This is where you can follow inside Somaliland socio-economic and security related issues together with democracy and human rights stories
Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NEWS. Show all posts
Friday, December 23, 2011
Saylicipress News International Post (SNIP) – The Overdue Somaliland Republic Recognition is Already Here
December 22, 2011 By: adal Category: Editorial
The overdue Somaliland Republic recognition is already here: The time to demand or hope to obtain it from illegitimate and illegal 20th century dictators is over
Top stories in Brief:
1. The Overdue Somaliland Republic Recognition is brighterthan ever before Due to the Rapidly Changing International Structures. The oldworld power structure dominated by so-called interest oriented and hegemoniccolonial powers is rapidly declining and its demise has started long time ago. Thefirst sign of their long but gradual decline and economic collapse is the ongoingeconomic collapse in North America and Europe. The second sign is the rapidlyexpanding Arab Spring that is sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Thepost-colonial tyrants that scoff off with suspicion at any kind of change in Africaare also aging and at the same time on the verge to be swept away by the comingAfrican Spring. The bottom our native model is a unique model in the world andwon’t be in hurry for anybody in the dying old system to recognize. With theadvent of the rapidly changing international political and economic landscape, recognition will be automatic and will come tous instead seeking from a dying world power structure.
2. The Ottawa conference held to supportSomaliland’s sovereignty and Independence. Sheikh Omar Abdi emerged as aSomaliland hero of the rally.
3. United States Withdrawal from Iraq
4. Arab Spring
5. IGAD Dictatorships/UN Bureaucrats Ravaging theformer Somalia
6. Keeping U.S. Troops in a mess called Afghanistan even for Ten Moreyears is a waste of blood and Money
7. DPRK leader (North Korea) died on 12/17/2011.
8. A huge rally to support Somaliland independenceand sovereignty was held in Ottawa. Large numbers of patriotic and enthusiastic Somlilanders have taken part in therally.
9. TheGreen Bay Packers have lost to the Kansas City Chiefs but still has a 13-1record which is the best in the NLF.
10. The Saudi king called for the countries ofthe Gulf Council and the newly joined out of the Gulf countries such as Morocco andJordan to join a new union. Saudi Monarchs/Dictators apringre probablymotivated by the raging Arab Spring.
11. The Djibouti dictator dispatched token fewhundred soldiers to the hell on earth called Mogadishu.
12. Dictator Assad is still torching the peacefulopposition to his dictatorial rule. Assad must step down before he met the Gadhafisyndrome of fighting a losing game to the bitter end.
13. IGAD dictators.
14. Struggle in Egypt
15. Foreign military intervention
16. Insulting others because of their political positionor opinion or criticism is an exercise on futility. It should be and must bebased on political philosophy and opinion.
17. Inthe so-called foreign sponsored meeting in Garowi, Faroole put up his own flag everywhere.When Shariff landed at Garowi airport, Puntland flag was decorated everywhere. They behaved time and behaving like a separatecountry for a long time.
Top stories in Dept.
1. Somaliland Republic: The Overdue SomalilandRepublic Recognition is Brighter Due to the Rapidly Changing International;Structures. The Arab Spring is chewing on the most recalcitrant and favoritedespots regarding the former western powers and the Unites States. The ragingpeoples’ revolutions through North Africa, middle east and already makinginroads into sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and beyond is the begging of changingthe world power structure, a lopsided dominated by few former colonial powersand the U.S. For example, in the so-called Security Council, The U.S., France, Britain,and Russia are basically Euro-American nations. They are mostly in sync witheach other regarding international power and governance, Russia differs withthem here and there and from time to time, but rarely criticizes or blocks whenBritain, and the U.S. are doing so big world move when pursuing their interest.Only China is a different state that also went through difficult colonial andneo-colonial times.
2. Ottawa:Ottawa meeting came out as super meeting where so many heroes who were both menand women emerged. Sheikh Omar Abdi emerged as preeminent hero. She showedunprecedented courage and oratory. His speech was a combination of inspirational,advice, historical perspective and advice.
3. Iraq:United States Withdrawal from Iraq is a good thing to do and a step in theright direction and destruction but a very high cost. There about 5,000American troops dead, and about 30, 00 injured. INS and discussions the Iraqiside about 100,000 people is dead. Huge death and destruction to cities, roads,electric grid, water systems, schools, universities and industry. The war wasstarted in the false premise that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction whichfound to be false. That war will be the subject of endless debates anddiscussions for many years to come.
4. ArabSpring: The Arab Spring that started in Tunisia spontaneously has already sweptaway three well-entrenched dictators who are Zhine Al-Abadine of Tunisia,Mubarak of Egypt, and Kaddafi of Libya? Assad of Syria, Salah of Yemen, and theBahraini Sunni minority monarchs arehanging by a cliff hanger and will be topples sooner than later also.
5. Dictators:IGAD Dictatorships/UN Bureaucrats Ravaging the former Somalia
For the last 30 ye tears, the bankrupt, political and economics ridden IGAD dictators has made theformer Somalia their lucrative project they make other money, and every fewyears come with some new trick, magic poor project. They sent this proposalunder the auspices of the so-called war of terrorism to milk money from the westernn colonial powers. The as-called Unisom in Mogadishu and [projects before wereall this game of keeping the former Somalia. Since the start of the Arab Springthe IGAD dictators are looking over their shoulders. These dictators became thepoor, Hungary, and feuding despots riddled with their own political,corruption, and economic problems. The Somali project is not only a moneymaking lucrative project for them, but also a distraction from their horriblecountries where a number of insurgencies and armed opposition is going on.
6. Afghanistan: Keeping U.S. Troops in a Countryin which is messed up, so screwed up, there is no chance of any semblance ofpeace and order. History tells both Afghanistan and Pakistan are two violentstates. Through history Afghanistan has never known to have a real centralgovernment. Keeping American and other western troops over there is nothing butan exercise in futility; it is also just a waste of money and blood. I did notunderstand what the United States troops will do there since 2012. Nobody canbring peace in a place where there was no history of peace. The American peoplemust demand to bring our troops home. There is no reason of keeping our troopsthere. There is no peace top keep there. Afghanistan was never a centrally controlled country. It was an always aplace historical or pre-mordial society if you will. Karzai is also a corruptand multi-faced charlatan who is just milking the international money boringthe hell hole called Afghanistan. These tribes were bitter enemies for the lastmillennium and beyond. The third years of experiment as a nation state failedand worked, and there is no reason that another one of central control can’t work.
7. DPRK: The leader Of DPRK,the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea died on 12/17/2011. The country ismourning. Since the Korean war of 1950-1953, the two Koreas are in a state war.They never signed a peace treaty. There is just an armistice was struck in1953, and demoralized zone patrolled by UN forces was established between thetwo countries. In the Korean war South Korea was backed by forces led by theUnited States who were the banner of the United States, and DPRK was backed by China and the then Soviet Union. According to North Korean television Kim JongIL will be succeeded by his son Kim Jong UN.
8. Somaliland Sovereignty: Ahuge rally to support Somaliland independence and sovereignty was held inOttawa. Large numbers of patriotic and enthusiasticSomalilanders who love their country have participated. Great speeches weredelivered, patriotic songs were sung. The atmosphere was festive and jubilant.
9. Green Bay packers: The Super ball champions,the Green Bay Packers have lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. 13-1. The Super Ball Champions still enjoy thebest NFL record. Many sport experts expect them again to Super contenders thisyear also.
10. Saudi Monarchs/Dictators: TheSaudi king proposed a Union between the Gulf Sheikhdoms. What is that? This maythe result of the Arab Spring. Could It an attempt stall the Arab Spring?
11. Djibouti: The Djibouti dictator has sent few hundred somewhattoken forces to Mogadishu the capital of the former Somalia. Nobody knows whyhe sent few hundred token soldiers to Mogadishu. For him to endanger Djiboutiansoldiers to a futile and fruitless dictators’ mission in Mogadishu ispointless. There is one thing which iscrystal clear dictators is showy, token and they love publicity and praise.They like to be called what they are not.
12. Syrian Tyrant: Finally itis Syria is still smoldering and the immoral world is still le watching aheavily armed and violent genocidal butcher to use heavy weapons includingartillery, tanks, antitank weapons, multiple rocket launchers and what have youagainst unarmed and peaceful demonstrators. If there is conscience left in theworld, the world needs to intervene very quickly because the murder, andcriminal strong man, the so-called Assad is just murdering people at will. Hisfather killed 20, 000 people in the city of Hama in 1982. A huge neighborhoodwas attacked with heavy weapons, and when the dust clear. Settled 20, 000people innocent civilians were dead. What kind of world we live in? AfterRwanda I and Srebrenica I won’t be surprised.
13. IGAD Tyrants: IGAD dictatorships fully involved with the affairs of the former Somalia, and none of them wantany reconciliation or semblance of peace to come back to that war torn place.Moreover, these defective and unstable dictatorships are not equipped, or havethe capacity, the funds and the will to fix any place. All of them have hugedomestic problems including corruption, internal dissent and some cases activeinsurgencies.
14. Egypt: The people of Egypthave toppled long reigning dictators last year, but he was just replaced by theEgyptian military who were ruling Egypt for the last 60 years. Since 1952 coupby the so-called free officer union ( Dubaad Al-Ahraar), Egypt was ruled by themilitary. The military became a rather privileged entity that owns Real Estate,companies and industry. They control at least 10% of the Egyptian economy. What is happening here the cunning Egyptianmilitary were embarked in hijacking the grass roots peoples’ revolution and theEgyptian people refused that? That is the reason came up with a brutal force tocrush and silence the people. Now the people are demanding that the militarymust give up all power, something they will not accept. Then they respondedwith brutal force and the people refused to budge to their violence andoppression. Now, Egypt entered the second phase of the revolution between the remnantsof the old privilege guard, the Egyptian military and the revolutionary forceswho will not be satisfied unless the military completely gives power. Jugglefor freedom and democracy. That is where the Egyptian struggle for freedom anddemocracy, and the ongoing violence in the streets of Cairo will not endanytime soon. There is genuine fear that the current standoff will escalateinto an armed shoot out between the military and the Egyptian revolutionariesand people.
15. African DictatorsIntervention: The intervention of African dictators into former Somalia iscurse. It is a terrible omen to have troops from poor, tribal, corrupt andundisciplined forces into former Somalia a Muslim is not going well and notexpected to go well either. The involved countries are mostly underdevelopedstates that are saddled with social, economic political problems, and in somecases such as Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Burundi have their own localinsurgencies.
16. Insultingothers because of their political position or opinion is pointless: If you want to criticize others you need tocriticize them on the issues, political philosophy, and on the record. It is illegitimate, unethical, and immoral to write baseless lies about others.
17. When Sharifflanded at Garowi airport, Puntland flag was decorated everywhere. Immoral act to attack the personality of a messenger. You do not need toattack by been e objective. Sayingnonsense and baseless things about the messenger is called a harangue. Criticismshould be objective and should be confined to the issues. Garowi meeting put the seal of approval to the real contestants in the politicalquagmire of the former Somalia: WhenShariff landed at Garowi airport, Puntland fla17. Garowig was decorated everywhere. ClearlyFarool’s Puntland, his crime enterprise infested with pirates and other criminalsyndicate groups looked like a separate government. Puntland or in other a longtime in other wards Farooleland was behaving like a separate country for solong time with any declaration. The man also acts like real gangster byintimidating and bullying his opponents. The sham Garowi is a reflection of feudinggroups in the former Somalia. What isleft of the former Somalia is clearly a contest between the Hawiye and Majiirteen. If you want tounderstand that ,look closely the people congregating in Garowi. They arePunland representing Majiirteen,Galmudug representing Hawiye,Mogadishu figment packaged as a government primarily representing Hawiye. Theother Somalis of Italian Somalia are marginalized and all they mostly have is atoken representation. In conclusion the current political and military stalematein Somalia is between Hawiye and Majiirteen.
SayliciPress.Net
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Shirkadda SomCable Oo Soo Bandhigaty Muuqaalo Muujinaya Halka Uu Marayo Mashruuca Isgaadhsiinta Ee Xadhiga Kaybalka Badda Ee Ay Doonayso Inay Somaliland Keento.
Hargeysa-(Qor)-Shirkadda Isgaadhsiinta SomCable oo qayb ka ah Companiga weyn ee IMCG oo uu Leeyahay ganacsadae Maxamed Aw Siciid ayaa kusoo bandhigtay Carwada ganacsiga Somaliland ee laga furay Hargeysa toddobaadkan hawsheeda dhinaca Isgaadhsiinta Kaybalka badda ee ay doonayso inay keento Somaliland.Iyadoo SomCable carwadaa kusoo bandhigtay halka ay marayaan hawsha xadhiga mashruuca Kaybalka Badda ee ay doonayaan in Somaliland laga hirgeliyo muddooyinka soo socda, kaas oo hadda shaqadiisu ka socoto dhinaca Xeebta galbeedka Somaliland, isla markaana la doonayo sidii loo soo gaadhsiin lahaa magaalada Berbera. Eng. Yuusuf Xuseen Cabdalle oo ah wakiilka Shirikadda SomCable ee Somaliland ayaa u sheegay inay mashruucaa soo jiidista Kaybalka xadhiga Isgaadhsiinta hadda kasoo bilaabeen dhinaca dalka Djibouti oo laga soo wado xadhiga Submarine Cable, kaas oo lasoo raacinayo xeebta badda Somaliland, isla markaana la gaadhsiinayo magaalada dekeda ah ee Berbera.
Ethiopian Court: 2 Swedish Reporters Guilty
The pair, who now face up to 15 years in prison at their sentencing next week, have said they were gathering news at the time of their arrest.
However, Judge Shemsu Sirgaga said that was “very unlikely,” accusing the Ogaden National Liberation Front of organizing the Swedes’ journey starting in London via Kenya and Somalia into Ethiopia. Outlawed groups in many countries frequently facilitate the travels of reporters in order to have their version of events told.
Ethiopian troops captured Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye six months ago during a clash with rebels in Ethiopia’s restive Somali region in the country’s east, a no-go area for reporters. Ethiopia considers the rebel group a terrorist organization, and it is very difficult for journalists to gain access to the region. Rights groups say that is so abuses there are not exposed.
The chairman of the Swedish Union of Journalists, Jonas Nordling, deplored the conviction, saying it is clearly aimed at deterring reporters from investigating alleged human rights abuses in the Ogaden region.
“This is a political verdict,” Nordling said. “There is no evidence to support that this is a terror crime.”
“They are two established reporters who have used accepted journalistic methods to enter the area,” he said, adding Ethiopian officials “absolutely do not want to see an open examination of what happens in the Ogaden area.”
Persson and Schibbye are both freelance contributors to the Sweden-based photojournalism agency Kontinent. Schibbye is also a writer. The two regularly had their work published in national newspapers in Sweden and Norway.
The pair said they had been gathering news about a Swedish oil company that is exploring the Ethiopia’s Somali region for oil. Sweden’s foreign minister Carl Bildt has close ties to the firm — Lundin Petrol. He was a former member of the company’s board of directors.
Shemsu said that “journalism demands impartiality and balance but doesn’t require violating the laws of a sovereign country.”
“The court finds the defendants guilty as charged in a unanimous vote,” he said.
The Swedes’ lawyers, their family and the Swedish ambassador to Ethiopia left the court without making any comments.
In Sweden, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said the Swedish government will immediately contact high-level officials in the Ethiopian government.
“Our starting point is and remains that they have been in the country on a journalistic mission. They should be freed as soon as possible to be able to reunite with their families in Sweden,” Reinfeldt said.
Bildt, the country’s foreign minister, said on Twitter that Sweden expresses “grave concern” over the verdict. “We will continue to work to set them free,” he said.
Persson and Schibbye have acknowledged that they entered Ethiopia illegally.
“Your honor, I am a journalist and my job is to gather news. I am guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally, but I am not guilty of the other activities I am charged of,” Schibbye said during the case’s preliminary hearing in October.
“I entered the country illegally and nothing else,” Persson added.
The international community has closely followed the terror trial against the Swedes. Rights groups and diplomats say Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism proclamation restricts freedom of expression and is used as a tool to crack down on dissent.
The rights group Amnesty International said after the verdict that there was no evidence to suggest that the two Swedes were doing anything but carrying out work as reporters.
“We believe that these men are prisoners of conscience, prosecuted because of their legitimate work,” said Claire Beston, Amnesty International’s Ethiopia researcher. “The overly broad provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation allow the authorities to criminalize the exercise of freedom of expression.”
___
Associated Press writer Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this report.
“They are two established reporters who have used accepted journalistic methods to enter the area,” he said, adding Ethiopian officials “absolutely do not want to see an open examination of what happens in the Ogaden area.”
Persson and Schibbye are both freelance contributors to the Sweden-based photojournalism agency Kontinent. Schibbye is also a writer. The two regularly had their work published in national newspapers in Sweden and Norway.
The pair said they had been gathering news about a Swedish oil company that is exploring the Ethiopia’s Somali region for oil. Sweden’s foreign minister Carl Bildt has close ties to the firm — Lundin Petrol. He was a former member of the company’s board of directors.
Shemsu said that “journalism demands impartiality and balance but doesn’t require violating the laws of a sovereign country.”
“The court finds the defendants guilty as charged in a unanimous vote,” he said.
The Swedes’ lawyers, their family and the Swedish ambassador to Ethiopia left the court without making any comments.
In Sweden, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said the Swedish government will immediately contact high-level officials in the Ethiopian government.
“Our starting point is and remains that they have been in the country on a journalistic mission. They should be freed as soon as possible to be able to reunite with their families in Sweden,” Reinfeldt said.
Bildt, the country’s foreign minister, said on Twitter that Sweden expresses “grave concern” over the verdict. “We will continue to work to set them free,” he said.
Persson and Schibbye have acknowledged that they entered Ethiopia illegally.
“Your honor, I am a journalist and my job is to gather news. I am guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally, but I am not guilty of the other activities I am charged of,” Schibbye said during the case’s preliminary hearing in October.
“I entered the country illegally and nothing else,” Persson added.
The international community has closely followed the terror trial against the Swedes. Rights groups and diplomats say Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism proclamation restricts freedom of expression and is used as a tool to crack down on dissent.
The rights group Amnesty International said after the verdict that there was no evidence to suggest that the two Swedes were doing anything but carrying out work as reporters.
“We believe that these men are prisoners of conscience, prosecuted because of their legitimate work,” said Claire Beston, Amnesty International’s Ethiopia researcher. “The overly broad provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation allow the authorities to criminalize the exercise of freedom of expression.”
___
Associated Press writer Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this report.
Bradley Manning and the miscarriage of justice - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
 |
| President Obama has already made statements acting as if Manning had been proven guilty [GALLO/GETTY] |
Last week, after an astounding 567 days in prison, Bradley Manning - the US Army private accused of leaking the WikiLeaks documents - finally began his pre-trial hearing.
In the year and a half since he has been in jail, Manning has been severely mistreated by his jailers, has been assumed guilty by the president and now potentially faces life in jail. Yet the "crime" he is accused of is something many US officials do with regularity: leak classified information in the public interest to news organisations.
When Manning was held at Quantico military base earlier this year, he was shamefully subjected to extremely harsh, even torturous, conditions. He was forced to sit alone in his cell for 23 hours a day, was barred from exercise or socialising with other inmates, and stripped naked at night - all despite showing no behavioural problems.
Over 250 law professors, including President Obama's Constitutional law professor at Harvard Law School, Laurence Tribe, signed a letter calling the treatment of Manning illegal, unconstitutional and possibly torture. Former State Department spokesman PJ Crowley, the State Department's lead critic of WikiLeaks, was even forced to resign when he called the treatment of manning "ridiculous and counter-productive and stupid".
Around the same time President Obama was defending Manning's treatment, he was also publicly stating that Manning "broke the law" - despite not being convicted of any crime. Many legal observers found the remarks inappropriate and potentially "unlawful command influence". As Salon's Glenn Greenwald asked, "How can Manning possibly expect to receive a fair hearing from military officers when their Commander-in-Chief has already decreed his guilt?"
The government should have to answer for its statements and treatment of Manning in court no matter what his alleged crime, but the government's own assessments of the disclosures and similar acts makes its reaction that much worse.
According to Manning's lawyer, the White House, State Department, and Defence Department have each conducted secret reviews of the WikiLeaks disclosures. Each review found the disclosures did not damage national security. Reportedly, the reviews conclude the facts revealed in the WikiLeaks disclosures were "either dated, represented low-level opinions or [were] already known because of previous public disclosures". The government has so far refused to release the alleged studies, even though they could potentially impact Manning's case.
| "How can Manning possibly expect to receive a fair hearing from military officers when their Commander-in-Chief has already decreed his guilt?" - Glen Greenwald |
Of course, anyone who has been paying attention already knew that the government's hysteria over the disclosures has been wildly exaggerated from the beginning. Officials have quietly, but consistently, admitted they cannot point to single person who has died because of the WikiLeaks disclosures, despite constantly claiming WikiLeaks was putting "hundreds of lives at risk".
Misleading the public in order to shut down WikiLeaks
More than a year ago, when asked for the Pentagon's official response amidst calls for WikiLeaks to be labelled a terrorist organisation and the alleged leaker to be charged with treason, then-Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said the disclosures were "embarrassing" and "awkward", but downplayed any real damage.
When then-State Department spokesman PJ Crowley was publicly saying the disclosures created "substantial damage", State Department officials were privately admitting the disclosures were "embarrassing but not damaging". Reuters reported that "the administration felt compelled to say publicly that the revelations had seriously damaged American interests in order to bolster legal efforts to shut down the WikiLeaks website and bring charges against the leakers."
In other words, they were lying to help their case against Manning.
At the same time, the documents have provided the public a much-needed window into US affairs that is increasingly and ludicrously secret, and the most consequential foreign policy event that WikiLeaks did influence - the democratic revolution in Tunisia - was an event the US State Department applauded. Unfortunately, Manning's lawyer has been severely restricted in raising questions such as "Why is this information classified in the first place?" As Denver Nicks wrote in the Daily Beast, "By truncating the conversation, the state has robbed the public of a unique opportunity to learn about the secrecy system operating in its name and on its dime."
It's important to note that the regular leaking of classified information by high-ranking US officials has continued unabated - and unpunished - since Manning has been in jail. In the past year, US officials have leaked non-WikiLeaks related classified information to many of the US' most established news publications about Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Iran, China and others. Much of the information is likely classified at a higher level than anything Manning is accused of leaking.
Just two weeks ago, "several US officials" anonymously leaked classified information to Bloomberg News about the drone - one of the most classified in the US arsenal - that crashed in Iran. US officials did the same for the Associated Press the day before.
The sole leak investigation involving a high-ranking official is that of former CIA general counsel John Rizzo, whose only mistake was apparently speaking on-the-record about the same drone program. But as National Journal reported, the investigation will most likely end not with life in prison, but "with some sort of formal reprimand, and possibly a financial penalty such as a decrease in his government pension".
It's clear the US has lost more because of its treatment of Manning - and the extreme double standard it has held him to - than because of any crime he allegedly committed.
Trevor Timm is an activist and blogger for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He specialises in free speech issues and government transparency. The views expressed here are his own.
Bradley Manning and the miscarriage of justice - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Al-Shabab is currently Somalia’s only hope for peace, stability and order.
By David Williamson, Western Mail = Dec 13 2011
To end the war and famine ravaging Somalia the West must deal with men it regards as dangerous extremists, urges Welsh foreign affairs expert Grant Dawson
WHO can bring peace to Somalia after two decades of destructive civil war and cope with its worst famine in 60 years?
Could it be that Somalia’s only hope are the people we have been told to despise – the terrorists?
It won’t be US troops and experts with support of the Canadians and Europeans, that’s for sure.
There is no confidence in Washington that military intervention could rescue the 750,000 at immediate risk of starvation over the next few months, no mood in the US, Canada, and Europe for another intervention to solve Somalia’s serious problems.
The same follows for security sector reconstruction. The government of Somalia has asked Canada and other countries to deploy police and army trainers in Somalia. However, only the European Union has agreed and it only trains army personnel outside the country.
The West has been so stand-offish and mindful of its limitations for two reasons.
The first relates to Al-Shabab, the Islamist insurgency with al-Qaida links. Frustration over Al-Shabab’s obstruction of humanitarian relief is tempered by the knowledge that the famine is not about them but a disintegrated collapsed state awash in guns and misery.
That wasn’t clear back in 1992. When famine struck that year, shocking Western publics and governments, a US-led coalition intervened to protect UN and NGO deliveries of food and medicine. The coalition withdrew as planned months later, and was not supposed to focus on the wider issues.
The second is that the US priority in East Africa is the war on terrorism. It is able to wage and indeed escalate this war from outside Somalia. Drone aircraft have done surveillance missions, but now the US is deploying an armed model equipped with bombs and missiles.
The US is also relying on private contractors to train African troops to fight the Al-Shabab.
In addition to the legal issues and troubling implications for global order, notably whether states should be sending robotic devices over borders to kill perceived enemies, the war on terror is a blatant example of the West subordinating Somalia’s interests to its own.
It is small wonder, then, that the yield from the West’s and the UN’s political and military interventions in Somalia has been so meager.
Somalis want law, order and justice for their communities. They rallied in 2006 to the banner of the Union of Islamic Courts, the predecessor to the Al-Shabab, because it ended the petty corruption, criminality and hated ad hoc checkpoints of the warlords and roaming gunmen.
None of the many central governments brokered by the UN (14 in total so far) have been able to fulfil these basic needs. This includes the current Transitional Federal Government, installed after the US and Ethiopia destroyed the Courts movement because of suspected terrorist links.
The Transitional Federal Government took power in Mogadishu. It is allied with the US in the war against terrorism, but it is corrupt and propped up by African Union troops.
It is too weak to provide law and order. Often civilians are better off outside the capital, where Al-Shabab is in control.
Indeed, Al-Shabab is currently Somalia’s only hope for peace, stability and order.
The West must recognise that Al-Shabab is the only actor capable of setting up a system of governance and basic infrastructure in Somalia. The Al-Shabab are supportive of global and regional order, they ought to be seen as state-builders rather than as a group of terrorist extremists.
The media presents the Al-Shabab as a problem because they threaten Western foreign policies.
Kenya’s incursion to protect its tourist industry from Somali kidnappers is presented this way.
This is stupid. The terrorist label just de-legitimises and invalidates the Al-Shabab.
Use of this label hampers Somalia’s recovery and global order more than it helps.
To understand why this is so we have to look at the human behind the terrorist label. The Al-Shabab has not been allowed to participate in Somalia’s political process. Terrorist attacks like suicide truck bombings and recent Al-Shabab audiotape calling for attacks on the US, Canada, and other countries are the only tactics available to them to effect change and insert themselves into the debate about the future of their country.
The Transitional Federal Government has said it wants to negotiate with the Al-Shabab. It knows it cannot compete.
Like the Courts movement, Al-Shabab has the local contacts, support of the civil elites, grassroots leaders and bottom-up approach that Somalis respect and trust.
Turning to the Al-Shabab is not an ideal solution. But Somalia’s mixture of famine, conflict and state collapse is far from an ideal situation.
Al-Shabab will be able to provide peace and stability, and in a calmer and less confrontational atmosphere famine relief from outside should be acceptable.
Dr Grant Dawson is deputy director of the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies at the Department of International Politics of Aberystwyth University
To end the war and famine ravaging Somalia the West must deal with men it regards as dangerous extremists, urges Welsh foreign affairs expert Grant Dawson
WHO can bring peace to Somalia after two decades of destructive civil war and cope with its worst famine in 60 years?
Could it be that Somalia’s only hope are the people we have been told to despise – the terrorists?
It won’t be US troops and experts with support of the Canadians and Europeans, that’s for sure.
There is no confidence in Washington that military intervention could rescue the 750,000 at immediate risk of starvation over the next few months, no mood in the US, Canada, and Europe for another intervention to solve Somalia’s serious problems.
The same follows for security sector reconstruction. The government of Somalia has asked Canada and other countries to deploy police and army trainers in Somalia. However, only the European Union has agreed and it only trains army personnel outside the country.
The West has been so stand-offish and mindful of its limitations for two reasons.
The first relates to Al-Shabab, the Islamist insurgency with al-Qaida links. Frustration over Al-Shabab’s obstruction of humanitarian relief is tempered by the knowledge that the famine is not about them but a disintegrated collapsed state awash in guns and misery.
That wasn’t clear back in 1992. When famine struck that year, shocking Western publics and governments, a US-led coalition intervened to protect UN and NGO deliveries of food and medicine. The coalition withdrew as planned months later, and was not supposed to focus on the wider issues.
The second is that the US priority in East Africa is the war on terrorism. It is able to wage and indeed escalate this war from outside Somalia. Drone aircraft have done surveillance missions, but now the US is deploying an armed model equipped with bombs and missiles.
The US is also relying on private contractors to train African troops to fight the Al-Shabab.
In addition to the legal issues and troubling implications for global order, notably whether states should be sending robotic devices over borders to kill perceived enemies, the war on terror is a blatant example of the West subordinating Somalia’s interests to its own.
It is small wonder, then, that the yield from the West’s and the UN’s political and military interventions in Somalia has been so meager.
Somalis want law, order and justice for their communities. They rallied in 2006 to the banner of the Union of Islamic Courts, the predecessor to the Al-Shabab, because it ended the petty corruption, criminality and hated ad hoc checkpoints of the warlords and roaming gunmen.
None of the many central governments brokered by the UN (14 in total so far) have been able to fulfil these basic needs. This includes the current Transitional Federal Government, installed after the US and Ethiopia destroyed the Courts movement because of suspected terrorist links.
The Transitional Federal Government took power in Mogadishu. It is allied with the US in the war against terrorism, but it is corrupt and propped up by African Union troops.
It is too weak to provide law and order. Often civilians are better off outside the capital, where Al-Shabab is in control.
Indeed, Al-Shabab is currently Somalia’s only hope for peace, stability and order.
The West must recognise that Al-Shabab is the only actor capable of setting up a system of governance and basic infrastructure in Somalia. The Al-Shabab are supportive of global and regional order, they ought to be seen as state-builders rather than as a group of terrorist extremists.
The media presents the Al-Shabab as a problem because they threaten Western foreign policies.
Kenya’s incursion to protect its tourist industry from Somali kidnappers is presented this way.
This is stupid. The terrorist label just de-legitimises and invalidates the Al-Shabab.
Use of this label hampers Somalia’s recovery and global order more than it helps.
To understand why this is so we have to look at the human behind the terrorist label. The Al-Shabab has not been allowed to participate in Somalia’s political process. Terrorist attacks like suicide truck bombings and recent Al-Shabab audiotape calling for attacks on the US, Canada, and other countries are the only tactics available to them to effect change and insert themselves into the debate about the future of their country.
The Transitional Federal Government has said it wants to negotiate with the Al-Shabab. It knows it cannot compete.
Like the Courts movement, Al-Shabab has the local contacts, support of the civil elites, grassroots leaders and bottom-up approach that Somalis respect and trust.
Turning to the Al-Shabab is not an ideal solution. But Somalia’s mixture of famine, conflict and state collapse is far from an ideal situation.
Al-Shabab will be able to provide peace and stability, and in a calmer and less confrontational atmosphere famine relief from outside should be acceptable.
Dr Grant Dawson is deputy director of the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies at the Department of International Politics of Aberystwyth University
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Ethiopia proposed ‘semi-recognition’ for Somaliland
Posted by Daniel Berhane on Thursday, September 8, 2011 @ 10:41 pm ·
A leaked Cable of US Embassy Addis Ababa shows Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi lobbying for a ‘semi-recognition’ status for Somaliland, a breakaway northern territory of Somalia.
In a January 30, 2009 meeting with Assistant Secretary Phil Carter, the Ethiopia Premier was quoted as saying that:
he(Meles) has already broached the notion of an interim- or semi-recognition, along the lines of what the Palestinian Authority enjoys, with Somaliland President Kahin Riyale, and that Riyale has become increasingly receptive to the strategy……the next steps must be for others in the international community to help convince the Somalilanders of such an approach.
Meles argued that granting a "semi-recognition" for Somaliland would be ‘a critical step necessary to enhance the international community’s ability to support Somaliland on regional security/stability and in its own domestic efforts toward democratization.’ He stressed further that ‘the international community’s status quo relationship with Somaliland is untenable and that Somaliland needs a way around the issue of legal recognition to allow the international community to "recognize some authority within Somaliland with which it can engage”.‘
While accepting the Assistant Secretary’s criticism of Somaliland’s internal political dynamics in the prior two years and the need to hold credible elections as planned, Meles Zenawi insisted that ‘Somaliland’s democratic process cannot be sustained without some kind of interim recognition which can allow for the provision of international assistance to bolster Somaliland’s own democratic process.’ [Note that the 2010 Presidential election went as planned and Somaliland managed a peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party, albeit with some hitched in ...]
However, Somaliland needs a "good sponsor" within the African community to advance the cause, Meles observed. Speaking of potential sponsors, Meles suggested that:
Djibouti would be the best choice, and acknowledged that Ethiopia would be the worst (as the move risked only fueling detractors’ arguments that Ethiopia is bent on breaking up Somalia).
Once the support of Africans is secured, ‘the onus would be on the U.S. and UK to make the Somaliland semi-recognition case to the Europeans and others in the international community’, Meles outlined the strategy.
Read the Cable below.
********************
Reference ID – 09ADDISABABA260
Created – 2009-02-02 14:31
Released – 2011-08-30 01:44
Classification – CONFIDENTIAL
Origin – Embassy Addis Ababa
VZCZCXRO0925
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #0260 0331431
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 021431Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3588
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUZEFAA/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 000260
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV SO ET
Created – 2009-02-02 14:31
Released – 2011-08-30 01:44
Classification – CONFIDENTIAL
Origin – Embassy Addis Ababa
VZCZCXRO0925
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #0260 0331431
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 021431Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3588
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUZEFAA/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 000260
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV SO ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA MAKES CASE FOR SOMALILAND "SEMI-RECOGNITION"
Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) On the margins of a discussion with Acting AF Assistant Secretary Phil Carter On January 30, Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles made the case for "semi-recognition" of Somaliland as a critical step necessary to enhance the international community’s ability to support Somaliland on regional security/stability and in its own domestic efforts toward democratization. Meles argued that the international community’s status quo relationship with Somaliland is untenable and that Somaliland needs a way around the issue of legal recognition to allow the international community to "recognize some authority within Somaliland with which it can engage."
¶2. (C) Meles accepted Acting A/S Carter’s argument that Somaliland’s internal political dynamics over the past two years have not helped their case, and agreed that the region must get back on track and hold credible elections as planned this spring. Still Meles argued that Somaliland’s democratic process cannot be sustained without some kind of interim recognition which can allow for the provision of international assistance to bolster Somaliland’s own democratic process.
¶3. (C) Meles noted that he has already broached the notion of an interim- or semi-recognition, along the lines of what the Palestinian Authority enjoys, with Somaliland President Kahin Riyale, and that Riyale has become increasingly receptive to the strategy. Meles argued to Carter that the next steps must be for others in the international community to help convince the Somalilanders of such an approach. Then, Somaliland needs a "good sponsor" within the African community to advance the cause. Meles suggested that Djibouti would be the best choice, and acknowledged that Ethiopia would be the worst (as the move risked only fueling detractors’ arguments that Ethiopia is bent on breaking up Somalia). Once the strategy had support among African states, Meles argued that the onus would be on the U.S. and UK to make the Somaliland semi-recognition case to the Europeans and others in the international community.
YAMAMOTO
**************************************
**************************************
THE ASSOCIATION OF AFRO-ASIAN STATES SHARING INDIAN OCEAN are seriously concerned immediate diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland
the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean RIM - Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) unanimously agreed to select a new name for the association by next year by mutual consultations and dialogue. The 11TH meeting was chaired by India, one of the founding countries during which Seychelles rejoined the grouping as its 19th member state after having left the organization in 2003. The 10th meeting held in Yemen had appointed India as the next IOR ARC Chair and Australia as the Vice Chair for a period of two years from 2011.This regional grouping was set up initially in March 1995, launched formally on 6-7th March 1997 in Mauritius to promote economic and cultural relations. It currently comprises 19 countries from three continents (Asia, Africa and Oceana), namely India, Yemen, Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the UAE and Seychelles. The trans-continental block has also five dialogue partners - Egypt, Japan, China, Britain and France and two observers - Indian Ocean Tourism Organization (IOTO) and Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG). Turkey has applied for dialogue partner status but the application is pending over lack of formal criteria.
Bengaluru Declaration
India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna inaugurated the meeting after taking the chair for the next two years from Yemen, the previous chairman. While releasing the Bengaluru communique, he aptly cited India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who had envisioned a grouping of countries bordering the Indian Ocean that could help one another in tackling common challenges. In his concluding remarks, Krishna stated that the 19 countries from three continents have decided to work together to realize the full potential of Indian Ocean Rim-related institutions that have been established over the years. Bengaluru declaration, however, focused seriously on the issue of maritime security keeping in view the challenges posed to international shipping and commerce by the ruthless pirates from Somalia. The group discussed ways and means to consolidate cooperation in areas such as maritime security, combating piracy, natural disaster management, education, fisheries and marine resources management, trade and investment promotion, capacity building and tourism.
Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Industry:
As the regional countries are getting more prosperous economically, and the middle classes are expanding with more disposable incomes and extra cash to spare, travel and tourism in these countries are increasing tremendously. The Bengaluru declaration explores the intra-regional tourism potential and suggests that the relevant authorities of member countries should specifically target this sector for growth to realize the enormous potential of multilateral cooperation to the fuller extent. In this respect, this group must emulate the examples set by the ASEAN with provisions of analogous facilities for visa on arrival, ASEAN tourism association, and ASEAN specific passport scheme. The Indian Ocean Tourism Organization has observer status with the IOR-ARC; therefore, it should be natural for the block to promote intra-regional tourism on a priority basis. Member countries need to promote conventions and conferences intra-regionally to tap the potential of high-end western travelers.
Sustainable Developmental Agenda:
The Indian Ocean Rim is rich in strategic and precious minerals, metals and other natural resources, marine resources and energy, all of which can be sourced from Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), continental shelves and the deep seabed. The group focuses on sustainable development while harvesting the natural resources provided by the Indian Ocean. Conservation and sustainable harvesting are vital for the security of the marine food resources. Though technology and rising cost of natural resources makes harvest of new resources from the sea beds economically viable, sustainability of economic development in the ecologically challenged world requires efficient and harmonious management of the shared seas. The member-nations underscored the importance of cooperation among them, including in the management and sustainable harvesting of fish stocks and combating illegal fishing and damaging fishing techniques.
Economic & Trade issues:
The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest Ocean. It carries half of the world's container ships, one third of the bulk cargo traffic, two-thirds of the world's oil shipments. It is a lifeline of international trade and economy. The region is linked by trade routes and controls some of the world's busiest sea-lanes. The key east-west arteries of international trade, especially in commodities and energy sources sail through the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Rim constitutes between a quarter and a third of the world's population (more than two billion people). The objectives of IOR-ARC are threefold; mainly to promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and Member States; to focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits and to promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim. The group disseminates information on trade & investment regimes, with a view to helping the region's business community better understand and tackle the intra-regional impediments to trade & investment. The information exchanges have been intended to serve as a base to expand intra-regional trade and economic growth.
Expressing concern over the limited growth of intra-regional trade due to poor connectivity, market complexities and inadequate trade facilitation, the Bengaluru communique’ called for rectifying the situation by increasing intra-regional investment flows. Though the intra-regional investment flows are currently modest, many of the member economies do attract substantial foreign direct investment from outside the region. Mr. Krishna called for improving and modernizing the maritime trade infrastructure including the ports and customs authorities. Besides governments, the merchant shipping firms have to modernize the transport & hospitality services infrastructure and connectivity in order to promote intra-regional trade.
Maritime Security:
The Bengaluru Declaration shared concern over the prevailing situation regarding maritime security in the Indian Ocean, particularly at the increasing level of piracy off the Horn of Africa, which posed a threat to international and regional navigation, maritime commerce and the safety of sea farers. The declaration fully supported the international efforts at the UN and the several initiatives at the regional level as well as the Contact Group on piracy of the coast off Somalia, which is coordinating anti-piracy efforts. It pledged to jointly combat the menace through sharing of information and technical assistance. Maritime security impacts strategic security of the nations in the region.Noting that Indian Ocean Rim maritime domain is at the crossroads of commerce and its busy energy trade routes pass through vulnerable points, the Bengaluru Communique said the menace of piracy has assumed alarming proportions in recent years.
The menace of piracy is increasing the cost of trade directly and higher insurance premia and human cost indirectly to the shipping industry. The group needs to build upon existing national, regional and multilateral measures to enhance coordination to combat piracy. To enhance the security in the Indian ocean, India advocated building functional relationships between navies and coast guards.
Diplomatic & Security Challenges:
Security and diplomacy go hand in hand. Diplomacy is the ultimate weapon in the search for security. The group noted that stabilization of Somalia will contribute to dealing with piracy in the region. As members take practical steps consistent with international law to combat piracy, IOR-RIM could serve as an effective vehicle for sharing information, experience and best practices. However, in order to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean region, this grouping should seriously deal with the Somalia piracy issue by immediate diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland and promote the democratically elected government of Somaliland. Strengthening the democratic government of the Republic of Somaliland will promote regional peace in the horn of Africa. It will bring enormous trade, economic and developmental benefits to the country and will discourage other tribes in the south and central Somalia from fratricidal ware-fare. To follow peaceful developmental agenda instead of allying with the Al Shabab and al Qaeda may ultimately become goal for Somalia.
It is an important co-incidence that the same day this regional meeting was held in Bengaluru, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced an international conference to deal with piracy in Indian Ocean as the UK considers it a core issue for that former super-power. The piracy problem in Indian Ocean should not be hijacked by super-powers and former super-powers to fulfill their geo-political agenda. We suggest that IOR-ARC should take a regional piracy containment multi-lateral initiative in which the Republic of Somaliland is an equal partner along with the law-less Somalia. While a dysfunctional Somalia is part of the problem, international recognition of the Republic of Somaliland is part of the solution of the piracy problem. If Southern Sudan could be recognized internationally as a new nation to prevent genocide in Africa, so should be the Republic of Somaliland. It would be strategically naïve, and indeed, myopic to continue to insist on territorial sovereignty of the failed state of Somalia that has already imploded more than twenty years ago.
Need for a New Name:
The current name (IOR-ARC) of this regional grouping is very un-wieldy, mouthful, impractical and without a mellifluous & pronounce-able acronym. Member nations in this trans-continental grouping are essentially Afro-Asian nations. Since the essence of this regional group is the spirit of sharing the Indian Ocean, the name should reflect the reality. We take the challenge thrown by the Bengaluru meeting and suggest a catchy new name for this regional grouping with a lot of future economic and trade potential. We suggest a “sexy” new name: The Association of Afro-Asian States Sharing Indian Ocean (AASSIO). The newly suggested name reflects the solidarity among the African and Asian countries that are willing to share the economic and natural resources of the Indian Ocean in a peaceful and harmonious manner without raising contentious hegemonic issues of total or absolute sovereignty or suzerainty unlike the regional and multi-lateral disputes in the South China Sea.
Future Challenges and Opportunities:
We hope that with the newly proposed name and with a new spirit of economic dynamism, AASIO will give run for money to other regional trade groups including the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Conference), ASEAN plus 3, EAC (East Asian community) and the US led TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). The AASSIO has potential to develop into a free trade area (FTA) or even into an economic community if the member states have determination to promote regional cooperation without bringing hegemonic ambitions to this grouping. Since neither the US, nor China, and indeed not even Russia or Japan are members of the AASIO, the focus would not be on zero sum geo-political games with economic exploitation as the hidden agenda.
Perhaps, AASIO will also work with the UN and the African Union (AU) countries to recognize the Republic of Somaliland, stabilize the remaining tribal war-torn portions of the southern and Central Somalia while containing and ultimately eliminating the terrorist groups like Al Shabab and al Qaeda in the horn of Africa. Such an approach will tackle the piracy in the Indian Ocean region eventually. Negotiating an extradition treaty among member nations to check piracy would be an important step for future. Similarly, there is a need for establishing a criminal court for expeditiously trying the pirates caught on high seas. The group also must evolve common criteria for arming the civilian crew of merchant shipping firms. International Legal protections will have to be given to the civilian crews if their defensive actions lead to loss of life of suspected pirates. We also hope that the AASSIO would invite the Republic of Somaliland to join the grouping as its 20th member state in its 12th meeting when the name change goes into effect de jure.
Dr. Adityanjee is the President, The Council for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi, India
Adityancsa@gmail.com
Bengaluru Declaration
India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna inaugurated the meeting after taking the chair for the next two years from Yemen, the previous chairman. While releasing the Bengaluru communique, he aptly cited India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who had envisioned a grouping of countries bordering the Indian Ocean that could help one another in tackling common challenges. In his concluding remarks, Krishna stated that the 19 countries from three continents have decided to work together to realize the full potential of Indian Ocean Rim-related institutions that have been established over the years. Bengaluru declaration, however, focused seriously on the issue of maritime security keeping in view the challenges posed to international shipping and commerce by the ruthless pirates from Somalia. The group discussed ways and means to consolidate cooperation in areas such as maritime security, combating piracy, natural disaster management, education, fisheries and marine resources management, trade and investment promotion, capacity building and tourism.
Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Industry:
As the regional countries are getting more prosperous economically, and the middle classes are expanding with more disposable incomes and extra cash to spare, travel and tourism in these countries are increasing tremendously. The Bengaluru declaration explores the intra-regional tourism potential and suggests that the relevant authorities of member countries should specifically target this sector for growth to realize the enormous potential of multilateral cooperation to the fuller extent. In this respect, this group must emulate the examples set by the ASEAN with provisions of analogous facilities for visa on arrival, ASEAN tourism association, and ASEAN specific passport scheme. The Indian Ocean Tourism Organization has observer status with the IOR-ARC; therefore, it should be natural for the block to promote intra-regional tourism on a priority basis. Member countries need to promote conventions and conferences intra-regionally to tap the potential of high-end western travelers.
Sustainable Developmental Agenda:
The Indian Ocean Rim is rich in strategic and precious minerals, metals and other natural resources, marine resources and energy, all of which can be sourced from Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), continental shelves and the deep seabed. The group focuses on sustainable development while harvesting the natural resources provided by the Indian Ocean. Conservation and sustainable harvesting are vital for the security of the marine food resources. Though technology and rising cost of natural resources makes harvest of new resources from the sea beds economically viable, sustainability of economic development in the ecologically challenged world requires efficient and harmonious management of the shared seas. The member-nations underscored the importance of cooperation among them, including in the management and sustainable harvesting of fish stocks and combating illegal fishing and damaging fishing techniques.
Economic & Trade issues:
The Indian Ocean is the world's third largest Ocean. It carries half of the world's container ships, one third of the bulk cargo traffic, two-thirds of the world's oil shipments. It is a lifeline of international trade and economy. The region is linked by trade routes and controls some of the world's busiest sea-lanes. The key east-west arteries of international trade, especially in commodities and energy sources sail through the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Rim constitutes between a quarter and a third of the world's population (more than two billion people). The objectives of IOR-ARC are threefold; mainly to promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and Member States; to focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits and to promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim. The group disseminates information on trade & investment regimes, with a view to helping the region's business community better understand and tackle the intra-regional impediments to trade & investment. The information exchanges have been intended to serve as a base to expand intra-regional trade and economic growth.
Expressing concern over the limited growth of intra-regional trade due to poor connectivity, market complexities and inadequate trade facilitation, the Bengaluru communique’ called for rectifying the situation by increasing intra-regional investment flows. Though the intra-regional investment flows are currently modest, many of the member economies do attract substantial foreign direct investment from outside the region. Mr. Krishna called for improving and modernizing the maritime trade infrastructure including the ports and customs authorities. Besides governments, the merchant shipping firms have to modernize the transport & hospitality services infrastructure and connectivity in order to promote intra-regional trade.
Maritime Security:
The Bengaluru Declaration shared concern over the prevailing situation regarding maritime security in the Indian Ocean, particularly at the increasing level of piracy off the Horn of Africa, which posed a threat to international and regional navigation, maritime commerce and the safety of sea farers. The declaration fully supported the international efforts at the UN and the several initiatives at the regional level as well as the Contact Group on piracy of the coast off Somalia, which is coordinating anti-piracy efforts. It pledged to jointly combat the menace through sharing of information and technical assistance. Maritime security impacts strategic security of the nations in the region.Noting that Indian Ocean Rim maritime domain is at the crossroads of commerce and its busy energy trade routes pass through vulnerable points, the Bengaluru Communique said the menace of piracy has assumed alarming proportions in recent years.
The menace of piracy is increasing the cost of trade directly and higher insurance premia and human cost indirectly to the shipping industry. The group needs to build upon existing national, regional and multilateral measures to enhance coordination to combat piracy. To enhance the security in the Indian ocean, India advocated building functional relationships between navies and coast guards.
Diplomatic & Security Challenges:
Security and diplomacy go hand in hand. Diplomacy is the ultimate weapon in the search for security. The group noted that stabilization of Somalia will contribute to dealing with piracy in the region. As members take practical steps consistent with international law to combat piracy, IOR-RIM could serve as an effective vehicle for sharing information, experience and best practices. However, in order to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean region, this grouping should seriously deal with the Somalia piracy issue by immediate diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland and promote the democratically elected government of Somaliland. Strengthening the democratic government of the Republic of Somaliland will promote regional peace in the horn of Africa. It will bring enormous trade, economic and developmental benefits to the country and will discourage other tribes in the south and central Somalia from fratricidal ware-fare. To follow peaceful developmental agenda instead of allying with the Al Shabab and al Qaeda may ultimately become goal for Somalia.
It is an important co-incidence that the same day this regional meeting was held in Bengaluru, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced an international conference to deal with piracy in Indian Ocean as the UK considers it a core issue for that former super-power. The piracy problem in Indian Ocean should not be hijacked by super-powers and former super-powers to fulfill their geo-political agenda. We suggest that IOR-ARC should take a regional piracy containment multi-lateral initiative in which the Republic of Somaliland is an equal partner along with the law-less Somalia. While a dysfunctional Somalia is part of the problem, international recognition of the Republic of Somaliland is part of the solution of the piracy problem. If Southern Sudan could be recognized internationally as a new nation to prevent genocide in Africa, so should be the Republic of Somaliland. It would be strategically naïve, and indeed, myopic to continue to insist on territorial sovereignty of the failed state of Somalia that has already imploded more than twenty years ago.
Need for a New Name:
The current name (IOR-ARC) of this regional grouping is very un-wieldy, mouthful, impractical and without a mellifluous & pronounce-able acronym. Member nations in this trans-continental grouping are essentially Afro-Asian nations. Since the essence of this regional group is the spirit of sharing the Indian Ocean, the name should reflect the reality. We take the challenge thrown by the Bengaluru meeting and suggest a catchy new name for this regional grouping with a lot of future economic and trade potential. We suggest a “sexy” new name: The Association of Afro-Asian States Sharing Indian Ocean (AASSIO). The newly suggested name reflects the solidarity among the African and Asian countries that are willing to share the economic and natural resources of the Indian Ocean in a peaceful and harmonious manner without raising contentious hegemonic issues of total or absolute sovereignty or suzerainty unlike the regional and multi-lateral disputes in the South China Sea.
Future Challenges and Opportunities:
We hope that with the newly proposed name and with a new spirit of economic dynamism, AASIO will give run for money to other regional trade groups including the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Conference), ASEAN plus 3, EAC (East Asian community) and the US led TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). The AASSIO has potential to develop into a free trade area (FTA) or even into an economic community if the member states have determination to promote regional cooperation without bringing hegemonic ambitions to this grouping. Since neither the US, nor China, and indeed not even Russia or Japan are members of the AASIO, the focus would not be on zero sum geo-political games with economic exploitation as the hidden agenda.
Perhaps, AASIO will also work with the UN and the African Union (AU) countries to recognize the Republic of Somaliland, stabilize the remaining tribal war-torn portions of the southern and Central Somalia while containing and ultimately eliminating the terrorist groups like Al Shabab and al Qaeda in the horn of Africa. Such an approach will tackle the piracy in the Indian Ocean region eventually. Negotiating an extradition treaty among member nations to check piracy would be an important step for future. Similarly, there is a need for establishing a criminal court for expeditiously trying the pirates caught on high seas. The group also must evolve common criteria for arming the civilian crew of merchant shipping firms. International Legal protections will have to be given to the civilian crews if their defensive actions lead to loss of life of suspected pirates. We also hope that the AASSIO would invite the Republic of Somaliland to join the grouping as its 20th member state in its 12th meeting when the name change goes into effect de jure.
Dr. Adityanjee is the President, The Council for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi, India
Adityancsa@gmail.com
Friday, December 2, 2011
Somaliland Attorney-General Again Muzzles the Free Press and Summons Waaheen Editor for Exposing Order Freezing New Licenses
On 23 November 2011, the Attorney General of Somaliland, Mr Hassan Ahmed Adan. issued a directive announcing that no new licensing will be granted for journals, magazines or television broadcasting. The directive sent to the Minister of Information and National Guidance and copied to the Minister of the Presidency is translated below.
To: The Minister of Information of the Republic of Somaliland
Cc: The Minister of the Presidency of the Republic of Somaliland
Subject: Temporary Freezing of All New Registration of Journals and TV Broadcasting
We are informing you that the applications that you have been forwarding to us for registration of new media operations have not been fulfilling the necessary requirements under the Somaliland Press Law. In addition, it is necessary that Somaliland Press Law be amended in order to put in place a press law that is complete and which applies to all of the press.
For that reason, we are informing you that we have temporarily stopped the registration of new media operations until such time that a new Press Law is put in place.
Thanks to Allah.
Hassan Ahmed Adan
Attorney General of Somaliland
Waaheen, which received a copy of the document, published a story on the order and provided a copy of the letter to its readers in its issue no 708. On 29 November, Somaliland independent media organizations organized a workshop strongly protesting the order, which they believe violated a number of current statues, including article 32 of the Constitution. In addition, they pointed out that the attorney-General’s responsibility is not to make law but to apply the laws of the land that are en force at the time.
Waaheen Chief Editor has been summoned to appear before him on 30/11/2011 to answer questions about why the newspaper published this news article and to divulge his sources.
Earlier this year, Waaheen Editor was jailed for more than a month for publishing stories that at the end turned out to be true. For his work, Mohamoud Abdi Jama, Waaheen’s Chief Editor, won the prestigious 2011 CNN/MultiChoice African Freedom of the Press Award.
To: The Minister of Information of the Republic of Somaliland
Cc: The Minister of the Presidency of the Republic of Somaliland
Subject: Temporary Freezing of All New Registration of Journals and TV Broadcasting
We are informing you that the applications that you have been forwarding to us for registration of new media operations have not been fulfilling the necessary requirements under the Somaliland Press Law. In addition, it is necessary that Somaliland Press Law be amended in order to put in place a press law that is complete and which applies to all of the press.
For that reason, we are informing you that we have temporarily stopped the registration of new media operations until such time that a new Press Law is put in place.
Thanks to Allah.
Hassan Ahmed Adan
Attorney General of Somaliland
Waaheen, which received a copy of the document, published a story on the order and provided a copy of the letter to its readers in its issue no 708. On 29 November, Somaliland independent media organizations organized a workshop strongly protesting the order, which they believe violated a number of current statues, including article 32 of the Constitution. In addition, they pointed out that the attorney-General’s responsibility is not to make law but to apply the laws of the land that are en force at the time.
Waaheen Chief Editor has been summoned to appear before him on 30/11/2011 to answer questions about why the newspaper published this news article and to divulge his sources.
Earlier this year, Waaheen Editor was jailed for more than a month for publishing stories that at the end turned out to be true. For his work, Mohamoud Abdi Jama, Waaheen’s Chief Editor, won the prestigious 2011 CNN/MultiChoice African Freedom of the Press Award.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Maayar Ku Xigeenka Hargeysa Oo Dibada Soo Dhigay Fadeexado Aan Tiro Lahayn Oo Dul Hoganaya Golaha Deegaanka, Eng Jiciirna Ku Sifeeyay Shakhsi Saar Qabiil Hayo.
“Wadada Dawga-cadna maaha wax isaga (Maayar Jiciir) laga baryayo waa mid dawlad dhexe iyo ummada reer Somaliland oo dhami isugu tagtay oo waa waddo qaran”Hargeysa (Waaheen) – Maayar ku xigeenka caasimada Somaliland ee Hargeysa Md Maxamed Cabdilaahi Uur-cadde ayaa eedaymo aan tiro lahayn u jeediyay guddoomiyaha golaha deegaanka Eng Xuseen Maxamuud Jiciir oo uu ka dhaxeeyo khilaaf ba’ani, waxaanu sheegay in Maayarku ku hawlan yahay sidii uu xilka uga tuuri lahaa.
Maayar ku xigeenka Hargeysa waxa kale oo uu sheegay in Maayar Jiciir ka been sheegay waxqabad muuqda oo uu isagu ka geystay jidka Dawga-cad ee Waqooyiga Magaaladda Hargeysa, isla-markaana uu guddida jidkaasi isku xil-saartay uu u sheegay in Maayar ku xigeenku aanu waxba kala socon, taasi oo uu ku tilmaamay waxba kama jiraan, waxaanu ku eedeeyay inuu Maayar Jiciir jidkaasi hawlihii ka socday hakad galiyey.
Maxamed Cabdilaahi Uur-Cadde oo shalay shir-jaraa’id ku qabtay xafiiskiisa Hargeysa ayaa waxa kale oo uu Eng Xuseen Maxamuud Jiciir ku tilmaamay shakhsi saar qabiil hayo, isla-markaana hawlihii uu umadda u hayey kaga mashquulay sidii uu isaga xilka uga qaadi lahaa, isaga oo tilmaamay inuu Xildhibaanada golayaasha deegaanka siiyo beero.
Md Uur-Cadde oo ugu horeyn ka hadlaya halka sirtu ka qudhuntay ayaa yidhi “Waxa uu ka hadlay Maayar Jiciir Jidka Dawga-cad oo ah waddo isku xidha Hargeysa ilaa xeebteena waqooyi ilaa Djabuuti oo dadwaynaha reer Somaliland si tabaruc ah u wadaan oo ay uga shaqaynayaan, guddida jidkaasi dhisaysaana dawlada hoose waxay ka codsadeen inay qaybtii ay ku lahaayeen ka qaadato, arintaasi oo si adag oo aan ahayn si qof masuul ahi uu u hadlo uu uga hadlay (maayar Jiciir), markaa guddidu markii ay dawlada hoose yimaadeen uu Maayarku u sheegay inaanu Maayar ku xigeenku wax war ah u haynin Jidka Dawga-Cad oo uu isagu laba Cagaf u kireeyay hawshaana uu sidaa ku waday oo uu ku dhameeyay.”
Maayar ku xigeenka caasimadu waxa uu beeniyey warka Maayarku ka siiyay guddida jidka dawga cad “Markaa waxaanu leenahay warkaa Maayarka waxba kama jiraan waana war isaga u gaar ah, malaha waxa uu moodayaa inuu Kampalla joogo, guddidaasi way yimaadeen oo Cabdiqaadir Xaashi Cilmi (Mulkiilaha Huteelka Maansoor) anigaa u geeyay isaga, markaa ka dibna waxa uu yidhi Cagaf haloo kireeyo, cagaftii markii ay maalin joogtay lacagtii ayaa la siin waayay, markaa warkaa Jiciir waxba kama jiraan, waxaanad moodaa inuu hurdo ka soo baraarugay, waanuna ka xunahay arintaasi wax qabadkayagana may ahayn inuu u arko wax Ina Uurcadde qabtay ee waxay ahayd inuu u arko wax dawlada hoose qabatay, jidkaa Dawga Cadna habeenkii uu yimidba wuu ka soo saaray cagaftii aanu galinay, Wadada Dawga-cadna maaha wax isaga laga baryayo waa mid dawlad dhexe iyo ummada reer Somaliland oo dhami isugu tagtay oo waa waddo qaran, waxaanuna uga digaynaa inuu talaabadaasi dib ugu noqdo, sababta xilka loogu dhiibay ee cashuurta looga dhiibaa waa inuu wixii umaddu u baahan tahay uu qabto, wax uu isagu leeyahay maaha.” Ayuu yidhi waxaanu intaa ku daray “Markaa waxaan Maayarka ugu baaqayaa inuu hawsha sideedii u wado ilaa inta xuduudka Hargeysa iyo inta ka shishaysa oo Hargeysa looga fadhiyo maadaama oo ay caasimadii dalka tahay, waxaanuna leenahay ILAAHAY haku garansiiyo.”
Md Maxamed Cabdilaahi Uur-Cadde waxa uu sheegay inaanu jeclayn in arimahan warbaahinta ka sheego balse Maayar Jiciir sababteeda leeyahay “Maanu jeclayn inaanu hadalada noocan ah warbaahinta isku marino, laakiin isaga ayaa nagu kalifay, halkan waxaanu ugu nimid afar cagaf, waxaanu xaraashay laba Cagaf, golaha deegaankuna hore ayuu uga hadlay, meel uu mariyey lama garanayo, waana ayaan daro golaha deegaanka oo 10 sanadood joogay ay kolba cafag kireystaan.” Ayuu yidhi waxaanu intaa ku daray “Aniguna ka mid baan ahay masuuliyiintaas oo uu Maayar Jiciir fadeexada iskaga reebayo, laakiin waxay ahayd inuu iska aamuso oo uu na wada qariyo.”ayuu yidhi waxaanu intaa sii raaciyey “Markii uu la sii dhoofayey saxeexa waxa uu yidhi Maamulka waxaan ku sii wareejiyey Maayar ku xigeenka iyo xoghayaha, waxaanad moodaa inuu wixii aanu ka xishoonaynay uu ku xaragoonayo, manay ahayn in hogaankayagu ceebtayadii ku dhawaaqo waxay ahayd inaanu is-qarino”
Maayar ku xigeenka Caasimada Somaliland ee Hargeysa waxa uu sheegay inaanu isagu hayn xilka maamulka dhulka “Waxa kale oo uu ka hadlay maamulka dhulka, waxaan idiin sheegayaa haddii ay tahay maamulka dhulka, haddii ay tahay naqshad isaga gacantiisa ayay ku jirtaa oo xitaa naqshada xogheyntiisa ayaa u haysa badhna gurigiisa ayay yaalaan, ninka waxaas oo dhan sameeyay inuu haddana yidhaahdo cid-baan wax ka qaaday waa ku nasiiib daro, wax Maayar ku xigeenku xil ah oo maamulka dhulka ahi midna ma jirto, laakiin haddii uu doonayo inuu dadka amro oo isaga la dhageysto cidna uma hogaansamayso cidna dhageysan mayso inta aanu isagu sharciga baalmarayo, waxaanuna leenahay nidaam iyo sharci ayuu dalku ku socdaa haddii aad diidana ina Jiciir wax ka badan noqon maysid, haddii aad nidaamka raacdana waxaad noqonaysaa Maayarkii Hargeysa waanuna kugu ixtiraamaynaa.” Ayuu yidhi waxaanu intaa sii raaciyey “Jiciir saar qabiil-baa haya, anigu waxaan ahaan jiray xisbiga UCID, waala is-qabqabsaday, waxaanu ka warqabnaa oo la hayaa, maalin kasta golaha deegaanka waxa uu u qaybiyaa beero, waxa uu la shiraa beeshiisa isaga oo ka hadlaya sidee ayaa ina Uur-cadde loo badelaa, waxaanu shaqo ka dhigtay Maayar ku xigeen uu marna leeyahay waxa aan u igmado ayuu qabtaa, marna uu leeyahay iga badala, markaa waxaan leeyahay adeer xisbiga UCID wax kaa khuseeyaa ma jiro, ninkii lahaana maad ahayn, haddii aanu garanayno meel lagaaga cuudiyana waanu kaa cuudin lahayn.”
Somalia for dummies
Between pirates, terrorists, kidnappings, a failed state and now a Kenyan invasion, it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on in Somalia, and why it’s going on. To help you distinguish your sea rats from your Al Shabaab, here’s an introduction to the wild world of Somali politics. By SIMON ALLISON.
The news coming out of Somalia can be confusing. Just this past week, there’s been the ongoing Kenyan invasion, ostensibly sparked by a few kidnappings on Kenyan soil. There’s been violence in the capital, Mogadishu, where the official government is trying to push a rebel Islamist militia out of the city, the same militia that Kenya is fighting, except the Somali president says they’re not working together. There’s been a double kidnapping of aid workers from their demining operation in Puntland, which has absolutely nothing to do with the kidnappings that the Kenyans are worried about. And, in South Africa, Wednesday marked a year exactly since a South African couple have been held hostage by pirates, who captured them off the dangerous east coast of Somalia and are demanding a huge ransom. To make sense of all this, it’s worth taking a look at the structure of the Somali state, as baffling as it may first appear.
Kenya troops move supplies from a helicopter at the Garrisa airstrip near the Somali-Kenya border on 18 October, 2011. Reuters.
A good place to start is with the official government. Not that this will get us far – after all, the government of Somalia has definitive, unquestioned control of an area just a few kilometres square around Mogadishu airport. But the Transitional Federal Government, as it’s known, is Somalia’s recognised leadership. It participates in international forums and attracts international aid money. Led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the TFG has been in place since 2007, kept – for the most part – safe and secure in Mogadishu’s presidential villa and government compounds by thousands of African Union troops, under the banner of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). It’s a little disingenuous to label these troops as African Union, as they’re from only two African countries, Burundi and Uganda; but they do have the AU’s blessing.
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. Reuters.
The TFG’s ineffectual, unrepresentative nature has its roots in one of the international community’s most disastrous international relations blunders in the last decade. After more than a decade of civil war across much of Somalia, a strong, unifying government emerged in about 2006. The Islamic Courts Union was a relatively moderate Islamist group, and soon began to impose some kind of stability in Somalia, starting with the rule of law. But this was only a few short years after 9/11, and the US was terrified of anything even remotely associated with Islam – all Muslims were radical, and had to be anti-US. Tacitly the US encouraged Ethiopia, which had its own domestic motivations, given the separatist leanings of Ethiopia’s Somali province, to sort out the Islamic Courts Union. Which they duly did, invading Somalia and effectively destroying the first stable government the country had had in nearly two decades. The TFG, operating in exile since 2004, was established in Mogadishu as a replacement.
Islamic Courts soldiers stand on guard during a protest rally against the US in Mogadishu's stadium on 4 December,2006. Thousands of Somalis chanted anti-American slogans at an Islamic protest against the US-backed plan to send foreign peacekeepers to prop up the country's tottering interim government. Reuters.
The invasion caused a deep division within what remained of the Islamic Courts Union. One faction, the moderate one, chose to keep negotiating. Some have been incorporated into the TFG. The current TFG president is in fact the former head of the Islamic Courts Union. It’s impossible to overlook the irony that the international community deposed Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed when he was head of a government that effectively controlled most of Somalia, only to support him just a few years later when he controls barely a suburb of Mogadishu.
Another faction of the Islamic Courts Union, not unreasonably disillusioned with the response of the West to attempts to introduce moderate Islamic law in Somalia, turned radical. They looked to the Taliban and al Qaeda as models of how to stand up for their beliefs. They called themselves Al Shabaab (the Youth), and found that their fundamentalist message resonated with a population that just wanted peace and security. They swiftly gained control of vast swathes of southern Somalia, with their de facto capital in the port city of Kismayo. They immediately introduced harsh and strictly enforced Sharia law, and banned all Western humanitarian organisations from the territories they controlled. Their reach extended to the real capital, Mogadishu, while the TFG sat around the airport, for most of the last five years Al Shabaab has controlled Mogadishu’s crucial Bakara Market, with far more direct influence on the lives of citizens there.
Al Shabaab's military spokesman Sheik Abdul Asis Abu Muscab issues a statement south on 19 October, 2011. Reuters.
In 2010, Al Shabaab formally aligned itself with al Qaeda, a propaganda move more than anything else, but one that did influence its tactics. Al Shabaab has been behind a number of suicide bombings that have claimed the lives of hundreds, most notoriously the twin bombings in Kampala during the Fifa World Cup Final in 2010 and killed more than 70. It is also supposedly behind the kidnapping of tourists and aid workers in Kenya, which prompted the Kenyan military’s major offensive.
So the TFG controls a fraction of the country, and Al Shabaab a fair bit more, but the majority of the country is governed by neither. Instead, traditional clan structures, still strong throughout all the instability, have replaced a conventional government. Clans had to remain strong, because they were often the only institutions left. There are a number of clans in Somalia and the interplay between each is beyond the scope of this article, suffice to say that in many communities clans were able to imitate the functions of government. They could provide rules, organisation and leadership for places that had none. One example: when a young man marries, he pays in a specified sum (often in the form livestock) to a central fund controlled by the clan; think of it as a membership fee. This money is kept safely, and when one member of the clan is ill, he can draw upon the fund for his medical fees. An elegant solution to the problem of having no banks or insurance.
The clans are, inevitably, deeply entrenched in the politics of the region. Some are pro-Al Shabaab, some are pro-TFG, some want to be left to their own devices and some are deeply divided. But they provide a semblance of governance in areas where neither Al Shabaab nor the TFG can reach.
Residents ride on vehicles as they flee from renewed fighting between Somalia government forces and Islamist militants in Daynile district in the outskirts of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, on 21 October, 2011. Reuters.
Even in a failed state, life goes on. But let’s not forget that not all of Somalia has failed. There are two regions in the north which operate almost completely independently and have put together functional governments of varying respectability. Less respectable is Puntland, straddling the Horn of Africa. This is pirate country. Its economy is almost entirely fuelled by the proceeds of its modern-day buccaneers and the influence of the pirates spreads deep into the government.
Pirates operate with impunity from its ports, holding ships and people hostage until ransoms are paid. It’s become a sophisticated operation; there’s even a pirate stock exchange, where unscrupulous investors can put up the capital needed to launch a raid. This is where the South African couple, Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz, have been kept hostage and it’s where the two aid workers were kidnapped this week. Puntland considers itself an autonomous entity within Somalia, but doesn’t much like the government in Mogadishu. Al Shabaab, too, holds little sway.
Even more isolated from Somalia proper is Somaliland, which, thanks to Somalia’s dog-leg shape, doesn’t even share a border with southern Somalia, just with Puntland. Somaliland is a great success story in the Horn of Africa. Ever since its unilateral declaration of independence 20 years ago, it has built a stable democracy and a government that does what a government should do – build roads, facilitate trade, invest in healthcare and education. It’s no surprise that during the recent famine which affected southern Somalia so badly, Somaliland was not only unaffected, but also able to donate supplies to the relief effort. However, its success remains largely unacknowledged by the international community, which refuses to recognise it as an independent state and continues to invest resources in propping up the TFG in Mogadishu.
Members of the Somaliland community in London celebrate the 20th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Somalia during a demonstration on May 18, 2011.
This, then, is Somalia: a fractured, fighting and confused collection of various groups that happen to fall within the geographical boundaries of a supposed state. As a state, it has failed, there’s no doubt about that; but failed differently in different places, and for different reasons. And perhaps in this realisation is the solution. To solve the problem one has to address the causes and until it is recognised that Somalia is a multiplicity of competing problems, each with its own solutions, then the problem of Somalia can’t go away. DM
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