Djibouti: Kuleylka Xagaaga Iyo Bisha Ramadan Iyo Maciishada Oo Aad U Qaali Ah

Djibouti wakhtigan bisha barakeysan ee Ramadaan waxa laga dareemayaa kor u kac ku imid qiimaha lagu iibsado raashinka iyo xab xabka oo aad loo isticmaalo wakhtiga afurka.

Waxa si xoog leh u kordhay qiimaha lagu iibsado caanaha iyadoo 2.5kg ee caanaha lagu iibsanayo 2500 Fnka Jabuuti oo ah $17.Qiimaha lagu iibsado xab-xabka aya isna kordhay iyado 1kg lagu iibsanayo 120 Faranka Jabuuti oo ah 80 cent.

Dhinac kale sanadkan bisha barakeysan ee Ramadaan ayaa ku so hagaagtay wakhtiga kuleylaha ee Jabuuti.

Qaar kamida dadka reer Jabuuti ayaa sheegay inay bishan Ramdaan ku soo beegantay wakhti ay kulayl tahay Jabuuti sidoo  kale waxay aad uga cawdeen qiimaha maciishada oo cirka isku shareertay iyo biyo la cabo oo aad iyo aad cidhiidhi u ah helitaankoodu.

U.N. Says Corruption Rampant in Somalia

A U.N. report paints a dark picture of corruption in Somalia's government, which could turn off countries that bankroll the country's budget.  

By HEIDI VOGT

NAIROBI, Kenya—A United Nations report published Wednesday paints a dark picture of rampant corruption within Somalia's fledgling government, a portrait that could turn off donor countries that bankroll the country's budget.

The almost one-year-old Somali government still controls only sections of the country around the capital of Mogadishu and the southern border with Kenya. But even this has been seen as tremendous progress in a country that hasn't had a functioning state in decades.

And Western countries have been quick with funds to back the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected by parliament in September. Britain, the European Union and the U.S. committed more than $350 million in May to finance the bulk of Somalia's federal budget this year.

The report by the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea is a harsh reminder that the installation of a formal government did little to change a system of patronage and off-the-book deals that has long characterized the country's economy.

"Despite the change in leadership in Mogadishu, the misappropriation of public resources continues in line with past practices," the report said.

Somalia's central bank has essentially become a "slush fund" for patronage networks with 80% of withdrawals made for private purposes rather than running government programs and much of the funds transferred into the bank not traceable at all, the report said.

In one of the largest documented cases, a cashier at the Finance Ministry named Shir Axmed Jumcaale withdrew $20.5 million in his name between 2010 and 2013. He then used those funds to make untracked payments for ministry officials.

Central Bank Governor Abdusalam Omer said in a phone interview that every withdrawal had a name attached to it and that he wasn't responsible for how those funds were later disbursed.

"What I can tell you 100% is that the money that came to the central bank left it in a legal way. It went to the departments and the agencies that are supposed to get it," Mr. Omer said.

Meanwhile, plenty of revenue isn't making it to the central bank at all. Customs and ports fees deposited are much lower than would be expected given the increase in shipping traffic and about 33% of these funds can't be accounted for, the report said.

It is a situation that could complicate coming requests for more funding from Western donors who are leery of pouring money into a country where there is little hope of finding out where funds end up.

"The various spoilers identified by the Monitoring Group threaten to undermine legitimate authority in the country as well as international assistance efforts," the report said.

While this year's budget has already been shored up, the Somali government is expected to be looking for more funding at a conference with the EU in Brussels in September.

The monitoring group recommended that the U.N. Security Council take back under consideration a plan for joint international and Somali oversight of the management of public resources. The report didn't provide details on how this joint oversight system would operate.

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Somalia to get LTE, but targeted at military bases

by Richard Cutcher
Somalia is seemingly next on the African LTE watchlist, after it was revealed to HumanIPO a new entrant into the market has been granted a licence to roll out the super fast service.

The Nordic Group, based in Denmark and Dubai, has been awarded its first licence in the young republic, with the company also in the process of applying for a licence in Afghanistan.

Speaking to HumanIPO at the LTE Africa conference in Cape Town, chief sales officer Travis Gee said they hope to have the service running by first quarter of 2014, but are yet to choose an infrastructure and support partner.

Gee said: “Because of the low penetration of devices, we will be targeting the military bases with coverage first.”

Regarding how they are going to power their LTE network, Gee said they were examining a number of vendors which already have networks in the region including Huawei, Smile Communications and Alcatel-Lucent.

He said using a microwave backhaul was also an option because of the costs involved in running a whole new cable network.
The Nordic Group is also on the hunt for investment of between US$15 million to US$20 million.

Can Mohamed Morsi stay in Office to this Day? Yes if he took Advantage

 

CAIRO / PARIS (Reuters) - Egyptian politicians say Western diplomats and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, isolated perhaps he could stay in office to this day if he took advantage of a political deal with the opposition parties brokered by the European Union in April.
Rejected Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, an narrowing gap differences deep conviction that the electoral victory gives them sufficient legitimacy to rule. But after less than three months after the army isolated massive popular protests.
Under the compromise reached by the Union envoy Bernardino Leon, after months of shuttle diplomacy was six secular opposition parties recognize the legitimacy of the Mursi and will participate in the parliamentary elections, which threatened to boycott.
In contrast, the Mursi would agree to the appointment of a new prime minister rather than Hesham Qandil and change five key ministers to form a government of national unity and of technocrats and sack the Attorney General and revises election law to satisfy the Constitutional Court.
The failure to reach agreement highlights the challenge facing the EU as it seeks to strengthen its role in the region that the United States is the only political mediator. Given the reluctance of both sides of the political conflict in Egypt from Washington, the Union may be "honest broker" only .. He did not lose hope.
And visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo on Wednesday as part of a new effort to reach a consensus on although it did not show signs reflect this on Tuesday when the interim government was sworn legal. The Brotherhood rejects the government, declaring them "illegal".
He said people familiar with the talks said Saad Katatni, head of the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood helped negotiate the deal but could not convince him Mursi and other leaders of the group.
Hamdeen Sabahi said the leader of a popular trend, told Reuters that the opposition has made every effort to reach an agreement and very close to this but in the end it did not change the position of Morsi. The president added that the isolated student dialogue without pre-conditions or requests or agenda or goals.
He said that the opposition pledged full recognition of the legitimacy of Morsi and parliamentary elections if the president agreed to these confidence-building measures.
The Framework Agreement, which was seen by Reuters on drafted for Egypt will support a loan from the International Monetary Fund worth $ 4.8 billion negotiations had stalled. This will open the door to investment and broader economic aid.
Mursi military is holding a number of his aides as that Katatni caged on remand in several cases and then you can not view their vision of things.
But until the moment in which isolated the army on the third of July, under Morsi confirms the legitimacy of the election and did not show any willingness to share power.
In his last speech, and after that the Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi call on June 23 to reach a political consensus Morsi accused his opponents rejected several offers made by them.
Said Wael Haddara assistant, former President Mursi indicated he will oversee the formation of a coalition government in the last televised speech hours before the dismissal.
He told Reuters in an email that the main problem faced by Egypt was the violence and unrest.
He wondered that if the election had shown one after the other parties that the National Salvation Front (FIS) is able to configure popular, why any government was composed of these parties will be better able to avoid violence or mitigation.
The unique senior political Ismail Brotherhood in an interview during a sit-Morsi supporters after he participated isolated with his colleagues in talks with the European Union envoy on a political settlement and said he has been "active participation" on the FIS parties in a cabinet reshuffle.
He went on saying that there was a deliberate intention to reject everything that happened, "military coup".
The United States dropped its weight behind the initiative of the European Union did not attempt to formulate an agreement on their own.
Among the reasons for this is that the Muslim Brotherhood, has complained that Washington conspire with the army against them while secular opposition accused the media of anti-Islamists United States secret alliance with the Brotherhood.
Diplomats said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry phoned Marsa in March and told him his support European efforts. And accompanied by the U.S. ambassador in Cairo, Anne Patterson, the European envoy to the meeting with Morsi, a few days later, underscoring Washington's support for the initiative.
He said participants in the talks said Morsi did not reject the proposal of the European Union fully, but it was either too stubborn or could not reach a consensus within the leadership of the Brotherhood in favor of the initiative before graduation events derailed.
One participant said, "There was a detailed proposal and موصف well accepted by all members of the National Salvation Front was sent to Mercy ... have not received a response at all."
The proposal was the focus of a visit by Ashton to Cairo on the seventh of April, during which he held meetings with Morsi and the main opposition leaders. During the visit, and sectarian violence occurred in front of the Coptic cathedral in Cairo, thus weakening the confidence of the opposition in the Brotherhood Morsi and more.
During this visit, she met Ashton also Balsesa which led military intervention to isolate Morsi. The participants said Sisi also supported the European initiative and said that the army does not want to interfere in politics and would welcome a broader national consensus.
He said one of the participants in the talks "to make the army - contrary to what you say Brotherhood now - everything in his power to continue Morsi in office."
The Mursi reflect the gestures of goodwill towards the opposition, but these gestures were not enough to end the stalemate. When the Constitutional Court rejected the election law passed by the Shura Council, which is dominated by Islamists and Morsi agreed to postpone parliamentary elections from April to the end of the year.
As hinted at his willingness to change the Attorney General who has been heavily criticized and accused of being biased for the Islamists but did not give on the move.
And other facts have combined to deepen the distrust between Mursi and the opposition making a deal elusive.
A European diplomat said "the main problem was the lack of full confidence in them all."
The newspaper published liberty and justice for mouthpiece Brotherhood, an article accusing a prominent liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei to receive huge funding from the United Arab Emirates. A statement of the National Salvation Front Mursi as a "fascist".
And ElBaradei shall now vice president of international relations in the transitional government.
And support for the Freedom and Justice Party political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood bill put another Islamist party to dislodge three thousand judge by lowering the retirement age from 70 to 60 years. He said the Freedom and Justice Party that the judiciary is full of supporters of former President Hosni Mubarak, who strive to disrupt the party's policies.
The opposition denounced the Brotherhood control over the power. When Morsi held a cabinet reshuffle at the end of up Keep Bakndel that brought him widespread criticism as leaves no room for the opposition.
Leon has been appointed a former Spanish diplomat who served as the EU's and Almtogl in the Arab-Israeli peace process Union's special envoy to the Southern Mediterranean in 2011 after the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.
Was not supported by substantial financial assistance, nor by military force, nor the relations between the two institutions Egyptian and American militaries that support U.S. diplomacy. Lyon feature was recognized by the Brotherhood officials that all parties were deemed honest broker. But he was never able to "connect" Brotherhood agreement their leaders were not confident of its desire to complete.
(Preparation of our fair bulletin Arab - Liberation hope Abu Saoud)

Statement by the Special Rapporteur on panel on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 6th session of the Expert Mechanism

Statement by James Anaya,

Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples

6th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland

8 July 2013

World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the Expert Mechanism and the representatives of indigenous peoples and States present at this discussion on the High Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

As many of those present are aware, the three United Nations mechanisms with a mandate on the rights of indigenous peoples have participated in several preparatory events related to the World Conference. In January 2012, members of the other two UN mechanisms and I participated in a brainstorming session on the World Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to discuss initial expectations for the event. Also, in December last year I participated in a meeting in Guatemala together with members of the Permanent Forum and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, during which we focused our discussions on how the three mechanisms can contribute to the preparatory process for the World Conference and in the event itself.

Finally, representatives of the three mechanisms also participated in the recent Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference in Alta, Norway held in June, during which the Draft Alta Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples was adopted.

As I have stated in the past, I see the World Conference as providing four major important opportunities. First, it can contribute to the development of new measures for the direct participation of indigenous peoples in United Nations meetings; second, it can help to advance greater and more concerted efforts within the United Nations system to promote the rights of indigenous peoples; third, it can assist in promoting action at the national and local levels to secure the realization of indigenous peoples' rights; and finally, it can be a opportunity for celebrating indigenous peoples and their contributions worldwide.

The Alta outcome document adds significantly to the preparations of World Conference. As will be discussed more during this panel, the Alta document includes concrete recommendations under four major themes: indigenous peoples lands, territories, resources, oceans and waters; the UN system's action for the implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples; implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples, including indigenous women and youth; and indigenous peoples' priorities for development with free, prior and informed consent.

I would like to emphasize that, whatever the specific result of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples next September 2014, the Alta document is an important normative instrument and plan of action in its own right.

First, the Alta outcome document has a high level of legitimacy, being the result of significant efforts by the Global Coordination Committee during the course of over a year to gather the views of indigenous peoples regarding their expectations and aspirations for the World Conference. As noted in the document's introduction, indigenous peoples and nations from the seven geo-political regions, as well as members of the women's and youth caucuses, participated in the development of the document's recommendations.

Second, the recommendations contained in the outcome document provide an important overview of the issues that are of central concern to indigenous peoples. While reflecting much of the language of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the outcome document also adds to our understanding of indigenous peoples' priorities both in terms of the content of their rights and in terms of how those rights might be protected. In addition to highlighting substantive issues of central importance to indigenous peoples, we can also see indigenous peoples demanding more robust processes within the United Nations system for the protection of recognized rights.

With this in mind, in my own work as Special Rapporteur I will refer the recommendations contained in the document to guide my approach to issues I examine within the scope of my mandate. I expect that the Expert Mechanism and the Permanent Forum, as well as the future Special Rapporteur, will do the same. I would also encourage other actors, including those in the United Nations system, indigenous peoples themselves, civil society, and the private sector to also make use of the Alta outcome document.

A number of the recommendations address issues that I have focused on in my work as Special Rapporteur, such as the recommendation to ensure the implementation of the standard of free, prior and informed consent in relation to extractive industries and other development activities. This is an issue to which I devote significant attention in my upcoming and final report to the Human Rights Council. In my reports on specific country situations, I have also devoted significant attention to cases involving sacred sites, treaties and other constructive arrangements, violence against indigenous women and girls, militarization of indigenous lands, and other concerns featured in the Alta outcome document. In addition, the Expert Mechanism is currently circulating a conference room paper that describes how their studies and advice reflect recommendations contained in the document.

I would like to conclude by expressing appreciation for the hard work of those who have been committed to the preparatory process for the World Conference. I do not doubt that these efforts will contribute significantly to the pursuit of securing the full enjoyment of the human rights of indigenous peoples. This pursuit is one of daunting challenges, but I am encouraged by the many challenges that already have been overcome, by the persistence of indigenous peoples to see their aspirations realized, and by the tireless work for further progress into a better future for indigenous peoples.

5 Reasons President Obama Should Release Leonard Peltier

By Zeke Johnson

Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier was a leading member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), an activist group that was involved in promoting the rights of “traditionalist” Indians during a period of intense conflict in the 1970s. On June 26, 1975, during a confrontation involving AIM members on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were shot dead.

Leonard Peltier was convicted of their murders in 1977 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Leonard Peltier does not deny that he was present during the incident. However, he has always denied killing the agents as was alleged by the prosecution at his trial. Here are 5 reasons he should be released:

1) A key alleged eyewitness to the shootings was Myrtle Poor Bear, a Lakota Native woman who lived at Pine Ridge. On the basis of her statement that she had seen Leonard Peltier kill Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada, where he had fled following the shootings. Although Myrtle Poor Bear later retracted her testimony, the trial judge refused to allow Leonard Peltier’s attorneys to call her as a defense witness on the grounds that her testimony “could be highly prejudicial to the government.” In 2000, Myrtle Poor Bear issued a public statement to say that her original testimony was a result of months of threats and harassment from FBI agents.

2) In 1980, documents were released to Leonard Peltier’s lawyers as a result of a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents contained evidence which might have assisted Leonard Peltier’s case, but which had been withheld by the prosecution at trial. However in 1986, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eighth Circuit denied Leonard Peltier a retrial, stating that: “We recognize that there is some evidence in this record of improper conduct on the part of some FBI agents, but we are reluctant to impute even further improprieties to them.”

3) In 1991, Gerald Heaney, the judge who presided over Leonard Peltier’s 1986 appeal hearing, expressed his concerns about the case. In a letter to Senator Daniel Inouye, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, Gerald Heaney wrote that he believed “the FBI used improper tactics in securing Peltier’s extraction from Canada and in otherwise investigating and trying the Peltier case.” He added: “Although our Court decided that these actions were not grounds for reversals, they are, in my view, factors that merit consideration in any petition for leniency filed.”

4) The U.S. Parole Commission has held a number of parole hearings on Leonard Peltier’s case. However, it has always denied parole on the grounds that Peltier did not accept criminal responsibility for the murders of the two FBI agents. This is despite the fact that, after one such hearing, the Commission acknowledged that “the prosecution has conceded the lack of any direct evidence that you personally participated in the executions of two FBI agents.”

5) Leonard Peltier is currently imprisoned in Florida, approximately 2,000 miles from his family in North Dakota. It is a physical hardship for his family to visit him, and almost impossible financially. As a result, he is very rarely visited by his loved ones. Leonard Peltier is now aged 69 and in poor health, suffering from diabetes, among other things.

In sum, Amnesty International has studied his case extensively over many years and remains seriously concerned about the fairness of proceedings leading to his trial and conviction. Amnesty believes that political factors may have influenced the way in which the case was prosecuted.

Leonard Peltier’s most recent petition for release on parole was denied by the U.S. Parole Commission in 2009, and Amnesty understands that he is not eligible for consideration for parole again until 2024.

Given that all available legal remedies have been exhausted and that Leonard Peltier has now spent more than 36 years in prison, Amnesty believes that in the context of these ongoing concerns, the U.S. authorities should order Leonard Peltier’s release from prison on humanitarian grounds and in the interests of justice.

Take action: Urge President Obama and Charles E. Samuels Jr., Director Federal Bureau of Prisons, to free Leonard Peltier.

Somalia: Investigate Killing of Puntland Human Rights Defender

Press Release

 

Somalia: Investigate Killing of Puntland Human Rights Defender

17^th July 2013

The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project is appalled by the killing of Abdi Farah Dhere, a prominent human rights defender on 13^th July 2013 in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, and sends its deepest condolences to his family and friends. EHAHRDP calls on the authorities to ensure that a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation is carried out and to bring the perpetrators to justice, in line with international human rights standards.

Mr. Abdi Farah Dhere was deputy chair of the Peace and Human Rights Network (PHRN/INXA) and head of its sub office in Bosaso region, Puntland. PHRN is a founding member of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network. On the night of Saturday 13^th July 2013, he was gunned down by two unidentified men as he left a mosque in the northern part of Galkayo town.

His death follows less than a week after the killing of Mr Libaan Abdullahi Farah on Sunday 7^th July by two unknown assailants in Gassor neighbourhood, also in northern Galkayo, on his way home from work. Four other journalists – Mohamed Ibrahim Ragel, Abdihared Osman Adan, Mohamed Ali Nuhurkey and Rahmo Abdulkadir – have also been killed in Somalia this year.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of Mr. Dhere’s killing,” said Mr. Hassan Shire, EHAHRDP Executive Director. “Authorities at all levels – local, regional and federal – must take responsibility for ending the scourge of attacks on human rights defenders in Somalia.”

On 14^th July 2013, the president of the Puntland state of Somalia, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud Farole issued a statement postponing the local council elections that had been scheduled to take place on 15^th July, citing threats to peace, security and stability for the people of Puntland. Puntland has been marred by violence in recent weeks in the lead-up to the local council elections, after clashes broke out at protests held against alleged electoral malpractices. On 14^th July 2013, residents of several major towns in Puntland burned ballot boxes that they said had been pre-filled and sealed. The residents also claimed that the Election Committee had not announced the locations of polling stations where residents would cast their votes. Five people were reported to have been killed and more than ten wounded in fighting in the city of Gardo between the residents and government troops on Sunday 14^th July.

EHAHRDP calls for an impartial, thorough and prompt investigation into Mr. Dhere’s death. We call on the Puntland authorities and the Federal Government of Somalia to put in place measures for the protection of human rights defenders and end impunity for their killings. The vital role played by human rights defenders should be recognized and promoted by state actors at all levels.

For more information, please contact:

Hassan Shire Sheikh, Executive Director: +256 772 753753 or executive@defenddefenders.org

Rachel Nicholson, Advocacy Officer: +256 778 921 274 or advocacy@defenddefenders.org

-- 
Estella Kabachwezi. M.
Advocacy Assistant
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256312265824
Twitter:@EHAHRDP
Web:www.defenddefenders.org

European Human Rights Committee Denied Access to Ethiopian Prison

Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee for Human Rights, Barbara Lochbihler, talks to the media, February 2010.

Marthe van der Wolf
ADDIS ABABA — Members of a European Parliament human rights delegation have been blocked from visiting an Ethiopian prison, and are concerned about the human rights situation in that nation.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament Subcommittee for Human Rights wrapped up a visit to Ethiopia to assess the country's human rights situation. The delegation had a trip scheduled to the infamous Kality prison just outside the capital, Addis Ababa. The facility is known for housing political prisoners in harsh living conditions.

In spite of previous assurances from Ethiopia’s government, however, the group was denied access to the prison Wednesday morning, according to delegation member Jacek Protasiewicz.

“We were more than disappointed. Personally I cannot understand the reasons behind it," said Protasiewicz. "Because if you don’t want to show the parliamentarians how people are detained and the conditions in the prisons, it is clearly that something is to be hidden.”

The delegation also was scheduled to meet with a prominent imprisoned journalist, Reeyot Alemu, at the prison.

The members of the committee called upon the Ethiopian government to release journalists and opposition members, jailed under Ethiopia's anti-terrorism proclamation.

The European Union (EU) delegation said it believes the proclamation is used arbitrarily. The proclamation has also been criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

A framework for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), implemented by the Ethiopian government, also is a point of concern for the EU subcommittee. The framework includes rules that say no more than 10 percent of an NGO's funding can come from foreign partners when the organization works in the field of human rights.

The chair of the EU delegation, Barbara Lochbihler, believes the framework makes it difficult for NGOs to work independently.

“We strongly encourage the government to give more space on the domestic levels for civil society organizations to operate independently and in a meaningful way. We think the restrictive NGO framework should be urgently revised,” said Lochbihler.

The conclusions of the visit will be presented to the European Parliament. If Ethiopia does not improve its human rights record, it might be complicate the country's trade with the European Union. The EU is considering linking trade policy agreements to other factors, such as human rights.

Exclusive: Western oil exploration in Somalia may spark conflict - U.N. report

By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS - (Reuters) - Western commercial oil exploration in disputed areas of Somalia and discrepancies over which authorities can issue licenses to companies could spark further conflict in the African nation, U.N. monitors warned in a confidential report.

In the U.N. Monitoring Group's latest annual report to the Security Council's sanctions committee on Somalia and Eritrea, the experts said the Somali constitution gives considerable autonomy to regional governments to enter commercial oil deals.

But a petroleum law that has not yet been adopted by the country's parliament but is being invoked by federal officials in the capital Mogadishu says that the central government can distribute natural resources.

"These inconsistencies, unless resolved, may lead to increased political conflict between federal and regional governments that risk exacerbating clan divisions and therefore threaten peace and security," the experts group said in an annex to its annual report, which was seen by Reuters.

The overthrow of a dictator in 1991 plunged Somalia into two decades of violent turmoil, first at the hands of clan warlords and then Islamist militants, while two semi-autonomous regions - Puntland and Somaliland - have cropped up in northern Somalia.

Around a dozen companies, including many multinational oil and gas majors, had licenses to explore Somalia before 1991, but since then Somaliland and Puntland and other regional authorities have granted their own licenses for the same blocks.

In some cases Somaliland and Puntland have awarded licenses for blocks that overlap. The experts said one such case involves Norwegian oil firm DNO and Canadian-listed Africa Oil Corp.

"Potentially, it means that exploration operations in these blocks, conducted by both DNO and Africa Oil under the protection of regional security forces, its allied militia or private forces, could generate new conflict between Somaliland and Puntland," the report said.

"It is alarming that regional security forces and armed groups may clash to protect and further Western-based oil companies interests," it said.

"In this case, the involvement of a Norwegian company on one side and of a Swedish-owned/Canada-based company on the other, is even more disturbing, considering the long-standing implication of Norway and Sweden in promoting peace and dialogue in Somalia," the experts said.

Bjorn Dale, DNO's acting president/managing director and general counsel, said he was not familiar with the U.N. experts' recent report but said that the company would never engage in activities that threatened peace in Somaliland.

Africa Oil was not immediately available for comment.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST?

Somalia is struggling to rebuild after decades of conflict and a U.N.-backed African Union peacekeeping force is trying to drive out al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group al Shabaab. Piracy off the Somali coast is also a problem.

The U.N. experts also expressed concern about a clash between a longstanding bid by Norway to urge Somalia to implement an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off its coast with commercial interests by a Norwegian oil company.

Under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, an EEZ would allow Somalia 12 nautical miles of territorial control with claim to sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage natural resources that exist within 200 nautical miles.

The U.N. convention then requires Somalia to negotiate a maritime boundary with Kenya, which the U.N. experts said could lead to several disputed oil exploration blocks being deemed to be in Kenyan waters.

The U.N. report said late last year that Kenya had suspended Statoil's license for block L26 because the Norwegian company did not want to spend money on exploration while there was the legal uncertainty over the maritime border with Somalia.

A Kenyan government official told the U.N. experts that Statoil had expressed an interest to develop the area should a boundary be agreed with Somalia and the L26 block was deemed to be in Kenyan waters.

"Efforts by Norway to lobby Somali officials to adopt the EEZ now coincide with current Norwegian interest in the fate of L26 as well as with Norwegian involvement in the application of a Special Financing Facility donor fund of $30 million which has been allocated under the management of (Somali government) officials with a track record of corruption," the report said.

The experts suggested that Norway's development assistance to Somalia could be used "as a cover for its commercial interests there," a claim it said Norwegian International Development Minister Heikki Eidsvoll Holmas has denied.

Norway's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Paul Simao)

In Somalia, 'foreign hands' are the sickness and the cure

Somaliland Military Commandos march during the Somaliland's Independence Day, at Presidential Place in Hargeisa on May 18, 2013 marking 22 years since the Somaliland re-gained independence from Somalia in 1991.

At six in the morning on May 15 this year, the self-proclaimed sovereign Republic of Somaliland banned all United Nations flights from landing at this dusty airport overlooking the Gulf of Aden, sparking a little-reported international incident that was defused two months later on Monday.

On Tuesday, Reuters revealed excerpts of a confidential United Nations report warning that western oil companies prospecting along the disputed Somalia-Somaliland border could trigger further conflict in this fraught region. In one instance, Somaliland and the adjacent Puntland autonomous region have awarded overlapping prospective oil blocs to the Norwegian oil company DNO and the Swedish owned Africa Oil Corp – raising prospect of two countries, deeply involved in peace-building in Somalia, competing for resource contracts in one of the most unstable places in the world.

The UN standoff in the breakaway region of Somaliland, and the leaked report, have tempered enthusiasm around Somalia’s purported return to stability, and suggest that donors could be simultaneously creating and resolving conflict in the region.

The history of the Berbera airstrip illustrates the diverse international motives in Somalia. The four km rubber-streaked, asphalt runway was laid by the U.S.S.R in the 1960s, earmarked as a landing strip for American space shuttles in the 1980s as the tide shifted, and looted by raiders in the civil wars of the 1990s, when the military dictatorship of Siad Barre collapsed after 22 years in power.

In 1991, the northern region of Somaliland seceded from the union and declared itself an independent state with its capital at Hargeisa. Since then, as the rest of Somalia imploded, Somaliland gradually acquired stability and security, civic infrastructure, regular elections and even a rudimentary tax system but no international recognition.

“It is unfortunate that Somaliland’s achievements have become a victim of the Somalia problem,” said Dr. Mohamed Omar, Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, “Every five years there is a renewed interest in Somalia from the international community and … a new administration getting all the international support.” Each time there is relative stability in Somalia, Dr. Omar said, Somaliland’s chances of international recognition recede.

The Government of Somalia did not respond to interview requests.

“At the moment we recognize Somalia as one country. There has been no discussion about Somaliland being independent within the AU,” said Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union, last month, “What is important for all of us is that we should get Somalia back to a point where it is stable.” The AU has discouraged secessionist movements, calling on states to respect boundaries drawn at the end of colonialism. The Somaliland government points out that the former British protectorate gained its independence four days before the Italian colony of Somalia.

“After becoming independent we decided on a voluntary basis to join [Somalia],” said Dr. Omar, “In 1991 we come off from that. So there is no secession, but there is dissolution of a voluntary union.”

“Somaliland has done extraordinarily well over the past 22 years, and its skepticism of a reunion with an often chaotic south-central is understandable,” said Abdi Aynte, Director of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies in Mogadishu, “However, Somaliland's quest for independence is increasingly becoming untenable and that's largely due to geopolitics. The AU sees secession as a dynamite issue, and has consistently backed "territorial integrity", much like the UN and the rest of the world.”

The standoff over UN flights suggests donors have struggled to walk Hargeisa-Mogadishu tightrope. When Siad Barre’s regime collapsed in 1991, UNDP took control of Somali airspace and ran an aviation service out of Nairobi that was funded from Somali over-flight fees. In April this year, the organisation handed full control of airspace and over-flight revenues to Mogadishu as an acknowledgment of the improving security situation in the south. Somaliland accused UNDP of colluding with Mogadishu and banned all flights.

The ban was lifted only after Somalia and Somaliland agreed to set up a board to jointly control airspace from Hargeisa at the talks held in Ankara last week. The Somaliland press reported that Hargeisa is pushing for Somalia to honor Somaliland commercial contracts, such as those with oil companies mentioned in the Reuters report, but no such clause was mentioned in the final agreement. Talks will resume in October.

Somali policemen march during the Somalia's Independence Day, at Konis stadium in Mogadishu on July 1, 2013, marking 53 years since the Southern regions of Somalia gained independence from Italy and joined with the Northern region of Somaliland to create Somalia.

Out of turmoil, Somalia native hopes to inspire in St. Cloud

Hamza Ahmed works at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota as a contact for refugees settling in Central Minnesota. He is shown at the LSS office Tuesday. / Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com

As a child, Hamza Ahmed often dodged bullets and passed corpses on deserted streets as he walked to English classes in Mogadishu, the battered capital city of war-ravaged Somalia.

His routine visits to American men in uniforms at a military base camp near his hometown were inspired by the mere ambition to be able to speak well in English. Ahmed was just in his early teenage years when he tried to speak louder than the roaring tanks and helicopters to assure his conversations with the English natives remained undisturbed.

“We were sent to chat with the soldiers because they were the only English-speaking people in my neighborhood,” Ahmed said of the early stages of the American presence in Somali. “They were friendly, and it was fun to practice the little we knew on them.”

Flash forward about 20 years, and it’s easy to see how Ahmed’s interest in the English language prepared him. He recently came to St. Cloud to work at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota as a contact for refugees settling in Central Minnesota.

Ahmed experienced the agony of living in anarchy in Somalia, which has had no formal institutions, law enforcement or strong central government for more than two decades. Somalis have turned on themselves, killing, looting and kidnapping in the name of tribalism.

In the early 1990s, the ousting of former president Mohamed Siad Barre’s dictatorial regime by armed clan militias lead to a prolonged civil war and famine that left hundreds of thousands dead and uprooted thousands of residents, sending them to Somalia’s neighboring countries, Europe, Canada and the United States.

An estimated 350,000-1 million Somalis have died because of the conflict since 1991, according to a report by GlobalSecurity.org.

The United States and United Nations troops arrived in Mogadishu for a peacekeeping and humanitarian mission, “Operation Restore Hope,” from 1992-94.

“The humanitarian objectives of the interventions were clouded by the UN’s ambiguous goals and rules of engagement,” the report stated. “The UN’s role in ‘nation building’ became a rallying point for united Somali opposition. On 03 October 1993, US troops received significant causalities: 19 dead over 80 others wounded.” Thousands of Somali civilians were killed during the clashes.

Growing up in the midst of this turmoil, Ahmed pursued education and saw hope beyond the flaming city of Mogadishu.

“Life was tough.” he said. “But I always wanted to make the best of that situation.”

And he did.

Ahmed completed his primary and secondary education in Mogadishu schools, which were funded by humanitarian organizations from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

After graduating at the top of his high school class in 2005, Ahmed received a scholarship to study information technology at the International Islamic University in Malaysia.

Coming from Somalia to study with academically prepared students from the United States, Canada, Turkey and other parts of the world presented a challenge for him, Ahmed said.

Through hard work, however, Ahmed earned his information technology degree in 2009.

Journey to the U.S.
Most immigrants come to live permanently in the United States through employment, a family member’s sponsorship or student visa. Others, like Ahmed, come to the country through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which many refer to as the Green Card Lottery.

When Ahmed first arrived in Malaysia, he encountered college students whose biggest dream was entering the United States.

They spoke a lot about the Green Card Lottery, a program that makes available 50,000 visas every year for people living in countries with low rates of immigration to come to the United States, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

His Turkish college roommate Bilghan Evren, who now lives in New Jersey, encouraged Ahmed to apply for the lottery.

“Bilghan won the lottery when I was a junior in college,” Ahmed said. “When I became a senior, he helped me apply for the lottery. I never thought I was going to win it to come here.”

But he did win.

In 2010, Ahmed arrived in Colorado, where his older brother lives.

Working in St. Cloud
Ahmed, 28, has recently moved to St. Cloud to work with new refugees — mostly Somalis — who have had similar life experiences.

Between 1999 and 2007, more than 34,000 immigrants settled in Minnesota, which houses the largest Somali population in the United States. Census estimates range from 29,000 to 36,000, though many Somali community members believe the number is larger.

As a senior refugee specialist at the local Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Ahmed helps the new arrivals get on their feet: He assists them with housing and employment applications, facilitates orientations on American culture and helps refugee children enroll in schools that best suit them.

“The majority of the refugees are hard workers,” he said. “They want to get a good education and find jobs right away. They want to make it in this country, despite many obstacles blocking their way.”

Kim Dettmer, director of refugee services at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, described Ahmed as a man who enjoys using his time and energy for the betterment of others.

“He’s very dedicated to improving the lives of the refugees that he works with,” Dettmer said. “He’s very hardworking, thoughtful and levelheaded.”

Despite reports of alleged discrimination against Somalis in St. Cloud and cultural tensions in the area over the years, Ahmed said more and more new refugees are making St. Cloud home.

Lutheran Social Service has resettled hundreds of refugees directly into the St. Cloud community over the past four years, Dettmer said.

“St. Cloud continues to provide welcoming environment for refugees,” she said. “And refugees resettled in other states continue to move from those states to St. Cloud because of the great opportunities there.”

About 8,000 Somalis now live in the St. Cloud area, Ahmed estimated.

Ahmed expects to join other Somali-American students at St. Cloud State University to pursue a master’s degree in IT.

He hopes his story of survival and redemption will not only inspire those around him in St. Cloud, but also keep his younger siblings in Mogadishu hopeful and convinced they must never give up on dreaming.

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Ibrahim Hirsi is a University of Minnesota journalism school graduate who regularly writes Times profiles of interesting people in the St. Cloud area. To suggest a profile subject, send an email to hirsi004@umn.edu.

Ethiopia fastest growing among landlocked countries

• Written by  zeryhun kassa

Ethiopia is exemplary in achieving the fastest economic growth among 16 landlocked African countries. This came at the opening of a conference that brings together African landlocked countries.

“Almaty Action” is a strategic agreement that happened 10 years ago among world landlocked countries intending to resolve challenges these countries face.

Now landlocked countries from Africa gather in Addis Ababa to see how the agreement is translated into action over the years.

State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Ahmed Shide told the conference Ethiopia has achieved double digit economic growth over the last 9 years overcoming challenges by putting in place multimodal transport service and employing sea-ports of Djibouti and Sudan.

The conference recognizes the challenges the landlocked countries face like infrastructure development and poor integration of the economies which exasperate the situation of the already sea-port lacking nations. Due to such factors, trade volumes in these countries are 20% less than countries with sea-gate.

The conference is expected to identify current challenges the countries experience to find ways that can mitigate the problems and significantly increase their trade volume.