Beesha Caalamku waxa ay danaha dalka Somaliland kala xaajoon karaan kaliya Madaxwaynaha Shacbigu sida dimuquraadiga ah u doortay H.E. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud 'Siilaanyo' iyo xukuumada uu hogaamiyo

Hargeysa - Ururrada madaxbannaan ee difaacayaasha xuquuqda aadamiga Somaliland oo ka kooban 27 urur waddani, ayaa beesha caalamka ugu baaqay inay ixtiraamaan jiritaanka Somaliland oo ay ka taliso dawlad uu hoggaamiyo madaxweyne si xor ah oo dimuquraadi ah shacabku u doorteen, kaas oo isagu si buuxda uga wakiil ah dhamaan danaha beesha caalamku ka leedahay dalka Somaliland.

Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh National Speaker Somaliland Human Rights Defenders

Warsaxaafadeed uu soo saaray Afhayeenka ururrada madaxbannaan ee difaacayaasha xuquuqda aadamaha Somaliland Mr. Saleebaan Ismaaciil Bullaale oo lagu socodsiiyey madaxda dalalka reer galbeedka, gaar ahaan Xoghayaha Arrimaha Dibadda dawladda Ingiriiska Mr. William Hague, kuna wargeliyey Xoghayaha Guud ee Qaramada Midoobay iyo Xoghayaha Arimaha Dibada Dalka Maraykanka, waxa uu ku sheegay in Somaliland tahay dal ay ka jirto nabadgelyo buuxdaa oo shacabkiisu ku naaloonayo iyadoo amaanka dalkuna si buuxda gacanta ugu jiro dawladdiisa oo haysta taageerada shacabka, isla markaana digniintii khataraha amaandaro ee dhawaan dawladda Ingiriisku ku sheegtay in ay ka jirto dalka Somaliland ay u arkaan fariin aan waafaqsanayn xaqiiqda taal dalka balse tahay mid lagu rabo in ay faa'iido u noqoto kooxaha argagixisada caalamiga ah oo Somaliland nidaamkeeda dimuquraadiga ah dagaal kula jira.

Waxa kaloo ururradaasi soo saareen go’aan ay sheegeen kadib markay heleen caddaymo ay ku qanceen in ay kala noqdeen taageeradii dhinaca xuquuqda aadamiga ah ee ay u fidinayeen haweennay u xidhan dacwad uu ku soo oogay wasiir ka tirsan xukuumadda oo la sheegay inay farriimo meel-ka-dhac ah ugu dirtay telefoonkiisa. Warsaxaafadeedka maanta ay ku qabteen Difaacayaasha Madaxabanaan ee Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland wuxuu u dhignaa sida tan:

Ugu horreyn, ururrada xuquuqda aadamuhu waxa baaqa ay direen beesha caalamka uu u qornaa sidan:

“Mudane Wasiir/Xoghaye, sidaad adiguba xogogaalka u tahay dimoqraadiyadda ka jirta dalkayaga Somaliland waxay tusaale fiican u tahay guud ahaan qaaradda Afrika iyo dunida Islaamka, waxaanna dalka Somaliland iyo dawladdiisa sida xorta ah uu u soo doortay shacbigu kaalin wax-ku-ool ah ka qaadataa la-dagaallanka argagixisada caalamiga ah, budhcad-badeedda iyo dambiyada xuduudaha dalalka isaga tallaaba, iyadoo wada-shaqayn dhow kala leh sugidda ammaanka manadaqadda Geeska Afrika dalalka dariska ah sida Ethiopia, Jabuuti iyo Yemen.

Afarta milyan iyo badhka (4.5 million) muwaaddin ee shacbiga Somaliland waxay diyaar u yihiin inay difaacaan oo ilaashadaan dastuurkooda dimqoraadiga ah iyo hay’adaha duwiliga ah ee ay sida xorta ah u doorteen, waxaanay meel uga soo wada jeedaan oo diideen inay qaataan afkaarta kuwa neceb dimoqraadiyadda iyo ku dhaqankeeda.

Mudane Wasiir iyo madaxda sare ee qoraalkan aannu la socodsiinayba, Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga iyo Dhaqdhaqaaqyada Rayidka ah ee Dimoqraadiyad-doonka Somaliland waxay la socodsiinayaan cidda danaha iyo masaaliixda dalka Somaliland lagala hadli karo ee go’aanka kama dambaysta ah iska lehi inay tahay keliya Madaxwaynaha aannu sida dimoqraadiga ah u dooranay Md. Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Siilaanyo) iyo dawladda uu hoggaamiyo.  Waxaannu bulashada caalamka la socodsiinaynaa in aayaha iyo masiirka dalka Somaliland iyo shacabkiisa aan marnaba lagala hadli karin xukuumadda dalka adduunka ugu liita ee Soomaaliya.

Dalkayagu waa mid madaxbannaan oo ay aqoonsadeen 36 dal oo xubno ka ah Qaramada Midoobay markii aannu madaxbannaanida ka qaadannay Boqortooyada Ingiriiska 26 June 1960kii, waxaanuna dib ula soo noqonay  madaxbanaanidii dalkayaga 18 May 1991-kii kadib midowgii aannu la galay dalka Somaliya 1 July 1960.

Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga iyo Dhaqdhaqaaqyada Rayidka ah ee Dimoqraadiyad-doonka Somaliland waxay aad uga xun yihiin dhawaaqa dhawaan ka soo yeedhay Wasaaradda Arimaha Dibadda Ingiriiska oo ka dayrinayey dhinaca ammaanka Somaliland, kaas oo dhab ahaan aannu u aragno mid aan xaqiiqda taal Somalilnad ku dhisnayn, balse aanu u aragno mid lagu rabo in uu faa'iido u noqdo kooxaha argagixisada caalamiga ah oo Somaliland nidaamkeeda dimuquraadiga ah dagaal kula jira, inkastoo xukuumada iyo shacabka Somaliland  dawladdayada uu dhawaaqa Ingiriisku u kordhiyay digniin iyo feejignaan dheeraad ah.

Bulshada caalamka, gaar ahaan dalka Boqortooyada Ingiriiska waxaannu ku boorrinaynaa inuu sii wado taageeradii wax-ku-oolka ahayd ee uu dalkayaga Somaliland siinayey, waxaanuna u sheegaynaa in shacbiga Somaliland si buuxda ugu kalsoon yahay xukuumadda uu hoggaamiyo Madaxwaynahayga Md. Axamed Maxamed Maxamuud (Siilaanyo).” ayaa lagu yadhi shirkaasi jaraa'id

Geesta kale, war-murtiyeed ay ururrada madaxbannaan ee xuquuqda aadamaha Somaliland soo saareen ayey ku sheegeen inay joojiyeen gebi ahaanba taageeradii dhinaca xuquuqda aadamiga ee ay siinayeen haweenay lagu magacaabo Nadra Maxamed Jaamac oo ku eedaysan in farriimo cay ah in ay uga dirtay telefoonka gacanta Wasiirka Madaxtooyada Somaliland Mr. Xirsi Cali Xaaji Xasan, iyagoo sheegay inay markii hore ugu hiiliyeen xogo ay ka heleen iyada iyo ehelkeeda, balse baadhitaan ay sameeyeen kadib ku ogaadeen caddaymo ka duwan xogtaa hore, sidaa darteedna go’aansadeen inay joojiyaan taageeradii haweenaydaas.

“Nasiib-wanaag Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga oo kaashanaya codsiyo ay ka heleen hay’adaha caalamiga ah ee xuquuqda aadamiga oo fadhigoodu yahay magaalada London ayaa ka helay shirkadda Isgaadhsiinta telefoonka ee haweenaydaasi isticmaalaysay nuqullada qoraallo farriimo ah oo ay Nadra Maxamed Jaamac lambakra telefoonkeeda gacanta uga dirtay lambarrada telefoonada masuuliyiinta ugu sarraysa xukuumada Somaliland qaarkood.

Nuxurka farriimahaasi aannu helnay ayaa nagu khasbaya in Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamigu gebi ahaanba kala noqdaan Nadra Maxamed Jamac taageeradii dhinaca xuquuqda aadamaha ahayd ee aannu siinaynay, iyadoo markii aanu cadaymaha cusub helay aanu si madaxbannaan ugu booqannay Saldhigga Dhexe ee Booliska magaalada Hargeysa oo aannu ka warraysanay inay iyadu dirtay farriimahaas oo tiro badan, socdayna dabayaaqadii sannadkii hore ee 2012 ilaa bilowgii sannadkan cusub ee 2013 waxyar uun ka hor intii aan la xidhin iyadoo Nadra Maxamed Jaamac qirtay inay iyadu dirtay, iyadoo ka cadhootay shaqo ay siin waayeen KULMIYE oo ay ugu balanqaadeen iyo ninkeeda oo ay ka fureen sida sheegtay.

Fariimaha ay dirtay Nadra Maxamed Jaamac oo gebi ahaan lid ku ah diinta Islaamka, dhaqanka suubban iyo mabaadi’da xuquuqda aadamiga iyo xorriyadaha aasaasiga ah ee uu dammaanad qaaday dastuurka Somaliland, waxay Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamigu u aqoonsadeen farriimahaas qaar aan loo baahin karin shacbiga muslimka ah ee reer Somaliland.

Guddigu waxay ugu baaqayaan hay’adaha garsoorka Somaliland inay xaqiijiyaan in Nadra Maxamed Jaamac helayso garsoor dhex ah oo caddaalad ah iyo adeegyada qaanuun ee sharcigu u ogol yahay oo ay ku jirto booqashada ehelkeeda iyo la kulanka qareennadeeda, waxaanay guddigu si dhow ula soconayaan dacwada iyo geeddi-socodka dhagaysiga dacwadda Nadra Maxamed Jaamac si ay u hubiyaan inay helayso garsoor dhex ah oo caddaalad ku salaysan,” ayaa lagu yidhi qoraalkaas uu ku saxeexnaa Afhayeenka Ururrada madaxbannaan ee xuquuqda aadamaha Somaliland Mr. Saleebaan Ismaaciil Bullaale oo Hargeysa laga soo saaray xalay.

Dhinaca Kale Shirkan Jaraaid waxa lagu sheegay in xafiiska difaacayaasha xuquuqda aadamiga Somaliland ee HornWatch uu helay su'aalo uga yimi qaar ka tirsan safaaradaha reer galbeedka ee ku yaal dalalka jaarka kuwaasi oo ay lagu hubinayo wararka sheegaya nidaamka duwaliga ahaa in aanu ka shaqaynaynin xaafado ka mid ah caasimada Hargeysa kadib markii lagu dhawaaqay natiijadii doorashadii dawladaha hoose ee dalka ka qabsoontay. Waxana ay hoosta ka xariiqeen Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland in fariimahani salka ku hayaan khilaafkii ka dhashay natiijadii doorashada caasimada oo ururo iyo dadka qaar aanay ku qancin, waxan ay sheegeen in khilaafkaasi doorashadu uu cadowga Somaliland u yahay waslad dahab ah iyadoo ay fursad fiicana ay u tahay kooxaha argagaixisada caalamiga ah.

Waxana ay ugu baaqeen Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland ururada iyo dadka aan ku qancin natiijadaasi uu khilaafku ka dhashay ee doorashada in ay ka hor mariyaan danta iyo maslaxada guud ee qaranka iyadoo xiligan uu dalka Somaliland marayo wakhti aad u xaasaasi ah oo lagaga gudbi karo wadajir iyo isku duubnaan.

Gabogabadii Difaacayaasha Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland waxay ugu baaqeen xukuumada Somaliland in ay dib u eegto siyaasadeeda ku wajahan socdaalka iyagoo ku taliyay in dadka boqolaalka kun ah ee ka soo qaxay dalka Soomaaliya ay khatar u keeni karaan nabadgalyada iyo amaanka Somaliland maadaama oo dadkani ka soo qaxeen dal dagaalada iyo dambiyada abaabulan ee kooxaha argagaxisada ahi ka wadaan ay ka mid yihiin nolol maalmeedka, iyadoo xukuumadooduna ay diidan tahay xaqa madaxbanaanida dal ahaaneed ee Qaranka Somaliland.

Afhayeenka Difaacayaasha Madaxabanaan ee Xuquuqda Aadamiga Somaliland Mr. Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh ayaa ugu baaqay Ururada Bulshada Rayidka ah ee Somaliland, Daladaha iyo Isku-xidhada heer qaran in ay u ku soo biiraan Ololaha Qadiyada Madaxbanaanida Somaliland, Difaacida Distoorka iyo Hayádaha Dimuquraadiga ah ee Somaliland, iyagoo bulshada caalamka u muujinaya sida ay ugu kalsoon yihiin ee ay u taageersan yihiin xukuumada ay Afarta iyo Badhka muwaadin ee Somaliland u doorteen hogaaminta dalka Somaliland.

HornWatch waxay u diyaarisay Petitions Online ah guud ahaan shacabka Somaliland kuwa ku sugan dalka iyo qurbajoogaba petitionadaasi oo ka ugu horeeyaa diyaar noqon doono bari 8 Feb. 2013 waxana uu bartilmaameedkiisu yahay Xoghayaha Arimaha Dibada Ingiriiska oo loogu muujinayo sida bulshada rayidka ah ee Somaliland iyo shacbiguba u taageersan yahay dawlada madaxwaynaha lagu doortay doorashada dimuquraadiga ah ee xorta ah.

Stay connected the updates in this regards

CIA Global Torture Network Revealed ! ! !

Dear Friends, Ghost flights, black sites, and stories of appalling abuse. Please take a minute to watch Amrit Singh of the Open Society Justice Initiative describe the grim realities of the CIA’s post-9/11 campaign of secret detention and torture. Take a step toward puncturing the layers of secrecy. Watch—and share—this video. She has compiled a first-of-its-kind report that tells the story of how the United States used its position to cajole, persuade, and strong-arm 54 other countries to take part in the CIA’s highly classified programs. From Australia to Iran, Canada to Sweden, Hong Kong to Indonesia. The list is shocking. Even though I—you—have heard many stories about what was done in the name of the war against terror, I found myself shocked again about what was done under the CIA’s secret programs after 9/11. These are not the practices of an open society. Only with a full reckoning can the United States hope to close the door on this shameful chapter in its history.

Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency embarked on a highly classified program of secret detention and extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects.

The program was designed to place detainee interrogations beyond the reach of law. Suspected terrorists were seized and secretly flown across national borders to be interrogated by foreign governments that used torture, or by the CIA itself in clandestine “black sites” using torture techniques.

Globalizing Torture is the most comprehensive account yet assembled of the human rights abuses associated with CIA secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations. It details for the first time what was done to the 136 known victims, and lists the 54 foreign governments that participated in these operations. It shows that responsibility for the abuses lies not only with the United States but with dozens of foreign governments that were complicit.

More than 10 years after the 2001 attacks, Globalizing Torture makes it unequivocally clear that the time has come for the United States and its partners to definitively repudiate these illegal practices and secure accountability for the associated human rights abuses.

To read the complate report please click here: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/globalizing-torture-cia-secret-detention-and-extraordinary-rendition?utm_source=justice_B&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text_link2&utm_campaign=justice_B_020513

<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency embarked on a highly classified program of secret detention and extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects. The program was designed to place detainee interrogations beyond the reach of law. Suspected terrorists were seized and secretly flown across national borders to be interrogated by foreign governments that used torture, or by the CIA itself in clandestine “black sites” using torture techniques.</p>
<p><em>Globalizing Torture</em> is the most comprehensive account yet assembled of the human rights abuses associated with CIA secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations. It details for the first time what was done to the 136 known victims, and lists the 54 foreign governments that participated in these operations. It shows that responsibility for the abuses lies not only with the United States but with dozens of foreign governments that were complicit.</p>
<p>More than 10 years after the 2001 attacks, <em>Globalizing Torture</em> makes it unequivocally clear that the time has come for the United States and its partners to definitively repudiate these illegal practices and secure accountability for the associated human rights abuses.</p>
</div>

How’s That Government Working Out for Somalia?

Last year, Somalia came under the rule of the first internationally-recognized government in twenty years. Now it’s jailing women who accuse its security forces of rape. Via the AP:

A Mogadishu court on Tuesday handed down one-year prison sentences to a woman who said she was raped by security forces and a reporter who interviewed her. The judges decided the woman falsely claimed she was raped and had insulted the government…

Rights groups have decried the case as politically motivated because the woman had accused security forces of the assault. Rape is reported to be rampant in Mogadishu, where tens of thousands of people who fled last year’s famine live in poorly protected camps. Government troops are often blamed.

The woman’s sentence will apparently be delayed by a year, to let the woman care for her young child. Where would she be if not for government?

US Covert Drone War in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia – Jan. Update (Woods et al.)

by Juan

Chris Woods, Jack Serle and Alice K Ross write at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Yemen was hit by the highest number of airstrikes in one month since June 2012, though none have been formally confirmed as US operations.

No US operations were reported in Somalia.

The United Nations also launched a major investigation into the legality and casualties of drone strikes by the United States, Britain and Israel.

Pakistan

January 2013 actions

Total CIA strikes in January: 6
Total killed in strikes in January: 27-54, of whom 0-2 were reportedly civilians . . .

The CIA began 2013 with six drone strikes in nine days – more in any single month since August 2012.

CIA drone strikes on Pakistan in January 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013

With double the strikes hitting Pakistan this month compared with January last year, 2013 could see renewed intensity in the CIA drone programme.

The month’s first strike killed powerful Taliban commander Maulvi (or Mullah) Nazir, ‘perhaps the most prized feather in [the] cap’ of the drone programme to date, according to one commentator. Nazir co-ordinated attacks on Nato and Afghan forces in Afghanistan and had long been a target of the CIA.

However his group refrained from terrorist attacks within Pakistan, earning the label ’good’ Taliban. Brigadier Asad Munir, a retired commander of the ISI, told the Bureau his death could cause serious problems for Islamabad. He said peace with Nazir was essential since Pakistan’s army cannot simultaneously fight both Nazir’s militants and the TTP – the so-called ‘bad’ Taliban behind numerous lethal attacks in Pakistani cities.

Despite this, Pakistan’s response to the strikes in January was muted – notably so, according to Associated Press, as loud protestations had followed almost every strike in 2012.

This could indicate that relations between the allies have improved from their 2012 nadir. The CIA may also have tried to mollify Islamabad by killing senior TTP commander Wali Muhammad Mahsud and announcing that Maulana Fazlullah, commander of the Swat Taliban, is now high on its kill list. The Swat Taliban shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai and launches attacks on Pakistan from its bases in Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Nato and Afghan forces to crack down on the group.

A third high-value target death in January was of senior al Qaeda paramilitary commander Sheikh Yaseen al Kuwaiti, reportedly killed at home with his wife and daughter by eight missiles.

Yemen

January 2013 actions
Confirmed US drone strikes: 0
Further reported/possible US strike events: 8
Total reported killed in US operations: 0-38
Civilians reported killed in US strikes: 0-7
Children reported killed in US strikes . . . 0-2

* All but one of these actions have taken place during Obama’s presidency. Reports of incidents in Yemen often conflate individual strikes. The range in the total strikes and total drone strikes we have recorded reflects this.

Eight strikes hit Yemen in January, the most in a month since June 2012 when US attacks on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) began to slow from their May peak.

News reports named 12 alleged militants killed in the strikes. Up to two children also reportedly died when a wayward airstrike missed its intended target, hitting Abdu Mohammed al-Jarrah‘s house. This is the first credible report of child casualties since a US strike killed 12 civilians, three of them children, on September 2, 2012.

It remains unclear who is behind the recent strikes. September was the last time the Bureau noted a confirmed US operation in Yemen, although Yemen’s state media appears to have stopped claiming that the ‘barely functional‘ Yemen Air Force is responsible for every strike. Attacks are now officially described simply as airstrikes.

There were more allegations that the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is striking AQAP. A report claimed the RSAF targeted an AQAP training camp on January 22, right on the Saudi-Yemeni border. But it was also reported that US drones launched the strike, with help from Saudi intelligence.

An anonymous US intelligence official told the Times that Saudi jets have been striking other targets in Yemen in support of US operations – an allegation promptly denied by the Saudis. The paper reported that Saudi jets may have carried out a botched strike on May 15 2012 that killed 12-26 civilians. There were also questions raised regarding a September 2 strike by an unidentified aircraft that killed 12 civilians – three of them children. However, it emerged on Christmas Day that US drones or jets had carried out that attack.

In a rare display of opposition to the drone programme, Yemeni human rights minister Hooria Mashhour told Reuters the country should change its counter-terrorism strategy. Without directly mentioning drones, she advocated moving away from air strikes to ground operations to target AQAP ‘without harming civilians and without leading to human rights violations’.

On January 28 Sanaa sent up to 7,000 troops with tanks to drive AQAP-linked militants out of the central province of al Bayda and to free hostages including two Finnish and one Austrian. AQAP countered, sending ‘several hundred’ reinforcements to the province. At least 2,500 civilians have reportedly been displaced.

Somalia
January 2013 actions

Total reported US operations: 0

All actions 2007 – January 31 2013Total US operations: 10-23
Total US drone strikes: 3-9
Total reported killed: 58-170
Civilians reported killed: 11-57
Children reported killed: 1-3
Click here for the Bureau’s full data on Somalia.

January was the fifth consecutive month without a reported US strike. But al Shabaab showed it remains a threat to Mogadishu, launching a suicide attack on the presidential palace. The bomber was reportedly ‘an al Shabaab defector‘ with a gate pass and a National Security Force identity card. He detonated his suicide vest, killing two soldiers, after it was uncovered in a routine search.

The US provided ‘limited technical support‘ to a failed French attempt to rescue a spy held hostage by al Shabaab since 2009. Five French helicopters carried 50 commandos into Somalia. US Air Force jets entered Somali airspace in support, although they did not fire their weapons. The French operation was reportedly timed to coincide with the French air and ground offensive in northern Mali, though Paris denied the two operations were linked.

France said militants executed the captured secret service officer, known by his alias Denis Allex, during the assault. Seventeen alleged militants, including their commander Sheikh Ahmed were reportedly killed.

But in the course of the night assault, French commandos also reportedly killed eight civilians, including a child and both his parents. One French commando was also killed and another wounded. Al Shabaab said the injured soldier subsequently died of his wounds in their custody, and posted pictures on Twitter of the dead commando as proof.

After al Shabaab also tweeted an image of the dead French spy, and threatened to kill two Kenyan hostages its account was suspended.

UN investigation

UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson QC announced that the UN will investigate covert CIA and Pentagon strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. He will also look at strikes by the UK and US in Afghanistan, and by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Emmerson has assembled a team of experts to scrutinise some 25 strikes, examining the legal framework for targeted killings and claims of civilian deaths. One area they are expected to explore is the deliberate targeting of rescuers and funeral-goers by the CIA in Pakistan, a tactic revealed in an investigation by the Bureau for the Sunday Times.

The UN’s Human Rights Council asked its special rapporteurs to investigate drone strikes after nations including Russia, China and Pakistan called for action last June. Emmerson will present his recommendations to the General Assembly in October.

IFAD grants Somalia 1.5mln USD to tap Diaspora investment

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said it will provide a grant worth 1.5 million U.S. dollars to finance innovative Diaspora projects in Somalia in a new initiative to tap investment.

IFAD said amounts ranging from 20,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars will be provided to implement projects such as cross- border investment in agriculture, improve food security and increase rural employment. "We must harness this often-times invisible investment in agriculture, particularly in post-conflict countries and fragile states. Helping the Diaspora invest in agriculture represents an opportunity to mobilize new resources to achieve our common goal," said Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD in a statement issued in Nairobi on Monday.

The initiative, Rebuilding Somalia through the Diaspora Investment in Agriculture (DIA) and working with the Somali government and the U.S. Department of State's International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA), IFAD will provide a grant worth 1.5 million dollars to finance innovative Diaspora projects. Late 2012, Nwanze assured the East African Community (EAC) of full support in its efforts to fight hunger and become food self- sufficient. He said that EAC would be their top priority in 2013 adding that his senior officials would be dispatched to discuss areas of co-operation in revamping food production in the region."EAC is exemplary in its integration programmes and I fully endorse opportunities to work with the region," Nwanze said.

According to UN, two interconnected problems must be tackled - the immediate issue of some high food prices, which can impact heavily on food import-dependent countries and on the poorest people; and the long-term issue of how people produce, trade and consume food in an age of increasing population, demand and climate change. IFAD's DIA initiative is expected to raise an additional one million dollars in Diaspora investment in agriculture in the first four years in Somalia. IFAD said the development follows the recent call by Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to its diaspora abroad to invest in the reconstruction of the country.

The new programme will leverage more than one billion dollars sent home by Somalis annually.

Remittances from Somalis living abroad are estimated to equal up to 50 percent of the gross domestic product, which is vital for the country's economy. The initiative draws on successful projects implemented by Somali Diaspora organizations and investors around the world. The Netherlands-based organization Himilo Relief and Development Association for example, created an online remittance platform that allows people living abroad to send money to families in areas of Somalia that are difficult to reach and where security is a concern.

Working together with local merchants, remittances can be picked up at local shops in the form of food staples (or groceries) avoiding the need for recipients to carry around large amounts of cash.

Internationally, recorded remittances are approximately three times the amount of official aid and almost as large as foreign direct investment flows to developing countries. About four times as much is invested in agriculture – largely smallholder agriculture – through remittances, than is invested in agriculture through official development assistance. Up to 40 percent of remittances are sent to recipients in rural areas.

Nonprofits Should Share Their Data, Too

BY David Eaves | Thursday, January 24 2013

Whenever I'm at a hackathon — or any discussion about open data, really — I'm always disappointed to see that there are few people there from the non-profit sector. Obviously this is a sector with limited resources and capacity, but not without a history of effective open data use. For example, some nonprofits — particularly those that provide housing for the elderly, or engage in advocacy around homelessness — are big consumers of census data as it helps them either plan or spot longer term trends that impact their core issues. Such analysis can help ensure scarce resources are allocated more effectively, enhancing the organization's impact.

Environmental advocacy groups also come to mind. At one point, "anthropogenic disturbance footprint within boreal caribou ranges across Canada" was one of the top 10 most-downloaded data sets from the Canadian government's open data portal over a 30 day period. In part, this is because it is useful to environmental groups, who can use it to help assess the range of woodland caribou, a species at risk. Indeed, saving this species is at the core of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), an unlikely partnership between environmental groups and the logging industry designed to improve logging practices to minimize the negative impact on species like the woodland caribou. Indeed, the CBFA is an example of how open data can play a small role in helping drive policy recommendations.

And yet, despite these examples of data literacy in the non-profit sector, organizations rarely seem to know that there is open government data they could use. And they are even more conservative than governments about publishing their own data so that other organizations can leverage it or insights gained that might advance their mission.

There are a few exceptions. The Water and Environmental Hub appears to be trying to serve as a platform where nonprofits and universities can share environmental and water data with one another, but I've yet to see similar efforts in other sectors, particularly ones more related to social policy. Less ambitious, but perhaps more necessary, are sites like Markets for Good. That one appears to be an effort to engage the non-profit sector in this discussion. And, while not a nonprofit per se, the UNs Global Pulse initiative is potentially an example of data being used to gain insights in the realm of social policy that may ultimately provide lessons and insights to the non-profit sector.

But I'm left thinking that there is a tremendous opportunity in the non-profit space around not just using data, but also sharing data, to better understand some of the world's toughest challenges. I'm also left acknowledging that even where data usage is strong — such as in the environmental community — few stakeholders in these sectors see open data as something relevant or meaningful to their organizations and their strategies.

I'm not sure how to change that, but it seems like a huge opportunity.

http://techpresident.com/news/23412/nonprofits-should-share-their-data-too

KAMPALA: Launch of New Programme for Improved Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Africa [press release]

Hassan Shire Sheikh Executive Director EHAHRDP  

Kambala: Marking the commencement of support from the European Commission under the global fund of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network (PAHRD-Net) today officially launches a 3-year programme totalling 1.8 million Euros to promote a safe legal and working environment for human rights defenders (HRD) across Africa.

“The tireless and innovative work done at utual support and reinforcement,” said Hassan Shire Sheikh, Chairperson of PAHRD-Net and Executive Director of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP). Today’s launch marks the fruition of a process set off in 1998 at the Johannesburg All-Africa Human Rights Defenders Conference and renewed in 2009 at the Johannesburg +10 Conference in Kampala where the need for such a protection programme was discussed.

As stated in European Union Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, “the EU acknowledges that the activities of human rights defenders have over the years become more widely recognised. They have increasingly come to ensure greater protection for the victims of violations. However, this progress has been achieved at a high price: the defenders themselves have increasingly become targets of attacks and their rights are violated in many countries. The EU believes it is important to ensure the safety of human rights defenders and protect their rights.”

The secretariat of PAHRD-Net hosted by EHAHRDP coordinates the implementation of the programme with the ultimate objective of improving the quality, capacity and consistency of protection support available to the most-at-risk HRDs across the continent. PAHRD-Net brings together the five sub-regional human rights defenders networks in Africa (the Central African HRD Network, the East and Horn of Africa HRD Network, the North Africa HRD Network represented through the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Southern Africa HRD Network hosted by the International Commission for Jurists and the West African HRD Network) to meet the protection needs of human rights defenders and especially to address the needs of the five groups of most-at-risk HRDs: journalists fighting to end impunity and corruption, women human rights defenders, defenders working on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, HRDs working under oppressive regimes or in armed/post-conflict areas, and HRDs engaging with the resource extraction industries.

Human rights defenders are individuals working alone or through organizations under the goal of promoting respect for universal human rights norms. Frequently HRDs come into conflict with the entrenched local power structures of state and non-state actors through their activism. This conflict can put in jeopardy the security of the HRD and their work and family networks. HRDs are often the victims of harassment, threats, assault, injury, and death across Africa, and many are forced into exile, a move which may effectively end their advocacy for human rights. The consolidation and growth of protection mechanisms within the sub-regions will improve the responses available to mitigate these threats and develop HRDs’ ability to manage their own security effectively.

Participants at today’s launch event include representatives of the five sub-regional HRD member networks, members of the PAHRD-Net Steering Committee, the EU Ambassador to Uganda, the EU Delegation to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, HRDs who have benefited from the EHAHRDP protection programme, and other members of the diplomatic and NGO community in Uganda.

For further information please contact:

Hassan Shire Sheikh – Chairperson, Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network: Tel +256-772-753-753, or executive@defenddefenders.org 

Joseph Bikanda – Coordinator, Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network: Tel +256-312-202133, +256-312-265825, or panafrica@defenddefenders.org

Rachel Nicholson – Advocacy Officer, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project: Tel +256-312-265-824, +256-778-921274, or advocacy@defenddefenders.org

Somaliland: Abaarso School’s Student Gains Full Scholarship to Historic US University

Somaliland Minister of Education: H.E Zamzam Abdi Aden

Nimo Ahmed Ismail, 4th year student at Abaarso School of Science and Technology, just received her acceptance letter to Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. In the acceptance letter, Oberlin noted that Nimo’s “intellectual curiosity, social conscience, and personality made her stand out as a particularly impressive and well-rounded student-citizen.” Oberlin’s tuition, housing, food, student activities, and health insurance, normally costs a student $60,000 per year for a total of $240,000 over the 4 years needed to graduate. Nimo will be getting all of this for free.

In its most recent rankings, US News and World Report ranked Oberlin the 26th best National Liberal Arts College in America. Oberlin was established in 1833 and its famed history includes being the 1st American university to integrate black and white students, as well as the 1st American college to teach male and female students.

Jonathan Starr, Abaarso’s Headmaster and Managing Director, said, “Nimo’s acceptance and $240,000 scholarship to Oberlin is a great success for Nimo, her family, her school, and her society. Without Nimo’s hard work and that of Abaarso’s current and former staff, this would not be possible. Nimo is a wonderful person who continues to make us all proud.”

In addition to Nimo, Abaarso has high hopes for a number of its other students being admitted to strong international universities and provided with scholarships.

TO:  Managing Director,
         Abaarso School of Science and Technology

         Abaarso, Somaliland

Sub.: A Letter of appreciation

The Ministry of Education is writing this letter as a sign of appreciation for the good news of Ms. Nimo M. Ismail for her hard and diligent work to receive full scholarship to Oberlin College, USA. This is an indicator that Abaarso School of Science and Technology is really competitive in educating Somaliland youngsters and at the same time, the knowledge offered here is accepted by International universities.

May I take this opportunity to express my thanks to the Oberlin College and Abaarso-Tech. In this regard, I would welcome if more similar scholarships are offered to the girls in Somaliland in the future.

Zamzam Abdi Adan
Minister of Education & Higher Studies

Malala, teen champion of girls' rights, nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistani Teen Girl Nominee for Nobel Peace Prize 20013

By Kari Huus, Staff writer, NBC News

Malala Yousufzai of Pakistan leaving Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Britain, on Jan. 4 after she was discharged. She will have to undergo specialist cranial surgery at a later date.

Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani girl who rose to international fame after the Taliban nearly killed her for her efforts to promote girls’ education, has been formally nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

Her name was put forward by three members of the Norwegian parliament from the ruling Labor Party on their website Friday, which was the deadline for nominations.

Malala’s name was put forward because of "her courageous commitment to the right of girls to education. A commitment that seemed so threatening to the extremists that they chose to try and kill her," said parliamentarian Freddy de Ruiter on the Labor party web site.

De Ruiter made the nomination with fellow members of parliament Gorm Kjernli and Magne Rommetveit.

Malala was attacked in October with two other girls while traveling home from school in Pakistan’s Swat valley.  The gunman boarded the van and asked for her by name before firing three shots at her — singling her out for writing a blog that criticized the Taliban for barring girls for getting an education.

A week later, Malala was flown to a hospital in the UK for treatment. She is now facing a final major surgery to place a titanium plate over the hole left in her skull. While in the hospital she has received thousands of messages from well-wishers around the world, and continued to speak out on behalf of her cause, becoming a global icon.

The Norwegian MPs said they believed that Malala was "a worthy winner for many reasons. She has become an important symbol in the fight against destructive forces that want to prevent democracy, equality and human rights."

She was also reportedly nominated by members of parliament in France, Spain and Canada. NBC News has not confirmed that information.

To be sure, it is very early in the Nobel process, which culminates with a winner in October.

The Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation, which has been awarding Nobel awards for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace since 1901, said 231 names were submitted for the Peace Prize last year, including 41 organizations.

Nominations can be made only by a select group of people worldwide, including national lawmakers, university presidents and previous Nobel winners

.