Center For Somali Peace And Justice

CSPAJ Condemns the Horrific Killing of Civilians in Mogadishu by al-Shabaab

2011-10-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

Press Release

October 05, 2011
___________________________

The Center for Somali Peace and Justice (CSPAJ) is horrified by the heinous crime of Tuesday October 04, 2011 in Mogadishu, Somalia, which resulted in massive massacre, destruction and attack on innocent people.

We express our deepest sympathies and sorrow for those who lost their lives and those who suffered tremendously due to this un-Islamic attack. CSPAJ condemns, in the strongest term possible, this horrific act carried out by the terrorist group al-Shabaab, which is against all human and Islamic norms, ‘No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another’ (Surah al-Isra 17:15)

Center for Somali Peace and Justice equally condemns the Sharif administration for not making the protection of the Somali civilians a priority. This massacre takes place as result of failure to foresee such attacks by the weak administration in Mogadishu, which itself is barricaded behind Amisom’s protection. CSPAJ repeats its call for Sharif to resign from his post because of his lack of ability to adequately protect civilians in Mogadishu.

Moreover, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense both are still outside of Somalia even after the deadliest attack since al-Shabaab retreated from their posts in Mogadishu just about two months ago; Prime Minister Abdweli Gas is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while his Defense Minister Hussein Carab is in the United States. Both officials should be back to Mogadishu immediately after the incident in order to deal with this national crisis. And if they don’t, Sharif should have dispatched them back to Mogadishu, but again, Sharif failed.

Finally, CSPAJ encourages all Somalis to unite against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who import the deadly religious believe from other regions of the world. Somali traditional elders as well as traditional religious leaders should take the lead to rescue Somalia from the radical “al” groups such as al-Shabaab, al-Takfir, al-Islah, etc. Peace and justice is the only way out of the current vicious cycles of violence, so let’s embrace them.

Abdirahman Takhal
Executive Director
Center for Somali Peace and Justice
Cspaj.org
cspaj@cspaj.org

CNN: Interview with Bono and K'naan about the femine in Somalia

2011-08-11T18:58:00.001-05:00

60 Minutes: 'Miracle' Food Saves Lives

2011-07-29T18:39:00.000-05:00

UN raises E Africa appeal to $2.48bn

2011-07-29T18:26:00.000-05:00

Friday, July 29, 2011

Geneva - The UN raised its Horn of Africa humanitarian appeal on Friday to $2.48bn for 12.4 million drought-hit people, warning that famine could spread across the region if donors default.

"Without the needed additional voluntary contributions, it is anticipated that the impact of the famine may spread throughout southern Somalia and over the borders into neighbouring countries within the coming one to two months," UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said.

In a revised appeal which seeks 25% more funds than earlier this week, Ocha said that some 12.4 million people are now in need of aid, up 1.6 million since July 15.

But it warned that those in need of assistance could grow a further 25% in three to four months.

The United Nations declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia on July 20, as severe drought wiped out livestock and left millions in need of food and water in the country which is already suffering from civil unrest.

The situation is "rapidly deteriorating", said Ocha in a grim description of humanitarian needs.

It is also pushing thousands of Somalis across the border into the neighbouring countries of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

There are already over 620 000 Somali refugees in the three neighbouring countries, but over 1 000 more are arriving every day, "overwhelming the already-stretched response capacity", Ocha said.

Millions more have also been displaced within Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

So far, the UN has received around $1bn of the required $2.48bn, Ocha said. The total amount needed was last raised to $1.99bn on July 25.

Source: SAPA

More than a million children in Southern Somalia in need of lifesaving assistance

2011-07-29T18:23:00.002-05:00

NEW YORK (July 29, 2011) — With an estimated 1.25 million children across southern Somalia in urgent need of lifesaving care and 640,000 children acutely malnourished, UNICEF calls for all actors to make saving children's lives the top priority and to urgently support all efforts to reach children in need.

Somalia famine: UN WFP to airlift food to Mogadishu

2011-07-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

The BBC's Andrew Harding says getting aid deeper into Somalia "is very slow, very complicated and... very dangerous""

The UN World Food Programme will begin airlifting food to Somalia on Tuesday, WFP head Josette Sheeran said at crisis talks on East Africa's drought.
This will be the first airlift of food aid since the UN declared a famine in two areas of Somalia last week.

Somali Foreign Minister Mohamed Ibrahim warned at the emergency meeting in Rome that more than 3.5 million people "may starve to death" in his country.

Somalia Famine Relief Poses Challenges for International Community

2011-07-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

.

Photo: AP

Somalis displaced by drought wait to receive food in their makeshift camp in Mogadishu, July 23, 2011.The United Nations has urged “massive” action to save millions of people in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa region. One challenge for the international community is logistical – getting enough food to areas that need it as soon as possible.

Somalis flee famine along ‘roads of death’

2011-07-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

DOLO, Somalia — The displaced first began coming through Dolo, just a few miles from the Ethiopian border, in March. Now, the trickle has become a flood. The new arrivals clutch small bags of clothes and other meager possessions. Their children are thin, some emaciated. Almost every child appears small for his or her age. But they are the fortunate ones: They have survived their journeys, at least for now.

Actress Kristen Davis breaks down over Kenyan refugee camp visit.

2011-07-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Migrate, revolt, or die; a Somali's only choice

2011-07-10T18:08:00.002-05:00

UN: Somalia drought the worst humanitarian crises in the world

2011-07-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

UN refugee agency warns of crises 'of unimaginable proportions' in Somalia drought

2011-07-07T08:43:00.002-05:00

Scores of Somali children are dying on the journey or within a day of arrival at refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, as they flee the region's worst drought in decades, according to the UN's refugee agency.

Triangle of hunger batters millions in E. Africa

2011-07-07T08:35:00.003-05:00

WAJIR, Kenya (AP) — Thousands of families are walking for days in search of food in a triangle of hunger where the borders of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia meet. Hundreds already have died, and images of children with skinny, malnourished bodies are becoming commonplace in this corner of Africa.

SOMALIA: Access to food key challenge as IDP numbers in Afgoye rise

2011-02-28T18:45:00.000-06:00

Photo: Abdisamed Mugadishu/IRIN

Families living in IDP camps on the outskirts of Mogadishu are facing a dire situation as food is running out and water shortages beginning to bite, a civil society official said

NAIROBI, 28 February 2011 (IRIN) - With aid groups having pulled out of camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) and more people fleeing violence in Mogadishu, the plight of IDPs is at its most extreme, say civil society sources and local aid workers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

"The situation is worse today than at any time in the past and the need is even greater, with more people being displaced either by the conflict or drought," Abdulkadir Ibrahim Abkow, chairman of the Somali Civil Society Forum (SCSF), told IRIN.

He said hundreds of thousands of families living in IDP camps on the outskirts of the city were facing a dire situation as food was running out and water shortages beginning to bite.

"There have not been any aid agencies providing assistance in the past four to five months, either in the camps on the Afgoye corridor or those in the north of Mogadishu."

An aid worker in the Afgoye corridor, who declined to be named, said vulnerability had increased since the withdrawal of many agencies and the escalation of fighting in Mogadishu in the last couple of months.

"More and more people are coming to the camps, including drought-displaced, who are weaker than even those from Mogadishu. The problem is there is no help here. They just have to fend for themselves or rely on help from other [IDPs]."

Upsurge in fighting

Fighting between government troops and insurgents in and around Mogadishu has been going on for years now but an upsurge last week has led to more displacement, worsening the situation, according to local sources.

Photo: IRIN

Afgoye Corridor has a high concentration of IDPs and the number of people arriving daily continues to increase, according to UNHCR spokeswoman Roberta Russo

Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, told IRIN: "The humanitarian situation in Afgoye [Corridor] is appalling. This area has the highest concentration of IDPs in the whole world and the number of people arriving every day continues to increase.

"Hundreds of thousands of desperate families are not even receiving the bare minimal assistance to allow them to survive as the area is very difficult to access by humanitarian agencies, due to insecurity," she said.

According to UN estimates, at least 2.4 million Somalis need help across Somalia. These include IDPs in areas controlled by Al-Shabab: 410,000 in the Afgoye Corridor, 15,200 in the Balad corridor [30km north of Mogadishu] and 55,000 others in Dayniile, northwest of Mogadishu.

The situation of those in need in the Afgoye corridor and other Al-Shabab-controlled areas is made worse by the absence of the UN's main aid agency.

"WFP beneficiaries are throughout Somalia with the exception of Al-Shabab-controlled areas because of the [Al-Shabab]-imposed ban on WFP operations and personnel there," said WFP.

WFP says it is providing food to one million Somalis in other parts of the country.

Abkow, the chairman of the Somali Civil Society Forum, said the access question should be dealt with "smartly and other avenues for access should be explored".

He added: "There are Somalis, religious, traditional elders and others, who could deliver assistance anywhere. It is a question of finding the right person or group. I know it is not easy but nothing in this country is easy."

A civil society source, who requested anonymity, told IRIN that aid agencies should be "more creative and flexible" if they want to help those in need.

"They cannot just say, 'we give up because the majority of those in need are in areas under Al-Shabab control'; not helping them is tantamount to condemning them to death," the source said.

An IDP, Fatuma*, told IRIN that since aid agencies had quit the camps, her family's situation had deteriorated.

"First the food aid is gone; then the water is gone and now I cannot even go to Mogadishu to find work," she said, adding that the fighting and the high cost of transport had limited movement to earn "even a little bit. Everything seems to be against us."

*Not her real name

ah/mw
Theme (s): Conflict, Food Security, Refugees/IDPs,
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

SOMALIA: Perilous journey to "land of milk and honey" ends in deportations

2011-01-05T20:25:00.000-06:00

Nairobi, 5 January 2011 (IRIN) - Hawa Aden left Bosasso, a Somali port city in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, in 2009 on a dangerous boat journey across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, and then trekked 20 days to reach Saudi Arabia.

"I was exhausted and terrified when we got there [Yemen] but I was happy at the same time," Aden told IRIN. "I thought I had arrived in the land of milk and honey [Saudi Arabia]."

Hundreds of Somalis undertake the perilous journey to Saudi Arabia via Yemen. However, many end up being deported.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, of the 78,487 Ethiopians and Somalis who crossed into Yemen from Somalia and Djibouti in 2009, 685 died at sea.

Accompanying Aden on her journey were eight Somali women and seven men. They all made it to Saudi Arabia where Aden found employment as a domestic worker in a small town.

"I worked there for one-and-a-half years; it was not perfect but at least I could send money to my family back home, who were all in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps," she said.

One day, she decided to make a trip to Jeddah and was promptly arrested by Saudi police.

"I was taken to jail with many other Somalis and later deported to Mogadishu,” Aden said. “I left with the clothes on my back. They would not even allow me to get my last month's salary."

Aden was lucky she at least had worked for more than a year, unlike Ayan Abukar, 18, who went to Saudi Arabia via Bosasso, the Red Sea and Yemen, and was arrested three months after her arrival.

"I was on my way to work when they arrested me," Abukar said. "I worked for only three months and managed to send money for only one month to my family."

She said it broke her parents' hearts when she arrived unannounced in Mogadishu. "They were thinking I was in Saudi, working - only for me to show up on their doorstep. My family is very poor. I was their only source of income."

Abukar is determined to try again. "I know the journey is dangerous and I risk being deported again but I have no other option. There is only death here."

Mohamed Abdirahman Ilmi, 19, has a similar story. He left Bosasso in January 2009. "It took us only 12 days to reach Saudi Arabia; we travelled at night and crossed into Saudi when the guards were asleep," he said.

Ilmi said he worked for almost two years and sent money to his family in Mogadishu. "I wanted to save enough to go to a place where I could go to university."

Ilmi said he left Somalia because Mogadishu was too dangerous, "especially if you are a young man. Everyone wants to recruit you into an army [militia]."

He said he was arrested in Saudi Arabia with other young Somalis as they tried to buy food. "In jail, the guards were incredibly cruel; if you asked or questioned anything they would deny you food and water," he said.

He said there were beatings and other abuses. "Pray you never end up in a Saudi jail," he said.

Ilmi said he would not attempt the journey from Bosasso again. "We barely survived the last trip; I will take my chances here and enrol in one of the universities here. Maybe there is a reason God sent me back here."

Deportations criticized

UNHCR said roughly 10,000 Somalis had been deported from Saudi Arabia in 2010.

Roberta Russo, UNHCR spokeswoman, told IRIN: "The large majority of the deportees are not known to UNHCR, as they did not register with our office in [Saudi Arabia]. We have very little information about them in [Saudi] and also once they are deported back to Mogadishu."

Russo said UNHCR "strongly condemns deportations to Mogadishu, which in this moment is a death sentence. We appeal to all governments not to return Somalis to Mogadishu, where everyday human rights are violated, and civilians are injured and killed by the fighting."

Human Rights Watch, in a statement issued on 22 December 2010, called on the Saudi government to stop deporting Somalis to Mogadishu.

"Deporting anyone to a war zone like Mogadishu is inhumane, but returning children is beyond comprehension," Rona Peligal, Africa director at HRW, is quoted as saying.

When contacted by IRIN, Saudi officials declined to comment on the issue.

Sheikh Ali Raage, a Muslim scholar, told IRIN the deportations were not compatible with Islam. "Islam calls for the protection of those fleeing conflict, hunger and any other troubles, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims."

He said they [refugees] should be provided with basic needs, such as food shelter and safety and security.

The deportations come as fighting escalates between government forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, and Islamic Al-Shabab insurgents who control much of southern and central Somalia, including most of Mogadishu.

Since 1990, more than 1.4 million Somalis have been displaced internally, and at least 600,000 are refugees in neighbouring countries.

ah/mw

Theme (s): Conflict, Human Rights, Refugees/IDPs,
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

SOMALIA: Fight over water, pasture sends hundreds fleeing

2010-11-20T12:20:00.000-06:00

Photo: SCDO

An aid worker said many of those displaced were nomads
who were forced to flee their water sources (file photo)

An aid worker said many of those displaced were nomads who were forced to flee their water sources (file photoFighting between two sub-clans over grazing pasture and water has left 20 dead and thousands of families displaced from several villages in central Somalia, say locals.

"In my own town of Galinsor, about 1,300 families [7,800 people] have been displaced, out of a total population of 5,500 families," Osman Abdi, an elder, told IRIN on 9 November. "Many of the families have fled to surrounding villages and are living in the open or sheltering under trees."

An aid worker in the region told IRIN many of the displaced were nomads who were forced to flee their water sources. “They are now in areas where there are no water points," he said. "The lucky ones have camped outside urban centres like Adado. They and their livestock are at risk.”

The fighting, which went on for a few days, pitted the two sub-clans of the main Hawiye group, the Sa'ad and Seleeban, against each other. Both clans were seeking pasture and water for their livestock following a drought.

"Resources, such as pasture and water, are at the root of the fighting. There is also an element of revenge killings," said a resident of Adado district, 30km south of Galinsor, which was the epicentre of the fighting.

Apart from Galinsor, other displaced civilians came from Bandiiradley, and the villages of Wad, BeenDharte, Dayno, Sarman and Biya Gadud. At least 1,500 families [9,000 people] fled Bandiiradley, 20km to the north of Adado.

"We have not had the expected rains [Deyr rains] and the area is parched," Abdi said. "They have very little access to water and food and we don’t have anyone helping." Many of the families, he added, had been displaced for almost a week and the security situation remained tense.

Resources, such as pasture and water, are at the root of the fighting. There is also an element of revenge killings

"Our estimate is that between 2,000 and 2,500 families have been displaced," said the aid worker, calling for mediation efforts to ease the tension and allow people to return home.

The two groups have fought over grazing land and water sources sporadically in the past. Last week, both sides used heavy weapons, including machine guns and anti-aircraft guns, and “technicals” [battle-wagons fitted with heavy machine guns] in an area with very little cover, before the fighting subsided on 7 November.

Government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon said the new Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed had met members of parliament from both sides, as well as elders, and expressed his regret at the fighting. He called on both groups to end the hostilities and resolve their differences through dialogue.

An estimated two million Somalis need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. At least 1.4 million Somalis have been displaced by fighting between government forces and Islamic insurgents, who control much of south and central Somalia, including parts of Mogadishu.

ah/eo/mw

Theme (s): Conflict, Food Security, Refugees/IDPs,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

SOMALIA: Children facing the worst, says UN

2010-11-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

Photo: Children and Armed Conflict

IDP children in Bossaso

Armed groups in Somalia have continued recruiting children to fight and engage in piracy, and girls have found themselves facing increasing risk of sexual violence, a senior UN official says.

“In some areas, Al-Shabab leaders are asking parents to give [them] a child. I heard of people hiding their children to escape recruitment,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict, told a news conference on 3 November following a mission to Somalia and the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland.

“Children are expressing the difficulty of living in Mogadishu,” she added. “As they walk past checkpoints they are told your ankles are showing, wear something long. Then later they cross the TFG [Transitional Federal Government] checkpoints and are told they are Al-Shabab due to their [clothing]. It is the reason they are going to Puntland.”
Sexual- and gender-based violence, Coomaraswamy said, was on the increase, according to child protection partners, with fast, quick marriages, killing and maiming of concern. “These young boys [fighters] are marrying young girls, and then moving on to others – forced marriages are making a comeback,” she said.

A nine-year-old girl told Coomaraswamy: "My greatest fear, besides thieves, is that men will come and do violence to women and girls in the night."

Coomaraswamy said she had not had access to the Al-Shabab and Hisbul Islam militia, but urged states with an influence on the parties to call for the release of children in their ranks. She expressed concern over the use of radio and schools to recruit children in militia-controlled regions.

The Special Representative also said children were held alongside adults as pirates in Bosasso Central Prison. "The adults are not separated from the children and there are complaints of abuse," she said. "The frontline [pirate] troops now are increasingly children and youth. The big pirates do not go out, they have become businessmen; it is the young children [15-17-year-olds] who are sent out."

Armed groups, she added, were "exploiting [the fact] that children have a less developed concept of death and tend to be fearless fighters. Children are susceptible due to notions of romantic death.”

The big pirates do not go out, they have become businessmen; it is the young children who are sent out

She said the new Somali Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, had pledged to stop the recruitment of child soldiers.

"The government will work with the TFG and allies towards a UN action plan for the release and verification of the release of child soldiers," Coomaraswamy said, adding that some released children were already in the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) camp in Mogadishu.

She said there were two schools of thought regarding TFG recruitment of child solders - one that the TFG-proper was not doing the recruiting but its allies were, while "others say that even the checkpoints are run by the TFG itself.

“In 2008, I said the African child suffers the most but I think the Somali child suffers even more,” she said.

aw/eo/mw

Theme (s): Children, Conflict, Governance, Security,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Halima Mo'alim Abikar, "I could not remain silent about what was happening in my own backyard"

2010-08-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

NAIROBI, 19 August 2010 (IRIN) - Bombs, mortal shells and bullets have displaced more a million people in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Halima Mo'alim Abikar is not one of them. The 50-year-old human rights activist decided to stay put to ensure that abuses committed as African Union-backed government forces and Islamist militias battle it out are not forgotten.

To mark the second World Humanitarian Day [http://ochaonline.un.org/whd/] IRIN spoke to Abikar by phone about her life and work with the Hanad organization.

"I was born and bred in Mogadishu; I have witnessed the civil wars and the factional fighting that continue to this day.

"My days normally begin at dawn after morning prayers; I then walk or take a bus to our offices 2km away. We begin by discussing with colleagues that day's activities. Sometimes we organize protests against atrocities committed by the warring groups; at times we are busy trying to find support for a girl who was raped the day before. We are never short of something to do. The need here is immense.

"Recently [3 August], a group of [21] women were killed when a bomb exploded as they were cleaning a street. We organized a demonstration to protest against the killings and condemn those behind it. For us [at Hanad] it was another day of doing what we do every day.

"I do what I do because of what I have seen in Mogadishu: I have witnessed horrific acts of depravity; I have seen a seven-year-old raped and I have seen toddlers torn to pieces by shells.
"After some time, and along with other like-minded women, I decided I could not remain silent about what was happening in my own backyard. That is why we formed our organization, to advocate for peace and human rights.

"In Mogadishu today, women and children bear the brunt of the violence. Violence is a daily diet for us here. Our children know no other life. How can one remain uninvolved and unmoved by this?

"Whatever started this war, nothing can justify what is happening now; and that is why I do what I do to try to help stop it. If I can contribute, even a little bit, to peace and stability in my country, I will die a happy woman.
"The main challenge we face every day is what everyone in Mogadishu faces: the general insecurity.

You cannot be sure that if you leave your home you will come back alive or even in one piece.
"In addition, I face personal challenges because not everybody approves of what I do. Of course there are bound to be people who see what we do negatively and we face that.

"A number of humanitarian and human rights workers have been killed or threatened in the city. I know of people who receive messages threatening them. I know of people killed because of what they do.

"At Hanad, we try to be impartial at all times and we don't side with any group. We tell them [the warring sides] that we are not on any side but on the people's side. That is all we can do. I sometimes use my poetry to raise their consciences. What else can I do? I don't have bodyguards or weapons to defend myself.

"Everything else I leave to God."

Source: IRIN

SOMALIA: Unarmed and under fire in Mogadishu

2010-08-07T00:09:00.000-05:00

MOGADISHU, 6 August 2010 (IRIN) - Civilians, especially women, tend to bear the brunt of armed conflicts across the world, particularly in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents are fighting a weak government propped up by African Union forces. Several women in Mogadishu told IRIN about the day-to-day reality of living in a warzone.

CSPAJ Congratulates the Newly Elected President of the Somali Region.

2010-07-25T13:57:00.001-05:00

Center for Somali Peace and Justice (CSPAJ) congratulates the election of Mr. Abdi Maxamud Cumar as the next President of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. At this difficult juncture, no one is more suitable to lead the region than President Abdi Maxamud Cumar who as a former head of the Security had dealt with the security issues in the region, which is believed to be one of the most unstable regions in Ethiopia.

Your Excellency, there are many complicated issues facing the region-security, education, health care, and many more. I would urge you, Mr. President, to tackle these issues head-on. And to do so, Mr. President, requires a strong leadership in your part, and competent cabinet ministers whose priorities are to elevate the region and its people from the desperate situations they found themselves in, to a more prosperous and hopeful life, not, though not unprecedented, ministers who enrich themselves and leave the people in the mud.

Furthermore, Mr. President, in order to preside good governance, you should be bold in defining your vision so you can act quickly in the challenges ahead of you. In doing so, you are ensuring the public’s right to know the direction of which their President is leading them. Your goal should be solely serving the people of the region, because the office you hold is belong to them, and mistreating them will only guarantees your expulsion from the office sooner or later.

Finally, Mr. President, needless to say that the people of Somali Regional State are looking for a change in direction and in leadership and, your Excellency, you are in a position to prepare the region to meet the economic, social and most important of all, the security challenges of the future. Mr. President the residents of the region are counting on you to be fair and balanced. As Abu Bakr, member of the Khulufaa A Raashidiin, said, “Do not look down upon any Muslim, for even the most inferior believer is great in the eyes of God.”

Abdirahman Takhal

Executive Director

Center for Somali Peace and Justice

cspaj@cspaj.org

cspaj.org

SOMALIA: Somaliland clashes displace thousands

2010-07-25T13:57:00.000-05:00

WIDHWIDH, 23 July 2010 (IRIN) - Several thousand people in northern Somalia have been displaced in recent weeks by clashes between Somaliland troops and a new rebel group, according to local and UN sources.

The armed group is called Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) after the regions it hopes to “liberate” from the government of Somaliland, a northwestern region which unilaterally declared independence in 1991. No country formally recognizes Somaliland’s statehood.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 1,232 displaced households in the Buuhoodle and Widhwidh districts of the Sool region received a month’s worth of oil and sorghum in June. WFP works on the basis of an average of six people per household. Insecurity prevented 468 targeted households from receiving the rations.

In an email to IRIN, WFP cited a local NGO report that an additional 334 households had been displaced more recently in the Kalabaid area of Sool.

One of those displaced, Hawa Hassan, told IRIN in the town of Widhwidh on 21 July: "We first ran away in early June when the war broke out and I brought my family back in July, but another war broke out a few days ago between the army and the region's militia."

Hawa said she fled with her family to Dhagah Dheer, 18km northwest of Widhwidh.

"We have been struggling to survive in a forested area but the heavy rains and the cold weather makes it difficult for us to endure," she said.

Saleebaan Warsame Guuleed, Somaliland's defence minister, said one soldier was killed and another injured in the latest clashes with SSC.

Elders in Widhwidh District said families started fleeing from 21 May to neighbouring villages such as Xidh-Xidh, Bali Cad, Geed Dheer, Balihadhac, Dhagah Dheer, Dabayl ma arke, Shululux, Qalanqale, Geed Xamarka, Dhilaalo, Horufadhi, Beeyaal and Laas-dhooble.

Cold climate

We have been struggling to survive in a forested area but the heavy rains and the cold weather makes it difficult for us to endure

Abdillahi Awad, one of the elders, told IRIN: "Those displaced are living under difficult conditions because of the rains in the `Gu’ season as well as the cold climate. In fact, malaria, diarrhoea and common colds have broken out in many of the places where these people fled to."

Awad said the displaced had received some aid but more was needed.

"They have only received some plastic shelter material from the local business community, and medicine from Las-anod hospital; food has been distributed by WFP," Awad said.

Ali Sabarey, the deputy leader of SSC, was quoted in some media reports as saying the group's "ultimate goal is to make this area peaceful and prosperous and also seek a united Somalia".

During campaigns ahead of 26 June presidential elections, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo, who won the poll, pledged to start negotiations with SSC.

maj/js/am/cb

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Early Warning

[ENDS]

CSPAJ Condemns the Terrorist Attacks in Kampala

2010-07-12T22:07:00.001-05:00

Center for Somali Peace and Justice strongly condemns the cowardly terrorist attacks which caused the loss of 74 civilian lives in Kampala, Uganda, while watching the finals of the World Cup on the night of July 11, 2010.

Two bombs simultaneously ripped through the Ethiopian Village restaurant and a sports club in the Ugandan capital late Sunday evening, killing defenseless spectators.

Such a heinous crime shouldn’t be tolerated in anyway, shape, or form by any human being with a common sense.

As a Somali and a Muslim, I am, particularly, ashamed of what is being done in the name of my country and beloved religion.

CSPAJ wishes solace to the bereaved families and calls on the international community to condemn strongly this terrorist act, and to come to the aide of the Ugandan authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice

Abdirahman Takhal

Executive Director

Center for Somali Peace & Justice

cspaj@cspaj.org

SOMALIA: School clubs help Somaliland children overcome trauma

2010-06-28T20:17:00.000-05:00

HARGEISA, 28 June 2010 (IRIN) - When Sabah Ismail Ali, a social worker in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland, first started working with children, truancy and aggression were common, especially among children from families with problems such as extreme poverty and displacement.

"I started off as a child protection officer, then I later trained as a psycho-social worker, qualifying by December 2007. I realized right from the start that many children who showed aggression were being caned by teachers who had no idea of the social problems such children were dealing with," Ali told IRIN.

In efforts to help children from difficult backgrounds deal with psycho-social issues, a local NGO, the Comprehensive Community-Based Rehabilitation in Somaliland (CCBRS) partnered a Ugandan NGO, the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) in mid-2009 and, with funding from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), introduced social clubs in four schools where the majority of the students were from displaced families.

Ali, who was involved in the project from its initial stages, told IRIN: "Before the clubs were set up, we first approached the Ministry of Education to explain what we wanted to do, then we identified the schools. We then met the schools' administrators and some of the teachers and explained our mission.

Photo: Jane Some/IRIN

Sabah Ismail Ali mainly works with children whose parents are internally displaced

"We started by training the teachers in various aspects of providing psycho-social support and how to counsel children facing social problems."

Club culture

Three types of clubs were then introduced to pupils aged 10 and above in the four identified schools: the environmental and sanitation club; culture, sports and arts club, and the awareness-raising club. At least 60 pupils (30 boys and 30 girls) belong to each club in the four schools: Guryasamo Intermediate School, Fadumo Bihi Primary and Intermediate School, Mohamed Moge Primary and Intermediate School and Ahmed Gurey Primary and Intermediate School.

"Soon, clubs became operational and we started seeing a reduction in the number of pupils who would be caned by teachers for truancy," Ali said.

In the past, if a child misbehaved in class, teachers would punish them with detention, canning or suspension, which led to many children dropping out of school. "Previously, children would drop out of school without anyone understanding why, but with the introduction of the clubs and the training of teachers as counsellors, these cases have also reduced because teachers now know how to handle children with social and psycho-social problems."

Since most of the children are from poor and displaced families, Ali said, the truancy could at times be because they had not had a good meal in a while, "so a good thing has come out of the clubs because with this understanding, some schools are now even waiving their fees for the poor pupils who cannot even afford to have breakfast in their homes.

"With these clubs, what stands out for me is not only the reduction in school dropouts but the improved teacher-student relationship; pupils now have the confidence to come up to a teacher and explain a problem; this is something they could not do before," Ali said.

She added that the clubs had become so popular that schools and parents were urging CCBRS to introduce them in other schools so that more children could benefit.

Pupils now have the confidence to come up to a teacher and explain a problem; this is something they could not do before

Fighting corporal punishment

Abib Ahmed Hirsi, the CCBRS programme officer, said the NGO would assess the impact the clubs had had on the children's social development a year after they were introduced in the four schools.

"Part of the clubs' activities is to discourage use of corporal punishment; sometimes we have awareness-raising weeks which we label 'Week without sticks' or 'No sticks, schools free from sticks'," Hirsi said.

Ettie Higgins, head of UNICEF in Hargeisa, told IRIN the agency's goal in creating child-friendly spaces and school clubs was to foster participation and to promote the psycho-social wellbeing of children from marginalized communities.

"UNICEF seeks to promote both the physical and the psycho-socio-emotional health of the child, guaranteeing a safe and protective space for learning," she said. "This programme has directly benefited approximately 2,500 school-children."

js-ah/mw

Theme(s): (IRIN) Children, (IRIN) Refugees/IDPs

[ENDS]

SOMALIA: Departing pirates leave Haradhere merchants out of pocket

2010-05-13T17:18:00.000-05:00

NAIROBI, 13 May 2010 (IRIN) - Merchants in Somalia's central town of Haradhere, formerly a pirate stronghold, are counting their losses after the pirates, whose presence had inflated the price of basic goods, were forced out of town by Islamist insurgents in late April. "They used to pay twice or more than the actual prices; if something was selling for say 10,000 Somali shillings [about US$0.30], they would be charged 20,000 [$0.60] and they would pay," said Abukar Maolim, a trader in the town. A 200-litre drum of fuel that used to cost between $280 and $290 while the pirates were in town is now selling for $190. Maolim said the pirates' presence had caused an inflation of many goods, from khat - a mild stimulant widely chewed in Somalia - to tea and meat. He added that the inflated prices often hurt the very poor the most. The pirates had controlled the town for the past four years and used it as a staging ground for their activities. Many businesses and traders who depended on their business were now suffering, he said. "There are some shops that are now really suffering and letting go of people who used to work for them." He said there were those who would miss the pirates, "but I am sure the majority here will not". Good business Khadijo Ali, a shopkeeper, told IRIN that she had been selling merchandise worth 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 Somali shillings [about $100 to $200] a day when the pirates controlled things. "This week on my best day I sold merchandise worth 400,000 or $12." She said she used to have two people help her in the shop but now she can manage alone. "I don't have enough to do, so what I am going to do with two other people?" But, she added: "I miss their business and I am not the only one." She said many women who used to sell tea at a good profit were now back to selling it at regular prices. "When they were here I would sell a flask of tea [six to seven cups] for 60,000 shillings [about $2] but now I sell it for 10,000 shillings," said a tea seller. She said her family was now living on "a lot less than we did three weeks ago [when the pirates were chased out]". Maolim, however, said the pirates damaged the town's economy: "Their spending created a false sense of boom; now look at us. Many people have to re-adjust." He said a number of businesses would most likely close. A poem for the pirates Many Somalis regard the pirates as bandits who have spoilt the country's name internationally and wreaked havoc on the economy. This is how the poet Mohamed Ali Muse described his feelings towards them: "When my country collapsed, the furious enemy went everywhere - everything was transformed till the unacceptable marched all over; "The wounds and the agony, the killings and the hatred among us were taken to the high seas as the peace in the sea was disturbed - Nothing embarrassing or shameful till we see what we had never thought - Pirate!!!! Pirate!!!! Pirate!!!! This is the disease that has cast a shadow over our seas and given us a bad name. "Never Never Never... piracy has not been our heritage, neither our image nor our attitude as a community of the Horn known for their good hospitality to our guests, neighbours and visitors even in times of wars among us." Tensions Meanwhile, the militant Al-Shabab group reportedly arrived in the town on 13 May, creating tensions between it and the in situ Hisbul-Islam group. "Hisbul-Islam was not very happy to see these guys [Al-Shabab] here, and want them out," said a resident, who requested anonymity. He said the two sides were meeting to resolve their differences. "There is no shooting but many people are closing their businesses just in case," he added. ah/mw
Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Economy, (IRIN) Governance [ENDS]

CSPAJ Condemns the Illegal Amputations Carried by Alshabaab Terrorist Group

2010-05-04T13:19:00.002-05:00

Center for Somali Peace and Justice, categorically condemns the recent barbaric actions by the ruthless terrorists Alshabaab, of which, the Alshabaab chopped off, illegally, the hands of 57 young men in various parts in southern Somalia.

The victims were accused for not allowing the young girls among their families to be given away for the foreign terrorist jihadists who fight side-by-side with Alshabaab, in efforts to please their foreign “brothers.”

This heinous crime took place during the last week of April in Kismaayo, Baydhabo, Xuddur, Jilib, Afgooye Muqdishu, and parts of Hiiraan and Central Jubba.

Such despicable acts are clearly rejected by every law in every book, not to mention the Islamic law, which promises a severe punishment for the perpetrators of such immeasurable harm on innocent human being. .

CSPAJ calls on the international community as well as the Somali people to not let these victims and the little girls they were defending for, down.

The young Somali girls might someday forget what is being done against them, but will never forget the silence of the Somali people and the rest of the international community.

Qoraalkan oo Soomaali ah halkan ka akhriso

Abdirahman Takhal
Executive Director, Center for Somali Peace and Justice
cspaj@cspaj.org