Somali pirates sweep in a hefty $3.2 million ransom

On Thursday Somali pirates freed a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other heavy weapons after receiving a $3.2 million ransom...more..http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090205/somali-pirate-ransom-ukrainian-ship.htm

US Navy watches as Somali pirates nab $3.2 million

NAIROBI, Kenya – As U.S. Navy ships looked on, Somali pirates sped away Thursday with $3.2 million in ransom after releasing an arms-laden Ukrainian freighter — ending a four-month standoff that focused world attention on piracy off Somalia's lawless coast.
The Navy said it couldn't seize the bandits for fear of endangering 147 other seamen still held hostage on other hijacked ships.
So, within sight of two nearby U.S. warships, the pirates counted the cash — air-dropped by parachute — then took off in motorboats, pirate Aden Abdi Omar said, speaking to The Associated Press by satellite phone after arriving in the central Somali town of Harardhere.
"We are not holding it (the ship) anymore," said Omar, adding that more than two dozen pirates made their escape aboard motorized skiffs, navigating the choppy waters in small groups.
The $3.2 million booty — among the largest-ever reported ransoms — would be divvied up among the pirates, he said...more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_on_re_af/piracy

Gen. Maslah: What a barnstorming performance!

What we have seen at the Presidential election in Djibouti was the first of its kind. The re-making and the re-defining of Somalia are on the rise. Gen. Maslah Mohamed Siad Barre have achieved a victory that many said might not happen. It’s a dream came true to all peace loving citizens. This is the beginning of a new era. This moment fills me and others around the world, a renewal sense of hope and possibility in what you can do for your country at a moment of need, and what others may achieve in your wake. And at this time of pessimism and uncertainty, suddenly we found a light at the end of this long tunnel. It looks a bright future.
People will always claim that they always saw something special in those who transform the political and cultural landscape. But now I remember some years ago, when I had the opportunity to see him speak, listened to his ideas, and witnessed his courage and vision in a shared hope for a new kind of politics of inclusion. He filled up our senses like a walk in a rain, like a storm in a desert, like mountains in springtime and more like a sleepy blue ocean. I said the days of hope are coming with caution, and I knew that a leader is waiting to step forward one day in the near future. The outcome of the presidential election was an astonishing scenario. Gen Maslah presented a barnstorming performance to shore up his leadership with a well calculated keynote. A great politician and a spiritual leader. Congratulations General. You made it.
Have you seen the tears of the MPs? Yes, everyone was crying for a strong leadership with transparency. Changes in the political leadership were in the hearts of every representative in that election hall. They needed their voices to be heard and very fearful on what might happen next. Maslah’s triumph owes much to the un-relenting struggle of the oppressed people within the parliament against injustice, dehumanisation and exploitations within. Today, our expectations are that, the newly Elected President must transcend us from the divisions of the past to a brighter future, where people will not be judged by their character, ethnicity and social grouping.
Our New President have a splendid opportunity to use this momentous occasion to re-build Somalia’s tattered global image; to heal racial rifts and spread the ideals of tolerance and self-reliance. Oppositions at this stage in politics must manage their frustration and seek an anger management solution. Mps has responsibilities and obligations to have broaden their vision of support for peace, and engage to a wider scope of engagement in order to safeguard the principles of peace within the context of the constitutional agreement and not for the flimsy pretext of ideology and tribalism.
People have endured decades of tremendous agony. Wars were fought under spurious facts and the time has come for Somalia to punch above its weight and sow the seeds of cultural, religious and racial reconciliations among its own people.
A new revolution for peace and prosperity has born.
May god bless.
Best of Luck.
Dr. Mohamed Hassan Ali (Statesman)London, Ukhassanalimhmd@yahoo.co.uk

Terror Free Somalia Foundation
terrorfreesomalia@gmail.com

Horn Afrik Radio director (habar-gidir )hawiye kill in Mogadishu

The director of Horn Afrik radio in Mogadishu, Said Tahliil Ahmed has been assassinated in Mogadishu by unknown gunmen armed with pistols, witnesses said on Wednesday.

It is unknown why he was killed, but local media had been broadcasting live coverage of the Somali presidential election held in Djibouti.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/04/gunmen-assassinate-prominent-somali-journalist/

Profile: Somalia's President Ahmed

Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed came to prominence as one of the leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled most of southern Somalia for six months in 2006.
He was always seen as the moderate face of the UIC and was elected by MPs after agreeing a peace deal with the Western-backed government.
A former schoolteacher, he started to stand up to the warlords who had fought for control of Mogadishu since 1991, when one of his 12-year-old pupils was abducted.
Born on 25 July 1964 in the Middle Shabelle region, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is from the Hawiye clan (Abgal branch) - one of Somalia's four main clans, which dominates in the capital.
He studied at Libyan and Sudanese universities in the mid-1980s.
Mr Ahmed returned home to Jowhar in 2002, at a time when Abdulkassim Salad Hassan's government was trying to establish control of Mogadishu. more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7865808.stm
President Sharif returns to Djibouti
Somalia’s new president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has returned to Djibouti after he had attended an AU summit that concluded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, an official told radio Shabelle on Wednesday.Ahmed Abdulahi, a Somali MP told radio Shabelle that pesident Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed accompanied by Djibouti president Ismail Omar Guelle were welcomed in Djibouti by ministers from Djibouti government.“The president is in Kampisi Hotel in Djibouti and he is trying his best to nominate prime minister soon” Said Ahmed Abdulahi.Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, an Islamist cleric was elected as Somali president in Djibouti on Saturday by the Somali Parliament. Mr. Ahmed attended the 12th AU summit in Addis Ababa where he met different heads of states including Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.President Ahmed will meet and hold discussions with Somali parliamentarians currently assembled in Djibouti. The new president promised an effective government which aims to resolve military instability in the country.

UN urges new government in Somalia to settle conflict

New York - The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday welcomed the new Somali government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and urged him to reach a political settlement in the decades- long conflict in the Horn of Africa nation. Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, was sworn in as Somalia's new president on Saturday. His predecessor resigned last month, allowing for a peaceful transition in the war-torn country. The Security Council urged the new president to move promptly to form a government of national unity 'at the earliest possible date.'

President Sheikh Ahmed to Begin Process of Selecting Prime Minister...General Maslax Mohamed Siad Barre expected to be named as new prime minister

Somalia's newly elected President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is expected in Djibouti today to begin the process of nominating a new prime minister as part of constituting his new unitary government. President Ahmed will meet and hold discussions with Somali parliamentarians currently assembled in Djibouti. The new president promised an effective government which aims to resolve military instability in the capital, Mogadishu and the seat of parliament in Baidoa, where al-Shabab Islamic insurgents have recently intensified attacks. Al-Shabab, described by Washington as a terrorist organization, recently took over the Somali parliament building in Baidoa, promising to institute Sharia law and continue to fight government and international forces.
Abdurrahman Abdushakur is a member of the Somali parliament and a close associate of President Sheikh Ahmed. He tells reporter Peter Clottey that Somalis would soon know who would be in President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's new government.
"They would soon hear as soon as possible because Sheikh Sharif knows that the first priority of his task now is to appoint a prime minister. And he has to consult with members of the parliament as well as his team of advisors and also take into account the concern of the different activists who are involved in Somali politics, as well as the stakeholders. So we are expecting as soon as possible the president to appoint a new prime minister," Abdushakur said.
He said members of the new Somali government will be selected on merit...more..http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-02-04-voa2.cfm
Maslah Mohamed Siad bare , one of the few men that Somalia needs today
General Maslax Mohamed Siad Barre from jubbaland state of somalia ,the son of the late Somali Honourable president Mohamed Siad Barre came second. I will like to thank all the mp for your support and look forward to working with all the members of soamli Legislators .congratulating the winner Sharif Ahmed,during his speech to members. he asked all somali stand and work with President-elect sheik sharif sheik ahmad.he said We stand ready to work with President . we want you focus on fighting against Islamic extremists.we want to combat terrorism.was faced with extremist that wouldn't stop until they get whatever they want. we nee to fight against "Selfish Idealogues Who Kill Innocent Civilian al-shabaab..extremists hijacked Islam.They want a fundamentalist reading of Islam to be the ruling law. Islamic terror , I believe in the necessity to fight against terrorists. ...to fight against terrorism is NUMBER ONE PRIORITY ,the we need ‘international coalition.we don't want our kids future controlled by a al-shabaab minority violent extremists. We want our girls to go school said maslah mohamad siad bare.it expected to be named as new prime minister.get strong military background..Engineers.. he went Ukrainian military academy.Ahmed, a Hawiye, will now seek to appoint a Darod prime minister to ensure representation of the major daarod somali.impoverished Horn of Africa nation of some 8 million people has not had a functioning government for a generation, since (usc)hawiye clan isaaq clan (snm)- militias Terrorist overthrew Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 Dark Day Dark Day .history of Somalia .January 26, 1991.Collapse of the somali nation( Key Plays) .then turned on each other hawiye barbaric and genocidal funded, very sick and twisted vediohawiye barbaric and genocidal funded, very sick and twisted vedio
People in jubbaland state welcome results of the presidential election in Djibouti

LANCING THE BOIL OF TERROR IN SOMALIA

Do Obama’s policies and the presence of Clintonistas in the administration foretell a return to the oblivious nineties?How do we not end up playing an endless game of whack-a-mole with vermin in human form?Read what Benny Avni has to say.
IT’S looking like the Obama administration may spurn a gift from the Bush team - a chance to lance the boil of Somalia.
“I’m very concerned now,” a Western diplomat based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, told me last week, as Ethiopian troops finished evacuating Somalia - leaving their neighbor to its own devices. The al Qaeda-affiliated local Islamist group, al Shabab, is quickly filling the vacuum.
Over the weekend, Somalia elected a new president - Sheik Sharif Ahmed, a former leader of the Islamic group that ruled the country until ousted by the Ethiopians, who has turned his back on the most extreme among his former Islamist allies.more..http://tmq2.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/lancing-the-boil-of-terror-in-somalia/

Dubai ship missing near Somalia

ship owned by Al Rashid Shipping Dubai is reportedly missing in Somali waters and may have been seized, Reuters has reported, citing a Kenyan maritime official. The ship has a crew of 14 Indians but there were no other details available yet.

Missing Somali Men Capture FBI's Attention

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― Sources say that the investigation into alleged recruitment of young Somalis focuses on the Abubakar As-Saddique Mosque in South Minneapolis and the Da'wah Institute in St. Paul.
AP
At least a dozen young Somali men have simply vanished from Minneapolis, and at least some have ended up in Somalia.Their disappearance is getting a lot of attention from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The concern is that the young men have been recruited to be terrorists.Some of the young men's parents were supposed to talk on Tuesday, but backed out. It's a sign of the confusion and anxiety that is spreading in the Somali community.more..http://wcco.com/national/missing.somali.men.2.925882.html

UN Envoy Suggests Disinformation in Somalia Massacre Story

The highest-ranking U.N. official for Somalia has angrily denounced reports of a civilian massacre by African Union peacekeeping troops in Mogadishu, saying the story is designed to distract attention from positive developments in the country. U.N. Special Representative Ahmedou Ould Abdallh is calling for a moratorium on reports written outside Somalia based on information supplied by local Somali journalists.U.N. Special Representative Ahmedou Ould Abdallh says he does not know the exact details of Monday's incident in Mogadishu. He is in Addis Ababa, where he is accompanying Somalia's new president Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed on his triumphal debut at the African Union summit.But in a VOA interview, he suggested the report of a massacre by AU peacekeepers was contrived. He called it part of a media war to discredit peace efforts in Somalia, and compared it to the radio station Mille Collines, which incited the Rwandan genocide a generation ago...more..http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-03-voa53.cfm?rss=africa

Video of French commando team firing on Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden

Video of French commando team firing on Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden http://tr.im/eccm

Kiev confirms release of Ukrainian crew held by Somali pirates

KIEV, February 3 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that eight Ukrainian crewmembers on board a Turkish-owned ship, captured in the Gulf of Aden on December 16, have been released. The Antigua-flagged Bosphorus Prodigy, a cargo vessel built in 1985, with eight Ukrainian and three Turkish nationals on board, was captured by Somali pirates.
"According to statements made by representatives of the Isko Marine Shipping [Company], the vessel is currently on route to the nearest port," the ministry said. Pirates have been increasingly active in the waters off East Africa, where over 120 ships were attacked last year, with around 40 vessels, including 600 crew members, seized. Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991. Up to 20 warships from the navies of at least 10 countries, including Russia..more..http://en.rian.ru/world/20090203/119951410.html

Ethiopia denies re-entering Somalia

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Ethiopia denied on Tuesday that its troops had re-entered Somalia to counter the militant Islamist group al Shabaab.
"This is absolutely false. The army is within the Ethiopian border. There is no intention to go back," minister and chief government spokesman Bereket Simon told Reuters.
He described the version of an Ethiopian incursion, given by locals in the area, as a "wicked" attempt to detract from positive developments in Somalia. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Louise Ireland) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3664604.htm

Muslim cleric jailed 15 years in Australia terror case

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian court sentenced a Muslim cleric to 15 years jail Tuesday for leading a terrorist cell that planned to bomb a football match in Melbourne in 2005, ending Australia's biggest terrorism trial, local media reported.
The attack, aimed at forcing Australia to withdraw troops from Iraq, did not take place. Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 48, was sentenced on three charges, receiving 15 years for directing a terrorist group, seven years for being a member of a terrorist group and five years for possessing a CD connected with the planning of a terrorist act.
Benbrika will serve the terms concurrently.
The Victoria state Supreme Court sentenced six other Muslims to jail terms ranging from four to seven-and-a-half years, said local media at the court. Court officials confirmed the seven men were sentenced, but could not immediately release the details. Australia's largest terrorism trial saw 12 men initially charged with planning to attack a grand final football match in Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, attended by 97,000 fans. Seven were convicted in late 2008. more..http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5121SO20090203

Ethiopian soldiers back in Somalia: witnesses

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops who left Somalia last month after a more than two-year intervention have crossed back over the border and set up a checkpoint near a town held by Islamic militants, locals said on Tuesday."We have been frightened for the last 36 hours because Ethiopian troops and the ousted Baladwayne authorities have come closer," local elder Abdirizak Ali told Reuters from Baladwayne town, which al Shabaab insurgents have held since late 2008."We anticipate attacks from those troops."There was no immediate word from Addis Ababa, though it had said it was keeping a heavy troop presence on the border in case of threats to its security from the militant rebels.Al Shabaab, which means youth in Arabic and is on Washington's list of terrorist organizations, took advantage of Ethiopia's final pullout of Somalia a week ago to take more towns and increase its territorial control in the south.Though it has held Baladwayne, near the Ethiopian border, for several months, it spectacularly took Baidoa, the seat of the Somali parliament, on January 26, the same day that Ethiopian soldiers left and crossed back over the border.Al Shabaab has been holding demonstrations this week against Somalia's new President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate Islamist whom they accuse of selling out to the west.Ahmed was elected at the weekend as part of a U.N.-brokered plan to try and form a unity government and bring peace to Somalia ..more..http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5121F820090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Inside Story - Daunting Challenges - Feb 1 - Part 1 and 2

A new chapter in Somali politics begins with the election of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as Somali president. With a divided parliament, a starving population, interfering neighbors and the military threat of Al-Shabab will the new president cope with all these challenges? Author: AlJazeeraEnglish Keywords: Al Jazeera Inside Story Somalia Sheikh Shraif Ahmed civil war Al-shabaab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PICMZaJDSnI part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTYnfEJaxDU Part 2

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil

This week marks the seventh anniversary of the murder of our son, former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. My wife Ruth and I wonder: Would Danny have believed that today's world emerged after his tragedy?The answer does not come easily. Danny was an optimist, a true believer in the goodness of mankind. Yet he was also a realist, and would not let idealism bend the harshness of facts.
Neither he, nor the millions who were shocked by his murder, could have possibly predicted that seven years later his abductor, Omar Saeed Sheikh, according to several South Asian reports, would be planning terror acts from the safety of a Pakistani jail. Or that his murderer, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now in Guantanamo, would proudly boast of his murder in a military tribunal in March 2007 to the cheers of sympathetic jihadi supporters. Or that this ideology of barbarism would be celebrated in European and American universities, fueling rally after rally for Hamas, Hezbollah and other heroes of "the resistance." Or that another kidnapped young man, Israeli Gilad Shalit, would spend his 950th day of captivity with no Red Cross visitation while world leaders seriously debate whether his kidnappers deserve international recognition.more..http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362422088941893.html?mod=todays_us_opinion

10 Pakistanis arrested in Spanish terror swoop: report

MADRID (AFP) – Police in Barcelona early Tuesday arrested at least 10 Pakistani nationals in connection with "falsifying identity documents in connection with Islamist terrorism," Spanish radio reported.
Police in the northeastern city were not immediately available to confirm the report.
The Spanish news agency Europa Press said seven people had been picked up, with police looking into the falsification of documents and "a possible link to Islamist terrorism."
Play Video Pakistan Video: Gunmen kidnap American UN official in Pakistan APPlay Video Pakistan Video: Peace hopes of new Somali president ReutersPlay Video Pakistan Video: Davos 2009: Pakistan PM interview Reuters

Saudi publishes global 'most wanted' list

RIYADH (AFP) – Saudi Arabia has published a list of 85 suspected militants wanted around the world who it said had been drawn to "deviant" ideologies -- a reference to the Al-Qaeda terror network.
The list, published by the official news agency SPA late on Monday, includes 83 Saudis and two Yemenis and calls for the suspects to turn themselves in to the authorities.
It was released by the interior ministry following news in January that at least nine men the Saudi government had put through a militant rehabilitation process, including several ex-inmates of the US prison at Guantanamo, had been rearrested.
In late January, the US-based SITE monitoring service reported that two men released from Guantanamo appeared in a video posted on a jihadist website. A Saudi named Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shihri was said to have been elevated to the senior ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen.
In Monday's statement, the government said that 15 suspected militants previously sought by the government had turned themselves in.
OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia has been battling with mainly home-grown armed militants linked to Al-Qaeda who have waged a string of attacks against Western targets and oil facilities since May 2003.
Hundreds of suspected Islamist sympathisers have been arrested.
The authorities said in October that the attacks in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom had killed a total of 90 civilians -- both foreigners and Saudis, and 74 members of the security forces.
Saudi Arabia said then that it plans to put in the dock almost 1,000 defendants in the first trials of Al-Qaeda suspects.

FBI is Finally Cutting Ties with Terrorist Front Group

http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2009/02/fbi-is-finally-cutting-ties-with.html

Moderate Islamists take on hard-liners in battle for Somalia

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate, was elected president last week by Somalia's transitional parliament. But hard-line militant Islamists are fighting to take over the country.
Nairobi, Kenya - The Ethiopian peacekeepers have withdrawn from Somalia and the radical Islamist militia called Al Shabab is rapidly moving in to take control of the war-battered country. Perhaps the only thing standing in Al Shabab's way is an unlikely enemy: an army of citizens and clerics who are fighting to preserve what's left of the Somalia that they have known for generations. Western experts call them moderate Islamists; they call themselves Ahlu Sunna wa Jamaa. Compared with the highly trained, well-funded Al Shabab, which took the transitional capital of Baidoa last week, Ahlu Sunna is poorly armed, but popular. And although the moderate Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was elected president of Somalia by a transitional parliament last week, Ahlu Sunna knows that its time is running out. "For Ahlu Sunna, a key concept is that everyone has the right to human dignity and peaceful coexistence, and a political war is not part of our principles," says Sheikh Mahamad Moallem Hussein, the secretary-general of Ahlu Sunna, in a recent interview in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. "But when we came to see that there is no life security for the common man, no law and order, and even the dead are not safe – their tombs are destroyed and looted – that is when the situation could not be tolerated any longer."
As adherents of a passivist Sufi order, Mr. Hussein and the members of Ahlu Sunna do not make natural warriors, but they may be Somalia's last best hope for restoring peace. Claiming to represent a broad swath of Somalia's citizens, Ahlu Sunna have recently taken up arms and secured a number of military victories over the better armed, better funded Al Shabab.
Now, as Ethiopian peacekeepers withdraw, and a secular transitional government appear to be all but forced into exile, Ahlu Sunna's time for testing appears to have finally come. more...http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0203/p06s01-woaf.html

Somalia fighting kills at least 39 civilians

MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) -- At least 39 civilians were killed in Somalia's capital Monday after a convoy of African Union peacekeepers was hit by a roadside bomb, causing the troops to open fire, officials and eyewitnesses said.Maj. Ba-Huko Barigye, spokesman to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISON), said an explosion targeted a contingent of Ugandan troops. At least one soldier was injured and one of the vehicles damaged, Barigye said.
Ahmed Dirie Ali, spokesman of Hawiye Traditional Elders -- a major group of local clan leaders -- condemned the civilian deaths. And Mogadishu's deputy mayor, Abdifatah Ibrahim Shaweye, accused AMISOM of killing innocent civilians deliberately during a "brutal attack," an allegation Barigye denied."The deputy mayor has got the wrong information," he said. "They are targeting AMISOM, but the people who have died are all Somali civilians, who have nothing, whatsoever to do with AMISOM."Officials say the incident happened on Maka al-Mukarama road, which connects the presidential palace and the airport in southern Mogadishu. The incident occurred on the same day that the new Somali president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, was attending an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.more...http://www.edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/02/02/somalia.fighting/index.html

Somali roadside bomb kills 3

A displaced Somali family returns to its homes on a donkey cart in Mogadishu MOGADISHU: A roadside bomb hit an African Union peacekeepers’ convoy south of the Somali capital killing at least three civilians and wounding four others, the force’s spokesman said.“The information we got indicates that three civilians died in the explosion and one of our soldiers was lightly injured. The vehicle was also slightly damaged,” said Bahuko Bridgye.Some witnesses, however, said the troops opened fire after the blast, killing and wounding the civilians.“I was very close to the area of the explosion and I saw three civilians killed and four others were injured. Some of them were hit by bullets fired by the forces,” said Ahmed Abdulahi said, a witness.“It is not over yet. Ethiopian forces left but explosions are still there and civilians are dying,” said Abdi Hasa, another witness.Ethiopian troops pulled out of Somalia last month, sparking fears of a security vacuum in the lawless country where the AU forces have been targeted by hardline insurgents...morehttp://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=270629&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21..

Somalia's new president (hearts) America

The new president of Somalia, the moderate Islamist cleric Sheik Sharif Ahmed, has been in the job barely two days but already he looks like an old pro at the delicate game of diplomacy.
There he was on Sunday, in an interview with an Egyptian newspaper, praising the U.S. role in Somalia.
"One can say that the U.S. position towards Somalia has become honest," Ahmed, a former schoolteacher, told the El Shourouk newspaper. "We think that the American view of Somalia is now positive."..more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcb_nairobi/20090202/wl_mcb_nairobi/nairobi200902somaliasnewpresidentheartsamericahtml

Ethiopia: Gaddafi is new AU chairman

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been elected as the new chairman of the 53-nation African Union. He was elected by delegates at the AU summit in Ethiopia on Monday. He was widely tipped to get the node but some members of the union were said to have expressed their misgivings about his nomination....

The 12th Au heads of states summit kicked off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia prioritizing the issue of forming the Union Government of Africa.Leaders of more than 40 African countries including the new Somali’s Transitional Government President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed convene for three days on major African issues with a theme, “infrastructure development in Africa”. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the moderate Islamist leader won the presidency in an all-night parliament session in neighboring Djibouti at the end of January, 2009 and vowed to end conflict in the Horn of Africa nation, make peace with neighbors and rule with honesty and justice...more..http://www.africanews.com/site/Ethiopia_Gaddafi_is_new_AU_chairman/list_messages/22955

New Somali leader feted in capital of former enemy

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African leaders on Monday feted Somalia's new moderate Islamist president at a summit in Ethiopia, which chased him from power two years ago.
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed enjoyed a standing ovation from African Union leaders in Addis Ababa, two days after he was elected to lead the Horn of Africa nation in a parliamentary vote.
But in Somalia, militant Islamists declared jihad against Ahmed and mocked his trip to his former enemy, rallying their supporters for war against the new government. Ahmed headed a sharia courts movement that brought some stability to Mogadishu and most of south Somalia in 2006, before Washington's main regional ally Ethiopia invaded to oust them. Washington accused hardline members of the courts movement of having links with al Qaeda...more..http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-37791020090202

AMISON to support new Somali president

The African Union peacekeeping Mission on Somalia has promised to give full support t the newly elected President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.The Spokesperson for AMISON, Maj. Bahoku Barigye says the UN peacekeeping mission will work with the new President of the Somali transitional government to ensure peace and normalcy returns to Somalia. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was last week elected by the Somali government to head the transitional government that is expected to bring the different factions in Somalia to the same table and stop the fighting between the different factions. Maj. Barigye says Sharif Ahmed’s election has brought more hope for bringing about lasting peace in Somalia where Uganda has deployed over 1,600 peacekeeping troops.He also appealed to the United Nations and the international communities to give more support to the transitional government of Somalia to enable it achieve peace.The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Javier Solana in a congratulatory message to the new Somali President today also promised that the EU will continue to support the peace process in Somalia, in particular through the African Union and AMISOM and to maintain the cooperation with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Somalia, Ould Abdallah.more..http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?about=AMISON%20to%20support%20new%20Somali%20president&ID=7829

CAIR's True Colors

Though it represents itself to be a Muslim civil rights organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) devoted most of its resources earlier this month to mobilizing opposition to Israel's attempt to neutralize Hamas militarily. It organized petition drives and bus caravans from chapters across the country to a protest held January 10th in Washington, D.C.
On Thursday, the Investigative Project on Terrorism reported that the FBI has cut off contact with CAIR due to unanswered questions about the organization's roots in a Hamas-support network. Earlier this month, the IPT showed how CAIR officials dutifully avoid mentioning Hamas by name when discussing the conflict. Yet no major media outlet or political figure is challenging CAIR's positions or tactics.
That may be because CAIR has cultivated sympathetic coverage in everything from local newspapers to the New York Times, nurtured alliances with members of Congress, including Democrats Jim McDermott of Washington, Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, all of whom have spoken at CAIR events.
In the past six months the mayors of Houston and Tampa have issued proclamations designating "Council on American Islamic Relations day" in their cities. Not bad for a group labeled as a front group by an FBI agent during sworn testimony in a successful terror-finance prosecution in which CAIR is an un-indicted co-conspirator.more..http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/986

Somali pirates see Ukrainian tank ship free in days

MOGADISHU, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian ship with 33 tanks on board said on Monday they expect it to be released within days for a $3 million ransom. The MV Faina -- the highest-profile of a dozen ships being held off Somalia -- was captured in September with its 20-man crew and a cargo of Soviet-era T-72 tanks plus other weapons. "The negotiations between us and the owners of the ship are in the final phase. We are about to agree $3 million, then we will release the ship, probably after four days," pirate Aden Gelle told Reuters from Haradheere port. "We are hopeful of wrapping up the affair of this ship as soon as possible," added Gelle, who said he had come ashore from the Faina for a rest. The seizure of the Faina drew international attention, not only for its dramatic military cargo, but for a regional row over the destination of the tanks...more..http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2668556.htm
Somali pirates seeking 6 million dollars for German ship
Somali pirates who seized a German gas tanker in the Gulf of Aden are demanding 6 million dollars for the vessel's release. The pirates on board the 3,500-ton tanker contacted the Hamburg-based Bernhard Schulte ship management company on Saturday, two days after hijacking the vessel. The tanker, with its 13-member crew, was en route from Europe to the Far East, transporting liquefied petroleum gas.

VIDEO:Somali pirates are caught on film in the Gulf of Aden

'Time to achieve unity'

Addis Ababa - Somalia's new president called for a united front against violent extremists and signalled his intent to try to bring together the country's feuding Islamic factions, according to an interview published on Sunday. Moderate Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed was sworn in on Saturday and faces the daunting task of leading a Western-backed government that wields little control over a country that has suffered nearly 20 years of violence and anarchy.
"I say it is now high time to achieve national unity, forget our differences, unify our ranks and confront those who commit violence," Ahmed was quoted as saying by the English-language Saudi Gazette. Ahmed was chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006 before Ethiopian soldiers drove them from power. The group's extremist breakaway militia, al-Shabab, has now taken much of the country, forcing lawmakers to meet outside of the country. The US considers al-Shabab a terror organisation with links to al-Qaeda. Al-Shabab did not recognise the last government and also disapproves of Ahmed, but his election raises hopes that he will bring many of Somalia's Islamic factions into a more inclusive government. The US government welcomed Ahmed as leader in Saturday and said that he had worked diligently on reconciliation efforts in Somalia. Ahmed was attending the African Union summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday and holding a series of meetings with other African leaders. He did not speak to reporters ..more..http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2462660,00.html

Somalia on the edge of collapse

Pirates prowl off its seashores. Gunmen roam its streets. And half of its population needs humanitarian assistance. Somalia is on the edge of collapse, and aid groups are trying to help, but violence inside the chaotic country has already claimed the lives of two relief workers. Video
Violence has made delivering food aid to Somalia more deadly than ever. CNN's Rosemary Church reports.

Africa delays moves towards federal government

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – African leaders on Sunday again delayed concrete moves toward creating a United States of Africa, despite a long campaign by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.
Gaddafi and other supporters like Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, have been calling for years for an accelerated process toward a union government, saying it is the only way to meet the challenges of globalization, fighting poverty and resolving conflicts without Western interference.But they are opposed by other nations, headed by economic powerhouse South Africa, who see such an idea as a distant and impractical prospect.Gaddafi's proposal dominated a sometimes heated African Union (AU) summit in Ghana in 2007, but no deal was reached.The previous AU summit in Egypt last July produced a skeleton agreement and the first day of the current meeting in Ethiopia was devoted to the union proposal.Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete told a news conference on Sunday night the meeting had agreed only to change the name of the current AU Commission into an "authority," rejecting a proposal by the body itself to transform it immediately into a union government.Kikwete, the current AU chairman, said this would infringe the sovereignty of the AU's 53 states."In principle, we said the ultimate is a United States of Africa," Kikwete added, insisting the authority would have a bigger mandate, bigger budget and "bigger capacities" than the existing commission..more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090201/wl_nm/us_africa_summit

Al Qaeda Terrorist setting up sleeper cell in Botswana - claim

Scores of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists are in police cells awaiting deportation to their home countries, while several others are being investigated for money laundering and trying to establish a sleeper cell in Botswana – highly classified information passed to the Sunday Standard has revealed.Sleeper cells are groups of terrorists who are already in place and ready to act, as opposed to hit squads, which are infiltrated into the target country shortly before an attack. Sleeper cells are trained and ready to carry out attacks at a designated time and place. According to some, the teams assembled in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam before attacks on American Embassies there were classic al-Qaeda sleeper cells. Sleeper cells are loosely organized, and blend into communities easier through legitimate employment.Most Al Qaeda agents in Botswana are believed to have used the country’s boom in imported second hand cars as a cover.Security agents are understood to be investigating a number of suspicious foreigners who are running second hand car dealerships. Most do not use banks to save their business proceeds or to carry out their business transactions. Investigations into the company directorships have turned up names of directors in Kenya where an Al Qaeda sleeper cell was unveiled a few years ago.Investigations have also centered on the influx of Middle Easterners, mostly Egyptians who have been flocking into Botswana in large numbers,,.more..http://sundaystandard.info/news/news_item.php?NewsID=4310&GroupID=1

Somali leader wants united front against extremism

Somalia's new president called for a united front against violent extremists and signaled his intent to try to bring together the country's feuding Islamic factions, according to an interview published Sunday.Moderate Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed was sworn in Saturday and faces the daunting task of leading a Western-backed government that wields little control over a country that has suffered nearly 20 years of violence and anarchy.
"I say it is now high time to achieve national unity, forget our differences, unify our ranks and confront those who commit violence," Ahmed was quoted as saying by the English-language Saudi Gazette.Ahmed was chairman of the Islamic Courts Union that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006 before Ethiopian soldiers drove them from power.
The group's extremist breakaway militia, al-Shabab, has now taken much of the country, forcing lawmakers to meet outside of the country. The U.S. considers al-Shabab a terror organization with links to al-Qaida..more..http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/1012049.html

Maslah Mohamed Siad bare , one of the few men that Somalia needs today

In the last few days, a different pace was dominating the usual political sphere of Somalia. A new chapter was slowly, though steadily, unfolding in the political arena of Somalia. Politicians gathered in the capital of Djibouti to witness and partake in the election of a new interim president.The interim presidential seat was once again being contended by dozens of candidates from diverse backgrounds yet share the same common background of being active in the Somali political landscape of the post-civil war. Each one recycling the yet-to-fulfilled words of salvaging Somalia from the abyss of violence, pestilence, famine and above all, the never-ending civil war.Whilst Somalis were getting ready to brush off another remake of theTNG/TFG-style elections whe rein warlords were contesting each other for the main seat, they were caught unaware of the sudden proclamation of certain individuals, namely, Mr. Sharif Ahmed and Mr. Maslah Mohamed Siad Barre.After Mr.Maslah announced his intention to become the next Somali president,many Somalis including non-Somalis were instantly bewildered by this suddende claration. The main question circulating the Somali community was how some one, who has never participated in the political scene for the last 18 years, could ever have a significant chance of grabbing the presidential seat.To adequately answer that question, one needs to know what Mr. Maslah has been engaging in the last 18 years. The son of the former Somali President,Honourable Mohamed Siad Barre, Maslah distanced himself from the current turmoil ravaging Somalia. After the down fall of the central government, Maslah moved to Kenya where he made numerous attempts to restore central rule by supporting any capable Somali that had the ability to reconcile Somalis. He specifically made sure not to provide any support or condemnation to any particular Somalia faction or group since his main loyalty lied with Somalia. After patiently awaiting 18 years, he finally decided that Somalia cannot wait another 18 years for different factions and political groups to reconcile among each other so instead, he proposed to participate in the up coming Djibouti presidential election and create the change himself withthe support of the Somali people.Maslah entered the race as the decided underdog with a post-civil warpolitical experience of mere than two weeks under his belt and yet managed to gather the second most votes in the first two rounds, thereby beating theformer interim prime ministers, Ali Khalif Galeyr, Nur Adde, Ali Gedi, and Hasan Abshir Farah.Maslah surprisingly progressed in to the final round competing with the initial favourite of the race, Sharif Ahmed. . Glued on to their TV-sets,Somalis all over the world were having a nostalgic flash back of the late Somali President Honourable Mohamed Siad Barre. Mr. Maslah, both in appearance and behaviour bears an uncanny resembles to his late father. A my riad of questions were rapidly racing through the minds of the Somalis, all concentrating on what would occur if Mr.Maslah ever became victorious in the election. Can Mr.Maslah re-install the tranquillity and stability of thepre-1991 Somalia? Would he able to follow the foot steps of his late father,by emulating his leadership qualities?Nevertheless, Mr. Maslah managed to become the presidential runner-up by securing 126 votes of the original parliamentary members whilst Mr. Sharif secured the majority of his votes from the newly-added members of the ARS group (200) in addition to 98 votes of the original parliamentary members.The next daunting step awaiting interim president Sharif Ahmed is to appointa competent prime-minister that strongly enjoys the support of both themember of parliaments and the Somalis in general. What better man to fit that description than the presidential runner-up Mr. Maslah Mohamed Siad.Somalis in general have rejected their previous predecessors from Ali Mahdi, Abdulahi Yusuf due the lack of public confidence. It is there for ecrucially imperative that the new interim president Sharif Ahmed does not select another individual that lacks the major criteria of becoming a worth while prime-minister that will be able to engrave lasting peace in the war-stricken Somalia.
Opinion

US has done more for Muslims than any nation

OPINION: EVERY NEW president flatters himself that he, kinder and gentler, is beginning the world anew. Yet, when Barack Obama in his inaugural address reached out to Muslims with “to the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” his formulation was needlessly defensive and apologetic.
Is it “new” to acknowledge Muslim interests and show respect to the Muslim world? Obama doesn’t just think so, he said so again to millions in his al-Arabiya interview, insisting on the need to “restore” the “same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago”. Astonishing. In these most recent 20 years – the alleged winter of our disrespect of the Islamic world – America did not just respect Muslims, it bled for them. It engaged in five military campaigns, every one of which involved – and resulted in – the liberation of a Muslim people: Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The two Balkan interventions – as well as the failed 1992-93 Somali intervention to feed starving African Muslims (43 Americans were killed) – were humanitarian exercises of the highest order, there being no significant US strategic interest at stake..more..http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0202/1232923381792.html

Shift in Somalia: A country in chaos has a chance for stability

What passes for government in Somalia continues to evolve, undoing the bid years ago by the departed Bush administration to impose an outcome through military means. In 2006, an Islamic Courts government ruled Somalia with some success in terms of keeping order after the lack of government since 1991. Based on weak evidence that the Courts government might harbor some pro-al-Qaida Islamic activists, the United States backed the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia and provided air and intelligence support. After the Ethiopians defeated Islamic Courts supporters, a government of exiles was brought in to rule Somalia. The new government was wracked by infighting, while Somali resistance grew against the occupying Ethiopian forces and the interim government they were propping up. Eventually, Islamist forces made gains across the country.Last week, the Ethiopians withdrew their forces and the interim Somali government returned to exile, this time in Djibouti. The Islamists resumed power and on Saturday, a moderate, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, was elected president. Thousands celebrated in the streets of Mogadishu, the capital.Pirates, of course, still flourish off the Somali coast, a consequence of 18 years of chaos in a government-free environment, to which America has contributed ..more. Monday, February 02, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09033/946247-35.stm

Steelers make history with sixth title

They're the Lords of the Rings

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's one for the other thumb.
Santonio Holmes made an acrobatic touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining in a heart-stopping comeback, allowing the Steelers to become the first team to win six Super Bowls. It earned Holmes a ring and the trophy as the game's MVP. "It's going down in history," Holmes said after his catch gave the Steelers a dramatic 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. "All I did was extend my arms and use my toes." The Steelers, with the league's No. 1 defense, had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter lead as Larry Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes, giving him a record seven touchdown catches in the postseason. That lead was built on James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown on the last play of the first half, which became the longest play in Super Bowl history. If north, east, south, west, up and down are known as the six cardinal directions, add a new twist that sends Holmes to Disney World and brings the Lombardi Trophy back home to form a sextet. "The Super Bowl is a test, at one point, of who wants the game more than the other guy," said Harrison, who capped a magic year after being named team MVP and the league's defensive player of the year. "All 11 guys on the field helped out on that play." more..http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09033/946343-66.stm

Under Obama, 'war on terror' phrase fading

Catchphrase burned into U.S. lexicon hours after Sept. 11 attacks is fading

WASHINGTON - The "War on Terror" is losing the war of words. The catchphrase burned into the American lexicon hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is fading away, slowly if not deliberately being replaced by a new administration bent on repairing the U.S. image among Muslim nations.
Since taking office less than two weeks ago, President Barack Obama has talked broadly of the "enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism." Another time it was an "ongoing struggle." He has pledged to "go after" extremists and "win this fight." There even was an oblique reference to a "twilight struggle" as the U.S. relentlessly pursues those who threaten the country.more..http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28959574/

President gives first interview since taking office to Arab TV

German Owners of Hijacked Tanker in Contact with Somali Pirates

The German operators of a tanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia are hoping to stay in touch with the ship after establishing initial contact with the pirates, they said Sunday
We hope to stay in dialogue," with the pirates on board the MV Longchamp, a spokesman for Bernhard Schulte ship management company said, hours after they had received a first phone call from the captors.The pirates on board the tanker contacted the Hamburg-based shipping company Saturday, two days after taking charge of the tanker. "We received a phone call and were also able to talk briefly with the captain," the spokesman said.The captain had been able to confirm that all 13 crew members -- 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian -- were in good health.more..http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3994071,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
Somali Piracy or Terrorism?http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/6484

Somalis Cheer the Selection of a Moderate Islamist Cleric as President

NAIROBI, Kenya — Pumped-up mobs poured into the scarred streets of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, once again on Saturday, but this time they were demonstrating in support of the government, not against it.Thousands of cheerful Somalis sang, whistled and hoisted up posters of Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the moderate Islamist cleric who was just selected as the beleaguered country’s new president. There was even a pro-government rally at a Mogadishu soccer stadium. “It’s good to give a chance to the Islamists,” said Mohamed Wehlie, a teacher in Mogadishu. Sheik Sharif, he said, “is the sort of man who can make a change, and we really need a change.”To many Somalis who have survived relentless cycles of rebellion, displacement, famine and war, Sheik Sharif’s victory was the best news they had heard in years. Although the government he leads is locked in a battle against hard-line Islamist militias, which still control large parts of the country, many Somalis seized on the news as a window of hope, a possible path out of the violence.more..http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/world/africa/01somalia.html

The bouncer and the bullets

Somali football makes an unlikely comeback

In the 1980s, when Somali football was at its most popular, Stadium Mogadishu could hold more than 70,000 people. "It was one of the best stadiums in Africa," says Ahmed Nur Abdulle, vice president of the Somali Football Federation.But for the past two years the stadium has been a military base for Ethiopian forces. Somalia has been racked by a series of civil wars since the last recognised government was overthrown in 1991. The country, snaked around the eastern tip of Africa, is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the past two years and at least one million have been forced to flee their homes. Roughly half of the population is in desperate need of food aid.Unsurprisingly, the football league has ground to a halt. Known as Serie A - Somalia was once an Italian colony - it was last active in early 2006.
Yet the federation has refused to give up. It established a training base in neighbouring Djibouti two months before the Cecafa Cup and scouted players from across the Somali diaspora. More than half the squad lives in Mogadishu, but some are based in Canada, the US and London, including Gulad Adan - by day a defender for Hanwell Town in the Spartan South Midlands League, by night a bouncer at the Trocadero in the capital's West End.more..http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/01/somalia-football

New Somali president sees positive U.S. role

CAIRO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The newly elected president of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, said in an interview published on Sunday that he saw the United States as a positive influence for peace in his country.Ahmed led the Islamic Courts Union before the United States backed an Ethiopian invasion meant to drive the Islamists out of power. In May 2008, Ahmed criticised the United States for a U.S. airstrike that killed an Islamic leader in central Somalia.The last Ethiopian troops left Somalia last month and a new U.S. administration under President Barack Obama took office in Washington on Jan. 20."One can say that the U.S. position towards Somalia has become honest... We think that the American view of Somalia is now positive," Ahmed told the Egyptian newspaper el-Shorouk."In the framework of the Djibouti negotiations, America has become a force which supports peace," he added.The Djibouti negotiations were the U.N.-backed process which helped bring about the election of Ahmed on Saturday. (Writing by Jonathan Wright..http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL1437092._CH_.2400

Somali jehadist al- shabaab oppose Sharif’s new government

KISMAYU -The Somali jehadist"Occupied in the port town of Kismayu, jubbaland state of somalia 500 kilometers south of the Somali capital Mogadishu opposed the new Somalia president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, officials told on mogadishu Radio on Sunday. Somali jehadist Abdiqani Mohamed Yusuf, a deputy chairman of the al-shabaab administration in Kismayu in Lower Jubba region (jubbaland state)and Somali Terrorist Hassan Yacqub, secretary information of al-Shabaab in Kismayu denounced the presidential election in Djibouti in a press conference held in the town.Somali parliament elected Sharif Sheik Ahmed as the president of Somalia in Djibouti on Friday, after Abdulahi Yusuf resigned last month.The Islamists said president Sheik Sharif who was once the leader of Islamic Courts Union refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Somali federal government before he reconciled adding that they will never support his government.“Sheik sharif used to declare Jihad (holy war) against the enemy, but now he joined to the federal government. Nothing has changed yet so we will not welcome it and the Jihad will continue,” Mr. Abdiqani said. Sharif’s government is not different from the one which was established in Nairobi in 2004, he added.“It is clear that the world has ignored and failed Somali political affairs because the international community often set up government which does not have the support of the Somali people and that is not the goals of the Somali people, it is only waste of time,” Terrorist Hassan Yacqub said.The Islamist group in Kismayu is the first group that rejected the outcome of the presidential elections held in Djibouti which the legislators elected Sharif Sheik Ahmed the president of Somalia.

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African Union summit opens

ADDIS ABABA, (AFP) – The African Union's 12th summit opened Sunday in Ethiopia with an agenda officially focused on infrastructure development but overshadowed by conflict and hunger on the continent.The 53-nation body began meeting in the Ethiopian capital behind closed doors and without any formal opening ceremony.The leaders are officially focused on developing Africa's infrastructure and were to discuss transport, energy and investment issues against the background of a global economic slump.AU Commission chief Jean Ping bemoaned the current global economic downturn which he said will adversely affect African countries that deserve no blame for the crisis."African economies and African people will suffer the full wrath of the crisis for which they are not responsible," Ping told a preparatory meeting of foreign ministers on Friday.Ping argued that the financial crisis "would divert the international community's attention from funding development to rescuing banking and financial institutions." But he also noted that conflicts have deepened Africa's vulnerability to the economic slump. "The continent's vulnerability is always worsened by potential and open conflicts," Ping said. Among the most noted leaders present at the AU's headquarters in Addis Ababa for the summit was Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was elected the new president of Somalia on Saturday. In his inauguration speech in Djibouti, Sheikh Sharif vowed to build an inclusive government, extend a hand to hardline armed groups still opposed to peace talks and bring Somalia back into the regional fold.The African Union, which has around 3,500 peacekeepers in Somalia, has been pleading with member states and the international community for the support needed to expand the mission to its planned size of 8,000 men...more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090201/wl_africa_afp/africanunionsummitopen

Ex-president of Somalia hails Yemen supportive stance

Somalia's Former President Abdullah Yusef lauded here on Sunday the Yemeni attitudes supporting Somalia to bring security, stability and peace back. During his meeting with the President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Former Somali President Yusef valued the President's stance sustaining Somalia in all events and at all levels. He demanded the International community to present the requisite assistance to rebuild Somali and its institutions. Yusef affirmed that he would assist the new president of Somali Sheik Sharif, asserting that the first task that should be on the table of the new president is bringing security and peace on the Somali land. President Saleh asserted the significance of supporting the new President Sharif for reinforcing the national Unity and reconstructing the state of Somalia, accenting the importance of the solidarity of all Somalis to achieve that. The meeting also reviewed the developments and the new situation in Somalia after electing Sharif as a new president. AF/AF Saba .http://www.sabanews.net/en/news175160.htm

New president pledges peace in east Africa

MODERATE Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was sworn in as Somalia's president yesterday, promising to forge peace with east African neighbours, tackle rampant piracy offshore and rein in hardline insurgents.
Analysts say Ahmed has a real possibility of reuniting Somalis, given his Islamist roots, the backing of parliament and a feeling in once hostile western nations that he should now be given a chance to try to stabilise his country.more..http://news.scotsman.com/world/New-president-pledges-peace-in.4934487.jp