Somalia: AMISOM – “We are here to re-build Somalia – it is the insurgents who destroyed this country. We are here to make peace happen”

AMISOM leaders and soldiers have reacted quickly and angrily to expose what they describe as lies and disinformation being spread by increasingly desperate and despondent Al-Shabaab militants as they try to recover from their humiliating defeat in the Somali town of Rabdhure. The town was liberated by Somali National Army, supported by AMISOM troops from the Ethiopian contingent on Wednesday.

In what is widely seen as a face-saving measure, Al-Shabaab are now making wild claims of excesses by the arriving troops. But these conflict sharply with reports from local sources who said in fact that the insurgents were simply overwhelmed and did little more than turn and run after offering weak resistance. Al-Shabaab press statements come from a series of unidentifiable social media sites with no indication or evidence of their sources or truth. Several year old photographs, often with no actual context, have previously been used to try and substantiate their statements.

When the African Union sponsored AMISOM force first commenced its task of taking on the Al-Qaeeda supporting insurgents, the terrorists were quick to make hysterical allegations of troop misconduct. AMISOM in turn have been rigorous in demonstrating their discipline and concern for the Somali people and have engaged with international experts in the monitoring of civilian casualties to demonstrate their consideration for the Somali people caught up in the war.

They are proud to have been cast as an “African solution to an African problem” and soldiers talk proudly of working with their “brothers and sisters” from a host of troop and police contributing countries as far away as Sierra Leone.

AMISOM force spokesman, Col Ali Houmed said: “All our officers and troops receive extensive pre-deployment training and this includes reminders of our responsibilities to the Somali people – after all it is them we are here for. We are hugely sensitive to the impact of our operations and do everything we can to minimize risk to civilian life and damage to their property. We are here to re-build Somalia – it is the insurgents who destroyed this country. We are here to make peace happen”.

AMISOM is mandated by international law and a succession of United Nation Security Council Resolutions have spelt out the need to give due regard to the lives of the Somali people. Col. Ali went on to say: “talking to our soldiers on the ground, AMISOM is proud of the concern that our troops show for local people.” adding that al-Shabaab desperation is driving them to make ridiculous allegations. An organization whose hallmark is decapitations, stonings and amputations is hardly well placed to offer opinion on the conduct of others.

But there is also a deep-seated understanding within AMISOM of the insurgent’s need to try and fracture the spirit and discipline within the African Union. The AU special representative Mahamat Saleh Annadif who leads the overall AMISOM mission is quick to recognize this: “the reason the insurgents are currently focusing on the Ethiopians is because they recognize the new impetus of our broad based task force and they are desperate to fracture it. When they were being forced out of Kismayo it was the Kenyans they turned on. They chose to ignore the fact that the Ethiopians are here at the invitation of the Somali Government and that in common with all AMISOM troops they will leave Somalia just as soon as the Somali people have a self-sustaining Government”.

Ambassador Annadif went on: “The deployment of the Ethiopian troops was a collective and collegial decision of the  African Union. The Ethiopian troops serve under the command and control of AMISOM and adhere to the same rules of engagement as any other contingent. It is the collective strength of the pan-African coalition and its’ exposure of the horrors of Al-Shabaab that is driving them to ever more outlandish utterances and actions. And they now know, and are terrified by the fact, that the world understands this. The concept of being lectured on concern for the well being of local people by the same maniacs that butchered innocent women and children in the Westgate shopping centre, and perpetrates beheadings, amputations and executions within Somalia is one the whole world will find too ridiculous to contemplate.”

Scotland's original battle for independence - in 3D

Ahead of Scotland's independence vote, a new graphic novel tells the story of the battle of Bannockburn in dramatic comic strip form. Get your red/cyan 3D glasses on for this one.

"Skludd!" Not exactly a term you find in most history books. Apparently it's the sound of an English noble's head being cleaved in two.

The demise of Sir Henry de Bohun is included in a new graphic novel commissioned by the National Trust for Scotland to mark the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn – the legendary head-to-head between Scotland and England when the armies of Edward II were sent (in the words of Scotland's national anthem) "homeward tae think again."

'On Dangerous Ground' uses striking 3D artwork to tell the story of two nations at war. It presents, in all its visceral glory, their most famous clash (outside Wembley Stadium of course.)

It's told through the eyes of both the English and the Scots: from gallant knights to gallus young women. There's even a cross-border love story so that it's not all just bloody battle-axes.

The book's Artistic Director Adam Stanning told Channel 4 News: "Like all battles there is no black and white and we wanted to explore characters that exist within the grey regions, who's allegiances may shift or who may have a very different perspective on the battle than expected.

"It was through this thinking that a story with multiple protagonists evolved, allowing us to explore characters with wildly different motivations."

So it's not quite Batman: the Stirlingshire fields don't bear much resemblance to Gotham City. But it's certainly miles away from the stuff of dusty history books.

The publication comes ahead of Scotland's independence referendum in September, when the Yes campaign will be hoping to use the anniversary of Robert the Bruce's great victory to ferment some nationalist fervour. That’s not the aim of book, but seeing the Scots beating the English in three dimensions, is sure to stir the hearts of some.

Sweden Explains It All: EU Somalia Sanctions

This is why the sanctions came into force:

Since dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, Somalia has lacked a functioning central power and the country has been marked by serious instability. During the period 2004-2012, Somalia was governed by a Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Following the transitional period, a new parliament was appointed which elected a new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The new government has inspired hopes of a change in the country's political situation, but many challenges remain. The government has not yet been able to regain control of large areas in southern and middle Somalia, which remain under the control of the militant Islamist movement al-Shabaab. In light of continuing instability in the country, the sanctions described below remain in place.

In 1992, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 733 (1992) on an arms embargo with the aim of curbing the extensive flow of weapons into Somalia. The arms embargo is still in force today, although certain amendments and additions have been made through Resolutions 1356 (2001), 1425 (2002), 1916 (2010), 2002 (2011) and 2093 (2013).

In 2008, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1844 on the possibility of introducing targeted sanctions against persons or entities that seek to prevent a peaceful political process or threaten the transitional institutions or the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), that have breached the arms embargo or that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Under the Resolution, the persons designated by the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee for Somalia are subject to travel restrictions and an assets freeze. In April 2010, the Sanctions Committee decided that certain individuals and one organisation (al-Shabaab) should be covered by the restrictive measures. In July 2011 and February 2012, the Sanctions Committee updated the list of persons and entities covered by the sanctions. UN Security Council Resolution 2002 (2011) expanded the criteria for inclusion on the list to include military leaders who recruit or use child soldiers in armed conflicts in Somalia in contravention of applicable international law, and for individuals or entities that violate international law on violence against civilians in armed conflict. This includes killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks against schools and hospitals, and abduction and forced displacement. UN Security Council Resolution 2093 (2013) additionally updated the criteria for inclusion on the list.

Eritrea is considered to have actively fuelled the conflict in Somalia by providing assistance to armed opposition groups that employ terrorist methods in the country. The UN Security Council therefore adopted Resolution 1907 (2009) on restrictive measures against Eritrea. These sanctions are described separately on this website. They include an obligation for Member States to inspect all cargo to and from Somalia, except for cargo to and from Eritrea. Below is a description of the inspection regime regarding Somalia.

The export of charcoal has been used by al-Shabaab to finance its activities. In February 2012, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2036 (2012), which enjoins UN Member States to take the necessary measures to prevent the import of charcoal from Somalia, whether or not the charcoal originated in Somalia.

The EU has implemented the sanctions and lists decided on by the UN Security Council and the Sanctions Committee.

And here is the list of current sanctions:

1. Arms embargo

The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and military equipment, paramilitary equipment, and associated spare parts, to Somalia from nationals of EU Member States or from the territories of Member States is prohibited, whether this materiel originated in their territories or not. Exemptions may be made with regard to arms and related materiel that are intended for AMISOM, for AMISOM's strategic partners, for the development of Somalia's institutions in the security sector, for the development of security forces answerable to Somalia's federal government, for humanitarian use or for protection of institution building programmes of the EU or its Member States, and of UN personnel, etc., or for use by the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) or its subsequent mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Exemptions, which can also be used by regional organisations, are subject to restrictions such as an obligation to inform the Sanctions Committee, which can refuse to grant an exemption.

Correspondingly, it is prohibited to directly or indirectly provide technical or financial assistance or to carry out training activities related to matters covered by the arms embargo. Corresponding exemptions apply.

Inspection of cargo

All Member States are to inspect, in their territory, including seaports and airports, all sea and air transports to and from Somalia, if the state concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains items covered by the arms embargo. Ships and aircraft carrying cargo to or from Somalia must declare their cargo prior to departure or arrival.

2. Freezing of assets

Financial assets and economic resources within the Member States' territories and owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, through persons or entities designated by the Sanctions Committee shall be frozen. It is also prohibited to make funds available to those designated by the Committee. The grounds for being listed are that a person or entity has conducted or provided support to actions that threaten the peace, security or stability in Somalia, including the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia, or has made violent threats against the federal government in Somalia or AMISOM, has violated the arms embargo or has prevented the supply and distribution of, and access to, humanitarian assistance in or to Somalia. Furthermore, in accordance with subsequent additions to the fundamental provisions of UN resolutions, political and military leaders who recruit child soldiers and persons responsible for war crimes may be added to the list. Exemptions to the freeze, for example to cover basic expenses such as food, medicines, rent or taxes, may be granted by a national authority after the Sanctions Committee has been notified. Moreover, exemptions may be made to make accessible funds and resources to safeguard the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia by the UN and humanitarian organisations, etc.

3. Travel restrictions

All EU Member States are to take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals designated by the Sanctions Committee. The grounds for being listed are the same as those for the freezing of assets outlined above. The restrictions are not to entail an obligation on the states to deny entry to their own citizens.

4. Prohibition on the import of charcoal

It is prohibited to import charcoal from Somalia, regardless of whether or not the charcoal originates from that country. It is also prohibited to buy or transport charcoal that comes from Somalia, even if the transport is not destined for the EU. It is also prohibited to provide financial assistance to the trade in and transport of charcoal, as well as to insure such transports.

And these are the EU documents relevant to these sanctions:

The UN resolutions have been implemented in the EU through the adoption of various common positions, Council decisions and Council regulations. These legal instruments have later been amended following amendments to the Security Council resolutions.

The Council of the European Union adopted Common Position 2002/960/CFSP in connection with the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council. The sanctions that apply in the EU are now gathered in Council Decision 2010/231/CFSP, which was adopted on 26 April 2010. To update the Sanctions Committee's list of persons targeted by restrictive measures in July 2011, and to implement Security Council Resolution 2002 (2011) concerning the grounds for the sanctions, Council Decision 2010/231/CFSP was updated through Council Decision 2011/635/CFSP. To implement Security Council Resolution 2036 (2012), the Council adopted in July 2012 Council Decision 2012/388/CFSP, adding to and amending Council Decision 2010/231/CFSP. The update involved a prohibition on the import of charcoal. At the same time a person previously listed by the Sanctions Committee was included on the list of persons subject to restrictive measures under Decision 2010/231/CFSP. To implement Security Council Resolution 2060 (2012), the Council adopted in October 2012 Council Decision 2012/633/CFSP, which added a further exemption from the arms embargo for supplies, etc. for use by the UN Political Office for Somalia. Additions were also made to the EU list of persons subject to the restrictive measures in accordance with a decision by the Sanctions Committee. Council Decision 2013/201/CFSP made some adjustments to the arms embargo and updated the criteria for inclusion on the list.

The parts of the sanctions covered by EU law are regulated in Council Regulation (EC) No 147/2003, amended through Council Regulations (EU) Nos 631/2007, 1137/2010, 642/2012, 941/2012 and 431/2013. The freezing of assets is regulated in Council Regulation (EU) No 356/2010, updated through Council Regulations (EU) No 641/2012 and 432/2013. Additions and amendments to the sanctions lists have been made through Council Implementing Regulations (EU) Nos 956/2011 and 943/2012, and Council Regulation (EU) No 641/2012.

Link:
Sweden EU Somalia sanctions page

Scottish independence and the English question

The Scots are slowly turning away from the ambiguities and consolations of Britain. The debate in Scotland threatens to shake the English out of their torpor in matters constitutional, writes Hind [Getty Images] The debate in Scotland threatens to shake the English out of their torpor in matters constitutional, writes Hind [Getty Images] By Daniel Hind Opinions are divided on the matter of the British constitution. On the one hand, the politicians, the civil service and the judiciary, along with their allies and dependents in the financial sector and the serious media, take the view that the place has, and is lucky to have, an uncodified constitution. In this they side with Edmund Burke, the father of modern conservatism, who famously wrote that without "the prudence and uprightness of Ministers of State… your Commonwealth is no better than a scheme upon paper; and not a living, acting, effective constitution". Peoples are governed, said Burke, "by a knowledge of their temper and by a judicious management of it". The constitution may have written elements but its most important passages are inscribed in the minds of both the rulers and ruled.

Prudence and uprightness, managing the temper of the people… It is an idea of the constitution as appealing to newspaper proprietors and intelligence officials as it is to politicians.

Their critics, on the other hand, side with Burke's great opponent, Paine, and insist that a constitution "has not an ideal but a real existence; and wherever it cannot be produced in visible form, there is none".

A constitution, wrote Paine, is the means by which the people determine the nature of the government that they will set over themselves, it is "to a government what the laws made afterwards by that government are to a court of judicature".

This is a notion that has become self-evident almost everywhere in the world, apart from England, the country of Paine's birth. Here the Burkean idea of a constitution encoded in hearts and minds survives, a living fossil in a world overrun by formally constituted republics.

Exotic though Britain's arrangements are, they largely pass unremarked. Ministers and editors assure the English that the rest of the world has had to adopt formal constitutions because they lack the singular genius that inhabits these islands. Well-meaning outsiders like Larry Siedentop might point out that, by seeking "unity in manners rather than ideas", British society has left itself with "no intelligible model of ambition".

He has a point. Consider how the appearance of timeless solidity in the City of London obscures the reality of breakneck criminality. It takes only a moment's thought to connect the inscrutability of public life to the troubles and confusions of the private sphere. So, for the most part, the English have preferred not to think about it at all.

On matters constitutional

But the party of Burke in England have run into a problem: The Scottish independence referendum. The second largest country in the United Kingdom will vote on September 18 this year on whether it wants to strike out on its own as an independent country. That's worrying enough in itself. But the debate in Scotland prompted by the referendum threatens to shake the English out of their torpor in matters constitutional.

The devolved government in Edinburgh has produced a book, "Scotland's Future", which sets out its proposals for an independent Scotland. Independence, they write, "provides an opportunity to modernise Scottish democracy on the basis of a written constitution". It, therefore, wants to hold a constitutional convention. The idea of a constitutional convention, in an English-speaking country, next door to England, as Adam Ramsay has pointed out, this is surely something the English will notice.

There are also devils in the details of "Scotland's Future" to torment Burke. The Scottish government wants to establish a currency union with England in which "monetary policy will be set according to economic conditions across the Sterling Area with ownership and governance of the Bank of England undertaken on a shareholder basis". This is something the three main Westminster parties have united to reject, and one can see why.

After all, if Scotland can have a share in the Bank of England, then the rest of the UK might start to ask questions. Should they not also have a say "on a shareholder basis"? Mark Carney, the Bank's current governor seems very relaxed about another massive expansion of credit. The Midlands and the North of England, who are paying the price of the last one, might have other views.

These are only the proposals of the Scottish government. The debate is also creating an opportunity for others to set out what they think a modern constitutional democracy looks like.

"The debate is also creating an opportunity for others to set out what they think a modern constitutional democracy looks like."

The Radical Independence Movement, for example, is campaigning for a Scotland that is greener and more socialist than anything that the Scottish National Party proposes. And there's no telling how the debate will develop if the Scots choose independence and hold their constitutional convention.

The world has moved on since Paine helped persuade the Americans to risk separation from Britain. Taxation is no longer a straightforwardly national matter. The power to adequate revenues taxes in one country has unavoidably global implications. We now rely on digital technology, not pamphlets, for our political information.

If the Scots are to be truly self-governing, they will have to update 18th century notions of a free press to address this new reality. Almost everywhere money is created and distributed by what Geoffrey Ingham calls a "public-private partnership" of technocratic central banks and a profit-driven financial sector. Perhaps the Scots will bring it into the daylight of the constitution and under effective democratic control.

Already the debate is giving all the British an education in the assumptions and habits of mind that underpin our current arrangements. When asked whether it was a good idea to play on fears about Scotland's status in Europe after independence, an unnamed Scottish MP in the Westminster Parliament replied that "they need to be told. It's like a child saying they want to play in the rain. They can do if they want but they need to know that they'll get wet."

He or she has a point. In the absence of a written constitution those of us who are not let in on the mysteries of public life are a lot like children. The Scots are slowly turning away from the ambiguities and consolations of Britain. There is now at least a chance that their turning will wake the English. If it does, America, the most venerable of the revolutionary republics, will be presented in turn with the spectacle of English-speaking peoples designing modern constitutions. Through the NSA-GCHQ system, the British and the Americans currently belong to the same transatlantic empire of knowledge. No wonder the politicians in Westminster are worried. Their partners in Washington will not thank them if the Scots, and then the English, take up the great cause, Paine's cause, the cause of liberty. Dan Hind is the author of two books, The Threat to Reason and The Return of the Public. His e-book, Maximum Republic is published later this month. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.

Source:  Al Jazeera

Maritime Piracy: Somali pirates in action in a few days attacked a cruise ship and an Italian cargo

At 17 o'clock yesterday there was a pirate attack conducted against a cargo ship flying the Italian flag in writing to the International Registry held at the Port of Genoa and operated by crew of mostly Italian. 

This is the ship Jolly Quartz ro-ro container shipping company Ignazio Messina & C SpA of Genoa. 

The freighter was en route to Port Said in Egypt. 

The pirate attack fortunately was rejected by the private security team embarked aboard the ship. The Jolly Quartz was sailing off the coast of Somalia when it was approached by three skiffs that have attempted a collision. 

The reaction of the security team was immediate. The security contractor who immediately opened fire on the small boats that pirates were approaching menacingly at the Italian freighter. 

The raiders of the sea they realized that the ship was Italian defense have desisted from their purpose and have moved away quickly. 

The commander of the Jolly Quartz immediately implemented all procedures provided for in the event of a pirate attack. 

Talking to the attack to the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, which is the center to which all are reported pirate attacks in the world. IMB communication is then immediately sent to the local police forces that require assistenzaai international military patrol in the area. On site there has been a Japanese military helicopter has scoured the area looking in vain Somali pirates who now had vanished. 

The alarm is finally back at 19 pm local. The ship is the last of four cargo vessels flying the Italian flag with a capacity of 3,900 TEUs, 6,350 linear meters of rolling cargo, built in the Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the other three being the Jolly Diamond, Pearl, and the Jolly Jolly crystal. 

What happened shows that theoff the coast of the Horn of Africa 'work' of the predator of the sea has become much more difficult and risky than in the past but has not ceased altogether as many want to hear. Commercial vessels are no longer easy prey like a long time since almost all are now guarded by armed security team on board. 

So far no defense ship was captured. Although the phenomenon of maritime piracy is no longer the levels achieved until 2011 when it registered the seizure of a ship on the day the level of risk is still considered high. Until the raiders of the sea made ​​by the master was hard not to run into a pirate skiff and having to engage in a 'race' to escape his attack. 

Today it is not so, but it is said that the risk of being attacked is no longer there and what happened to the Jolly Quartz demonstrates this . In the Somali Basin and Indian Ocean, there are some real assault groups that roam far and wide across the sea in search of a possible prey. A curiosity the security team on board the Italian ship was staffed by Triskel of Risk Management. 

This is the first private Italian company that has obtained permission to embark on your own personal Italian ships with features anti pirates. With the DM 266/2012 has been regulated the use of armed private security guards on board the Italian merchant ships against piracy completing the system outlined by Law 130/2011. 

On March 1 was instead attacked a ship British-flagged cruise company Carnival . The ship was en route to Mombasa in Kenya for a 16-day cruise and came from Alexandria, Egypt. The attack took place at dawn and 100 miles off the coast of Somalia. The sea pirates were aboard two skiffs. The attack failed because the prompt reaction of the crew and the actions taken by the commander to escape the attackers. 

The pirates were unable to board but have launched rockets exploded and numerous rounds of gunfire in the direction of the ship to intimidate. On board over three hundred passengers mostly Americans.Luckily none of them was killed or wounded. Only one crew member was injured slightly.

Ferdinando Pelliccia

Terrorists disagree on women and children at Westgate

Uncertain: The man in the white pants, according to police being a 23-year-old who previously lived in Wilmington. PST has stated that they believe the terror suspects died during the attack, and Kenyan authorities have claimed that the remains of the terrorists are found in the mall. Now set an American police report questioned whether the terrorists got away, or if they died. (Photo: Scanpix / Anne Knight / Wikipedia / ANB)

The Islamists who were behind the terrorist attack on the mall Westgate in Nairobi, arguing over whether they should shoot women and children.

It told a witness in court Thursday.

Geoffrey Koti matched children in the mall when the attack started.When he was hit by shot, he was mocked by the attackers, who suggested that he could call President Uhuru Kenyatta for help.

- So said one of the attackers: "You've got their chances to become Muslims, but you have not been there, and instead you kill our people," said Koti in his testimony.

 

Arguing

Four people are brought to justice in Kenya, suspected of having helped the Islamists were behind the terrorist attack on West Street. In all, 67 people were killed in the attack, which took place last September.

According Koti arguing attackers on how to treat women and children at the mall.

"We jihadists do not kill little children and women" should one of them have said, but without winning musical ear. "You kill the children and women in Somalia," should another answering him.

There were several children among the victims of the terrorist attack on West Street. Witnesses earlier told that some of the perpetrators let women and children be, while others struck blindly.

 

Norwegian perpetrator

Kenyan police now believe that the attack was carried out by four people, and not a dozen, so the security forces first thought. All four are believed to have been killed in the attack, but this has not been conclusively established.

According PST was probably a Norwegian citizen among the four.

North man has been identified as a 23-year-old man of Somali origin who have been living in Wilmington.

The four accused in the case presently before the court in Nairobi, will have helped the culprits in preparation for the attack. They all deny culpability.

The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has taken responsibility for the attack. Group fighting against both Somali and Kenyan forces.

Source: op.no