HORNWATCH

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Q&A: Somaliland leader Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo

The president of the self-declared republic discusses regional stability, aid, and African affairs.

Somaliland President H. E. Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo wants international recognition for Somaliland [EPA]

Somaliland, a self-declared republic inside Somalia, celebrated 22 years of "independence" last month. Somalia has recently again called for unity, but Somaliland's leader says his region is doing better than other parts of Somalia.

Sitting on the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland is officially regarded as an autonomous region of Somalia. The two were, however, separate until 1960. During a civil war in the 1980s, 40,000 people from Somaliland were killed, and nearly half a million fled.

Somaliland, which is more tribally homogeneous than the rest of Somalia, has been striving for international recognition since it broke away in 1991.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri spoke with Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, Somaliland's president, about the challenges the area faces.

Nazanine Moshiri: President Silanyo, it has been 22 years since Somaliland declared independence, but you still haven’t managed to gain the recognition of the world. Are you any closer 22 years on?

Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo: Well, we may not have been recognised, that’s true. We realise recognition is not an easy thing - but the international community engages with us and works with us. It doesn’t mean we are cut off from the international community. On the contrary, we are very well-connected with the international community: they work with us, engage with us. I have just been travelling almost throughout the world, and meeting with governments. Governments and delegations come to us, they have aid programmes here, they support the democratisation programs here, and we deal and co-operate with the world.

NM: You refused to go to the recent conference on Somalia in London. Can you tell us why?

AS: I would like to say that we have very good historical relations with Britain. And much as we would have liked, it did not become possible for us to go because the London conference was held and chaired for Somalia.

The prime minister and the president of Somalia chaired it. After consultations with different parties and different groups, we decided that it was not acceptable to us. We attended many meetings before, where talks were being held for Somalia and Somaliland, but this one was different.

NM: A lot of money was pledged at that conference to Somalia. Do you think some of that money should go to Somaliland too?

AS: Well, I think the international community has been helping us - we receive a lot of assistance from Europe. Of course we would like to see a commitment as far as development is concerned.

NM: On your recent trip to the US, did they promise you they would recognise your statehood?

AS: No, they did not tell us they would accept [or] recognise our statehood. They said they would continue their support and development programmes, that they would continue that commitment.

NM: What do you think is behind this? The African Union is very clear on this. Do you think that if they give you and your country independence, then many other unstable regions would just flare up?

AS: Whatever the reasons maybe, Somaliland and Somalia historically have been two different countries - you know the history of Africa and many other parts of the world. They emerged from the colonial period. As a matter of fact, at the time of independence many countries offered their recognition to Somaliland. But at that time, there was so much enthusiasm to unify all Somali-speaking people in the Horn of Africa, including Somalis in Ethiopia, Somalis in Kenya and Somalis in Djibouti. [Unity] was the ambition of young people.

But that was not possible, because of the policies of the powers of the world. Eventually the principle was accepted that Somalis in Ethiopia should live as part of Ethiopia. The people of Djibouti have established their own state: it used to be called French Somaliland, and has become independent and accepted by the international community. Those parts which were part of Kenya have remained part of Kenya.

So why shouldn't Somaliland, a former protectorate, also be accepted by the international community? After the union with Somalia during Siad Barre’s regime, the type of treatment that has happened to Somaliland [was terrible]. You see the planes now in the middle of town - those were the kinds of planes that were taking of from the airport of Hargeisa and bombarding the population, including women and children, when they went out of Hargeisa to the Ethiopian border. These crimes were committed by the regime and Somaliland has ever since been struggling to become independent.

NM: You have talks going on with Somalia brokered by the Turks in Istanbul. Can you tell us how those talks are going?

AS: We held talks in Istanbul before, and the talks in Turkey are part of programme by the international community to establish reconciliation between Somalia and Somaliland. We are not against the talks; we accept them as long as they are on equal terms, and we were equally happy about the results.

NM: What did you agree on?

AS: We agreed to agree to more talks, and to respect each other and continue to co-operate in other ways.

NM: But the president of Somalia has been clear: he says he wants to unite Somalia.

AS: Well, I think I have been very clear too that we are going to return our independence. We would like to remain friends and co-operate. It is not I who decides, nor my government, but the history of Somaliland decided it will continue to be and has always been a different country.

Source: Al Jazeera

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Computer Hacker to Testify in Manning Court-Martial Trial

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

FORT MEADE, Md. — Adrian Lamo, the former computer hacker who alerted federal authorities that Pfc. Bradley Manning was the likely source for vast archives of leaked diplomatic and military documents to the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks in 2010, is expected to testify on Tuesday during the second day of the court-martial trial of Private Manning, an Army intelligence analyst.

Mr. Lamo is the third witness scheduled to testify on Tuesday, a government lawyer said. In an initial morning session, prosecutors introduced two forensic computer analysts — one former, one current — with the computer crimes investigative unit of the Army’s criminal investigative division. The two, David Shaver and Mark Johnson, examined hard drives and other electronic evidence used by Private Manning and are expected to return to the witness stand repeatedly throughout the trial.

In addition to establishing his role and expertise, Mr. Johnson also testified that he examined an external hard drive taken from Private Manning’s bunk area in Iraq and found a text file with contact information for WikiLeaks that was created in late November 2009, among other matters. Under cross-examination, Mr. Johnson said he had not found any materials suggesting that Private Manning hated America, sympathized with terrorists, or had received any unusual fund transfers.

The trial opened on Monday with dueling high-concept opening statements: the prosecutor offered a portrayal of Private Manning as a traitor who recklessly endangered his fellow soldiers, while the defense said he was a naïve idealist who was trying to make the world a better place.

The second day began with a sharp drop-off from Monday in the presence of news organizations and protesters, as the trial shifts toward chain-of-custody issues and other evidentiary matters, though Mr. Lamo’s testimony about his online chats with the person who turned out to be Private Manning — and his decision to turn him in — could be a highlight.

The trial, which could last 12 weeks, is highly unusual because Private Manning confessed in detail in February to being WikiLeaks’ source and pleaded guilty to nine lesser versions — and one full version — of the charges he is facing, which has exposed him to up to 20 years in prison.

But the plea was not part of any deal, and the government is pressing forward with a trial because it wants to convict him — based on essentially the same facts — of 20 more serious versions of the charges, like espionage and aiding the enemy, which could result in a life sentence.

Private Manning has admitted being the source for archives of front-line incident reports from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, dossiers on detainees being held without trial at the Guantánamo Bay prison, State Department cables from American diplomats around the world and a video of a 2007 shooting by an American helicopter of a group of mostly unarmed men, including two Reuters staffer members, in Baghdad.

Still, a small number of facts remain in dispute. Among them, prosecutors have accused Private Manning of also being the source for some 74,000 e-mail addresses and other such personal data about American troops in Iraq that someone sent to WikiLeaks after the group solicited military e-mail addresses on Twitter; it is less clear what the “whistle-blower” rationale for that leak would be.

Private Manning has pleaded not guilty to that charge and did not mention the database in his confession. His defense lawyer, David Coombs, also did not mention it in his opening statement, which portrayed his client as carefully selecting what to release out of a desire to help the public better understand the world — including the realities of war and secret diplomatic dealings — while avoiding documents whose disclosure could cause harm.

In the prosecution’s opening statement on Monday, Capt. Joe Morrow said the forensic evidence would show that the e-mail address database had been downloaded on a computer Private Manning had used.

Egypt Warns Against Loss of Nile Water to Ethiopian Dam

President Morsi and the officials during the meeting (Photo: Presidency Official Facebook Page)

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has warned he will not allow a large Ethiopian dam project to reduce his country's share of water from the Nile River.

In comments carried on Egyptian state television Monday, Morsi said the country can not let "one drop" of water be affected, and vowed to take steps to ensure water security.

Ethiopia says there is no reason for Egypt to worry about the hydroelectric dam, which is being built on the Blue Nile, a main Nile River tributary.

Ethiopia's water minister says the dam's construction poses no threat to Egypt or Sudan, which both depend heavily on the Nile.

Both countries have expressed concern that the dam will leave them without enough water to support their populations.

The construction of the dam in Asosa region Ethiopia, Apr. 2, 2013. Ethiopia started to divert the flow of the Blue Nile river to construct a giant dam, according to its state media, in a move that could impact the Nile-dependent Egypt.

Last week, protests erupted at the Ethiopian embassy in Cairo after Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile to allow for construction of the nearly $5 billion dam.

More than two-thirds of the Blue Nile originates in Ethiopia. However, colonial-era treaties gave Egypt and Sudan the majority of water from the tributary.

Ethiopia began constructing the dam two years ago with a goal of becoming a main power producer in Africa.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

HOW EGYPTY'S MEDIA REPORT THIS NEWS

AhramOnline

Egypt's Morsi, top officials mull response to Ethiopia dam move

Egyptian officialdom awaits outcome of tripartite commission's report on Ethiopian dam project – expected on Sunday – before deciding on appropriate response

President Mohamed Morsi on Thursday met with Defence Minister Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and General Intelligence head Rafaat Shehata to discuss recent developments in Sinai and Egypt's position regarding Ethiopian plans to build a series of dams on the Nile.

According to presidential spokesman Ehab Fahmy, meeting attendees discussed the options available to Egypt to deal with Ethiopia's 'Renaissance Dam' project and the project's potential impact on Egypt and its share of Nile water.

Fahmy also stated that talks were ongoing with Ethiopian officials in an effort to reach an agreement to the "mutual benefit" of both countries.

President Morsi, Fahmy said, had also discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Omar and Water Resources Minister Mohamed Bahaa El-Din.

At a press conference held earlier on Thursday at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Fahmy said that the presidency would "not allow anyone to threaten Egypt's supply of Nile water."

Egypt supports development projects in Africa "as long as they don't affect Egypt's national security," the presidential spokesman stressed. He went on to note that President Morsi was keen to cooperate with "all African states" on water-sharing issues.

At a press conference convened following the meeting with the president, Bahaa El-Din declared that the Egypt had ruled out a military response in the event that Ethiopia insisted on going ahead with its dam project.

The minister added that a report on the dam project by an international tripartite commission – consisting of representatives from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia – would be issued on Sunday.

If the report concluded that the Ethiopian dam project would adversely affect Egypt, Bahaa El-Din said that Egypt would prepare "a number of scenarios."

Egypt warns Ethiopia about Nile dam

Cairo - President Mohammed Morsi on Monday warned that Egypt would not allow its share of the Nile to be diminished by "one drop" after Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile as part of a giant dam project.

"We cannot let even one drop of Nile water be affected," Morsi said during talks with political and religious leaders broadcast live on state television.

The talks revolved around a report of a tripartite Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia commission on Ethiopia's decision to divert the Blue Nile for a massive dam project, sparking fears of a major impact on downstream states Egypt and Sudan.

"It is necessary that we take steps to ensure Egyptian water security," Morsi said on his official Twitter account without elaborating.

"The current situation necessitates unity among our ranks to prevent any threat against Egypt."

Egyptian officials estimate that Ethiopia's move is largely technical and will not alter the water flow that is vital for both Egypt and Sudan.

National security

But Khaled al-Kazzaz, an adviser to Morsi, said the issue was one of "national security" for Egypt, with the cabinet last Wednesday reiterating that Cairo was opposed to all projects which could affect the flow of the Nile.

The Blue Nile joins the White Nile in Khartoum to form the Nile river which flows through Sudan and Egypt before emptying into the Mediterranean.

Ethiopia has begun diverting the Blue Nile 500m from its natural course to construct a $4.2bn hydroelectric project known as Grand Renaissance Dam.

The first phase of construction is expected to be complete in three years, with a capacity of 700MW. Once complete the dam will have a capacity of 6 000MW.

Egypt believes its "historic rights" to the Nile are guaranteed by two treaties from 1929 and 1959 which allow it 87% of the Nile's flow and give it veto power over upstream projects.

But a new deal was signed in 2010 by other Nile Basin countries, including Ethiopia, allowing them to work on river projects without Cairo's prior agreement.

- AF

Contextualising Somaliland Elections: Clan, Ethnicity and Parties

Date: 11 June 2013

Time: 17:30 - 20:00

Location: Room G.01, Central House. 14 Upper Woburn

Place. WC1H 0NN. London

^{Photo by ©Kate Stanworth}

Panel discussion, report launch and photography exhibition.

Background

Somaliland's record in organising elections is impressive and widely reported. Over the past eleven years, they have organised two presidential elections, one parliamentary and, on 28th November 2012, their second local council. In each case, the exercise was predominantly peaceful and marked by enthusiasm of campaigners, candidates and voters. Donors have also responded favourably. As impressive as the process has been to date, though, the inevitable tensions of representative democratic processes are also evident, and becoming more so as the system becomes increasingly established, including delays, political standoffs and attempts at multiple voting.

These are the successes and challenges involved in a transition to a system of representative democracy. In some ways, they are unique to the context in which they take place. It is equally true, however, that many of the challenges and successes experienced in Somaliland are similar to those elsewhere.

Panel discussion and report launch

This event seeks to display the colour, vitality and vigour of a process that is, in many ways, healthy and progressive, as well as looking at some of the key challenges that Somaliland faces. It also aims to do so, in part, by presenting the Somaliland experience in the context of parallel experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa. There will be a panel discussion presenting differing geographical perspectives, followed by a reception and exhibition of photographs from Somaliland's 2012 local elections. This event marks the public launch of the report of the International Election Observation to the 2012 local elections in Somaliland.

Exhibition of photographs by Kate Stanworth

Kate Stanworth is a London-based photographer who travelled to Somaliland in November 2012 to document the local elections. She has worked on documentary projects in Europe, South America and Africa.

This event has been put together by the DPU with the support of Progressio

Everyone is welcome to attend!

Ethiopian Migrants Return from Somaliland

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says it has helped volunteer return of 42 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

The return by IOM bus from Hargeisa to Jijiga, on the Ethiopian side of the border, took three hours. The migrants underwent pre-departure IOM medical checks to ensure that they were physically able to travel by road, according to the press statement from IOM.

“Many of the group, who sought shelter at IOM’s Migration Response Centre in Hargeisa, were sick or had suffered abuse at the hands of smugglers and traffickers.The operation, which began yesterday, was closely coordinated with the Government of Ethiopia, which dispatched two immigration officials to Hargeisa to screen the migrants and issue travel documents.”

The statement further stated that it was also coordinated with key actors in the Somaliland government, including the Ministry of Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, and the Ministry of Interior.

“In Jijiga the migrants were each given 100 US dollars to pay for accommodation and onward transport to their final destinations. The operation, part of IOM’s Regional Mixed Migration Programme, was funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Migration and Refugees (PRM).”

Every year thousands of Ethiopian migrants try to cross the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states, mostly in search of work. According to the multi-agency regional Mixed Migration Task Force, in 2012 over 107,000 irregular migrants made the journey. Over 80 per cent came from Ethiopia.

“It’s been very hard for us here,” said one Ethiopian woman, before leaving Hargeisa yesterday with IOM to return home. “Our goal was to cross the gulf and reach Yemen and Saudi Arabia where we would have found better opportunities. But some of us got sick and now we just want to go back home.”

IOM is planning to help ten more Ethiopian migrants to voluntarily return home from Bossaso in Puntland later this month. But it has very limited funds to help stranded migrants in the Horn of Africa and Yemen and is appealing to donors for additional funding.

Source: New Business Ethiopia Website

UK- Somaliland delegation from Borama visits Henley

London - DELEGATES from Borama in Somalia have visited Henley to celebrate the places being linked.

The visitors were greeted at the town hall by Deputy Mayor Martin Akehurst and members of the Henley Boroma Friendship Association, which was established 31 years ago.

They discussed the role of women in Somaliland society and the work of charity Samasons Relief, which helped revive the link after it was almost broken by communication problems.

Councillor Akehurst said: “The ties have been up and down over the years but it’s something that we should promote in Henley because these people need our help with some of the basic stuff we take for granted. Hopefully, this meeting has strengthened those ties and we can make people in Henley more aware of Borama and find areas where we can help them.”

Malcolm Page, who founded and chairs the association, is to begin fund-raising to equip a fire brigade in Borama after the city was donated two fire engines.

The visitors included Rahma Mohamed Sultan, wife of the vice-president of Somaliland. They were in Britain to mark the foundation of the state 20 years ago.

Mrs Sultan said she was “grateful” to be in Henley and added: “I would very much like the relationship to continue and prosper.”

The group also included Amal Haji Mizan, the senior consultant to the Somaliland president for women’s affairs.

She said: “I remember very well when the friendship between Borama and Henley started and I very much regret that the contact between the two towns has declined in the last years. In Borama, everyone knows about Henley and it is an honour for us to visit the town.

“To the Henley community we seek a new way forward based on mutual interest and consideration of the friendship association. The Henley and Borama communities should teach their children the importance of friendship.

“We would very much like a delegation from Henley to visit Borama one day. That would be an honour for us and would make the people of Borama very proud.”

Mrs Mizan thanked Mr Page for his efforts to maintain the link.
Edited by Medeshi- The Henley Standard

Source: Medeshi

Dozens Egyptian Protest Blue Nile Dam Move Outside Ethiopia's Cairo Embassy

Cairo (Egypt)- Dozens of Egyptian protesters gathered outside the Ethiopian embassy in Cairo on Friday to protest Addis Ababa's decision earlier this week to temporarily divert the course of the Blue Nile as part of a project to build a series of dams on the river.

Protesters held banners aloft reading, "We reject attempts to take our Nile Water." Others chanted: "We are the source of the Nile Basin."

"After Ethiopia's surprising decision, bilateral relations have now been put to the test," according to a statement by the 'Copts without Borders' group, one of the protests' main organisers.

The statement added: "Any agreement between President Mohamed Morsi's government and its Ethiopian counterpart will not be recognised, since Morsi has lost all legitimacy before the Egyptian people."

The statement went on to call on Egyptians to take part in a planned anti-Mors rally on 30 June to call for snap presidential elections.

Other participants at Friday's protest included members of the 'Lawyers Union for the Nile Basin' and the 'Egyptians against Injustice' movement.

Within the context of a plan to build a series of new dams for electricity production, Ethiopia on Tuesday began diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two main tributaries. Most Nile water that reaches Egypt and Sudan originates from the Blue Nile.

Ethiopia's 'Renaissance Dam' project – one of four planned hydro-electric power projects – has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government, amid ongoing sensitivities regarding the project's possible effects on Egypt's traditional share of Nile water.

According to the state-run National Planning Institute, Egypt will need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050 – on top of its current quota of 55 billion metres – to meet the needs of a projected population of some 150 million.

Ethiopia's 'Renaissance Dam' project

Monday, June 3, 2013

Somaliland: Country Marks 3rd of June in Remembrance 1980s Massacre of Innocent Somaliland Civilians + Photos of Massacred Civilian

by Goth Mohamed Goth

We all know that unspeakable crimes against humanity were committed in Somaliland starting from the year 1984 -1988 those crimes were committed under Barre’s 21-year regime, by which government forces tortured, summarily executed, raped, and even launched aerial bombing raids on civilian populations all across Somaliland.

On this day 3^rd of June (1988) one of the worst massacres took place in Somaliland after the mass arrest of a large number of the civilian population who were detained for no reason and were later summarily executed by forces loyal to Sayid Barre forces without even been given the chance to prove their innocence in a court of law hence designating the day to honor the victims of that massacre day.

While the educated and wealthy Somalilanders were being apprehended for no reason, tortured, sentenced to long imprisonments, and, sadly, some of them were being executed, the majority of Somalilanders, who lived in the countryside, were treated a way that our nation had never seen before.

Their wives and daughters were subjected to random rape, torture, looting of their livestock; extortionate tactics were employed, in order to extract as much wealth as possible, before they were forced to face their fate. Surely, no one of us should forget and steal the privilege of the victims of Mohamed Hashi Gani, Aamusane, Jehaad and so many others.

If the raping of our populations, devastation of our property, killing of our people and violations of all the articles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rates are not a Crime committed against humanity, then what shall we call it? I leave the answer of this question to you, dear audience and readers.

In response to cries for redress, the Somaliland government established a War Crimes Investigation Commission (WCIC) to investigate human rights abuses committed by the Barre regime and to support the prosecution of alleged war criminals.