Somalia - Italy Donates Police Vehicles to Puntlan

Garowe — Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole accepted 15 police vehicles donated by the Italian government to the Puntland government on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.

President Farole met with Carlotta Wolf, Italian Diplomatic Advisor of the Office of Ambassador, in Garowe - the administrative capital of Puntland - to monitor the Puntland TV and Radio station which was opened earlier this month.

Vice President Abdisamad Ali Shire, Speaker of Parliament Abdirashid Mohamed Hersi, Minister of Finance Farah Ali, Puntland Police Chief Mohamed Saeed Janaqaf and several other government officials.

At a public event near the Puntland TV and Radio station, President Farole accepted the police vehicles which were provided by the Italian government through UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

President Farole thanked the Italian government and UNOPS for the continued support to Puntland and Somalia as a whole.

The Puntland leader stated that the Italian government was also participating in the construction of the Bossaso, Galkayo and Garowe International Airports.

The Puntland Radio station built by the Puntland government and equipped by the Italian government was officially inaugurated by both President Farole and Representative Wolf for broadcast throughout Somalia on Sunday.

The TV station is scheduled to be launched for broadcast next month.

GAROWE ONLINE

Somalia: Man killed at central Somalia twon Galkayo airport

Central Somalia town Galkayo

GALKAYO, Somalia Apr 21 2013 (Garowe Online) – A man was shot and killed on Sunday at Galkayo’s Abdullahi Yusuf Airport entrance, after he reportedly pulled out a weapon after initially arguing with the airport  security detail, Garowe Online reports.

 

According to local sources, the unidentified man - who sources say was a former pirate - accompanied by other unknown men refused to obey a command to slow down as his vehicle approached the airport midday Sunday.

The source told GO that after finally complying to stop, the men aboard the vehicle refused to be searched as customary at the airport. Reportedly a man then pulled out an AK 47 rifle and one of the airport guards shot and the killed the man. The men on board the vehicle, were subsequently arrested.

 

Reports said that an hour later men from southern Galkayo – under the Galmudug administration – attempted to shoot and kill Puntland police forces however failed and fled back to southern Galkayo.

 

Puntland authorities have not yet released a statement on the incident but are expected to release statement shortly.

 

There have been periodic clashes between Galmudug and Puntland residents in Galkayo, with target kidnapping being traced back to southern Galkayo. Both Puntland and Galmudug administrations have stated that they will cooperate to end criminality in their jurisdictions.

 

GAROWE ONLINE     

Ethiopian PM rejects land-grab allegations

Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Dessalegn

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
April 20, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) - Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has denied that the government is forcing tens of thousands of people off their land in order to lease it to foreign investors.
“As far as land grabbing is concerned this is not a case in [the] Ethiopia context”, he said while responding to queries raised from members of the European Union parliament at a meeting on Thursday in Brussels.
He said Ethiopia currently has more than 18 million hectares of arable land and out of these 2.6 million hectares of land has been given to Ethiopian investors.

Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest nations, with its government attempting to attract large-scale foreign investment in a bid to alleviate poverty and create jobs to millions of citizens.

Investors from India, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are currently eyeing large tracts of land to cultivate cereals, coffee, tea and rice, among others.

According to human right organisations, Ethiopia has leased over 600,000 hectares of land to Indian companies alone.

However, the Ethiopian premier told EU lawmakers that only 400,000 hectares of land has been issued to foreign firms so far.

However, international human right organisations say the leasing of prime agricultural land to foreign companies has led to intimidation, repression, detentions, rapes, beatings, environmental destruction, and the imprisonment of journalists and political objectors.

Many of the people affected have been indigenous peoples.

Rights groups have warned foreign investors flocking to Ethiopia to ensure local populations are consulted and compensated prior to relocation before forging ahead with projects.

The premier and members of the EU parliament, as well as Ethiopian partners also held discussions on political and security concerns in the East African region during the meeting.

SOMALIA

Hailemariam expressed concerns that the process and support provided by the international community to Somalia remains slow.

He said the support is not equitable according to what Somalians actually need to boost security and rebuild their country.

“We also organise as IGAD to bring the international community to one voice”, he said.

With Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi currently providing support to Somalia on the ground, the war-torn Horn of Africa nation is experiencing relative improvements to peace and stability.

ERITREA 

With regard to Eritrea, the Ethiopian prime minster said that his country is always ready for peace talks to mend ties with the Red Sea nation.

“We have put on [the] table some issues for dialogue”, he said, adding “we have five points of peace and normalisation strategies put in place”.

He added Ethiopia has consistently urged Eritrea to come to the negotiating table to make peace and to normalise relations.

The two rival East African neighbours fought a bitter two-year war between 1998-2000 over their disputed boundary, which left over 70,000 people dead and crippled the economies of both countries.

(ST)

Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article46297

China criticizes US for its human rights record

 

By:Associated Press

BEIJING — China slammed the human rights record of the United States in response to Washington's report on rights around the world, saying that U.S. military operations have infringed on rights abroad and that political donations at home have thwarted the country's democracy.

The report released Sunday in China — which defines human rights primarily in terms of improving living conditions for its 1.3 billion people— also cited gun violence in the U.S. among its examples of human rights violations, saying it was a serious threat to the lives and safety of America's citizens.

The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2012 said the U.S. government continues to strengthen the monitoring of its people and that political donations to election campaigns have undue influence on U.S. policy.

"American citizens do not enjoy a genuinely equal right to vote," the report said, citing a decreased turnout in the 2012 presidential election and a voting rate of 57.5 percent.

The report from the information office of the State Council, or China's Cabinet, which mostly cited media reports, said there was serious sex, racial and religious discrimination in the U.S. and that the country had seriously infringed on the human rights of other nations through its military operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

The U.S.'s annual global human rights report issued Friday by the State Department said China had imposed new registration requirements to prevent groups from emerging that might challenge government authority. It said Chinese government efforts to silence and intimidate political activists and public interest lawyers continued to increase, and that authorities use extralegal measures such as enforced disappearance to prevent the public voicing of independent opinions.

It also said there was discrimination against women, minorities and people with disabilities, and people trafficking, the use of forced labor, forced sterilization and widespread corruption.

China's authoritarian government maintains strict controls over free speech, religion and political activity — restrictions that the U.S. considers human rights violations.

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Online: Report (in Chinese): http://bit.ly/17b8hnh

Djibouti Hosts Conference of African Inspector Generals on Corruption

The Inspectorate General of Djibouti hosted this week the 3rd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the State Inspectorate Generals of Africa (FIGE) alongside a related conference “Challenges for Africa: The Fight against Corruption and International Cooperation on Asset Recovery.“

The Djibouti meeting was the 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee and was attended by delegations from eight African countries (Djibouti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Angola, Mauritania, Benin, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo).

At the sidelines of the meeting, the Republic of Djibouti also hosted the conference "Challenges for Africa: The Fight against Corruption and International Cooperation on Asset Recovery." The conference was initiated by the President of Djibouti to strengthen good governance and transparency in the public sector.

The conference convened international experts and institutions to discuss and share international best practices in the fight against corruption and the legal means provided by international law for the recovery of assets.

Hassan Issa Sultan, Inspector General of Djibouti, presented case studies of the country’s international efforts to recover stolen assets including the one of the Djibouti Port which has resulted in the freezing of over 23 million Euros  in assets by the French courts.

This conference comes at a time when the international community has elevated concerns around the use of tax havens and other tax evasion and vehicles. For Africa, the situation is even more critical with the presence of large-scale public sector projects and pressing societal need for development funds.

Inspector General Sultan said: “Djibouti is proud to host this important gathering of Africans leading the fight against corruption in the public sector. International efforts around asset recovery have received worldwide attention of late and this forum has provided a valuable opportunity to share best practices across the continent.”

The FIGE was established in Djibouti in February 2006 at the initiative of the Inspector General of Djibouti, also home to its headquarters. It now includes 21 institutions across Africa dedicated to fight against corruption.

Among others, the forum was established to facilitate dialogue and consultative meetings between representatives of Africa’s Inspectorate Generals as well as promote dialogue and cooperation with other institutions or bodies in accordance with the principles of good governance and transparency.

Boston Bomb Suspect Clings to Life

Boston Marathon Bombing: A Week of Terror

By ANTHONY CASTELLANO | Good Morning America

The man whose brief life on the lam paralyzed Boston clung to life today as investigators waited for a chance to ask him why he and his brother attacked the Boston Marathon.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center today. It is the same hospital where Tsarnaev's older brother Tamerlan, 26, was brought early Friday after a shootout with police. Tamerlan died of his wounds.

A hospital spokesperson said early this morning that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was still alive, however the FBI asked they give no updates on his condition.

When he was taken into custody from the bottom of a boat in the backyard of a Watertown home Friday night, the suspect was bleeding badly and too weak to resist any longer, officials said.

Police believe Dzhokhar Tsarnaev he was initially wounded Thursday night in the gunbattle that killed his brother. Police said they found blood in a car he abandoned and blood at a house. Police said he went undetected by the massive manhunt because he had managed to get just one block outside the search perimeter.

It is unclear whether Tsarnaev was hit again during a final volley before his arrest in the boat.

Investigators -- who are expected to be the country's elite counterterror unit -- are hoping that Tsarnaev survives because they are intent on determining what triggered the shocking attack and whether he had any help. The bombing killed three, including a young boy, and wounded about 170. An MIT security officer was allegedly killed by the duo on Wednesday night and a Boston transit cop was badly wounded in a subsequent shootout.

One focus of the probe so far is a six month trip Tamerlan Tsarnaev took to the semi autonomous Russian province of Dagestan in 2012. Dagestan has become a hotbed of militant Islamic activity.

The capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set off a night of celebration in Watertown and Boston, a spontaneous relief after the region was ordered indoors for an entire day as heavily armed SWAT teams searched for the surviving suspect. Jubilant residents high fived police and chanted "Boston strong" and USA.

RELATED: Boston Bomb Suspect Captured Alive in Backyard Boat

"It brings a sigh of relief and I think that it really allows us to start the healing process," Boston resident Heather Budda said, according to ABC News Radio. "He's still alive so we still have a chance to hear what the reasoning behind it is."

Crowds gathered around Boylston Street in Boston, the sight of Monday's twin bombing at the finish line of the marathon.

RELATED: Boston Bomb Suspect's Dad Tells Him to Surrender, Warns ' Hell Will Break Loose' if Son Dies

"Let's go Boston," was chanted while others climbed trees and draped themselves in American flags.

The dragnet came to an end shortly after the lockdown was lifted and Watertown homeowner David Henneberry walked into his backyard and saw something amiss with his boat, according to Henneberry's neighbor, George Pizzuto.

RELATED: Watertown Hero David Henneberry Points Police to Bomb Suspect

"He looked and noticed something was off about his boat, so he got his ladder, and he put his ladder up on the side of the boat and climbed up, and then he saw blood on it, and he thought he saw what was a body laying in the boat," Pizzuto said. "So he got out of the boat fast and called police."

Henneberry notified police, and minutes later gunfire erupted and dozens of law enforcement officers rushed to secure a perimeter around Franklin Street in Watertown, where residents were immediately warned to stay indoors and "shelter in place."

According to police, a helicopter with infrared technology then located Tsarnaev in the boat and noted that he was moving about within it. The helicopter directed officers on the ground to the boat, where they briefly exchanged gunfire shortly before 7 p.m.

Police halted their gunfire and sent hostage negotiators to try and talk Tsarnaev out of the boat Davis said. But the suspect was not responsive, and after about an hour and 45 minutes, officers went to the boat and took Tsarnaev into custody.

A senior Justice Department official told ABC News that federal law enforcement officials are invoking the public safety exception to the Miranda rights, so that Tsarnaev will be questioned immediately without having Miranda rights issued to him.

Thousands of Migrants Stranded in Yemen

 

Joe DeCapua

 

Humanitarian agencies say thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa are living in harrowing conditions along the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border. Many have been robbed and tortured by traffickers.

Migrant workers from the Horn see Saudi Arabia as a place where they may find jobs. But getting there often means traveling to and through Yemen and becoming targets of smugglers and traffickers.

The routes to Yemen include long and dangerous boat trips from Somalia over the Gulf of Aden - and the much shorter trip from Djibouti across the Red Sea. But there, too, they are at the mercy of smugglers, who may rob them or even throw them overboard.

The International Organization for Migration estimates there are at least 25,000 migrants along the Yemen-Saudi border.

“The majority are Ethiopian migrants, who undertake this really quite dangerous journey. There’s also a number of refugees who come across. They’re mostly Somalis, who are recognized as refugees automatically here in Yemen because Yemen is a signatory to the refugee convention. But three-quarters of the flows coming across from the Horn of Africa are indeed Ethiopian migrants,” said Nicoletta Giordano, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen.

Yemen does not recognize the Ethiopians as refugees.

“They find themselves destitute and quite exhausted by the journey by the time they get to the border with Saudi. And that’s where they fall prey to smugglers and traffickers with respect to the final leg of the journey over to Saudi Arabia,” she said.

To make matters worse, Saudi Arabia has tightened its foreign worker labor laws. It means the border is essentially closed to the migrants. Saudi Arabia has also resumed building a fence to eventually seal off the 1800 kilometer border with Yemen.

“Many of the foreign workers that were in Saudi up till now are no longer considered regular workers. And therefore are obliged to leave the country quite suddenly. And on the other hand, there are still thriving smuggling and trafficking communities at the border with Saudi, who have these large groups of migrants, who they are trying to get across. But they’re also trying to get money and possessions from [them] and that’s why they’re prey to abuse,” she said.

Recently, Yemen forces raided smuggler camps along the border at Haradh. They are reported to have rescued nearly 2,000 migrants being held against their will. Some had been sold from one smuggling group to another and some were held for ransom.

But even after being freed from the camps, there’s little humanitarian aid available for them. Aid agencies said their resources are already stretched very thin. The IOM is appealing for $1.2 million dollars to help Yemen provide shelter, food and health care.

A delegation from humanitarian agencies visited the Yemen-Saudi border Thursday. They describe conditions there as harrowing.

The stranded migrants are taken to the capital.

“The migrants are brought down to Sana’a. And, of course, they’re being held in the open, and the migrants would be free to actually walk off, but they’re not. They’re not, because it’s obvious that there’s nothing for them in Yemen. And so they’re quite keen to go back to Ethiopia,” said Giordano.

However, getting them back home is easier said than done. So far, only one of three scheduled military flights has left Sana’a for Ethiopia. There were 318 Ethiopians on board, a fraction of those wanting to return.

While more flights are being planned, the IOM says many migrants have sought shelter at the Ethiopian embassy and a Yemeni military base.