Ecoterra Press Release 224 – The Somalia Chronicle June – December 2009, no 36
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
March 14, 2010
ECOTERRA Intl.
SMCM
Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor
ECOTERRA INTERNATIONAL - UPDATES & STATEMENTS, REVIEW & CLEARING-HOUSE
2009-08-06 THU 13h50:08 UTC
Issue No. 224
A Voice from the Truth- & Justice-Seekers, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or elsewhere, and who neither benefit from global naval militarization, from the illegal fishing and dumping in Somali waters or the piracy of merchant vessels, nor from the booming insurance business or the exorbitant ransom-, risk-management- or security industry, while neither the protection of the sea, the development of fishing communities or the humanitarian assistance to abducted seafarers and their families is receiving the required adequate attention, care and funding.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell
EA ILLEGAL FISHING AND DUMPING HOTLINE: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed) - email: somalia[at]ecoterra.net
EA Seafarers Assistance Programme EMERGENCY HELPLINE : SMS to +254-738-497979 or sms/call +254-733-633-733
"The pirates must not be allowed to destroy our dream !"
Cpt. Florent Lemaçon - F/Y Tanit - killed by French commandos - 10. April 2009 / Ras Hafun
NON A LA GUERRE - YES FOR PEACE
(Inscription on the sail of F/Y TANIT - shot down on day one of the French assault)
"... obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears, and that any group of people who are degrading another group of people have to be fought against with whatever tools we have available to us. "
B. H. Obama - US-American President, who said also: The world has changed ! YES, WE CAN !
Clearing-House: Cut out the clutter - focus on facts !
(If you find this compilation too large or if you can't gasp the multitude and magnitude of important inter-related complex issues influencing the Horn of Africa - you better do not deal with Somalia or other man-made "conflict zones". We try to make it as condensed as possibly.)
Breaking:
Most Somali Coasts Piracy Free
With the departure of MV HANSA STAVANGER from the central Somali coast, there is no hi-jacked vessel kept at the coasts of Galmudug State in Central Somalia by today. Former Governor Dr. Maxamed Warsame (Cali Kimiko) had vowed to make the coast pirate-free and Somalia's Special Envoy for Anti-Piracy Ismail Haji Noor followed up on this.
Since the Al-Shabaab ruled southern part of Somalia - south of Mogadishu - is pirate-free since long, the relief of the Galmudug coast adds a large stretch of coastline to the area free of the piracy menace.
Though three ship are still held near Laskooray on the Gulf of Aden, these are officially not straight piracy cases, since the two Egyptian vessel were arrested for - meanwhile proven - illegal fishing and the Italian tugboat with two mysterious barges was arrested for alleged illegal dumping of toxic waste.
Somalia's pirate coast therefore stretches in the moment just south of the very tip of the Horn of Africa in Puntland on the Indian Ocean side from Garacad to Eyl.
Though this development is a very positive step in the right direction and was achieved mainly by Somali anti-piracy activities on the ground, despite the fact that the local governance didn't receive any outside help, it must be seen clear that mainly the weather was not favourable - during the last to month of strong south-west monsoon - for Somali pirates to go out in larger numbers in search of their prey. Also the presence of an international armada of warships, being in the area mainly for other reasons but also working against piracy, helped to avert some attacks.
ECOTERRA Intl., however cautions against too high hopes to rid Somalia of piracy, because firstly no true help has come forward - and this is a persistent picture since 1994. No assistance arrived for the Somali navy, to build up a strong coastguard or to the Somali Governance to establish the required institutional framework to counter piracy. Secondly, since the Somali population is sinking into an all-time low in terms of their livelihoods without any tangible help coming into the country, the criminal gangs of sea-shifta targeting merchant vessels will be again stronger at work in the days after the monsoon seizes to blow and the sea will be suitable for piracy attacks again, bvecause they can easily recruit followers from the destitute people. Thirdly the international armada of warships around the Horn of Africa still does absolutely nothing to curb illegal fishing by foreign vessels. Since the ships of these fish-poachers are heavily armed the EU NAVFOR, CTF 150/151 as well as NATO and other units sailing under UN mandate do actually also not follow up on their duties to stop vessels with illegal weapons on board. Only small Somali fishermen, who have to be armed against the foreign fish-poachers and sea-shifta are blown out of the water by the navies as was seen last in two incidences involving the Turkish Navy, who could not proof that the men in the Somali fishing vessel were attacking anybody.
MV HANSA STAVANGER, escorted by two German warships, will most likely only arrive during the night from Friday to Saturday in Mombasa / Kenya. The vessel is limping with a speed of only around 5 knots said the captain.
News from sea-jackings, abductions, newly attacked ships and vessels in distress
MV ARIANA, with twenty four Ukranian nationals on board, is slowly commandeered back south towards Hobyo. The captors of the sea-jacked vessel had tried to reach Eyl, but were blocked by an armed vessel. Conflicting reports speak of either a naval vessel or an armed other vessel forced them to return for unknown reasons. Ukrainian officials seem to be absolutely ignorant concerning the serious health conditions of some of the crew and have not responded to assistance offers. For most states and shipowners the seafarers certainly are the least considered parts in the hi-jack equations. This even was seen in cases like the German owned MV HANSA STAVANGER, where government agencies, an ignorant shipowner and the military all tested numerous strategies and thereby extended the suffering of the seafarers and endangered their lives unnecessarily.
German Politicians Criticize Ransom Payment to Somali Pirates
By DER SPIEGEL online
Politicians from Germany's governing parties have criticized the payment of a $2.75 million ransom to Somali pirates for the release of the container ship Hansa Stavanger. The ransom makes further hijackings more likely and puts German ships at greater risk, they say. German politicians from the ruling conservative and Social Democrat parties have criticized the payment this week of a $2.75 million ransom to free the German container ship Hansa Stavanger, which had been seized by Somali pirates in April.
They say giving in to the pirates has made the Indian Ocean even more dangerous for European ships.
Hans-Peter Uhl, the security policy spokesman for the conservative Christian Social Union, called for an end to "checkbook diplomacy with Somali pirates."
"Despite the relief at the release of the crew no one should be pleased that a $2.7 million ransom has been passed to dangerous criminals." The money would increase the temptation to seize more ships, he told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper, adding: "The danger to German cargo ships has become greater rather than smaller."
Uhl called for much tougher action against pirates including military action to free hijacked vessels.
Is the West Funding a Pirate Industry?
Thomas Oppermann, a member of parliament for the center-left Social Democrats, said the West was effectively funding a hijacking industry in Somalia.
The Hansa Stavanger with its 24 crew including five Germans is now sailing to the the Kenyan port of Mombasa under the escort of a German warship. The ship had been held in Harardhere, a notorious pirate stronghold on Somalia's coast.
Two attempts to free the ship by force were abandoned because the rescue was deemed too risky.
Frank Leonhardt, the manager of the shipping line Leonhardt und Blumberg which finally agreed to pay the ransom, defended the protracted negotiations which put the crew through a four-month ordeal in the hands of the pirates.
He said there were no reliable negotiating partners among the "unscrupulous criminals."
"Things agreed with them were worth nothing just a few hours later," Leonhardt said.
The crew has been examined by a doctor and is as healthy as can be expected after four months living in unhygienic conditions with a shortage of adequate food and water. The men will fly home once they have reached Mombassa, Kenya at the end of the week.
Pacific Island Hostages Freed (Fiji Times Online)
Wayne Suliana, the Fijian national among the 24-member crew, which also includes 11 Tuvaluans, of German container ship, Hansa Stavanger.
The crew of a German vessel that had been captured by Somali pirates in April, among which were a Fijian and 12 Tuvaluans, have been finally freed after a ransom was paid.
According to the report by Fiji Times Online, the family of Wayne Suliana, who, along with 24 other crew, were held hostage by Somali pirates after their ship was taken off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4, are overjoyed after hearing of the ship's release.
They have yet to hear from Mr. Suliana but were happy to hear of the ship and crew's release with his mother saying, "I have to see him first before I say anything else."
According to the report, AFP reported that pirates 'released the ship after payment of a ransom estimated to be in the region of $5.33million ($US2.7million)'.
The 20,000-tonne ship set off on its own steam off the coast of Somalia and is now on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, where it was expected to arrive tomorrow.
According to the report, 'German shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg late Monday confirmed the release of its container ship Hansa Stavanger and crew of 24 from the hands of Somali pirates'.
The company said the negotiations with the pirates were 'extremely difficult' and that his main priority was the safe return of the 24 crew members.
Negotiations concerning the release of the two illegally fishing vessels from Egypt FV MOMTAZ 1 and FV SAMARA AHMED have started again, involving a mediator. Meanwhile the families of the detained 40 Egyptian crew-members (6 of them are minors without papers) have engaged into a funds drive in three Egyptian provinces to pay the fine, since the owners of the ships had declared financially not to be able to meet the demands. The Egyptian government had forbidden that any Egytian vessel ventures into Somali waters and therefore did not see itself in the position to bail the two illegally fishing vessels out. Egyptian officials, however, are assisting now in solving the case in order to get the Egyptians free.
Local observers report that the Italian company owning the T/B BUCCANEER - held with her two barges of unknown content for alleged illegal dumping - has discussed now a deal with the captors, whereby those who will receive the payment shall not disclose any information concerning the vessel, the barges or the deal. While this seems ridiculous, it is hoped that the case can come to a swift conclusion, since the 16 European crew members suffer seriously.
With the latest captures and releases now still at least 12 foreign vessels (11 if M/S IO EXPLORER is truly "gone") with a total of not less than 168 crew members are accounted for (of which 42 are confirmed to be Filipinos) and are held in Somali waters. They are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed. MV JAIKUR 1 remains in Mogadishu harbor, but is an insurance and not a piracy case - all foreign crew was evacuated. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) had been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 151 attacks (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 47 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least three wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces. More than 116 Somalis are held in foreign prisons under charges of piracy.
Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail. In the last four years, 22 missing ships have been traced back with different names, flags and superstructures. Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season in winter and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon season starting from mid February and early April every year. Present multi-factorial risk assessment code: GoA: YELLOW IO: YELLOW (Red = Very much likely, high season; Orange = Reduced risk, but very likely, Yellow = significantly reduced risk, but still likely, Blue = possible, Green = unlikely). Allegedly still/again two groups from Puntland alone are out hunting on the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean, where also groups from Harardheere have set out again, despite the heavy seas and the rough weather.
Directly piracy or naval upsurge related reports
S. Korean Naval Forces Capture Pirates off Somalia
By Jung Sung-ki
South Korean naval forces deployed off the coast of Somalia rescued a Bahaman commercial ship from pirates Wednesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul said.
In the seventh operation of its kind, a group of 30 UDT/SEAL forces aboard rigid inflatable speedboats, backed by a Lynx attack helicopter, seized seven pirates trying to hijack the cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. They conducted the operation at the request of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a multinational naval task force to combat piracy in the Somalia littorals.
It was the first time that South Korean forces of the Cheonghae unit have captured pirates on a ship. Previous operations aimed at driving away suspected pirate boats from commercial ships used warning shots fired by the unit's Lynx helicopter.
The pirates were released after being given warnings, JCS officials said.
The South Korean unit, consisting of a 4,500-ton destroyer, began operations in Somali waters in April to escort the country's commercial vessels.
If required, the unit is also supposed to monitor, inspect, stop and seize pirates' vessels as part of the CTF 151, under the command of the Combined Forces Maritime Component Command based in Bahrain.
The task force is responsible for maritime security from the Red Sea down the east coast of Africa and into the Arabian Sea toward Pakistan and India.
Shippers fret over expected Somali piracy upsurge
By Jonathan Saul (Reuters)
Monsoon to end soon, shippers braced for attacks
Military guards on ships unlikely given tight resources
Pirates are likely to step up attacks on ships off Somalia's coast in coming months as the end of the monsoon season brings better weather, naval and shipping officials say.
Deploying military personnel on vulnerable vessels may be the best response to pirates, who have collected millions of dollars in ransom for cargo ships and crews hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes, maritime officials say.
"We have got to the point where everyone is just resigned to more attacks," a London-based shipbroker said. "It is getting tougher to find ship owners willing to travel there."
Poorer weather has led to less attacks recently. But the Combined Maritime Forces anti-piracy naval coalition said it expected an increase in incidents when the southwest monsoons end in the coming weeks.
Foreign navies deployed off Somalia since the turn of the year to prevent attacks have been stretched over the vast expanses of water, leaving vessels open to attack.
Frustration has led some shipping companies to deploy private security teams on board their vessels. But maritime organisations have urged shippers to leave any armed role to foreign navies.
Shipping bodies have sought instead to deploy military forces on vulnerable vessels with low freeboard -- the distance between a ship's railings and the water -- and low speed.
"The only thing that can be effective is to have military guards on board the ships," said Spyros M. Polemis, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
Polemis, whose association represents 75 percent of the global industry, said the job of the military teams would be to prevent pirates boarding vulnerable vessels.
"As we go further into the future and there are more and more hijackings, I think more governments are going to start thinking that maybe this is the right solution," he said.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates in the first half of 2009 soared to 148 from 25 in the same period a year ago, data from watchdog the International Maritime Bureau showed.
Marines
Insurance and shipping costs have risen as Somali pirates use sophisticated communication systems and better weaponry.
Polemis said France was willing to provide military personnel and Germany was thinking about it.
A French defence ministry spokesman said France began deploying marines in late June and early July on its tuna ships off the Seychelles under an agreement with Orthongel, an association of French frozen tuna producers.
The mandate was for the fishing season which lasts about three to four months.
"It's really a French initiative for the French ships," the spokesman said, adding there were no plans to widen the mandate to other private vessels.
A German defence ministry spokesman said deploying German troops on board merchant vessels "is not a sensible suggestion".
Kim Hall of the U.S. government-funded Center for Naval Analyses said it was unlikely to happen.
"I don't think it is the best use of taxpayer money, no matter who the taxpayer is to use military personnel for that mission," she said.
J. Peter Pham, an African security advisor to U.S. and European governments and private companies, said with global economic difficulties and tight defence budgets there were growing questions over using naval resources to tackle piracy.
"There is an increasing desire, perhaps not articulated publicly, of many navies wanting to pull out of this," he said.
"They are looking for a graceful way out of this open ended commitment," said Pham.
With no political solution in sight to Somali lawlessness, the shipping industry said it remained in the firing line.
"We have to have an effort which prevents hijackings altogether," Polemis said.
5th Fleet Focus: Order of Battle by Galrahn (status Sunday, August 2, 2009)
Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)
USS Chancellorsville (CG 62)
USS Decatur (DDG 73)
USS Howard (DDG 83)
USS Gridley (DDG 101)
USS Thach (FFG 43)
Bataan Amphibious Ready Group
USS Bataan (LHD 5)
USS Ponce (LPD 15)
USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43)
EU NAVFOR
SPS Numancia (F83) (Flagship)
SPS Marques de la Ensenada (A-11)
HS Nikiforos Fokas (F466)
FGS Rheinland-Pfalz (F 209)
FGS Brandenburg (F 215)
FGS Berlin (A 1411)
FS Nivose (F 732)
FS Aconit (F713)
ITS Maestrale (F570)
HMS Malmö (K12)
HMS Stockholm (K11)
HMS Trossö (A264)
Combined Task Force 150
PNS Tipu Sultan (F185)
HMS Cumberland (F85)
RFA Wave Knight (A389)
HMS Cumberland (F85)
FS Marne (A 630)
FS Commandant Bouan (F797)
HMAS Toowoomba (FFH 156)
HMS Al Dammal (816) (RSNF)
JS Akebono (DD 108)
JS Tokiwa (AOE 423)
NATO Allied Mission Protector
HMS Cornwall (F99)
HS Navarinon (F461)
ITS Libeccio (F572)
TCG Gediz (F-495)
USS Laboon (DDG 58)
Combined Task Force 151
USS Anzio (CG 68)
USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1)
PNS Badr (D184)
ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976)
TCG Gaziantep (F-490)
RSS Persistence (209)
In Theater Ocean 6
ITS San Giorgio (L9892)
KD Sri Inderapura (L1505)
INS Talvar (F40)
INS Brahmaputra (F31)
HMS Makkah (814) (RSNF)
HMS Al Dammal (816) (RSNF)
RBNS Sabha (FFG 90)
PLAN Shenzhen (DD 167)
PLAN Huangshan (FFG 570)
PLAN Weishanhu (A887)
USS James E Williams (DDG 95)
USS Bainbridge (DDG 96)
USS Scout (MCM 8)
USS Gladiator (MCM 11)
USS Ardent (MCM 12)
USS Dexterous (MCM 13)
USS Typhoon (PC 5)
USS Sirocco (PC 6)
USS Chinook (PC 9)
USS Firebolt (PC 10)
USS Whirlwind (PC 11)
USCGC Baranof (WPB 1318)
USCGC Maui (WPB 1304)
USCGC Adak (WPB 1333)
USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309)
USCGC Wrangell (WPB 1332)
USCGC Monomoy (WPB 1326)
HMS Kent (F78)
HMS Atherstone (M38)
HMS Chiddingfold (M37)
HMS Grimsby (M108)
HMS Pembroke (M107)
USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7)
USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193)
USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168)
RFA Diligence (A132)
RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009)
JS Sazanami (DD-113)
JS Samidare (DD 106)
Russia confirms submarine patrols near US
By Vladimir Isachenkov (AP)
A senior Russian military official said Wednesday that Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines spotted off the U.S. East Coast were on a legitimate training mission.
U.S. defense officials said Tuesday that two Russian submarines had been patrolling in international waters for several days. While the activity was reminiscent of the Cold War, the U.S. officials said the submarines had done nothing to provoke concern.
Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian military, said the patrols were part of efforts to give more training to the military forces.
"The Navy mustn't rest dockside," Nogovitsyn said at a news conference.
The submarine patrols coincided with angry words from Moscow about U.S. military assistance to Georgia a year after the Russian-Georgian war.
The August war drove U.S.-Russian relations to a post-Cold War low. President Barack Obama has sought to overcome the strain and improve ties. But U.S. officials said that they have not ruled out providing defensive weapon systems for Georgia despite warnings by Russia.
The U.S. is discussing a Georgian request for $16 million in military aid this year, with most of the money intended for training and technical assistance.
Grigory Karasin, a deputy Russian Foreign Minister, said Wednesday that Moscow was seriously concerned by the U.S. military assistance to Georgia.
"That worries us and forces us to take relevant steps," he said without elaboration.
Nogovitsyn said that U.S. submarines had also engaged in missions off Russia's coast, but wouldn't provide any details.
"It's a normal thing," Nogovitsyn said about submarine patrols.
During the Cold War times, U.S. and Soviet submarines routinely played cat-and-mouse near each other's shores, surveying the adversary's movements.
Nogovitsyn compared the Russian submarine deployment off the U.S. coast to regular patrol flights by Russian strategic bombers, saying both were necessary to improve crews skills.
The 1991 Soviet collapse forced the military to drastically cut training due to severe money crunch. But cash from the oil bonanza during Vladimir Putin's eight-year presidential tenure allowed the military to boost military spending and conduct more maneuvers.
Putin, now prime minister, has sought to showcase the Kremlin's global reach and reassert its claim to great-power status amid strained ties with the West. In 2007, he ordered the resumption of border patrols.
Putin's successor, President Dmitry Medvedev, also pledged to deploy Russian forces on regular maneuvers worldwide.
Last fall, a Russian Navy squadron sailed for Venezuela and held joint maneuvers with the Venezuelan navy in the first Russian deployment to the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War.
Russia recently also has deployed its navy ships to the Mediterranean and dispatched some to pirate-infested waters off Somalia, reflecting its determination to project power worldwide.
But analysts say that the Russian navy now is still only a shadow of what it was during Cold War times. It suffered a new humiliating blow last month, when the prospective Bulava missile intended to equip new Russian nuclear submarines again failed during a test launch — the seventh failure in its 11 test launches so far.
The French Government Launched A Major Drive To Boost Defence Exports To The Middle East
New report provides detailed analysis of the Defence market
President Nicolas Sarkozy announced in March 2009 that France would rejoin NATO´s unified military structure, more than 40 years after Charles de Gaulle walked out in protest at US domination. Following confirmation by the National Assembly, despite an angry debate, the reintegration was formally approved in early April at the NATO summit in Strasbourg, commemorating the alliance´s 60th anniversary.
At the April 2009 NATO Summit in Strasbourg, NATO nations also agreed to deploy extra troops to enhance security operations during the run up to Presidential election in Afghanistan in August. France declined to send any more troops but had already announced force enhancements to its 2,780 strong contingent. These include deploying additional unmanned aerial vehicles and Tiger attack helicopter during 2009.
France has taken an increasing role in operations to contain piracy off the coast of Somalia. It bases a strong naval contingent at Dijbouti which mounts regular patrols into the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft also support these operations. French naval vessels have taken part in EU and NATO operations off the coast of Somalia and provide logistic support for allied forces at its bases in Djiobouti. On April 29, President Sarkozy joined Spanish Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero in calling for an international conference to formulate a response to the crisis in Somalia.
On April 14, the French frigate Nivose captured a pirate mother ship and two raiding craft after responding to a distress call from a merchant vessel in the Indian Ocean.
During 2009 the French government launched a major drive to boost defence exports to the Middle East.
President Sarkozy made a high profile visit to Iraq and secured a EUR360mn order for 24 Eurocopter EC635 helicopters. This is the first French export to Iraq for almost 20 years. In May, Sarkozy was in the UAE to open the new French military base in the Emirates, which is seen as a key element in attempts to sell Rafale fighters to the UAE Air Force.
The fate of the Airbus A400M programme continues to be a major headache for Airbus and its parent EADS. The A400M prototype is still unable to fly and the company cannot give any firm indication when technical problems with the aircraft´s new engine will be resolved. Crucially, the company set a deadline to fly the aircraft by April 1 2009, potentially voiding the customer nations´ commitment to buying the aircraft. The nations are to meet again in July to decide what to do about the so far ill-fated programme.
EADSs has set aside more than EUR2bn to cover expected losses on the programme.
Major restructuring of the ownership of the other key players in the French defence and aerospace industry, Thales and Dassault, took place on May 20. This saw aircraft-maker Dassault acquire the Alcatel-Lucent 20.8% stake in defence electronics company Thales. In view of the purchase, veteran Thales chief executive and chairman, Denis Ranque, was eased out and replaced by former head of Nexter, Luc Vigneron. The move was orchestrated by the French government and offers a means to achieve greater consolidation of the country´s defence industry. The collapse of the civil executive jet market has severely affected Dassault and further consolidations can be expected.
Ecosystems, marine environment, IUU fishing and dumping, ecology
Two illegal fishing vessels near Hobyo on the Indian Ocean Coast of Somalia opened fire against local fishermen, who approached them. Somalia's Anti-Piracy Envoy informed EU NAVFOR and asked for help, but was only told that allegedly no warship of any of the participating nations would bee nearby - an answer which is hard to believe.
Desperate water shortage in Somaliland
The self-declared republic of Somaliland has been gripped by a drought that has left thousands of families and their livestock in desperate need of water, officials say.
"The first thing people ask you is for water, because both the people and their animals [are] seriously weak and cannot reach water wells in the remote areas," Said Ahmed Du'alle Bullale, MP for Saraar region, told IRIN on 2 August.
The parliamentarian, who recently visited Saraar, Sool and Sanag regions, said many water wells had dried up. Those that still had water served very large populations.
"About 100,000 [people] from Togdheer, Sool and Sanaag regions were displaced by the recent drought and no one is supporting [them]," he added.
The worst-affected areas included the main Saraar plains between Sanaag and Togdheer and Ba'ade, between Sool and Sanaag.
"Most people have moved to places where some Gu' [long] rains were received, such as the mountains of Sanaag near Erigavo and the southeast district of Togdheer," the MP said.
The mayor of Ainabo town, Khalif Ismail Saleban, said about 35,000 pastoralist families had moved from other regions in search of pasture for their livestock to areas between Qori-lugud and Buhootle, where some long rains had fallen.
This had increased the number of displaced people in the town, which is the capital of Saraar region. "We have more than 400 families who lost their animals in the drought," he told IRIN.
A local chief in Ainabo, Ibrahim Isse Hassan, said the drought had also cut the market value of livestock. The highest price for sheep, for example, was down to US$38 from $42 a few weeks ago, yet the price of rice was still $36.
On 22 June, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) warned that the drought in Somalia's central region had extended north into the key pastoral areas of the Sool plateau, Nugal valley, and Hawd livelihood zones.
The situation threatened more than 700,000 pastoralists and a significant number of urban households, whose income and food sources are strongly linked to livestock marketing and trade.
"Emergency assistance is required in order to prevent severe deterioration in food security," FEWS Net said. The situation had resulted from cumulative effects of four consecutive seasons of below-normal rainfall, it noted, adding that pasture and grazing conditions had deteriorated to an alarming degree.
Anti-piracy measures
Russian warships escort freighter convoy in Gulf of Aden
By Vitaliy Ankov for RIA Novosti
A Russian Pacific Fleet task force escorted a convoy of commercial ships through a secure shipping lane in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, a Navy spokesman said.
The new task force arrived in the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy off the Somali coast last Thursday.
"The Liberian-flagged tanker NS Commander and the Gibraltar-flagged transport vessel ÂÂÑ Sweden were escorted under the protection of Russian warships," the spokesman said.
The task force - comprising the Admiral Tributs destroyer with two helicopters, a salvage tug, a tanker, and a naval infantry unit - escorts commercial ships, conducts aerial reconnaissance, and searches suspected pirate vessels.
The Admiral Tributs is an Udaloy-class missile destroyer armed with anti-ship missiles, 30-mm and 100-mm guns, and Ka-27 Helix helicopters.
Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed off Somalia's coast to counter frequent pirate attacks on key trade routes.
The Russian Navy joined international anti-piracy efforts off Somali coast in October 2008.
Three Russian warships have so far participated in the mission - the Baltic Fleet's Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate, and the Pacific Fleet's Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Panteleyev destroyers.
No real peace in sight yet
Puntland Information Minister and Police Commissioner dead.
Unidentified gunmen have shot dead the information minister of the semi-autonomous administration of Puntland in Galka'yo town in Mudug region, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Wednesday.
Reliable sources in Galka'yo town told Shabelle radio that Warsame Abdi Shirwa'a (aka Sefta Bananka) from the Baciidyahan of the Majerteen clan the information minister of Puntland was killed by six unknown armed group in the town as he came out of a restaurant in the town in central Somalia.
Eyewitness on the scene told Horseed Media, that Mr.Shirwa was shot in his car by four armed men in military uniform.
"….two armed men shot him several times….while two others gunmen blocked the road,…the minister was in his car, near the former Darvish base in central Galkaio …" said, one of the eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, because of security reasons.
Reports said that there were no security guards with the deceased minister by the time he was assassinated in the town.
It is the first such assassination of a Puntland minister, since the establishment of Puntland State of Somalia, in 1998.
Security forces of Puntland have meanwhile reached the area where the killing happened and started a search operation.
There is no official comment about the death of information minister from the administration of Puntland so far and there is no group who claimed the responsibility of his murder. "The minister died on the spot and we are investigating the matter," said the senior government official who asked not to be named.
Local reports, however, speak of a revenge from the Lekasse clan, who lost three of their people in an attack on the sea-jacked sailing yacht S/Y TANIT earlier this year. Warsame Abdi Shirwa'a was seen as having been cooperating with the French in Puntland.
Mr.Warsame Shirwac, was part of the delegation of Ministers, MPs and security officials elected from the region, who were on a mission to restore and strengthen, the provincial and district administrations in Mudug region, which is plagued by corruption and insecurity. The government officials were also trying to end the tribal conflict in the region.
On 25th of July, one person was killed at a checkpoint north of Galkayo, when armed men from the late minister´s clan, opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying, the regional officials led by Abdinur Mohamed Gesey, the governor of Mudug region.
The police chief of Somalia's breakaway region of Puntland killed himself at his home in the region's capital Growe, police and officials said on Thursday.
Muse Ahmed Salah shot himself after returning from work on Wednesday. His relatives said he had been unwell.
"He had several bodyguards with him when he died and they told us that he shot himself inside his living room moments after returning from work," police commander Mohamed Abdulahi told AFP.
"He looked normal in the morning and we are still puzzled by his sudden death," he added.
Puntland's Attorney General Mohamoud Hasan Osman said that his relatives reported that the police chief "had not been well in the past days".
Jama, in his late 50s, lived in Britain before being appointed by the region's president Abdurahman Mohamed Farole after taking power in January.
The Puntland Prosecutor General Mohamud Hassan Aw Osman sent messages of condolences to the families and relatives of the late Commander of Puntland Police, Muuse Ahmed Salah.
The Prosecutor General is a member of a committee tasked with launching an inquiry into the death of the late commander of Puntland forces Muuse Ahmed Salah had shot himself in the head in his house in Garowe, the Prosecutor General told media in a press conference held in Garowe.
Meanwhile a car of a security detail with bodyguards of President Farole overturned in Galkayo today, killing two personnel instantly.
Press Release on Puntland Information Minister Killing
Today, Wednesday, August 5, 2009, at 12:30pm the Puntland Minister for Information, Telecommunication, Tradition and Culture, Mr. Warsame Abdi Shirwa, was shot in an organized killing in Galkayo, the provincial capital of Mudug.
May Allah have mercy on his soul, the Minister was part of a large delegation representing Puntland government branches who have been in Mudug Region for one month on issues relating to the region's security. As is well known, Mudug Region shares a border with the Central Regions in Somalia and Somali Regional State in Ethiopia and Galkayo has seen organized killings in the past targeting society's worthy individuals including traditional elders, intellectuals, businesspeople and government officials.
The Puntland Council of Ministers held an emergency meeting this afternoon and recognized the killing as politically motivated, despite whoever was used to committ the crime, and the intention was to hurt the security, stability and reputation of Puntland. An investigation is underway to arrest whoever was behind this brutal killing and to bring them to justice.
The Council of Ministers sends condolences to the family, relatives and generally the people of Somalia and particularly the people of Puntland, who lost a Minister. We pray to Allah that He admit him to Janatul Firdowsa. May Allah give the rest of us patience and faith. Amin. Amin. Amin.
Somalia's president says meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presents a "golden chance" for his war torn country.
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed says the meeting this week is a signal that world governments are serious about supporting Somalia.
Ahmed spoke to journalists before leaving the Somali capital for Kenya, where he met with Clinton.
U.S. officials say Clinton offers U.S.-American support, possibly in the form of weapons or military training, during their meeting.
Ahmed's embattled government is fighting Islamist extremists accused of links with al-Qaida who threaten to destabilize the Horn of Africa.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged strong support for Somalia's fragile government Thursday and said that Eritrean interference in the Horn of Africa nation was "unacceptable."
"It is fair to say that President Obama and I want to expand and extend our support for the transitional federal government," Clinton said at a joint news conference with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
She said Eritrea should stop meddling in Somali affairs, according to Reuters.
"We are making it very clear that their actions are unacceptable. We intend to take action if they do not cease," she said of Asmara.
Kenya calls world to honor pledges to Somalia
By Daniel Ooko (Xinhua)
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Thursday reaffirmed Kenya 's commitment to helping the peace process in Somalia and in support of the regional resolutions on the transitional government to stabilize the war-torn country.
Speaking during a meeting with visiting Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Kenyan leader also challenged the international community to come to the Horn of Africa nation's aid.
A statement from the presidency issued after the meeting said Kibaki encouraged the Somali leadership to reach out to all groups for the sake of the Somali people.
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)'s extra-ordinary summit held in June and the African Union (AU) summit recently resolved to deal firmly with anybody interfering with the peace process in Somalia in support of the internationally recognized transitional government.
"President Kibaki urged the international community to support the legitimate interim government of Somalia by fulfilling the 213million-U.S. dollar pledges made at the donors conference on Somalia," the statement said.
He, however, challenged the Somali leadership to take advantage of the overwhelming supports from the international community to focus on the country's constitution review, the enactment of the political parties' bill and conducting a national census before the expiry of the government's extended period.
Kibaki assured that Kenya would continue to facilitate medical treatment for peacekeeping solders injured in the line of duty. He expressed concerns over the environment degradation at the Daadab refugee camp caused by congestion and over-stressing of available facilities.
"Following the renewed fighting in Somalia, there has been an upsurge in the number of Somalis crossing over to Kenya," the president said.
Kenya is the host to 300,000 refugees at the Daadab camp under the care of the office of United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
The Somali president who is in the country to meet visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, briefed Kibaki on the progress made to stabilize the government and state of Somalia.
President Ahmed thanked the Kenyan government for continued support to the restoration of lasting peace in his country.
The Somali leader appreciated the generosity of the Kenyan government in hosting Somali refugees of which the number he said was increasing at the rate of 10,000 per month.
Embassy in Kenya Refuses for Deputy Speaker to Welcome President Sharif
Officials of the Somali embassy in Kenya has refused for the deputy speaker of the transitional parliament to welcome the TFG president Sharif Sheik Ahmed who reached there on Wednesday afternoon, the official told Shabelle radio on Thursday.
Professor Mohamed Omar Dalha, the deputy speaker of the transitional legislators said in an interview with Shabelle radio that Somali embassy in Kenya had thwarted him to lead the welcoming delegation of the transitional president Sharif Sheik Ahmed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
The professor said that he was the highest official of the TFG in Kenya saying that the law of the government states the deputy speaker has the right to lead the delegation welcoming the president pointing out that it was unfortunate.
"The Somali embassy officials refused me to follow the vehicles of the embassy to welcome the president when they were heading to the airport in Kenya where the president's plane landed then I took a private taxi instead of that missed," Professor Dalha said.
The deputy speaker of the transitional parliament professor Mohamed Omar Dalha said that he did not yet understand why the Somali embassy officials did such decision adding that also security guards rejected him to enter the hotel of the president Sharif Sheik Ahmed in Nairobi.
The statement of the speaker Professor Mohamed Omar Dalha comes as the TFG president Sharif Sheik Ahmed reached Nairobi to have talks with the US secretary state Hilary Clinton in Kenyan.
Explosions in Parts of Beledweyn Town
At least one civilian has been injured in Beledweyn town in Hiran region after an unidentified group targeted explosives to a government military bases in the town, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Wednesday.
Reports from the town say that the first hit was targeted to a government military base in Lik-Likato Bridge neighbourhood while the other one occurred at Suq Holaha neighbourhood in the town as the troops were patrolling through the town. One civilian who was accidentally in the area got injured where the second blast happened.
The TFG government spokesman in Beledweyn town told reporters that they modified the curfew that they had imposed on the town earlier and changed its time saying that the new curfew will now start at 8:00 local time in the evening.
Meeting ends in Washington for former Somali military officers.
A five day meeting has ended in Washington for former Somali military officers, which was focusing on how can the Somali security forces be rebuilt again, the defence minister said on Thursday.
Somali defence Minister Mohamed Abdi Gandi said former military officers gave advice about the rebuilding of Somali security forces to defend the sovereignty of the Somali people and the government.
"The meeting has been held in Washington for five days and the most experienced of former Somali military officials and other military experts attended the meeting. The officials discussed about several topics and a committee was formed which will give advise concerning piracy problems and the extremists fighting against the government," said Mohamed Abdi Gandi, who hold a French passport.
Somali ministry of defence organized the meeting and was it convened by the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).
Critics had stated earlier that the meeting is just one in a row, where people from the diaspora are mopped up to assist the mingling of the United Nations appointed envoy in Somali affairs.
Impacting reports from the global village
Four Teens captured near Kenyan-Somali border extradited to Holland
Belgium Wednesday sent three Dutchmen and a Moroccan, accused of trying to join Islamist rebels in Somalia, back to the Netherlands, the public prosector's office said.
The four suspects, all aged 21, will be heard by a judge in the city of Rotterdam Friday after questioning by police, spokeswoman Marieke van der Molen told AFP.
The three Dutch nationals and the Moroccan man, who has Dutch residency status, were arrested at Brussels airport Thursday after being thrown out of Kenya.
Kenyan police arrested them on July 24 close to the Somalian border allegedly "on their way to a jihadist training camp in Somalia," Dutch prosecutors said.
Dutch media have reported the four were suspected of having aided Somalia's Shebab Islamist militant group.
The Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab in Somalia have admitted to receiving backing from foreign fighters in their bid to topple President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
Over 40 Somali refugees arrive in Yemen
About 47 Somali refugees have arrived in coasts of Thubab district in Taiz province, including 15 women, Yemen's Interior Ministry has reported.
Security Authorities gathered the Somali refugees and sent them to the main camp for Somalis refugees in Kharaz, Lahj province.
Nearly 300 Somalis have arrived in throughout the Yemeni coasts since the beginning of August.
Security authorities estimate that over 2500 – 3000 Somalis have arrived in Yemen in July as a result of the deteriorating security situation in Somali.
The strong fighting between Islamic militias and government forces in Mogadishu makes thousands of Somalis ready to risk their lives on a rickety boat to be smuggled into Yemen.
The spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ron Redmond has said the harrowing Gulf of Aden crossing was the last recourse for many of the 232,000 people who have fled the fighting.
About 12,000 have crammed into temporary shelter in Bosaaso, in northern Somalia, waiting their turn to be smuggled to Yemen when sea conditions are calmer in September, Redmond said, while warning that many of those who attempt the journey do not make it alive.
UNHCR figures showed that nearly 300 would-be migrants have died or gone missing so far this year after being forced overboard far from shore and more than 1,000 drowned attempting the voyage in 2008.
Yemen, a gateway for the Somalis to the Middle East, recognizes all Somalis as refugees on a "prima facie basis," meaning they are automatically granted the right to stay. But many of those who cross the Gulf of Aden move on to Yemen's neighbors Saudi Arabia and Oman in pursuit of jobs.
The escalating numbers of refugees place increasing strain on Yemen's limited resources and poses more challenges to the government's efforts to balance its obligations under international law with the need to protect the country from illegal entry, the UN official said.
Stranded Canadian will see a physician
By Torstar News Service
Treatment
The treatment will be paid for by humanitarian agency Ecoterra International, which is helping the stranded Canadian.
The Toronto woman going to extremes to prove her identity to Canadian officials in Africa is seeking psychological help.
Suaad Hagi Mohamud, 31, was detained at the airport in Kenya´s capital of Nairobi on May 21 while attempting to board a flight to Toronto.
She was held for not looking like her four-year-old passport photo and spent eight days in jail.
Mohamud will see a doctor today in Nairobi to treat stress arising from, among other things, being jailed with killers at Langata Women´s Prison.
"The situation is better," Mohamud said of her living conditions after Toronto lawyer Raoul Boulakia paid to transfer her from a dangerous slum hotel to a more secure location in a safer area.
"But I won´t be okay until I get back home and just be with my son."
Meanwhile, Mohamud anxiously awaits the results of a DNA test to prove her identity. All DNA material needed for the test was scheduled to arrive yesterday at the labs of the Vancouver-based company Orchid Cellmark.
Trapped in Nairobi, woman's life crumbles by Raveena Aulakh for Toronto Star
For the longest time, Suaad Hagi Mohamud didn't dream. As a single mother in a new country, she had her hands more than full.
When she learned English and got a steady job, she started thinking about the future. She wanted a two-bedroom condo in a nice neighbourhood, some money in the bank for her son's college and maybe – just maybe – a small car.
Three months ago, just as she was starting to dream, she went to Nairobi to see her mother.
She is still there and her life here in Toronto is quickly falling apart.
Her rent has not been paid in three months, her credit card bills are accumulating interest, her phone, Internet and cable connections have been cut off. She hasn't earned a penny in three months and she is worried she may not have a job when she returns.
"I know my employers like me and I think my job will still be there when I return but I am still worried," said Mohamud from her Nairobi hotel. "Everything I've worked for seems to be disappearing."
The 31-year-old's life came to a standstill on May 21 at the Nairobi airport, where she intended to take a flight back to Toronto. She was detained for not looking like her four-year-old passport photo and spent eight days in jail.
Mohamud, her son and her ex-husband's DNA samples were taken last week and results are expected some time early next week.
Meanwhile, she is watching her life crumble.
Mohamud lies awake late at night wondering if she will ever be able to pick up the pieces. "I was hoping to move to a better neighbourhood soon," she said. She lives in a low-rise with her son, 12-year-old Mohamed Abscir, near the Lawrence Square Mall in North York. Their two-bedroom apartment on the second floor costs $541 a month.
Right now, she's broke. The money she brought from Canada went to a Nairobi lawyer and other expenses related to her case.
Her Toronto lawyer, Raoul Boulakia, sent her some money so she could move to a safer hotel with Internet service. "She has a huge financial problem," he said. "She will have a lot of catching up to do."
ATS courier company is holding Mohamud's job as an overnight mid-level supervisor at its Toronto sorting plant. "She is welcome back at work; we're looking forward to having her back," vice-president Bob Brogan said last week.
N.B.: ECOTERRA Intl. has continuously informed the Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr. Ross Hynes, but so far has received no co-operation, despite the fact that in Kenya even cases occur where people like the Papua citizen Edman Scott disappeared for six years into a remand prison without trial for allegedly being in Kenya illegally with a forged Australian passport, though he was innocent and had to be repatriated with a ticket paid for by the Kenyans after a human rights group found out and a local newspaper protested.
Mrs. Suad Haji Mohamud also protested continuously against the way the Canadian officials write her name and stated that this might be part of their confusion. Her name is correctly written as Suad Haji Mohamud and not Suaad Hagi Mohamud as the Canadians insist to type it into her documents.
On the 37th floor of the UN building was UN envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, who asked Inner City Press, perhaps as a joke, who had invited it so high. Inner City Press was told that his presence on the Peacekeeping floor on Tuesday was only because they have a big conference room, that the briefing was humanitarian and included John Holmes, who has yet to speak on Sri Lanka's backtracking on commitments to release its detainees or its self-exoneration in the murder of 17 aid workers from Action Contre la Faim. In an attempt to get something at least on the record, Inner City Press at the subsequent noon briefing ask if Ould Abdallah will have a media availability. He has been in New York for some days, the official answered -- Inner City Press saw him in the increasingly empty UN cafeteria on Monday -- and he will be asked to speak to the Press. "We'll be here", InnerCityPress stated, but so far little information on the activities of wheeler-dealer Ould Abdallah has transpired and also no comment on the budget cut for AMISOM.
A man charged over an alleged terrorist plot to attack a Sydney army base has made an outburst in court.
Wissam Fattal, 33, was one of four men to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.
Fattal was charged last night with preparing to carry out a terrorist act, and was already in custody on other matters.
He is one of five men, mostly from Melbourne's northern suburbs, held in custody in overnight and questioned about an alleged plot to launch a suicide mission on the Holsworthy Army barracks.
Yacqub Khayre, 22, is also charged with preparing for a terrorist act, while Saney Aweys, 26, and Abdirahman Ahmed, 25, are charged with aiding and abetting a man to engage in hostile acts overseas, namely the civil war in Somalia.
A fifth man charged, Nayef El Sayed, 25, appeared in court yesterday.
Fattal refused to stand to acknowledge Magistrate Peter Reardon in court today.
His lawyer said this meant no disrespect as it was a practice among some Muslims.
But Magistrate Reardon did not accept that, saying it showed a lack of respect for the court.
As he was led from court, Fattal told Magistrate Reardon, "You send troops to Iraq to kill innocent people."
"You call me a terrorist. I never killed a person in my life.
"Your army kills innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Israel takes Palestinian land by force."
All of the men have been remanded in custody to face court in October.
Outside the court, Khayre's uncle, Issak Ahmed, said his nephew was just a young boy who was studying at university.
Mr Ahmed said he was surprised and concerned by the charge.
He added that it was a difficult time for members of his community.
Leak investigated
Meanwhile, the AFP and Victoria Police are working to determine if officers from either agency leaked details of yesterday's terrorism raids to The Australian newspaper.
The Australian maintains the paper was not available until the raids started, about 4am AEST.
But Victoria's Police Chief Commissioner, Simon Overland, says police officers bought copies of the paper at 1:30am yesterday.
He says the leak threatened the safety of officers and the public.
"We've had truck drivers involved and it's been distributed at various locations around the city," he said.
"I don't know who's involved in printing the paper. I don't know who's involved in distributing the paper. I don't know who had access to that information from about 1:30am yesterday morning."
Australian Muslims Condemn Terror Plot (Islam Online)
Australian Muslims vehemently condemned an alleged plot to attack army barracks as contrary to the very essence of Islam, while voicing concerns that knee-jerk reactions would victimize many innocent Muslims.
"I condemn these acts in the strongest of terms on behalf of the members of the Somali community in Queensland," Hussein Ahmed, the United Somali Association President, told The Courier on Wednesday, August 5.
Police have charged four Australians of Somali and Lebanese backgrounds of plotting a shooting attack against Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks, home to thousands of troops including a major anti-extremism unit.
They said the terror operation was in its final stages and the men were ready to storm the barracks with automatic weapons.
In Meadow Heights, a northern suburb in Melbourne where one of the defendants lived, Muslims were abhorred by the idea of any attack on their homeland.
"A Muslim cannot be a terrorist; a terrorist cannot be a Muslim," stressed Tahir Solak, a spokesman at a nearby mosque.
Antione Ghanem, a spokesman for the World Lebanese Cultural Union Queensland, agrees.
"The Lebanese community is concerned about the security of this country just like everybody else."
Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.5 percent of its 20-million population.
"It's not really surprising that this kind of situation has occurred," Clive Williams, a security expert with the Australian National University, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"The people who engage in these sorts of activities are usually opposed almost invariably to our foreign policies."
Australia, which had deployed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, has not been hit by terror attacks since a 1978 bombing outside a Sydney hotel killed three people.
But it has lost lives in attacks abroad, including 92 on Indonesia's resort island of Bali in 2002 and 2005 and three in last month's Jakarta hotel blasts.
Marginalizing
Muslims cautioned against knee-jerk reactions to the plot in ways that could victimize many innocent Muslims.
"I'm appealing to mainstream Australians to be tolerant and understanding that this is just a small group who are not representative in any way, shape or form of the Somali community," said Ahmed, who has lived in Australia for 18 years.
He noted that between 2500 and 3000 Somalis had settled in Queensland, and none has been accused before of harboring extreme views.
The activist asserted that the Somali community is already seen tarred with the broad brush of terrorism.
Muhubo Ayten, who fled Somalia in 2002, shares the same concerns.
"As a mother I am very much concerned for my teenagers and the rest of my family that we will be insulted, abused or attacked simply because of the wrong ideology of individuals."
Ahmed, the Somali community leader, warns that this could help marginalize the predominantly law-abiding community and push them towards extremism.
"We need to guard against allowing young people to be marginalized," he asserted.
"These people will say to them this has happened to you because of your social status, because you're Muslim, because you are black, because you are unwanted." In post 9/11 Australia, Muslims have been haunted with suspicion and have had their patriotism questioned.
A recent governmental report revealed that Muslims are facing deep-seated Islamophobia and race-based treatment like never before.
Australian Somalis have been denied entry to the US as recently as May and at least three flew to their war-torn homeland to fight in late 2006, American activists claim.
Minneapolis Somali Justice Advocacy Centre director Omar Jamal said two Australian Somalis had tried to enter the US to attend a fundraising conference three months ago.
"They were from Australia and they were denied entry to the US," he said.
Also, one Somali killed in 2006 during a clash between al-Shabaab jihadists and Somali government forces was found with an Australian passport, Mr Jamal said.
US members of the al-Shabaab extremist group, which is linked to al-Qaida, have been travelling to Australia for the past six years, one US Somali leader said.
Somali American Abdirizak Bihi fears Australians, like his nephew Burhan Hassan, 17, have fled their homes and joined al-Shabaab in Somalia.
"We have been hearing of people who were fighting and died in the Islamist war as far back as 2006 who flew in from Melbourne that died in this war," Mr Bihi said.
"We know Somali Australians were flying in."
Mr Bihi said the American Somali community, which stayed informed through word of mouth, knew the Australian youths' relatives in Melbourne and Sydney.
In America, youths are indoctrinated at local mosques by radicals who raise money at religious conventions.
His nephew is among 20 thought to have been enlisted to wage jihad in Somalia.
Confederation of the Somali Community president Saeed Fahia said relatives of the missing youths were baffled by how they come up with the money to fly to Somalia.
"It didn't come from their families. Most of the families were shocked," he said.
"We're talking about a small group of Somalis going back and nobody really knows who influenced them."
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Al-Zawahiri threatens the United States, Israel and France: ISRIA Special Report
In a 90-minute question-and-answer video released to Islamist forums on Monday, al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri extended a truce offer from the terrorist group to President Obama if the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan. However, "the 'mujahedeen' opened the doors to start a new relationship, but (the Americans) insist that their relationships with the Muslim world must be based on hurting us and oppressing us," he warned.
The Message
Obama equals Bush
"Obama can come with all the eloquent words he has, but it is nothing but illusions," Al-Zawahiri said. "What new did Obama bring us?" he asked. "He brought us the bombing of Gaza where 1,000 martyrs died. He brought us the destruction in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. What else? He expanded the American prisons so they can absorb more innocent Muslims," he said in the video titled 'The Realities of Jihad and the Fallacies of Hypocrisy.'
"After seven and a half years, their (the American) campaign failed in Iraq and in Afghanistan just like it failed in Somalia and will fail in Pakistan," (...) Obama is like a wolf whose fangs tear your flesh and whose paws slit your face and then he calls on you to talk about peace," Al-Zawahiri said.
"The only reason the American administration changed its policy from Bush's motto that you are either with them or against them to Obama's saying that he wants to deal with the Islamic world based on a new policy (is) because of the heavy losses that they suffered from by the hands of the 'mujahedeen'," he said.
"Obama wants a Palestinian state that works as a branch for the Israeli
government," he said. But "Israel is a crime that needs to be wiped out," he said as he drew parallels between Bush's and Obama's policies. "The promises of the two states and ending the settlements were made by Bush, so what's new? This is the continuation of the same Zionist crusader crime against Muslims since the end of World War II," he charged.
U.S. to seize Pakistani nukes
Also, he has urged Pakistanis to rise up against US forces, which he said had occupied their country. Americans are striving to "break up this nuclear-capable country and transform it into tiny fragments, loyal to and dependent on the neo-crusaders", he said. "The only hope to save Pakistan from this disastrous fate is jihad," They "are are today occupying Afghanistan and Pakistan, so it is the duty of every Muslim in Pakistan to rise up to fight them," he said in the eight-minute, 49-second recording. "[If] we stand by passively without offering due support to the mujahidin, we shall not only contribute to the destruction of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but we shall also deserve the painful punishment of almighty Allah."
Israel is a crime that must disappear
Zawahiri also emphasized the jihad against the Jewish State. "There is no liberation of Palestine but by way of jihad," al-Zawahiri said. "I already told the Palestinians in the past that this is the only proper way and that Israel has many vulnerable interests, making it easy to hit." Israel is a "crime that must disappear" and "Palestine belongs to the Muslims" he said. "If the Muslim nation wants to liberate Palestine, then they must assist the mujahideen in Iraq, for only then can they help the mujahideen in Palestine."
France is a priority target
Al-Zawahiri harshly criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy who said last June that the head-to-toe burqa is a sign of women's "subservience" that was "not welcome" in France. "France claims to be secular while its heart flows with hate towards Islam," Zawahiri said. He added that France always backed Jewish efforts to take control of Palestine and that France is going to pay for all her crimes.
Al Qaeda calls for regimes' change
"There is no chance for change in Egypt except through Islam. And the regime can only be replaced by force. This is so for all Arab states - only by force and revolution."
Our Analysis
This sixth interview of Ayman Al-Zawahiri has been released as it is being said that Al Qaeda is losing ground in Pakistan and has almost disappeared from Iraq where the three military forces involved (Iraq, Iran and the United States) pose great difficulties to a durable presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq although the interests of Iran and the United States contradict as well. First purpose of this interview was for Al Qaeda to tell everyone it is still active and still has the "freedom" and the "capability" to draw world's attention with video messages that contain direct instructions for "Jihad" and list countries as targets.
The analysts identified three main countries which seem to have been designated as "priority targets" for Al Qaeda: the United States, Israel and France. These three countries have been repeatedly threatened in the past. If secularism is to justify the threat of Al Qaeda against France, it is France's engagement in Afghanistan and Somalia, its growing military presence in the Middle East with its new military base in Abu Dhabi, its fight against piracy and its interests in North Africa which makes it a prime target. Against the "model" of Al Qaeda, France offers a model of a developed country where, somehow, secularism does not deny religious freedom. "France, even more than the United States, is hated by radical militants since the people who live there are mostly happy and without religion being a central element of the political system and / or social development. In fact, religion stays at home and in the end, it works rather well even though the relation between state and religion is still very debated," an analyst said. "The terrorist threat is real, it is the same everywhere in Europe but these militants might prefer to strike France for all these reasons."
Concerning the United States, Al Qaeda made no change to its speech except that it directly attacks Barack Obama. Again, it's the annoyance that seems to prevail rather than the continuation of a rational strategy. Obama embodies the hope for a majority of the world's population and his speech in Cairo echoed strongly and rather positively in the Islamic population. The new administration seems to be much more demanding towards Israel and its repeated demands to freeze settlement gave credit to the willingness of Obama to force peace and oblige each party to fulfill their obligations. Even cautious and suspicious, the Palestinian population is not impervious to it. If speeches are not enough to stabilize the Middle East, the Obama administration succeeds in monopolizing the media at the expense of the strategy of Al Qaeda. By demonizing Obama, Al Qaeda is increasing the latter's presence in the media and blurs its own message which gets more and more confusing.
Regarding Israel, recent intelligence has increased fear of terrorist acts in Israel or against Israeli citizens abroad. The military authorities have increased their surveillance of the border accross Lebanon and said they expect new provocations on behalf of Hezbollah and Hamas. The rapprochement of Syria with the United States does not favor the interests of Al Qaeda in the region.
Note that before fighting in Palestine, Al Qaeda says priority is fighting in Iraq.
Concerning Pakistan and Afghanistan, Al Qaeda is still powerful and resilient. The sophistication of recent attacks against NATO troops and the offensive capability deployed in the Swat valley have shown that both the Taliban and Al Qaeda have made a "qualitative leap" in their operations, guerrilla as (para-)military. The Pakistani political life is still very hectic and the fragile stability of the country is dependent on the influence of the military. Concerns over the security of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal is real even if seizing a single nuke would be a huge achievement on behalf of the terrorists. But our analysts point out that since 9/11 has been possible then it would be pretentious to believe that such a possibility is science-fiction. By explaining that the United States wants to seize the nuclear arsenal, al-Zawahiri is trying to move the Pakistani people and to influence those who prefer the Pakistani weapon in the hands of Muslim brothers rather than in those of Western infidels. An attempt that analysts deem futile although it is psychological tactic that may be more realistic than the dogmatic refusal of a contingency which is the absolute nightmare of counterterrorism.
U.S. views possible war on terror changes (UPI)
The United States is considering a possible change in its battle against terrorism that goes beyond bombs and bullets, a senior adviser to the president says.
The government needs to replace the "war on terror" with a policy that includes "a more sustained use of economic, diplomatic and cultural levers to diminish Islamist radicalization," John Brennan, senior counterterrorism adviser, told the Washington Post.
U.S. officials are seeking to attack factors that breed terrorism while promoting political participation and economic development, Brennan said. This is in addition to "unrelenting" pressure on terrorist havens such as those near the Afghan-Pakistani border, in Yemen and in Somalia, he said.
Brennan was to address the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the proposed new tone toward terrorism Thursday.
Paying Attention to the Grassroots by Scott Stewart and Fred Burton (stratfor)
Seven men accused by U.S. authorities of belonging to a militant cell appeared in U.S. District Court in Raleigh, N.C., for a detention hearing Aug. 4. The hearing turned out to be very lengthy and had to be continued Aug. 5, when the judge ordered the men to remain in government custody until their trial. The seven men, along with an eighth who is not currently in U.S. custody, have been charged with, among other things, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country.
According to the grand jury indictment filed in the case, one defendant, Daniel Boyd (also known as "Saifullah," Arabic for "the sword of Allah"), is a Muslim convert who was in Pakistan and Afghanistan from 1989 to 1991 attending militant training camps. The indictment also states that Boyd fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union, though we must note that, because the Soviets completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 1989, it is more likely that any combat Boyd saw in Afghanistan was probably against Soviet-backed Afghan forces during the civil war waged by Islamist militants against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (a socialist state and Soviet ally) was overthrown by Islamist forces in 1992.
Islamist veterans of that war in Afghanistan are held in reverence by some in the Muslim community, tend to be afforded a romanticized mystique, and are considered to be victorious mujahideen, or "holy warriors," who defeated the Soviets and their communist (and atheistic) Afghan allies. The grand jury indictment implies that Boyd used the prestige of his history in Pakistan and Afghanistan to influence and recruit others to participate in militant struggles abroad. It also charges that he helped train men inside the United States to fight in battles abroad and that he helped them attempt to travel to conflict zones for the purpose of engaging in militant activities such as guerrilla warfare and terrorist operations.
An examination of the indictment in the Boyd case reveals that the facts outlined by the government allow for a large number of parallels to be drawn between this case and other grassroots plots and attacks. The indictment also highlights a number of other trends that have been evident for some time now. We anticipate that future court proceedings in the Boyd case will produce even more interesting information, so STRATFOR will be following the case closely.
China and U.S. Race To Offer 'Infrastructure Aid In Exchange for Oil' Policies
Clinton African Trip Bolsters U.S. Oil Game Plan, says Gold Star Resources CEO
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip beginning today through August 11th in Africa is part of an Obama White House energy resources strategy to offset China's growing economic clout on the African continent," said Patrick Morris, President and CEO of Gold Star Resources Corp. (TSX-V; GXX; OTC Bulletin Board: GXXFF), a Canadian-based company focused on the strategic acquisition of highly prospective oil and gas projects in West Africa. "China has been aggressively offering infrastructure aid in exchange for oil in Africa and the White House clearly wants to offset that Chinese game plan with one of its own. U.S. President Barack Obama's Ghana visit last month and his Secretary of State's extended visit this week have proven the importance of Africa to America's energy security policy."
According to Morris, "Last week's Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in Washington, D.C. between the Obama White House and China officials included discussions about China's aggressive aid to African nations. China's economic trade in Africa hit $107 billion in 2008 and there are now 750,000 Chinese workers living and working in Africa. Sources in both Washington, D.C. and Africa have confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's subtle diplomatic strategy is to offer African leaders infrastructure assistance in exchange for oil resources and increased energy investments on the African continent. This could portend an explosion of offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration especially in West and East African as a direct result of this shift in U.S.-Africa relations."
Clinton is expected to visit Liberia during this week's African policy trip. Gold Star Resources Corp. recently acquired International Resource Strategies Liberia Energy, Inc. whose sole asset is the onshore 1,366 sq. km. hydrocarbon reconnaissance license NR-001 within the Roberts Bassa Basins of south coastal Liberia. The company also signed a Letter of Intent with Bengal Bight Ghana Ltd., a Ghanaian company, to acquire 100% interest in the hydrocarbon rights of Bengal's 1,000 sq. km. Tiampoum mining concession in Cote d'Ivoire, near the border with Ghana.
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Liberia is timely and will greatly enhance infrastructure investing in that West African nation," said Morris. "Liberia's political climate has become increasingly stable in recent years and the government is encouraging international investment in oil and gas exploration. Gold Star's own energy exploration strategy includes securing a portfolio of 'onshore' sections of land along the West African coast. Clinton's travel plans to Liberia, of course, greatly interests us."
"Our problem is civil obedience" — Howard Zinn
http://www.newamericandream.net/index.html
Our problem is the numbers of people all over the world who have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. And our problem is that scene in All Quiet on the Western Front where the schoolboys march off dutifully in a line to war.
Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world, in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country.
That's our problem.
We recognize this for Nazi Germany. We know that the problem there was obedience, that the people obeyed Hitler. People obeyed; that was wrong.
They should have challenged, and they should have resisted; and if we were only there, we would have showed them.
Even in Stalin's Russia we can understand that; people are obedient, all these herd-like people.
Note: We do not send pictures with these reports, because of the volume, but picture this emetic scene with your inner eye:
A dying Somali child in the macerated arms of her mother besides their bombed shelter with Islamic graffiti looks at a fat trader, who discusses with a local militia chief and a UN representative at a harbour while USAID provided GM food from subsidised production is off-loaded by WFP into the hands of local "distributors" and dealers - and in the background a western warship and a foreign fishing trawler ply the waters of a once sovereign, prosper and proud nation, which was a role model for honesty and development in the Horn of Africa. (If you feel that this is overdrawn - come with us into Somalia and see the even more cruel reality yourself!)
Kenyan court orders remanded foreigner flown home by Evelyn Kwamboka
A foreigner detained at the Industrial Area Remand Prison for six years without trial is to be flown to Papua New Guinea.
The State produced a letter in court showing Mr Edman Scott is to leave the country on Saturday.
Immigration Authorities at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport arrested him in 2003 for allegedly being in the country illegally.
The State is expected to foot his travel costs following orders issued by the High Court a few months ago.
In the letter addressed to Australian High Commissioner in Kenya, Mr Josiah Musili for the director of Immigration stated Scott is to leave Nairobi via Duba and Brisbane before landing in Papua New Guinea, where he was born.
Justice Mohammed Warsame ordered the case be mentioned on August 16 to ascertain whether the 37-year-old is still in Kenya.
Scrutinise executive
The High Court directed the Immigration Department to issue Scott with a certificate of identification to facilitate his travel after The Standard published his story in March.
"It is time the courts scrutinised continuously the powers exercised by the Executive, especially the Immigration and police departments, to ensure personal liabilities and freedoms are not eroded," the court ruled in April.
Justice Warsame took issue with then Immigration Minister Linah Kilimo, who issued an order on July 15, 2005 that led to the man´s detention.
The court said she might not have been aware of the significance of her signature and the ramification it would have on the personal rights of the subject, which are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Minister´s action
The judge said the minister´s action was a gross violation of Scott´s rights.
Warsame said: "The action of the minister to order the detention without restriction or safeguards is a manifestation of abuse of power by Executive without blinking an eye".
He added prison facilities were meant to take into custody persons who have committed or are convicted of various criminal offences.
The judge declined to accept the view the subject was a stateless person who was unable to disclose his country of origin to Immigration officials.
Scott was first arrested on April 2, 1996, and charged with being in the country illegally and holding a forged Australian passport.
There is no limit to what a person can do or how far one can go to help - if one doesn't mind who gets the credit !
ECOTERRA Intl. maintains a register for persons missing or abducted in the Somali seas (Foreign seafarers as well as Somalis). Inquiries by family member can be sent by e-mail to office[at]ecoterra-international.org
For families of presently captive seafarers - in order to advise and console their worries - ECOTERRA Intl. can establish contacts with professional seafarers, who had been abducted in Somalia, and their wives as well as of a Captain of a sea-jacked and released ship, who agreed to be addressed "with questions, and we will answer truthfully".
ECOTERRA - ALERTS and pending issues:
PIRATE ATTACK GULF OF ADEN: Advice on Who to Contact and What to Do http://www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2008-09-08-2
NATURAL RESOURCES & ARMED FISH POACHERS: Foreign navies entering the 200nm EEZ of Somalia and foreign helicopters and troops must respect the fact that especially all wildlife is protected by Somali national as well as by international laws and that the protection of the marine resources of Somalia from illegally fishing foreign vessels should be an integral part of the anti-piracy operations. Likewise the navies must adhere to international standards and not pollute the coastal waters with oil, ballast water or waste from their own ships but help Somalia to fight against any dumping of any waste (incl. diluted, toxic or nuclear waste). So far and though the AU as well as the UN has called since long on other nations to respect the 200 nm EEZ, only now the two countries (Spain and France) to which the most notorious vessels and fleets are linked have come up with a declaration that they will respect the 200 nm EEZ of Somalia but so far not any of the navies operating in the area pledged to stand against illegal fishing. So far not a single illegal fishing vessel has been detained by the naval forces, though they had been even informed about several actual cases, where an intervention would have been possible. Illegally operating Tuna fishing vessels (many from South Korea, some from Greece and China) carry now armed personnel and force their way into the Somali fishing grounds - uncontrolled or even protected by the naval forces mandated to guard the Somali waters against any criminal activity, which included arms carried by foreign fishing vessels in Somali waters.
LLWs / NLWs: According to recently leaked information the anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden are also used as a cover-up for the live testing of recently developed arsenals of so called non-lethal as well as sub-lethal weapons systems. (Pls request details) Neither the Navies nor the UN has come up with any code of conduct in this respect, while the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is sponsoring several service-led acquisition programs, including the VLAD, Joint Integration Program, and Improved Flash Bang Grenade. Alredy in use in Somalia are so called Non-lethal optical distractors, which are visible laser devices that have reversible optical effects. These types of non-blinding laser devices use highly directional optical energy. Somalia is also a testing ground for the further developments of the Active Denial System (ADS) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). If new developments using millimeter wave sources that will help minimize the size, weight, and system cost of an effective Active Denial System which provides "ADS-ACTD-like" repel effects, are used has not yet been revealed. Obviously not only the US is developing and using these kind of weapons as the case of MV MARATHON showed, where a Spanish naval vessel was using optical lasers - the stand-off was then broken by the killing of one of the hostage seafarers. Local observers also claim that HEMI devices, producing Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) Bioeffects, have been used in the Gulf of Aden against Somalis. Exposure to HEMI devices, which can be understood as a stun-gun shot at an individual over a larger distance, causes muscle contractions that temporarily disable an individual. Research efforts are underway to develop a longer-duration of this effect than is currently available. The live tests are apparently done without that science understands yet the effects of HEMI electrical waveforms on a human body.
ECOTERRA Intl., whose work does focus on nature- and human-rights-protection and - as the last international environmental organization still working in Somalia - had alerted ship-owners since 1992, many of whom were fishing illegally in the 200 nm Exclusive Economic Zone, to stay away from Somali waters. The non-governmental organization had requested the international community many times for help to protect the coastal waters of the war-torn state, but now lawlessness has seriously increased and gone out of hand.
ECOTERRA members with marine and maritime expertise, joined by it's ECOP-marine group, are closely and continuously monitoring and advising on the Somali situation. (for previous information concerning the topics please google keywords ECOTERRA (and) SOMALIA)
The network of the SEAFARERS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME helped significantly in most sea-jack cases. ECOTERRA Intl. is working in Somalia since 1986 on human-rights and nature protection, while ECOP-marine concentrates on illegal fishing and the protection of the marine ecosystems. Your support counts too.
Please consider to contribute to the work of SAP, ECOP-marine and ECOTERRA Intl. Please donate to the defence fund.
Contact us for details concerning project-sponsorship or donations via e-mail: ecotrust[at]ecoterra.net
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Press Contacts:
ECOP-marine
East-Africa
254-714-747090
marine[at]ecop.info
www.ecop.info
ECOTERRA Intl.
Nairobi Node
africanode[at]ecoterra.net
254-733-633-733
EA Seafarers Assistance Programme
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sap[at]ecoterra.net
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For more information see this article in The Nation or this article in Wired News.
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