Horn of Africa News

Somali regions no longer famine stricken - U.N.

2012-02-03T04:00:00.001-08:00

An exceptional harvest after good rains and food deliveries by aid agencies have ended famine in Somalia although conditions remain fragile and could worsen, the United Nations said on Friday.

The U.N. declared famine in two parts of southern Somalia last July and extended the famine warning in September to six out of eight regions in the anarchic Horn of Africa country.

The U.N. said initially 750,000 Somalis faced imminent starvation and lowered this to 250,000 by November. Six months after famine was declared, 4 million Somalis were in need of aid and the U.N. said the number now stood at 2.34 million.

"The gains are fragile and will be reversed without continued support," said Mark Bowden, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

"There are 1.7 million people in southern Somalia still in crisis. Millions of people still need food, clean water, shelter and other assistance to survive and the situation is expected to deteriorate in May," he said in a statement.

While aid deliveries to some 180,000 people in camps in the capital Mogadishu have improved the situation there, fighting in southern and central Somalia is still hampering food deliveries to the worst-hit areas.

Government forces have been fighting Islamist rebels for the past five years, while Kenyan and Ethiopian forces both moved into the country last year to help fight the al Qaeda-linked militants al Shabaab.

The fighting, combined with attacks on aid workers and a history of aid being manipulated for political gain, means Somalia is one of the toughest countries for relief agencies to operate in.

The U.N. said the latest harvest in Somalia was double the average of the past 17 years, and this had lowered food prices, though mortality rates in southern Somalia were still among the highest in the world.

Al Shabaab expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday, one of the few international aid agencies delivering food aid to areas under rebel control, accusing it of providing out-of-date food to women and children.

The ICRC said it regretted the decision as it halted a programme that had given food to more than 1.2 million people between June and December 2011. The ICRC said 6 percent of the food provided had deteriorated and was withdrawn, or destroyed by al Shabaab.

"The crisis is not over," said Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation. "It can only be resolved with a combination of rains and continued, coordinated, long-term actions that build up the resilience of the population and link relief with development."

Source: Reuters

Tense Fighting mounts in southwestern Somalia

2012-02-03T03:49:00.001-08:00

Residents in townships nearby Badhadhe town of Lower Jubba region in southwestern Somalia said on Friday that tension of fighting has mounted between TFG soldiers backed by Kenyan army and Al-shabab fighters for the control of the town.

Both TFG soldiers and Al-shabab are making military maneuvers and movements in the areas near the town of Badhahdhe which is now under the control of Somali government troops and Kenyan army, witnesses say the town and its neighboring villages is tense this morning and residents are worry about the military movement between the two rival sides.

The tense started after a large number of Somalia's Al shabaab, which US alleges to be Al Qaeda's surrogate in the horn of Africa nation, moved towards military basements near the town of Badhdhe which is manned by the fighters loyal to TFG.

The town of Badhahde and some of its surrounding villages fell into the hand of Somalia government on Thursday after the Al-shabab fighters withdrew from them after facing a major joint offensive.

Kenyan which has sent troops into Somalia last October is playing a key role war of Al-shabab fighters, whom Nairobi blames, a spate of killings and kidnappings in its territories.

Neither the Somalia government nor Al-shabab has spoken so far about the tense fighting in southwestern Somalia on Friday.

Source:Shabelle Media

Inside Somalia: Frontline season

2012-02-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Riots in Isiolo over killing

2012-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

Police patrol Isiolo town moments after two rival groups clashed in the town on February 2, 2012. Tension remained high in the area for most part of the day following the killing of a 33-year-old herdsman.

Street riots engulfed Isiolo Town on Thursday following the killing of a 33-year-old man by police officers on patrol.

The protesters engaged police in running battles for over four hours paralysing business and transport in and out of the town..

Smoke engulfed the town for the better part of the day with tyres and logs burning on the barricaded Isiolo-Moyale highway.

The road leading to the Isiolo district commissioner’s office was cut off until evening and motorists used other routes to access the town centre.

A motorbike rider was injured on the arm by a stray bullet when the rioters engaged the GSU officers at Isiolo main market. He was taken to Isiolo district hospital where he was treated and discharged.

An officer sustained head injuries when he was attacked with stones by angry residents at LMD village.

The villagers claimed he shot and killed the herder but the officer’s colleagues denied this saying he was not part of the team on foot patrol.

The herder, Mr Saney Mohamed Nunow, was allegedly shot and killed by a general service unit officer on patrol.

A witness Mr Hassan Abdi said Mr Nunow was driving his camel out of an enclosure when an officer fired at him at close range killing him on the spot.

“Where will we get protection if we are attacked by the security officers we expect to protect us and our livestock,” said Mr Abdi.

But a police constable, who declined to be named since he was not authorized to speak to press, told the Nation the man was killed during an exchange of fire. The patrol team ran into an ambush in a dry river bed near the LMD village where they were attacked by armed bandits, he said.

On Wednesday a raider was killed and two people sustained gunshot wounds when armed men invaded Buladaka near LMD village.

Upper eastern deputy PC Isaiah Nakoru warned that people should not take the law into their hands. “We should use diplomacy to resolve our issues,” he said.

Source:Daily Nation

Ex-Kenyan cop arrested over Shabaab links

2012-02-02T13:41:00.001-08:00

A former senior Administration Police officer has been arrested in Garissa for alleged involvement in training Al Shabaab recruits and coordinating attacks in the region.

The officer was arrested on Wednesday night and was being interrogated by detectives from the CID and Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, police said.

A senior police officer in Garissa told Capital News that the ex-officer was arrested at a hotel after the parent of a 14-year-old boy who had undergone training was rescued from him.

“There have been reports of involvement of an Administration Police officer, now we know who he is. He has been arrested and will face relevant charges,” the senior officer said speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said the boy who was rescued from a training centre had recorded a statement with the police, which he described as “vital in our investigations.”

“There is a lot which has been revealed; the boy is helping us and I am sure we will get more people who had been trained by the former AP officer,” the officer added.

North Eastern Provincial Police chief Leo Nyongesa confirmed the arrest but he did not divulge more details.
“The man is under interrogation… there is little we can say at the moment,” Nyongesa said.

Police believe the officer was instrumental in grenade and other explosive attacks that have rocked the region since October last year when Al Shabaab vowed retaliation attacks on security forces to protest a military incursion targeting them in their country.

On Thursday, four police officers escaped death narrowly in Mandera following a major explosion in the town.
A vehicle carrying police officers had just passed when an improvised bomb went off, causing an explosion.
“There has been an explosion, but no one was injured,” a senior police officer said.

In the last quarter of last year, at least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded in separate explosions reported in Mandera.

In one of the incidents, six people were killed on October 21when a bus they were travelling in was blown up by a grenade launched by people believed to have links with Al Shabaab militiamen.

Four people, including a police officer and a teacher were also killed in October while transporting examination materials.

On November 24, a soldier was killed and others wounded in a landmine attack on their vehicle in the border town. Barely two weeks later on December 12, an Administration Police officer was killed in another landmine attack.

Police blamed all the incidents on the notorious Al Shabaab militiamen who have vowed reprisal attacks to protest a military crackdown on their members by the Kenya military in Somalia.

Kenya Defence Forces crossed the border into Somalia in mid October after they because notorious of kidnappings of both locals and foreigners.

The militiamen had been blamed for the kidnapping of two foreign women from Lamu Island, including Frenchwoman Marie Dedieu who died while in captivity in Somalia.

They had also kidnapped two foreign aid workers from Dadaab refugee camp late last year before another kidnapping of a District Officer and an immigration officer from an Administration camp in Wajir. Both of them are still being held in Somalia.

Source:Capital FM Kenya

South Sudan wants more talks to end oil transit row

2012-02-02T13:37:00.001-08:00

President Salva Kiir said on Thursday South Sudan wants to end a row with Sudan over oil transit payments but has rejected a proposal requiring Juba to pay billions of dollars and keep exporting crude through the neighbouring country.

The two neighbours are locked in a worsening row over disentangling their oil industries after the South split from Sudan and became independent in July, following decades of civil war that ended with a peace deal in 2005.

The landlocked new nation took three-quarters of the oil production - the lifeblood of both economies - but needs to pay for using northern pipelines and the Red Sea port of Port Sudan.

Tension rose when Sudan said last month it started seizing southern oil as compensation for what it called unpaid pipeline transit fees. South Sudan responded last week by shutting down its entire output of 350,000 barrels a day.

On Friday, Kiir met Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on the sidelines of an African Union (AU) summit to discuss oil but failed to reach a deal.

Kiir said he had rejected at the meeting a draft agreement by the AU because it would have required Juba to keep selling oil from some fields through Sudan's export facilities.

"It is difficult for me to accept a deal that leaves our people vulnerable, dependent and paying billions they do not owe," Kiir said, according to the text of his speech published by the government.

NEGOTIATIONS

The agreement would also have required South Sudan to supply 35,000 barrels a day to Sudan's refineries, he said.

The value of the oil would be deducted from payments of $5.4 billion South Sudan also would have to make under the proposal to help Sudan cope with the loss of southern oil.

Kiir said the agreement had also not covered other conflicts such as marking the joint border and finding a solution for the disputed region of Abyei.

"I want to be clear that the Republic of South Sudan is committed to continue negotiations but we would also be wise to pursue efforts to enhance our economic self-sufficiency, prosperity and national security should we not find common ground with Khartoum for now," he said.

South Sudan said last month it would build an alternative pipeline to Kenya within eleven months to end dependency on Sudan's facilities.

But analysts are sceptical the project will take off because it would have to cross rough terrain and may not be viable.

Sudan accused South Sudan on Wednesday of being "hostile" towards Khartoum in the oil talks.

Source:Reuters

Somalia's al-Shabab lose 'key town' to Kenya troops

2012-02-02T13:16:00.001-08:00

A key town in southern Somalia has been captured by Kenyan troops and government forces from Islamist militants, Kenya's army says.

Badhadhe - some 180km south of Kismayo - fell after heavy fighting, according to local residents.

The fall of the inland town is a major loss to al-Shabab because it cuts off their main supply line from the sea, a Kenyan army spokesman told the BBC.

Kenyan troops entered Somalia in October.

Observers say the capture of Badhadhe on Thursday is the most significant gain of territory so far by Kenya - and of political importance on the day of William Hague's visit to Somalia, the first by British foreign secretary for 20 years.

"To al-Shabab, it is a blow because we have almost divided the left arm from the right arm," Kenya's Major Emmanuel Chirchir told the BBC.

Eye on Kismayo?
He said al-Shabab will also no longer have access to training grounds in the centre of the country.

The BBC's Caroline Karobia in Nairobi says sources in Badhadhe say pro-Somali government militia helped the Kenya army in what was a protracted fight for the town.

Our correspondent says there is a widespread belief that Kenya's main goal is to capture the major port town of Kismayo - an al-Shabab stronghold.

Kenya crossed over the border in pursuit of al-Shabab members it blames for a series of kidnappings in Kenyan territory.

Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, denies any involvement.

Our correspondent says progress towards Kismayo has been slow - partly because the army vehicles got stuck in the mud for weeks after heavy rains.

Al-Shabab has been pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, and Ethiopia troops have also entered Somali territory to move against the Islamist militants, who nevertheless still control large parts of southern and central Somalia.

On Thursday, Mr Hague said the fight against al-Shabab needs to be stepped up.

His visit signals the start of a major diplomatic push to restore stability in Somalia.

On 23 February, the British government is holding a conference in London to try to find a political solution, and tackle piracy and extremism.

Source:BBC

Landmine blast strikes at Kenyan truck in Madera town

2012-02-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Huge blast was heard early hours this morning in Madera town in northeastern Kenyan which reportedly targeted on a military truck with dozens of soldiers.

Witnesses say, the explosion destroyed the truck in Madera town, but it was not immediately indecently verify the exact casualty of the blast. At least 20 suspected people were arrested for the attack by Kenyan military.

Students and local businessmen were among the arrested people for the incident by Kenyan army, witnesses said Thursday.

Since Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia last October, it has been growing border- crossing attacks and blasts targeted on Kenyan army at border towns along with Somalia.

Source:Shabelle Media

Kenyan troops seize a key town in southwestern Somalia

2012-02-02T13:08:00.001-08:00

Kenyan troops with Raskamboni militias have on Thursday seized a key rebel-held town of Badhadhe in Lower Jubba region of southwestern Somalia, reports said on Thursday.

Witnesses confirmed to Shabelle Media by phone that the militants faced heavy joint offensives from Kenyan army backed by Raskamboni fighters which forced Al-shabab militants to evacuate from Badhadhe town in Somalia.

Abdinasir Serar, the spokesman of Raskamboni told that their troops have managed to confiscate fully the town and are heading to further towns in the region, including Afmadow.

Al-shabab has not made any comments about their latest withdrawal from Badhahde town in south western Somalia on Thursday. No casualties were reported so far.

Source:Shabelle Media

Britain appoints first Somali ambassador since 1991

2012-02-02T03:33:00.001-08:00

Britain appointed its first ambassador to Somalia for 21 years on Thursday during a visit to the capital of the anarchic Horn of Africa nation by Foreign Secretary William Hague.

It was the first visit to Mogadishu by a British foreign minister since 1992 and comes ahead of a conference in London this month to discuss measures to tackle instability in Somalia and piracy off its shores.

Britain's new envoy to Somalia, Matt Baugh, will remain based in Kenya's capital Nairobi until security conditions permit the opening of an embassy in Mogadishu.

Somalia descended into chaos after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 and a Western-backed transition government has been battling local al Qaeda-linked insurgents al Shabaab for the past five years.

At the moment, there are six diplomatic missions in Mogadishu, representing Djibouti, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen. The U.N.'s special envoy to Somalia also moved to Mogadishu last month.

An African Union force (AMISOM) in Mogadishu has helped drive al Shabaab out of the capital, but much of the south of remains in the hands of the rebels. Kenya and Ethiopia have both sent forces into Somalia to battle al Shabaab.

Analysts say the departure of al Shabaab from the capital, combined with the offensives by neighbouring states, has opened a window of opportunity to defeat the hardline militants, although Mogadishu remains prone to almost daily bomb attacks.

"We need to step this up. We are not complacent about it," Hague said, describing Somalia as "the world's most failed state".

"For the security of the UK, it matters a lot for Somalia to become a more stable place," he said. "Some progress has been made on this, partly because of the progress of the AMISOM force."

DISRUPT TERRORIST NETWORKS

Al Shabaab struck Uganda in 2010, killing nearly 80 people watching the soccer World Cup final. The militants have launched a series of grenade and roadside bomb attacks in Kenya since it sent troops into Somalia in October.

Britain has warned it is only a matter of time before Islamist militants trained in Somalia strike on British soil.

"One of the objectives of our conference in London is to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to make it easier for countries in this region to disrupt terrorist networks, to disrupt their financing and the movement of potential terrorists," Hague said.

Hague's visit came as Kenyan and Somali troops seized two towns in southern Somalia from al Shabaab in a bid to consolidate control of border areas, a Kenyan military spokesman said, ahead of an eventual push on rebel strongholds.

Kenyan ground forces entered Hosungow, near the Kenyan border, on Wednesday after air strikes over the weekend weakened the al Shabaab rebel group's defensive positions, Emmanuel Chirchir told Reuters.

"Capturing Hosungow is important for denying Shabaab their rearguard operations," Chirchir said on Wednesday.

While Kenya's near four-month military campaign inside Somalia has dislodged al Shabaab from several towns in the border area, the militants have retreated into the bush and regularly ambush the Kenyan forces on key supply routes.

Al Shabaab denied Chirchir's claim several insurgents had been killed in a battle for Hosungow and said its fighters were based outside the town at the time Kenyan troops advanced.

Further south towards Somalia's Indian Ocean coastline, Somali government troops regained control of Badhaadhe late on Wednesday. Kenyan troops were stationed within "firing distance".

Source:Reuters

William Hague visits Somalia's Mogadishu

2012-02-02T03:28:00.000-08:00

William Hague says Somalia is the "world's worst failed state"

William Hague has called for renewed pressure against Islamist militants during the first visit to Somalia by a British foreign secretary for 20 years.

His arrival in the capital, Mogadishu, amid tight security, signals the start of a major diplomatic push to restore stability in the country.

He praised African Union troops for forcing al-Shabab out of the city.

But he warned that much of the south remains in the hands of the militants, saying: "We need to step this up".

After meeting Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Mr Hague described Somalia as "the world's most failed state".

The country has been torn apart by two decades of war, beset by drought and famine and is home to a piracy industry that threatens shipping across the Indian Ocean.

But analysts say the military fortunes of al-Shabab have dramatically worsened in the last year.

Mr Hague's visit follows another sign of growing international confidence in the improving security situation - at least in Mogadishu - the UN special envoy to Somalia has moved his office back from neighbouring Kenya to the city - after an absence of 17 years.

The British government is hosting a conference in London on 23 February, aimed at resolving the protracted crises in the lawless Horn of Africa nation.

Source:BBC

Italy Asks Somalia for Help to Free Hijacked Ship

2012-02-02T03:24:00.001-08:00

Italy has asked the Somali prime minister for help in freeing an Italian ship hijacked by Somali pirates in December.

During a meeting in Rome, Prime Minister Mario Monti asked his Somali counterpart, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, for help in freeing the Enrico Levoli, which had 18 crew members on board.

The tanker was hijacked on 27 December off the coast of Oman while carrying 15,750 tons of caustic soda from the United Arab Emirates to the Mediterranean Sea.

The same ship was attacked by pirates in 2006.

Ali assured Monti of “his personal engagement in aiding the liberation of the Italian ship and its crew, underscoring his government’s strong commitment to preventing the scourge of piracy”.

Three hijacked Italian vessels were freed by Somali pirates in November and December, two of them reportedly following ransom payments.

The Savina Caylyn, an oil tanker with five Italians and 17 Indians on board, was freed on December 21 after more than 10 months in captivity.

Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships and currently hold up to 10 ships and 200 hostages.

International navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean owing to the vast distances involved. Even when suspected Somali pirates are captured, Western governments have been reluctant to bring them to trial in their own courts.

More than 1,000 pirates have been imprisoned in the past few years, a few of them tried and jailed in European countries and the United States.

Source:Bar Kulan

Who is really winning Kenya's Al-Shabaab war?

2012-02-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

Just over three months ago, Kenya's army crossed the border to launch an incursion against Somalia militant group Al-Shabaab in what it said was meant to protects itself from the grave threat posed to its economic and security interests by the fundamentalists.

Ethiopian troops, weeks later, rolled into the country to shore up the offensive against the Islamist group that has been seeking to topple the weak transitional government.

Some 100 days later into the operation, Al-Shabaab says that Kenyan forces have made little headway in taming the group.

Addressing loyalists through Al-Shabaab run broadcaster Al-Andalus recently, group spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raghe alias Sheikh Ali Dhere said that both Ethiopia and Kenya had failed to so far to realise their objectives in Somalia, which has been without a central government since 1991.

In a fiery speech, the cleric said that Kenyan and Ethiopian troops may have crossed the borders, but they had fallen short of capturing key territories in southern and central Somalia controlled by Al-Shabaab.

"Our jihadists (holy warriors) are fit to fight both Ethiopian and Kenyan forces,” he said.

"At the beginning, Kenyans thought they were heading towards a defenceless territory,” said Sheik Ali Dhere.

The spokesman claimed that the Kenyan forces were "trapped" in limited territory, mentioning a strip of land between Tabta village and Qoqani town in Lower Juba region, west of Kismayu, the regional capital, some 500 km south of Mogadishu, that is the group's nerve centre.

"The Kenyan troops in those two towns cannot help each other as Al-Shabaab fighters are there to ambush any moving force," claimed Sheikh Ali Dhere.

He said that this applied to places like Eel Adde and Damas villages in Gedo region.

Ethiopian troops

"Kenyan army units cannot proceed forwards or assist each the other," said the cleric. "Their obvious desire is to go back to the border."

The Ethiopian troops in December took the strategic regional capital of Beledweyne, some 335 kilometres north of Mogadishu. (Read: Al-Shabaab lose key central Somalia town)

Admitting it had been a blow, Sheikh Ali Dhere blamed the locals for the loss.

"The Ethiopians took advantage of the Somali people challenging each other on clan basis," he said before making a clarion call.

"Let’s pull ourselves together to push the Ethiopians back to the border (42 km north of the town of Beledweyne)."

Sheikh Ali Dhere's version is, however, at odds with reports coming out of Nairobi. Kenyan officials have repeatedly stated that their forces had killed hundreds of militants and that they were on the front foot.

There have also been military reports of tens of Al-Shabaab leaders killed or maimed, especially in air strikes. (Read: Kenya airstrikes kill 'over 60' Somali militants).

The Kenya intervention is undoubtedly the largest since the entry of Ethiopian troops into Somalia in 2006 to support the Transitional Federal Government that was under siege from the Union of the Islamic Courts.

It was also the first venture of Kenyan forces into Somali territory, breaking the military neutrality it has maintained over the last half-century of self-rule.

So, in the resulting propaganda war, who is telling the truth?

The crossfire has seen unarmed civilians unfortunately caught in the middle with reports of women, children and refugees hurt in the fighting.

Peacekeeping force

Although there is no fixed number of Kenyans presently operating inside Somalia, the best estimates indicate about 3,000 soldiers. This approximation was tactically supported by the African Union and the United Nations act of recognising Kenyan troops as part of the AU peacekeeping force in Somalia. (Read: AU approves Kenyan troops merger with Amisom)

"By the fact that AU needed extra troops and decided to include the Kenyans in their service, the latter cannot be more than 3,000,” says Colonel Mohamoud Ghedi Afrah, a former senior officer in the now defunct Somali army, without offering further clarification.

Kenyan officials, including its President, Mwai Kibaki, have been careful to state that their forces were not fighting Somalia, but only the militant group.

But what is clearer is that following the past months of war, neither Kenya nor Al-Shabaab will be the same again.

Kenya is having to expend substantial effort and resources as it looks to pulverise the fanatical Islamists that include diehard international jihadists known in Somalia as Al-Mujahedeen Al-Muhajereen (migrant jihadists).

The migrant jihadists, from every corner of the world, have pooled their best talents in inflicting harm on their targets, no matter the consequences. And it looks as if Al-Shabaab militants are increasingly relying on the operational expertise of their fellow hardliners.

Kenya may be caught in a drawn out war that places its security--and overall economy--at greater risk, the militants say.

His voice vibrating with pride, Sheikh Ali Dhere claimed that Al-Shabaab militants have infiltrated Kenyan territory as much as the Kenyans have ventured into Somalia.

"We are ready to strike anytime," said the forthright spokesman. "They (Kenyans) can better protect their tourism and other resources by withdrawing their forces (from territory controlled by Al-Shabaab known as Wilayaat al-Islamiya),” he added, on the 100th day of the war.

Inspired Islamists

But as long as the Kenyan soldiers are not washing their boots at the sandy beaches of Kismayu, Al-Shabaab leaders and loyalists in the Wilaya (Authority) of Jubaland look to be content ruling in their stronghold and jewel in the crown.

In contrast, Kenyan officials portray Al-Shabaab as a dying force that is being squeezed by the alliance being formed around it.

Forces from the three frontline states, namely Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya, are already in Somalia, and their numbers could increase any time.

The Ugandans and Burundians have formed a solid base for the peacekeeping of the AU Mission in Somalia, Amisom, whose mandate includes supporting the pro-government forces battling Al-Shabaab militants.

In addition, local forces that include the TFG army, Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea - the moderate Sufis Islamists-- and Ras Kamboni Brigade have all their guns trained on Al-Shabaab positions.

American pilotless drones also appear to be making matters worse for the Al-Qaeda inspired Islamists. They are assumed to be responsible for strikes that cause the most deadly consequences, targeting Al-Shabaab training and logistical camps as well as the most prominent migrant jihadists.

Experts like Col Afrah believe that the showdown will continue well into the next 100 days of Kenyan troop presence in Somalia.

"There could be a thin line between success and failure,” said Col Afrah. “It all depends on crafted strategy, implemented tactics and above all the ability to magnetise the local and international public opinion.”

But for the common folks, it is a cessation of hostilities and a stabilisation of the war torn country that matters most.

Source:Africa Review

Ethiopia and Somaliland discuss recent hostilities in Buhodle

2012-02-01T15:06:00.001-08:00

The government of Ethiopia and Somaliland held talks on regarding the recent skirmishes between Somaliland national army and militia group in Buhodle. This recent skirmishing in Buhoodle town and the wider implications it could have in the regional was the topic on the table as both Foreign and Interior Minister’s of Somaliland visited Addis this week.

According to reliable source in Addis the delegation of Somaliland Minister consisting of Foreign Minister Dr. Mohamed Omar and Interior Minister Mohamed Nur Duur they held meetings with Foreign Minister of Ethiopia Mr. Hailemariam Desanlegn and senior security officials regarding the hostilities in Buhodle.

There are other reports that indicate an accusatory culpability to Somali administration province in Ethiopia that they have aided and abetted the warlords that held a tribal meeting in Taleeh by providing security guards that escorted them to Taleh.

Somaliland government has forwarded memo of concern on that matter to Ethiopian representative to Hargeisa which has denied that his government was assisting the terrorist group that met in Taleh. Last week’s conflict in Buhoodle town has seen the result of 40 people killed between Somaliland forces and the local militia headed by US Professor Ali Khalif.

Source:Somaliland Press

Kenya raid on Shabaab wins praise

2012-02-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

Kenya’s military operation has helped erode Al-Shabaab’s control of southern Somalia, the chief US intelligence officer said on Tuesday.

The Islamist insurgents have been weakened by “internal divisions and diminished local support” due in part from military pressure from Kenya, Ethiopia, African Union forces and Somali government troops, director of national intelligence James Clapper said in an assessment of threats to US security.

The annual report cautions, however, that Kenya and other Al-Shabaab opponents must “win support of local clans” to consolidate the gains.

Cycle of weak governance

Overall, the American intelligence network projects continued instability in Somalia.

“We see few signs that Somalia will escape the cycle of weak governance,” Mr Clapper’s report declares. The country’s government “almost certainly will be bogged down with political infighting and corruption that impede efforts to improve security.”

Al-Shabaab and other affiliates of Al-Qaeda now pose a greater threat to US interests than do the Pakistan-based “remnants” of Osama bin Laden’s original organisation.

The intelligence projection also says South Sudan this year “will face serious challenges that threaten to destabilise its fragile, untested and poorly resourced government.”

It says ethnic disputes will undermine national cohesion, and the government will struggle to provide security.

Eritreans complain of intimidation

2012-02-01T13:59:00.001-08:00

Eritreans living in Switzerland say they’re under pressure from their own government back home.

They accuse the African regime of forcing them to demonstrate at the United Nations in Geneva, for instance, and also of forcing them to hand over 2 percent of their earnings.

David Bozzini, an expert on Eritrea working at the University of Neuchâtel says the regime is particularly keen on controlling those who’ve dodged the permanent military draft back home by seeking asylum here.

This comes at a time when the Swiss federal authorities are reconsidering automatically granting refugee status to deserters from countries at war.

KDF troops capture two Al Shabaab strongholds

2012-02-01T13:46:00.001-08:00

Kenyan troops captured more key towns in the battle to eliminate Al Shabaab militants in Somalia.

Kenya Defence Forces and Transitional Federal Government soldiers took over Badhade and Hosingo south of Tabda as they headed to Afmadhow.

"KDF/TFG capture Badhade! Hosingo town south of Tabda falls to KDF/TFG troops today... Al Shabaab mounting resistance," military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said on his Twitter Wednesday.

He said an air strike on Sunday in Hayo area had destroyed Al Shabaab’s five technical equipment and a tractor.

Kenya and Somali government troops are carrying out a joint military offensive against the Al Qaeda linked fighters.

The offensive was launched in October last year following a spate of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya by the militants.

Kenya and Somali governments have accused the Al Shabaab of being behind growing insecurity along the common border of the two countries.

The next battlefield will be Afmadhow and Kismayu which the troops expect to capture in the coming week.

The development came, as it emerged that the militants are angered by last week’s killing of al-Qaeda official of Lebanese origin fighting alongside insurgents in Somalia.

A US drone hit Bilal al-Berjawi’s car on the outskirts of Mogadishu killing him on the spot.

Three missiles were fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to a statement from the insurgent’s al-Kataib.

Al-Shabaab said Berjawi was a Lebanese and British citizen who grew up in West London and fought in Afghanistan before going to Somalia in 2006.

He helped to oversee recruitment and training of Al-Shabaab, who are fighting the weak UN-backed government.

Foreign fighters

He was a close associate of late al-Qaeda operative Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who masterminded the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Berjawi is at least the fourth senior al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab commander to be killed.

Last year, a Somali soldier shot dead Fazul at a checkpoint and in 2009, US soldiers killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in a helicopter raid. In 2008, a US air strike killed Al Qaeda commander Aden Hashi Ayro and two dozen civilians.

Police say there are several foreign fighters in Somalia, clustered in training camps around the insurgents’ stronghold of Kismayu.

Most of the foreigners are Africans from nearby nations, but more than 40 Americans have also travelled to Somalia to join Al Shabaab, according to a report from the House Homeland Security Committee. Around 15 of them have been killed.

Source:The Standard

Sudan says South Sudan "hostile" in oil row

2012-02-01T13:43:00.001-08:00

Sudan, stepping up its rhetoric, accused South Sudan of "hostility" in their row over oil transit fees and said it would hold Juba responsible for any attack on northern oil facilities, a state-linked news website said on Wednesday.

The two neighbours are locked in a worsening row over disentangling their oil industries after the South split from Sudan and became independent in July, following decades of civil war that ended with a peace deal in 2005.

The landlocked new nation took three-quarters of the oil production - the lifeline of both economies - but needs to pay for using northern export facilities and the Red Sea port of Port Sudan.

Tension rose when Sudan said last month it started seizing southern oil at Port Sudan as compensation for what it called unpaid pipeline transit fees. Juba, the southern capital, responded last week by shutting down its entire output of 350,000 barrels a day.

The African Union has been trying to broker a deal but a meeting between Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir failed last week. More talks are scheduled for next week.

The Sudanese negotiation team said South Sudan had not been ready to reach a fair deal at the latest round of talks in Addis Ababa, the state-linked Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) said, citing a statement issued by the delegation after its return.

"The Government of Sudan ... called on the southern government to review its hostile leaning towards Sudan," the SMC said, adding that Sudan remained ready to continue talks in "good faith."

Sudan also again accused Juba of supporting rebels in the main northern border state of South Kordofan, the SMC said.

"The Government of Sudan will hold the government of South Sudan responsible for any attempt to target or sabotage oil fields, facilities and oil infrastructure," SMC said, without elaborating.

There was no immediate reaction from Juba. South Kordofan is home to much of Sudan's remaining oil industry after the split.

Fighting broke out in June between the Sudanese army and rebels of the SPLM-North, and clashes spread to Blue Nile in September. Both states border South Sudan.

Blue Nile and South Kordofan contain large groups who sided with the south in the civil war, and who say they have continued to face persecution inside Sudan since South Sudan seceded.

The SPLM is now the ruling party in the independent south and denies supporting SPLM-North rebels across the border.

Events in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are difficult to verify because aid groups and foreign journalists are banned from areas where fighting takes place.

SPLM-North is one of a number of rebel movements in underdeveloped border areas who say they are fighting to overthrow Bashir and end what they see as the dominance of the Khartoum political elite.

The fighting has already forced about 417,000 people to flee their homes, more than 80,000 of them to newly independent South Sudan, according to the United Nations.

Source:Reuters

Kenyan Defence minister calls for more troops in Somalia

2012-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:00

Kenyan Defence Minister Yusuf Haji has urged the African Union to deploy more military personnel and hardware to Somalia so that Al-Shabaab militants are attacked on all fronts.

Mr Haji told Xinhua, in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing 18th African Union summit in Addis Ababa, that whereas the Kenyan troops have aerial power and the necessary equipment, the troops in Mogadishu need helicopters, body amours, ammunition because they have to move from place to place while hunting down the militants.

"We need helicopters, body amours particularly in Mogadishu where the Ugandans and Burundians are. They need to move from one place to another to kick these people out," he said.

Presently there are over 12,000 troops in Somalia operating under the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

"The message we bring to the African Union is that we should keep this momentum in dealing a decisive blow in putting the Al-Shabaab out the way," he said.

"We need more troops because we have to go outside the areas that we know so that we have more fronts. When they (Al -Shabaab) are beaten here they run somewhere, you need troops to be there waiting for them or to act as a deterrence to stop them," he added.

Uganda is providing the bulk of the AMISOM troops in Somalia. Burundi, Kenya and Djibouti also have troops there.

Ugandan, Burundi and Djibouti troops are positioned in the capital Mogadishu while the Kenyan troops are attacking from south Somalia.

All these military operations are carried out in conjunction with the Somali government troops.

Mr Haji said that Kenya's military operations in south Somalia were moving on smoothly.

"The situation in Somalia is going on very well. We are capturing territory each and every other day. Al-Shabaab right now are on the run, they are in disarray," he said.

"We don't see any challenge because these people are not a formation of troops, they are fighting guerrilla warfare," he said.

He said whereas foreign military intervention from outside Africa is not needed, the international community should give military logistical support to the troops in Somalia.

Mr Haji urged the Somali leadership to stick to the political roadmap that will see the country holding elections in August this year.

Source: Daily Nation

Eritrean Youth Call for Friday Protests Inside the Country

2012-02-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Eritrean youth across the globe are calling their counterparts inside the country to demonstrate their outrage at the human and democratic rights abuses by emptying the streets in towns and cities throughout the country every Friday evening starting Friday 3rd of February. The call that has been transmitted through electronic communication and social media has so far been received positively by Eritreans inside the country.

In solidarity with the initiative all independent Eritrean media outlets will broadcast solidarity messages as well as announcements for the evening of protest.
The event is anticipated to send strong messages of outrage against the injustice in the country as well as demonstrate the solidarity across forces fighting for democracy and justice.

Eritreans inside the country live under one of the most brutal regimes in the world today. The regime prohibits its nationals from exercising their basic human and democratic rights, and is intolerant to any form of freedom of expression.

Calling on the Eritrean public to support this event a statement from Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change said: “This is a unique opportunity for every Eritrean to show their support for democratic change in the country, EYSC calls on all Eritreans outside the country to contact their friends and relatives inside the country and encourage them to empty the streets and demonstrate to PFDJ that it is high time things changed for the better in Eritrea.”

Notes for the editor
PFDJ is Eritrea’s ruling party and the only legal party in the country.

The regime in Eritrea has been criticized by numerous human rights organizations owing to its appalling records of human rights abuse.

Eritrea is one of the worst abusers of freedom of press in the world today and the religious freedom violations in the country have also been a cause for grave concern to the international community.

Eritrea’s indefinite National Service has been highlighted as illegal and unjust.

Many Eritrean young people flee the country to escape the National service and all the other human rights abuses. Eritrea is one of the top refugee producing nations in the world today.

Eritrea youth fleeing the country are faced by numerous obstacles including the government’s ‘shoot to kill ‘ policy for those caught. T

hey also fall pray of unscrupulous people smugglers and traffickers, including those who are involved in illegal organ harvesting Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC) is a Diaspora based global youth movement, fighting for democracy and justice in the country.

CONTACT:
Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC)
Email: info@eysc.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/eritreanyouth
Website: www.eysc.net

Kenya planes attack Somali 'militant camp' in Hosingow

2012-02-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

Kenyan fighter jets bombed southern Somali town of Hoosingow which is held by Al-shabab fighters on Wednesday. Residents in the town reported heavy explosions near a Al-Shabaab base and some residents have reportedly started to flee the town.

This is not the first time Kenyan jets bombed the town, on 21 December 2011 Kenyan jets bombed the town killing at least 15 civilians. Kenya or Al-Shabaab have made no comments on this attack.

Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October in pursuit of al-Shabab.

There are reports of heavy fighting between Transitional Federal Government(TFG) forces backed by Kenyan forces and Al-Shabaab Islamist rebels in Lower Juba.

Horn of Africa News is also getting reports that Al-Shabaab fighters withdrew from the town of Badhaadhe.

The commander for the Ras Kambooni militia Axmed Max’ed Islaam (Axmed Madoobe) told Horn of Africa News that his troops were in full control of Badhaadhe and aslo said that they would continue to liberate Southern Somalia from "terrorist invaders."

By Ahmed Ali Faarax
Mogadishu, Somalia

UPDATE:

Kenyan forces have captured Hoosingow and are making their way towards Afmadow."KDF/TFG capture Badhade! Hosingo town south of Tabda falls to KDF/TFG troops today... Al Shabaab mounting resistance," military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said on his Twitter Wednesday.

President Sharif says sorry to Somaliland for the past “mistakes”

2012-02-01T03:44:00.000-08:00

Somalia’s president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has apologized for any past mistakes committed by the southerners against north-now the breakaway region of Somaliland- before the country plunged in to chaos early in 1990s.

President Sharif was speaking at a colourful ceremony held at Benadir’s regional Headquarters to mark the third anniversary of his presidency.

He said his government is committed to mend the relations between the south and the north to bring together the entire Somali population.

He added that his government supports the prevailing relative peace and other developments in Somaliland.

Somaliland has unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of Somalia after the fall of Somalia’s central government.

Meanwhile, the president said he will try all means possible to end the current political impasse in the parliament and promised a reward for individuals or groups who will take parts in that process.

Source:Bar Kulan

Gunmen kill a civilian in Wardigley, Mogadishu

2012-02-01T03:40:00.001-08:00

One person was killed and two others were wounded after gunmen opened fire on youths at an entertainment centre where they were playing video games in Mogadishu’s Ged-Ja’el neighbourhood of Wardigley district.

The Tuesday night incident happened after three men armed with pistols attacked the youths, killing a public transport vehicle operator and injuring two others, according to eyewitnesses.

Reports say the gangs immediately fled the scene of the fatal incident. The identity and the motive of the gunmen are yet to be established.

The attack comes two weeks after a gunman attacked people a tea kiosk in Mataban town, Central Somalia region of Hiran, killing one person and injured another one.

Ahlu Sunna in Mataban later confirmed the incident as a clan based revenge attack.

Source:Bar Kulan

Somalia:Potential suicide bomber seized by security officials

2012-02-01T03:29:00.001-08:00

20 year old Ismail Ahmed Yusuf

Somali National Security Agency has on Tuesday publicly displayed a would be suicide bomber in the capital Mogadishu after arresting him in one of the government manned districts of the capital.

20 year old Ismail Ahmed Yusuf was arrested by the special wing of the Somali security agency. The young man said that he was destined to carry out an attack on a government base after being brainwashed by the Al-Shabaab.

The head of the security affairs at the Aden Adde International Airport told SONNA that the young man was to carry out a suicide attack inside the airport as instructed by the Al-Shabaab but the forces pounced on him early enough.

“The Al-Shabaab sent me on assessment of the airport before the actual suicide. The Al-Shabaab brainwashed me and told me that i will enter paradise after committing suicide” Ismail told journalists.

Most of the youths who have surrendered to the government have been taken to a rehabilitation center run by the Somali government where the youths will also have an opportunity to undertake quality training to better their lives.

The Somali Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has increased time previously given to Al-Shabaab extremist’s fighters to defect.

In December 2011, 50 Al-Shabaab fighters defected in one day and was the largest number of al-Shabaab fighters to have ever surrendered to the Somali government within a day.

Al-Shabaab extremist’s increased recruiting young teenagers to fight for them since February 2011 when government forces launched heavy operations in the capital, Mogadishu, southern and central regions of Somalia.

Source: SONNA

400 Somali students to receive religious education in Turkey

2012-02-01T03:27:00.001-08:00

A total of 400 students from famine-stricken Somalia will come to Turkey on Thursday for religious education.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) will bring 400 students, 100 of whom are female, from Somalia to Turkey on Thursday to receive Islamic education through Quran courses and in imam-hatip high schools.

After these students receive religious training, they will return to Somalia to officiate religious services.

İsmail Palakoğlu, deputy director of the foundation, called the project one of Turkey’s most important initiatives for the Somali people. “Three months ago, we conducted interviews with 3,000 students from all over Somalia. Four hundred students were then selected to study in Turkey,” he said.

According to the Yeni Şafak daily, the foundation will pay for 50 male students to study in the Ondokuz Mayıs University’s theology department in Samsun.

Palakoğlu said 50 female students will receive scholarships to enroll in Quran courses in İstanbul. They will receive religious training as well as education in the Turkish language and culture.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey has collected TL 538.2 million in funds to fight the hunger crisis in Somalia.

Source: SONNA and Agencies

Somalia: Galmudug security forces detain 5 suspects over assassination

2012-02-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

The security forces of Somalia’s Galmudug state in central Somalia were reportedly detained at least five suspects over the attempted assassination of formerly powerful warlord yesterday in Galka’yo town.

Reports say, the forces launched major operations early hours on Wednesday morning in parts of the divided and fragile town of Galka’yo in central Somalia, in which they arrested five suspects of a suicide attack attempted to kill Gen.Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid in his home town yesterday, but he survived.

Five people were killed, including three bodyguards and two civilians. No group immediately claimed the responsibility of the assassination attempt, but Mr. Qeybdid accused Al-shabab militants of being behind such attacks.

Mr.Qeybdid, a former Mogadishu powerful warlord, he arrived at Galka’yo few months ago to mediate the dispute between Galmudug state and Puntland administration over the insecurity of the divided town of Galka’yo, the capital city of Mudug region in central Somalia.

Source:Shabelle Media

Ethiopia says 17,000 Sudanese refugees returned home

2012-01-31T16:54:00.001-08:00

Some 17,000 Sudanese refugees recently returned to their homeland in Blue Nile state, announced the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Monday.

Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) in Blue Nile state on the first day of September 2011, as a direct result of clashes with Khartoum in South Kordofan state which began in June of last year.

In a speech reported by the national news agency at the launch of International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) report for 2011 in the Ethiopian capital, Hailemariam said his country received some 35,000 Sudanese refugees who fled the violence.

However he said that 17,000 Sudanese have now voluntarily returned to their homeland, stressing that Ethiopia is pursuing a policy of receiving immigrants that are coming to its land and providing care until their problems are resolved.

The Sudanese army in November retook the control of all the big towns and inhabited areas in Blue Nile from the SPLM-N fighters. With the seizure of Kurmuk, the main rebel stronghold town in the state, the group now controls small areas at the border with South Sudan.

Ethiopia who leads the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional organisation tried to mediate the government and the rebel group but failed to reconcile the positions of the two parties.

The fight between Khartoum and the SPLM-N, who have historical relations with Juba’s ruling party, might ignite armed conflict with the newly independent South Sudan, as the latter also has differences with Sudan.

The continued fighting between Sudan and the SPLM-N particularly in the South Kordofan state pushed the international community to predict a new humanitarian crisis in the region as the UN officials say over 500,000 refugees are expected to flee the region.

Source:Sudan Tribune

Alcoholic drink burnt down in Garowe

2012-01-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

The security personnel of Garowe in Puntland administration have today burnt down illicit brew of 65 bottles in an open area which was confiscated from Dangoroyo area in Nugaal region.

The security personnel received a tip off from some travellers that the alcoholic drink was buried outside of Dangoroyo.

The police commissioner of Puntland Mohamed Said Jaqanaf said the Nugaal high court ruled that the alcoholic drink be burnt down.

The Nugaal regional administrator Abdi Hirsi Ali said the lethal brew was being transported to and destined for pirates.

Abdi Hirsi stated that the transporters had no clear passage for the alcohol as the police were on the lookout for them and they buried it in Dangoroyo.

The transporters of the illegal alcoholic drink were not impounded.

This is not the first time the security officers of Garowe had intercepted alcoholic drinks.

It was only last Tuesday when the police officers arrested two men while in possession of alcohol in a crackdown by the police.

They were sentenced to one year and five months imprisonment.

Source:Bar Kulan

Wave of Arrests in Khartoum Targets Non-Violent Student Activists

2012-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party’s grip on power seems to be tightening to the point of suffocation. In the past week, Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services, or NISS, has targeted non-violent, pro-democratic student activists in a wave of arrests and harassment.

Detained student activist Omar
Ahmad Hamid (Girifna)

On January 25, following a forum on the human rights situation in eastern Sudan, held in commemoration of the 2005 Port Sudan massacre of unarmed civilians by government forces, the NISS arrested five members of the non-violent, student-led, pro-democracy group Girifna.

The five students arrested—Girifna Co-founder Nagi Musa, Amar Dirar, Ghazi Eltayen, Mohammed Mahjoub, and Sharif Kamal—have since been moved to Kober prison, notorious for NISS brutal interrogation tactics. News of the arrests sparked an explosion in the Twitterverse, with Sudan influentials such as New York Times columnist Nick Kristof and author Rebecca Hamilton calling for attention to the NISS's actions, interspersed with real-time updates from Girifna members.

But the January 25 arrests are just the tip of the iceberg. Four more student activists have been arrested in recent days—Mohamed Omer Al Amin, Girifna member Omar Ahmad Hamid, Youth for Change member Khalaf Saeed, and Taj Elsir Jafar. Girifna reports that a Youth for Change student leader, Gasm Allah, has been missing since Friday. And members of Girifna reported the NISS tapping their phones and staking out youth activists’ homes.

In a statement to the Enough Project, Girifna said that the detention and abuse at the hands of the NISS is widespread and targets not only students, but also journalists and other activists. Girifna asks the media to focus on the detainment of its own members but to also highlight the wider issue of the NISS’s detention and arrest policies.

Girifna told Enough that Sudan’s National Security Forces Act allows NISS officers to detain suspects for up to six months without taking them to court.

“Several aspects of this act are troubling when viewed from the perspective of human rights, in particular, the provisions that allow the NISS to hold individuals for extensive periods of time without charge or trial and without notifying their relatives,” said Enough Project Sudan Policy Analyst Jennifer Christian.
Girifna, which translates into Arabic as “We’ve Had Enough,” is one of several Sudanese student groups that have voiced public opposition against the Khartoum regime and been met with arrests, intimidation, and detainment.

So far though the government of Sudan has been silent on the issue, but that’s no surprise. Violence and arrests of student protesters is becoming common practice in Khartoum, and this latest round of arrests demonstrates the standard protocol of the NISS.

A round of protests slated for January 30 was canceled. But Girifna has tweeted, “It is 31/Jan/2012 and the fight for freedom, democracy, equality and social justice for all Sudanese will be long and we are ready for it.” For updates on the whereabouts of detained student activists, follow Girifna on Twitter.

Source: Enough Project

South Sudan lists demands in oil row with north

2012-01-31T16:03:00.000-08:00

The United States has called on Sudan and South Sudan to end their dispute over oil transit fees.

Sudan has released four oil tankers that belongs to the south as a gesture of good will.

But the government of South Sudan, which halted its oil production in protest over Khartoum allegedly stealing its oil, says it will not start pumping again until a list of demands are met.

Anna Cavell reports from Juba, South Sudan's capital.

Italian FM, Somali PM discuss political process in Somalia

2012-01-31T13:09:00.001-08:00

Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi held talks with Somali Prime Minister H.E Abdiweli Mohammad Ali on the progress of the transitional phase, the security situation in the African country and how to rebuild Somalia.

Terzi and Ali discussed the situation in general in Somalia and the provinces in specific, as well as political developments over the past six months. Terzi, at a joint news conference with Ali, said they expressed keenness to support the political process. Italy is committed to helping Somalia towards stability, he said.

Development in Somalia and eliminating poverty will always be a crucial issue for Italy, added Terzi.

Ali said he briefed Terzi about the roadmap that would pave way for formation of a government by next August and writing a permanent constitution. He thanked Italy for its support of Somalia.

Terzi, meanwhile, said al Shabaab rebels were facing growing difficulties at the military level and diminishing backing. Means of countering piracy were also discussed by the two officials.

Source: SONNA and Agencies

Ethiopian, Somali Forces Set to Advance on Al-Shabab Stronghold

2012-01-31T13:03:00.001-08:00

In Somalia, government forces backed by Ethiopian troops are set to advance on the Bay and Bakool regions, key strongholds of the militant group al-Shabab. The Islamist group has vowed to resist any foreign intervention.

In Somalia's Gedo region, which borders Ethiopia, Somali government forces have played a defensive role for the last eight months. But with the reported arrival of more Ethiopian troops, a Somali lawmaker tells VOA the forces are ready to secure the region and move forward to capture neighboring Bay and Bakool.

A Somali military official in the Gedo region, Diyed Abdi, says Somali forces hope to reduce the amount of territory al-Shabab controls.

“There is an ongoing operation to back up Transitional Federal Government plans to take control of other regions," he said. "We would like to capture other town in Gedo and other regions with the help of Kenya, Ethiopia and AMISOM forces who are based in Mogadishu.”

A local official in the Gedo region town of Luq told VOA he could neither confirm nor deny the presence of Ethiopian troops in his town. But witnesses said the troops arrived this week and remained in the Luq area as of Tuesday.

This latest development is not something new to Somalis; Ethiopian forces have often crossed into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab and militias said to be allied to an Ethiopian rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front.

Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaida, is fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally recognized government. The Islamist group controls much of southern and central Somalia, though it has lost ground in recent months. AU and Somali forces took full control of Mogadishu earlier this month, while Ethiopian forces recently took control of Beledweyne in Somalia's Hiraan region.

Even though Somali forces have received enormous military support from neighboring countries the TFG struggles to regularly pay its troops. Abdi said they haven’t received salary for six months but they will continue to fight without any condition.

“Our expectations are high, even though the TFG have not paid us, we are also people who are patriotic, and we want to fight for our land and our flag which they have replaced with the black flag of al-Qaida,” he said.

Al-Shabab rose to power by fighting government forces and pro-government Ethiopian troops who invaded Somalia in 2006. The group considers any outside intervention as a threat to Somali sovereignty.

On Monday the militants permanently banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), one of the few international aid agencies operating in areas under its control. It accused the aid agency of providing contaminated food and betraying the trust of the population.

Earlier this month, ICRC temporarily suspended its operations in central and southern Somalia, saying local authorities had blocked deliveries of food and seeds.

Source:VOA

Somalia: 1 dead after warlord assassination try

2012-01-31T04:46:00.001-08:00

A Somali police officer says a once-powerful warlord has survived an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber in a central Somali town. One bodyguard was killed.

Aden Hussein said Tuesday that Col. Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid was unscathed after a suicide bomber opened fire at guards at the gate of his house in the town of Galkayo.

Hussein said one bodyguard died. The attacker's explosives detonated but only killed the bomber.

No group immediately claimed the responsibility for the assassination attempt. Such attacks are often carried out by the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group.

Qeybdid was once one of Mogadishu's most powerful warlords. His militia was defeated by the Islamic Courts Union in 2006.

Source:AP

Africa has handed over £2.75 million of £200 million famine relief five months on

2012-01-31T04:44:00.000-08:00

Presidents, prime ministers and senior government officials pledged the funds in August in a delayed response to the hunger crisis that threatened more than 12 million Kenyans, Somalis and Ethiopians with starvation.

At the time, Jerry Rawlings, Ghana's former president and the continental envoy to famine-hit Somalia, said: "We need to send a convincing response to the rest of the world that we're not incapable of supporting our own when the need arises".

Yet almost half a year later, figures confirmed by the United Nations and seen by The Daily Telegraph show that just five of the continent's 54 nations have so far honoured their promises.
Gabon, Mauritania, Mauritius, Rwanda and South Africa have together paid £2.75 million.
The balance of more than £224 million, in cash and "in kind" from a further 17 countries and the African Development Bank, has so far failed to materialise.

Among those who are delaying are some of Africa's economic powerhouses, including oil-rich Nigeria, Angola and Ghana who together pledged almost £5 million which has yet to appear.
"It's a matter of great concern, and a great lapse on the part of our leaders," said Anne Mitaru, coordinator of Africans Act 4 Africa, a grassroots campaign formed during the famine that fights for a greater engagement from Africa's governments to the continent's food crises.
"I don't want to say that African leaders don't care, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"But in so far not honouring their pledges, we don't get a good indication that they have an urgent commitment to respond to a situation where millions of African people face extreme hunger."

The continent's leaders faced criticism as they stood by while the rest of the world rallied to the UN's £1.5 billion Horn of Africa appeal.

Even when they did finally gather for Africa's first famine fund-raising conference they guaranteed only to give £32 million – less than the British public had given to the crisis at that point.

Noureddine al-Mesni, spokesman for the African Union Commission, which is in charge of collecting the money and sending it on to the UN, said on Monday that "there is nothing to worry about".

"This is normal, it happens to every organisation," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"You get the pledges then you have to follow up. There are mechanisms to do that. But do not worry, the commitments are there, and we hope that we will get this money, it is a very noble cause."

Aid agencies, however, warned last week that delays to funding last year's drought appeals cost tens of thousands of lives and turned a food crisis into a famine.

The bulk of the funds promised in August was £192 million to be spent by the African Development Bank between 2011 and 2015 on schemes to beat future droughts.

Abdirahman Beileh, the bank's agriculture director, said those funds had "already begun being spent" but said that they were never intended simply to fund emergency appeals.

Source: Telegraph

China Calls for Release of Workers in Sudan, Sends Team to Secure Release

2012-01-31T04:12:00.000-08:00

China's Foreign Ministry is calling for the immediate release of 29 Chinese workers who remain in captivity after being abducted by rebels in southern Sudan on Saturday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said Tuesday that his office has sent a government delegation to help secure the release of the abducted workers.

The construction workers were captured Saturday when rebels in Sudan's South Kordofan state attacked their camp.

China's official Xinhua news agency says 29 are still being held captive by the rebels, while another 18 have fled to safety.

Chinese officials said the Sudanese army has tracked down and moved 17 of the escaped workers to a safe location, but that one is still missing.

Many of those who fled began arriving Monday in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

The kidnappings have threatened to damage relations between Sudan and its powerful Chinese ally. China is the largest buyer of oil from Sudan.

But China's ambassador to Sudan, Lui Xiaoguang, said Monday that the kidnapping is an individual incident and will not affect ties between the two countries.

The spokesman for the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North said the workers were taken Saturday after a battle with Sudanese troops in South Kordofan state, and were only being held for their own protection.

South Kordofan borders newly independent South Sudan, which broke away in July. The SPLM-N is a branch of the rebels who fought for the South during Sudan's long north-south civil war.

Fighting broke out last year between Sudan and rebels in South Kordofan and in another border state – Blue Nile.

Source:VOA

Saudi Arabia, UK to work on Somalia problem

2012-01-31T03:59:00.001-08:00

The United Kingdom, a major donor to African nations, has pledged to work closely with Saudi Arabia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to solve a plethora of problems facing African countries, especially Somalia and Sudan.

The pledge was made by Henry Bellingham, British undersecretary for Africa, here Saturday evening after holding talks with senior Saudi officials including Nizar Obaid Madani, minister of state for foreign affairs.

Bellingham, whose areas of responsibilities include Britain’s overseas territories, Africa and the United Nations, said the Kingdom has assured participation and support to a major donor conference for Somalia to be hosted by London on Feb 23. Bellingham’s visit to Saudi Arabia, which coincides with the summit of African Union leaders in Addis Ababa, was aimed at holding consultations with the Kingdom and other Gulf states on issues affecting the African continent as a whole.

Bellingham was speaking about his talks with Saudi officials with special reference to the London donor conference. He said the UK had been working with African countries, particularly Somalia and Sudan, to restore peace and security. “We know that young British jihadis are also being trained in Somalia,” admitted the British undersecretary, while referring to the problems posed by the Al-Shabab extremist group in the country. “A large number of vessels were also captured by Somali pirates at sea for ransom … but we know that the figures are declining,” said Bellingham.

He called for Saudi and international support for Somalia, adding the Kingdom is a key regional player and a very important partner for Britain.

“We have invited Saudi Arabia to the London conference on Somalia,” said Bellingham. To this end, it is important to note that Saudi Arabia recently donated $60 million in aid to help the people with food and medicine. This is in addition to 500 million euros pledged by an emergency aid summit that took place in Istanbul late last year.

Referring to the situation in Somalia, Bellingham said extremist group Al-Shabab has been involved in several plots including the bomb attack in Somalia recently that killed 70 people. He said the London Conference on Somalia will articulate the unified determination and commitment of the key international actors on the formation of sovereign and effective governance in Somalia so that all corollary problems can be taken care off.

Asked about the Kingdom’s support to London’s initiative for Somalia and other African countries, Bellingham said: “We are very keen to have the support of Saudi Arabia … this country has a better experience in de-radicalizing extremist elements.”

He lauded the Saudi experience in counseling and rehabilitating terrorists and deviants. He observed cooperation between Somali militants and pirate gangs is growing as Al-Shabab becomes more desperate for funding

He also hoped for support from the African Mission for Somalia. “We believe Somali people have suffered for a long time and it is time we work together to alleviate this suffering that has condemned them to poverty and refugee camps,” he said. Somalia is a member of the Arab League and the international community, which have the responsibility to help and see the country come out from the ruins of war, he added.

Meanwhile, the UK Embassy in Riyadh announced that a delegation of 20 businesses from the UK’s southeast and southwest regions will visit Alkhobar, Jeddah and Riyadh from Feb. 4 to 8 as part of a multi-sector and health care market visit organized by UK Trade & Investment, the UK government’s support organization for companies wishing to internationalize their business.

The companies will be supported by UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy, which will host a reception in both Riyadh and Alkhobar to allow local businesses to meet the UK companies during their five-day visit. The specific health care group will be visiting Jeddah and Riyadh. The British companies are already making appointments in advance of their arrival and are looking to identify business opportunities and develop long-term partnerships.

The group covers a wide range of products and services including construction industry software, a wide range of education and training services, health care products and diabetes management, glass interior design products, marine and aviation uniforms, military seating, road security barriers, project and program management solutions, key security systems and valves. Many of the companies are new to the Saudi market and are aiming to establish strong business ties for the future.

Source: Arab News

Fighting erupts in Mogadishu

2012-01-31T03:48:00.001-08:00

There are ongoing clashes in the district of Jazira in Mogadishu that erupted early Tuesday morning.

The fighting between Al Shabaab insurgents and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) alongside AMISOM troops began early Tuesday after Al Shabaab agents infiltrated the district of Jazira late last night.

Local sources say that AMISOM technical vehicles are engaged in the battle while both sides are using heavy artillery against each other.

There have been no confirmed reports on the casualties of this ongoing battle but unconfirmed reports say that there have were TFG vehicles carrying the injured to hospitals.

Although Al Shabaab retreated from Mogadishu and many strongholds in southern Somalia their presence in Mogadishu is still felt. Sources say Al Shabaab insurgents have permeated through Kahda district near the Dharkenley district in Mogadishu.

Source:GAROWE ONLINE

Ethiopian Christians arrested at private prayer in Saudi Arabia

2012-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

Thirty five Ethiopian Christians are awaiting deportation from Saudi Arabia for “illicit mingling,” after police arrested them when they raided a private prayer gathering in Jeddah in mid-December, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Of those arrested, 29 were women. They were subjected to arbitrary body cavity searches in custody, three of the Ethiopians told Human Rights Watch.

The Ethiopians gathered to pray together on December 15, during the advent of Christmas, in the private home of one of the Ethiopians, when police burst in and arrested them, three jailed members of the group, two women and one man, told Human Rights Watch.

“While King Abdullah sets up an international interfaith dialogue center, his police are trampling on the rights of believers of others faiths,” said Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The Saudi government needs to change its own intolerant ways before it can promote religious dialogue abroad.”

In October, Saudi Arabia, together with Austria and Spain, founded the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, located in Vienna, and funded by Saudi Arabia.

The Ethiopian men spent two days at al-Nuzha police station in Jeddah, after which the police transferred them to Buraiman prison. The women had already been transferred to Buraiman prison. Two of the women said that officials there forced the women to strip, and then an officer inserted her finger into each of the women’s genitals, under the pretext of searching for illegal substances hidden inside their bodies. She wore a plastic glove that she did not change, the women told Human Rights Watch. Officers also kicked and beat the men in Buraiman prison, and insulted them as “unbelievers,” the jailed Ethiopian man said.

Both men and women complained of inadequate medical care and unsanitary conditions at Buraiman prison. There were too few toilets, they said. In the men’s wing, six of twelve toilets were reserved for Saudi inmates, while hundreds of foreign inmates were forced to share the remaining six toilets. One female detainee said she suffers from diabetes and was given an injection in the prison clinic that caused swelling, and has received no further medical attention.

The Ethiopians, speaking via telephone from prison, said that about 10 days after being arrested, some in the group were taken to court, where they were forced to affix their fingerprints to a document without being allowed to read it. Officials told the group that they were being charged with “illicit mingling” of unmarried persons of the opposite sex. Some of the Ethiopians have been living in the kingdom for 16 years, while others are newer arrivals. Some of the women and men did not have valid residency papers, but all faced deportation, including those with valid papers, the jailed Ethiopian man said.

In July 2006, the Saudi government promised that it would stop interfering with private worship by non-Muslims. In a “Confirmation of Policies,” a written document the Saudi government sent to the US government, Saudi Arabia said it would “guarantee and protect the right to private worship for all, including non-Muslims who gather in homes for religious practice,” and “ensure that members of the [religious police] do not detain or conduct investigations of suspects, implement punishment, [or] violate the sanctity of private homes.” In this document, the government also said it would investigate any infringements of these policies. Public worship of any religion other than Islam remains prohibited in the kingdom.

“Saudi authorities have broken their promises to respect other faiths,” Wilcke said. “Men and women of other faiths have nowhere to worship in Saudi Arabia if even their private homes are no longer safe.”

The Arab Charter of Human Rights, to which Saudi Arabia is a state party, guarantees “[t]he freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs or to perform religious observances, either alone or in community with others,” and prohibits “arbitrary arrest.”

Saudi Arabia has no codified criminal law or other law that defines “illicit mingling.” In 2006, Shaikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, the president of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, told Human Rights Watch in an interview in Riyadh, “Mingling of the sexes is prohibited in public, and permitted in private unless it is for the purpose of corruption.”

Human Rights Watch called on the Saudi authorities to release the 35 Ethiopian men and women immediately if there is no evidence to charge them with offenses that are recognizably criminal under international norms. Saudi authorities should also investigate their allegations of physical and sexual abuse and, if warranted, compensate them for arbitrary arrest and any mistreatment they endured, and to hold accountable any officials found to be responsible for these acts.

Human Rights Watch also called on the authorities to allow members of the group who fear persecution in Ethiopia to lodge asylum claims with the UN Refugee Agency.

-Human Rights Watch

Kenya court charges imam with weapons possession

2012-01-30T13:50:00.001-08:00

Kenyan court officials have charged an Islamic religious leader who is an open advocate of Somali militants with possession of weapons and conspiring to commit murder.
Abdi Rogo Mohammed was arrested Sunday by Kenyan police after they said they found a cache of weapons in his house.

Prosecutor Samson Kiptum said Monday that Mohammed did not have a firearms certificate and was concealing a rifle, ammunition, two hand grenades, two pistols and 102 bomb detonators at his house in the Kenyan coastal district of Kilifi.

Mohammed's wife says the weapons were planted at his home.

A U.N. report said last year that Mohammed is an open advocate of Somalia's al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militia.

He is currently on bail for other weapons-related offenses. Bail in the new case was denied and Mohammed will be in jail until Feb. 13, when his case is due to resume.

Source: AP

Ethiopia Opens New Front against Somalia's al-Shabab

2012-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Witnesses in Somalia say columns of Ethiopian troops have crossed into the country and are marching toward key al-Shabab strongholds, apparently opening a new military front against the Islamist militant group.

A government official, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the reports to VOA on Monday, saying the soldiers had reached the town of Luq in the southwest Gedo region.

The location includes a major road leading to the Bay and Bakool regions, which are under al-Shabab's control. The official says the Ethiopian convoy entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow.

Al-Shabab is facing pressure inside Somalia from Ethiopian forces already there, Kenyan troops who entered the country in October, and African Union troops in the capital, Mogadishu.

Last week, the al-Qaida-linked group said it killed 33 Ethiopian soldiers during a suicide attack on an army base in the town of Beledweyne. The Ethiopian military typically does not release casualty figures.

Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government and impose strict Islamic law. The group controls large sections of southern and central Somalia but has lost ground in recent months. AU and Somali troops drove the group out of Mogadishu last year, while Ethiopian forces recently took control of Beledweyne.

In an interview Monday with VOA correspondent Peter Heinlein, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Somali leaders to exploit al-Shabab’s retreat and make a push to assert greater control over the war-ravaged country.

"I met President Sheikh Sharif and also during my visit last December to Somalia, I urged that this is a very small window of opportunity for Somalia, to fully utilize this stability, fighting back al-Shabab, they should establish this administration in the liberated areas," said the U.N. Secretary General. "They should also provide the social economic opportunities to their people.”

Somalia has not had a stable central government since 1991.

Source:VOA

Al Shabaab rebels ban Red Cross in Somalia

2012-01-30T13:12:00.003-08:00

Al Shabaab rebels in Somalia have expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from areas they control in country's south and centre, the rebels said on Monday.

ICRC has run programmes in the Horn of Africa nation for the last 30 years, mainly providing medical aid

It suspended food distribution to 1.1 million people in central and southern Somalia on Jan.12, saying that militants had blocked deliveries in parts of the famine-hit country.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly betrayed the trust conferred on it by the local population and, in the recent weeks, falsely accused the Mujahideen (Shabaab fighters) of hindering food distribution," al Shabaab said in a statement.

ICRC spokeswoman for Africa, Anna Schaaf, declined to comment.

ICRC's suspension of food distribution prompted a Somali government minister to say the humanitarian crisis could worsen. About 250,000 Somalis already live in famine conditions and a total of four million need aid, the United Nations says.

Al Shabaab accused ICRC, which was one of the last agencies working in rebel-held areas, of distributing expired food to weak women and children following a drought, putting them at risk from disease.

"A thorough inspection of ICRC warehouses and food depots throughout the Islamic Administrations governed by the Mujahideen has revealed that up to 70 percent of the food stored for distribution by the organisation was deemed unfit for human consumption," it said.

Some 2,000 metric tonnes of expired rations that were intended for distribution were burnt after the inspection.

Source:Reuters

Fear in Somali journalist community after killing

2012-01-30T08:15:00.001-08:00

Journalist Mohamed Bashir Hashi's voice broke with emotion as he read a death threat sent to his mobile phone: "If God wills it, you will be the next apostate to be killed."

After gunmen killed Somali journalist Hassan Osman Abdi on Saturday, colleagues and friends said they were too scared to attend his funeral that day, since militants in Somalia have targeted such gatherings in the past. Abdi, a 29-year-old director of a radio station, was a father of three.

"Deciding to stay here is so discouraging," Hashi, 23, said Saturday while sitting in a small room at the Shabelle radio station, where Abdi was a reporter. "We can't even pay respects to our fallen colleague since al-Shabab is threatening us."

Abdi's death was the second targeted killing of a Somali journalist in less than two months. The attacks have sent waves of trepidation through Mogadishu's media community.

"We sleep at the radio station because we can't go home," Muhyadin Hassan, the station's editor, said Monday. After he decided to go home on Sunday, he said his wife called and told him two men seemed to be hanging out on the street close to their home.

"We don't know why we are being targeted. You can't know who is going to kill you," Hassan said.

Shabelle is one of Mogadishu's most popular stations. It frequently reports on government corruption, abuses by al-Shabab militants against civilians, extortion by government troops — all topics that can earn the reporters enemies.

The militant group al-Shabab appeared to claim responsibility for Abdi's death, saying on its website that the killing would serve as a "lesson" to other journalists. Al-Shabab — which runs its own radio station — said Shabelle was an anti-Islamic station.

Reporters at Shabelle said Abdi's phone had voice messages on it from callers claiming to be al-Shabab militants, who threatened to kill him if he didn't leave his job.

After a series of journalists' killings in 2009, Shabelle moved its station from the city's Bakara market close to the government-controlled part of the city near the airport. Somalia was most dangerous for journalists in 2009, when nine journalists were killed, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

But now there have been two killings in just over a month. A man wearing a Somali government uniform shot dead Abdisalan Sheik Hassan, a journalist with Horn Cable TV, in December. Now journalists are starting to feel targeted again.

"We trusted the situation would improve but its getting worse now. Nowhere is safe," Mu'awiye Ahmed, a producer and a photographer at the station, said. He vowed to continue working: "They can't prevent me from my work."

Somalia President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed called Saturday's killing a senseless murder and a terrible tragedy. He asked the public to assist authorities investigating the case.

Mogadishu's journalists union called for the government bring suspects to justice.

Somali and African Union troops over the last year have largely pushed al-Shabab militants out of the city, which is far safer today than a year ago overall.

"We thought because of the change there will be a better deal for us in terms of security," said Abdurrahman Warsameh, a reporter with the Chinese news agency Xinhua. "Because of the brutal killing of our friend Hassan it now seems that the nightmarish life that we thought ended is still continuing."

Source:AP

Sudan Says It Freed Some Kidnapped Chinese Workers

2012-01-30T08:13:00.001-08:00

The Sudanese military said Monday that it had rescued 14 of 29 Chinese road workers who were kidnapped by rebels in southern Sudan.

Sudanese officials did not provide many details other than saying that they had “liberated” the Chinese workers, who were seized Saturday in an attack on an encampment in South Kordofan, an oil-rich, rebellion-racked state.

It was unclear on Monday afternoon where the remaining workers were being held.

“The abducted Chinese personnel have had all communications links with the outside world cut,” Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said, quoting a Chinese Embassy official in Khartoum. Xinhua said 17 workers had managed to evade the attackers on Saturday and were later “moved to a safe place” by the Sudanese Army. In all, more than 70 road workers, Chinese and Sudanese, were kidnapped.

The Chinese workers were building a road to connect two remote areas, Chinese news media said, although Western human rights groups warned last week that the Sudanese government was rapidly building roads in that same area as a way to rush in troops to crush a growing insurrection.

China is one of Sudan’s most steadfast supporters, continuing to buy billions of dollars of Sudanese oil, despite Western sanctions and the fact that Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

China is also trying to mediate in the escalating crisis between Sudan and the newly independent nation of South Sudan, which have deadlocked in recent weeks over how to share oil revenues.

Both sides are digging in, and oil production has ground to a halt as relations between Sudan and South Sudan become more poisonous.

“The kidnapping of these workers is a crime against humanity,” said Rabie A. Atti, a Sudanese government spokesman.

On Monday, Mr. Atti said that the kidnapping of the Chinese workers was “supported by the South Sudan government,” while officials in South Sudan blamed Khartoum for backing recent militia attacks in their country. It was not clear why Sudanese rebels would have kidnapped Chinese workers.

On Sunday, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, a rebel group operating in Kordofan and allied with South Sudan, said it “has nothing against China and the Chinese.”

“The leadership of the S.P.L.M.-N.,” a statement from the group said, is “exerting the maximum effort to obtain accurate information from our forces in the field regarding the Chinese who were detained in Southern Kordofan.”

Chinese companies have been operating in Sudan for years, helping increase oil production to around 500,000 barrels a day. But the separation in July of South Sudan, which had fought for independence for decades, has complicated things.

While most of the oil lies in the south, most of the pipelines are in the north. The two sides have failed to agree on how to share oil profits, and this month South Sudan began to shut down wells, saying no more oil would flow until a comprehensive agreement was reached.

The attack on Saturday underlined the risks for China in sending ever-greater numbers of its workers into some of the world’s most turbulent countries.

While China has been sending large work crews to unstable countries for decades, a rise in Internet usage and in the availability of information from abroad has made the Chinese public much more sensitive to what happens to the workers.

China has moved aggressively to become a leading builder of infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions, taking on highways, airports, bridges, dams and other big projects in areas that Western companies avoid.

Chinese state-owned companies send thousands of employees to do much of the work, instead of training local residents, an approach that sometimes produces faster results, but can also alienate local populations and put Chinese workers at risk.

Source:New York Times

British minister on 'first visit ever' to Puntland State

2012-01-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

A senior official in the UK Government visited Puntland State, marking the first time a British minister has visited the stable state in northern Somalia.

UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell in Garowe
UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell and his delegation arrived Monday morning at the airport in Garowe, capital of Puntland State. Minister Mitchell was received at the airport by Puntland officials, including Finance Minister Farah Ali Jama, Education Minister Abdi Farah Juha, Environment Minister Abdigani Yusuf Elmi, and State Minister for International Cooperation Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi.

The UK Minister's delegation was ushered to the State House in Garowe, where he held a closed-door meeting with Puntland Vice President and Acting President, Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire. Puntland's leader, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, is currently on a visit overseas in the United Arab Emirates.

Vice President Shire and Minister Mitchell held a joint press conference at the State House, before the UK Development Minister conducted a tour of key areas in Garowe.

"We discussed a range of issues, including UK support to Puntland, national security and anti-piracy efforts, and the upcoming London conference," said Puntland's Vice President at the press conference.

Minister Mitchell said he was happy to be the "first British Minister to visit Puntland ever," adding: "I had an excellent meeting with the Vice President. We discussed how to tackle piracy, the importance of the Roadmap, and the upcoming London Conference."

The Minister stated that he traveled to Puntland to assess the situation on the ground and how UK aid is affecting livelihoods in Puntland.

The UK Development Minister and his delegation toured Garowe and visited particular sites, including the city's hospital, police station and central jail, and fish market. Furthermore, Minister Mitchell held a meeting with members of the Puntland Electoral Commission, where discussions centered around the democratization process in Puntland.

The Minister's delegation flew back to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa later Monday.

Source:GAROWE ONLINE

Ethiopian army, tanks boost force in Somalia

2012-01-30T04:58:00.003-08:00

Columns of Ethiopian soldiers, armoured vehicles and tanks poured into Somalia on Monday, bolstering the force already fighting there, insurgents and witnesses said.

Soldiers began crossing the border late on Sunday and pressed deep into south-western Somalia's Gedo region towards territory held by Islamist Shabaab insurgents.

"The Christian troops from Ethiopia are sending soldiers into Somalia, they have reached Gedo region now," said Sheikh Ibrahim Abu-Yusuf, a senior commander with the al-Qaeda linked fighters, warning the rebels would fight back.

"I tell you that mujahideen fighters are ready to defend their soil from the invading enemy," he told AFP.

Ethiopian soldiers rolled into neighbouring Somalia in November, but Prime Minster Meles Zenawi only admitted on Friday forces were fighting there, adding he would pull troops out "as soon as feasible."

Residents in Luq district in Gedo, close to the Ethiopian border, told AFP several hundred Ethiopians had marched into Somalia Monday.

"Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers entered Luq in the night after crossing from the border town of Dolow, they have come with heavy machine guns and tanks," said Idris Moalim Abdualhi, an elder.

Fresh troops

"I have counted at least 42 armed vehicles, including 28 tanks," said Ahmed Bashir, another resident of Luq.

"The convoy crossed from the border and entered the town, but they appear to be heading in the direction of Bay region," he added, referring to an area some 100km inside Somalia, held by the hardline Shabaab.

Before the arrival of the fresh troops on Monday it was estimated that Ethiopia had around 1 500 men in Somalia.

Armies from neighbouring countries are converging on the Shabaab. Kenya sent in troops and tanks into southern Somalia in October to fight the rebels it accuses of carrying out cross-border raids and kidnappings.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) has some 10 000 troops - from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti - in the Somali capital Mogadishu to protect the fragile Western-backed Somali government.

Ethiopia first deployed troops in Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement that ruled much of southern Somalia, but withdrew three years later after failing to stamp out the group.

Source:AFP

INTERVIEW-AU, Kenyan forces move to squeeze rebels out of Somalia

2012-01-30T04:54:00.001-08:00

African Union and Kenyan troops aim to squeeze Somali rebels linked to al Qaeda by pursuing a coordinated war on two fronts, the U.N. chief's special envoy in Somalia said on Monday.

Under the plan, AU forces will push towards a Somali rebel stronghold outside the capital and Kenyan forces will focus on the Islamists' bastions in the south.

Augustine Mahiga, who relocated to Mogadishu from Nairobi to become the most senior U.N. official in Somalia for 17 years, cautioned it was hard to predict if the complex strategy would defeat the rebels given their sophisticated weaponry and ability to melt into the population.

African Union and U.N. officials at an AU summit in Addis Ababa are optimistic the twin track of a coordinated military campaign as well as a political roadmap, which envisions elections by August, means "the prospect for peace in Somalia has never been so real".

"AMISOM (the AU force) is (conducting) operations on the outskirts of Mogadishu and they'll be heading towards the Afgoye corridor. That is where al Shabaab has retreated to and has the highest concentration of its troops," Mahiga told Reuters on the summit's sidelines.

"They (Kenyan troops) take Kismayu and from there ... they'll progress northwards to Marka and the AMISOM troops from Mogadishu will also be going further south. It is a strategy that has been divided into sectors," he said.

It may not be that simple. The Ugandan and Burundian troops who make up the AMISOM force encountered fierce resistance in the battle for Mogadishu.

Equally, the advance of Kenyan soldiers towards the port city of Kismayu has been slower than anticipated since they crossed into Somalia in October.

Ethiopia, which has also deployed troops on Somali soil and seized some territory close to their shared border, said its force would stay put until AU troops replace them, to avoid a power vacuum.

Somalia has been in conflict for two decades with no single entity ever fully in control. Warlords and Islamist militants vie for control while drought has compounded hardship for many Somalis.

KISMAYU HEAVILY DEFENDED

Kismayu, the centre of al Shabaab's operations, will be a tough battle but a necessary one to crush the militants, diplomats say.

Mahiga said the port served as an entry point for the foreign fighters in al Shabaab's ranks and accounted for about 90 percent of the rebels' revenues.

"(It's) the place where imports and exports have been taking place including arms and export of charcoal ... so this is heavily, heavily defended and it's going to be quite a battle," said Mahiga.

What's more, seizing control of Kismayu is the relatively easy part, counter-insurgency experts say. Holding on to the city will be tougher.

Kenya wants to integrate its troops inside Somalia into the AMISOM force as soon as the U.N. Security Council approves an increase in the force's current size from 12,000.

The AU wants to increase AMISOM's numbers to close to 18,000. Mahiga said he had met EU officials who said they would "consider seriously" funding the extra troops. Under the current structure, the European Union, particularly Italy, is in charge of paying wages.

Al Shabaab's growing recourse to al Qaeda-inspired suicide attacks makes quashing the five-year insurgency more difficult.

"They have always proven to be quite agile and they have over the years built a formidable arsenal of weapons," Mahiga said. "They have been training all these years (and) can retreat and regroup."

Source:Reuters

AU Commission Chair Urges Sudan, South Sudan to Reach Agreement

2012-01-29T18:15:00.001-08:00

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Jean Ping have underlined clearly the AU and UN positions on Darfur and the referendum that led to the creation of a new nation in the South.

The birth of South Sudan state was an indication of political maturity and wisdom of the leaders of the two states, Mr. Ping said, and called on the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to arrive at solutions for the outstanding issues.

Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who addressed the opening session of the AU summit in Addis Ababa, said the cooperation of the UN and AU was clear on the Darfur issue, and called for more cooperation between the African countries in the area of economy.

The opening session was also addressed by the representative of the Chinese President who said that his country opposes foreign intervention in Africa as that will complicate problems, adding that his country respects efforts by Africans to find solutions for their domestic problems and urged the international community for assistance.

The representative of the Chinese President announced his country’s donation of 600 million Yuan to be paid to the AU over a period of three years, saying that China is proud of its relations with Africa.

The opening session was also addressed by the Tunisian Prime Minister, saying his country would focus on economic, political and academic cooperation with Africa.

Prime Minister of Libya Abdul Rahim Al-Deeb also addressed the opening session, calling for the establishment of an organization to be tasked with collection of arms. He also called on the African countries to return the huge amounts of money looted by the former Libyan leader and expressed his thanks for the countries that supported them to end dictatorship in Libya.

President of the Republic of Guinea, the Chairman of the current session, also addressed the inaugural session.

Meanwhile, Sudan praised China’s efforts and role in support of African issues.

Foreign Minister Ali Karti described relations with China as distinguished, saying China is assisting Africa without conditions.

Mr. Karti commended the role of the AU, describing it as the strongest regional organization. He praised the statements by the UNSG Ban Ki-moon, AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping and President of Guinea Bissau for highlighting Sudan positive role towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Source:Sudan Vision Daily

Ethiopian rebels blamed for clashes

2012-01-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Police are blaming an Ethiopian rebel movement for clashes that have killed seven people and blocked Form One students from reporting to school.

Eastern police boss Marcus Ochola said the Oromo Liberation Front is involved in the violence that has rocked Moyale in the last four days. The clashes, said the officer, are unprecedented “in vigour and intensity.”

“We are investigating whether the rebels may have crossed the border to help in the fighting because the vigour displayed indicates that it is not just ethnic fighting,” he said.

Some of the battles have been fought for over 12 hours and have involved use of sophisticated weapons, leading police to believe the conflict may have been infiltrated by outsiders.

On Friday, Internal Security assistant minister Orwa Ojodeh said police were investigating claims by the Gabra community that the Boranas were using Oromo fighters from Ethiopia to attack them.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the violence is not just triggered by scarce resources. Police and ethnicity are also fanning the clashes.

Police say a disarmament exercise is to be carried out to rid the area of guns.

The violence led to the death of four people, among them two police reservists, an assistant chief and a 10 year-old boy.

Following the killings, police have arrested a senior politician in the area.

Meanwhile, more than 400 Form One students in the area might not report to school unless the violence stops.

Due to the clashes, transport in and out of the Moyale Town has been paralysed, affecting students reporting to secondary schools.

Mr Ahmed Muhidin, a parent from Moyale, complained that his daughter, who was admitted to a provincial school in Meru, has not reported because there are no vehicles plying the Moyale- Isiolo route.

“We could not even leave our house to shop for the girl,” said Mr Muhidin.

Moyale boys, a designated national school has not yet reopened and schools in Arosa and Helu have also been burnt.

Source:Daily Nation

Fury as wanted British terror suspect eludes police

2012-01-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

Photo/LABAN WALLOGA/NATION The house in Mombasa, where the suspect was living, that police say belongs to a wife of former terror mastermind Musa Hussein Abdi.

Anti-terrorism operations in Kenya suffered a setback last week after a British woman suspected to be an Al-Shabaab financier eluded a police raid in Mombasa and sneaked out of the country.

The escape of the suspect, identified as Ms Natalie Webb, has raised deep concern within the security organs as the circumstances point to possible complicity.

The Nation has reliably learnt that a senior officer with the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit involved in last Tuesday’s botched operation has been summoned to Nairobi and an investigation ordered into how the suspect escaped.

Top police officers in the region declined to comment on the issue, terming it “sensitive”.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe confirmed that they had raided an Al-Shabaab safe-house and recovered 60 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, but no arrests were made.

He added that it was unfortunate that the occupants managed to escape. “We knew the general location, but got the exact place just after the suspects had escaped,” said Mr Kiraithe.

He said the suspects were on the run but police had a lot of details about them, including DNA. Coast police boss Aggrey Adoli confirmed that a joint force raided a house in Mombasa.

However, according to impeccable sources within the terror fighting unit, the woman was actually found in the house, but was allowed to escape under mysterious circumstances.

Providing information

The raid at the Shanzu area was carried out by officers drawn from the Flying Squad, the General Service Unit and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit.

The National Security Intelligence Service was also involved in the operation and provided information on her whereabouts.

Nation journalists who have been on the trail of the investigators for the last one week, confirmed from police that the house where the suspect was living in belongs to a wife of former terror mastermind Musa Hussein Abdi.

Abdi, a Kenyan known by colleagues in the terror networks as Dheere, was killed alongside another terror mastermind, Fazul Abdullah, in Somalia last year.

A team of officers had managed to track down the suspect and kept the house under surveillance for a number of days.

More information indicated that several bags from a local bank, that are usually used to ferry money, were found at the suspect’s house.

Igniting explosives

Ms Webb is believed to have fled with a bag containing bundles of US banknotes, more than 500 fuses used in igniting explosives, and a laptop.

The laptop was recovered a day after the botched operation, with its screen smashed and disk drive removed.

Documents indicated that the British woman had a South African passport with a visitor’s visa stamped on it.

The visa indicated that she entered Kenya on November 21 last year and it was to expire on February 4 this year.

Investigators have also discovered that the name on her passport did not match the one on her birth certificate.

Source:Daily Nation

AU leaders meet in Addis Ababa on Somalia

2012-01-29T14:19:00.001-08:00

African Heads of States are today meeting in its newly built headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on several issues including the recent development in Somalia.

The leaders including Somali president Sharif sheikh Ahmed will discuss the progress on the stabilisation of the anarchic Horn of Africa nation and efforts to redouble the African Union peacekeeping force as well as winding up the transition period.

Somali ambassador to Ethiopia Saeed Yussuf Nur told Bar-kulan that AU leaders will also discuss the progress made by the Somali government since the beginning of last year and the task a head.
The meeting is expected to issue a communique on the current situation in Somalia.

Source:Bar Kulan

Sudan bans edition of independent newspaper: editor

2012-01-29T13:48:00.001-08:00

Sudan's security forces prevented an independent newspaper from publishing on Sunday, the first day it had planned to resume work after a four-month ban, its editor said.

Sudan's constitution guarantees press freedom but journalists have complained of increasing pressure from authorities since South Sudan became independent in July.

Security agents came after midnight to the office of the daily al-Jarida to confiscate the entire Sunday edition, editor Osman Shinger said.

"We will protest against this. They didn't give us any reason," he said.

Sunday was the first day the newspaper had planned to resume publication after winning approval from the National Press Council after its closure in September by security agents, he said.

The security agencies could not be immediately reached for comment.

Security forces closed down two Islamist newspapers, Alwan and al-Rai al-Shaab, in January, according to editors.

Sudanese journalists say they face pressure when reporting sensitive issues such as corruption or the severe economic crisis Sudan is undergoing.

One day before the independence of South Sudan, Khartoum suspended six newspapers because southerners were among their publishers or owners.

Source:Reuters

S.Sudan demands border deal before restarting oil

2012-01-29T13:47:00.001-08:00

South Sudan has totally shut down oil output in a row with Sudan over export transit fees and will only restart after the two reach a deal covering border security and the disputed Abyei region, its oil minister said on Sunday.

South Sudan seceded in July under a 2005 peace deal that ended a civil war in which around 2 million people died. The possibility that war could restart over the oil dispute was a "great concern", U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

Both sides have failed to resolve a long list of disputes including how to disentangle their oil industries, divide debt, mark the poorly drawn border and decide who should control Abyei, a region the size of Connecticut that was a major battleground during the war.

Landlocked South Sudan took about three-quarters of Sudan's oil output when it broke away, but still needs pipelines running through its northern neighbour to export crude.

Juba depends on oil for about 98 percent of state revenues, while for Khartoum transit fees are crucial since it lost the oil fields themselves last year. That plunged it into a severe economic crisis.

The new U.N. member state said on Jan. 20 it would shut off its roughly 350,000 barrels per day of output after Khartoum started taking some oil in lieu of what it called unpaid fees. The shutdown was "100 percent complete" on Sunday, Minister of Petroleum and Mining Stephen Dhieu Dau told Reuters in Juba.

To restart pumping, he demanded seized cargoes of oil be released, stolen crude returned and for Sudan to cease support for rebel groups in South Sudan, something Khartoum denies.

"Oil production will restart when we have a comprehensive agreement and all the deals are signed," said Dau, adding that any deal had to be overseen by the international community and linked to the demarcation of the border and control over Abyei.

"Sudan must recognise the 1956 border, which means they must give back all the areas under occupation," he said, referring to an internal boundary used around the time of Sudan's independence.

Speaking at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ban said he was greatly concerned that the dispute could reignite armed conflict and blamed a lack of political will on both sides. Their two leaders met on Friday but failed to resolve the row.

"(South Sudan) President Salva Kiir and (Sudan) President Bashir should fully engage themselves ... making the necessary compromise and flexibility," he told reporters.

CONTINUED DISPUTE

Many South Sudanese see the oil dispute as a continuation of their struggle against Khartoum. Analysts say Sudan's demands of $36 a barrel are in well in excess of international norms. South Sudan has proposed a fee of less than $1 a barrel.

Sudan meanwhile accuses Juba of backing rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) in the border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Tensions have also remained high over Abyei, where Khartoum sent tanks and troops in May. It has since said its troops would leave once a U.N. mission for Abyei (UNISFA), consisting of 4,000 Ethiopian troops, was fully deployed but just under half that number are there now.

Ban urged Bashir to ensure Sudan cooperated with the United Nations to help avoid fresh fighting there.

"We have a serious impediment in the movement of United Nations peacekeepers in UNAMID and UNISFA because of a lack of cooperation," he said also referring to the joint U.N./Africa Union force in nearby Darfur.

A spokesman for Sudan's Foreign Ministry, El-Obeid Morawah, said the charge was "not correct" and that the government was not restricting the movement of peacekeepers in either region.

Industry sources say Sudan has already sold at least one tanker-load of seized South Sudanese crude since the row broke out, but on Saturday Khartoum said it would free other tankers being held at port to help defuse the dispute.

Dau said that four cargoes in question had not left the port yet, but that its agent in Sudan had been told to prepare documentation, meaning it was possible they could leave on Sunday or on Monday. China, their biggest customer, buys 5 percent of its crude oil imports from the two.

South Sudan was "committed to negotiations" but first Khartoum "must take some steps", said Dau.

Sudanese negotiators and oil officials were not immediately available to comment.

Kenya arrests controversial Muslim preacher

2012-01-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Aboud Rogo Mohammed (left) was first arrested in 2003, alongside three other Kenyans (AFP/File, Gianluigi Guercia)

Kenyan police Sunday arrested a Muslim preacher who had been previously arrested but acquitted of the 2002 bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel near Mombasa which killed 15 people.

Aboud Rogo Mohammed, a cleric in Kenya's port city of Mombasa since 1997, was arrested in a raid in the early hours of Sunday morning following a tip, police said.

Police seized firearms, ammunition and detonators in the raid.

"He is expected to appear in court after we are through with our investigations. My officers arrested him in the early hours," said regional police chief Aggrey Adoli.

The preacher was first arrested in 2003, alongside three other Kenyans, accused of involvement in the November 2002 suicide bombing of the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel, but was acquitted two years later.

Twelve Kenyans, three Israelis and three suicide bombers died in the blast.

The preacher is alleged to have introduced Fazul Abdullah Mohammed -- the late head of Al-Qaeda's east Africa cell shot dead last year in Somalia's war-torn capital Mogadishu -- to at least one of the men who helped him carry out the twin US embassy bombings in east Africa in 1998.

Source:AFP

Somalia peace process nears critical stage as election draws close

2012-01-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Efforts to end decades of war in Somalia are nearing a critical stage as the Horn of Africa country is to hold general elections in August.

Augustine Mahiga, UN Special Representative for Somalia, told Xinhua in an interview Saturday that the priority now is the drafting of a constitution, parliamentary reforms and the establishment of a Constituent Assembly that will approve the constitution.

All of those events have to occur before August when the country will hold parliamentary and presidential elections.

The elections were postponed last year to allow more preparation and also to consolidate military gains that have so far been made.

As the Somali election period nears, infighting between the executive and the parliament is threatening to reverse the successes so far made in trying to pacify the country.

Mahiga says that the bickering is an obstruction to the political process and a frustration to the security process.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula told Xinhua shortly after attending an African Union ministerial meeting on Somalia that the bickering must stop and the Somali leadership should consider the wishes of the people who are supporting them to pacify the country.

"They spend a lot of time and energy fighting each other at the expense of the real issues of their country," Wetangula said. "We do believe they have listened to us and they have heard us and will act in accordance of the wishes of those who support them."

Jerry Rawlings, Ghana's former president and also the AU High Representative in Somalia, told Xinhua that the bickering is something that will be solved before the elections.

He was in Somalia recently to help end the standoff between government and parliament.

Rawlings said that there should be some form of local administration so that the people are given some powers to manage themselves. He said that would likely create stability.

He said traditional leaders must be involved in the peace process. "So long as we can enjoy this security provided by the military, we ought to be targeting some of the traditional leaders. They are very important people and I don't think we have involved them as much as we should have done," he said.

"I don't think we have utilized their influence to the degree that could have given us a lot more sense of safety that is required," he added.

At the military front, there have been successes and challenges. The Somali capital Mogadishu is now in full control of the Somali government troops and the AU force.

More troops from Kenya and Djibouti have joined the AU troops that are mainly from Uganda and Burundi.

However, there are some logistical problems that the AU forces face and they are likely to derail progress in fighting the militants.

Wetangula said that high on the priority list is ammunition, helicopters and money to pay the troops. More troops are also needed in the volatile country.

In a bid to drum up international support to end the Somalia crisis, the British government has organized a meeting in London on Feb. 23.

Jean Ping, chairperson of the AU Commission, said the London meeting is critical because it will set the direction and pace that the peace process in Somalia should take.

"The conference should set the bar on what to expect of the Somali political leadership and people, who must always be at the center of all our endeavors, and define our commitments in support of the peace process," he told an AU ministers' meeting on Somalia.

The AU summit that started here on Jan. 29 is likely to give impetus to the Somalia peace process.

The Somalia crisis ranks high on the agenda of the two-day African leaders' meeting.

Source: Xinhua

Somaliland opposition leader says gov't has no relations with international community

2012-01-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

A prominent opposition party leader in the Somaliland government Faisal Ali Warabe who spoke to reporters said that Somaliland does not have good relations with the international community and the Somaliland government needed to adjust to the new Somalia.

Faisal Ali Warabe chairman of the Justice and Welfare Party of Somaliland (UCID) who spoke to reporters said that Somaliland government needed to adjust to the changing political outlook of Somalia. “We have to adjust to the changes in politics around us so Somaliland does not collapse politically,” said Mr. Warabe.

When asked about the international relations Somaliland has the opposition leader responded Somaliland has no real international relations with the international community.

Mr. Warabe spoke about the upcoming meeting in UK, where different autonomous regions in Somalia and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia are invited to meet in London on the 23 of February. Mr. Warabe stated that if Somaliland attends the conference or not, is not important what is important that Somalia comes out of the meeting with a unified policy.

According to reports Somaliland has been courted by many UK officials to join the different states in Somalia that are attending the meeting in which issues such as security, political process, and international cooperation will be discussed.

Mr. Warabe who gave a 10 minute interview, spoke about the Puntland government, Somaliland’s neighbor to the east. Mr Warabe said, "Puntland is leading the Somali national politics. The TFG Prime Minister is from Puntland. Farole [Puntland President] is hosting a national conference in Garowe."

Somaliland’s policies in the contested areas of Sool, Sanag, and Ayn have caused much controversy lately, resulting in protests and battles that led to many deaths in the contested areas. Somaliland also had problems in the region of Awdal which was a region of Somaliland for many years, recently declared itself as a state of Somalia.

Awdal and the new Khatumo state leaders have both been invited to the conference in Britain; both states have not been recognized by Somaliland and deemed by Somaliland president Silanyo as anti-Somaliland factions.

Source:GAROWE ONLINE

Ethiopian Army Truck bombed In Baldweyne

2012-01-29T09:15:00.001-08:00

Ethiopian army vehicle traveling near the Baldweyne big bridge was destroyed early this morning by roadside landmine.

Immediate casualty pertaining to the number of dead and injured soldiers is so far patchy as the area is cordoned off. On the ground witnesses confirmed that the soviet build truck the army was traveling on is destroyed beyond recognition.

This bombing comes after a week when a member of Al Shabab rammed a minibus in to a compound housing Ethiopian soldiers in which over twenty were killed.

The Al Shabab Radio in Mogadishu claimed that its fighters were behind the explosion but so far the Ethiopian army and their Shabeele Valley militias remain silent about this explosion.

Source:RBC News

Police arrest man with bomb detonators

2012-01-29T07:23:00.001-08:00

Police raided the house of a suspected terrorist in Kilifi and recovered bomb detonators, grenades, guns and over 100 rounds of ammunition.

Police from the Anti Terrorism unit arrested Aboud Rogo on Sunday morning in Kikambala in what they termed as a major breakthrough in the fight against Al Shabaab.

During the raid, police recovered 102 bomb detonators, an AK-47 rifle, a Ceska pistol and 119 rounds of ammunition.

Coast province CID boss Ambrose Munyasia said the suspect will be arraigned in court on Monday.

Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli said they have been gathering intelligence on the suspect following a confrontation between police and suspected Al-Shaabab militants in Lamu where three people were shot dead and several weapons recovered on New Year’s.

Rogo was among four Kenyans who were charged in connection with the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel that killed 15 people in 2002.

He was released on bail after the arrest in 2003 but was acquitted in June 29, 2005.

He was rearrested at Kanamai in Kilifi by Anti terrorism police in 2010 and charged with engaging in an organised criminal activity by being a member of al-Shabaab.

Source:The Standard

South Sudan ethnic clashes claim 74 lives

2012-01-29T07:20:00.001-08:00

At least 74 people were reported dead on Sunday in fresh ethnic clashes between rival communities in two neighbouring states in South Sudan.

The fighting took place on Saturday when armed youths from Mayendit County in Unity state attacked Tonj East County in the neighbouring Warrap state, deputy Interior minister Gen Salva Mathok Gengdit said.

"They attacked and killed 74, four of which are soldiers and the rest civilians, many of them women and children,” Gen Mathok said.

The soldier said the attackers penetrated the area at ease, shooting on the civilians as they plunder property.

"There was no fighting because those people in Tonj are disarmed,” he said, adding that the police were dispatched to the area but found many had already been killed.

"They attacked the area and all fled randomly in disarray. Even children were abandoned,” Gen Mathok said.

However, a local official in the state said the casualty figures were higher.

"They killed more than 90 people. They killed children, women and youth, and took cattle,” Deng Madut Deng, the ruling party youth leader in Warrap state told a USAID-sponsored radio station.

The communities in Warrap and Unity states have longstanding hostilities arising from multiple cattle raiding and counter-raiding.

After South Sudan’s independence in July last year, both states were tasked to conduct a uniform disarmament exercise to pave way for a peaceful settlement.

But the governors of the two states later traded accusations, with the Warrap state governor Mrs Nyandeng Malek blaming her counterpart Mr Taban Deng of failing to implement the order.

Ethnic hostilities have ravaged South Sudan since independence. Having claimed thousands of lives so far, the hostilities pose a potential threat to stability of the Africa’s infant nation.

Source:Daily Nation

Kenya Police Arrest Imam Over Weapons Cache

2012-01-29T07:16:00.001-08:00

Kenyan police say they have arrested an imam after they found a cache of weapons in his house.

The chief of police for the coastal region says that the suspect is a sympathizer with Somalia's al-Shabab militia. Deputy Commissioner Aggrey Adoli says that the haul included a pistol, a rifle, bomb detonators and some hand grenades.

Aboud Rogo was named in a U.N. report last year as having links to al-Shabab. He is currently on bail for possession of weapons.

But Rogo's wife Khania Saidi Sagar says that police framed her husband. She says the house was searched in front of Rogo's mother and children and nothing was found.

Source:AP

One Hundred Armed Al Shabab fighters surrendered to TFG

2012-01-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

Over hundred well armed Al Shabab soldiers and their commanding officers just surrendered to the Federal government.

Witnesses noted that Al Shabab defectors crossed peacefully at the “the Kaxda checkpoint”. Our reporter quoted ,security officers who wants to remain anonymous, ” this the biggest defection so far and we hope a lot more will flow”.

This contingent of Al Shabab deserters brought with them besides small arms three armed technical wagons including a Kenyan army vehicle captured by Al Shabab fighters in the Juba land.

UPDATE:
It is confirmed that Al Shabab forces to the tune of 150 fully armed men have surrendered to the federal government forces in the vicinity of Hosh and Ex – Afgoi check point. Some sources that are close to the Al Shabab group who requested not to be named for personal security reasons reported that this Al Shabab unit was based around KM 13 area which is in the outskirts of Mogadishu.

The move of this unit seems very organised and well planned because since early hours in the morning government forces were waiting to escort them to safety. The two officers, who are leading the unit, although we don’t have their names, are said to be known among the army circles as the best strategies in the battle field.

Our reporter in the area said that he saw seven vehicles belonging to the Al Shabab unit:-

Two. Jeeps equipped with anti-tank artillery

one Mini Bus

Three Toyota Land cruisers of which one is said to have been stolen from Kenya.

One truck on which the anti-aircraft ZUE 23 is mounted on

A local person in Hosh area told RBC reporter that he saw many trucks belonging to the federal army escorting the Alshabab contingent.

There is no word regarding this defection from Al shabab but residents in the area reported sightings of heavily armed forces of Al Shabab congregating near the area.

Khalif Mohamed deserted Al Shabab in November

This area known as “Kaxda” is becoming a scape route for disenfranchised Al Shabab fighters. It is the same route Khalif Sheikh Mohamed, high ranking Al Shabab commander, used on 26 November last year.

This is the first time in the history of Al Shabab that a number of that magnitude crossed the floor in one day and as such this seems that there is a big disagreement among Al Shabab leadership.

AL shabab unilaterally had withdrawn their forces from the capital city in August 2011 and justified the move as a change of war tactics.

Source:RBC News

Somali radio station that Shabab can't stand

2012-01-29T06:44:00.001-08:00

Threatened for years by both the Islamist al-Shabab group and circles within the government, a Somali radio station has lost its third director since 2007.

Hassan Osman Abdi, who headed Radio Shabelle, was stopped by two men as he was entering the gate of his home on Saturday. He was shot several times, according to Mohamed Moalim, a relative.

The 29-year-old father of three was the most recent of the station’s five journalists killed for doing his job in one of the most dangerous places in the world for reporters.

"We have been targeted because of our uncensored editorial policy," Mohamed Amiin Adow, a representative for the station, told Al Jazeera. "We try to expose every part of Somalia of what they are doing to the public. We are targeted for our independence."

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly condemned the incident.

"We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families and friends … while we call the Transitional Federal government to investigate the shooting to death of the journalist," Mohamed Ibrahim, NUSOJ secretary-general, said.

Going by previous murders, there is little hope that Abdi's killers will be booked for their crime. There has been no investigations into the past killings, Adow said.

"[Abdi] and the rest of our staff received threats daily from al-Shabab [and said] that we are spreading propaganda. Al-Shabab has banned our frequency in their areas of control.

"Absolutely, we are sure it is al-Shabab," he said.

Constant threats

The private station, one of the largest in Somalia, was set up in 2002 outside Mogadishu. But after a series of threats and after being forced to stop playing music by al-Shabab, they moved closer to the city’s airport, where they resumed broadcasting as usual.

The recipient of several journalism awards, including the 2010 Press Freedom Prize, the station has 80 reporters across the country, funded by advertisement revenue and aid from relief organisations.

About a hundred of their reporters have fled the country, Ali Abdi, Shabelle's head of international relations, said upon receiving the award in Paris.

"But we will not be intimidated. We are determined to continue our struggle for independent journalists and respect for human rights," he said.

The station has also been targeted by the government for its attempts to publicise corruption cases.

"We focus on the government, especially for corruption. Sometimes we find threats from them. The government threatens to arrest our journalists," Adow, the station representative, said.

In 2007, the government arrested 19 of its journalists for questioning. The same year, government forces reportedly besieged and fired on the station.

Radio Shabelle has had to hire 10 private security guards because of security risks and journalists on assignment are often accompanied by the guards.

Media rights campaigners have repeatedly expressed concern about the difficult conditions that journalists work under in Somalia.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has accused the transitional government of intimidating and persecuting reporters.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reported in December that 25 journalists had been killed in Somalia since 2007.

"Violence against journalists in Somalia is sustained by impunity for those responsible," RSF said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Sudan rebels say they captured 29 Chinese workers

2012-01-29T05:23:00.000-08:00

Rebels in Sudan's South Kordofan state have captured 29 Chinese workers after a battle with government forces, a spokesman for the insurgents said on Sunday.

Nine members of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) were also being held, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), told AFP.

"Yes, we have captured them," he said. "I want to assure you right now they are in safe hands."

China confirmed some of its nationals "have gone missing" after rebels on Saturday attacked the camp of a Chinese company, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy to Sudan have initiated an emergency response to the incident," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said, according to Xinhua.

Liu did not give a figure for the number of missing, but said the ministry had summoned Sudan's charge d'affaires in Beijing and urged Khartoum to search for them.

"Currently, the Sudanese government is doing their utmost to locate and rescue the missing Chinese nationals," he said.

Lodi, of the rebels, said the Chinese have not been kidnapped and none was wounded.

They, along with the Sudanese, were captured on Saturday when the rebels destroyed a Sudanese military convoy between Rashad town and Al-Abbasiya in the northeast of the province, which has been at war since June.

Lodi said the Chinese were working mainly on road construction in the area.

They are being held in the Nuba mountains "until further notice" because of the security situation.

"Today is a little bit calm but we are expecting at any time SAF may launch an attack on us," he said.

Spokesmen for the Sudanese army and the Chinese embassy in Khartoum could not be immediately reached for comment by AFP.

But Xinhua quoted an embassy official as saying more than 20 Chinese were missing.

China is a major military supplier to the regime in Khartoum, and the largest buyer of Sudanese oil.

There is growing international concern over the situation in South Kordofan and nearby Blue Nile state, where a similar conflict broke out in September. The government is fighting ethnic minority insurgents once allied to the former rebels who now rule South Sudan.

The South gained independence from Khartoum last July after decades of civil war.

Food shortages would become critical without substantial aid deliveries into South Kordofan and Blue Nile by March, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, has said.

Khartoum has severely restricted the work of foreign relief agencies in the war zones.

It cited security concerns and also accused aid workers of using United Nations flights to deliver arms and ammunition to the rebels -- a claim for which the UN's top humanitarian official said there was "no evidence."

Princeton Lyman, the US administration's special envoy for Sudan, told reporters last week the situation is so dire Washington has warned Khartoum it would consider ways for aid to be sent in without Sudanese government approval.

Source:AFP

KDF: Key al-Shabaab arms centre seized

2012-01-29T04:40:00.001-08:00

A key centre used by al-Shabaab to transport arms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from Kismayu to Kenyan refugee camps through Hosingow was captured this week, military spokesman, Col Cyrus Oguna, said.

The capture of Delbio in the central sector would go a long way towards destabilising the terrorist group’s operations near Kenya’s eastern border with Somalia, he said during the Kenya Defence Forces weekly media briefing on Saturday.

Last December alone, at least 15 incidents involving grenades or IEDs were reported in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Dadaab.

Col Oguna said that on January 22, during the capture of the centre, KDF killed several al-Shabaab members and recovered four AK-47s, several rounds of ammunition, communication equipment and a water tank.

However, two KDF soldiers and a Somali Transitional Federal Government soldier were killed. Other soldiers sustained minor injuries during the fighting but are active in the field, he added.

He told the Sunday Nation that the KDF soldiers killed were both lieutenants and an inquiry into the circumstances around their death had started.

Armed Forces regulations require an inquiry to be set up when a senior officer is killed in combat.

Col Oguna also dismissed claims that there were cases of desertion, where some soldiers had absented themselves without leave to avoid serving in Somalia. He said that the power struggles within the al-Shabaab and the continued KDF operation had weakened the group.

“This makes it even easier for us to achieve our objectives.”

Col Oguna also explained that although they had the logistics in place and had collected enough intelligence, the rescue of two Kenyan captives held by the terrorist group was taking time as they did not want any casualties.

“We want them back home alive,” he said.

Source:Daily Nation

UN offices in Mogadishu attacked

2012-01-29T04:31:00.001-08:00

Reports from Mogadishu say unknown gangs on Saturday night attacked UN offices in Wadajir district with hand grenades and wounded a civilian.

The area district commissioner Ahmed Hassan Adow confirmed the attack to Bar-kulan, saying that only a woman around the area sustained injuries.

The attackers reportedly lobbed at least five hand grenades in to the area UN offices before fleeing the scene of the incident.

No group has so far claimed responsibility of the attack.

Source:Bar Kulan

TFG to probe the killing of Radio Journalist in Mogadishu

2012-01-29T04:29:00.001-08:00

The government will investigate the recent killing of a director of a local radio station in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The radio journalist, Hassan Osman Abdi, who also headed Radio Shabelle was shot dead by two gunmen as he was entering his gate on Saturday night.

Wadajir district authority said they are investigating the incident.

Area District Commissioner, Ahmed Hassan Adow told Bar-kulan that his administration is working closely with the local police in order to nab those behind the killing.

He said he was quite optimistic that the perpetrators of the killing will be brought to justice.

The 29-year-old radio journalist who was also a father of three becomes the third director of the network to be killed, after Bashir Nur Gedi in 2007 and Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe in 2009.

Somalia, which has been devastated by 20 years of civil war, is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.

Media rights campaigners, Reporters Without Borders (Reporteurs Sans Frontieres, RSF), reported in December that 25 journalists had been killed there since 2007.

RSF said in a statement that Abdi becomes the first journalist to be killed in 2012 in Somalia, Africa’s deadliest country for media personnel.

Just last December, a Somali television journalist was also killed in Mogadishu.

Abdisalam Sheikh Hasan was shot in the head as he left his office at Horn Cable TV in the Somali capital. He was transported to the hospital where he later died.

According to the National Union of Somali Journalists, Hasan was the third Somali journalist killed in Mogadishu in 2011.

Meanwhile, Somali Journalists in South Africa condemned the recent killing of the radio journalist in Mogadishu.

Source:Bar Kulan

Burial of the late journalist held in Mogadishu

2012-01-29T04:26:00.001-08:00

The final burial of a veteran radioman and director was today held in the Somali capital of Mogadishu

Hundreds of tearful mourners, including journalists and civil society have on Sunday attended the funeral of director Hassan Osman Abdi well-known Fantastic .

Both for Hassan Osman Abdi's family, the top Shabelle Media Network officials and also for the Somali journalist community have condemned their strongest terms against the heinous killing of Mr Abdi.

Mr. Abdi was a flexible, courageous director and program producer at Shabelle Media based in the lawless Somali capital, Mogadishu for three years. 30-years-old,a father of three, two daughters and a son.

No group has so far claimed the responsibility of the killing, but Somalia is the most dangerous country in the world for journalists and Media personnel reporting about the war and corruption.

Shabelle Media Network, a leading and 2010 international press freedom award-winning independent Somali Media interrupted all its programs to broadcast, verses from the Holy Qur'an went on air from last night as an expression of mourning for the slain managing director, Hassan Abdi Osman.

Hassan Abdi Osman was the third managing Shabelle Media Network director to be killed. In 2007, Bashir or Gedi has been killed in Mogadishu, and Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe was assassinated in 2009.

Source: Sonna and agencies

Bahrain inks $1.5m Somalia institute deal

2012-01-28T16:12:00.001-08:00

Bahrain Royal Charity Organisation has signed a deal to build a $1.5 million teachers institute in Somalia, in co-operation with Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRWW).

The agreement for the Bahrain Teachers Institute was signed yesterday following directives from His Majesty King Hamadin the presence of RCO board of trustees chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Somali Education, Culture and Higher Education Minister Ahmed Edid Ibrahim, IRWW chairman Dr Mohammed Al Alfy and RCO secretary-general Dr Mustafa Al Sayad signed the pact.

Shaikh Nasser thanked His Majesty, the RCO honorary president, for his innumerable humanitarian initiatives and constant keenness to provide aid for needy people worldwide.

He said the RCO, backed by the wise leadership, the government and the Bahraini people, will continue its humanitarian work in Somalia to alleviate the sufferings of Somali citizens and contribute to efforts to rebuild the country.

Shaikh Nasser said the institute is Bahrain's second development project in Somalia in less than three months, citing the laying of the foundation stone for the Bahrain Specialist Hospital in Mogadishu last November, the kingdom's commitment to restore eyesight to 1,000 Somali citizens, the digging of 10 wells across the country and the 200 tonnes of emergency relief aid delivered.

Dr Al Sayad renewed Bahrain's support for Somalia to alleviate the sufferings of drought and famine victims, lauding the on-going co-operation with the IRWW in carrying out development and relief projects in many countries.

He also pledged that RCO, under the leadership of Shaikh Nasser, will continue its efforts and initiatives aiming to help the Somali people.

The Somali Education Minister thanked the kingdom's leadership and people for their support reflecting solid fraternal ties bonding Bahrain and Somalia, asserting that Bahrain has always been at the fore of countries that provide relief for people all over the world.

Dr Al Alfy also praised the humanitarian initiatives of the kingdom's leadership and people, stressing that the kingdom not only provides emergency aid but also sets up development projects that benefit those countries for generations, which, he said, is a commendable feature.

Bahrain's Ambassador to the UK Alice Sama'an and officials from the UK-based IRWW also attended.

Source:TradeArabia News Service.

Operation Linda Nchi update

2012-01-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

All illegal immigrants in the country have been directed to register with either the immigration department or the United Nations High Commission for refugees. Police say any alien who will be found without formal registration documents will be arrested. At the same time, the government is in talks with elders from Somalia to secure release of two Kenyans who were abducted at Gerille on the Kenya-Somalia border eighteen days ago.

Heart-stopping moments at the battlefront with KDF

2012-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

By Dann Okoth in Southern Somalia

It was perhaps one of the high points of my career – terrifying and intriguing as it turned out – but sticking it out with the military while on duty in Somalia was an amazing experience.

You only live once as they say – unless you are a cat of course. But while embedded with the military, I felt like I lived a thousand lives.

High adrenaline, suspense, raw fear, anticipation and apprehension were what characterised life during my brief stint with the military in Somalia. It was also a learning experience that would leave an indelible mark on me.

This is how it all began.

It is a sultry October morning and my phone rings, interrupting an animated conversation I’m having with a friend back in my rural home.

It is The Standard News Editor, Biketi Kikechi. He needs me to report to the office immediately to take up an urgent assignment. "You are going to Somalia – you will be embedded with the military," he breaks the news after I insist he briefs me on the assignment.

Embedment briefing

I am apprehensive as well as excited. I have heard of journalists being embedded with the military in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it never quite occurred to me I would one day file stories from the battlefront.

I report early at the Moi Air Base (MAB) in Eastleigh on December 21, last year, to take the flight to the warfront.

I regret having missed the pre-embedment briefing at the Department of Defence (DoD) the previous day as it turned out that nothing had prepared me for what was to follow.

At MAB, I’m made to fill a form that suggests what I was about to get involved in was dangerous and I might not make it back alive. One section requires me to name by benefactor (next of kin) in case of "an accident."

For once I’m really afraid, but it is too late to back out.

From now on you live and behave like a soldier, warns the Kenya Air Force Major accompanying us on the flight.

Here we take orders and obey them – few questions asked, he barks as he ushers us on to the plane. I find this odd because, as a journalist, asking questions is my stock in trade. The six-hour flight that takes us to Elwak, Wajir, Liboi and Manda is bumpy but the jetlag quickly subsides as soon as we hit officers’ mess at the Manda Naval Base in Lamu.

The state-of-the-art TV room complete with a 40-inch LCD TV, cozy leather sofas and incredibly cheap drinks at the bar, make me forget the difficult mission ahead, albeit briefly.

But it is also at Manda that I come to terms with military order and discipline.

Unwritten rule

At first, it’s a bit frustrating because the officers view us with a lot of suspicion. Our interaction is mechanical at best.

No one tells you what to do; you are supposed to figure it out yourself. This is the reason I get into trouble after sitting on the ‘wrong’ chair at the dinner table.

"You see every organisation has its own rank and file and people observe order here," says a senior Navy officer after he catches me sitting on seat reserved for the base commander at the dinner table.

The dining hall is not your ordinary cafÈ. There are no waiters as those serving you are soldiers.

You simply sit down and wait – only that sometimes the wait can be very long depending on the number of senior officers you are sitting with at the table. The unwritten rule here is senior officers get served first. I was always served last all the time as they really didn’t know how to rank me.

Here, we ate the same type of food everyday.

Yet in spite of all this, Manda is still a holiday camp. I come to learn there are tougher locations on the menu as I get entrapped in military camps tucked away on a rugged terrain in Somalia.

Given password

A quick helicopter ride to Ishakani on the fringes of the expansive Boma forest and then a two-hour lorry ride to Kiunga in the south-easterly coastal border with Somalia mark the begging of the ‘real embedment.’

For over two weeks, we live on the edge, having to make do with sleeping bags in an open-ended tent.

Our host, Captain Sunday, takes us through a raft of safety instructions in what would become known as security briefings. In each briefing, we were assigned a password.

The idea is should you arrive late at the camp, or need to go out for a call of nature, any officer standing guard would pronounce the first word and you are supposed to complete the password by shouting out the second word – in a split second or you are taken down.

On Boxing Day, my colleague Govedi Asutsa and I left for the local shopping centre to buy water. But at the gate, a soldier on duty advised us against it because there was an imminent Al Shaabab attack at the camp.

On second thought though, he allowed us to leave – after all he also needed a bottle of water and he would not mind us buying him one.

As we approached the gate on our way back, he shouted the code word. Incidentally, we had not been given a password on that day and so we didn’t know what to say in response.

We heard a crackling sound as he cocked the automatic weapon. We stood transfixed.

It may have been just a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Apparently the soldier remembered he had let us out and the drama is soon over.

With soldiers and automatic weapons around me, there is also the occasional oddity to deal with like a soldier’s gun going off accidentally and a snake crawling into the sleeping bag.

But basically the real threat in Kiunga came when a red alert was declared over the camp. One came on Christmas day just hours after top military bosses flew in from Nairobi to give the soldiers a morale booster.

Word had gone round that Al Shabaab were planning to attack several targets in the area. We had our meals earlier than usual. At seven, we were called to a security meeting with Captain Sunday.

Well, there was nothing much to worry about as this was part of housekeeping. But a little rider later in the conversations wiped off the sleep from my eyes.

"This people are funny. They wait until you’re dead asleep in the wee hours of the morning to attack. Probably the last thing you will hear is Allah Akbar," Captain Sunday said.

Source:The Standard

China gifts the African Union with a home

2012-01-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

It's a $200 million building, the tallest in the Ethiopian capital and the new headquarters of the African Union. It also happens to be entirely the work of China.

Paid for with Chinese money and constructed by Chinese workers, the AU's new home in Addis Ababa is concrete evidence of Beijing's desire to increase its influence in Africa.

Though some analysts say AU nations will still need and work closely with Europe and the United States, Chinese delegates are the ones being feted at the moment in Ethiopia.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from Addis Ababa.

A veteran Somali journalist shot dead in Mogadishu

2012-01-28T11:59:00.001-08:00

Unknown gunmen shot dead a veteran Somali journalist worked at an independent Radio and TV based in the lawless capital, Mogadishu on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses and colleague said, two armed men have shot dead Hassan Osman Abdi known as Fantastic, the director of the independent Shabelle Radio and TV broadcast in Mogadishu Somalia, while he was returning from work to his house at Nasteeh village in Wadajir district.

The assassinated director was a veteran journalist had worked at Shabelle Media station for three years. He was a 30-years-old and a Father of three, two daughters and a son.

The scene or the district was largely controlled by Somalia’s Transitional Federal government TFG.

No group has so far claimed the responsibility of the assassination of Hassan Osman Abdi fantastic, the Shabelle Media station director in Mogadishu so far.

Source:Shabelle

Horn of Africa News (HOAN) condemns in the strongest terms possible the shooting to death of the Shabelle Radio director in Mogadishu on Saturday evening 28 January, 2012.
This was a unacceptable attack and those who are responsible must be brought to justice.
HOAN journalists and staff have expressed solidarity with Shabelle and Hassan Osman Abdi family.
-HOAN Team

Shabelle Media director assassinated in Somali capital Mogadishu

2012-01-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

Unidentified masked gunmen have assassinated the director of the independent Shabelle Media director Hassan Osman Abdi (Fantastic) this evening at his home in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district.

Reports say, two men with pistols have shot him dead director Hassan Osman Abdi several timed on the head on Saturday evening, as ha was entering in his house located in at Naxtexo village in Wadajir district in Mogadishu.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the assassination of the independent Shabelle Media director Hassan Osman Abdi so far.

Source:Shabelle

Injured rushed to Galkayo hospital after Somaliland attack

2012-01-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

The injured in Thursday’s battle after Somaliland forces attacked the city of Buhodle were rushed to Galkayo hospital capital of Mudug region.

The three hour battle on Thursday resulted to over 80 killed for Somaliland forces after the local militia counterattacked the Somaliland forces who launched the battle at 4 pm Thursday. On the other side the local militia had 23 deaths and more than 20 injured.

The injured residents of Buhodle were rushed to Galkayo hospital which is a 3 hour drive from Buhodle. The Director of Galkayo General Hospital Ahmed Diriye Sugule who spoke to reporters said that one man aged 54, has died from his injuries.

Mr. Sugule added that the injured included 2 women and 2 children amongst the 23 men. The 2 children aged 6 and 7 and two women are in stable condition.

The Governor of Mudug Mohamed Yusuf Tigey who held a press conference today discussed the attack by Somaliland forces on residents of Buhodle calling it a shameful attack. Mr. Tigey said, “It is shameful to see the blatant attack of women and children.”

He went to add that Somaliland’s intellectuals, scholars and clan elders should tell their government to stop the bloodshed in Buhodle by Somaliland forces.

Somaliland's authority in contested regions

Somaliland’s authority is growing weaker in the contested regions of Sool, Sanag and Ayn. In Baran located in Sanag region protesters lined the streets to protest a Somaliland official who had visited the region.

Another protest in Las'anod capital of Sool region resulted in 2 deaths and 12 injured after Somaliland forces opened fire on protesters.

Buhodle the capital of Ayn region was attacked on January 15 2012, Somaliland forces have been in and around the city since then.

Puntland and Somaliland have had a territorial dispute since 2003 over the regions of Sool, Sanaag and Ayn. Although the three regions were hotly contested Las'anod was under Puntland rule until 2007 after Somaliland forces captured Las'anod and have occupied it ever since.

Source:GAROWE ONLINE

Sudan to release South Sudan oil shipments in port

2012-01-28T06:33:00.000-08:00

Sudan agreed Saturday to free ships with South Sudanese oil as a goodwill gesture to ease negotiations aimed at resolving a furious row over pipeline transit fees with its southern neighbour.

The two former civil war foes have held lengthy negotiations, but have been unable to reach agreement over the dispute which has seen Khartoum seize oil and South Sudan take the drastic step of shutting oil production.

“We are ready to continue these talks and to prove it, we are… releasing vessels in Port Sudan to allay fears,” senior Khartoum official Sayed al-Khatib told reporters in Addis Ababa, where the talks are being held.

“The vessels will be free to leave immediately,” al-Khatib added. “We expect the (South Sudan oil) shutdown to be halted and reversed.”
Sudan has been detaining three ships carrying 2.2 million barrels of oil.

In addition, Khartoum admits to have confiscated 1.7 million barrels of South Sudan crude, a measure it said was to compensate for Juba’s use of its pipeline and refinery.

On Friday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in the Ethiopian capital for the oil talks, failed to sign an agreement due to Juba’s concerns over the detained ships, al-Khatib explained.

Landlocked South Sudan split from Sudan in July, taking with it three quarters of the country’s oil, but all pipeline and export facilities are controlled by Sudan.

“This oil was indeed developed when Sudan was one country and therefore all of the Sudanese people need to reap the benefit of it,” al-Khatib said.

South Sudan accuses Khartoum of stealing $815 million worth of oil. Al-Khatib said that Juba had not paid it for using the refinery since South Sudan seceded.

“We started taking the equivalent in kind of what we had been invoicing South Sudan, not a cent more,” he said.

African Union mediators have proposed an initial deal calling on the two countries to reverse their unilateral decisions before inking a comprehensive agreement later.

The oil talks come ahead of an AU summit starting Sunday. Al-Khatib said he hoped they could sign the initial agreement soon.

South Sudan’s chief negotiator Pagan Amum on Friday said the negotiations had reached an “impasse because of the intransigence of the government of Sudan.”

“The mood of course was not good because you can imagine sitting with somebody who is stealing your property,” he said of Kiir’s and al-Bashir’s meeting.

Juba this week began to halt oil production after it ordered a complete shutdown over the dispute with Khartoum, with over half the wells now shut, the South says.

China, which relies on South Sudan for nearly five percent of its oil and is also a key ally of the Khartoum government, has been supporting negotiations between the two sides.

This week South Sudan signed an agreement with Kenya to build an oil pipeline to a Kenyan port, potentially freeing it from its dependence on exporting oil through Sudan.

However, industry experts have said that building a pipeline could take more than three years and cost as much as $4 billion — a staggering cost for the South, where oil production is already close to peaking.
South Sudan has also approached Ethiopia to build a pipeline connecting to the Red Sea state of Djibouti.
Earlier this month, South Sudan signed its first oil deals with foreign nations since its independence, inking agreements with Chinese, Indian and Malaysian firms.

The deals, which replace deals signed with Khartoum under a unified Sudan, cover oil production in the two key petroleum states of Unity and Upper Nile.

Khartoum also opened bids to international companies days after the South penned its deals.
After South Sudan gained its independence, Sudan, which also relies on oil, was scrambling for ways to bolster its finances.

Source:AFP

South Sudan, Sudan fail to agree on oil dispute

2012-01-28T06:26:00.001-08:00

A South Sudan official says negotiations to end an oil dispute between South Sudan and Sudan have failed.

Landlocked South Sudan began halting oil production last week after accusing Sudan of stealing oil worth $815 million from the south.

Pagan Amum, the secretary general of South Sudan's ruling party, said late Friday that South Sudan would now "turn east" to neighbors Kenya and Ethiopia to export its oil.

South Sudan already signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya to build a pipeline from its oil fields to Kenya's northern coast. South Sudan says it has also approached Ethiopia about a possible pipeline going to Djibouti's port.

South Sudan president Salva Kiir and Sudanese leader Omar al Bashir have been holding talks in Ethiopia.

Source:AP

African Union to open new HQ in Ethiopia

2012-01-28T05:54:00.000-08:00

The African Union is due to inaugurate its newly built headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The entire $200m (£127m) project was funded by China as a gift to the AU, as Beijing continues to strengthen its influence in Africa.

The 100m high tower overlooks a vast conference centre where African heads of state are expected to meet for years to come.

Their first AU summit in the building will take place on the weekend.

China’s most senior political adviser, Jia Qinglin, will attend the opening of the new headquarters and will address African leaders at the start of their assembly on Sunday.

The new AU building dominates the skyline of Addis Ababa and is the city’s tallest building.

Most of the materials used were imported from China and even the furnishings were paid for by Beijing, AFP news agency reports.

Construction began in January 2009 and involved 1,200 Chinese and Ethiopian workers.

The project co-ordinator, Fantalum Michael, says the new building signifies China’s growing friendship with Africa.

“It’s a testimony that this relationship will continue in the future,” he told AFP.

Thriving relationship

Trade between China and Africa has increased more than six-fold during the past decade to $120bn (£76bn) in 2011.

China is interested in Africa’s natural resources and in return is investing huge sums in African infrastructure.

Roads are being built by Chinese firms at a staggering rate, says the BBC’s Will Ross in Addis Ababa.

While other rich nations impose conditions before aid is given, China’s relationship with African countries is strictly a business one, he says.

Human rights groups have criticised China for undermining efforts by western countries to link aid to improvements in governance.

However African leaders have welcomed the Chinese approach and have embraced investment from Beijing.

In Ethiopia, many jobs have been created through Chinese-funded projects.

Chinese cars are being made in Ethiopian factories and China is also building a light railway across Addis Ababa.

Source:BBC

Minnesota man charged in threats to family in alleged dispute over jihad plans

2012-01-28T04:57:00.001-08:00

A St. Paul man who began to get violent after he decided to join jihad and travel to Somalia, according to his family, was charged with making terroristic threats.

The family of Sharmarke Duale, 20, told police he had done well in high school and college until he began attending a mosque on University Avenue, according to a criminal complaint.

The name of the mosque was not mentioned.

"Since that time, he has been very disrespectful toward the women in the house and has threatened his father to try to get his father to assist Duale in getting a passport," according to the complaint filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court.

The complaint gives this account of events:

Police were called Tuesday afternoon to the family's home in the 700 block of Burr Street in St. Paul about an assault in progress.

They were told that a son had stabbed his mother and was trying to get back into the house by breaking a window with a shovel.

Officers arrived to find Duale on the porch wielding a shovel. The mother was inside; police saw defensive stab wounds on her hands.

According to the complaint, the family said Duale was raising money for jihad and told his father, "Take me out of this country, or I will show you what will happen; things will not be good for you."

Duale's father, Mohamed Duale, vehemently denied telling police that his son was raising money for jihad.

"We never said these words," he told a reporter Friday. "This is wrong what they

put here; this is not from my family."
According to the complaint, Sharmarke Duale tried to stab his father but cut his mother when she jumped in to intervene. He also punched his sister.

Duale's parents said they are afraid of him and want him to get help. He has threatened to "chop (his sister and mother) in pieces" and "kill the girls."

Speaking to police at the Ramsey County Jail after his arrest, Duale denied taking drugs or having mental health problems. He said his mother had cut herself and that his family's claims were all lies.

Duale has no criminal record.

He was being held Friday in the Ramsey County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail and was ordered to have no contact with his parents.

Source:Twin Cities

TFG says it secures regions in central Somalia

2012-01-28T04:48:00.001-08:00

Somali government vowed Saturday to secure the overall stability of Beledweyn town, the provincial capital of Hiran region in central Somalia, days after a suicide bomber attacked at government building in the town, killing Ethiopian soldiers.

Abdullahi Godah Barre, the Minster of planning and international relations of Somali government told at a security meeting held on Friday in Beldweyn town that TFG is planning to root the remants of Al-shabab fighters and their sympathizers in the town as well as the whole country.

He also mentioned that Somali government is setting a new administration for Hiran region as soon as possible, urging local people to work with TFG to secure the entire region.

This move followed after TFG soldiers backed by the neighboring Ethiopian troops took over the strategic town of Beledweyn of Hiran region in central Somalia from Al-shabab fighters.

Source:Shabelle

Ethnic clashes kill one in a rebel-held town in Somalia

2012-01-28T04:47:00.001-08:00

Clan revenge killing has reportedly took place in Middle Shabelle regoin of central Somali, which tension of violence exists in between two tribes who reside together in that region.

The killing has related to revenge between the clans in warsheik town of Middle Shabelle of Somalia.

The former mayor of warsheik town of TGF, Abdulrahman Moalin assured the killing of one man to Shabelle media, and he added that the two tribes have been in battle since long time and their crises is still unresolved.

The Mayor expressed a good hope that the disputes will be solved between the two warning brothers; on other hand he told that they are doing efforts of ending the violence by the elders, and the intellectual from both sides.

The District of Warsheikh in Middle Shabelle has been the scene of tribal fighting over the last weeks and one civilian from one of the warning sides was reportedlt killed.

Reports say the killers were arrested by Al shabaab Administration in the town anf taken into undisclosed custody.

Source:Shabelle

Al-shabab militants abduct five teenagers in southern Somalia

2012-01-28T04:45:00.001-08:00

The Al-Qaeda affiliated militants of Al-shabab in Somalia, have abducted at least five teenagers, among footballers in the town of Afgoye, which is just 30-km south of Mogadishu, witnesses said Saturday.

Reports say fighters loyal to hard-line Al-shabab militants have overnight stormed in houses and villages in Afgoye town in Shabelle region of southern Somalia, arresting five young boys, whom they blame of spying UN-backed Somali government.

Relatives of the abducted teenagers by the militants in the town of Afgoye said, they are concerned about the safety of their boys after being taken forcibly from them by the group. The incident sparked off shock and fears among local teenagers who are living under the rebel-held towns in south-central Somalia.

Al-shabab has not made any comments about the matter so far.

Source:Shabelle

10 Somali immigrants killed at Yemen-Saudi border

2012-01-28T04:44:00.000-08:00

Somali embassy in Yemeni capital Sanaa has said, Saturday that at least ten Somali immigrants were killed separately at the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Hussein Hajji Ahmed, the deputy of Somali ambassador in Yemen told reporters in Sanaa that gunmen have shot and killed in the last 24-hours ten Somali immigrants at the Yemen-Saudi border as the were trying to reach in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Ahmed stressed that the incident is apart of frequent killing and harming of Somali immigrants want to reach in gulf nations, specially in Saudi Arabia to get better life and safety after their country gripped in violence and droughts for years.

He also added that eleven Somalis, including women and children were killed last week while many others are still missing at the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Source:Shabelle

Rallies against Somaliland held in Sanag region

2012-01-28T04:42:00.001-08:00

Large crowds of people have taken to the streets in Baran town of Sanag region in northern Somalia, to show how they are against the aggressive military intervention in the provinces of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn(SSC), reports said Friday.

Reports said, the angry demonstrators have been carrying Somali national flag and banners written slogans against deadly crackdowns by the forces under the self-declared state of Somaliland in several towns in (SSC) regions.

A protester told Shabelle Media by phone that they are against the oppression and intervention committing by invading Somaliland military in Sool, Sanag and Cayn regions of northern Somalia.

This protests followed after the defense Minster of Somaliland administration toured in Baran town,which the local elders have strongly condemned.

Somaliland soldiers have attacked early this month at Buhodle town, where they met a counter offensive by squads of clan militias in the town that thwarted the Somaliland attack and destroyed Somliland armed trucks and killed soldiers.

Source:Shabelle

Kenya optimistic hostages will soon be free

2012-01-28T04:32:00.001-08:00

The Kenya Defense Forces on Saturday said it was only a matter of time before the two Kenyan civil servants held in Somalia in revenge for Nairobi’s troop deployment against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab were either rescued or freed.

Army spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna told reporters in Nairobi that they know the probable location where District Officer Edward Mule and Registrar of Persons Clerk Fredrick Irungu Wainaina were being held after they were taken to Somalia three weeks ago.

Seven people including three Administration Police officers were killed in the raid at Gerille Police post, seven kilometres from the Somalia border.

“For the security and safety of the two people, we do not want to reveal these places,” Oguna said.
He said they are also using other avenues to have the two Kenyans freed.

“We are also in talks with the local community in Somalia to have the two freed unconditionally but this does not mean that we are talking to Al Shabaab,” he said.

Oguna also protested the move by the extremist group to label the two civil servants as Prisoners of War (Pow).

“We are dealing with an enemy that has no respect for dignity of human life, these were civilians who were abducted when they were providing normal civilian related service,” he said.

“PoW is a term preserved for combatants, these are not combatants and to label them as PoW gives an impression of how Al Shabaab does not respect the international humanitarian law during armed conflict.”
There has been a spate of cross-border attacks by Somali militants both before and after Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October.

The shooting and kidnapping on Wednesday, January 12 was the latest in a string of attacks in northeast Kenya in the three months since Nairobi sent troops into Somalia to fight the Shabaab.

Regional armies are pushing against Shabaab positions in Somalia, with Kenyan forces in the far south, Ethiopian soldiers in the west and African Union forces in Mogadishu made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.

Oguna said nine Kenyan soldiers have so far died since Operation Linda Nchi started.

The elite US Navy SEALs swooped into Somalia on Wednesday and rescued two hostage aid workers after killing their nine kidnappers, a rare and daring raid in the Horn of Africa nation to free foreign captives.

American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, of Denmark, humanitarian aid workers for a Danish demining group, were rescued three months after they were kidnapped on Oct. 25 in the town of Galkayo in the semi-autonomous Galmudug region of the Horn of Africa country.

The SEALs came from the same elite Navy unit – SEAL Team Six – that killed al Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan last year, US officials said.

Source:Capital FM Kenya

Ethiopian tourist abductions and attacks blamed on Eritrea

2012-01-27T18:02:00.001-08:00

Eritrea’s dictatorial and radical regime has been fingered by Eritrean opposition groups, Ethiopian, and other international sources for alleged complicity in the recent spate of attacks on foreign tourists and abductions, as Ethiopian rebels granted safe havens inside Eritrea are suspected to have carried out the attacks.

A source in Addis Ababa, insisting on anonymity – not a strange demand considering the zipped-up attitude of the entire country vis-a-vis even friendly media – suggested that the rebels were aiming to disrupt the growing tourism business in Ethiopia to harm the country’ economy before adding that the country’s return to Somalia was in part to eliminate Eritrean-sponsored terrorist groups constantly inflicting hit-and-run attacks on Ethiopia.

“Eritrea thinks they are safe inside their territory, but the time will come when terrorists can no longer hide or be hidden as someone will come for them. The rescue of Americans from Somali terrorists should be the last reminder that it can happen anywhere, and there is now even the option of aerial survey and missions,” the source said, showing the growing anger and frustration in Ethiopia with neighbor Eritrea.

The two hostile neighbors fought a bitter war a decade ago over disputed border lines, which even a United Nations effort to map out the exact boundary lines could not defuse. Eritrea is widely suspected to be playing a major supportive role for the Somali Al Shabab and other Islamic radical groups, offering training grounds and supplies, as most recently seen when Kenya entered the conflict in hot pursuit of terrorist groups. Kenya went on to witness air supplies being delivered from Eritrea to the radicals and deployed Kenya air force units, which now control the skies over that part of Somalia, making renewed air supplies all but impossible to achieve.

Isolated in the region, Eritrea has been shunned from participating in IGAD and other regional bodies and affairs attempting unsuccessfully so far to bring about a change in behavior, which many observers feel must either come swiftly, voluntarily, and comprehensively or else might the Asmara regime be targeted directly to bring about the change that country needs to fully develop.

Meanwhile and predictably, Asmara has denied any involvement in the abductions but notably also done nothing to evict the terrorists from Eritrean soil, leaving relatives and friends of those missing, deeply worried about the safety of their loved ones.

Source: eTN Global Travel Industry News

Missing the point - Eritrea’s response to criticism

2012-01-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

On Monday this week, the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed a letter to the United Nations Security Council. It was its usual attempt to deny any report of its activities in continuing its repeated efforts at destabilization in the region. It is after all only a few days ago that tourists in the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia were killed, injured, and kidnapped with the direct involvement of the Eritrean regime. It was an unambiguous example of the way the regime encourages and advocates chaos to disturb the peace and stability of its neighbors.

Eritrea has attempted to play the innocent by declaring the killing of the tourists “deplorable”. This is no more than the old trick it has been employing for years. It is now quite obvious to everybody that the regime in Eritrea always pretends to know nothing after having committed itself to carry out horrendous acts against civilians and public property. The attack on tourists was deliberately targeted to disrupt peace and development endeavours in Ethiopia It is no surprise to hear that the regime in Asmara has again denied responsibility. Indeed, we expect nothing but complete denial from the perpetrator.

The Ethiopian Government has made it clear in the statement issued last week that the recent attack can only been seen as part of an attempt by the Eritrean regime to disturb the African Union Summit just as it tried to do a year ago. The only difference is that this time Eritrea picked on the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Party (ARDUF) as its surrogate for destabilization in Ethiopia.

For the regime in Eritrea, the right of Ethiopia to defend its peace and stability “carries the potential seeds of grave regional destabilization”. Eritrea gives itself the right to destabilize and create instability in Ethiopia in particular, as well as region as a whole. It cannot then claim to have the moral and political ground to reject the right of others to defend themselves. It is, as usual, trying to steal the complaints of its own victims, to bite back at those it has already bitten.

The letter to the Security Council also raises, once again, the issue of the border dispute. The Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ignoring the facts of the matter, makes its usual complaint that Ethiopia is occupying Eritrean territories, refusing to accept the decisions of the Ethio-Eritrea Boundary Commission. This is no more than a now threadbare attempt to shift attention away from Eritrea’s own destabilizing activities. Ethiopia has made it known on numerous occasions since 2004 that it fully accepted the decisions of the Commission and that it was ready to engage in dialogue to implement demarcation as the basis for a peaceful settlement and a lasting solution on the border.

It has also repeatedly expressed its readiness to talk on normalization of relations. The international community by now is fully aware of the reasons for the stalemate of the border dispute – the lack of willingness by Eritrea to engage in dialogue for demarcation and for normalization of relations.

The regime’s letter also tries to make a point that the accusations against it by Ethiopia last week, and by Kenya two months ago, were aimed at “entrapping Eritrea”. This, of course, totally ignores and tries to deny the fact that accusations of this kind do not come solely from this and that country, but also from the United Nations Monitoring Group that provided so much of the evidence that identified Eritrea as a destabilizing factor in the region and led to the imposition of sanctions.

The Monitoring Group in its July report last year identified Eritrea’s responsibility for the continued and widespread attempts to destabilize the region through “operations using proxy forces that fall under direct Eritrean command and control, falsely flagged as democratic opposition groups, in violation of resolution 1907”. The recent attack on tourists, as explained above, is a case in point.

It clearly shows that the regime has made no attempt to change its ways despite the imposition of sanctions. This refusal by the regime in Asmara underlines the need for more and firmer measures by the international community to bring about genuine regional peace and stability.-EMFA

AL SHABAB ON THE ROPES?

2012-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

By Hussein Solomon

One indication of the changed security situation in Mogadishu is the re-opening of the UN Political Office in this war-ravaged city after an absence of 17 years.

Other embassies have followed suit reflecting greater confidence in the security situation. African Union forces in the form of AMISOM together with Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops forced Al Shabab fighters from the capital in August 2011. Feeling more confident now that troops from Djibouti have joined the AMISOM mission which now numbers 12,000 another major offensive together with TFG forces was launched in January 2012.

The results of this offensive saw AMISOM and TFG forces taking control of Mogadishu University as well as Barakat cemetery and allowing these forces for the first time in years to be in a position to defend greater Mogadishu as opposed to just the city limits of the capital.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian forces captured Beledwyne, 30 kilometres from the Ethiopian border. The town is quite strategic in that it is the main artery linking the north and south of the country. From Beledweyen, Ethiiopian forces rapidly advanced to the central regions of Hiran and Galgadud displacing Al Shabab fighters there.

Ethiopian troops have continued their rapid advance southwards into the heart of Al Shabab territory by forging an alliance with clan militias in the Shabelle River Valley.

In the south, Al Shabab fighters are also attempting to repulse a formidable force of Kenyan combat troops and local clan militias backed up by fighter jets and heavy armour. The Kenyans have been making significant territorial gains in Gedo and Juba. All this is compelling Al Shabab to fight on multiple fronts at a time at a time when the movement is wracked by internal rivalry between Mukhtar Ali Robow and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys on the one side and Ahmed Abdi Godane on the other.

In addition, Al Shabab has also been losing some of its most important military commanders like Fazul Abdul Mohammed killed at a government roadblock in Mogadishu. Mohammed was Al Qaeda’s military operations chief in East Africa and a key Godane ally.

With the loss of his key military planner, Godane’s rivals within Al Shabab might well think that now is an opportune moment to strike at Godane himself. At the same time, American drones continue to take out key military skilled foreign jihadis among Al Shabab. This month Lebanese Bilaal Al-Barjawi, also known as Abu Hafsa, was killed in such a drone attack.

Whilst definitely, on the ropes, it is much too early to dismiss Al Shabab as a spent force. The movement has a history of rebounding following previous military defeats. For instance, Al Shabab has shifted back to guerrilla tactics and far from confronting foreign forces is once again using suicide truck bombs, as against the Ethiopian military base in Beledweyne which killed 10 Ethiopian soldiers.

Moreover, there is an average of eight improvised explosive devices discovered or detonated every day in the capital.

Whilst doing well on the military front, AMISOM (together with the UN) needs to have a clear political strategy. Areas liberated from Al Shabab control are little more than tiny fiefdoms at the whim of the local militia commander. According to the UN, there are already been 14 and 20 “min-states” in the country.

If the international community is serious about sustainable peace in this blighted country they need to give urgent attention to the overarching political strategy and not just focus on the military defeat of Al Shabab, important as this is as a short term goal.

Source:News24

Man admits sending 'Somali Three' terror funding

2012-01-27T15:43:00.001-08:00

A Londoner who was caught with numerous jihadist videos has admitted sending cash to Somalia for terror training.

Shabaaz Hussain, 28, from Stepney, east London, confessed to seven counts of fundraising for terrorists at Woolwich Crown Court.

He admitted sending nearly £9,000 so three British men - Muhammed Jahangir, Tufual Ahmed and Mohammed Shahim - could be trained in east Africa.

The court heart it meant the "Somali Three" could be fed and clothed there.

'Foreign fighters'

Police secretly recorded conversations Hussain had with an associate in a car, before recovering "vast quantities" of extremist materials in his home, the court heard.

It took police two days to process all the extremist material, which included CDs, DVDs and documents.

The hoard included 26 speeches by extremist preacher Abu Hamza, the court heard.

Sarah Whitehouse, prosecuting, told the judge: "The prosecution case is that in a period between April 2010 and September 2010 this defendant transferred funds to three associates who were engaged in terrorist activities in Somalia.

"The total amount transferred was just over 14,000 US dollars (£8,900) during that period of time.

"There are a large number of foreign fighters in Somalia who are fighting for an emirate of Islam."

The court heard the home Hussain shared with his parents and brothers also contained a video of Osama bin Laden berating the US, and jihadist manifestos.

'Quiet young man'

Ms Whitehouse said of the four: "Their aims are to implement Sharia law in the UK and to convert all non-Muslims."

Imran Khan, defending, said his client was a "quiet young man" of good character.

He argued Hussein should receive a lighter sentence because the funds were not aimed at a specific act of terrorism.

Judge Mr Justice Calvert-Smith said the amount transferred to Somalia was similar to the sum bombers spent carrying out the 7/7 attacks, which cost about £10,000.

Adjourning sentencing to 9 March at Kingston Crown Court, the judge said: "I don't think in a case as serious as this that I can embark on the sentence today."

Hussain denied four counts of providing funds for terrorism and engaging in the preparation of terrorism, which the prosecution said will remain on file.

Source:BBC

Ethiopian Rebels Say Ethiopia Blocks Release of Hostages

2012-01-27T14:43:00.001-08:00

An Ethiopian rebel group said the country’s government is blocking the release of two German hostages the fighters are holding. Communications Minister Bereket Simon denied the allegation.

The two Germans and two Ethiopians were abducted during a Jan. 17 attack on a group of tourists on the edge of Erta Ale volcano in the northeastern region of Afar that killed two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian.

“Bianca Irmer and Jurgen Quick are in our custody and safe and we are more than ready to set them free,” the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, or Arduf, said in an e- mailed statement today. “Ethiopian authorities in the Afar region are out to render these efforts null and void in order to get a plausible pretext to unleash a war on neighboring Eritrea.”

Arduf is backed by Eritrea and the rebel group is responsible for the hostages’ fate, Bereket said in a phone interview today from Addis Ababa, the capital.

“These are the terrorists who attacked the tourists and now they are pretending they have an iota of humanity,” he said. “It is a far-fetched and pretentious accusation.”

Ethiopia’s government has accused Eritrea of being behind the kidnappings and killings of the tourists. The hostages were taken after a gun battle between the Ethiopian army and Arduf in which 16 Ethiopian soldiers died, the group said.

“We have no contact with the Eritrean government but we know for sure they have to take responsibility to ensure their release otherwise they will face the consequences,” Bereket said.

Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 that killed 70,000 people, according to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. The border dispute that caused the war has not been resolved and troops from both sides are still a heavy presence on parts of the divide.

Source:Bloomberg

Turkey challenges Iran in Somalia

2012-01-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

ABDULLAH BOZKURT
a.bozkurt@todayszaman.com

Turkey's relatively newfound interest in engaging with Somalia was triggered by a combination of different events, from the extension of humanitarian assistance during a time of great famine to the desire to establish a foothold in a strategic location so as to benefit from future trade deals.

Not only have a number of Turkish government agencies been actively working on the ground, but also a host of nongovernmental organizations in Somalia are working to bring about positive changes in what many have called a “failed state.”

It is not being widely discussed, but there is another underlying reason behind Turkish involvement in Somalia: to curb Iran's meddling in the affairs of Somalia and its immediate neighborhood. All efforts expended by Turkey will undoubtedly bring good fortune in terms of political capital, which Ankara intends to spend on countering Iranian influence in the Horn of Africa -- a place Iran feels is perfect to act as a fallback position when the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria falls to democratic opposition mostly consisting of Sunnis. For years, Iran has been cultivating relationships in Somalia and the surrounding area, hoping to gain a footing in the geostrategic location of the Horn of Africa.

Considering that one of the main Iranian shipping lines crosses through the Arabian Sea and by the Gulf of Aden, Iran certainly values its presence in Somalia from an economic standpoint. In July 2009, Iran had to send two warships to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia to protect Iranian commercial and oil cargo ships from piracy. But there is another important rationale behind Iranian interest in this region that weighs in heavily against all other considerations.

From there, Iranians believe they can create or incite schisms within a number of African nations while also keeping Sunni Arab Gulf states occupied with mounting unrest and insurgency among Shiite populations in the southern Arabian Peninsula. For example, intelligence reports detail how the Mullah regime in Iran has been providing arms and munitions to the insurgent groups in Somalia, including al-Shabaab. Tehran has been funneling most of its aid to insurgents through the "Christian" dictator of Eritrea, Isaias Afewerki, who has been cozying up to Iranian regime for years. This is kind of ironic, yet a perfect case of the convergence of mutual interests.

The Eritrean opposition claimed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards provided training to the radical Shiite Houthi rebels in Eritrea when they were fighting the Yemeni and Saudi governments. According to a Saudi official with whom I spoke last month, classified Saudi intelligence reports detail many similarities between the tactics employed by Houthi rebels and those used by pro-Iranian Shiite groups in Iraq. This footprint shows Iranian involvement in both cases. In 2006, then-Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi publicly accused Iran of providing weapons to Islamic militants who had seized control of much of this country's south. In the same year, the supply of arms by Iran to radical groups in Somalia was also detailed in UN Security Council reports, which found Iran in breach of a 1992 UN arms embargo on the region.

In the last couple of years, Iran seems to have shifted its tactics away from aggressively supporting armed factions towards using soft-power methods to influence Somalia's Transitional Federal Government. The retreat of al-Shabaab militia from Mogadishu and other places amid intense pressure from African Union troops deployed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has undoubtedly accelerated this Iranian shift. Seeing that Somalia is desperate to get international aid, Iran has been using humanitarian assistance programs as vessels to deliver important cover for illicit Iranian government activities in Somalia. At the moment, the Somalia government does not mind this as long as aid is coming in, which is the first and foremost priority for Somali leaders.

Accompanied by two planes full of many Cabinet members, celebrities, journalists, NGO workers, and businessmen, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Aug. 19, 2011, making him the first head of a government to do so in 20 years. This certainly ruffled the feathers of the Mullah regime in Tehran. The visit came on the heels of an emergency meeting held by the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Aug. 17 in Istanbul, which secured a pledge of $350 million in aid. On Aug. 23, 2011, just four days after the Turkish prime minister made a landmark visit to Mogadishu, Iranians hastily rushed their foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, to Somalia to hopefully lessen Turkey's rising clout there. Salehi surveyed the camps set up by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and offered to build a hospital and an orphanage in the capital.

Turkey has since opened an embassy, started work on an international airport and on water supply and waste disposal projects, offered Somalis scholarships to study in Turkey, and made plans to build a new hospital and roads. A Turkish fundraising drive among private citizens that was launched during the holy month of Ramadan last year has so far raised $334 million. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates last October, Turkey topped the list of countries that provided aid to Somalia when comparing the amount of aid given with the countries' gross national income.

Furthermore, Ankara successfully mobilized the rich Gulf nations to extend financial aid to the fragile transitional government in order to build government agencies, including an army. Fearing the Iranian specter looming large over their heads, the Gulf nations have been forthcoming in delivering cash to the Somali government. Somalia is happy to receive financial assistance from Turkish and Arab Gulf donors because it comes with fewer strings attached than that supplied by the West. As a result, Turkey was able to translate international political support into concrete financial help to the cash-strapped Somali government -- a key to consolidating the transitional government while curbing the appeal of terrorism.

Turkey's interest in Somalia did not start with the huge famine that exposed some 3.7 million Somalis at risk of starvation last year. Ankara was also involved with the Djibouti Peace Process (DPP) that started in May 2008 under the auspices of the UN and ended with the election of Sharif Sheik Ahmed as the new president of Somalia in January 2009. It hosted a major UN conference on Somalia in İstanbul in May 2010. Now, it also supports a UN political map for the transition from AMISOM to a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia, provided that a phased approach is adopted by the Security Council that will not be tied to a rigid timetable but rather set by conditions. Turkey has offered to help train and equip the Somali army as well.

In contrast with the Iranian engagement, Western powers seem comfortable with Turkey leading the charge in Somalia. Especially Americans who realized early on that Turkey is perfectly positioned to invalidate the Western imperialism argument the Iranians are using to agitate sensitivities among the Somali Muslim population and to recruit hardcore militants to insurgent groups appreciate the Turkish role very much. The US and its allies do not seem to mind the rhetoric Erdoğan uses to bash the West as long as it does not transform into a policy and helps curb Iranian influence. For example, just two days before the Mogadishu visit, Erdoğan harshly criticized Western arrogance and the failures of capitalism with respect to Somali famine during his address to the OIC. The US and its allies kept silent to the barrage of criticism leveled by Erdoğan. With Ankara in the lead, the involvement of other Muslim nations such as Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia can serve to curtail radical Iranian Shiite ideology from gaining firm ground in the Horn of Africa.

One senior Turkish Cabinet member told me that Turkey is also in contact with al-Shabaab and other insurgent groups in order to encourage reconciliation among disparate groups in Somalia. For example, Turkish recovery and reconstruction efforts are not limited just to areas controlled by the government but also extend to other areas in order to win over the hearts and minds of most Somalis. He said a smear campaign has been launched there by some powers against Turkish efforts but he affirmed the Turkish commitment, saying the negative campaigning will not deter them from actively pursuing engagement with Somalia. While he did not state so outright, he implied that Iran tops the list of those spreading black propaganda against Turkey in the Horn of Africa, an unexpected place where Turkey and Iran vie for influence.

Source:TodaysZaman

Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia 'as soon as feasible': PM

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi said Friday he would pull troops out of Somalia "as soon as feasible," admitting for the first time that forces had crossed into the war-torn neighbouring country.

"The decision has all along been to help the TFG and we will withdraw our troops as soon as feasible," Meles told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, referring to Somalia's transitional government.

"We are not going to create a vacuum, we expect the AMISOM troops to be able to fill in the gaps before we withdraw," he added.

Columns of Ethiopian soldiers rolled into Somalia in November to fight al-Qaeda linked Islamist rebels, but Addis Ababa had previously denied their presence.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has some 10,000 troops in the Somali capital Mogadishu to protect the fragile Western-backed Somali government.

On Tuesday, a Shebab suicide bomber blew himself at an Ethiopian army base in the central Somali town of Beledweyne.

Ethiopia first deployed troops in Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement that ruled much of southern Somalia, but withdrew three years later after failing to stamp out the group.

Armies from neighbouring countries are converging on the Shebab. Kenya sent in troops and tanks into southern Somalia in October to fight the rebels it accuses of carrying out cross-border raids and kidnappings.

The attack in Beledweyne was the latest in a string of blasts including roadside bombs and grenade explosions set off in recent months in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.

Source:AFP

Ethiopia says won't leave Somalia until AU forces arrive

2012-01-27T13:36:00.001-08:00

Ethiopian troops will stay in Somalia until African Union forces replace them to avoid creating a power vacuum that could see a resurgence of Islamist militants in the lawless Horn of Africa country, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Friday.

Addis Ababa sent troops into neighbouring Somalia in November as part of a wider campaign to crush al Shabaab rebels who control swathes of central and southern Somalia.

On New Year's Eve, Ethiopian troops captured the Somali border town of Baladwayne from al Shabaab, whom Kenyan troops have been battling since last October.

Ethiopian officials, keen to point out their incursion is not a repeat of their ill-fated 2006-2009 war in Somalia, have stated troops would only be deployed for a brief period.

"We expect the AMISOM (African Union forces) troops to fill in the gaps before we withdraw and so at this stage there is no rush for us to withdraw before the AMISOM troops have come in," Meles told journalists following a meeting of east African leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

It was not immediately clear when African Union forces, until recently concentrated in the Somali capital Mogadishu, would arrive to central Somalia.

Ethiopian soldiers previously went into Somalia in 2006, and left in early 2009 after pushing the Islamist Islamic Courts Union out of the capital Mogadishu.

At the time, most Somalis opposed the intervention and analysts said it may have encouraged people to join al Shabaab.

Meles said his country was willing to expand beyond Baladwayne if Somalia's government asked for backing.

"We will be happy to help in any area that the TFG (Somali government) wants us to help," Meles said.

Separately, Ethiopian foreign minister Hailemariam Desalegn told Reuters his country may consider capturing the key south-central city of Baidoa, but did not give further details.

Source:Reuters

Al-Shabaab demands money from locals in Kurtunwarey

2012-01-27T13:24:00.001-08:00

Al-Shabaab militias in Kurtunwarey district, Lower Shabelle, have compelled local clans in the area to pay 270 million Somali shillings, reports say.

Rebel leaders who met clan leaders demanded immediate financial support for their fighters. During the meeting each family was ordered to pay a portion of the money demanded by the rebel group.

Clan elders reportedly told the rebel leaders that they cannot afford to pay the amount required from them since people are still recovering from the recent famine crisis in the region.

The group has been compelling locals in areas under its control to pay certain amount of money of which most of the locals could not afford to pay.

On 6 December last year, the group reportedly ordered local traders in in Bur-hakaba district of Bay region to pay $18,000 within 15 days.

Rebel leaders said they needed the money to meet their group’s needs in order to allow them fight TFG and Ethiopian troops in the region.

Earlier in mid July last year, Al-Shabaab leaders in Bardera district of Gedo region also reportedly compelled small scale traders in the area to pay SomSh 200, 000 every month.

The cash strapped militia group is known for such actions whenever faced by either military pressure or financial crisis.

Source:Bar Kulan

Two killed as pirate groups fight in Harardere, Mudug region

2012-01-27T13:21:00.001-08:00

At least two people have died and three others injured following a heavy fight between two pirate groups in Haradere district, Mudug region.

The incident occurred on Friday morning at an area called, Miliqo, about 40 KM from the notorious pirate’s heartland of Harardere town.

Reports say the fight erupted after suspicion emerged between a group of pirates who have been pitching tents in the area and the group of pirates whose captives were recently freed in a daring raid by U.S Navy SEAL.

The immediate former head of Danish Demining Group (DDG) Security Officer, Abdirisack Maalim Dere who is also suspected to have masterminded the abduction of the two DDG employees three months ago is reportedly among those injured during the fight.

According to reports reaching Bar-kulan newsroom, one of the groups is now holding 25 Indian hostages in the area after hijacked their vessel off the coast of Somalia.

Early on Wednesday morning, elite US Navy Seals were dropped into Somalia to carry out the overnight operation, which resulted in a shoot-out, where two aid workers who was kidnapped from Galkayo three months ago were freed.

At least two US Navy SEAL teams landed deep in Somalia’s pirate heartlands and released the aid workers unharmed. Nine pirates died and five were taken captive during the raid.

Source:Bar Kulan

President Sharif jets out of the country to Addis Ababa

2012-01-27T13:20:00.001-08:00

President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Friday travelled to the neighbouring Ethiopia where he is set to attend African heads of States meeting which is schedule to kick off in Addis Ababa next Sunday.

The president is expected to a deliver a speech on the current situation in Somalia and the need to have African Union peacekeeping forces in other parts of the country.

Reports say president Sharif will first attend IGAD member states meeting in Addis Ababa, ahead of the AU summit.

The current political situation in Somalia will be discussed during the upcoming AU summit.

During the summit the African heads of States will elect the chairman of the AU commission.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend the summit alongside Jia Qinglin, chairman of China’s political advisory body — the People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Source:Bar Kulan

Ethiopia to host 42nd IGAD Ministerial Council

2012-01-27T13:18:00.001-08:00

The Session will discuss on the current situation, misunderstanding between South Sudan and Sudan, piracy in the coast of Somalia as well as peace and security affairs in the Horn.

Somali Persident H.E Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is set to attend the session that will take place tomorrow.

Council current chairperson, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn said the 20 year crisis in Somalia still continues to be a major issue. Hailemariam said there are signs of progress on the ground offering opportunities to build upon the achievements gained so far and find sustainable solutions to the remaining challenges facing Somalia.

The recent gains both at the security front and at political negotiations must be supported by IGAD member countries and stakeholders until a long lasting peace and stability is achieved in Somalia.

The concern in the region regarding to peace and security and terrorist activities is not focused only on Somalia. Executive Secretary of IGAD, Eng. Mahboub Maalim on his part condemned the recent attack on tourists.

In a message delivered through a representative, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union Commission, Ramtane Lamamra said al Shabaab has been defeated in Mogadishu and Mogadishu is now under the full and effective control of the TFG of Somalia.

Source: Agencies

PM reshuffles cabinet and also departs for Italy

2012-01-27T13:16:00.001-08:00

Somali Prime Minister has on Friday made changes in his cabinet amd has replaced several state and deputy ministers. The reshuffle comes barely seven months to the end of the current administration paving way for a permanent government.

18 individuals were named to take over the positions of State Ministers and Deputies in a statement that was signed by the president of the Transitional Federal Government H.E Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and delivered to the press by the Somali Prime Minister H.E Abdiweli Mohamed Ali.

At the same time the Somali Prime Minister and a high level Somali government delegation departed for Rome, Italy to honour an official invitation from the Italian government.

Source: SONNA

Somali President, PM flew to abroad

2012-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

The president of the Transitional Fedaral government of Somalia, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and his premier Dr.Abdiweli Mohamed Gas have both flown to Ethiopia and Italy to attend meetings and share talks on Somalia with the officials in both countries, witnesses said on Friday.

High delegation led by the Somali president Sheik Sharif, flew to Ethiopia where the reports say that he would attend meetings on Somalia supposed to be held by the African Union and IGAD members.

On the other hand, Somali PM Abdiweli Mohamed Ali told reporters in the airport before his departure from the capital, Mogadishu that he would pay three-day visit to Italy, where he received a formal invitation.

Mr. Ali is likely to meet with his Italian counter part prime minister Mario Monti and Minster of interior, Anna Maria Cancellieri and other officials in the government to talk about the ongoing political process in Somalia.

Source:Shabelle

MP assassinated in Puntland

2012-01-27T13:12:00.001-08:00

Gunmen have shot and killed Somali MP Member of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in parts of Bari region according to reports from the region on Friday night.

Reports from Puntland administration say that armed gunmen ambushed the lawmaker and killed at Bargale village in Puntland where there had been attack murdered more of the high officials of the region.

It is unclear the grounds behind the killing of the legislator.

Reports indicate that the culprits carried out the assassinations against the deceased MP whose name shortened as Bile escaped.

It is unclear the reason of the killing so far.

Latest news from Puntland say that the security forces of the region started search operations to pursue the gunmen killed the lawmaker in the region on Friday night.

There is also no comment over the murder from the administration of Puntland except the operations reportedly going on in parts of Bari region where the MP killed hours ago, but the murder seems to be not the first one happen there.

Source:Shabelle

Presidents meet over Sudan oil row

2012-01-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

Sudan and South Sudan's presidents met for talks Friday hosted by an East African peace bloc, to resolve an oil dispute between the two former foes that is threatening fresh violence.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the former rebel turned South Sudanese President Salva Kiir met in the Ethiopian capital, a week after the South ordered a production shutdown, accusing Khartoum of stealing its oil.

The two met alongside regional presidents of the six-member Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the bloc's chair.

"We had informal discussions this morning to deal with the current crisis between the Republic of Southern Sudan and the Republic of Sudan," Meles said, without providing details of the discussions.

South Sudan and Sudan have been at loggerheads for months over the oil issue. This month, Juba accused Khartoum of stealing its oil, which must be exported through Sudan.

South Sudan split from Sudan in July, taking with it three quarters of the country's petroleum, but relies on the North to refine and export its oil.

Oil is the economic lifeblood for grossly underdeveloped South Sudan, accounting for more than 90 percent of its revenue.

Khartoum admits to taking some South Sudanese oil destined for export as compensation until an agreement over payment for use of the infrastructure is reached, but the South has said this is theft.

Talks between representatives of the two countries have been deadlocked.

Tensions were heightened this week when South Sudan's lead negotiator Pagan Amum said, "(we are) leaving no stone unturned until we catch these thieves, we will make them behave."

Source:AFP

Al- shabab beheads three civilians in southern Somalia

2012-01-27T08:25:00.001-08:00

Al-Shabab militants in the south-central Somali town of Masagaway have beheaded three people in what is believed to the largest mass execution carried out in Somalia by the Al-Qaida-linked group for months.

According to the residents, Al-shabab fighters have beheaded Friday three Somali teenagers in southern Somalia town of Masagway located in between Galgadud and Lower Shabelle region for suspicion of being spying for the Transitional Federal Government.

Reports say, two of the killed young boys were their bodies found this morning in the town with bullet wounds while the other one was believed to have been beheaded.

The executions have shocked the local people and sparked off fears among the youngsters in south-central Somalia. Witnesses said two of the executed boys have been traveling to northern Somalia.

The Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab group, which controls large tracts of south Somalia and parts of the central regions, has carried out similar executions before in the country.

Source:Shabelle