‘Somalia attack shows that Turkey stepped on someone’s foot’: Parliament Speaker Çiçek

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek paid a visit to the wounded police officers at an Ankara hospital on July 30. AA photo

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek paid a visit to the wounded police officers at an Ankara hospital on July 30, condemning the attack on a Turkish Embassy annex in the Somalian capital Mogadishu. Çiçek said the attack showed that Turkey’s humanitarian actions in the country “disturbed some circles.”

“We understand that we stepped on someone’s foot, because Turkey is becoming more and more effective in that region every other day. Turkey is trying to increase the living standards there through humanitarian projects and other ways and methods,” he told reporters.

 “One of our security guards was martyred there [at the embassy]. Four others were brought to this hospital by our government for their further treatment. We came to say ‘get well soon,’” Cicek said, adding that the wounded were recovering.

The Parliament speaker stressed that Turkey was performing humanitarian duties in Somalia. “Turkey is doing what is necessary for a friendly country. We know that there are some powers that are uncomfortable with Turkey’s facilities and efforts in that region. Unfortunately, they used terrorist organizations once again to block Turkey’s African openings,” Çiçek said.

One Turkish security guard was killed and several others were injured while two suicide bombers were killed, in a suicide attack on July 27 in front of the staff building of the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu.

A new, dangerous job in Mogadishu: tax collector

In this photo taken Monday, July 22, 2013, a Somali shopkeeper displays gold for sale in a shop in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Somali traders in Mogadishu's markets have long faced down Islamist rebels and warlords demanding money but now they say there is a new predator: the government tax man. FARAH ABDI WARSAMEH — AP Photo

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/07/29/2605667/a-new-dangerous-job-in-mogadishu.html#storylink=cpy

By ABDI GULED — Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Somali traders in Mogadishu's markets have long faced down Islamist rebels and warlords demanding money. Now they say there is a new predator: the government tax man.

Militias extorted cash from civilians during much of the last two decades of chaos. Now Mogadishu has a government in place, but shopkeepers view the taxman as the latest in a long line of troublemakers.

That makes tax collection one of the riskier jobs in Mogadishu: Five tax collectors have been killed so far this year, following the killings of 10 last year, according to the director of Mogadishu's municipal council, Abdullahi Artan.

"In some places, if you go without security escorts you're going to take risks," said Ali Haji, a tax collector. "Some of my colleagues were killed because of their work. Very many people don't like our work."

The idea of paying taxes for social services seems outlandish in a nation where few have seen functioning hospitals or schools. But if the Somali government is ever to wean itself off foreign aid and provide social services to its people, the taxman will have to persuade business leaders to pay their part.

On a recent day in Mogadishu's Hamarweyne market, the taxman was having a tough time. Sweating while carrying a plastic bag for cash deposits, he asked one shopkeeper after another to pay up. Many ignored him. But a soldier escorting the tax man threatened an immediate closure of the business if the tax was not paid.

"I haven't earned any money since I came here in the morning, so I can't pay," one woman murmured as the tax collector walked away. Few willingly paid.

Between 2006 and 2011, Mogadishu was controlled by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, and business owners were forced to play by the rebels' tax rules. Following al-Shabab's ouster in August 2011, a fragile peace has fallen over the city, allowing new construction and business opportunities. Government tax collectors began work for the first time as tax evasion remains high.

"They consider me to be a bandit. They don't want to get taxed," said Mohamed Nor, another tax collector for Mogadishu's municipal government, as he stacked bundles of money into a black plastic bag. Because it takes 2 million Somali shillings to equal $100, tax collectors have to carry around large bundles of bills. "Some are willing to pay, but you still have lawless lovers rejecting to pay it."

One obstacle tax collectors face is philosophical: If it's an established fact that government leaders in Somalia steal tax money, why should citizens pay?

A report this month by the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said that 80 percent of withdrawals from Somalia's Central Bank are made for private purposes, indicating it is operating as a patronage system for members of government. It said that of $16.9 million transferred to the Central Bank last year, $12 million could not be accounted for.

"They just collect money that ends up in their pockets," said Sahra Farah, a fuel trader, while looking at a taxman leaving the market.

The daily tax collections are not assessed based on a percentage of sales, but are merely payments toward an annual $135 business permit. That comes to about 25 cents a day, though traders say that price can rise to 40 cents a day, depending on how corrupt a given tax collector may be.

"The amount you pay depends on the tax collector of the day," Mohamed Abukar said at his shop in Mogadishu. "Some shops pay fixed annual money, but some pay on daily basis. There's no proper regulation."

Artan, the director of the municipal council, said that some business owners buy forged business licenses to avoid paying the yearly $135 fee. "Taxing is really challenging here because some people don't want law and order," Artan said.

The U.N. report this month looked at many of the ways progress in Somalia is held back by corruption, which the report said is "embedded in all layers of society." Large-scale theft of government funds takes place at the Central Bank and Mogadishu's port. The country's nascent oil sector is at risk of corruption woes.

Corruption is so pervasive that it will be difficult to stop, said Abdi Aynte, the director of a Mogadishu think tank called The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies. He said the government must institute an anti-corruption commission that has powers to investigate and must enact policies that encourage transparency and accountability.

"Corruption has become corrosive and part of the culture in this country," Aynte said. "Citizens are unable to receive government services and even private services without bribing someone."

Associated Press reporter Jason Straziuso contributed to this report from Nairobi, Kenya.

Somalia: Eritrea 'Continues Support' to Al-Shabaab in Somalia

Ambassador Dina Mufti

Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Ambassador Dina Mufti, said on Monday (July 29) that efforts to maintain peace and stability in Somalia were taking longer that they should due to Eritrea's continued support of the Islamist extremist opposition group Al-Shabaab. Ambassador Dina said that despite the ongoing efforts by regional governments and the African Union peace keeping force (AMISOM), Eritrea continues to undermine peace efforts in war-ravaged Somalia.

He said "although relative peace and security has been gained in Somalia, Eritrea hasn't reduced its support to Al-Shabaab and it remains a destabilizing influence." Ambassador Dina added that "Eritrea continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions and the country absolutely remains to be a regional security threat." Ethiopia, he said, has its own evidence, as well as international evidence to support the latest allegations against Eritrea. Ambassador Dina said there was a need for tightened sanctions to put a stop to Eritrea's negative role throughout the region. The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against Eritrea for its role in financing Al-Shabaab as well as providing it with arms and military training, and for its failure to respond to mediation over its relations with Djibouti and its continued denials that it holds Djiboutian prisoners of war.

Source: Government of Ethiopia

Eritrea Extorts UK Refugees to Fund Somalia’s al-Shabaab Islamist Fighters [SPECIAL REPORT]

IBTimes UK reporter Gianluca Mezzofiore obtains documents showing Eritrean government collects illegal tax in violation of UN and Foreign Office
 

Eritreans living in the UK are being forced by their own government to pay a “diaspora tax” that ultimately funds the secretive country’s network of influence in the Horn of Africa, including supporting the al-Shabaab group of militants in Somalia, an IBTimes UK special investigation has uncovered.

The collection of a 2% income tax on Eritrean nationals living abroad violatesUN resolution 2023 (2011) which condemns Eritrea’s use of the tax to “destabilise the Horn of Africa region and to violate the sanctions regime”. Some of the money is used to procure weapons for armed opposition groups.

The UN Security Council hardened sanctions against Eritrea in December 2011 over its alleged support for Islamist militant groups such as Somalia’s al-Shabaab.

Among the alleged member of the Somali Islamist group was Samantha Lewthwaite – dubbed the “white widow” – the 28-year-old wife of one of the London 7/7 bombers. Lewthwaite was allegedly part of a terror unit that planned to target the city of Mombasa, Kenya.

he Foreign Office in Whitehall had earlier sought to curb Eritrean diplomats who were collecting the tax in the UK after claiming that the money was used by the Eritrean government to destablise the region.

On 20 May 2011, the Eritrean ambassador in London was informed that the collection of the diaspora tax levied on Eritreans might be unlawful and breach the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Foreign Office told the ambassador to stop all activities relating to its collection.

However, documents obtained by IBTimes UK and redacted to protect the identity of the source, show that the practice still happens in Britain.

The 2 per cent tax

Several Eritreans have described the tax as a “consular service” for any citizen wishing to renew their passport or Eritrean holders of foreign passports requesting a visa to visit Eritrea. Every Eritrean must produce documentation of the tax payments they made in their host country and on this basis the 2% tax is calculated.

“Many people do not pay it voluntarily, but if you have any needs of service from the embassy eg, you want to send home the body of a relative who died, your family needs to renew a trade licence or you simply want a visa for your British-born child to visit Eritrea, you are asked to prove that you have fulfilled your obligations,” Selam Kidane, an Eritrean living in the UK, said.

The first document seen by IBTimes UK is a transfer order slip dated 2012 from a British bank to the Housing & Commerce Bank of Eritrea in the capital of Asmara for further credit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It belongs to Eden (not her real name) who was forced to pay the diaspora tax after authorities threatened her parents in Asmara that their family business licence would not be renewed.

“If it wasn’t for my mum I wouldn’t have paid,” Eden, a British citizen, said. “I have always refused to do that and delay the payment since I got in the UK.”

 

Even those like Eden who have not required consular services for several years are required to pay “arrears” for the years in which the tax was not paid.The alternative for Eden’s parents, if she had not paid, would be to sign a letter in which they stated she was no longer their daughter, which would effectively disinhereit her.A well-placed source told IBTimes UK: “The problem is not with the diaspora tax as such, although that can be frustrating. The key feature is the message by which it can be taken from the people. It is more nuanced than Nazi Germany. It’s corruption and use of social pressure.”

Among the “national obligations payments” made by Eden are the recovery tax, which is the 2% diaspora tax, and the Hzbawi Mekhete, which in the Tigrigna language means “national defence” and is a fee that funds the army.

While the 2 per cent tax is negotiable, the “national defence” fee is not,IBTimes UK understands.

“I had to struggle to pay this money. I feel so terrible, I had to borrow money from friends and a charity in order to pay,” Eden said. “I disagree with paying this tax. I consider tax a ransom on me.  I feel so horrible.”

The second document (shown below) is a confirmation of Eden’s payment made from London by the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The translation reads: ”Per the information we received from you, we confirm that the above sum has been credited into our account and we are enclosing the credit advice. Please complete the transaction in accordance with the procedures, entering it into the database and also the government account system.

Victory to the Masses!

Berhane Yemane

Head of Mission Accounts”

The North Korea of Africa

Dubbed the North Korea of Africa, Eritrea is considered one of the continent’s most opaque countries. National elections have not been held since it gained independence in 1993. The country is governed by the one-party authoritarian rule of President Isaias Afewerki, who has been in power for 20 years.

Torture, arbitrary detention and severe restrictions on freedom of expression are routine. Mandatory military service imposed on all men and women between 18 and 55 is one of the main causes of flight from the country. It has been calculated that 4,000 Eritreans leave the country every month and, according to a 2008 estimate, 40,000 Eritreans live in Britain.

Advocacy group Reporters without Borders has ranked Eritrea bottom of a list of 179 countries on freedom of expression. Access for international humanitarian and human rights organisations is almost impossible and the country has no independent media.

The Foreign Office told IBTimes UK: “We are aware of allegations over the use of harassment to collect revenue from members of the Eritrean diaspora in the UK.

“On 20 December, 2012, FCO officials raised these concerns with the Eritrean ambassador and reminded him of UN Security Council resolution 2023. [The UK supports the resolution] which condemned Eritrea’s use of the diaspora tax to destabilise the Horn of Africa region and decided that Eritrea should cease using illicit means to collect the tax,” the spokesperson said.

IBTimes UK contacted the Eritrean embassy but it has not responded to any questions about the tax.

Canada expels Eritrean diplomat

In May, the Canadian government expelled an Eritrean envoy over allegations that he had demanded the 2% diaspora tax and “national defence” fee from Eritreans in the country.

Semere Ghebremariam Micael, head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, had been under investigation over the allegations.

“Canada has taken steps to expel (declare persona non grata) Mr Semere Ghebremariam O Micael, consul and head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, effective immediately,” Canada’s foreign affairs minister John Baird said.

The 2013 annual report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea to the Security Council’s Somalia/Eritrea sanctions committee revealed that the Eritrean government was still undermining stability in Somalia by paying political agents and a warlord linked to Islamist militants to influence the Mogadishu government.

Asmara has always denied any involvement with al-Shabaab militants fighting to overthrow the Somali government. It said that UN sanctions imposed in 2009 for supporting the Islamist militant group were based on lies.

The UN Security Council has decided to extend for 16 months sanctions against Somalia and Eritrea.

“In a resolution adopted this morning, the council asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to re-establish the eight-member Monitoring Group on Eritrea and Somalia until 25 November, 2014,” reads a UN statement.

That extension may point to the fact that Eritrea is a case of sanctions that work – but it is ordinary Eritreans who are paying the price, not the government.

“The whole thing is extremely unfair,” said Kidane. “In all the years since independence the regime in Eritrea has never been accountable to the people and yet it has created a system to maintain itself in power by extorting those very people.”

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:g.mezzofiore@ibtimes.co.uk
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.co.uk

Click on this Link to See More Evidence & Illustrations:  International Business Times

Somalia: Row over Mogadishu politicians’ prevention of Puntland scholarships

GAROWE, Somalia July 30, 2013 (Garowe Online) - A group of Mogadishu politicians have prevented 50 scholarships for Puntland students to attend universities in Sudan, deepening the political row between Mogadishu and Puntland, Garowe Online reports.

Sources close to Puntland Ministry of Education and Somalia’s Ministry of Social Affairs Development – which is charged with education matters – tell Garowe Online that the Sudanese government awarded 150 student scholarships to Somalia, giving 50 scholarships each to Mogadishu, Puntland, and Somaliland.

Dr. Maryan Qassim, Somali Minister for Social Affairs Development, wrote a letter to Sudan dated 5 July 2013, requesting the Sudanese government to recognize Puntland educational certificates “because Puntland has a single educational curriculum, a single examination, and an educational policy”.

Minister Maryan Qassim reportedly planned to travel to Sudan, however, Somali Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled, a close ally to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, organized a delegation to Sudan led by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nur Ga’al, another associate of President Hassan.

In meetings with Sudanese officials, Mr. Ga’al reportedly “ignored” Puntland’s status as well as the Minister Maryan Qassim’s official letter to Sudan. He returned to Mogadishu with 150 scholarships claiming that the federal government will divide the 150 scholarships in Mogadishu for all Somalis.

Puntland education official Abdullahi Farah Mire tells Garowe Online: “The Minister [Maryan Qassim] tried her best for Puntland to receive its share of scholarships, but she was cheated by the federal government’s delegation that visited Sudan, and the number one person causing problems in Somali Ambassador to Sudan,” added Mr. Mire.

Many fear that if the scholarships are distributed in Mogadishu, only students in Mogadishu will benefit, same with the Turkish scholarships, most of which were given to Somali students from the single clan of President Hassan, Interior Minister Guled and Somali Ambassador to Sudan.

Mr. Mohamed Abdiwahab, Director-General of Puntland’s Ministry of Education, tells Garowe Online that the officials are in contact with Minister Ga’al and other federal officials to ensure that Puntland students receive their share of scholarships.

It is not the first time that Mogadishu politicians have intervened to prevent Puntland students from access to scholarships. In 2011, former Somali Education Minister Ahmed Aideed Ibrahim – himself from Puntland – wrote a letter to Sudan demanding Sudan does not recognize Puntland educational certificates and that Mogadishu distribute all scholarships.

Meanwhile, the federal government in Mogadishu does not have an educational policy in place, lacks a unified curriculum and standardized exams.

Analysts say the row over educational scholarships could deepen worsening relations between Mogadishu and Puntland, as Puntland leaders have rejected recognizing the federal government’s “tampered constitution” and criticized the federal government for not implementing the March 11, 2013, agreement between the federal government and Puntland.

GAROWE ONLINE

Cadowga Somaliland Oo Sida Fiinta Uga Qayliyay Wasiirka Cusub Ee Arimaha Dibadda Somaliland & Professor Ahmed Ismail Samatar

Xataa waxaa jirtay dood uu mas’uul Somaliland ahi hadda ka hor yiri wax aan diinta ahayn ee Somali nagala dhexeeyaa ma jiraan....................Yusuf Garaad

Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh 'S. Xuquuq

By Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh
Cadowga Somaliland ayaa sida fiinta uga qayliyay dabinada Dublamaasiyadeed ee uu Ruugcadaaga Siyaasada Caalamiga Madaxwaynaha Somaliland Mudane Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Siilaanyo uu ku maamulayo danaha Somaliland ee dibada. Shaki kuma jiro in Madaxwayne Siilaanyo uu ka dhigay Somaliland mid soo jiidata  dadka ugu aqoonta badan ee Afsoomaaliga ku hadla oo dhalasho ahaan ka soo jeeda gayiga Somaliland, isagoo xukuumadiisa dhawaan ku soo daray Ergaygii khaaska ahaa ee Xoghayaha Guud ee Qaramada Modoobay Bankii Moon Dr. Mohamed Bihi Younis, isla markaasina casuumad dublamaasiyadeed oo meeqaam sare leh ku casuumay halyayga Geeska ee ku takhasusay dhinaca xidhiidhka caalamiga ah ee dunida Dr. Ahmed Ismail Samantar. 

Waxa durbadiiba soo ifbaxday miisaanka siyaasadeed ee labada dal ee Somalia iyo Somaliland in uu si laxaadle ugu ciiray dhinaca Somaliland oo majaraha siyaasadeed ay canaanka u qabtay nin khatar badan ku leh cida ay iska soo horjeedaan Dr. Mohamed Behi Younis. Waxana taasi durba ka marag kacay cadowga Somaliland qaarkood sida Yusuf Garaad oo maqaal uu hoos  ku qoran ku baahiyay bartiisa internetka ee http://yusuf-garaad.blogspot.com/2013/07/siyaasadda-dibadda-ee-somaliland.html?spref=tw 

Yusuf Garaad oo maqaaliisa cinwaan uga dhigay CIIDAN CAABOON oo la macno ah ciidan khatar badan leh isagoo tusaale u soo qaadanay Dr. Mohamed Omar wasiirkii hore ee Arimaha Dibada Somaliland, wasiirka cusub ee Arimaha Dibada Somaliland Dr. Mohamed Behi Younis iyo Proffesor Ahmed Ismail Samantar. Inkastoo laymanka qoraalka Yusuf Garaad dhexdooda laga dhadhamin karo sida uu u quudaraynayo in Xukuumada Federaalka Somalia xil ugu magacawdo misana waxa kale oo qoraalkiisu daah furayaa cadaawada reer Somalia u hayaan dalka iyo dadka Somaliland. Hadaba si aad uga bogato qoraalka CIIDAN CAABOON/CABAN fadlan si degan hoos uga akhri.

  

Ciidan Caabboon

Inqaasta Yusuf-Garaad

by Yusuf Garaad

Marka la barbardhigo Soomaaliya inteeda kale, Somaliland waxay ku tallaabsatay horumar dhinacyo badan leh oo la taaban karo. Waxaana aniga iigula muhiimsan horumarka ay ka gaartay xagga amniga iyo hirgelinta nidaamka axsaabta badan iyo doorashooyinka u suurtageliyay muwaaddin kasta uu saameyn yeesho, waa Dimuqraaddiyadda.

Inkasta oo ay jirto dhaqaale xumo iyo shaqo la’aan da’yarta haysata, haddana waxaad moodda in Somaliland arrinta ugu muhiimsan ee ay raadineyso in ay tahay aqoonsi caalami ah. Geed dheer iyo mid gaabanba wey u fuushay.

Taas ayaa ugu wacan in Afartii Madaxweyne ee Somaliland soo martay ay magacaabaan isugeyn 13 Wasiir oo Arrimaha Dibdda midba mar loo xil saaray. Waxa ugu weyn ee loo diray waxay ahayd, kac oo aqoonsi raadi.

Somaliland doodo fara badan ayay caalamka soo hor dhigtay. Waxaa ka mid ah in Somaliland ay xorriyad iskeed u qaadatay 26 June 1960. Isla markaana ay iyada oo ah dal xor ah ay iskeed ugu biirtay Soomaaliya. Markii midnimadaasi ay anfaci weydayna ay iskeed ula soo noqotay madaxbannaanideedii. Waxay cuskatay Xeerkii Ururka Midnimada Afrika oo u xuubsiibtay Midowga Afrika ee ahaa in soohdimaha Afrika loo daayo sidii Gumeysigu uga tagey.

Somaliland ka dib markii ay ku guuleysatay in ay gacanta ku dhigto Sool oo markii hore ay Puntland ka talin jirtay, waxay doodda ku soo dartay in ay soohdimaheeda oo dhan gacanta ay ku heyso.

Doodaha Soomaaliland waxaa ka mid ahaa in la xasuuqay dadka Somaliland oo Qarankii Soomaaliya uu u adeegsaday ciidankii dowladda oo wata madaafiicda goobta, dabbaabado iyo dayaarado, welibana adeegsanaya calooshood-u-dirir ajnebi ah iyo qaxooti ka yimid Ethiopia. Waa dagaal aan aniga lafteydu 1989 iyo 1990 aan indhaheyga ku arkay qaar ka mid ah xad gudubyadii dadka rayidka ah loogu geystay Hargeysa, Berbera, Burco, Beer iyo weliba Borame iyo baadiyaheeda ilaa tuulooyin Awdal ka tirsan oo ay ka mid yihiin Qolujeed, Xaliimaale, Boon, Weeraar iyo Beysaarre.

Xataa waxaa jirtay dood uu mas’uul Somaliland ahi hadda ka hor yiri wax aan diinta ahayn ee Somali nagala dhexeeyaa ma jiraan. Inahaas oo dhan wey ku qancin waayeen caalamku in uu Somaliland u aqoonsado dal Madax bannaan.

"Madaxweyne Silaanyo oo aan siyaasadda ka caajisin" .... Yusuf Garaad

President A. M. Mohamoud 'Siilaanyo'

Somaliland waxay Madaxweyne u dooratay Silaanyo, oo intaan ku soo lekaaday siyaasadda Soomaaliya, mar uu Wasiir ahaa, mar uu Jabhaddii SNM Hoggaaminayay, mar uu Wasiir ka ahaa Somaliland iyo mar uu hoggaamiye mucaarad noqday. Markii uu xilka qabtay Madaxweyne Silaanyo oo aan siyaasadda ka caajisin, waxaad mooddaa Siyaasaddiisa Arrimaha Dibadda oo uu garwadeen ka ahaa Dr. Maxamed Cabdullaahi Cumar, in ay qaadatay dariiq ka duwan kuwii ka horreeyay.

Wasiirradii hore waxay qaar isku dayeen in Somaliya ay is diidsiiyaan oo sidii wax aan jirin ama aan waxba ka khuseyn ay u dhaqmaan. Qaarkood waxay isku dayeen in taariikhdu sida ay tahay aan looga warramin.

Haddaad fiiriso Afrika, Ethiopia waxaa ka go’day Eritrea. Labada ayaa isaga raalli ahaa. Sudan ayaa iyadana laga jaray South Sudan. Waxay ku timid wadahadal iyo heshiis labada dhinac ku dhex maray Naivasha, Kenya.

Markaa Dowladda Silaanyo, iyada oo aan joojin dariiqii dowladihii ka horreeyay ee Somaliland ay iskeed caalaamka aqoonsiga uga raadsanaysay ayay haddana waxay ku soo kordhisay dariiq cusub. Iyada oo aan ka tanaasulin Madaxbannaanideeda ayay furtay wadahadal fool-ka-fool ah oo ay la yeelato Somalia. Waa wax aan Somaliland marna hore suurta gal uga ahayn.

 "Qof barteyda Facebook uga fallooday oo afka Sportiga adeegsaday wuxuu Biixi ku tilmaamay cayaaryahan halis ah oo ay Somaliland soo gatay".... Yusuf Garaad

Dr. Mohamed Behi Younis

Waxay ku dhiirratay in ay ka qeyb gaho shirar siyaasad, ammaan iyo maalgelinba leh oo Soomaaliya loo qabtay, taas oo sida caalamku u arko ay Somaliland ka mid tahay. Waxaan goob joog ka ahaa Shirarkaas qaarkood ka dhacay Yurub iyo Afrika. Waxaan dhihi karaa, Dr. Maxamed Cabdullaahi Cumar wuxuu shiiqiyay mas’uuliyiintii matalayay Dowladda Soomaaliya. Taas ulama jeedo isbarbardhigga laba Wasiir oo keliya.

Wasiirka Somaliland waxaa ka muuqday diyaar garow wanaagsan. In uu yaqaan waxa uu shirka ka rabo iyo danta uu ka leeyahay in uu ka gaaro. Waxaa kale oo hadalka u qurxiyay in uu hayo horumar la taaban karo oo uu soo bandhigo.

Waxaa kale oo uu ku helayay garowshiyo , dhiirrada ah in uu goobta yimid inkasta oo qaar badan oo dadka uu metalo ka mid ahi aanay raali ka ahayn in shir Soomaaliya ku saabsan laga qeyb galo. Waxaa loo arkayay in Somaliland ay wax muuqda qabsatay ayadoo taageerada ay deeq bixiyayaashu siiyaan Somaliland ay tahay mid ka yar tan lagu kharash gareeyo Soomaaliya. Inahaas oo dhan waxaa uu ku helayay sacab ama garowshiyo ka xoog badan kan ergadii Soomaalidu ay helayeen.

Wasiirka Soomaaliya u hadlayay, saa wuu ka duwanaa. Goobaha qaarna waxaa Wasiirka Soomaaliya ka muuqatay kalsooni darro oo waxaaba ka garab hadlayay, Maamul goboleedyo, mararka qaar hadalkoodu is khilaafayo.

 "Waxaan dhihi karaa, Dr. Maxamed C/lahi Cumar wuxuu shiiqiyay mas’uuliyiintii matalayay Dowladda Soomaaliya" 

....Yusuf Garaad

Dr. Maxamed Cabdullaahi Cumar

Dr. Maxamed Cabdullaahi Cumar hadda waa laga wareejiyay Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda, waxaana loo magacaabay Maxamed Biixi Yonis, oo ah nin leh khibrad gaammurtay oo ah xagga maamulka hawlaha Qaramada Midoobay. Wuxuu ahaa ninka labaad ee Madaxda ka ah hawlgalka ballaaran ee Qaramada Midoobay ay ka waddao Darfur, Sudan. Wuxuu afkiisa ka sheegay in uu maamulyay miisaaniyad dhan $1.8b. Qof barteyda Facebook uga fallooday oo afka Sportiga adeegsaday wuxuu Biixi ku tilmaamay cayaaryahan halis ah oo ay Somaliland soo gatay.

"Waxaa isaguna cududda Somaliland ku biiray Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar, oo aqoon iyo khibrad maamul isku darsaday".... Yusuf Garad

Professor Ahmed Ismail Samatar

Waxaa isaguna cududda Somaliland ku biiray Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar, oo aqoon iyo khibrad maamul isku darsaday. Waa Bare Sare oo Jaamacdeed iyo Hormuud, cimrigiisa inta bandan ku qaatay waxbaridda dhallinyaro Mareykan ah. Jaamacado kale oo badanna casharro ka jeediya. Buugaag badanna qoray. Waxaa uu ku takhasusay Xiriirka Caalamiga ah. Axmed waa hadal yaqaan aan waxba hambeyn marka uu Soomaali ku hadlayo iyo marka uu Ingiriis ku hadlayo labadaba.



Axmed markii aan ku wada hungownay doorashadii Muqdisho ee kal hore ee lagu doortay Madaxweyne, Xasan Shiikh, iyo weliba dhismihii dowladda, ayuu goostay in uu tago degaanka Gebiley oo uu ku dhashay. Soo dhoweyn, uu isaguba qirtay in aanuu fileyn, ayuu kala kulmay Somaliland inteeda badan oo uu cagta mariyay. Wuxuu qiray in uu hadda ka dib ka shaqeyn doono suuqgeynta Jamhuriyadda Soomaaliland.

Isbeddelkan Wasaaradda Dibadda lagu sameeyay ma cadda in micnihiisu yahay in Madaxweyne Silaanyo iyo kooxdiisa khusuusiga ahi ay u dan leeyihiin in ay wax ka beedelaan siyaasaddii dibadda.

Waxaan ogaan doonnaa 100 maalmood gudahood, taas oo ah muddada ka harsan, madasha ah in 120 maalmood gudahood ay labada dhinac isku arkaan.

Laakiin waxaan muran ka joogin arrinta aqoonsiga Somaliland sida ay muhiimadda koowaad ugu tahay  Hargeysa in xaalku ka duwan yahay Muqdisho.

Dowladda Federaalka ee Soomaaliya inkasta oo Somaliland aanay illowsaneyn oo weliba ay dhowr jeer la fariisatay, haddana aqoonsiga ama aqoonsi la’aanta Somaliland ma ahan sida Hargeysa ay ugu tahay mudnaanta koowaad.

Dhismaha dowladda ayaa inyar nooga ifinaya taas. Dadka Soomaaliyeed ee reer Somaliland ee sheegay in ay midnimo doon yihiin, hal Wasiir oo keliya ayaa ku jira Golaha Wasiirrada - Fowsiyo Yusuf Xaaji Aden, WasiirKa Dibadda iyo Ra’iisal Wasaare ku xigeen.

Waxyaabaha Dowladda hor yaallana waxaa ka mid ah sidii loo sugi lahaa ammaanka caasimadda oo marxalad xun maraya, xallinta dagaallada Shabeellada Hoose iyo Kismaayo, isu diyaarinta iyo ka qeyb galka shirka Brussels, ku dhaqaaqidda isbeddelka dhismaha xukuumadda ee saameeyay niyadda Wasiirrada qaar ka warhelay in la beddelayo laakiin weli sii jooga xafiiska, in Puntland la iska afgarto dastuurka, mushaar u helidda hey’adaha dowladda oo ay kuwa amnigu ugu horreeyaan, dhismaha hey’adaha dowladda, la dagaallanka musuqmaasuqa iyo diyaarinta wixii la fali lahaa marka xilliga baarlamaanku dhammaado - maaddaama aan jawi doorasho hadda soo muuqan.

Dowladda Xasan Shiikh iyo Saacid Shirdoon uma gaar aha, xataa xilligii KMG-ka dowlad kasta oo Muqdisho ka dhalata waxaa dhaqaaq u diiday arrimo soo dabra hanka iyo himilada hoggaamiyayaasheeda, kuwaasoo qaar badan ay u sabab yihiin Soomaali kale.

Ugu dambeyntii waxaan shaki ku jirin in culeyska horyaalla dowladda Soomaaliya iyo miisaanka u sii kordhaya Hargeysa, oo lagu daray oonka caalamku u qabo in shidaal laga soo saaro dalkeennu ay tahay mid rajo ku abuuri karta taageerayaasha Somaliland.

Waxaa la gudboon Dowladda Soomaaliya in haddii ay wadahadalladu sii socdaan in ay tayada u sii kordhiso ergada la xaajooneysa Somaliland. Ergadaas waxaad hadda mooddaa in lagu soo xulay nidaamka Baarlamaanka lagu soo xulay mid la mid ah.

Egypt: Excessive use of force against protesters 

ARTICLE 19 is alarmed by the violence against protesters carried out by the Egyptian security forces over the weekend, resulting in a high number of deaths and serious injuries, and calls on the Interim Government to respect its international human rights obligations, including the obligation to respect and protect the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of assembly and association.  

“The overthrow by the army of President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July has so far resulted in the death of more than 200 people, most of whom died as a result of clashes between protesters and the security forces, which has further deepened Egypt’s human rights crisis, already in a dismal state under President Morsi,” said Dr Agnes Callamard, Executive director of ARTICLE 19.

“The Egyptian interim authorities must enable protesters to express their opinions freely and to demonstrate peacefully. The actions of the security forces, including the police and the army, must be swiftly, impartially and thoroughly investigated and those who have used excessive force must be brought to justice,” she added.

According to news reports, more than 70 pro-Muslim Brotherhood protesters were killed on 27 July and over 60 protesters were seriously injured by the Egyptian riot police, supported by plain-clothed security personnel. Most of the killed protesters were targeted on their chests, heads or necks, evidence that lethal force was intentional.

The killings, mainly caused by snipers firing live ammunition from nearby buildings, took place in the early morning of Saturday, 27 July 2013, when the Muslim Brotherhood protesters clashed with the security forces.  The clashes happened after the protesters attempted to expand their sit-in camp from Rabea al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City Square in eastern Cairo into a main boulevard. The Brotherhood supporters have been protesting since the army removed from power the elected President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July. The protesters demand that all those that have been removed from power by the army and subsequently imprisoned are released from detention and reinstated.

A few hours before the violence on 27 July, Interim President Adly Mansour had announced that “the state had to impose order by all force and decisiveness.”  Subsequently, on Sunday 28 July he gave Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians.

“The appalling use of violence by the security forces and total impunity for doing so, the violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, the censorship of the media: the legacy of the President Mubarak regime: these were never weakened under President Morsi and they are now seemingly at the heart of the political and military strategy to tackle the new crisis,” Callamard added.

ARTICLE 19 reminds the Egyptian authorities that the inappropriate, excessive, or unlawful use of force by law enforcement authorities violates fundamental human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.

International standards, such as the United Nations’ Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, requires that, “in the dispersal of assemblies that are unlawful but non-violent, law enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, where that is not practicable, shall restrict such force to the minimum extent necessary.”

The Basic Principles also stipulate that, “in the dispersal of violent assemblies, law enforcement officials may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not practicable and only to the minimum extent necessary.”

Further, law enforcement officials should not use firearms against persons, “except in self-defence or defence of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life, to arrest a person presenting such a danger and resisting their authority, or to prevent his or her escape, and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.”

Moreover, in the cases of unauthorised use of force or when more force is used than is necessary in the circumstances, law enforcement officials must face civil and/or criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action.

Mo Farah exclusive: My family will struggle & Barclays comment on closure of transfer system

Mo Farah Olympic gold medallist

by Rags Martel

Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has told ITV News London that his extended family will struggle if Barclays goes ahead with plans to shut systems that allow money transfers to accounts in Somalia.

Cash transfer businesses including Dahabshiil, the largest in the UK providing Somali services, were being closed over fears they were being used for money laundering.




Wacht London based ITV News Exclusive Interview with Mo Farah in the following link:

http://www.itv.com/news/london/story/2013-07-26/farah-my-family-will-struggle/#full-report-farah-family-struggle_237143

FURSAD LA HUBO: FADLIGA HABEENKA LAYLATUL QADRIGA

FURSAD LA HUBO: FADLIGA HABEENKA LAYLATUL QADRIGA !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ....... KA FAA'IIDAYSO

Laylatul Qadri waa habeen fadli badan oo ku jira Tobanka danbe ee Ramadaan gaar ahaan habeenada tirade is dheertahay sida 21,23,25,27,29.

Habeenkan waxa ilaahay kaga war bixiyey suurada Al-Qadari wuxuna yidhi:

 إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ (1) وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (2) لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ (3) تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ (4) سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ (5)

“Waxanu soo dejiney[quraanka] habeen wax la qadaro, ama habeen qiima badan, ma garanay waxa habeenka qadrigu yahay? Habeenka qadrigu wuxu ka fadli badan yahay kun bilood[83 sanno &4 bilood] malaa,igta ayaa soo degta [habeenkaa] iyo malaku jibriil.[dhulka ayey marayaan iyagoo booqanaya oo diiwaan gelinaya dadka cibaadaysanaya] waa habeen nabad gelyo ilaa waagu beryo, ama adoomaha ayey salaamayaan ilaa waagu ka beryo”.

Sharafta Habeenkan

Sharafta habeenkan wax inagaga filan in ilaahay qur’aanka soo dejiyey, quraankaas oo Aduunyada oo dhan hanuun iyo raxmad u ah, cidii ilaahay waafajiyo.

Sharafteeda waxa ka mid ah in ilaahay ku sheegay Habeen barakaysan :

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنْذِرِينَ (3) الدخان.

“Waxan soo dejiney[Quraanka] habeen barakaysan”.

Habeenkan waxa la inoo jideeyey in aan la nimaadno salaad habeenkii la tukado,iyo cibaado, qofkii habenkan Qadriga salaatu layl tukada isagoo rumaysan balanqaada ilaahy ,ajrina kaga sigaya waxa loo qorayaa ajri ka badan kun bilood sida aayadu inoo sheegtay, waxana loo dhaafayaa denbigiisii hore.
Culimada selefka qaarkood waxay yidhaahdeen qofkan waxa loo qorayaa, soon iyo Salaad ka badan kun bilood inuu la yimi sidaa waxa laga sheegaa imaamka weyn ee Shaafici.

Hadaba in habeen keliya oo aad dhawr saacadood salatu layl tukatey laguugu qoro ajri ka badan dhawr iyo sideetan sano qof ilaahay caabudayey oo aan mar keliya caasiyin, waa qiime intee leeg? Ilaahay ayuun baa qiyaasi kara!

waa habeen dhamaan wixii ilaahay sanadkaa fulinayo loo qaybiyo ma,laaik ta si ay ugu hawl galaan , sida quraanku inoo timaamay, habeenkan ayaa malaa’ikta lagu wareejiyaa shaqadii ay sanadkan fulin lahaayeen, haday tahay cida dhimanaysa, cida dhalanaysa, cida qani noqonaysa, cida faqiir noqonaysa, cida liibaanaysa, cida khasaaraysa iwm.

Sidaa ayaa ayadan quraanka ahi inoo sheegaysaa:

فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ (4)الدخان

Waa habeen Maalaa'igta Raxmadu samada ka soo degto, waxay habeenkaas oo dhan wareegayaan dhulka iyagoo diiwaan gelinaya dadka cibaadada gudanayaa, Malaa’iktan waxa hormuud u ah malaku jibriil, iyagoo dhulka usoo degaya khayr iyo bushaarona wada.

qofkii habeenkaa malaa,iktu ugu timaado isagoo khayr iyo cibaado ku soo jeeda ama samaynaya insha alaah waxay u diiwaan gelin doonaan inuu habenkaa khayrkisii la kulmay.

malaa,iktu waxay hawshan soo gabagbeeyaan ilaa waaga subaxu ka dilaaco oo salaada subax la tukado , sida suuradu shegtay.

ILAAHAY baa Mahad Leh.

EU urges Egypt rulers to end stand-off with Brotherhood

Egypt's interim President Adli Mansour (3rd L) meets with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (2nd L) at El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo July 29, 2013. Ashton became the first senior overseas envoy to visit Egypt's new rulers since the weekend killing of at least 80 supporters of the country's deposed Islamist president. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS)

By Maggie Fick and Matt Robinson

CAIRO (Reuters) - Europe's top diplomat pressed Egypt's rulers on Monday to step back from a  growing confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed Islamist president Mohamed  Mursi, two days after 80 of his supporters were gunned down in Cairo.

Raising the prospect of more bloodshed, the Brotherhood said it would march again on Monday  evening towards a military intelligence headquarters.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, became the first overseas envoy  to visit the Egypt since Saturday's carnage, the second mass killing of Mursi supporters by  security forces since he was overthrown by the army on July 3.

The bloodshed has triggered global anxiety that the army may move to crush the Muslim  Brotherhood, which emerged from decades in the shadows to win power in the wake of Egypt's  2011 Arab Spring uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

Ashton, on her second trip to Egypt since Mursi's fall, met General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,  the head of the army and the man behind the overthrow of Egypt's first freely elected  president. She also held talks with deputy interim president and prominent liberal  politician Mohamed ElBaradei and interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy.

There were no immediate details on the talks. Earlier, Ashton said she would press for a  "fully inclusive transition process, taking in all political groups, including the Muslim  Brotherhood".

In comments carried by the MENA state news agency, ElBaradei said he had told Ashton that  the country's new leadership was doing all in its power to "reach a peaceful way out of the  current crisis, that preserves the blood of all Egyptians."

Ashton was also expected to meet members of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Muslim  Brotherhood's political wing.

Her leverage is limited. The United States is Egypt's chief Western backer and source of  $1.3 billion in military aid, though the EU is the biggest civilian aid donor to the  country, the Arab world's most populous and a strategic bridge between the Middle East and  North Africa.

The EU has attempted to mediate in Egypt's political crisis over the past six months as  Egyptians have grown increasingly suspicious of U.S. involvement.

ROAD MAP

Mursi has been in detention since he was ousted and the military-backed interim government  has placed him under investigation on charges that include murder.

The handling of him by the military suggests it believes it has the support of the majority  of Egyptians. They turned out in huge numbers to protest against the Islamist leader before  the army moved against him.

Army chief Sisi has emerged as the public face of the new order, enjoying fawning coverage  in the Egyptian media and sowing doubts about the military's pledge to hand over to full  civilian rule with a "road map" to parliamentary elections in about six months.

The Muslim Brotherhood says it wants nothing to do with the proposed transition, and  thousands of its supporters have been camped out for a month at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque  in northern Cairo demanding Mursi's reinstatement.

Dozens were shot dead by security forces at dawn on Saturday when they marched from the  vigil after a day of rival mass rallies. The Health Ministry on Monday put the death toll at  80, up from 72. Nearly 300 people have died in violence since Sisi deposed Mursi.

Saturday's bloodshed was the worst since July 8, when security forces killed more than 50  Brotherhood supporters outside a Cairo barracks.

"The danger we face because of the political situation and the coup is greater than the  violence we face in marches," said Brotherhood member Islam Tawfiq, 26.

Egypt's army-installed interim cabinet has vowed to clear the Brotherhood's mosque vigil  after complaints from residents about the huge encampment on their doorstep.

Besides Mursi, other Brotherhood leaders are also being held, and in the early hours of  Monday police arrested two senior members of the Islamist Wasat Party, allies of Mursi, the  MENA news agency reported.

The round-up of Islamist leaders and Saturday's deaths have stirred fears that the military  plans to drive the Muslim Brotherhood back underground, risking more instability in the  country of 84 million people.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry, Michael Georgy, Matt Robinson, Asma Alsharif, Yasmine  Saleh and Shaimaa Fayed; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Giles Elgood)