1. The London Conference on Somalia took place at Lancaster House on 23rd February 2012, attended by around fifty representatives from the international community, and from Somalia itself.
2. We agreed that this is a critical time in Somalia’s history. Life for most Somalis has got consistently worse over the past few years. A generation of Somalis has grown up knowing nothing but conflict. The humanitarian crisis continues: the United Nations has said that the situation in Somalia remains the most critical in the world. It is time to turn the tide. Read more
For over two decades the collapse of the Somali state has caused untold suffering to the people of Somalia, aggravated regional conflict and instability and spawned problems with wider ramifications. [PDF]
by siren66 – “Some Ethiopian opponents are convinced that the United States may have already begun to discuss the succession of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The United States has already reportedly begun to check two options for what could follow after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi: he could either rapidly designate his own successor to prepare him for his role or he could establish government of national unity before the end of his term. Such is the belief of Ethiopian opponents who have had contacts with American diplomats in Addis Ababa or in Washington. Read more
by Rasna Warah | A huge international conference is being organised in London on Somalia, but it does not have the support of the citizens. It will fail because what the ‘international community’ has failed to learn over the years is that Somalis are fiercely independent people.
In the first two decades of the 20th century, the Somali warrior-poet Seyyid Mohammed Abdulle Hassan (nicknamed the ‘Mad Mullah’ by the British) fought against European forces that were trying to assert their influence in Somalia. His attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, but Hassan remains a source of inspiration among Somalis even today. Read more
أعلن مسؤول سوداني الخميس أن السودان وجنوب السودان اتفقا على ترسيم الجزء الأكبر من حدودهما المضطربة في مدة لا تتجاوز ثلاثة أشهر، في مسعى لتخفيف التوتر السائد بين البلدين. وجرت مفاوضات بين البلدين في العاصمة الإثيوبية أديس أبابا.
وأوضح يحيى الحسين المسؤول الرفيع في الحكومة السودانية وعضو الفريق المفاوض أن اتفاق ترسيم الحدود لن يشمل خمس مناطق لا تزال موضع نزاع بين الجانبين، وأضاف أن هذه الخطوة التي تم التوصل إليها تأتي في سياق الجهود الرامية إلى درء مخاطر اندلاع نزاع بعد أكثر من سبعة أشهر على انفصال الجنوب واستقلاله عن السودان. Read more
قاسم أحمد سهل-مقديشو
دفعت المواجهات بين القوات الحكومية الصومالية -التي تساندها قوات الاتحاد الأفريقي- ومقاتلي حركة الشباب المجاهدين بعدد من سكان ضواحي العاصمة مقديشو إلى النزوح من منازلهم، في وقت طالب الرئيس الصومالي شريف شيخ أحمد مجلس الأمن الدولي برفع حظر السلاح عن الصومال.
وشملت حركة النزوح عدة مناطق في الضاحية الجنوبية من مقديشو منها عيلاشا بياها وغرسبالي و”كيلو13″ ولجأ النازحون إلى استخدام مختلف وسائل النقل من حافلات وشاحنات وعربات الحمار بينما نزح بعضهم سيرا على الأقدام. Read more
The decision in October 2011 to deploy thousands of troops in Somalia’s Juba Valley to wage war on Al-Shabaab is the biggest security gamble Kenya has taken since independence, a radical departure for a country that has never sent its soldiers abroad to fight. PDF
February 16, BEIRUT – Preliminary investigations into the jamming of Arabsat satellite transmission shows that it is originating from Ethiopia, Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui said Wednesday, calling on Arabsat’s operator to secure new frequencies for its transmission in Lebanon.
“Arabsat told us that the source of the jamming is Ethiopia and it handed us a copy of their complaint they have passed to Ethiopian authorities on this matter,” said Sehnaoui. Read more
