SOMALIA’S OTHER PIRATES – THE TELECOM COMPANIES

By Steve Liddle

The country’s big six telecom companies are undermining the government by evading taxes and refusing to cooperate on surveillance.

After the recent change of leader in the year-long Somali Federal government (SFG) there is again concern about the way forward, as powerful financial factions are still operating within the country.

Given the relative success of this administration, formed with the help of the UN and international community following the failure of previous Transitional Federal Governments (TFGs), it is timely to examine the forces and circular logics operating against it. And the roles of the international community, Arab League and powerful Somali business groupings.

When the International community called a June meeting in Brussels to discuss what in historical language was called “A New Deal for Somalia”, it soon became clear that there was little new in the circular logic of their decision-making. In refusing to make available the pledged $1.8 billion (Dh6.6 billion) because local banking institutions were not functioning, thus depriving the government of an ability to develop important institutions including the financial sector, the EU effectively dealt the government a body blow.

This decision was also confusing and inconsistent as big sums were somehow delivered to states within Somalia, such as Somaliland and Puntland, rather than to a federal government recognised by both the UN and the United States. Such actions sent mixed messages and did little to support an already undermined government.

Somali embassy spokesman in Abu Dhabi, Hussain Mohammad, says that the EU should immediately initiate desperately needed projects including wells, hospitals, schools and roads. “Even if only roads connecting Mogadishu with all centres. These things have immediate benefits for common people … and many are in complete ruin,” Mohammad said.

The role of regional powers, helpful in bringing an end to the piracy problem, has also been mixed. The convention called by the UAE in September, the third in three years, played a significant part in formulating policies for the elimination of piracy. However, such initiatives seem driven largely by business self-interest, with little help from the Arab League in finding solutions to the menace of internal pirates in Somalia: remittance and telecommunication operators.

For it is within Somalia’s own business sector that pirates, of the airwaves in particular, are responsible for another circular logic bedevilling successive governments: tax avoidance. Without tax compliance the best of governments flounder — and cannot sufficiently finance police, army and other forms of security which are the bedrock of business confidence and civic institutions.

Based in Mogadishu, Somalia’s big six telecommunications “companies” are all offshoots of, or modelled on, those business pirates who seized government facilities after the collapse of the last government in 1991. Following the ouster of Somalia’s warlords from the capital by Amisom (African Union Mission in Somalia) troops and their more recent clearing of radical Al Shabaab militias, this more insidious invasion has been gathering strength. And huge wealth.

Moreover, these self-styled telcos continue to control and exploit Somalia’s citizens in ways both unfair and corrosive. What is immediately damaging, in terms of lives, is their ability to prevent a fragile government from starving militia of communications. An electronic blockade could help isolate a militia known to be trained largely by foreign terrorists.

With control of mobile-phone technology authorities could accurately identify, profile and locate offenders simply by regulating the users. Responsible governments have realised it is reasonable to expect all mobile-owners to register their SIM card at telecommunications offices, complete with identifying documents. Those not doing so are cut off immediately from the network.

Given the importance of communications, especially for a country of more than 10 million with a huge diaspora all over the western world, these telcos have become wealthy pariahs. Without firing a shot, this mafia charges refugees and citizens for communications necessary for re-development and community rebuilding. How did this form of electronic piracy happen? What makes these “businesses” so impregnable?

The mechanism of this wealth creation is no secret. By persuading other telcos worldwide to clip the ticket for them, these groups has become wealthy enough to avoid attempts by government and the regulatory International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to rein them in.

Not only do these groups exploit vulnerable customers charging them often beyond their means and disproportionate to costs, there are also suspicions that some sponsor the terrorist scourge, Al Shabaab.

By negotiating with foreign companies to charge above the usual rates and to put money collected into overseas funds, these “companies” avoid tax — and have sufficient clout to offer deals to favoured factions, or fund groups they believe will deliver a government suited to their economic or ideological aims.

Given this situation, such circular traps, what can be done to bolster a legitimate government?

As the special representative of the secretary-general for Somalia said recently in his 90-day review to the Security Council, the tackling of Somalia’s terrorism requires a comprehensive approach: political, military and developmental.

Praising Somalia for increasingly addressing problems through political processes, Nicholas Kay also called for “enhanced judicial security structures and systems” in the light of the assassination of four judges in November.

The UN, he reported, is providing increased technical assistance to police and security groups, allowing Somalia’s national army to benefit from a “targeted logistics package when engaged in joint operations with Amisom”. However he cautioned that Al Shabaab is still targeting international partners, including the UN. Announcing plans to open a third centre for “disengaged combatants from armed groups”, those who have defected from terrorist groups, he added the Westgate attack had also galvanised international support for both Amisom and Somali national forces.

However, the scant coverage of the killing of an MP when his car was blown up recently outside the parliament is revealing not just of the threat of ruthless militias but also of continuing psychological pressures upon both the government and media.

Crisis fatigue and downplaying stories is a reality, but self-censorship and partisan pressures — particularly in smaller centres dominated by Al Shabaab — can be as damaging to the strength of civic institutions as shooting either judges or messengers.

Though not specifically mentioned in Kay’s review, Somalia desperately needs regulatory policing to rein in telco opportunists who decades ago pirated premises, equipment and bandwidths — and continue without operators’ licence and refuse to pay spectrum fees or tax. Unless checked, they will seriously undermine any government’s long-term ability to act independently, without UN, EU or World Bank assistance. Especially when constantly delayed assistance is justified by the logic of institutional insecurity — or is conditional upon so many unilateral restrictions, it can appear like some form of neo-colonial patronage.

The measures made possible by the $1.8 billion pledged — and the confidence in autonomy it represents — are particularly important in the lead-up to the planned 2016 elections. Somalia was the first state in Africa to hold such elections some 50 years ago next year.

Though characterising progress so far as “chequered”, Kay said that Somali political institutions in the past three months had proved strong enough to resolve major problems, such as a no-confidence vote, without bloodshed.

Mohammad Ebrahim, information and communications technology (ICT) adviser to the Somali government for the past four years, agrees. However, he said, while telcos and remittance companies had made gap-filling contributions in the rebuilding of Somalia, the time had now come for them to work with the government.

“Paying tax is the foundation of any social contract, while the rule of law strengthens government’s mandate to develop the whole country,” Ebrahim said.

Calling for both Somali telecos and remittance companies to collaborate with government, Ebrahim cited the Somali transfer firm Dahabshill recently winning an injunction in the UK to prevent Barclays from cutting its banking services. “There are clear advantages to working in a business environment where the rule of law exists,” Ebrahim said.

And it is also essential for survival. When the ITU’s Telecom World Event convened in Bangkok in November, the hurricane in the Philippines had cut land communications, making rescues difficult. Alerted by major news outlets, ITU and other global telecos soon had communications restored by providing emergency communications equipment.

A Somali delegate at the event congratulated them, while commiserating with the victims. He then revealed that just days later, in the northeast of Somalia, more than one hundred people had died — with hundreds more missing — in a tropical cyclone so rare that there is no Somali word for it.

Initially, no humanitarian effort was even possible, he continued, because no one knew about it. This was because of a lack of phone coverage in that area, in contradiction to the universal service provision specifically prescribed by local laws to allow for “access to communication for all”. For though Somalis know the many satellites in permanent orbit above them as well as they know their stars, none of those satellites’ bouncing beams could connect Somalis to each other — nor to the outside world.

In the competitive world of international communications such links simply do not pay, and there aren’t the political connections to apply the necessary pressure to offer even compassionate deals, as done by some telcos operating in the Philippines.

If this is the price you pay for being off-satellite, under the radar of world news, it is a high one. How can a recovering state with tax-evading businesses, with big, oil-the-machinery budgets, counter the misuse of money that can be brought to the table?

If strict provisions on remittances are problematic, perhaps the EU banker guardians could themselves devise supply solutions enabling effective measures against home-grown subversives?

This rogue behaviour of financial warlords is well entrenched. It is a major contributor to an insecurity often used to excuse delaying finance for denying Somalia the very means to restore security.

If the pledged funds are released, Somalia can afford the watchdogs needed to end the reign of this new wave of swaggering pirates.

Steve Liddle is a freelance journalist now travelling in the region and researching the history of civil society.

Source: Golfnews.com

Excerpt from Whoever Fears the Sea by Justin Fox

Justin Fox recently published his debut novel, Whoever Fears the Sea, which follows protagonist Paul Waterson as he tries to track down the last remaining Mtepe dhow. Waterson is working in Kenya and decides to travel to Somalia, where the dhow is rumoured to be.

In this excerpt, shared by Random House Struik, Paul and others are out on Somalian waters when a skiff carrying armed men approaches at a high speed and starts shooting:

'"A popping sound interrupted his writing. He looked up. The sail above his head was riddled with holes. The punctures began to tear grotesquely."

‘Maharamia!’ screamed Rafiki from the foredeck.

Paul dropped the notebook and scrambled to his feet. There was utter confusion on deck. The skipper yelled incoherently. Taki ran to start the engine. Paul looked astern. The boat was a hundred metres off their port quarter, approaching at high speed. There was no way they could outrun it.

‘We are not files, we are people,’ veteran tells town hall

Thai, a service dog belonging to former Canadian navy captain Medric Couisineau, settles down during a town hall meeting on support for military personnel and veterans at the Dartmouth Sportsplex on Monday. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)

MICHAEL GORMAN PROVINCIAL REPORTER 

Roger Pothier has four poppies tattooed on his right arm to mark the military comrades he’s lost to suicide.

A 25-year military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, Pothier was one of about 150 people — many of them vets or family members of vets — who gathered Tuesday night at a Dartmouth Sportsplex community room to discuss the challenges military personnel, their families and veterans face as they try to access support services.

Pothier, who did deployments to Somalia, Cyprus, Europe and Southwest Asia in support of the Afghanistan mission, said he was inspired to speak out after hearing so many stories about people struggling. He said he felt a lack of support when he left the military in 2008, as well as at various points during his service career.

He’s not the only one.

A number of people talked about their own struggles and what can be done to try to change things.

Dennis Manuge, the veteran who led the class-action lawsuit to claim clawed-back benefits from the federal government, was part of a panel that talked to attendees about concerns and available services.

Manuge said the Veterans Affairs Department was already understaffed, due to previous staffing reductions, before the most recent office closures. Things have gone from bad to worse, he said.

“They’re not ready or able to be cut back (further).”

Carl Gannon, who represents the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said staff are feeling overstressed and concerned about their ability to meet the needs of veterans in the face of reduced staffing and the closure of Veterans Affairs support offices.

The Sydney office that closed handled 4,200 files, Gannon said.

“These are real people and they’re not being treated as real people.”

A serviceman who identified himself only as Ralph said there remains a stigma around mental health issues.

He said he is dealing with post-traumatic stress and was encouraged not to come around his fellow soldiers because he made people nervous.

“I’m not crazy; I’m sick,” he said to loud applause.

A number of people noted that veterans, those serving today and their families make up a large group that carries a lot of weight, something that should be remembered as a federal election nears.

“We are not files, we are people,” one veteran said. “More importantly, we are votes.”

Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Robert Chisholm, who organized the meeting, said he hears of “too many cases of people not receiving … the kind of services they deserve.”

The New Democrat said the meeting was a chance for people to come together and hear about their options for support and possible action.

A petition was circulated that called on Ottawa to reverse the recent closure of support offices, hire “appropriate mental health professionals” and address military suicides.

Chisholm said the Defence Department and Veterans Affairs declined invitations to send representatives to the meeting.

Captain Phillips Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Tom Hanks Movie HD

Actor Barkhad Abdi is pictured in Santa Monica, California, Jan. 14, 2014. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images) 

Somali-born actor Barkhad Abdi has won critical acclaim as well as an Oscar nomination and a British Academy Film award for best supporting actor in “Captain Phillips.”

Abdi plays the leader of the Somaili pirates who capture Phillips’ cargo ship. It was Abdi’s first film role.



He tells Here & Now’s Robin Young that he found the first day of filming “really nerve wracking,” but that director Paul Greengrass “believed in me before I believed in myself.”



Abdi was born in Somalia, though his family left when Abdi was seven and war broke out. They moved to Yemen and eventually to Minneapolis, where Abdi worked in a number of jobs before landing the “Captain Phillips” role

Interview Highlights: Barkhad Abdi

On Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass

“Tom Hanks is someone that I admire and someone that I love their work, so that gave me the push.



And you know, Paul Greengrass believed in me before I believed in myself. Just calmed me down and just always find a new way to solve the obstacle that we have in that day…



At the beginning of the movie, I was really nervous. I was like, ‘am I really going to do this big part?’ And you know he said, ‘just don’t think about it, you’re going to work at it on a daily basis, and each day you do the best at whatever you’re doing and don’t think about anything.’”



On his memories from Somalia

“I left there when I was 7 years old for the civil war to Yemen.



My dad was a teacher in Yemen. And I lived in Yemen for another seven years then came to the States…



I have good memories and bad memories of Somalia. You know, I remember the peaceful days, the beautiful Mogadishu. I remember when the war happened — overnight it just turned chaos. Dead people everywhere and gun shots don’t stop.”

On the impact on his character’s line ‘Maybe in in America’

“You know that line actually is a really powerful line.



It’s saying what did I come from, I don’t want to go back to that empty room that I woke up at… there’s nothing there for him. There’s no schools, there’s no government, there’s no law. So it’s — whatever you’re saying, maybe in America where there is all that stuff.”

What he wants people to know about Somalis



“I want people to know that the Somali people are very hard working people and they adapt to whatever environment they’re in. We have a lot of success stories, the Somali community here in the U.S. and even back in Somalia there’s a lot of good people working hard. And there’s the bad ones that bring the bad name — pirates and Al-Shabaab and all that other stuff.”




Related: A Conversation With The Real Captain Phillips

 

Golaha Guurtida Oo Soo Saaray Go,Aan Mideeyey Mudanayaashii Golaha Wakiilada Ee U kala Jabay Labada Garab.

Golaha Guurtida Oo Soo Saaray Go'aan Mideeyey Mudanayaashii Golaha Wakiilada Ee U kala Jabay Labada Garab.

Hargaysa- Fadhigii maanta golaha wakiilada somaliland oo ay shalay isugu yedheen golaha guurtida ee dhexdhexaadinta ka waday khilaafka soo kala dhexe galay mudanayaasha golaha wakiilada oo u qaybsanaa laba garab ayaa mudanayaasha aqalka wakiilada u soo gudbiyey go,aamadii ay ka soo saareen dhex-dhexaadintii ay wadeen.

Fadhigan oo uu shir guddoominayey guddoomiyaha golaha wakiilada mudane cabdiraxmaan maxamed cabdilaahi ciro  ayaa uu mudanayaasha ku wargaliyey in fadhigu furanyahay islamarkaana guddida dhexdhexaadinta ee golaha guurtida laga dhagaysan doono go,aanka ay soo gadheen.

Guddoomiyaha guddida joogta ah ee golaha guurtida somaliland xaaji cabdi waraabe oo ka hore intii aan lagu dhawaaqin natiijada ay kusoo taliyeen gudidii loo xilsaaray khilaafka soo kala dhex galay golaha wakiiladu ayaa waxa uu xildhibaanada kula dardaarmay in ay  qataan go,aanka kama danbaysta ah ee ay soo gadheen waxaana uu yidhi”

Waxaanu idinka doonayaa saaka raggiinan dhalinyarada ahi inaad naga aqbashaan go,aanka aanu kasoo saarnay khilaafka dhexediina yaala in mudo ah waxaa la doonayaa waa lays-qabtaaye inaad isku hogaansantaan oo aan laydin odhanin wallaahi kuwan kuwi horaa dhaamay” ayuu yidhi Xaaji Cabdi waraabe oo hadalkiisa waano iyo wax u sheeg ku bilaabay.

Waxaana uu intaasi raaciyey guddoomiyaha guddida joogta ah ee golaha guurtidu“waxa maanta Shiinaha  kadhacaya cidwaliba way la socotaa oo way inaga daawanaysaa warbaahinta waxaa la doonayaa Golahan oo  kale inaan la odhan waar maxay ahaayeen.

Waxa uu sheegay xaaji cabdiwaraabe in ay dhagasteen labada garabka warbixin ku saabsan qolo waliba waxa ay tabanayso waxaana uu yidhi”

gartiinii waanu dhagaysanay labadiinii dhinacba lakiin waxaana soo jeedinayaa inaad si sharafle u qaadataan waxaa aanu soo jeedinay oo waliba si gobanimo leh u qaadataaan ” ayuu yidi Xaaji Cabdikariin Xuseen [Cabdiwaraabe]

Waxaa isaguna madashaa la wareegay Gudoomiye ku xigeenka 1aa dee Golaha Guurtida Siciid Jaamac waxaanu halkaa ka akhriyey go’aankii ay soo saareen gudigii loo saaray xalinta khilaafka Golaha,waxaanu yidhi Gudooye Siciid Jaamac ‘hadalkii waxaa dhameeyey Odayga Xaaji Cabdiwaraabe balse anigu waxaan idiin akhrinayaa kaliya go’aankii ay soo saareen Gudigii Guurtida ee arinta loosaaray” ayuu yidhi Gudoomiye ku xigeenka 1aad.

Qodobadii ay Golaha guurtidu ka soo saareen Go’aankaasina waxay kala ahaayeen sidan hoos ki qoran

1- in aqlabiyadda lagaga qaadikari Gudoomiyah iyo labadiisa ku xigeen laba iyo badh oo ah ama marka ay Golaha wakiiladu sadexmeelood meel ahaan soo jeediyaan mudanayaasha Golaha wakiiladu oo ah 42

2- inaan shirgudoonka iyo labada ku xieegnadiis aan loo soo dhigikarin wax mooshan oo xilka laga xayuubin karo muddada uga hadhay hadii aanay xilkooda u gudan waayin si waafaqsan xeer-hoosaadka Golaha iyo dastuurka qaranka.

3- in Gudoomiyuhu ku dhawaaqo kala fadhigan Golaha oo ah kii 23aad si uu Goluhu u gudogalo fasaxiisa caadiga ahaa.

Guddoomiyaha golaha wakiilada ayaa isna waxa uu ka aqbalay natiijada kasoo baxday guddida dhex-dhexaadinta waxaana uu sheegay isga oo ku hadlaya afka mudanayaasha iyo kan guddoomiyahaba inuu aqbalay natiijada kasoo baxday guddida.

Addis Ababa finally has meeting with USN

The Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti finally gave a positive response last week to the coalition of opposition groups Union pour le Salut National (USN), which had requested it for a meeting back in November 2013.  (...)

War Deg-Deg Ah: Diyaarad Shirkada Itoobiyaan Airlane Leedahay Oo Siday in Ka Badan 200 oo Rakaab Ah Ayaa La Af-Duubay

Dayaarad ay leedahay Ethiopian Airlines oo ay la socdeen in ka badan 200 ruux ayaa saaka la afduubay. Dayaaradda ET702 oo ka kacday Addis Ababa una socotay Roma, waxaa loo leexiyay magaalada Geneva ee dalka Switzerland. Dadkii la socday waa la badbaadiyay sida uu qoray Wargeyska Tribune de Genève.

Diyaaradan ayaa ka duushay magaalada Addis Aababa kuna socotay magaalada Rome ee dalka Talyaaniga, ayaa lagu qasbay inay ku degto magaalada Geneva ee dalka Switserland kaddib marki la afduubay.

Boliiska Switzerland ayaa xaqiijiyay afduubka diyaaraddan oo ay leedhay Shirkadda Diyaaradaha ee Itoobiya.

Mid ka mid ah dadkii wax afduubay ayaa lagu warramayaa in la xidhay kaas oo aan haytiisa la shaacin.

Shirkadda diyaaradaha ee Itoobiya ayaa sheegtay inay nabad qabaan dhamaan dadkii saarnaa diyaaraddaas.

Waxaa haatan xidhan gegida diyaaradaha Geneva ee ay diyaaraddu ku degtay.

Diyaaraddu waxaa saarnaa ugu yaraan 200 oo ruux, shirkadda diyaaradahana waxay sheegaysaa in caafimaadkoodu uu wada fiican yahay


Wargayska Tribue de Geneva ayaa sheegay in diyaaradda la afduubay markay dul maraysay hawada dalka Sudan.

Ilaa haatan lama garanayo sababta diyaaradda loo afduubay, lakin warar aan la xaqiijin karin ayaa sheegaya in mid ka mid daka wax afduubay uu yahay qof magangelyo doon ah.

Somaliland: The High Price of Losing Remittances

By Amanda Roth

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Somali immigrants walk into small money transfer organizations in more than 150 countries around the world in order to send money to relatives in their homeland. Their funds prop up local and regional economies, keep families fed, and help preserve stability around the country. But this soon may change. As international banks shut down money transfer organizations to curb the funding of terrorist groups, many Somali workers worry their families will no longer have an income.

In Somalia, (where there hasn’t been a central government since the collapse of the Somali state in 1991), remittances are the single largest source of revenue. Although difficult to measure, remittance flows are thought to total $1.2 billion a year, surpassing foreign direct investment, livestock trade (Somalia’s largest commercial sector), and international aid.

Yet funding from the Somali diaspora is teetering on a precarious precipice. In September 2013, British banking giant Barclays sent notices to 250 money transfer companies from a variety of countries, notifying them that Barclays would be closing their accounts due to fears of money laundering and terrorist financing. Dahabshiil, Somalia’s largest remittance organization, won a temporary injunction against the bank in November, delaying the closure until a full trial can be held.

Barclays is one of many banks that have made the decision to close the accounts of money transfer organizations over the past fifteen years. Faced with ever-greater regulatory scrutiny since September 11, the inherently anonymous nature of money transfers represents a significant risk for large international financial institutions. Most recently, Minnesota-based Sunrise Bank cancelled its money transfer accounts after two Somali women were convicted of sending money to the Al Shabab terrorist organization.

Somalis around the world are holding their breath as they wait for the outcome of the Barclays case. Dahabshiil is not the only company threatened by the case’s outcomes, nor is Somalia the only country at risk. But the situation is particularly ominous there, where money transfer organizations are the only means of transmitting money to many parts of the country, especially in rural areas. Approximately 60 percent of the remittances sent by Somalis in the diaspora are routed through Dahabshiil. For thousands of families across the country, funds from abroad are the only source of income. Without them, millions of individuals would be without a roof over their heads or food on their tables.

As more banks close their doors in the face of international pressure, an underreported risk rises. Beyond devastating the lives of individual Somalis, eliminating the transfer of remittances could decimate one of the most promising building blocks for sustainable, national peace.

While every effort should be made to regulate against potential terrorist financing, cutting off this crucial lifeline will likely do more harm than good. Instead of taking rash action to prevent alleged money laundering, the international community should be looking to Somalia’s hawala system to understand the vital role remittances play in creating stability.

Hawala organizations collect funds from Somalis living abroad and contract with agents on the ground in the country, who use mobile phones and email to transmit the money to the recipients. These trades often occur in less than 24 hours. Later, the organization reconciles the funds transfers through a larger host institution, such as Barclays. The hawala system is widely used throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Somalia does not have a formal financial system. International aid organizations cannot operate freely in much of the country due to violence, and although the United States recognized the transitional government last year, there is still little infrastructure and few employment opportunities. The severe famine that occurred from 2010 to 2012 further exacerbated existing poverty and insecurity. The hawala system means that funds can be sent nearly anywhere at anytime, whether financial infrastructure is present or not.

“Somalia has not been functioning for over 23 years, and all those sectors and all those institutions have been completely destroyed,” notes Jamal Gelle, a Somali immigrant living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Despite working full time and attending school to become a certified public accountant, Gelle sends several hundred dollars to his mother and siblings in Somalia every month. “They mainly use it to eat, for food,” he says. “My brother also has kids and some of the money pays for schooling, because schooling is not free, and for the books and uniforms that they need.”

By keeping families and individuals from extreme poverty, remittances may actually limit the appeal of terrorist groups such as Al Shabab, who often recruit young, unemployed, and desperate men as members. In addition, in some parts of the country – especially the more peaceful, semi-autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland – diaspora members are increasingly sending money not just to support their families, but to contribute to community development and peace building projects in their hometowns.

The role of remittances in peace building is receiving increasing attention among academics and practitioners. Funding sent by the diaspora fills crucial gaps in recovery, reaching individuals and communities that aid often doesn’t, and provides an insurance mechanism to subsidize unemployment during the crucial post-conflict period when there are not enough sources of income to provide for the population.

“There’s a tendency to focus on piracy and terrorism, but not to focus on the role of state building and community” when the international community speaks about Somali remittances, notes Dr. Keren Weitzberg, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania who has done extensive work on the Kenya-Somalia border.

Abdi, a Somali living in Colorado who works with the refugee community there, agrees. Many citizens living abroad view remittances as both a familial and social obligation.

“I actually haven’t met anyone who doesn’t send money home,” she notes. The money is “not just to feed our families, it’s also to rebuild. Although we can’t be there, we have a responsibility to send money that can help rebuild the country.”

Somaliland, for example, which receives little targeted international aid due to its disputed independence status, has relied heavily on its diaspora to begin the process of reconstructing as conflict has tapered off. Remittances provide small capital contributions for families to begin small businesses in the region, such as food and clothing trade, or taxi and bus companies. The funds have also been used to finance community projects, build schools, and pay salaries of critical workers such as police officers, teachers, judges, and clerics.

The temporary injunction against Barclays will keep the account open for a few more months, but the larger issue still remains. Dahabshiil, and many other money transfer organizations, have voluntarily complied with all existing regulations. If Somalia’s hawala system continues to be indiscriminately targeted as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts, any advancement toward stability and peace will likely be reversed.

“What I suspect would happen is that not only would people suffer,” says Weitzberg, “but these money transfer systems would just continue and become much more informal and less transparent. I just see it as a tool, and removing the tool is just going to do more harm than good.”

As long as Somalia remains without any formal banking system, the remittance system will be difficult to monitor. Yet the international community must also realize that as long as the country’s ineffective government remains unable to provide for its citizens, the money sent by the diaspora is crucial for the wellbeing of its citizens and its overall stability. Cutting this critical lifeline will threaten the already fragile economy and bring further hardship to millions of Somali citizens.

Source: World Policy

*****

Amanda Roth is an editorial assistant at World Policy Journal. She is a current graduate student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Somaliland among Founding Members of the Council of African Cabinet Secretaries

Communiqué: Council of African Cabinet Secretaries

Somalilandsun - We, the African Cabinet Secretaries and representatives of other African Cabinet Secretaries, having met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 3-7 February 2014, have agreed to establish the Africa Cabinet Government Network as a permanent organisation to provide formal and informal opportunities for collaboration, mutual support and sharing practical experiences.

This decision reflects our shared commitment to evidence-informed Cabinet decision-making by our governments and effective implementation of Cabinet decisions.

The Network also facilitates technical assistance to Cabinet Secretariats and others involved in managing Cabinet processes in Africa.

To achieve this, we have today established the Council of African Cabinet Secretaries to lead the Network and bring together those who have the responsibility of supporting and managing the collective Cabinet decision-making in our respective jurisdictions. The Cabinet Secretaries from Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda (who was unable to attend the workshop), Sierra Leone, Somalia, SOMALILAND, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zanzibar are foundation members of the Council. Other African Cabinet Secretaries are being invited to join.

At its inaugural meeting today, the Council elected Dr Ernest Surrur, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service of the Government of Sierra Leone, as President of the Council. Dr Momo Rogers, Director General to the Cabinet, Government of Liberia, Mr Abdon Agaw Jok Nhial, Secretary General of the Government of South Sudan, and Dr Roland Msiska, Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of the Republic of Zambia, have been elected Vice Presidents for West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa Regions respectively.

Despite some differences among our systems of government, we share many common objectives and challenges. We are all committed to strengthening the support we provide our Cabinets, especially to ensure that policy proposals are informed by evidence, leading to decisions that can be successfully implemented and monitored.

During the workshop we explored practical ways to improve Cabinet procedures and build capacity within Cabinet Secretariats and line Ministries. We seek to use systematic procedures and processes to produce better outcomes in the national interest. We identified ways of improving the quality of policy proposals coming before Cabinet, recognizing the importance of evidence to inform policy formulation, implementation and the monitoring and evaluation of Cabinet initiatives.

We look forward to future meetings and interactions in a spirit of co-operation and enthusiasm for mutual learning and support across Africa. With an expanded group of Cabinet Secretaries, we will seek to build on this excellent foundation and learn more from one another about practical ways to support our Governments to make and implement policy for the good of our respective citizens.
We appreciate the funding provided by the UK Government for the African Cabinet Government Network and we look forward to building support from additional sources. We also wish to thank the organisers, Adam Smith International, and the presenters at the workshop.

We express our gratitude to the Ghanaian Delegation for accepting our proposal to host the next round-table workshop.

Finally we give our thanks to the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia for hosting us during this period, and to our various governments for allowing us to participate in this initiative.


Dr Ernest Surrur, 7th February, 2014

Djibouti Soldiers receive $728 While Sierra Leone Soldiers get $828

Sierra Leone Minister of Defense, Retired Major Alfred Palo Conteh 

By Abdulai Mento Kamara

The Minister of Defense, Retired Major Alfred Palo Conteh (in photo) has told members of the public through the media during the usual weekly Government press briefing in Freetown that Sierra Leone is paying their peace keeping mission soldiers in Somalia $828 as monthly salary for each soldier while Djibouti soldiers receive $728.

He also stated that Kenya which he described as the richest country in Africa apart from South Africa is paying each peace keeping soldier  $1,028.

Major Conteh argued that if Sierra Leone pays the same amount to its soldiers as the Kenyans then they have to quit the Mission because they cannot afford the expenses of such high salaries.

“It was the savings we made during our deployment in Sudan that we used to buy ammunition and train one thousand Soldiers for the Somalia peace keeping mission,” he revealed.

He admonished Journalists to stop presenting irrelevant and unfounded stories against the Ministry and any other public entities as such false reports will discourage the Soldiers in the Mission zone.

He stated that if those soldiers in the war area feel aggrieved, the will definitely take up arms and go on the rampage, stressing that if the Army collapses the whole country will collapse.

He described the Auditor General’s Report that Ministry of Defense has squandered  Le 500 million as baseless. He said he is not a signatory to any account of the Ministry of Defense. He reiterated that they as an entity they are open to scrutiny and are accountable like any other Ministry.

He pointed out that the Military is so organized as a Government within the Government because any activity of the Government is replicated in the Army.

The Minister emphasized that his men have been performing exemplary in the peace keeping mission in Somalia.

“I am very grateful to be their Leader,‘’ he mused.

He noted that Sierra Leone is one of the countries in the world that is strongly fighting against terrorism especially presently in Somalia.

When asked on the issue of the alleged mutiny he replied that the mutineers are still incarcerated at the Pademba Road Prison and that charges have been filed against them to face a Court Martial soon.

He explained that the alleged offences brought against them are against the State and could therefore only be handled by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice or the Law Officers Department.

He observed that the country is relatively peaceful now as the moral of the Soldiers keeps rising.

Source: sierraexpressmedia.com