Ethiopia has been working in collaboration with the USA in the efforts to ensure peace in Horn of Africa

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Ethiopia-USA military ties, which are based on common understanding and benefit, date back long. Meles, here on Wednesday, discussed with Theresa Whelan, the US deputy assistant secretary of defence for African affairs. The premier said on the occasion that Ethiopia has attached prime attention to its military relations with the USA. Ethiopia has been working in collaboration with the USA in the efforts to ensure peace in Horn of Africa, he said Meles Zenawe stated that he is sad on the multiplied insurgency in Somalia as his troops in the country are face heavy insurgency from Islamist fighters fighting against their presence and the transitional government. The negotiation under way in Djibouti among Somali parties to bring about lasting peace in that country is well in progress. However, he said, the situation in Somalia has not been improved as expected. Hence, a meeting should be called in Kenya on the issue, and members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) should give recommendations. Ethiopia will also keep on contributing its share to ensure stability in Somalia. Theresa, on her part, said the US government appreciates the role Ethiopia plays to

Somalia has been at war since 1991, The Horn of Africa nation has been plagued by chaos and clan-based civil war since when hawiye Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATESM ,(TRIBILISM) 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

The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament said on Thursday The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament said on Thursday that Russia could resume a naval presence in Yemen.
Authorities in the Middle East country are calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval base in the former socialist state of South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen. Speaking to journalists in Sana, the capital of Yemen, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said the new direction of Russia's foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request. "It's possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered," he said. He also said a visit to Russia by the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, could take place in the near future and that the issue of military technical cooperation could be raised during his visit. A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet is currently en route to Somalia at the invitation of Somali authorities to fight piracy off the Somali coast together with warships from other countries. Somali pirates recently hijacked a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, carrying at least 33 tanks and other heavy weaponry. Six U.S. warships are currently surrounding the Faina. Pirates are also active near the Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden, where they seized a Panamanian tanker in September. Mironov said Yemen feared that groups associated with the al-Qaeda terrorist movement might be hiding in the Somali region, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline, and could later expand their activity in the Arabian Sea with its busy oil tanker routes

Deadline for Stolt Valor ends, India to patrol Somali coast

New Delhi, Oct 16: As the deadline issued by Somalian pirates on the crew of hijacked Japanese vessel Stolt Valor expired, the Indian government on Thursday decided to deploy its warships to patrol in the Gulf Of Aden along the African coast. The pirates had issued an ultimatum of 48 hours on Tuesday to pay ransom of USD 2.5 million to free the 18 Indian sailors onboard the hijacked ship. However, the owners of MT Stolt Valor announced today that there is no deadline or threat issued by the hijackers. Earlier, Defence Minister A K Antony had categorically ruled out an offensive in the high seas, saying that the government was banking on negotiations to resolve the crisis. It had prompted angry families to ask if authorities were even considering ransom as a final option. Meanwhile, Seema Goyal, wife of captain of the ship Prabhat Goyal, said that the “inhumane” pirates could do anything. Therefore, she appealed to the owners as well as the government to look seriously into the matter to get the negotiations on track. The Japanese vessel, carrying 18 Indian crew members, was hijacked off the Gulf of Aden, almost a month ago. Even though the Indian government has maintained that it has sought international help to end the hijack drama, no action has been taken so far. Koreans releasedSomali pirates today released 21 crew members they kidnapped last month from a South Korean ship, the foreign ministry in Seoul said. The eight South Koreans and 13 Myanmar nationals were captured on September 10 when their 15,000-tonne cargo ship was seized off the coast of Somalia.