Djibouti president visits IDPs in Mogadishu (Pictures)

Djibouti’s president Ismail Omar Guelleh on Tuesday visited Badbado refugee camp in Mogadishu.During his visit to the Somali capital, the president was accompanied by several high ranking government officials including his Foreign Affairs minister, Mohamud Yussuf, and members of Djiboutian parliament.

The visiting president told drought displaced people in Badbado camp that they will soon be free from drought and famine related crisis ravaging the country.President Guelleh donated over 13 tonnes of medical aid and 27,000 sacks of nutritious supplies for the severely malnourished children in the camp.He urged other African leaders and the world to urgently respond to the famine crisis in Somalia and save the lives of millions of starving Somalis in the country. Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed accompanied Mr. Guelleh to the camp.While in Mogadishu, the two leaders held talks in Somalia’s presidential palace, Villa Somalia..MORE  Pictures,

hidden agendas towards Somalia: (somali warlord 2.2) Warlords Re-Emerge in Mogadishu / A Who's Who Look at Somali Hawiye Warlords

Adolf Hitler of Africa Malez Zanawi is behind this ongoing atrocity Famine in Somalia. ...and also Ethiopia's Ogaden region 

updateon Ethiopia's betrayal and hidden agendas towards Somalia: (somali warlord 1.1) Flash forward about a 20 years. Warlords Re-Emerge (2.2) in Mogadishu  and Alternative Approaches to Pacifying Mogadishu

With the withdrawal of militant Islamist group al-Shabaab fighters from Mogadishu, a power vacuum has emerged in their former strongholds. Unless Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and African Union peacekeeping forces, known as AMISOM, quickly establish control, locals fear that warlords will once again ignite a new era of clan warfare.

After the fall of military Honourable Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia plunged into a fractured conflict where warlords and clans divided up territories. The era of the Mogadishu warlords was ended by the Islamic Courts Union, which in 2006 seized control of the capital only to be removed shortly after by an Ethiopian invasion. The ensuing insurgency and Ethiopian occupation, followed by the African Union peacekeeping mission that props up the government, helped keep a lid on the warlords.

However, these men have not gone away, and most have retained their forces while working with the government in some capacity. The fear now is that they may come out of hibernation with new territory up for grabs.

“The warlord alarm bell began to ring when the insurgents fled Mogadishu; in fact they were only 100km from the capital when people started worrying if warlords would emerge or clan warfare might begin,” Mohamed Khadar, a former military intelligence official told terror free somalia..

The recent decision by the president to declare a state of emergency for the positions vacated by the insurgents and IDP camps in the capital has generated speculation that warlords might try to position themselves as the leaders of those areas or that 'junior' or 'new' warlords might try and establish clan militias.

“The fall of al-Shabaab came with the help of junior warlords who either directly or indirectly were involved or connected with the government and the military,” Col. Abdikadir Muse, a TFG military official, told terror free somalia..

He added that some junior warlords have their own freelance militias that have been used by government forces, blurring the lines between pro and anti-government forces.

“They can organize their militia as both government forces and clan militia,” explained the colonel.

Analysts and residents worry that if the warlords reawaken, clan rivalries could hinder government efforts to restore peace to areas vacated by al-Shabaab, as they have proven their capabilities in recent clashes.

“Territories recently seized by the government forces were overwhelmed by clan militia and this has impressed the military leaders,” Mohamed Isse, a political analyst in Mogadishu told terror free somalia.

The question if warlords can or will fight to regain their status of being a powerful elite in Mogadishu despite TFG-AMISOM attempts to maintain security remains. African Union officials have long privately expressed concern that the loose alliance of government forces could fall apart as the warlords break free, with some even calling it a bigger concern than al-Shabaab. However, one AU official said that the warlords would have to face a formidable force should they return to their old ways.

“Al-Shabaab has confirmed that its fighters could not continue with conventional warfare against TFG and AMISOM forces before pulling out from the capital," an African Union peacekeeping official told Somalia Report on the condition of anonymity. "That is what clan militias and warlords could not face if they try to replace al-Shabaab."

The United Nations Representative of General Secretary for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, hinted about the possible return of warlords as a power unless government and AMISOM force maintain and secure the positions left by the insurgents.

However, Muse Sudi Yalahow, a former warlord and member of parliament, said on state-run radio station said that warlords did not intend to replace the militants.

“We are lawmakers in the parliament and we do not wish return as a power to challenge the government," he said.

Amongs the most well-known Hawiye warlords are:

- Mohamed Omer Habeeb is a former Mayor of Mogadishu who belongs to Abgal, a subclan of Hawiye. He oversees a force of 400 clan militia based in the northern parts in Mogadishu.

- Yusuf Mohamed Siyad (Indha-Adde) belongs to the Ayr, a sub clan of Habargidir of Hawiye clan, and is a former warlord in the Lower Shabelle region. He was promoted to general in the Somali military and has a strong force of about 400 to 500 clan militia in the southern parts of Mogadishu. His militia is paid for by the government and are considered government forces, although General Yusuf has rejected offers from the government that his militia formally join TFG forces.

- General Abdikarim Gacma-dulle, belongs to Wa’eysle, a sub clan of Abgal clan of Hawiye, and is a former militia leader in the northern parts of Mogadishu. His 500-700 strong militia fought in Shibis, Karan and Abdi-aziz districts in the northern parts of Mogadishu alongside TFG and AMISOM forces.

- General Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid belongs to the Sa’ad sub clan of Habargidir of Hawiye and is a former police commander with about 500 clan militia under his control that mainly serve as TFG police. The general is a former aide of General Mohamed Farah Aideed and is known for his antagonistic views against al-Shabaab. He also fought against the Islamic Courts Union in 2006.

- Mohamed Qanyare hails from Murunsade, a sub clan of Hawiye, and is currently a lawmaker. He was a warlord but lost his militia and does not appear to be willing return to lead a clan militia. In an interview, he said that just he has four AK-47 assault rifles for his safety.

- Abdi-nuure Siyad belongs to Ayr, a sub clan of Habargidir of Hawiye. His militia of 150-200 men has the ability to mobilize to fight for clan positions in Mogadishu's northern positions in the Huriwaa, pasta factory and Suukha Hoolaha.

- Yusuf Hagar (Daba-geed) belongs to Hawadle, a sub clan of Hawiye, and is a former warlord in Hiran region with a powerful armed militia of approximately 700 well-armed men. He receives logistical and training support from Ethiopia. Hagar struggles with evicting al-Shabaaab from Hiran.

Somali Northern Warlord

so call Somali-land an illegal entity being created by a particular clan (Isaaq) in order to serve personal interests, and as a proxy being used by foreign powers (mainly Ethiopia) in order to keep Somalia divided and weak.

 update The ICG Report and its negative implications for Somali Unity

SSC Wire tapped Warlord Siilaanyo & Entire SNM Mafia leaders : One-Clan secessionist Enclave. aka Somaliland Politicians: Lack of Sensitivity and Political Acumen

U.S intercepts ship suspected of carrying weapons for Al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab

The U.S Navy has intercepted a Somalia bound Yemeni cargo ship carrying weapons suspected to be for Somalia’s Al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militia.Somalia consulate in Yemen said the cargo ship en route from Yemen to Somalia coastline ended up in the hands of U.S Navy at the Gulf of Aden.The Somali consul Hussein Hajji Ahmed said U.S navy opened fire on the ship after the ship captain defied Navy orders to stop the vessel but later surrender to the United States navy.He added that the ship is suspected of carrying military supplies for the Al-Shabaab militia in Somalia, a clear indication that Yemeni Al-Qaeda supports the militia in terms of weaponry.Ahmed said investigations into the issue are currently underway.He urged the Somali government to boost security along the country’s coastlines and seek supports from the neighbouring countries in making sure that no arms are illegally smuggled into the country through the coastal areas.The U.S has recently received critical information suggesting that Yemeni based Al-Qaeda network provides weapons and other military necessities to Somalia’s Al-Shabaab insurgents fighting the Somali government.

Al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab Redeploys Fighters to Gedo Region (Jubaland region on Ethiopia and Kenya's border with Somalia)

Al-Shabaab Fighters (File Photo)

Al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab started on Monday to re-deploy their fighters from districts in Bay region to their frontlines in Gedo after facing increased military pressure from Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and the pro-government militia of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ).

The insurgents dispatched at least 100 fighters to two districts in southwest Baidoa, specifically the villages of Qansah Dhere and Ufurow, according to local residents who spoke to Somalia Report on the condition of anonymity.“We saw cars and fighters leaving the district and heading towards Baidoa to join the fight in Gedo region," said a resident of Bay region. "The militias took their weapons including AK-47 rifles and artillery with them."The chairman of Qansah Dhere, Mohamed Abdi, and Ufurow's leader, Shiekh Abdiyow, were among those dispatched today, sources told Somalia Report.A local resident confirmed the main target of the militant group is Bohol-Bashiir town near Luq district where they were recently fought against pro-government forces.

Scott Pelley of CBS Evening News :Interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State

Interview With Scott Pelley of CBS Evening News Interview Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC August 11, 2011 QUESTION: Thank you, Madam Secretary

The Interview :part  regarding Somalia

QUESTION: What are your concerns about al-Shabaab in Somalia?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I have many concerns about al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group. Al-Shabaab has been particularly brutal, even barbaric, to the people under their control, even before this famine has so devastated the Somali people. Al-Shabaab has imposed the worst kind of punishments for what they consider to be violations of their particularly perverted, distorted view of Islam. And so they have posed a threat to the United States and to our friends and neighbors. They were behind an attack in Kampala, Uganda because Uganda has been very important in our efforts to try to beat back al-Shabaab, and we’ve made progress, thanks to an organized African effort supported by the United States and others.

But what we’ve seen in recent weeks just beggars the imagination, Scott. I mean, it’s one thing to have a view of religion that is so brutal and totally at odds with anything that anyone else believes, but it’s something entirely different to prevent women and children from getting to a place where they could be saved, where the children could be fed, where women wouldn’t be watching their babies die in their arms. And we have seen no indication that al-Shabaab has a heart. This is Ramadan. If there were ever a time for a group that claims to be adhering to their own form of Islam – they apparently don’t know what Ramadan means, because they are doing nothing to assist the international community or even on their own to assist the people that they control.

And I’ve called on them and their leaders to show some mercy and some compassion. We can get back to squaring off against one another after we save the lives of women and children. So far, we’ve seen no evidence that they’re willing to do that.

QUESTION: Is the United States Government aiding the training of anti-Shabaab militias in Somalia?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, the United States Government helps to fund the AMISOM Mission, and the AMISOM Mission has made the difference between clawing back territory from al-Shabaab and losing all of Somalia to this terrorist group. So we have, for a long time, supported African troops under an African mission to work with the Transitional Federal Government that is in place in Mogadishu. And I have seen progress over the last two and a half years. I met with the head of the TFG in Kenya in August of 2009 and --

QUESTION: The Transitional Federal Government.

SECRETARY CLINTON: The Transitional Federal Government. Look, they have a long way to go. They are only learning on the job, so to speak, about how to govern. Somali-Americans have gone home to Mogadishu to try to help prevent this perversion that al-Shabaab practices from destroying their country.

But Somalia has been in turmoil and living with violence for a very long time now. We all remember, first, President George H. W. Bush and then President Clinton trying to help the Somali people in the early ’90s. And it was a very terrible incident with our soldiers being killed and mistreated. So the world, for a number of years, said, “Look, Somalia is just too violent, too complex. We cannot deal with it.” And at that time, there was a lot of – it was mostly an inter-clan conflict.

But what we’ve seen in the last several years is the rise of al-Shabaab, which proudly claims some affinity with al-Qaida, which tries to work with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. And so this then became a direct threat to us, not just a tragedy on the ground in Somalia, but a threat to not only the United States but the rest of the world.

QUESTION: In addition to the African Union forces, are we supporting or providing training or providing the money for training of other militias inside Somalia?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think we’re doing what we can to support Uganda and others who are part of the AMISOM Mission to do what they need to do to help not only beat back al-Shabaab, but to help train an indigenous Somali force to stand on its own against al-Shabaab.

QUESTION: And training is integral to that?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Of course it is. I mean, part of the challenge is making sure that people are trained to use equipment, to know how to engage in the kind of warfare to deal with the threat of suicide bombers. I mean, there’s a lot that has to be learned. It’s – it is certainly welcome that people would want to stand up and fight for their family and their country, but they need to be able to know how to do it.

QUESTION: When you see these pictures that are coming out of the famine emergency, what do you think?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Right. Well, it just breaks my heart because there is no doubt that some of this is the unfortunate consequence of weather patterns, of drought. But I would say most of it is because of bad policies and bad people, and that’s what really upsets me.

An act of God is an act of God. You deal with an earthquake, you deal with a tsunami. But there is so much more we could do to help in this, and we’ve tried to. We fund something called the Famine Early Warning System Network. It gave us an indication last year that a famine was on the way, and not just because of weather patterns but because of violence, because of conflict, because of inaccessible areas to be able to provide support. So we pre-position food. And we’ve worked with the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya. We’ve certainly worked to support the UN and both American and international NGOs. But then you see these pictures and you know how many people are dying because they can’t get help where they are, because you have this terrorist group, al-Shabaab, that has no regard for the lives of the people in the areas they control.

QUESTION: How is the United States responding to the emergency?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think we are responding very effectively in the face of a very large challenge. We’re by far the largest donor, over $550 million that we have put into trying to help save lives. We’re not only providing emergency foodstuffs – particularly what is needed when you’re terribly malnourished and you can’t eat whole food; you have to have nutritional supplements – but also we’re helping with water, we’re helping with sanitation and healthcare, we’re trying to vaccinate people so that there are not epidemics in the refugee camps. We’re supporting Kenya, which has been an extremely gracious host to hundreds of thousands of Somalis who have come over their border over the last years because of the fighting there. And we’re working with the Government of Ethiopia.

But at the same time, Scott – and I want to emphasize this because the American people are very generous and we do respond to tragedies and natural disasters – we have to change the trajectory here. And so what we did from the very beginning of this Administration was to say, look, we are the best at responding to food disasters. The United States is the major supporter of the World Food Program. We’re there with food. We set up this early warning system. We are great at responding to disasters.

But we’ve got to do more to change the underlying conditions. So we started a program called Feed the Future, which represents the best thinking in agricultural productivity, in nutritional supplementation, in marketing of food, everything that goes into what makes for greater self-sufficiency. And Ethiopia and Kenya are two of the countries we’ve been working with over the last two and a half years. What are policies that need to be changed at the governmental level that encourage more food production?

And the last time there was a famine in Ethiopia – I’m old enough to remember, the pictures were very similar to what you’re showing – it affected 12 million people. This year, this famine is affecting about 5 million in the area. Now, 5 million is still an unacceptably high number, but it’s a big improvement because we’ve worked with both farmers and pastoralists to try to help them do more to sustain themselves – drought-resistant seeds, for example, better irrigation techniques and the like. So it’s not just that we’re responding to the emergency, first and foremost. We’re also trying to change the underlying conditions.

QUESTION: Last question: You mentioned the United States has contributed more than half a billion dollars --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.

QUESTION: -- to this emergency in --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.

QUESTION: -- the Horn of Africa. Some reasonable people would say this is a terrible, terrible tragedy, but we can’t afford that.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well --

QUESTION: And I wonder what you would say to them.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I would say look at these pictures. And the one thing that Americans are so well known for, not only through our government but through our religious faith-based institutions, through private charities, through individual giving, is our heart. No matter what anybody says about us anywhere in the world, people have to admit that when there’s trouble anywhere, Americans are there. We’re there to help, and we’re there to do the very best we can to try to alleviate suffering. That’s part of the DNA of the American character. We certainly can afford to do what is necessary now.

Obviously, we’re all having to tighten our belts in this tough budgetary climate, but I have the great honor of heading the State Department and USAID, our two civilian agencies that – we don’t carry weapons; we carry food and we negotiate treaties, we try to help governments get better. It’s an insurance policy both against tragedy happening, but it’s also our way of responding when the inevitable – because given human nature, we’re going to face these kinds of terrible calamities – that we show who we are as a people. And I would hate to think that our country would ever back off from that.

press release: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Hussein Arab Issa departure to Ethiopia

In a press release, it sent to terror free Somalia. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Hussein Arab Issa departure today, to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

according to the Somali ministry of defense discussion will  include humanitarian , regional issues and focusing on security.  

The press release also pointed out that in his departure to Ethiopia,  Issa   said, “I am very pleased to be visiting Ethiopia.  The Somali  relationship with Ethiopia is strong, and it based on numerous shared interests and values. 

Somalia and Ethiopia are working closely together on regional security, and I commend Prime Minister Meles for the positive role he is playing . Somalia and Ethiopia can continue to work together to strengthen stability in  Somalia and  an effective response to the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa.Isse siad

Abdirahman Warsame

terror free Somalia

South Africa and Tanzania not ready to recognise One-Clan Secessionist Enclave So Call Somaliland . Somalia Must remain in a single country according to the foreign ministers of Tanzania and South Africa..

Pretoria - South Africa and Tanzania are not yet ready to recognise Somaliland and believe it should not be split off from Somalia, according to the foreign ministers of Tanzania and South Africa.This emerged following bilateral talks between Tanzanian foreign affairs minister Bernard Membe and South Africa's international relations and co-operation minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane in Pretoria on Saturday.Membe said that he would be meeting a delegation from Somaliland within the next two weeks, but would not comment on the details of the talks until they had happened.Both Membe and Nkoana-Mashabane said they would prefer to see Somalia remain as a single country.Nkoana-Mashabane said: "Somaliland at the moment in our memory is part of Somalia. We do not want to encourage the disintegration of countries. For now, in line with the AU, we are not in the business of not disbanding, dismantling and dismembering countries."In May Somalia's breakaway Somaliland state celebrated 20 years since it split from the rest of Somalia.

To date no country has officially recognised the former British protectorate in the north of Somalia despite the fact that it has enjoyed relative stability unlike the rest of Somalia which has been plagued by famine and war.

Referring to Somalia, Membe said the growing threat of piracy was a concern.

He said that in the past year there had been 27 attacks by Somali pirates on ships destined for the country's main port of Dar es Salaam. The additional security required to protect shipping was pushing up the prices of consumer goods.

- SAPA

  

Here are some background

Somalia is the only country in Africa in which the population have a common language and religion and who are ethnically and culturally  the same

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist aka Somali-land an illegal entity being created by a particular clan (Isaaq) in order to serve personal interests, and as a proxy being used by foreign powers (mainly Ethiopia) in order to keep Somalia divided and weak

Secessionist Somaliland and Al Shabaab two faces of the Same Token (Al Shabaab Puzzle!)

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist Somaliland's SSC Occupation is a Threat to Peace in the Horn

One-Clan secessionist Enclave. aka Somaliland president is on the path of a war criminal

One-Clan secessionist Enclave. aka Somaliland Agenda and its Inherent Vulnerability

The Myth of Somaliland aka One-Clan secessionist Enclave

Regarding Somalia: A False Narrative Persists

There is a popular narrative regarding Somalia that no successful humanitarian operation can be conducted there. Like all narratives, this one exists to tell a complex story in simple terms; as with most narratives, the Somali version holds a mixture of fact combined with myth.  The reality is that in 1993, the worst famine in Somali history was ended by a muscular humanitarian relief operation that ended the crisis in four months. Subsequent events overshadowed the success; but the truth be told - hundreds of thousands of lives were saved.
Narratives can be useful, but they become dangerous when serious journalists buy into the mythic portions and their stories become part of the debate. This is the case in a Washington Post article on 20 July of this year that stated - “In 1992, hundreds of thousands of Somalis starved to death, prompting a U.S.-led peacekeeping force to intervene. Within months, the force was engaged in an intense operation to uproot Somali warlords. It eventually withdrew after 18 American soldiers were killed in a battle the following year, an incident portrayed in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”
The statement is simply wrong, and this kind of sloppy reporting only muddies the debate.
OPERATION RESTORE HOPE lasted from 9 December 1992 to 4 May 1993. The U.N. sanctioned, U.S. led operation succeeded through a deft combination of negotiations and intimidation, to protect the delivery of millions of tons of food and other relief supplies. By April the famine crisis was over, and the U.S. turned over operations in Somalia to the United Nations.
Black Hawk Down, formally known as the Battle of the Black Sea Market, occurred nearly four months later on 3 October, 1993. It was the climax of OPERATION CONTINUE HOPE, the U.N. mission to restore governance to Somalia. It did indeed fail, and American led forces evacuated the U.N. Staff and Peacekeeping force in early 1995.
Today, the problem is similar. The Somali famine if the early nineties was bad, but there were adequate relief supplies available among the U.N. and private aid organizations. The disaster was caused by the actions of Somali clan militias that were hijacking the supplies and using them for their own gain.
The Americans succeeded in RESTORE HOPE through a combination of skilled negotiations and overwhelming, if very precise, firepower. Its success was not rocket science. I was involved in the planning for RESTORE HOPE and involved in the fighting in CONTINUE HOPE that led to the Blackhawk Down disaster. I can assure the reader that they were two very different operations.
In RESTORE HOPE, the U.S.-led coalition sent a simple message to the clan leaders using public diplomacy and skilled negotiations led by Ambassador Robert Oakley, an old Africa hand much respected by the Somalis. The ground rules were clear. Anyone impeding the relief effort by armed force was going to die. The clans agreed to this. When rouge elements within any given clan violated the rules, they got evaporated. However, in the Somali cultural tradition, once the shooting stopped, Oakley and his Marine Corps counterparts would sit down with the clan leaders involved, and explains why it happened and what could be done to prevent a recurrence. The mission was simple; “stop the dying and set conditions so it won’t start again after we leave”.
Unfortunately, the CONTINUE HOPE follow-on mission was more open-ended. It started out to be a peacekeeping mission, but a theory evolved that only the re-imposition of a stable central government could prevent future humanitarian disasters. The sentiment, while noble, was poorly thought out. The U.N. lacked the resources and the will for such a long term undertaking. To make matters worse, the U.N. planners failed to include the powerful Somali clans as part of the process and ignored the cultural nuances associated with conducting operations in Somalia.
The Somali narrative that grew out of CONTINUE HOPE is wrong, but it persists and it has done much damage. It paralyzed the Clinton administration from taking strong actions to prevent the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia. The situation in Somalia today is similar to that of 1992. Today, the al Qaeda franchise al Shabab has replaced the clans as the source of the crisis as their fighters are blocking aid eforts. We don’t need an American led force to protect the aid. An African Union led force backed up by attack helicopters and fighter bombers from any neighboring Gulf State could ensure aid shipments, but blind adherence to the narrative is not helping the debate.
Gary Anderson, a retired Marine infantry colonel,  is an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Relations, and has contributed chapters to two academic studies of the Somalia interventions

The ICG Report and its negative implications for Somali Unity

In its report No.110 titled Somaliland: Time for African Union Leadership1, the International Crisis Group (ICG) urges the AU to take the initiative in helping “Somaliland” achieve its quest for secession from the rest of Somalia by granting it an observer status as a prelude to eventual full recognition. This report contradicts the principles of the organization that stands for the objective analysis and prevention of conflicts. It also raises disturbing questions as to its timing. The report was published on the 23rd of May 2006; 5 days after some regions of “Somaliland” celebrated the anniversary of their unilateral secession from the rest of Somalia after the chaos that engulfed the whole country when the central government collapsed.

The 32-page ICG report is full of irrelevant legal arguments and precedents for the dismemberment of a homogeneous country of Somalia. The report unfairly compares Somalia to States that have disparate ethnic groups and irreconcilable historical animosities. The ICG argues, “Since the end of the Cold War, new states have emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia, and Asia has witnessed the birth of East Timor. In Africa, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, and the African Union has agreed in principle that southern Sudan may also become a state if its people so decide in 2011”. The report ignores the homogeneous nature of Somalia and the nomadic character of its population who defy artificial borders in their search of green pastures for their livestock. The report brushes aside the potential disintegration of the Somali State into multiple tribal enclaves including “Somaliland” itself, which has a delicate tribal balance. The report also ignores the tight economic integration among the different Somali regions as clearly outlined in the article “Icons of Somali Unity2: Invisible to foreigners like Professor Jhazbhay”.

It seems that the ICG has unwittingly allowed itself to be dragged into the murky politics of Somalia and has been partial in this sensitive issue that can by far create more anguish in Somalia if not handled with care and wisdom. This essay attempts to alert the world to the ICG’s unprecedented interference in the affairs of a sovereign State that is trying to nurse itself back to health. It is counterproductive for the international community to spend millions of dollars on reconciliation conferences in rebuilding Somalia while allowing a small group such as the ICG to dismantle the Somali State. This is a prelude to upcoming report that will undoubtedly unravel the irrelevant legal arguments and inapplicable precedents used in the ICG report in favor of “Somaliland” recognition.

Most observers believe that Mr. Matt Bryden, the ICG Horn of Africa Project Director, who is a well-known sympathizer of “Somaliland” recognition, has influenced the contents of the report. It is public knowledge that Mr. Bryden is biased and cannot be relied upon for an objective analysis of the Somali crisis. For example, he regularly attends functions that support the recognition of “Somaliland” such as the conference held by the Somaliland Policy & Reconstruction Institute, SOPRI3 in Los Angeles in June of 2005. Many observers also believe that he played a decisive role in leaking the contents of the current report to organizations and individuals working for the dismemberment of Somalia. This bias and questionable conduct is clearly illustrated by a ‘roundtable’ style meeting held on Thursday 9th March 2006 at the House of Commons, and organized by Somaliland Focus (UK). Dr Steve Kibble, a member of Progressio, a Christian charity that is active in “Somaliland”, chaired the meeting. The minutes4 of the meeting states, “ICG is increasingly interested in Somaliland. Report due this month, which will recommend action in the direction of recognition”. This statement evidently confirms that the ICG deliberately collaborates with other organizations in their efforts to partition the Somali State.

Before joining the ICG, Mr. Bryden used to decry foreign meddling in Somalia’s affairs. The following is an excerpt from one of his briefings titled “New Hope for Somalia? Building Block Approach”, that was published in the March 1999 issue of the journal “Review of African Political Economy – Vol. 26 No. 795”.

“Somalis may be forgiven if they have become wary of foreign help in putting their shattered country back together. Since the absurd colonial dismemberment of the Somali nation between five sovereign states, external involvement in Somalia has ranged from the mediocre to the disastrous. The anemic preparations by the British and Italian governments for Somali independence and statehood, the enthusiastic support of both cold war blocs in the training and armament of the small country’s security services and armed forces, and the United Nation’s ruinous attempts at nation-building are notable benchmarks in a long history of foreign meddlers – some of them sinister, some benign, others simply incompetent – but all of them ultimately unsuccessful.”
Mr. Bryden unwittingly portrayed himself and the ill conceived efforts of the ICG accurately in the above paragraph. They are foreigners lobbying the AU to contradict its own rules, and dismember one of its own members, Somalia. They are behind a mediocre report that undermines the unity of the African Union in general and the Somali Unity and Sovereignty in particular. Hence, in Mr. Bryden’s own words, their efforts will ultimately be unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, Mr. Bryden is right on one regard, that the Somalis do not trust foreigners when it comes to critical issues that affect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of their country. Somalis, regardless of their regional affiliations have been wary of the ICG since it published its first report on Somalia in 2003. The current report reveals the ICG as an advocacy group that dedicated its work in Balkanizing Somalia, rather than as an impartial analytic group that generates reports on potential international conflicts.

It is a well-known fact that Africa has suffered and still suffers the pains of the colonial intrusions in its affairs. In the post colonial era, hired mercenaries helped stage bloody coups in many African countries and caused untold suffering to the African people. These foreigners are unfortunately nothing short of modern day mercenaries who employ subtle tactics to divide and rule Africa. Most Africans can interpret the efforts of the ICG to divide Somalia as a long-term agenda to dismantle the Sudan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other Sub-Saharan countries.

The ICG report references a recent article6 by Dr. J. Peter Pham, “Strategic Interests: Facing Reality in Somalia”, World Defense Review, in which the author recommends that the US recognize “Somaliland” as part of its strategy to fight global terror. The ICG report argues “A vocal minority of Somalilanders, including some communities along the troubled border with neighboring Puntland (North East Somalia) and a violent network of Jihadi Islamists favor unity”. This reckless statement supports the arguments detailed in Dr. Pham’s article. Unfortunately, some naive Somalis are unsuspecting participants in this ugly campaign to dismember their country as part of the global war that many Muslims believe is being waged against Muslims all over the world. The on-going bloodshed in Mogadishu seems to be part of that strategy. One of the warlords of the so called coalition against terror in Mogadishu, backed and funded by the US, is unwitting participant in this strategy as he recently called for the recognition of “Somaliland” using coarse language and depicting it as a parasite.

It also seems that the ICG is very selective in its calls for the dismemberment of sovereign states. The search for ICG reports on the violent struggles of the Basque and the Northern Ireland people to secede from Spain and Britain respectively, two thorny issues that affect Europe, surprisingly produced no results. Similar searches for crisis reports on the Oromo and Western Somalia (Ogaden) armed struggles for self-determination unfortunately also failed to produce tangible results. This indicates that the ICG regards the “Somaliland” issue as a threat to world peace and stability even though there are more dangerous secession based conflicts that rage in this world and deserve the attention and resources of the ICG.

It is ironic that the only report about Somalia by the ICG in 2006 calls for the dismemberment of the country instead of tackling the serious conflicts raging in Mogadishu and the problems posed by the continuing lack of a strong government. The world has acknowledged that the lack of strong central government in Somalia poses more serious threats to world peace and stability. Pirates roaming lawless Somali coasts continue to threaten international shipping lanes. However, the ICG chose to ignore these critical issues and devotes its resources to an issue that can be resolved peacefully by Somalis themselves when they emerge from the chaos engulfing many parts of their country. The ill-advised calls of the ICG to divide Somalia can only worsen the situation on the ground and escalate tensions in areas that have so far escaped the mayhem raging in Mogadishu.

The most disturbing element in the ICG report is its attempt to drag the AU into playing a role in the dismemberment of its member state. The report cites a classified report by an AU mission to the North and quotes liberally from that classified report of the mission that supposedly recommends AU membership for “Somaliland”. However, they consistently fail to tell the world that mission has violated the territorial integrity of Somalia by embarking on such undertaking without the consent and the clearance of the Transitional Federal Government, the TFG, which has been recognized as the only legitimate government in Somalia by the UN, the EU, the Arab League and the AU. The alleged mission confined its visits to areas whose inhabitants include those that are sympathetic to the secession. Northern Somalia is not limited to Hargeisa, Burao, Berbera, Sheikh and Borama. There are many cities whose inhabitants do not support the secession and the mission failed to dignify those cities with a simple visit. The deliberate failure of the mission to include these regions in its itinerary raises disturbing questions that need to be answered by the AU itself. However, the most disturbing fact is the ability of ICG and other “Somaliland” sympathizers like Professor iqbal Jhazbhay to get hold of the classified report while the TFG is completely in the dark as to its contents. We leave it to the AU to explain this deliberate manipulation of its resources in order to destroy a member state in contravention of the core mission of the AU itself.
It is counterproductive for an international organization that boasts on its Board of trustees’ illustrious names like Wesley Clark and Zbigniew Brzezinski, and purportedly works on the prevention of conflicts, to call for break up of homogeneous people whose problems can be solved through peaceful conflict resolution efforts, diplomacy and targeted development aid as rewards for democratic achievements. It would be more appropriate for such an organization to work on stopping the bloodshed in Mogadishu and to call for the support of the fledgling TFG, which declared many times that the issue of the North, will be solved through negotiation and dialogue. A peaceful solution can be reached once the TFG manages to bring peace and stability to the South. The ICG report clearly smacks of bias on the issue of “Somaliland” and its attitude can only lead to the further aggravation of the catastrophe on the ground. Mr. Bryden’s proposal that is embraced by the ICG could very well lead to a serious crisis and a dire strife that could drag the peaceful North into the quagmire of South.
We therefore call upon IGAD, the AU, the UN and the well-meaning sponsors of the ICG to intervene and help the Somali people put an end to these counterproductive reports that are being spewed by the ICG on Somalia and to ask the organization to discipline those responsible for such divisive reports that can aggravate the Somali impasse. These kinds of reports only add insult to the injury and promote further hate among the Somali people.
Omar Ali Haji
Nura K. Ali Qarshe & Tima-Ade International Center

Email: qarsheic@gmail.com   via  boocame

News round-up: Famine in Somalia --Somalia PM orders aid protection, UN Humanitarian Chief Meets Famine Victims in Somalia.Somalia wants humanitarian force to guard food convoys, Turkey has launched a massive aid campaign,Turkish delegation arrives in Mogadish .Kuwait Red Crescent increases relief efforts in Somalia. Saudi physicians Come to Mogadishu. Canadians respond to Somalia disaster

Somalia wants humanitarian force to guard food convoys

UN Humanitarian Chief Meets Famine Victims in Somalia

Somalia's prime minister has announced the creation of a special force to protect convoys delivering aid to people affected by drought and famine.Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said the force would comprise 300 trained men, helped by AU peacekeepers who are currently providing security in Mogadishu.He was speaking after talks with UN emergency relief coordinator, Valerie Amos, in the Somali capital.Some 12 million people are affected by drought in the region, the UN says.Mr Ali said the force would have two main jobs: "Number one is to secure the convoys and to protect food aid, and also to protect the camps when food is distributed," he said."Second is to stabilize the city and to fight banditry and looting and any sort of untidiness."Mr Mohamed Ali's use of the word "untidiness" was something of an understatement: Mogadishu was until a few days ago divided in two, with the Islamist insurgent group, al-Shabab, occupying several districts.It has now withdrawn from most parts of the city, but has vowed to keep on fighting the transitional government.

'Scaling up operations'

Security has improved in Mogadishu, although pockets of resistance remain.After their meeting, Baroness Amos said the improvement in security meant the UN could intensify its relief efforts in the region."We are scaling up our operations in Mogadishu," she said. "UNHCR [UN High Commission for Refugees], for example, has had three flights come in this week"Unicef [UN Children's Fund]has had flights come in. The World Food Programme has had flights come in.But the aid operation in Somalia still faces huge challenges. Most of the famine-affected areas are still controlled by al-Shabab, which has often been reluctant to cooperate with international agencies.

Canadians respond to Somalia disaster

 Third cargo plane of Turkish aid takes off for Somalia

 Turkey Red Crescent representatives 

Turkish delegation arrives in Mogadish

A delegation from Turkey on Sunday arrived in Mogadishu ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit to Somalia on August 18.
The Turkish team are said to be preparing grounds for the arrival of the Turkish Prime Minister who is expected to visit Somalia together with his spouse Emine Erdogan.
Somalia’s interior and national security minister Abdisamad Ma’alim Mohamud and other government officers have received the visiting Turkish delegation at Adan Ade airport.
Head of disaster mitigation in the office of the Prime Minister Cusmnaa Nuurit Bechtash leading the Turkish team visiting Somalia said their trip is part of their effort in responding to drought and famine related crisis in Somalia.
He added that a Turkish cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid for the needy people in Somalia is expected to dock in Mogadishu tomorrow.
Somalia’s interior and national security minister Abdisamad Ma’alim Mohamud also revealed that the Turkish delegation came to prepare grounds for the arrival of the Turkish premier in the next few days.
Erdogan is expected to return to Turkey on August 19.
Turkey has launched a massive aid campaign to help efforts to fight hunger in eastern Africa where the World Food Program estimates that 10 million people already need humanitarian aid.
Donations collected by Turkish Prime Ministry and Religious Affairs Directorate reached 54.1 million TL in a campaign launched to help African countries.
The U.N. Children’s Fund estimates that more than 2 million children are malnourished and in need of lifesaving action in the region.

Kuwait Red Crescent increases relief efforts in Somalia 

 
 Kuwait Red Crescent representatives with Somalia pm Abdiweli Mohamed Ali
Saudi physicians Come to Mogadishu'

Saudi medics provide free medical service in Mogadishu

Doctor from Saudi Arabia on Sunday provided a free medical service to the needy people in Mogadishu.
Dr. Abdalla Al-Amri who is among the Saudi doctors offering the free service in Banadir’s Mother and Child department said they are sacrificing their time to help the needy people with their services.
The Saudi doctors are said to be responding to the current drought and famine related drought in Somalia, where tens of thousands are facing starvation.
Meanwhile the head of Banadir Hospital’s pediatric department Lul Mohamed Ahmed said diarrhea is becoming life threatening in Mogadishu, saying that over a hundred patients with diarrhea came to seek treatments in the hospital for the last few days.

Two Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers died and two others were injured

At least two Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers died and two others were injured when government forces fought with the pro-government ogaden clan  militia Ras Kamboni in Dhobley district late Thursday, residents said. The fighting, during which both sides used heavy artillery and machine guns, erupted after government troops attempted to free jailed TFG soldiers from a police station in the center of the district, which Ras Kamboni controls. “TFG soldiers attacked the police station, trying to free some of their soldiers,” one resident told terror free somalia . “ogaden clan Ras Kamboni fighters defended themselves; in the end top TFG officials arrived in the area and mediated.”Another resident in Dhobley, who spoke to terrorfree somalia  on condition of anonymity, said the fighting was based on a clan rift between the Marehan and Ogaden clans. The two sides are fighting over who will get to control the Lower and Middle Juba regions, provided they can seize them from militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.“Most of TFG soldiers are Marehan clan, and all Ras Kamboni fighters are Ogaden, so there is a long-standing conflict between the two clans based on the ownership of the two regions” he said, “But they are fighting for what is not in hand, because al-Shabaab is still controlling those regions”.Meanwhile, tension is high in El Wak district of Gedo region, after a misunderstanding between two TFG factions over tax collected from traders. Locals told terror free somali  that the two sides are close to fighting.The government has made gains in border regions, and is hoping to push al-Shabaab harder after the insurgent group's departure from Mogadishu, but splits between the collection of militias and clans that make up the pro-government forces in the area could threaten this plan.

Interior Minister General Abdilahi Jama Ilkajir.Minister of Security Colonel Khalif Isse opened training for 300 police recruits

Puntland Police Trainees

Senior officials from Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland today officially opened training of 300 police recruits at the Police Academy in Armo district of Bari region.During the highly organized ceremony, the new recruits were told to serve their homeland and fight against terrorists, pirates and human traffickers.The new trainees were recruited from across all the regions of Puntland, according to Puntland Interior Minister General Abdilahi Jama Ilkajir.Minister of Security Colonel Khalif Isse Mudan said that they are confident these new police recruits will improve the security of Puntland and warned the threat from al-Shabaab is still high. He also stressed the need for closer cooperation between the police and the Puntland community to prevent terrorist attacks "Puntland is on the path of peace, development and state building," said the Minister Ilkajir during the ceremony. He also he praised both Puntland police and military forces for their role in defending the region's security."The Puntland people are brave people. They want to defend their existence and statehood at any cost. We defended our territory from numerous allied forces since 1991...today we want to defend against the sinister enemy of al-Shabab and we will do it," the minister told recruits.Minister of Finance Farah Ali Jama also promised that salaries and bonuses would be paid monthly payment.

Netherlands extradites wanted Somali man to US

update

Terror suspect to face charges in St. Paul

Update on Somali - American terror suspect Mohamud Said Omar loses extradition fight.Dutch High Court Approves Extradition

The Netherlands has on Friday extradited a Somali national to the United States where he was wanted on terror charges, says report.Netherlands Justice Ministry said they extradited Mr. Omar on Thursday at the request of the American authorities. The ministry did not give his full name.Omar was arrested at the request of US authorities in November 2009 when he was staying at a centre for asylum seekers at Dronten in the north of the country.The United States suspects him of financing arms purchases for “young terrorists” from Somalia living in the US state of Minnesota, public prosecutors said at the time of his arrest.Omar is also suspected of helping the youths from Minnesota to join training camps of Al-Shabaab rebels in Somalia in 2007 and 2008 to take part in the group’s war against the government.He was remanded in custody after his arrest in 2009 and transferred to a detention centre pending a decision on the extradition request.Prosecutors say Omar lived in Minneapolis before leaving the United States in November 2008. He went to The Netherlands a month later asking for asylum.

Hate Us on Facebook! Somali Militants' Bizarre Social Media Campaign

MOGADISHU — The messages were mostly texted, in broken English: "welcome to islam o unbeliever. i am abu mansur al'amrica from america. I am a member of al shabaab in somalia..."Barigye Ba-Hoku has received hundreds of text messages like this. Until April, the Ugandan soldier was the spokesperson for the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). His contact details were widely available — so daily, he got dozens of threatening messages from the al-Shabaab Islamist terror network against which Amisom is fighting.Al-Shabaab propagandists have become fairly well-known since the beginning of the famine catastrophe in Somalia, in large part because the organization — which controls large parts of central and southern Somalia — is refusing to let United Nation aid groups into the country.

Those shut out include the UN World Food Program, the largest distributor of food aid in the world. While some organizations like Doctors Without Borders are tolerated in certain areas, and others go about their work despite the danger to their lives, al-Shabaab is denying the patently evident: that about half of Somalia's population — 3.2 million people, according to the UN — need life-saving emergency aid.

(See TIME's photoessay "Government Forces Lay Claim to Mogadishu.")

In the last few weeks alone, 29,000 children under the age of five have died. Last week, the UN officially declared famine in three further regions. Unimpressed, al-Shabaab (shabaab means "youth" in Arabic) continued its propaganda that UN aid organizations have to be kept out so as to prevent them from pursuing their "political agenda."

Several of the group's spokesmen have, since the start of the famine, given interviews to American TV channels. "There's a drought, but no famine," Sheikh Ali Dhere told PBS, adding that a famine could be dealt with by Somali companies and communities.

At around the same time, another spokesman, Ali Mohamoud Rageh, was telling journalists at a press conference in Mogadishu that the latest reports from the "so-called United Nations" were "100% a lie."

Cooperation with al-Qaeda since 2008

As more and more Somalis reach the conclusion that al-Shabaab is responsible for mass deaths from famine, the terrorists are cranking up their propaganda machine. Since 2008, the group has been cooperating with al-Qaeda and taking pointers from the latter's propaganda arm, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF).

Al-Shabaab's war tactics have not only become more "professional" as a result, so has their ability to manipulate the masses. Foreign extremists have brought them valuable equipment that their "al-Kataib" propaganda arm uses to produce videos and audio clips that they force Somali radio stations to broadcast.

On the ground in Mogadishu, Die Welt was shown burned car tires on a street near the front by Amisom soldiers. "Al-Shabaab burned them and then claimed that the smoke came from Amisom rocket attacks against civilians," Amisom spokesman Ba-Hoku said."They also dressed some of their dead fighters in civilian clothes and exhibited them to the press, saying they were civilian casualties." However, one genuine Amisom offensive in 2008 did draw criticism, also from Amnesty International, for the alleged death of 21 civilians. Among the casualties were some religious figures.

Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, which was responsible for Amisom soldiers at the time, claimed that Amnesty International had been "misled by al-Shabaab and its supporters": saying only one Muslim cleric had been killed, and only because he was resisting.In such cases, the truth is very difficult to determine. The press is not free in Somalia any more. Even the UN-supported transitional government, which controls about half of Mogadishu, arrests journalists for allegations of spreading false information.Al-Shabaab takes more drastic measures against journalists reporting news it disagrees with: according to the human rights organization Reporters without Borders, more journalists are killed in Somalia than in any other country on the planet.Particular pressure is applied to radio stations — the major medium in structure-poor countries like Somalia. The biggest station in the center of the country, Radio Jowhar, got paid a visit in late June by three al-Shabaab officials.The terrorists threatened to take over the station unless it broadcast only information that was favorable to al-Shabaab. Radio Jowhar ended up capitulating, and now also broadcasts a daily hour-long program produced by al-Shabaab.Systematically, al-Shabaab leaders use other channels to recruit new members, such as emotional speeches or DVD presentations at religious assemblies. The propaganda is mostly produced in English so as to reach as wide an audience as possible.The organization is even active on Facebook. Although the social network platform forbids content that incites violence, Islamic groups get around that. Al-Shabaab, for example, set its page up as the "Al-Kataib Media Foundation" and uploaded its videos there.The page has been taken down, but that won't stop them: the content will be copied onto a new page and become available online again. Time

Terrorist Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad replace Terrorist Ahmed Godane aka Sheik Mokhtar Abu-Zubeyr

 Breaking news: Somali-American From Washington dc Area terrorist  Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad  originaly from  break away tribal enclave Secessionist of so called Somaliland  has been promoted to  become new leader of shabaab, replace  Al-Qaeda link Al Shabab terrorist groups  leader terrorist   Ahmed Godane aka Sheik Mokhtar Abu-Zubeyr also from Somaliland Region of Somalia  According to very credible sources, Kismaayo24. Al-shabaab leadership change as sign of weakness. source also said Ahmed Godane   will replace Fazul Abdullah Mohammed and  will be responsible Foreign Relations & al-Qaeda's connection . Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad is  a close relative of Ahmed Godane he is one of the founders of al-shabaab.

We'll give you more details as they become available

Al-Qaeda-Linked Islamist Group Al-Shabaab left total Destruction My old Neighborhood Bar fiat area which was part of shibis ditrict of mogadishu the capital city of somalia,Hotel Global and Luujino National Basketball Arena

More pics from neighborhoods vacated by the Al Shabab fighters in Mogadishu Sunday, Aug, 7, 2011

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