NATO Navy Forces Release of Pirated Dhow

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 19 seized foreign vessels (21 sea-related hostage cases since yacht SY LYNN RIVAL was abandoned and taken by the British Navy) with a total of not less than 304 crew members (incl. the British sailing couple) plus at least 9 crew of the lorries held for an exchange with imprisoned pirates, are accounted for. The cases 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 too. 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 and the mistaken sinking of one sea-jacked fishing vessel and killing of her crew by the Indian naval force. For 2009 the account closed with 228 incidences (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 68 vessels seized for different reasons on the Somali/Yemeni captor side as well as at least TWELVE wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces. 
For 2010 the recorded account around the Horn of Africa stands at 72 attacks resulting in 30 sea-jackings as well as the sinking of one merchant vessel (MV AL ABI) by machine-gun fire from the Seychelles’s coastguard boat TOPAZ and the wrongful attack by the Indian navy on a Yemeni fishing vessel.
The naval alliances had since August 2008 and until March 2010 apprehended 826 suspected pirates, detained and kept or transferred for prosecution 419,  killed at least 53 and wounded over 22 Somalis. (Actual independent update see: http://bruxelles2.over-blog.com/pages/_Bilan_antipiraterie_Atalanta_CTF_Otan_Russie_Exclusif-1169128.html). 
Not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (although 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 – like the S/Y Serenity, MV Indian Ocean Explorer.Present multi-factorial risk assessment code: GoA: RED / IO: RED  (Red = Very much likely, high season; Orange = Reduced risk, but very likely, Yellow = significantly reduced risk, but still likely, Blue = possible, Green = unlikely). Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon. Starting from mid February until early April every year an increase in piracy cases can be expected. 
If you have any additional information concerning the cases, please send to office[at]ecoterra-international.org – if required we guarantee 100% confidentiality.
For further details and regional information see the Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor at www.australia.to and the map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA.


—————- directly piracy, abduction, mariner or naval upsurge related reports ——————–

Ships fill up with pirates after Kenya balks by Katharine Houreld (AP)
Somali pirates scooped up by U.S. and European warships are sitting in legal limbo on the high seas. Bringing them to the lawless Somali capital for trial is not an option and Kenya says it won’t take any more, though diplomats wonder if the government in Nairobi may be trying to wring more cash from the international community.
Among the more than two dozen captured pirates being held on international warships are 11 suspected pirates who attacked two American warships this month. They haven’t yet been transferred anywhere. Lt. Matt Allen of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet says the American government is “reviewing its options for disposition.”
Kenyan officials say pirates are putting an undue strain on the country’s congested justice system. But diplomats say only 118 of Kenya’s 53,000 prisoners are convicted or suspected pirates.
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said Thursday that Kenya is still helping anti-piracy efforts by helping to track ransom money, providing a refueling base and by patrolling its own coastline and said other countries should play their part.
Such words have gone down badly with countries collectively paying more than $1 million a day for the international navies patrolling the waters off east Africa.
Furthermore, the international community has pledged $4 million for Kenya to upgrade its prisons and criminal justice system in a program linked to its willingness to try pirate suspects, said Alan Cole, the counter-piracy program coordinator for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. About $1 million has been spent since last May, he said.
Some navies have taken home for trial pirates who attacked their own ships or citizens. But most are reluctant to take back every suspect due to difficulties transporting them, fears they may claim asylum and jurisdiction issues. If a Somali pirate attacks a Liberian-flagged and Egyptian-owned vessel with Filipino and Indian crew onboard and is captured, it’s not clear which country should take the lead in prosecuting the suspect.
In 2008, Kenya signed an agreement with Britain to take captured pirates from its warships, but before a similar agreement with the European Union was signed Kenya presented a 12-page wishlist of expensive items and money for retreats, two officials familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. They agreed to share the information only if they weren’t identified to avoid reprisals from Kenyan officials.
The list included a helicopter, armored vehicles and phone jamming equipment, as well as computer equipment needed to update Kenya’s antiquated courts. One of the officials described diplomats running around Nairobi buying up color printers — one of the least expensive items requested.
“All the reasonable requests of the department of public prosecutions, the prison service and the police have been met by donors,” Cole said.
But Kenyan Attorney General Amos Wako told journalists earlier this month that countries that signed agreements with Kenya had reneged on promises to help.
“We are not prepared just so quickly to prosecute so many (pirates),” said Wako, who gave his office six months to terminate the agreements.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said the lack of support is why Kenya turned away captured pirate suspects during the past two weeks.
“We have declined to accept captured pirates from some of our friendly countries and told them to try it elsewhere because some of them promised to support us. They did not support us. Others supported us but not well enough,” he said.
The European Union flotilla alone is costing around $1 million every day, said one international official involved in anti-piracy efforts. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The EU currently has six ships in the area. NATO and two Combined Task Forces also have ships off east Africa and so do many nations operating independently.
“Some countries provide a navy, others can help with prosecution,” Cole said. “It’s a pity that Kenya, which was a leading force in prosecutions, has decided to take a break.”
So far the only other country to sign an agreement similar to Kenya’s is the tiny island nation of the Seychelles. Thirty-one of its 370 prisoners are suspected pirates, and the country’s only prison has a capacity of 400.
Somalia itself is a failed state with no working justice system, although hundreds of pirates have already been taken to the overcrowded prisons of the semiautonomous region of Puntland. A handful of captured pirates are also being held in Yemen and the Maldives.
Already, most pirate suspects are released by navies, which confiscate their weapons and some of their small boats and release them with enough food and fuel to reach land.
Piracy expert Roger Middleton warned that unless more countries are willing to prosecute pirates, a situation may evolve where those who attack vessels of poor nations are released and those who attack rich nations with navies capable of detaining them are taken home for prosecution.
[N.B.: Figures on the naval costs differ: While reliable Pentagon sources speak of around U$40m per day for the U.S. American 5th fleet in the area alone, here the EU source is quoted with additional US1m a day for the EU NAVFOR vessels, and the 5 ships of the NATO operation certainly cost at least another one million U$ per day, one can - if one would only allocate 25% of the 5th fleet costs to Somalia and add a rough estimate for the other navies involved  - easily say that at least around U$ 17m PER DAY are spent on the Somali pirate issue, whereby it becomes clear that this money is serving another agenda and is NOT spent to just end the Somali piracy really. It thereby becomes clear also to the least enlightened citizen that with the passed span of 400 days of the naval nonsense around U$ 6.8 billion have been spent to kill five dozens and arrest a few hundred skinny Somali boys, while not a single dollar is spent to develop and secure the coastline from where the piracy menace at the Horn of Africa stems. Comparatively every living human soul on earth had already to pay one dollar to the naval farce - using Somalia as a reason. The world's taxpayers are taken for one of the biggest rides ever and have to pay additional costs due to increased prices of raw-material, food and consumer goods, which become more expensive due to horrendous insurance costs, though actual transport charges could have dropped due to the over-capacity of the global transport fleet.]

Somalia pirates undaunted by navy patrols by Mohamed Ahmed (Reuters)
Adam Shine waited months for the chance to join one of Somalia’s growth industries. He has now completed his training and is ready to use his boat-handling and global-positioning skills to hijack ships. “I came here with my friends. They had a gun and were immediately recruited and joined companies. But I’ve never had a gun so, after a fairly long process, I was told to take part in training for a month and now I can join,” he told Reuters by phone from the coastal, pirate haven of Haradheere. 
The new 20-year-old recruit is just one of hundreds of youths in Haradheere desperate to sign up in the hope of earning a tiny slice of hijack ransoms worth millions of dollars. 
The steady stream of new recruits suggests that patrols by European Union warships since December 2008 to deter hijackings and arrest the seaborne gunmen have done little to dent the enthusiasm for piracy in the failed Horn of Africa nation. 
The pirate gang masters are also confident their business model will survive and are only too keen to hire more manpower as they have ambitious plans to increase attacks on ships beyond Somali waters and — hopefully — the reach of foreign patrols. 
“So far, most of our sea operations have been organized within our country’s water basin, besides four successful pilot operations outside Somali waters,” said Mohamed, a pirate militia leader in Haradheere who is recruiting youths. “Now, we are strengthening this route to double such operations.” 
“We took account of the fact we would face danger one day and we have been thinking a lot about changing the tactics of our hijacking operations. We are financially strong enough to have access and continue our normal business in the sea.” 
RECORD RANSOMS 
According to the International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates accounted for more than half the reported piracy incidents worldwide in 2009 and nearly all of the hijackings, with 47 successful captures. 
Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan-based East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, said more than $60 million was paid in ransoms last year to Somali gangs — up from $55 million in 2008 — and they have kept up the pace this year. 
Pirates got the largest ransom on record for a Greek-flagged oil tanker in January, a payout of between $5.5 to $7 million. A supertanker carrying as much as $170 million of oil from Iraq to the United States was seized this month. 
“What became clear in 2008 and 2009, and continued in 2010, is that Somali maritime piracy is big business,” Mwangura said.
He said there are about 1,500 pirates working for seven syndicates and a smaller number of “bosses” who control separate but linked enterprises, largely financed and brokered from Kenya, Dubai, Lebanon, Somalia and other countries. 
According to Mwangura, Somali pirates seized 26 vessels between December 29 and April 7 and are now holding 20 ocean-going vessels and 242 crew members as hostages. 
Senior shipping executives also worry that Somali piracy is still on the rise. Jan Kopernicki, president of the UK Chamber of Shipping Industry Association, told Reuters a new generation of well-organized Somali pirates was emerging. 
He said the impression in the shipping industry was that money earned by this second generation of pirates was flowing out of Somalia to criminal elements, rather than helping to pay for services in Somali villages as some had done in the past. 
“BRAIN-WASHED YOUTH” 
Mohamed said different pirate gangs were working together more and more, with groups from Haradheere, for example, coordinating with gangs from the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland to pull off long-range hijackings. 
There have been a number of hijackings near the Seychelles archipelago hundreds of miles from Somalia and U.S. officials say there have been attacks near India and in the Mozambique Channel, putting the whole Indian Ocean at risk. 
The pirates use so-called motherships to sail great distances out to sea and then launch attacks from small skiffs with high-powered outboard motors. Sometimes vessels are hijacked just to be used as motherships. 
Foreign navies have become far more robust in dealing with pirates, detaining gunmen, destroying skiffs and seizing weapons when they come across suspects. 
But with huge sums coming from the ransoms, the pirates are ready to reinvest in new equipment — and the dealers in Somalia who sell boats and weapons are rubbing their hands. 
A weapons dealer in the Bakara Market of the capital Mogadishu told Reuters there had been heavy pirate demand for weapons since December and there are no signs of it abating. 
Khaled Ibrahim, a broker who sells boats, said increased demand was driving up the prices. A small mothership and two skiffs used to sell for $13,000. Now they cost $18,000. 
A luxury car dealer who used to loan vehicles to pirates told Reuters he had given up his business and now invests cash directly in the pirate companies to generate bigger returns when the ransoms are eventually dished out. 
An elder in Haradheere, Haji Ali Mohamud, lamented the draw of piracy, but said there was little they could do to stop youths joining up as long as shipping companies continued to pay for their vessels to be freed. 
“Nobody feels worried about going to sea,” he told Reuters. 
“The brain-washed youth are begging to be recruited as pirates, but how can we advise them when they are rewarded with multi-million dollar ransoms?”

UK Lords demand more from insurers on piracy by Gill Montia (insurancedaily) 
The House of Lords’ European Union Committee has published a new report entitled “Combating Somali Piracy: the EU’s Naval Operation Atalanta”. 
Atalanta is a military operation aimed at deterring and preventing acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia and most importantly, in the Gulf of Aden, which the study describes as a “vital strategic artery” for world trade. 
The report concludes that the insurance industry must accept a greater degree of responsibility for combating Somali piracy, by promoting adherence to best practice by shipping companies. 
The authors of the work therefore “strongly urge that the terms and conditions of insurance effectively reflect the need to discourage shipping companies from failing to follow recognised best practice”. 
In his evidence to the Committee, Rear Admiral Hudson estimated that around 25,000 ships transited the seas patrolled by Operation Atalanta in 2009, representing around 25% of global trade. 
On average, between 75 and 100 ships transited every day, depending on the season and economic cycles. 
In 2009, ships held for ransom generated around $80 million for pirates.
[N.B.: Apart from the fact that the last figure given is wrong and about $56 million was paid to the pirates in 2009, which is still outrageous, the Lords seem not to want to reflect how much especially the British K&R insurance business is earning in this sick games.]

The Profits Of Piracy by Christopher Helman (FORBES)
Who’s making out in the piracy boom off the Horn of Africa? Insurers, security consultants and, oh yeah, pirates
Valero Energy wasn’t too worried earlier this month when a gang of Somali pirates hijacked the supertanker Samho Dream, which was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil from Iraq to Valero’s refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The cargo was insured and Valero has plenty of time to find backup crude. 
More concerned was Samho Shipping, the South Korean company that owns the tanker. Though the Korean Navy sent a destroyer to intercept the tanker before the pirates could get it to port, there was nothing to be done. Start a gunfight and the whole tanker could go up in a fireball.
Instead, freeing the ship and its crew will likely cost Samho’s insurers a ransom of $3 million, about how much it took to spring the Saudi Arabian-owned tanker Sirius Star a year ago. Total ransom payments made to Somali brigands in the past year are thought to be on the order of $150 million. 
The Somali Pirates’ Greatest Hits 
The total cost of piracy worldwide is somewhere north of $1 billion a year. That sounds like a lot, but it’s no threat to the $7 trillion a year international maritime trade. 
It is, however, enough to get the attention of insurers. Before the piracy boom, marine insurers like Lloyd’s had no reason to levy premiums to cover war risk (under which piracy falls), kidnapping and ransom. Today, shipowners are forking over some $400 million a year to cover themselves against a roughly 1% chance that their vessel will be attacked (200 attacks out of 20,000 annual voyages through the region). That comes to an average $20,000 in extra insurance costs per voyage. For big tankers, the cost is closer to $100,000 per voyage: $75,000 for war risk insurance and $20,000 for a $5 million kidnapping and ransom policy. Though some insurance syndicates have suffered losses paying out ransom claims, overall, piracy has been a moneymaker for the insurers. 
At least one shipping line is passing on the higher insurance costs to customers. Maersk Line says it has added a cargo surcharge of $20 for each 20-foot container and $40 for each 40-foot container that is transiting the pirate region.
“The issue is not the money,” says Neil MacNaughton, managing director for maritime coverage at insurance broker Willis Group ( WSH - news - people ). “It’s the aggravation that the ship and the crew have to go through. That’s the fear factor.”
Some crews will quit a ship rather than sail into pirate-infested waters. A crew member who endured months of captivity after the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama has sued the shipping line for $75,000 for not having put sufficient security procedures in place. 

Somali Piracy Provides for Job Opportunities even to Former Presidents
Former Seychelles President heads to New York to deliver lecture on piracy by eTN  
“The current Indian Ocean piracy issue will be the focal point of a lecture, which Seychelles former President James R. Mancham will deliver at Columbia University in New York City when he speaks there on Friday, April 23, 2010 on the theme, “A Global Citizen’s View on Soft Power and the Future of US Foreign Policy.” This is according to a communiqué issued by Mr. Mancham’s office Glacis-sur-Mer this morning. 
The former President, who will leave Seychelles on Thursday, April 15, has been invited to make the keynote address by the University of Columbia and the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy, which will host a “USA meets Europe Forum” from April 22-25 in New York City. 
Columbia University – commonly known as Columbia – is a member of the Ivy league – the oldest institute of higher learning in the state of New York. It annually awards the Pulitzer prize and is one of the founding members of the Association of American Universities. More nobel prize winners (alumni and faculty combined) have been affiliated with Columbia than any other institution in the world. Columbia endowment and annual research expenditures are among the largest of any American universities. The university currently has 4 global centers in Ammon, Jordan; Beijing, China; Paris, France; Mumbia, India. 
The Institute of Cultural Diplomacy is an international not-for-profit, non-governmental organization based in Berlin focused on the theoretical and practical promotion of cultural diplomacy. 
Following the conference in New York City, Mr. Mancham has been invited to participate in the 29th Annual World Russia Forum in Washington DC – a yearly event co-sponsored by the American University in Moscow, The Discovery Institute, the Eurasian Centre, the Council of Russian compatriots, and the University of Georgetown and George Washington with the objective of discussing and generating new ideas for the development and broad expansion of US Russia business, political, science, education, and cultural cooperation. 
In a statement issued this morning, Mr. Mancham, who is expected to return to Seychelles at the beginning of May, said that he will avail of his participation at these international conferences to discuss a new magazine, which he expects to launch in August this year entitled “The Voice of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Seas,” which will focus on the many and varied developments taking place in the Indian Ocean today.

Piracy Threat Cannot be Avoided (discoveryNews)
The former president of the Seychelles Islands is in New York to warn of increased piracy in the Indian Ocean along the Horn of Africa. James R. Mancham will speak at Columbia University and later at the Discovery Institute-sponsored World Russia Forum April 25-27 in Washington, D.C. 
Piracy also was also discussed in Seattle last night at an appearance by Koshin Mohamed, a Somali-American who recently returned from combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mohamed, 31, a community leader in Seattle whose childhood was spent in Somalia, said that international military aid is needed to stop the pirates and drive out the Al Shabaab (al Qaeda linked) terrorists that control 80 percent of southern Somalia. The country also needs development of economic options for youth if the opportunist crime-wave of piracy is to be stopped. As is, Mohamed said, impoverished and uneducated young men are easy prey to ideological Islamist encouragement to defy international law and raid innocent trading ships far out to sea.

Seamen’s Church Institute embarks on novel study of piracy’s effects by Lynette Wilson (EpiscopalNewsService) (*)
For many people, the word “pirate” conjures images of the Walt Disney franchise’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, featuring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, and its theme-park attractions. Halloween partygoers don’t dress as merchant mariners.

In reality, pirates wreak havoc on the maritime shipping industry. In 2009, 406 incidences of piracy and armed robbery were reported — 217 of those attacks attributed to Somali pirates. It was the first time since 2003 that reported incidences surpassed 400, according to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre. [N.B.: The figures of the IMB are regularly too low.]
Despite media coverage of marauding Somali pirates and the world’s dependency on shipping, the rights and safety of merchant mariners — the men and women who staff the ships — often are overlooked, said Doug Stevenson, director for seafarers’ rights for the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI). 
The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication has partnered with Seamen’s Church Institute in producing a video, “Wading in the Waters,” detailing the plight of seafarers affected by piracy and how SCI is responding. The video is available here. 
“Maybe we don’t think about it even though we live in cities that have ports … how much of the things — our televisions, our Toyotas … 95 percent of the goods we own – have at one point or another been on a cargo ship. The United States’ prosperity depends on shipping,” said Stevenson during an interview at his office near New York’s historic South Street Seaport. 
Since 2003, pirates have kidnapped or taken hostage more than 2,800 merchant mariners, and they have robbed or attacked many more. Typically, pirates hold hijacked ships for two months with average ransoms of $2 million paid. In 2008, ransoms totaled an estimated $100 million, Stevenson said. 

Given piracy’s effect on commerce, the international discussion, Stevenson said, has centered on preventing and suppressing piracy and on questions like: What can be done to stop piracy? Should merchant crews be armed? Should military force be used? Where will pirates be prosecuted? 
“But what we thought was singularly lacking was that there was no discussion about the merchant crews on these ships that are being held hostage,” he said. “If you look at the Security Council resolutions, only one mentions the ship’s crew, and that was only in passing. It’s also difficult to track down crew members who have been held hostage or attacked by pirates because no one keeps records of them … no one even knows what’s happened to them. Pirate-attack survivors simply disappear, with no post-attack care systems in place to monitor their return to normal life.” 
In August, Stevenson embarked on an eight-day journey that took him through the Gulf of Aden as a guest aboard the cargo ship Maersk Idaho to learn first-hand about the experience of sailors who routinely travel pirate-infested seas. 
The media focused intently on the Gulf of Aden last April when pirates seized the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship owned by the U.S.-based Maersk Line Ltd., and held its captain, Richard Phillips, hostage at gunpoint for five days. U.S. Navy Seals rescued Phillips on April 12. SCI honored Phillips with its first Courage at Sea Award in June. 
Stevenson and Maersk sailors conceived of Stevenson’s trip while planning the award ceremony. Phillips’s book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days at Sea, which describes his ordeal, was released in early April. 
In a second incident, the Maersk Alabama was about 600 miles off the northeast coast of Somalia en route to Mombasa, Kenya, on Nov. 18, 2009, when four suspected pirates in a skiff that came within 300 yards of the ship tried to attack it. A security team on board thwarted them, responding with small-arms fire, long-range acoustical devices painful to the human ear and evasive maneuvers. No one was injured, according to news reports. 
“The Maersk Alabama incident awakened Americans to the issue of piracy, but unfortunately there have been many attacks before and after dealing with international crews,” said the Rev. David Rider, SCI’s executive director.
(*) About SCI: Seamen’s Church Institute is North America’s largest and most comprehensive mariners’ service agency, promoting safety, dignity and improved working and living conditions for millions of men and women serving in the maritime workplace. Founded in 1834, the institute is a voluntary, ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2009. 
SCI provides support services including chaplaincy, legal aid and continuing maritime education in New York, New Jersey, California and inland on the Ohio and Mississippi river systems, and influences the maritime community worldwide. It operates training centers for mariners in Houston, Texas, and Paducah, Kentucky. More information is available here.

Somali pirates moving loot to Ethiopia by Negash (AFP/EthiopianReview)

 (SeaSentinel)
TOP U.S. military official has reportedly recommended tracking the spoils of piracy as a way of cracking down on attacks against commercial vessels. 
Admiral Mark P Fitzgerald, commander of US naval forces in Europe and Africa, said yesterday, “I think we’d be able to trace the financiers [and] the middlemen”, the Armed Forces Press Service reported. 
On an average day, 30-40 naval ships that are part of international maritime forces monitor pirate activity in the Somali basin and the western Indian Ocean, Fitzgerald told reporters in Washington, and at any given time, 5-10 of those ships are US vessels. 
He also reiterated the US military’s recommendation that commercial vessels consider arming themselves when transiting pirate-infested waters. 
“Commercial ships should take appropriate protections because we cannot offer 100% guarantees of protection as the ships go through,” he said. 
Fitzgerald made the comments one day after President Barack Obama issued an executive order freezing the property of “certain persons” that Washington perceives as contributing to Somalia’s conflicts – which could include those engaged in piracy.

Navy looks for ways other than armed patrols to fight Somali pirates by Gordon Lubold (CSM)
A top admiral says US Navy armed patrols can’t chase Somali pirates indefinitely. Other ways must be found to get to the source of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

“I don’t think we can sustain the level of operation we’ve got down there forever,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald did not indicate the Navy would abandon the mission any time soon. Instead, his remarks suggest that the answer to piracy may lie elsewhere – especially if it becomes a more violent activity. He says the shipping industry should ensure it is doing everything to deter attacks, including hiring armed security guards, as well as taking other nonlethal actions to thwart pirates.
“The maritime industry has got to make a decision about how seriously they want to take this on,” he said, in a roundtable discussion with reporters at the Pentagon this week.
Naval patrols have been effective
About 40 naval vessels patrol those waters at any one time, including as many as 10 US Navy ships. Those patrols have been effective.
The US Navy’s presence alone has thwarted several attacks, including one Friday in which a helicopter from the destroyer Farragut scared off an attack from a pirate skiff. Last week, the USS Ashland, a Navy amphibious ship, received small-arms fire from a pirate skiff. When the ship returned fire and the skiff caught fire, the pirates jumped into the water and Navy personnel rescued them. Over the past 10 days, the Navy has apprehended 21 suspected pirates.
The industry has resisted hiring security guards in part out of fear of escalating the violence on the high seas. There are also legal issues with having weapons aboard ships that port in various countries, industry officials have said.
The Maersk Alabama, a US-flagged ship, was pirated twice, including once last year when its captain was held until the pirates were killed by US military sharpshooters. The second time it was attacked, it had armed security guards aboard who thwarted the attack. But those guards were there because the US government contracts with Maersk Line, Limited to ship military supplies to the war zone.
“Our company policy is we don’t want weapons on board our vessels, and we don’t allow them except in instances where governments or authorities mandate us to do so,” says Kevin Speers, a spokesman for Maersk Line, Limited. He noted that various carriers, including his own, have taken a number of nonlethal measures to avoid attack.
Legal issues with captured pirates
>From the US Navy’s point of view, there are long-term legal questions about what to do with captured pirates. Typically, they are low-level operators from Somalia who provide little in the way of useful intelligence for addressing a problem that costs the shipping industry millions of dollars a year.
Fitzgerald says the solution is for the US to go after the source of piracy. While he didn’t rule out using military force, he said following the money might be a good place to start. Kenyan officials have told Fitzgerald that money from Somalia is being used to buy up high-end real estate there and in Ethiopia with what appears to be the proceeds from piracy.
Indeed, the US has begun to get serious about going after money earned by pirates. President Obama on Tuesday gave Treasury officials additional powers to sanction or freeze assets of individuals involved in piracy, the Associated Press reported. According to the executive order signed by Mr. Obama, the justification for the broader powers is US national security.
“The deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” writes Obama in his executive order.

Seven Seas Voyager Diverted 
Zanzibar cruise visit cancelled due to piracy by Wolfgang H. Thome (eTN) 
Piracy continues to inflict economic damage to the harbor cities traditionally on the annual schedule of port calls, as Zanzibar now once again came to realize. The activities of the ocean terrorists, aka Somali pirates, have driven away a significant portion of cruise tourism to safer waters, and the latest such victim is the Seven Seas Voyager, which has been diverted to another destination out of safety concerns for both ship and passengers, instead of making the scheduled visit to Zanzibar. 
While the recent more robust responses to the problem, most notably the decisive action by the Seychelles coast guard – which could serve as an example to other naval coalition vessels – is encouraging, there is still no naval blockade in place keeping the terrorists marooned in their land bases, nor have more robust rules of engagement been practiced to “show flag” and deal with motherships and skiffs where and when spotted from the air and from the sea and prevent them from reaching their targets. 
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of US dollars in revenue will be lost through this cancelled cruise ship visit in Zanzibar alone, while millions are at stake for tourism businesses in Kenya, the Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zanzibar and other Indian Ocean islands as long as the ocean terror is allowed to continue. 
It is understood from impeccable sources that some cruise lines are now placing added security on board during their voyages through potentially dangerous areas, while others like Star and Olsen have withdrawn their vessels altogether and relocated them to the safe waters of the Caribbean and other cruise destinations.

Russian cruiser passes Suez Canal on mission in Indian Ocean (RIA-Novosti)
The Moskva missile cruiser has passed through the Suez Canal and entered the Indian Ocean to join other Russian warships for large-scale naval exercises, a Defense Ministry spokesman said. 
The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, which has a compliment of naval infantry on board, left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol on April 9. 
“The weapons and technical equipment on the ship are functioning properly and the crew is healthy,” the spokesman said. 
The Moskva is a Slava-class missile cruiser designed as a surface strike ship with some anti-aircraft and ASW capability. 
Meanwhile, the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser from Russia’s Northern Fleet has recently arrived in Syria’s Mediterranean port of Tartus ahead of Russian Navy drills in the Indian Ocean. 
Russia announced in 2007 that it was building up its naval presence in the world’s oceans. Once one the world’s most powerful navies, Russia now has few ships regularly deployed. 
A Russian Pacific Fleet task force, comprising an Udaloy class missile destroyer, Marshal Shaposhnikov, a salvage tug and a tanker, is currently on an anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast.

Swiss army marches forward but not sure where by Tim Neville & Andreas Keiser (swissinfo) 
A report detailing Swiss security policy and the future of the country’s army is being hailed by the defence ministry as a compromise but lawmakers are not impressed. 
The 78-page report attempts to tackle a controversial question: Should the Swiss army cooperate more closely with international peacekeeping efforts abroad or should it retreat to being a purely defensive force with a focus on infantry?
The answer in the report – which strives to find common ground between opposing forces – has met with little enthusiasm in the federal palace, where parliamentarians say the document leaves out key details. 
Kurt Spillmann, an expert formerly at the Centre for Security Studies, says the issue is still as polarising as ever. The right is calling for isolation while the left wants more cooperation with international peacekeepers. In between lies a lot of ambiguity, he said.
“An army must be defined by its purpose,” he told swissinfo.ch. “A military threat is simply not likely within the foreseeable future. This is what makes this an extremely difficult issue politically.”
Last autumn, the government rejected a draft of the security policy filed by the defence ministry and repeatedly sent it back for amending. 
The document finally approved this week now faces hearings and consultations with interested parties, before being submitted to parliament this summer.
“Maybe this report is not spectacular, but it is a reasonable consensus by a collegial government,” Defence Minister Ueli Maurer told journalists.
International efforts 
The document acknowledges that potential threats to the country have remained virtually unchanged over the past decade. It questions neither the need for compulsory service by all young Swiss men nor the idea of armed neutrality. Joining Nato is out of the question.
At home, the document places an emphasis on air security and more cooperation between federal and cantonal forces in case of a natural disaster. 
But Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, a centre-left Social Democrat, has argued that today’s world would benefit from Swiss military forces being ready for deployment outside the country’s borders. Maurer, of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, argues against it, remaining in step with his party.
The centre-right Radical Party security committee parliamentarian Peter Malama welcomed the draft as a compromise, while fellow committee member Evi Allemann of the centre-left Social Democratic Party, says the document is flawed. The Green Party has criticised the report, as has the Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSoA).
“The security report contains neither a realistic analysis of the threats nor does it offer a basis to deal with the crisis facing the army,” the GSoA said in a statement.
The document, as it is now, mentions only “an increase in Swiss participation in international security efforts”. 
“Yes, we want to increase and qualitatively ramp up our commitment to peace-keeping,” Maurer said. “It’s about updating history and increasing deployments.”
But exactly how that would happen depends largely on parliament.
Tightrope 
The report makes it clear that any such foray into the international peacekeeping realm would be carried out by such means as dispatching transport helicopters to crisis zones. 
Missions would be made up of unarmed volunteers. That means it would not be possible to join anti-pirate forces patrolling waters off the coast of Somalia with the EU-Atalanta group. 
Parliament would also have to approve any missions abroad. Maurer is doubtful that would happen based on the record of the past ten years, when parliament has shot down similar proposals. 
“The general consent in the last few years has been the politest form of rejection,” Maurer said. “We’re still walking a tightrope.”
Spillmann, however, feels fundamental questions remain unanswered and that the army needs to adapt to be able to fight terrorism and cyber crime. 
“All of this is possible to do within the framework of an army,” he said. “But it’s certainly not the basic strength of a militia army.”
But one thing remains certain: The army will shrink in the coming years. Maurer says that’s for demographic reasons as well as growing reluctance to take up arms and an increase in pressure to cut costs.

A well-informed source said on Friday that the Russian official would hand over a message to President Ali Abdullah Saleh from his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.
“The message will include the bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of strengthening them in various fields, including counterterrorism and anti-piracy efforts”, the source said.
During its few-day visit, the Russian delegation will meet with a number of senior Yemeni officials to discuss the fields of the joint cooperation between Russia and Yemen.
Russia has introduced in the UN Security Council a draft resolution which would call on the Secretary-General to prepare a report within three months outlining various options of stronger international legal system to ensure no impunity for pirates operating off the Somali coast.
The UN Security Council has been engaged actively in the matter of piracy off the coast of Somalia for the past 18 months.

UK Navy in holiday meetings:
HMS Chatham host visits from the Chinese and Indian Navy (NATO)
Earlier this month, HMS Chatham, NATO’s counter piracy flagship in the Gulf of Aden hosted meetings with other nations conducting counter piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden.On 2nd April Cdre Steve Chick hosted a meeting with Capt. Sandeep Kharbanda,Commanding Officer of the Indian frigate INS Beas. Later that day, he welcomed Senior Captain Khang Wendan of the Chinese task force flagship, Guangzhou. Both meetings were an opportunity to discuss counter piracy matters and were cordial and focussed.

Tanzania plans to purchase warship (TheCitizen)
As President Jakaya Kikwete urges the international community to throw its weight over the increasing piracy problem in the region, government announced plans to purchase a war ship to bolster security in Tanzania waters.
The government through the Ministry of defence and national service is planning to purchase the marine vessel in the near future to be used in patrol of territorial water and exclusive zone against Somali pirates.
The deputy minister for Defence and National Service Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi told the parliament yesterday that the government was focusing to enable the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) to attend such responsibilities effectively.
On the other hand, talking to United Nations secretary general, Mr Ban Ki-moon on Thursday, President Kikwete appealed for more involvement in taming the piracy problem.
He said piracy was a major headache not only to east African countries, but the entire world. 
But government plans to purchase the warship might take some time as according to Dr Nchimbi, from ordering to receiving one it takes about three years.
He said the government was aware of the increasing piracy conducted by Somali insurgents and that the ministry was looking ahead to purchase more equipment to deal with the problem if the budget allows.
Dr Nchimbi was responding to a question from Col (rtd) Feteh Said Mgeni (Bumbwini-CCM) who wanted to know if the government had any plan to purchase the warship so as to curb the situation in the area.
Mr Mgeni told the parliament that it was important for the government to buy at least two warships such as ‘Frigate’ and ‘Destroyers’ so as to curb or completely solve the problem of pirates in the Indian Ocean.
To show the seriousness of the problem, the Bumbwini MP noted that this week a cargo ship from UAE has been hijacked by the pirates. He said among the workers in the hijacked vessel 20 are Tanzanians.
But the Deputy Minister said that the piracy issue was currently addressed at the international level and that serious measures have already taken on the matter.
On the other hand President Kikwete noted that countries bordering Indian Ocean and countries whose ships are targeted, must cooperate to deal with the problem.
“This is an international issue, all countries must fulfil their responsibilities as prescribed in the international laws. We know that we have as part to play but other should also fulfil part of their responsibilities in dealing with this issue,” he said.

——— ecology , ecosystems, marine environment, IUU fishing and dumping, UNCLOS, humanities ———— 

Food for Naught by by Jason McLure (Newsweek)
The World Food Programme’s Somalia problem is only the latest in a string of scandals.

The foreign-aid industry has had a bad news cycle. First, British newspapers were consumed with a spat between the British Broadcasting Corp. and Live Aid founder Bob Geldof over a BBC report that tens of millions of dollars of aid to Ethiopia during the 1984–1985 famine were used for arms. Now a more current and equally egregious scandal involving the world’s largest humanitarian agency has spun out of Ethiopia’s neighbor Somalia. A U.N. report released last week paints a damning portrait of the World Food Programme’s operations there: an estimated 50 percent of food delivered by the U.N. agency is essentially being stolen—not only by the WFP’s own personnel and contractors, but also Somalia’s armed militias, some of whom are radical Islamists.

 Full_Report (pdf* format – 467.7 Kbytes)

Full_Report (pdf* format – 83.3 Kbytes)
(*) Note: The last situation report was dated March 10, 2010. U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT – BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA) – OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) 

HIV education goes to school (PLUSNEWS)
A new programme is targeting about 800 primary and junior high school students in northwestern Somalia’s self-declared republic of Somaliland with HIV/AIDS messages for the first time. 
“The children’s ages range from seven to 19. Of course, most of them are not sexually active now – we targeted them for several reasons … every student comes from a family and he will pass the message to his family. Also, they are the next generation at high risk of HIV,” said Mohamoud Hassan Abdillahi, executive director of Somaliland Health and Social Care Organization (SOHASCO). 
The messages, which SOHASCO hopes will eventually raise awareness in thousands of people, included information on how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent infection, as well as the extent of the epidemic in Somaliland; an estimated 1.4 percent of people are infected. 
“I was only aware of sexual intercourse transmission of the disease, but now I know three ways that HIV/AIDS is transmitted – illegal sexual intercourse, giving blood to someone without checking, as well as using sharp elements such as the knives, used in traditional operations,” said Abdirasak Hussein Hashi, 19, of Sheikh Bashir primary/intermediate school. 
HIV advocates have praised the campaign but many local people are less pleased that their children are being introduced to sexual matters at such a young age. 
“I don’t like students to be taught about HIV/AIDS; when they reach the mature age, they have to be instructed in Islam [so as] not to do the behaviours of high risk, such as adultery,” said Ali Jama Abdi, father of a child. “In our religion it is not allowed for children to be taught what is considered as shameful.” 
According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), policies to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people to HIV cannot be implemented without the full cooperation of the education sector. 
Although some of SOHASCO’s messages could be perceived as stigmatising people living with HIV by their use of terms like “illegal sex”, “immorality” and “adultery” to describe how HIV is transmitted, this is the only acceptable way of passing on such information in conservative, Muslim Somaliland. Messages intended to reduce stigma were also included. 
“Our slogans were carrying messages like, ‘Stop HIV/AIDS’, ‘HIV/AIDS is very dangerous to every human being, including whites, blacks and Muslims’, ‘Abstinence is the best way of avoiding HIV/AIDS’ and ‘Together we can stop HIV/AIDS’,” Abdillahi said. 
SOHASCO said teachers also experienced difficulties. “The teachers know about HIV/AIDS, but their problem is that they do not have the materials, and the subject is not in the syllabus,” said Hassan Jama Abdillahi, principal of Gacma-Dheere School. “It [HIV education] is a crucial step that obliges us to protect our youth from the dangers of this disease.” 
According to the Somaliland National AIDS Commission, an HIV education syllabus is being drafted and will be included in school curriculums by the end of 2010.

————————— anti-piracy measures ——————————–

When the military becomes investigator, prosecutor and executor in one, abhorrent atrocities are the result.
EU NAVFOR Spanish warship destroys pirate mother ship (EU NAVFOR)
Yesterday, 15 April, EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS VICTORIA tracked, boarded and destroyed a Pirate mother ship. 
This event, just off the coast of Somalia, shows that EU NAVFORs new, more robust strategy is working [N.B.: NO, it is not as everybody has realized worldwide.]. On Thursday morning, an EU NAVFOR helicopter, from the Spanish ship Victoria, detected a Whaler [N.B.: A 12m long, open fishing boat]with three suspected pirates onboard, just off the Somali coast. [N.B.: I.e. within the Somali territorial waters]. 
Victoria called upon the Whaler [fishing boat] to stop but got no response. [N.B. Can the Spanish "Victoria" speak Somali?] After warning shots were fired, a boarding was carried out.
On inspection of the whaler large amounts of fuel and ammunition were found. Although the individuals said they were fishermen, no fishing equipment was found. The decision was taken to dispose of the whaler and the three men on board were transported ashore. The whaler [fishing boat] was subsequently destroyed.
[N.B.: Such incidences will ultimately lead not only to litigation cases (if ever justice will be done to Somalia) but also  to retaliations for which the Spanish navy and their EU NAVFOR command will have to take the responsibility. The Spanish should first focus on the release of their fishing vessel - though it flies a flag of convenience from Kenya - the Spanish captain, the engineer from Poland, ten Kenyans, two Senegalese and one sailor each from Namibia and Cape Verde on FV SAKOBA (aka XAKOBA).]

Destroyer Farragut stops another pirate attack by Philip Ewing (navytimes)
The destroyer Farragut foiled an attempted pirate hijacking early Friday when its helicopter warded off a skiff carrying seven pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Pirates attacked the bulk cargo carrier Thor Traveler with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades for about 10 minutes, trying to force the ship to heave to, according to an announcement from 5th Fleet. The ship’s master did not stop, called for help from the international counter-piracy task force, and the Farragut responded at flank speed.
Still in early-morning darkness, Farragut’s SH-60B Seahawk helicopter — from Helicopter Light Anti-Submarine Squadron 42, the “Proud Warriors” — spotted the pirate skiff as it tried to escape.
“The helicopter used spotlights and smoke floats to warn the skiff to stop and witnessed the skiff throw items overboard,” said the 5th Fleet announcement. “A boarding team then confiscated further items of pirate paraphernalia. To prevent the suspected pirates from conducting any more attacks, the skiff was instructed to head back to the Somali coast.”
Singapore Navy Rear Adm. Bernard Miranda, the current commander of Combined Task Force 151 — Farragut is his flagship — said the incident shows that merchant vessels are never out of danger off the Horn of Africa.
“This attack took place at 3 a.m. on a moonless night. It simply shows that the pirates do not take a day off and they are always looking out for opportunities to attack. The quick response from Farragut is testament to the operational readiness of the [Combined Maritime Forces]. The alert lookouts and prompt reporting from Thor Traveler also contributed greatly to the successful disruption.”
The master of the Thor Traveler, Capt. Nakrob Ngoenmuen, also praised the U.S. sailors’ reflexes in the 5th Fleet announcement.
“I am impressed by the quick response, and I really appreciate USS Farragut’s kind assistance to help my ship in the piracy attack.”
Farragut’s intervention was only its latest counter-piracy exploit. The ship gained renown March 31 when it sank a pirate “mothership” after its crew tried to hijack an oil tanker. A photo of the destroyer passing the smoking, burned hulk of the pirate vessel was circulated around the world.
Miranda, whose tenure in command of the counter-piracy task force is up April 21, said that the attempt on Thor Traveler was typical of the recent trends:
“The attacks have increased recently, but the overall rate of success has dropped. This is due to intervention by coalition warships and shipping following recommended guidelines to help prevent successful pirate attacks. I am sure that after I hand over command to the [South Korean] navy, they will continue to achieve even greater success in their fight against piracy.”
[N.B.:  The attack allegedly happened  at 00h04 UTC in position 12 24N 047 23E, while the skiff was later spotted in pos 12 24N 047 18E.The Thailand-flagged general cargo ship THOR TRAVELLER is the second THOR vessel targeted in three weeks. The ship belongs to Thoresen & Co., (Bangkok), a subsidiary of Thoresen & Co., HongKong in the onion-routed ownership of Norwegian Thoresen & Co. of Oslo, Norway. Local intelligence sources see this not as a mere coincidence, but reckon the attempts to capture a Norwegian vessel could be intended retaliations for a murderous commando raid by the Norwegian navy at a natural harbour in Puntland, whereby two innocent fishermen, one Yemeni and one Somali, were killed and several locals injured shortly after midnight on November first 2009. Thoresen & Co. also is a known name in the so called defence industry and is has been astonishing many how well certain pirate groups are informed about ships with weapons or other military cargo on board crossing their lanes.]

Somali pirate suspects oppose extradition to Germany (AFP)
Ten alleged pirates arrested by the Dutch navy for attacking a German cargo ship off the Somali coast are resisting extradition to Germany for trial, a Dutch official said Friday.
The suspects were flown to the Netherlands Wednesday from Djibouti and appeared before a magistrate in Amsterdam on Thursday.
“They will not be sent to Germany immediately,” a spokesman for Amsterdam prosecutors, Franklin Wattimena, told AFP, adding: “They have said they don’t want to be extradited.”
The 10 alleged pirates, who are all Somalis, are being held in detention until a court considers their extradition at a public hearing to be held within 90 days, Wattimena said.
On April 5 after an exchange of gunfire a Dutch warship freed the Taipan, a German vessel that was being targeted by pirates about 900 kilometres (560 miles) east of the Somali coast.
The 15 crew members, who took refuge in a protected area of the ship, were all unharmed.
The Dutch navy is part of the European anti-piracy naval mission fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia.

As many as 20 suspected pirates held on U.S. ships off the coast of Somalia may soon be headed to the U.S. for prosecution, according to U.S. officials. 
The potential transfer would come amid heated debate among U.S. and other international agencies over where piracy suspects should be sent for trial. Earlier this month Kenya began refusing to take piracy suspects, saying the trials were straining its courts. 
Senior officials from several U.S. agencies met Thursday at the White House to discuss the issue, which largely involves piracy suspects caught while allegedly attacking U.S. vessels. Officials said it is still unclear whether all or some of the suspects would be transferred to the U.S. for trial, but details for the transfer were being formulated Friday as other prosecution options were being explored. 
Officials spoke about the discussions on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The Justice Department declined to comment. 
There also have been preliminary discussions about setting up a special international court to try piracy suspects, because a number of countries will not take action against suspected pirates who are turned over to them. Officials said, however, that those talks are in the very early stages. 
One piracy suspect has already gone to court in New York City in connection with the attack against an American cargo ship early last year. 
But the prospect of multiple piracy suspects going on trial in American courts could provoke opposition. Members of Congress have objected to suggestions that terrorists captured abroad be tried in the U.S. 
Under current U.S. policy, if the U.S. Navy captures pirates who hijacked an American ship, the suspects are brought to the United States for trial. If the Navy captures pirates who attack another country’s ship, the suspects are supposed to be tried by that country or, until this month, in Kenya. 
The piracy prosecutions are part of a larger U.S. policy debate over how best to deal with the insurgents and criminal activities that contribute to the persistent instability in Somilia, making it a safe haven for al-Qaida-linked terrorists. 
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama gave Treasury officials broader power to sanction or freeze the assets of individuals involved in piracy off Somalia’s coast or of militants who have done anything to threaten the shaky nation’s stability. 
The Navy has taken custody of at least 21 suspected pirates since March 31 in the violence-plagued waters off Somalia and nearby regions, where U.S. warships are part of an international anti-piracy flotilla. Six people were captured after they allegedly began shooting at the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland about 380 miles off Djibouti, a small nation facing Yemen across the mouth of the Red Sea. 
On March 31, the frigate USS Nicholas exchanged fire with a suspected pirate vessel west of the Seychelles, sinking their skiff and confiscating a mother ship. Five suspected pirates were captured. 
On Monday, the destroyer USS McFaul responded to the distress call from a merchant vessel and captured 10 other suspected pirates. 
Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, the top U.S. naval officer in Africa and Europe, said Thursday that the Navy was awaiting instructions on what to do with the pirates being held. He said the Navy had handed over a packet of evidence on the five charged with attacking the USS Nicholas and that the Justice and State departments were working on a plan on how they would be prosecuted. 
The evidence included the pirates’ weapons, photographic evidence and proof that small arms fire hit the ship, he said, adding that he didn’t know what the exact charges would be. 
Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, a Somali teenager, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to charges including piracy and taking a ship by force in connection with the attempt to seize two vessels in the Indian Ocean early last year. A federal indictment accuses him and others of boarding the two vessels, which have not been identified, and holding the crews at gunpoint in March and April. 
Prosecutors say that shortly after those attacks, the men seized the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, and that Muse was the only survivor when U.S. military snipers fired on the pirates holding the ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, hostage.

Puntland vows to go for ultimate battle with pirates by Mohammed Omar Hussein (Somaliweyn)
The authority of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia has declared to carry out an operation to bring to a close the piracy activity along its coastline.
The security Minister of the semiautonomous region of Puntland Yussuf Ahmed Kheyr held as press conference in the coastal town of Bossaso to condemn the activities of the pirates within the region.    
“The authority of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland has now taken the ultimate decision to fight against the so called pirates who are illegally taking vessels which are voyaging off the coast of Somalia; now there are hundreds of pirates in the different jails in the region, but that is not enough to end the activities of the pirates” said the security Minister of Puntland region. 
The Minister added that there are special units of the Puntland forces who are now prepared to fight and eliminate all sort of pirates within the region. 
Eventually the Minister has urged the traditional elders, the intellectuals and the preachers in the region, to inspire the young Somali pirates to give up these piracy activities, which he say is sin and forbidden according to the teachings of the Islamic religion. 
The statement of the Minister coincides at a time when the number of Pirates in Somalia has been sky-rocketing in the last couple of months. 
Puntland state is the largest hub for Somali pirates and despite the authority saying every now and then that will bring an end to the piracy activity in their region, this has been going into anticlockwise and the number of pirates has been rising day after day. 
Pirates in Somalia have been gaining lucrative ransom from vessels which they have hijacked from off the coast of Somalia.

As we reported earlier:
Malta joins EU NAVFOR in fight against pirates (EU NAVFOR Atalanta PR)
Malta, who already has an officer working in the Operational HQ at Northwood,  will increase her contribution in the fight against piracy off Somalia with the provision of a Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) from April to July, 2010.
The 12-man VPD will be embarked onboard Her Netherlands Majesty`s ship “Johan de Witt” during its four months in the EU NAVFOR mission. This is Malta`s first military deployment into the operational theatre under the EU Common Security Defence Policy (CSDP). The Maltese detachment has been sourced from a Special Duties Company of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM).
Malta recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands whereby it has been agreed that the VPD will provide close protection to ships assigned and they will also contribute, as necessary, to Key Leadership Engagement, Capacity Building and Security Tasks undertaken by “Johan de Witt”.

Russian warship escorts another convoy in Gulf of Aden (RIA-Novosti)
The Russian Udaloy class missile destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov is escorting four civilian vessels off the coast of Somalia, a Russian Navy spokesman said. 
A Russian Pacific Fleet task force comprising the Marshal Shaposhnikov, the MB-37 salvage tug and the Pechenga tanker arrived in the Gulf of Aden on March 29 to join the anti-piracy mission in the region. 
The destroyer, which has two naval helicopters and a unit of naval infantry on board, has already escorted two commercial convoys comprising a total of 27 ships in pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast. 
Russia joined international anti-piracy efforts in the region in October 2008. The Russian Navy has maintained a near-permanent presence off the Horn of Africa since then, with warships operating on a rotation basis. 
The current task force is the fourth group of warships from the Russian Pacific Fleet engaged in the anti-piracy mission off Somalia, with the previous three task forces led by the Admiral Vinogradov, the Admiral Panteleyev and the Admiral Tributs destroyers. The Northern and Baltic fleets have also sent their warships to the region. 
According to official data, Somali pirates carried out 217 attacks on commercial ships in 2009, hijacking 47 vessels and taking 867 crew members as hostages. They hijacked at least 12 ships since the beginning of 2010.

————– no real peace in sight yet ————–

Fighting Starts in Mogadishu (Shabelle)
Heavy fighting between the African Union troops AMISOM with government troops and Islamist forces has started in Mogadishu early on Friday morning. 
Locals told Shabelle radio that the war broke out at parts of Mekka Al-mukara Street which connects between Aden Adde international airport and presidential palace in the capital as the Islamist fighters attacked military bases of AMISOM troops around Shaqalaha building in the area saying that the clashes continued for a while.

There are no casualties reported so far residents said that there was no movement on Mekka Al-mukarama, an important and useful street as both broth were using heavy weapon. 
We had contacted both rivals sides to know more about the war, but we did not achieve to get them through the telephone and there is no group claimed the responsibility of the fighting. 
The fighting seems to be following a string of clashes that happens in the capital and between the transitional government with AMISOM and the Islamist fighters against the western backed transitional government of Somalia.

Bitter fighting flares up in Somalia capital (Mareeg)
Bitter fighting between the transitional government of Somalia backed by AMSIOM troops and Islamist militants had flared up at Mekka al-mukarama Street in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses said on Friday.
Eyewitnesses told Mareeg.com that the violence started as the Islamist rebels attacked at the bases of the transitional government and AMSIOM at Mekka Al-kmukara street in Hodan district in Mogadishu.
There are no casualties reported, thought residents in Mogadishu said that there was no movement on Mekka al-mukarama Street which is the most used avenue in the capital.
Sources said that many shells were landing at the empty neighborhoods in the war zone areas in Hodan district as both rivals were exchanging heavy weapons fire that could be heard all directions in Mogadishu.
Latest reports say that the situation returned to be calm.
There is no comment about the confrontation from the warring sides in Mogadishu so far and the clash seems to be part of clashes between the rival sides in the Mogadishu. 

Somali Government Welcomes US Embargo Against Militants by Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar
With US president Barack Obama this week announcing sanctions against key insurgent commanders in Somalia, the country’s World-backed transitional federal government (TFG) on Thursday lauded the move. 
Somali government treasury minister Engineer Abdurahman Omar Osman said in an interview with the state-run radio Thursday, that the Somali government was happy with the big announcement from US President Barak Obama, who ordered the freezing of assets of some key figures within the Alqaeda-linked Militants in Somalia. 
“Somali government is welcoming every step which decreases the danger from the Alqaeda-proxy in Somalia and we can say that the US government has taken a good decision” the Somali minister stated. 
“Such step will be an example for the terrorists who are killing Somali people, and they have to know that the world will no longer tolerate what they are doing against Somalis” he said. 
This week, US president Barack Obama ordered the US treasury department to freeze the assets of Somali insurgent commanders including Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, a key Islamist leader in Somalia and the founder of Al Itihad Al Islam, a terrorist group that fought in eastern Ethiopia in the 1990s.
For the past three years, insurgents have been fighting the Somali government in a bid to overthrow the world-backed government and establish a Taliban-like Islamic rule in Somalia.
At least 21,000 people, mainly civilians have been killed in fighting in Mogadishu alone, while more than 1.5 million civilians have fled from their homes in the restive city since January 2007. 

PM under pressure to fill vacant Cabinet posts (garoweonline)
Somalia’s transition government was asked to fill the vacant ministerial positions left by the slain ministers who were killed in Mogadishu hotel blast end of last year.

At least three ministerial positions namely health, education and youth and sport were left vacant after their bearers brutally died in suicide attack that rocked a graduation ceremony in the restive capital on December 3.

In a joint statement by Somali parliament committee, the government of Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was asked to immediately appoint ministers and their assistants for the vacant positions.

“We are urging the Somali government to immediately fill the vacant positions left by the slain ministers killed in Hotel Shamo blast (December 3 2009), and also appoint assistant ministers,” said the statement from the committees, without giving a timeframe.

“The government shall obey the process of governance and responsibility of ministries, it should fill the vacant positions,” added the committees.

The committees also charged on the top military leadership over frequent clashes within the government forces, terming it shameful.

“We will investigate several incidents that caused inter-fighting within the Somali government forces and we will present the finding about the people behind the clashes,” said the committees. 

they called on the government and African Union peacekeeping troops to provide security for the lawmakers who are meeting end of this week in Citizen Assembly premises in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab recruits ‘holy warriors’ with $400 bonus (CSMonitor)
The Al Qaeda-linked militant group, Al Shabab, is recruiting new ‘holy warriors’ in Somalia with cash bonuses. One former fighter says its more about the money than Islamic militant ideology.
When Dahir Abdi joined the Somali extremist group Al-Shabab early last year, his motive had more to do with money than with God. 
Back home in the Barawa district of southern Somalia, his parents and younger brothers and sisters were living on less than a single meal per day. His mother was too weak to fetch firewood to sell in the market, and too poor to buy the all-covering veil that was now required by Al-Shabab. 
So when a recruiter from Al Shabab (whose name means “the youth” in Arabic) gave him $400 and the promise of a regular salary, Dahir joined willingly. He knew that even if he didn’t survive the war, his family would have a better chance to ward off starvation. 
By the time Dahir arrived for six months of training at a camp in the densely forested southern coastal town of Ras Kiamboni, it was clear that he was just one of hundreds of young recruits preparing for war. It was clear, too, that deserting from Shabab – which has declared its allegiance to Al Qaeda – would be dangerous. 
“When they recruited me, I was told I am going to fight against the African Union troops and against the Transitional Government, which didn’t want an Islamic government,” says Dahir, a talkative young man with a lean frame, who deserted Al Shabab late last year and now lives in hiding. Looking nervously from side to side as he spoke with a reporter in the Dagahley refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, he continues. “I was given $400 before I left home, and this I gave to my father and bid my family goodbye. They didn’t want me to leave. My father looked at me in tears and prayed for my safe homecoming.” 
When the government of Somalia launches its long-threatened offensive against Al Shabab, it will be young men like Dahir who will be in the front lines, recruited by unscrupulous businessmen, trained by Pakistani, Afghan and Arab experts, and guided by a harsh ideology of jihad promulgated by Al Qaeda and its Islamist followers.

Al Shabab losing its appeal? 
Somalia has been largely ungoverned for nearly 20 years, so the appeal of a hard-talking government based on religion has strong appeal in certain quarters. But the testimonies of several Al Shabab deserters interviewed by the Monitor shows that the Islamist militia is built less on a firm ideology – seen by many Somalis to be alien to their understanding of Islam — than on a combination of monetary lures and threats. 
“Everybody hates to die, and everybody wants to go to heaven, but to go to heaven, you have to die: that is what they tell recruits,” says Omar Sharif, a Somali businessman who travels between Mogadishu and Nairobi, and who has family members on both sides of the looming fight. “Shabab is in a decline right now, because people are not happy with what they are doing, but they still have a strong impact on youths inside the country, as well as here in Kenya.” 
Yet as long as Somalia remains war-torn, and as long as Somalis remain poor, Shabab will be able to find willing fighters, Mr. Sharif says. “Somalis have a lot of children, and the school system is destroyed, so for many poor families, the madrassas (religious schools) are the only option where children can get at least a basic education. That is where Shabab goes to recruit.” 
Virtually unknown four years ago, Al Shabab has rapidly grown to become the strongest military force in Somalia, imposing its own selective interpretation of Islamic law on the southern half of Somalia that is under its control. Al Shabab troops in the very heart of Mogadishu prevent the weak Western-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed from extending its authority beyond a few square blocks of the capital, along with the airport and Mogadishu’s seaport. 
How strong is Al Shabab? 
Estimates of Shabab’s fighting force are quite small, often around 3000 trained fighters with perhaps another 3000 untrained and poorly armed militia members providing logistical support. Mixed into this ragtag army are perhaps 200 foreign fighters – including Afghans, Pakistanis, Arabs, Chechens, and even a few white American converts — attracted to Al-Shabab by the promise of establishing and defending a “pure” Islamic state, as described by the Prophet Mohammed in the Quran. 
Shabab’s strongholds are in the lower third of the country, from the borders of Kenya and Ethiopia and over to the coastal cities of Mogadishu and Kismayo. Shabab deserters say different camps specialize in different types of training. The Al Faruq Brigades, who train at Elberde in the Hiraan region, for instance, trains suicide bombers, as does the Salahudeen unit in the Huriwa district of Mogadishu. The Muaskar Faruq base in Ras Kiamboni specializes in automatic weapons and hand-to-hand combat, while the Eel Aarfid base specializes in training kidnapping skills. 
Liban Elmi, a 30-year-old recruit from Nairobi, was jobless and attending a religious school, or madrassa, when he was recruited by an cousin to join Al-Shabab. His cousin’s selling point was simple and direct: Since Mr. Elmi was an orphan with few job prospects, it would be better for him to go up north to his family’s ethnic homeland and fight an Islamic war of liberation than to continue living off his relatives. 
“I was desperate, and I was convinced to join because I had nothing else to do,” says Elmi, speaking to a reporter in a private home in Dadaab, close to the refugee camp where he lives. The recruiters told him to change his image, stop shaving, and to start chewing khat, a leaf that has mildly narcotic qualities. In this way, when he disappeared, people would just assume that he had simply gone astray, rather than gone to join a pious religious movement like Al Shabab. 
Crossing into Somalia on foot, he and a group of 40 other recruits travelled with a group of Pakistani clerics to the town of Ras Kiamboni. It was there that Elmi joined a fighting unit, and got training in the use of AK-47s and in martial arts. Within weeks of the end of training, Elmi was sent to Mogadishu, where he quickly found himself on the front lines. In heavy fighting last August, a bullet struck Elmi in his right leg, which later had to be amputated by a Shabab doctor. He now hobbles around on an artificial leg that was purchased in Nairobi, but fitted onto him at a Shabab hospital in Mogadishu. 
“Now, I’m looking for a way to sustain myself,” he says, bitterly. “I can’t join them again, because even though it’s possible to fix my leg to allow me to fight in combat again, Al Shabab won’t spend the money on me because I’m a foreign fighter. I still resent my cousin, who told me to join.” 
Young women are not exempt from Al Shabab recruitment. In the displacement camps on both sides of the Kenyan-Somali border, older women travel from tent to tent, encouraging impoverished families to give their daughters to the holy struggle, or jihad. 
“The women tell our parents, ‘Before a man is given a gun, he must be given a woman, so that he can leave something behind,’” says Shamis Abdulaziz, a 25-year-old, who is herself married to an Al-Shabab fighter. “They say, ‘There is no need for you at home. Get married to the mujahideen who are fighting in the fields.’” 
Ms. Abdulaziz left her family in Afmadow, a district of southern Somalia, as a willing Shabab recruit. She had been told she would receive training in collecting intelligence, in carrying explosives, and driving supplies from one camp to another. On arrival at the Shabab camp near Afmadow, each girl was told to take off her shoes and put them in a pile. A few minutes later, Shabab fighters walked into the tent and chose a shoe at random. The owner of that shoe became his wife. 
“They told us it was our responsibility on behalf of the jihad,” says Abdulaziz proudly. “Now,” she says, “I am one of those women, who convinces young women to marry a young Shabab fighter.”

Militant group trains children to kill ‘infidels’ by Stewart Bell (NationalPost) 
Led By Al-Shabab; Canadian among those leaders seen on video
“Do you know who I will kill with this gun?” a little boy says into the video camera, waving his toy pistol.

As the “Ban-It-All”-frenzy continues, maybe the Al-Shabaab will ban themselves soon. Who knows.
Al-shabab bans period bells from schools by Mohammed Omar Hussein (Somaliweyn)
Al-shabab armed Islamist fighters in Somalia has ordered all schools in Jowhar town the headquarters of the middle shabelle region in southern Somalia to discontinue ringing of bells.
Sheikh Farah the head of the education department of Al-Shabab has called upon the entire headmasters of the schools in Jowhar and ordered them to stop ringing the bells since they are practiced by the Christians.
The bells are rung between and after every lesson, for the students and the teachers to know which period is it.
Ringing of bells is practiced in almost in all schools in the world and Somalia is not exceptional, and the objective is none other than to guide the teachers and the students.
“The ringing of bells was originally practiced in Christian Churches, and Muslims should not copy what Christians practice, but instead should oppose it” said Sheikh Farah the head of the education department of Al-Shabab.
Al-Shabab has urged the schools within the territories under their control to be free from any sort of similarities with the western performance.
The officials of Al-Shabab in the middle shabelle region has additionally said that they will carryout a weekly sermon in the schools in the regions so that they will teach the students what a Holy war is actually destined.
Al-Shabab is controls almost the entire regions in south and central Somalia, and they have been the Military wing of the former Islamic Courts Union which the current President of Somalia Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed was the President. 

Somali Human Rights Defenders Network appeals to the TFG and its armed opponents (SOHRIDEN)
Somali Human Rights Defenders Networks ( SOHRIDEN) with a constituents  of leading civil society organizations that works on human rights , development& relief , health & education,  peace, media developments and trade unions   that  operate over all South and Central Somalia including Puntland,  cooperatively voiced today enormous concern about the worsening situation  of the country . 
Representatives of the Somali Human Rights defenders Network SOHRIDEN talked about the immense importance of freedom of press, freedom opinion & speech, which are fundamental rights of human being that were affirmed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Participants of SOHRIDEN consultative meeting, deeply debated on the current situation of banning the BBC and VOA, outlawing of music and songs from the local radio stations, and the impact that it could have to the independent work of the media. 
“ We are very excited and feel happy to conduct such a meeting with the  representatives from all of our member organizations  showing our strong position, adding our voices loudly  and support  that we are seriously concerned upon the oppressions of the media and the worsening challenges that are facing the freedom of expression in Somalia. Said  Ahmed Mahamed Ali “ kiimiko” Focal point of East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network and chairperson of SOHRIDEN. “  Somali Media became victim and no one is standing to defend  it locally , regionally and internationally.  This is what encourages the culture of impunity and the media in Somali seems that they are waiting more horrendous subjugation worsening   day after day if no actions are taken against these appalling orders issued by  Hisbul islam and Alshabab who are committing these monstrous crimes against the freedom of expression.” Concluded Ahmed kiimiko 
The meeting also deeply discussed upon the current situation of the country, politically and socially, economically and security., the escalating violence and the new calls of invasions, the  indiscriminate endless  shelling over the densely populated areas like markets and residential areas, the worsening conditions of the IDP camps at Mogadishu environs  as the well as the forced evictions of those who are temporarily seeking   refuge and protection to areas where the TFG administers, the member organizations of SOHRIDEN  are  condemning all those who are involved at these atrocities which resulted these total inhuman disaster to our people and country . 
SOHRIDEN is condemning the violence that subsequently escalated between the Transitional Federal Government backed by the AMISOM troops and its opponents, the   radical islamists,   that shows no signs of declining. Thousands of civilians have been killed and thousands  have been injured, millions displaced, with human rights abuses committed by all sides. 
SOHRIDEN   is against all the barbarian actions of indiscriminate shelling on residential areas and markets, the organized killings, continuous displacement, intimidations and objections of international relief organizations to deliver aid to the needy people. 
SOHRIDEN  calls  all the warring sides in Mogadishu , the TFG, Hisbul Islam , Alshabaab  to stop these endless   fighting unconditionally and start dialogue , and AMISOM should keep on their mandate of peacekeeping forces , not shelling the  very few helpless, disabled , poor and long suffering civilians remained in the capital. 
SOHRIDEN calls those who are looking to reach a political position on using new armed factions labeled by Islamic symbols, whether radical or moderate and kills the reputation of our religion , misusing its interpretation , tailoring to their needs,  to refrain from that actions. 
SOHRIDEN calls the international Aid organizations and the international community for emergency humanitarian aid to save the millions of Somali population suffering from acute malnutrition which is above emergency thresholds.

Deal between Somali government, Ahlu Sunna failed: Islamist leader (Mareeg)
Sheik Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, the Islamist leader of Amal Islam council said Friday that the deal between the transitional government authorities and Ahlu Sunna Waljamaa clerics had failed and ended unsuccessful. 
The leader held press conference in Mogadishu throught the tephone and told reporters in Mogadishu that the agreement signed by the transitional government of Somalia and Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a clerics had totally failed after a year condemning several governments including the US, Ethiopia, and the European Union for creating hostile in the Somali clans.
Sheik Bilal said that there were no properties belonging the Islamist leaders in Somalia laying in American banks pointing out that the recent statement of the US government was a step aiming to take over the properties of the Somalis in America. 
The statement comes as the second round of talks between the transitional government of Somalia and Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a clerics opened in the Somali capital Mogadishu
 

The elusive search for peace in bottomless Somalia is thrown into a new confusion. Recently the fragile authority signed an agreement with Ahlu-Sunna waljamaa as the government struggles to keep its flimsy powers seen more functioning. 
But there is nothing much to count on an agreement like this one, It will only portray the position of the very weak government that is holding the wrong end of the stick. 
Signing a concord with one group is enervating the government’s position to consolidate Somalia’s fragile peace process. 
The recent agreement in Ethiopia’s capital is likely to leave behind a trail of enigma for the people of Somalia who for years lived on the edge. 
It is an indication of how the administration of president Shariff is entangling itself with heated political sharks in an already boiling environment. 
At this point in time, we cannot accept the agreement in its entirety; there are whole lots of issues to worry about. 
First, the president is trying to ensconce himself in his hard-earned presidential powers giving little regard to Somalia ’s aggravating situation by finding faulty ways to keep his chair more vigorous. 
Just after the settlement, we have seen statement from Somalia’s premier Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke who said the signing is “a victory for peace and a crushing defeat for spoilers in Somalia and from the region”. 
Moments later, several things crossed my mind as I struggled to point out who are the real spoilers in the country’s politics that has never known stability since the ouster of the then Siad Barre. 
I know of course that he is particularly referring to insurgents groups, but for sure his government is indicatively hitting a dead end by colluding with only one party. 
The government’s grandmasters of bad-politics are taking the country into ransom more than ever before; this is where they need to take heed. 
The Addis inked concord is nothing more than a waste of time and a call for more trouble if we are to go by the signs of Somalia’s political landscape even after the settlement of this current move. 
But even as Sharif’s authority described the agreement as a turning point in Somalia’s endless crisis, it only shows one line of least resistance and one that will not live up to a better situation for a country like Somalia where everybody wants to be the president. 

In this pact supported even by the African Union, Ahlu-Sunna is enticed into a lion’s cage to share certain portfolios and positions within the interim authority. 
Like the dreaded Al-shabaab group who are not angles too, the moderate Ahlu-Sunna is not putting a good face on Somalia’s worsening situation. 
The unity reached by both sides is visibly falling short as some prominent members of the group have to some extent failed to throw their weight behind what was agreed in Ethiopia. 
As the government claims to have reached an entrenched agreement that was hatched during the Djibouti agreement, a statement in Ahlu-Sunna’s Somali website takes issue with president Sharif accusing him of pursuing the interest of war-lords who are reportedly using the name of the Sufis to take positions in his fledgling government. 
 “Names of well-known war-lords are presented as members of Ahlu-Sunna to take positions in the government, and they do not have any association with the group” read a statement posted at Ahlu Sunna;s official website. 
  “This issue is not a surprise for those who know Sheikh Sharif and his aides who in the real sense are same as Al-Shabab, and they are both opposed to the progress of Ahlu Sunna” 
 It is a mind-boggling puzzle to think about the whole pact between the two groups, there is a question of who has signed the agreement from the side of the Sufis, if they are starting to complain as early as now, or does it mean it is a political game meant to divert the attention of the Somalis. 
 If reports that are coming in these days from the group are anything to go by, the interim government is already losing the battle at a time when it enjoys the full support of the international community. 
 For now it is reasonable to argue that the interim government is going through fire and water as it tends to strengthen its powers to control the country topsy-turvy. 
 The authority should avoid playing a sidelined politics in a country that needs an all-inclusive peace process. 
The Ahlu-Sunna is one among many of the groups who are key players in the country’s politics, but any settlement of this kind will only show how weak the government is. 
Every group in Somalia has their own face of contorted hatred and many have inherited a bad name over the last few years. But all are having a significant to role to build a reliable peace-process. 
These leaves many of the suffering Somalis to remain with a jaded appetite for peace-making in their country.
(*) Abdullahi Jamaa is a Kenyan freelance journalist with experience in humanitarian reporting especially from the Horn of Africa region. He is working as a correspondent with East Africa’s biggest paper “The Daily Nation” among other Kenyan publications including The New Dawn, a paper operated by The Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance. currently he is also corresponding for the news section at IslamOnline.net.

Media Rights Group Cautions that Independent Media in Somalia May Disappear by Alisha Ryu (VOA) 
A Somali media rights group is voicing grave concern that the continuing lack of security, growing censorship, and dwindling domestic and international support for journalists in Somalia could wipe out independent media in the country.  
The National Union of Somali Journalists says Somalia’s once-thriving independent media will cease to exist, if the current crackdown on media organizations continues unchecked. 
The general secretary of the media rights group, Omar Faruk Osman, tells VOA that members of the country’s powerful radical Islamist groups – al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam – have threatened the media into submission, raising serious concerns about whether the Somali people will ever have access to uncensored news again. 
“There is oppression of the media in every place of the country,” said Omar Faruk Osman. “But the situation is extremely out of hand in Mogadishu.  It is content.  It is programs.  It is interviews being censored by Hizbul Islam and al-Shabab.  They are not allowing the media to operate freely and independently.  Our fear now is that people in Mogadishu will miss independent and critical information coming from media [that is] not politically allied with any of the warring sides in the country.”
Since 2007, al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants have steadily consolidated power in southern Somalia, partly by seizing media stations in areas under their control.  The group controls radio stations in strategic towns such as Baidoa in the Bay region and the port town of Kismayo in the south.  
In early 2009, another fundamentalist insurgent group, Hizbul Islam, joined al-Shabab in its efforts to topple the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu.  Despite backing by the United Nations and the presence of the 5,300-member African Union peacekeeping troops, the fragile government has been unable to expand its reach beyond a few blocks of the capital.  
Osman says extremists, determined to implement their strict version of Islamic law in every part of Somalia, have fiercely targeted the media in Mogadishu to help them achieve their goal.   He says private media organizations are also suffering financially because many businesses are too afraid to buy time for advertisements.  
“Media is a powerful tool and has influence in the communities,” he said. “Because of that, they attack the media.  At the end of the day, there is no rule of law in the country.  There is a rule of the gun and if one does not abide by the rules imposed illegally, then someone having a gun will kill you.  And that is what is happening.”
On Wednesday, Hizbul Islam forced 14 private radio stations in Mogadishu to stop broadcasting music, which the group called “un-Islamic.”  Radio stations say they complied with the order following threats.  Last week, al-Shabab also forced the private radio stations to drop VOA and BBC programs, calling them western propaganda that violated Islam.  
Osman is equally critical of the international community.  He says donor nations are undermining private media in Somalia by withholding funding.  He says the money that should be going to Somali journalists is now going to fund radio stations recently established to counter extremist propaganda. 
With donor backing, the Transitional Federal Government launched Radio Mogadishu last year.  And the U.N. support office for the African Union peacekeeping mission established Radio Bar-Kulan, which broadcasts from Nairobi but is heard in Mogadishu on an FM station. Osman says in the capital, neither station is viewed as an outlet that reflects the voice of the people.  
Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for working journalists.  The National Union of Somali Journalists says at least 19 media professionals have been killed there since 2007.
 

12 killed as Al Shabaab and Ahlu Sunnah fight over town (goroweonline)
At least 12 combatants were killed and over 20 others injured in heavy clashes that pitted insurgent group Al-Shabaab against pro-government Sufi sect Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama in central Somali town, residents and officials said.

Fighting erupted in the strategic central Somali town of Ruun Nirgood in Middle Shabelle region on Tuesday and continued until Wednesday, after Ahlu Sunnah fighters attacked the Al-Shabaab-controlled town.

According to residents, Al-Shabaab fighters abandoned the town after being overpowered by the pro-government forces. An Ahlu Sunnah spokesman claims that the dead include four Al-Shabaab fighters and their commander.

“Ahlu Sunnah carried out the attacks and killed some Al-Shabaab a fighter including top officials, the town is on our hands,” said Sheikh Omar Muse, Ahlu Sunna’s head of operations.

He added that there were some casualties on their side but said it was much lower than Al-Shabaab figure. However, residents confirmed that dead bodies are littered in the town.

The two groups is said to be amassing troops for another battle with Ahlu Sunnah vowing to oust Al-Shabaab from the region.

Since late 2008, the two sides have been engaged in deadly warfare over the control of some central Somali towns, which they both have large swathes of areas under their control.

Hizbul Islam Explains Operations Conducted in Beledweyn Town (Shabelle)
The Islamic administration of Hizbul Islam in Beledweyn town of Hiran region has explained more about operations they conducted in parts of the region in central Somalia, officials said on Friday. 
There had been banditry activities in Hiran region recently according to the officials of Hizbul Islam forces in the region saying that they conduction operations protecting g the banditry activities in the northeast of Beledweyn town.

Galad Abdi Warsameh, the commander of Hizbul Islam forces in the region told reporters that they made search operations at several villages in the region like :- Kala-beyrka intersection, Ba’da and Bergadid in north of Beledweyn town pointing out that they cleaned all thieves in the areas. 
On the other Hand, the Islamic administration of Hibul Islam in Afgoi town, about 30 kilometers west of the Somali capital Mogadishu had sentenced 4 people to receive slashes, including two women who were accused of selling banned narcotic (Kat) in the town in southern Somalia. 
It is not the first time Hizbul Islam sentences people committing crimes in south and central Somalia.
 

Security forces in Somalia?s semiautonomous Puntland state arrested at least 113 illegal Ethiopian immigrants in a 48-hour raid in the coastal areas, officials said Friday.
Puntland is a hub for local groups smuggling illegal immigrants from southern Somalia regions and Ethiopia on their way to cross the Gulf of Aden to Yemen in hope of making their way to Saudi Arabia for a better life.
“The security forces are in operation fighting the smugglers and this is a clear message to those exploiting human lives by involving smuggling and risking their lives,” Puntland security minister Yusuf Ahmed Kheyr told a press conference after the immigrants’ arrest.
“If they don’t stop smuggling people they will regret the consequences”, he added.
“Around 113 illegal immigrants were arrested in the past 48 hours and the operations to crack down on the illegal immigration will continue”, Bari province governor Abdihafid Ali Yusuf told reporters.
“They are Ethiopians and we will return them to their country safely”, Yusuf said.
Hundreds of African immigrants, most of them Somalis and Ethiopians, have died in recent years as they tried to make their way to Yemen by crossing the Gulf of Aden with overcrowded boats.
The security forces in Puntland also arrested dozens of other Somali and
Ethiopian immigrants last week during raids at coastal villages in the region which smugglers use to transport illegal immigrants.

Somaliland finally prepares presidential polls (afrolNews)
The National Electoral Commission in the breakaway republic of Somaliland finally is ready to organise the country’s second presidential elections in June this year, two years late. According to a brief news release by the government in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s National Electoral Commission has presided over a meeting with the countries political parties, agreeing on the last details for holding the twice postponed presidential elections.
During the meeting, Somalilander political parties signed the code of conduct for the upcoming presidential election. Representatives from President Dahir Riyale Kahin’s ruling UDUB party agreed with the main opposition party Kulmiye and other opposition parties. 
The electoral commission presided the meeting that slated the presidential elections to be held in June 2010 “after registration of voters list is completed and new voter identification cards are issued,” according to the government release. 
Somaliland organised its first presidential elections in April 2003. The poll, which was deemed both free and fair by international observers, ended in one of the closest poll races ever seen in Africa. President Riyale won the wote with 42.08 percent of the poll, followed by Kulmiye’s candidate receiving 42.07 percent of votes. 
President Riyale’s term ended in 2008, but as the electoral commission was not able to organise a nation-wide poll at that state, the Hargeisa parliament agreed to exend his term by one year. Last year, parties agreed to organise elections in September, but again the term of President Riyale had to e extended because voter lists were not ready.
Now, however, the under-funded National Electoral Commission has announced it is close to finishing the electoral preparations. It has established an electronic voter registration system and has started issuing voting registration cards to citizens. 
Somaliland – comprising of former British Somaliland – broke away from Somalia – or former Italian Somaliland – as Somalia collapsed into conflict in 1991. While the conflict still goes on in Somalia, Somaliland has managed to established the only functioning democracy on the African Horn, successfully upholding peace and stability and introducing its own currency and legislation.
The government of Somaliland however never has achieved international recognition, despite a growing Western desire to establish formal ties. This also means that Somaliland is not eligible for international funding and development aid – a fact contributing to the electoral commission’s long delay in getting a voter registration system in place

————  reports, news and views from the global village with an impact on Somalia ——————- 

Somali gunmen attack Kenyan border town (SaturdayNation)
Suspected members of Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militias have for the second time this month raided Kenya’s border town of Liboi.

“Four Kenyan police stopped me and my sister and asked us our IDs, we produced our UNHCR mandate letters [N.B.: What the Somali refugees call "MANDATE" is the officially called PROTECTION LETTER provided to recognized and registered refugees, which gives them protection under international and national law e.g. from arbitrary arrest.], but they threw them into drainage and handcuffed us,” said Farhiyo Hassan, a Somali refugee girl in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
“They asked us to pay 4000 Ksh about ($50) each, but we told them that we did not have any money, but they threatened to rape us if we do not pay the money and took us a back of a car,” Farhiyo added.
Farhiyo said they were released after a relative negotiated the police officers and gave them 6000 ksh.
Residents in Eastleigh inhabited by Somalia immigrants say the police are taking bribes daily from the Somali refugee individuals who chose to live in Nairobi under the UNHCR refugee letter.
“They do not respect the law and they take you to the jail if you fail to pay the bribes they demand,” said Farhan, a Somali refugee in Nairobi.
“They do not work as disciplined police that keep security but they work as immigration officers all the time, so I have to pay because I do not want to be in jail,” Farhan added.
Eastleigh is a ramshackle neighborhood in Nairobi and Somalis have the most businesses in the area.
[N.B.: Biggest problem for the illegally and arbitrarily impounded refugees is that the Protection Office of UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nairobi, since the time when Canadian Louise Aubin took over the responsibility, is of no help at all to these refugees in distress - it actually could already be termed silent corroboration - because for Deputy Resident Representative Aubin only a refugee stuffed away in one of the remote camps in the arid north of Kenya seems to be a good refugee, serving the  main purpose of UNHCR, which is to generate funds for UNHCR themselves. But many of the refugees hail from the Somali minority groups and face serious ethnic persecution problems, other have death threats hanging over their heads from radical groups in Somalia, because they didn't collaborate. There is no protection from the Al-Shabaab in the refugee camps and even in Nairobi it becomes difficult, especially for journalists, who had to flee, or those few Somali Christians, which still survived.]

Xenophobia hitting asylum seekers: UNHCR by Frank Nyakairu (Reuters)
Asylum seekers are being thrown out of some countries because of a rise in xenophobia and political campaigns that use foreigners as scapegoats, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) chief said. 
Asylum and immigration are sensitive issues in many countries, such as Italy and Greece, which say they cannot cope with hundreds of thousands of people arriving as potential illegal migrants, often on rickety boats from Africa. 
“We are witnessing, unfortunately, the emergence of xenophobic feelings and populist forces that make campaigns against foreigners and use foreigners as a scapegoat for (the) problems of a country in political campaigns,” Antonio Guterres told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday. 
“The recent examples of people being sent back against their will, like in Cambodia or the push back of Eritreans from Italy are good examples of an asylum space that is narrowing and we need to fight to keep asylum open for those that are in need of protection.” 
The number of people seeking asylum in the West remained stable last year, shattering the myth that there is a flood of people trying to reach rich countries, UNCHR said in late March. 
Half of the world’s 10.5 million refugees are living in urban centres, driving up living costs and increasing the risk of tension with local populations, according to the U.N. body. 
Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister, said an “arch of crises” including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Palestinians, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Chad represented two thirds of the world’s refugee population.


Somali President Passes Out Soldiers Trained in Uganda by Alfred Tumushabe and Otushabire Tibyangye (TheMonitor)
Somali soldiers who have been undergoing military training in Bihanga Barracks, Ibanda District, were on Tuesday passed out by their President. 
The President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Sheik Sherif Ahamed, thanked the government of Uganda for giving instructions and training the soldiers. 
He said he was grateful for the continued support Uganda was giving Somalia in an effort to gain peace and stability.

Army and Defence spokesperson Felix Kulaigye said at a press conference in Mbarara District that the 627 soldiers were passed out after nine months of training. 
They will become part of Somalia national army and join the struggle of fighting insecurity in the lawless country. President Sherif was accompanied by Uganda’s Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga and Commander of Defence Forces Gen. Aronda Nyakairima. 
This is the second time Mr Sherif is passing out soldiers trained with the assistance of Uganda. Last year, he passed out 500 soldiers who were also trained from Bihanga Barracks. 
President Museveni, in his message to Mr Sherif, delivered by Dr Kiyonga, assured Somalia of the government’s commitment towards ensuring stability in the country. 
The Sherif’s government is fighting radical militants of the al Shaabab group who want to takeover government. Uganda has sent troops to Somalia, to mainly protect the government facilities and offices. 
President Sherif paid condolence to Uganda combatants who have died on duty in Somalia.

Over 600 Somali soldiers passed out by Fred Turyakira (NewVision)
A total of 627 Somali and 120 UPDF soldiers were on Tuesday passed out at Bihanga training school in Ibanda district. 
The Somali government forces were trained in basic military skills, while their UPDF counterparts got trained in medical and driving skills. 
The training of Somali forces in Uganda is supported by the European Union. 
Somali president Sheikh Ahmed Shalif on Tuesday presided over the passout. 
He was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, the minister of defence, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga and the Somali army chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Gelle Ahmed. 
Shalif and President Yoweri Museveni, last year passed out 500 Somali soldiers, also trained in Bihanga. 
Shalif commended Museveni and the Government for their support towards restoring peace in Somalia. 
He paid tribute to Ugandan combatants who died while on duty in a peace-keeping mission in his country. 
Kiyonga delivered Museveni’s message, saying Uganda would continue with the peace-keeping mission in Somalia. 
Kiyonga thanked the people of Ibanda, especially those in Nyamarebe and Buremba sub-counties, for offering the army training grounds. 
Nyakairima thanked the Somali government for sending committed trainees. 
He expressed confidence in Somali soldiers, saying they had attained the skills required to protect their country. 
The army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, said Uganda, as a member of the African Union, is mandated to ensure peace for the people of Somalia. 
He added that the training of the soldiers was requested by the African Union and European Union.

Somali government hopes to avert condo foreclosure by Candace Taylor (TheRealDeal)
The government of Somalia is facing foreclosure on a unit in the office condominium building where the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations is located.
The unit, #703 at 425 East 61st Street, is slated for a foreclosure auction May 7, 2010, according to court documents and PropertyShark.com. 
The foreclosure suit, filed by the condo board in 2008, stems from $194,332 in unpaid common charges dating back nearly 20 years, according to court documents. A January court judgment also required the Democratic Republic of Somalia to pay the condo $58,751 in attorneys’ fees. 
Elmi Ahmed Duale, Somalia’s current ambassador to the U.N., told The Real Deal that the government is working to pay the condo board in time to prevent the auction from taking place. 
“We are seeing how best to pay those to whom the property owes something,” Duale said. 
He added that the mission will not have to move even if the auction takes place, because his office is located in another unit the Somali government owns in the building, #702. Problems paying common charges in the building followed the overthrow of the Somali government in 1991, he added, but declined to go into further detail. 
The BBC reported in February that Somalia’s cash-strapped government would close three of its five embassies in Europe due to a shortage of funds. Somalia has been wracked by civil war since 1991, and the UN-backed coalition government, formed in 2009, controls only parts of the country. Somalia closed its embassy in Washington, DC years ago. 
The Somali government bought unit #703 in 1987, and #702 a year later, according to city documents. 
Duale told the condo board’s attorney in 2009 that unit #703 was vacant and not used for diplomatic functions, court papers say. Instead, it was used as a rental property to generate income for the mission. 
In 1993, the condo board filed a $56,689.62 lien for missing common charges and other payments, city documents indicate. Another lien for $61,542.21 was filed in 1998 and a third for $44,955.16 in 2007 (see 2007 lien below).
The attorney representing the Somali government, Robert Thabit, and the lawyer for condo board, William Rifkin of Belkin Burden Wenig and Goldman, declined to comment.

Remarks at Jamestown Yemen Conference by Daniel Benjamin (Carnegie Endowment for Peace)
I’m pleased to have been asked back to speak about Yemen, one of the foremost challenges we face in foreign policy and in counterterrorism more specifically.
Let me start by talking about the circumstances we face today arose in Yemen. Then I’ll turn to the Obama administration’s strategy for the country, which aims to help the Yemeni government to both confront the immediate security concern of al-Qa’ida and mitigate the serious political, economic, and governance issues that the country faces over the long term. 
In terms of public perception of the shifting geographic focal points of contemporary terrorism, one might argue that no place in the last year has received as much attention as Yemen. The failed December 25 bombing was a stark reminder that un- or under-governed spaces can serve as an incubator for extremism. 
Furthermore, that conspiracy demonstrated that at least one al-Qa’ida affiliate has developed not just the desire but also the capability to launch strikes against the United States itself. We can no longer count on AQ affiliates to be focused exclusively on the near enemy – the governments in their own countries – or American facilities in their immediate surroundings 
Having said that, we also need some perspective. Contrary to some recent and overblown media accounts of al-Qa’ida in Yemen, the country did not turn into an al-Qa’ida safe haven overnight. In fact, Yemen was arguably the very first front. Al-Qa’ida has had a presence in Yemen since well before the United States had even identified the group or recognized that it posed a significant threat. The December 1992 al-Qa’ida attempt to bomb a hotel in Aden where American military personnel were staying was probably the first genuine al-Qa’ida attack. Those troops, you may recall, were in en route to Somalia to support the UN mission there – this was almost eight years before the U.S.S Cole attack in 2000. Al-Qa’ida has always had a foothold in Yemen, and it’s always been a major concern for the United States. 
In the 1990s, a series of major conspiracies were based in Yemen, most of them aimed at Saudi Arabia. Following the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, the Yemeni government, with support from the United States, dealt significant blows to al-Qa’ida’s presence in Yemen through military operations and arrests of key leaders. 
After that period of collaboration, however, the Government of Yemen became distracted by other domestic security concerns, and our bilateral cooperation experienced setbacks. In the wake of the May 2003 al-Qa’ida attacks in Saudi Arabia, the Government of Saudi Arabia dramatically improved its counterterrorism efforts. That forced many violent extremists to flee Saudi Arabia for Yemen, joining other fighters who had returned from Afghanistan and Pakistan. As you may recall, a group of senior al-Qa’ida leaders escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006, further strengthening the organization’s presence in the country. 
For the last five years, these terrorists have carried out multiple attacks against Yemenis, Americans, and citizens of other countries. In the last two years, this al Qa’ida franchise has carried out a string of attacks, including an attack on the U.S. Embassy in September 2008, kidnapping of several groups of foreign tourists, and attempts to terrorize Yemen’s own security services. Then in January 2009, the leader of al-Qa’ida in Yemen (AQY), Nasir al-Wahishi, announced that Yemeni and Saudi al-Qa’ida operatives were now working together under the banner of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Yemen, of course, does not exist in a vacuum. The stability of the country is essential to the broader Gulf region and global security, and delegitimizing AQAP also requires addressing Yemen’s own shortcomings to break the cycle of radicalization. A key part of our work to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat” al-Qa’ida is to understand that Yemen’s future is tied to its neighbors and others in the global community. AQAP has already shown itself to be a formidable threat to Yemen’s internal security, with attacks on the Yemeni security services, as well as a threat to Saudi Arabia, with an August 2009 failed assassination attempt against the head of counterterrorism in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed Bin Nayif. Similarly, we must also be mindful of the regional dimension of the AQAP threat, including its ties with Somalia. The freedom of movement and the large refugee population from Somalia amplify the historic ties between these two nations, and we know that the vast majority of these connections are not only related to terrorism. The extremist threat coming from Somalia in the form of al-Shabaab is different from AQAP in Yemen, but we recognize a source of common threat and we are concerned about the possibility that they’ll operate jointly. 
Now I’d like to turn to the administration’s strategy as a whole for Yemen and its approach to countering and constraining AQAP. What I can say, definitively, is that the dangerousness of AQAP was clear to the Obama administration from day one, and it has been focused on Yemen since the outset. Let me put this in personal terms: Quite literally, on my first day at the State Department – in fact, the day I was sworn in – Deputy Secretary of State Steinberg said to me, “Here are some of the priorities you need to be looking at,” and right at the top of the list was Yemen. 
In the spring of 2009, the administration initiated a full-scale review of our Yemen policy. The review has led to a new, whole-of-government approach to Yemen that aims to coordinate our efforts with those of other international actors. Our new strategy seeks to address the root causes of instability and improve governance. Central to this approach is building the capacity of Yemen’s government to exercise its authority and deliver security and services to its people. 
To advance this strategy, we’ve engaged consistently and intensively with our Yemeni counterparts. Senior administration civilian and military officials – including Deputy National Security Advisor Brennan, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, General David Petraeus, and myself –visited Yemen to discuss how we can jointly confront the threat of al-Qa’ida. The result has been a significant – and we hope enduring – turn by the government in taking on AQAP. Those actions, it is important to emphasize, began before the December 25th plot, and have continued ever since. 
Now, Yemen has conducted multiple operations designed to disrupt AQAP’s operational planning and deprive its leadership of safe haven within Yemeni territory. 
But there is more to this story. As I mentioned at the beginning of my speech, the administration’s strategy toward Yemen is two-fold: to strengthen the Government of Yemen’s ability to promote security and minimize the threat from violent extremists; and to bolster its capacity to provide basic services and good governance. Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula takes advantage of insecurity in various regions of Yemen, which is worsened by internal conflicts and competition for governance by tribal and non-state actors. This is why we, if we are going to succeed, we must address the problem of terrorism in Yemen from a comprehensive, long-term perspective. The logic behind this strategy is that while we work with the Yemeni government to constrain and dismantle AQAP, we will also assist the Yemeni people in building more durable, responsive institutions and a more hopeful future, which in turn will go far in reducing the appeal of violent extremism. 
Real security and sustainable development – the two are inextricably connected. And they can be achieved when the Yemeni government takes the lead. The United States will provide assistance and support, but Yemen is a sovereign nation, and we respect its responsibility for its own development and security. So what we are doing in Yemen is one of the cornerstones of our counterterrorism policy – capacity building. Both on the security side and the economic and governance side of things, we are helping to address the state insufficiencies that terrorism thrives on, and we are helping invest the Government of Yemen to more effectively confront the threat. 
On the security front, the Departments of State and Defense provide training and assistance to Yemen’s key counterterrorism units. We provide training to security forces in the Ministry of Interior, including the Yemeni Coast Guard and the Counterterrorism Unit (CTU) as well as assisting the Central Security Forces. The training includes border control management, crime scene investigation, fraudulent document recognition, surveillance detection, crisis management, and a comprehensive airport security/screening consultation and assessment. We also see additional opportunities to increase our training and capacity-building programs for Yemeni law enforcement. We are working with the Department of Defense to coordinate closely in planning and implementing assistance programs. 
All of this will help strengthen the Government of Yemen’s ability to promote security and minimize the threat from violent extremists. But as I mentioned earlier, this strategy will only succeed if we also strengthen Yemen’s capacity to provide basic services and good governance. Yemen is grappling with serious poverty. As you all know, it is the poorest country in the Arab world and it complicates governance across a country that is larger than Iraq. Its per capita income of $930 ranks it 166th out of 174 countries. Yemen’s oil production is steadily decreasing. Water resources are fast being depleted. With over half of its people living in poverty and the population growing at an unsustainable 3.2 percent per year, economic conditions threaten to worsen and further tax the government’s already limited capacity. Furthermore, endemic corruption further impedes the ability of the Yemeni government to provide essential services.
Therefore, the U.S. is providing development assistance to improve governance and help to meet pressing socio-economic challenges. Excluding counterterrorism funding, U.S. development and security assistance have increased in Yemen from $17.2 million in FY2008, to $40.3 million in FY2009, and we expect total FY 2010 assistance to be as much as $63 million. Priorities for U.S. assistance include political and fiscal reforms; reducing corruption and implementing civil service reform; and economic diversification to generate employment. Additionally, USAID is working to build the capacity of Yemen’s government ministries to deliver services more effectively, efficiently, and responsively. And the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) works with Yemeni civil society to empower Yemenis to build a more peaceful and prosperous future. 
The challenges in Yemen are obviously large. So appropriately, our efforts in the country are part of a global partnership to enhance security and improve governance. Many nations share our concern about Yemen and want to assist. We are working with all of Yemen’s international partners to better coordinate foreign assistance and to make sure that it has an impact on the ground. Through the Friends of Yemen process, the United States is engaged with international partners, especially regional states, in working with the Government of Yemen to help address the multitude of problems. The United States is mindful of the fact that although we are a major donor to Yemen we are not the only one. The United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and others contribute large amounts of aid every year, and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states play an extremely important role in supporting Yemen. 
We are also working internationally to prevent funds from getting to al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula. As soon as it announced its formation, we began gathering evidence to build international consensus behind designating it under UN Security Council Resolution 1267. After our designation of AQAP as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and its senior leaders as designated terrorists, the UN announced the designation of AQAP as well as al-Wahishi and Shihri on the consolidated list. This requires all UN member states to implement an assets freeze, a travel ban, and an arms embargo against these entities. 
In order to succeed in Yemen, it is also vital that we understand how recruits are radicalized; what their motivations are; and how we can address the drivers of radicalization so that we can begin to turn the tide against violent extremism. 
Some of our aid programs will help address underlying conditions for at-risk populations. Reducing corruption and building legitimate institutions with our assistance will also reduce the appeal of extremism. And we will continue to build positive people-to-people engagement with the people of Yemen, through educational and cultural exchanges. Exchange programs have a multiplying effect as participants return to Yemen and convey to friends and family the realities of American culture and society, dispelling damaging but persistent stereotypes. These initiatives contribute to the long-term health of our bilateral relationship and help allay suspicion and misunderstanding. 
In addition to such global initiatives, we are committed to supporting internal peace within Yemen. The violent conflict in the Sa’ada governorate of northern Yemen between the central government and Houthi rebels, and the protest movement in the South, which has led to riots and sporadic outbreaks of violence, are fueled by long-standing grievances. The United States is encouraging the Yemeni government to seek a lasting peace in Sa’ada as well as to allow for the provision of humanitarian and development assistance there, and is asking Yemen’s Gulf neighbors and other partners to do so as well. 
The United States is very encouraged that the recent ceasefire has ended armed conflict. This ceasefire will only hold if both sides address the political problems that underlie the conflict. Recent efforts to release prisoners and allow international aid into Sa’ada show promise for the future. The United States, along with international partners, will continue to press for peace by requesting that the Government of Yemen grant aid agencies access to the Sa’ada governorate to provide assistance to displaced persons and facilitate their return. To assist those displaced by the conflict, U.S.AID’s Office of Food for Peace has donated $7.5 million in emergency food aid and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has contributed $3 million to relief efforts.
The U.S. strategy in Yemen recognizes that Yemen has not always had the political will or focused attention to address its problems. We are working hard with our international partners to address Yemen’s security and other challenges. We are encouraged because President Saleh and his government have shown more resolve than ever before to confront AQAP and to engage with the international community on domestic non-security issues. The United States commends Yemen on its counterterrorism operations and we are committed to continuing support for security initiatives and economic-development initiatives.
As I conclude, I’d like to stress that we don’t claim to have all the answers. Given the difficult political, economic, social, security, and governance challenges besetting Yemen, it is important that we recognize progress will not come easily. 
We are involved in a number of different, rather difficult undertakings; this is a beginning and not an end. 
I’d also like to reiterate that our approach to the problem of terrorism in Yemen must be comprehensive and sustained, taking into account a wide range of political, cultural, and socio-economic factors. Ultimately, the goal of U.S. and international efforts is a stable, secure, and effectively governed Yemen. As the Government of Yemen grows more transparent and responsive to the requirements of its citizens, the seeds of extremism and violence will find less fertile ground and a more positive and productive dynamic will begin to prevail. 
(*) Daniel Benjamin is the Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Divide, undermine and conquer

Two weeks ago, under the title “Oil has poisoned the well”, Al-Ahram Weekly featured an analysis of the insurrectionist movements in Yemen. Its purpose was to examine diverse aspects of a national crisis that various outside forces are attempting to exploit with an eye to achieving broader regional aims, among which is to take control of the security situation in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa. This analysis attempts to assess the dangers of the disintegration of Yemen, not only because of the implications it could have for this Arab country but also in order to shed light on the strategy behind a deliberate attempt to dismantle the Yemeni state. 
No strategic analyst of security matters in the Middle East and the Red Sea area can ignore the roles played by Israel and the US in this process, as corroborated by documented evidence and logical connections between factual dots. The disintegration that has been ravaging Yemen since 2000 is by no means random; it is the product of cumulative destructive seeds sown by capitalist forces linked with Israel and abetted by many other factors. 
>From the Sabaen Kingdom in the late eighth century BC to the 20th century, Yemen was a fertile and bounteous country, praised by some as the “Happy Land” and by others as “a piece of heaven on earth”. It has long been known for the excellent qualities of its soil, though recently this resource was obscured by the greater attention that is now being paid to its oil. 
YEMEN’S TRAIN OF DISASTER: The failure of the Yemeni state stems from various factors some of which have deep historical roots. The tribal makeup of Yemeni society has been one of the most intractable obstacles to the development of a modern civil society. Tribal disputes in Yemen have more in common with conflicts between ethnically or nationally distinct peoples than with conflicts within more ethnically and culturally homogeneous societies over matters related to the distribution of wealth and power. The latter conflicts are generally surmountable through accommodations that favour the establishment of a civic state founded upon justice, plurality and respect for human rights, such as the US, Italy and Spain, which underwent brutal civil wars and emerged as robust nation states that embraced all its citizens on a footing of equality within a framework of checks and balances between the authorities, the rotation of power, and other such guarantees against the forces of greed and the lust for power. 
However, the Yemeni question has more modern roots. Prior to 1962, which is to say before national independence, the northerners regarded the south as part of their land. In the post- independent period the attitude continued to prevail, with the notion that the south had to be restored to the north. Upon assuming power in Sanaa in the 1980s, President Ali Abdallah Saleh campaigned to repair fences with the diverse factions across the political spectrum in the north, and succeeded in forging a broad-based national reconciliation beneath the umbrella of the General People’s Party, the state party, at a time when political party plurality was constitutionally prohibited. Meanwhile, the regime in Aden hunted down its perceived enemies at home and abroad both outside and inside the regime, which was founded on a one-party state. 
Evidently unaware of the advantages of compromise, healing old wounds and giving other national forces the right to express themselves, the leaders of the south resisted forging any form of national reconciliation in the south similar to that in the north before the declaration of unity with the north in 1990, and they continued in the same manner afterwards. They only realised their mistake relatively late when, well into the civil war, South Yemen’s Socialist Party began to fracture. Soon, however, Abdallah Saleh’s front began to unravel in the north where disputes between the central authorities and the tribes in the governorates of Marib and Al-Jawf sent fissures through the Sanaa regime. 
Embroiled as they were in internal crises, both regimes failed to capitalise on the oil boom in the Gulf and to effectively utilise remittances from Yemenis abroad and aid from the Gulf countries. In the north, in particular, cash surpluses were squandered filling the markets with imported consumer and luxury goods until these financial resources dwindled. The south, meanwhile, was beginning to feel the crunch from the shift in the outlook of the USSR, which under Mikhael Gorbachev, began to dismantle its network of alliances abroad and turn off the taps of financial and military assistance to such soviet satellites as the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen. 
A new world was in the making as the Soviet Union collapsed and it was against this backdrop that the two Yemens issued their declaration of unity on 22 May 1990. However, the distrust and acrimony that had accumulated over recent decades kept the unity from extending any deeper than the name of the country, one flag and a single national anthem. Beyond this, there remained two regimes, two governments, two cabinets, two armies and even two currencies. Although technically there was a president’s council headed by a president and vice-president, in effect there remained two presidents who refused to see eye-to-eye. It was not long, therefore, before the situation deteriorated dramatically. Yemen was plunged into civil war, followed by a series of minor civil wars between the regime and rebel tribes, such as the Houthis, and the country descended into chaos. 
The chaos in Yemen elevated this country to a cornerstone in US and Israeli plans to dominate the southern portion of the Middle East, which were moved into high gear at the turn of the millennium when the first Bush administration unveiled its project for a “New Middle East”. An easily accessible country, it overlooks the Bab Al-Mandeb, the strait linking the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. This strategic international water is extremely vital to Israel, which is why Israel has done all in its power since 1973 to secure control over it. Its efforts towards this end include: 
- Expanding its naval presence in the southern portion of the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea in order to intercept Iranian naval vessels and monitor the Sudanese coast. 
- Stimulating Al-Qaeda activities in Yemen in order to hasten the dismantlement of the state and to be able to use the “war on terrorism” as an excuse to secure a military presence on Yemeni territory. 
- Unleashing piracy along the Somali coast and in the vicinity of the Bab Al-Mandeb in order to justify a direct US-Israeli military engagement in the area. 
We will discuss these activities in greater depth below. 
THE RED SEA IN THE ISRAELI STRATEGIC OUTLOOK: The Red Sea occupies a prominent place in Israeli strategic and military scripture. David Ben-Gurion referred to it as “Israel’s only means of contact with the East”. It was this outlook that gave rise to Eilat, which was born as a cross between a port city and a military base and accorded the highest priority in Israeli development plans. Encircled by a high- security cordon, it is perhaps the only Israeli city for which Israeli citizens, until recently, needed to obtain an entry pass in advance. The condition continues to apply to Arab citizens of Israel and to Arabs in the occupied West Bank. 
Egypt and Saudi Arabia had long attempted to hamper Israeli designs on the Red Sea. In 1950, Saudi Arabia handed the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Egypt so that these could be placed under the control of the Egyptian military with the purpose of restricting Israeli navigation in the area. Attempts to obstruct shipping to and from Eilat were among the reasons behind the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956. 
Over a decade later, when Egypt cordoned off the Gulf of Aqaba against Israeli ships, Israel launched a comprehensive war against Egypt, Syria and Jordan. By the end of the offensive it launched on 5 June 1967, Israel occupied huge tracts of Arab land, quadrupling the size of Israel. The Sinai (61,347 square kilometres), the Golan Heights (1,158 square kilometres), the West Bank and East Jerusalem (5,878 square kilometres) and Gaza (363 square kilometres) were added to the pre-June area of 21,000 square kilometres. In the process, Israel took control over all the water resources in these territories, seized the oil wells and military facilities in the Sinai, and obtained the strategic advantages of the Golan Heights and Gabal Al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon). 
The Arab countries now awoke to the true threat Israel posed, especially to those countries bordering it and the Red Sea. They also realised how important the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandeb straits were to Israeli strategy. Between 1970 and 1973, Israeli strategy received a major boost in the form of a secret pact with Ethiopia for military and intelligence cooperation. The development compounded the danger for the Red Sea countries and especially for Yemen. The importance of the Yemeni factor in Israeli strategic thinking was underscored by a report presented by Sanaa to the Arab League detailing Zionist activities off the Eritrean coast and revealing the discovery of a Mossad ring operating in the area. The leader of this ring, Baruch Mizrahi, was arrested in Hodeida in the process of drawing a detailed sketch of this Yemeni port city from a small boat that he had rented from a poor fisherman. The espionage ring was based on Barim island in Bab Al-Mandeb and its mission was to gather intelligence on the southern Red Sea and to track and assure the safety of Israeli ships passing through the straits. The Arab League dispatched envoys and a fact-finding team to check the report. They not only proved it correct but also learned that Israel, with help from the US, had leased the islands of Abul-Tir, Haleb and Dahlak from Ethiopia. The revelation prompted the Arab countries bordering the Red Sea to hold an urgent meeting on the matter in Jeddah on 15 July 1972. A year later, on 6 October 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a joint offensive against Israel. The war occasioned the Arabs’ first coordinated attempt to assert the right to exercise their sovereignty over their territorial waters in the Red Sea. On 14 October, Yemen actively joined the war effort, dispatching forces to several islands in the Bab Al-Mandeb area in order to strengthen the maritime blockade against Israel and forestall any Israeli attempt to occupy the islands. 
Between 1973 and 1979 the Arabs held further conferences and meetings with an eye to protecting the Red Sea, neutralising it from inter- 
national conflicts and asserting its Arab identity. They also adopted a resolution calling upon the Red Sea countries to cooperate, to utilise the Red Sea’s wealth and resources for the benefit of the peoples of the region, and to obstruct Israel’s attempts to strengthen its relations with African countries near the southern entrance to the Red Sea. In October 1977, North Yemen sent a secret memorandum to the Arab League confirming a growing Israeli and Ethiopian military presence along the Eritrean coast and in the vicinity of the Bab Al-Mandeb. The memorandum cautioned that Ethiopia had sold the coastal strip of Eritrea to Zionist intelligence agencies which would enable Israel to jeopardise Yemen’s influence in the area. At the time, Arab influence over the area was weakening, in part because of the hostile behaviour by some Arab countries towards a number of African countries and in part because of the lack of a unified Arab policy towards the Horn of Africa, a deficiency exacerbated by acrimonious disputes between Arab countries located in the Horn of Africa, namely Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia, all of which came as a boon to Israeli strategy in the area. 
However, it was with the Camp David accord signed between Egypt and Israel on 16 March 1979 that one of the foremost obstacles was removed from Israeli activities in the Red Sea. With Egypt out of the way, Israeli ships moved freely through the Gulf of Aqaba, the Straits of Tiran and the Suez Canal and established a presence disproportionate to the actual size of Israel in the Red Sea. The commander of the Israeli navy at the time expressed the Israeli vision for the Red Sea explicitly. “Egypt’s control over the Suez Canal only gives it one key to the Red Sea. The other and more important key from the strategic perspective is the Bab Al-Mandeb. Israel must therefore strive to control that important passageway and it must develop its navy in a qualitative way.” The Israeli writer Elyaho Salbetr adds, “Israeli defence specialists and planners are well aware of the Arab threat that looms in the Red Sea which underscores the importance of Israel’s relations with the non-Arab countries in East Africa.” 
Eritrea’s winning of its independence against the backdrop of the sweeping repercussions of the collapse of the Soviet Union furnished Israel with a more favourable climate to operate in that region and to strengthen its relationship with the countries of the Horn of Africa, particular. Eritrea soon became Israel’s spearhead in the southern Red Sea, and Israel backed and led the Eritrean seizure of the Hanish islands on 15 December 1995. Israel supported the Eritrean independence movement, backing the faction led by Isaias Afwerki. In 1990, an Israeli delegation visited Asmara with the purpose of assessing the situation in Eritrea and the southern Red Sea. On the basis of its findings, Israeli strategists drew up an urgent plan of action for East Africa. The subject of a five-hour secret Knesset meeting on 16 March 1992, the plan set the following objectives: 
- To develop closer ties with Eritrea as a stepping stone towards developing relations with other African nations, such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Kenya, in order to counter Arab influence in Africa. 
- To strengthen the Israeli military presence in the Red Sea, along the Eritrean coast and in Ethiopia. (Already, 1,700 Israeli military experts had been sent to Eritrea in 1990 to train the Eritrean army). 
- To strengthen economic relations with Eritrea. 
Israel quickly consolidated its relations with the political elite of Eritrea through the construction of sumptuous palaces, the provision of 60 grants for Eritrean students to study in Israel, and numerous cultural exchanges. On 13 February 1993, a security and economic delegation paid a five-day secret visit to Asmara which resulted in the conclusion of an extensive agreement that was officially signed by presidents Rabin and Afwerki in March that year in Tel Aviv. Israel was obliged by the agreement to supply Asmara with agricultural and military experts and to construct the entire Eritrean infrastructure. In exchange, Asmara would permit full Israel military presence in Eritrea and freedom of movement to Israeli military and intelligence personnel throughout the country. In addition, Asmara would refrain from entering into cooperative arrangements with Arab countries and indefinitely postpone the idea of joining the Arab League. Soon after the agreement was signed, 3,000 Israeli soldiers were stationed on bases in the Eritrean provinces near Sudan and across from Yemen. Of particular strategic value was Sorkin mountain overlooking the Bab Al-Mandeb, on which the Israelis installed radars to monitor the some 17,000 ships that pass through the Red Sea annually, not to mention 30 per cent of the global output of oil. In mid-November 1995, Eritrean forces attempted to occupy Greater Hanish but were repelled by Yemeni forces. This was before the Israeli-assisted attack and showed that Eritrea, on its own, was not yet strong enough to take the island. 
The Hanish archipelago is a group of islands located off the coast of Al-Khoja province and forms the closest Yemeni islands to the crucial sea lanes leading to and from the Bab Al-Mandeb. In the 1970s, Yemen allowed Eritrean revolutionaries to use these islands to store the arms they would use in their conflict with Ethiopia. In the early 1980s a lighthouse was constructed on the eastern part of Arabat on the island of Zuqar. Zuqar mountain affords a view of all the maritime routes in the Red Sea and the Eritrean coast, and is of great military value. Greater Hanish, with an area of 66 square kilometres is the largest of this group of islands. Lesser Hanish, located to the south of Zuqar, is an outcrop of volcanic rock around 10 square kilometres that rises 127 metres above sea level and is located about 38 kilometres from the Yemeni coast and 70 kilometres from the Eritrean coast. The Yemeni port authority built a lighthouse on it in 1981. 
The Hanish islands had been under dispute between Yemen and Ethiopia prior to the official declaration of Eritrean independence in 1993. Tensions between the two countries over the islands often flared into the open, as occurred in 1974, because the islands served as bases and arms caches for Eritrean rebel forces. It is most likely for this reason that various sources and maps indicate that Eritrea had initially recognised the Yemeni claims to the islands. After the unification of Yemen in 1990, Yemen began to build and operate lighthouses on the islands. The lighthouses, constructed in cooperation with the German Siemens company, operate by solar power and were intended to assist international navigation, as all international maritime routes in that area pass through Yemeni territorial waters. But the lighthouses were also meant to serve as a tangible reminder of Yemen’s historical right to and sovereignty over these Red Sea islands. During the build-up to the 1973 war with Israel, Yemen gave Egyptian forces access to these islands in accordance with a secret agreement signed between Yemen and Egypt on 12 May 1973. Neither Ethiopia nor any other country lodged an objection to this Yemeni decision. 
Following the declaration of Eritrean independence on 25 May 1993, the Eritrean government made no claims whatsoever to the islands and Yemen proceeded as usual on the basis that the islands belonged to it. The Yemeni government continued to support a small garrison there, Yemeni fisherman continued to cast their nets in the vicinity, and foreign tourists would take their permits to visit the islands from the Yemen tourist authority. It therefore came as quite a surprise that the islands would be the cause of a sudden deterioration in relations with Eritrea, which began to lay claims to Greater and Lesser Hanish and Zuqar in the autumn of 1995. In early November 1995, Asmara demanded the evacuation of the Yemeni garrison on Greater Hanish. In response, Yemen sent a delegation to Asmara to negotiate over maritime borders between the two countries. On 7 December 1995, the parties agreed to defer these negotiations until the end of Ramadan in 1996. 
ISRAELI-ERITREAN COOPERATION: Eritrea’s assault against Greater Hanish was the fruit of the above-mentioned military and economic cooperation agreement it signed with Israel. The first time Eritrean forces attempted to seize the islands, on 15 October 1995, they were repelled by a Yemeni garrison that was only 300 men strong. Following this setback, president Afwerki flew to Israel to meet with Rabin and plead for help. That was immediately forthcoming in the form of an arms deal consisting of six Blackhawk and Dolphin military helicopters, an Arabah naval reconnaissance plane, a naval radar system, a collection of sea- sea Gabriel missiles, and six Rashif and Saar missile craft, all of which were deployed in a second assault on the Yemeni islands on 15 December. The pact also included a unit of Israeli officers and soldiers who took part in the offensive. Operating under the command of Air Force Lieutenant Michael Dumas, they operated the Israeli arms and equipment. 
Subsequent Israeli reports claimed that Eritrean control over Greater Hanish was part of a pre- emptive regional strategy Israel was implementing to defend international maritime traffic in the Red Sea against potential threats from Sudan, Yemen and Iran and to forestall any attempts to close off access to Eilat by means of a blockade of the Bab Al-Mandeb as Yemen had done in 1973. Three Yemeni soldiers from the garrison on Hanish died during the attack which ended with the Eritrean-Israeli occupation of the island. Sanaa did not attempt to retaliate by force. Instead, it contacted the Eritrean government and expressed its desire to preserve good relations with Eritrea and to resolve the situation through peaceful negotiations in accordance with the principles of international law. The two parties thus entered direct negotiations, heeding the Arab League’s call to self-control and peaceful dialogue, and the crisis was eventually diffused through international arbitration. On 26 August 1996 the Security Council called upon the two parties to accept the agreement on principles and refrain from the use of force. On 9 October, the International Court of Justice issued its final verdict, ruling that all 43 islands of the Hanish Archipelago, inclusive of Greater Hanish and Zuqar, belonged to Yemen. On 1 November 1998, Eritrea formally handed control of Hanish back to Yemeni forces. 
Although Yemen won its case, the arbitration process had other practical outcomes. Firstly, during the process the US asked Eritrean forces to round up members of the Eritrean Islamic Hamas Front and expel them from the island in the interest of safeguarding the Eritrean regime. Second, as a reward for siding with Israel and rivalling Yemen over the control over the Bab Al-Mandeb, Eritrea was cast as a new and major player in the region. Third, the drive to officially establish the Arab character of the Red Sea was frustrated by Eritrea’s refusal to declare its Arab identity and join the Arab League. 
THE RISE OF AL-QAEDA: Before examining this aspect of the Yemeni question, I must first register my belief that the so-called Al-Qaeda organisation was born as and remains a kind of CIA unit. Most alleged Al-Qaeda leaders had close links with the CIA as did the other Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The same applies to the next generation of Al-Qaeda leaders, such as Ayman El-Zawahri, Omar Al-Masri and Anwar Al-Ulaqi who, moreover, was educated in the US. In addition to the suspicion surrounding the true affiliation of the leaders, it should also be borne in mind that Al-Qaeda is essentially a loose network of separate groups which are not bound by an organisational link. This makes the organisation easy to infiltrate and to use as a cover for any number of actions committed in its name. Finally, it is no coincidence that all the operations of this organisation are associated with Arab and Islamic countries that the US has earmarked to engineer the changes it needs to redraw the map of the region and produce the “New Middle East”. When the US and its allies point to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemeni, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq and, subsequently, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria as countries that breed and export terrorism they are effectively attempting to justify various forms of foreign intervention. Al-Qaeda is the cat that is set on fire and let loose in the fields. Every one of the countries just mentioned is a candidate for bursting into flame because of the Al-Qaeda cat, which the American firemen have vowed to hunt down with their guns regardless of sovereign boundaries. After accomplishing their mission, the firemen might just decide to make these countries home for several years, helping themselves to whatever wealth and resources are to be had. 
A decade after it was founded, Al-Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center in New York, setting off a chain of events that struck the Arab and Islamic worlds harder than anywhere else. The military pursuit of Al-Qaeda beat a path of destruction through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and, most recently, Yemen. These were the names that topped the list of countries designated for the project of the New Middle East, the map for which was captioned by its architects, “Blood borders: How a better Middle East would look”. It was precisely in this spirit that former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice remarked, “This project will not succeed without great sacrifices such as a torrent of blood.” It takes no more than a quick glance at the course of events in the Middle East since 9/11 to ascertain that it is, indeed, paying this price. 
AL-QAEDA AND THE FAILURE OF THE YEMENI STATE: The name of Al-Qaeda was first linked to Yemen following the bombing of the USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden in October 2000. That date marked two important starting points: the beginning of the rise of Al-Qaeda and the beginning of the gradual collapse of authority in Yemen. The latter process would, naturally, be aided by the former. The central government in Sanaa has been losing its grip on the country because it is engaged in many battles at once. In the north it is fighting the insurrectionist Houthi movement. In the south it faces mounting civil discontent and a possible secessionist movement. In these areas and elsewhere it is hunting down Al-Qaeda members and fighting poverty, unemployment, tribal unrest, declining oil revenues and dwindling water supplies. 
Such conditions form the perfect refuge for Al-Qaeda whose operatives infiltrated into Yemen with the aid of US satellite technology. In addition, the country’s rugged terrain, combined with the government’s inability to police it adequately, make an excellent setting for Al-Qaeda to use Yemen as a base for recruitment and training and for launching operations with far-reaching consequences. After all, Yemen is located in a region rich with oil and it sits astride one of the world’s most crucial maritime routes. Former Yemeni prime minister Abdel-Karim Al-Aryani believes that Yemen should have foreseen the threat Al-Qaeda posed to the country’s national security and territorial integrity much earlier on. “We should have seen the attack on the USS Cole as a major warning to us from Al-Qaeda. But no one at the time gave it much attention. As a result, Al-Qaeda has become much harder to fight now than it would have been in 2000,” he said. 
Indeed, the longer the problem was left unaddressed the more it spun out of control, and the more malicious aims became confused with noble aims, tribal law with civil law, and Al-Qaeda members with tribal members. Moreover, the bombing of the American warship became a pretext for Washington to gradually diminish its support for the Sanaa regime preparatory to pronouncing Yemen a failed state. Washington was dissatisfied with the Yemeni authorities’ handling of the persons suspected of involvement in the bombing, some of whom were released and others of whom managed to escape from prison. Further aggravating tensions between Sanaa and Washington was the former’s refusal to hand over two of the suspects to the US, one of whom was thought to be the mastermind behind the bombing. A major reason why Yemen slackened in its pursuit of Al-Qaeda operatives following an initial spurt of successful antiterrorism activities in the wake of 9/11 was its fear of losing the support of certain clans and religious figures. However, since January 2010 Sanaa has intensified its offensive against Al-Qaeda militias, having received a new injection of US military aid for the purpose and now convinced that the militias pose a direct threat to the regime. 
But the regime still faces some life-and-death choices. It needs the support of the clans now more than ever in its fight against the Houthis, for without their support it risks losing the next round against these insurgents in the north. A Houthi win, in turn, could precipitate further divisions and fuel insurrectionist impulses among other tribes. On the other hand, if the regime refuses to yield to American demands to uproot Al-Qaeda, Yemen will become vulnerable to direct foreign military intervention which will begin with the bombardment of the tribal areas where Al-Qaeda operatives are presumed to be based. In other words, the pursuit of Al-Qaeda in Yemen could prove counterproductive. It could lead to a situation similar to that in Pakistan where American bombardment of tribal areas along the borders with Afghanistan has worked to increase the popularity of Al-Qaeda among the tribes in those areas and to expand the scope and intensity of the confrontation as Al-Qaeda feels its own strength. To compound the predicament there is the problem of the government of a Muslim country being perceived as spilling Muslim blood and presenting the country as a gift to non-Muslim powers. 
The upshot of the Yemeni efforts to combat Al-Qaeda is that Yemen was placed on the list of the world’s most dangerous countries and branded an exporter of global terrorism. As Bruce Riedel of the Saban Centre for Middle East Policy wrote, “The attempt to destroy Northwest Airlines flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day underscores the growing ambition of Al-Qaeda’s Yemen franchise, which has grown from a largely Yemeni agenda to become a player in the global Islamic jihad in the last year.” 
Putting it more bluntly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the increased Al-Qaeda activity in Yemen poses a threat that goes beyond that country and the Middle East at large. She made the remark following a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem in Washington and added, “We see the global implications from the war in Yemen and the ongoing efforts by Al-Qaeda in Yemen to use it as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region.” In early January, the US, Germany, Britain, Spain and Japan closed their embassies in Sanaa for several days as a means to magnify the Al-Qaeda threat and compel Yemeni authorities to comply with Western demands to take military action against Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Significantly, Riedel observes, “Since merging with the Al-Qaeda franchise in Saudi Arabia last January and renaming itself Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), it has stepped up operations in Yemen itself, struck inside Saudi Arabia, and now operates on the global stage. The weak Yemeni government of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, which has never fully controlled the country and now faces a host of growing problems, will need significant American support to defeat AQAP.” 
He continues: “Al-Qaeda has long been active in Yemen, the original homeland of Osama bin Laden’s family, and one of its first major terror attacks was conducted in Aden in 2000, when an Al-Qaeda cell nearly sank the USS Cole. A year ago, the Al-Qaeda franchises in Saudi Arabia and Yemen merged after the Saudi branch had been effectively repressed by the Saudi authorities under the leadership of Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohamed bin Nayif. The new AQAP showed its claws last August, when it almost assassinated the prince with a suicide bomber who had passed through at least two airports on the way to his attempt on Nayif.” It is now believed that the same bomb-makers who produced that device also made the bomb that Omar Al-Farouq Abdel-Mutallab attempted to use on the Amsterdam-Detroit flight. When claiming credit for the Detroit attack, AQAP boasted of having built a bomb that “all the advanced, new machines and technologies and the security barriers of the world’s airports” were unable to detect. The organisation praised the “mujahideen brothers in the manufacturing section” for constructing such a “highly advanced device” and vowed that more attacks would follow. Riedel observes that Yemen’s sporadic attempts to repress Al-Qaeda met with little success because the Abdallah Saleh government has a host of other pressing problems to deal with. He concludes that if Yemen is to overcome the Al-Qaeda problem it will need considerable encouragement and help from abroad. 
REGULATING PIRACY: Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, currently commander of US naval forces in Europe and Africa, and NATO commander in Naples, has stated, “Somali pirates get a lot of logistic support, equipment and intelligence on the locations of ships from people in Yemen.” The admiral’s remark echoed throughout the Western press, with one newspaper reporter Jean Novak contributing the additional claim, “Somali pirates are hiding their main boats in Yemen’s territorial waters”. 
One cannot escape the impression that the US is seeking justifications to build up its military presence in the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Reports from Washington further claim that terrorist elements are leaving Somalia for Yemen and that Yemen is Al-Qaeda’s transfer point to Somalia. The same newspaper quotes the UN commission for monitoring the arms ban on Somalia as saying that Yemen is the chief source of illicit arms and ammunition and that Sanaa’s inability to halt widespread arms smuggling is a major obstacle to the restoration of peace and security in Somalia. 
Note the tiresome repetition of the names of the countries identified for the “New Middle East” project, appearing in the lists of countries that support terrorists or branded as “rogue” states, or classified as “failed” states that need to be rehabilitated by successful states. All of these countries, whether located in Eurasia, the Middle East or the Horn of Africa, also happened to sit atop vast oil and gas resources. The implication is that not only are they incapable of managing their own resources but also that when such precious energy resources lie in the hands of states like these they constitute a danger to international peace and security and, hence, must be relieved of control over them. It is little wonder, therefore, that the architects of US national security strategy after 9/11 combined the dependent variable “terrorism” with the independent variable “oil”. Together they furnish ever ready pretexts for military intervention, which strengthens the belief that the race for control over energy resources is the primary drive behind the post-9/11 security strategy with the aim of promoting US national interests and those of its allies, in that order. 
But there are other curious aspects to the Somali pirate phenomenon. One is especially struck by the fact that certain major powers seem to be controlling it and regulating its pace. The prime candidates for this role are those with a strategic vision for this region, namely the US, and Israel above all. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab Al-Mandeb has the charm of appealing to international intervention in the area on the grounds that it threatens the security of one of the most important maritime routes in the world. 
The International Maritime Bureau has recorded 51 Somali pirate attacks since the beginning of this year alone. [N.B.: As a matter of fact, the IMB figures systematically are too low and better reflected by the figures provided by NATO or the SMCM.] The pirates now hold more than 50 ships, one of which has 40 tanks on board. There are an estimated 1,100 pirates operating in four bands. Most are former coast guards and use high speed boats launched from a mother ship. They are equipped with machine guns, hand grenades, portable missile launchers and other light weaponry, and with GPS technology. The ransoms they demand range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions, depending on the type of ship they capture and the identity of those on board. According to the latest estimates, the pirates have raked in between $25-30 million up to now. Regardless of how they began their operations, they are no longer petty opportunists driven to maritime crime by the civil war and destitution that have ravaged their country; they are big business. It is not surprising that certain powers would seize upon the opportunity to turn the phenomenon to their advantage. Chaos on the high seas serves the schemes of the US administration and Israel to assert their control over strategically sensitive areas. The US-Israeli cordon around the Bab Al-Mandeb is now complete. The two countries control Eritrea, they have neutralised Djibouti and the US has installed intelligence bases there. Now they are patrolling the coastal waters in the area on the pretext of hunting down pirates. In addition, they are poised to intervene in Yemen. The confessions of the terrorist cell captured in Sanaa in mid-2009 furnish incontrovertible proof of the extent of the danger Israel poses in the region. They revealed that they had been in close and direct contact with the office of the Israeli prime minister and disclosed various details of the plans that Israel harbours for Yemen. 
US-ISRAELI COMMON AIMS: The US and Israel are intent, above all, to remove Arab control from the Bab Al-Mandeb and the Red Sea in general. Towards this end they have worked to intensify their military presence in the area and to obtain Security Council resolutions aimed at internationalising the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba, in the hope of legitimising their presence in these waters and the Red Sea islands on a permanent basis. When one notes the rapid flare-up in Somali pirate activity off the Somali coasts and in the Gulf of Aden, one cannot help but to remark on the mysterious silence from Israel on the subject and on the fact that in spite of the thousands of ships that have been hijacked or obstructed over the past two years, not one carried an Israeli flag or was bound to or from Eilat. 
As for the US, we read in the International Crisis Group report 95 (11 June 2009): “The US has a military base in Djibouti — the only one of its kind in Africa — to serve as a regional coordination centre in the fight against terrorism. With an annual budget of $100 million, its focus area is Somalia. It has created and funded several Somali networks and organisations to fight terrorism and is assisting a military base in Puntland in the tasks of collecting intelligence on and capturing suspected terrorists. Its other missions include monitoring seaports and airports and protecting foreigners. In other words, the US enjoys broad powers in Puntland, whose coasts are used as a springboard for pirate operations, which the US could stop if it wanted.” Interestingly, in this regard, whenever world media sounds the alarm on piracy in the Gulf of Aden, US intelligence officials hasten to downplay the phenomenon and suggest that little can be done to stop it. They further caution against a response that could endanger security of sailors, vessels and freight in the vicinity and insist that there is no relationship between the pirates and Al-Qaeda, terrorism or militant Islamism. 
FAILED STATES: Governments that are incapable of exercising their sovereign duties within their borders are commonly termed “failed states”. They are states that no longer hold the monopoly on power inside the country due to the rise in the power and influence of political militias, warlords, drug barons and the like who have come to rival the central government in military power and, often, claims to legitimacy. The Crisis Research Centre at the London School of Economic Studies defines the failed state as “a condition of partial or total collapse resulting in the government’s inability to perform its essential developmental functions, to safeguard national security, to ensure the safety of individual citizens, and to impose its control over the territory within its borders.” The US- based Foreign Policy periodical produces an annual assessment of failed states which are so ranked on the basis of 12 criteria. Two of these criteria are the existence of a state within the state and the rise of political or military elites that permit intervention of other countries and their direct impact on the policies and decisions of the state. A large body of political and scholastic lore has accumulated in the West on the “failed state”, its potential threat to international peace and security, and its relationship to global terrorism. Quite often studies, political commentaries and official rhetoric in this vein are a precursor to a country’s entrance onto the list of “failed states”, which, in turn, is preliminary to systematic attempts to meddle in its domestic affairs. These can range from teams of “advisors” to the imposition of an international mandate backed by international forces and military experts to train loyal local forces, to outright military occupation. 
To conclude, the international conflict over the Bab Al-Mandeb area will claim Yemen as a victim with the Arab world in tow. Given that Eritrea has handed over a part of its coast to the Israelis, that chaos and destruction have devoured Somalia and that Israel may be behind the pirates, the US, Israel and their allies will be the first to benefit, regardless of whether the chaos continues or is brought under control and channelled to their advantage. In addition, Israel also has a presence on Yemeni land within the framework of the role accorded to it through the agreement to fight terrorism and maritime arms smuggling signed by the US and Israeli foreign ministers in January 2009. 
“Internationalisation” has become the capitalist world’s recipe for penetrating and recolonising Third World countries in the 21st century. It is certainly Israel’s recipe for securing an active part in the crises flaring up in the region and guaranteeing the complete freedom of its warships and submarines in the waters stretching from Eilat to the Gulf of Aden and perhaps beyond. Israel has succeeded in establishing itself as a regional power in the post-Cold War period and part of this drive has entailed supplanting Arab control over the strategic landmarks and maritime routes in the Bab Al-Mandeb region.

This week in Middle East conspiracy theories by Neal Ungerleider (TRUE/SLANT)
One of the small joys of Middle East coverage is seeing the gems of stories that occasionally show up in local papers. Buried in the morass of reports on which-prince-visited-which-seedy-ex-Soviet-country and how-Hindu-migrant-workers-converted-to-Islam are the voluminous conspiracy theory op-eds and nods to paranoia that would make Lyndon LaRouche blush. 
Westerners are largely unaware of the rich subculture of conspiracy theory in the Arab world. The stories proliferate there for a complex list of reasons rooted in colonialism, autocratic rulers, religion, xenophobia and culture… but for the outside observer, they’re total gold. 
And they show up in the English-language editions too. 
For instance, Galal Nassar at the highly-regarded English edition of Cairo paper al-Ahram (The Pyramids) just wrote a long essay accusing Israel of being behind the chaos in Yemen. Also? The Israelis may be the secret masters of the Somali pirates. 
Nevermind the legacy of the long civil war, the longtime lack of strong civil authority, competition between tribes or the short- and long-term effects of the Salafist boom of the 20th and 21st century; it’s all the fault of the evil Jewmerican conspiracy. 
Also: The Eritreans are secret Israeli collaborators. Sample graf:

The international conflict over the Bab Al-Mandeb area will claim Yemen as a victim with the Arab world in tow. Given that Eritrea has handed over a part of its coast to the Israelis, that chaos and destruction have devoured Somalia and that Israel may be behind the pirates, the US, Israel and their allies will be the first to benefit, regardless of whether the chaos continues or is brought under control and channelled to their advantage. In addition, Israel also has a presence on Yemeni land within the framework of the role accorded to it through the agreement to fight terrorism and maritime arms smuggling signed by the US and Israeli foreign ministers in January 2009.

Fans of conspiracy lit are advised to give the whole thing a read: it’s a doozy.

The United States is warning Americans to exercise caution when traveling to Ethiopia before and after national elections in May. 
The U.S. State Department noted Tuesday that past elections in Ethiopia have turned violent, especially in the days after poll results are announced. 
It urged U.S. citizens to avoid political rallies, polling places on election day, and demonstrations. 
The May 23 parliamentary elections will be Ethiopia’s first national polls since 2005, when disputed results triggered protests and post-election violence. Security forces killed nearly 200 people during demonstrations that followed those polls.
Last month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his government is committed to making this year’s elections peaceful, democratic, and truthful. 
The U.S. State Department also reminded Americans Tuesday to exercise caution when traveling to Ethiopia’s border areas with Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan. It said Ethiopian security forces do not have a widespread presence in remote regions.

Declaration of the Horn of Africa Conference 
Virginia Declaration of the Conference on Good Governance, Peace, Security and Sustainable Development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa (*)
A three day conference on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, which was organized by two civil society organizations- Advocacy for Ethiopia (AFE) and Ethiopian National Priorities Consultative Process (ENPCP), and sponsored by Trans Africa Forum and Africa Action, was successfully held in Crystal City, Virginia, from April 9 to 11, 2010. The participation of several hundreds of Ethiopians, experts, scholars from the United States and Europe, men and women of the Arts, former diplomats and leaders of civic organizations, with Honorable Ana Gomes of the European Parliament, speaking over the telephone from the Sudan, made the conference rich and unique. The conference addressed broad themes of good governance, conflict, civil society and development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and has adopted the following roadmap: 
ALARMED by the escalation of ethnic and religious polarization, active and latent conflicts in Ethiopia and Somalia, further endangering the livelihood of millions of people and disturbing international peace, and the total absence of a freely elected and accountable governance system in the region; 
DEEPLY CONCERNED by the political, economic and social policies implemented by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in the last 19 years, which has failed to make maximum use of the catalytic roles of the donor community’s commitment for good governance, building national consensus, and boosting productivity and alleviating endemic poverty; 
NOTING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT that, despite the unabated generous aid flows estimated at $25 billion to $30 billion since 1991, almost all of the credible international economic and governance indices rank Ethiopia at the tail end of world development, to the extent that the country, by the end of 2009, had an estimated 5 million orphans and 13-14 million or 16 percent of the country’s population being identified as dependent on international food aid. Notwithstanding these, the government unashamedly claims double digit economic growth and success in the alleviation of poverty; 
RECONGNIZING with dismay that Ethiopia will be entering the next election without adequate preparation, and more importantly, under a cloud of impunity, relentless human rights violations, vigilantism, and the incarceration of political leaders like Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and others, while at the same time the ruling party uses federal and foreign aid funds to recruit youth supporters, all these being done with the intent of building a single-party state. 
NOW THEREFORE, We, the AFE and ENPCP, together with the broad cross-section of Ethiopian participants of the three days conference: 
1.1 Have agreed that the quagmires that Ethiopia finds itself are by and large a result of the 19 years of poor political leadership of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his TPLF/EPRDF party. We strongly believe that neither peace nor development can be achieved and sustained while Ato Meles Zenawi is in power. Hence, he must immediately exit the Ethiopian political scene, preferably peacefully. 
1.2 We call upon all political parties, including the TPLF/EPRDF, to convene an all inclusive National Conference for Peace and Reconciliation, with a view to establishing a Transitional Government of National Unity that prepares the country for an unfettered free and fair election. 
1.3. Call on the Ethiopian people to continue their valiant struggle for peace, democracy and respect for the rule of law. We urge all Ethiopians to continue to resist the divide and rule policies of the regime; we also admire the resistance of the Ethiopian people against religious extremism. 
1.4 Call upon the Ethiopian people inside the country and in the Diaspora to support and stand with forces that celebrate our diversity while trying to cement the foundations of a united country. We specifically call on all Ethiopians who are being forcefully recruited by the ruling party to side with the people and refuse to engage in any action that may be harmful to their brothers and sisters. 
1.5 Commend and applaud opposition parties, civic organizations and their leaders for the work they do under difficult circumstances, and call upon them to create unity, coordinate their efforts, form unbreakable coalitions, and prepare for pre and post election scenarios. 
1.6 Call upon the Ethiopian Diaspora to rise to the challenges and provide material, moral and intellectual support to forces that are committed to advancing good governance and democracy in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. 
1.7 Call for the convening of civil society organizations with a view to establishing strong rights advocacy networks that can better express the voice of the voiceless, and the causes of the people of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. 
1.8 Encourage all Ethiopians to vote for a party that stands for democracy, good governance, unity, and at the same time support democratic forces that stand to defend and protect their votes. 
1.9 Call on Ethiopian Americans to use their voting rights to influence U.S. policies towards Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. 
1.10 Call upon the citizens of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa to respect and defend the rights of women and children. 
1.11 Agreed to establish a working group and broaden the breadth and scope of this declaration so that other stakeholders could join the process in taking the roadmap into action. 
2.0 To the TPLF/EPRDF 
2.1 Condemn the relentless human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, persecutions and crimes against humanity committed by the TPLF/EPRDF security forces in Addis Ababa, Arba Gugu, Bedeno, Gambella, Hadiya, Hawasa, Ogden, Oromia, and other parts of Ethiopia, and demand that those responsible be held accountable and brought to justice without delay. 
2.2 Call for the abandonment of the use of the anti-terrorist and civil society laws as smokescreens to suppress dissent and deny Ethiopians their fundamental economic, social and political freedoms. 
2.3 Join human rights organizations, parliamentarians, governments and the Ethiopian people in demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and all other political prisoners. 
2.4 Demand that the top brass as well as the rank and file of the Ethiopian military properly reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of the Ethiopian people, and the army’s size, shape, capability and doctrine be improved. 
2.5. Demand that the TPLF/EPRDF ceases its manipulation of the electoral process by using federal and donor funds, political party controlled funds, sheltered employment, land and fertilizer. 
2.6 Call upon the TPLF/EPRDF and the House of Peoples Representatives to initiate a constitutional reform in accordance to the will of the people, and define a term limit for the office of the Prime Minister. 
27 Urge the TPLF/EPRDF to desist from blocking the Ethiopian people from having access to information. We condemn the government’s blocking of the Internet, the jamming of the Voice of America, and the muzzling of the local media. 
2.8. Call upon the TPLF/EPRDF to revisit its opaque long-term farmland leases to foreign investors, which we know is dispossessing citizens from the lands and waters on which they depend to survive. We demand the setting-up of an independent expert group, with the full participation of local communities, in order to assess the costs and benefits and ecological as well as social risks of farmland leases to foreign investors. We believe that some of the land leases have the potential to change the geopolitical equation of the region. We also demand that the TPLF/EPRDF discloses all the details of the contracts to the general public. 
2.9 Demand that the government discloses the purpose and nature of the ongoing border negotiation with the Sudan, and that TPLF/EPRDF refrains from once again abrogating Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
2.10 Demand the immediate repeal of the charities and societies, media, and the anti terrorism proclamations. 
2.11 Demand that political party owned and “endowed” companies be urgently reformed. 
3.0 To the people of the Horn of Africa: 
3.1 We believe that our similarities and connectedness far outweigh our differences. Let peace and stability and democracy shine in our region. Let’s try our level best so that our wounds heal. 
3.2 We encourage the continuation of the relationship that has recently been started by scholars from Eritrea and Ethiopia, and hope that such conversations would lead to new beginning which will be mutually beneficial to the brotherly peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Everyone knows that Eritrea and Ethiopia are invariably linked by history, religion, culture, economy, and security. It is thus costly and wasteful for both to maintain the status quo. 
3.3 We encourage free and fair elections in all of the countries of the Horn of Africa. We wish success to the people of the Sudan in the ongoing election, and in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. 
3.4 We encourage the international community and the people of Somalia to work together in finding solutions to the complex problems of the country. 
4. To the Diplomatic and Donor Community: 
4.1 We urge all donor countries, particularly the Government of the United States, especially President Barak Obama to live up to the statements that he has made about Africa. We urge the U.S. not to use double standards. We believe the blind eye afforded to Prime Minster Meles Zenawi by the United States has resulted in strengthening repression in Ethiopia. We, therefore, demand a thorough review of the United States’ policy towards Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. 
4.2 We call on the Government of China to desist from assisting the Ethiopian Government’s anti democratic practices, particularly in providing technical support to block the Internet and the jamming of radio broadcasts. We also call upon the Government of China to make trade mutually beneficial. 
4.3 We call upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to attend to the call for the investigation of crimes against humanity in Ethiopia. 
4.4 We call upon the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union to investigate whether tax payers’ money collected during the 1984/85 in Ethiopia has indeed been used for strengthening the TPLF’s Red Army. 
4.5 Let it be known that we condemn and oppose, in the strongest possible terms, all forms of extremism and terrorism. 
(*) Crystal City Virginia, United States of America, April 11, 2010. 
Website: www.advocacyforethiopia.org

Uncertain Future: Armed Violence in Southern Sudan by Claire Mc Evoy and Emile LeBrun
As election fever grips Sudan, this paper reviews the wave of armed violence that swept through Southern Sudan in 2009, which killed an estimated 2,500 and displaced 350,000. The authors identify the actors involved and set them against the historical backdrop of the South’s numerous ‘interlocking’ wars. The paper places the rising levels of violence involving tribal groups in the wider context of National Congress Party–Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) relations, the faltering peace process, and the inability of the GoSS to provide meaningful governance and security. Finally, it highlights Southern Sudan’s lack of cohesion and uncertain, even bleak, future if the necessary steps are not taken to stabilize it.
This Working Paper is an advance publication of a chapter in the forthcoming ‘Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns’ to be released in June 2010. 
Key findings include the following: 
* The upsurge in intra-Southern violence in 2009 was directly linked to the conduct of the civil war and the history of Southern fragmentation. 
* With the approach of the 2010 elections and January 2011 referendum on Southern self-determination, Southern violence became increasingly politicized, jeopardizing the fragile CPA.
* The GoSS has been unable to stem the rising violence; its preferred approach—forcible disarmament—may actually exacerbate insecurity.
* As 2011 nears, the possibility of further politicized armed conflict in Sudan is significant.
‘Uncertain Future: Armed Violence in Southern Sudan’ is the 20th Working Paper from the Small Arms Survey’s Sudan HSBA project. This paper, and all previous Working Papers and Issue Briefs in the series, can be downloaded from www.smallarmssurveysudan.org

Sexual violence aggravates the 31 armed conflicts of 2009 by Ana Villellas (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona) 
According to the Alerta 2010! Report on Conflicts, Human Rights and Peacebuilding, sexual violence was used as a weapon in most armed conflicts taking place in 2009. In addition to the report, the School for a Culture of Peace of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona also published the Yearbook 2010 on Peace Processes. This year the report includes a Human Rights Index which measures the level of non-compliance of states regarding their obligation to protect human rights. The index is headed by Myanmar, Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Thailand, Russia, Somalia and India. The report additionally analyses the 31 armed conflicts registered in 2009, most of them found in Asia (14) and Africa (10). In its ninth annual edition, Alerta 2010! analyses the state of the world in 2009 in connection with conflicts and peacebuilding, and documents global tendencies in armed conflicts and tensions, peace processes, human rights, humanitarian crises and the gender dimension, while also identifying five opportunities for peace in 2010. 
A decade after the passing of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, obliging states to protect the rights of women and girls and guarantee their participation in peace processes, the School for a Culture of Peace alerts of the breach of formal commitments and measures and the resulting practical consequences. The report points out that violence against women, including sexual violence as a weapon of war, was a constant in all armed conflicts. In cases such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sexual violence reached chronic stages. Moreover, personnel from the armed forces of countries such as Colombia, Myanmar and United States used sexual violence and other abusive practices against women. The report also condemns the fact that most peace processes continue to ignore these issues, even though it is one of the main threats to the peace and security of these populations. 
Despite many obstacles, women did play a key role in numerous civil peace initiatives in the DR of the Congo, Colombia, Turkey, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to Vicenç Fisas, director of the School for a Culture of Peace, “there is a need to expand how we deal with the impact of wars and resolution mechanisms, since the experiences and contributions to peace by women are key to achieving inclusive, long-lasting solutions to conflicts”. 
Newly included in this edition is a human rights index with a ranking of all states according to the degree of non-compliance with obligations under human rights and international humanitarian laws. Some of the 22 indicators used for the index are extrajudicial executions, death penalties, tortures, death under custody, abuse against human rights defenders, NGO representatives and journalists, military use of children, etc. A total of 195 cases were analysed and classified from more to less. Spain occupies number 121 of the list. 
The Alerta 2010! Report highlights the fact that 19 of the 31 armed conflicts in 2009 were related to identity aspirations or demands for self-government. The majority of conflicts measured at an average intensity level (15 cases), while nine conflicts stood out for their pronounced levels of violence: Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, DR of the Congo, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda. Although the overall number of 31 conflicts did not vary from 2008, in 2009 a new armed conflict arose in Southern Sudan due to a constant increase in violence in the region. At the end of the year, 29 conflicts were still active. Violence had died down in the Indian state of Nagaland and war in Sri Lanka ended with the victory of the army over the armed group LTTE. Parallel to these armed conflicts, analyses were carried out of all formal and exploratory negotiation processes carried out worldwide in 2009. Although many of the processes have met with serious difficulties, the report highlights the importance of an increase in those which have become consolidated. 
The School for a Culture of Peace has also published the Yearbook 2010 on Peace Processes, which analyses negotiations open around the world. The new edition shows advances and retreats of 66 different contexts, of which 45 (68.2%) are currently in the midst of open dialogues or formal negotiations. According to the report, in over two-thirds of active conflicts communication channels were strong enough to carry out dialogues or explorations which could eventually lead to a peace process. In comparison to 2008, the number of consolidated processes grew, whereas those taking place intermittently decreased. However, there was an increase in the cases of conflicts in which negotiations were broken off or never even began (32.3% of the cases). Highlighted in the yearbook is the peace agreement between Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and a moderate faction of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.

Anarchy Is the Solution to the Evil Idiocy of the State 
- Louis James interviews Doug Casey (Whiskey & Gunpowder) 
L: Doug, you keep saying you’re an anarchist. I suspect most of our readers know that doesn’t mean you like to wear black army boots and throw Molotov cocktails at McDonald’s restaurants during WTO protests, but I’m not sure how many really know what it is you do mean. And since this is central to your world-view and hence touches on all your thinking as an investor and speculator, it seems useful to clear the air. Few may agree with us on this topic, but let’s talk about anarchy. 
Doug: Sure. If people aren’t open-minded enough to even consider an alternative view, they’re their own worst problem, not my ideas. In point of fact, anarchism is the gentlest of all political systems. It contemplates no institutionalized coercion. It’s the watercourse way, where everything is allowed to rise or fall naturally to its own level. An anarchic system is necessarily one of free-market capitalism. Any services that are needed and wanted by people — like the police or the courts — would be provided by entrepreneurs, who’d do it for a profit. 
Look, I’d be happy enough if the state — which is an instrument of pure coercion, even after you tart it up with the trappings of democracy, a constitution, and what-not — were limited to protecting you from coercion and absolutely nothing more. That would imply a police force to protect you from coercion within its bailiwick. A court system to allow you to adjudicate disputes without resorting to force. And some type of military to protect you from outside predators. 
Unfortunately, the government today does everything but these functions — and when it does deign to protect, it does so very poorly. The police are increasingly ineffective at protecting you; they seem to specialize in enforcing arbitrary laws. The courts? They apply arbitrary laws, and you need to be wealthy to use them — although you’re likely to be impoverished by the time you get out of them. And the military hardly defends the country anymore — it’s all over the world creating enemies, generally, of the most backward foreigners. 
In a free-market anarchy, the police would likely be subsidiaries of insurance companies, and courts would have to compete with each other based on the speed, fairness, and low cost of their decisions. The military presents a more complex problem, beyond our range here. 
L: That’s a lot for most mainstream folks to swallow at once, Boss. On the other hand, the way I see it, it would be inconsistent with my libertarian principles to demand that anyone agree with me — but I don’t need to be helping those who would enslave me to make money anyway. That said, let’s try to ease into this… 
Doug: So, let’s start with a definition. Many people think of anarchy as being chaos. They see riots and chaos on TV from some place in conflict and think, “What anarchy!” 
L: That’s if the talking heads don’t tell them that what they are seeing is anarchy to begin with. 
Doug: Right. But chaos and bomb throwing are not anarchy. Chaos is the actual opposite of anarchy. Anarchy is simply a form of political organization that does not put one ruler, or ruling body, over everyone in a society. Whether that’s actually possible is a separate matter. This is what it means. And I see it as an ideal to strive for. 
L: I’m looking at Webster’s, and it says that anarchy is: A: Absence of government. B: A state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority. C: A utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government. People might say you’re focusing only on C. 
Doug: Look at the etymology. It comes from the Greek anarchos, meaning “having no ruler,” an-, not, and archos, ruler. Definition B has come into popular use, but that doesn’t make it right. 
“Anarchy” is a word that’s been stolen and corrupted by the collectivists — like “liberal,” It used to be that a liberal was someone who believed in both social and economic freedom. Now a liberal is no better than a muddle-headed thief — someone who’s liberal only with other people’s money. 
I refuse to let the bad guys control the intellectual battlefield by expropriating and ruining good words. 
In any event, there’s no conflict whatsoever between anarchy and the rule of law, since there are private forms of law and governance. That’s what Common Law is all about. So the correct definition is a combination of A and C. 
But I never said a truly free, anarchic society would be a utopia; it would simply be a society that emphasizes personal responsibility and doesn’t have any organized institutions of coercion. Perfect harmony is not an option for imperfect human beings. Social order, however, is possible without the state. In fact, the state is so dangerous because it necessarily draws the sociopaths — who like coercion — to itself. 
What holds society together is not a bunch of strict laws and a brutal police force — it’s basically peer pressure, moral suasion, and social opprobrium. Look at a restaurant. The bills get paid not because anybody is afraid of the police, but for the three reasons I just mentioned. 
L: I saw some of this in Argentina over the last few days. Here we are at your Harvest Celebration. Two hundred people, most of whom have never met before, a hundred miles from nowhere — I don’t know if the nearby town of Cafayate even has a cop, but if it does, he’s well hidden. For all anyone can see, it’s us, the grape vines, and the mountains. 
And yet, there was order. The Estancia is private property. Your people organized things, and the guests went along with it and had a great time. Why? I don’t think many of them calculated the odds of getting killed if they tried to use violence to get everything they wanted, though a rational person making such a calculation would decide it wasn’t worth it. 
Most people are brought up to be decent, and the people you tend to attract have a certain moral fiber. In other words, the event was governed by a cultureof voluntary and honorable cooperation. 
Doug: Just so. It’s like when people form lines at movie theaters or ski lifts. There doesn’t have to be a cop with a gun there to make everyone take turns. Everyone knows that if they take turns, it all works out better for everyone — and they are brought up to act that way, so they usually don’t even have to make that calculation. 
A more obviously government-like example is Disneyworld, which is nothing less than a private city, complete with numerous rules that would be called laws if it were run by politicians instead of a corporation. 
Why would anyone go along with rules that aren’t laws? Because they want to go to Disneyworld. They agree, and for the most part, they go along, and if they cause too much trouble, Disney kicks ‘em out — which they have every right to do as owners of their private property. 
As Pareto’s Law indicates, there’s inevitably a bad element in most places. 80% of folks are truly decent, and 20% are perhaps problematical. And 20% of that 20% are bad apples. You have to have a culture that keeps them hiding under rocks, rather than rising to the top — as they wind up doing quite often in government. 
The reaction of a person to the idea of a truly free society is an excellent moral litmus test. The more negative the reaction, the more likely you’re dealing with a sociopath. 
L: What would you say to people who point out that when the government collapsed in Somalia a few years ago, bloodshed ensued, or that when the government disappeared from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, ugly chaos did erupt? 
Doug: It’s as you said: a cultural matter. If you have people who’ve been brought up to believe that the only limits on what you can or should do is the force exerted by the authorities, it’s no surprise that when the greater power disappears, they reach out to take whatever they want, by force. 
That’s clearly the case in Somalia, but it’s also true of the people stranded in New Orleans, who were primarily those with no money to flee — in other words, the inhabitants of government housing projects. It’s not politically correct to point this out, but those people had, on average, a distinctly different culture from that of the average American. 
Actually, ex-police states are the most dangerous places — like Russia in the early ‘90s, the Congo in the early ‘60s, or Haiti today, because they have a culture of repression that’s like a pressure cooker. When the lid comes off, it’s a mess. 
L: I seem to recall a flood in West Virginia in recent years that wiped out half of a small town. Instead of raping and robbing each other, those not hurt helped the victims. They housed them, fed them, and even helped them build new houses. And no one made them do it. It wasn’t a case of better government — it was just their culture to do so. 
Doug: And culture is a matter of education, which means that societies that function on voluntary cooperation, as in Cafayate, Disneyland, or the town you’re talking about in West Virginia, are possible. 
There is nothing in human nature that makes it impossible to create a society of people who respect each other’s rights and follow accepted systems for working out differences, like getting in lines at movie theaters. There would still be criminals and sociopaths to deal with, as these occur in a standard distribution in every population — but the point is that the society doesn’t have to be built around an essentially criminal organization, the state. 
L: And those sociopaths would be limited to whatever mischief they could wreak personally, instead of having access to the machinery of the state to multiply the harm they can do. But I think most people would balk at your characterization of the state as essentially criminal. 
I know that’s a big topic people have written whole books about, but can you give us something brief to substantiate your view? 
Doug: Well, it’s really not that complicated. We can probably agree that it’s wrong for me to point a gun at you and take all your money. Some people might feel sorry for me if I did that to buy medicine for my dying mother, but it’s still a crime, because it violates your human rights. And it’s still a crime if I ask someone else to do the same thing for me — and still a crime if a whole bunch of people vote to ask someone with a spiffy uniform and a badge to do the same thing. 
It wouldn’t matter any more if a group of people calling themselves Congress went through some rituals that involved a leader putting some ink on some paper and said a violation of your rights was now “legal” than if a witch-doctor told a tribe’s warriors that it was okay to take slaves and sacrifice them to the gods. Laws are just a “civilized” man’s taboos. 
L: Obamacare is a case of exactly this. Socialized medicine puts you and me in the position of the tribe’s sacrifice, because the mass of voters want free goodies at the expense of those who produce more than they do. 
But to get back to the word “criminal” — you’re saying that the state is inherently criminal because it violates human rights. But does it have to be that way? Didn’t Ayn Rand have an idea for a kind of government that would not violate anyone’s rights? 
Doug: I don’t think she ever came up with a detailed plan. I find it interesting that her “Galt’s Gulch” in Atlas Shrugged was clearly a private city. It was built on land owned by Midas Mulligan, and people who bought in agreed to his terms. There was no mention of police or elected officials. What Rand said was that a moral government could not violate anyone’s rights, and that meant raising revenues through user fees and other voluntary means — no taxes. That’s a great step in the right direction, but leaves a lot of unanswered questions as to how to do this. 
Here’s the rub; imagine that the Quebecois decided unanimously that they really didn’t want to be part of Canada anymore but wanted to be an independent, French-speaking country. So they peacefully vote and take their marbles to play their own game. In doing so, they don’t violate anyone’s rights, so there is no moral way the government of Canada can stop them. They could use force, but that would violate the rights of the Quebecois, who would not be hurting anyone. And if the Quebecois could do this, so could Disneyworld, or your neighborhood — or you individually. 
There’s no moral way to prevent peaceful secession — but if a state doesn’t prevent secession, it soon disintegrates. People always want to do things differently, and they would if the threat of force from the state didn’t stop them. Brute force — although gussied up with myth, propaganda, and red, white, and blue bunting — is what holds the state together. That force is ugly and corrupting. 
No matter how benign a state might be, even one that found a way to fund all of its activities without resorting to force, it must still violate the fundamental human right of self-determination in order to preserve its own existence. That’s why the state is inherently a criminal organization — it must rely on force. Even the best of them are never based entirely on consent of the governed; there is coercion of the non-consenting minority. And there are always some who do not consent. 
Democracy is no solution — it’s just 51% bossing the other 49% around. For God’s sake, Hitler was democratically elected. Democracy is just mob rule dressed up in a coat and tie. 
You and I do not consent to Obamacare, but we’re forced to accept it. Of course socialized medicine is totally counterproductive, as we discussed in our conversation on health. 
I suppose I can live with the idea of a state, as long as there were about seven billion of them in the world — and everybody had one. That would show that the whole idea of the state is just a scam, where everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else. But the only people who really benefit are the guys on top.

What next after mephedrone ban? by Jim Reed (NewsbeatBBC)

Drug forums talked about a new substance a bit like cocaine and ecstasy but legal to buy and sell, so long as it was marketed as bath salts or plant feeder. 
Six months later that drug was the subject of everything from newspaper front pages to emergency questions in the House of Commons. What is mephedrone? 
So with a ban in place the question now is what happens next. Will the websites selling mephedrone just shut up shop? Or will they switch to new legal highs knowing the demand is there and plenty of money can be made? 
“Year 2010, this is what everyone will be talking about,” said ‘Pete’, not his real name, who made thousands selling mephedrone online. 
“In the 80s we had cocaine; in the 90s it was ecstasy. Now we have these designer drugs and they are not going to go away.” 
Mephedrone history 
Mephedrone is from a family of chemicals, cathinones, found in the African plant Khat. The shrub’s thin leaves have been chewed for centuries in countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen. Users report a mild sense of excitement, loss of appetite and the chatty feeling usually associated with amphetamines.

Chemists worked out years ago that it was the cathinones in the plant that were causing those effects. But it took until 2007 for someone to realise they could artificially produce the same chemicals at much higher concentrations and sell them at a profit as recreational drugs. What’s more cathinones were not covered by the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act so were legal to buy and sell. 
Mephedrone first started to appear in some powerful legal high capsules then, reportedly, in batches of what clubbers thought were ecstasy pills in France. 
Disguised on the internet 
But the real driving force behind the drug was the internet. A handful of websites started selling mephedrone as a ‘research chemical’ along with similar products. By marketing the powder as ‘Not for Human Consumption’ vendors thought they could get round the 1968 Medicines Act. 
The drug spread by word of mouth in schools, colleges and clubs. By the end of 2009 dozens of websites had sprung up, many with names like ‘Rave Gardener’ were selling mephedrone by the gram as plant feeder. 
It is also called Meph, MCat or Meow. 
“It’s gone from somebody who wanted to try something out to everyone’s grandma knowing about it now,” said Pete. “The cat is well and truly out of the bag with these chemicals.”

Side effects 
Like any recreational drug that’s snorted in large quantities, mephedrone has some nasty side effects. At the mild end it can cause nosebleeds, headaches and nausea. Other reports suggest heavy use can lead to paranoia, hallucinations and panic attacks. 
Mephedrone has now been linked to 27 fatalities in the UK although in none of the cases so far is it confirmed as the only cause of death. 
The government’s team of drug advisors started seriously looking in to the health effects at the tail end of last year and recommended a speedy ban. 
Find out more here 
Most websites, including Pete’s, started closing down almost immediately. But already reports are starting to emerge of a new generation of powerful legal highs, completely untested but not, currently, against the law. 
“We’ve already been offered a mixture of the new synthetic drugs that may or may not be coming out on the market,” said Pete. “Within a week or two weeks there will be a couple of new names out there which people who are already involved in the industry will start buying in.” 
There is not an unlimited number of these new designer drugs waiting to be invented. In fact scientists say there are only so many theoretical chemicals that can work as recreational stimulants. 
But one of the UK’s most senior chemists told Newsbeat there is at least one entire family of chemicals, not covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act, which he thinks could take the place of mephedrone. 
Now there is talk to changing drugs law to let politicians slap an emergency ban on some of these new substances while tests are carried out. 
Before that happens expect to see the game of cat and mouse between the authorities and back street chemists continue.

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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 – talk to people who lived in Somalia in the 70s and 80s and come with us into Somalia and see the even more cruel reality today for yourself!) 
- and if you need lively stills or video material on Somalia, please do contact us.   

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