Negotiations are said to be taking place between pirates who have hijacked a cargo ship laden with weapons and the vessel's owners.

An official at Somalia's foreign ministry said talks between the owners of the ship and the pirates were happening but no other side were involved. The pirates are demanding £11m in ransom for the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast.
The pirates say the ransom will free the ship's 21 crew members - one of whom has died of an apparent heart attack - as well as its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition. The US Navy has said it wants to keep the arms out of the hands of militants linked to al Qaeda in Somalia, said to be a key battleground in the war on terrorism. A spokesman for the pirates denied reports of a deadly shootout and added that the captors had been celebrating Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Sugule Ali said: "We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating. Nothing has changed. We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout. "We are still surrounded by foreign ships. There is 24-hour surveillance, helicopters are flying overhead, but no action has been taken against us." "We are prepared for any eventuality." Andrew Mwangura, from the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the naval ships were being asked to pull back in a bid to pave the way for negotiations. "The pirates are paranoid, the situation is very tense in the ship," he said. There have been 24 reported attacks by pirates in Somalia this year, bringing them tens of millions of pounds every year. US Defence Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said officials were working on securing the region's waterways.

Ransom Rallies Reckless Ruffians

September 29, 2008: Piracy has become big business in northern Somalia. Local Somali warlords have figured out that foreign warships are only a problem if they catch you actually attacking a merchant ship. That is unlikely. So over a thousand Somali gunmen have organized themselves into about a dozen different pirate groups. Most of them are going after the heavy traffic going in and out of the Red Sea, through the Gulf of Aden. It appears that some of the pirates, equipped with a satellite phone, join Somali fishing boats, and call in if they spot a merchant ship travelling slow enough for the speedboats to catch, and without a lot of lookouts. The pirates then speed to the scene, try to catch up with and board the target ship. In the last week, two ships have been taken. One was a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of over 2,000 tons of weapons (including 33 T-72 tanks) to Kenya. The pirates promptly demanded $35 million for the ship, then lowered that to $20 million. As foreign warships closed in, the pirates threatened to sink the Ukrainian ship if anyone tried to take their prize away.
September 28, 2008: After three weeks, pirates released an Egyptian ship. The size of the ransom was not mentioned. On the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, seized on the 25th with its cargo of weapons, one of the 21 crew died (from stress and high blood pressure).The Faina is being held at the port of Hobyo, which is halfway down the east coast of Somalia. Hobyo has long served as a base for pirates. more..http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080929.aspx

Somalia: realities, options and consequences for Ethiopia

Before I move directly into writing about the current issues inside Somalia , I would like to first start by saying Congratulations to the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Forces (EPRDF) for their successful conclusion of the 7th organizational Congress held at SNNPR.

In December 2006, our forces intervened in Somalia to help the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and to crush the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that waged jihad on our country. Since then, after successfully completing our first mission, we have not been successful in our second mission of helping to pacify Somalia or at least allow the TFG gain a better hold of southern Somalia .

There were many mistakes made during the last nearly 2 years of Ethiopian intervention in Somalia . Some of these include the following five errors:

1. Underestimation of media influence in Mogadishu

One of the most significant blunders of our country’s intervention in Somalia was our underestimation of the Somali media in Mogadishu , particularly radios. During the last 17 years of chaos in Somalia , one thing that has flourished in Somalia was the private media. It has been a perfect “free” market, with each community and clans having various media outlets, they added fuel to the long civil war. Lacking government regulation, only America ’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bankrupt financial institutions have rampaged more inside an uncontrolled free market. The anarchy inside Somalia was mostly based on clan or sub-clan wars, and as expected the private media in Somalia was the exact replica of the clan arrangements and divisions. Just like each clan had its own militias and warlords, they also each had a media outlet or more. With the Hawiye clan dominating the politics in Mogadishu , it was typical that most of the media was owned by them in the area, particularly by the Habar Gidir sub-clan of the region. And since the ICU leader Sheik Aweys is from the Habar Gidir clan, as are most of the ICU fighters and supporters, the media superiority of the pro-ICU Habar Gidir of the Hawiye clan was multiplied exponentially, one example being Shabelle Media Network and co who have very significant audience on the ground in Mogadishu and surroundings. For this reason, the anti-TFG and anti-Ethiopia propaganda by these media outlets began since day one, with allegations of Ethiopian soldiers raping Somali women and TFG soldiers robbing businesses.

After those initial days of propaganda, the pro-ICU media outlets went on a campaign of fabrications and more anti-TFG propaganda. These media outlets did many things including
- Exaggerate ICU’s success
- Dehumanize “warlord” militias
- Fabricate Ethiopia ’s intentions
- Exaggerate the extent of the violence
When they exaggerated ICU’s success, it was both about the pre-war success and success during its ongoing war. The media outlets and ICU supporters did a good job of making ICU’s six month rule in Mogadishu appear like peaceful and heavenly. Even though, anti-ICU media outlets were banned, women rights were violated, people were executed and many fundamental rights of the moderate Muslim Somalis were denied, the ICU supporters did an amazing job of glorifying ICU’s short rule. This influenced not only Somalis but also the international community and international media who started to parrot and glorify the ICU’s “peaceful” rule. In addition to the violations by ICU mentioned above, the fact that ICU was only one or two clans based and that it was due to clash with Puntland and others were ignored by the international media and only the pro-ICU viewpoints were recycled. more..http://aigaforum.com/articles/Somalia_gemeda_092308.htm

Islamist Terrorist fighters wounded in clashes-spokesman

suspected Somali Terrorist insurgents have been injured in a clash with Somali government troops on Sunday night, according spokesman. The fighting reportedly broke out after the insurgents attacked at Sayidka checkpoint that government troops were guarding. The area that the attack took place is too close to the presidential residence. The spokesman of Al shabaab Terrorist (Raskamboni group) that carried out the attack Sheikh Dulyadein confirmed that for the injures of the six fighters but its yet unknown the government troop’s causalities although eyewitnesses say that there were more blood at the place the attack took place. The TFG troops have shelled with mortars on houses close to the location the attack took place where more than five were killed. Sources at Medina hospital say that more than 15 injured civilians were admitted the hospital. No further details on those clashes are available. Mogadishu has experienced heavy artillery shelling in the last nights.Warlordism, terrorism ,(TRIBILISM)(PIRATES ) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

Eid al Fitr tomorrow

The first day of Eid al Fitr is on September 30, the UAE's Moon Sighting Committee announced this evening, based on an official sighting of the new moon.The Islamic tradition depends on the sighting of a new moon as proof for the start of a new month and the end of the holy month of Ramadan..........Happy Eid every one .. from Terror Free Somalia Foundation ..happy eid (eid mubarak to you all) don't forget to open your heart to others in eid, forget, forgive, & share the joy

Saudi Arabia
celebrate Eid tomorrow
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=56656
kenya and UAE
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080929/NATIONAL/377518416/1040

Joint statement: Response to Somali pirates inadequate says international shipping industry

PIRATES IN SOMALIA THREATEN LIVES OF SEAFARERS AND THE SECURITY OF WORLD TRADEINADEQUATE RESPONSE BY GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR NAVAL FORCES IS UNACCEPTABLE SAYS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY

INADEQUATE RESPONSE BY GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR NAVAL FORCES IS UNACCEPTABLE SAYS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY
The international shipping industry (represented by BIMCO, ICS/ISF, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers' Federation) is dismayed by recent comments, attributed to leaders of the Coalition Task Force operating in the Gulf of Aden, that it is not the job of navy forces to protect merchant ships and their crews from increasingly frequent attacks from pirates operating out

The pirates are now attacking ships on a daily basis with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades, and currently holding over 200 seafarers hostage. The pirates are operating with impunity, and governments stand idly by.If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments would be very different. Yet ships, which are the lifeblood of the global economy, are seemingly out of sight and out of mind. This apparent indifference to the lives of merchant seafarers and the consequences for society at large is simply unacceptable.The shipping industry is utterly amazed that the world's leading nations, with the naval resources at their disposal, are unable to maintain the security of one of the world's most strategically important seaways, linking Europe to Asia via the Red Sea/Suez Canal.Since 9/11, the international shipping industry has spent billions of dollars to comply with stringent new security requirements, agreed by the international community to address concerns about terrorism. Yet when merchant ships - which carry 90% of world trade and keep the world economy moving - are subject to attack by violent pirates, the response of many governments is that it is not their problem and that ships should hire mercenaries to protect themselves.The arming of merchant ships, as suggested by the Task Force, will almost certainly put the lives of ships' crews in even greater danger and is likely to escalate the level of violence employed by the pirates. It would also be illegal under the national law of many ships' flag states and in many of the countries to which they are trading. The industry understands that military resources are stretched and that the Coalition Task Force is doing what it can, consistent with current rules of engagement provided by participating governments.But the international shipping industry, in the strongest possible way, urges governments to commit the necessary navy vessels now, and to ensure they have the freedom to engage forcefully against any act of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.Governments must issue clear rules of engagement to allow naval forces to intercept and take appropriate action against these violent pirates, and the oceangoing ‘motherships' from which the pirates are operating, as permitted by UN Security Council Resolution 1816, of 2 June 2008, and existing international law about the rights of States to repress criminal acts on the high seas.Governments must also ensure that these pirates and armed robbers, who are terrorising the high seas, are brought to justice in a court of law and are not allowed to resume their piratical activities unimpeded because of governments' unwillingness to take the necessary action.There should be no doubt that the situation is now so serious that major shipping companies, who are currently negotiating with charterers to avoid transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea/Suez Canal all together, will decide to redirect their ships via the Cape of Good Hope. This would add several weeks to the duration of many ships' voyages and would have severe consequences for international trade, the maintenance of inventories and the price of fuel and raw materials. This would also affect not just those countries to which cargoes are destined but all global seaborne trade, a consequence which, in the current economic climate, must surely be avoided.A repeat of the crisis in the early 1970s, when the Suez Canal was closed and shipping was similarly diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, must be prevented at all cost, thus this call for urgent measures now - today and not tomorrow!It cannot escape notice that the supply of consumer goods - the majority of which are carried from Asia to Europe via this vital sea lane - could be also seriously affected.The international shipping industry recognises that the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO), with whom it continues to liaise daily, has acknowledged the massive severity of the problem and has similarly implored the United Nations and the UN Security Council to ensure that appropriate action is taken. But far greater urgency is required by governments and their navies, particularly those in the Coalition Task Force who are in the best position to restore security to this critical trade artery.We need action, not words or rhetoric. What is at stake are the lives of merchant seafarers and the security of world trade. ENDSNotes:UN Security Council Resolution 1816, adopted on 2 June, permits States co-operating with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, for a period of six months, to enter the country's territorial waters and use "all necessary means" to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with relevant provisions of international law.The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 105, states ‘On the high seas, or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State, every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft taken by piracy and under the control of pirates, and arrest the persons and seize the property on board'. The rights of States to act against criminal acts at sea is reinforced by the IMO Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA Convention).Since 9/11, shipping companies and their crews have had to comply with the IMO International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, adopted in 2002, and various new cargo security requirements within the context of the World Customs Organization ‘SAFE Framework'. The cost of compliance, aimed at protecting the international community from the risk of terrorism, amounts to billions of dollars. Additional information about the most recent pirate attacks against ships off Somalia can be found at www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.phpGeneral information about the international shipping industry can be found at www.shippingfacts.comFor more details please contact:BIMCOPeter Grube pg@bimco.orgTel : +45 44 36 6800ICS/ISF (International Chamber of Shipping/International Shipping Federation)Simon Bennett simon.bennett@marisec.orgTel : +44 20 7417 8844INTERCARGORob Lomas rob.lomas@intercargo.orgTel : +44 20 7977 7030INTERTANKOBill Box bill.box@intertanko.comTel : +44 20 7977 7010 ITF Sam Dawson dawson_sam@itf.org.ukTel: +44 20 7940 9260International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:HEAD OFFICEITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DSTel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871Email: mail@itf.org.ukWeb: http://www.itfglobal.org/

Hijacked Ship's Captain Dies as Pirates Demand Ransom

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The captain of a ship carrying a cargo of battle tanks seized off the coast of Somalia died of a heart attack as the pirates demanded a $20 million ransom.
The death of the Russian captain, Vladimir Kolobkov, was announced by his second in command, Russian state broadcaster Vesti-24 reported on its Web Site today. It gave no further details. A spokesman for the pirates, Sugale Ali Omar, said one crew member had died from hypertension. more..http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=apbj3AxPXEGE&refer=africa

Growing menace

if international security is not already being threatened enough by hijacking planes in the sky, we have now a new threat to international order in the form of piracy on the high-seas.
It was thought that hijacking vessels was a relic of the past, but it is now beginning to resurface in the world at a time when regional and international security is increasingly breaking down in many parts of the globe.
The coast of Somalia, in particularly, has witnessed a surge in piracy; the latest being a Ukrainian-operated vessel seized by Somali pirates.
MV Faina’s cargo of combat tanks and other weapons was destined for a client in Sudan and not Kenya, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said yesterday.
Almost simultaneously, a Greek tanker carrying refined petroleum from Europe to the Middle East was also ambushed in the Gulf of Aden, according to news reports.
It comes as no surprise that the Somali coast is a piracy hot spot, with 24 reported attacks this year, as the war-torn country has had no functional government since 1991.
This means that the international community must act fast to nip this problem in the bud before it acquires added dimension and becomes widespread and fashionable.
The fact that the case of an Egyptian ship held hostage more than three weeks ago ended peacefully following extensive negotiations with the pirates, is no relief. Negotiating with pirates will only whet their appetite for more ransom.
The major powers that have fleets sailing the seas and oceans must be mobilised to combat this growing menace. Pirates must know that they cannot get away with their ransom demands.
International armadas should therefore be assembled under the UN flag to abort every act of piracy by force if necessary in order to show that crime on the high seas does not pay. There is every justification for international intervention, especially in maritime nations that lack a central government and are devoid of law and order, to prevent the use of their shores to attack international shipping. The UN Security Council must convene an emergency meeting for this purpose, especially at a time when the UN General Assembly is holding its annual session, in order to deal effectively with piracy from whatever source. Otherwise this crisis may escalate into a major threat to commercial shipping and travel and in the process undermine international trade.

7 killed in Mogadishu battles, Afgoye mayor assassinated

MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 29 (Garowe Online) - At least seven people including civilians were killed during overnight Sunday battles in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, while the mayor of a neighboring town was assassinated.
The violence started in the middle of the night after suspected insurgents attacked the Villa Somalia presidential palace and KM4 junction, which is a base for African Union peacekeepers.
Dahir “Laba Tinle” Ali, a Somali army commander, was killed inside Mogadishu’s Villa Baydhabo military compound after a mortar struck, witnesses told Radio Garowe Monday morning. more..http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_7_killed_in_Mogadishu_battles_Afgoye_mayor_assassinated.shtml

Third Greek vessel hijacked off Somalia

A third Greek ship has been hijacked off Somalia in just over a week, it was reported on Saturday, as the surge in the activity of pirates in the Indian Ocean continues.
According to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center, a Greek chemical tanker with 19 crew on board was seized on Friday after being ambushed, chased and fired upon. The ship, which was not named, was carrying refined petroleum from Europe to the Middle East.
Last week, the Merchant Marine Ministry asked the Foreign and Defense ministries to send a navy ship to the Indian Ocean to patrol waters as part of an international force already operating off Somalia after two Greek-flagged tankers were taken over by pirates

US circles hijacked ship with Sudan-bound weapons

MOGADISHU, Somalia - U.S. warships and helicopters on Monday surrounded a hijacked cargo ship loaded with Sudan-bound tanks and other arms to keep the weapons from falling "into the wrong hands," an American Navy spokesman said. more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080929/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_piracy

Ethiopia urges UN to deploy Somalia peacekeepers

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Ethiopia demanded on Monday that the U.N. Security Council deploy peacekeeping troops soon in neighboring Somalia, where a conflict has killed and displaced thousands of people since last year.
"We urge the United Nations Security Council to discharge its responsibility by deploying a peacekeeping mission in Somalia as soon as possible or, at least, to allocate the necessary resources to strengthen AMISOM," Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin told the U.N. General Assembly. more..http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29406072.htm

http://aigaforum.com/seyoum-un2008.html

PRESS RELEASE
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Converses with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin

http://www.ln.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/sps/194532FAA26E301DC32574D3004C83FF

Here We Go Again BBC

mostly Hawiye Pirates using western media.. BBC interviews http://www.bbc.co.uk/somali/news/story/2008/09/080928_markab_afduub.shtml

We Talk About al- shabaab terrorists using BBC

mostly hawiye pirates want $20M ship ransom; crewman dies

MOGADISHU, Somalia - As a heavily armed U.S. destroyer patrolled nearby and planes flew overhead Sunday, a Somali pirate spokesman told The Associated Press his group was demanding a $20 million ransom to release a cargo ship loaded with Russian tanks. more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080928/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_piracy

Pirate Ransom Helped Somalia Islamist Militants Seize Port

At least 3 dead, 15 injured in Ethiopia blast

At least three people have been killed and 15 injured in an explosion in eastern Ethiopia, as investigators scrambled to determine if it was an act of terrorism or an accident, police have said.
The blast occurred near a hotel in Jijiga, the capital of Ethiopia's eastern Somali region, federal police spokesman Demsash Hailu said.
"I suspect it is a terrorist action because we have some problems in this area," the spokesman said."But there is an investigation opened. We'll look into the matter to confirm if it is a terrorist action or an accidental explosion."
- AFP

US warship challenges Somalia pirates

The Howard, a heavily armed guided missile destroyer, was in place to monitor whether Somali pirates began offloading any of the MV Faina's 33 Soviet-type T-72 tanks or their ammunition, a US Navy 5th Fleet spokesman said.
He would not say what action was being planned to stop the pirates moving the cargo, which had been en route to Kenya.
A spokesman for the armed group which seized the Ukranian ship and its 25 crew said that the Faina was surrounded by three foreign warships, but he said his men were ready to fight to the death to protect their catch. more..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3097826/US-warship-challenges-Somalia-pirates.html

Hijacked ship captain: Crew member dead

The captain of a Ukrainian vessel loaded with tanks and weapons that was seized off the African coast says one crew member has died. more..http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/28/somalia.piracy.ukraine/

Ethiopia very concerned over level of piracy

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Saturday he was concerned by the seizure of a Ukrainian ship off Somalia carrying military supplies and feared they would be used to further destabilize the region.
Speaking before a meeting in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Zenes said piracy off the coast of Somalia was a "very hard problem" and he hoped the international community would respond.
"We are very concerned about the level of piracy on the seas. It is related to the instability in Somalia," he told reporters.
Somali pirates have demanded a $35-million ransom for the Ukrainian ship they had seized which was carrying 33 tanks, grenade launchers, ammunition and other military supplies destined for Kenya. more..http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2008/09/27/ethiopia_very_concerned_over_level_of_piracy/

Pirates seized a ship carrying 30 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and other weapons destined for Sudan. German police detained two suspected Somali terrorists on an airplane in Cologne. Senior al Qaeda operative Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is believed to be hiding in Tanzania.

International Medical Corps Offices in Somalia's Central Region Looted by Mostly Hawiye al- shabaab Terrorist ; Activities Suspended

Los Angeles, Calif. - Armed men identifying themselves as Al-Shabab Terrorist, a splinter group of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), invaded four International Medical Corps (IMC) offices in the Bakool and Bay regions of Somalia on Wednesday. Al-Shabab demanded keys to all offices and warehouses and in the subsequent two days looted IMC property from all four sites, including drugs, medical supplies, equipment and supplementary and therapeutic food intended for malnourished children. No IMC staff was injured during the course of these attacks. more...http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/218615/12224743156.htm

Pirates lower ransom demand to $5M

Pirates who seized a Ukrainian vessel loaded with tanks and weapons off the African coast have lowered their ransom demand to $5 million.Russia has sent this frigate to the Somalia coast following the hijacking of a Ukrainian ship. The pirates initially demanded $35 million and no military action, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association. They later decreased their demands for several reasons, Mwangura said. more..http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/27/somalia.piracy.ukraine/index.html

Somali pirates seize weapons-laden ship

http://www.startribune.com/world/29825434.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

Russian Warships Head To Intercept Pirates

Somalia's notorious pirates have staged perhaps their most brazen attack yet, seizing a Ukrainian ship full of arms, including 33 battle tanks, and a U.S. ship was in pursuit.
The ship was seized Thursday evening about 200 miles off the coast of Somalia, and it is feared that the heavy weapons could fall into the hands of insurgents who are wreaking havoc on a country teetering on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
The ship was carrying 33 Russian T-72 battle tanks, which were going to be offloaded in Mombasa, Kenya, said Andrew Mwangura, the program coordinator of the Seafarers' Assistance Program in Kenya. more..http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/26/world/main4481970.shtml

Somali pirates release Egyptian ship

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_East%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=nw20080927152423517C550336

How To: Take Down Somali Pirates

The U.S. Navy destroyer Howard continues to shadow the Ukrainian vessel Faina, which Somali pirates seized last week. Faina is loaded with around three dozen T-72 tanks and other weapons reportedly bound for Kenya. "Howard is on-station," Commander Curtis Goodnight, Howard's skipper, told a Navy reporter. "My crew is actively monitoring the situation." The destroyer has even established unspecified "bridge-to-bridge" comms with the hijacked ship more..http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/09/seals-option-fo.html

Statemant by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia Blue helmets should be deployed in Somalia, General Assembly told-

26 September 2008 – Somalia urgently needs a fully-fledged United Nations peacekeeping force to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country, the Foreign Minister of its Transitional Federal Government (TFG) told the General Assembly tonight.
Addressing the high-level segment of the General Assembly, Ali Ahmad Jama Jengeli said the deployment of a force of UN blue helmets would also help “create a secure environment for institution-building and socio-economic development.”
The UN-backed African Union Mission to Somalia, known as AMISOM, is currently trying to stabilize Somalia, which has been wracked by protracted war and humanitarian suffering since its last functioning national government was toppled in 1991. more..http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28316&Cr=general+assembly&Cr1=debate

Statemant by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/somalia_en.pdf

Somalia: Situation Report No. 38 – 26 Sep 2008

least 80 civilians died and more than 100 others were wounded during the week after African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) troops were attacked by insurgents in Mogadishu. According to reports from the two main surgical referral hospitals in Mogadishu, at least 110 wounded people were admitted in three days. The number of those wounded is suspected to be higher as reports are so far unavailable from other hospitals and clinics in Mogadishu. Others may have been unable to access facilities due to intense fighting. The fighting was triggered by the landing of two aircrafts at Mogadishu airport on 19 and 20 September in defiance of a ban imposed by Al Shabaab two weeks ago on use of the airport. The districts most affected by the fighting were Hodan, Hawl Wadaag, Waaberi and Wadajir where livelihood activities were disrupted as people fled for safety more.http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EDIS-7JUKWZ?OpenDocument

Pirates from Somalia seize weapons ship

NAIROBI: Somalia's notorious pirates have staged perhaps their most brazen attack yet, seizing a Ukrainian ship in the Indian Ocean full of weapons bound for Kenya's military, including dozens of battle tanks, maritime and diplomatic officials said Friday.
Somalia's long coastline is infested with pirates who have been striking with increasing impunity, grabbing everything from sailing yachts to oil tankers. They then usually demand millions of dollars in ransom for the ships and their crews. more..http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/26/africa/pirates.php

Kenya-Somalia-Border Kenya tightens security along border with Somalia

jubbaland state (Somalia) – Kenya has tightened security along the border with Somalia by deploying a large number of troops there, a border town official told APA.Ahmed Mohamed Yusuf very well known as Burkuus, the chairman of Somalia’s border town of Beled Hawo jubbaland state of somalia jubbaland state spokesman said al-Shabaab plans to take over Jubbaland state . Ethiopian and Kenyan territories .ever since al shabaab take over port city of Kismayo, the third-largest city we have been Getting ready to attack al shabaab AND ONLF stronghold of kismayu.. we have to liberty Jubbaland territory from al shabaab and ONLF . We requested more troops from Ethiopia and Kenya to reinforce. Jubbaland state army ,3000 jubbaland army now in Training in Dolow Ethiopia will come back soon. he said hundreds of Kenyan security forces have been deployed along the border between Friday night and early on Saturday morning.Mr. Burkuus said that this troop movement coincides with two days after when Somali bandits snatched a car from Kenyan border town of Elwaq and crossed with it into Somalia.Mr. Burkuus told APA on Saturday that Somali authorities in the region have succeeded to arrest the militia who robbed the car and were ready to hand it over to Kenyan authorities.Kenya announced the closure of its border with Somalia in December 2006 to prevent Islamists who were defeated in Somalia from interring Kenya, but crossing has been permitted since.Sourse APA .. A group called the Harakat Ras Kamboni, which is linked to Shabaab and ONLF military commander Sheikh Hassan Turki, took credit for a mortar attack against African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu. The attacks claimed 15 lives; another 30 were wounded. Somalia has been rated as the most corrupt country in the world.

newly formed JUBBALAND ARMY prepares to retake po...

Analysis: Somalia crisis stalemated by Ethiopia

NAIROBI, Kenya — After nearly 20 years of violent chaos, Islamic extremism and failed peace talks, impoverished Somalia might seem to have hit rock-bottom. But things are getting worse. The crisis is exceeding even the direst scenarios laid out nearly two years ago, when troops from neighboring Ethiopia arrived to oust a radical Islamic militia and support the Western-backed government.
The troops, whom many Somalis consider an occupying force, are seen by some as a catalyst for the violence rather than a cure.
"The nature of the crisis is much more dangerous now," Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert at Davidson College in North Carolina, told The Associated Press. "The level of indiscriminate violence is worse than at any time." more..http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080926/af-anl-somalia-analysis/

Ethiopia.Ministry of Foreign Affairs BIG LIE ! (A Week in the Horn )(26.9.2008) Al-Shabaab Terrorist attacks on Kismayo and AMISOM

A Week in the Horn (26.9.2008) Ethiopia is Not Ready for War terrorism . it is Time to Rethink role for Ethiopia war on terror on Horn of Africa.. we demanding the Apology from Ethiopian government . calling Somali MP A warlord ... one who was front in the war on terror.

ANALYSIS-Insurgents take upper hand in Somalia

NAIROBI, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Nearly two years after being driven from Mogadishu, Islamists have re-taken swathes of south Somalia and may have their sights again on the capital.
The insurgents' push is being led by Al Shabaab, or "Youth" in Arabic, the most militant in a wide array of groups opposed to the Somali government and military backers from Ethiopia, an ally in Washington's "War on Terror".
"Shabaab are winning. They have pursued a startlingly successful two-pronged strategy -- chase all the internationals from the scene, and shift tactics from provocation to conquest," said a veteran Somali analyst in the region. more..http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LM516857.htm

Ethiopia.Ministry of Foreign Affairs Should Read this story Before publishing (A Week in the Horn )(26.9.2008) The Real Truth is Kismayu falls into the hands of al shabaab Terrorist with ONLF because TFG and Ethiopian . government corruption.and misunderstandings in the TFG at the highest level.. KISMAYU authority mostly the Marehan clan jubbland state somalia. Alliance with TFG Control the city.they support TFG ... .There have never been any TFG and Ethiopian forces in jubbaland Region . city of Kismayu.. Lack of Resources and Discrimination against mareehan tribe from the ruling government .Contribute fall of the city In the hands of terrorists,

Al Qaeda-linked Shabab in control of southern Somalia
Barre Hirale steps up campaign against islamists
newly formed JUBBALAND ARMY prepares to retake po...
Somalia: MP's Militias Start Maneuver Against Islamists
al- shabaab Terrorist official addresses residents of seized southern port city
al- shabaab Attack AU Troops in Mogadishu
Al shabaab Terrorist establish jehadist administr...
Corpses litter Somali port
Al Shabaab Terrorist Capture Kismayo Again
Scores killed in Somali clashes
al- shabaab Suffers its Biggest Defeat in kismayo
Plans for a new state between the Juba River and t...
Top AL SHABAAB LEADERS visits kismayu
Powerful explosion targets AMISOM troops in Mogadi...
Condemnation of genocide in Kismay city (jubbaland state of somalia)

One Hawiye al shabaab Terrorist with German born in Somalia's terrorist suspects arrested on plane in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police boarded a Dutch airliner at Cologne airport on Friday and arrested two men suspected of planning to take part in terrorist attacks, a spokesman said.
The police spokesman identified the suspected Islamist militants, on a KLM aircraft about to take off for Amsterdam, as a 23-year-old Somali and a 24-year-old German born in Somalia's capital Mogadishu."It all went off in quite an unspectacular manner," he told Reuters television more..http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE48P2M520080926?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

German commandos arrest two terror suspects on aircraft: police
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080926/ts_afp/germanyattackspolice

AU decries attacks against peacekeepers in Somalia

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union on Friday decried increased attacks against its peacekeeping mission in war-torn Somalia and warned that it would not sit back and watch as their positions come under attacks by the insurgents. Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, the AU Special Representative for Somalia Nicolas Bwakira said AU peacekeeping mission (AMISON) is not in Somalia to engage the local insurgents in military confrontation but to restore normalcy in the Horn of Africa nation. "This week has witnessed unprecedented attacks on AMISOM positions. These attacks were preceded by a spate of similar hostilities to our troops a week earlier during which we lost two of our solders while four sustained injuries," Bwakira told journalists in Nairobi. ..more..http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/26/content_10117850.htm

Pirates capture Ukrainian ship carrying tanks..military cargo "including about 30 T-72 tanks".

Somali pirates have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying at least 30 tanks and some Russian crew, a maritime group said on Friday, and Russia announced it was sending a warship to the region to combat piracy.The UN World Food Program said Canada had also extended its vital naval escorts of food aid shipments for another month.Pirates have captured more than 30 vessels off Somalia this year, making its waters the most dangerous in the world and threatening a globally important shipping lane between Europe and Asia. The gangs seek, and often get, large ransoms. The East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said the Ukrainian ship seized on Thursday was carrying tanks. Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine also said the ship, under a Belize flag, had a military cargo "including about 30 T-72 tanks". more..http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/26/2375796.htm

Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7637257.stm

Russia navy to combat piracy off African coast

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's navy has sent a warship to Somalia's coast to combat pirates and will mount regular anti-piracy patrols in the area, a navy spokesman told Russian state television on Friday."In the future the Russian navy will send its ships on a regular basis to zones where there is a danger from maritime piracy," navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told the Vesti-24 television station.He said one Russian warship left its base on the Baltic Sea on September 24 heading for the area off Somalia's coast to tackle pirates operating there

Kidnapped aid workers in Somalia are Japanese, Dutch: diplomat

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Two aid workers kidnapped this week in the east of Ethiopia, and currently being held in Somalia, are a doctor from Japan and a nurse from the Netherlands, a diplomat said Thursday. MORE..http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080925/world/somalia_unrest_ethiopia

First ship docks in Terrorist AL-SHABAAB & ONLF -held Somali port

KISMAYU, Somalia, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A cargo ship from Kenya docked at the rebel-held southern Somali port of Kismayu on Thursday, the first to do so since Islamists took over the strategic city a month ago, local leaders said.
The arrival of the vessel from Mombasa, with 17,000 bags of sugar, is an indication of how the Islamist insurgents may use Kismayu as a trade corridor and source of supplies. MORE..http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnLP708309.html

Terrorist Apologists HAWIYE somalia PM says doors open for insurgents to join peace talks

MOGADISHU, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein on Thursday said insurgent groups that have not been part of the peace talks between the Somali transitional government and the opposition can still join in the national reconciliation process. more..http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-09/25/content_10111628.htm






Somalia: Leaders Disagree On Reconciliation Approach





President Yusuf has maintained his hardline ..We do not negotiate with terrorists


http://allafrica.com/stories/200802270909.html

Death toll rises after attacks in Somalia

SOMALIA: ISLAMIST INSURGENTS have launched a series of deadly attacks on African peacekeepers in the Somali capital as they made good on their promise of increased bloodshed during the holy month of Ramadan.Witnesses said at least 11 civilians were killed after gunmen attacked an African Union (AU)base on Tuesday. Peacekeepers responded with tank and artillery fire.In all, some 42 people are believed to have died during a fresh round of violence in Mogadishu this week as peacekeepers find themselves targeted by Islamist groups which are growing in confidence. more..http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/0925/1222207747326.html

Somalia: MOSTLY HAWIYE Jihadists (AL SHABAAB) deliver on promise of more bloodshed during Ramadan

Somalia Jihad Update. "Death toll rises after attacks in Somalia," by Rob Crilly for the Irish Times, September 25:SOMALIA: Islamist insurgents have launched a series of deadly attacks on African peacekeepers in the Somali capital as they made good on their promise of increased bloodshed during the holy month of Ramadan.Witnesses said at least 11 civilians were killed after gunmen attacked an African Union (AU) base on Tuesday. Peacekeepers responded with tank and artillery fire.In all, some 42 people are believed to have died during a fresh round of violence in Mogadishu this week as peacekeepers find themselves targeted by Islamist groups which are growing in confidence. more..http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022837.php

Hawiye Terrorist Abdurahim Issa Addow claims Somalia’s Islamic courts have collapsed

jehadist Abdurahim Issa Addow, the spokesman of the Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC) has rejected a statement from a senior Islamist militia leader that UIC no longer exists in Somalia and has been replaced by more determined Islamist groups more..http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/474568/-/148ugf6z/-/index.html

U.S. navy tanker under apparent pirate attack off Somalia

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday it appeared pirates had tried to attack one of its big military oil tankers. A security team aboard the vessel opened fire on two small boats near Somalia after they ignored warnings and pursued the ship, a U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman said."From all appearances it does look like it was a pirate attack and the incident is currently under investigation," he said by telephone from Bahrain. more.http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080924/ts_nm/us_somalia_piracy_navynews

Pirate Ransom Helped Somalia Islamist Militants Seize Port

Somali Pirates Turn Route to Suez Into `Most Dangerous' Waters

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Fishing for tuna in the Indian Ocean 420 miles from the Somali coast, Captain Patrick Helies figured his trawler was far enough out to be safe from pirates.
It wasn't. On the night of Sept. 13, Somali brigands attacked, hitting his French-flagged ship with two rocket- propelled grenades. Helies and his crew of 25 outran the smaller pirate boat in choppy seas without injury or significant damage. MORE..http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a4bUANT487Ms&refer=news

Ugandan troops has been under Insurgents attack by mostly hawiye al shabaab Terrorist overnight in mogadishu

Islamist Terrorist insurgents firing grenades attacked Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu, killing at least 15 people and injuring a dozen others in the crossfire, residents and officials said on Tuesday night. The overnight fighting came a day after Alshabab Terrorist leader Terrorist Moqtar Robow “ Abumansur” said that rebels would continue to attack foreign troops including the African Union peacekeeping force. "we will attack the (enemy) hurried up to our country” Robow .

A new Terrorist group called Ras Kamponi and Ras Aseyr and the UIC separately claimed the responsibility for the attack. A contingent of 1,600 Ugandan peacekeepers and 600 Burundian troops, known as AMISOM, has been unable to stem mounting violence in Somalia. Islamists Terrorist have routinely attacked Somali and Ethiopian troops since the Islamic Courts movement was ousted from Mogadishu in a short war in late 2006 and early 2007. Last weeks, insurgents killed two Ugandan soldiers and injured five more. Kampala sent troops to the Somali capital in March 2007 to help bolster the struggling Somali government. Residents said two mortars killed eight people and wounded five others in the attack. Stray mortars killed a further people near Bakara market, witnesses said. "Mortar shells from Ugandans killed all these people as Terrorist Islamists were fighting from the gate of our building," witness Yusuf Mire told Shabelle by phone from KM4 area where the fighting erupted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habar_Gidir

Peacekeepers targeted in Somalia

Thousands of people have been fleeing renewed fighting between African Union peacekeepers and Islamist insurgents in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
The peacekeepers, who came under heavy attack for the third day running, said they had to use unusually tough measures to repulse the insurgents.
A local human rights worker told the BBC that up to 18,000 people had fled.
At least 45 civilians have died since Monday in some of the worst violence Mogadishu has seen in months. ,more ..http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7632823.stm

UPDF clashes with mostly hawiye al -shabaab Terrorist insurgent

MOGADISHU - Six bodies were recovered in the Somali capital Mogadishu yesterday, bringing the death toll to 13 in overnight clashes between Ugandan peace-keepers and Islamist rebels, according to the French press agency AFP. At least seven civilians were killed earlier as heavily-armed insurgents attacked the peace-keepers’ base in southern Mogadishu on Tuesday night. “Six civilians, one of them a young girl, died near a school in Bakara overnight. The victims were trying to take cover from the falling shells,” said resident Abdiaziz Mohamed Dirie. more..http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/651358