The Obliterator" Clinton leading the charge. As Jason Ditz at Antiwar.com reports, Clinton has pledged to double the recently announced supply of American weapons to Somalia's "transitional government" -- a weak reed cobbled together by Western interests from various CIA-paid warlords and other factions, and now headed, ironically, by the former leader of the aforementioned fledgling state overthrown by Washington. (Yes, it is hard to tell the players without a scorecard -- or even with one. But if you follow the weapons and the money, you can usually tell who is temporarily on which side at any given moment.)

Clinton, bellicose as ever, accompanied the shipment of 80 tons of death-dealing hardware with a heavy dose of the wild fearmongering rhetoric we've come to know so well in this New American Century. As AP reports, she declared that the radical faction al-Shabab, now leading the insurgency against the transitional government, has only one goal in mind: bring in al Qaeda and destabilizing the whole entire world.

Yes, dear hearts, once again the survival of the planet -- not to mention the sacred American way of life -- is under imminent threat from a gang of evil maniacs; a threat requiring the urgent enrichment of the U.S. arms industry -- sorry, I mean the urgent intervention of American know-how. For as the history of American foreign policy in the last 60 years has clearly shown us, there has never been an internal conflict in any country of the world that was not actually, deep down, a direct threat to all the sweet American babies sleeping in their cribs.

The interim Somali president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed -- an Islamist who only a few years ago was considered by Washington as, well, an evil maniac in league with al Qaeda -- agreed with Clinton, saying that al-Shabab aims to "make Somalia a ground to destabilize the whole world." This would be the same al-Shabab that Ahmed has spent most of his presidency trying to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with. (Where's that scorecard again?)

As usual, the AP story buries some of the most blazing, salient facts way down in the uncritical regurgitation of official rhetoric. But credit where it's due, the story does finally note that the new American assistance is not confined to stuff that can kill more Somalis; it also includes - wait for it again -- U.S. military "advisors" to help "train" the forces of the ever-collapsing transitional government.

Clinton also shook a sword at neighboring Eritrea, accusing it of supporting al-Shabab and "interfering" in Somalia's internal affairs. This, while she was announcing the delivery of 80 tons of American weapons to be poured into Somalia's internal affairs. This line is of course just an echo of the continual Bush-Obama warnings against "foreigners" interfering in Iraq. The gall of these gilded poltroons -- denouncing foreign interference while standing on mountains of corpses produced by the endless American "interference" in other countries -- is truly sublime. Clinton said that if Eritrea doesn't start toeing the imperial line, "we intend to take actions." (All you future Gold Star mothers and war widows out there better get out your atlases: your loved ones could soon be dying in yet another part of the world you never heard of.)

What will be the effect of this new "humanitarian intervention" of weapons and advisers? Same as it ever was: more death, more ruin, more suffering, more extremism, more hatred, more sorrow -- and more money for the war profiteers. That is the point, isn't it?

The Most Dangerous Place in the World? It's back. (FP)

The highlight of Hillary Clinton's Africa trip so far, at least for the counterterrorism world, has been her meeting with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. Clinton pledged support for her Somali counterpart, whose Transitional Federal Government is struggling (to put it mildly) to control a country that some worry is the next al Qaeda breeding ground.

FP dug deep in to that very debate yesterday: Blake Hounshell asseses the terror threat which, while real, may be exaggerated. Ken Menkhaus, one of the foremost experts on Somalia, tells us why Somalia is a domestic policy concern for Obama (and why that's bad news.) And finally, Matt Armstrong explains how terrorist propaganda is reaching Somalis in the United States.

I also thought it might be helpful to give a run down of what the Obama administration has done and is doing on Somalia so far. Here's what we know:

Obama's Somalia policy looks something like a card player hedging his bets: The administration has come from all angles to try to ward off the various Islamist groups that now control much of the increasingly tumultuous, some say failed, Somali state. Most directly, the U.S. State Department admitted last Spring that it has been sending arms to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) - a tenuous policy since, according to a December 2008 UN Report, the TFG has just 3,000 active soldiers; another 14,000 soldiers have deserted with their weapons and uniforms. The United States Naval Fifth Fleet heads up Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a coalition of various Navies perched off the waters of Somalia to combat the piracy that saw 111 ships hijacked last year (31 have been taken hostage so far in 2009). Most will remember the U.S. Navy's debonair rescue of the hijacked U.S. Maersk-Alabama on April 12.

More quietly, the Obama administration has sought to cut off the sources of funding and influence that have allowed Islamist groups in Somalia to thrive. The administration has adamantly criticized Eritrea for its military assistance to Islamist groups, including monthly contributions of between $200,000 and $500,000, according to the December UN report. In April, the African Union echoed the call for sanctions against Eritrea. Al Shabab remains on the State
Departments list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, as do several Somali banks thought to have been used for money laundering. That designation renders monetary transactions in the United States or by American citizens illegal, and one hopes, impossible. Somalia also remains under a long-standing arms UN embargo.

Finally, the Administration has also made Somalia a key topic for discussion with its East African allies. "We have tried to make it very, very clear that diplomacy is primary and that support for stability inside of Somalia is what we are doing," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Johnnie Carson, told AllAfrica.com. That has meant bringing up the issue in talks with leaders from Kenya and Tanzania in recent months. It is unclear whether the new administration continues the long-rumored Bush administration reliance on Ethiopia for intelligence about Somalia.

Editorial: Somalia crisis
By ArabNews

That Somalia is a political disaster zone is beyond question. It has an internationally accepted government headed by moderate President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed but it is a government in name only. The north runs itself as autonomous region from which pirates freely terrorize the Gulf of Aden and beyond; to its west, the former British colony of Somaliland is effectively an independent state; in the rest — the south — chaos rules. Hard-line Al-Shabab militants, while incapable of establishing themselves in power, have gradually eroded the government’s writ since January this year when Ethiopian military pulled out. In reality, the government is in exile. The country is in a vortex of anarchy — another Afghanistan in the making. But not the Afghanistan of today, rather the lawless Afghanistan of 1994-96, before the Taleban swept to power.

There is no doubt that if Al-Shabab were to establish themselves in control of the country, it would be disastrous for Somalis. They detest its extremism and thuggery. As in Afghanistan when the Taleban ruled and hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled the brutality of its twisted version of Islam, even greater numbers of Somalis have fled their homeland, not just to escape the fighting and the chaos but also out of fear of the militants.

A triumphant Al-Shabab regime would be terrifying for the world. Its tentacles spread far, as shown by the arrest in Australia last week of five men linked to it and accused of planning a major terror attack there. The world would not sit quiet in such a situation. Somalia under Al-Shabab would be an Al-Qaeda client state, intent on spreading terror abroad, especially to other Muslim states, not least Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been a principal target of Al-Qaeda. Why would it not be a target of Al-Qaeda’s Somali minions?

Somalia would probably have been at peace now if governments in the Horn of Africa and beyond had kept out of its affairs. Ethiopia’s meddling, with its 2006 invasion, has been obvious. Eritrea’s has been more covert. Certainly, it denies arming and funding the militants although no one believes that.

Nonetheless, despite all this and despite Somalia’s desperate need for a stable government that truly reflects the views of Somalis, there has to be no small amount of concern at the way the US is responding to events.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after meeting with President Ahmed in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Thursday, said that the US will "take action" against Eritrea if it does not stop supporting the militants. Red warning lights start flashing with this sort of language. Is America threatening military action against Eritrea? Surely it has enough on its hands with Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if the action Clinton has in mind is merely diplomatic — adding it to its list of terror states and trying to blacklist it — this could backfire badly. It could easily be made to seem like a case of the US bullying a small, defenseless African state that is an easy target, unlike Iran or North Korea. In any event, will it work? With the president being a cult figure, its suspicion of the rest of the world, and its quasi-Stalinist one-party rigidly controlled system, Eritrea is increasingly seen as the North Korea of Africa; American threats will only increase its already evident paranoia. That will only destabilize the region even more.

Somali Opposition condemns US-Somalia talks

The Somali opposition leader has condemned the recent meeting between Somalia's President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys who is also the Chairman of Hisbul Islam said that the meeting would not help resolve the differences between the opposition and the government which have been involved in a bloody fight against each other, Press TV correspondent reported on Friday.

Earlier, Clinton vowed very strong support for Somalia's transition federal government in her meeting with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in Kenya.

Clinton told Sharif the United States was prepared to meet his request for unspecified assistance.

Washington has been shipping the Somali government supplies of arms and ammunitions to fight against insurgents.

A US State Department official said on Thursday that the US planned to double the amount of arms and ammunition.

The opposition leader also threatened to increase attacks against the US-backed government.

Somalia: President Shariff comments his time with Hillary Clinton

"The meeting between me and the US secretary of state lady Hillary Clinton was in fact a historical one and an opportunity for all Somali people. The agenda of our meeting was to discuss how to achieve a stable Somalia, and the US has pledged to help Somalia in various ways - such as to bring Somali under full security control, to support the country economically and to provide training to Somali national forces" said the president of Somali Sheikh Shariff.

The president held also meetings with officials from the European Union, diplomats from the Western embassies and the Minister for commerce of Angola.

INTERVIEW-Somali president calls for help vs. militants
By Abdiaziz Hassan for Reuters

* President says his government cannot beat insurgents alone

* Security threat could become uncontainable

* Militants vow to fight on and defeat U.S. plans

* Ten civilians killed in Mogadishu fighting

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed asked for more international help on Friday to battle hardline insurgents after holding what he called a historic meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton pledged strong support for Ahmed's fragile administration after meeting him in Nairobi on Thursday, and she warned that Washington would take action against Eritrea if it did not stop supporting Somalia's rebels.

Ahmed told Reuters the discussions showed the United States' commitment to restoring peace in Somalia. But he said his government, which controls only parts of the capital Mogadishu, needed more help from overseas to beat the militants.

"The Somali government alone can not bring a solution to the mayhem these groups are causing," Ahmed said in an interview.

"If we don't confront them with the assistance of the world, the situation may turn into an uncontainable security threat."

Western security agencies say the Horn of Africa nation is a haven for extremists planning attacks in the region and beyond.

Australian police said this week they had uncovered a plot to attack a Sydney army base by men they said had links to al Shabaab, which Washington says is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.

In the latest fighting, 10 civilians including a child were killed as insurgents and African Union (AU) peacekeepers exchanged mortar barrages in Mogadishu, residents said.

Ahmed said African nations wanted to help, but needed money from the West. He praised Burundi for sending a battalion of 850 soldiers last week, bringing the strength of the AU peacekeeping force in the capital to more than 5,000.

And he said foreign militants in al Shabaab's ranks had imported a hardline version of Islam that most Somalis rejected.

"NEW-STYLE GANGSTERS"

"They are using religion as political tool, which we will not allow. Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. I cannot set a deadline for the liberation of Mogadishu, but we will free our people from these new-style gangsters," he said.

"We are working on reforming the security forces and using other civil structures that reject these foreign ideas, and I hope the (whole) capital will be under government control soon."

He appealed for Asmara to stop supporting the rebels: "Eritrea can change its approach and play a peaceful role instead of becoming a destabilising force in the region." Eritrea denies funding or arming Somalia's militants.

An al Shabaab spokesman in Mogadishu said it would fight on.

"We shall always make the U.S. plan for Somalia fail," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told reporters.

"We shall fight with any forces they bring and we shall win in the end."

Clinton said Washington saw Ahmed's government as the best hope for some time for a return to stability. He was elected in January under a U.N.-brokered process that was Somalia's 15th attempt to set up a central government since 1991.

Ahmed, a moderate Islamist cleric, shook hands with Clinton after Thursday's joint news conference.

It was the first time the Somali leader had publicly shaken hands with a female diplomat -- not a big deal for most Somalis, but a move that could open him up to even more criticism from his hardline Islamist insurgent foes.

"The meeting was historic and a great chance for Somalia," he said.

Speaking in Pretoria on the second leg of a seven-nation African tour, Clinton said Ahmed had asked for help providing medical services and materials for schools so his government could deliver basic services as they pushed back the rebels.

"Now, we are also going to work to ensure that government is democratic," she said. "They have made certain comments about their desire to have elections within the next year or two, if they are able to do so within the security environment."

New Somali regime still under siege
By Henry Owuor for Daily Nation

Eighteen years since the collapse of the last semblance of a serious administration in Somalia, not much has been achieved in trying to wrest the country from the grip of gunmen who control its capital Mogadishu.

Although Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has been received well by the international community since he took over in February, he has little to show in terms of restoring order to the troubled country.

Mr Sharif is having a second chance at the helm of Somalia, the first stint coming in 2006 when he was among the top cream of the Islamic Courts Union that seized the capital from the then President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.

The new administration is now under siege and without a firm grip since it has no offices in Mogadishu. Most Somali ministers as well as parliamentarians are more likely to be found in Nairobi than in Mogadishu.

Last year’s promise by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that a resolution would be passed to send peacekeepers to Somalia is yet to be made good.

Right now, Mogadishu is much calmer but the reason the militant al-Shabaab has not taken their last prize – the Presidential Palace – is because it is protected by African Union peacekeepers.

The AU force, known as Amisom, and comprising some 5,000 personnel from Uganda and Burundi, engages in defensive action that ensures President Sharif remains in office.

The signs are that al-Shabaab is now reorganising itself for a new offensive. The last few weeks have been quiet, save for the capture of two French security consultants at a Mogadishu hotel. Even piracy is down.

But this won’t be long as the Monsoon season on the Indian Ocean is just about to end and the pirates will soon take to the high seas in full vigour and the battle for Mogadishu will pick up, fanned by the dollars skimmed from the owners of seized ships.

But President Sharif may think he has achieved much, his peak being the meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the US embassy this week. He needs to recall that this is not the first time a Somali politician has met a senior US official.

In December 2007, the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met the then Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein in Addis Ababa. The then Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed pulled out of the meeting at the last minute citing poor health.

Already, the US is planning to double its initial offer of 40 tonnes of arms to Somalia’s government as it fights Islamist extremists. But the fact is that the US cannot even deliver the arms to Somalia and must use a third country to channel the arms.

The Islamists sent a clear message earlier this year when a US Congressman, Mr Donald Payne, paid a surprise visit to Mogadishu. Mortars were fired at the plane that carried the US politician in an attack that left 19 Somalis wounded.

There are also questions over the Somali army’s capacity to secure weapons given by the US. President Sharif himself has admitted in the past that much of his army has been infiltrated by the same forces they are supposed to fight.

It is also likely that some of the soldiers would sell weapons to the Islamists, especially in situations of uncertainty over survival of the government.

Although the Somali government has survived for five months in the face of a major al-Shabaab onslaught, President Sharif, a former Islamist, is yet to win his former allies to his side.

In the capital, President Sharif’s forces control only six districts out of 16. And the areas he controls are being watched over by the Amisom peacekeepers.

Out of the 18 regions countrywide, President Sharif’s government controls only three – Banadir, part of Mogadishu area, Hiran on the border with Ethiopia and Galguduud.

Compared to the former government of President Yusuf that took power in 2004 after elections in Nairobi, the new regime is much weaker. The Cabinet is split over clan issues and it has no civil service that can deliver services to Somalis.

African Police To Mentor Somali Officers

The African Union said Thursday it would send a police team to Somalia to mentor officers in the insurgency-hit country.

AU Deputy Police Commissioner Oliver Somassa said the force represented a " first step in restoring the rule of law" and would be deployed before the end of the year.

Speaking in Sierra Leone, where he is recruiting for the operation, Somassa said: "The AU mission for Somalia is mandated to start off with 270 police officers in the first deployment and the process of our recruitment includes a mandatory English language exam, driving test and weapon handling.

"We are also looking out for officers who specialized in mentoring because the mandate of the Somali mission is to train and mentor the Somali police as a first step in restoring the rule of law."
Officers would initially be trained for the operation in Ghana or Kenya, he said.

A six-man AU contingent is spending a week in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown in a bid to recruit for the police mission.

Somalia is in the grip of a fierce insurgency, with hardline Islamist militias waging a campaign to topple the African Union-backed government.

Arrested youngsters are not Al-Shabab says spokesman

The spokesman of the Islamists faction of Al-Shabab Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage has on Thursday categorically rebuffed that the recent Somali youngsters who were arrested in Australia attempting to carryout terrorist attacks were members of the movement of Al-Shabab.

"I know they are full of ploys in beneath of the hearts of the infidels, and the main reason as to why these youngsters are arrested is none other than their faith, and there are no crimes they had committed against anybody, but what I can assure you is that these boys are not members of the our movement" said Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage.

The sheikh on the other hand explained that they will soon retake the possession of Baladweyn town the headquarters of Hiran region in central Somalia after it has fallen into the hands of pro-government Islamist faction.

Somalia has been without strong central administration since late dictator Mohammed Siyad Bare was toppled from power 1991 by armed tribal based factions.

Somalia's Al-Shabaab denies link to terror plot in Australia (Xinhua)

The radical Islamist group of Al-Shabaab in Somalia on Thursday denied any connection with a terror plot in the southern Australian city of Melbourne.
"We have nothing to do with that and we believe it is meant to blackmail the (detained) youths into spying for the enemies of Islam," Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rageh, Spokesman for the Al-Shabaab told reporters in Mogadishu.

Last week, Australian police arrested several men of Somali and Lebanese descent after they were suspected of planning to carry out a suicide attack on an army base in the southern city of Melbourne following months of surveillance.
Al-Shabaab, which means "youth" in Arabic, is one of the main insurgent group fighting Somali government forces and African Union peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.

The movement, which controls large swathes of territory in the south and center of the war-ravaged Horn of Africa country, is accused of having links with Al-Qaida and being behind most of the suicide attacks against government forces and the AU peacekeepers.

Al-Shabaab wants to topple the Somali government and replace it with an Islamic State, implementing a strict form of the Islamic Sharia law, which it imposes in areas under its rule.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab condemned the meeting between Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the meeting was meant to harm the Somali people rather than help them.

"The U.S. want to use another tactic to harm the Muslim nation so they have sent this woman representing the Pharaoh of today," an Al-Shabaab spokesman told reporters.

President Ahmed and Clinton met Thursday in the Kenyan capital Nairobi after attending a U.S.-Africa economic forum.

Al-Shabaab attracts fighters from the US to the Netherlands
By Koert Lindijer for NRC

In the Netherlands, Australia and the US, radical Muslims are being linked with the group Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

The name Al-Shabaab (Arabic for 'the youth') has sprung up suddenly in various places around the world over the past weeks, from the Netherlands to Australia, and from the US to Indonesia.

Four men from the Netherlands who were arrested in Kenya last week were reportedly en route to an Al-Shabaab training camp. They were arrested in Brussels, Belgium, after they were deported from Kenya, and they have since been extradited to the Netherlands, where they are being held on suspicion of participation in a terrorist organisation.

Limited international agenda

This week four men were arrested in Australia on suspicion of planning an attack on a military base. They reportedly have ties with Al-Shabaab and some of them are said to have fought in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab is thought to have attracted hundreds of foreign supporters of the jihad, primarily from countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the group seems to have a limited international agenda. Leading Al-Qaeda figures such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have called for a jihad in Somalia via video messages in the past, but analysts say that ties between Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab have never been definitively proven.

"As far as we know, Shabaab fighters have had sporadic contact with extremists in Yemen and sympathisers from Indonesia and Australia earlier this year," says a source involved with UN peacekeeping operations who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "A suicide bomber with Somali connections blew himself up in Yemen earlier this year. Al-Shabaab also maintains good contacts with arms suppliers in Yemen."

But there are no concrete indications that they are leading international terrorist actions, says the source. "Presumably they do not have the capacity for that."

Order restored

At least two young men from Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city with a Somali community of more than 30,000, admitted in court this year that they followed armed training from Al-Shabaab in Somalia. In October of last year a 26-year-old Somali-American blew himself up in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland, becoming the first known American suicide terrorist ever.

Al-Shabaab emerged as the vanguard of the fight against the Somali government after the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was driven out in December 2006. The ICU, an alliance of radical and moderate Muslims, was in power for six months. In the summer of 2006 the ICU had succeeded in seizing power with broad popular support from a group of corrupt warlords who were supported by the United States in the hopes that they would help apprehend terrorists.

Under the fundamentalist rule of the ICU in the capital of Mogadishu, some form of order was restored to the failed state of Somalia, where any form of effective central authority had disappeared with the end of the dictatorship in 1991. Citizens went out on the streets unarmed again, the roadblocks were lifted and piracy off the coast largely came to an end.

The ICU was driven out at the end of 2006 by troops from Ethiopia, which feared the fundamentalist government at its border. The radical military wing of the ICU, Al-Shabaab, continued the fight under the leadership of Aden Hashi Ayro.

Ayro led Al-Shabaab during the six months of fundamentalist government in Mogadishu. He also led the puritanical campaign against television and the use of the mild stimulant drug khat. In 2005 he reportedly ordered the murder, in Mogadishu, of British BBC correspondent Kate Peyton.

Controversial agenda

>From December 2006, Al-Shabaab, under Ayro's leadership, fought the troops from Christian Ethiopia, which were regarded by many Somalis as occupiers. Ayro is considered responsible for the murders of Somali and foreign aid workers and journalists in Somalia. The attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and on an Israeli hotel on the Kenyan coast in 2002 were reported prepared by Al-Qaeda in Somalia, with Ayro's cooperation.

American bombs killed Ayro last year. Since Ayro's death Al-Shabaab has been led by his comrade-in-arms Hassan Turki. The group now controls virtually all of southern Somalia and parts of central Somalia.

The political agenda of the fundamentalists is controversial in Somalia. Politically-inspired Islam in Somalia dates back to the nineteen sixties when the first radical Muslim group was established there. For centuries Somalis have practised their Islam in a way that respects other faiths, with tolerance and moderateness. The rigid code of conduct of the fundamentalists has provoked opposition, as does their prohibition on the use of the popular mild narcotic khat.

The radicals have caused great annoyance among Somali Islamic scholars by their destruction of the tombs of respected Sufi saints, since according to the Wahhabi Islam adhered to by Al-Shabaab, ancestors may not be honoured. Under the rule of Al-Shabaab, adulterous men and women have been stoned and thieves have had their hands chopped off in public.

Clan clash halted

Clan clashes which killed at least nine people in and around the coastal town of Harardheere in Mudug Region of Central Somalia on Tuesday have been halted, according to elders from the area.

Residents said the clashes started after the two subclans went into a dispute they day after MV HANSA STAVANGER was released and a ransom of 2,75 mio US was received.

Abukar Ahmed, a resident in Harardhere said the initial fight in the town lasted only for about an hour, but some hit and run operations continued.

Harardheere is known as hub for some Somali pirates who hijack commercial vessels and take ransom.

15 UPDF soldiers survive strange disease
By Barbara Among

Fifteen of the 17 Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia, recently admitted at a Nairobi hospital suffering from a strange waterborne disease, have been discharged.

The soldiers serving on the African Union Mission in Somalia were last week evacuated to Nairobi for treatment after they got infected in Mogadishu.

The group was on Monday flown to Uganda for a week's holiday before they can resume duty.

The army, however, yesterday reported that the Ugandan base had recorded three new cases. They have been taken to Nairobi for treatment.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye said medical experts were still trying to identify the disease.

Last Friday, 23 Ugandan soldiers were evacuated to Nairobi for treatment. A total of 40 Ugandans have been affected by the disease that has so far killed one UPDF soldier and four Burundians.

Earlier, UPDF's chief of medical services Dr. James Makumbi ruled out poisoning.

He said the epidemic could have been caused by the terrain, which is flat and swampy, coupled with poor sewerage disposal.

The symptoms include chest pain, fever and headache, swelling of the lower limbs, a fast heartbeat and respiratory problems.

Matters were worsened by Mogadishu being a war-torn coastal city, where many displaced people are concentrated in a small area.

"Owing to the fact that the water table is close, even underground water sources became contaminated with faecal matter," Makumbi said.

Over 50 Burundians have been affected. By last week, four had died.

Uganda and Burundi are the only countries that have heeded the call from the African Union to send peacekeepers to Somalia.

But the 4,300 force, among them 2,700 Ugandans, falls short of the 8,000 soldiers needed to secure Mogadishu.

UN warns it lacks access to 500,000 hungry Somalis

Lack of access has prevented the United Nations from delivering food to 500,000 of its planned 3.3 million beneficiaries in Somalia over the past month, principally in Mogadishu and the south of the battle-scarred country.

At the same time, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) will face critical shortfalls as of October and urgently requires 209,000 metric tons of food worth 8 million to cover the current aid pipeline until the end of March 2010, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

As of the end of July, the Somalia consolidated appeal was 52 per cent funded at 8 million. In July, WFP delivered about 33,725 metric tons of food, 83 per cent of the planned tonnage, to 2.8 million beneficiaries in south-central Somalia and Puntland and Somaliland in the north. Lack of access and minor pipeline shortfalls cut off delivery from the full target of 3.3 million, OCHA said.

Mogadishu and the south have been shattered by an upsurge of attacks from Al-Shabaab and other militant Islamic groups against the provisional Government in a country that has had no functioning central authority and has been riven by factional fighting for nearly two decades.

WFP this week completed nutrition screening of vulnerable groups in Afmadow district in the Lower Juba region in southern Somalia, identifying 4,500 people, most of them children under the age of five, pregnant and lactating women in need of supplementary feeding. The agency will distribute 190 metric tons of food to them. Further screening is ongoing in the nearby Dobley district. In August, WFP will assist some 70,000 people with supplementary feeding in Somalia.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), meanwhile, has completed the construction of a two-kilometre network of pipes, tanks and kiosks to provide safe drinking water for nearly 17,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Kaa Shiqal camp in Banadir district, near Mogadishu.

More than 10,500 people, mainly newly arrived IDPs, will benefit from 200 newly constructed latrines in IDP camps to the north and south of Mogadishu, OCHA reported.

Puntland and Somaliland squabble over military base at Buhodle

Forces in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland are reportedly preparing themselves to attack a military base from where they were chased by forces of the breakaway state of Somaliland after a deadly battle between the two Somali regions.

Witnesses from the region believe that there is a possibility of an attack by the forces of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in coming few hours in order to retake a significant military base at Buhodle district in Ceyn region which fell into the possession of the forces from the break away sate of Somaliland after dreadful combat between the two sides, Somaliweyn radio reported.

In reality Buhodle belongs to the clan area of the Dulbahante and is neither Majerteen (Puntland) nor Isaak (Somaliland). But it was already in the past an important crossing point from Ethiopia and essential for the weapon deliveries from there during the time of former President Abdullahi Yussuf.

Tensions Rising in Somaliland Ahead of Vote
By Alisha Ryu for VOA

Escalating tensions ahead of a presidential vote in the self-declared republic of Somaliland are raising fears that a prolonged political crisis may give the al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group, al-Shabab, the opportunity to spread its extremist ideology.

The associate professor of religious studies and Arabic at the University of South Africa, Iqbal Jhazbhay, says political bickering between the government and opposition parties in Somaliland is threatening to derail much-delayed elections there, scheduled for September 27.

Jhazbhay says the feud must be resolved quickly before it inflicts irreparable damage on the breakaway territory's democratic system.

"There is no doubt that this is a defining moment," he said. "This polarization could pose a threat to peace and security in the sense that it would polarize the populace, lead to possibly things spilling out of control, the possibility of extreme Islamic elements like al-Shabab seeing this as an opportunity to advance their agenda."

At the center of Somaliland's brewing crisis is the question of whether the territory can hold an election without a voter registration list.

A U.N.-partnered organization called Interpeace had been helping the government of incumbent President Dahir Riyale with the voter registration process, and was planning to monitor the election.

But last week, the government expelled the head of Interpeace from Somaliland, accusing the organization of, among other things, illegally sharing voter information with officials of Somaliland's two main opposition groups, Kulmiye and UCID.

Interpeace has denied any wrongdoing. But it acknowledged that the voter registration system was, in its words, seriously abused while being implemented. Some government supporters have charged that multiple registrations in favor of opposition parties had taken place in several districts.

Somaliland's National Election Commission ruled that the presidential election could proceed without the voter registration list, and the president quickly endorsed the ruling. Kulmiye and UCID said the decision to abandon the list is tantamount to high treason. Opposition members of parliament are now said to be preparing a motion to impeach President Riyale.

Professor Jhazbhay says he fears if a compromise cannot be reached soon, the feud may cause some Somalilanders to become disillusioned with democracy, and he fears that could strengthen the hand of al-Shabab extremists. Al-Shabab, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, is currently battling to overthrow a U.N.-backed government in the Somali capital Mogadishu, and has vowed to fight until all of Somalia is united under an ultra-conservative Islamic caliphate.

"In the case of Somaliland, they have tried to shape an agenda and a discourse saying that advancing democracy is a Western exercise, where countries like Somaliland end up being led and following an American agenda," he said. "It is an attempt to mobilize people and alienate them from what is clearly a home-grown democracy of Somali customary laws and Islamic law."

Top al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane hails from the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa. Godane is suspected of ordering the deadly suicide attacks in Hargeisa last October at a U.N. compound, the Ethiopian consulate, and the presidential palace.

Somaliland's current president, Dahir Riyale, was peacefully elected to his first five-year term in 2003, and, until recently, the territory was held up as an example of what the rest of Somalia could achieve through democratic reforms and good governance.

But the presidential vote that should have taken place in August 2008 has been postponed several times. The delay has raised concern from key allies, such as the United States and the European Union, about Somaliland's commitment to democracy.

In recent years, Somaliland has been closely cooperating with the West in combating terrorism and piracy, in exchange for the international diplomatic recognition it has sought since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991.

Justice delayed is justice denied
By Hassan K. Abtidon for ARDAA

Almost one month has passed since July 11, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as 711) when four innocent travellers hailing from the Adal regions were butchered on the Dilla-Kalabaydh road on the basis of their clan. The people of Adal in general and the families of the victims of this heinous crime in particular, have waited for justice with unprecedented patience that has no parallel in the traditions of the Somali society. But unfortunately it has become clear that the government of Somaliland has no power to arrest the criminals or is unwilling to perform its duty toward its citizens from Adal or is unnervingly oblivious to the impact of the cold blooded murder on the relative peace and stability in Somaliland. The fact that the murderers are being protected and shielded from justice, in the name of a clan, is also a very dangerous precedent in Somaliland.

The government can be implicated on the murder case because the culprits used military vehicles, army uniform, and a high ranking commander was present at the crime scene, according to the reports of the survivors. If the government did not disassociate itself from the crime by explaining how its resources were used to kill innocent travellers, then it is obvious that government officials were collaborating with the killers.

It is sad to say the political parties refused to denounce this dreadful murder. The three parties have one thing in common: they need the votes of the Adal communities but are indifferent to their welfare.

Very few notables outside Adal regions have spoken out against this slaughter. For those who have expressed sadness about the murder, we say thank you for your sincere feelings. Surely the families of the victims appreciate your support. However, most of the leaders and members of the civil society, members of the Gurti, and the Parliament, judicial system have just kept quiet about the killings. To these groups, we say surely you have failed the families of the victims and you have failed the justice obligated on every Muslim under Islamic as well as the rule of law. Silence is a sign of acceptance and it holds true that the position taken by these sectors of the society, the government, and the political parties are not only surprisingly unconscionable but also are tantamount to unequivocal support for the murderers.

For the Somaliland society, we would like to draw their attention that there is no development, no progress, and no stability that can be achieved without peace. Justice denied for one person is justice denied for the whole society. If the murders and anyone who collaborated with them politically, materially, or any other form are not brought to justice, then the thin fibre that was holding this society together for the last nineteen years have been severely damaged.

In the light of the foregoing situations, Adal Resources and Development Assistance Association (ARDAA) condemn this outrageous and dastardly act of killing of 711 in unequivocal terms and calls upon:

1- The people of Adal regions to stand united and to demand their rights and rights of the families of the victims untiringly, and not to rest until the perpetrators of this crime are apprehended and brought to justice,

2- The government to discharge its responsibilities under the laws of the land and arrest the criminals and those who collaborated with them immediately,

3- The opposition parties to live up to their responsibilities as potential candidates to the country’s leadership and press the government to arrest the criminals of Dilla-Kalabaydh killings of 711.

ARDAA believes this deplorable crime will seriously undermine the peace and stability of Somaliland, the only two achievements that Somaliland sells to the international community. The fact that the criminals are still at large after one month of the crime shatters any hope that the Somaliland people had aspirations for recognition and nationhood. The people of Adal have been the pillars of Somaliland’s peace and future ambition but the cold blooded murder of four innocent travellers has exposed the supremacy of tribalism over government institutions.

Finally, we call upon the Somaliland government institutions, the political parties, traditional leaders, the civil society and the media to rise above the tribal arrogance that promotes internecine fighting and stand for justice, fairness, and equality for all that leads to success and better life for everyone.

Let us give peace a chance and bring justice and closure to the families of the victims.

Somalia received only $254 million foreign direct investment over the last ten years

Compared the UAE has attracted in excess of $66 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past 10 years to emerge as the second-largest investment destination in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia, according to official data.

Between 1998 and 2008, total FDI pumped into the UAE stood at about $66.2bn, accounting for nearly 19 per cent of the total FDI of about $348bn pumped into the region during that period. The report did not specify the investors but Japan, the United States, the European Union and other key economic partners have long dominated the UAE's economic and financial sector.

The investments into the UAE were second to Saudi Arabia, which attracted around $88.3bn during that period, said IAIGC in its annual report.

Countries with low FDI include war-battered Somalia with about $254 million, Djibouti with $488m and Palestine with $651m.

-Impacting reports from the global village

Kenya's Dadaab grappling with "dramatic" refugee situation

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is to support livelihood and environmental protection programmes for local Kenyan communities in Dadaab, says a senior UN official.

The Dagahaley, Hagadera and Ifo camps in Dadaab comprise the largest refugee site in the world. As of 5 July, the site hosted an estimated 284,306 refugees, mainly from Somalia. This number was triple the designated capacity.

"We have witnessed in the recent months arrivals [in] the region [of] 5,000 per month, creating a situation that is extremely dramatic," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said.

"In the meetings I had with the local communities, we presented our programme of investment and support to the local community," he said. "UNHCR by itself has mobilised US$6 million especially in areas related to environmental degradation and livelihoods of the Kenyan local communities in Fafi and Lagadera."

Relations between refugees and the surrounding host population often sour with increasing insecurity and environmental degradation being blamed on the refugee influx, aid workers say.

Dadaab, some 90km from the Kenya-Somalia border, has seen a large number of asylum-seekers fleeing years of conflict in Somalia. Guterres said there was a need to adequately screen people coming into Dadaab to improve safety for the refugees and locals, and to address Kenya's security concerns.

"UNHCR is preparing a comprehensive strategy for decongestion, rehabilitation and security in Dadaab," he said, adding that immediate priorities were in health, water and sanitation.

A measles outbreak was reported in Hagadera camp in July. Earlier, a cholera outbreak had been reported.

In a briefing note, UNHCR said the inability to provide adequate shelter for refugees had exposed them to exploitation by their hosts. For example, cases of sexual- and gender-based violence reported this year had increased by 30 percent.

To decongest Dadaab, UNHCR plans to move some refugees to Kakuma in the northwest, along the border with Sudan, and hopes to secure additional land in Dadaab. Kakuma already hosts some 45,017 refugees and has inadequate shelter.

The first group of 12,900 refugees from Dadaab is expected to go to Kakuma - about 1,000km away - before the rainy season. "As soon as the minimum logistic and reception conditions are established, the movement to Kakuma can start," Guterres said.

The meteorological department in Kenya has predicted el-Niño rains that could hinder refugee movements.

The Dadaab programme, including funds for local communities and the upgrading of the present refugee sites as well as new site infrastructure, is estimated to require $92 million.

"The host community is struggling especially with the high food prices and drought," Kellie Leeson, the International Rescue Committee director for Kenya, told IRIN recently.

Leeson said the camps were not officially demarcated and some of the long-term refugees had purchased livestock, fuelling tensions over pasture and water.

"The challenge [in Dadaab] is so big that it needs a combination of solutions," Guterres said. "It has been possible until now to provide the minimum but a lot of upgrading of humanitarian systems needs to be done."

[N.B.: Unfortunately the "refugee-business" is business as usual for UNHCR as well as the "host"-governments. Both usually do extremely little to not make the refugee-camps necessary any longer and actually to make UNHCR superfluous. One does apparently not want to loose the "golden cows" and their milk, which can be reaped in from the international community. In many cases actually it has been proven that new refugees are lured into the camps and old ones are kept for longer than necessary.]

Sierra Leone prepares for peace keeping in Somalia
By William Freeman

A six-man delegation from the Africa Union Peace keeping Mission has arrived in Sierra Leone to conduct a recruitment and selection process among members of the Sierra Leone police for a peace keeping mission in Somalia.

The process is expected to last for five days and it started on Monday 3rd August at the Police Training school at Hastings.

The AU team was led by the Deputy Police Commissioner of the Africa Union; DIG Oliver B.M Somasa who also happens to be a member of the SLP.

The team is made up of technical people and well experienced officers in peace keeping operations.

The team leader disclosed to this press that the AU received an invitation from the Government of Sierra Leone requesting the AU to assist in recruiting the SLP in the AU Mission in Somalia.

The Deputy Commissioner further revealed that the AU Mission for Somalia is mandated to start up with 270 police officers in the first deployment. The entire peace keeping process will be funded by the Africa Union.

As part of the selection criteria, the team leader explained that the process will include; a mandatory English exam to test the proficiency of the police officers in the English Language, driving test and weapon handling.

They will also be looking for officers that are specialized in mentoring because the mandate of the AU Mission in Somalia is to train and mentor the Somali police as a first step in restoring the rule of law in Somalia.

Similar recruitment exercises have already been conducted in Nigeria and Ghana.

DIG Somasa further intimated this press that at the end of the entire selection process for the 270 officers needed for this first deployment, there will be a pre –deployment training either in Ghana of in Nairobi, Kenya.

The team leader said he is highly impressed by what he has seen so far as compared to other countries they have visited. He expressed hope that Sierra Leone will do well in Somalia. The process is expected to end on Friday this week.

Women in War Zones Need A Dedicated UN Bureaucrat, Advocates Urge
By Matthew Russell Lee

On the systemic issue of women and war, advocates at the UN in New York have a solution -- to create a new high level post. This is how problems are dealt with in the UN. Already there are Assistant Secretaries General rarely seen at Headquarters or in the field. There is a position of Under Secretary General for Regional Cooperation, whose occupant Jean-Marie Guehenno has acknowledged he has been assigned no work.

This post on women and war, however, would be more serious, advocates pitched Inner City Press on Friday morning. They said there are countries ready to contribute funds for the post. "It wouldn't even have to go through the Fifth Committee," one said, referring to the UN's budget process. By that logic, Coca-Cola could sponsor an Office of the UN ASG for Soda Studies. There has to be a better way.

The plight of women in war zones is of course a serious matter. In instances, the UN and its peacekeeping missions contribute to the problem (notwithstanding the UN's Congo force commander's self-exoneration on August 6, click here for that.) The advocates say that the purpose of such a post would be to coordinate UN offices' and missions' work on the issue. Don't nominate a celebrity, they said. But that, too, is how the UN works.

More seriously, in the UN's basement on August 6, women in the UN's police forces in Haiti , Congo and South Sudan spoke to a packed room, describing the plight of victims of sexual violence. But if the UN works and co-exists with indicted abuses like Jean-Bosco Ntaganda in the Congo, how can it be seen as the solution? As is so often the case, "first do no harm" would make most sense.

Friday as the Security Council's gab-fest debate on the topic began on Friday morning, Inner City Press asked those entering for their views about the post. Deputy Secretary General Asha Rose Migiro graciously stopped to shake hands, and noted that the S-G will be presenting his report. Chief UN Peacekeeper Alain Le Roy stopped, just before the S-G Ban Ki-moon and entourage swept by.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan rushed in. "Perhaps you can fill the post one day," Inner City Press suggested. She laughed, shook her head no and continued in. There was no other media around. Thematic debates rarely draw much coverage; we note that when UN and UNDP were asked to apply their positions on sexual violence to such real world hot spots as Sri Lanka, they demanded off the record treatment, here.

Clearly some messaging is necessary, beyond the call for a new post. The UN needs "less bureaucracy and more sincerity," someone remarked. Then the gab-fest began. This will be updated.

Kenya Kicks Out Eritrea Diplomat
By Kenneth Ogosia

Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula. Kenya revealed on Friday that it had deported an Eritrean diplomat "for security reasons".

In Summary

Foreign minister flies in as embassy official and trader expelled over ‘security’ fears.

Kenya revealed on Friday that it had deported an Eritrean diplomat "for security reasons" hours before the country’s Foreign Minister made an abrupt visit to Nairobi seeking audience with President Kibaki.

The diplomat is the second Eritrean to be expelled from Kenya in as many months on grounds of "security" — which is diplomatic speak for involvement in activities that undermine the host country. He was described as a businessman.

Security grounds

The Foreign Affairs adviser of public affairs, Prof Egara Kabaji, said the head of Horn of Africa division who could give more information, was out of office on transfer to Uganda. He, however, referred further queries to Immigration department or the government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua.

The Immigration public communications officer, Mr E Njeru, said "there are two cases involving Eritreans who were deported on security related grounds. The diplomat’s case happened earlier."

He identified one of the deportees as Mr Hannibal Menghstie but we could not verify immediately whether he was the diplomat.

Contacted by the Saturday Nation, the Eritrean Ambassador, a Mr Sareh, said: "We have seen Mr Wetang’ula and all questions should be answered from the Kenyan Foreign Affairs office."

The expulsions and Thursday’s blistering attack by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Horn of Africa nation for its involvement in the Somalia crisis is building up into the new front in the regional fight against terrorism.

Eritrea is allegedly bolstering insurgents al-Shabaab’s firepower and inflicting a heavy price on the AU forces.

On July 11, the Ugandan contingent in Mogadishu lost three soldiers during intensive fighting, when the insurgents shelled the presidential palace with mortars.

Sources in Mogadishu also said 15 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops had been critically wounded in the fighting although the Ugandan army spokesman, Maj Felix Kulayigye, last week acknowledged only one was wounded.

A day after Mrs Clinton warned of unspecified action against the country, Eritrea dispatched Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed to Nairobi who immediately went into a meeting with Kenyan counterpart, Mr Moses Wetang’ula.

Mr Mohammed’s visit came only a day after Mrs Clinton had criticised Eritrea’s perceived support of the al-Shabaab movement, which is trying to topple Somalia’s fragile transitional government.

A Foreign Affairs official speaking in confidence said the minister sought to get an appointment with the Head of State through Mr Wetang’ula.

Mr Mohammed discussed the special message he had from his President Isaias Afeworki with Mr Wetang’ula and arrangements to let him meet President Kibaki started.

However, he was unable to meet the Head of State due to a day-long Cabinet meeting.

Sources told the Saturday Nation that he could remain in Nairobi until Monday as formal meetings are scheduled for next week.

The abrupt visit is widely linked to both the expulsions and Mrs Clinton’s attack after a meeting in Nairobi with the Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Meddling in Somalia

Mrs Clinton said the United States would "take action" against Eritrea if it did not stop meddling in neighbouring Somalia.

"With respect to Eritrea, we are making it very clear that their actions are unacceptable, their interference with the rights of the Somali people are at the height of misplaced efforts and funding and we intend to take action if they do not cease," Clinton said at a joint news conference with Somalia’s new president, whose government is waging a bloody battle against an Islamic insurgency — with some help from the United States.

Mrs Clinton did not specify what kind of action Washington might take. But the UN Security Council is reportedly considering sanctions against Eritrea, which it says may be arming Islamic militants now battling Somalia’s transitional government.

Mrs Clinton vowed to continue US support for the government of Somalia’s transitional president Sheikh Ahmed, against the insurgents, some of whom Washington says have ties to the al Qaeda terrorist network.

"The United States and the international community must serve as an active partner in helping the TFG (Transitional Federal Government) and the people of Somalia confront and ultimately move beyond the conflict and poverty that have gripped their country," Clinton told reporters at the US Embassy.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood would not elaborate on Clinton’s warning, but said the Obama administration believes Eritrea is supplying arms to militant groups.

The Somalia fighting has killed 250 civilians and forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes in June alone.

Internally displaced persons in Somalia are estimated at over one million in a country of eight million. They lack food, emergency relief supplies, and essential health, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Kenya, which has experienced two terrorist attacks in the last decade, has been concerned about security on the border with Somalia since al-Shabaab started making gains against the government of President Sheikh Ahmed.

Eritrea has consistently denied supporting any factions in Somalia which is torn by civil wars.

Somalia is Obama's new 'Afghanistan'
By the CS Monitor's Editorial Board

While beefing up military support, he also needs to reach out to moderate Islamic militants.

The Horn of Africa is a hotbed of pirates, Islamic radicals, warlords, refugees, and, lately, foreign armies trying to influence this killing field. The epicenter is Somalia, a Muslim land largely in chaos since 1991 and – this is the big worry – a possible nesting ground for Al Qaeda or its allies.

President Obama has taken on this trouble spot directly, as he has Afghanistan. He's beefing up US military aid and training for Somalia's besieged government, which can barely hold onto the capital, Mogadishu. And on Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held a high-profile meeting with the country's elected president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed.

Mrs. Clinton boldly declared that Al Shabaab, the Islamic militants that are close to toppling Mr. Sharif, sees "Somalia as a future haven for global terrorism." A victory for them – much like the 1996 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban – might also destabilize nearby countries, such as Kenya. She noted the group's attempt to recruit followers abroad and its alleged plot for an attack in Australia.

Such Bush-like talk and Mr. Obama's expansion of military aid sets down a marker for the US president to rid Somalia of the threat from Al Shabaab and its fellow foreign fighters.

The US, however, is unlikely to send its own troops to a country in which the American military infamously retreated after the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in which two US helicopters were downed, resulting in the killing of 18 US soldiers. Instead, the new US aid is being coursed through other African nations. And an African force of nearly 5,000 is being beefed up in Mogadishu.

President Bush's major response to the threat of Al Shabaab was to kill its leader with an aerial bomb. But that only hardened the insurgency.

Will Obama's strategy work any better? Or will he be seen as "soft on terrorism" and be charged with "losing Somalia"?

Last year, Somalia had the highest number of terrorism-related killings after Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In those other countries, attempts have been made – with limited success – to negotiate with radical Islamists, such as the Taliban, in hopes of attracting moderates over to the government side. Somalia's president himself was persuaded to leave the Islamic militants and become an elected leader.

At some point, Obama might find an opening to negotiate with Al Shabaab, or at least, some in the lower ranks. He has assigned high-profile diplomats to talk to foes in the Middle East and Central Asia. Where is the special envoy for Somalia?

With his mix of nation-building aid and military aid, Obama must also add more diplomacy to win over soft members of Al Shabaab.

America learned on 9/11 that it can't ignore the chaotic corners of the world that harbor terrorists. It also learned in Iraq that might doesn't always make right. Before Somalia becomes Talibanized, Obama needs to come down hard with a soft touch and save Somalia from itself.

US seeking foothold in Somalia (PressTV)

The United States signals deeper involvement in Somalia, revealing a new plan to double its military supplies to the Horn of African country from 40 to 80 tons.

The Somali transitional government's soldiers who are already receiving military training from the US in Djibouti are to receive double the amount of arms and ammunition, a US State Department official disclosed on condition of anonymity.

The US military has a base in Djibouti, where the Somali soldiers are being trained, he said.

Meanwhile, the State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said, "We are obviously going to look for ways that we can help to support that government to eventually help bring stability to that region, which is an important US foreign policy goal."

Earlier in Nairobi, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged "very strong support" for Somalia's transitional federal government in a meeting with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Clinton also called Eritrea to stop supporting the Al-Shabaab gunmen, who are fighting the transitional government for control of the impoverished country.

This while the US is accused of conducting overflights, causing panic among the Somalis. Washington has also carried out a number of airstrikes on Somalia, in which civilians lost their lives or suffered injuries.

Obama's military diplomacy
By John Onyando

President Barack Obama's appointment of two ambassadors with strong military backgrounds, Jerry Lanier to Uganda and Alfonoso Lenhardt to Tanzania, could never have come at a worse moment for East Africa . Both nominees, who will prioritise counter-terrorism and military cooperation, have already offered very kind words for their host- governments-to-be.

Of course Uganda and Tanzania deserve praise from U.S diplomats, indeed all diplomats and all caring partners. But to emphasise military efforts, especially in Uganda, that have criticised for their scorched earth policy is not the best starting point for American ambassadors to East Africa in this era.

This region faces terrible crises of instability, impoverishment and corruption that America stands the best chance to help resolve. Many here still remember the fabulous job that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did bringing the two sides of Kenya 's disputed election together.

That firm decision against violence and for quick return to democracy that America took in hand with the international community saved lives that no military intervention could. Needless to say, it added to decades-old goodwill that the United States enjoys in Kenya.

But military interventions have not been so successful. The mess that a force-led intervention in Somalia has caused should persuade everyone that military solutions will not solve the many, and now growing intractable crises in the region. The latest such attempt by Uganda against the LRA - with American backing - resulted in total failure and unspeakable cost to civilians.

In Somalia , chaos have escalated since the ouster of the Union of Islamic Courts by American-backed Ethipoia in 2006/07.

Today, President Shariff Ahmed whose moderate credentials were clearer in hindsight has become so isolated that he himself is now a stumbling block to peace in Somalia . This is despite the presence of 4,300 African Union troops, whose peacekeeping mission has been reduced to guarding a few blocks of the presidential palace in Mogadishu .

The new appointments by President indicate that not only will security concerns determine US policy in East Africa - the Pentagon will take the lead in finding solutions. If wee thought that militarising US-African relations was a legacy of the Bush era, then these appointments do not convince that we were wrong.

Somali President, Ma Clinton in handshake diplomacy
By AFP

For the top US diplomat, handshakes are usually a mere formality but when it comes to meeting Somalia's leader, it certainly seemed meaningful.

After widespread speculation, Somalia's Islamist but pro-US President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed accepted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's hand in front of the cameras today.

Mrs Clinton appeared to initiate the contact, giving him a robust handshake as she left the podium at a joint news conference at the US embassy in neighbouring Kenya.

Pressed later by a Somali reporter about the handshake, Mr Sharif said, "I don't think it's a problem."

Many devout Muslims believe it is improper for men and women to appear in each other's company outside wedlock, let alone touch.

Mr Sharif, a young Islamist cleric, was at the forefront of the armed resistance against the 2006 military invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia but has since joined a UN-sponsored reconciliation process and is perceived to be occupying the country's political middle ground.

Mrs Clinton and President Barack Obama have made reaching out to Muslims and respecting their sensitivities a key priority after taking over from president George W Bush, who was widely unpopular in the Islamic world.

But Mrs Clinton is also a staunch advocate of a more assertive role for women.

Clinton Offers Assurances to Somali Government
By Jeffrey Gettleman

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with the new president of Somalia’s transitional government, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, for more than an hour on Thursday, expressing support for his fragile administration and warning Eritrea against supporting militants in the country.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Sheikh Sharif, Mrs. Clinton said that his government "is the best hope we’ve had for some time," and she reiterated the United States’ commitment to helping arm and train the government’s fledgling security services.Sheikh Sharif can use the help. His moderate Islamist government controls no more than a few city blocks in a country the size of California, with extremist Islamist groups, like the Shabab, which Washington calls a proxy for Al Qaeda, in charge of much of the rest.

Mrs. Clinton said that the battle for Somalia, which has been the lawless home to Islamist extremists, terrorists, gun runners, drug smugglers, teenage gunmen and even pirates for the past 18 years, is deeply connected to American interests.

"No doubt that Al Shabab wants to obtain control over Somalia and use it as a base to influence and infiltrate surrounding countries and launch attacks against countries far and near," she said. "If Al Shabab were to obtain a haven in Somalia which could then attract Al Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States."

She warned of unspecified consequences for Eritrea if it continued what she said was its support for Al Shabab and its efforts to destabilize Somalia. "It’s long past time for Eritrea to cease and desist its support for Al Shabab," she said. "We intend to take action if they do not cease."

This is not the first time the United States has issued either the accusations or the warnings. In recent years, the Bush administration singled out Eritrea as a state sponsor of terrorism, and last week the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, threatened sanctions against the country if it did not cease its support of the militants.

Eritrea has long denied any involvement in Somalia.

Before leaving Kenya, the first stop on a seven-nation tour that will take her to South Africa, Angola, Congo and Nigeria, Mrs. Clinton visited the site where the American Embassy to Kenya was destroyed by Al Qaeda in 1998. The attack leveled several buildings in downtown Nairobi, killing more than 200 people and wounding thousands, mostly impoverished Kenyans. Many people were blinded by flying glass.

Mrs. Clinton quietly laid a wreath at the foot of a plaque commemorating the people killed that day, and she told a group of Kenyan survivors, including an old blind man leaning on a cane, "We will continue to work with you." Many victims have complained that the United States abandoned them after the attack and have been pleading for the American government to give them compensation money.

One little boy stood next to Mrs. Clinton for most of her visit to the bomb site. His name was Michael Macharia, and both his parents were working in the same building that day and were killed together when the bomb exploded. Mrs. Clinton said that Michael, who is being raised by his grandparents and is now 14, was doing excellently in school and that she would tell President Obama about "his incredible character."

Michael bowed his head bashfully, and later, when asked how it felt to be recognized by the American secretary of state, said, "It’s good."

Mrs. Clinton, seeming to grow increasingly frustrated with Kenya’s leaders, toughened her message on Thursday, saying that if the Kenyan government refused to set up a tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators of last year’s election-driven bloodshed, the International Criminal Court at the Hague would get involved.

"I have urged that the Kenyan government find the way forward themselves," she said. "But if not, then the names turned over to the I.C.C. will be opened, and an investigation will begin."

In July the former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, handed a sealed envelope with a list of prime suspects to the International Criminal Court. The court has also recently threatened to intervene if Kenyan leaders decide to continue the country’s stubborn history of impunity.

The American government and Kenyan human rights groups have been pressing Kenya’s leaders to establish a local tribunal, but several of the top suspects are widely believed to be high-ranking ministers who have blocked any effort that might lead to their own prosecution.

Mrs. Clinton, who said she was carrying a message directly from President Obama — "the son of Kenya," in her words — added, "If there’s not going to be a special local tribunal that has the confidence of the people, then the people deserve to know that there is some process to hold people accountable."

More than 1,000 people were killed around the country when the disputed December 2007 presidential election set off a wave of ethnic and political fighting. Initially, much of the violence seemed like spontaneous outrage vented along ethnic lines, though later it became evident that it had been at least partly organized by local leaders and village elders, and possibly by higher authorities.

The United States is not a signatory to the treaty that created the International Criminal Court, the first permanent institution authorized to try individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. While former President Bill Clinton supported joining the court, former President George W. Bush opposed it, out of concern that Americans could face politically motivated prosecutions.

But Mrs. Clinton suggested that could change in the future.

It is, she told a public forum at the University of Nairobi, "a great regret, but it is a fact that we are not yet a signatory. But we have supported the court and continue to do so."

US to double arms, ammunition aid to Somalia: official (AFP)

The United States plans to double the amount of arms and ammunition it is providing Somalia's transitional government to help it fend off an Al-Qaeda inspired insurgency, a US State Department official said Thursday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plan was to double supplies of arms and ammunition 40 to 80 tonnes. "That's the idea," the official said.

The official also said Somalis were receiving military training in Djibouti, where the US military has a base covering the Horn of Africa.

Earlier in Nairobi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the president of Somalia's embattled transitional federal government, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and pledged "very strong support."

Clinton said the United States was prepared to meet his request for unspecified assistance.

Since late June the United States has been shipping the Somali government urgent supplies of arms and ammunitions to defend it against an insurgency by Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda inspired Islamist group backed by Eritrea.

An initial 40 tonnes of weapons and ammunition was directed to Somalia in late June.

"Because of what's going on in Somalia we are providing the transitional federal government ammunition, weapons to support the efforts of the government to try to provide security," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

"We are in the process of trying to make sure that we can get the 40 tonnes of equipment to the TFG," he said, without confirming the plan to double the amount.

At the same time Clinton warned Eritrea to stop supporting the rebels.

"It is long past time for Eritrea to cease and desist its support of Al-Shebab and to start being a productive rather than a destabilizing neighbor," Clinton told a joint news conference with Sharif in Nairobi.

US officials have warned of possible sanctions and some US lawmakers have pressed for Washington to put Eritrea on a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

Clinton expressed fear that the Shebab would turn Somalia into an extremist haven similar to the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan -- which has been a top priority for the Obama administration.

Hillary Clinton meets head of besieged Somali government in Nairobi (ArabMonitor)

On the third day of her 11-day tour to Africa, aimed at shoring up support for US interests in the continent and beyond, US Secretary of State met today with Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, prime minister of the Somali government. The current Somali government was instated in Djibouti in January this year by some 300 Somali parliamentarians, who had to travel to Djibuti for the task, since their own country was practically out of their control. For safety reasons Hillary Clinton's meeting with the Somali prime minister Sharif Sheikh Ahmad had to be arranged in Nairobi, in the neighbouring country Kenya, since only about ten percent of the Somali capital Mogadishu is still under government control.

The United States are making a last-ditch effort to prevent the al-Shabab movement from taking over the entire country. In the meeting with Sharif Sheikh Ahmad the US Secretary of State promised her country would "play a prominent role" in stabilizing Somalia and pledged military supplies and support for the Somali government's battle against the al-Shabab. In promoting the election of Sharif Sheikh Ahmad as prime minister in January, the US had hoped he – as a former leader of the Islamic Courts – would have the charisma and the integrating power to bring the anti-occupation forces into the fold of a new government, which could replace the Islamic Courts, which hdad been ousted at the end of 2006 by Ethiopia military forces in an invasion masterminded by US and other NATO forces operating from Djibuti. The hopes were dashed once Sharif Sheikh Ahmad returned to Somalia from Djibuti at the head of a US-approved government, which the al-Shabab movement never recognized as legitimate and vowed to combat until the last occupation soldier has left Somalia.

Clinton regrets US not in ICC
By AFP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday voiced regret that the United States was not part of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as she promoted its usefulness in Africa.

The United States is in an awkward position on issues such as sending Sudan's President to the ICC over Darfur war crimes and even how to deal with Kenya's post poll violence suspects because the US itself has long rejected the ICC.

"It is a great regret that we are not yet a signatory," Clinton told a public forum at the University of Nairobi.

"But we have supported the work of the court and will continue to do so under the Obama administration," she said.

President Barack Obama's administration has previously said only that it is reviewing the US position on the court, which is based in The Hague.

Former president George W. Bush was a passionate opponent of the court, fearing it could target Americans out of political bias considering US dominance around the world.

"I think we could have worked out some of the challenges that are raised concerning our membership by our own government," Clinton said.

But any shift in position by Obama would likely face strong opposition from key members of Congress and the military, which fears that foreign nations could haul US soldiers to the court.

A change in policy would also present logistical challenges, including figuring out what to do with a raft of bilateral deals the Bush administration reached with other nations pledging not to refer Americans to the court.

More than 100 countries -- including most western democracies -- have become a party to the ICC which was set up under the 1998 Rome Statute and is the first permanent tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The United States has also walked a tightrope after the ICC issued a warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes in the violence-torn western region of Darfur.

The US -- where some officials say Sudan is committing genocide in Darfur -- has called for Beshir to be held accountable but said it is under no obligation to act on the ICC warrant and arrest him if he steps on US soil.

Remember Kenya & Tanzania
By Spencer Ackerman

This statement just came out from President Obama:

Today marks the eleventh Anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In Kenya, 218 people lost their lives and over 5,000 were injured; the blast in Dar es Salaam killed 11 people and wounded more than 85 others. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and the families and loved ones of those who were lost in these tragic events.

These attacks in East Africa are sad examples of al Qaeda’s determination to kill innocent men, women and children in many countries, regardless of their religion, race, or nationality. The memory of the attacks in Kenya and Tanzania remind us that we must always be vigilant in working with our allies to bring these terrorists to justice; to prevent these types of attacks from happening again; and to advance peace and security for Americans, Kenyans, Tanzanians, and people around the world.

Last month, the US-American Justice Department brought charges in a New York federal court against Ahmad Khalfan Ghailani, one of the alleged participants in the 1998 bombings. Ghailani was apprehended in Pakistan in July 2004. His capture went unremarked upon for several days until the Pakistanis unveiled him hours before John Kerry accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.

Barack Obama adviser rejects 'global war on terror'
By Toby Harnden in Washington

President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser has rejected the notion of a "global war on terror" arguing that it led to an obsessive focus on a tactic and suggested America was at war with the world.

John Brennan, a former career CIA officer who worked closely with the Bush administration, lambasted the policies of President George W Bush and made the case for a broader approach to fighting Islamic extremism.

Mr Bush's policies, he said in a speech in Washington, had run counter to American values, undermined the security and resulted in a "global war" mindset that served to "validate al-Qaida's twisted world-view".

All this, he insisted, would change under Mr Obama. "Rather than looking at allies and other nations through the narrow prism of terrorism – whether they are with us or against us – the administration is now engaging other countries and peoples across a broader range of areas."

The term "global war on terror", which became so prevalent under Mr Bush that it earned its own acronym – GWOT – would be a thing of the past.

The notion of a "global" war "plays into the misleading and dangerous notion that the US is somehow in conflict with the rest of the world", he said, while terrorism was a tactic not end.

"And ultimately, confusing ends and means is self-defeating, because you can never fully defeat a tactic like terrorism any more than you can defeat the tactic of war itself."

He denounced "the inflammatory rhetoric, hyperbole and intellectual narrowness that has often characterised the debate over the president's national security policies." In part, the speech appeared to be a shot back at former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been Mr Obama's most outspoken critic on anti-terrorism policy.

Mr Brennan, who was widely tipped to become Mr Obama's CIA chief but withdrew himself from contention after critics from the Left accused him of complicity in Mr Bush's "enhanced interrogation" programme, advocated a multi-tiered approach, expanding economic and educational opportunities across the Muslim world.

"We cannot shoot ourselves out of this challenge," he said. "If we fail to confront the broader political, economic and social conditions in which extremists thrive, then there will always be another recruit in the pipeline, another attack coming downstream."

As well as targeting al-Qaeda, the US military would train the security forces of allies, supporting democratic reform and doling out billions of dollars of aid to impoverished regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He denounced the CIA's use of waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation" methods which, he said, served only as "a recruitment bonanza for terrorists, increase the determination of our enemies and decrease the willingness of other nations to co-operate with us".

Mr Brennan cited Somalia as an example where the US could channel its economic power to help nations increase their security and dissuade their citizens from embracing violence.

"The most effective long-term strategy for safeguarding the American people is one that promotes a future where a young man or woman never even considers joining an extremist group in the first place, where they reject out of hand the idea of picking up that gun or strapping on that suicide vest."

John Brennan and "Draining the Swamps"
By A. Server

US-American John Brennan's repudiation of torture was noteworthy because of his past statements. But in his speech today, he aggressively outlined the Obama administration's more comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism, based not solely on battling al-Qaeda but on the "draining the swamps" approach--improving those social conditions the administration believes contribute to the lure of extremism.

Rather than treating so many of our foreign affairs programs—foreign assistance, development, democracy promotion—as simply extensions of the fight against terrorists, we will do these things—promote economic growth, good governance, transparency and accountability—because they serve our common interests and common security; not just in regions gripped by violent extremism, but around the world.

At the same time, Brennan added that while poverty and lack of education do not "cause" terrorism, "there is no denying that when children have no hope for an education, when young people have no hope for a job and feel disconnected from the modern world, when governments fail to provide for the basic needs of their people, then people become more susceptible to ideologies of violence and death." Addressing this issue, Brennan spoke directly on Hamas and Hezbollah:

The extremists know this; wherever governments are unable to provide for the legitimate needs of their people, these groups step into the void. It is why they offer free education to impoverished Pakistani children, where they can recruit and indoctrinate the next generation. It is why Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza provide so many social services to the poor even as they commit heinous acts of terror. It is why the terrorist warlord in Somalia can so easily recruit a destitute teenager who sees nothing but a future of poverty and despair.

A key part of the Obama administration's counterterrorism effort then, is helping that destitute teenager see a new future. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's the exact approach to fighting terrorism that Spencer Ackerman outlined in TAP in March of last year.

INTERVIEW-Eritrea rejects Clinton criticism over Somalia
By Jeremy Clarke for Reuters

* Says U.S. arms shipments stoke violence

* Eritrea not fazed by U.S. warning

Eritrea reacted angrily on Friday to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's accusations that it was destabilising the region and backing rebels in Somalia.

Speaking after meeting the Somali president in Kenya on Thursday, Clinton warned Washington would take action against Asmara if it did not stop its "unacceptable" support for Somali insurgents including the al Shabaab group.

But Eritrea's Information Minister Ali Abdu said it was the United States, not Asmara, that threatened to ignite more violence in the volatile Horn of Africa nation by providing extensive military aid to the government in Mogadishu.

"The United States has given Somalia 40 tonnes of weapons and ammunition. Do they think the situation is helped by imposing the power of fire?" Ali said in a telephone interview.

"The situation in Somalia is being complicated by external influence. The United States should stop meddling in the affairs of the Somali people."

Western security agencies say Somalia is a haven for militants planning attacks in the region and beyond.

Australian police said this week they had uncovered a plot to attack a Sydney army base by men they said had links to al Shabaab, which Washington says is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.

Ali said Asmara was unmoved by Clinton's warning.

"We do not care about the U.S. threat at all. We care only about doing the right thing," he told Reuters. Eritrea routinely denies all charges that it arms or funds Somali insurgents.

Violence in Somalia has killed more than 18,000 people since the start of 2007 and uprooted another 1 million.

U.S. Policy Shift Needed in the Horn of Africa
By Bronwyn E. Bruton, CFR International Affairs Fellow in Residence

U.S. strategic interests in the Horn of Africa center on preventing Somalia from becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda or other transnational jihadist groups.

In pursuing its counterterror strategy, the United States has found common cause with Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has long feared the renewal of Somali irredentist claims on its eastern border, or that a powerful Islamist movement may stoke unrest among its own large Muslim population, and feels beset both by a powerful indigenous separatist movement in its Ogaden region and an unresolved border dispute with its northern neighbor, Eritrea.

But the Ethiopian government’s behavior in recent years, both domestically and in bordering states, poses mounting difficulties for the United States and its long-term goals in the region. Washington must be prepared to press its partner to alter its strong-handed approach to political dissent and counterterrorism or consider ending the relationship.

Ethiopia has struggled with internal reforms since the collapse of the communist Derg regime in 1991. The country’s economy has grown, but attempts to institutionalize a system of multiparty democracy have stumbled.

In 2005, Ethiopia held largely free and fair democratic elections. Prior to the polls, there was an unprecedented opening of political space. Opposition political parties were able to hold rallies, the press was able to publish critical political analysis, and international and local civil society organizations assisted in election monitoring. But the government’s tentative efforts to increase political space were not rewarded: After a series of irregularities in the vote closing and tallying processes were discovered, a variety of political parties contested the election results. The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency and responded brutally to a series of apparently peaceful protests. The country was plunged into a period of violent civil disturbance, during which the Ethiopian government detained thousands of protestors and arrested hundreds of opposition figures, including arguably nonpolitical actors from civil society and the press. Many of these emergency measures have been institutionalized, resulting in legislation that has criminalized social advocacy by "foreigners" (including Ethiopian civil society organizations that receive foreign charitable funds), and imposed harsh criminal penalties on broadly defined "terrorist" acts, including disruptive public protests.

Impact on U.S. Policy Objectives

For the United States, cooperation with an authoritarian Ethiopia presents looming challenges to U.S. policy objectives. First, the Ethiopian government’s attempts to minimize political competition in the run-up to the 2010 elections are likely to fan ethnic tensions in the country. The government’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), is perceived by many Ethiopians to be dominated by a single minority ethnic faction, the Tigre, and its consolidation of political power may be read as an assault on the majority ethnic Amharic and Oromo populations. Public dissatisfaction with the government is high in the wake of the 2005 elections and a violent explosion is not out of the question.

Second, Ethiopia’s conflicts with Eritrea and Somalia, and with the powerful separatist movement in the Ogaden, have a jihadist impact. While the U.S.-Ethiopia alliance has had short-term tactical advantages, it may be undermining broader US counterterror goals.

Arguably, U.S. reliance on Ethiopian military might and intelligence has served to exacerbate instability in Somalia. Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia, and the extended presence of Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu, instead of quelling conflict, has triggered a local backlash that has served as a rallying point for local extremists. It was the development of a complex insurgency against the Ethiopian occupation that effectively catapulted a fringe jihadist youth militia, the Shabaab, to power. International jihadists have now capitalized on the local insurgency, and on U.S. support of the Ethiopian invasion, as an opportunity to globalize Somalia’s conflict. The presence of foreign expertise, fighters, and funding has helped to tip the balance of power in favor of Somalia’s extremist groups. Additionally, there is growing concern that the conflict in the Ogaden may give birth to indigenous jihadist movements.

While the U.S.-Ethiopia alliance has had short-term tactical advantages, it may be undermining broader U.S. counterterror goals.

Anti-American sentiment in Somalia is pervasive, and stems in large part from U.S. complicity with the Ethiopian invasion and reported Ethiopian human rights abuses in Somalia. Ethiopia has also reportedly engaged in human rights abuses within its Ogaden region, which borders Somalia, where the government is engaged in a counterinsurgency effort against an ethnic Somali separatist movement. Though Ethiopia has denied these charges, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented atrocities committed by both sides in that conflict. The U.S. decision to withdraw its military personnel from the Ogaden in April 2006, and the subsequent failure of the international community to seek accountability for these atrocities, has cemented a widespread public perception in Ethiopia and Somalia that the United States is willing to turn a blind eye on human rights abuses in exchange for cooperation in the counterterror effort.

Further complicating U.S. efforts to bolster Somalia’s central government is the unresolved border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Eritrea complains that Ethiopia has refused to honor the ruling of an independent border commission on the demarcation of the common boundary and has demanded intervention from the international community. Ethiopia charges that Eritrea has retaliated by funneling weapons and funding to radical groups in Somalia, some of which oppose Ethiopian forces there. Eritrea has denied these charges, and some specific accusations leveled by the United Nations and the African Union against Eritrea have been disproven. The demand for sanctions on Eritrea is nevertheless growing, and comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a visit to Kenya on Aug. 6, in which she linked Eritrea to Somali militants suggests efforts by the Obama administration to engage in a constructive political dialogue with Asmara may be dimming.

These factors suggest that U.S. ability to influence events in Somalia will depend in some measure on diplomatic efforts to resolve the border dispute and to address Ethiopian human rights abuses. But perhaps even more important than either is what the United States decides to do in response to the shrinking democratic space in Ethiopia.

Obstacles to U.S. Action

The United States has been unwilling to overtly pressure Ethiopia to adopt major democratic reforms for a number of reasons. Many experts and policymakers already fear that the regime is vulnerable to collapse. Some diplomats fear that aggressive–or even public–pressure on Ethiopia may inadvertently undermine or destabilize the regime. The United States cannot afford to unsettle a country that has served as a rock of stability in an otherwise troubled region.

Another major hurdle for the United States is the lack of an international consensus on one fundamental question: Is Ethiopia still a democratic country, or is the regime of President Meles Zenawi regime headed towards dictatorship? The perception that Ethiopia is a fundamentally democratic country remains strong, particularly among European nations. The lack of any consensus would require the United States to take a lead and potentially isolated role in pressuring Ethiopia for reform.

Finally, U.S. efforts to promote democratic reform in Ethiopia are impeded by a lack of willing partners on the ground. Democratic civil society groups generally fear for their safety and are not willing to mobilize in a public advocacy effort. This means that U.S. efforts to counteract repressive measures by the government will not be supported–or legitimized–by a corresponding local effort. International organizations that might have engaged with opposition political voices have already been expelled from the country.

Policy Recommendations

Change is needed to ensure the sustainability of the U.S.-Ethiopia partnership and U.S. counterterrorism goals in the region at a time when Somalia continues to flounder as a failed state. The United States should consider adopting a more assertive approach that makes use of two primary points of leverage:

First, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should refuse direct funding to the many known "GONGOS" (governmental nongovernmental organizations) that pose as legitimate civil society development organizations, but are in practice political and social agents of the ruling party. The recognition of GONGOs as legitimate civil society organizations abets the Ethiopian strategy of marginalizing nongovernmental actors, and allows the government to continue a "business as usual" approach to the delivery of international support.

Ethiopian certainty that U.S. aid is inviolate has allowed the Ethiopian government to effectively tune out demands for reform. Ethiopian dependence on U.S. assistance is a card that policymakers must learn to play to provoke meaningful change.

Second, the United States should publicly express its concern over the shrinking democratic space, the crisis in the Ogaden, and Ethiopia’s refusal to uphold the findings of the independent border commission. Ethiopian officials are extremely sensitive to public opinion and likely to respond to threats to their country’s international standing and participation in international fora such as the African Union and the United Nations.

Relations with Ethiopia are likely to become strained, and the United States can expect, at least initially, to receive very limited support from its European partner nations. These countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, lack the political leverage necessary to lead a collective shift in donor policy and have been hesitant to alienate the Ethiopian government.
This reluctance may require a diplomatic version of the "good cop/bad cop" approach, in which the United States agrees to take an isolated, leadership role in demanding change, while European donor nations persist in a strategy of quiet diplomacy. This has the advantage of ensuring that some constructive dialogue will continue.

In a worst-case scenario, the United States may have to threaten to suspend foreign and military aid to Ethiopia. U.S. humanitarian and development assistance to Ethiopia was upwards of $650 million in 2008, and the U.S. has contributed significant, though less transparent, financial and tactical support to Ethiopia’s attempts to modernize its armed forces. Such an action has rightly been perceived as unthinkable in the past, as the cessation of aid would certainly risk destabilizing the Ethiopian government and may precipitate widespread public disorder. At the same time, Ethiopian certainty that U.S. aid is inviolate has allowed the Ethiopian government to effectively tune out demands for reform. Ethiopian dependence on U.S. assistance is a card that policymakers must learn to play to provoke meaningful change. This is another reason to consider developing a good cop/bad cop arrangement with the European donors–if the United States is forced to suspend aid, other donors may mitigate the shortfall while quietly reinforcing demands for democratic reform.

The prospect of strained relations with Ethiopia at a time of regional crisis is not desirable. If the United States ultimately wishes to sustain its partnership with Ethiopia, however, inaction is the more dangerous option. Democratic space in Ethiopia will continue to erode, while human rights abuses in the Ogaden and ongoing Ethiopian military incursions in Somalia will continue to stoke anti-American sentiment in the Horn. U.S. efforts to mitigate the conflict in Somalia, and to support Somalia’s struggling Transitional Federal Government (TFG), will be fatally undermined by this dynamic. The visible reentry of Ethiopian troops into Somalia already threatens to extinguish the last embers of popular support for the TFG, and may rekindle the insurgency dynamic that brought the Shabaab to power throughout southern Somalia. At the same time, Ethiopian and Eritrean intransigence over the border dispute will ensure a continued flow of arms into the hands of various Somali factions.

The United States has recently taken positive steps to disaggregate its Somalia policy from that of Ethiopia. These steps include diplomatic outreach to Eritrea and public attempts to restrain Ethiopian military action in response to the escalating violence in Mogadishu. These constructive efforts need to be coupled with more assertive diplomacy in Addis Ababa. Until Ethiopia becomes a credible democracy, the U.S.-Ethiopia partnership will do more harm to U.S. regional standing than good.

The Somali Connection: A Terrorism Crackdown in Australia
By Rory Callinan

Most Australians know very little about Somalia and even less about the al-Shabaab group that has been fighting for control of the war-torn African nation since 2006. But on Tuesday, Aug. 4, they quickly began to learn the pronunciation of the Somali terrorist group's name. Just before dawn, approximately 400 police from state and federal departments fanned out across Melbourne and its southwest, raiding 19 properties and arresting four men and questioning others. The police claim they had foiled a suicide plot by Al-Shabaab supporters to storm a Sydney military base and kill as many soldiers as possible.

For seven months, Australian police and undercover security agents had been tracking the suspects, gathering information on them by way of phone taps and other forms of surveillance. Those arrested appear to be Australian citizens of Somali or Lebanese descent. An estimated 16,000 Somalis have found refuge in Australia since the beginning of their country's civil war 17 years ago.

"Potentially this would have been, if it had been able to be carried out, the most serious terrorist attack on Australian soil," Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Tony Negus said. The alleged plan was to attack Holsworthy Army Barracks in Sydney's southwest.

The plan apparently included sending Australian citizens to Somalia to participate in the civil war. There al-Shabaab, which means "the youth," has been fighting to impose Shari'a (religious) law on the country. The group controls most of the southern part of Somalia and has been making growing inroads into the capital, Mogadishu.

Meanwhile, the members of the group, said Negus, were "actively seeking a fatwa or religious ruling to justify the plan to conduct a terrorist attack within Australia." Australia has no troops in Somalia, but it has a frigate as part of a multinational naval armada protecting shipping from Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. Reports have also been circulating of a connection with al-Shabaab sympathizers in Minnesota, where a Somali immigrant to the U.S. last week pleaded guilty to traveling to Somalia to collaborate with al-Shabaab. Asked if the U.S. had anything to do with the Australian crackdown, Special Agent E. K. Wilson of the FBI's Minneapolis office would not comment on the Melbourne operations, simply saying, "We have very good relations and cooperation with Australian law enforcement on counterterrorism issues."

On Tuesday, one of the four men arrested in Melbourne was charged with planning a terrorist attack. During the court hearing, local newspapers reported, the man remained seated throughout the proceedings, not rising for the judge or for questioning, explaining through his lawyer that he would stand only before his God. On Wednesday, Aug. 5, four more men were charged. At their hearing, one reportedly responded by saying, "You send troops to Iraq to kill innocent people ... You call me a terrorist. I never killed a person in my life. Your army kills innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel takes Palestinian land by force."

Just hours after the raids, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared, "There is an enduring threat of terrorism at home here in Australia as well as overseas." He noted that three Australians lost their lives in the recent bombings in Jakarta but was quick to note that the alleged al-Shabaab plot appears to have nothing to do with the Indonesian incident. Despite Australia's remote location, a number of major investigations have been mounted into alleged terrorist cells or terrorist supporters, with mixed success. In 2005, Australian security agencies thwarted a group of men who had discussed plotting to bomb prominent sporting venues and a casino. The investigation led to the conviction of seven men in Melbourne last year.

Rudd said the incident emanated "from a small number of individuals who should in no way be taken as a wider reflection of any group within Australian society." A number of critics, however, say the so-called plot illustrates a failure to integrate immigrants like the Somalis into Australian society. Dr. Berhan Ahmed, chairman of the Melbourne-based African Think Tank, an organization dedicated to assisting African refugees, says outdated policies are responsible for migrants' struggling in Australian society. Unemployment remains a huge problem. Ahmed also cites the practice of putting refugees into troubled government-owned housing complexes or high-rise apartment blocks "where often the drug dealers are who want to recruit the kids." Instead, parents push the kids toward religious figures, including some who preach extremist views. Says Ahmed: "What would you do for your son or daughter? Would you leave them to drug dealers?"

Publish and not be damned
By news.com.au

Media, like all segments of a democratic society, should be subjected to regular scrutiny and criticism.

This week, a public debate has gathered pace around the actions of The Australian newspaper in proceeding with a report about the counter-terrorism raids conducted in Melbourne on Tuesday morning. The Australian is owned by News Limited, which also owns The Advertiser.

Critics, including most pointedly the Victorian Police Commissioner, Simon Overland, have complained that The Australian, which learned of the impending raids via an undisclosed source, published its story before they actually occurred – although only by a matter of hours.

The truth is that the national newspaper had held off publishing this very important story, at the request of the Australian Federal Police, since Thursday of the preceding week.

Associate Editor Cameron Stewart has said that the paper went ahead only once approval to publish was given by the AFP.

"The Australian agreed to withhold publication of the raids until the later editions of the newspaper and to keep all references off our internet site," the paper said.

"The Australian honoured that agreement absolutely and the AFP acknowledges that."

The raids went ahead without compromise. But the claims by Commissioner Overland have brought a focus on the way the news media balance issues of national security with the national interest.

Journalists, like the security and policing authorities, have a job to do and in cases like this, those jobs can sometimes have competing, rather than complementary aims.

In this instance, those competing aims were accommodated. For their own reasons, the security authorities will always have a tendency towards non-disclosure, whereas news media such as newspapers have a responsibility to expose information.

Both emphases may have their value at various points but, in essence, news media in this country generally get that balance right.

There are numerous examples of media outlets agreeing not to publish. The case of Nigel Brennan, an Australian man kidnapped in Somalia, is one such example.

News media had agreed not to report his story at the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs for fear of delaying his release or even endangering his life.

It was only when his frustrated mother confronted Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Bundaberg a fortnight ago that the story gained serious coverage.

Voluntary restraint has been offered before in extortion cases involving Qantas and Sanitarium, and there are others.

In the end, the system works best when news media do their job to the best of their ability. This is why News Limited and other media companies are leading the Right to Know campaign, which is designed to push back against the constant tendency of authorities and governments to deny citizens information.

Ultimately, it is the public's right to know that is the most important point.

South America against US bases in Colombia
By Press TV

A US plan to use military bases in Colombia has met with opposition in South America despite Washington's efforts to calm the region.

The news comes as retired General Jim Jones, US President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor tried to downplay concerns about the US military's presence in the region. He told reporters in Brasilia on Wednesday that fears that the bases might signify US military designs beyond fighting drug trafficking in Colombia were unfounded.

Despite Jones' reassurances, South American nations condemned the plan.

Brazil criticized the plan and said that "foreign bases in the region look like relics of the Cold War."

Only the Peruvian President Alan Garcia - the other principal US ally in the region - gave his support to the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, whom he called "a good friend."

This is while the Bolivian President Evo Morales said after seeing Uribe late on Tuesday that he would urge South American nations to reject the plan.

The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a longtime antagonist of the United States, has said he feared the bases would be used for an invasion of his country by a "Yankee military force."

Venezuela: No Mediation On US Military Bases In Colombia - Russian Information Agency Novosti

Chavez rejects mediators in dispute with Colombia

President Hugo Chavez has ruled out involving mediators in the resolution a diplomatic spat between Venezuela and Colombia over the deployment of additional U.S. troops at Colombian bases.

Chavez met on Thursday with former Colombian President Ernesto Samper, and some Latin American media saw it as an indication that the Colombian politician could act as a mediator in the current conflict.

"There will be no mediators. Mediation is not possible. The only way to calm the situation is for Colombia to refuse to give its territory to the United States," Chavez told reporters.

The United States and Colombia are currently holding talks that could lead to a boost in U.S. troop numbers at Colombian bases as part of a 10-year deal to help the country tackle its drug trafficking and terrorist problem.

Chavez has condemned Colombia's plan to host more U.S. troops as a direct threat to Venezuela and regional security. He has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Columbia and to cut back on imports of Colombian goods.

"The Yankee empire is scheming to provoke a war between Venezuela and Colombia," Chavez said.

In line with the terms of the expected agreement, the United States will have the right to use seven military bases in Columbia.

... Under Plan Colombia - U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling by supporting a variety of anti-narcotics activities in the Latin American country - Washington has invested over $6 billion into Colombia....

Meanwhile, Chavez reiterated on Venezuelan television on Thursday that he was hoping to conclude a deal with Russia on the purchase of a large number of main battle tanks during his visit to Moscow in September.

Venezuela has already spent around $4 billion since 2005 on Russian arms, including helicopters, fighter planes and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The...leader said he was ready to turn Venezuela into "an impregnable fortress."

Ukraine keeps rearming Georgia – Russian Deputy FM

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin believes that Ukraine continues arming Georgia.

"There’s irrefutable evidence that Ukraine continues its arms supplies. They are trying to hide behind various wordings of offensive or non-offensive weapons. Some types of weapons cannot really be called offensive. But an army which has plenty of these weapons definitely becomes more aggressive. They won’t get away with these tricks," Karasin said an interview published by the Izvestia daily on Thursday.

He noted that Russia was conducting a direct dialogue with countries that were still rearming Georgia. "We make it clear to them that we will take account of this factor in the general context of bilateral relations," Karasin went on to say and added that economic sanctions were possible.

"We don’t what things to aggravate that far. The main thing that we are seeking is that people take a responsible approach to arms deliveries to explosive regions," Karasin stressed. ....

He confirmed that Russia hadn’t and didn’t have plans to annex Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "We favor the development of stable relations in south Caucasus. We are helping Tskhinval and Sukhum to develop their economies, the social sphere and education. This year alone Russia will render 8.5 billion roubles worth of financial aid to South Ossetia. We’ve also pledged to protect the security of these countries," Karasin said.

Watch the Real Pirates!

Arctic Grab – Something Rotten in Denmark, Norway, Russia, US, Canada
by Kahentinetha MNN Mohawk Nation News

More colonial subterfuge! Canada, US, Russia, Norway, Denmark and other imperialist entities are trying to steal the Indigenous area of northern Great Turtle Island. Climate change is causing the ice to recede. They all want to cart away our minerals, oil and gas. Ruskie and US subs have surfaced in the far north.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is standing around the North Pole, waving his arms and screaming, "I was the first crook here. So it’s all mine, mine, mine!" He wants the true inhabitants, the Inuit, to live there year round to assert Indigenous sovereignty. They can hold back the other foreigners while he and his friends gouge out the riches. To him Canada is the only imperialist that can rob us as it’s under the usurpation of the colony of Canada!

On January 28, 2006, the Women Title Holders of the Kanion’ke:haka issued a public notice of objection to this attempted seizure of our inherent right to the "Arctic Region" by these foreign states, corporations, "outsiders" and non-Indigenous interests. The Inuit, our family, are the natural custodians of this area which belongs to our unborn generations.

According to Wampum 44 of the Kaianereh’ko:wa, the Ongwehonwe Women Title Holders are the "progenitors of the soil" of Great Turtle Island . We are the Caretakers of the land, water and air. We told these capitalist blood suckers to stay away, that they have no business here.

Self-determination is a universal human right. The denial of a nation’s existence constitutes genocide, according to the many international covenants these states have pledged to uphold. Modern international law protects small peoples from incursions by aggressive states who use military and economic force to impose their will. Their turf war over our territory, waters and resources violates our customs, practices, occupation and rights.

We cannot surrender our birthright. This land is who we are. The Western Sahara decision provides that a territory cannot be incorporated in another state without the informed consent of the majority of its people. This was not done because they know that we will never agree to give up our identity.

No one made a treaty of cession with us to enter our Arctic waters and territory.

International, federal, state and provincial entities cannot violate international law and the rule of law by superseding our jurisdiction over territory that we never surrendered.

Colonialism is illegal. Past agreements and treaties only allowed foreigners to live peacefully on our land.

Any foreigner wishing to enter our territory must deal with us through nation-to-nation protocol. No foreign entity and their corporate bodies and associated or visitor such as the colony of Canada can invite outsiders onto our territory or sell off our resources.

In Canada we took an action in the Supreme Court of Canada – Kanion’ke:haka Kaianereh’ko:wa Kanon’ses:neh v. Attorney General of Canada and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, Court File: 05-CV-030785.

We brought this constitutional jurisdiction issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. See No. 05-165: 2005. In The Supreme Court of the United States In re Kanion’ke:haka Kaianereh’ko:wa Kanon’ses:neh, Non-party, Petitioner / Movant / Appellant, The Canadian St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians, Plaintiffs, Respondents, v. The State of New York, Defendants, Respondents. Petition for Writs of Certiorari and Quo Warranto with Prohibition and Mandamus in Aid to Prevent Genocide. Rules 17.1 and 20.1.

There are two camps: our enemy and ourselves. The increasing dependence of international capitalists on neo-colonial theft makes their existence and future uncertain. They are facing serious economic and social difficulties making them desperate. Some of the symptoms are rising prices, balance of payments problems, unemployment and social unrest. Their use of more violence, armed force and coercion indicates their panic and decline in their power.

The masses are resisting the might is right strategy. The capitalists are finding themselves in an unhealthy position. We must keep confronting them with the truth, which they’re saying is unpeaceful and annoying to them.

The Arctic has become unlivable due to the environmental destruction caused by the imperialists. The Inuit have the same duties to care for our mother, Great Turtle Island. We are brothers and sisters. We follow your issues and feel all the stresses that you are going through. We hope you won’t allow yourselves to be used by any of these foreign invaders. They are trying to exploit you and nothing good will come of it.

We do not send pictures with these reports, because of the volume, but picture this emetic scene with your inner eye:

A dying Somali child in the macerated arms of her mother besides their bombed shelter with Islamic graffiti looks at a fat trader, who discusses with a local militia chief and a UN representative at a harbour while USAID provided GM food from subsidised production is off-loaded by WFP into the hands of local "distributors" and dealers - and in the background a western warship and a foreign fishing trawler ply the waters of a once sovereign, prosper and proud nation, which was a role model for honesty and development in the Horn of Africa. (If you feel that this is overdrawn - come with us into Somalia and see the even more cruel reality yourself!)

There is no limit to what a person can do or how far one can go to help - if one doesn't mind who gets the credit !

ECOTERRA Intl. maintains a register for persons missing or abducted in the Somali seas (Foreign seafarers as well as Somalis). Inquiries by family member can be sent by e-mail to office[at]ecoterra-international.org

For families of presently captive seafarers - in order to advise and console their worries - ECOTERRA Intl. can establish contacts with professional seafarers, who had been abducted in Somalia, and their wives as well as of a Captain of a sea-jacked and released ship, who agreed to be addressed "with questions, and we will answer truthfully".

ECOTERRA - ALERTS and pending issues:

PIRATE ATTACK GULF OF ADEN: Advice on Who to Contact and What to Do http://www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2008-09-08-2

NATURAL RESOURCES & ARMED FISH POACHERS: Foreign navies entering the 200nm EEZ of Somalia and foreign helicopters and troops must respect the fact that especially all wildlife is protected by Somali national as well as by international laws and that the protection of the marine resources of Somalia from illegally fishing foreign vessels should be an integral part of the anti-piracy operations. Likewise the navies must adhere to international standards and not pollute the coastal waters with oil, ballast water or waste from their own ships but help Somalia to fight against any dumping of any waste (incl. diluted, toxic or nuclear waste). So far and though the AU as well as the UN has called since long on other nations to respect the 200 nm EEZ, only now the two countries (Spain and France) to which the most notorious vessels and fleets are linked have come up with a declaration that they will respect the 200 nm EEZ of Somalia but so far not any of the navies operating in the area pledged to stand against illegal fishing. So far not a single illegal fishing vessel has been detained by the naval forces, though they had been even informed about several actual cases, where an intervention would have been possible. Illegally operating Tuna fishing vessels (many from South Korea, some from Greece and China) carry now armed personnel and force their way into the Somali fishing grounds - uncontrolled or even protected by the naval forces mandated to guard the Somali waters against any criminal activity, which included arms carried by foreign fishing vessels in Somali waters.

LLWs / NLWs: According to recently leaked information the anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden are also used as a cover-up for the live testing of recently developed arsenals of so called non-lethal as well as sub-lethal weapons systems. (Pls request details) Neither the Navies nor the UN has come up with any code of conduct in this respect, while the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is sponsoring several service-led acquisition programs, including the VLAD, Joint Integration Program, and Improved Flash Bang Grenade. Alredy in use in Somalia are so called Non-lethal optical distractors, which are visible laser devices that have reversible optical effects. These types of non-blinding laser devices use highly directional optical energy. Somalia is also a testing ground for the further developments of the Active Denial System (ADS) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). If new developments using millimeter wave sources that will help minimize the size, weight, and system cost of an effective Active Denial System which provides "ADS-ACTD-like" repel effects, are used has not yet been revealed. Obviously not only the US is developing and using these kind of weapons as the case of MV MARATHON showed, where a Spanish naval vessel was using optical lasers - the stand-off was then broken by the killing of one of the hostage seafarers. Local observers also claim that HEMI devices, producing Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) Bioeffects, have been used in the Gulf of Aden against Somalis. Exposure to HEMI devices, which can be understood as a stun-gun shot at an individual over a larger distance, causes muscle contractions that temporarily disable an individual. Research efforts are underway to develop a longer-duration of this effect than is currently available. The live tests are apparently done without that science understands yet the effects of HEMI electrical waveforms on a human body.

ECOTERRA Intl., whose work does focus on nature- and human-rights-protection and - as the last international environmental organization still working in Somalia - had alerted ship-owners since 1992, many of whom were fishing illegally in the 200 nm Exclusive Economic Zone, to stay away from Somali waters. The non-governmental organization had requested the international community many times for help to protect the coastal waters of the war-torn state, but now lawlessness has seriously increased and gone out of hand.

ECOTERRA members with marine and maritime expertise, joined by it's ECOP-marine group, are closely and continuously monitoring and advising on the Somali situation. (for previous information concerning the topics please google keywords ECOTERRA (and) SOMALIA)

The network of the SEAFARERS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME helped significantly in most sea-jack cases. ECOTERRA Intl. is working in Somalia since 1986 on human-rights and nature protection, while ECOP-marine concentrates on illegal fishing and the protection of the marine ecosystems. Your support counts too.

Please consider to contribute to the work of SAP, ECOP-marine and ECOTERRA Intl. Please donate to the defence fund.

Contact us for details concerning project-sponsorship or donations via e-mail: ecotrust[at]ecoterra.net

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Press Contacts:

ECOP-marine
East-Africa
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marine[at]ecop.info
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africanode[at]ecoterra.net
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