This is where you can follow the important socio-economic, geopolitical and security developments, going inside the Republic of Somaliland and Horn of Africa region
The hard work of the digital diplomats of Kosovo is showing results
and it’s going beyond the level of what traditional diplomacy does. It’s
putting Kosovo on the world map and it’s getting it into the country
lists of internet giants like Google and Facebook.
After being recognised by more than 106 UN Members, Kosovo is still facing challenges in international recognition. As Foreign Policy
puts it out the country is being ignored by the likes of Amazon, eBay,
Google, Skype, and Yahoo, which do not recognize Kosovo as independent
on their sites. Thousands of other, less-known international websites,
portals, and social media platforms also have not included Kosovo as a
country in their drop-down menus used, among other things, to allow
users to identify their locations and enter valid mailing addresses.
Thanks to the work of hundreds of digital diplomats, Foreign Policy
featured a story talking about the digital recognition and how Kosovo
is leading and setting an example to other countries struggling for
digital recognition. Kushtrim Xhakli, known as the Chief Digital
Diplomat of Kosovo by Foreign Policy, has championed the new Digital
Kosovo platform, working on the concept, code and design, which then has
been developed and is run within the framework of the Pristina-based
IPKO Foundation, an independent NGO of which Xhakli is a board
member. Digital Kosovo initiative aims to enable Kosovars to utilize
online services just like other Internet users across the world. Its website,
up and running since September, contains ready-to-use templates based
on scenarios where Kosovo is either absent or is listed as part of
Serbia or Albania by a company or institution. Anyone can then
personalize the template and send it directly to high-level
decision-makers at the entity in question — all within just a few
seconds.
FP
continues the story on how Xhakli and his large army of online
volunteers are already bombarding Google Maps with templated messages
demanding that the system recognize Kosovo.Messages are also
being sent to London and Sydney airports — which have yet to add Kosovo
to their websites — and to the Brussels airport, where Pristina is still
listed as being in Serbia, even though the map of Kosovo is demarcated
from Serbia on the airport’s information boards. The backers of the
Digital Kosovo platform — which is funded by the Kosovo Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the British Council, and the Norwegian Embassy — view
this sort of digital diplomacy as cutting-edge.
Kosovo’s burgeoning success in the digital sphere, continues the FP article,
could be a useful model for other nations seeking international
recognition, be it South Sudan or Palestine — which, unlike Kosovo,
already has a top-level domain (.ps). That said, there are limits to
digital diplomacy’s reach. For instance, it can’t solve Kosovo’s problem
of widespread corruption; the country is ranked 111
out of 177 states in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception
Index. It also can’t remove deep-rooted divisions between ethnic
Albanian and Serbian communities.Some observers consider both of these issues impediments to Kosovo’s situating itself within the family of European states.
Most of us will agree that advertising is the most dynamic industry and it’s where you will find some of the most creative minds in existence. In fact, it’s all in the hands of the ad agency creative heads to make or break a firm’s marketing campaign. Even in Kosovo we’re seeing that the advertising industry is becoming more creative and more competitive each year. We see companies and ad agencies investing more and more in this direction, while on the other hand there is not much being done to celebrate this hard work. Thus, we decided together withAds of Kosovoto prepare a list of the 10 most creative ad agencies of Kosovo and present some of their best work of the year to the world. The list is random and it’s not a ranking by any means.
Tatamata
Tatamataformerly known as Tronit, is a multimedia company based in Prishtina, Kosovo, operating since 2004, merged forces with Rrota Rolling Creative Studio, www.rrota.com in 2005. Tatamata has quite an interesting approach towards commercials and surely you are aware of Gentli Knap shoes, “Amre – Kqyrni Shoqe” or the latest TV show produced for Klan Kosova, “Lsho n’ler”.
Koperativa is a creative communications agency, specialized in advertising, marketing, branding & design, film & TV production. Founded in 2003, Koperativa managed to bring to life creative work for different clients and needs, while it seems that every time they do any work for the telecom provider IPKO, something memorable will come out…. “Dil n’IPKO” or “Pa Pare”. Other clients include ProCredit Bank, UNICEF, REDO Design Conference, etc.
PR Solutions
PR Solutions is Media and Communications Company that stands behind the nation branding of Kosovo – The Young Europeans. Their strongest base this year was focused on print related materials and events branding, while some work worth mentioning includes the Beer Festival, NewCO Ferronikeli, etc.
Kanun
KANUNis a Marketing Communications Agency operating in Kosovo, offering a wide range of marketing and communication services. The experienced staff carries out the work effectively and efficiently, while the number of clients include Peugeot Kosova, KFOR, TEB Bank, etc.
Karrota
Karrotahas been founded in 2005 in Prishtina, Kosovo while it became quickly a member of the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Network. They are the creators of the NEWBORN monument which identifies the country all around the world, while they are also Cannes Gold Lion Award winners. Some clients this year include names like Albafone, Marazzi, AUK TDI, Kuqalashe Beer, etc.
Entermedia
Entermediabegan its journey in 2004 as a small company with big ideas. Seeing the market potential of the music & video industry, co-founders and classmates Leutrim Blakaj & Granit Limani sought to create video experiences that would set and raise the bar for artists producing music videos in Kosovo. This year they brought to life work for IPAK – Investment and Promotion Agency of Kosovo, Ministry of Trade and Industry of Kosovo, etc.
INIT
INITis a communication agency, founded in 2001. The company is heavily focused on media campaigns and strategy development for various causes, goods and services. This year above all the Hamam Jazz Bar in Prishtina, whose visual identity was designed by INIT, won the first prize at the World Architecture News Award Show in London, in the best interiors category! Some other interesting work done this year includes clients: Kosovo Security Forces, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, etc. INIT also brought to life publications like PURE Kosovo, and also artwork for clients in New York.
Zero Pozitive Publicis
Zero Pozitive Publicisis one of the largest, if not the largest advertising and marketing firm based in Kosovo, working for a large number of local brands which they made from scratch. They are part of the 3rd largest communications group world wide, Publicis Groupe. They managed this year to strengthen brands like Z-Mobile or Tango, to a new level in customer relationships and they also initiated a new kind of marketing, missing in Kosovo, namely with the campaign #Kahpodilni for Z-Mobile which targeted directly the competition IPKO with their campaign #DilneIPKO. Some other clients this year included: Peja Beer, TEB Bank, Vita Milk, FiveStar Fitness, etc.
Paper Communications
Paper Communicationsis your a local creative marketing agency that states that can assist in every marketing & PR need. They brought a new website by the end of 2013, they stood up strong with clients this year and managed to represent the team strongly through their online presence. From KEDS, with new image, branding and commercials, to IPKO or the International Airport of Kosovo, Paper Communications managed to bring creative work to life this year and position brands in a closer connection to their customers. One of the best commercials this year, is definitely the work done for the International Airport of Kosovo.
Trokit
Trokit Agency Creative is a full-service strategic design & branding firm that specializes in delivering a cohesive message and a memorable brand for its clients. Trokit is focused in different sectors while on the other hand from time to time it manages to invest a lot of passion and energy for creative clients which this year included: IPKO, ORA Watches, United Colors of Beneton, etc.
Ethiopia government has deployed hundreds of new troops in Somalia to eliminate al-Shabab from Bay and Bakol regions, officials said on Tuesday.
The troops have today arrived in Baidoa town, the provincial capital of Bay region, establishing a new military bases in the city.
Deputy Governor of Bay Region Shine Moalim Nurow told local media that the Ethiopian troops will assist the government’s plans to root out al-Qaeda linked group, al-Shabab.
Nurow did not provide additional information, but Somali Current Sources say Ethiopian Troops are willing to flash al-Shabab out of Bay and Bakol regions in the first weeks of the New Year.
Reconciliation conference is underway in Baidoa and local elders are expected to form a new regional administration that will rule three regions including Lower Shabelle, Bay and Bakol.
Unknown number of Ethiopian troops was in Somalia over the last three years and Addis Ababa officials said earlier that the troops would only be deployed for a period of time.
Madaxweynaha ayaa sidoo kale ka hadlay wadahadalladii u dhexeeyay
dowladda Soomaaliya iyo maamulka Somaliland, wuxuuna sheegay in bishan
gudaheed magaalada Istanbuul ee dalka Turkiga lagu qaban doono shir lagu
dhameystirayo heshiisyadii horay u dhexmaray labada dhinac
Muqdisho - Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud oo wareysi siiyay SNTV ayaa waxa uu uga hadlay marxaladihii ay dowladda Soomaaliya soo martay sanadki tagey ee 2013 iyo higsiga sanadka cusub ee 2014.
Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud ayaa xusay in dowladu gaartay guulo iyo horumarro dhinacyo badan, isagoo xusay in lagama maarmaan ay tahay in sanadkan la qabto howlo muhiim ah, wuxuuna rajo wanaagsan ka muujiyay in xukuumadda cusub ay muujin doonto wax qabad la taaban karo.
Waxyaabaha madaxweyne Xasan ka hadlay waxaa ka mid ah dagaalka dowladdu kula jirto Alshabaab, khilaafkii isga iyo Saacid dhex maray, shirka ka socda magaalada Baydhabo iyo maamulada Puntland iyo Somaliland.
Al-shabaab
Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya Xasan Sheekh ayaa ka hadlay Alshahaab, wuxuuna xusay in dowladdu ay soo dhaweynayso cid walba oo kasoo laabanaysa fikirka Al-shabaab.
Madaxweyne Xasan ayaa dhallinyarada Alshabaab ugu baaqay iney dagaalka iska daayan ka hor inta aan laga adkaan, wuxuuna yiri “Waxaan oran lahaa waxaa wanaagsan in inta aan laga awood badin ay soo raacaan waxay dowladda iyo shacabka Soomaailyeed doonayaa, laakiin waa la hadlaynaa cid walba oo Soomaali ah oo doonaysa inay wadahadal galaan waan soo dhaweynaynaa,”.
“Annagu ma diidanin inaan Al-shabaab la hadalno, balse waxaan diidanahay dhibaatooyinka ay ka mid yihiin dilalka, qaraxyada iyo kuwa kale ee ay ku hayaan shacabka Soomaaliyeed, intay Al-shabaab ay mabda’aas aamisan tahayna innaga iyo iyaga dagaal ayaa naga dhexeeya,” ayuu yiri Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud. Xasan Daahir
Madaxweynaha Somalia ayaa sidoo kale soo hadal qaaday xariga Sheekh Xasan Daahir Aweys oo bishii lixaad ee sannadkii hore kasoo baxday kooxda Al-shabaab ayaa sheegay inay weli socdaan baaritaanno lagu sameynayo, wixii kasoo baxana ay dowladdu u soo gudbin doonto shacabka.
“Waa run Sheekh Xasan Daahir waxaa gacanta ku haysa dowladda Somalia, baaritaanno badan ayaa socda, arrintiisna aad ayaa loogu mashquulsan yahay, balse waxaan sheegayaa in markii ay baaritaannada ay lasoo gaba-gabeeyay ay dowladdu shacabka ogeysiin doonto wixii kasoo baxa,” ayuu yiri madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh.
Balse wuxuu sheegay in wax walba oo soo baxa lagu dhaqi doono sida ay qabaan dastuurka iyo shuruucda kale ee dalka iyo sidoo kale amniga iyo xaslinta Soomaaliya. Xukuumaddii Hore Iyo Xukuumadda la sugayo
Madaxweyne Xasan ayaa dhanka kale soo hadal qaaday khilaafkii soo kala dhexgalay isaga iyo Raysul wasaarihii Cabdi Faarax Shirdoon Saaicd ayaa tilmaamay in xukuumaddii Saacid wax badan qabatay, hase ahaate labadooda kala aragti duwanaasho soo dhex gashay.
“Ra’iisul wasaarihii hore Saacid howl badan ayuu qabtay, balse aniga iyo isaga waxaa nasoo dhexgalay kala aragti duwanaasho habka shaqada ah, mana jirin wax khilaaf ah oo noo dhexeeyay,” ayuu yiri madaxweyne Xasan.
Wuxuu tilmaamay in xukuumadda soo socota ka duwanaa doonto xukuumaddii Saacid, wuxuuna yiri “Xukuumadda lasoo dhisayo way ka duwanaanaysaa tii hore sida tirada iyo tayadaba, haddii ay la mid noqoneyso tii hore iyada ayaan iska heysan laheyn”.
Wuxuu xusay madaxweyne Xasan ixn xumuumaddu noqon doonto mid ay ka muuqdaan dadka Soomaaliyeed oo dhan, waxna taraysa, isagoo dhanka kalana tilmaamay in sida ay noqonayso iyo cidda ka mid noqonaysa ay u tallo ra’iisul wasaaraha cusub Cabdi Weli Sheekh Axmed.
Shirka Baydhabo
Dhanka kale, madaxweyne Xasan ayaa ka hadlay shirka maamul dhisidda ee ka socda magaalada Baydhabo, isagoo xusay inuu soo dhaweynayo shirkaas, wuxuuse xusay ineysan aqbali doonin in la burburiyo wixii horay loo dhisay.
“Dowladda Soomaaliya waxaa ka go’an inay taageerto inay dadka Soomaaliyeed aayahooda ka tashadaan, in Baydhabo la isugu yimaadana waa mid mudan in la ammaano, balse dowladdu fariinteedu waxay tahay in meeshii maamul uusan ka jirin maamul loo sameeyo, meeshii uu maamul ka jiro oo arrimahooda la dhaliilsan yahayna aan wax ka saxno, balse maamul horay u jiray in la dumiyo ma ogolaanayno,” ayuu yiri madaxweyne Xasan.
Puntland Iyo Somaliland
Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya, Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud oo ka hadlay arrinta Puntland ayaa sheegay inay soo dhaweynayaan horumarka Puntland iyo in doorasho, wuxuuna xildhibaanada cusub kula taliyey iney doortaan qofkii wax u taraya Puntland.
“Waxaan ku boorrinayaa xildhibaannada Puntland inay soo doortaan qofkii Puntland wax u taraya, kaasoo lagu qasbo inuu dowladda dhexe wax la wadaago, Waxaan ku boorrinaynaa shacabka Puntland inay ka fogaadaan wax kasta oo keeni kara kala fogaasho, xumaan iyo kala-qaybsanaan,” ayuu yiri Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh.
Madaxweynaha ayaa sidoo kale ka hadlay wadahadalladii u dhexeeyay dowladda Soomaaliya iyo maamulka Somaliland, wuxuuna sheegay in bishan gudaheed magaalada Istanbuul ee dalka Turkiga lagu qaban doono shir lagu dhameystirayo heshiisyadii horay u dhexmaray labada dhinac. Source: Mareeg.com
The Committee to Protect Journalists is urging the release of an Ethiopian journalist who was sentenced to more than two years in jail on the charge of spreading false rumors.
The watchdog group said Asfaw Berhanu, a former contributor to the private paper The Reporter, was convicted on Dec. 25 of charges stemming from a news story he wrote saying three government officials had been removed from their posts. An Ethiopian court sentenced him to two years and nine months in jail.
Berhanu's paper later retracted the story and then fired him, the group said.
Ethiopia is among the world's top jailers of journalists, says the journalists' committee.
The Ethiopian government is accused of criminalizing the coverage of any group the government deems to be terrorists, including opposition political parties.
Hargeisa - Waxa mudo la sugaba waxa bushaaro noqotay in xalay la tijaabiyey oo Somcable Fiber Optic internetkii uu ka hawlgalay magalaada Hargeysa isagoo lagu xidhay Hotel Gulaid ee magaalada Hargeysa. Hawlwadeeno ka socda Saxaafada ayaa ka mid ahaa dadkii koobnaa oo si hordhac ah loogu martiqaaday.
Waxa mudo la sugaba waxa bushaaro noqotay in xalay la tijaabiyey oo Somcable Fiber Optic internetkii uu ka hawlgalay magalaada Hargeysa isagoo lagu xidhay Hotel Gulaid ee magaalada Hargeysa. SDWO ayaa ka mid ahaa dadkii koobnaa oo si hordhac ah loogu martiqaaday inay tijaabiyaan isticmaalka internet kan cusub ee xawaaraha dheer.
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Waxa wax lagu farxo ahayd inaan aragno somcable fiber optic gii oo shaqaynaya isla markaasna aan ku tijaabino inaan soo download garayno filmo soconaya laba saacadood oo uu ku soo dowload gareeyay mudo 3-4 daqiiqo ah. Xawaaraha Internetka Somcable ayaa ah mid la quwadaha kuwa wadama hore maray ee reer galbeedku isticmaalaan.
Gelida uu hawada galay internetka Somcable ayaa ku soo hagaagaysa xili si weyn loogu diyaar garoobayo carwadii ganacsiga ee lixaad oo ka furmidoonta hotel guled maalinta sanadka cusub ee 1da January 2014.
Mullkiilaha Gulaid hotel Cali Cumar Xasan Guled oo nagu soo dhoweeyay hall ka weyn ee lagu qabandoono carwada ganacsiga lixaad ayaa guud ahaanba nagu soo dhex wareejiyey qaybaha kala duwan ee loo diyaariyey inay ku qabsoonto carwada gancsigu oo si weyn loo qurxiyey loona habeeyay. Munaasibadan awgeed ayaa waxa loo dhisay hall weyn oo qaadaya ilaa dhawr kun oo qof
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Philippe Lazzarini as his Deputy Special Representative, as well as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, in Somalia.
Mr. Lazzarini, a citizen of Switzerland, will serve as Deputy to Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Nicholas Kay, who heads the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
The Security Council established the Mission in May to more effectively coordinate international support for Somalia’s Federal Government.
Somalia has been torn asunder by factional fighting since 1991 but has recently made progress towards stability. In 2011, Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents retreated from Mogadishu and last year new Government institutions emerged, as the country ended a transitional phase toward setting up a permanent, democratically-elected Government.
The Mission’s mandate includes providing UN ‘good offices’ functions to support peace and reconciliation; assisting the Government and the existing African Union peacekeeping force, known as AMISOM, with advice on peacebuilding and State building; assisting in coordinating international support; helping build capacity in human rights and the rule of law; and monitoring and helping prevent human rights violations.
Mr. Lazzarini, who has been the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Somalia since March 2013, will also continue to bring together the different UN agencies operating in Somalia to improve their efficiency and effectiveness at providing humanitarian and development support to the Government.
Prior to this assignment, he held a number of senior positions in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), including as Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division (2011 to 2013), and in various field positions in Iraq, Angola, Somalia, and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Before joining the UN, Mr. Lazzarini served as a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in southern Sudan, Beirut, Amman and Gaza. He also led ICRC operations in Bosnia, Angola and Rwanda.
South Sudan's crisis began just two weeks ago, on Dec. 15, and it already has observers warning that it could lead to civil war. Fighting has killed an estimated 1,000 people and sent 121,600 fleeing from their homes. International peacekeepers are preparing for the worst; some have been killed and a number of them, including four U.S. troops, have been injured.
What's happening in South Sudan is complicated and can be difficult to follow; understanding how it got to be this way can be even tougher. Here, then, are the most basic answers to your most basic questions. First, a disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive or definitive account of South Sudan and its history -- just some background, written so that anyone can understand it.
1. What is South Sudan?
South Sudan is the world's newest country. It's located in Central Africa, is about the size of Texas and has about as many people as Ohio (11 million). South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world, has a 27 percent literacy rate and is so underdeveloped that it has only about 35 miles of paved road. Its economy is driven by oil exports.
South Sudan declared independence from the rest of Sudan on July 9, 2011. At the time, it was considered a huge success for the world. But its 2½ years as a sovereign state have been disastrous. This latest crisis is just another part of the country's struggle to stand on its own.
2. Why are people in South Sudan killing each other?
The violence started on Dec. 15, when troops in the presidential guard started fighting against one another, in what is a depressingly accurate metaphor for South Sudan's problems. That fighting quickly spread and is now engulfing entire swaths of the country.
If that seems like a strange way for a potential civil war to start, it will make more sense once you hear the backstory. In July, the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, fired his vice president, Riek Machar. The two were more rivals than partners; Kiir thought that Machar was gunning for his job. Here's the really important thing: Kiir and Machar are from different ethnic groups, and in South Sudan ethnic groups are really important. Kiir is ethnic Dinka, the largest of South Sudan's many ethnic groups. Machar is Nuer, the country's second-largest group.
Tension between the Dinka and the Nuer goes way back in South Sudan, and the political rivalry between the groups' two most powerful members, Kiir and Machar, always had the potential to become an ethnic conflict. It did on Dec. 15, when members of the presidential guard who are Dinka tried to disarm members of the guard who are Nuer, maybe because they feared the Nuer would try to stage a coup. (Kiir later said the fighting had started because Machar had tried to stage a coup, although evidence for this is thin.)
The fighting between Dinka and Nuer presidential guards very quickly spread across the country. The main antagonists are rebels, often ethnic Nuer, including a group called the White Army. (Some reports say the group got its name because fighters smeared themselves with white ash to protect themselves from insects.) The rebels have seized territory, including some oil-producing land, and may or may not be marching on the city of Bor.
3. How could that one little incident spark such a big conflict?
When fighting spread from a few presidential guards to entire areas of South Sudan, we saw something that has happened before in sub-Saharan Africa. Political leaders and grass-roots militants alike defaulted from their national identity to their ethnic identity. Political rivalries became ethnic conflicts. Competing against the other group became more attractive than cooperating.
Since they won independence, it's been hard for South Sudan's ethnic groups to get along. Southerners don't have that common enemy uniting them anymore. Worse, they don't have a strong sense of belonging to a shared nation. People have been identifying by ethnicity for so long that they often still do. Another big problem is that South Sudan is extremely poor but has lots of oil; that makes it very tempting for ethnic groups to compete for the scarce resources they so badly need.
If this were, say, Iceland, then a contentious rivalry between the nation's two leading politicians would probably be seen as just political infighting, or at most perhaps a clashing of political parties or ideologies. But Kiir and Machar are the two most powerful people from their ethnic groups in a country where ethnic grouping is very important. So a fight between those two men was bound to exacerbate tension between their respective ethnic groups, which also have lots of other people in positions of power. And they have militias.
4. I thought giving South Sudan independence was supposed to stop ethnic fighting. Why didn't it?
The tragedy of South Sudan is that the same forces that helped it win independence also set it up for this conflict.
People in southern Sudan spent decades fighting for autonomy from the north. This led them to organize themselves by their tribe or ethnicity, since they had no national identity to align with. It also led them to form militias. Those militias, sometimes organized by tribe or ethnicity, came together as the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The SPLM has since become South Sudan's national army.
When the south's ethnic groups were fighting on the same side, against the north, they mostly got along okay. But, in 1991, the SPLM split along ethnic lines. Some fighters who were ethnic Nuer formed their own semi-official breakaway group, the White Army, which attacked Dinka civilians in the city of Bor, killing 2,000.
That fighting stopped, but the White Army has stuck around, in part because some Nuer fear they will not be treated fairly by the Dinka, who are more numerous and who hold the country's presidency.
Today, rebels took up arms in the apparent belief that Kiir's government was turning against the Nuer, and perhaps also because they saw Kiir going after Machar, who does not lead the White Army but has long been associated with it.
Remember that many Nuer split off from the SPLM in 1991; while they've since reconciled, the SPLM is officially commanded by Kiir, who is Dinka. And Kiir has calledMachar, the country's most important Nuer, a traitor. It was almost inevitable that when Kiir turned against Machar many Nuer would think that he was seeking to marginalize their entire tribe. That's how the political fight could turning into an ethnic conflict.
5. This is all very intense. Let's take a music break?
Good idea. Since we're focusing so much on South Sudan's problems since independence, let's listen to this song by South Sudanese pop singer Queen Zee from late 2010, "Referendum," encouraging people to vote in the January 2011 election for independence.
The song helps capture the degree to which the vote brought the South Sudanese together, even if that unity has been hard to maintain, and the excitement the election brought.
6. How did South Sudan become independent, anyway?
This question, and to some extent the conflict itself, goes back to European colonialism and the artificial borders it imposed on Africans. As the British expanded across the continent, in the 1890s they began incorporating Sudan into the empire. In part to prevent neighboring Egypt from claiming northern Sudan as its own, the British lumped the Sudan's north and south together. The two parts of the country are very different, though: The north is mostly Arab and Muslim, while the south is made up of ethnic sub-Saharan Africans who are Christian or Animist.
When colonialism ended and Sudan declared independence in 1956, it kept its unwieldy colonial borders, with the capital Khartoum in the Arab-Muslim north. You can guess what happened next: The northern-dominated government treated the black-skinned southerners badly; southerners formed militias; and then came the civil wars. Yes, wars, plural: The first began in 1955, before Sudan even declared independence, and ended in 1972 with greater autonomy for the south. The second civil war started in 1983, when the government in Khartoum revoked much of the south's autonomy and southerners formed rebel groups to fight the north.
The second civil war finally ended in 2005 – the longest-running conflict in Africa – with a peace accord that promised the south it could hold a referendum for independence. In early 2011, 98.8 percent of southern voters said they wanted to secede from the north, and a few months later they got it.
There were two important outside factors that made independence happen. First, the United States played a key role supporting the south's demand for independence (more on this later). Second, the Sudanese government was loathed by much of the world for its human rights abuses and its affiliation with terrorist groups; this made it easier to build international pressure against Khartoum.
7. I remember South Sudan's independence being treated as a huge success. Was that not true?
Yes, it was a big success, promising southern Sudanese a reprieve from decades of war and the autonomy they'd long desired. It went peacefully enough, which was great, and it seemed like a promising sign for the world's ability to resolve terrible conflicts. But things have really gone south since then.
South Sudan endured violent ethnic conflicts (sometimes with the South Sudanese government part of the problem), fought a brief war with Khartoum in which South Sudan was far from blameless and even briefly shut off oil production to punish the north. In May 2012, less than a year after it had helped establish South Sudan as an independent country, the United Nations threatened it with economic sanctions for its bad behavior.
South Sudan's government, meanwhile, has been plagued by infighting and widespread allegations of official corruption.
Poverty and poor governance are big problems for South Sudan. But the biggest of all may be the fact that the country has never really resolved its ethnic rivalries. Until this most-basic problem can be solved, there will always be the possibility for another conflict.
8. What does this all have to do with Darfur? Anything?
On the surface, not really. Darfur is a part of the Republic of Sudan, not South Sudan, and so is not involved in South Sudan's conflict.
But the Darfur conflict that killed so many civilians in the mid-2000s, and which the United States labeled a genocide, is not totally separate from what's happening in South Sudan. The SPLM also fought in Darfur, on behalf of people there who wanted autonomy from the Khartoum government. More significantly, both South Sudan and Darfur were huge political and popular causes in Western countries, and especially in the United States.
The two causes fed into one another; U.S. political and religious groups had beenadvocating on behalf of South Sudan since the late 1980s, long before Americans started thinking about Darfur. But the "Save Darfur" campaign was much, much bigger. Outrage over Darfur made it easier to pressure Khartoum to allow South Sudan's independence referendum; it also focused popular and political support within the United States, which proved crucial.
Not everyone thinks this is a good thing. Some South Sudan-watchers say that the years of activism have convinced Americans that Khartoum is the "bad guy," which is not necessarily false, so much as it sets up South Sudan as the "good guy" or underdog. And that can make it harder, they warn, to hold South Sudan's government accountable for its many missteps, ultimately worsening the country's crisis.
9. I skipped to the bottom. What happens next?
It's not clear how long this conflict will go; as it becomes more decentralized, it gets more dangerous and tougher to end. The South Sudanese government has agreed to meet for peace talks.
But the really important thing isn't this latest conflict but South Sudan's deeper issues. As African Union official Abdul Mohammed and Tufts University’s Alex de Waal wrote Monday in a guest op-ed in The Washington Post, we "should not be content with patching together a ruling coalition" between rival ethnic groups. "A power-sharing formula could become just another division of the spoils, and elections could become another exercise in ethnic division," they warned.
When British explorers at
the end of the 19th century first made their way across the vast deserts
of what is today Somaliland, they were surprised to find a landscape
strewn with numerous and puzzling stone tumuli, graveyards, and
crumbling towns. The largest of these, long known to locals but first
explored by A.T. Curle while surveying the countryside in 1935, was
called Amud. There, just outside the modern town of Borama, Curle found
hundreds of stone houses, mosques, and courtyards, full of glass and
Chinese porcelain dating back nearly 500 years. Even older trinkets have
been found along the coast dating back at least 2000 years to the time
of the Berberi traders mentioned by Greek and Egyptian merchants—some
believe the Berberi traders were active even in the times of Pharaonic
Egypt.
Somaliland is a country rich with the mostly-undocumented history of
wealthy, productive civilizations. Over the last thousand years, the
country has played host to the Muslim sultanates of Ifat and Adal, Bantu
hunters, and nomadic waves of Somalis and Oromo, each leaving their
successive traces on the land. But the de facto independent state’s archaeological heritage has been left almost entirely unstudied, unmapped, and unpreserved.
Read complete story here http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2013/the-grave-robbers-of-hargeisa/
The resident of Mogadishu would wait much longer than expected to enjoy fiber optic internet connectivity in the city.
This has come after a disagreement between two major companies thus DALCOM and Hormud telecommunication companies involved in the connection process concerning the distribution in Mogadishu.
Dalcom has been involved in the connection process for the last one
year linking important areas such as Mogadishu airport and process which
was expected to conclude mid of 2014 is now stopped following a
disagreement from Hormud telecom side.
Government of Somalia intervention effort to mediate the two
companies did not bear any fruit shuttering the dreams of many residents
in the city in enjoying connectivity and according to economic analyst
if two companies will not solve the issue amicably and allow the
completion of the process there will much loss in several upcoming business depending on internet connections.
Dalcom which is alignment of various Somali telecommunication
companies has spent more than 7 million US dollars in bringing fiber
optic in Somalia coast.
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