Politics
Addis Ababa, February 3, 2012 (Addis Ababa) - Ambassador Minelik Alemu, Ethiopian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and of International organizations in Switzerland presented his letter of credence to Austrian President, the Ministry of ForeignAffairs said.
The Ambassador gave his credential to Austria's president Heinz Fischer at a ceremony held recently, according to a press statement the Ministry sent to ENA on Friday.
While receiving the credential, Fischer expressed appreciation to Ethiopia for its efforts geared towards the consolidation of peace and stability in the African region.
He said his country is keen to strengthen its relations with Ethiopia.
Speaking on his part Ambassador Minelik told the Austrian President that Ethiopia has been registering encouraging results in economic development.
He briefed the president the prevalence of good investment atmosphere in Ethiopia where potential Austrian investors can enjoy doing business in the country.
Source: ENA
IRNA
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Tehran, Feb 4, IRNA – Heads of Iranian and Somalian red crescent societies on Saturday discussed second phase of Iran’s humanitarian aid to Mogadishu.
President of Somali Red Crescent Society Ahmed M. Hassan, appreciating emergency assistance of Iranian Red Crescent Society to Somali draught-stricken people, said, “We intend to broaden our long-term cooperation with Iranian Red Crescent Society.”
Hassan said Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has set up a medicare center in Mogadishu, equipping two other centers in the country and supporting the Somali draught-stricken people.
He noted that the IRCS has shown extreme commitment to aid the Somali people under emergency conditions in Mogadishu.
The Iranian official said the first phase of aid supply to the Somali draught-stricken people would be complete by mid February.
He added that the IRCS will start the second phase of aid including medicare and health services.
He said that Iran ready to begin the second phase of aid shipment to the Somali people.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency
By LUCAS BARASA
lbarasa@ke.nationmedia.com
Saturday, February 04, 2012
The international community has shown renewed interest on Somalia following improved security in the country that has been at war since the overthrow of Siad Barre in 1991.
Tired of the persistent insecurity in the country that has also posed a threat to peace globally, a number of nations and organisations now want to take advantage of the lull and ensure lasting peace and stability in Somalia.
As a result, a number of high-ranking officials have visited Mogadishu, a city earlier seen as a no-go zone and the most dangerous on earth subject to frequent bomb attacks and rampant insecurity.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was the first leader from outside Africa to visit in August last year to draw attention to famine sweeping across the Horn of Africa that left millions of Somalis at risk.
Mr Erdogan said he wanted to demolish the idea that the city was a no-go area. The Turkish leader promised his country would set up an embassy in Somalia and fund major infrastructure development.
Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi was also in Somalia last August to visit the famine-hit areas and oversee the process of delivering aid to the country. Djibouti’s president Ismail Omar Guelleh was also in Mogadishu in the same month.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon became the first UN boss to set foot in the war-ravaged country in almost 20 years last December and promised to relocate the United Nations’ political office for Somalia from Nairobi to Mogadishu.
The relocation process started last month. “We are now at a critical juncture – a moment of fresh opportunities for the future of Somali people,” Mr Ban said then. But, he warned, “we have a very limited window of opportunity.”
A United Kingdom delegation visited Mogadishu in early January to set the stage for Foreign Secretary William Hague’s tour last Thursday.
Mr Hague’s visit to Mogadishu is the first by British foreign secretary since 1992. (READ: Britain's thumbs up to Somalia mission)
“This historic visit followed political security improvements in the region, which are offering the people of Somalia an opportunity to lay the foundations for a greater long-term strategy,” Mr Hague said.
In Mogadishu, Mr Hague held talks with the Somali President, the Prime Minister and Mogadishu mayor “to stress the importance the UK attaches to completion of political transition this summer.”
The term of the Transitional Federal Government, which was extended by 12 months last year, ends in August.
Mr Hague also met with members of civil society to discuss a January 23 conference on Somalia in London.
During the visit, the UK’s new ambassador to Somalia Matt Baugh presented his credentials to President Sheikh Sharrif, and Mr Hague said the move demonstrated his country’s long-term commitment to Kenya’s neighbour.
The foreign secretary said the UK is “actively” seeking to re-open an embassy in Mogadishu as soon as local circumstances permit.
But asked by journalists in Nairobi after a meeting with Kenyan leaders the reason for the UK’s and the international community’s renewed interest on Somalia, Mr Hague said circumstances in the country had changed and that there were opportunities to be taken to return the country to lasting stability.
Although Britain was the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Somalia, Mr Hague said there was now improved security, something that should be followed up with improved quality of life.
He said plans should be made for the transition. “The London conference on Somalia aims to agree practical steps to support a new political process, including assistance to Somalia’s regions, funding for Amisom, more effective arrangements to disrupt piracy and terrorism, increased humanitarian coordination, and a stronger international leadership,” Mr Hague said.
He said the steps would improve the situation in Somalia and would make a direct contribution to international security, including that of Britain.
Large parts of Somalia are controlled by extremists and criminal gangs who use it as a base to launch terrorist attacks and kidnappings that have targeted foreign nationals.
Mr Hague said millions of Somalis now have an appetite for peace and development after years of war.
The foreign secretary said Britain was pleased with the way Kenya has been on the frontline in addressing the problems of Somalia and paid special tribute to the Kenyan Defence Forces.
Mr Hague, who arrived in Kenya on Wednesday, added that Britain will support the ongoing diplomatic push at the United Nations Security Council to have Kenya forces join Amisom.
Mr Hague further said Britain had provided development aid to Kenya and Somalia to help stabilise Somalia.
Source: Daily Nation
Addis Ababa, February 3, 2012 (Addis Ababa) - Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan here on Thursday signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would help them enhance cooperation and partnership in infrastructure development.
According to the MoU, the main areas of cooperation will be in the development of energy and fiber optics.
The three countries will sign other agreements on specific projects to be implemented in the future.
Ethiopian Finance and Economic Development Minister, Sufian Ahmed, Djiboutian Finance Minister, Ilyas Moosa Robleh and South Sudan Petroleum and Mining Minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau signed the MoU.
Similarly, Ethiopia and South Sudan signed here on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding providing for technical and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Finance and Economic Development Minister, Sufian Ahmed and South Sudan Finance Minister, Kosti Manibe signed the MoU.
Sufian said on the occasion that the MoU will enable the two countries to cooperate in the construction of roads and railways as well as installation of electricity and telecommunication lines.
Minister Manibe on his part said the implementation of the MoU will enable to enhance the economic ties and people-to-people relations.
Source:ENA
Friday, February 03, 2012
NAIROBI (Reuters) - An exceptional harvest after good rains and food deliveries by aid agencies have ended famine in Somalia although conditions remain fragile and could worsen, the United Nations said on Friday.
The U.N. declared famine in two parts of southern Somalia last July and extended the famine warning in September to six out of eight regions in the anarchic Horn of Africa country.
The U.N. said initially 750,000 Somalis faced imminent starvation and lowered this to 250,000 by November. Six months after famine was declared, 4 million Somalis were in need of aid and the U.N. said the number now stood at 2.34 million.
"The gains are fragile and will be reversed without continued support," said Mark Bowden, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
"There are 1.7 million people in southern Somalia still in crisis. Millions of people still need food, clean water, shelter and other assistance to survive and the situation is expected to deteriorate in May," he said in a statement.
While aid deliveries to some 180,000 people in camps in the capital Mogadishu have improved the situation there, fighting in southern and central Somalia is still hampering food deliveries to the worst-hit areas.
Government forces have been fighting Islamist rebels for the past five years, while Kenyan and Ethiopian forces both moved into the country last year to help fight the al Qaeda-linked militants al Shabaab.
The fighting, combined with attacks on aid workers and a history of aid being manipulated for political gain, means Somalia is one of the toughest countries for relief agencies to operate in.
The U.N. said the latest harvest in Somalia was double the average of the past 17 years, and this had lowered food prices, though mortality rates in southern Somalia were still among the highest in the world.
Al Shabaab expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday, one of the few international aid agencies delivering food aid to areas under rebel control, accusing it of providing out-of-date food to women and children.
The ICRC said it regretted the decision as it halted a programme that had given food to more than 1.2 million people between June and December 2011. The ICRC said 6 percent of the food provided had deteriorated and was withdrawn, or destroyed by al Shabaab.
"The crisis is not over," said Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation. "It can only be resolved with a combination of rains and continued, coordinated, long-term actions that build up the resilience of the population and link relief with development."
Source: Reuters
IRIN
Friday, February 03, 2012
The self-declared Republic of Somaliland is grappling with high child and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition and inadequate medical personnel, health officials told IRIN.
"Somaliland has one of the worst maternal mortality ratios in the world, estimated to be between 10,443 and 14,004 per 100,000 live births," said Ettie Higgins, head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) field office in Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland.
"The infant mortality rate is 73/1,000 while the under-five mortality [rate] is about 117/1,000. Fully immunized children represent a mere 5 percent. Environmental sanitation is highly challenged,” she said.
"There are a little over 100 doctors in the country, both in the public and private sectors, and about the same number of registered midwives," Higgins explained.
"Maternal mortality is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age; it is caused mainly by haemorrhage, puerperal sepsis, eclampsia and obstructed labour," Higgins said, adding that women in Somaliland had a one in 15 risk of dying of maternal-related causes.
Child mortality
Abdillahi Abdi Yusuf, head of Somaliland's National Health Management and Information System (NHMIS) in the Ministry of Health, said acute respiratory infections accounted for 40 percent of child mortality in Somaliland, while acute watery diarrhoea and malnutrition accounted for another 40 percent.
"Diseases that can be prevented through vaccination, such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus, TB, measles and whooping cough cause 20 percent of children's mortality in Somaliland," Yusuf said.
According to NHMIS statistics, in 2011 “acute respiratory infections [excluding pneumonia] were the highest [cause of] morbidity in Somaliland's public health centres”. Other leading causes included “anaemia, urinary tract infections, watery diarrhoea, pneumonia, skin diseases, eye infections, trauma and burns, sexually transmitted infections and bloody diarrhoea”.
According to a UNICEF/Ministry of Health Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), diarrhoea is the second-highest cause of morbidity and mortality in Somaliland due to poor sanitation and low rate of access to safe water supplies.
"In Somaliland, only 42 percent of the population have access to latrines and 41 percent have access to safe water supplies,” the survey said.
Yasin Nur Tani, a private doctor in Hargeisa, told IRIN: "I used to receive about 20 patients daily, complaining of different ailments; the most common disease is upper respiratory tract infections in all ages while skin disease is second and diarrhoea comes third. These are then followed by acute gastritis, intestinal parasites, gynaecological and obstetric diseases and other non-communicable diseases including hypertension and diabetes."
Somaliland health authorities, in collaboration with international aid workers, conduct a weekly surveillance of communicable diseases and take action as soon as possible.
"The Ministry's focus on the communicable diseases control programme identifies the control and the prevention of those diseases contributing to the highest burden of disease in the country; these include malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS, meningitis and vaccine preventable diseases," a report by the Health Ministry states.
Source:IRIN
William Hague has called for renewed pressure against Islamist militants during the first visit to Somalia by a British foreign secretary for 20 years.
His arrival in the capital, Mogadishu signals the start of a major diplomatic push to restore stability in Somalia.
The British government is holding a conference in London on 23 February to try to find a political solution, and tackle piracy and extremism.
The first UK envoy for two decades has also been appointed.
Tight security
Mr Hague said a British embassy would be established in Mogadishu once the security situation allowed, and until then ambassador Matt Baugh would be based in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Suicide bombings and other attacks by Islamist militants make the city one of the most dangerous in the world.
Security was tight for the visit of foreign secretary, who travelled in a fleet of armoured vehicles to meet Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
After the meeting at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Mr Hague described Somalia as "the world's most failed state".
He praised African Union troops for forcing al-Shabab militants out of the city.
But he warned that much of the south remained in the hands of the militants, saying: "We need to step this up."
The country has been torn apart by two decades of war, beset by drought and famine, and is home to a piracy industry that threatens shipping across the Indian Ocean.
But analysts say the military fortunes of al-Shabab have dramatically worsened in the last year.
Neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya also have forces in Somalia - and have made advances on al-Shabab in the south and the west.
Tackling root causes
Mr Hague's visit follows another sign of growing international confidence in the improving security situation, at least in Mogadishu - the UN special envoy to Somalia has moved his office back from neighbouring Kenya to the city after an absence of 17 years.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited in August, and UN chief Ban Ki-Moon in December, the first visit by a UN secretary general in 18 years.
UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell visited Puntland, northern Somalia, over the weekend - after an August visit to Mogadishu.
Correspondents say Britain now appears to driving a new international push to tackle the roots causes of Somalia's insecurity and conflict.
Representatives from more than 40 nations have been invited to the London conference on Somalia later this month.
"The conference will seek to generate a more effective and concerted international approach outside Somalia that addresses the root causes of the conflict; and a new political process inside Somalia that meets the needs of all Somalis," Mr Hague said in a statement.
In 2010, MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans warned that it was "only a matter of time" before militants trained in Somali camps inspired acts of violence on the streets of the UK.
Source:BBC
Jigjiga (kilil5)--Xarunta dawlada deegaanka Soomalida ee Jigjiga iyo guud ahaan deegaanka ayaa baryahanba kunaaloonaayay nabadgalyo iyo xasilooni. Balse waxaa
maanta galinkii dambe khal-khal yo cabsi ku abuurtay guud ahaan bulshada
kunool magaalada Jigjiga ee caasimada deegaanka gaar ahaan shaqaalaha
heer deegaan ee kashaqeeya xafiisyada dhawrka ah ee kuyaal xayndaabka
Kililka iyo cidkasta oo maanta galinkii dambe u muraaday xafiisyadan
kadib markii amar lagu soorogay inaysan galikarin xayndaabkan cidkasta
oo sidata taleefanada gacanta lagu qaato ee looyaqaan moobaylada. Saaka
galinkii dambe ayaa shaqaalaha iyo dadka danaha kalahaa xafiisyadan ay
kamidkayihiin Xafiiska Madaxwaynaha, Caafimaadka, Beeraha, Waxbarashada,
Kobcinta iyo Haweenka ee isku xayndaabka kujiraa kusoo dhamaysteen jawi
nabadgalyo iyo xasilooni ah, balse markii lagu soo laabtay shaqadii oo
ay dad kumanaan ahi si baraadla’aan ah ugu soonoqdeen goobohoodii shaqo
iyo xafiisyadii ay danaha kalahaayeen ayaa silama filaana ay la kulmeen
ciidan tirobadan oo Liyuu boolis ah una badnaa ilaaladii gibigan kuwaas
baadhitaan xoogan kusamaynaayay dadka galaaya kuna amraayay inay dib
isaga noqdaan cidii wadata taleefanada gacanta iyagoon u sheegin wax
sabab ah.
Hadaba dadkan tiradabadan ee kashaqeeya xafiisyada iyo boqolaalkale oo
usoomuraaday ayaa filanwaa ay kunoqotay isla markaana ay kuqasbanaadeen
inay qaarkood kulaabtaa guryahoodii si ay usoodhigtaan moobaylada, halka
qaarna ayba iskaga noqdeen shaqadii galinkii dambena ay gooyeen maadaama
kadinkii laga sooceliyay. Baryahan dambe moobaylada ayaa daruuri u ahaa
shaqada kalasocodkeeda, iyadoo shaqaalaha iyo madaxda xafiisyadu kuwada
xidhiidhayeen si ay ugu wada balamaan, ugu dhameeyaan shaqada iyo in
cidkasta oo shaqada kamaqnaatana lagu raadinjiray taleefankooda hadii
loobaahdo. Sikastaba ha ahaatee lamagaranaayo sababta keentay in
laxayiro lagalida taleefanada xayndaabkan, sidookalena lamagaranaayo
inta cisho ee ay siisocondoonto xayiraadani taas oo dhaawac wayn u
keenidoonta habsami usocodka shaqada.
Warar aan lagu kalsoonayn ayaa sheegaaya in ciidamada amnigu ay qabteen moobayl ay kurakibanyihiin waxyaabaha qarxa kaas oo markii dambe laqarxiyay.
Arinkan ayaa waxoogaa dhaawacaaya nabadgalyadii ay bulshada kunool deegaanku kunaaloonayeen isla markaana waxoogaa kanasteen cabsidii iyo wararkii lagu dhex
faafinjiray caasimada deegaanka ee ahaa in qaraxyo lala beegsanaayo
goobo muhiim ah.
Shamso Cumar
Jigjiga,kilil5 Online
In Somalia, government forces backed by Ethiopian troops are set to advance on the Bay and Bakool regions, key strongholds of the militant group al-Shabab. The Islamist group has vowed to resist any foreign intervention.
In Somalia's Gedo region, which borders Ethiopia, Somali government forces have played a defensive role for the last eight months. But with the reported arrival of more Ethiopian troops, a Somali lawmaker tells VOA the forces are ready to secure the region and move forward to capture neighboring Bay and Bakool.
A Somali military official in the Gedo region, Diyed Abdi, says Somali forces hope to reduce the amount of territory al-Shabab controls.
“There is an ongoing operation to back up Transitional Federal Government plans to take control of other regions," he said. "We would like to capture other town in Gedo and other regions with the help of Kenya, Ethiopia and AMISOM forces who are based in Mogadishu.”
A local official in the Gedo region town of Luq told VOA he could neither confirm nor deny the presence of Ethiopian troops in his town. But witnesses said the troops arrived this week and remained in the Luq area as of Tuesday.
This latest development is not something new to Somalis; Ethiopian forces have often crossed into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab and militias said to be allied to an Ethiopian rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front.
Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaida, is fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally recognized government. The Islamist group controls much of southern and central Somalia, though it has lost ground in recent months. AU and Somali forces took full control of Mogadishu earlier this month, while Ethiopian forces recently took control of Beledweyne in Somalia's Hiraan region.
Even though Somali forces have received enormous military support from neighboring countries the TFG struggles to regularly pay its troops. Abdi said they haven’t received salary for six months but they will continue to fight without any condition.
“Our expectations are high, even though the TFG have not paid us, we are also people who are patriotic, and we want to fight for our land and our flag which they have replaced with the black flag of al-Qaida,” he said.
Al-Shabab rose to power by fighting government forces and pro-government Ethiopian troops who invaded Somalia in 2006. The group considers any outside intervention as a threat to Somali sovereignty.
On Monday the militants permanently banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), one of the few international aid agencies operating in areas under its control. It accused the aid agency of providing contaminated food and betraying the trust of the population.
Earlier this month, ICRC temporarily suspended its operations in central and southern Somalia, saying local authorities had blocked deliveries of food and seeds
Source: VOA
At least 73 people dead and 1,000 injured as supporters of rival teams clash after game in Port Said.
"This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us. There is no movement and no security and no
ambulances," al-Ahly player Abo Treika told the team's television channel.
"This is a horrible situation and today can never be forgotten."
At least 73 people have been killed in clashes after a football game in the northern Egyptian city of Port Said, medics say.
About 1,000 others were injured in Wednesday's violence, including police. At least two players suffered light injuries.
Fans of the winning al-Masry team flooded the field seconds after the match with al-Ahly, Egypt's top team, was over.
A security official said the fans chased the players and cornered their supporters on the field and around the stadium,
throwing stones and bottles at them.
Thousands of supporters covered the field, as seen in a video posted online.
"This is unfortunate and deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history," Hesham Sheiha, deputy health minister, said.
He said most of the injuries were caused by concussion and deep cuts.
Al-Ahly football players were trapped in the changing room along with supporters. Riot police were sent in to drive the rival crowds of fans back.
'War, not football'
Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt's ruling military council, sent army helicopters to transfer al-Ahly football players and injured fans from Port Said.
Private cars helped to shuttle the injured across the city to hospitals.
State television announced that parliament will hold an emergency session over the violence. State prosecutors ordered an investigation into the pitch invasion and the violence that ensued.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest political force, accused supporters of the toppled president, Hosni Mubarak, of instigating the violence.
"The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime," Essam al-Erian, a parliamentarian, said in a statement on the group's Freedom and Justice Party website.
Al-Ahly's supporter club, Ultras, said on their website that they would head to Port Said later in the evening.
History of clashes
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was "very shocked and saddened" to learn that a large number of football supporters had died or been injured".
"This is a black day for football," he said in a statement. "Such a catastrophic situation is nimaginable and should not happen."
Al-Masry team won a rare 3-1 victory against Al-Ahly on its home turn in Wednesday's match.
The two teams have a long history of bad blood, and clashes have erupted in recent years between their fans.
Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said al-Ahly fans were said to have been provoking al-Masry fans throughout the game with abusive language.
But our correspondent said the issue goes beyond the pitch, as Egypt is experiencing a "security vacuum" after the revolution which overthrew Mubarak.
"There were clearly riot police on that pitch, but they were seen either not getting involved or running in the other direction," she said.
"Some people say the police force perhaps has not been trained to deal with violence, except in the way they were trained during Mubarak, which was with sheer and brutal force. And now when they can't do that, they're unable to deal with violence."
A match in Cairo on Wednesday evening was interrupted following the news of the deaths in Port Said. Television footage showed a big fire behind the supporter stand at the Cairo stadium.
The Premier League, which the games were part of, was suspended indefinitely.
Source: aljazeera
The Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Egypt said the bilateral relations between the two countries have been further consolidated in the last couple of years.
The Ministers made the remark during the opening of the First Ethio-Egypt Joint Political Consultation that got underway here on Monday.
The Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Egyptian Mohammed Kamel Amir said the two countries have reviewed the implementation of the agreements they have signed so far.
According to the finding obtained in the review, the bilateral relations between the two countries was satisfactory.
Hailemariam said the bilateral relations between the two countries is on the right track.
He also stressed the need to continue the joint political discussion in which the two countries have begun.
Egyptian Foreign Minister said on his part that his country is desirous to further consolidate its relations and cooperation with Ethiopia.
He also told his Ethiopian counterpart that Egypt is keen to establish investment and trade ties with Ethiopian.
The Minister disclosed that his country has planned to establish an industrial zone in Ethiopia in the near future.
ENA
Witnesses in Somalia say columns of Ethiopian troops have crossed into the country and are marching toward key al-Shabab strongholds, apparently opening a new military front against the Islamist militant group.
A government official, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the reports to VOA on Monday, saying the soldiers had reached the town of Luq in the southwest Gedo region.
The location includes a major road leading to the Bay and Bakool regions, which are under al-Shabab's control. The official says the Ethiopian convoy entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow.
Al-Shabab is facing pressure inside Somalia from Ethiopian forces already there, Kenyan troops who entered the country in October, and African Union troops in the capital, Mogadishu.
Last week, the al-Qaida-linked group said it killed 33 Ethiopian soldiers during a suicide attack on an army base in the town of Beledweyne. The Ethiopian military typically does not release casualty figures.
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government and impose strict Islamic law. The group controls large sections of southern and central Somalia but has lost ground in recent months. AU and Somali troops drove the group out of Mogadishu last year, while Ethiopian forces recently took control of Beledweyne.
In an interview Monday with VOA correspondent Peter Heinlein, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Somali leaders to exploit al-Shabab’s retreat and make a push to assert greater control over the war-ravaged country.
"I met President Sheikh Sharif and also during my visit last December to Somalia, I urged that this is a very small window of opportunity for Somalia, to fully utilize this stability, fighting back al-Shabab, they should establish this administration in the liberated areas," said the U.N. Secretary General. "They should also provide the social economic opportunities to their people.”
Somalia has not had a stable central government since 1991.
Source:VOA
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese political advisor Jia Qinglin's just-concluded visit helped boost traditional friendship and cooperation with the African Union and Ethiopia, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said.
During his stay in Addis Ababa, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, paid an official goodwill visit to Ethiopia and attended the opening ceremony of the 18th African Union (AU) summit.
At various bilateral and multilateral meetings, Jia elaborated China's policies on Africa and put forward a host of proposals for future development of China-Africa relations, Yang said.
The top Chinese political advisor's visit was of profound significance to further deepening a new-type China-Africa strategic partnership and strengthening unity and cooperation among developing countries, he said.
DEEPENING TRADITIONAL FRIENDSHIP, POLITICAL TRUST
Jia made clear on various occasions that mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutual support, mutual benefit and the pursuit of a win-win outcome was the source of the China-Africa friendship and served as a cornerstone of their relations, Yang said.
The advisor said China highly valued its traditional friendship with Africa and would stand firmly with African nations.
China also respected Africa's choice of its own development path and supported its efforts to settle regional issues on its own as well as its drive for self-improvement, he said.
At least two people were killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber attacked the home of a senior militia commander in the central Somali town of Galkayo, a security official said.
"A man wearing an explosive vest blew himself up after he was stopped by security guards" as he tried to enter the main gate at the house of Abdi Hasan Qeybdid, a former police chief and warlord, said local security official Abdisalan Mohamed.
"There was a shoot-out between him and the guards, before a big explosion that shook the main gate, killing two guards and the bomber," Mohamed said, adding that four people were wounded.
"The general (Qeybid) is not hurt," Mohamed added.
Qeybid was a close ally of the late warlord Mohamed Aidid, who battled US forces in the Somali capital in 1993, and was himself captured by US Special Forces in a raid made famous by the Hollywood film Black Hawk Down.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a string of blasts including roadside bombs and grenade explosions in recent months in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.
Most attacks have been in the capital Mogadishu, where Islamist Shebab insurgents have largely pulled out of fixed positions and switched to guerrilla tactics against the weak Western-backed government.
Galkayo straddles the border between the separate self-proclaimed independent regions of Puntland and Galmudug, both of which oppose the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab, which control Somali regions further south.
"The man argued with the guards before he started shooting at them with a pistol, then after a few minutes he blew himself up," said witness Abdukadir Ahmed.
"There are pieces of human flesh at the front gate of the house, which was damaged by the blast," he added.
A lack of effective central government since Somalia plunged into civil war two decades ago has allowed a flourishing of militias, Islamist insurgents and pirate gangs ruling mini-fiefdoms.
Shebab insurgents control large parts of central and southern Somalia but are facing increasing pressure from government forces and regional armies.
Armies from neighbouring countries are converging on the Shebab -- Kenyan forces in the south, Ethiopia's army in the south and west, and 10,000 African Union soldiers in Mogadishu from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.
AFP
..
Thirty-five Ethiopian Christians, 29 of them women, face deportation from Saudi Arabia for "illicit mingling" after police raided a private prayer gathering, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
The New York-based watchdog said the women were subjected to "unwarranted strip search," while the men were beaten and insulted as "unbelievers".
The group was arrested on December 15 in a private home in Jeddah as they gathered to pray ahead of Christmas in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom which bans the practice of any religious rites except those of Islam.
"While King Abdullah sets up an international interfaith dialogue centre, his police are trampling on the rights of believers of other faiths," said HRW senior Middle East researcher Christoph Wilcke.
"The Saudi government needs to change its own intolerant ways before it can promote religious dialogue abroad," he added in a statement.
HRW said it spoke to three members of the group -- two women and one man.
Those who were taken to court have been told that they were being charged with "illicit mingling" of unmarried persons of the opposite sex.
At Buraiman prison, officers forced women to strip and an officer "inserted her finger into each of the women's genitals, under the pretext of searching for illegal substances," HRW said citing the two women.
"She wore a plastic glove that she did not change," it added.
At the male prison, officers "kicked and beat the men, and insulted them as "unbelievers," the man in custody told HRW by telephone.
HRW said that Saudi Arabia has no codified criminal law that defines "illicit mingling", calling on authorities to release the Ethiopian men and women "immediately if there is no evidence to charge them with offences that are recognisably criminal under international norms."
It also urged Riyadh to investigate allegations of "physical and sexual abuse."
AFP
Jigjiga (kilil5)--Madaxwaynaha dawlada deegaanka somalida mudane Cabdi Maxamuud Cumar ayaa dhawaan kusoorogay amar ah in xafiiska madaxtooyada aysan soogali karin
cid aan ahayn shaqaalaha xafiiskaas. Hadaba waxaa cabasho kamuujiyay
arinkan dadka danaha ka leh xafiiskan sida madaxda iyo shaqaalaha
xafiisyada kale, dadka shacabka ah iyo haayadaha kuwaas oo
shaqooyinkoodu sitoos ah iyo si dadbanba ugu xidhanyihiin qaybaha
kaladuwan ee xafiiskan. Inkastoo waxoogaa aad moodo in layar dabciyay
xayiraada galitaanka xafiiskan hadana waxaa wali aad u adag in
shaqsiyaadka danaha kaleh xafiiskani ay galaan.
Xafiiska madaxwaynaha ayaa waxaa ku hoosjira xafiisyo ay kamidyihiin
xafiiska Maamulka, xafiiska qurbojoogta, xafiiska Dooxooyinka, Haayadaha
iyo waaxo kale, waxayn sitoosa wada shaqayn u leeyihiin xafiisyada kale,
waxayna adeegyo kaladuwan siiyaan dadka shacabka ah iyo cidkastoo dano
kayeelata. Hadaba amarkan dadkii danaha kalahaa xafiisyadan ee lagu hor
istaagaayo amaba lagacelinaayo kadinka ayaa aad u curyaamiyay adeegyadii
ay xafiisyadani u hayeen bulshada. Hadaba hadii madaxwaynaha deegaanku
mudane Cabdi Maxamuud Cumar uusan rabin in cidi ugu soogasho xafiiskiisa
ujeedo kastaa ha kadambaysee waxay ahayd inuu iska hoos saaro
xafiisyadan kale ee bulshada siinaaya adeegyada kaladuwan. Waxaa had iyo
jeer xafiiska ku hareeraysan ciidamada Liyuu booliska ah ee ilaalada u
ah madaxwaynaha inta uu madaxwaynuhu kusuganyahay magaalada Jigjiga
kuwaas oo cidkasta oo soogalaysa xafiiskan ku hor istaaga banaanada ka
sokeeya xafiiskan.
Sidookale waxaa wali ay xayiraad saarantahay mid kamida labada Albaab ee
hore loogasoogalijiray xayndaabka wayn ee laga soogalijiray xafiisyada
heer deegaan ee ku dhexyaala gibiga Kililka, kaas oo markii ugu horaysay
uu xidhay madaxwaynihii hore ee Cabdi Jibriil oo sida lasheegay uu nin
faaliye ahi u sheegay inuu albaabkaas iska xidho. Albaabkan ayaa ah
albaabka soo eegaaya dhanka suuqa iyo magaalada. Xadhiga albaabkan ayaa
dhib wayn ku noqday dad aad u tirobadan oo kasoo shaqo tagijiray dhanka
magaalada waxaana qasab kunoqotay inay baabuur uraacaan albaabka kale oo
masaafo fog u jira albaabkan laxidhay qasabna kadhigaya in laga
soowareego dhanka kale. Sidookale xidhitaanka albaabkan iyo jidkiisa
kusoo aroora xafiisyada heer deegaan ee isku xayndaabka kujira ee uu
usoo horeeyo xafiiska madaxwaynaha ayaa sidookale godoomiyay labada
xafiis ee Hawlaha guud iyo Ganacsiga. Labadan xafiis ayaa xafiisyada
kale u jira masaafo dhan 100 Mitir qofka jooga xafiisyada kalena hadii
uu u dhawaaqo qof jooga labadan xafiis ay suurogal tahay inuu maqlo
balse uusan awoodi karin inuu u talaabo dhanka labadan xafiis, qofka
doonaya inuu katago xafiisyadan kale ee kililka rabana inuu shaqo
kasooqabsado labadan xafiis ayay qasab kutahay inuu dib u noqdo oo uu
kabaxo albaabka ujeeda dhanka waqooyi kadibna uu gaadhi u raaco dhanka
magaalada halkaas oo uu hadana usoolugeeyo xafiisyadan si uu uga soogalo
albaabka labadan xafiis oo ku garabyaala albaabka xayiraada lasaaray ee
u jeeda dhanka koonfureed.
Ujeedada aan rabo inaan kafaaloodo ayaa ah in xidhitaanka albaabkani uu
dhib badan kuhayo guud ahaan shaqaalaha kashaqeeya xafiisyada
kudhexyaala xayndaabkan (gibiga kililka) tusaale ahaan gabadha xoghaynta
ah ee laga yaabo mushaarkeedi inuu yahay 500 birr ee dagan magaalada
dhexdeeda kharash la’aana kusoogali karilahayd hadii albaabkani
furanyahay ayaa waxaa qasab kunoqonaysa inay maalinkasta bixiso 8 birr
oo ah 4 birr galinka hore siisocod iyo soosocod iyo intaas inleeg oo
galinka dambe ah taas oo bishii noqonaysa 8X30=240 bishii, halka kuwa
kafog ee dagan xaafadaha fog fog ee iyagu usooraacaaya labada tagsi
lagaba yaabo hadii aysan bas uu leeyahay xafiisku oo sooqadaa ay
mushaarkeedu noqdo kaliya tagsiraac. Hadaba waxay dad badani
iswaydiinayaan hadii cabdijibriil uu faaliye tusay khatar kagasoowajahan
albaabkaas madaxdii kadambaysay mafaashadaan iyaguna? Waxay dadka qaar
kuusheegayaan waxay madaxdii kadambaysay kabaqayaan khatartii loosheegay
cabdijibriil oon wali cid kudhicin walina soosocota ama kusoomaqan mid
kamida madaxwaynayaasha deegaanka!!!
Shamso Cumar
Jigjiga,kilil5 Online
The customs and revenues authority in Ethiopia, ERCA, has decided to lift the double excise tax imposed on salt production in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Excise Tax proclamation No. 307/2002 established a 30% excise tax on imported and locally produced iodized and non-iodized salt. Consequently iodized salt, which uses non-iodized salt, already taxed under the proclamation, as input has been subjected to double excise taxation.
ERCA committed to investigating the issue and enacting corrective measures as necessary at the first Federal Public-Private Consultative Forum.
The tax authority decided to lift the system that imposed double taxation after reviewing the matter as promised according to Teshome Beyene, Secretary General of the PPCF secretariat.
ERCA is in the process of drafting the amendment that will put the change into effect said Teshome.
In related news it was announced that the secretariat is finalizing preparations to conduct two forums over the next month.
The first forum will be a sectorial forum dealing with trade and logistic issues such as problems with customs procedures and possibly including customs authorities will be held next month said Teshome.
The second Federal Public-Private Consultative Forum is also scheduled for the end of February according to the secretariat.
It is expected that the federal forum will discuss the Trade Registration and Licensing Proclamation and problems associated with its implementation.
It is to be remembered that the first federal PPFC was held last February as per a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Girma Birru former Trade and Industry Minister and Eyesuswork Zafu then President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations.
The second forum planned for six months after the first was delayed with the establishment of the secretariat and the procedure involved with selecting an agenda said Teshome.
Source: The Reporter
Senior ministers at the Ministry of Water & Energy (MoWE) are planning to carryout feasibility studies on three additional hydropower plants to be built in the basin of the Abay (Blue Nile) River, whose combined power generation capacity is projected to be larger than the Grand Renaissance Dam, Fortune learnt.
The cost of the feasibility studies on the technical, environmental, and social impacts of the dams will be covered with a 20.1 million-dollar grant secured from the government of Norway.
Asfaw Dingamo, former minister of Water Resources, had signed the grant agreement with Tom Odegaard, in November 2009.
Hydroelectric power plants planned in Mendaia, Beko Abo, and Kara Dodi, will collectively have 300MW more power than the Grand Renaissance Dam’s 5,200MW, a capacity the dam is believed to have when the Italian Salini Construttori completes construction in the second quarter of 2017. It will be the largest hydropower plant on the continent, with 15 generating units, each producing 350MW of electric power, a capacity currently generated by Koka and Tekeze dams combined.
The Grand Renaissance Dam also symbolises the nation’s determination to build the largest dam ever with its own resources, according to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
“The other dams we plan to build are less challenging than this,” he had said during his address at the launching of the project in Guba, Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, on April 2, 2011.
Indeed, he was referring to hydropower projects on the drawing board such as Beko Abo (2,100MW), located two kilometres upstream of Nekemt Bridge; Mendaia (2,000MW), located seven kilometres upstream on the Abay River and Dedessa River confluence; and Kara Dodi (1,600MW), located 70km upstream from the Renaissance Bridge.
However, the actual generation capacity of each dam will have to be determined after the feasibility studies are complete.
“Their capacities might increase or otherwise,” a hydraulic expert at the Ministry told Fortune.
Mendaia and Beko Abo projects are expected to be roller compacted concrete (RCC) dams, with 200 metre and 285 metre heights, making the latter the highest of its type in the world, each having an annual energy output of over 12,000 GWh a year.
The prefeasibility studies on Mendaia and Bako Abo projects were conducted by a consortium of consultants from Norway (Norplan and Norconsult), France (Electricite de France), and England (Scott Wilson), as well as Shebelle Consult Plc and Tropics Consulting Engineers, both domestic firms.
The report for the studies was approved by the Ministry after reviewing reports from the consultants, following consultation with the Ethiopian Electric Power Cooperation (EEPCo) and other relevant stake holders, sources disclosed.
The prefeasibility study includes hydrology studies, topography surveys, and geotechnical foundation and environmental studies. Aside from hydropower generation, the projects also aim to be multipurpose, providing improvements in flood control and conservation.
“The Ministry approved the projects, confirming their economic and technical viability, as eligible for a final feasibility study,” a senior official at the Ministry told Fortune.
Studies on economic and social viability were carried out by foreign consultant: Halcrow and Generation Integrated Rural Development (GIRD). It was during these studies that a helicopter crashed in the Abay Gorge, after it collided with a cable en route from Gojam to Wellega; no harm was reported.
The aforementioned consortium has been given the job of conducting the feasibility studies. They are allowed to take about six months to complete them, according to the senior official at the Ministry.
“If all of the studies are finalised within the year, as planned, construction will start within the coming few years,” he disclosed to Fortune.
The cost of building all three dams is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, it may reach close to 75 billion Br, considering the 13 million Br average cost per megawatt that the five most recent dams, including the Grand Renaissance Dam, have consumed in the past or are projected to.
“By the time we secure financing for their construction, these projects will be ready to be carried out within the five-year transformation period,” said the senior official at the Ministry.
The Ministry is also commissioning economic feasibility studies on the Tekeze River, for its second dam, 903km north of Addis Abeba, and on the Dedessa River, in Benishangul Gumuz, 386km from the capital. The two projects will have an estimated capacity of producing 450MW and 301MW, respectively.
The successful construction of these dams will increase the nation’s hydroelectric power plants to 17.
Currently, EEPCo generates 2,000MW of power, while an additional 8,000MW is expected in the coming three years; of which 97MW has already been added after Fincha Amertinesh Dam, consuming 137.8 million dollars, was inaugurated last month.
Source:Addis Fortune
South Sudan on Monday accused its former foes in the Khartoum government of arming gunmen who killed over 40 people in a cattle raid, as the UN warned tensions between the two sides risks regional peace.
"A militia group from Unity state penetrated into Warrap state... and attacked people in a cattle camp, killing over 40," said Interior Minister Alison Manani Magaya, the latest wave of violence in the world's newest nation.
"This militia group was armed by the government of Khartoum," he added.
South Sudan seceded peacefully from Sudan in July after decades of war, but both countries have since repeatedly exchanged mutual allegations that each side backs proxy rebel forces against the other.
Oil-rich but grossly impoverished South Sudan was left awash with guns after years of conflict, and brutal tit-for-tat raids by rival ethnic groups to steal cattle from each other are common.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said Sunday tensions and a furious row over oil between the former enemies has become a major threat to regional peace and security.
"The situation in Sudan and South Sudan has reached a critical point. It has become a major threat to peace and security across the region," Ban told an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital.
Oil-producing Unity state is a base for a number of rebel groups that Juba claims are backed by Khartoum to destabilize South Sudan by attacking civilians and laying landmines.
Magaya could not name the specific group responsible for the attack, which took place over the weekend, but claimed that rebel groups in Unity state were collaborating with one another.
"The number of wounded is still not clear, but they took a lot of cattle with them," he added.
He said government teams had been sent to investigate and that the death toll could rise as local officials "were still counting the bodies."
Key issues unresolved at independence have escalated into bitter arguments, including a row over pipeline transit fees to transport the South's oil to port in the rump state of Sudan.
In addition, tensions have been raised by their still undemarcated border, parts of which cut through oil fields.
AFP.
Jigjiga (kilil5)--Shir balaadhan oo ay kasooqaybgaleen dhamaan madaxda iyo gudiga maaraynta ee xafiisyada heer deegaan ayaa maanta kadhacay aqalka shirarka ee sayid Maxamed Cabddile Xasan, shirkan oo uu sooqabanqaabiyay xafiiska Beeraha oo hagaayay wasiirka xafiiskan mudane Dr. C/qaadir iimaan ayaa lagu dhagaysanaayay warbixin uu soodiyaariyay xafiiskan oo kusaabsanayd shuruucda iyo Jihooyinka dhulka (land Policy and Directives). Qorshahan diyaarinta iyo soosaarista shuruucda dhulka ayaa ahaa mid soojiitamay isla markaana mura badani kataagnaa. Kadib markii ladhagaystay warbixinta qorshahan ee xafiiska beeruhu soojeediyay ayaa laga bixiyay faalooyin (comments), su’aalo badana laga waydiiyay, waxaana gaba-gabadii shirka uu xafiiskani u qaybiyay kasooqaybgalayaashii shirkan e-mailo lagusoodiri karo wixii faalooyin ah ee kusaabsan qorshahan ee aan shirka laga sheegin.
Dhanka kale, waxaa bari Isniinta lafilayaa in uu isla hoolkan shirarka kafurmo shir balaadhan oo ay kasooqaybgalayaan dhamaan xubnaha xisbiga ee 67 degmo ee deegaanka, waxaa sidookale dhamaan degmooyinka deegaanka loogayeedhay 7 oday. Macada ajandayaasha shirkani balse wuxaa lagayaabaa in looga wadahadlidoono hirgalinta yoolka xisbiga iyo arimaha nabadgalyada. Wixii war ah ee kasoobaxa shirka bari iyo ajandayaashiisa waxaan idiinkusoo gudbindoonaa wararka fooda inagu soohaya hadii EEBE yidhaa.
Cabdi Shukri Xarago
Jigjiga,kilil5 Online
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Oil negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan and war and hunger in Somalia are expected to dominate discussion at a summit of African leaders in Ethiopia's capital.
The African Union said Sunday the summit's official theme is trade. But increasingly tense relations between Sudan and South Sudan will likely dominate sideline talks among the 54-member bloc. South Sudan has stopped oil production over the impasse. China said Sunday that Chinese workers were seized in a volatile border region of Sudan.
The leaders will also elect a new chair of the A.U. commission, a position held by Gabon's Jean Ping. Ping will run for a second term but will face South African minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The AU is holding the summit for the first time at its new $200 million headquarters, paid for by China.
..Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi was elected the African Union Chairman on Sunday, taking over the one-year post from Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, officials said.
"I want to congratulate the new chairman of the African Union... Boni Yayi," said Obiang, the outgoing chairman, speaking after the official announcement at the AU summit meeting in the Ethiopian capital.
"I have no doubt that with your great leadership ... you will conduct the work of our Union towards our agenda of peace and prosperity. I wish you all success in your efforts," Obiang added.
Yayi, an economist who took office six years ago of the small West African nation, said he accepted the post with humility for the "high responsibility."
"I wish to express my gratitude with respect and appreciation to the heads of state we have here for the confidence they have in my regard," Yayi said after the vote.
"We shall continue to work hand in glove to ensure that we consolidate all that we have achieved so far," he added.
Obiang, summing up his year in office, accused "external powers that wish to perpetuate their influence" of manipulating Africa.
"Africa should not remain indifferent to external interference. Africa should not be questioned with regards to democracy, human rights, governance and transparency in public administration," he declared.
...
AFP
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Standing on what was once Ethiopia's oldest maximum security prison, the new African Union headquarters funded by China is a symbol of the Asian giant's push to stay ahead in Africa and gain greater access to the continent's resources.
Critics point to an imbalance in what they see as the new "Scramble for Africa". But the prospect of growing Chinese economic influence is welcomed by African leaders, who see Beijing as a partner to help build their economies at a time when Europe and the United States are mired in economic turmoil.
And Africans are hoping for more Chinese largesse.
"The future prospects of our partnership are even brighter," Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Saturday at the new headquarters' multi-storey amphitheatre, where an African heads of states' summit will take place on Sunday and Monday.
"China - its amazing re-emergence and its commitments for a win-win partnership with Africa - is one of the reasons for the beginning of the African renaissance," he said.
The brown marble and glass monolith was fully paid for by China, right down to the office furniture, and cost $200 million. The office complex and almost 100 metre (330 foot) tower is Addis Ababa's tallest building by far.
For the past decade, Africa has recorded economic growth of an average of 5 percent but its under-developed infrastructure has in part hindered its capacity to develop further.
Chinese companies are changing that. They are building roads and investing in the energy sector, and are active in areas such as telecoms technology.
China's most senior political adviser, Jia Qinglin, said trade between the two partners had grown to $150 billion, and the unveiling of the headquarters was a "milestone" in the ties between China and Africa.
As the biggest consumer of iron-ore, China has a relentless hunger for African minerals and energy.
Beijing now appears keener to flex its diplomatic muscle in the continent. It has also contributed $4.5 million for the African Union peacekeeping force battling Islamist militants in Somalia.
Outside the complex, hundreds of Chinese support staff, delegates and officials snapped pictures of their country's most ostentatious presence yet in Africa.
Critics point to land grabs and mistreatment of African workers on Chinese-funded projects. Even when it comes to job opportunities, in some instances China brings in teams of workers and technical experts.
Yet African officials insist they aren't being manipulated by China, and say the relationship is not based on aid but on trade and development.
"There are people who still consider Africans like children who can be easily manipulated. The good thing about this partnership is that it's give and take," the Democratic Republic of Congo's ambassador to Washington, Faida Mitifu, told Reuters.
Addis Ababa, January 29, 2012 (Addis Ababa) - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said several building foundation are being laid to forge strong relations between Ethiopia and China.
While conferring with the Chinese delegation led by Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairperson, Jia Qinglin, Meles said the Chinese government has granted to Ethiopia an aid amounting to 100 million Yuan and 100 million Yuan loan free of interest.
He also mentioned that the Chinese has extended a three billion dollar loan for infrastructural development in Ethiopia.
The two leaders have exchanged views on the existing defining moments of the global economic downturn and the role China plays in lifting out Africa from poverty.
They also discussed bilateral cooperation and security and other issues of mutual concern and interest, according to Ethiopian Ambassador to China, Seyoum Mesfin, who attended the talks between the two officials.
Source: ENA
Addis Ababa (Kilil5)-- Xaflad si heer sara ah loo soo agaasimay oo ay ka soo qaybgaleen madaxwaynayaal farabadan oo Afrikaan ah iyo mas'uuliyiin ka socday dawlada Shiinaha ayaa waxaa lagu qabtay xarunta cusub ee midowga Afrika leedahay. Dhamaan kharashka ku baxay dhismahaan cusub oo gaadhayay aduun lagu qiyaasay $200m ayaa waxaa bixisay dawlada shiinaha. Shiinaha ayaa waxaa uu doonayaan in ay iskaashi dhinacyo badan leh la sameeyaan guud ahaan wadamada qaaradda Afrika.
Maanta oo Axad ah ayaa kulanka madaxda AU-du waxa uu ka dhici doonaa xarunta cusub oo ah daarta ugu dheer uguna quruxdabadan magaalda Addis Ababa. Halka laga dhisay daartan cusub ayaa waxa ay ahaan jirtay xabsi uu Mengistu Hailemariam dadka ka soo horjeeda ku xidhi jiray.
Dhisida xaruntan cusub ayaa waxaa la bilaabay bishii Janaayo ee sanadkii 2009, waxaana dhisideeda ka qaybqaatay shaqaale 1000 (kun) kor u dhaafayay oo laga keenay wadanka shiinaha walow ay kaalmeeyeen tiro aan saas u badnay oo Ethiopian ah.
Halkudhaga sanadka ee kulanka madaxda Afrika ayaa waxa uu yahay " Kobcinta xidhiidhka ganacsi ee wadamada Afrika". Waxayse u muuqataa in halkudhagaasi uu ka awood badin doono loolanka ka taagan shakhsiga noqon lahaa gudoomiyaha Midowga Afrika. Jean Ping oo ah gudoomiyaha haatan ee Midowga Afrika ayaa waxa uu isku soo sharaxay mar labaad sidii uu jagadaas u sii hayn lagaa, waxaase sidoo kale in uu gudoomiyaha Midowga Afria noqdo rabo Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma oo horay u ahaan jiray wasiirka arimaha dibada ee wadanka Koonfur Afrika. Codeeyn si qarsoodi ah loo qaban doono ayaa waxa ay dhici doontaa berri ee Isniinta ah, ilaa iyo hada ma cada cida ku soo bixi doonta codayntaas.
Isku soo duuboo waxaa hubaal ah in dawlada Shiinuhu ay muhiimad gaar ah siineyso dareenka iyo danaha dalalka qaaradda Afrika.
Xuseen Caraale
Addis Ababa (Kilil5)
Jigjiga (kilil5)--Waxaan faaladeenan ku eegidoonaa xafiiska Nabadgalyada iyo Maamulka
Cadaalada ee Dawlada deegaanka Soomalida, doorka musuqa, arimaha
nabadgalyada, dhibaatooyinka liyuu booliska iyo cida iska leh
masuuliyada dhibaatooyinka ay ciidanka liyuu boolisku soogaadhsiiyeen
bulshada rayidka ah.Waxaa mudan in shacabka dawlada Soomalidu ogaado xaqiiqada
dhabta ee kajirta xafiiskan iyo hawlihiisa si loowada
ogaado xaqiiqda dhabtaha ee shaqooyinka xafiiskan.
Xafiiska Nabadgalyada DDS waa xafiis loo aas aasay inuu kashaqeeyo
arimaha Nabadgalyada sida magaciisa oo dhamaystiran kucadna waxaa xafiis
loogu talogalay inuu xaq sooro umada islamarkaan shaqooyinkiisa iyo
maamulkiisu ay kusalaysnaadaan cadaalada. Xafiiskan ayaa magac iyo
Muuqba yeeshay kadib markii la aasaasay ciidamada Liyuuga oo
lahooskeenay maamulka xafiiskan kuwaas oo sida lawada ogyahay ujeedada
loo aas aasay ahayd in uu deegaanku yeesho cudud ciidan oo laga horgeeyo
jabhadihi deegaanka kadhaqdhaqaaqijiray ee ONLF iyo UWSLF. Waxaan
filayaa in dhamaan umada somalida Itoobiya meelkasta hajoogaane ay
kadharagsanyihiin waxqabadka iyo waxyeelada ciidanka Liyuu booliska,
manarabo inaan sii faah-faahiyo maadaama wakhtiyo badan oo kaladuwan
aanu kadiyaarinay faalooyin, balse waxaan rabaa inaan waxoogaa
kafaaloodo doorka uu kuleeyahay hogaanka nabadgalyada mudane C/laahi
Yuusuf Weerar oo ay naga soocodsaden akhristayaasha shabakadu inaan wax
kaqorno.
Dhanka Musuqa, Hogaanka Nabadgalyada deegaanku wuxuu sibuuxda maamulka
xafiiskan loogu dhiibay kadib markii markii madaxwaynaha deegaanku
mudane Cabdi Maxamuud Cumar uu noqday Madaxwaynaha deegaanka. Sidalawada
ogyahay tan iyo intii la aas aasay boliskan gaarka ah waxaa xafiiska
nabadgalyada loo ansixiyay miisaaniyad ciida kabadan oo loogu magacdaray
hawlgalka nabadgalyada taas oon habayaraatee lahayn wax xisaab xidh ah.
Waxaana had iyo jeer lacagaha miisaaniyada xafiiskan laga buuxsanjiray
joonyado iyo baabuur taas oo xaafada iyo suuqaqa lagu qaybsanjiray,
waxaana lacagahaasi intabadan lagu bixiyaa qayilaad, halka lacago badana
ay shaqsiyaad gaar ah jeebadooda u galaysay. C/laahi Yuusuf hogaanka
nabadgalyadu maadaama uu horena u ahaa kuxigeenka hogaanka, kadibna uu
kudalacay jagada hogaanimada, waxaa la odhankaraa wuxuu qayb wayn
kaqaatay musuqa iyo lunsashada hantida dawlada iyo umada.
Hogaanka ayaa markii uu sooqalinjabiyay isla markiiba loomagacaabay kuxigeenka
xafiiskan. Hadii aan wax kataabano hantida gaarka ah ama muuqata ee la
odhankaro waxay kutaxaluqdaa hantidii lalunsaday wuxuu hogaanku dhistay
guri aad u balaadhan oo ay kubaxday lacag aan kayarayn hal milyan oo
birr. Waxaan iyadu iswaydiin lahayn madax xafiiseed kasta oo mudo kooban
xilka hayay oo kadhistay hanti intaas le'eg in lacagtaasi ay tahay musuq,
waayo C/laahi itoobiya waalayaqaanaa xaalada dhaqaale iyo hanti ee
qoyskooda. Sidookale waa la ogyahay mushaarkiisa oon ka badnayn 5000 birr
bishii, hadaba sideebuu kudhisankaraa guri gaadhaya
1,000,000 isagoo xilka hayay mudo 2 sano ah?
Hogaanka ayaa sidookale lagu eedayn jiray inuu lacag adag oo gaadhaysa
2000 USD ka qaadijiray dadka baasaboorka doonaya ee kayimaada wadamada
Jaarka ah sida Somaliland, Puntland iyo Somaliyada kale. Inkastoo aad
moodo in uu wakhti xaadirkan yaraaday musuqii dhanka baasaboorku hadana
wali wuu siijiraa waxaana lagu kalagataa suuqa madow, waayo taas waxaa
kuucadaynaya sida ay ugu adagtahay in muwaadiniinta udhalatay deegaanka
ay ugu adagtahay inay sifudud kuhelaan halka dadka kayimaada wadamadaas
kale aysanba tagin goobta iyo xafiiska lagaqaato baasaboorka balse suuqa
lagaga sooqaado sawirada kadibna ay iyagoo xaafadahooda iska jooga ay
jawaabta kadhawrtaan gidaarka lagu soodhajiyo.
Xafiiska nabadgalyada ayaa wakhti xaadirkan ah mid haawanaaya kadib
markii laga hoos saaray miisaaniyadii Ciidanka Liyuu booliska kaas oo
loomagacaabay Madixii Borotokoolka Madaxwaynaha mudane Bashiir oo hada
maamula miisaaniyada ciidanka liyuu booliska kuwaas oo xafiis gooni ah
loosameeyay, hogaanka ayaa hada kaliya uu kusoo hadhay maamulka
baasaboorada, waxaana la odhankaraa waxaa aad uwiiqantay awoodiisii, iyo
ciidamadii Liyuubooliska ahaa ee uu ku amarku taaglaynaayay waxaana hada
kusoo hadhay laba askari oo ilaaladiisa ah.
Dhanka Nabadgalyada iyo dhibaatooyinka ay gaystaan ciidanka liyuu
booliska. Inkastoo uu hogaanku ahaa madixii ugu sareeyay ee ay hoos
imanaayeen maamulka ciidanka Liyuu boolisku, hadana waxaa la odhankaraa
cida ay amarka tooska ah kaqaadanayeen ciidankani ma ahayn Hogaanka
balse wuxuu ahaa Cabdiraxmaan Laba gole, oo ahaa madaxa sirdoonka,
markii dambena noqday lataliyaha amniga ee madaxwaynaha kaas oo
ilmaadeer ruma ayihiin madaxwaynaha, hadana sitoosa loo hoosgeeyay
ciidanka liyuu booliska. Hogaanku inkastoo uusan lahayn awood buuxda oo
uu kufilinkaraayay amaro ay ciidanka liyuugu kuwaxyeeleeyeen bulshada
hadana wuxuu ka ahaa qayb, waana masuulka sharciyan iyo diiniyanba
laguleeyahay wixii khaladaad ah ee ay galeen ciidankani.
Waxay dad badani ku xantaan in C/laahi Yuusuf Weerar uu isagu kaliya
kuqanacsanyahay inuu ku magacaabanyahay Hogaan, waana sababta u
madaxwaynuhu ugu samaynwaayay xafiiskan Hogaan balse C/aahi oo ahaa
kuxigeen uun loodaayay inuu sikumeelgaadha usiijogo jagada Hogaanka.
Masuulkuna hadii uu kaliya kuqanacsanyahay booska uu joogo balse uusan
lahayn aragti dheer iyo karti uu kaga soodhalaalo shaqadiisa wuxu
noqonayaa kaliya magac uyaal.
Cabdi Shukri Xarago
Jigjiga,kilil5 Online.
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia wants $300 million more from India for an ambitious railway project that would connect it with neighbouring Djibouti, a venture that India backs as part of its "support for regional integration in Africa".
India has already inked a loan agreement worth $300 million for the railway project. However, the loan from New Delhi is yet to be disbursed.
"The support to the railway is part of India's support for regional integration in Africa. This is the first time we are doing a project which covers more than one country. That is why we are going through the procedures rather carefully," said Gurjit Singh, additional secretary in India's external affairs ministry.
Singh said the $300 million disbursement will depend on how the project is implemented, which is in the hands of the Ethiopian and Djiboutian railway corporations.
"We are just facilitating and working with them on the feasibility study, and from that we will discover how our part of the implementation will come through. Once all that is settled and the project goes on stream, we see no difficulty in periodic and timely disbursements," Singh said.
The Ethiopian government plans to construct a 2,395 km national railway network, out of which 1,808 km will be completed by 2015.
"At the highest level, India has expressed a commitment to the project and whatever India can, we will try and do. But all these possibilities are based on technical discussions. So the political commitment is there, but we have to make sure the technical discussion goes through smoothly and they lead to practical implementation. That is what we are now focusing on," he said.
Ethiopia and India have seen an "exemplary" relationship in the past, according to Singh, who has also served as India's ambassador here.
With more than $700 million extended by New Delhi for rural electrification and sugar production projects since 2006, Ethiopia is the biggest recipient of India's line of credit in Africa, Singh said.
An Indian delegation was led by Singh and the Ethiopian team was headed by Arega Hailu, director general of the Asia and Oceania Affairs of the ministry of foreign affairs, at the second India-Ethiopia foreign office consultation.
It followed up on the decisions taken at the India-Africa summit last year and at bilateral meetings between Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Gurjit Singh, who has served as Indian ambassador here, had earlier visited Addis Ababa in May 2011.
The two sides discussed Jan 24 the implementation of decisions taken under the India-Africa forum Summit I & II, including the establishment of four capacity building institutions in Ethiopia. These include a vocational training centre, an IT centre, a Women's solar engineering vocational training centre and a farm science centre.
According to a statement by the Indian mission here, the two sides agreed that the next joint commission meeting will be held in 2013.
Gurjit Singh also met Berhane Gebre-Christos, minister for foreign affairs, to discuss bilateral and other issues
ADDIS ABABA, Jan 28 – Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi said Friday he would pull troops out of Somalia “as soon as feasible,” admitting for the first time that forces had crossed into the war-torn neighbouring country.
“The decision has all along been to help the TFG and we will withdraw our troops as soon as feasible,” Meles told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, referring to Somalia’s transitional government.
“We are not going to create a vacuum, we expect the AMISOM troops to be able to fill in the gaps before we withdraw,” he added.
Columns of Ethiopian soldiers rolled into Somalia in November to fight al-Qaeda linked Islamist rebels, but Addis Ababa had previously denied their presence.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has some 10,000 troops in the Somali capital Mogadishu to protect the fragile Western-backed Somali government.
On Tuesday, a Shebab suicide bomber blew himself at an Ethiopian army base in the central Somali town of Beledweyne.
Ethiopia first deployed troops in Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement that ruled much of southern Somalia, but withdrew three years later after failing to stamp out the group.
Armies from neighbouring countries are converging on the Shebab. Kenya sent in troops and tanks into southern Somalia in October to fight the rebels it accuses of carrying out cross-border raids and kidnappings.
The attack in Beledweyne was the latest in a string of blasts including roadside bombs and grenade explosions set off in recent months in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.
By Associated Press
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Sudan will immediately release loaded oil tankers it had detained in its port, in an effort to end a dispute over oil payments with South Sudan, a Sudanese official said Saturday.
Landlocked South Sudan began halting oil production last week after accusing Sudan of stealing $815 million worth of the south’s oil. Sudan detained the oil tankers loading oil from the south in Port Sudan in response.
But Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir decided Saturday to “release the vessels detained in Port Sudan as soon as possible,” said Sayed al-Khatib, a spokesman for Sudan’s negotiation team.
Al-Khatib also said al-Bashir is ready to sign an agreement with South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir “by the end of today”.
Al-Khatib said all parties were ready to sign a deal alongside a meeting of East African leaders on Friday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
“This would have meant that we could leave the crisis behind us,” he said.
But a South Sudan official said Friday that talks between Kiir and al-Bashir to end an oil dispute had failed because of Sudan’s “continued stealing of oil”.
Pagan Amum, secretary general of South Sudan’s ruling party, said South Sudan would now “turn east” to export its oil to Kenya and Ethiopia.
South Sudan has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya to build a pipeline from its oil fields to Kenya’s northern coast, where a new port is planned.
South Sudan, which broke away from its northern neighbor Sudan on July 9 last year, said it had also approached Ethiopia about developing a new pipeline that would go through Ethiopia to a port in the tiny nation of Djibouti.
Amum said the two would only end their dispute if Sudan “reimburses the full amount of stolen goods”.
Sudan claims it is entitled to the South Sudanese oil it has taken because it has not received any transit fee payment after the two countries split.
“If it is proven that we have taken one barrel more than the equivalent in kind that is something we have to be held responsible for,” al-Khatib said.
The oil negotiations between the two neighbors have been in a deadlock for two years. They have never agreed on the transit fees South Sudan should pay to Sudan for using its infrastructure of port and pipelines.
A shutdown means both countries risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars. Sudan also risks losing future revenue if South Sudan builds new pipelines that do not cross its territory.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday met behind closed doors to discuss a Western-Arab draft resolution on Syria with the 15-nation UN body still divided on the situation of the Middle East country.
The closed meeting took place at around 15:10 p.m. EDT on Friday at a time when Russia reportedly said that the draft is unacceptable because it does not take Moscow's position into account.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said in Moscow on Friday that the draft, which is circulated in the Security Council on Friday afternoon here, contains "no fundamental consideration for our position" and is missing "key aspects that are fundamental to us," reports said.
Also on Friday, UN Secretary-Geneal Ban Ki-moon, who is in Davos, Switzerland, called on the Security Council to speak with one voice on Syria, and urged Damascus to listen to the aspirations of its people.
On Monday, Syria rejected a proposal by Arab League foreign ministers that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria hand over power to a deputy and set up new unity government, saying that the plan was part of a "conspiracy against Syria."
The secretary-general of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi and Quatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani are to head to New York on Saturday to seek support for an Arab plan on Syria, reports said.
Syria insisted that the turmoil in the country is plotted by terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs. The Syrian government said that more than 2,000 army and security personnel were killed during the unrest, while the United Nations put the death toll in the country at more than 5,000.
Syria was plunged into turmoil in Mid-March last year when anti- government protests broke out. Damascus signed the Arab League observer protocol on Dec. 19, 2011 in Cairo after the Arab League threatened to take the issue to the Security Council.
VOA 13pm GMT
IslamOnline
