The Somali Piracy Epiphenomenon about to End. IV – A Sinking Ship Named Sheikh Sharif

Understanding the nature of the Somali Piracy epiphenomenon plays a critical role in solving the various piracy cases, and terminating the overall enterprise. Understanding the perplexities and the realities of the Somali political life will play a seminal role in pacifying the country. This will not be achieved by foreign puppets either promoted by England or supported by France; in the same way, Abdullahi Yusuf betrayed his nation, and was viewed by all the Somalis as a high traitor, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has no political space to survive on.

What will the otherwise gullible Somali sheikh do? As he is rejected by the Asmara – based part of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia and by the Shebab, will Sheikh Sharif agree with the overwhelmingly pressurizing international Freemasonic journalism that specifies, from the hand of Trey Alverson, that "regardless of whether or not al-Shabaab receives funds from these illegal efforts, the extremist organization represents a much graver danger to the world than the pirates alone ever will"?

With focus on the recent developments in the Horn of Africa region, the Ecoterra 125th Press Releasev Update sheds more light on the approaches to terminate the Somali Piracy Epiphenomenon. Herewith, I publish excerpts.

125th Update 2009-02-01 21h45:22 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 130 - 3103 long hours into the MV FAINA Crisis - Update Summary

Efforts for a peaceful release continued, but the over four months long stand-off concerning Ukrainian MV FAINA is not yet solved. Contacts and direct negotiations had been arranged and commenced, but the talks are said to have not been forthcoming, though the decision maker on the side of the owner is desperate to conclude the issue.

Becoming a pirate is a way to survive in Somalia, a devastated African country of about 9 million people living on a territory slightly larger than Ukraine yet just below the size of Texas, the Kiev Post writes. Life expectancy there is only about 48 years. The last two generations of youth have not had a school education, and have few other skills apart from those needed for basic survival. "Piracy is no more than a way to survive — a brutal way, but they don’t have a choice", said Nina Karpacheva, Ukraine’s ombudsman who has taken part in negotiations to release the Ukrainian sailors held hostage for four months. "There is no money, no food — nothing. They know nothing else besides holding a gun". She said the youngest pirate who was involved in capturing FAINA is just 14. People involved in piracy consider it a business.

Despite the risk of being taken hostage by pirates, vessels cross the Gulf of Aden because it saves ship owners around $100 per ton of cargo. It costs $180 per ton to go the longer way, around the Cape of Good Hope. "The pirates control each other. Nobody earns more than $2,000. Everyone has a family waiting on the shore", said Karpacheva. She quoted pirates saying: "These are not ransoms, but a fee for crossing our waters, polluting them and unsanctioned fish catch. These are simple taxes". Getting rid of the Somali pirate phenomenon requires addressing the complexities of Somalia as a nation, its deep political and economic challenges. "You could have all the navies in the world having all their ships out there, you know, it’s not going to ever solve this problem. It requires a holistic approach", Geoff Morrel, Pentagon press secretary, said about piracy in the XXI century. Karpacheva said the Germans and French have tried to release ships by force, killing several of the pirates while doing so, but their effort backfired. "Later when the United Nations started to build schools on Somali territory, many Europeans were murdered", she said. "We should protect the people of Somalia and give them an opportunity to develop and create a merchant fleet, as the Gulf of Aden is one of the richest fish reserves on the globe".

It is hoped that the final round of negotiations during the coming week will bring a tangible result.

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.

If the stand-off can not be resolved within the next days Ecoterra Intl. demands immediate humanitarian assistance to be allowed, facilitated and dispatched to the vessel and the body of deceased Capt. Vladimir Kolobkov transferred to his family with respect. Ecoterra Intl. also calls for human rights protection to be provided for all crew members, their families in Russia, the Ukraine and Latvia as well as for all well-meaning people assisting in solving the case, many of whom 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. "The environment and its natural resources are all too often forgotten as the long-term casualty of war. Environmental security must no longer be viewed as a luxury but needs to be seen as a fundamental part of a long-lasting peace policy". - UNEP

The 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.

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 or other internationally outlawed human rights violations or crimes should encourage reporting of complaints, but 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.

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

MT LONGCHAMP: The hijacked tanker’s highly flammable cargo of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) poses a deadly risk to its kidnapped crew and anyone attempting to free the vessel, analysts said. At 4,316 deadweight tonnes, the captured vessel is not especially large, but its cargo "is posing security problems for all involved, especially since Somali pirates have previously shown themselves ready to open fire close to crude, petroleum products and chemical tankers", said Samuel Ciszuk, the Middle East energy analyst at the consulting firm, IHS Global Insight. "Unless the hijackers understand what type of product they are dealing with, there is a very high risk of a disastrous outcome". LPG is a mixture of propane, butane and other fuel gases compressed into a liquid state. A common fuel for gas stoves, one of its features is that it can be easily ignited. The German operators of a tanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia are hoping to stay in touch with the ship after establishing initial contact with the pirates, they said Sunday, according to DPA. "We hope to stay in dialogue", with the pirates on board the MV LONGCHAMP, a spokesman for Bernhard Schulte ship management company said, hours after they had received a first phone call from the captors.

The pirates on board the tanker contacted the Hamburg-based shipping company Saturday, two days after taking charge of the tanker. "We received a phone call and were also able to talk briefly with the captain", the spokesman said. The captain had been able to confirm that all 13 crew members - 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian - were in good health. Bernhard Schulte Ship Management were unable to confirm whether a ransom had been demanded. They did not know how many pirates were on board the ship. The tanker, transporting liquefied petroleum gas, was seized on Thursday morning, en route from Europe to the Far East. The 100-metre-long vessel belongs to MPC Steamship, a branch of a German investment group, a spokesman for the company in Hamburg said. MPC Steamship contracts the operation out to the Bernhard Schulte ship management company, a longtime Hamburg shipping operator. Currently the ship is chartered to yet another company, Bridge Marine, which is registered in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

The MPC spokesman said the ship had passed through the Suez Canal and waited for a day to join a convoy under Indian naval protection as it passed through pirate-infested waters. "This morning at dawn (local time), seven pirates hijacked the ship. It was under coalition escort", Till Giessmann of MPC Capital said on Thursday. However, the Indians could not prevent pirates from seizing the vessel, which was steered away from the convoy toward the Somali coast. Lawyers in Hamburg are preparing a case, on the grounds of attack on air and sea transport, thought to be the first case against piracy to be filed in Hamburg. Attacks on air and sea transport carry sentences of a minimum five years' prison in German law.

MT STOLT STRENGTH negotiations obviously have not gone well, since the vessel is now kept for almost 3 month near Eyl. The true story of the circumstances surrounding the delay might well become a separate story for a crime best-seller with plenty of double- and triple-crossing moves.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 15 foreign vessels with a total of 254 crew members accounted for (of which 56 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. the presently held) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 15 averted or abandoned attacks and 6 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 ------------------

Professor Ken Kamoche from Kenya writes: The Somali pirate threat is not to be trifled with, but mighty armies are sent out to ‘fight’ barefoot pirates. These guys mean business, but it seems bizarre that such a relatively minor phenomenon should prove so difficult to contain, especially by those countries closest to the action, that it should require a multinational force more suited to a world war. It is just a bunch of pirates for goodness’ sake, it is not exactly up there with Al-Qaeda and suicide bombers. If the German, British, US, French, Korean, and now Chinese and Japanese ships "protecting" these waters are not up to the task, it is time to call in the humorous crew of Tintin, Captain Haddock and good old Snowy to the rescue. We are talking seas that are typically so calm and serene under azure skies you would think you were holiday-bound, except for the seemingly irritating presence of bare-footed, miraa-chewing, swashbuckling, gun-totting, untrained, sea bandits, clambering up your deck demanding money, fuel and shoes.

The mighty armies of the two most powerful nations in the east, China and Japan, have studied this major 21 century challenge and decided here is a chance, at last, to prove they too are a force to reckon with. It is a reincarnation of the Eastern Fleet warships led by the British Royal Navy in World War II.

For Japan, this decision marks a major departure from the post world war constitution which severely restricts military activity except for peace keeping. Technically, Japan is not going to war against pirates. They will, presumably, be protecting ships in the Gulf of Aden and threatening pirates with fire and brimstone. The brave warriors will eventually go back home and boast about having seen action "in Africa". They will be welcomed with bouquets and feted like heroes. If it sounds too much like Captain Haddock and the adventures of Tintin, it is probably because the exaggerated heroism of modern armies scaring wild-eyed, hungry-looking pirates away is just as comical. What has happened in Somalia in modern times is just tragic. The piracy is symptomatic of what is wrong with large swathes of Africa, from Zimbabwe to Sudan and Somalia, where deep-seated problems fester for years while the world watches, and countries only take action when their interests are threatened or when the problems morph into that unspeakable abomination, terrorism.

Ethiopian troops have reentered parts of Hiran region, in central Somalia, weeks after completely withdrawing from Mogadishu and other parts of the country, Radio Garowe reports. The Ethiopian army contingent backed by armored trucks took control of Kala-Beyr crossroads, gaining a foothold in a strategic road that links north Somalia, south Somalia and the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia. Witnesses said travelers and vehicles passing through the crossroads are being stopped and searched by Ethiopian soldiers, although no major problems were reported other than delays. Unconfirmed reports said ex-Somali government officials and a small number of Somali soldiers are working with the Ethiopian force. The Ethiopian government maintains a major army base at Fer Fer, across the border from Kala-Beyr crossroads. Somali insurgents shelled the army base inside Ethiopian soil last month, prompting Addis Ababa to take control of that strategic entry-point and defend against Islamist infiltration, a military source suggested. Much of Hiran region, including the provincial capital Beletwein, remains under the control of the Islamic Courts movement. Islamist officials in Beletwein have not publicly responded to the Ethiopian army's latest incursion onto Somali soil.

Sheikh Sharif ‘a Sinking Ship’ According to Aweys, writes the Somaliland Press. The chairman of the Asmara based Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), Sheikh Hasan Dahir Aweys has rejected any future prospect of a negotiation settlement to the country’s political crisis and dismissed the election of his former ally Sheikh Sharif as the president of Somalia. Sheikh Dahir Aweys said Sheikh Sharif was a "sold out who has abandoned the party’s duty, interest and responsibility", and vowed to continue the war until Islamic law is established across Somalia. Sheikh Aweys described the presidency of Sheikh Sharif as "fragile who will not withstand pressure and a sinking ship". Sheikh Aweys also said that Sharif has thwarted the party’s overall agenda and objectives and that his election has its own purposes and not beneficial to the Somali people. According to Reuters, the newly elected president of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, said in an interview published on Sunday that he saw the United States as a positive influence for peace in his country. Ahmed led the Islamic Courts Union before the United States backed an Ethiopian invasion meant to drive the Islamists out of power. In May 2008, Ahmed criticized the United States for a U.S. air strike that killed an Islamic leader in central Somalia. "One can say that the U.S. position toward Somalia has become honest... We think that the American view of Somalia is now positive", Ahmed told the Egyptian newspaper el-Shorouk. "In the framework of the Djibouti negotiations, America has become a force which supports peace", he added.

Somalia's former leader has advised the incoming president to confront anti-peace groups, namely Al Shabaab hardliners, Radio Garowe reports. Col. Abdullahi Yusuf resigned as Somalia's interim president in December, after four years in power that saw the rise of the country's Islamic Courts movement. In a Sunday interview with Al Arabiya, ex-President Yusuf said "many problems" face the new administration, led by a former Islamic Courts chief, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. "Al Shabaab is a group that is against peace in Somalia and therefore is the number one problem facing Sheikh Sharif", the former president noted. Yusuf described Al Shabaab, a breakaway faction of the Islamic Courts, as a "terrorist group", while suggesting that the especially insurgents are strong in the capital, Mogadishu. When asked if he retired from politics, Yusuf said: "If Al Shabaab attempts to attack Puntland, I will return to the country and I promise to eradicate them". Yusuf hails from the Puntland region, in northeastern Somalia. He made no mention of new Puntland leader Dr. Abdirahman Farole's refusal to recognize Sheikh Sharif as Somali president.

The United States has turned a blind eye to abuses by its allies in Somalia and worsened the situation there by reducing a complex conflict to a front in its "war on terror", a leading human rights group said. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in a letter to African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping that the policies of many governments had been destructive in Somalia, reports Reuters. "U.S. policy on Somalia has been particularly unhelpful, treating Somalia's complex realities as a theatre in the 'war on terror' while turning a blind eye to rampant abuses by the Ethiopian and transitional government forces", HRW said in the letter that was handed to reporters at an AU summit on Sunday. The letter was sent to Ping late last month. U.S. ally Ethiopia sent its army into Somalia to topple an Islamist administration in Mogadishu and rescue the Western-backed transitional government at the end of 2006.

At least 10,000 civilians were killed in an ensuing Iraq-style insurgency that also created more than a million refugees and fomented piracy in shipping lanes off the coast. The Ethiopians withdrew last month and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate Islamist who led the Sharia courts government overthrown by them, was elected on Saturday as Somali president, raising hopes that a way can be found out of the conflict that has torn Somalia for 18 years. Ahmed has made positive noises towards the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, saying Washington's policy towards Somalia was positive and honest. "America has become a force which supports peace", he told an Egyptian newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. Human Rights Watch said all sides in the conflict over the last two years had committed war crimes and human rights abuses. It accused Europe of sending aid to Somali police without insisting on accountability for serious crimes and said Eritrea had provided arms to fighters in Somalia as part of a proxy war against Ethiopia. HRW called on the AU, whose leaders are meeting until Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital, to ask the U.N. Security Council to establish a commission of inquiry into rights abuses in Somalia.

A government minister resigned in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland, Radio Garowe reports. Mr. Aden Rush, who was Somaliland's state minister for public works, briefly spoke with reporters Sunday in the regional capital Hargeisa, citing "personal reasons" for his resignation. A press statement issued from the office of Somaliland President Dahir Riyale confirmed Mr. Rush's resignation, adding that the Somaliland leader has accepted the resignation. "I thank him [Rush] for his time working with us and I have accepted his resignation", read the letter issued from President Riyale's office. Somaliland, composed of regions in northwestern Somalia, unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and maintains a functioning government, its own flag and currency. The separatist republic is poised to hold popular elections for the next president on 29 March, when the incumbent faces off against a host of candidates, including opposition leader Ahmed Silanyo.

Likewise the chairman of the election commission resigned Sunday in Somalia's separatist republic of Somaliland, raising concerns of a delay in the upcoming presidential election. Mr. Mohamed Ismail "Kaboweyne" told a press conference the regional capital Hargeisa that he resigned after "some political parties" said they had no confidence in the election commission. "We [election commission] were judging a match, but the match is not possible if all sides don't think we are neutral", Mr. Kaboweyne said, although he did not name which political party complained. Recent comments attributed to UCID opposition party's presidential candidate, Mr. Faisal Ali Warabe, threw into question how much confidence he had in the election commission. But Mr. Kaboweyne defended his record as chairman, saying that the election commission oversaw the voter-registration process ahead of the March 29 presidential election. He becomes the second official to resign from the election commission, after a deputy chairman resigned last year, our correspondent reports. It is not clear what impact the election commission chairman's surprise resignation will have on the upcoming election. Current President Dahir Riyale is widely accused of violating the region's laws and illegally extending his term by an additional year in 2008, a development that postponed the original election date and damaged Somaliland's democratic record.

We've been hearing for years now that Somalia is the next Afghanistan, yet so very little has been done to reverse this trend, writes Trey Alverson. Western media outlets generally ignore the region, partly because few reporters dare to travel to southern Somalia. Even relatively stable northern Somalia receives little press attention. What we do hear about are the sensational pirate attacks off of the Somali coast, but even those reports leave much to be answered: who exactly are these pirates and what are their activities funding? My experiences as an officer on a U.S. Navy ship patrolling the waters near Mogadishu during the summer of 2006 showed me that the pirates were not simply fisherman gone bad. The constant presence of an untouched Byelorussian captained merchant ship seemed to indicate that international organized crime played at least some role in the piracy operations. Some of the warlords of Somalia are believed to support the pirates as well. Regardless of whether or not al-Shabaab receives funds from these illegal efforts, the extremist organization represents a much graver danger to the world than the pirates alone ever will. Al-Shabaab's driving goal is not just control of the capital region, but the unification of all ethnic Somalis under one unified Islamist state. Such an end state may be less far fetched than it at first seems. It was Siad Barre's desire to unite all Somalis (including those living in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti) that ultimately led to his downfall, but the region has destabilized significantly since the late 1980's. The independent northern state of Somaliland is self governed and relatively stable, but it contiues to go unrecognized by the international community. Al-Shabaab suicide car bombings recently struck several Somaliland cities, shattering the peace. The special forces from the U.S.'s newly created Africa Command may eventually be tasked to help out in the region. Africa Command headquarters remain in Germany, but its largest African base is Camp Lemonier in the nearby majority ethnic Somali country of Djibouti.

The smallest European Union member, this Mediterranean island nation has witnessed a surge of illegal immigrants arriving on its shores in recent years. Last year, Malta faced a record number of 2,775 arrivals. More than half, or 1,443, were from Somalia. Also on Sunday, the Italian coastguards said it rescued a boat carrying 226 would-be immigrants that ran into trouble off the coast of Sicily. In 2008, some 36,900 illegal migrants arrived in Italy, up 75 percent from the year before, the Italian interior ministry has said. United Nations human rights experts expressed concern in January about Maltese detention conditions of immigrants rescued at sea, but the government rebutted by pointing to the sheer numbers of illegal immigrants it was grappling with. Malta and Italy have joined together with Greece and Cyprus in demanding tougher EU action against illegal immigration.

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

African leaders set aside the first day of an annual summit on Sunday to discuss Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's long-standing pet project to establish a United States of Africa, REUTERS reports. Delegates said that although some countries are wary of the idea, and a 2007 summit in Ghana devoted to it ended with no deal because of opposition, delegates felt obliged to debate the plan because of the huge funds that the Libyan leader has poured into parts of Africa. Gaddafi, one of the continent's longest-serving leaders, has for years pressed for a federal pan-regional government, arguing that it is essential to meet the challenges of globalization, fight poverty and resolve conflicts without Western interference. Some leaders, including Senegal's Abdoulaye Wade, are keen on the idea.

Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, said the first day of the February 1-3 summit would focus on Gaddafi's proposal. "I remain optimistic that yes, it will be a reality," he told reporters ahead of the meeting. "The question we are discussing is not whether it will be a reality, but when, and how". Commission chairman Jean Ping said recently views on the speed of integration varied from nine to 35 years, but the continent needed to speak with a united voice to be heard in international negotiations on trade and other issues including climate change. All 53 AU member states agree in principle with the goal of continental integration. But some -- led by economic powerhouse South Africa -- say it must be a gradual process. But conflict and crisis in Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are expected, as usual at AU summits, to overshadow the official agenda. Delegates have been given some breathing space by positive developments in recent days in two of the most intractable problems: Somalia's two decades of violence and Zimbabwe's economic collapse.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate Islamist leader, is attending the talks after he was sworn in as Somalia's new president at U.N.-led talks in Djibouti. The latest trouble has been in Madagascar, where a firebrand opposition leader said on Saturday he had taken charge. The Indian Ocean island's president denied it. Late on Saturday, AU Commission chairman Ping told Reuters the rules of the pan-African body on coups were clear and that any attempt to seize power illegitimately would be rejected. Then African leaders on Sunday again delayed concrete moves towards creating a United States of Africa, despite a long campaign by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete told a news conference on Sunday night the meeting had agreed only to change the name of the current AU Commission into an "authority", rejecting a proposal by the body itself to transform it immediately into a union government. Kikwete, the current AU chairman, said this would infringe the sovereignty of the AU's 53 states. "In principle, we said the ultimate is a United States of Africa", Kikwete added, insisting the authority would have a bigger mandate, bigger budget and "bigger capacities" than the existing commission. But he was vague on how its powers would expand. Gaddafi has previously berated African leaders for delaying on his unity proposal, but asked about the often fiery Libyan leader's reaction, Kikwete said: "He was very supportive". The Tanzanian president said the Addis summit would agree by its close on Wednesday on the new authority's structures but it would not be launched until the next summit in July. He said this would move the continent closer to a union government. Tanzania today handed over the chairmanship after a successful year of AU leadership.

The African Union Commission will be transformed into a new AU Authority, as a compromise step toward eventually forming a continent-wide government, the bloc announced today. The decision came after a divisive day of talks on whether to create a new government for a "United States of Africa", a move championed by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. AU Commission chairman Jean Ping said the new authority would have a broader mandate than the existing commission. The body will be headed by a president and a vice-president, and the commissioners will become secretaries charged with portfolios. "In principle, we said the ultimate is the United States of Africa. How we proceed to that ultimate, there are building blocks", he said. "We are creating an institution with a bigger mandate, with bigger capacities, which moves us toward the goal of the union government", Mr. Ping said of the new authority. Governments will still retain their sovereignty, as under the existing system, he said. Many African leaders are reluctant to relinquish any of their sovereignty to a new government, while some favour strengthening regional institutions before creating a continent-wide system.

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Sudan’s SPLM says CPA will not be impacted by Bashir arrest warrant, writes the Sudan Tribune The southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) called on its partner in the government to "act with calm" if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue an arrest warrant for president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. The SPLM secretary general Pagan Amum speaking to reporters in the Sudanese capital also downplayed any negative impact on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) if Bashir is indicted. "I don’t think an indictment or anything else can prevent or obstruct implementation of the CPA" Amum said, referring to the peace accord which ended Sudan’s north-south civil war and led to a unity government being formed. Amum also called on the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to cooperate with the ICC on a legal basis and "avoid confrontation with the international community" to preserve the country "from collapse and dangers". Sudan is in a state of high alert for a decision by the ICC judges on ten counts presented by prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in mid-July against president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir that include three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Ocampo accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

Following the ICC move, the SPLM has urged the NCP to manage the issue from a legal basis. However in the last few weeks the SPLM chairman warned of the dangers of the indictment on the implementation of the CPA. Sudanese political parties have rallied behind Bashir with the exception of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan Al-Turabi who called on the president to turn himself in to The Hague based court. Some observers in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that Amum’s remarks imply a division within the SPLM leadership on their ICC stance suggesting that Kiir wants it aligned with that of the NCP. It is likely that the SPLM official’s statement will infuriate the NCP. Bashir has ordered a probe last year with Amum who was the cabinet affairs minister for calling Sudan a ‘failed state’. Amum said that any "reckless" reaction will "make things worst" in Sudan and may put the country on the path of Somalia and former Yugoslavia. He also warned the NCP from using the ICC confrontation as an excuse to crack down on political freedoms. The SPLM official also denied any plans by his movement to announce a unilateral independence if Bashir is officially charged by The Hague based court. The landmark peace deal which was signed in 2005 provides for referendum on self-determination in 2011 by the people of Southern Sudan to vote for unity of the country or secession.

In the 1980s, when Somali football was at its most popular, Stadium Mogadishu could hold more than 70,000 people, writes the GUARDIAN. "It was one of the best stadiums in Africa", says Ahmed Nur Abdulle, vice president of the Somali Football Federation. But for the past two years the stadium has been a military base for Ethiopian forces. Somalia has been racked by a series of civil wars since the last recognized government was overthrown in 1991. The country, snaked around the eastern tip of Africa, is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the past two years and at least one million have been forced to flee their homes. Roughly half of the population is in desperate need of food aid. Unsurprisingly, the football league has ground to a halt. Known as Serie A - Somalia was once an Italian colony - it was last active in early 2006.Yet the federation has refused to give up. It established a training base in neighboring Djibouti two months before the Cecafa Cup and scouted players from across the Somali Diaspora. More than half the squad lives in Mogadishu, but some are based in Canada, the US and London, including Gulad Adan - by day a defender for Hanwell Town in the Spartan South Midlands League, by night a bouncer at the Trocadero in the capital's West End. For the players who remain in Somalia, just getting from home to training can be a matter of life and death. "You have to leave very early in the morning, before it is light", says Hassan Ali Roble, a 22-year-old defender. He has to navigate armed roadblocks and avoid parts of town where fighting is taking place. "Sometimes a roadside bomb will go off while we are training". Roble has been offered contracts by clubs in Yemen but he refuses to leave Mogadishu without his wife and two children. "Playing football is part of my life. It is our only hope", he says. The team that made it to Uganda was written off before it arrived. Few expected them to turn up, let alone put up a fight. Yet they enjoyed an improbable 1-0 win over Tanzania, the side that finished third. "It was a great victory", says Abdulle. "Now a few more people will know about Somali football".

End of the Ecoterra 125th Press Releasev Update