War Degdeg ah: Xukuumada Federaalka Somalia iyo Madaxwaynaha Jamhuriyada Jabuuti oo Difaacaya Qaar ka mid ah Madaxda Ugu Saraysa Argagixisada Somalia oo Iimaaraadka Carabtu Xanibay Hantidoodii u Taalay Bangiga Imaaraatka Carabta

Bangiga Dhexe ee dalka Iskutaga Imaaraatka Carabta ayaa soo saaray liis ay ku qoran yihiin magacyada 13 ruux oo Soomaali iyo Ajaaniib  iskugu jira in la xanibay hantidii u taalay bangiyada dalka UAE kadib markii lagu eedeeyay inay ka tirsan yihiin ama/iyo taageeraan Xarakadda Al-Shabab oo Soomaaliya ka dagaalanta.

War kasoo baxay bangiga ayaa waxaa lagu sheegay in hantida u taala bangiyada dalka Iskutaga Iimaaraadka Carabta  shaqsiyaad Soomaali ah oo qaarkood ay haystaan baasabooro dalal kale iyo xubno ajaaninb ah oo Shabab ka tirsan ka tirsan.

Liiskaan ay ku qoran yihiin magacyada shaqsiyaadkaan hantiadooda uu xanibay bangiga dhexe ee Imaaraatka waxaa ku jira hogaamiyaal ka tirsan Xarakadda Al-Shabab oo Soomaaliya ka dagaalama waxaana ka mid ah Axmed Cabdi Godane oo ah hogaamiyaha Al-Shabab, Sh, Fu’aad Max’ed

Khalaf, Xasan C/llaahi Xirsi oo Xasan Turki loo yaqaan, Sh, Xasan Daahir Aweys oo dhawaan Al-Shabab kasoo baxday haatana gacanta dawlada Soomaaliya ku jira nin magaciisa lagu sheegay Max’ed Saciid Bashiir, Max’ed Max’ud Xasan, Mahad Cumar, oo la sheegay inuu haysto baasaboor Ethiopian ah nin kale magaciisa lagu sheegay Yaasiin Cali Baynax oo asna haysta dhlashada dalka Sweden ganacsade Axmed Nuur Jimcaale Cumar, Xamaami oo sidoo kalena loo yaqaan Abuu Mansuur Al-Amriki , Cabuud Roogo oo horey Kenya loogu dilay, iyoAbuu Bakar shariif.

Bankigu waxa uu sheegay inuu go’aankaan u qaatay kadib asagoo fulinaya go’aan kasoo baxay golaha amaanka ee Q,M oo tirsigiisu ahaa 1844 (2008) kasoo dhigayay in la xanibo hantida shaqsiyaadka iyo

shirkadaha loo arko inay Shabab taageeraan.

Kulan degdeg ah oo ay yeesheen Golaha Wasiirada Xukuumada Federaalka Somalia oo uu gudoominayo Madaxwayne Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud ayaa waxa ka soo baxay codsi rasmi ah oo xukuumada Federaalka Somalia uga codsanayso Golaha Amaanka ee Qaramada Midoobay in ay xayiraadda ka qaadaan ganacsade Axmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale oo hore xayiraad caalami ah oo dhinaca safarada ah la saaray isla markaasina xayiraad caalami ah la saaray hantidiisa.

Fadhigii golaha wasiirada Soomaaliya ku yeesheen Magaalada Muqdisho oo lagaga hadlay arimo badan oo ay ka mid yihiin haweenay u dhalatay dalka Sweden, ayaa sidoo kale lagu soo qaaday xayiraadda saaran ganacsade Axmed Cali Jimcaale, waxayna baaq u direen golaha amaanka qaramada midoobay oo ay ka codsadeen in xayiraadda laga qaado ganacsadahaasi.

Wasiirka warfaafinta Soomaaliya Cabdilaahi Ciilmooge Xirsi oo wabaahinta la hadlay markii kulanku soo dhammaaday ayaa sheegay in golaha wasiirradu ay aad u dhageysteen warbixin ay soo bandhigeen guddi loo xil saaray inay soo baadhaan eedaha sheegaya in ganacsade Axmad Nuur Cali Jimcaale uu ku lug leeyahay falal argagixiso, taasoo uu sheegay inay sababtay in golaha ammaanku ay saaraan xayiraad dhanka socdaalka ah.

Wasiirku wuxuu sheegay in golaha Wasiiradu ay war-bixin ka dhageysteen guddigan oo ka kooban saraakiil ka tirsan hay’adda nabad-sugidda iyo sirdoonka dowladda Soomaaliya, isaga oo tilmaamay in dhageysiga war-bixinta ka dib ay wasiirradu dood dheer oo ay ka yeesheen arintaasi ay go’aamiyeen in ganacsade Axmad Nuur Cali Jimcaale laga qaado xayiraadda loona soo celiyo xorriyaddiisa shaqsiyadeed “Dowladda Soomaaliyeed waxay beesha caalamka ugu baaqeysaa inay ku tix-geliso go’aankan” ayuu yidhi Wasiir Ciil mooge, isagoo xusay in go’aakan ay u gudbin doonaan golaha ammaanka ee Qaramada Midoobay.

Dhinaca kale, C/laahi Aadan Xuseen, u Qeybsamaha Ganacsiga iyo Warshadaha Dowladda Soomaaliay u fadhiya Dalka Jabuuti oo wareysi siiyay maanta Idaacadda Shabelle ee Magaalada Muqdisho ayaa waxa uu ka hadlay xayiraada saaran Ganacsade Axmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale isagoo sheegay in Ganacsadahaasi uu yahay Shaqsi ka fog waxyaabaha lagu eedeynayo waxuuna dhanka kale ugu baaqay Dowladda Imaaraadka iyo Dowladdaha kale inay ka qaadaan Xayiraadaha ay saareen Ganacsadahaasi.

U Qeybsamaha Ganacsiga iyo Warshadaha Dowladda Soomaaliay u fadhiya Dalka Jabuuti C/laahi Aadan Xuseen ayaa sidoo kale waxa uu sheegay in Ganacsade Axmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale uu ku caanbaxay u gargaarida Dadka fatahaadaha ay saameeyaan iyo guud ahaa Umadda Soomaaliyeed ee tabaaleesan isagoona sheegay in uusan Xiriir la laheyn  Kooxaha  Argigixisada ah sadaa darteedna xiyiraada saaran Ganacsadahaasi ku tilmaamay mid xaq dorro ah loona baahan yahay in laga qaado.

Mudane C/laahi Aadan Xuseen ayaa dhinaca kale waxaa uu dhamaan Dowladaha Xayiraada Saaray Ganacsade Axmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale ugu baaqay inay ka qaadaan maadaama uu yahay Ganacsade ka fog waxyaabaha lagu eedeeyay  Ganacsade Nuur Cali Jimcaale.

Hadalka U Qeybsamaha Ganacsiga iyo Warshadaha Dowladda Soomaaliay u fadhiya Dalka Jabuuti ayaa waxa uu imaanayaa xili dhawaan Golaha Wasiirada ay meel mariyeen in Ganacsade Axmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale laga qaado Xayiraada Saaran .

Maaha markii ugu horaysay ee hay'ado caalami ah iyo qaar ka mid ah wadamada xubnaha ka ah Golaha Amaanka ee Qaramada Midoobay ay xayiraad caalami ah oo dhinaca safarada ah iyo xanibaad guud ahaan hantidiisa ah lagu soo rogaan ganacsade Ahmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale oo haatan fadhigiisu yahay dalka Jamhuuriayda Jabuuri oo uu ku leeyahay Ganacsiyo kala duduwan oo uu ka mid yahay Bangi lagu magacaabo Salaam bangigaasi oo laamo ku leh Puntland iyo caasimada Somaliland ee Hargeysa, balse tiraba afartii sanadood ee ugu dambeeyay  waxa ka soo baxayay qaraaro lagu xanibayo safarada iyo hantida Ganacsade Ahmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale,  Sidoo kale dalka Ingiriiska iyo Maraykanka ayaa hore ugu soo rogay  xanibaado dhinaca safarada iyo hantida Ganacsade Ahmed Nuur Cali Jimcaale.

U.S. pushes ‘secret war’ in Somalia while oil companies fish for gold

The U.S. has increased its aid
to Somali intelligence agencies
allied against al-Shabaab, Somalia’s
Islamist insurgency. (Courtesy of GIN)

(GIN)—In a good week, reports from the Horn of Africa couldn’t be more upbeat.

“Somalia is a good news story for the region,” declared Johnnie Carson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs last October, “for the region, for the international community, but most especially for the people of Somalia itself.”

This year, however, the news picture went from upbeat to grim. Foreign Policy magazine reported that the U.S. has upped its aid to Somali intelligence agencies allied against al-Shabaab, the country’s Islamist insurgency. Training camps were preparing Ugandan peacekeepers to fight Somalia militants, and Predator drones, fighter jets and nearly 2,000 U.S. troops and military civilians were being parked at a base in neighboring Djibouti.

Despite billions in U.S. aid spent on Somalia, as President Obama observed, to “strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace,” a new U.N. report confirms that “the military strength of al-Shabaab, with an approximately 5,000-strong force, remains arguably intact in terms of operational readiness, chain of command, discipline and communication capabilities.…

“By avoiding direct military confrontation, it has preserved the core of its fighting force and resources.”

Meanwhile, as the U.S. is pulled deeper into this costly and seemingly unwinnable war, Western oil companies from Canada and Norway are trolling Somalia’s semi-autonomous regions—Puntland and Somaliland—for potentially-enriching oil exploration contracts.

In some cases, Somaliland and Puntland have awarded licenses for exploration zones that overlap.

The U.N. Monitoring Group warns:

“Potentially, this means that exploration operations in these blocks, conducted by both DNO (Norway) and Africa Oil (Canada) under the protection of regional security forces, its allied militia or private forces, could generate new conflict between Somaliland and Puntland.”

“It is alarming that regional security forces and armed groups may clash to protect and further Western-based oil companies interests,” the U.N. report said.

Source: frostillustrated.com

Flying into hostile territory: Somalia experiences boom in air travel

 

Despite being classified as a hostile destination, many carriers, like Turkish Airlines, are flying to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu

By Daisy Carrington, for CNN
(CNN) -- In Somalia, getting from point A to B can be a perilous business. Towns are remote, the roads that link them are poor and prone to attack, while the coastline is manned by pirates.

So why are so many airline operators eager to launch routes to Mogadishu?

Despite Somalia's many security woes, the aviation industry is experiencing an uptick. Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport -- which was essentially out of commission prior to 2010 following years of civil war, in-fighting and a reign of terror brought on by Al Qaeda -backed terrorist group Al Shabaab -- has been expanding.

"Before 2010, there wasn't really an airport, just a runway. Now, we have 35 flights a day. 

The airport is booming," says Sean Mendis, Aden Abdulle's station manager.

Security in the country is an on-going concern, though it has improved. Al Shabaab was forced out two years ago, allowing some local businesses to reopen and Aden Abdulle to beef up its security, which is currently under the purview of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Somalia Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority, the Somali police and the Somali National Security Agency.

The airport is very different from the town. It has 17,000 troops protecting it.
Sean Mendia, Aden Abdulle Airport

 

"The airport is very different from the town. There are 17,000 troops protecting it. We have four x-ray machines and several security checks passengers have to pass through before boarding a plane," explains Mendis.

These measures has given confidence to a range of carriers. Jubba Airways -- Somalia's unofficial national carrier -- has expanded its network and fleet considerably, and several neighboring outfits, like African Express and Fly540, have daily flights throughout the country.

Last month, Air Uganda started flying three times a week to Mogadishu, and last year, Turkish Airways became the first major commercial airline to service the Somali capital in over 20 years. Mendis envisions more international carriers, particularly some of the Middle East's heavy hitters, launching routes soon.

The most important geographic part of the world over the next 100 years will be Africa.

Dr. Ali Genc, Turkish Airlines

 

Still, violence remains an everyday reality. Last month a car bomb was driven into a convoy of AMISOM troops near the airport.

If anything, the country's lack of infrastructure and stability is actually boosting the airline industry.

"The population is sparsely distributed throughout the territory. Traveling by land is dangerous -- not just because the roads are bad, but because of highway robbery. Police checkpoints charge you $50 just to pass through. For ordinary people, as well as UN peacekeepers, flying domestically is really the best way to go," says Christos Shepherd, head of business development and start-up airlines at aviation consulting firm Mango Aviation Partners.

For big carriers, like Turkish Airlines, flying to Somalia represents a bigger strategy of gaining a foothold in Africa as a whole. In 2012, the airline expanded its network to include 15 destinations throughout the continent.

"The most important geographic part of the world over the next 100 years will be Africa. In this respect, any destination (we fly to) in Africa will create more effective results than, say, a destination in Europe," says Ali Genc, Turkish Airlines' senior vice president of media relations.

Despite the increase in competition, airfares remain remarkably high. Even low-cost carriers charge upwards of $500 for internal flights.

"For the airlines operating these routes, the costs are very high -- much higher than they would be flying similar-sized aircraft with the same number of passengers in Europe, because you don't have the infrastructure, plus you're paying a premium to pilots and crew for being in a place they don't want to be," says Shepherd.

According to Ruben Gamero, the director of operations for African Express, combat pay is a common incentive for pilots.

"All operators flying to Somalia have to be given a special permit, because the country is considered a hostile destination. We take into account every factor and calculated risk, and have never been involved in any unsafe or unstable situation," he says.

Surprisingly for a country whose economy is in shambles, there are plenty of passengers willing to pay the fare.

"Somalis are very resilient, and they get a lot of money from the diaspora," explains Mendis, who adds that U.N. and NGO traffic keeps the demand for seats high. African Express cites 90% occupancy, and Turkish Airlines says the load factor is increasing.

"Judging by the amount of traffic the airport is seeing, I'd say there's plenty of profits to be had," says Mendis.

Somalia: One year on, tough times for fragile Somalia government

Hopes that Somalia may soon turn the page on decades of anarchy have been dealt a string of blows, giving the internationally-backed government little to cheer as it marks its first birthday, AFP reports.

Al-Qaeda-inspired fighters, breakaway regions, rival clans and an ongoing climate of rampant insecurity have conspired to ensure the Horn of Africa nation remains saddled with its basket case image.

The new government was the first to be given global recognition since the collapse of the hardline regime in 1991, and billions in foreign aid has been poured in.

But in a major blow this month, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) -- an aid agency used to working in the world's most dangerous places -- pulled out after two decades in the country.

The agency said it could no longer put up with a "barrage of attacks", including kidnappings, threats, lootings and murder.

"It came at a moment when world leaders, for the first time in decades, began making positive noises about a country on the road to recovery and with a stable government," said MSF president Unni Karunakara.

"For them, the timing of our decision could not have been worse."

Somalia has taken steps forward, particularly in the coastal capital of Mogadishu -- now busy with labourers rebuilding after Islamist Shebab fighters fled their city trenches two years ago.

But the situation elsewhere remains bleak.

"Rarely has it been so important to bear in mind the old maxim: Mogadishu is not Somalia," argues Matt Bryden, in a report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

"The stream of returnees, investors, aid workers and diplomats to Mogadishu has not been replicated elsewhere in the country, creating an artificial, almost surreal bubble of optimism."

Mogadishu's government, selected in a UN-backed process in August 2012, was hailed as offering the best chance for peace in a generation.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking in May ahead of an international conference on Somalia in London, said then that the steps forward had "exceeded all expectations".

But the South African-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) noted that progress has been "painstakingly slow".

"The failure of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration to consolidate power beyond Mogadishu and the general lawlessness in many parts of country, remain stark reminders of the huge challenges to lasting peace in Somalia," ISS added.


-- Some progress in Mogadishu but little outside --


Outside the city, the weak central government has little influence, with much of the country fractured into autonomous regions, including the self-declared and fiercely independent northern Somaliland.

The northeast Puntland region cut ties with central government in a furious row earlier this month, while in the far south self-declared leaders of the Jubaland region defy Mogadishu's authority.

The Shebab too remain powerful, despite losing a string of key towns and leaders carrying out bloody purges of rivals.

Suicide attacks on a UN compound in June demonstrated the Shebab's ability to strike at the heart of the capital's most secure areas.

UN Monitoring Group reports last month estimated the Shebab are still some 5,000 strong, and remain the "principal threat to peace and security to Somalia".

Multiple armies fight for control of southern Somalia, including rival warlords, Islamist extremists and a rag-tag national army backed by the 17,700-strong African Union force.

Aid workers are struggling to contain a dangerous outbreak of the crippling polio virus, with the UN warning that while more than 100 cases have been recorded there are "probably thousands more with the virus".

Compounding the problem is an almost impossible environment for aid workers.

"Acceptance of violence against health workers has permeated Somali society," MSF's Karunakara said.

"This acceptance is now shared by many armed groups and many levels of civilian government, from clan elders to district commissioners to the Federal Somali Government."

Over a million Somalis are refugees in surrounding nations and another million are displaced inside the country, often in terrible conditions, with the UN warning of "pervasive" sexual violence.

Investigations were launched last week after a Somali woman alleged she was gang raped by African Union troops and Somali soldiers.

Progress in Somalia is relative, but steps forward have been taken since the 2011 famine that struck large parts of the south of the country, including in camps in the capital.

"The gains are fragile, however, and the magnitude of the crisis remains enormous," United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini said, adding that more than 2.7 million Somalis were still dependent on aid.

Source: en.tengrinews.kz

Kamaradaha Madaarka Hargeysa oo qabtay saacad qiimaheedu yahay $7000 oo laga xaday Wasiir Ka tirsan Xukuumadda Waxa loo xidhay laba ka mid ah shaqaalaha Madaarka ee ku shaqeeya qalabka Amaanka

Hargeysa - Sadex cisho ka hor waxa madaarka Hargeysa lagu xidhay laba ka mid ah shaqaalaha ka hawl gala qalabka amaanka ee lagu baadho dadka ka dhoofaya kana soo degaya madaarka Hargeysa kadib markii Kamaradaha ku xidhan qaybta dadka lagu baadho soo saareen mid ka mid ah shaqaalaha Madaarka oo qaadanaya saacadda $7000 ah oo wakhtigaas Wasiirku ku iloobay mid ka mid ah sanaaduuqda yar yar ee ah la dul dhigto qalabka biraha ah marka dadka la baadhayo.

Saacada laga xaday Wasiirka oo ah mid qaaliya marka loo Eego Somaliland waxa la xaday mar uu wasiirku madaarka u tagay qalab u saarnayd mid ka mid ah Duulimaadyada madaarka imanayay wakhtigaas oo ahayd Casar, waxaanay wararku sheegayaan in marka hore la iloobay balse marka danbe uu ka faa’iidaystay mid ka mid ah shaqaaluhu.

Wasiirka oo mar danbe ogaatay maqnaanshaha saacada ayaa la sheegay in ay goobta ku soo noqotay si ay u baadi doonto, taasoo kaliftay in dib loo soo celiyo Kamaradaha ku qarsoon goobta dadka lagu baadho, kuwaas oo markiiba soo bandhigay qof saacadda ka qaadaya caaga qalabka la dul dhigto oo yaalay Miiska dhinacaiisa dadweynuhu ku hagaajistaan marka ay soo dhaafaan Kombuyuutarka.

Labada shaqaalaha ah ee la xidhay mid ka mid ahi waa ka ay kamaradu soo saartay isagoo jeebka sii gashanaya, halka ka kale la sheegay in uu yahay kii markaas Kombuyuutarka dul fadhiyay eek u hawl galayay, waxaana labadaba lagu eedeeyay in ay ka masuuol ahaayeen falka dhacay.
Ilaa hada sida ay Ilo wareedyo u dhuun daloola warkani waaheen u sheegeen lama helin saacadii oo way maqan tahay, hase yeeshee ilaa maalintaas ilaa maanta oo noqonaysa Afar cisho waxa ay u xidhan yihiin labadaas shaqaalaha ahi Kiiskaas oo haddii uu ku cadaado saamayn ku yeelan doona adeega madaarka Hargeysa.

Sheeko tan la mid ah ayaa dhawaan ka dhacday Madaarka Berbera, taasoo lagu qabtay nin dhalashadiisu Kiiniyaati ahayd oo ka shaqayn jiray Hay’adaha UN-ka isagoo qaatay Shandad uu sitay sarkaal kale oo Somalilander ah o oak hawl gala isla Hay’adaha Caalamiga ah, waxaana si la mid ah dhacdadan madaarka Hargeysa kashiftay Kamaraha ku yaala Terminalka Madaarka.

YOUNG MAN CONVICTED IN ORE. BOMB PLOT APOLOGIZE

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A young Somali-American man convicted of plotting to bomb a 2010 Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland’s town square has written an apology letter in advance of his sentencing and says he renounces his former beliefs.

In the letter filed Friday by his lawyers in federal court, Mohamed Mohamud offers to speak to young Muslims “to help keep them away from the path of extremism” and tells U.S. District Judge Garr King he turned to books to help himself “walk a better path.” His reading list ranges from “The Grapes of Wrath” to President Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” to “A Zombie Apocalypse.”

Mohamud was arrested Nov. 26, 2010, after pressing a button on a cellphone that he believed would detonate a 1,800-pound diesel-and-fertilizer bomb near thousands of people at the annual holiday gathering.

The bomb was a fake supplied by undercover FBI agents posing as al-Qaida recruiters.

On Jan. 31, jurors rejected Mohamud’s entrapment defense and found him guilty of attempting to detonate a weapon of mass destruction.

A sentencing memo filed Friday by federal prosecutors agreed with U.S. probation officials who calculated that Mohamud should be sentenced to life in prison. However, the prosecutors did note that there are factors in the 22-year-old former Oregon State University student’s case that would allow the judge to be more lenient. In that event, prosecutors asked for a sentence of 40 years.

Mohamud’s defense team suggested 10 years.

The judge is expected to hear arguments regarding the sentence and possibly hear from Mohamud at a hearing Sept. 6, but the date may change.

The Oregonian and KGW-TV carried reports on the court filings.

The 107-page defense memo included the apology letter and reports from two government psychiatrists who describe Mohamud as a low risk of “future dangerousness.”

“Mohamed’s life is worth saving: he will prove himself worthy of any mercy the court can provide to temper what he knows will be a significant prison sentence,” his lawyers wrote. “The family’s indescribable suffering at the loss of the eldest son should be mitigated to the extent possible.”

Mohamud wrote that reflecting on his conduct “fills me with horror.”

“My heart is filled with remorse, shame, sorrow, pain and misery every time I think about my actions on that day,” he said.

And he added, “I am sorry and I regret it, not because of jail time but because my heart is truly in shock.”

Mohamud has been in jail since his arrest.

“I turned to books to expand my mind and explore the words of others and see where I could grow as a whole and let broader ideas into my mind,” he wrote.

The reading list filed by the defense included nearly 150 books, among them: “Animal Farm,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Quran” and “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

In conclusion, Mohamud told the judge, “I give you my word to make the best use of my incarceration, to make myself a better person and to help my fellow inmates to do so as well.”

source: AP

Calculating the Immeasurable: Somali Torture Victim Wins $15 Million in Civil Damages

by Jillian Tuck, JD

 

Former Somalia Colonel Abdi Aden Magan

This week an Ohio judge awarded $15 million to Abukar Hassan Ahmed, a Somali constitutional law professor and human rights advocate, following a civil trial in which a Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) volunteer doctor delivered testimony crucial to the case. The compensation follows a November 2012 decision that found defendant Colonel Abdi Aden Magan, former chief of investigations for Somalia’s National Security Service (NSS), responsible for torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention. Ahmed was detained and interrogated by the NSS for several months in the 1980s, during which he suffered brutal beatings, sexual humiliation, and water torture.

Crucial to the awarding of damages was the testimony of PHR volunteer Dr. Coleen Kivlahan, a family physician with over twelve years of experience working with victims of human rights abuses. Dr. Kivlahan examined Ahmed to document scars left by his torturers and assess his ongoing physical and psychological suffering. “Mr. Ahmed had objective signs consistent with torture which made testifying on his behalf quite straightforward,” said Kivlahan. She found that Ahmed continues to experience pain and bladder dysfunction as a result of his injuries, in addition to chronic signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Her testimony featured prominently in the judge’s decision.

Humbled to be part of the case, Dr. Kivlahan said “Mr. Ahmed is a brilliant, articulate gentleman who told his story with unwavering courage. Despite the physical and psychological consequences of his extreme torture and humiliation, he relentlessly pursued justice for himself and other survivors.”

Somali torture victim Abukar Hassan Ahmed talks about the civil court case against former Somali Col. Abdi Aden Magan during an interview at The Associated Press bureau in Columbus, Ohio. Ahmed is seeking damages against Magan, who was found responsible last year for torturing Ahmed in the 1980s. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

The judge admitted that it is “no easy task to quantify damages for human rights abuses” and acknowledged that monetary compensation would never adequately redress the indignities Ahmed suffered. Still, the remedy sends an important message to human rights violators that they cannot live in the United States with impunity. It also marks the first time a member of the NSS has been held accountable for acts committed under the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Somalia for decades.

The lawsuit was filed in 2010 by the Center for Justice and Accountability under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA). The ATCA is a powerful tool through which noncitizen victims of human rights abuses can seek civil remedies in U.S. courts. A part of American law since 1789, the ATCA grants federal courts jurisdiction to hear cases alleging violations of the “law of nations” or of a treaty signed by the United States. The ATCA can hold accountable both state actors and transnational corporations.

PHR will continue to support attorneys litigating cases under the ATCA and applauds all those involved in Ahmed’s case for their innovative strategies in bringing justice to victims and holding perpetrators accountable.

Source:  Physicians for Human Rights

TOP AL-SHABAAB LEADERS' BANK ASSETS TO BE FROZEN

By Haseeb Haider

The Central Bank of the UAE has asked banks and financial institutions in the country to immediately search and freeze any accounts, deposits or investments owned by branches and leaders of Somalia’s Al Shabaab militia.

The Central Bank’s action came in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1844 (2008) and subsequent resolutions, which call for stern action against the militant group.

In a letter dated August 21, the head of money laundering and suspicious cases unit at the Central Bank issued instructions through letter No. 234/2013 to all financial institutions to “immediately search for and freeze any accounts or deposits or investments and inform us of any credit facilities or safe deposit boxes”.

Al Shabaab group, which operates out of Somalia, has engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security or stability of not only Somalia but the whole region, according to the United Nations.

The group has carried out dozens of attacks on the government forces and civilians.

The insurgent group is alleged to be extorting money from private companies and recruiting young people, including children, as soldiers to join the fight against the government in Mogadishu.

Al Shabaab has confirmed the presence of foreign fighters within its ranks and has stated openly that it is working with Al Qaeda in Mogadishu to remove the Government of Somalia, according to the UN.

The foreign fighters, many of whom reportedly originate from Pakistan and Afghanistan, appear to be well-trained and battle-tested, it said.

Al Shahaab also has obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, creating severe hardship for the people.

The Central Bank, following the UN Security Council resolution, has issued a list of 13 leaders and activists of the militia who are responsible for masterminding its activities.

The 13 officials include a Somali/Swedish national, while rest of them are Somali citizens.

The list includes Yasin Ali Baynah, who has Swedish nationality also. Baynah has incited attacks against the Transitional Federal Government and the African Union Mission in Somalia.

The others whose bank assets have been frozen or ordered to be frozen are Al Shabaab Malaysia; Hasan Dahir Aweys; Hasan Abdullah Hersi Al Turki; Ahmed Abdi Aw-Mohammed; Faud Mohammed Khalaf, Mohammed Said; Bashir Mohammed Mahamoud; Hasan Mahat Omar, who has Ethiopian nationality; Omar Hammami; Ali Ahmed Nur Jim’ale; Abu Baker Shariff Ahmed; and Aboud Rogo Mohammed.

Source: Khaleej Times

Somalia: Federal Govt of Somalia and Jubaland Talks Continue in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa — IGAD brokered talks between Federal Government of Somalia and Somalia's Jubaland administration are continuing for the third day in Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, Garowe Online reports.

The two sides, Mogadishu-based Federal Government and Jubaland delegations which were led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) respectively, initially took a sit-down dinner on Wednesday evening in Addis Ababa.

Sources close to the bilateral discussions told Garowe Online that both sides agreed on three points of agreements which were likely to be signed last Wednesday night with International community members present before President Hassan showed extreme reluctance to accept the points.

Among the three points disagreed; The federal Government to recognize the outcomes of Jubaland convention including the constitution, state flag and Jubaland administration structures, also to recognize the three regions of Jubaland which consists of Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba and Gedo regions, and Federal Government of Somalia and Jubaland to work together in line with the legitimate Provisional Federal Constitution (PFC) of Somalia which was signed by road map signatories, on June 22, 2012 with UN present as a guarantor.

Following immense pressure from International community and regional countries including Ethiopia which expressed concern over Somali president's rejection, President Hassan ordered his close aide and State Minister for Presidency Farah Abdulkadir to continue the talks with Jubaland delegation.

The Federal Government and Jubaland talks which also previously took place under the auspices of IGAD hit deadlock over Jubaland recognition.

Law says Media law will protects the rights of journalists

The Technical Committee on Somalia Media Law held its regular meeting in Mogadishu today 22 August 2013 to review the media law. Representatives included the Deputy Minister of Information, Posts, Telecommunications & Transport, Senior Advisor & Spokesperson of the Office of the President, Spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, Secretary General of NUSOJ, Representatives from SMSG, IST, UNSOM and a lawyer from the Office of the Prime Minister.

After the meeting the technical committee issued the below press release

Somali Media Law will be Somali owned and protects the rights of journalists

Mogadishu, 22 August 2013 – The Federal Government of Somalia is pleased to report on the progress of the stakeholder consultation in the preparation of a draft Somali Media Law, and to correct the number of misrepresentations and misunderstandings that have recently been reflected in the press about this process.

The process of drafting the law takes several stages and the Ministry of Information, Posts, Telecommunications and Transport (MIPTT) has established a Technical Committee to coordinate this. The Committee consists of representatives of MIPTT, Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, legal expertise and the representative organisation of Somali journalists, NUSOJ. In addition to these representatives the Committee has sought international legal opinion, recognising that our law must comply with international law, as well as serve Somali media. This legal opinion has been given by international expert NGO Article 19 (whose analysis has already been approved of and quoted by several commentators) the Oxford University Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) and the German Press Council (a member of the IFJ). These contributions have been coordinated by the AU/UN Information Support Team on behalf of the Somali Media Support Group, whose members include all the major international organisations supporting Somalia, NGOs and media operators that are in Somalia or act on behalf of Somali media.

Through this consultation our draft Somali media law has been cross-referenced with:

· International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

· African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

· Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa.

· African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.

· The joint declarations of the three international mandates on freedom of expression:

o the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression

o the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Representative on Freedom of the Media

o the Organization of American States Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression
Before the re-draft is presented to Parliament there will be regional consultation so that journalists, civil society and stakeholders throughout Somalia will have the chance to discuss and contribute to the law.

Throughout the review and consultative process the re-drafting of the law has been in Somali hands, under the MIPTT.

The Prime Minister and the President have both held meetings with Somali journalists and gave assurances that the law will protect Somali journalists’ rights and responsibilities. This commitment is demonstrated by the work of the Technical Committee and its inclusive consultations.

- END –

Technical Committee on Media Law