Monday, November 22, 2010

International community seeks to support Somalia

As the trial of 10 alleged Somali pirates gets underway in Hamburg, many western nations are doing their utmost to help the crisis-torn nation and support the interim Somali government in rebuilding state structures.

The al Shabab militia control large parts of Somalia


Somalia has been in a civil war nearly non-stop since dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. An international UN effort in the 1990s there failed. In 2007, neighboring Ethiopia invaded - with backing by the United States - but couldn't bring about the desired stability in Somalia, either.
Since 2009, a Western-backed interim government under moderate Islamic politician Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has been struggling to hold on to power in central Mogadishu. It can only do so with the help of 7,000 African Union (AU) soldiers. Large parts of the rest of the country are controlled by al Shabab militia.
The al Qaeda-linked Shabab militia allegedly has fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Chechnya in their ranks. The estimated 7,000 militants are well-armed and supported primarily by neighboring Eritrea. But funding also comes from Arab circles who want to push back Western influence in the region.
This is also a reason why Western countries don't want to leave Somalia to its own devices, said Georges-Marc Andre, the European Commission's Special Envoy for Somalia. There's too much at stake on the Horn of Africa, he said. After all, Somalia controlled one of the most significant sea routes in international shipping through its position on the Gulf of Aden. But the stability of the entire region could also be threatened by Somali backed radical Islamists, he said.
"Clearly the war has been started by Somalis," Andre said. "But they are also victims of those who are looking to use Somalia as a platform to destabilize the region, whether you speak of the Middle East, the states in the Arabian Gulf or some African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda."
A humanitarian catastrophe

Andre coordinates EU aid for the collapsed nation from Nairobi in neighboring Kenya. In 2010 alone, the EU has made 35 million euros ($48 million) available for humanitarian aid and state-building efforts in Somalia. When the security situation permits, he travels to Mogadishu to get a picture of the current situation in Somalia. But there is nothing for Andre to gloss over when it comes to the circumstances in the Horn of Africa."When you look at the terrorist attacks, when you look at all those civilians who are being killed - including kids and women - when you see the al Shabab actions being carried out by child soldiers, when you look at all of this, obviously the situation is awful," Andre said.The civilian population has to bear the brunt of the chaos. There are 1.5 million internally displaced persons in Somalia. But it is virtually impossible to get humanitarian help to those in need, as the Shabab prevent Western aid organizations from accessing regions they control. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Somalia has had no central government since Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991"If you look at the needs in the al Shabab controlled areas, you will see a very patchy distribution with some dark places where nobody today is about to deliver healthcare, water or nutrition for the children," said Philippe Royan, head of the Somalia office of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department. In addition, humanitarian workers are "not welcome" to monitor and assess the population's needs, Royan said.
Crucial African Union support
According to experts, the interim government in Mogadishu supported by the West would collapse within a few days if it was not protected by the 7,000 AU soldiers. But their deployment since 2007 has only progressed sluggishly. The AU's contingent still hasn't reached its required strength, said Wafula Wamunyinyi, the deputy special representative from the AU Commission for Somalia.He said the deployment in Somalia was supposed to take place in phases. The first phase was Mogadishu.
"Then after securing Mogadishu, where the government would then operate, the next phase was to extend to the countryside, of course with an increased number of troops, and other parts of the country," Wamunyinyi said. "We are quite on track. It's just that there has been some delay due to the slow pace at which countries have deployed their troops."An investment in the future EU countries finance the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) indirectly, for example by training 2,000 Somali soldiers in Uganda. For special envoy Andre, helping to rebuild Somalia is an investment in the future. After all, Western nations' security was also dependent on the African country's stability, he said.  Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Child soldiers belonging to Islamist militias are patrolling Mogadishu"If your neighbors like the Somalis are in trouble, you have to be worried about peace in Europe," he said. "What we have to invest now is nothing compared to what we would have to invest in the future if we don't do something to stabilize and bring back peace in Somalia." Deutsche Welle
According to Andre, the impact piracy has had on world trade was a prime example of where Somalia was heading. Somali pirates were responsible for 44 percent of the 289 piracy incidents on the world's seas in the first nine months of 2010, according to a report published by the International Maritime Bureau.
"That is the reason why we should invest now in Somalia, now that time is still there to do something positive with reasonable means," Andre said.

Author: Daniel Scheschkewitz (sac)Editor: Michael Knigge

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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