Ecoterra Somali Marine Coastal Monitor. Part X – The Waning Political Stature of Sheikh Sharif

Pointless travels to Abyssinia, useless visits to Uganda and Kenya, determined unwillingness to shape an all-Somali government, disastrous signature of irrelevant bilateral agreements, inexplicable consent to all sorts of anti-Somali schemes, along with an obsessed over-reliance on the cruel colonial fossil ’Arab League’ are measures and policies that cannot possibly bring forth any happy development for Somalia.

The great enthusiastic dreams of Asmara gradually turned out to be brazen realities in Djibouti and a nightmare in Mogadishu. Because of his own successively wrong choices and despite the undisputedly wise selection of a very promising prime minister, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is day by day pulverizing Somalia’s chances for reunification, pacification and rehabilitation.

I will not further expand on the reasons here but in several forthcoming articles; shedding light on the recent developments, the 10th Ecoterra SMCM (Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor) press release was issued a few hours ago. I herewith republish it integrally.

Ecoterra Intl. – SMCM (Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor) Part X

Ecoterra International – Updates, Statements & Clearinghouse Citations

A Voice for the Voiceless, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or overseas and 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 funding.

2009-04-04 - 23h57:28 UTC

EA Illegal Fishing and Dumping Hotline: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed) - email: somalia[at]ecoterra.net

EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: +254-738-497979

Clearing-house

News from sea-jackings, abductions or newly attacked ships

Somali pirates free Indian cargo dhow MSV SHEHENSHAH-E-MADINA from Salaya. The four-day long hostage crisis onboard the Shehenshah-E-Madina apparently has ended. The 18-member crew of the hijacked cargo vessel was released by the Somali pirates without ransom. The vessel had been hijacked on March 30 - two days after it had set sail for United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Somalia. Vessel owner Yasmin Salim Sambhania, with the help of Salaya Vessels Owners Association, on Sunday, had just initiated the process to inform the Indian Coast Guard, Navy and other authorities that the vessel was missing for four days, when the good news arrived. "The vessel was hijacked on March 30 by Somali pirates. It was carrying nil cargo. At the end of six days, the pirates released it. The crew is safe", said Amad Bhaya, secretary of Salaya Vessel Owners Association.

"The last message [before the sea-jacking] from the vessel was radioed by its captain, Anwar Mohammad (45), to Ajit Sambhania in the UAE", said agent Salim in Dubai. The case of Sher-E-Madina, another cargo vessel owned by the Sambhanias, further expressed a high possibility that MSV SHENHENSHAH-E-MDINA might have fallen into the hands of pirates. "MSV SHER-E-MADINA, which was sailing only 400 km ahead, was also hijacked, looted and released early this week. Sher-E-Madina, which had to give away all its food stock and appliances like TV (as it was carrying nil cargo) to the pirates, has reached it’s destination at Shahjahan port", said Bhaya. The vessel had left for the UAE in August last year. Since then, the vessel has been ferrying between UAE and Somalia. According to Salim, the crews keep changing but they are mostly from Gujarat.

Somali pirates hijacked a Yemeni tugboat in the Indian Ocean and held its seven-member crew hostage today, Sunday, Yemen's Interior Ministry confirmed. Armed pirates took over the tug AL-GHAITH with seven Yemeni sailors on board and took it to an unknown destination, the ministry said in a statement.

Officials say Somali pirates have seized a German ship. A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry confirmed today the attack in the Indian Ocean but did not have further details. He spoke on customary condition of anonymity. The attack was first reported by a Kenyan group that monitors piracy. East African Seafarers' Assistance Program head Andrew Mwangura told The Associated Press that the 20,000-tonne German container vessel was seized 400 nautical miles from the Somali town of Kismayo early Saturday. He said he believed the ship had a crew of around 24 and may have been sailing under a flag of convenience. The sea-jacking occurred after Somali pirates also opened fire on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Indian Ocean Saturday in the same area but had failed to board the vessel. The pirates opened fire Saturday morning on the Maltese-flagged cargo ship, The Africa Star, owned by Israeli logistics and transportation giant Zim Shipping Services based in Haifa. But the attempts to abduct that vessel failed due to coils of barbed wire hung around the hull to repel boarders and as the ship's master managed to call for air support a British surveillance plane arrived and drove the pirates away. The German Foreign Ministry earlier had said it was seeking "concrete evidence" that a German-flagged vessel had been captured. "The Federal Government is dealing with the case, and all the appropriate public authorities are participating intensively", a spokeswoman stated. Local marine observers reported that the Somali Pirates of the German-linked vessel are from the HabrGedir Ayr sub-clan and that the vessel is expected tomorrow at the Somali Indian Ocean coast near Harardheere - then further details will be forthcoming. A week ago, German Navy units in the area thwarted an attempted pirate attack on a German navy tanker in the Gulf of Aden and detained seven would-be pirates. In March, a German navy frigate detained nine pirates for attacking a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden and later turned them over to Kenya for legal prosecution.

A so far unconfirmed report speaks of another Yacht, flying French flag, with 4 crew members being sea-jacked yesterday, Saturday, around 640 km off Ras Hafun in Northeast Somalia. Today a short and then cut communication via satellite phone with the vessel revealed that the crew seems to be ok. The abducted yacht is currently sailing with 8 knots towards the Somali Puntland coast. Local marine observers stated that the attack was reportedly launched from a captured Yemeni fishing vessel.

The location of S/Y SERENITY, abducted from the Seychelles with three sailors, has been found off Dhinooda, a remote spot along the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia 15 km south of Garacad, with hardly any communication. The crew members are reported to be well. Efforts to still press for an unconditional release of the sailing boat have continued.

British owned, Seychelles-flagged MS INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER, a 115ft high-end cruiser, built in Hamburg/Germany, formerly designed for oceanographic research and used today as tourist dive-boat, with seven crew members is held now off Handulle, north of Harardheere at the Somali coast. Contact with the owner and the crisis group of the Seychelles has been established. Earlier on Thursday, the Seychelles military said it had deployed security forces on the outer islands of its archipelago after a second vessel flying the Indian Ocean nation's flag was seized by Somali pirates. Aquatours director Kirk Green said the operator was informed of the hijacking on Wednesday the 25th of February when it was thought to have been captured.

MT STOLT STRENGTH's return-move northwards from Harardheere lasted only a few miles when the vessel ran out of fuel. This is no wonder since the vessel has been constantly going up and down the coast and even had been used as a pirate-mothership during the past month. The people on land - interested in a take-over - have so far refused to provide fuel or food, which puts the captors in a difficult position. Negotiations concerning the release of the vessel and her 23 crew still are obviously completely messed up in the 5 month long saga.

The owners of SEA PRINCESS II, based in Yemen have now urged the Somali cargo-owners to achieve a quick release of the vessel and her 15 crew. A meeting in Bossasso seems to have found a solution. The vessel has come north again and last position was 5 miles north of Garacad.

A rather fast solution for the release of sea-jacked Norwegian-owned, Bahamas-registered chemicals tanker MT BOW-ASIR, with 27 crew as well as her potentially dangerous cargo of caustic soda seems to be near. Vessel and crew are presently held near Harardheere.

The seven Somali pirates in the custody of German authorities on-board a German naval vessel still have not arrived in Mombassa. The RHEINLAND-PFALZ is said to arrive only on 8th April, while a legal tussle still continues.

In the past 24 hours the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg has sent its Sea King helicopter after several skiffs that were shadowing a commercial vessel, using a large red "Stop" sign to tell the speedboat crews to get lost. Commander Craig Baines said today, Sunday, the suspected pirates did just that when they saw the sign, written in Somali, hanging out to chopper's door – along with the aircraft's machine-gun. A merchant vessel, the PACIFIC OPAL, had earlier radioed for help. Cmdr. Baines added that today the Winnipeg saw more action when it spotted a boatload of Somalis, trying to get from Somalia to Yemen. He said they had been at sea for two days and were hungry and thirsty, so crew from the Winnipeg were able to get supplies to them. The Winnipeg is currently participating in a NATO-led counter-piracy mission known as Operation Allied Protector. With a crew of approximately 240 officers and non-commissioned members, the warship has been at sea since early February, and won't return to Victoria until August. The security authorities in the coastal governorates of Yemen have reported that about 2,478 Somali refugees reached the Yemeni coasts last March, Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The reports showed that the refuges include 576 women and 167 children.

A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer from Japan scared off apparent pirate vessels approaching a Singapore-registered tanker Friday off Somalia, the Defense Ministry said. Although the Self-Defense Forces Law police-action provision under which the MSDF anti-piracy mission is operating does not allow the flotilla to provide protection to non-Japan-related vessels, a ministry official said Friday's incident posed no violation because no weapons were used, the Japan Times reported. "What we did was within the limits of what was allowed, and we did what we could", the official told a press briefing. The Defense Ministry claimed the warship's action is based on a law that requires the crew to "take necessary actions to save human life". The 4,650-ton destroyer Sazanami, part of a two-destroyer MSDF flotilla dispatched in March, received a VHF radio message at 8:40 p.m. local time Friday, the Defense Ministry said. The ship was patrolling approximately 4 nautical miles away from the tanker when it learned about three boats and a mother ship apparently approaching the tanker. The Defense Ministry said the Sazanami put its searchlights on the suspect vessels and scared them off with a bullhorn. The boats left after about 10 minutes, another Defense Ministry official said, adding that the MSDF was unable to confirm if they were pirates.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 14 (15 with the French yacht, 16 with an unnamed sole Barge which drifted ashore) foreign vessels with a total of not less than 249 crew members accounted for (of which 96 are Filipinos) are held in Somali waters and 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. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) have 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 52 averted or abandoned attacks and 13/4 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as one wrongful attack by friendly fire on the side of the naval forces. 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.

Directly piracy related news

Ecoterra Intl. as well as Human Rights Watch had warned earlier concerning the legal difficulties and possible human-rights violations deriving from the anti-piracy missions launched. Pirates captured by Royal Navy warships patrolling off East Africa may have to be set free because there is no international agreement over where they can be legally prosecuted, reports now The Independent. British Internal Foreign Office documents seen by The Independent on Sunday lay bare the behind-the-scenes wrangling that could neuter the UK-led effort against the growing problem of pirates terrorizing vessels in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The collection of memos and briefing notes detail critical problems with Operation Atalanta since it was hurriedly agreed by the European Union last November in response to a series of high-profile pirate attacks around the Horn of Africa. Although the UK volunteered to lead the EU's first naval mission, officials have consistently warned ministers that its impact could be limited by the inability to prosecute captured pirates, who are therefore freed – potentially to resume their threat to shipping.

Authorities say criminals attacked more than 100 ships off Somalia last year, including hijackings with multimillion-dollar ransom demands. EU defense ministers admitted last month that they were struggling to break through complicated international legal agreements to establish how to handle pirates taken into custody, where they could be tried, and what laws apply. They accept that court action – perhaps via special arrangements with selected countries in the region – would act as a significant deterrent. Documents now reveal that British officials warned of the legal problems – and their potential to embarrass ministers who had committed the nation's forces to the headline-grabbing operation – from the start. As early as last November, a briefing to ministers pointed out that: "The legal difficulties regarding arrest/detention of pirates mean that it is unlikely that pirates will be able to be brought to justice in the courts". In a further memo, on 3 December, officials advised David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, to agree to the launch of Atalanta, "despite failure to conclude ... all the legal agreements sought with regional countries on handover of pirate suspects, accepting that this increases operational and reputational risk in the period until these agreements are concluded". The document also said trying pirates in UK courts was "not desirable", but stated that "the default option ... of releasing the pirates on to a Somali beach after destruction of pirate boats/weapons/ equipment is not attractive either in deterrence or presentational terms".

However, given the British Government's prominent role in the operation, it was judged that "a decision not to launch the mission would be embarrassing and, even with careful media handling, we could expect heavy criticism". Kenya, a former British colony, is one of four countries favoured as the regional venue for trials, and Britain is thinking of offering to help its legal system cope with the extra work. The Department of Transport is considering new legislation allowing pirates captured abroad to be tried in the UK. The shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: "It will make a mockery of British efforts to combat Somali piracy if we have no effective system to deal with those captured by the Royal Navy, and pirates are simply let loose to attack again". Ecoterra Intl. wonders why the offer made by the Somali Government earlier to establish a tribunal under international law inside Somalia to try all piracy cases has not been taken up so far.

A hoax made the round stating "One pirate died and three others were injured after they approached a navy ship. They were given warning signals but they ignored and kept approaching and their mother boat was destroyed", local fisherman Abdullahi Isa Mohamed told a press agency. A follow up revealed one car accident injuring three people as well as one shoot-out among a pirate-group, whereby a member from a distant clan was killed.

Andrew Mwangura, the outspoken defender of seafarers' rights, is still not relieved since the framed-up case against him is still pending. But he attended court in Mombassa on the 1st day of April 2009 for another hearing of this case, whereby the same was adjourned at the instance of the prosecution with reasons explained to court. The matter has been fixed for mention on the 15th day of April 2009 to confirm response from the Provincial Criminal Investigation Officer (P.C.I.O) on a letter dated 13th day of February,2009 addressed to the Attorney-General with instructions to terminate this case.

African attacks fan piracy flames into new areas, says Lloyds list. Though the Niger Delta remains undisputed hotspot but attacks are spreading west to Ivory Coast and east to Cameroon In both East and West Africa, the area considered at risk of pirate attacks is expanding, with incidents now taking place beyond the usual flashpoints such as Somalia and Nigeria. Militants and criminals are now targeting more offshore assets throughout the Gulf of Guinea, while Somali pirates are initiating attacks as far away as the Seychelles.

Marine security under scrutiny The Frenchman Bruno Pardigon has been given the task of vetting license requests from marine security companies wanting to be based in Djibouti, reports African Intelligence.

Illegal fisheries and related issues

Security forces in northern Somalia's Puntland region seized two Greek fishing vessels after a gun battle on Thursday and accused them of fishing illegally in its waters. Puntland's Security Minister Abdulahi Sa'id Samatar confirmed that the security team attacked the boats on Thursday because they believed they did not have a valid fishing license. However, the fisheries minister of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Mohamed Saleh, first had tried to shield the illegal vessels. Abdiweli Ali, the head of the Puntland coastguard, told reporters his men had been carrying out a routine check off the Horn of Africa before one of them was injured in the shoot-out at sea. "We wanted to know the legitimacy of these two ships, but as we approached they opened fire on us", Ali said. "We defended ourselves. One of our soldiers was injured. Their fishing licenses were expired, and that is why they fought us". Somali authorities have long accused European fishing fleets of illegally trawling their waters -- which are also roamed by pirate gangs who hijacked dozens of vessels last year. The Greek ships FV GRECO 2 and FV GRECO 4 with mainly Korean crew are now in police custody. The GRECO 2 was already arrested once before and the monitoring group on arms of the UN Security Council never received a reply on the formal request asking if a ransom was paid for her release.

Receipt of such information would enable the UN Monitoring Group to ascertain whether ransom payments were used for the purchase of weapons. These notorious fish poachers are owned and operated by the Greek company GRECO Ltd. FV GRECO 4 under PANAMA FLAG is likewise illegally in Somali waters and GRECO Ltd. operated there also the F/V ASSOS under Cambodian flag. All crew of the presently arrested vessel are said to be from Korea and under police custody on their boats.

The president of Somalia's semiautonomous region of Puntland, Abdirahman Farole, has appointed a three-member committee to investigate a deadly incident involving a private coastguard company, Radio Garowe reports. The committee is composed of three ministers, namely: Minister for Planning Minister and International Cooperation, Mr. Farah Adan Dhala; Deputy Finance Minister Abdi Qowdan; and Dr. Abdi Hassan Jum'ale, the State Minister for Democratization Process and Federal Relations. The new committee has been tasked with reviewing licenses issued by the Ministry of Fisheries to ensure legality and to review the contract between the Puntland government and Som-Can, a private coastguard company licensed by the former administration of Gen. Adde Muse. Also under review will be Som-Can personnel, including soldiers on board its gunboats, some of whom have allegedly been accused of links to piracy. Puntland's Ministry of Fisheries has awarded fishing licenses to foreign trawlers over the past ten years, while most times ignoring legal procedures and Somali as well as International law. In recent years, Puntland has become a major hub of pirate operations off the Somali coast, with a surge in piracy linked to illegal fishing and toxic dumping, some of which is attributed to foreign vessels with 'licenses' issued by the Puntland Ministry of Fisheries. Somalia's coast is famous for fish like red snapper, barracuda, shark and tuna. As the world's appetite for fish increases and fish stocks dwindle worldwide, Somali waters are increasingly attractive to foreign fishermen.

Somalia: Getting tough on foreign vessels to save local fishermen

Somalia has revoked fishing licenses for foreign vessels and is planning a new law to regulate fishing in its waters, a minister told IRIN on 2 April.

The move follows complaints by local fishermen of lost livelihoods because they lacked modern equipment and the means to replace old nets, and were being forced out by foreign-owned vessels.

"I do sympathise with the fishermen and we are working on a new law to regulate the activities of these [foreign] ships", said Prof. Abdirahman Ibbi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources in the new Somali National Unity Government.

Ibbi said an estimated 220 foreign-owned vessels were engaged in unlicensed and illegal fishing in Somali waters. Most were of European origin, he added.

However, he said, it was "impossible for the new government to monitor their fishery production in general, let alone the state of the fishery resources they are exploiting".

Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan, head of a fishing cooperative in the southern coastal town of Merka, told IRIN that livelihoods were being destroyed. "Fishing is the only thing we know and without it we have nothing", he said, adding that lack of support, combined with the foreign fishing vessels, was ruining fishing communities.

Hassan said many members of his cooperative, established in 1974, lacked equipment, such as boats and nets, "because they had no means to replace the old ones".

Harassment claims

Reports of crews of foreign-owned ships harassing and intimidating local fishermen had been made by Somali fishermen.

"They are not only taking our fish, but they are also stopping us from fishing", said Mohamed Abdirahman, a fisherman in Brava, 200km south of Mogadishu. "They have rammed boats and cut nets".

He said a number of Somali fishermen were missing and presumed dead after encounters "with these big ships".

Abdirahman said the number of foreign ships in the south had increased after they were chased from the north by pirates. He said the foreign ships were now being protected by the navies of their countries and "do whatever they want to us".

Local fishermen go out late at night to set their nets, but discover in the morning that they have been cut or stolen. "They are no longer satisfied to take our fish, but they are forcing us to abandon fishing altogether", he said.

He claimed some of the foreign navies were treating Somali fishermen as if they were pirates and had occasionally opened fire on Somali fishing boats.

"We are forced to avoid going far and stay within sight of towns to avoid them and this means our catches are much smaller", Abdirahman said. "We are being driven out of business by foreign vessels protected by their navies. Who is protecting us? Our existence depends on the fish".

He said the international community was only "talking about the piracy problem in Somalia, but not about the destruction of our coast and our lives by these foreign ships".

He said many families were already destitute and if the situation did not improve, "many families will be begging".

Somalia has a 3,330 km coastline, with major landing sites in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Merka, Brava, Eil, Bargal, Bolimog, Las Korey and Berbera, and Bosasso. It has large species, including tuna and mackerel; smaller stocks, such as sardines; shark species and lobsters.

Somalia, which has been ravaged by civil war since 1991 and has had no effective functioning central government, lacks the capacity to ensure controlled exploitation of the fishing sector and can hardly enforce fishing regulations on its own, much less stop foreign vessels, said a civil society source in Mogadishu.

Ecoterra Intl. wholeheartedly supports and accompanies this move, ending times where the international fishing mafia with impunity and by cruelly abusing the poverty of the people as well as local criminal power-structures ripped the only remaining renewable natural resource from the Somalis. The stern action is essential to revive Somalia's plundered stocks of fish, especially of tuna and shark, as well as of rock-lobsters, which so far have made only the foreign fleets and a few local barons wealthy. Tuna from Somali waters is famous, because it has the lowest mercury-level of any yellow-fin tuna population worldwide. Somali fisheries - freed from criminal networks and forced sub-standard methods - have now the chance to rise to a world-class role-model for controlled, sustainable, socially just and fair-trade best practice in fisheries management and marine ecosystem protection.

The navies patrolling the Somali waters based on several UN resolutions can now no longer close their eyes and have to live up to their promises by also defending the Somali waters from illegally fishing foreign vessels within the 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Somalia. In light of the serious negative social, economic and environmental impacts of the persistent over-exploitation of marine resources of Somalia such protection by the navies is much more important than the staged escort of food-deliveries, which in any case will not be robbed, because Somalis have to deposit a bank-guarantee for any food-shipment distributed to the needy in the country before it is sent by the World Food Programme. A properly regulated fishing industry is in any case the better option to create food security for Somalia than the millions of dollars wasted by the global navies flying the false flag of humanity.

The illegally fishing Iranian fish-factory vessel "SAFARI" with 14 Iranian crew on board, captured at first for illegal fishing was - after a tug of war between authorities, coastguard and businessmen had ensued - used by her captors as mother-ship for piracy targeting merchant ships. During a takeover of another hi-jacked vessel only three armed Somali guards remained on the Iranian vessel and they were subsequently overpowered by the crew. The crew of the Iranian vessel then bound the three Somalis and escaped with their ship and loot of lobster and fish to Yemen, where the three Somalis were handed over to the authorities.

No real peace in sight yet

The president in Somalia's Puntland region has ordered the Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) to close its second office in a densely populated area, Radio Garowe reports. Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole" issued a presidential decree, dated April 4th, ordering the PIS to shut down its second office in Lanta Hawada neighborhood in the port city of Bossaso, Puntland's commercial capital. President Farole's decree indicated that the Puntland leader considered "a report issued by the Committee of ministers appointed to investigate the disorderly incident of March 23" that took place in Bossasso, where PIS soldiers arrested a local cleric and sparked violent riots. Further, the decree stated that the President considered "consistent complaints" from civilians living in Lanta Hawada neighborhood, before ordering the PIS to "shut down its second office [Lanta Hawada] within one week and relocate to its headquarters in Biyo Kulule neighborhood near the presidential compound". The PIS is Puntland's sole intelligence agency and has largely functioned independent of the regional authority since its establishment nearly a decade ago, with its funding reportedly received from Western intelligence services. President Farole, who became Puntland president in January, has spoken strongly against the independent role of the PIS and has demanded that the agency's policy and operations come directly under the authority of the Puntland presidency.

Two people were injured when an armed group attacked the centre of Banadir Administration Building and the seaport, where African Union peace keepers keep guard. No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack, but Islamist rebels vowed they would continue fighting against the AU troops and the new government led by President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. The attack occurred around 1am local time, as suspected insurgents loyal to Islamist rebel group Hizbul Islam [Party of Islam] used mortars to attack AMISOM peacekeepers stationed around the KM4 area. The fighting lasted for 20 minutes, as the two sides exchanged gunfire and a mortar reportedly hit a civilian home in Taleh district, according to witnesses. "One of the mortars hit my home and my young son died, while three others [people] were wounded", Salad Mohamed Farah, the grieving father, told Mogadishu-based radio stations. Salad's family recently returned to Mogadishu after spending the past two years in neighboring Kenya as refugees, relatives added. The second dead victim was reportedly one of the attackers, who died in the exchange of gunfire. Two other civilians wounded in the fighting were transferred to Medina Hospital for treatment Sunday morning. Mogadishu has been relatively quiet in recent weeks, although two heavily-armed rebel groups – Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam – have launched organized attacks targeting government officials, security forces and AMISOM peacekeepers. The Ugandan and Burundian troops of African Union Peace keepers keep the security of the airport, the seaport, the presidential palace, and other key areas of the capital Mogadishu.

Somalia’s prime minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharma’arke has ordered all aid agencies working in the Horn of Africa nation to register with the new government for their own safety. The country is suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes. A two-year Islamist rebellion has killed more than 16,000 civilians, driven another 1 million from their homes and left about 3 million dependent on food aid. Complicating operations for aid workers, large parts of south and central Somalia are under the control of hard line al Shabaab insurgents and allied Islamist fighters. Al Shabaab, which Washington accuses of close ties to al Qaeda, asked international humanitarian organisations last week to register to carry out operations in its territory. But a spokesman for Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said late on Friday that no aid groups would be allowed to work in the capital Mogadishu or anywhere else without getting the government’s approval first. "From now on, we will not let any aid agency carry out activities without notifying the government. We want to know what sort of help they are giving people and where", the spokesman, Abdukadir Mohamud Wallayo, told reporters. "The country has now a functioning government. If aid workers are harmed, the Somali government will be held responsible", AP reported. President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a former Islamist rebel, was elected by lawmakers at U.N.-led talks earlier this year.

Impacting news from the global village

Kenya's misplaced decision to collect taxes for Somalia

Now, it is Kenya that wants direct interference in Somalia's intricate and unstable web of politics.

Garowe Online Editorial

Foreign interference has been the single most motivating factor fuelling Islamist rebels fighting against the restoration of a national government in Somalia. The Ethiopian army's two-year military occupation of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, is still fresh in the minds of Somalis who have suffered nearly two decades of civil war, disease and drought. Somalia's new UN-backed interim government, led by Islamist politician Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as president, is militarily and financially weak and controls very little territory outside the capital.

Yet, the Kenyan government signed an agreement to "collect taxes" for Sheikh Sharif's weak government, in an effort to supposedly "prevent warlords" from making profit once the goods arrive in Somalia. This categorization of "warlords" implies that every political entity outside President Sheikh Sharif's camp is considered a warlord by the Kenyan government. Unfortunately, the reality in Somalia is that there are long-established and functioning sub-states – i.e. Somaliland and Puntland – as well as vast territories controlled by Islamist factions, who are overtly anti-President Sheikh Sharif.

If the original intention was to cut off financial support from Islamist rebels, then unfortunately the opposite might become true with Kenya' s tax collection scheme. The number one product airlifted from Kenya to Somali airports is the leafy narcotic drug khat, which is consumed widely across Somalia. If khat traders are taxed by Kenyan authorities, then it is likely that they will be taxed for a second time by authorities in Somaliland or Puntland, or Islamist groups in major cities like Kismayo. For the Islamists, it will become a win-win situation – because they despise khat and have banned its sale inside major towns. For political realities, like Somaliland and Puntland, regions which are considered part of Somalia under international law, then it is another reminder that the international community does not value the "building blocks" strategy that has thus far saved northern Somalia from the political anarchy and self-destruction of the south-central regions.

Centralism has failed in Somalia. Since 2004, a federal system of government has been adopted to uphold the Somali people's values of measured self-rule, using a mixture of Islamic law, local customs and international standards. Kenya's decision to collect taxes for Sheikh Sharif's government seems to be a backward step in the direction of central rule, when everything was ruled from Mogadishu. As such, the so-called agreement that would allow Nairobi to collect taxes for Mogadishu is a far-fetched dream that brings into question Kenya's questionable role in Somali internal affairs.

The Ethiopian troops came with their tanks and literally burned Mogadishu to the ground. Now, it is Kenya that wants direct interference in Somalia's intricate and unstable web of politics. If implemented, the "collect taxes for Somalia" scheme throws into question the sovereignty of Somalia, with an effect similar to Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. It is a dangerous decision, because there are no warlords in Somalia today. For good or worse, the warlords were destroyed by the Islamists; it is a cheap excuse for Kenya and Sheikh Sharif's government to desperately find financial support as Islamist rebels gear up for a new war.

Not to mention the corruption in both Nairobi and Mogadishu.

Lawyer for jailed Canadian seeks end to aid for Ethiopia. The lawyer for a Canadian jailed in Ethiopia has gone to court trying to block foreign aid payments to the East African country in protest over his client's treatment. Lorne Waldman filed papers in Federal Court on Thursday on behalf of Bashir Makhtal, who has been held in prison in Addis Ababa for two years. Ethiopian authorities claim he is a member of an outlawed separatist group known as the Ogaden National Liberation Front, a charge he denies. Two Canadian federal cabinet members, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Transport Minister John Baird, have expressed public support for Makhtal and vowed to work for his release and return to Canada. The action filed by Waldman notes that Canada currently provides $89 million a year in aid to Ethiopia, some of which is earmarked to fund improvements to the country's legal system. The court documents contend that, given the treatment of Makhtal, the payments violate provisions in Canadian law that call for foreign aid to be "consistent with Canadian values" and with international human rights standards. Waldman said in an interview he's not interested in cutting off aid for clean water projects, agricultural development or other worthy goals. But he does want an end to aid for a legal system he characterizes as corrupt, lacking in transparency and subject to political interference. "The purpose of this lawsuit is to prevent Canada from continuing to send aid to what we believe is an unfair legal system which is subjecting a Canadian citizen to an unfair process", said Waldman. Makhtal, though born in Ethiopia, grew up in neighbouring Somalia and came to Canada in 1991. He studied computer programming, became a Canadian citizen and held jobs at two banks over the next 10 years, before deciding to return to East Africa to start a used-clothing business. He was in Somalia traveling on a Canadian passport when Ethiopian troops invaded in 2006, and was detained by Kenyan police in December of that year as he tried to cross the border into their country. He was held at first in Nairobi, then transferred to Somalia and eventually to Ethiopia, apparently as part of a multi-country roundup of suspects linked to the U.S.-led war on terror.

Press Contacts:

ECOP-marine
East-Africa
+254-714-747090
www.ecop.info

ECOTERRA Intl.
Nairobi Node
+254-733-633-733

EA Seafarers Assistance Programme
SAP Media Officer
+254-733-385868

End of Ecoterra Press Release

Note
Picture: A picture – shame for an entire nation; what business is it of Sheikh Sharif’s to meet the murderous dictator of Kenya at a moment he failed to meet Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Sheikh Hassan Turki, and Sheikh Mukhtar Robow? What is it that criminal gangster and Freemason Kibaki promised Sheikh Sharif? To initiate him in the sexual orgies and the human sacrifices practiced by the members of the Apostate Freemasonic Lodge where Kibaki belongs? For beginners: http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/04/04/87732.html