Tuesday, April 30, 2013
A Parade of Al-Shabaab jihadist terrorists militants in Baraawe Somalia. Helicopter Gunship out of Service do the sequestration.
Photo taken on 29/4/2013 9.45am
These trainee jihadist terrorists militants and their mostly hawiye elders in coming months, will put significant militant efforts to destabilize Somalia.
They will also deploy across the region and engage in terrorism.
Somali Region Executes 13 Al shabaab by Firing Squad
Terror Free Somalia Exclusive Pictures :6 of 13
An official in a semiautonomous region of Somalia says the government has executed 13 al -shabaab prisoners, including a woman.
Abdifatah Haji Aden, Puntland's military court chairman, said the prisoners were executed by firing squad on the outskirts of Bossaso, Puntland's commercial hub, on Tuesday. Aden said one soldier who helped carry out the execution died after being struck by an errant bullet fired by a colleague.
Six of the prisoners were convicted for the murder of Ahmed Abdirahman, a religious leader killed by gunmen in December 2011. The other seven were convicted of various other crimes, mainly targeted killings.
Puntland, in northern Somalia, has escaped the decades of conflict seen in the country's south and central regions. But Puntland has seen attacks and assassinations against government officials. abc
Islamic Terrorists On The Run But Not Yet Done
April 30, 2013: Somalia has a population of about 11 million (including over half a million refugees in neighboring countries) but over 70 percent of those Somalis are not under the control of the new central government. The two statelets that comprise northern Somalia broke away from Somalia in the 1990s to form Puntland (2.5 million people) and Somaliland (3.5 million). The other half of the Somali population is in the south where the southernmost portion, containing 1.5 million people, is trying to establish itself as the independent statelet of Jubaland. Somaliland is suffering from increasing clan warfare while Puntland has been split between those who back (and profit from) the pirates, and those that don't. The pirates have become much weaker in the last year because the international pirate patrol has prevented most attempts to capture ships. Without the large ransoms, most pirate gangs have disbanded. While Somaliland has signed a deal for a foreign firm to explore for oil off the coast, all these independent minded parts of Somalia are interested in forming some kind of federation.The Somali government has been negotiating with Puntland, Somaliland and the clans of Jubaland to establish a federal form of government where the regions would have a lot of autonomy. In return the central government would provide muscle to help control bandits and warlords throughout the country. The central government also controls most of the foreign aid coming in. All this is not that compelling for many clan leaders, who are accustomed to having no government at all ordering them around. For nearly all the last few thousand years the clans answered to no one except for the occasional empire builder. European colonial powers arrived in the 19th century and established central government that didn’t really take; nor did similar efforts by previous conquerors. Once all the colonial powers were gone by 1960, the newly established Somali government began to come apart, a process that was complete by 1991 and no one has been able to get all the clans to submit to a new central government since. To make matters worse most of the educated Somalis fled in the 1990s and few have come back. Meanwhile public education has been absent in most of Somalia for two decades and the literacy rate is under 40 percent (and under 30 percent for women). Public health has been largely missing for two decades and life expectancy is about 52 years. Outside of Somaliland and Puntland it’s under 50 years.Getting foreign aid for Somalia is difficult, mainly because of the corruption and banditry. It is very dangerous for foreigners to supervise aid efforts inside Somalia and local hires are often corrupt or very vulnerable to threats by warlords, corrupt clan leaders or government officials. Because of this many donor nations will not provide cash or food for Somalia because they believe most of it will be stolen. Aid groups counter with sad tales of massive deaths from starvation and lack of medical care. But the donor nations have to cope with media stories of the huge amounts of aid that never reaches the needy once it enters Somalia. Until there is more law and order inside Somalia, getting more aid will be a tough sell.There is a growing consensus among clan leaders that some kind of government, as a way of maintaining law and order and getting economic growth going, is essential. This is a novel concept in Somalia and obtaining the needed cooperation and compromises has not been easy. Ancient traditions die hard in this part of the world. Foreign aid donor nations are willing to help build security forces and a judicial system, but only if the Somali leaders make an effort.The new government has made a deal to restore international mail service, which has been absent for 22 years. A more ambitious effort will try to restore local mail service, which has also been gone for over twenty years. In the large cities public health services, especially vaccination of children, is being restored. Out in the countryside al Shabaab and some Islamic conservative clan leaders still oppose vaccinations. For decades many Islamic clerics have preached against vaccinations, and many other aspects of Western technology (like music and video entertainment) as sinful. Young parents often figure out that the vaccination does work, but the penalty for opposing the anti-vaccination groups is often death.Low level fighting, mostly against al Shabaab remnants, continues in central Somalia. So far this year 100-150 people a month are dying because of this, most of them Islamic terrorists or the victims of terrorist violence. Al Shabaab is on the run but they are not yet done. As Islamic terrorist violence and pirate activity dwindle so does international media attention to what goes on in Somalia.April 25, 2013: Islamic terrorists killed another senior prosecutor and al Shabaab announced that it would continue its attacks on the newly rebuilt judicial system. The goal is to make it impossible to prosecute Islamic terrorists inside Somalia.Britain reopened its embassy in Mogadishu. British diplomats were withdrawn in 1991 and have been gone ever since.April 24, 2013: The newly formed Puntland Maritime Police made its first major enforcement effort against poachers by arresting 78 Iranian fishermen (and seizing their five ships). Also arrested were twelve local Somalis the Iranians hired as security. The Maritime Police were financed by foreign aid and trained by a South African security company.April 21, 2013: Al Shabaab gunmen killed another journalist in Mogadishu, the fourth this year. The Islamic terrorists and some warlords regularly threaten any journalists who criticize them, especially by name. Somalis who can afford it hire bodyguards to protect them from these death squads but most Somalis, even those with jobs, cannot afford this degree of protection.April 19, 2013: The Somali government has told clan leaders meeting in Kismayo to organize the new statelet of Jubaland that the government will not recognize their independence as it does Somaliland and Puntland. Two years ago Kenya told lou
cal clan leaders that, in return for their cooperation in chasing al Shabaab out of the area, Kenya would support the formation of Jubaland. Kenyan troops subsequently joined the UN recognized Somali peacekeeping force and is now technically in opposition to any independence for Jubaland. But the local clan leaders are going ahead with it anyway.April 18, 2013: In northern Kenya, near the Somali border, a lone gunman, believed to be an al Shabaab man, entered a hotel and killed nine people. Local police believe this was retaliation for increasingly effective police and army operations against al Shabaab groups hiding out in northern Kenya.In Mogadishu an al Shabaab man apparently died when a roadside bomb he was burying went off accidentally.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Ban ki moon appoints British diplomat as new UN envoy for Somalia
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Nicholas Kay ( United Kingdom) as his Special Representative for Somalia.
Mr. Kay succeeds Augustine Mahiga, who will complete his assignment on 3 June 2013. The Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service for the last three years. His exemplary leadership in helping to steer the end of the eight-year political transition in the summer of 2012 is particularly noteworthy. The Secretary-General recalls with deep appreciation the fact that Mr. Mahiga’s contributions had laid the foundation on which the Federal Government of Somalia, with the help of the international community, can now further engage on peacebuilding and the consolidation of security and development initiatives in the country.
Mr. Kay is currently the Africa Director at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a position he has held since 2012. Prior to this, he served as Ambassador to the Republic of the Democratic of the Congo and the Sudan from 2007 to 2010 and 2010 to 2012, respectively. He was also the United Kingdom’s Regional Coordinator for Southern Afghanistan and Head of the Provincial Reconstruction Team for Helmand Province from 2006 to 2007.
In his earlier career with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr. Kay served in policy and country positions in London, as well as overseas in Spain and Cuba. He also worked for 14 years as an English language teacher in Brazil, Cyprus, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Spain and within the United Kingdom.
Born in 1958, Mr. Kay is married
with two daughters and a son.
Excellent choice for tough job at critical time
Congratulations to Nick Kay on being appointed Special Rep of UN Sec Gen on Somalia:
Somalia: President Hassan reaches agreement Puntland President
GAROWE, Somalia
Apr 29 2013 (Garowe Online) – Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole and
Somali Federal Government President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a press
conference on an agreement reached during President Hassan’s visit to Puntland,
Garowe Online reports.
During
President Hassan’s two day stay in Garowe – administrative capital of Puntland
State – he met with President Farole to discuss many issues including
federalism, security, economy and cooperation.
Both
leaders held a joint press conference outside the main entrance of the new
Presidential Palace in Garowe where both leaders briefly touched on the issues
agreed on in their meeting.
President
Farole stated that the two agreed on: dialogue for reconciliation throughout
Somalia; improving security through building Somali National Forces whose
responsibility will be tasked to technical committee; abiding by the previous
agreement made by Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon and President Farole.
During the
press conference President Farole stated that the two leaders had agreed to some
issues but reach a deadlock on some issues.
“I’m very
pleased to welcome Somalia’s President Hassan to Puntland who will be departing
today. We had fruitful discussions and reached an agreement on some issues and
some issues need further discussions,” said President Farole.
Government
sources told GO that one issue that leaders could not reach an agreement on was
Puntland’s attendance of the London conference next month. Puntland attended the
London conference last year but sources say the government has not reached a
decision to attend this year’s conference as of yet.
President
Hassan also touched on some of the issues that were discussed during his meeting
with President Farole. One issue that was raised in discussions was the altering
of the Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC). President Hassan discussed the
issue that was raised during his statement on Monday.
“The
Puntland government raised concerns about the altering of the [Provisional
Federal] Constitution, we were not aware of this issue,” said President Hassan.
President
Hassan also discussed emerging states which he described as a constitutional
right however was concerned about implementation. Local sources tell GO that
President Farole and President Hassan didn’t see eye to eye on supporting
emerging states with special regards to Jubaland.
President
Hassan promised to review and finalize the PFC as agreed on by Roadmap
signatories last year. President Hassan thanked the Puntland government and
people for their warm welcome and stated that the SFG’s presence would be felt
in Puntland.
“Politics
in Somalia needs cooperation and consultation and we will reach our goals only
through this manner,” President Hassan said in his final statement on Monday.
President
Farole and a delegation of Ministers, MPs, authorities and civil society
accompanied President Hassan and his delegation to the airport where he flew
back to Mogadishu.
GAROWE
ONLINE
Al shabaab 2013 jihad spring fashion
Al-Sheytan Fashion. 
Al shabaab 2013 jihad spring fashion: trendsUS National Security and the New Somalia:Reflections from the Former Prime Minister
Heads of State convene in London to discuss Somalia’s future the American Security Project (ASP) invites you to:
US National Security and the New Somalia:
Reflections from the Former Prime Minister
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 from 8:30am until 9:30am.
Location: 1100 New York Avenue, NW, Washington DC
The last two years in Somalia has seen militant Islamists in retreat and a country rise from the ashes of chronic conflict and chaos. At the helm during this transformative period the former Prime Minister, argues that security and political progress in Somalia has boosted US national security interests.
Registration beings at 0800
Breakfast Refreshments will be served from 0800 -0830
If you would like to attend this event please RSVP by clicking here.
(Early response is encouraged as space is limited)
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT
The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges. For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org.
Speaker Bio
Ali initially studied in Mogadishu, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Somali National University and he obtained a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University as an AFGRAD Fellow of Economics.
Between 1994-1995 and 1995-1998, he was a Bradley Fellow in George Mason University‘s Department of Economics and Center for Study of Public Choice, respectively. In 1998-1999, Ali was a Joel Fellow of Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he earned a Certificate of Taxation from Harvard Law School in 1999 and a Master’s degree in Public administration the same year. In 2000, he also obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University.
In a professional capacity, Ali served as a Director in the Excise Tax Department of Somalia’s Ministry of Finance and Revenue in the mid-to-late 1980s. Between 1988 and 1991, he was an Assistant Director in Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Finance and Revenue.
Between 1998 and 1999, he was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID). He later moved to Niagara County in New York state, where he was an Associate Professor of Economics in the Department of Commerce of Niagara University, having joined the school in 2003.
Ali also served as a consultant for various international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program.
His main academic areas of concentration have been in public finance, public choice and international trade. Ali’s current research endeavors have centered around the impact that institutions have on economic growth.
Ali is also an active member of various economic organizations, including the International Atlantic Economic Society, the American Economic Association and the Southern Economic Association.
Transitional Federal Government
On October 12, 2010, Ali was appointed the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation as well as one of the three Deputy Prime Ministers. On June 19, 2011, Ali was appointed the Acting Premier of Somalia after Prime Minister Mohamed abruptly resigned from office. He was appointed the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government on June 23, 2011; a position he held till October 17, 2012.
Friday, April 26, 2013
ONLF hideout (Kismayu City ): Why Ethiopia should back Barre Adan Shire Hirale in Kismayo and Establishment of Jubbaland State
update on Plans for a new state between the Juba River and the Kenyan border
The headline across Somali media says: "Xiisad ka tagaan Magaalada Kismaayo, kaddib markii uu xalay halkaas gaaray Col. Barre Aadan Shire (Barre Hiiraale)" - which translates to: "Tensions high in Kismayo, after Colonel Barre Adan Shire (Barre Hirale) went there last night".
Most Ethiopians might not be aware but a new tribal war is about to re-erupt in Somalia (the south) and this one affects Ethiopia's own security directly more than ever
Two years ago, Kenya discovered large reserves of oil and gas on offshore area near these regions but a lot of this oil and gas are actually on the Somali side of the maritime border. Kenya wants to secure it and in such wants to set up a 'buffer zone' between her and the government in Mogadishu. It's policy makers came up with the idea of forming a myriad state inside southern Somalia called Azania but has since changed to Jubbaland, borrowing Somaliland's idea.
Are Kenyans seeking a buffer zone in Somalia?
As Kenya's troops continue their incursion into southern Somalia in pursuit of Islamist militants, the BBC's Will Ross considers the motives behind the deployment.
"I hope in three or four months, al-Shabab will have been removed from our region. Then one day I'll invite you to come to Kismayo to see what's going on," said Abdullahi Shafi, personal assistant to the governor of Somalia's Lower Juba region.
He is hopeful that with Kenyan military help, he can soon return home to a new semi-autonomous region in southern Somalia.
"We have been in hell for the last 20 years. We need a new Somalia," he said, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Azania" - the name of the new region which comprises Gedo, Lower Juba and Middle Juba. Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15499534
In 2011 Kenya was entertaining the idea of installing the former Somalia defense minister Mohamed Abdi Mohamed (Gandhi) as the region's president, who belongs to the Ogaden tribe.
But since its invasion, Kenya has been working with Sheikh Ahmed Madoobe, a former member of al Shabab who heads the so called Ras Kamboni Brigades militia. He now wants his Ogaden to elect him as the President and Gandhi has since disappeared.
These group is sympathetic and even aids ONLF and wants to eventually create a semi-autonomous region that not only houses and trains ONLF but also imports arms for them via Kismayo.
Ethiopia is closely following the development but it doesn't want to appear at odds with Kenya. Kenya does not care about ONLF and if they take over Southern Somalia as long as Kenya is guaranteed its oil and gas on the Somali border.
Below picture: ONLF member and former Al shabab member Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam "Madoobe (black)" .
Ethiopia needs to support a third party that will eliminate ONLF and their sympathiers such as Madobe and Gandhi, who wants ONLF embedded into Somalia by taking over the southern regions with the help of Kenya.
Bare Adan Shire Hirale who belongs to the Marehan clan, one of the largest in Kismayo is opposed to the ONLF/al-Shabab group like the government in Mogadishu.
Hirale is an army colonel and the former Minister of Defense of the Somali Transitional Federal Government. He is one of the founding members of Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a, the main religious opposition group to al shabab. He follows the moderate Sufi doctrine unlike Gandhi and Madobe who were members of Al Shabab and believe in extremism.
Ethiopia has to swiftly aid Hirale against the alliance of Al Shabab (Madobe) and ONLF (Gandhi) in which Kenya has no clue about. Bare and his Marehan clan are allied to south Somalia's dominant Hawiye clan. The current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is Hawiye and does not want ONLF and al Shabab to derail his government and will need Ethiopia's support, who have been there for Somalia more than Kenya in the last 20 years of struggle.
Today Hirale is in Kismayo with more than 100 soldiers and the town is tense. A war can break out at anytime and the Mogadishu government as refused to recognize the Madobe/Gandhi and Kenya's agenda. Somalia government knows war is imminent in Jubba regions and it will need Ethiopia's assistance to flush out al Shabab and ONLF remnants. Ethiopia must be prepared.
It would be strategic for Ethiopia to pullout its troops from Bay, Bakol and Hiiraan regions and instead deploy them in the Jubba regions to reinforce Somali National Army before ONLF establishes itself. Once ONLF gets there, it will be difficult to defeat because its Somalia's wettest and most jungle area.
Bare Adan Shire Hirale who belongs to the Marehan clan, one of the largest in Kismayo is opposed to the ONLF/al-Shabab group like the government in Mogadishu.
Hirale is an army colonel and the former Minister of Defense of the Somali Transitional Federal Government. He is one of the founding members of Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a, the main religious opposition group to al shabab. He follows the moderate Sufi doctrine unlike Gandhi and Madobe who were members of Al Shabab and believe in extremism.
Ethiopia has to swiftly aid Hirale against the alliance of Al Shabab (Madobe) and ONLF (Gandhi) in which Kenya has no clue about. Bare and his Marehan clan are allied to south Somalia's dominant Hawiye clan. The current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is Hawiye and does not want ONLF and al Shabab to derail his government and will need Ethiopia's support, who have been there for Somalia more than Kenya in the last 20 years of struggle.
Today Hirale is in Kismayo with more than 100 soldiers and the town is tense. A war can break out at anytime and the Mogadishu government as refused to recognize the Madobe/Gandhi and Kenya's agenda. Somalia government knows war is imminent in Jubba regions and it will need Ethiopia's assistance to flush out al Shabab and ONLF remnants. Ethiopia must be prepared.
It would be strategic for Ethiopia to pullout its troops from Bay, Bakol and Hiiraan regions and instead deploy them in the Jubba regions to reinforce Somali National Army before ONLF establishes itself. Once ONLF gets there, it will be difficult to defeat because its Somalia's wettest and most jungle area.
Government will not recognize the outcome of Kismayo conference, says minister
Mogadishu (RBC) Somalia interior minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled has repeated government’s position against the ongoing Jubbaland “Kismayo” conference which the Federal Government of Somalia and local administration disagreed before.
“The Federal Government of Somalia has earlier made clear its position towards Kismayo conference and I am now replicating it, The government will not recognize the outcome of Kismayo conference.” interior minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled said on Friday during interview with state-run radio.
Word from a Somali diplomat:
Jubbaland has all the dangerous elements necessary to kick the stabilization plan like a sand castle. It has the armed militias, clan-lords and foreign intrusions of competing interests. And it is, by far, the most polarizing issue facing the nation today.
Jubaland Talks in Somalia Make Little Progress
Some background below
Sheikh Ahmed Madobe ex Hizbul Islam ,ex Al Shabaab
Somalia: The Show-Down in Jubbaland Begins
Justice and Reconciliation in Somalia is a Casualty due to Clan Morass
Somalia:A look back at What Has Gone Wrong in Jubbaland.-Goobaale Delegation: An Insult to People of Jubbaland
American jihadist Omar Hammami in Somalia tweets he's "just been shot" by al-shabaab. One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists reportedly shot in the neck in Somalia- CBS News
Kenya A most-wanted American jihadi in Somalia said Friday that the leader of Islamic extremist rebels in Somali was starting a civil war, just hours after an assassination attempt left the Alabama native with a neck wound.
Omar Hammami posted on Twitter about what he labeled an assassination attempt late Thursday as he was sitting in a tea shop. He posted four pictures, one of which shows his face with blood on his neck and a dark blood-stained t-shirt.
Hammami, one of the two most notorious Americans in overseas jihadi groups, moved from Alabama to Somalia and joined al-Shabab in about 2006. He fought alongside the al Qaeda-linked group for years while gaining fame for posting YouTube videos of jihadi rap songs.
But Hammami had a falling out with al-Shabab and has engaged in a public fight with the group over the last year amid signs of increasing tension between Somalis and foreign fighters in the group. He first expressed fear for his life in an extraordinary web video in March 2012 that publicized his rift with al-Shabab. He said he received another death threat earlier this year that was not carried out.
"Just been shot in neck by shabab assassin. not critical yet," Hammami tweeted late Thursday. On Friday he wrote that the leader of al-Shabab was sending in forces from multiple directions. "we are few but we might get back up. abu zubayr has gone mad. he's starting a civil war," Hammami posted.
A phtoto posted on Twitter by Omar Hammami shows a wound to his neck, allegedly inflicted during an assassination attempt
/TwitterHammami has been a thorn in the side of al-Shabab after accusing the group's leaders of living extravagant lifestyles with the taxes fighters collect from Somali residents. Another Hammami grievance is that the Somali militant leaders sideline foreign militants inside al-Shabab and are concerned only about fighting in Somalia, not globally. Hammami's Friday comment about a civil war could refer to violence between those two groups.
Al-Shabab slapped Hammami publicly in a December Internet statement, saying his video releases are the result of personal grievances that stem from a "narcissistic pursuit of fame." The statement said al-Shabab was morally obligated to stamp out his "obstinacy."
Hammami has enemies on all sides. The U.S. named Hammami to its Most Wanted terrorist list in March and is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Al-Shabab fighters are not eligible for the reward.
Along with Adam Gadahn in Pakistan — a former Osama bin Laden spokesman — Hammami is one of the two most notorious Americans in jihad groups. He grew up in Daphne, Alabama, a bedroom community of 20,000 outside Mobile. He is the son of a Christian mother and a Syrian-born Muslim father.
Hammami regularly chats on Twitter with a group of American terrorism experts, conversations that are so colloquial and so infused with Americana that many in the counter-terror field have formed a type of digital bond with Hammami.
After Hammami publicized the assassination attempt, one of his Twitter followers, a counter-terrorism expert from Canada, wrote that Hammami had nine lives. Hammami responded with an apparent reference to the movie The Blues Brothers. "'I'm on a mission from God.' minus the blues music," Hammami wrote.
After the shooting, American terrorism expert J.M. Berger, who has a long-running Twitter relationship with Hammami, posted that it looks like Hammami came within a quarter-inch of death. "Perhaps it's time to come in now," Berger tweeted.
Berger wrote on his blog, Selectedwisdom.com, that the attack proves that Hammami should fear for his life. Berger said Hammami's anti-Shabab social rants were annoying the militant group and he predicted conflict between Somali militants and foreign fighters.
"If there is going to be a war inside Shabaab, I'm guessing it will happen soon," Berger wrote. ..via CBS
One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists reportedly shot in the neck in Somalia
One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists reportedly shot in the neck in Somalia
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Britain reopens Somalia embassy after 22-years
Britain has become the first Western nation to open a new embassy in Somalia, 22
years after the country's spiralling civil war forced the last British
ambassador to flee.
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, made a
surprise visit to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to raise
the Union Flag above the cluster of four small metal pre-fabricated cabins
ringed by blast walls.
The embassy will be expanded but is currently sited within Mogadishu's
international airport complex, where the African Union headquarters its troops
and where most foreign missions and companies are located. Matt Baugh, the new ambassador, and his senior staff will continue to be
based in neighbouring Kenya, but will rotate through the new station for up to
two weeks at a time.
Somalia had undergone a "dramatic shift" in recent months, Mr Hague said,
with al-Qaeda fighters pushed out of all major cities and the new Somali
government reaching ever deeper into territory formerly held by the Islamists.
Countering piracy and terrorism, providing aid and supporting British
interests in Somalia would be priorities for the new embassy, he added. "Today's opening is testament both to the strength of the UK-Somalia
bilateral relationship and to the UK government's commitment to work with the
Federal Government of Somalia as they rebuild their country after two decades of
conflict," Mr Hague said.
"Somalia has been through a dramatic shift over the last year but continues
to face huge challenges. "We should be under no illusions as to the sustained efforts that will be
required, in Somalia and from its international partners, to ensure that Somalia
continues to make progress.
Britain joins Ethiopia, Yemen, Iran and Turkey with permanent missions in the
country. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, will in May host the second Somalia
Conference in London, to coordinate international efforts to boost the Somali
government's attempts to cement progress.
Mr Hague met Hassan Sheikh, the Somali president, and Abdi Farah Shirdon, the
prime minister, to discuss the conference. "Most of your counterparts around the world have not yet visited Somalia, so
I am particularly delighted to see you here again on your second visit," Mr
Shirdon said.
Mr Hague previously visited Mogadishu in February 2012, the first Foreign
Secretary to do so since Somalia's civil war erupted in 1991. The old British embassy lies in ruins near Mogadishu's sea port, an area of
the city still considered too unsafe for most foreigners to visit or work in
without significant armed escorts. via Telegraph
‘There’s No Turning Back’: My Interview With a Hunted American Jihadist
Omar Hammami, the most prominent American jihadi left alive, probably should be running. When Hammami came to Somalia for jihad in 2006, he never anticipated that al-Qaida’s local affiliate would pledge to kill its former propaganda asset. And last month, the U.S. government put a $5 million bounty on the head of the 28-year-old Alabama native. These could be the last moments of Hammami’s life...more
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Sugar imports from Somalia fund al-Shabaab, Kenyan officials say
Somalis unload bags of sugar at Hawiye clan )(Abgal sup-clan ) own El Maan beach, 80 kilometers north of Mogadishu, in April 2001. Today, more than 50,000 bags of Somali sugar are imported daily into Kenya's North Eastern region. [Pedro Ugarte/AFP]
Al-Shabaab operatives posing as traders are doing business with Kenyan merchants as a way to fund the militant group's terrorist activities, according to Garissa County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim.
"The trade proceeds, especially from the sugar imports, are going to the coffers of the militant group," Maalim said April 15th during a town hall meeting with local merchants at the Garissa Guest House. "The militants are relying on the trade to sponsor their violence."
The import of Somalia-produced sugar is worth an estimated 100 billion shillings ($1.2 billion) annually, according to Garissa County Development Officer Kenneth Rutere, but much of it is not declared to Kenyan customs officials, making it the country's largest illicit market.
According to the Kenya Sugar Board, the industry regulator, Kenyans consume 800,000 tons of sugar annually, but domestically produce only 500,000 tons.
To meet demand, more than 50,000 bags are imported daily into the north-eastern region from Somalia, some of which is smuggled in illegally, Rutere told Sabahi.
Weapons smuggled in sugar sacks
Maalim said government investigations revealed that al-Shabaab ventured into the sugar trade after it lost control of Kismayo in September, thereby losing its steady stream of revenue raised through taxing goods at the port.
Investigations also revealed that weapons are being smuggled into Kenya in the sugar sacks, he said.
"Some of you are being used [unknowingly] to bring these explosives and guns that are fostering terror in Garissa town," Maalim told local merchants, adding that the Kenyan government is monitoring the activities of some traders due to suspected links to al-Shabaab.
Some local merchants are unaware that they are dealing with al-Shabaab militants in the sugar trade, Maalim said, while others willingly trade with them. He urged business owners to be conscious of the country's security while making purchases.
"Kenya has its own sugar-producing companies in the western region. The traders should place their orders from our local companies for the products until we stabilise our security," he told Sabahi.
Securing the nation is a joint effort, he said, admonishing hotel proprietors for not recording the identities of their guests, thereby making it easy for criminals to escape. He also criticised private hospital operators for treating assailants injured in gunfire exchanges with security officials without reporting them to the authorities.
Enhancing trade, profits and security
North-eastern regional Police Chief Charlton Mureithi appealed for co-operation from residents, saying the threat from al-Shabaab still exists.
"It is a fact that cross-border trade is an essential part of our economy, but we have realised that some unscrupulous traders collude with some security agents to deny the government much-needed revenue from imports and consequently risk the country's security," he told Sabahi. "We will now deal with the group sternly after the distractions of the elections."
He said border patrols and mobile security units have been strengthened to hunt down smugglers of goods and illegal firearms.
Former Diif Ward Councillor in Wajir County Dagane Siyat said security forces should co-operate to strengthen security checks to prevent tax evasion and smuggling of firearms.
"There are instances when goods are taxed without verifying the contents," he said. "The border customs officials should strengthen their working relationship to ensure deadly weapons do not find their way into the country."
Director of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industries in the north-eastern region Zeinab Sheikh Mohammed said cross-border trade brings in millions of shillings in revenue for the government.
"Many goods enter Kenya from Somalia via the Kismayo port," she said. "They include motor vehicles, petroleum products, textiles, tires, electronics and sugar."
She said it was difficult to police the more than 800-kilometre porous border between Kenya and Somalia, and said outreach efforts encourage traders and business owners to help create a secure business environment in addition to earning a profit.
Ali Mohammed Hassan, a 45-year-old trader in Garissa who imports sugar and other foodstuffs, said he had no reason to suspect his business associates of illegal activity in Somalia, and the revelation that the traders could be funding al-Shabaab activities came as a shock.
"With the revelations, I will be careful because I want to transact clean business devoid of shedding anyone's blood or taking lives," he said.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Press release: Treason in Turkey , by Northern Somalia Unionist Movement.
Northern Somalia Unionist Movement
PRESS RELEASE
21 April 2013
Treason in Turkey
Since its independence, Somalia had all sorts of leaders- the giants, the mediocre, the democrats and the dictator. Whatever their standing in the eyes of the Somali people, what they had all in common was their sworn commitment to the unity of the country. Siyad Barre, the dictator, was one of its greatest defenders of Somali unity. Sheikh Shariif, the much maligned and ridiculed last leader of the transitional government might have been susceptible to make some shady deals incompatible with his presidential functions but he has never crossed the red line of pandering to the secessionists and commit the ultimate crime of betraying Somalia’s unity. Even the hated warlords considered Somalia’s unity sacrosanct and untouchable.
The exception to all this is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, the man some Somalis saw on his election as the new Ataturk of Somalia. In his talks with Siilaanyo in Anakara,Turkey, he granted the secessionists at the stroke of his pen what they had been demanding from Somalia and the international community since they declared secession over 22 years – that they be recognised as a sovereign government equal to and separate from Somalia. It is as if Somalia was his personal business.
It is no thanks to Somalia’s government, people or parliament but to President Hassan alone that the secessionists got what they wanted. Their wish has been granted at almost no cost or concession – signed and sealed in the Ankara communiqué, an act tantamount to treason but not in lawless Somalia. One can only surmise what President Hassan has personally gained from trading Somalia’s break-up for Somaliland’s sovereignty but that is a futile exercise that will do nothing to undo the immense, probably irreparable damage he has done to this country.
If comparison can be made, Siyad Barre and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud share one similarity more than any other two leaders: they both came to power as very popular leaders. But whereas it took Siyad Barre over a decade to lose his initial country-wide popularity, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud’s equally giddy popularity heights started to wither away barely a week after his election. His popularity rise and fall is reminiscent of those first USA space failures in the early 1960s when their rockets would go up one instant, raising so much hope that America will catch up with the USSR, only to fall back to earth the next minute dashing all hopes. Unless checked, President Hassan would go down in history as the treacherous leader who broke up Somalia’s unity if not Somalia as a whole.
But who is to check him? The problem facing Somalia is a President who is practically unaccountable to no one, who now wields total power after usurping those of the compliant meek Prime Minister, the one who was supposed to wield the executive power of the government under our federal system. Hassan has also been emboldened by the laissez-faire and hands-off attitude of Parliament to the affairs of the country and the threats we face internally and externally.
President Hassan has certainly ingratiated himself with the secessionist enclave, giving away the unionist northern regions of Somalia as a sacrificial lamb, regardless of its dire existential consequences for Somalia. But his culpable sell-out of Somalia’s unity is bound to boomerang, sooner or later, on the rest of Somalia. Somalia is either indivisible – one country, one nation, one united people; but once it is divided into north and south, there is no knowing where that could end. Once a precedent has been established, what stops other disaffected regions, such as Bay, Puntland, Jubalnd, Hiiraanland, etc, to take the Somaliland route? That would be the legacy that President Hassan Shekh Mohamoud is sowing for Somalia. Will parliament, the cabinet and concerned unionists everywhere wake up to their responsibilities and defend Somalia’s unity from its worst enemy- its President- or will they simply look the other way as he calculated?
Osman Hassan
Spokesperson
NSUM
email: osman.hassan2 @gmail.com
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
FUCK Saudi Arabia: Wahabbism has destroyed the Somali People
Do you know what the average Saudi gets to dress like a ninja, abandon their culture, and lose many freedoms? Several thousand untaxed dollars a month, free energy, subsidized housing, free health care, free education for life, & guaranteed political and economic stability.
Do you know what the average Somali gets to dress like a ninja, abandon their culture, and lose many freedoms? Nothing, perhaps a free Saudi pamphlet and hand-me-downs from Qatar.
Sounds like a raw deal, but at least we know why Saudis put up with that BS - what the fuck do Somalis get out of wrapping themselves to death? I literally can't think of one incentive. Somalis act like their religion is a contest; they think bowing one extra time will get them to a better afterlife, they think one extra cloth on their head will get them to a better afterlife, this race is endless. If you think I'm being irrational just look at today's Somali people; even men have dressed themselves up like ninjas with cimaamad and other bullshit, like its going to increase their iimaan - don't these morons know that Najdis wear ninja clothes to protect against sand storms and extreme desert heat? How the fuck is wearing cimaamad in tropical Marka going to be beneficial? Alongside the Pashtuns, northern Nigerians, and the Chechens, we are literally among the VERY few super-fundamentalist societies in the Muslim world; and its not our nature, blame the Saudi trash for expelling their excrement onto our shores; both their cultural excrement and their violent political excrement. Its also coincidental that the cultures I named above are the most unique in the Muslim world, and now they're gone.
Firstly, I strongly praise the work being done by members of the transitional government and even diaspora communities. No longer are people just fighting militant terrorism, they are fighting the extreme nature of the values of the terrorists - they are fighting terrorist CULTURE. To us, their beliefs and worldview are more dangerous than their guns. This is something I've lobbied against ever since the Union of Terrorist Courts came to power in 2006. Its good to see that in 2011, every clan understands the evils of the terrorist plague. This is something I've been disgusted with for most of my life.
It makes me feel good that members of the Somali community are finally hitting out at the cultural baggage of Wahabbism, its the biggest point of contempt for me. I am part of the post-anarchy generation of Somalis, all my life I've been accustomed to seeing ninja-wrapped Somali women, I'm simply accustomed to the warped Somali culture of the post-war era and its so unfortunate - its foreign for me to see Somalis reciting poetry or women having dance-offs. Most of us are accustomed to this Wahabbist perversion of our culture and religion. But now we can all do something drastic to change the situation.
But with this, understand that it isn't about politics or militancy; its about culture. These ugly faggots need to go cover up those big nosed Saudi bitches before trying to put a lid on our women. Isn't it sad that the most beautiful and celebrated women on earth are being erased and hidden? If any nations need to cover up their women, it is the Arabs. From Egypt to Iraq, these hairy monsters go around telling us about modesty when their hook nosed neanderthal women are parading around the streets exposed to mens' eyes.
I will not stand for this bullshit any longer. Why the fuck did we all lie down and accept Wahabbism so easily in the last generation? We used to grill Wahabbis for lunch breakfast and dinner, but now we view them with respect? Disgusting. Its still a point of pride that the state of Puntland grilled these fuckers in the early 90s, what a good precedent, its too bad that the Wahabbists invaded Puntland through cultural indoctrination. I'm angry that I wasn't born in 1960 or 1970 so I could've put this shit to rest, I was barely walking when this plague was spreading among our people.
Sufi Muslims, members of parliament, militia strongmen, Somali state leaders, secular proponents, and Somali patriots - we are now banding together and we WILL return Somalia to its old glory; when our culema were soft-spoken Sufis, when our leaders were Somali-first, when our cultural elite were enthusiasts of Somalinimo!
A warlord can take your money, but a Wahabbist takes your identity. You can't trade security for freedom. One is temporary, the other is permanent; think about your children.
That's all I have to say on this subject but reasonable people will understand.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Somali Jihadist Group Al-Shabaab Mocks Victims Of Boston Terrorist Attack : An Al-Shabaab Link to Boston Marathon Bombings?
A series of Twitter gloats today raised questions about the possible involvement of Somali terror group Al-Shabaab in the Boston Marathon bombing.
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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir
Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979
Sultan Kenadid
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Sultanate of Obbia
President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,
Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan
Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )
MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen
Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake
May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(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 Honourable Ronald Reagan,
When our world changed forever
His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Government in Paris from 1974 to 1979.
Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.
Soomaaliya الصومال Somali Republic
Somalia
