Ecoterra Press Release 238 – The Somalia Chronicle June – December 2009, no 50

Following the Somalia Spring 2009 Chronicles, I herewith republish the Ecoterra press releases issued in the second half of 2009. I reproduce the integral version of all Ecoterra press releases in a recapitulative effort to provide the global readership with the most comprehensive collection of texts published worldwide about the most abominable Western postcolonial involvement in Africa, namely the systematic effort of extermination of the Somali Nation. The vast documentation provided serves as basic point of reference to students, researchers, analysts and intellectuals.

ECOTERRA Intl.

SMCM

Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor

ECOTERRA INTERNATIONAL - UPDATES & STATEMENTS, REVIEW & CLEARING-HOUSE

2009-09-06 SUN 09h24:33 UTC

Issue No. 238

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)

We have the obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears, and believe that anybody who is degrading other people and peoples has to be fought against with whatever appropriate tools people have available.

Breaking:

Battle to save stricken whales in Madagascar fuel spill by Coordination marée noire

Rescue workers in Madagascar were battling to save a group of humpback whales beached on the southern tip of the island, where a fuel spill from a Turkish freighter threatens an ecological disaster, local media reported Thursday.

The MS GULSER ANA, bound for India with a cargo of 39,000 tonnes of phosphates, had to be abandoned by its 23-strong crew on August 26 a few kilometres off Cape Sainte Marie on the vast Indian Ocean island.

Environmentalists and vets are trying to save a number of beached whales, whose blowholes had become blocked with diesel and oil and were close to death.

The cause of the accident to the 189-metre long, 30-metre-wide ship is still unclear. But a statement from Prime Minister´s Monja Roindefo´s office on Thursday said the ship´s cargo comprised far great quantities of diesel and oil than initially thought.

This protected part of Madagascar´s coast is famous for its rich coral reefs, rare species of tortoise and the migrating humpback whales that pass by at this time of year en route to their breeding grounds off Reunion Island.

Fish have also been washing up dead on beaches in the area, which is home to around 2,000 people living in four villages who rely on fishing for an income. The government has announced the suspension of all fishing in the area.

Some 800 people, including nine foreign experts in marine pollution with specialist equipment, have been sent to the remote area to treat the oil slick and clean up the beaches. The prime minister and four of his ministers have also travelled to the remote area by plane from the capital Antananarivo.

The government of the impoverished island has threatened to sue the ship´s owners over the spill.

The ship was reportedly on a blacklist of ships banned from European Union harbours.

Clean-up operations following the grounding of a Turkish-flagged vessel off the coast of Madagascar have started and damage to the environment should be limited, the ship's operator said in a statement received by AFP Saturday.

The MV Gulser Ana grounded off Faux Cap, on the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean island, on August 26, damaging its bunker tanks and releasing fuel oil in the sea, the Mardeniz Denizcilik company said.

"The owners, ... pollution clean-up experts, are carrying out beach cleaning operations to remove any bunker oil residues arising from the initial escape," the statement said.

"Anti-pollution experts are working with local residents who are receiving training, equipment and payment in order to assist with this task and we would like to thank them for their hard work and efforts," it added.

The operator said the ship's cargo of 40,000 tonnes rock phosphate -- a kind of fertiliser -- did not pose a threat to the environment.

"Sea currents are carrying any fuel oil to the east and away from the Cap Sainte Marie Marine Reserve and the coral reef, which should avoid any long or medium term environmental damage to the area," it said.

The operator obviously is not only ignorant but also lying in the public statements, saying: "Over-flights of the area have not shown any evidence of whales or other sea mammals in the area having been in any way affected."

The operator added that the ship's 23 crew had been rescued by the Madagascar coast guard and were ashore.

The island relies heavily on tourism and is home to two percent of the globe's total biodiversity. The majority of its animal and plant species are found nowhere else on Earth.

Rescuers battle to save whales – sapa

Rescue workers in Madagascar were battling to save a number of humpback whales that have beached on the southern tip of the island, where a fuel spill from a Turkish freighter has caused extensive pollution, local media reported on Thursday.

The MS Gulser Ana, which was bound for India with a cargo of 39 000 tonnes of phosphates, has leaked several hundred cubic metres of diesel and oil, as well as its cargo, since running into trouble on August 26 a few kilometres off the vast Indian Ocean island. The ship has since completely sunk.

The 23-member crew was rescued unharmed from the 189-metre-long ship, from which smoke was seen billowing at the time of the rescue. The cause of the incident is still unclear. ]

Several kilometres of the coastline, famous for its rich coral reefs, rare species of tortoise and the migrating humpback whales that pass by at this time of year en route to their breeding grounds off Reunion Island, have been polluted by the spillage.

Close to death

L'Express reported that veterinarians were trying to save a number of beached whales, whose blowholes had become blocked with diesel and oil and were close to death.

Fish have also been washing up dead along the coast.

The ship was reportedly on a blacklist of ships banned from European Union harbours.

Some 800 people, including nine foreign experts in marine pollution with specialist equipment, have been sent to treat the oil slick and clean up the beaches.

The government of the impoverished island, where fishing and tourism are key employers, has threatened to sue the ship's owners over the spill.

Regional analysts presume foul play to be at the core of the tragedy, since the owner wanted to get rid of the vessel anyway and some believe its straight insurance fraud.

Clearing-House: Cut out the clutter - focus on facts !

(If you find this compilation too large or if you can't grasp the multitude and magnitude of important, inter-related and 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 easy and condensed as necessary.)

Mediation efforts to gain the release and evacuation of two female sailor from MV ARIANA have been hampered by continuous fighting between two warring clan factions in Galmudug, which involved also members of the pirate gang. Also the second vessel with links to Greece - MV IRENE E.M. - has not made any headway concerning its release.

The 30 men crew on FV WIN FAR 161 - the Taiwanese fishing vessel seized on April 6, 2009 near the Seychelles - has reportedly run out of food and clean water, though the vessel is said to still hold nearly a million dollars worth of fish in its freezer compartments. Estimated fuel reseves will run out in around two weeks. 17 crew members are Filipino seamen, who feel completely abandoned by their government, which seems not to able to exert the necessary oversight on the negotiations between the pirates and the evasive Taiwanese fishing company.

Negotiations concerning MV CHARELLE - seized June 12, 2009 - seem to have come to a conclusion.

News from sea-jackings, abductions, newly attacked ships and vessels in distress

Spanish Fish Poaching Fleet Narrowly Escapes "Pirate" Attack

The owners of a Spanish fishing fleet say one of their boats narrowly escaped a suspected pirate attack off the Seychelles by using radar and quick evasive action.

Jose Luis Jauregi, director of Echebastar Fleet, said Friday that the Alakrana tuna fishing ship set sail from the island's capital, Victoria, on Aug. 31 and was fishing in international waters about 600 miles from Somalia.

The Alakrana's crew of 30 detected a dot on the radar approaching them rapidly on Thursday and decided to zigzag. When they failed to break free of the powerful approaching speedboat, the captain ordered his ship to sail away at full power.

Pirate attacks worldwide more than doubled in the first half of 2009 amid a surge in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia.

Ship from Bermeo, Biscay, escapes pirate attack in Somalia - E. S. for eitb.com

According to the skipper of the Alakrana, they could avoid the attack thanks to bad weather conditions and the fact that the crew had already picked up the nets. Otherwise, it would have been impossible.

A vessel from Bermeo, a fishing town in the coast of Biscay, Basque Country, managed to avoid an attack of Somali pirates when it was 495 miles off the coast of Somalia. As the skipper of the ship Alakrana said, they could escape thanks to bad weather conditions and the fact that the crew had already picked up the nets.

The incident occurred about one o'clock in the afternoon, Spanish time, when the ship was in position-5453 North 0450 East.

The fact that the Somali ship was only ten metres long made it impossible for the radar system to locate it. The crew noticed that the pirates were trying to reach them just when the attacker ship was very close to the Bermeo's Alakrana, on the first seven miles.

In order to verify that they could be under attack, the Basque vessel made several moves which were imitated by chasers, so the skipper finally decided to accelerate and escape. They could avoid the attack thanks to bad weather conditions, otherwise, it would have been impossible to evade it.

Although the Spanish ships "appreciate" the presence of the Spanish frigate Canaries, they consider that a plane should fly over Somali waters more frequently. In addition, they suggest that the government should also follow France's protocol for security, given that every French-flagged vessel counts on 4 armed military men.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 6 foreign vessels with a total of not less than 123 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. 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 161 attacks (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 47 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least six wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces. More than 150 Somalis are held in foreign prisons (Kenya, Yemen, Seychelles, France, Netherlands) under charges of piracy. 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).

Directly piracy or naval upsurge related reports

Piracy Suspects Appeal to VP Kalonzo

By Anthony Kitimo

One hundred suspected pirates at Shimo la Tewa Maximum prison on Friday told vice President Kalonzo Musyoka that they are do not have trust in the Kenyan judicial system.

The suspects told the VP who is also in charge of Home Affairs Ministry that they are not happy with the way their cases are being handled by magistrates in the country.

Speaking when he toured the facility with Prison Commander Isaiah Osungu to commission more than 20 prison staff houses, Mr Kalonzo said the suspects are not happy with the way their cases are being delayed.

"It is a pity that the pirates are complaining on the way their cases are being handled and we urge prison and judiciary to give attention to all suspects regardless of their origin," said the VP.

Mr Kalonzo said the government of Kenya is working with United Nations and other bilateral systems in fighting piracy and there was need to ensure the suspects are respected and their cases handled like those of any other remandees.

He said since the country started dealing with pirates in 2006, only ten out of 110 suspected pirates have been tried and sentence.

"It is good most of the suspects have legal experts who help them in pursuing their cases and those who were sentenced have been taken to different prisons across the country to serve their terms," said the VP.

Mr Kalonzo said the government of Kenya is working tireless to ensure Somalia is back on its feet to ensure law and order is retained as a way to end piracy.

At the same time, Mr Kalonzo complained of an acute shortage of prison staff houses all over the country and linked the cause to lack of funding.

The VP said his ministry is allocated peanuts during national budget yet it is supposed to build and rehabilitate staff quarters to more than 99 prisons staff country wide.

"We expect the shortage to persist especially with the more than 200 newly recruited wardens who will graduate in the next few months," said Mr Kalonzo adding that the government is working closely to ensure Madoka report on rehabilitation and improvement of prison conditions is implemented.

The VP also condemned those MPs who are pushing for the holding back of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission's funds allocated during this financial year to facilitate its operations. Mr Kalonzo said those who are pushing for the suspension of the funds have ill motives.

"Politicians are personalising the reappointment of KACC director Aaron Ringera because some want to ensure those who are serving in the KACC protect them on their evils they commit to the country," said the VP.

Pirates: Kenya to uphold basic rights - VP's PressService

Kenya will uphold the basic rights of suspected Somali pirates being held in her prisons, in accordance with the local and international law, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has said.

Mr. Musyoka described the arrest of the suspects as delicate international matter that calls for both international national approach to address but added that the county will treat the inmates as suspects until they are convicted in a court of law.

"Piracy is not only a Kenyan problem but an international challenge that calls for collaborative efforts by both UN and other international players to eliminate'', Mr. Musyoka added.

The VP appealed to the international community to renew their commitment towards the restoration of peace in Somalia, saying only peace and security will provide a lasting solution to the crime.

Mr. Musyoka was speaking at Shimo la Tewa Prison in Mombasa during a tour of the facility where he also received and officially opened for occupation newly-completed staff quarters.

The 20 Units of the Phase I Housing Scheme in which 300 modern houses will be constructed for various facilities across the country cost Kshs. 85 million.

During the tour Mr. Musyoka met some of the suspected pirates' who complained of delayed hearing of their cases among other grievances.

The VP said ten of the suspects have already been tried and convicted, and are serving their sentences in various institutions in the country.

Mr. Musyoka, whose docket oversees the penal institutions in the country, said the government was in the process of enacting the necessary legal instruments to address international crimes like piracy.

The VP reiterated the government's commitment to pursue reforms in the penal institutions to make them at par with internationally accepted standards.

Already, he noted, besides improving housing standards, the government had also improved the remuneration and provided new uniforms and other amenities for both the officers and inmates.

"We intend to implement all the recommendations of the Madoka Taskforce and that way motivate our officers and improve their welfare and that of inmates", he said.

The VP expressed hope that Treasury will increase the budgetary allocation to the institution to enable it to undertake all the reforms.

The commissioner of Prisons Mr. Isaiah Osugo thanked the government for the gesture saying it will go along way in alleviating the housing problems in the prisons across the country.

The Vice President was accompanied by Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Dr. Ludeki Chweya, Coast PC Ernest Munyi, Coast Prisons Commander, James K'Odieny, Public works secretary who handed over the houses on behalf of the Housing minister Soita Shitanda Mr. Gideon Mulyungi and Shimo la Tewa prisons commander Wanini Kereri.

Focus Anti-Piracy War on Land, Not Sea

The war against piracy off Somali waters will not be won unless more emphasis is laid on containing pirates on land before they get to the sea, a workshop on maritime safety and port security was told yesterday.

And the huge amounts of firearms being shipped to the country have continued to fan piracy despite an international campaign to eradicate the vice, military advisor at the United Nations Political Office on Somalia (UNOPS) Col Victor Gamor said.

The colonel, who was making his presentation during the workshop organized by the Ports Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) at Mombasa / Kenya said there were 5,100 foreign troops in Somali against a requirement of 8,000.

He said that the most worrying aspect of piracy is that arms from several countries were being supplied to the militias while pirates were becoming more sophisticated with the equipment and the huge sums of money paid as ransom.

"The international community should put more emphasis on addressing the root cause of piracy and a comprehensive strategy adopted in seeking to stabilize the security situation in the country," he said.

His comments come in the wake of more ships being targeted and captured by Somali pirates despite the presence of international war ships in the Gulf of Aden, although piracy attacks have lessened over the past four months, he noted.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat Mapolao Mokoena said since piracy is a global problem that affects businesses, all countries should unite and deal with the menace.

"Reinforcing maritime security is best achieved by combining public and private maritime security activities on a global scale into an integrated effort that addresses all maritime threats," she said.

PMAESA secretary general Jerome Ntibarekerwa said the organization had developed a program intended to address piracy and potential donors were being sought.

Participants drawn from more than 17 east and southern African countries expressed concern that pirates continued to seize commercial ships, and suggested that possibilities of either arming crew members or providing ships with armed escort should be explored.

UN seeks more help for ending Somali piracy

The United Nations has sought greater international cooperation in controlling the increasing incidents of piracy near the Indian Ocean.

"The war against piracy off Somali waters will not be won unless more emphasis is laid on containing pirates on land before they reach the sea," a UN military advisor said.

Military advisor to the UN Political Office on Somalia (UNOPS), Colonel Victor Gamor, made the remarks at a regional maritime forum currently underway in the Kenyan capital, Mombasa.

"A total of 5,100 foreign troops are stationed in Somalia, while at least 8,000 were needed," Gamor said.

According to Colonel Gamor, the high numbers of firearms flowing into Somalia have encouraged piracy despite an international campaign to eradicate it.

Patrolling for pirates

By Jeff Hodson

Commander compares Somali pirates to street gang during talk at Vancouver´s Fraser Institute.

Somali pirates are more like street thugs than displaced fisherman, says the former commander of a Canadian warship that spent two months in the Gulf of Aden protecting merchant vessels this spring.

"I´m only giving you a personal opinion here," said Cmdr. Craig Baines during a talk at the Fraser Institute in Vancouver Thursday. "But the 40 pirates I dealt with, (it) was more like dealing with a street gang at sea."

Baines, the former commander of the HMCS Winnipeg, spent about six weeks in the waters north of Somalia in April and May as part of a NATO anti-piracy mission.

"The situation in Somalia is not good. There are a lot of people who are having difficulty and the youth are attracted to the large amount of money."

Pirates, about seven to a boat, use skiffs to catch the slower-moving and undefended merchant ships — 20,000 of which travel the gulf annually — and board them with ladders or grappling ropes.

They then use assault rifles and grenades to seize the boats, holding the crew for ransom.

When confronted, guns and ladders are thrown overboard, making the pirates almost indistinguishable from fishermen.

Baines compared the pirates, who stand to make about $20,000 each from a successful hijacking, to "drug dealers on the street corner" working for organized crime groups in Somalia.

UN calls for global efforts to end piracy

By Mu Xuequan for Xinhua

United Nations on Friday called on for global efforts to curb the rising cases of piracy along the Indian Ocean waters.

Speaking at a regional maritime forum underway in Mombasa, UN Political Office on Somalia (UNOPS) Military Advisor Col. Victor Gamor said the war against piracy off Somali waters will not be won unless more emphasis is laid on containing pirates on land before they get to the sea.

He said the high amounts of firearms being shipped to the country have continued to fan piracy despite an international campaign to eradicate the vice.

The colonel, who was making his presentation during the workshop organized by the Ports Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), said there were 5,100 foreign troops in Somalia against a requirement of 8,000.

He said that most worrying aspect of piracy is that arms from several countries were being supplied to the militias while pirates were acquiring more sophisticated equipment and the huge sums of money paid as ransom.

"The international community should put more emphasis on addressing the root cause of piracy and a comprehensive strategy adopted in seeking to stabilize the security situation in the country," he said.

His comments come in the wake of more ships being targeted and captured by Somali pirates despite the presence of international war ships in the Gulf of Aden, although piracy attacks have lessened over the past four months, he noted.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat Mapolao Mokoena said since piracy is a global problem that affects businesses, all countries should unite and deal with the menace.

"Reinforcing maritime security is best achieved by combining public and private maritime security activities on a global scale into an integrated effort that addresses all maritime threats," she said.

PMAESA secretary general Jerome Ntibarekerwa said the organization had developed a program intended to address piracy and potential donors were being sought.

Participants drawn from more than 17 east and southern African countries expressed concern that pirates continued to seize commercial ships, and suggested that possibilities of either arming crew members or providing ships with armed escort should be explored.

Kidnap and ransom insurance rates decrease, says AON - by Zack Phillips

Rates for marine kidnap and ransom insurance have fallen as much as 30% in recent months but soon may rise significantly, broker Aon Corp. said Friday.

As pirate attacks near Somalia have diminished this summer, some underwriters are offering premium reductions of up to 30%, said Clive Stoddart, London-based head of Aon´s kidnap and ransom team, in a statement.

>From June to August, pirates near Somalia attacked 12 ships and hijacked two more, according to a list of incidents maintained by the International Maritime Bureau´s Piracy Reporting Center. That is a marked decrease from the three-month period between March and May, when Somalian pirates attacked 66 ships and hijacked 19. Security consultants and other experts say the drop is due at least in part to the onset of the monsoon season, which makes it more difficult for pirates to operate small skiffs further offshore.

Mr. Stoddart said shipowners should seek quotes and fix K&R rates now, before the weather improves. If pirate attacks increase again, rates could climb "significantly," he said.

Most shipowners do not buy K&R cover due to the high cost. Earlier this year cost as much as $30,000 for a single transit through the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, according to Aon. Typically, ship owners seek reimbursement for ransom payments through a system of voluntary contributions from insurers. However, K&R cover provides more certain and often faster reimbursement, and it pays for other ancillary costs associated with a hijacking.

Fast and unladen ships typically find the cheapest K&R rates because they can more easily escape pirate attacks, Mr. Stoddart said.

Ecosystems, marine environment, IUU fishing and dumping, ecology

Ocean Dead Zones Could Approach Mass Extinction Levels

By Michael Reilly,

The future of Earth's oceans is beginning to look a lot like a mass extinction, according to new research.

Today, approximately 2 percent of the seas qualify as 'dead zones' -- naturally desolate, oxygen-starved regions where higher life forms either can't breathe or find enough food to subsist. But according to a computer simulation out to 100,000 years in the future, those zones could engulf one-fifth of the seas within a few millennia if humans don't change their carbon-emitting ways soon.

Gary Shaffer of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark led the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, which examined the oceans' long term reaction to several emissions and warming scenarios.

In the worst case, business-as-usual scenario, society keeps burning fossils fuels unabated until 2100. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere quadruple, and the planet warms by as much as 5 degrees Centigrade (9 degrees Fahrenheit).

Assuming humanity stops with its emissions after that, air temperatures should reach their maximum around the year 2200, and then start a slow decline. But the oceans will just be getting warmed up -- literally. It will take another 2000 years or so before ocean circulation fully mixes warm surface waters down into the depths.

Water loses its ability to dissolve oxygen as it warms, so hotter oceans mean larger dead zones. And some research has suggested that ocean circulation will slow down as the oceans heat up, too, causing an effect that Shaffer estimates could deplete oxygen content by up to 54 percent worldwide by around the year 5000.

Of course, there is a lot of uncertainty in just how dire the consequences will be. For instance, it's possible that the carbon we emit may have less of an effect on the oceans than his model predicts.

"This is proposing some interesting hypotheses, that if true, would be a big deal," Anand Gnanadesikan of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey said. "But that's all they are right now -- hypotheses."

And humans could undertake to cut emissions, which would improve the outlook.

"Whatever we do in the next few generations will affect hundreds or thousands of generations to come. So it's a big responsibility," Shaffer said. "Hopefully people will understand and take up measures to stop burning fossil fuels and to start using renewable forms of energy."

But if emissions continue unabated, ecosystems could collapse in huge swaths of ocean, turning them into noxious soups of cyanobacteria. The bugs may begin feasting on nitrate and eventually sulfur, which would produce the poisonous gas hydrogen sulfide.

The same process on an even larger scale is thought to have contributed to the Permian mass extinction 250 million years ago, when 90 percent of life on the planet was snuffed out.

Anti-piracy measures

Iran Navy prepared to block 'enemy' routes – IranTV

The Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy commander says that the country's naval forces are tasked with blocking water routes used by 'the enemy', in the event of a necessity.

Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari made the comments during a Saturday ceremony held to welcome back Iran's second navy brigade from a patrol mission in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.

The commander praised the 64-day mission in which Iranian warships safeguarded the passage of 2,279 commercial ships and oil tankers while escorting 21 of the vessels.

The Iranian Naval Forces "are constantly making efforts to have an active role in international waters, in addition to defending the interests of the Islamic Republic," Sayyari was quoted by Fars News as saying on Saturday.

"Therefore, it has a duty to block routes used by the enemy, should the necessity arise. It is also tasked with clearing waterways" used by Iranian vessels, he added.

Sayyari described the anti-piracy missions, which have placed Iran among an elite group of countries, as an 'honorable' achievement.

The Iranian navy deployed its second naval brigade to the Gulf of Aden on August 6, to fight piracy off Somalia.

The country's first anti-piracy mission ended on July 7, after keeping a watchful eye on 366 merchant ships -- 36 of which were owned or leased by Iran.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has led to attacks on more than 200 ships over the past 17 months. International concerns over the issue have prompted a fleet of warships to attempt to protect merchant ships in one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

Naval ships from the European Union, NATO and other US-led coalitions have been stationed in the region to prevent hijackings and to capture the ominous pirates.

However, despite international efforts and calls for countering piracy in the notorious Somali waters, the bandits continue to seize ships, holding them until hefty ransoms are paid.

The Pentagon's Newest Weapon Against Pirates

By Mark Thompson / TIMES

The U.S. military plans to deploy its newest warplane against one of the world's oldest threats, sending unmanned Reaper drones to the Seychelles islands to deal with pirates menacing seagoing commerce in the Indian Ocean. Fighting pirates off the coast of Africa was one of the founding missions of the U.S. Marines two centuries ago; today, in a sign of the changing face of warfare, the mission of protecting maritime trade routes falls to ground-bound desk jockeys remotely operating high-tech flying machines.

"The Seychelles have been increasingly concerned about piracy in their waters," says Vince Crawley, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, explaining October's "Ocean Look" deployment. Although the military won't say how many of the drones are being sent, Crawley says there will be enough to have one flying every day from the archipelago of more than 100 islands that lie nearly 1,000 miles off Africa's east coast. About 75 U.S. personnel are bound for the Seychelles' Mahe regional airport to support the mission, which is expected to last several months.

The prime source of piracy in the area is the failed state of Somalia. There have been more than 135 pirate attacks originating from the Somali coast so far this year — more than the total number for 2008 — and 28 vessels have been successfully commandeered. While the annual monsoon season has recently reduced the number of attacks, observers fear that the peril will rise again with the calming of the weather. The Seychelles legislature recently approved a pact with the U.S. allowing closer military cooperation. "Our isolated geographic position and our limited economic and military resources will never allow us to patrol our vast territorial waters," a Seychelles lawmaker said during the July debate on the measure. Piracy has become "one of the most well-organized and profitable crimes in this part of the world," she continued, adding that "foreign military help in patrol and surveillance of our waters is today a necessity."

The drone flights will complement patrols by naval vessels from NATO member states and other allied countries, as well as by a pair of patrol planes being dispatched by the E.U. to the Seychelles. Also, the coast guard of the Seychelles will deploy two vessels on alternate weeklong cruises to deter pirates. And about 60 French marines are aboard 10 French tuna-fishing boats off the Seychelles, planning to stay there through the end of the fishing season in October.

It's not firepower but endurance that is needed to prevail over pirates. Ships can survey only a tiny swath of the sea, and previous ship-launched drones and land-based manned aircraft lack the Reaper's capacity to remain aloft for up to 14 hours. The drone's 66-ft. (20 m) wingspan can launch the 5-ton aircraft on missions covering more than 3,000 miles (about 4,800 km). "This makes it an ideal platform for observing the vast ocean and maritime corridors in the Indian Ocean region and assisting in counterpiracy efforts," Crawley says.

Outfitted with a variety of cameras and other sensors to detect suspected pirates, the drone is controlled from the ground via satellite links. While the MQ-9 Reaper can carry a variety of bombs and missiles, those flying out of the Seychelles won't be armed. "We're just following the conventions of international law," Crawley says. "If you have a suspected vessel, you board it and investigate it" instead of blowing it up.

The Reaper, with its unblinking eye, could help capture pirates who too often have been able to slip away. Last month, for example, a band of Somali marauders freed a 20,000-ton German cargo ship after seizing it and its crew in April between the Seychelles and Kenya. The pirates managed to escape with a $2.7 million ransom even though a German frigate, lurking nearby, arrived on the scene within 12 minutes of the pirates' departure from the cargo vessel. "The pirates took over all the belongings of the 24 crew members, including toothbrushes," Torsten Ites, captain of the frigate Brandenburg, told Agence France-Presse. "We had to provide medical assistance to the crew members, including dental services, as they had stayed for some time without brushing their teeth." Among other things, then, each Reaper deployed in the Seychelles may be the equivalent of $12 million worth of dental insurance for sailors plying the sea routes off the Horn of Africa.

Read "How Somalia's Fishermen Became Pirates."

Read "Pirates Beware: Soon Rifles That Kill from a Mile Away."

No real peace in sight yet

Al-Shabab forces retake parts of Beledweyn town

In the early hours of Sunday morning the forces of Al-Shabab with their battle field Toyota pickups, have peacefully seized the western section of Beledweyn town, the headquarters of Hiran region in central Somalia where they had abandoned some weeks ago after a company of Ethiopian troops invaded the town, and carried out security operations.

"In the early hours of Sunday morning when I woke up, I saw the militants of Al-Shabab in every corner of Holwadag section, majestically strolling in that section without any fear from anybody, but some minutes later I heard something like combat and I was told that it was a brief combat between the Al-Shabab forces and the Somali government soldiers in Beledweyn town" said Musa Gedi a resident at Holwadag a section of Beledweyn town speaking to Somaliweyn radio.

The actual figure of casualties between the two warring sides has not yet been established.

Somaliweyn radio attempted to reach the officials of the two sides, but they have refused to give out details at this time.

There are frequent endless clashes without tangible results between the Somali government forces and that of the Islamists in Somalia, particularly in the capital Mogadishu, and the majority of the victims of these clashes are the non-combatants.

Somalia has been in a lawless situation in almost a period of two decades despite the deployment of multi peacekeeping forces in the year 1992, which have all returned without accomplishing their mission, while currently there are African Union troops on the ground.

The move comes as Hiiraan Governor Sheikh Abdirahman Ma´ow declared that he lost confidence with the government led by President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed last week.

Who are the al-Shabab?

Al-Shabab - meaning "The Youth" in Arabic - was previously the military wing of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and are believed to be largest group among several Islamist and clan militias battling the transitional government in Somalia.

The group was formerly the military wing of the deposed Union of Islamic Court that controlled much of central and southern Somalia in late 2006.

However, they were forced out of Somalia by Ethiopian troops in support of the largely powerless UN-backed interim government.

The group refused to engage in the peace process that brought elements of the Islamic courts into the government earlier this year.

Sharif Ahmed, a former leader of the UIC, was sworn in as president of Somalia's government, but his former allies vowed to topple accusing him of betraying the country.

Al-Shabab is still led by Muktar Ali Robow, also known as Abu Mansoor, who was previously the Islamic courts' deputy defence secretary, though he has officially given up that position.

Since Sharif's government took power, al-Shabab has been waging a brutal war against Somalia's government forces.

Well-organised

Although very little known about the group, it is considered to be a well-organised, hierarchical organisation.

Among the group's stated objectives is to implement its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, in Somalia.

Al-Shabab first emerged when they started fighting criminal gangs in Mogadishu, the capital, and later began targeting the city's kidnapping rings, pitting the group directly against the clan leaders who profited from the rings.

It is believed that Adan Hashi Ayro, the group's former military, and his fellow al-Shabab patrons were trained in Afghanistan and built the group along the lines of the Taliban, that ruled in Kabul until 2001.

Adan Hashi Ayro was killed in a US missile attack in May 2008.

Al-Shabab is claimed to have links with al-Qaeda and is on the United States' list of "terrorist organisations".

The FBI has expressed concern that the group may be expanding its reach and actively recruiting western nationals to fight in Somalia and Ahmed has spoken repeatedly of an influx of foreign fighters fuelling the war.

No one knows for sure where al-Shabab gets its financial and logistical support, but Eritrea and some Arab nations have been accused of funding the conflict.

Asmara has repeatedly denied the claims.

Nigerian troops arrive in Mogadishu

A small number of Nigerian troops have landed at Aden Ade International airport in Mogadishu on Wednesday, Al Jazeera Arabic website published on Saturday.

Sources told Aljazeera that other soldiers from Uganda have also arrived in Mogadishu.

120 Nigerian soldiers including officials reached in the Somali capital Mogadishu as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Nigeria and Djibouti pledged sending troops to Somalia to complete the needed number of the 8,000 soldiers from the African Union.

Local sources said the Nigerian soldiers have been deployed in bases of AMISOM in Mogadishu.

Somali Government says rivals joined and AU policy in Somalia changed -but battle goes on

The Somali government has on Saturday declared that some of its rival forces have joined the government, and stated that the mandate of the African Union troops on the ground are changed.

In a press conference at the Somali presidential Villa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon. Ali Ahmed Jama Jengeli has officially confirmed that there are negotiations under way between the government and Hizbul Islam, an Islamists faction which is one of the arch-rivals of the Somali federal government.

The Foreign Minister revealed that some of the officials of Hizbul Islam and of Al-Shabab have already joined the legitimate Somali government.

The Somali foreign minister was among some government officials who had accompanied Somali President Shariff Sheikh Ahmed in a tour of duty to the Arab countries of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"In the recent forum of the African Union heads in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the entire summit of the heads of African nations has unanimously agreed to have all the remaining and already pledged African Union troops to be deployed in Somalia, and that the current mandate of the African Union operation in Somalia will be changed" said Jangeli on Saturday.

Somaliweyn radio asked the minister when is the government would have the control of the whole country and the Somali foreign minister answered: "You know very well that Rome was not built in a day, and gradually the government will be having the full control of the country with the will of God, and a clean heart of the population."

But Battle Goes On

Neither al-Shebab nor Hezb al-Islam commented on the government's announcement.

However, a Shebab commander said that his group was continuing to beef up defences to prevent a counter-offensive.

Shebab fighters on Saturday started digging trenches to block the streets in some Mogadishu neighbourhoods.

"This is a military tactic, we are pre-empting any attacks from the enemies of Allah and have dug new trenches near the streets leading to their (the government's) positions."

Fighting renewed in Harardhere outskirts

By Abdirizak Osman Bulgaaz

At least four people were killed after new fighting has erupted in northwest Harardhere district in Mudug province late yesterday.

Six others were also injured in the fighting those three of them seriously injured were taken to a hospital in Guri´al district in the region.

The Fighting is between two clan militias from the same area, and it comes amid a peace deal brokering traditional elders could be reached the rival clans in there.

But fighting seems to be gone up in the smoke in that peace deal.

It is not clear why this fighting renewed again in Aad Village 50km away from Harardhere district, but there has been an independent confirmation affirming that the battle was based in a road which was needed being built in the area.

Some of the traditional elders in Harardhere confirmed to Horseed Media that they are still mediating the rival clans and odds on to solve it.

US man tied to Al-Qaeda

By Libby Amos

A native of Daphne, Alabama and a former student at The University of South Alabama is allegedly involved in terrorist activities. Omar Hammami attended USA from 2001 to 2002. During his time at USA, Hammami was involved in the Muslin Student Association. He served as the groups President, and lead open weekly meetings at the student center.

Yasmine Alcocer is currently a student at USA and an active member in the Muslim Student Association. Alcocer said she was surprised to hear that the groups past president is supposedly linked to the terrorist group Al Qaeda.

"This is shocking because most of us would never do these things."

Alcocer said the group does not encourage or condon violent behavior.

"We just try to show people, talk to students about the religion and culture so they understand more, so they become more knowledgeable about our association and Muslims in general."

Yasmine Alcocer says people like Hammami act on their own accord.

"Usually our association Islam is totally against people who act this way. Our religion does not teach us to act this way at all. People who do that they just do it individually they're completely different than most of us muslims. We don't act like that at all."

Fox 10 News will be following this story as it develops.

Al Qaeda-Linked American Terrorist Unveiled, as Charges Await Him in U.S.

A week after the 9/11 attacks, a young Muslim at the University of South Alabama told the school's newspaper it was "difficult to believe a Muslim could have done this."

Now, eight years later, he is professing to launch attacks himself and calling on others to join the fight, as terror-related charges await him at home in Alabama, FOX News has learned exclusively.

Abu Mansour al-Amriki — or "The American" — has become one of the most recognizable and outspoken voices of terrorist propaganda.

He has been in war-torn Somalia for several years, fighting the secular government there with a group known as al-Shabaab, which has ties to Al Qaeda and was labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. government last year. Only recently has he taken on a starring — and jarring — role in al-Shabaab's outreach efforts.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been looking into him for several years. In fact, a grand jury in Mobile, Ala., has already indicted him on charges of providing material support to terrorists, a source said. It's unclear when the indictment was filed.

Al-Amriki first surfaced in October 2007, when Al-Jazeera TV aired a report about the "common goal" of Al Qaeda and hard-line militants in Somalia. The report described al-Amriki as "a fighter" and "military instructor," but he concealed his face with a cloth wrap throughout the report.

In April, he showed his face for the first time, during a highly-polished, 30-minute recruitment video posted online. It featured anti-American hip-hop and sporadic images of Usama bin Laden.

In the video, he purportedly led a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of pro-government forces in Somalia. Speaking about one man killed in the fight, he said, "We need more like him, so if you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad, it would be a great asset for us."

The violent world that 25-year-old al-Amriki now inhabits is a stark contrast to the sleepy, suburban life he left behind.

He was born Omar Hammami in May 1984, and he grew up outside Mobile, Ala., in the city of Daphne.

Despite inching toward a population of 25,000 in recent years, Daphne still maintains "the ambience of a small town where the people are friendly and caring, and newcomers soon become good friends," according to the city's Web site. The city has streets with names like "Whispering Pines Road."

In fact, U.S. News & World Report calls it one of the "Best Places" in the country. And among Daphne's top assets, according to the city's Web site, are its "reputable schools."

Hammami attended Daphne High School. He was raised Baptist like his mother, but his father is Muslim, and "some time in high school" Hammami converted to Islam, a woman who went to high school with Hammami told FOX News.

The woman, Shellie Brooks, said she is not sure what led Hammami to convert. But the father of a student who went to school with Hammami said Hammami would tell others "he was not fulfilled by his Baptist experience."

Brooks said Hammami would take time out from classes throughout the day to pray.

"It was kind of odd just because it had never been done before," Brooks said. "There weren't many Muslims that went to Daphne High School. He basically just went outside, and you'd see him kneeling and praying as Muslims do."

She said, "Everybody was really accepting of it."

After converting, he frequented the Islamic Society of Mobile, one of the most popular mosques in the Mobile area. A call to the mosque was not returned.

As for Daphne High School, it looks like the all-American high school straight out of the TV show "Friday Night Lights" — complete with the picturesque football field and massive flood lights.

Before classes each morning, a small group of students gathers in front of the school to hold hands in Christian prayer. A short time later, a different group carries out an American flag, lifts it to the top of a pole, and stands hands-over-hearts as the "Pledge of Allegiance" is recited over a loudspeaker.

The school's principal, Don Blanchard, remembers Hammami as a good student who didn't get into too much trouble.

"Omar, he was just one of us, he was a good kid," Blanchard said.

Brooks described Hammami as a "very intellectual guy."

"He was in honors classes, and any gifted classes he was in," she said. "He was really well liked. He had a tons of friends, and of course things changed a bit when he converted because his beliefs changed."

According to school yearbooks, Hammami didn't participate in any organized school activities. But his last school photo in 2001 shows a smiling, skinny boy with short hair — almost unrecognizable as Abu Mansour al-Amriki except for the unmistakable nose and ears. That same year, at age 17, he left

high school a year early and enrolled at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

Shortly after he started classes at the University of South Alabama, Al Qaeda launched the 9/11 attacks. A week later, the school newspaper The Vanguard ran a story about the impact the attacks might have on Muslim communities. It quoted the new president of the school's Muslim Student Association: Omar Hammami.

"Everyone was really shocked," Hammami told The Vanguard at the time. "Even now it's difficult to believe a Muslim could have done this."

Hammami told The Vanguard he was worried there could be misguided acts of retribution against Muslims.

"The only way to diffuse this is to get the word out," said Hammami, who would later drop out of college and travel to several countries before landing in Somalia. "With ignorance comes fear and with fear comes violence."

Violence is what Hammami, as al-Amriki, now says is necessary in Somalia — even as he remembers the life he left behind in Alabama.

"The only reason we're staying here away from our families, away from the cities, away from, you know, ice, candy bars, all these other things is because we are waiting to meet with the enemy," he said in the April video posted online.

Blanchard expressed surprise that the person he once knew could now be in Somalia.

"I guess you never know what's going to happen the next day, or what somebody, what influences they may have or come across that leads them on a path other than what it appeared that they might be on," Blanchard said.

Al-Amriki's most recent message came out in July, a month after President Barack Obama promised "a new beginning" with the Muslim world during a speech in Cairo.

"Despite the fact that you have been ... forced [by Muslim fighters] to at least pretend to extend your hand in peace to the Muslims, we cannot and shall not extend our hands," al-Amriki said in an audiotape. "Rather, we shall extend to you our swords, until you leave our lands."

The United States and other countries have recently been assisting Somalia's government in its battle against al-Shabaab. Somalia has had no stable government since 1991, when dictator Siad Barre was ousted from power. A newer secular government has had trouble keeping Muslim militants at bay, and in 2006 fighting with al-Shabaab intensified after Western-backed Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia. U.S. officials say if al-Shabaab prevails, Somalia could turn into a haven for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

The FBI, in particular, has been keeping a close eye on al-Shabaab's moves. In addition to Hammami's case, for much of the past year the FBI has been looking into how dozens of young men from the Minneapolis area and elsewhere were recruited to train and possibly fight alongside al-Shabaab in Somalia.

In October 2008, 27-year-old college student Shirwa Ahmed of Minneapolis became "the first known American suicide bomber" when he blew himself up in Somalia, killing dozens, according to the FBI. Since then at least four more men from Minneapolis have been killed in Somalia, according to their families.

A grand jury in Minneapolis has been investigating the case for several months, and three men have already pleaded guilty to terror-related charges, including providing material support to terrorists. The indictments said the men traveled to Somalia "so that they could fight jihad" there.

The FBI in Mobile and Washington declined to comment for this article, referring questions to the U.S. Attorney's office in Mobile, which could not be reached.

The American leading al Qaeda in Somalia awaits terrorism charges back home

By ANI

The man who grew up in Daphne, Alabama, as Omar Hammami, but is now reported to be a member of al Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab under the name Abu Mansour al-Amriki, told a school newspaper after 9/11 attacks that it was difficult to believe a Muslim could have done this.

According to FOX News, eight years later he is professing to launch attacks himself and calling on others to join the fight, as terror-related charges await him at home in Alabama.

Abu Mansour al-Amriki or The American has become one of the most recognizable and outspoken voices of terrorist propaganda, the report said.

He has been in war-torn Somalia for several years, fighting the secular government there with a group known as al-Shabaab, which has ties to Al Qaeda and was labeled a terrorist organization by the US Government last year, but only recently has he taken on a starring and jarring role in al-Shabaabs outreach efforts the report added.

The FBI has been looking into him for several years. In fact, a grand jury in Mobile, Alabama., has already indicted him on charges of providing material support to terrorists, a source said.

Al-Amriki first surfaced in October 2007, when Al-Jazeera TV aired a report about the common goal of al Qaeda and hard-line militants in Somalia. The report described al-Amriki as a fighter and military instructor, but he concealed his face with a cloth wrap throughout the report.

In April, he showed his face for the first time, during a highly polished, 30-minute recruitment video posted online. It featured anti-American hip-hop and sporadic images of Osama bin Laden.

In the video, he purportedly led a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of pro-government forces in Somalia.

Speaking about one man killed in the fight, he said: We need more like him, so if you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad, it would be a great asset for us.

Former teacher remembers Hammami at Daphne High School

By Dacid Ferrara and Alex Pappas

Teaching a class Thursday about First Amendment rights, Gene Ponder spoke of a former student who would stand up for his religious freedom and even go to the library to pray during breaks.

"I was actually giving him lots of praise in class for basically his intellect and his drive and will," Ponder said. "I was using him as an example — how smart he was, how disciplined he was in his religion. He asserted his right to pray, and we allowed that."

The next day, the student whom Ponder had in mind, Omar Hammami, a Syrian-American Muslim who grew up in a Daphne subdivision, was linked in news reports to al-Qaida terrorists in Somalia.

Hammami is known now as Abu Mansour al-Amriki, translated as "The American," according to the reports.

"Never would I have thought someone like him would have gotten himself involved in that type of organization," Ponder said. "I don't even recognize him in the picture."

He called the news "kind of a shock, a shock to all of us."

Hammami, who as a student participated in a Model United Nations event, attended Daphne High School but withdrew in 2001 after his junior year, according to Baldwin County school officials.

He got along well with his classmates, said Ponder, who coached Hammami in soccer for about a year at Daphne.

Ponder, now a social studies teacher at Spanish Fort High and a candidate for lieutenant governor, described Hammami as "a character, real funny, good intellect, a good sense of humor" and "just an all-around type of kid you look for."

Daphne Principal Don Blanchard said he remembered Hammami as "just another one of our students."

But in videos released online, Hammami speaks of holy war, specifically against his home country. "One of the things that we seek for, in this life of ours, is to die as a martyr," al-Amriki said in one video apparently made after an ambush in Somalia. "So the fact that we got two martyrs is nothing more than a victory in and of itself."

Shafik Hammami of Daphne told the Press-Register on Friday that he is the father of Omar Hammami.

The elder Hammami works as a transportation engineer at the Alabama Department of Transportation. He declined to talk about his son and would not say when he last was in contact with him.

At the Hammami family home in Daphne, a woman answered the door Friday and identified herself as Omar Hammami's mother, but declined to comment further.

Jennifer Marie Young was raised in a house next door to the Hammamis in the Plantation Hills subdivision. She said she remembered Omar Hammami and his older sister, Dena, coming over to play or swim in the pool.

On Friday, she posted a note on her blog — moonlightmagnolias.wordpress.com — titled "shock of a lifetime," saying she attended Daphne High with Omar Hammami.

She wrote of her reaction when reading a news article about him.

"Then I get to that line where they name him and my mouth drops," she wrote. "Omar Hammami isn't just a familiar name to me. I grew up with him."

Young, who now lives in Phenix City, told the Press-Register in a telephone interview that Hammami got involved in some mischievous activities as a teenager, but for the most part "was just a sweetheart of a kid."

She described the family as close-knit and said they "tended to kind of stay to themselves" and their father was "strict about cultural things," such as Dena Hammami's attire.

The elder Hammami also serves as president of the Islamic Society of Mobile and heads the school board of the Al-Iman Academy (translated as "The Faith Academy") on East Drive in Mobile. The academy, tucked between houses in a quiet neighborhood near the University of South Alabama, educates about 70 pupils yearly and is the only Muslim K-12 school in the region.

In a June 21 Press-Register story, Shafik Hammami said that the local Muslim community was low-key. "We don't publicize," he said then. "The Muslims in the community already know who we are."

During that interview, Shafik Hammami said he was originally from Damascus, Syria, and that he came to America after high school to attend the University of South Alabama.

By early Friday afternoon, Young said that she had spoken with her sister, mother and father about the Hammamis, and that many of her former classmates were trying to understand how one of their number had apparently turned so fiercely against his country.

"As soon as that story broke this morning, the kids I went to high school with have been aflutter with Facebook status updates," Young said. "There's some talk on there that he didn't get along with some of the kids, but I don't remember that at all."

Al-Shabab Militants´ Tape Warns of Attacks on Somaliland – slglobe

The leader of the Al-Shabab insurgent group, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, has issued a pointed warning to Somaliland in a recorded statement aired on Mogadishu radio stations on Wednesday evening, according to one of the leading Somali language paper, The Horn of Africa.

The ultra-militant Islamist outfit, which is considered by the US as "a violent and brutal extremist group affiliated with al-Qaeda" and remains on US terror list, threatened to target President Dahir Rayale and his rival presidential contestants.

In the audio message, Abu Zubeyr-nom de Guerra of Ahmed Abdi Godane- has warned the Somaliland people not to rent out their properties to "Ethiopians" and stay away from their planes [Ethiopian Airlines] as well as places frequented by them. He added that the people of Somaliland had been misled with the quest for recognition which is like a mirage that you can never quite reach and as a result the country has become a globally isolated pariah state.

"The incumbent administration has recruited a ring of spies and informants from every level and sector of society because espionage is the only skill that the president has excelled. As a result innocent people are handed over to the Ethiopians [as part of the extraordinary US rendition] and many other people are left to languish in jails without being brought to trial by this apostate government," said Abu Zubeyr.

Abu Zubeyr said the Somaliland people need some soul-searching as to what they have achieved as a state after 18 years of independence from Mogadishu´s rule. The country´s main source of economy has been destroyed; the livestock exports and other natural resources had been handed over to foreigners, he added.

He said the prevalent and debilitating corrupt practices and irresponsible governance that has plagued the country [Somaliland] made it impossible for the government to provide basic essential services such as adequate supply of drinking water in the capital city of Hargeisa.

He attacked the western democracy promotion agenda, which he said, strives to "lead people astray" and is central to all the problems prevailing in the country today.

Al-Shabaab, an extremist splinter faction of Somalia´s ousted Islamic Courts Union (ICU) movement, has emerged as the most violent group of the Islamist resistance in Somalia.

The government of as-yet-to-be-recognised Somaliland has accused the group of carrying out a wave of synchronized attacks on Presidential Palace, UNDP and Ethiopian Consulate in October 2008 in Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland. More than 30 people lost their lives including the president´s personal secretary, Dahir Ali Idd.

There is no doubt that Abu Zubayr´s message will resonate with many impressionable young people whose national consciousness and self esteem was gradually destroyed by the feeling of rejection by the international community to recognize Somaliland, which is a functioning constitutional democracy that has the all the necessary ingredients of governance to justify the grant of sovereign independence.

There is a growing fear among the populace that the current political impasse between the government and opposition camps might give the militants an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Somaliland´s peace and stability stands in stark contrast to much of southern Somalia, especially the anarchic capital, Mogadishu, where frequent clashes between the besieged Transitional Federal Government and Islamists have recently claimed scores of lives.

UN envoy welcomes UN delegation visit to Somaliland

By Lin Zhi / Xinhua

A United Nations top envoy for Somalia on Friday welcome a visit to Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Somaliland by a delegation of UN officials from the Somalia office.

The delegation from UNPOS, led by the UN Deputy Special Representative for Somalia Charles Petrie, visited Somaliland this week to meet officials, with a focus on the continued and strengthened engagement of UNPOS in Somaliland.

UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the delegation also met members of the government as well as various political parties and civil society representatives to hear their viewpoints.

"Somaliland has an impressive history of resolving its internal tensions peacefully and I hope this tradition will be used to address the current challenges," said Ould- Abdallah.

The delegation held a constructive meeting with President DahirRiyale Kahin. Ould-Abdallah said he hoped it was proof of Somaliland's determination to move towards peace and compromise.

"For the past two decades Somali landers have followed the path of dialogue and denounced violence," he added. "I believe Somaliland can provide many lessons in finding peaceful solutions to the internal crisis."

Puntland forces battle with road bandits

By Abdirizak Osman Bulgaaz

Two militias men were wounded after a heavy gun battle between Puntland soldiers and a group of armed bandits, who blocked the raod at Jalam Village near Garowe, the capital city of the semi-autonomous region of Punt land, on Saturday night.

The wounded men were taken to Galkayo Hospital after they have surrendered to the Puntland security forces.

The troops who over powered the militia met a stiff resistance from the bandits, according to eyewitnes.

Puntland officials confirmed, that their troops exchanged fire with armed men, after the militia opend fire on civil cars traveling between Garowe and Galkayo.

The remaining badndits are now being held in Garowe Police station, the police says they are still investigating the incident.

Former PM becomes Somalia ambassador to Italy

A former prime minister in Somalia's beleaguered transitional federal government has formally taken his new post as the country's ambassador to Italy, Radio Garowe reports.

Mr. Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, who was Somali Prime Minister between Nov. 2007 and Jan. 2009, formally accepted his ambassadorial post following a meeting this week with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, sources said.

An event was held Thursday evening at the Somali Embassy in Rome to mark Nur Adde's ascension as the Somali ambassador to Italy. The sources said that the Somali community Rome welcomed the new ambassador by hosting an iftar – Muslims´ traditional fast-breaking during the holy month of Ramadan.

Further, Nur Adde holds the post of Somali envoy to the European Union. He was appointed by interim Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in June, as Garowe Online reported.

Italy became the first country in the West to pronounce plans to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu, the war-battered capital of Somalia. Somalia's last effective national government collapsed in 1991 and the Horn of Africa country has been reeling from political anarchy, drought and perpetual violence since.

The Somali interim government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, currently controls a few neighborhoods while most of Mogadishu remains in the hands of insurgents.

Harakat Al-Shabab Mujahideen Officials form Administration for Beled Hawo Town

The Islamic administration of Harakat Al-shabab Mujahideen officials have formed an Islamic administration in Beled Hawo town in Gedo region, officials told Shabelle radio on Friday.

The officials announced the new administration yesterday afternoon in Beled Hawo, which is located at the border between Somalia and Kenya - saying that the administration changed the former administration of Harakat Al- Shabab Mujahideen who manned the region for over the past months.

Sheik Osman Mohamed Abdi, the deputy chairman of Gedo region explained more about the new administration for the reporters in Beled Hawo town early on Friday morning and how they had chosen the officials saying that they were consisting of 5 members.

Sheik Aden Mohamed Barre, the former chairman of Harakat Al-Shabab Mujahideen in Beled Hawo town was appointed to be the head of social affairs of the town.

Asked about what the new administration could improve the situation in the town, Sheikh Osman Mohamed Abdi, the deputy chairman of the Islamic administration replied they would engage in services to the population by following the Sharia law.

However, the formation of the new Islamic administration comes as there had been clashes between forces loyal to Harakat Al-shabab mujahideen and Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a in parts of the region.

We Are Planning to Drive Out Forces in Mogadishu' - Banadir Region Official

Abdifatah Ibrahim known as (Shaweye), a deputy governor of Banadir region administration for the security affairs has Friday held a press conference in Mogadishu and said that they are planning to drive out the forces against them in the capital.

Mr Shaweye said that their aim was to end the fighting going on in the Somali capital Mogadishu saying that they would welcome whoever could play a crucial role for halting the continuing clashes in Banadir region.

He said that the government soldiers were ordered not to start war during the holy Ramadan month for the respect of this month, pointing out that the other sides ignored it and carrying on their assaults against transitional government soldiers in Mogadishu.

It is not the first time that the transitional government officials announce pans to end fighting continuing in Mogadishu and the statement comes as there had been increased fighting in Mogadishu over the recent weeks.

Fifth Minneapolis man reported dead in Somalia

His death is fifth among group that left Twin Cities to join Islamist insurgency by Emily Gurnon

A fifth Somali-American man reportedly died in Mogadishu, Somalia, 10 months after he disappeared from Minneapolis, a family spokesman said Saturday.

Mohamoud Hassan, a former engineering student at the University of Minnesota, was one of an estimated 20 men suspected of leaving the United States to join the Islamist al-Shabaab insurgency against the Somali government.

"His grandmother got a call (Friday) noon," said Abdirizak Bihi, a local Somali activist who has been speaking for the families of the men who disappeared. The call was from a relative of another young man who had fled the Twin Cities.

"He told them that he's at the cemetery in Mogadishu burying Mohamoud Hassan and another kid," Bihi said. The second dead man was a white American whose name Bihi did not know, he said. "We don't have details of how these kids died or were killed."

Neither was it clear exactly when Hassan died, but family members believe the reports of his death are accurate, Bihi said.

A spokesman for the FBI, which is investigating the men's disappearances, could not be reached Saturday for comment.

At least three men have pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with what prosecutors called their involvement with a "militant Islamic jihadist organization" in Somalia. Prosecutors have not said whether others have been charged.

Bihi said Hassan had attended Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and was expected to graduate from the U next year. He enjoyed playing basketball and was his grandmother's main caretaker before he left for Somalia on Nov. 4.

"He was the one she most depended on," Bihi said.

An uncle put Hassan's age at 19, Bihi said, though his Facebook entry states he was 23.

Bihi said he and others in the Somali community believe that because many of the young men came from single-mother households, they were hungry for male mentors.

"Somebody led them," he said. "Somebody gave them the wrong clue as to what Somalia is."

Bihi's nephew, Burhan Hassan, was killed in Mogadishu in June.

He said the families whose lives have been turned upside down by the departures are becoming frustrated with what they feel is a lack of interest on the matter by local elected officials.

"It is really driving the Somali refugee community crazy," Bihi said. "They should be meeting with the parents. They should show solidarity with the families and encourage them, to show them that they are not alone."

Law enforcement officials are "the only people who are helping us," he said.

MN Man Recruited to Fight in Somalia is Killed

Mohamoud Hassan joins the list of Somali men with Minnesota connections killed in Somalia. Hassan is believed to be one of as many as 20 Minnesota Somali men recruited to go fight in the country's civil war.

In the past year, Burhan Hassan, Jamal Bana and Zakaria Maruf have all been killed while fighting in Somalia. Those men, and Mohamoud Hassan, were reportedly with the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab that is fighting to overthrow the Somali government and is linked to the Alqaida terrorist group.

A spokesman for Hassan's family says Mohamoud's involvement with the group was unexpected. "He was a very smart young kid, and it adds to the mystery of exactly what happened," said Omar Jamal.

Hassan was known to write about anti-government forces. In an essay on Facebook that was published in the New York Times, he wrote " I would advise you to stop sending young Somali boys on suicide missions against well-armed and well-trained troops."

Hassan was a University of Minnesota engineering student before leaving to go fight in Somalia. His family's spokesman says he is not optimistic about the Somali men like Hassan ever returning to the U.S.

"I don't think they will ever come back. I think they will all be killed," said Jamal.

Federal law prohibits anyone from going to another country to fight or join terrorists. While the reasons why 20 some men left Minnesota to fight in Somalia are a mystery, the focus has now shifted to prevent anyone from leaving to fight there in the future.

Impacting reports from the global village

Rightwing US-Insurgents have no different mindset to Islamic-Insurgents

"Assistant Montco D.A. heads off to fight pirates"

Keith Phucas of Journal Register News Service describes a Montgomery County assistant district attorney who fought crime locally for a decade and who left his job heading overseas to join the fight against America´s enemies.

Have a look

Assistant District Attorney Robert Sander, 33, who is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, is the current captain of the Economic Crimes Unit, but he recently turned in his two-piece suits for a military uniform as he began a one-year deployment as the deputy staff judge advocate for the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, based in Djibouti. In this new role, Sander will be second in command of the joint legal office, supervising other military lawyers and paralegals from all branches of the armed services.

He´ll be stationed at CJTF-HOA Headquarters in Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, (Phucas thinks its pronounced Ja-Booty), located between Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea and across the Red Sea from Yemen.

"I´m proud to protect our nation, and the freedom and liberty of each American," he said. "Serving in the military is one of the highest honors anyone can undertake."

"Anyone familiar with this area of the world knows it can be dangerous, but we´ll have 2,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines looking out for one another," he said. "This is what we train for throughout the year."

CJTF-HOA is part of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which was established in October. According to its Web site, AFRICOM was established to conduct military operations which aim to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy.

Once Sander reaches Djibouti, he´ll be responsible for working on a variety of counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance legal issues ranging from funding, establishing and interpreting international agreements, to training U.S. Embassy personnel and African soldiers and supporting "operational needs."

When asked about serving in Djibouti, where temperatures can climb to 120 to 130 degrees, Sander admitted it won´t be easy.

"It´ll be difficult leaving family and friends and all the comforts of home, but that´s what I signed up for when I volunteered to serve in the military," he said. [Exactly the same words as Abu-Manssor" in a recent video.]

"Going overseas for a year always makes you appreciate the little things in life, like spending time with my dogs, eating a cheesesteak and watching the Phillies," Sander said.

Alleged terror suspects released from Dutch custody

Dutch prosecutors have released four Dutch-Moroccan suspects who were arrested in Kenya in July for their alleged involvement in a terrorist plot.

According to official reports, further investigations are still pending by the Dutch prosecutors despite the release of suspects on September 4, due to lack of evidence.

The four men were in police custody in the Netherlands after their extradition to that country from Belgium. Kenya decided to expel the men after arresting them near Kenya-Somalia border in July. They were allegedly going to enter Somalia to undergo training in a terrorist camp there.

"We have not yet received any information from Kenya concerning their alleged terrorist activities," public prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin told German news agency DPA.

Dutch police have said the four were members of a small group in The Hague, monitored by the intelligence services, with allegedly jihadist views.

Netherlands release four terror suspects seized in Kenya - DPA

Four men arrested in Kenya for allegedly plotting terror attacks were released from detention in the Netherlands on Friday - pending further investigation by the Dutch authorities. The quartet - three Dutch-Moroccans and a Moroccan with Dutch residency, all aged 21 - were arrested in July near the Kenyan border with Somalia. They were allegedly on their way to a jihadist training camp in Somalia. All four were deported to Belgium, and then extradited to the Netherlands. "We have not yet received any information from Kenya concerning their alleged terrorist activities, public prosecutor spokesman Wim de Bruin told the German Press Agency dpa. "Therefore we have no legal grounds to extend their detention,"The four, who have been in police custody for one month, were released "without restriction" while the authorities would continue their investigation, the spokesman said. Dutch police said the four were members of a small group in The Hague, monitored by the intelligence services, with allegedly jihadist views.

Kenya terror suspects released

Four Dutch nationals arrested in Kenya in July on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack have been released from jail, the public prosecution department said on Friday.

The four, all aged 21, were picked up on their way to what officials claimed was a jihadist training camp in Somalia. They were deported to Belgium which then sent them back to the Netherlands.

The department said in a short statement it was waiting for more information about the four men from the Kenyan authorities.

Arroyo Placed Philippines in Company of Wart-Torn, Aid-Dependent Countries

By Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares - Bayan Muna

We congratulate President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for placing the Philippines in the blighted company of war-torn, aid-dependent countries like Sudan and Somalia.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer recently reported that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will soon start providing rice rations amounting to 8,160 metric tons to thousands of war-displaced people in Mindanao. Meanwhile, Amnesty International recently reported that the war in Mindanao as "having the highest number of new internally displaced persons worldwide with more than 750,000 people forced out of their homes in the last 17 months of the conflict.

What is appalling is how little the Arroyo administration has done to alleviate the plight of internal refugees generated by its war in Mindanao.

With great fanfare, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro inaugurated his own version of a soup kitchen for the refugees. He further devalued his own propaganda by saying that it is experimental in nature and limited in scope.

As if to rub salt into the wounds of the conflict, Amnesty International reports that the Manila government in June went to the extent of discouraging aid agencies "from giving large quantities of food to displaced persons, in an effort to prevent food from being diverted to the hands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) or sold to traders."

We have a government that is creating the largest growing population of internally displaced persons in the world, with no provisions for their food while it lavishes its top officials in million-peso meals abroad!

This is the same callous and insensitive government that showcases noodle soup kitchens while international food donations are being limited, if not totally blocked.

Giving 15 thousand US dollar to Somalia for what?

Arroyo recently "contributed" in cash to the Transitional Federal Government, but analysts wondered for what these 15tsd dollar were. Likewise, Arroyo rubbed shoulders with participants at the AU summit in Lybia and promised to train the Somali coastguard. Is it maybe time that her advisers are send packing? Or is the Philippine president really serious to export more Pinoy slaves to Somalia after she had secured many jobs for Filipino workers at the US military camp at Le Monier in Djibouti, which has causesd already a serious stink with the Djibouti government as well as the local people.

Analysis: Obama's War Has No End In Sight

By Yang Qingchuan - Xinhua News Agency

When it comes to Afghanistan, no great power has ever succeeded in controlling that country.

These days, as U.S. President Barack Obama is weighing hard choices on a very likely further increase of troop levels in Afghanistan, the "graveyard of empires," he is very aware of that part of history.

After Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, submitted a bleak assessment of the nearly 8-year war, now it's for the president to make the decision.

But the choices are hard to make. It's obvious that more troops and other resources are needed to help Obama's new strategy to work, but he is also confronting a growing anti-war public sentiment here at home, in the fear that the country will eventually be trapped into Afghanistan like all those military powers in history.

No matter how soon the president will announce a further troop increase and a change of tactics, the conflict, which has already become "Obama's war", has no end in sight and the prospect is far from clear, analysts said.

More Troups, Resources

Although McChrystal didn't make any formal request for additional troops in his report, the White House clearly opened door to such possibility.

Commenting on the report, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Monday that a formal request for more troops or other war resources will be coming in next few weeks.

He used the word "under-resourced" repeatedly to describe U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.

"For many years, our effort in Afghanistan has been under-resourced politically, military and economically, " he said.

The New York Times and other U.S. newspapers said that could be interpreted as an euphemism for "we need to put more troops and other resources there".

In a public statement on his report, McChrystal said "the situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable".

He called for a "revised strategy", greater "resolve" and a "unity of effort" to salvage the war.

The report's recommendations include a shift in military strategy to protecting local population from simply fighting the insurgents, speeding-up training of the Afghan military and double its size.

Although he stopped short of requesting more troops but analysts said protecting the Afghan population and training more Afghan troops will surely require more U.S. troops and military trainers.

When Obama announced his new strategy for the war in March, he said the goal is to "disrupt, dismantle, defeat al Qaida" and the Taliban forces which provide safe havens for terrorists.

Obama has already planned to increase troops in Afghanistan to 68,000 this year.

But military analyst Frederick Kagan said that number is not enough to achieve his objective.

The U.S. Army doctrine says that to effectively protect local population in an insurgency, it requires one soldier for every 50 civilians. In Afghanistan, it means 320,000 troops are needed.

However, with 68,000 U.S. troops, other NATO forces, Afghan troops, it only adds up to 270,000.

Anthony Cordsman, a scholar who advised McChrystal in writing his report, said many experts believe the commander may at least need 3 more brigades, or some 10,000 additional troops.

Price too high

Opinion surveys illustrated the political risk for Obama to send more troops and other resources to Afghanistan.

In a CNN poll released on Tuesday, a majority, or 57 percent of Americans now oppose the war, an all-time high. The number has been on the rise steadily in recent months.

The worse thing is that the majority of anti-war folks come from Obama's own camp: Democrats and independents.

"The public doesn't see Afghanistan as a lost cause. But there may be a lot of Americans who question whether a victory in Afghanistan is worth the cost, " said CNN polling director Keating Holland.

Indeed, comparing the huge price the United States has paid for the war, the outcome is hardly satisfying.

Even the new Obama administration formulated a new strategy, sending more troops and replacing U.S. military and civilian leaders in Afghanistan, the situation there is getting worse.

Attacks incidents have quadrupled since 2007 while August became the most deadly month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since 2001.

The U.S.-supported government in Kabul controls less than one-third of the country, as the Brookings Institute ranked the country "second weakest nation" in the developing world.

Cash-strapped American taxpayers are more worried about the open-end and growing U.S. spending for the war.

The United States has so far spent 223 billion U.S. dollars in its military efforts in Afghanistan while annual nonmilitary aid to Afghanistan increased from less than one billion dollars in 2003 to 9.3 billion dollars last year.

Most analysts agree that Obama's new strategy means more war costs.

No End in Sight

Obama said in a recent speech that the Afghan war, which has become the second-longest overseas war for United States in recent history, is "war of necessity" and won't end soon.

But he has no answer for a question many Americans care most:

"How long will it last and how much will it cost?"

Many analysts admit there is no end in sight for this war.

"We will need a large combat presence for many years to come, and will probably need a large financial commitment longer than that," said Stephen Biddle, a defense expert at the Council of the Foreign Relations.

There are fears among the American public and politicians that with an open-ended war, Afghanistan could be another Vietnam.

The House Appropriations Committee said in a recent report that its members are "concerned about the prospects of an open-ended U.S. commitment to bring stability to a country that has a decades-long history of successfully rebuffing foreign military intervention and attempts to influence internal politics."

Some columnists and politicians are openly calling for an exit plan.

However, for Obama who inherited the war and made it his own, a retreat will risk a come-back of al Qaida and new terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

But if he goes along with his strategy and keep increasing input of resources into this war, he will risk further alienating his political base.

The best hope for Obama is his strategy, being refined by recommendations from McChrystal, can turn around the tide of war in 12 to 18 months.

But even if he reaches that goal, it will take many more years to reduce sharply the threat from the Taliban and al Qaida, said analyst Cordsman.

The prospect that whether his strategy will work or not, will depend on various factors and is hard to predict.

The Airstrike: Protecting the People or Destroying the Enemy?

By Ian Fisher for NYT

In June, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal tightened the rules for calling in airstrikes in Afghanistan. It was a formal recognition of what U.S. military commanders had been saying for months: that airstrikes that killed civilians were undermining the chances of success in the war. "Air power contains the seeds of our own destruction if we do not use it responsibly," he said announcing the new rules. "We can lose this fight."

Details are still sparse, but it is unclear whether the huge airstrike near the northern city of Kunduz on Friday that killed between 80 and 90 people conformed with those new rules. Stephen Farrell, a New York Times´s reporter and chief "At War" blogger, made it to the site and reported several civilian casualties, including injured young boys he spoke with at the local hospital. The strike was called in not by Americans but by Germans. So the strike may intensify the debate in Germany, where the war in Afghanistan is unpopular.

Apart from determining exactly what happened — or what went wrong — the strike is also likely to renew attention on the counter-insurgency strategy put in place in Iraq and which General McChrystal wants to expand in the fight in Afghanistan. Late last month, he issued new counter-insurgency guidelines that would seem to suggest that an airstrike would be an absolute last resort. "Protecting people is the mission," the document reads. "The conflict will be won by persuading the population, not by destroying the enemy."

Investigation into U.S. State Dept Bureau of African Affairs

By Scott A Morgan

While Most Advocates for African Issues and Pundits were focused on other things such as the Visit to Africa by Secretary Clinton and the Comprehensive Policy Review towards Sudan,an Internal Investigation by the State Department into the Bureau of African Affairs revealed some unique and chilling remarks.

What did this report reveal about what the Bureau that will be dealing with what will be the next test in US Foreign Policy? This Department is underfunded, facing staffing shortfalls, burdened with demands, has a public diplomacy program that in the words of the report is "failed", and has questions regarding the priorites of long term planning. Despite these shortcomings the report by the State Department Inspector General Praised the Work of the Bureau.

The evaluation into the Bureau took place between April 20th and June 9th of this year. It should be noted that Johnnie Carson who was nominated by President Obama to this post assumed this position while review was underway. Before Mr. Carson took over Philip Carter III was the acting Undersecretary. The review viewed that the time under the stewardship of Mr. Carter was a time of "renewal". The report sees Mr. Carson as a Strong Leader for this position.

Some of the lowlights that were also revealed in this report were that Several Unnamed Embassies have significant morale, staffing and leadership issues. There was also a lack of communication from the regional desks to the front office and disinterest in all posts but those that deal with Crisis Situations. All in all this does not bode well for the Secretary of State but could adversely affect decisions made by the President as well.

The Lack of foresight in planning affects several aspects of US African Policy. One glaring example was in Food Aid. Quoting the report" The United States feeds Africa,it is not focusing as it might (should) on helping Africans feed themselves." Another example was in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The US funds programs that focus more on medication than on prevention of the Spread of this Deadly Disease. The Main function of most humanitarian programs centered around PEPFAR and little if any resources were allocated for education and combating HIV/AIDS.

Another point of controversy is AFRICOM. This newest command of the US Military was resented by members of the Bureau. More often than not the reason was that the Military was getting More Money allocated to it then their State Department Counterparts. For Example A Military Information Support Team dealing with Somalia received $ 600,000 while the State Department got $ 30,000. It should be noted that the Military has resources that State either dreams about or resents. The IG also suggested that the Peacekeeping Training and Support Programs be transferred to AFRICOM if the funding does not increase.

The IG report found that AGOA (Africa Growth and Opportunity Act) has had marginal success due to several factors including poor infrastructure, lack of credit and not meeting the goal imposed by Washington. It also found that within the Bureau that Somalia is the hot button issue but in the grassroots here in the US the Militia Activities are a rising concern as well.

This report is a good news/bad news for the Administration. Africa does have high hopes and expectations of the President. The Military Command is better funded for some missions. Morale is low but the job is increasingly become more and more crucial on a daily basis. Nothing changes poor morale like having some successes. Clearly the State Department needs some when it comes to Africa.

Radial Islamic Website Reports Osama bin Laden Promises Gift to Muslims

By beth

A radical Islamic website known to be used by al-Qaeda has posted a message that they will soon offer a ´present´ from Osama bin Laden to Muslims.

Apparently, Osama bin Laden is offering a ´present´ to Muslims through an Islamic website that is used by al-Qaeda supporters. The website promises a ´present´ from bin Laden to Muslims for the holy month of Ramadan.

Osama bin Laden has previously sent messages that Barack Obama is planting the seeds of ´revenge and hatred´ by Muslims towards the United States. Obviously, the exact opposite message that Obama (not to be confused with Osama) has attempted to convey to the Muslim world. So much for the bridge of hope and change offered up by the ever affable as long as you agree with him President of the United States.

So what could bin Laden be planning to give the Muslim world as a Ramadan present? We remember some of his previous presents, most spectacularly being the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Then, of course, there are embassy bombings in Africa, the bombing of the USS Cole, attacks against American interests and military in Somalia (think Blackhawk Down), the 1994 World Trade Center bombing and numerous other airline crashes, bombings, suicide bomber attacks and general mayhem that have yet to be officially attributed to this apostle of the religion of peace.

Open Letter To President Obama And First Lady Michelle

International and USA child kidnapping and abuse

Mr. President and First Lady Michelle,

We have a world wide problem that we would like you to be aware of, which affects all children and families of every age, race and faith. The problem is parental kidnapping (abduction) and alienation which is being completely ignored by the government and vested interest groups.

Parental Kidnapping (Abduction) has been in existence since I STARTED IN 1974. Grants for missing children are only for stranger abduction but not for parental child kidnapping. We do now have in place a grassroots civil rights movement to exploit the crisis, which is an opportunity to save children from abuse. Innocent parents are being thrown into jail based on false allegations and hearsay evidence.

Children are being kidnapped and held against their will and are being brainwashed. Children are suffering - being denied the right to see their other parent - and being taught to hate them. Both children and left behind parents are victims whilst the kidnappers are being protected by the State and denied their rights.

1. The health care system is being drained because of the problem that arises from this abuse.

2. This abuse is perpetual – abused children repeat this cycle of abuse. We need to end this – now.

3. Parental abduction is the source of many social problems which manifest into painful human abuse.

4. Suicide, mental illness, sexually abused, physically abused, murdered, alcoholics, drug addicted prostitutes. These issues affect both boys and girls – of all nationalities and social class.

5. The United States is one of only two countries in the world that have not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Somalia—a country without an internationally-recognized government—is the other. (Ref : Amnesty International)

6. The barriers are the lawyers that turn the parental kidnapping cases into custody cases which generate huge profits for them and bankrupt the parents. This is unacceptable.

7. The parents resources, wages, house, cars go up in smoke and they end up in poverty.

8. Children and parent´s human rights are taken away, never to see their children again.

The US Constitution - which all public officials pledge allegiance - enforces a fiduciary and legal responsibility to protect citizens. The abuse of children to generate profits has no place in a civilized and mature democracy like the United States – let alone in this world. We urge you to work with us to eradicate this cancer of abuse as it is damaging thousands of children and parents each week. It is patriotic and humanitarian as a human being to prevent all forms of abuse.

As a victim of stranger abduction and the parental abduction of my son I , Marianne Malky have spent over 34 years to expose and educate on this very issue. I have listened to over 2,000 cases. The voices of the children are being silenced. Our group of charities (list attached) has a common purpose – to reunite the abducted children with both parents. We cannot remain in denial while children are being abused. We need to lead where others remain in denial and fearful to expose this crime. We, the people, have a duty to expose and end this cycle of abuse. We like to meet you to enact solutions as this is an International crisis.

Yours sincerely,

Marianne Malky

Media / Press Contact

USA Contact : Marianne Malky ( Founder and President)

Toll Free: +1-800-28 HELPME (800-284-3576) |

Other Phone: +1-561-586-8515

email : mvoice4@aol.com | For information: www.voiceforthechildren.com

Voice for the Children, Inc. (USA Charity)

411 Wilder St., West Palm Beach, FL 33405, United States

United Kingdom (UK) Contact :

Thana Narashiman (Volunteer)

Tel : + 44-(0)791-88-39-43

exposeabduction@gmail.com

Hunger still widespread in Uganda, but foreign financed

Police school opens

By Eddie Ssejjoba

Kabalye Police Training School in Masindi district has become an instruction centre to build regional forces, the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, has said.

Opening a two-month leadership course for district Police commanders and Crime Intelligence Department officers on Tuesday, Kayihura said Uganda and Southern Sudan had agreed to have joint training sessions at the school, while Somalia and Burundi had also shown interest.

"Somalia is sending 4,000 personnel to train alongside our forces which will make handling of crime in the region easier," Kayihura noted.

The head of Southern Sudan police, Jackson Elia, said he had started drawing plans with the deputy director in charge of human resource management, Benson Oyo Nyeko, on how they would train officers at Masindi.

He said Uganda was advanced and progressing in community policing, which they wanted to emulate. Kayihura said the course was the first of its kind in Uganda and was intended to turn the force into an effective institution.

Citing the UPDF, saying it had many officers who attained high ranks after the bush war but lacked cadet training. He added that such officers needed to undergo special training to match their ranks.

The training will include martial arts sessions by a team from North Korea.

Where Does Africa Foreign Aid Really Go: Africa or Elsewhere?

By Paul I. Adujie, New York

No wise military commander would attempt in good sense, to feed a battalion or a brigade with the same amount of food which is only sufficient to feed a platoon.

This is just as no intelligent farmer would in all good judgment, attempts to feed 200, 000 chickens or 200, 000 cows, with the same amount of grains which would satiate just 100 chickens or 100 cows. Otherwise, such military commander will have a very hungry brigade, battalion and such a farmer, would have malnourished livestock of whether chickens or cows.

In foreign aid logic, more is given to platoons commanders and less is given to commanders of battalions and brigades. More is similarly given to farmers with fewer livestock, while much less is given to the farmers with many more thousands of livestock.

And those given less are frequently required to do much more, and those given nothing at all, are blamed for poor outcomes, nonetheless. Such is the nature of foreign aid.

Aid is never directed at places in the world where the need is greatest. Foreign aid has a pattern of being directed at those who are connected. And those with clouts and those with the requisite vehemence and cohesion to pepper donors with complaints when they are not offered aid.

National Public Radio´s (NPR) Gwen Thompson reporting from two counties in Africa, managed to have repeated for each, the irrelevant fact that these countries are aid beneficiaries of USA and I have never heard any journalist/reporter say the same of Israel, as the American journalist who reports from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

There are those who are completely ignorant of how foreign aid is allocated both in terms of size and what nations are recipients. Out of such ignorance, some have assumed that so much or even too much foreign aid, have been given to African nations.

These ignoramuses therefore argue that foreign aid to Africans is ineffective. Or that it creates dependency. But by the time that you look at the tables and schedules of US Foreign Aid below, you will agree, and see the lie about Foreign Aid. Ignorant people should stop using Africa as cover for the foreign aid which actually flows elsewhere, far from Africa.

There is a reason why Israel never was in a position to have to rely on Bono of U2 or the musicians and artistes who performed We Are the World, Live Aid in support for victims of drought and famine in Ethiopian and Somalia to advocate public charity as form of aid. It is the same reason why Israel for instance never has to deal with the conditionality World Bank and International Monetary Fund stringent strictures, which are frequently imposed on African nations and nations such as Argentina etc.

The World Bank and IMF, is seen in developing countries, as tools by which western nations control public policies and the lives of peoples in the developing world. And anyone who has heard of the so-called "Structural Adjustment Program" understands the ruinations it wrought in many developing countries worldwide. Israel receives more aid and more loan guarantees than all of Africa. So Israel does not need the scandalous fund raising theatrics. Israel was never subjected to controls and strictures of The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund or IMF. And why not?

In the metaphorical scheme of things, regarding foreign aid, it is as if African nations are the ones who must travel longest distances in the desert, and they are the ones with a junk car with a broken radiator and burnt gasket, and before donor give Africans 8 ounces of radiator coolants, donors first announce such plans 2 years in advance. And worse, donors actually loudly announce plans to donate gallons of radiator coolants, but eventually only deliver mere 8 ounces of coolants.

These same donors are keenly aware of the fact that Israel does not have a lot of passengers to transport, and a great distance to travel, and yet, they will quietly and surreptitiously supply brand new Cadillac Escalade to Israel without ostentations announcements or even a whimper of donations of brand new Cadillac and Lexus filled with high octane fuels to Israel, in the competition to drive through the desert, the outcome between both teams is slanted and predetermined.

Donors who are only willing to donate junk cars to African nations are also quick to want to complain about our African drivers of such junk cars. Donors are blaming African drivers for the fate of the junk cars, fates which should be clear to any observer that the best driver could not magically turn the junk pinto into a Cadillac or Lexus or some sort engineering marvel. Even if with best efforts and intentions are invested into junk cars, a clunker is a clunker still.

Again, this is the crux of the matter too regarding foreign aid; foreign aid is something that does not flow to any part of Africa. But, it so irritating to hear Western commentators wring their metaphorical hangs as they moan and bemoan "aid-fatigue or donor-fatigue"! How do you suffer fatigue from what you have not done? How is possible to suffer "donor fatigue" connection with Africa, when 99% of your donor goes to nations outside Africa?

Those in the world who have probably heard of such terms, such as donor-fatigue and or, aid-fatigue are liable to think Africa in the same sentence as they would upon hearing of war, chaos and a starving child. But those terms, are marketing tools of disinformation. Those vexatious terms erroneously lead readers and listeners, of those who spout them, into thinking that so much or enough has been given or done for Africa already.

Africa is therefore as, thereafter thought of, and presented in portrayals of irredeemable basket case. It is critical to examine the role played by this erroneous portrayal of Africa, which in turn affects policy formulations and haphazard implementations, in particular reference to foreign aid.

This is an effort to show how, even the best optimist, the most enthusiastic worker becomes discouraged by those who peddle disinformation and then pretend no amount of efforts will change Africa. The truth is, not enough have been done, let alone too much. Where then does the donor-fatigue and aid-fatigue arise from?

It is noteworthy that foreign aid is determined by criterion, which have nothing to do with where the needs are greatest or where the largest population of neediest cases reside. What determines the destination and quantum of aid are rather mere ephemerals of friendship, lobby, clout and the quality or lack, in the leadership of a given aid donor country. These flimsy factors which have nothing whatsoever to do with need, are often fleeting, but, sometimes, also as a result of inertia. Successive administrations send foreign aid, to where aid was always sent.

There is this astonishing discover y that successive American administration, regardless of whether it is led by social conservatives or liberal-progressives, tend to direct aid, to where aid was always directed.

The truth about foreign aid is almost silly and amusing, it will make anyone with good sense have a rethink of what we all thought we knew about foreign aid. Too many people seem to have this sort of auto response when asked about Africa as the destination of foreign aid, a woefully mistaken belief and hence the auto-response.

When it comes to foreign aid to Africa, here is what happens. Western nations take the best friends forever or preferred non-African friends, to Five Star Restaurants in foreign aid metaphorical terms. Western nations treat these non-Africans to sumptuous 14 course meals of caviars, champagne, wines, desserts and more. At the end, their "conscience" suggests photo opportunity of a feel good type with the Africans, and so, leftovers and doggie-bags are brought to the Africans in full glare of television cameras from CNN and BBC etc in tow. And in the full glare of television cameras, Africans are portrayed in dire straits and genuflecting and picking up the leftovers with gratitude and appreciation with so much flourish.

Remember that the television cameras were conveniently out during the events of sumptuous dinners with foreign aid donors´ best friends. Africa is then splashed all over the news, as African was actually the recipient of the 14 course meals sumptuous dinner! Africans are the ones everyone hears and sees being feted.

Someone could argue, that westerners are entitled to spent own money, however and whomever they prefer. True! But why lie about who the major recipients or beneficiaries are? They are not Africans! Let there be truth in charity, as we demand truth in advertising. Foreign Aid is not squandered on Africa as many have been made to believe.

Africa receives less than one percent of foreign aid. But discussions about foreign aid, frequently pretend that Africa is the epicenter of foreign aid and that Africa is the major beneficiary of foreign aid and this is not so at all. Again, I implore you to be the judges… see the accompanying tables and indexes.

After slavery, after colonialism and after World Wars and After various economic meltdowns, what Marshall Plan or forms of financial bailouts, rescues etc were offered to Africans compared to the Marshall Plan, bailouts and rescue packages which were offered to the rest of the world over and over again?

Powerlessness is evil! Africa have been made powerless since slavery and colonialism, hence the world says and does what it pleases regarding Africa, things which are clearly unacceptable elsewhere.

"War and Peace" or "War What Is Good For"; was not written about Nigeria or Africa. The Medieval War was not fought in Africa or by Africans. The Hundred Years War was not about or of Africa. And yet, it has become fashionable for revisionists to pretend that chaos scenario or chaos theory came about, because of Africans.

The Balkans has brimmed with crises for a hundred years. The "troubles" in Northern Ireland is known to Dubliners and everyone else on earth. The World Wars, I and II, were not caused by Africans. Oliver Cromwell was not an African. Adolf Hitler and Nazis were not Africans. Napoleon Bonaparte was not an African.

The Balkans is not in Africa. And despite all these, revisionists have been convinced a good segment of the world populations that war and chaos is of origin and still resides there? That would make Chechen Africans? Ditto Afghans and Pakistanis?

That would have made Tamil Tigers Africans? The truth of the matter is, I do not like wars. This is regardless of whether or not such war is on the African soil or somewhere else in the world. But the fallacy which is repeated about Africa as the center of war and chaos is simply nonsense. A major factor and huge contributor of the challenges which Africa have faced, is the image devastation inflicted upon Africa by Western media and press. It is either out of inertia, intellectual laziness, dishonesty or outright racism that Western journalists do this in matters concerning Africa; whatever the case is, it is plainly unacceptable and rather voyeuristic.

Western journalists will amaze you with how they are quick to become some pseudo experts on Africa. They will also kill your joy with a strain of ineptitude which allows them to always address African matters in the singular as they were siblings of Sarah Palin of Africa is country fame.

Often, you will hear, "This is John Doe, reporting from Africa." If the same journalist will not say, "This is John Doe, reporting from North America" or "This is John Doe, reporting from Europe" why is the treatments for countries, and cities in African nations grouped together? Why is the treatment reserved for Africans always warped, twisted and inconsistent with treatment of everywhere else?

Westerner journalists report from Afghanistan, Myanmar-Burma, Tibet, Japan or Vietnam or Pakistan, with accompanying sounds of local music, atmospherics and flavors, and never reporting from South East Asia or Central Asia for instance. But, you must have heard, this year, that "This is John Doe reporting with the Pope in Africa.

This is John Doe, reporting with Hilary Clinton in Africa. Western media are more focused on Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton, and most recently, on the life and death of Michael Jackson, than on coverage of substantive issues concerning the African continent during the past ten years. Western media revel in squandering their attention and would be valuable coverage time on salacious and scandalous prurient behaviors of certain celebrities.

In the news, politics, chaos, war, foreign aid, AIDS are portrayed as phenomena peculiarly African. I have observed over time that only African writers, singers, and sundry which are critical of Africa would get publicity or a mention in the Western media.

If all you write or crow about is war, crises, chaos, bad leadership, diseases, Ebola, AIDS, genital circumcision sensationally labeled clitoral mutilation by Westerners, you will get a mention in the Western press and may even be showered with publicity! But whatever you do, never lay any of the blames at the doorstep of Western interlopers and intermeddlers in African affairs.

Westerners always seem to be in the business of selecting and imposing their preference of leadership on developing nations. And these are frequently persons who are unpopular with the local populace in their own nations, fine with Western nations because they are pliable and can be manipulated on strings like puppets by Western nations.

Think Pervez Musharaf of Pakistan. Think Hamid Kharzai in Afghanistan. Think Mahmoud Abbas in Palestine. Think Chalabi in Iraq for a time. I reckon that in a hundred years, there will be Westerners blaming poor people in these countries for being such basket cases.

These countries are being engineered now for future failures, and when the results become apparent, the entire world would have forgotten how Western nations are engineering these failures, being engineered right now by the West. Engineered, it seems to me to, be mere expansion of consumer base or markets for products from western nations, or suppliers of energy or other materials which propel the engines of western nations´ economies.

Such is the history of Africa too. Africa is a case of "Planned Obsolescence" planned by Westerners. Think Slavery. Think Colonialism. Think Berlin Conference 1884-1885 and the meddling-interferences in African affairs ever since! And yet, the face of paucity of foreign aid from Western nations, Africa is presented in humiliating terms, as the recipient of the bulk of foreign aid. Westerners proclaim loudly, that they have poured aid into Africa, but it has not changed Africa´s lot.

The Truth about Foreign Aid is that, Africa is not where foreign Aid really goes.

The bulk of foreign aid, in reality, flows elsewhere and not Africa. How come then, those westerners and their journalists are always screaming about donor or aid fatigue?

There was no Marshall Plan for Africa similar to the ones for Europe and Asia after the World War II. There was no Bailout for Africa similar to the ones for Asia and Mexico in the 1990s. There have been no meaningful foreign aid efforts for African nations.

Out of Africa

By Steve Hughes

Europrats want every member country to accept more refugees from war-torn countries.

Thousands of African immigrants will get a free pass to Britain thanks to barmy new EU laws.

It would mean one in five of all the world´s refugees would be re-homed in Europe.

And Britain would be expected to take thousands of those fleeing war zones in countries such as Sudan and Somalia.

European Commission vice-president Jacques Barrot said: "This important step demonstrates our concrete solidarity with third world countries hosting large numbers of refugees."

Mr Barrot said 200,000 refugees were likely to need resettlement next year, most from poor countries bordering war zones.

The scheme will mean an even bigger population leap for Britain, as the system is already heavily abused by illegal immigrants.

The UK will be offered £3,500 for each of the 5,300 refugees expected to be rehomed here.

Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green said: "There is nothing wrong with trying to plan the numbers of successful refugees – anything would be better than the chaos Britain has suffered in recent years.

"But we could only take part if we had control of the numbers."

A Home Office spokesman welcomed the plan, saying it had "the potential to benefit some of the world´s most vulnerable people".

The suffering of artisanal fisher folk around the Indian Ocean is everywhere horrible and decline of media honesty abhorrent !

N.Ramayana- A Street Play

By Satya Sagar

Sutradhar: Come one! Come all! Witness the grandest drama ever enacted on the face of this earth! The story of N.Ramayana! Narada's Ramayana! Narada the public relations manager of Maha Vishnu himself! Narada, the muni who propagated Aryan culture south of the Vindhyas! Narada, the intellectual power broker! Narada, who could make good appear evil and make the evil look wise whenever he wanted! Narada who could speak with five tongues at the same time to the same person! Narada, who elevated telling lies to an art form! Narada, who could use the noblest of words with the lowest of intentions! Narada, the editor of an influential newspaper today! Narada- not just another Editor-in-Chief but the ABSOLUTE Editor-in-Chief of The Gundu!

Scene One

The play begins in a newspaper office in Chennai. A group of fishermen have been agitating against fisher folk being shot while fishing in international waters off the coast of Tamil Nadu . A reporter is telling his boss Narada why this story is important.

Fishermen shouting slogans in the background.

Reporter: Sir, twenty fishermen have been shot in the past six months. In the latest incident three of them were killed by the Sri Lankan Navy. At least now we should publish a story about this incident

Narada, the Editor: Mr Reporter, do you know how many fish the fishermen kill every day? Is that not a crime too- taking life in any form?

Reporter: (surprised and stammering) But, sir… how can you equate the killing of human beings to the killing of fish just because you are a vegetarian? The fishermen catch fish for their survival and in that process many of them die in the sea anyway? What the Sri Lankan navy is doing is sheer murder of innocent people!

Narada: You ask how can I equate the lives of human beings to that of fish?

(walking up to the reporter slowly and catching him by the collar and drawing the frightened reporter's face close to his)

First of all let me tell you Mr Reporter, I am not a vegetarian. I eat human beings– flesh, blood and bones- everyday for breakfast! I also swallow the living truth every day. If Lord Shiva swallowed poison and locked it in his throat to save humanity I safely lock up the truth in my throat so that it can never escape anywhere !

Next, let me tell you Mr Reporter, I am capable of equating anything with anything if it suits my purpose. Sometimes the lives of fish are more important than human lives, sometimes humans are more precious than elephants. It all depends on the context and there is a mathematics required to understand this. I come from a long lineage of mathematicians, of ´kanakkupillais'. We have calculated our way through history, equation by equation. Calculation is in my blood Mr Reporter and I always get the results I want- even if one has to bend the rules of mathematics to do it once in a while!

Reporter (frightened): Sir, there is something called the truth also. You are running a newspaper that is supposed to reflect honestly what is happening in the world outside. You cannot blackout what is happening in the real world or impose the product of your imagination on your readers all the time!

Narada: (shoving the reporter aside with contempt) The problem with you Mr Reporter is that you do not understand your job definition very well. Yes, we pay you a salary to find out the truth - but not to tell the truth to everybody- last of all our newspaper readers. All the truths you and other reporters bring everyday I keep in the safety vault of my throat.

(motions to the Reporter) See how smooth and white my throat is – touch it, don't be afraid, feel it! This is all the fruit of the hard work of my employees like you, don't be shy!

Reporter touches Narada's throat and is immediately tempted to choke him. He presses hard till Narada turns blue/red in his face and starts shouting for help.

Narada: Murder! Murder! Help! Help! Someone come and rescue me from this madman.

Guards come running and pull the reporter away. Reporter is taken away screaming "You are an enemy of the people! You are a liar! You are a cheat! You are a thief!

Scene Two

Reporters voice fades away. Narada adjusts his shirt, strokes his throat and calls out to his secretary: "Next appointment. Let him come in"

Secretary accompanied by a peon brings in a tall mirror. Narada's next appointment is with himself- his own mirror image. They place the mirror so that he can see himself fully in it.

Narada positions himself before the mirror, stretching himself, making faces at his image, examines his throat once again, pats his hair, sticks out his tongue.

Narada: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I am a Tamilian! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."

Turning dead serious

Narada: "No, I am not a Tamilian. I am a Chameleon ! I can change colours, shape, size, values, principles, facts, data everything- depending on the CONTEXT! "

Walks away from the mirror talking to himself loudly

Narada: " Yes when needed I am a Tamilian too. "Dei, ennada! Poda! Vaada!" I can say to my servants when I am annoyed with them. But I am a man of many identities.

I am the owner of a newspaper and the newspaper is a business meant to make profits. So I have to ensure the business prospers even if it means sacrificing a few principles, a few people here and there.

I am an investigative journalist on my own. I have exposed the secrets of politicians who do not want to do what I want them to do.

I am a Marxist intellectual- or at least that is what many people around me believe me to be. As a Marxist I have to support the poor, the working class in Iraq , Palestine , Afghanistan , Somalia , Ethiopia , Cuba , Bolivia (voice dropping a bit low) but not in India , he, he, he.

Narada starts gesticulating wildly before the mirror talking to himself but as if he is addressing a large audience.

Narada: I am communist to the communist, capitalist to the capitalist, feudal to the feudal! I am Narada the super man! I can say and write what I want ! I can make day into night! I made the solar eclipse possible! I am indispensable! I am so pleased with myself I can shout to the people of Chennai- come Worship me! I am God! I am the Mount Road of Mahavishnu! …Ooops!

Sorry…I am the Mahavishnu of Mount Road ! I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Gundu…."

Just then his secretary comes running in with a mobile phone in hand:

Secretary: "Sir, there is a phone call for you from Delhi . From the Prime Minister's office"

Narada stops his wild actions abruptly and takes the phone his face changing from contorted excitement to a sheepish smile.

Narada: "Yes sir, good morning sir, I mean good afternoon sir. What can I do for you sir!" Of course sir! I have read the Ramayana and know every chapter by heart. Yes Sir I have read the official version; that is what I always read.

What? You want me to strike a deal with the King of Lanka and put the blame for Sita's kidnapping on Hanuman? I understand your code language sir. No need to explain. In other words, you want me to make what you had called freedom fighters yesterday look like terrorists today? Not a problem sir the current Sri Lankan President, er.. I mean King of Lanka is a personal friend of mine, like the previous one and the one before that also.

Twisting facts is the speciality of our newspaper sir. You must have followed our excellent cover up…I mean coverage of Nandigram, Singur and Lalgarh. We can make fascists look like democrats and murderers look like holy men. We are here to whitewash all your crimes- as long as the rewards are worthwhile for us. I know you understand what I am speaking about sir! Sure, sir. A Padma Bhushan here and a Sri Lanka Ratna there will be fine for this job sir and of course those expensive advertisements for our newspaper from your ministries.

Keeps the phone down and does a little dance singing:

"We are The Gundu

There is nothing we can't do

Even God writes for us

So why all this fuss

When we print a pack of lies

And journalism dies

We stand for everything untrue

After all, we are The Gundu!"

Scene Three

Newspaper boy selling copies of The Gundu shouting at the top of his voice:

"Scoop! Hot News! Hanuman kidnaps Sita! Hanuman kidnaps Sita!"

A few people buy the newspaper, read it and are shocked.

Reader 1: "The Sri Lankan government has accused Hanuman of kidnapping Sita and holding her hostage along with thousands of innocent civilians. Government troops have now surrounded Hanuman and his fighters and any moment they are likely to rescue Sita"

Reader 2: " Many civilians are likely to die in the rescue operation but the Sri Lankan army says some collateral damage will inevitably happen in such an operation and the price is well worth it."

Reader 3: "Look here! This article says this information is based on an exclusive interview with the King of Lanka conducted by Narada, the Editor of The Gundu! And the editor says he personally saw all the evidence and is convinced that Hanuman is indeed the culprit!"

Reader 4: (Calling the newspaper boy): "You rascal, what is this newspaper you are selling to us.

Who ever has heard of Hanuman kidnapping Sita? This is just a plain lie. Hanuman is being framed by the Sri Lankan and Indian intelligence agencies.

Reader 1: (pointing to the newspaper boy) "Catch this fellow before he can run away!"

The newspaper readers catch hold of the boy and are about to beat him up when he shouts out loud:

Newspaper boy: " If you want to beat up someone, please go and beat up the Editor of The Gundu. He is the one who is responsible for this lie. I am probably the only fellow linked to the newspaper who is doing an honest job".

Readers agree and they let the boy go. They then march to The Gundu's office shouting slogans:

" Down with the lies of The Gundu"; "Bad journalism costs lives!"; "Don't whitewash the sins of the Sri Lankan government!"

Scene Four

The newspaper readers march into the office of Narada and continue to shout slogans against him and The Gundu. Narada quietens them down by standing on a chair and addressing them:

Narada: "Ok! Ok! Ok! Now tell me, what exactly is your problem?"

Reader 1: "You and your newspaper are the problem! "We are sick and tired of the lies you are publishing every day!"

Reader 2: " Your newspaper is supporting genocide of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka "

Reader 3: "You are an agent of the Indian government in Sri Lanka "

Narada: "Fine, I have now listened to your complaints. You listen to me now. First of all let me explain that the newspaper industry, not just the Gundu, but all newspapers cannot survive without telling lies. We lie for a living. We have a business to run and profits to make and everyday we cannot get real news to fill up our newspaper. So what is called ´news' in our publication is very often just plain fiction. If we had some more talent we would have been scriptwriters in Tamil cinema!"

Reader 1: "That is not true. Tamil cinema is closer to the truth most often than your newspaper. Through their fiction and even fantasy they are able to explain reality much better to thousands of people. You are pretending to tell the truth but telling lies instead"

Narada: " You are a smart fellow. May I offer you a job as an Assistant Editor in our newspaper? Well, I was saying- lies are our staple product. But in the case of our latest article accusing Hanuman of kidnapping Sita I have full proof of his involvement in this crime. I have seen the evidence with my own eyes"

Reader 2: "If you have the evidence why don't you publish that and let the people judge for themselves instead of just making accusations? Can you show us the evidence?"

Narada: "The evidence is with my good friend the King of Lanka. He told me that he saw it with his own eyes"

Reader 3: "Just now you said you saw it with your ´own eyes'. Now it turns out that the Sri Lankan President saw it with his ´own eyes'. What is this nonsense?"

Narada: "You don't understand. The eyes of the King of Lanka are like my ´own eyes'. We are like brothers, two bodies but one soul"

Reader 1: " That is what we are also saying. There is no difference between you and the murderer who runs Sri Lanka . You are as guilty as the King of Lanka"

Narada: " You are mistaken. Our common soul does not belong to either of us. It is owned by a third party- which is in fact a large company that is called ´Greed and Power Pvt. Ltd. So we work on behalf of the investors in that company.

Reader 3: And who are the investors? Does it include the Indian government?

Narada: Yes, of course there are many governments involved in the Sri Lankan conflict- the Indians, the Chinese, Pakistan , Russia , Israel and so on. But all these governments are fronts for larger forces that are interested in converting Sri Lanka into a playground for global business. When they succeed I will become their chief public relations officer and The Gundu will become the top newspaper in the entire region!

Reader 1: So you and your investors are willing to carry out a genocide to achieve this aim?

Narada: What is a little genocide when the stakes are so high? We are talking of taking over an entire country that is rich in natural resources and is strategically located in the Indian Ocean- perfect for both global business and military operations.

Reader 2: Mr Narada. If that is the case and so many global interests are involved in this plot to take over Sri Lanka why are you telling all this to us? Are you not afraid that you will be completely exposed?

Narada: Telling you the truth about my involvement in Sri Lanka does not matter because you are never going to freely walk out of my office. I have made all arrangements.

Claps his hands and several guards appear with guns.

Guard 1: You are all under arrest for attempt to assault the Editor of The Gundu. You will all be charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act and put away in jail for life.

Guard 2: You will have a secret trial and after sentencing nobody will be allowed to meet you in jail.

Reader 1: You will never get away with all this!

Reader 2: The people will find out and revolt against you, your newspaper and your political masters!

Narada: You are fools to think that the people will revolt. We have many ways of controlling the people. Give them free television sets and they will sit glued to them like lifeless idiots entertained by half-clad women singing silly songs. If that does not work we always have these fellows

(pointing to the guards) to control them.

Reader 3: (lunging forward) I will not let you succeed! Down with Narada! Down with the enemies of the people!

Narada: (stepping back) Arrest them!

Guards hold back the readers and march them out of the office in handcuffs with them continuing to shout slogans against Narada and The Gundu.

Scene Five:

Newspaper boy selling The Gundu on the streets.

´Hanuman the terrorist killed by Sri Lankan army! Thousands of civilians killed along with him! Sita rescued by the King of Lanka! Narada awarded Sri Lanka Ratna!!"

Narada singing his song:

"We are The Gundu

There is nothing we can't do

Even God writes for us

So why all this fuss

When we print a pack of lies

And journalism dies

We stand for everything untrue

After all, we are The Gundu!"

Satya Sagar is a writer, journalist and video maker based in New Delhi. He can be contacted at sagarnama@gmail.com

21st Century NATO: France's Return To Military Command

Rasmussen: France's return to command structure is a boon for NATO - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Paris: France's return to NATO's military command structure was a decision of historic importance, the transatlantic alliance's new Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Thursday in Paris. "France's full return to NATO will improve transatlantic relations and strengthen NATO's international position," Rasmussen told journalists after holding talks with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The decision will also stimulate the development of a European security and defence policy, the NATO chief said.

France returned to NATO's military command structure in April of this year, 33 years after then president Charles de Gaulle limited the country's adhesion to the alliance.

A palpable sign of the new situation will come from the United States in the coming weeks, when French General Stephane Abrial becomes the first European to take over a key NATO command charged with military modernization, a post that has always been held by a US four-star general.

Sarkozy told Rasmussen that France will assume its full role in NATO with enthusiasm, particularly because of the planned reformulation of the alliance's strategy.

"NATO must reform itself to better confront the challenges of the 21st century," Rasmussen agreed.

However, Sarkozy did not directly respond to Rasmussen's request that alliance members commit more military troops to Afghanistan. The French president said that Paris wanted the Afghans to take over responsibility for their own security as soon as possible.

US: French General In Historic NATO Appointment

In historic first, French general to assume NATO post in Norfolk

By Hugh Lessig - Daily Press

Current President Nicolas Sarkozy was promised two key posts after Paris rejoined the decision-making body within the U.S.-dominated alliance. Last month, a French general assumed command of NATO's rapid reaction force headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. Now comes Abrial.

French Gen. Stephane Abrial has compiled a to-do list to go along with his new job in Hampton Roads.

Find a house. Enroll the kids in school. Guide a global military alliance in the ever-complex fight in Afghanistan.

And while he's at it, turn a page of history. Next week, Abrial will formally become NATO's commander of military modernization. It will be the first time in NATO's 60-year history that a non-American officer has filled the position, normally held by a four-star U.S. general.

In a ceremony aboard the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier, Abrial will take over from Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.

After a career as a fighter pilot and operational commander, Abrial said Wednesday that he never expected to find himself in this job — the only strategic command within the 28-nation alliance that is headquartered in North America. "It's challenging and a very satisfying position," he said.

The 55-year-old Abrial is no stranger to American soil.

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974 and the U.S. Air War College in Montgomery, Ala., in 1992. He has served nearly one-third of his career outside of his country — not unusual for an American, but rare for France. When his daughter, now a teen, learned to talk, one of the first phrases she said in French was, "I was born American."

Now he is knee-deep in briefings to prepare for a role that, until recently, was not even possible. In 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle pulled his country out of the NATO command. Although France remained a NATO member, it stayed outside the alliance's decision-making core.

Current President Nicolas Sarkozy was promised two key posts after Paris rejoined the decision-making body within the U.S.-dominated alliance. Last month, a French general assumed command of NATO's rapid reaction force headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. Now comes Abrial.

Abrial pointed out that France has remained very active in NATO — sometimes a major contributor in various flash points around the globe.

"At some stage you have to ask yourself, how does it help us to be outside of a structure and always be present when things go wrong?" he said, adding: "I must tell you, I think it's much better to be inside than outside."

Abrial said he wants to maintain and extend the link to U.S. Joint Forces Command, headquartered in Suffolk, another key resource for military modernizing and future-thinking. This comes at a time when the war in Afghanistan is becoming more of a struggle. The Washington Post reported this week that American forces have been surprised by the improved tactics of the resurgent Taliban fighters. Some speculate they have received professional training.

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!)

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

Kindly note that all the information above is distributed under and is subject to a license under the Creative Commons Attribution.

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