Somalia festers in chaos one year after Ethiopian incursion - Feature

Mogadishu - One day after Saedo Soleyman's husband was shot dead by Ethiopian troops in the violent Somali capital Mogadishu, her seven-year-old daughter Sahro was killed by a mortar shell that landed in front of the family's home. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Soleyman now lives in a makeshift hut made of plastic sheets and sticks some 30 kilometres outside Mogadishu and depends on handouts from aid agencies to survive a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Soleyman's story is all too common on the outskirts of Mogadishu these days.

After nearly a year since Ethiopian-backed transitional government troops staked their claim over Mogadishu in January, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the United Nations is calling Somalia Africa's worst humanitarian crisis.

"Our life is on the verge of death," said Soleyman, sprawled out in the shade of a tree - the place she now calls home.

Somalia was plunged into anarchy in 1991 after warlords toppled dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, sparking a succession of failed governments.

The current transitional government - the 14th attempt at cementing effective rule in the volatile country - has been unable to quell a persistent insurgency that a local human rights group says has killed up to 6,000 people.

The insurgency has turned most Mogadishu neighbourhoods into ghost towns. Some 80 per cent of schools are closed. Families spend their days hiding in bullet-scarred apartment buildings to stay out of harm's way.

Some 600,000 people have poured out of Mogadishu since January, adding to the 400,000 Somalis displaced before the start of the newly-ignited conflict.

Like Soleyman, they mostly inhabit a stretch of road between Mogadishu and Afgooye 30 kilometres away, fleeing the vicious conflict on foot, by wheelbarrow, donkey cart and any other means to get as far from the violence as possible.

The journey out is nothing if not a struggle. Pro-government militiamen set up roadblocks, demanding upwards of 500 dollars to cross. The UN children's agency UNICEF has said women are dragged out of vehicles and raped in broad daylight even as they attempt to vacate the carnage in the capital.

"Sexual violence and rape is part of the game," said Christian Balslev-Olesen, the children's fund representative for Somalia, adding that the trend was new to the Somali conflict.

Balslev-Olesen said all parties are involved in the crime, including Ethiopian troops who are so bogged down in the constant fighting they are unable to withdraw.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he is awaiting a more robust deployment of African Union troops to the capital, who, now numbering 1,600, are incapable of maintaining peace.

The United Nations, which said earlier this year a UN force in Somalia was unlikely, appealed for 400 million dollars in aid for Somalia for 2008, up nearly a third from last year's request.
But delivering aid to displaced Somalis continued to be hampered this year.

Increasing piracy off Somalia's lawless shores has seen more than 20 ships attacked and 13 hijacked, eliciting an escort of UN ships by French and US navies.

Local aid agencies say it's not only the violence that impedes aid delivery, but government restrictions. The head of the World Food Programme's Somalia office was detained at gunpoint by the national security service earlier this year for reasons still largely unknown.

"We meet obstacles from government soldiers especially those at checkpoints who impose a sum of money on us, which in turn delays the aid assistance," said Ahmed Ali Ganey, a humanitarian worker with the Somali Relief Council.

But the government has throughout the year denied obstructing aid efforts.

Moreover, it has insisted it is winning the war against insurgents in bullet-scarred Mogadishu.
"There is no place the insurgents rule. It is clear that the government manages all of Mogadishu," said Mohamed Omar Dalha, the transitional government's deputy parliamentary speaker.

Residents assess the government's performance otherwise.

"The security situation is worse than before," said Abdi-Muhsin Mohamed Yusuf, a student at Mogadishu University, whose studies have been interrupted on many occasions because of mortar shells, gunfire or bombs.

"Every aspect of life is getting worse every day."

Source: earthtimes.com

Two Foreign Aid Workers Seized in Northern Somalia

Two women working for the international aid group Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) have been kidnapped in Somalia's semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.
Officials in the region say the women were seized in the port town of Bossasso Wednesday, by a gang armed with machine guns. The two women have been identified as Spanish and Argentine nationals.

Police gave chase and engaged in a gunfight with the kidnappers, and two were captured.
Puntland is relatively peaceful compared to the rest of Somalia, which has been wracked by violence since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. But the region has become a staging ground for kidnappings, piracy and human trafficking.

The abductions come two days after Gwen Le Gouil, a French journalist, was released more than a week after he was kidnapped in Puntland. Officials said they secured his release without paying his captors any ransom.

In other developments, suspected insurgents killed three people late Monday in an attack on the home of a regional police chief in Baidoa, about 250 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu.
Police said bodyguards and members of chief's family were among the dead and wounded.

Source: VOA

Somalia: We Will Reach International Border, Says Somaliland Leader

Somaliland

The leader of Somalia's breakaway sub-state of Somaliland has said that his administration intends to reach the international border established during colonial times.

Dahir Riyale, president of the breakaway Somaliland republic, told the Voice of America's Somali program that Somaliland and Somalia combined to form the first Somali Republic.

"Somalia was two countries that combined [in 1960]," Mr. Riyale said. "The third country in the middle known as Puntland is meaningless."

Puntland was formed when a coalition of Somali clans united and formed a regional administration, with land stretching deep into territory claimed by Somaliland's separatist leaders.

In October, Somaliland troops finally expelled Puntland from the key town of Las Anod that has become the centerpiece of the Somaliland-Puntland ' border' conflict since 2002.

According to Mr. Riyale, Somaliland is in Las Anod "by want of the people."

"We control Las Anod because of local support. We were outside Las Anod for a while and waited until the people wanted us [Somaliland]," Mr. Riyale said.

He downsized the significance of clan elders, saying: "The elders can say whatever they want. Our intention is to reach the international border and to protect our territorial integrity."

Clan elders belonging to the Dhulbahante clan, the dominant community in Sool region where Las Anod is located, have repeatedly demanded that Somaliland withdraw its soldiers from Sool.
The Somaliland leader said there is "no one in the south to talk to." He pointed to the violence in the capital Mogadishu, where war rages between insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces.

"Who invited Ethiopia? The people of Southern Somalia and its parliament invited the Ethiopian army to assist them," Riyale said.

He admitted that the road to international recognition is a long and difficult one, but underscored that his administration brought more attention to Somaliland.

He pointed to an African Union fact-finding mission that visited Somaliland and drafted a report.
Riyale said Somaliland has a democratic government and is a land where press freedom is protected. But he warned politicians and media organizations who violate the breakaway republic's laws.

"Law without punishment is not law at all," Mr. Riyale said.

Source: Garowe

Gabaygii Salal - hiildan

Inta badan waxan u heesaa gabadh la yidhaahdo Sahra-Haldhaa oo ku jirta Forumka Saylac, ahna gabadhii an u sameeyay albumka SOO SOCO INAABTAAY. Sida qaalilbka ah, haddii aan shaaca ka qaado sirta an ka wato SAHRA. Aniga xagayga, Sahra Haldhaa/ Sahra-suuban , waa AWDAL, waana Awdaltayda. Waa Awdal oo an madadaalinayo, marna ku cabanayo, marna ka cabanayo, marna canaananayo, marna caashaq iyo iyo jacayl an ula ciir ciirayo. Maantana Shara waxan u dhiibayaa maansada SALAL, oo xitaa noqon karta Hees:


SALAL
Salal bay naftaydani
Seexan wayday jiifkoon
Saqda dhexe habeenkii
Sagaal jeer u toosaaye
Sahraay sabaanadan
Si kastooy ahaatiyo
Saadaashu waxay noqotaba
Waxbaa leh Salalage
Seeduhuu jacaylku
Saaqay waa horiyo
Caashaqii ii sirayee
Sawaxankana i baday
Sahwi kaloo ii dheeroo
Sasme an ka qaadaan
Saakana kuu wadaaye
Adna Saablayda jidhkiyo
Qalbigaaga ku soohoo
Soowtkaan ku leehay
Gacaliso ha Sii dayn
Sooyaalka taariikhdana
Ku xafid Sadaradaydan
Suubban hooyo labo
Sabiyooy wada dhashay
Sagaal ku siday calooshoo
Sarartiyo adhaxda saartay
Samaalana Aabahood
Socodkiyo baray asluub
Sufraarkana u dhaansaday
Saxariir inay mudan
Suurad iyo markay jimidh
Sinmeen cudadahoodu
Wixii laga sugaayiyo
Sooba celin waa abaalkii
Siibe xididikii dareenkiyo
Sumacadii kalgacalkeey
Isku sideen walaaluhu
Sadna u lahaa waalidkuye
Iyagaababa isku sara kacay
Isku sita seefiyo waran
Sun iyo boog qaraxdiyo
Isku noqoy sokeeye waabay
Gacalnimadii sabooshoo
La seg-saag geyaankiiye
Subunise laguma iibsadoo
Saanad weeyi xishoodkuye
Isagiina la wada siibye
Waxana laysku Sirayaa
Annaa kaa Sarreeyiyo
Sadkay layma siiniyo
Mid kalaa la sasabaaye
Salka iyo guntooduna
Waa saxal madooboo
Kuwani is wada sudhan
Midna Subag ma culanine
Surintoodu waa mugdi
U sidnayn siraade
Soonahdoodana sabooliyo
Caydhu waa saaxiibe
Hadana Saraawiiliyo
Suut rag kalay sitaan
Isku moodaan Saraakiile
Saadkay soo ergisteenna
Marka laga siibi doonee
Sanka ciidda loo dari
Saacadeedu ma dheeree
Waa waxay sameeyaan
Sarriigi maayo murtidee
Soohdin waxn uga dhigay
Waxba yay qaar Sillooni
Sibiraha igu Jiiddane
Sidoodana i moodin
Xadhig lama sitaane
Subxaankaan ka magan galay
Xumaan la susubiyaaye
Siiga bul balooy baydh
Sixirka xasadku reebban
Saaxirka xinkuna raaran
Saarka Iblaysku rogan
Ka Rooxaantuna Saarane
Salaawaad calaa Nabi
Suuradaha Quraankiyo
Saatirkaan wakiishaye
Safka Jinka kuma Jiro
Adna Sahra Haldhaayeey
Sacadiinoo xoroowdiyo
Saylacoo calanakii
Saafigiiyee buluugee
Sudhan yahay dusheedaa
Sahandabe la Arkiye
Waa Innoo Sidaasi



Cabdiqani Yuusuf Caateeye

HiilDan

hiildan@yahoo.com

Somalia is on fire again

By OSCAR KIMANUKA oscar_kim2000@yahoo.co.uk

Television screens are awash with images of death and despair in Mogadishu, Somalia. Crowds of Somalis beat, hammer and drag dead Ethiopian troops in a manner that reminds us of the bitter experience of American troops back in October 1993, when a mob dragged the bodies of two United States soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu. The American soldiers had been ruthlessly killed in an intense street battle.

It was soon after the firefight that the US withdrew its troops from chaotic Somalia.
What had led the Americans then to intervene in Somalia was the war and famine following Siad Barre’s exit from power. The rescue effort led by the Americans began in a blaze of glory and publicity in December 1992 as the American marines stormed ashore on the beaches of Mogadishu into the lenses of waiting television cameras. Their task, code-named Operation Restore Hope, was to impose peace and democracy and feed the hungry and starving.
FIFTEEN MONTHS AFTER their colourful and triumphant arrival, the Americans made an ignominious withdrawal, leaving the United Nations to clean up the mess.

Somalia today is yet again in chaos. The hope that the Transitional Federal Government would make progress towards national reconciliation is quickly evaporating. In scenes reminiscent of the 1993 battle, the bodies of two dead Ethiopian soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, a grim reminder that the fragile East African state of Somalia is far from stabilising.
THE WAR IN SOMALIA IS A war few would like to touch even the UN. No less a person than the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that sending a UN peacekeeping force to Somalia right now is “neither realistic, nor viable” and has instead suggested the formation of a multinational “coalition of the willing.”

Interestingly, Mr Ban should be aware that no one is willing to send troops into Mogadishu. The African Union, which had previously pledged to send 8,000 peacekeepers, just supplied 1,600 Ugandan troops.

The images on the television screens of dead bodies dragged through the streets of Mogadishu are a serious impediment to anyone out there with the remote wish of sending in troops.

Source: NationMedia

Somali refugees find a haven in Shelbyville

First of five parts
For a rural Tennessee town like Shelbyville, the public square typically displays a cross-section of the entire community.

People are on their way to the county courthouse. Perhaps folks are there to shop or to drop by one of the banks to conduct important business.

Lawyers, farmers, business people and just plain folks dot the sidewalks as they go about their daily routine.

Including groups of Somali men and women in traditional Muslim dress.
They drive in traffic alongside us, shop at Wal-Mart and other businesses in Shelbyville and work for one of the county's largest employers.

One local official says there may be as many as 1,100 Somalis in Bedford County, although estimates vary.

Depending on who you talk to, these new neighbors are either greeted with indifference, whispers or even fear.

But whatever the reaction, the reality is that these new arrivals are working and living among us. How they will assimilate and become part of the community has yet to be determined.
One question the T-G has frequently heard asked is: How do people from the war-torn African country of Somalia arrive in such numbers in our community?

The answer is through the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to ORR's web site, their mission is "founded on the belief that newly arriving populations have inherent capabilities when given opportunities, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides people in need with critical resources to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society."

Those granted refugee status overseas by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are brought to this country for resettlement by the State Department. From there, voluntary agencies (also known as VOLAGs) and ORR help out with their resettlement and integration into American society.

Refugees are also eligible to receive ORR benefits and services from the first day they arrive in this country.

Many refugees move to Nashville, which is one of three locations selected in 2001 to participate in an experiment in public-private partnerships of immigrant and refugee integration, which was primarily funded by ORR.

According to the Carnegie Reporter, Nashville ranked first in the number of new immigrants arriving from 1991 to 1998 relative to the number of foreign-born counted there in 1990. Atlanta placed second and Louisville was third.

While Hispanics make up a large number of immigrants coming to Nashville, other nationalities are settling in Music City as well. The Department of State has been working closely with VOLAGs to relocate refugees to Nashville, including groups from the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

For example, Nashville has one of the nation's largest groups of Kurdish refugees, approximately 7,000, and also housed one of five U.S. polling stations in the country for Iraqi expatriate voters during the January 2005 elections.

Approximately 5,000 Somalis live in the Nashville area, according to published reports.
Refugees make up only 10 percent of immigrants to the U.S., according to a study by the Brookings Institution. Using data from ORR, Brookings learned that more than 2 million refugees have arrived in the United States since the Refugee Act of 1980 was established.
Also, according to the Brookings study, unlike other immigrants, "refugees have access to considerable federal, state, and local support to help them succeed economically and socially."
According to Regina Surber, director of community services in Tennessee for the Department of Human Services (DHS), some of the Somali refugee arrivals to the area are direct resettlement clients while others may be "secondary migrants" who were originally resettled in other states and / or other parts of Tennessee.

"What happens most often in new resettlement communities is that the first to move there are newly arriving refugees, who, after becoming familiar with the area, encourage their relatives and friends to join them," she said.

Surber said that Tennessee had 172 arrivals from Somalia last year and since 1996, they have resettled 1,878 refugees in the state "but many others have moved here from other states over the years."

According to information supplied by DHS, a total of 13 refugees have directly settled in Bedford County from Somalia -- only two in 2005-06 and 11 in 2006-07. However, Surber said these figures do not include secondary migrants, people who have relocated here after first settling somewhere else. DHS does not have a mechanism in place to track such secondary migration.
The refugees are placed by national resettlement agencies, Surber explained, with four such organizations in the Middle Tennessee area -- two of which are Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc. and World Relief, Inc., both located in Nashville.

The agencies find local churches and community partners to assist in the resettlement process, financially and with volunteers as well as donated goods and services. The VOLAGs in Tennessee are local affiliates of national organizations, which receive federal funding for the provision of their services, Surber said.

Surber explained that the refugees are provided with employment, language, and case management services as a part of the resettlement process.

According to the State Department, after 12 months of residency, refugees are required to apply for adjustment of their status to that of permanent resident alien. After five years in the United States, refugees may apply for citizenship.

MONDAY: How are Somalis impacting local schools?

Source: Times Gazette

Somali President phones President Saleh on Somali developments

SANA'A, Dec. 23 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh has received a phone call from Somali President Abdullah Yusuf, who acquainted Saleh with the latest developments in Somalia.

President Saleh renewed Yemen's supporting attitude to resettle peace, security and stability in Somalia. During the call, President Saleh exchanged congratulations with Somali President on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, wishing him more health and happiness and Somali people further stability and progress. NN/AF Saba

Somali gov't official accuses UN of 'unbalanced' reports

NAIROBI (AFP) — A senior Somali government official accused the United Nations on Sunday of painting an exaggeratedly bleak picture of the situation in his country and spreading the Islamist insurgency's propaganda.

"We urge UN agencies to conduct a very fair assessment of the real situation on the ground and shun away from unbalanced reports," senior foreign ministry official Osman Mohamed Adam told AFP.

The ministry's permanent secretary complained that some UN agencies compiled reports based on information relayed by local NGOs with ties to the Islamist insurgents that Ethiopian-backed government forces have been battling all year.

"Many UN agencies don't want to collect data themselves but borrow reports from other organisations," he said.

"They don't talk about the achievements and the development made by the government," Adam added.

One report that irked the transitional government recently was a statement by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees claiming that Somalia was home to one million displaced people, including 600,000 who had fled fighting in the capital Mogadishu.

Adam said the Somali government was compiling its own figures on displacement and would publish them soon.

On Thursday, Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi argued that the United Nations was exaggerating the security and humanitarian emergency in Somalia.

"At the moment some UN agencies appear to be doing damage in respect of parroting totally unfounded reports by some agencies without in any way trying to verify the facts," Meles said.
"The situation there, as hard as it is, it could do with less hype and exaggeration," he added.
Ethiopia sent troops to neighbouring Somalia a year ago to help oust an Islamist militia which briefly took control of the country and imposed a strict Islamic law.

The militia has since reverted to guerrilla tactics, prompting daily street clashes in Mogadishu. The fighting has driven hundreds of thousands out of their homes and aggravated an already dire humanitarian situation.

Source: AFP