Akhri Oo Dhugo Sida Qorayaasha Somalia u Difaacayaan Dawladooda Federaalka ah Halka Kuwii Somaliland Ay Ka Soo Hadhay Kanley Keerlay

Somalia: Naming and Shaming - Latest UN Report On Somalia Singles Out Central Bank Governor As Corruption Kingpin - By Hassan M. Abukar

ANALYSIS
By Hassan M. Abukar,

The French were right. As their adage goes, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme change," (The more things change, the more they stay the same).

Three weeks ago, the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea released an exhaustive report that was reviled by some and lionized by others. The main theme of the report is simple: Not much has changed in the way Somalia is governed.

The arms flow to Somalia continues as usual and is facilitated by almost everybody, from rogue states to countries in good standing with the UN. Corruption is rampant, piracy is a lesser threat but former pirates have made a career change, radicalism is still a threat to the country but the menace is not exclusively from ideology, charcoal is black gold and illegally exported despite an international ban, and, of course, "spoilers" always erect obstacles to the pursuit of peace and stability.

President Hassan S. Mohamoud came to power last autumn promising change, stability, and accountability. Many Somalis and the international community were relieved that finally the country had a new leadership that would, skillfully and honestly, tackle the plethora of the problems they faced. President Mohamoud's government gained international recognition and many countries promised to help in his efforts. The president persistently talked about the need for foreign donors to fund his government directly instead of having the United Nations administer aid.

Corruption
The UN Monitoring Group report begins with a stark indictment of the new Somali government. "Despite the change in leadership in Mogadishu," it says, "the misappropriation of public resources continues in line with past practices." Some of the manifestations of this corruption are the following:

a) On average, about 80 percent of the withdrawals from the country's Central Bank (CB) are made--not to run the government--but for private purposes. The CB has become, in a way, an ATM for certain public officials, or as the report calls it a "slush fund." A case in point, of $16.9 million transferred to the CB for government use, $12 million cannot be accounted for.

b) The monthly revenue from the port of Mogadishu is about $3.8 million; however, from August 2012 to March 2013, only $2.7 million was deposited in the bank. The report further explains that "at present, at least 33 percent of the monthly port revenues cannot be accounted for."

c) The immigration services charge a lot of money to issue passports and visas, but rarely are all the proceeds deposited in the bank. There is a great deal of fraud and embezzlement. Needless to say, an individual may never know if his traveling documents are authentic or fraudulent.

The UN report blames the country's leaders for the widespread corruption, but it singles out Abdusalam Omer, the Somali-American governor of the Central Bank, for being "the key" to the bank's irregularities. Omer, oddly, runs the bank without the benefit of a board. The report even adds a zinger when it brings up Omer's checkered past. Once upon a time, Omer was the chief of staff of the mayor's office in Washington, D.C. The report claims that Omer was forced out from this high profile position. The Central Bank has issued a preliminary response to these allegations.

Piracy

Somalia, once a bastion for piracy, has experienced a decline in ship hijackings. You might wonder what happened to most of the pirate leaders. The UN report has the answer: "To date, neither Mogadishu nor Puntland has seriously prosecuted and jailed any senior pirate leaders, financiers, negotiators, or facilitators." Some former pirates have become security guards for the unlicensed foreign ships illegally fishing on Somali waters. Pirates have always blamed these foreign ships for their own criminal acts of piracy. Now, the pirates have undergone a career change and are joining their arch enemies. Security protection in the high seas has become a booming business in Puntland validating the notion, "if you can't beat them, join them."

Al-Shabaab

"At present," the report states, "Al-Shabaab remains the principal threat to peace and security in Somalia." The group has been weakened by internal discord among its leaders, but is still a force to be reckoned with. The terror group has not engaged in a direct battle with the forces of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and, hence, has retained its core fighters. This enables the group to easily recapture the towns that Ethiopian forces had withdrawn from or abandoned. "These takeovers," the report argues, "illustrates not only the inability of the Federal Government of Somalia and its associated militias to control any ground without international support, but also the capacity of Al-Shabaab to readily recover lost territory." Moreover, the terror group has infiltrated the government and especially the intelligence services. Warlords and politicians enable the militant group to wreak havoc in Mogadishu. These enablers are not necessarily religious figures but instead are either persons tribally tied to Al-Shabaab leaders or pure mercenaries.

A good example is what happened in Mogadishu last week when Al-Shabaab suicide bombers attacked the Turkish embassy annex. The Turkish ambassador to Somalia said that the attack was "outsourced" to Al-Shabaab. "The Al-Shabaab organization may have been used as 'subcontractor' in this attack," he told the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Mogadishu Mayor, Mohamed Ahmed Nur "Tarzan" also railed about "some politicians" for aiding and abetting the radical group in the commission of its heinous crimes. At times, in Somalia, it is difficult to tell where religious radicalism begins and clan loyalty ends.

Al-Shabaab is not, however, the only entity responsible for political assassinations in Mogadishu. The UN report said that some warlords and even senior government officials like General Gaafow--head of the immigration services--run hit squads. The going rate is $200 per head and $25 for conducting surveillance. This explains why these crimes are never prosecuted. At least Al-Shabaab takes full responsibility for its killings. But then, how does one know if the job was "outsourced" to the terror group or not?

Charcoal

The UN Security Council had banned the export of charcoal from Somalia primarily because Al-Shabaab was then in control of Kismayo, Somalia's third largest port city, and was profiting from its sale. No one cared about the devastating impact the related deforestation was having on the country. In 2012, Kenyan forces captured Kismayo with the assistance of a Somali militia group. However, the transport of charcoal not only continued but increased 147 percent. Al-Shabaab, which controls the port city of Barawe, is also exporting the black gold. "About 1 million sacks of charcoal are exported from Kismayo each month," the report says. If the current rate continues, warns the report, "charcoal exports in 2012-2013 will consume some 10.5 million trees and the area of deforestation will cover 1,750 square kilometers, which is larger than the city of Houston, Texas, in the United States."

Criticism of the report

For the record, the Somali government has denounced the UN Monitoring Group report as being based on rumors and innuendos. "It is clear that the report is increasingly dependent upon gossip, guilty-by-association, and hearsay," declared the government spokesman.

The most biting critique of the report, so far, has come from the maligned Governor of the Central Bank, Abdusalam Omer, who called the allegations, "completely unfounded, unsubstantiated, defamatory, and reckless." Omer questioned the methodology on which the report was based and the expertise of some members of its panel. Despite the fact that Omer's name was mentioned 27 times in the report, no one, he claimed, interviewed him or asked him to see the books. In addition, Omer argued that the two designated as "financial experts" on the panel held degrees in anything but finance or economics. One was a police officer in Minneapolis and the other a foreign affairs journalist with Reuters. In essence, none of them has "any relevant training or experience in forensic accounting."

In a nutshell, the UN Monitoring group makes numerous allegations. It might be a gargantuan task to collect reliable data from Somalia and especially Mogadishu because the city has its share of double-dealing and back-stabbing, not to mention, a vortex of gossip. For instance, several years ago, the UN Monitoring Group made a harebrained allegation that Al-Shabaab, a Sunni jihadist group, had sent 720 fighters to Hezbollah, a Shiite jihadi group in Lebanon, to fight Israel.

The current report does have some merit, rampant corruption in the country has been well-documented previously. For instance, a World Bank report in May 2012 found $131 million unaccounted for in then the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) revenues in 2009-2010. If history is a reliable guide, this is a case of attitudinal and cultural perversions. "Somalis did not consider looting national assets in customary law terms as stealing," the report says and, hence, among many officials, the "pursuit of power and profit became indistinguishable."

Mogadishu is unique because power interfaces with corruption, religion with clan, jihadism with opportunism, warlordism with legitimacy, and public service with personal enrichment. It is, indeed, a wild and dizzying world.

Hassan M. Abukar is a writer and political analyst.

Somalia: Japan Steps up to Help Stop Polio Outbreak in Somalia

Tokyo — UNICEF has received an emergency contribution of US$1.3 million from the Government of Japan to procure and distribute urgently needed polio vaccines for children in Somalia.

With a growing number of unvaccinated children now facing an explosive outbreak of polio cases in the country, Japan's generous contribution will help UNICEF and partners conduct additional vaccination campaigns and prevent further spread of the virus across Somalia and into neighbouring countries.

In May, a two-year-old girl from Mogadishu became the first confirmed case of polio in Somalia in more than six years. The country had been polio-free since March 2007.

As of July, the virus has paralyzed 95 Somali children: 94 confirmed cases in South Central Zone, which includes Mogadishu, and a case in Somaliland. Another nine cases have also been reported in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

"Lack of access to routine immunization in Somalia has created the largest known reservoir of unvaccinated children in a single geographic area in the world. The total number of Somali children who had never been vaccinated between 2008 and 2012 was estimated to reach a million," says Sikander Khan, UNICEF Somalia Representative.

"The poliovirus in such a large reservoir has the potential to result in a catastrophic outbreak, the likes of which are beginning to be seen and as such constitutes an international emergency."

With the support of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), Somali communities have launched emergency vaccination campaigns to boost their low polio vaccination coverage. Currently Somalia has the second lowest coverage of polio vaccination through routine immunization in the world at 47 per cent after Equatorial Guinea.

So far, polio vaccines were prepared for six immunization campaigns between May and August, and five rounds have already been carried out. However, vaccines for additional campaigns between September and December have not yet been secured.

The announcement of Japan's emergency grant came in at a time when a shortage of polio vaccines is predicted for the upcoming months. The funds will cover more than 5 million doses of oral polio vaccines for two rounds of Supplementary Immunization Activities for November and December.

More than 2.8 million children under 10 years are expected to benefit from Japan's support.

UNICEF has been working to support partners and local communities to minimize the scale of this outbreak. However, frequent movement of people within and between Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan could transport the virus further from Somalia to the entire Horn of Africa.

"To halt the spread of the virus within Somalia and across the region, it will require concerted efforts from all partners including the donors as demonstrated by this generous contribution from the people of Japan," Mr. Khan said.

Before the new outbreak, the worldwide number of polio cases had decreased by more than 99 per cent from 350,000 in 1988 to 223 cases in 2012 with active cases reported in only three endemic countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. The outbreak in Somalia, if not controlled quickly, could jeopardize global efforts to wipe out polio once and for all.

Note to Editors:

In response to the current polio outbreak in the Horn of Africa, UNICEF and WHOn have requested a total of US$73.5 million for Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen. As of July, the two organizations have received some US$30 million, leaving a funding gap of US$40.5 million.

Source: United Nations Children's Fund (New York)

Africa: Double Olympic Champion Mo Farah Says He Is Even Better Now By Paul Myers

"I'm definitely a better athlete now," said the Briton after a review of his efforts.

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Just before the Anniversary Games in London at the end of July, Mo Farah watched his Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 metres races for the first time. "I'm definitely a better athlete now," said the Briton after a review of his efforts.

Such an evaluation can only strike fear into the hearts and minds of his rivals. Farah claimed gold over both distances last summer at the Olympic Park in east London.

By doing so he became only the seventh man to achieve the feat. The list of previous double Olympic champions includes Emil Zatopek, Lasse Viren and Kenenisa Bekele.

A year ago Farah had the raucous support of 80,000 odd in the stadium. But he won't have that wall of sound as he bounds round the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

However, what he will have is form. "He has every weapon in his armoury to win in any way he wants," said Lord Coe, the chairman of the British Olympic Association.

This isn't just chauvinistic tubthumping but the insight of a double Olympic champion over 1500 metres.

"We know he can run from the front if he has to and we know he can make a long for home if he wants to," drooled Coe.

Farah's speed was in evidence when he ran the 1500 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco in early July.

The 30-year old ran 3 mins 28.81 seconds. It was the sixth fastest time over the distance.

At the Anniversary Games at the Olympic Park - now renamed the Queen Elizabeth Park - he was the crowd pleaser easing home in the 3000 metres in 7 mins 36.85 seconds.

Farah won the 5,000 metres at the world championships in Daegu and he was the favourite going into the 10,000 metres. But he was pipped by the Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan.

That disappointment at the finishing tape fired the training programme under Alberto Salazar that brought him ultimate dividends in front of the adoring home crowds a year later.

Farah says he's able to profit from the lack of attention as he goes about his life and work in Portland in Oregon with Salazar. There'd be no such anonymity in Britain where he is one of the biggest stars in athletics.

The double Olympic title also means he's no longer obscure on the track. Indeed he believes he'll be a marked man during both the defence of his 5,000 metres title as well as the 10,000 metres and expects the Ethiopians and the Kenyans to gang up on him.

There's been altitude training in St Moritz, Switzerland, in preparation for the duels. And he'll descend to Moscow with what he considers peak form.

"I've never been this happy in my life," he declared. "I'm enjoying running and doing what I do, instead of thinking that I have to do something.

"I'm definitely stronger, more experienced but it all depends on the championships. You have to go and do it when it matters."

Read or Listen to this story on the RFI website: http://www.english.rfi.fr/sports/20130807-double-olympic-champion-mo-farah-says-he-even-better-now

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is today celebrating Eid Mubarak with Muslims in Somalia.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is today celebrating Eid Mubarak with Muslims in Somalia.

This Eid comes two days after Somalis marked the second anniversary of the expulsion of the Al-Shabaab terror group from Mogadishu.

The special representative of the chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif also sent his best wishes to the people of Somalia.

“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate all Somalis on this important day. Today is the culmination of a month of sacrifice, meditation and soul-searching and comes at a momentous period for Somalia,” said Annadif.

Through a press release distributed to newsrooms, the SRCC also recognized the immense contribution that the serving Muslim troops in the different AMISOM contingents have made.

SRCC has also commended the Muslim troops for their efforts in helping to restore peace and stability.

Ambassador Annadif called on Somalis to maintain the momentum witnessed in the last few years and remain steadfast in their quest for peace.

“To the people of Somalia and Muslims around the world, i wish you all a very happy and peaceful celebration, Eid Mubarak,” said Annadif.

By James Kariuki

Somalia: Soldier of Misfortune-Report

David Bax helped save 35 aid workers in a Mogadishu firefight. So why did they turn against him?

BY COLUM LYNCH
The tip came early in the day on June 19. Islamist militants had breached the inner sanctum of the United Nations' humanitarian compound in downtown Mogadishu -- and they were trying to slaughter the relief workers inside.

It wasn't David Bax's job to respond to such an attack; the former South African soldier was hired by the U.N. simply to defuse explosives in and around the restive city.

But Bax wasn't about to sit on his hands while a massacre went down. Within 30 minutes, Bax had mobilized his convoy, consisting of Burundian soldiers, U.N. explosives specialists, and foreign security contractors, into a rescue party.

While the firefight between al-Shabab militants and Somali guards raged inside the U.N. facility, Bax led his team to the outer wall and waited for a lull in the shooting. When the pause came, they rushed into the compound and began loading the terrified U.N. survivors onto Bax's Casspir armored personnel vehicles. Once the vehicles were full, Bax's team sped off and delivered the survivors to safety at the secure U.N. compound at Mogadishu's airport. In the end, one U.N. staffer, two South African contractors, four Somali security guards, a Somali electrician, and several Somali civilians were dead. As many as seven al-Shabab fighters were also killed in the operation. Most of the fighting was carried out by Somali security guards, who suffered the largest number of casualties. While Bax's team didn't engage in the firefight, there was little doubt that he and his team had risked their lives.

But the United Nations didn't award Bax a commendation for his bravery. In fact, days after the attack, Bax, the program manager for the U.N. Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Somalia, came under fire from some of the very people he tried to save, and his U.N. career may now be on the line. His detractors say he repeatedly overstepped the bounds of his authority and propriety, propositioning female colleagues and exercising undue control over vital necessities for humanitarian workers like a Chicago alderman. Others say that Bax's rescue mission, while noble, may have only put U.N. employees -- and the U.N. mission in Somalia -- in further jeopardy. Bax had no authority to mount a risky extraction operation, some of his U.N. colleagues charge, and the appearance of a U.N.-led convoy -- made up of Western security contractors and armed Burundian soldiers at war with al-Shabab -- might have only reinforced the Somali public's perception of the United Nations as a partisan in the conflict. The appearance of evenhandedness, so necessary for humanitarian work, could be shattered.

The dispute over Bax's actions speaks to a deeper conflict over the U.N.'s global identity today. Is it an impartial humanitarian organization tending to the needs of civilians, regardless of political preferences? Or is it an ally with the world's great powers in the international struggle against militant Islamist extremism?

"The lines can get pretty blurred," said Matthew Bryden, who once headed the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (SEMG), a U.N. Security Council panel that investigates threats to Somalia's democratic transition.

The United Nations, Bryden, explained, is like "a very broad church" whose myriad strains and tendencies can frequently come into conflict in the field. The U.N. humanitarian aid agencies insist that the United Nations must be perceived as "a neutral actor" in order for them to safely carry out their lifesaving work. "The humanitarian agencies don't like to talk to the SEMG or provide it with information because they don't want to be seen collaborating with what they see as an intelligence arm of the United Nations." For people like Bax, whose mandate places him closer to the conflict's front line, "claiming to be neutral when al-Shabab has already decided the U.N. is a target doesn't make sense."

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the U.N. Security Council required states to write anti-terrorism laws, and it expanded its black list of suspected Islamist terrorists with links to al Qaeda and the group's affiliates. (Indeed, confronting Islamist extremists is one of a handful of issues that has united the council's five major powers: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States.) More recently, the Security Council has thrown its weight behind military missions crafted to thwart the ambitions of Islamist militants across Africa.

In Somalia, the United Nations is on a traditional humanitarian mission: feeding and caring for destitute Somali civilians. But it's also supplying crucial logistical support to the African Union forces who kicked al-Shabab out of Mogadishu -- and it's helping Somalia's new rulers stabilize the country in order to prevent the militants from staging a comeback.

Bax, a lumbering, 6-foot-5-inch former military engineer, has emerged as the embodiment of the hard edge of the United Nations. Bax is operating under a Security Council mandate to train American-backed peacekeepers on how to evade al-Shabab's bombs. That places him squarely on one side of the war there.

But though the U.N. is by no means neutral in Somalia, it is not supposed to be an active combatant. Bax's internal critics say he has crossed that line. His cooperation with American authorities, in particular, has raised eyebrows within the U.N.'s humanitarian's ranks.

***

Bax's troubles began days after the June 19 attack on the U.N. humanitarian compound. Infuriated by Bax's actions, an anonymous source in Mogadishu filed a complaint to Hervé Ladsous, the U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations. The source, who also leaked copies of the complaint to Foreign Policy and Inner City Press, suggested that Bax's heroics had actually endangered U.N. personnel by reinforcing al-Shabab's contention that the U.N. is merely an agent of American aims.

"Our colleagues are dead and this is why?" said the anonymous source's complaint, pointing out that Somali authorities and the U.N.-sanctioned African Union peacekeeping force, not the United Nations, bear responsibility for security in Mogadishu. "Why is this HIS job? Why does he have an armed response squad and a convoy as the head of the mine action service.???… Don't we work for the UN? Aren't we neutral? Are we humanitarians or soldiers? He is completely rogue and not in the chain of command."

In response to the complaint, Bax's employer, the U.N. Office for Project Services, dispatched a fact-finding team last week to Nairobi, Kenya to establish whether there is sufficient evidence to launch a full-fledged investigation into wrongdoing, with the team expected to subsequently travel to Mogadishu. Bax was transferred out of Mogadishu after the complaint -- purportedly for his own safety. The investigators, who have already questioned Bax, are likely to clear him of charges of improperly collaborating with American authorities. As of Aug. 4, the investigators had not yet reached out to several women who were identified in the anonymous complaint as having information about alleged sexual harassment. (Bax declined to be interviewed for this article.)

Whatever the investigation's outcome, the case has turned a spotlight on a man who has left an oversized impression on U.N. life in Mogadishu.

***

A 17-year veteran of U.N. peacekeeping missions, Bax arrived in Mogadishu nearly four years ago, a time when al-Shabab held sway over much of the capital and the city was deemed even too dangerous for U.N. peacekeepers to operate.

Bax carved out a swath of land at Mogadishu's airport, inside a broader security compound operated by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which had been established two years earlier to defend the country's Western-backed transitional government in its war with al-Shabab.

Bax's unit organized the construction of a network of secure housing units and offices that would accommodate the return of foreign diplomats, U.N. political officers, and relief workers. He organized his own armed convoy, protected by Burundian soldiers, who roamed freely around Mogadishu in a fleet of armored Casspir vehicles. He built a drinking establishment called Little Kruger in a thatched tukul at the heart of the compound. In a city where serving liquor can be a death sentence, Little Kruger -- named in honor of Nols Kruger, a South African diesel mechanic who was killed in a 2011 roadside ambush by al-Shabab -- was one of the rare spots where an expatriate could have a drink of imported Kenyan Tusker beer and relax with friends. It was also one of the city's safest spots.

Bax and his team quickly made common cause with Bancroft Global Development, a private security contractor that provided military training to African Union peacekeepers. Bax's agency hired the American firm to train Somali police and African Union peacekeepers in the handling of explosives. Two Bancroft employees, including an American national, were in Bax's convoy during the June 19 attack. The efforts by Bax's team and Bancroft helped the African peacekeepers improve their fighting skills and their defensive capabilities against al-Shabab.

Bax made other alliances as well.

Following a July 2010 attack by al-Shabab and its allies against Ugandan World Cup viewers, Bax established a relationship with the FBI to provide the Somalis with expertise on maintaining the integrity of the chain of evidence when handling bomb material.

On behalf of Somalia's police, Bax's unit collected fragments of explosives, swabs of blood, and chunks of mobile phones that were possibly used as detonators. The evidence was transferred by a Ugandan military flight to Kampala, the Ugandan capital, where an FBI field agent conducted tests at a local lab or in some cases sent the information back to Washington for further examination.

The arrangement was aimed at helping the Somali police build a case against extremists in the event of future prosecutions.

A senior official at U.N. headquarters insisted that the United Nations does not directly share evidence with the United States or other governments. The Somali government, not the U.N., was responsible for shipping the evidence to Uganda for testing by the FBI, the official claimed. The official also defended Bax's handling of the case, saying his team merely played a supporting role in the transaction. But some U.N. sources said Bax had taken the lead in facilitating the transactions and that in some cases his team had overstepped its authority. These sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Bax's team complied with an FBI request for blood samples of suspected foreign extremists who died in suicide bombings. In other words, this U.N. squad became an ally in America's war on terror.

***

Two years ago, al-Shabab's forces were largely driven from Mogadishu, opening the door to an influx of European diplomats, U.N. political and humanitarian aid officials, and relief agencies. While statistics are hard to come by, the U.N. helped train AMISOM forces in evasion tactics -- for instance, reducing foot patrols in narrow streets and increasing patrols in armored personnel vehicles. (The number of attacks from improvised explosive devices, however, has spiked in more recent months, climbing from 22 in the last three months of 2012 to 34 in the first three months of 2013.)

But Bax's team, composed of former military officials, did not always mix well with the U.N.'s relief workers, who often resented the enormous power Bax wielded over many of their lives.

It was Bax, for instance, who decided whether you slept in a nice room with a private toilet or shower or whether you were required to walk 100 yards in the dark in the middle of the night to find the outhouse. Bax, according to some U.N. officials, played favorites, assigning nicer rooms to friends.

The humanitarians were also weary of being associated with Bax, who traveled around town with his own heavily armed convoy. In fact, Bax once offered the U.N.'s humanitarian agencies a plot of land on the compound at the airport to build their facilities. They declined the offer, saying they needed to be closer to the government and the Somali people. But the humanitarian agencies -- which lack sufficient accommodations -- continued to rely heavily on Bax for housing, travel, and entertainment. The situation bred an atmosphere of resentment, jealousy, and dependency.

Bax's personality -- he has been described as King David, the Lord of Baxland -- has not helped.

One official compared Bax to Clint Eastwood's character in the movie Heartbreak Ridge - a highly decorated war hero whose hard drinking, rule breaking, and womanizing make him a bad fit for civilian life. A line from the film, according to the official, could apply to Bax: "You should be sealed in a case that reads, 'Break glass only in the event of war.'"

The official added that Bax is the "most action-oriented guy I've ever worked with." But Bax reportedly had personal failings and often behaved inappropriately. Among the accused offenses Bax is now under investigation for: a pattern of allegedly sexually harassing his female colleagues.

"He is very flirtatious, but I just ignored it," said one woman who recalled his advances. "UNMAS has done so much good there, and it would be a shame to see their program, and his career, go down the drain. I think it would be a huge loss for Somalia."

Another woman was less forgiving, saying that Bax frequently made sexually suggestive remarks to women, including her. "He makes constant lewd comments about me when I'm in my running gear," said the woman, a humanitarian worker who frequently stayed in the UNMAS camp. "He made unambiguous sexual advances at most of the women in camp. It's not just that he has a problem with women. I think he has a problem with boundaries of any kind."

A third woman who worked closely with Bax in Mogadishu, however, came to his defense, saying, "Bax is a decent guy." A fourth described him as protective of women in his own staff. "He is far better behaved than a whole raft of people" serving on U.N. missions, one of the women said.

In the end, the U.N. brass in headquarters has rallied behind Bax, saying he was instructed to go to the compound.

"In an extremely difficult and dangerous environment, the UNMAS team contributed to the success of the evacuation of more than 35 staff and allowed important evidence for later inquiry/investigation to be obtained without further casualties from unexploded ordnance," Agnes Marcaillou, director of the U.N. Mine Action Service, said in a statement.
But his position among the rank-and-file humanitarian workers suffered.

Numerous sources said that they resented the fact that Bax had shouted out the name of a particular woman during the rescue operation. That fueled the notion that he had only come to get his own friend out. Later that night, many survivors met at Little Kruger to console one another. Bax, pumped up on adrenaline and sometimes laughing, boisterously regaled his friends with tales of the day's adventure, at one point taking out his smartphone and playing a video he had taken of the siege. Maybe it was a natural act for a man whose job puts him in constant contact with terrorist attacks. But that night, it came across as boorish to some at the bar. "It was pretty bloody insensitive," said one person familiar with the night's events, noting that some survivors were appalled at his glib account of the episode. "If he had not done that I think he would have gotten more credit for his action."

Source: foreignpolicy.com

Mudaharaad Balaadhan Oo Shalay Ruxay Jidka Hormara Guriga Ra'iisal Wasaaraha Ingiriiska Ee No 10 Downstreet Lagagana Soo Horjeedo Xayiraada Adeega Xawaaladdaha + SAWIRO

Mr. Abdirashiid Duale Madaxa Shirkada Dahabshiil oo u waramaya wariye isagoo hortaagan Aqalka Ra'iisal Wasaarha Ingiriiska

London – Badhtamaha caasimada dalka Ingiriiska ee London waxa shalay ruxay dibad bax aad u balaadhan oo ay dhigayeen muwaadiniin Ingriis ah oo asalkoodu ka soo jeedo wadamo farobadan oo ka mid ah dunida seddexaad, dibadbaxan ayaa looga soo horjeeday xayiraada banigaga BARCLAY uu ku soo rogay 250 xawaaladood a oo ay ka mid yihiin kuwa Soomaalidu, go’aankan oo saamayn xun ku yeeshay dadka eheladoodii lacago uga diraya dalka Ingiriiska gudihiisa iyo guud ahaan wadamada yurubta galbeed. 

Orodyahanka Caalamiga ah ee Mo Farah

Boqolaal qof oo go’aanka Bangiga Barclays diidan oo uu horkacayo orodyahanka Caanka ah ee Mo Farah iyo Mudane ka tisan xisbiga Shaqaalaha ee Britain oo lagu magacaabo The Labour MP, Rushanara Ali, ayaa is hortagay guriga Ra’iisal Wasaaraha Ingiriiska ee David David Cameroon, si ay ugu gudbiyaan dalabkooda. 

The Labour MP, Rushanara Ali oo wariyayaal ugu waramaysa Aqalka Ra'iisal Wasaaraha Ingiriiska hortiisa

Dibadbaxayaasha ayaa dareenkooda sida ay uga soo horjeedaan go’aanka  uu qaatay Banigaga Barclays waxay ku muujinayeen Boodhadh ay siteen iyo Qoraal dalab ah (Petition) oo ay saxeexeen dad tiradoodu kor u dhaafayso 25,000 oo ruux, kaasi oo ay ku faahfaahiyeen cawaaqibka xun iyo dhibaatada halaaga ah ee ka dhalanaysa joojinta lacagaha dadka ku sugan ingiriiska iyo guud ahaan Yurub u dirayaan eheladooda baahan ee ay uga soo tageen wadamda colaadaha iyo faqrigu halakeeyay oo ay ka mid tahay Somalia.

Hoos ka fiirso sawiro laga qaaday Dibadbaxayaasha oo ku sugan Aqalka Raiisal Wasaaraha Ingiriiska David Cameroon. 

 

HAMBALYADA MADAXWEYNAHA JSL, EE MUNAASIBADDA CIIDAL FIDRIGA AWGEED.

CIID MUBAARIK, CIIDAL CAAFIYA, KULU CAAM WA ANTUM- BIKHAYR.

 

Madaxweynaha Somaliland Mudane, 

Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Silaanyo)

Madaxweynaha Somaliland Mudane, Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Silaanyo) ayaa Dhamaan Golayaasha Qaranka, Madax-dhaqameedka, Culima-awdiinka, Xisbiyada Qaranka, dhamaan Bulshada reer Somaliland iyo Dhamaan Muslimiintu meel ay joogaanba, wuxuu u soo-jeedinayaa hambalyada Ciid-alfidriga awgeed, waxaanu yidhi madaxweynuhu Ciid-Mubaarik, Ciidal-caafiya, kulicaam wa antum bikhayr. Waxaan illaahay inooga rajaynayaa in uu ciidan ciideeda inagu gaadhsiiyo caafimaad, cibaado, bash-bash iyo barwaaqo.

Aamiin Aamiin Aamiin

Hambalyada ciida dabadeed, waxaan halkan bogaadin uga soo jeedinayaa ciidamada kala duwan ee qaranka oo aan u rajaynayo in dhammaan derajadii iyo gunnooyinka dalacaaduhu kuwada gaadheen ciidan kasta fadhiisinkiisa, Askari kasta waxaa saaran waajibaad, waxaana uu qaranka ku leeyahay xuquuq, derajaduna waxay ka mid tahay xuquuqda ciidamadu ku leeyihiin dawlada, waxaan ku kalsoonahay in ay derajadu soo kordhin doonto kala-danbaynta milgaha iyo haybadda ciidanimo, kor-u-qaadi-doonto muuqaalka iyo karaamada dawladnimo. Munaasabada ciida darteed, waxaan ciidamada caruurtooda iyo xaasaskooda leeyahay Hambalyo, Hambalyo, Hambalyo.

Waxaan jecelahay in aan halkan ka cadeeyo mawqifka dawladda ee ku aadan shirka dunidu noogu baaqday ee Brussels, maadaama ay EU-da iyo Somalia wada marti-gelinayaan (Co-hosting), waxaanu u aragnaa mid dhaawacaya jiritaanka iyo qaranimada Dalkan JSL, kaasoo aan waxba kaga duwanayn shirarkii hore ee aanu diidnay, sidaa darteed kama soo-qayb-gelayno shirkaas.

Gebegebadii, waxaan bulshada Somaliland u dardaarmayaa in ay nabadgelyada illaaliyaan, in ay isku-duubnaadaan, in ay illaaliyaan shuruucda dalka.

Walaalayaal aan ka digtoonaano dhagaraha cadawga oo aan meel uga soo wada jeesano cid kasta oo dalkani hagardaamo u soo maleegaysa, qofkasta oo talo, toosin iyo taageero doonaya waxaanu jecel-nahay in uu noo soo gudbiyo, gacmo furan ayaanu ku soo dhawaynaynaa, laakiinse waa in aanu doc-faruurin nidaamka dawladnimo iyo shuruucda dalka, qofkii doonaya in uu wax dhaliilo, canaanto ama siyaasad u tartamo waxaynu u samaysanay nidaamka Xisbiyada badan, dalkuna waa dal dimuquraadi ah, waxaynu wax ku nahay dawladnimada, qofkastana xil baa ka saaran illaalinta qaranimada, anigana Madaxweyne ahaan, waxaa xil iyo waajib iga saaran-yahay dalka iyo dadkiisa in aan ku illaaliyo xaydaabka sharci, cidna ka yeeli-maayo inay iska gudub marto.

Waxaan illaahay ugu mahad-naqayaa nabadgelyada aynu haysano, waxaanan ku faraxsanahay in la helay dad ajiiba baaqii iyo gogoshii nabada ee aan mudada dheer ku celcelinayay, oo ay garwaaqsadeen in wada-hadalku ka wanaagsan yahay xabadda iyo dagaalka.

Waxaan aaminsanahay in aan xabadi xalkeenin, walaalayaal dhulku guurimaayo, go’inamaayo, dadka geyigan ku dhaqanina waa dad walaalo ah oo aan marnaba kala maarmayn, Dalka Somaliland waa qani hadii laga shaqaysto, waana inagu filan-yahay, wixii laysku maan-dhaafana wada-hadal iyo isu-tanaasul ayaa inoo dhaqan ahaa oo aynu ku soo caano-maalnay. Walaalayaal ku soo dhawaada nidaamka wada-hadalka iyo qalinka horumarka.

CADDAALADDA.

Walaalayaal caddaaladdu waa aasaaska iyo jiritaanka dawladnimo, waxa ay abuurtaa kalsooni, waana astaanta maamul-wanaagga.

Walaalayaal, Dastuurku waxa uu qeexay madax-baanida Garsoorka, aniga oo arrintaas ka shidaal qaadanaya, isla markaana fulinaya balan-qaadkaygii xilligii doorashadda waxaan isbedel ku sameeyey Garsoorka iyo Caddaaladda sida; Maxkamadda sare, Guddiga Caddaaladda iyo Xeer-ilaalinta Guud, waxa aan alkumay Xafiiska Garyaqaanka Guud, si xeerarka loogu sameeyo faafinta rasmiga ah, loona gaar-yeelo kiisaska dawladdu darafka ka tahay ee madaniga ah.

Walaalayaal, si loo xakameeyo xad-gudubyada ka dhanka ah xuquuqda bini’aadamka waxaan samaynay Hay’adda Xuquuqal iinsaanka.

Walaalataal sidaas oo ay tahay xukuumadda aan gadh-wadeenka ka ahay ka daali mayso, kana caajiso mayso dedaalka lagu xaqiijinayo in muwaadiniintu caddaalad dareemaan.

Waxaan dhamaan bulshada reer Somaliland ku bogaadinayaa kaalinta ay ka qaataan nabadgelyada illaalinteeda, waxaan leeyahay is dhawrta, is kaashada oo isku-duubnaada, qofkii xunna meel uga soo wada jeesta.

Anigoo farxada la wadaagaya dadkayga waxaan mar labaad halkan idiinka soo gudbinayaa Hambalyo, bogaadin iyo duco-ba:

·         Inta bukhta een caafimaadku u saamixin inay innala ciidaana waxa aan alle uga baryayaa inuu ka dulqaado Xanuunka, intii inaga baxdayna Alle u naxariisto.

·         Ugu danabyn waxa aan leeyahay Ciid mubaarik, Ciidal-caafiya Kuli-caam wa antum Dayibiin.

Asalaamu Calaykum Waraxmatulaahi Wabarakaatuhu.

Axmed Saleebaan Maxamed (Dhuxul)

Af-hayeenka Madaxtooyada JSL.

Somalia: Rape and injustice: The woman breaking Somalia's wall of silence

Confronting Somalia's rape crisis

African Voices is a weekly show that highlights Africa's most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera. Follow the team on Twitter.

Fartuun Adan is a champion for women's rights and the co-founder of Sister Somalia, the East African country's first rape and crisis center

 

From Nima Elbagir and Lillian Leposo, CNN

Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) -- Inside a brightly painted Mogadishu clinic, Salim (not her real name) sits alongside her seven-year-old son, waiting for a check up. Opposite them, a health professional listens to their nightmarish ordeal.

Salim recounts how she was raped and then watched, helpless, as her young son was molested. Too afraid to seek assistance, she did what she thought would help. She washed her son's wounds with hot water and salt for four excruciating days, until they were brought here, the Sister Somalia center.

"There are so many stories; when you hear one, another one is even worse and that makes you think of it all the time," says Fartuun Adan, co-founder of Sister Somalia, the first rape crisis center in the East African country. "I even dream about what I heard during the day."

A champion for women's rights in Somalia, Adan is used to hearing such horror stories. Two years ago, she started Sister Somalia, a group dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual violence with medical services, counseling, education and entrepreneurial advice.

• A shelter for Somalia's rape victims
• Somalia's woman of courage
• Drought victims suffer sexual violence

"Our purpose when they are there (is for them) to feel safe," says Adan. "If you want to cry, if you want to laugh -- support them, (make them) feel at home and that's why we created the center."

'Rape was everywhere'

But in order to provide rape victims with a refuge, Adan had to risk her own safety.

At the Sister Somalia center, women and children are sheltered in safe houses, and provided with emotional support and counseling.

Her mission began in 2007, at the height of a Somali conflict that had been raging for more than 15 years. Until then, Adan was living with her three daughters in Ottawa, having fled to Canada in 1999 three years after the brutal murder of her husband, Somali human rights activist Elman Ali Ahmed.

Read this: Peace concert rocks Mogadishu

But six years ago, Adan took the courageous decision to leave her children behind and return to her motherland to help the Somali women and youth suffering because of the war.

Adan initially focused her efforts on reviving the work of her late husband, a prominent peace activist committed to rescuing young boys from becoming child soldiers. But in 2011, many parts of Somalia suffered from famine, forcing thousands of people to make the grueling trek to Mogadishu where humanitarian organizations were giving out food.

Makeshift camps sprouted all over the capital, providing shelter for the internally displaced. But for many women and children living there, cut off from the protection of their clans, the camps were places of rape and violence.

To deal with the growing crisis, Adan started Sister Somalia, the first organization in the country to come out publicly and talk about the astonishing number of sexual abuse victims.

"Rape was everywhere, Somalia was in denial," she says. "There was a lot of denial and that made it harder."

'Safe place'

Community elders wanted Adan to hide the rapes and Islamist militants and militia men constantly threatened her. But the activist defied the dangers to provide rape victims with a place of healing.

At the Sister Somalia center, women and children receive a holistic approach to care and treatment. Initially, the victims are given short-term anti-retroviral treatment to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection. They also receive drugs to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

Read this: Chef brings a taste of peace to Mogadishu

"We can talk, we can eat, take tea together, having little fun so they forget most of the times and they share the story." .........Fartuun Adan, co-founder of Sister Somalia

The women and children are sheltered in safe houses, becoming part of a communal setting that provides victims with emotional support as they go through counseling and treatment.

"This is a very safe place," says Adan, who now runs the group with one of her daughters. "We can talk, we can eat, take tea together, having a little fun so they forget most of the times and they share their story."

World recognition
For her work championing human rights and women's rights in Somalia, often in dangerous conditions, Adan was bestowed in March with the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, an annual prize that pays tribute to emerging women leaders across the world.

"I was happy because of the recognition we got, not only me but all the other women who are doing the job we are doing in Somalia," says Adan, who started Sister Somalia alongside Lisa Shannon, founder of "Run for Congo" and Katy Grant, co-founder of Prism Partnership.

"It's an encouragement for us," adds Adan, who now runs the group with one of her daughters and a few dedicated helpers. An eight-person volunteer support staff based in North America also gives administrative assistance. "I was always thinking how can I help women but I never thought it would be recognized internationally," she adds.

Earlier this year, Adan was honored by American First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with the International Women of Courage Award

Hope

Rape in Somalia carries huge social stigma, so although an increasing number of women seek help at Adan's crisis center, many more suffer in silence.

"A lot of people know what is going on but they are denying," says Adan. "Even the family, they deny if their girl gets raped because they don't want her to be stigmatized and shamed and that makes it hard."

Read this: Holidays in Somalia, anyone?

But for the first time in a long time, there is a new sense of optimism in Somalia. After more than two decades of war, there is a newly elected president and parliament.

Adan says political leaders now acknowledge rape is a huge issue in the country, and this gives her hope for the future.

"I would like to see peace, justice, development like another country," says Adan. "Just to walk around without worrying and women can go to market and see whatever they want; have education, health, the basic human rights -- that is what I want to see."

Source: CNN