January 2009 – The Somali Piracy Records. X

With a wide range of news related to the Somali piracy and the major regional players, the Ecoterra 119th Press Release Update offers also an insightful into the drama lived by the families of the crew members who have been held captives for more than four (4) months off the Somali coast. I publish excerpts.

119th Update 2009-01-25 18h35:37 UTC

Ecoterra Intl. - Stay Calm & Solve it Peaceful & Fast !

Ecoterra International – Update & Media Release on the stand-off concerning the Ukrainian weapons-ship hi-jacked by Somali pirates and related news.

We also can make sea-piracy in Somalia an issue of the past - with empathy and strength and through coastal and marine development as well as protection!

New EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: +254-738-497979
East African Seafarers Assistance Programme - Media Officer: +254-733-385868
EA Illegal Fishing and Dumping Hot line: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed)

Day 123 - 2932 long hours into the MV FAINA Crisis - Update Summary

Efforts for a peaceful release continued, but the four months long stand-off concerning Ukrainian MV FAINA is not yet solved. Though contacts and direct negotiations had been arranged and commenced, the talks seem to not be going on well.

Family members of the crew confirmed that they were given the possibility by the captors of MV FAINA to speak to the crew members, though the owner of the ship had not opened the Inmarsat phone on the bridge of the vessel. Facilitated by humanitarian intervention, the pirates opened a separate communication line for the crew and even paid for it, stated a local observer. Reports from Ukraine, however, speak of intimidation of the family members and threats that the owner could "walk away", if they would step up efforts to push for a fast release. "Talks are underway directly between the pirates and the ship owner. All intermediaries have been removed from the negotiations, as the pirates ordered", Naval Bulletin Editor-in-Chief Mikhail Voitenko said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Sunday, according to Russian news agency Interfax. Voitenko also confirmed that the families were able to talk to their relatives on board of the ill-fated weapons-transporter. Families as well as observers, however, hope now that Russian and Ukrainian leaders as well as Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Nyna Karpachova step up their efforts and monitor closely, if negotiations are truly forthcoming or which side is blocking the talks. Both sides in the direct negotiations have to seek daily contact, be proactive to come to a final, solid conclusion and show good will to end the stand-off while safeguarding it peacefully, a regional analyst remarked. Except for one case, where the owner had abandoned the crew and vessel for many months, most ships were released by their Somali captors in a time frame between one and two month, while MV FAINA is stuck and watched over by US naval forces since now four month.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko sees no merit in an impeachment of the President of Ukraine. Speaking on the radio channel "Ukraine" on Friday evening, she noted that early presidential elections should be held after about nine months, and impeachment proceedings may last longer than nine months, so it makes no sense to initiate the impeachment of President Viktor Yushchenko. "The procedure for impeachment of destabilizing the situation (in the country) will last longer than nine months. We are not told about the impeachment", - said Tymoshenko. The impeachment of President Viktor Yushchenko has been called for by the opposition Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted on 15 January as a whole, the draft law on temporary special commissions of inquiry, which simplifies the procedure for impeachment of the president.

A masked man shot and killed on Monday a Russian human rights lawyer known for his work on abuses by the Russian military in the breakaway region of Chechnya, Russian media reported. Attorney Stanislav Markelov held a press conference earlier in the day opposing the early release of Col. Yury Budanov, who had been convicted of strangling a Chechen teenage girl. Budanov was released after serving only half his jail term. The gunman also shot Anastasia Baburova, a journalist from Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper, when she tried to intervene. Baburova died later in a hospital.

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!

The Somali as well as the Ukrainian/Russian/Israeli sides must come to terms now and set the innocent seafarers free with first priority! And in order to avoid the destruction of the vessel and its cargo by anybody as well as to avert the subsequent humanitarian, health and environmental horror-scenario, such can only be achieved together with the release of the ship, where also the body of deceased Capt. Vladimir Kolobkov is still kept.

Raising public awareness through legitimate criticism of government actions is a fundamental part of human rights work. We know the Ukrainian authorities don’t welcome facts or information about allegations, but governments trying to prevent torture should encourage reporting of complaints, not retaliate against human rights defenders. Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs. The UN Human Rights Committee has stated that, "Citizens also take part in the conduct of public affairs by exerting influence through public debate". States also have obligations specifically relating to protecting and ensuring the right of human rights defenders to do their work. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders states that everyone has the right to promote the protection and realization of human rights and that individuals or groups have the right to articulate criticism and make proposals for improving the work of government bodies, among other rights. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee free speech. Government officials are expected to be more receptive to criticism than private citizens, especially when it concerns the carrying out of their official duties.

The MV FAINA is one of at least 49 ships that pirates seized last year off the Horn of Africa during a surge in piracy driven in part by Somalia's growing poverty and instability. The multimillion dollar ransoms are believed by many to be one of the only ways to "make money" in the impoverished nation. But while the many cases of sea-jacked merchant vessels on innocent passage (sailing even outside the EEZ e.g. in the Indian Ocean) constitutes clear piracy, Somali actions against illegal fishing or against any transport of illegitimate or clandestine goods has a legal standing. Ecoterra advocates to end all destructive, detrimental, criminal and illegal activities in Somali waters.

Ecoterra Intl. demands immediate humanitarian assistance to be allowed, facilitated and dispatched to the vessel, and calls for human rights protection to be provided for all crew members, their families in Russia and Ukraine as well as for all well-meaning people assisting in solving the case, which have been subjected already to serious threats, acts of intimidation and persecution.

Ecoterra Intl. repeats its call to solve the FAINA case now with absolute top priority and peaceful in order to avert a human and environmental disasters at the Somali coast. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed by the captors and facilitated by the owners. Anybody encouraging hot-headed and concerning such difficult situations inexperienced and untrained gunmen or those, who believe they would be capable to try an attempt of a military solution, must be held fully responsible for the surely resulting disaster. The saga and secrecy surrounding MV FAINA must not - like in the MS ESTONIA case, which is the worst naval disaster in Europe since WWII - become the shroud for its 20 seafarers.

Clearing-house

News from other abducted or newly attacked ships --------

Games Crazy People Play: Kidnapping, Pirating, and War - Naval War-games to protect Fish-piracy and to cover the real agenda

A gun-fight among the pirates, who captured the tug YENEGOA OCEAN, caused the death of four men yesterday afternoon. No seafarer of the 10 Nigerian crew was hurt in the fight. The vessel had been moved from Hawo to Caluula at the very Horn of Africa in preparation to receive a ransom, but it was reported that their negotiator caused a conflict among the captors and the deadly fight ensued. The crew and vessel therefore still are held hostage in an abduction case which is the longest pending at the moment, since the vessel was captured already on 4th August 2008. The crew and vessel were abandoned by the Nigerian owner for long periods and only recently the Nigerian embassy in Nairobi stepped in again after having been alerted by a humanitarian organization, who had received an appeal from the captain of the vessel.

A near-fight between an alleged coast-guard vessel from Puntland and the captors on the Malaysian tug MASINDRA 7 could be averted by mediators and the careful watch of the Malaysian warship KD Indera Sakti. However, later in the day, the Malaysian naval vessel itself threatened the pirates to step down or the warship would fire. All crew are Indonesian and the captain requested the Indonesian embassy in Nairobi to be informed about the escalation after he warned the Malaysian Navy not to endanger the lives of seafarers. The naval vessel then wanted to send a small boat in the evening hours with food and water, which was not accepted by the pirates at that time because they feared a commando stint and supplies for the crew on board are reportedly not a problem at the moment. Local observers report that the pirates have fortified the tug and it's barge against any attack.

Negotiations concerning the release of FV TIAN YU 8, a Chinese fishing vessel with a Japanese fishing officer and Chinese crew held in Southern Somalia for illegal fishing and carrying ivory seem not to go well, while three Chinese men were Friday charged with illegal possession of game trophies at Makadara law courts in neighbouring Kenya. The suspects were seized with over 2.5 kg of the illegal ivory at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport on Thursday. Yu Zhong, Zhngle Chen and Liu Songlu, who were all traveling to different destinations in China, were also found with lion teeth, ivory bracelets and necklaces.

Officials of the Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corporation (ISEC) confirmed the release of Liberian flagged MT BISCAGLIA and informed families that the crew will arrive at Mumbai on January 30.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 15 foreign vessels with a total of 248 crew members accounted for (of which 44 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 (incl. the presently held) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by naval forces. For 2009 the account stands at 11 abandoned attacks and 2 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 related news ---

Somali politicians gathered on Sunday for a meeting that will create an expanded parliament to include moderate Islamists and pave the way for electing a new president after a drawn-out power struggle, AFP reports. More than 1,000 Somalis arrived already for the talks being held in neighbouring Djibouti due to the continuing state of insecurity in Somalia, according to participants interviewed by telephone from Nairobi. The meeting will announce on Monday the doubling of parliamentary seats from the current 275 to accommodate members of the moderate Islamist opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and civil society groups. The Djibouti-based ARS led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has been engaged in United Nations-sponsored peace talks with the Somali transitional government to end the country's 17 years of conflict.

Sixteen candidates have officially declared an interest in succeeding president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who resigned last month. Top contenders include ARS leader Ahmed, current Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein and ex-premier Ali Mohamed Gedi. Parliament will vote for a new president after the new legislators are sworn in, with either Hussein or Ahmed being the likely winners. Gedi returned to the limelight of Somali politics last week when he announced his candidature. He was forced to resign in 2007 after months of a bruising power struggle with then president Yusuf. Hussein, who was appointed premier in November 2007, had also been at loggerheads with Yusuf, notably over attempts to reach a reconciliation deal with the ARS. Yusuf's departure was seen as easing the obstacles to solving the Somali conflict which has been complicated by the government infighting. Of the additional 275 seats, 200 will go the ARS and the remaining 75 to civil society groups. However, Asmara-based hardline Islamists led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and radical Shebab fighters in Somalia have rejected the process, saying it is manipulated by foreigners. The hardliners who had insisted on Ethiopian troop withdrawal to engage in peace talks are yet to do so even with the pull-out of Ethiopia's forces from Mogadishu and instead engaged in more battles with the African Union peacekeepers there. AU Commission chief Jean Ping urged Somalis to "re-commit themselves to dialogue, rise to the daunting challenges facing their country and bring to a definite end the violence and suffering". Ping made the remarks on Saturday as he condemned a suicide car bomb attack aimed at AU forces in Mogadishu, but which missed its target and instead killed at least 22 civilians in the attack and the ensuing gun battles.

Several signals indicate that the assigned date of the Somali presidential election, which is due to take place in the Djiboutian capital Djibouti, may be postponed from the previous allocated date of the 26th of January to some times in February. "Due to some technical problems the Somali presidential election will be upheld, and I hope everything will be running smooth soon we know the declared date was on the 26th of January and if the circumstance comes extending the date is not to violate the national constitution" said Moalim Jiis the chairman of steering committee of the Somali Transitional Federal Government in the Djibouti conference" speaking to the press. The chairman also said that the parliamentarians should be given adequate time to exchange their concept before the actual event occur, and has shown great concern over the widening of the Somali parliamentarians to 500 MPs. There is a great rift among the Somali MPs despite the largest number of them having been at Kimbisky hotel where the presidential elections is arranged to take place. There are more than 20 presidential candidates who have registered themselves as the president of Somalia.

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union at its 167th meeting called on the member states and the international community as a whole to continue to extend their support to the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia. The council was briefed by the Commission and Representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and by the representatives of the IGAD Secretariat and the United Nations as well as by Ethiopia, in its capacity on the current chair of IGAD, on the recent development in the situation in Somalia. According to a press statement sent by the AU, the Council commended the initiatives taken by the commission in support of the peace and reconciliation efforts in Somalia and towards the strengthening of AMISOM, with the participation of the Somalia parties to the peace process, the troop contributing countries, IGAD and international partners. The council further commended the joint efforts deployed by the African Union and the United Nations towards the implementation of the Agreements between the TFG of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) of 26 October 2006 on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Djibouti Agreement of 10 August 2006. The council called on the parties to take all the necessary steps towards the expansion of the Transition Federal Parliament and the election of the president scheduled to take place in Djibouti before end of January 2009.

The council, however, also expressed its satisfaction on the measure taken for the deployment of TFG and ARS forces in the areas from which the Ethiopian National Defence Force has withdrawn in pursuance of the security provisions of the Djibouti agreements. The council further welcomed the adoption on 16 January 2009 by the UN Security Council of resolution 1863 (2009), which provides for the UN to extend the necessary support package to AMISOM. The council called on the international community to urgently provide assistance to the affected populations.

It is time for feuding Somalis to ditch the concept of winner takes all and seek compromise to try and end nearly 20 years of conflict, the U.N. envoy to the Horn of Africa nation said. The international community is pushing Somali politicians to a meeting in neighbouring Djibouti in order to form an inclusive government with the main Islamist opposition party and elect a new president next week, reports REUTERS. "What I think has been missing in Somalia for the last two decades, or since the war started, is the idea of compromise. How could someone try to compromise, not to seek total victory?" asked U.N. envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. A Western-backed interim government and its Ethiopian military backers failed to bring stability to a country where more than 16,000 people have been killed in the past two years and 1 million uprooted from their homes. Politicians confined to the capital Mogadishu and the seat of parliament Baidoa have lost credibility among Somalis, and Islamist insurgents have been waging a guerrilla war against the government since the start of 2007. The Ethiopian troops have left the capital and are pulling out of Baidoa. So far, fears that hard line Islamist fighters would overrun Mogadishu and plunge the country further into chaos have not been realised. The hope is that a new government including moderate Islamists from the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) can form a new security force and start reaching out to the many who took up arms to fight the Ethiopians. "We should remind all Somalis to respect their tradition where there is a win-win situation, and compromise", Abdallah told Reuters late on Friday at the hotel where the politicians were meeting. "We are betting on peace for a country that has been suffering for so many years. How to help the widows, how to help the orphans, in a Muslim country these are the basics". The first step in Djibouti is for the 275-member parliament to meet and amend the constitutional charter. This would double the number of legislators so that 200 ARS members can join. Getting the parliament to meet in one place has been a challenge. For the past few days, charter planes have been flying in legislators from around the region, and by Saturday there were enough in Djibouti for an amendment to be valid. The new assembly is then expected to elect a new president and the United Nations would like everything to be wrapped up by next Wednesday in time for a regional leaders' summit. The list of candidates is growing daily, but only a few are likely to be frontrunners.

Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein is favoured by many in the international community. Somalia's moderate Islamist leader from the ARS, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, is also expected to run. While having the two leaders as president and prime minister could make sense politically, they are from the same tribal clan. Diplomats say that if one becomes president, that effectively rules the other out from being prime minister as someone from a different clan would have to have that post. Some members of the ARS delegation in Djibouti believe it would make sense to expand the parliament and then wait a few weeks before electing the president. Abdallah is hopeful a deal can be struck on time, with the right political will. "I am optimistic because it is a challenge to Somalis. They have to show they can deliver and time is long overdue for them to deliver. They cannot continue blaming each other, or their neighbours", he said.

Further confirming the support of the European Union to the Djibouti Process and the efforts of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, H.E. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the EU Presidency commended today in a press-release the advances made by all partners of this process, in restoring peace and unity to Somalia. Regarding the announced gathering of Somali Members of Parliament in Djibouti this weekend and the planned election of a new President, the Presidency of the European Union expressed its expectation that this will be carried out in accordance with the agreements that have emanated from the Djibouti Process and in compliance with the Transitional Federal Charter. The relocation of Ethiopian forces from Somalia calls for a strengthening of the Somali political leadership. All parties must take full responsibility for the political process, put a stop to all fighting, and in particular address the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the EU proclaims. The Presidency of the European Union emphasised this important moment in the long-term process, and stressed that it stands ready to support an enlarged parliament, as well as the upcoming presidential election, leading to the formation of a Government of National Unity of Somalia.

Reports reaching mareeg.com from the border between Somalia and Ethiopia indicate that Ethiopian troops who recently withdrew from Somalia have arrived at the border between the two countries, which is disputed since 1960. The second batch of Ethiopian troops withdrawing from the country has today crossed over to Ethiopia. An official of Doolow in Somalia has said the last Ethiopian soldier among those who were withdrawing from Somalia crossed over to Ethiopia around midnight last night and as of today, there are no Ethiopian troops in the border towns awaiting to go back to their country. The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] official in Doolow has said Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from Somalia except for a few who are still in Gedo Region and are expected to withdraw from the Region in the next few days. Ethiopian troops arrived in Somalia two years ago in order to assist the TFG and have now withdrawn from Mogadishu after the government and opposition groups have reached an agreement in which they made the decision to have Ethiopian troops withdraw from the country. However, it has been said that the Ethiopian troops will be at the Somali border in case they are needed again. The Addis Ababa administration believes that armed opposition groups might spill the conflict into Ethiopia. Meles Zenawi, the prime minister of Ethiopia has said Ethiopian troops might once again be deployed in the war-torn country if there is a need and that as of now, his country faces no real danger from Somalia.

Meanwhile Ethiopia's information minister Bereket Simon told the BBC that the 3,000-strong Ethiopian force had ended the threat from the Islamists. He said the troops had left Somalia, including the town of Baidoa from where the Somali government operates. But correspondents say the Islamists and other militia have won back much of the land lost to the Ethiopians in 2006.

The Mahmud Hirab sub-clan [aka Duduble sub-clan of the larger Hawiye clan of Mogadishu] today commented on the situation in Somalia, saying that it supports some of the insurgents fighting foreign troops in Mogadishu, mareeg.com reports. Following a meeting in Mogadishu by elders and the youth from the Mohamed Hirab, the sub-clan leaders said that their people will continue with the jihad against what they termed non-believers who had invaded the country. The clan issued a statement on four issues, and which was read to the press by Abdullahi Muhammad Ahmad, who stated: "We thank God for the withdrawal of our enemy, the Ethiopian forces, from Banaadir [Mogadishu and its environs]. We have in the past called for the adoption of shari'ah law and we will stick with this. We will also continue with the jihad against the non-believing troops from Ethiopia if they remain in the country. We urge the Somali people to embrace shari'ah law, which is the solution for our religion, people and country. We also call on the Muslims to unite in the name of the Holy Koran and be wary of conspiracies by the enemy. God bless you". The statement by the Mahmud Hirab sub-clan comes at a time when insurgent groups are vowing to continue with the fight against any foreign troops in Somalia.

An incident involving a suspected suicide car bomber as well as mortars have killed at least 21 civilians and one soldier in the Somali capital Mogadishu. At least three of the dead were women, witnesses say. "I saw a red colored Toyota land-cruiser driving in high speeding entering a base of the Ugandan peacekeeping forces and what I can really verify is that I have seen the dead bodies of 30 people, and scores of others wounded when mortars hit 2 busses from Bakara market the biggest commercial center in Somalia" said Halima Yussuf a mother living in the area where the suicide occurred, speaking to Somaliweyn radio. The attack on Saturday was apparently aimed at a group of African Union peacekeepers but missed its target, other witnesses said. "A suicide car bomb exploded about 200 meters (yards) away from an African Union base", a spokesman for the AU forces confirmed. "A government police officer suspected the car, which was driving at high speed, and opened fire. The suicide bomber then blew himself up and that opposition group has massacred only innocent Somali people", Major Barigye Ba-hoku, spokesman for the AU forces, said. Abdifatah Shaweye, the city's deputy governor, told the Reuters news agency that police officers stationed near the base had opened fire on the car as it approached, after which it crashed and blew up. Immediately after the incident with the suicide bomber the Ugandan troops opened heavy fire to the direction where the car was coming from. In addition Ugandan troops bombarded Bakara market which was wobbling with people doing selling and buying, but so far there are no reports of death at Bakara. Gunfights were reported to have broken out in many places after the suicide bomber's car exploded. Mohamed Osman Ali, Mogadishu's mayor, said it was unclear who was behind the attack.

Doctors said at least 30 other people were wounded. Abdifatah Ibrahim Shaweye, Mogadishu's deputy governor told the AFP news agency that the bomber was a foreigner. "We have one of his arms which is clearly showing that the suicide bomber was a foreigner", he said, explaining that the bomber's light skin tone showed he was not Somali. The attack came just days before more troops from Uganda and Burundi were due to arrive to boost the 1,400 African Union peacekeepers currently deployed in Somalia. Ugandan army spokesman Maj. Felix Kuraigye said the 700 Ugandan troops headed for Somalia should be there by the end of the month if transport arrangements are finalized. Several homes were hit by artillery fire just minutes after the vehicle blew up, residents of the Hodan neighbourhood said. "We are civilians - we don't have weapons - yet we are caught in the middle of the fighting from the African troops who allegedly came here for peacekeeping", Adam Abdi said. "This area was bombed more than six times but there are no military bases here". Locals were also angered after two people were reportedly killed and two mosques hit during the violence. "First, they hit the minaret, 10 minutes later they shelled the mosque, this shows how much they hate Islam", the imam of the Nawawi mosque told Al Jazeera. An official of the Al-Shabab [Islamic] Movement who contacted Mareeg.com said they had targeted some of the AMISOM [African Union Mission in Somalia] vehicles that were at their station along the Workers Road junction, saying that they inflicted heavy losses on the AMISOM forces. However, the AMISOM spokesman, Maj Barigye Bahoko, strongly rejected the claim, saying that they did not sustain any loss due to the blast.

Al-Shabab, which is among the armed groups that are opposed to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG], have rejected claims that they are opposed to peace and the attainment of any stability in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. This comes after various sections of the population accused Al-Shabab, which has called on insurgent groups to attack AU peacekeepers, of being opposed to the stability of Mogadishu and instigating a new wave of violence in the capital. A spokesman for Al-Shabab has said his group will carry out new attacks in the form of Jihad in which they are planning to rid the country of all foreign troops, particularly the ones from Burundi and Uganda who are in the country. Powerful traditional elders in Mogadishu have accused Al-Shabab of being opposed to the interests of the civilian population in Mogadishu, adding that Al-Shabab leaders have exported the fighting from the areas they individually hail from and into Mogadishu. Al-Shabab spokesman denied the accusations by the traditional elders and said as far as they are concerned, clan affiliations is of no consequence to them and that the only thing they are interested in is how they would rule Somalia. The Al-Shabab spokesman also denied that his group is responsible for the human rights violations that are being committed in Somalia. After clips of a man being beheaded by Al-Shabab members were shown throughout the world, Somali clan elders and religious leaders have embarked on ways of confronting this group, saying that Al-Shabab is acting in ways that are contrary to the teachings of Islam. According to mareeg.com various places in Mogadishu including mosques and meetings halls have in the last few days witnesses heated debates concerning the calls by Al-Shabab and other insurgent groups to attack African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.

The Somaliland national security service today seized 10 anti-aircraft rockets that can be carried on the shoulder. The weapons which were being monitored by the intelligence service were finally seized at the house where they were destined for. The Somaliland minister of internal affairs, Abdullahi Isma'il Iro, confirmed this and added that two people had been arrested in connection with the weapons. The minister stated that the weapons entered the country from Dhusa Mareb in Galgudud Region of Somalia which has been a home to terrorism and civil strife for some time. The minister explained that the weapons came from Eritrea and were brought into the country via Galguduud but fortunately the intelligence service, the security personnel and the police foiled the plot.

Indian Anti-piracy operations. The Indian Navy's long-cherished plan to provide security in the Indian Ocean region and emerge as a "blue water sea power" received a big boost with the successful accomplishment of a string of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, though one controversial attack is still not clarified. "Ten years from now, India could be real provider of security to all the islands in the Indian Ocean region. In particular, the Navy keeps a hawk eye on the Sri Lanka-based Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who sneak into Tamil Nadu across the Palk Bay, the Central Chronicle writes. In addition, the energy assets in the form of oil wells in the waters around India need to be protected from terrorist threat" says Ashley Tellis, a scholar at Carnegie Endowment for Peace in Washington. The dramatic emergence of Eyl, a one time fishing hamlet in the north eastern part of the poorly-governed and dysfunctional Somalia, as a pirate capital of the world has become as much a threat to the Indian shipping vessels and tankers as to the international maritime traffic passing through. In particular, Indian shipping companies were finding it difficult to provide insurance cover for the vessels sailing through this route on account of a hefty premium. While stable and comparatively rich East Asian countries have committed their naval and coastal security forces to stamp out the menace of piracy in Malacca Strait, the narrow sea lane between Indonesia and Malaysia.

However, the Gulf of Aden considered one of the most sensitive check-posts in the global commerce, had for long remained totally unguarded against the menace of well-armed sea pirates. Meanwhile, the Navy has urged the Government to allow it a free hand so that it can go on a hot pursuit of sea brigands and prosecute them if caught. However, Defence Ministry Antony has ruled out giving "full authorization" to the Navy saying that "hot pursuit of pirates has wider implications". Antony is quick to note that the deployment of naval ships in the Gulf of Aden was aimed at ensuring merchant ships and tankers safety passing through. Notwithstanding the deployment of an Indian warship in the Gulf of Aden, the Government is yet to come out with a comprehensive roadmap for ensuring a credible response to piracy in the Indian Ocean region. On its part, New Delhi is seriously considering three possible options to make commercial shipping in the area safer. One way to combat piracy is by strengthening the presence of the naval force by deploying a large number of ships around the Gulf of Aden. This view is supported by a section of the defence establishment.

However, considerable amount of naval diplomacy would be required before this task can be accomplished. The second option is to have a warship join an international coalition battling piracy. India is also considering the third option of a regional response that would include deployment of warships and sharing of information by countries belonging to the Indian Ocean region. Meanwhile, India has supported a proposed new UN resolution calling on all countries with a stake in maritime safety to send naval ships and military aircraft to fight piracy on the high seas off the coast of Somalia. However, NATO countries have made it clear that they are not willing to be a part of an anti-piracy force under UN command. India, with its vast maritime interests has much to offer to friendly maritime nations in the form of cooperation, which could extend from human resources management and training to ship building, ship repair, intelligence sharing, surveillance and other measures against common threat of terror and piracy. Indeed, Navy Chief Admiral Suresh Mehta has made it abundantly clear that "Indian naval ships operating in piracy-infested areas have the capability to intervene by air or with ship borne weapons. The mandate is to ensure the safety of our sovereign assets". Meanwhile, in keeping with becoming a true blue water naval power, the Navy is going in for a massive modernization. It is planning to make extensive use of satellite capabilities for surveillance and reconnaissance. Further, it is in discussion with the ISRO for a full fledged satellite. Even as the retrofitted aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, renamed INS Vikramaditya, will join the Navy by 2012, India's homegrown aircraft carrier is now under development at Cochin shipyard at Kochi. And, as part of a landmark deal New Delhi signed with the American defence and aerospace giant Boeing, the Navy will get eight P-81 long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft equipped for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. Not surprisingly then, India has declared the Indian Ocean to be its strategic backyard.

Somali kidnappers holding Alberta journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan have reportedly dropped their ransom demand to $100,000 US, the head of a Somalia press freedom organization said Friday. Dad Abdi Daud, executive director of Mogadishu-based Somali Journalists Rights Agency, said the new ransom demand, which is a drop from the original $2.5 million, signaled a positive development in the plight of Lindhout, 27, and Brennan, 35, who were kidnapped at gunpoint outside the Somali capital of Mogadishu last August. The ransom demand for kidnapped Alberta journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan has been reportedly lowered to $100,000 US by their Somali captors. "Now they want $100,000", said Daud, in a telephone interview Friday with Canwest News Service. "You can see the difference". A Foreign Affairs spokesman in Ottawa said that he is not going to comment on this new development. "We continue to pursue all appropriate channels to seek further information about Ms. Lindhout's welfare, and to assist the family in securing her safe release as well as that of Mr. Brennan", said Daniel Barbarie in an e-mail. "We will not comment or release any information which may compromise these efforts and jeopardize the safety of a Canadian or other citizen". Daud said the two Westerners were being treated relatively well, but were suffering "body itching" as a result of their captivity. He said the father of a Somali journalist who was kidnapped along with Lindhout and Brennan, but released last week, planned to make contact with the kidnappers to pass on medicine for the two Westerners.

Daud believes the kidnapping may have been orchestrated with the help of employees at the Mogadishu hotel where Lindhout and Brennan were staying. The two were kidnapped Aug. 23, along with their Somali fixer and driver, while on their way from Mogadishu to visit refugee camps in Afgoye, about 25 kilometres west of the war-torn Somali capital. In September, a clan chief negotiating the release of the journalists said the kidnap gang wanted a ransom of $2.5 million for the westerners, and said they would kill Lindhout after 15 days if the ransom wasn't paid. The deadline passed without any further communication. The release of Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi last week was a dramatic development in a kidnapping case that had slowly receded into the background as the conflict in Somalia worsened. Lindhout's case was also overshadowed in Canada by the release of CBC reporter Melissa Fung, who had been kidnapped in Afghanistan. Ambroise Pierre, with the Africa Desk at Reporters Without Borders, said Thursday that Canadian and Australian authorities had taken the lead in negotiations for Lindhout and Brennan's release. Pierre said Elmi was released after his "tribal group" threatened to attack the kidnappers. "The story with the foreign journalists is different and the negotiations for their release is something different", said Pierre. "Their situation is very worrying. They have been held for more than 180 days". Pierre said he hopes this new development will assist in further negotiations between the kidnappers and the Canadian and Australian governments. ''The bad news is that Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan are still being kept as hostages. The bad news is that we don't have much news about their situation'', he said. ''We will continue to communicate on this affair and try to get solid information. This is between the Somalia kidnappers and the foreign governments and we hope the best efforts will be made to find a good outcome to this situation''. Lindhout's family in Sylvan Lake, Alta., could not be reached Friday for comment.

Somaliland security forces arrested five people after they raided a house in Hargeisa. The suspects consist of four men who are said to be from the United States and a woman from Mogadishu, all five suspects were taken into custody yesterday. Local newspapers reported today that the woman who came from Mogadishu rented a villa in Hargeisa days before the four men arrived from the US. Members of the security forces had received a tip about the terrorist suspects and were ready to move in and arrest them. The Somaliland security authorities have refused to comment on the issue thus far and there is no official statement from the government either. The current arrests comes days after when Somaliland forces arrested 11 young men from Mogadishu in Hargeisa International Airport - on Friday, the security forces seized nearly 10 small one-time use anti-aircraft missile launchers and arrested two suspects in connection with the illegal weapons. The weapons are said to be sent from Eritrea and smuggled into Hargeisa by land from central Somalia - they were on they way into Djibouti and possibly Ethiopia.

Impacting news from the global village -------

Major oil companies who declared force majeure on their Somali assets in the 1990s are reviving their claims to blocks in the unrecognized but relatively peaceful Republic of Somaliland. Industry sources told African Energy that oil companies operating in the territory had received letters from major oil firms including BP (which took over former Somalia player Amoco) and Conoco Phillips warning them to stop work. This represents a dramatic shift in policy by the majors, whose lawyers had previously told them to ignore any companies or government officials working in Somaliland, and may reflect expectations of a change of US policy in the Horn of Africa under President Barack Obama.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly condemned the death of Dr. Mohamed Siraad Dolaal, and termed it brutal execution style murder. Dr. Dolaal, a British citizen originating from Ogaden was captured by armed forces of the Ethiopian regime on the 18th of January 2009 near the city of Denaan in eastern Ogaden. After confirming his identity and consulting with their military and political command, Ethiopian military personnel were, according to an ONLF statement, ordered to execute Dr. Dolaal on the spot and they did so with shots to the abdomen and the head. Dr. Dolaal's body was brought to Godey where the Ethiopian regime took photographs which were later displayed on a regime sponsored website established to spread the regimes propaganda among the Ogaden Diaspora community. These pictures were deliberately displayed in gruesome detail. Dr. Dolaal was a member of the ONLF central committee from 1991 to 2006. He served as the Foreign Secretary for the ONLF from 1998 to 2004. Prior to 1991, Dr. Dolaal was an activist heading the Ogaden Action Group (OAG), a United Kingdom based advocacy organization, advocating for the rights of the people of Ogaden to self-determination, development and democracy. The Ogaden or Somali Region / Zone 5 is occupied by Ethiopia since 1897. The region was annexed to Italian Somaliland in 1936 by Italy, after their conquest of Ethiopia. Thereafter the British sought to let the Ogaden be unified with British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland, to realize Greater Somalia which was supported by many Ogaden Somalis. Ethiopia unsuccessfully pleaded before the London Conference of the Allied Powers to gain the Ogaden and Eritrea in 1945, but their persistent negotiations and pressure from the USA eventually persuaded the British in 1948 to abandon all of the Ogaden except for the Haud, and a corridor called the Reserved Area stretching from the Haud to French Somaliland (modern Djibouti). The struggle for the gas- and oil-rich area continues while the Ethiopian military kill and torture civilians, destroy the livelihood of many of the ethnic Somalis and commit crimes against the nomads in the region. Numerous international rights organizations accuse the Ethiopian regime of committing abuses and crimes that "violate laws of war".

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The African Union Peace and Security Council said preparations are underway for the launching of the nucleus of the single African army by African Standby Force by mid 2010. The AU Peace and Security Council said the forces would begin its actual joint operations in June 2010. Council sources said in addition to peacekeeping mission in Africa, the African Standby Forces would carry out civic protection duties against natural catastrophes and protect natural resources. AU experts, who planned this force, said its within guaranteeing the promotion of the African unity, and would work for developing an African reaction against great natural disasters, such as floods hurricanes that regularly hit coastal regions.

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NATO meddling in Sudan to block China. The US is slowly shifting its military needs towards Africa and Sudan in particular. While the Barack Obama administration will force the UN to declare a no-fly zone over Darfur, the US forces in so called peacekeeping missions will establish their bases in Darfur or Kenya and other surrounding nations in order to keep Sudan under its umbrella.

The main objective of the mission in Darfur and the no-fly zone over the region will be to slowly strangulate Sudan's economy and render it impossible for the Chinese to exploit Sudan's oil.

The no-fly Zone will be enforced by NATO forces that will be under US command. On January 14th, the U.S. Air Force has begun airlifting Rwandan peacekeeping equipment and supplies from Kigali to the Darfur Region of Sudan as part of the United Nations-Africa Union peacekeeping mission.

Rwanda has four battalions of peacekeepers in Darfur, totaling 2,566 personnel, with a goal of increasing the peacekeeping force to 3,200, Rutaremara said. The Rwandan peacekeepers are assigned to the hybrid United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID.

The decision to airlift the equipment was announced January 5 by President George W. Bush as part of the U.S. government's ongoing support international peacekeeping efforts in Darfur.

With the massive movement of NATO forces across the globe from Afghanistan to Sudan and Israel the world seems to be heading for a massive conflict between the Americans and its allies and the rest of the world which comprises of Russia, China and most of the Muslim state. Included in the rest of the world are the 'socialist' states in Southern America indeed. Venezuela and Bolivia are also the target of a possible 'energy' squeeze in the Southern American region in which NATO forces may altogether be involved soon.

Following the Ukraine declared war on Russian gas, which signaled the beginning of the 'energy' war against non-US friendly states, the NATO is shaping up its 'future' war strategies with clear goals. The control of all the canals and straights that are not under US/allied occupation.

The Straits of Malacca will once again become the prime target of the US administration and will be used as a bargaining tool by the Obama administration to woo into the NATO helm countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which are opposed to US or foreign troops and naval patrol in their waters.

The US – thanks to Defense Secretary Gates visit to Indonesia in 2007 – has already set a foot along the Straits of Malacca with the installation of at least 7 military radars (given free of charge to the Indonesians apparently). The radars has the capacity to scan the entire Malaysian, Singaporean and Brunei nations not withstanding large areas of Indonesia altogether. This has been seen as a risk to the integrity of the nations mentioned by experts in the matter.

To enhance its presence in Sudan and the surrounding regions, the US and the NATO command will wage the old and overplayed card of the conflict in Darfur. The US media is already claiming that the Obama administration will have to deal with the problem in Sudan where they say an estimated 2.5 million people have been displaced and 300,000 died, citing UN figures.

Since 2004, the United States has spent more than $15 million to airlift 11,400 peacekeepers and their equipment to and from Darfur and has provided more than $100 million to train and equip those forces, according to a White House fact sheet. Much of this support is coordinated through the U.S. Department of State.

From now on, the US will also count on the AFRICOM or the African Military Command set up at the Pentagon to deliver blows to the nations that are giving leeway to the Chinese and Russian nations. China has a long term deal with Sudan for the exploitation of its oil reserves. The China Oil Corporation was partners with Malaysia's National oil corporation Petronas in some of the operations over Sudan.

Sudan represents the most viable cheap oil alternative for the Chinese regime while the Russians are now in military partnership – short of an alliance so far – with Tripoli where the Russians will be building an extended and sophisticated Naval base for its warships. Sources indicate that the military agreement between Libya and Russia will eventually lead to an 'oil' and 'gas' deal between Tripoli and Moscow, a deal that may cause ire of Washington, Italy and the UK.

Strangulating Sudan over Darfur will not be of good news to Libya which is bordering Chad. Chad and Sudan were battling each other until last years peace deal 'brokered' by the Senegal during the OIC summit that took place in Dakar in March. The French are to play a major role in the future US blockade of Darfur, which will help strangulate the Sudanese regime and cutoff China's access to the cheap and easy oil finds (for the Chinese) in Sudan.

The domino effect of this strangulation strategy will lead to Libya being under pressure with a military build up in its backyard and one of its long time adversary Chad ending up being occupied by both French and US/NATO forces. Chad and Libya had a long conflict experience over a stretch of the desert land bordering the two nations. The area is rich in oil and was coveted by the French in the 1980's and surely the Americans of the Ronald Reagan era.

The heavy NATO presence in Chad will definitely re-ignite the conflict between Chad and Sudan while light armed Somali Islamic fighters may want to hit the NATO on its vulnerable flanks in the vast African desert land in order to disrupt its operations to strangulate Sudan. There is little wonder which states would end up supporting the brave Somali fighters into enlarging the conflict in the region. The aim of such an escalation will be to achieve two goals: An arms race in the region that will allow Libya and Sudan to acquire additional weapons. This will also allow the Islamic Courts and the militias in Somalia to be re-equipped. And to destabilize Kenya and the southern Sudan region further in order to give the NATO a real military headache that will probably force it to miss its target of 'killing off' the Sudanese regime.

While it is obvious that the recent US 'surge' in peacekeeping efforts (see attempts at conquest of African states instead), the US want to consolidate its US. Africa Command that was formally activated on Oct. 1, 2008. This will remove the US European Command, which had responsibility for Africa prior to the activation of U.S. Africa Command, from duty since the EU command will have to concentrate on Ukraine and on how to push further the idea of strangulating and suffocating Russia's energy business.

A statement by a US military spokesman on the US Africa Command says the following: "The U.S. military has been working with African nations for years", said Vince Crawley, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command. "The command wants to add value to what the U.S. military has been doing; that is helping African partners develop their security capabilities in order to promote security and stability throughout the continent".

Clearly, the NATO will be brought in to support the US in its 'conquest' mission and its global strategy of controlling the 'energy' reserves across the African continent.

Kenya fights for a free press. In Kenya, the introduction of a new law that undermines freedom of speech has seen journalists taking to the streets in protest. The bill, passed by President Mwai Kibaki earlier this month, allows the government to shut down broadcast stations, tap phones and intercept journalists’ mail in the interests of public safety. Jane Godia, a senior editor with media organisation the Standard Group, explains the implications.

There used to be huge restrictions on the press back when Daniel arap Moi was president – journalists would get sent to jail for the stories they wrote. Then, when multi-party politics began in 2002, we started writing stories and covering live events in new ways.

Since then I have seen editorials, front-page stories and even cartoons that we could never have published under President Moi. We have been able get away with writing stories that openly criticise the president – there was even one entitled "The president is sleeping" – as well as stories about the fraud of billions of shillings. That's only possible when there is press freedom.

In Uganda, political writers are often arrested. Journalists have been killed in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan. For a long time in Rwanda, private media companies were printing their papers outside the country to keep the government from stopping their presses. They printed in Uganda, but were never sure whether the papers would be allowed back into Rwanda. In Tanzania, the press has been freer; it has the largest number of publications and electronic media stations in the region.

By comparison, the freedom of the Kenyan press has been OK since 2002. But I should say "OK" in quotes. In 2006 the Standard Group was raided. The police came in and took our television station off the air. They took all the tapes for that day and all the computers in the newsroom; newspapers were burned. Supposedly, we were raided because we were believed to have information about a prominent person; they thought we were going to publish a damning story.

Those of my colleagues who were thought to have that information were forced to go underground. One of them couldn't even go back to his house. His lawyer had to take him to a hotel undercover. The journalist who was said to be the author of the story had to take almost a month off work. People were after these guys.

Then, in December 2007, we were broadcasting the election results as they came out from the polling stations. Word came that we had to stop announcing the results. From the moment we stopped airing the results to when the final election tally was released, there was violence all over the country. Kenya degenerated to a state I would never have believed possible. I can't help but think that if we had been allowed to continue releasing the poll results, the violence might not have been so bad.

Immediately after the election the government banned live broadcasting. The ban started when the Kenyan Television Network, which is part of the Standard Group, aired pictures of a policeman shooting and killing an unarmed man. The Kenyan Editors’ Guild protested the ban and it was removed after about two weeks. Still, it was a bad sign for our supposedly free press. That was when the political control started.

Earlier this month, President Mwai Kibaki signed a bill that undermines the freedom of the broadcast media in Kenya. Now, if the government doesn't like what a station is broadcasting, they can take it off the air and confiscate its equipment in the name of public safety. Where is the freedom in that?

It's not just a question of journalists' freedom. The citizens out there, the consumers of information, also have rights. Kenya's press doesn't just inform Kenyans but people far further a field in east Africa, Geneva and Britain. The effects of this new law will be felt globally.

The man who presented this bill to parliament, the minister of information and communications, used to be a journalism lecturer. It's remarkable what people forget when they go into politics and only look out for their personal interests. Several of my colleagues say that the politicians who passed the bill are trying to settle scores with the media industry after it made too much noise about members of parliament refusing to pay taxes on their salaries last year.

I must applaud media houses for coming together to oppose this new law. We are competitors, but this is something that is going to affect all of us. Even though editors and media owners have different interests, I have seen us come together over this bill. I am glad that we can show unity in opposing it.

We are asking the government to remove the parts of the law that deal with broadcasting. We have a media council in Kenya; it deals with the people's complaints about what is being broadcasted or printed. The council looks into the complaints at a public meeting and the media house in question is given the chance to defend itself. It is not for the government to act unilaterally and close down stations.

We hope the government will make these amendments to the law. This kind of dictatorship is not acceptable in Kenya in this century. Shrinking freedoms in the media might be just the start. Where will it go from there?

End of the Ecoterra 119th Press Release Update