st nr 1:2011

Can teh West help mediate?

Are the somalis ready?

SOMALI TIMES WE SURELY WANT TO TELL! Nr 1: 2011

INTERNETKA IYOCARUURTA!!!! DHAMBAAL Aqoon yahanada

Siilaanyo oo sii daayaytodobaatameeyomaxaabus ah!

Nin lagu qabtay 26 baasaboor

La dagaalanka Alshabaab waa xil ku saaran!!!

BAASABOOR KASOOMALI MA SHAQEEYAA?

Hammi aduun Haasaawe JACEYL

SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH

Its different!

Ohio-based leader of Somali group (SSC) trying to unite territoriesU.S.-based supporters of an American citizen originally from Somalia who leads a group that advocates for the rights of people living in the northern part of the embattled African country, The Associated Press has learned.Suleman Ahmed, president of the group known as SSC Somalia, was briefly detained a year ago in Kenya on suspicions of terrorism, and says hebelieves authorities in Columbus, Ohio, are looking into the same allegations.

“Somebody approached them and told them that I am a terrorist and SSC is a terrorist group,” Ahmed told the AP. “I think that’s what they’re trying to find out, which is something that does not exist.”

Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Columbus, declined to comment.

As many as 13,000 Somalis live in the Columbus area, according to the most recent Census data, although Somali community leaders maintain the figure is much higher. The city has the second highest concentration of Somali immigrants in the U.S. after Minneapolis.Somalis began arriving in the United States in the early 1990s after their country — which has not had a functioning government in two decades — disintegrated amid a civil war.Ahmed, a resident of Columbus for more

more than a decade, says his organization has only one goal: to protect residents of the region in northern Somalia where his clan lives, and ultimately to seek a functioning, unified Somalia.“There are extremists here in the U.S. — they should put more time on that instead of wasting the taxpayers’ money on people like me,” Ahmed said.Ahmed said between 30 and 40 members of his clan who also live in Columbus have talked to federal prosecutors after receiving subpoenas in recent weeks.That account was confirmed by Jibril Hirsi, executive director of SomaliCAN, a Somali outreach group in Columbus that is not associated with Ahmed’s group. Hirsi is not among those who were issued subpoenas but has spoken to community members who were.The region that SSC represents sits between two areas of Somalia known as Somaliland and Puntland. The SSC is historically linked with Somaliland, a self-declared republic that has remained relatively peaceful. But while Somaliland wants to secede from the rest of the country, the SSC supports a unified Somalia, leading to violence between the two areas.Ahmed was last in Somalia in December for about two weeks. In March 2010, he was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, on suspicion of terrorism along with two other men as they tried to board a plane to Somalia. All three were released after a day. Ahmed blamed the arrest on “African politics.”Federal investigators have been concerned for years about alleged terrorist recruiting in U.S. Somali communities.

>> continue...Much of the attention has been focused on


XUBNAHA TIRSIGAN

EREYADA WARGEYSKA

| Tafatiraha wargeyska oo nooga wara-maysa sanadkii tagay

MAQAALADA BISHAN

| Intereetka iyo Caruurta

| Dhambaal; ku Aqoonyahada soomaliyeed

| Malinta dhalinyarada maajo

| Kibir waa lagu kufaa!

| Khilaafka Shariif iyo Shariif

| Beesha caalamka| Siilaanyo oo sii daayay max-

aabus

| Sheekadii Hammi aduun iyo Haasaawe Jaceyl

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SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH Nr 2011:AUG

Ereyada Tafatirada

S/C

Salaamo suuban dhamaan akhristayaasha SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH.

Hadii weli dhulkii hooyo dhib ka jiro, oo ragi is heystaan waxa la isku heystana ay wada ogyihiin inay yihiin sidi tii beriga dhexe!

Arrinku waa Beriga dhexe waxa aloola jeedaa malaha xal. Raga soomalidana wey ogyihiin hadii ninba, beelba, gruupba ay halkey taagan yihiin ay taagnaadaan in arrinku beriga dhexe noqonayo!

Nin aoomali ah oo mutacalim ah oo aan akhristay baa yiri ”waa danaha gaarka” cadowga ugu weyn ee maanta soomaliya hortaagan. Wuxuu yiri ma aha qabaaileysi, ma aha diin, mana aha wax kale lakin raga iyo dumarka yar ee namatalaya ayaa danahood agaarka ah ka hor mariyey tan ummada!

Waan ku raacsanahay analyze;ka uu sameeyey ninkaa (maku raacsan tahay) eeg beyjajka 14 iyo 17

Ummadi soomaaliyeedna qurbihi ayaa dhibaatooyin kale ku heystaan. Kaan tirsigan kusoo qaadanay aya ah carruta iyo internetka. Waa balo anaan hore loo aqoon, dhib aanan jirin internetka ka hor si fudud caruurti oo aqalka kuu joogtana kaana maqan! ka akhriso beyjajka 5-7

Siilaanyo oo loogu riyaaqay talaabada uu dhawaan qaaday tusayana inuu yahay taliye/hogaamiye casri ah. Wuxuu xabsiga kasii daayay rag iyo dumar tiradoodu la egtahay todobaatameeyo! bejka 18.

Sidoo kale waxaan bishi hore la dabaaldegnay dhalinta soomaiyeed maalinta 15 maajo.Dhalinta soomaliyeed xaalkoodu waa sidee? fadlan iisoo gudbi fikradaada (eeg bayjka 12)

Akhris Wacan!!!


Somalia’s transitional parliament extended its mandateUN Security Council:-Somalia’s transitional period was originally scheduled to end in August but the transitional parliament recently extended its mandate, without carrying out necessary reforms, by three years beyond that deadline,The Security Council today called on the world community to provide urgently needed equipment to African peacekeepers in Somalia to consolidate recent fragile gains in stabilizing a country torn asunder by factional fighting for the past 20 years.

“The Security Council stresses the importance of predictable, reliable and timely resources for AMISOM,” the 15-member body said in a presidential statement, using the acronym

acronym of the African Union peacekeeping mission, during a day-long debate on the Horn of Africa country. It also stressed the need to reinforce the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

“The Security Council calls on the international community to make contributions urgently and without caveats to the UN Trust Fund for AMISOM or directly in support of AMISOM,” it added, underlying shortfalls in a force whose increase to 12,000 troops from 8,000 it authorized in December.

It was a message Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted in a speech at the beginning of the debate, at which some 40 Member States are speaking.“AMISOM and the TFG need more than authorized troop levels – they need actual troops, equipment and enhanced capacity,” he said, stressing that the African force would be even more effective if it had more resources,

resources, including helicopters and support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

“The military gains by the Transitional Federal Government and AMISOM are fragile. The humanitarian situation is dire. Violence continues to rage,” he added of a country that has not had a functioning central government since 1991, and where Al Shabaab Islamist and other rebel groups now control much of the land, especially the south, and areas of Mogadishu, the capital.The TFG and AMISOM have succeeded in expanding their lines in Mogadishu, and with its ally Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa the TFG has taken control of major southern towns held by insurgents. “We must help them to sustain these gains in order to restore security and deliver basic services, humanitarian aid and support for recovery and reconstruction,” Mr. Ban said.“The international community must keep its end of the bargain. There are critical gaps in the UN support package to AMISOM, and significant shortfalls of military assets and equipment. I appeal to Member States to increase their contributions to the Trust Fund for AMISOM and to reimburse contingent-owned equipment and troop-contributing countries.”Somalia’s transitional period was originally scheduled to end in August but the transitional parliament recently extended its mandate, without carrying out necessary reforms, by three years beyond that deadline, by which time it was to enact a new constitution and hold general elections. The Council today urged it to refrain from any further unilateral actions.It called on the TFG to engage in reaching agreement on post-transitional arrangements “in a more constructive, open and transparent

transparent manner that promotes broader political dialogue and participation.”It also voiced serious concern at the worsening humanitarian situation, compounded by the current drought, which has left some 2.4 million Somalis in urgent need of aid and noted a continuing decline in humanitarian funding for Somalia.Mr. Ban cited reports that the drought had displaced some 50,000 people during the past two months, while in the central Hiraan region 70 per cent of the population is in crisis and food has not been distributed there since the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to suspend its operations there in January 2010 because of fighting.“This year’s humanitarian appeal for Somalia seeks $529 million for urgent needs. As of last month, only one quarter of that amount had been funded,” he warned.On piracy, which has plagued the waters off Somalia’s shores, at times interfering with UN efforts to feed the country’s desperately poor, the Council condemned “in the strongest terms such violence, including hostage taking, murder and other acts of violence against individuals.” It called for a comprehensive response to tackle piracy and its underlying causes.In calling for today’s debate China, which holds the Council’s monthly presidency for March, noted that pirate attacks soared from 35 in 2005 to 219 last year, and that more than 20 ships with some 700 sailors are still in captivity.Mr. Ban also noted the underlying causes, calling for an integrated response to piracy based on three pillars: deterrence, development, and security. He has frequently stated that development, by providing alternative job opportunities on shore, forms a central plank in combating the scourge.


“Somalia urgently needs our help. It faces levels of violence, damaging weather conditions and insecurity that would shake even strong countries,” he concluded. “AMISOM and the TFG have made some progress. But they need more support.“If we reinforce the military gains, provide humanitarian relief and achieve political progress, we can set Somalia on course for greater stability and peace. If we fail, we risk a growing humanitarian crisis, a deteriorating security situation, and a worsening threat to regional peace and stability.”

10 March 2011 – The Security Council today called on the world community to provide urgently needed equipment to African peacekeepers in Somalia to consolidate recent fragile gains in stabilizing a country torn asunder by factional fighting for the past 20 years.“The Security Council stresses the importance of predictable, reliable and timely resources for AMISOM,” the 15-member body said in a presidential statement, using the acronym of the African Union peacekeeping mission, during a day-long debate on the Horn of Africa country. It also stressed the need to reinforce the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

“The Security Council calls on the international community to make contributions urgently and without caveats to the UN Trust Fund for AMISOM or directly in support of AMISOM,” it added, underlying shortfalls in a force whose increase to 12,000 troops from 8,000 it authorized in December.It was a message Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted in a speech at the beginning of the debate, at which some 40 Member States are speaking.“AMISOM and the TFG need more than

authorized troop levels – they need actual troops, equipment and enhanced capacity,” he said, stressing that the African force would be even more effective if it had more resources, including helicopters and support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.“The military gains by the Transitional Federal Government and AMISOM are fragile. The humanitarian situation is dire. Violence continues to rage,” he added of a country that has not had a functioning central government since 1991, and where Al Shabaab Islamist and other rebel groups now control much of the land, especially the south, and areas of Mogadishu, the capital.The TFG and AMISOM have succeeded in expanding their lines in Mogadishu, and with its ally Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa the TFG has taken control of major southern towns held by insurgents. “We must help them to sustain these gains in order to restore security and deliver basic services, humanitarian aid and support for recovery and reconstruction,” Mr. Ban said.“The international community must keep its end of the bargain. There are critical gaps in the UN support package to AMISOM, and significant shortfalls of military assets and equipment. I appeal to Member States to increase their contributions to the Trust Fund for AMISOM and to reimburse contingent-owned equipment and troop-contributing countries.”Somalia’s transitional period was originally scheduled to end in August but the transitional parliament recently extended its mandate, without carrying out necessary reforms, by three years beyond that deadline, by which time it was to enact a new constitution and hold general elections. The Council today urged it to refrain from any further unilateral actions.

It called on the TFG to engage in reaching agreement on post-transitional arrangements “in a more constructive, open and transparent manner that promotes broader political dialogue and participation.”It also voiced serious concern at the worsening humanitarian situation, compounded by the current drought, which has left some 2.4 million Somalis in urgent need of aid and noted a continuing decline in humanitarian funding for Somalia.

Mr. Ban cited reports that the drought had displaced some 50,000 people during the past two months, while in the central Hiraan region 70 per cent of the population is in crisis and food has not been distributed there since the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to suspend its operations there in January 2010 because of fighting.“This year’s humanitarian appeal for Somalia seeks $529 million for urgent needs. As of last month, only one quarter of that amount had been funded,” he warned.

On piracy, which has plagued the waters off Somalia’s shores, at times interfering with UN efforts to feed the country’s desperately poor, the Council condemned “in the strongest terms such violence, including hostage taking, murder and other acts of violence against individuals.” It called for a comprehensive response to tackle piracy and its underlying causes.

In calling for today’s debate China, which holds the Council’s monthly presidency for March, noted that pirate attacks soared from 35 in 2005 to 219 last year, and that more than 20 ships with some 700 sailors are still in captivity.Mr. Ban also noted the underlying causes,

Mr. Ban also noted the underlying causes, calling for an integrated response to piracy based on three pillars: deterrence, development, and security. He has frequently stated that development, by providing alternative job opportunities on shore, forms a central plank in combating the scourge.“Somalia urgently needs our help. It faces levels of violence, damaging weather conditions and insecurity that would shake even strong countries,” he concluded. “AMISOM and the TFG have made some progress. But they need more support.“If we reinforce the military gains, provide humanitarian relief and achieve political progress, we can set Somalia on course for greater stability and peace. If we fail, we risk a growing humanitarian crisis, a deteriorating security situation, and a worsening threat to regional peace and stability.”

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SOMALIA ÄR I KRIS

vAD KAN DU PERSONLIGEN GÖRA ÅT DET?

Somalia: Is recognition for Somaliland near?ByAlgel213: Iska warran, waxaan ku faraxsanahay iSomalilanders have jubilantly celebrated the 20th anniversary since the declaration of Somaliland as county that is no longer a part of the Somali Republic. It took Somaliland ten years to form political parties and another ten years to conduct two presidential elections successfully.

The success of Somaliland partly lies in the two policies that the late Somaliland president, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, implemented after he was elected a president in 1993. Unlike southern Somalia where the triumphant United Somali Congress embarked on a campaign to dispossess and displace people , president Egal promoted respect for property rights and use of traditional conflict resolution methods to diffuse tensions . He called for dissolution of Somali National Movement, an armed opposition group, and demobilisation of former fighters .Puntland has used a similar citizenship-based approach by encouraging internally displaced people from Somalia’s Southern regions to be settled in major cities such as Boosaaso.

Somaliland an Puntland have had territorial disputes since the latter came into existence in 1998 but now the two administrations maintain good relations. President Abdirahman Farole of Puntland told journalists in Boosaaso that Sool, Sanaag and Cayn leadership are funded by the Mogadishu-based Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to “ drive a wedge between Puntland and Somaliland.”

Federalism questioned

The establishment of Puntland in 1998 was welcomed by seasoned analysts as a development that was different from Somaliland’s search for secession and southern Somalia’s persistent clan

clan warfare. The Kenya-sponsored reconciliation conference in 2004 gave Puntlad an advantage to sell federalism as the best alterative to reconstitute the Somali state. Nearly seven years after Transitional Federal Institutions were formed, federalism has been interpreted as a move to set up multiple regional administrations in southern Somalia

Mohamed Ibrahim Haabsade, a Mogadishu-based Somali MP and one-time co-leader of now defunct Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) has called for a war against the Somali Diaspora “ They ( the Diaspora) have formed more than four regional administrations while in exile. They are more dangerous than those operating under the cloak of religion.” Habsade said. Mr Habasde was referring to two presidents for South-western regional administration appointed in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

Punltland funded the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia when the founding president of Puntland, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, was TFG president (2004-2008) . President Farole aims to form political parties but he faces a many

many challenges.

“ The government’s time and resources are now expended on reconciling feuding clans,” Abdirashid Mohamed Hersi, Puntland Parliamentary Speaker told audience at a meeting in which Puntland Development and Research Centre presented the outcome of research into the Pillars of Peace and Democratisation.

Sool, Sanaag and Cayn Question

In April 2011 a consultative meeting was held in London to discuss the possibility of holding a meeting in Somalia for pro-union sub-clans in Sool, Sanaag and Cayn. Conference co-organiser, Ahmed Essa Abdi, told Taleex.net that no regional administration was formed at the meeting, apparently in response to a question about Saleebaan Isse Xaglatoosiye, chairman of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn Leadership Council who told BBC Somali Service that he “ is the president of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regional administration ”. Recognition for Somaliland will present unionists in Sool, Sanaag and Cayn with a difficult choice to join Somaliland or a wait for the emergence of an effective government in southern Somalia. “


United States Concer-ned over TFG Attempts to Block Travel U.S. Em-bassy, Nairobi, Kenya

The United States expresses its concern about the Transitional Federal Government’s (TFG) decision to prevent more than 40 Somali parliamentarians, including MPs who are American citizens, from leaving Mogadishu on May 9, 2011. According to accounts, several parliamentarians were threatened with weapons and at least three were physically as-saulted by security personnel.

The majority of the parliamentarians were en route to an elections workshop in Nairobi. Some par-liamentarians were en route to a separate event in Ethiopia. Several others were departing on personal travel. The TFG reportedly blocked the parliamentarian’s travel because it opposed their participation in the workshop, which had been or-ganized to discuss modalities for holding elections for the Parliamentary Speaker and TFG President later this year.

This action follows other efforts by the TFG in re-cent weeks to stifle peaceful political discussion and to silence its critics. The United States reminds the TFG of the commitment it made to the United Nations Security Council to enhance reconciliation and complete the transitional tasks which include completing the constitutional process that will end the transitional period and bring sovereignty and legitimacy back to Somalia.

SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH

Somalia’s problems need economic solutions“Since my appointment, I have done a little bit of reading about the situation in Somalia and come to the conclusion it needs a homegrown solution” Jerry Rawlings, Africa Union’s High Representa-tive to Somalia

Somalia’s political problems continue to confound those working to help Somalia become a country with an effective government. This paper discus-ses barriers to achieving that goal and puts forward an approach from micro-economic theory to solve political problems gradually. Since 1991, when the central government collapsed after military dictatorship was ousted, organising reconciliation conferences for Somalia’s political actors was the handy approach favoured by Somalia neighbouring countries and the international community. Why have all conferences failed to produce an effective government?

The short answer to this questions is: the same ap-proach has been used to expect a different result. Somali politicians’ failures have created reliance on Somalia’s partners collectively known as the in-ternational community in a bid to facilitate a poli-tical outcome favourable to all political actors. The presence in Somalia of religious extremists the in-ternational community considers a threat to regio-nal and world security is what is partly driving the international community’s renewed commitment to helping Somalis form durable political institutions. That goal has not been achieved so far. Twenty ye-ars ago the political struggles in Somalia took the form of clan wars. Now non-extremist political ac-tors are in less violent but no less divisive political struggles in Nairobi, the seat of many international organisations working in Somalia, in Addis Ababa, the seat African Union and in Cairo, the seat of the Arab League.

The United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) based in Nairobi and headed by the UN Special Representative Ambassador Augustine Mahiga was established on 15 April 1995, “to … advance the cause of peace and reconciliation th-rough contacts with Somali leaders, civic organisa-tions and the states and organisations concerned.”The UNPOS adjusts its policies to the new reali-ties in Somalia as the following three points from its mandate based on Security Council Resolution 1863 (2009) show:

a) UNPOS and the UNCT shall continue to promote a lasting peace and stability in Soma-lia through the implementation of the Djibo-uti Peace Agreement and to facilitate coordination of international support to the efforts

b) to assist, in conjunction with regio-nal and international donors partners and other in-ter ested parties, in supporting the effective re-establishment, training and retention of inclusi-ve Somali security forces, including military, police and judiciary, to hold donor conference to solicit contributions to establish a trust fund in sup-port to these activities

c) to coordinate all activities of the United Nations System in Somalia, to provide good offices and political support for the efforts to establish las-ting peace and stability in Somalia and to mo-bilise resources and support from the international community for both immediate reco- ery and long-term economic development

The United Nations is better placed to coordinate humanitarian activities and facilitate communi-cation among various political actors in Somalia because several United Nations organisations are operating in the country. It was only after 2009 when the UNPOS exerted more effort in helping Somalia implement the United Nations sponso-red Djibouti peace process. In 2010 when a po-wer struggle caused the Somali president Sharif Ahmed to sack his former prime minister, Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke , Ambassador Mahiga’s

Mahiga’s predecessor, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, supported the president on his decision to sack the prime minister. President Sharif had to reinstate the prime minister who argued president Sharif “has” violated the transitional charter. The power struggle resurfaced and resulted in resignation of prime minister Sharmarke. The power struggle was not unique to the administration of president Sharif and prime minister Sharmarke; their prede-cessors had similar power struggles.

As the end of transitional period for Somalia’s transitional federal institutions draws near, the president and speaker of the parliament, Sharif Hassan, have disagreed on the extension of the transitional period and time-frame for holding a parliamentary session to select a president before the end of August 2011. In the Security Council meeting held in Nairobi in May, the president and the parliamentary speaker were urged to “ engage immediately and constructively with SRSG Ma-higa who has the full support of the UN Secretary-General and the whole of the Security Council in the consultative process he is facilitating.”

Before the expansion of the transitional federal par-liament in 2009 to include parliamentarians from the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia wing that signed the Djibouti agreement, ex-warlords, Puntland regional administration and clans repre-sentatives were the main players but now new po-litical actors— Alliance for Reliberation of Soma-lia faction led by president Sharif Ahmed and the parliamentary speaker, Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a and a small faction from now-defunct Hisbul Islam led by Sheikh Yusuf Mohamud Indha’adde— have joined the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI).

The International community is trying to strike a balance among three goals—supporting nascent political institutions, nurturing existing regional administrations and countering the threat of Hara-kat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen. Fully-functioning state in Somalia will be the bulwark against terro-rism and piracy. Achieving this goal was made har-der by Somali political actors’ lack of commitment

SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH commitment to peace-making and national recon-struction.

An economic approach

Solutions to Somalia’s persistent political problems have been sought in such diverse disciplines as po-litical science, political geography and social anth-ropology. The search for approaches from other so-cial science disciplines such as economics will help not only clarify the nature of political problems but will help researchers and policy-makers see how Somali political actors’ responses affect internatio-nal community’s Somalia policies.

The international community on which any post-1991 Somali government has depended for finance and capacity-building allocates resources for servi-ces and projects conducted by organisations such as United Nations and its local and international part-ners. In this context ideas expounded in The Mar-ket for Lemons: Quality Uncertainty and the Mar-ket Mechanism, a classic paper by George Akerlof an American economist and Nobel Laureate, is relevant to our discussion. Professor Akerlof’s paper is about a market situation in a which a buyer wants to buy a good quality second-hand car but finds two second-hand cars—one with defects and one without defects— on sale in the market. Each seller knows the quality of his/her car but the po-tential buyer doesn’t. In such a market situation a seller of poor quality second-hand car will drive the seller of good quality car out of the market.

In Somalia moderate political actors ( representa-tives of clans, leaders of regional administrations, Transitional Federal Government and parliament members) are sellers. Somali people and the in-ternational community are buyers: Somalis are expected to buy any political outcome the inter-national community endorses; the international community funds projects and gives credibility to political actors it seems to be genuinely pro-peace. The international community plays the role of a buyer but it is also a seller to the Somali people who are expected by put their weight behind any effort the international community considers to

considers to have transformative potential to re-constitute the Somali state.The role the international community is manda-ted to play is to support politically inclusive ini-tiatives; it shares the seller’s characteristics with Somalia’s political actors . Professor Akerlof ar-gued that asymmetric information characterises many markets: “actors on one side of the market have much better information than those on the other.” More than 20 years ago Somalis expected a positive outcome from a regime change after 21 years of military dictatorship.

The agents of change (armed opposition groups) shared “change goal” but had opposing political agendas. They had one thing in common with the regime they toppled : each wanted to impose on Somalis non-inclusive political intuitions far more degrading than the military dictatorship’s reign of terror. This fact was not known to Somalis yearning for a regime change. Having a goal to reconstitute the Somali state is as important as toppling a dic-tatorship but in Somalia’s case neither goal has produced the desired effect to change the situa-tion for better. The process of helping Somalis to rebuild their political institutions ought not to look like a market situation affected by asymmetric in-formation in which buyers buy wrong political out-come(“ adverse selection”).

There are different political and economic realities in Somalia. Using the tools of micro-economic the-ory to address Somalia’s problems may not lead to favouring a politician or a constituency in Somalia over another on the basis of concrete political ac-hievements. The international community will be more realistic about the abilities and integrity of its local partners and will look like an impartial body interested in helping Somalia recover from more than two decades of statelessness. Finding home-grown solution to Somalia’s problems begins with understating how Somalis make sense of political realities. Donor countries would be glad to see that their assistance is making difference politically and economically in Somalia. The main indicator for such a progress is Somalis putting their trust

trust in political institutions headed by leaders with no credibility gap between what they are saying and what they are doing.References Akerlof, G (1970) “The Market for ‘Lemons’”: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 84: 353–374.

SOMALITIMES/ENGLISH


Security Council Urges Somalia’s Governing Institutions to Reach AgreementNoting that the transitional period in Somalia would end in August, the Security Council today urged the East African nation’s Transitional Federal Institutions to reach agreement as soon as possible on the holding of elections for the President and the Speaker of Parliament.

In a statement read out by Gérard Araud (France), its President for May, the Council expressed con-cern about the discord between the Institutions and its impact on the country’s political processes and security situation. It also expressed regret at their having unilaterally extended their respective man-dates and urged them to refrain from any further such actions.

Noting with concern that many core transitional tasks set out in the 2008 Djibouti Peace Agreement and the Transitional Federal Charter remained out-standing, the Council called upon the institutions to “ensure cohesion, unite and focus” on completing those tasks, notably reconciliation, the Constitution and ensuring basic service delivery.Furthermore, the Council deeply regretted the fai-lure of the Transitional Federal Government to par-ticipate in April’s High-Level Consultative Meet-ing on post-transitional arrangements, convened in Nairobi by the Special Representative of the Secre-tary-General, and urged the Government to “enga-ge fully, constructively and without further delay” in the consultative process in order to advance the peace process. In that context, the Council welco-med the upcoming consultative meeting scheduled for June in Mogadishu, the capital, and urged all Somali stakeholders to participate.In addition, the Council called on the Transitional Federal Government to take advantage of tactical gains made by the African Union Mission in So-

Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali security for-ces in consolidating security and stability in the capital by delivering basic services and integrating military objectives into a clear political strategy. It called for an increased United Nations presence in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

Briefing the Council earlier, Augustine Mahiga, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Political Office in Somalia (UNPOS), said the single most divisive issue among Mogadishu’s political groups was whether to hold elections in July or defer them un-til a later date. He stressed the urgent need to reach consensus on when and how to hold the elections, to define the mandate of the next dispensation and to defuse the stalemate between the legislative and executive branches of Government.

Regardless of the election date, he said, UNPOS was preparing a road map that would suggest benchmarks, timelines and resource requirements for the next Government to implement priority transitional tasks that its predecessor had failed to carry out. Regrettably, the process of political outreach and reconciliation by the Transitional Fe-deral Institutions had stalled since the signing of the 2008 Djibouti Agreement, he continued, noting that the High-Level Committee provided for in the accord, with the aim of promoting dialogue among Somali actors, had not met since December 2009, despite his constant calls for it to do so.

Moreover, the President and Speaker had not worked together since the beginning of February, he noted, adding that Parliament’s unilateral de-cision to extend its term by three years and the Government’s deferral of elections for a year had further polarized relations between the two. While neither the President nor the Prime Minister had at-tended the April consultative meeting in Nairobi, he said he was heartened by the Transitional Fe-deral Government’s decision to hold a multi-stake-holder meeting in June to carry on the consultative process. UNPOS would fully support that initia-tive, he stressed.

Emphasizing AMISOM’s crucial role in stabilizing Somalia, he said it would soon receive 3,000 ad-ditional troops from Burundi and Uganda, bring-ing its total authorized strength to 12,000. Still, the Mission needed force enablers and specialized capabilities, notably helicopters, he said. With its effectiveness impeded by critical resource gaps, Member States must fully support AMISOM with sustained troop and in-kind contributions so that it could close equipment gaps and fully carry out its mandate.Noting the African Union’s call for the Council to take more robust action to prevent supplies from reaching insurgents, the port of Kismayo had in-creasingly become a commercial hub for the Al-Shabaab extremist group, he said, stressing that the Council’s Sanctions Committee must consider action against violators of the United Nations arms embargo operating through Kismayo’s harbour and airport.Turning to piracy off the coast of Somalia, he said UNPOS and the United Nations Office of Legal Af-fairs were preparing a report for the Council on the establishment of specialized courts to try suspected pirates and continue to develop regional prosecu-tion and prison capacities. UNPOS was setting up a piracy unit as the United Nations focal point for coordinating all related activity, he added.

Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia said Transitional Federal Government troops and AMISOM forces were reclaiming signi-ficant territory from extremist groups in Mogadishu and areas bordering Kenya and Ethiopia. They had recaptured key districts and towns in Gedo and Juba. “Together, the [Transitional Federal Go-vernment] and AMISOM forces continue to push the extremist forces back each and every week,” he said, emphasizing that “defeating extremists from Somalia requires the same level of commitment to that of Afghanistan and Iraq”. Calling on the in-ternational community to bolster logistical support so that Government troops and AMISOM could consolidate and sustain those gains, he thanked Burundi and Uganda for contributing troops. “We hope that the efforts of AMISOM forces in Soma-

Somalia will show the world that African countries can solve their problems regionally,” he said.He criticized as unconstitutional the Transitional Federal Parliament’s unilateral decision to extend its term for three years without first consulting pro-perly with other Transitional Federal Institutions. Those institutions would cease to exist as of August 2011, and the current Parliament lacked a constitu-tional mandate to elect a new President, he pointed out. “A post-August legally elected legislature will be the legitimate Parliament to elect a President,” he added.

The President had called on Parliament to reconsi-der its decision, but the Speaker had so far rejected that appeal, he said. “With such visible progress on the ground, this is the worst possible time to be distracted by untenable election processes and the divisive campaigning that will inevitably take place,” the Prime Minister said, warning that Al-Shabaab would surely capitalize on that division to try and strength its position.He said that to address the situation, he had asked Parliament and international partners to extend the mandate of the Transitional Federal Institutions for 12 months in order to further stabilize and secure the country politically, thus creating a chance for free and fair elections. He said he had appointed a ministerial committee and asked Parliament to meet with it in order to settle differences amicably and reach consensus on the way forward. Further-more, the Transitional Federal Government would hold a multi-stakeholder meeting in June to carry on the consultative process, he added.The Somali people’s support for and confidence in their Government was growing thanks to the latter’s steady efforts to deliver services and good governance, he said. Civil society groups were beginning to mobilize, and in the past two months alone, the Government had opened a new hospital, taken charge of operations at a school adjacent to the Jaziira military training camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, and set up two other schools for poor and orphaned children. Moreover, private inves-tors were sinking their money into new construc-tion projects, he said, adding that the first national television and newspaper, Dalka, had recently rel-


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Somalia was in the first line of defence against the two evils of piracy and terrorism, both of which were rooted in lawlessness, poverty and unemploy-ment, he said. In light of the killing of Osama bin Laden, his Government had declared a state of high alert, due to credible information that Al-Qaida and Al-Shabaab were planning revenge attacks. He also stressed that the rule of law must be brought back on land to defeat piracy on the high seas. Overall, the Transitional Federal Government’s five main priorities continued to be improving se-curity, enhancing reconciliation, completing transi-tional tasks, addressing the humanitarian crisis and promoting good governance, he said.Reta Alemu Nega (Ethiopia) said progress over the past week towards improving security in Somalia could potentially change the country’s political landscape. Those gains should be preserved and built upon as they had major positive implications for the fight against global and regional terrorist groups.

He said that focusing on the weaknesses of the So-mali authorities was unfair and may not serve com-mon objectives. The point was to give AMISOM more security support so that it could better help the Transitional Federal Government on a range of issues, and to engage in serious consultations, dra-wing on security gains, on how to sort through the country’s political problems.The meeting began at 10:15 a.m. and suspended at 11:05 a.m. Resuming at 1:30 p.m., it ended at 1:40 p.m.

Presidential StatementThe full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2011/10 reads as follows:“The Security Council reiterates its grave concern at the continued instability in Somalia, which has led to a multitude of problems, including terrorism, acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, hostage taking and a dire humanitarian situation, and reiterates the need for a comprehensi-ve strategy to encourage the establishment of peace

peace and stability in Somalia through the collabo-rative efforts of all stakeholders.“The Security Council reiterates its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political indepen-dence and unity of Somalia. It reaffirms its sup-port for the Djibouti Agreement and peace process as the basis for the resolution of the conflict in Somalia. It reiterates the importance of political outreach and reconciliation in Somalia, and stres-ses the importance of broad-based, representative institutions reached through a political process ul-timately inclusive of all.“The Security Council expresses its support for the work of Augustine P. Mahiga, Special Representa-tive of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the United Nations and the African Union to promote peace and reconciliation in Somalia.“The Security Council notes that the transitional period will end in August 2011. It commends the work of the SRSG to facilitate the consultative process amongst Somalis in their efforts to reach an agreement on post-transitional arrangements, in consultation with the international community and within the framework of the Djibouti Agreement. In this regard, it welcomes the High-Level Consul-tative Meeting held in Nairobi on 12 and 13 April 2011. The Security Council welcomes the parti-cipation of a wide range of Somali stakeholders and partners. It deeply regrets the failure by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to partici-pate in this consultative meeting and urges the TFG to engage fully, constructively and without further delay in the consultative process facilitated by the SRSG, and to support his efforts to move the peace process forward.“The Security Council welcomes the upcoming consultative meeting to be held in Mogadishu, which will further the debate generated at the High-Level Consultative Meeting in Nairobi. The Council urges all Somali stakeholders to participate in this meeting and play a role in finalizing arrang-ements for ending the transition in August 2011. It calls upon the international community, the United Nations and international organizations to fully support this meeting.“The Security Council reiterates the primary re-sponsibility of Somalis to achieve peace, security


security and reconciliation in Somalia. It regrets the decisions taken by the Transitional Federal In-stitutions (TFIs) to extend their mandates unilate-rally and urges them to refrain from further unila-teral action. The Security Council urges the TFIs to focus on implementing reforms to build their legitimacy, representativeness and credibility, and to reach agreement as soon as possible on the hol-ding of elections for the positions of President and Speaker of Parliament, without which there can be no extension.“The Security Council expresses concern at the dis-cord between the TFIs and its impact on the politi-cal process and the security situation. It calls upon the TFIs to ensure cohesion, unite and focus on the completion of the transitional tasks set out by the Djibouti Agreement and the Transitional Charter. It stresses the importance of cooperation and collec-tive leadership by the President and Speaker.“The Security Council notes with concern that many core transitional tasks remain outstanding and urges the TFIs to demonstrate tangible results on the completion of these tasks before the end of the transition, prioritizing progress on reconcilia-tion, the Constitution and facilitating the delivery of basic services. It notes its intention to keep the situation under review, and notes that its future sup-port to the TFIs will be contingent upon the deli-very of tangible results.“The Security Council strongly commends the pro-gress made by the African Union Mission in Soma-lia (AMISOM) and the Somali security forces in consolidating security and stability in Mogadishu and recognizes the significant sacrifices made by these forces. It calls on the TFG to take advantage of these tactical gains by demonstrating progress on facilitating the delivery of basic services, the in-tegration of military objectives into a clear political strategy in line with the Djibouti Agreement, and all the other benchmarks spelled out in operative paragraph 3 of resolution 1964 (2010). It calls for an increased United Nations presence in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia, and calls on the United Nations to work in a coordinated manner.“The Security Council reiterates its full support to AMISOM and expresses its continued appreciation

appreciation for the commitment of troops by the Governments of Burundi and Uganda. It stresses the importance of predictable, reliable and timely resources for AMISOM in order for it to better ful-fil its mandate. The Security Council calls upon the international community to make contributions urgently to AMISOM, without caveats. It notes the recommendations on Somalia of the African Union Peace and Security Council of 15 October 2010 and underlines its intension to keep the situation under review.“The Security Council calls upon all States, par-ticularly in the region, to fully implement the So-malia and Eritrea arms embargoes. The Security Council condemns attacks, including terrorist at-tacks, on the TFG, AMISOM and the civilian po-pulation by armed opposition groups and foreign fighters, particularly Al-Shabaab. It calls upon all opposition groups to lay down their arms and join the peace process.”BackgroundBefore the Council was the report of the Secretary-General on Somalia (document S/2011/277), which calls urgently on international partners to provide military and humanitarian support to enable the Transitional Federal Government and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to stabilize, recover and rebuild the capital, Mogadishu.“If we can reinforce the military gains, provide hu-manitarian relief and achieve political progress, we can set Somalia on course to greater stability and peace,” the Secretary-General writes. “If we fail, we risk a growing humanitarian crisis, a deterio-rating security situation and a worsening threat to regional peace and security, he warns, stressing that the international community must “keep its end of the bargain”.According to the report, the Secretary-General welcomes efforts by the Transitional Federal Go-vernment to expand its control in Mogadishu and take hold of major towns in south-central Soma-lia, which have been under attack by Al-Shabaab and other Islamist militants, forcing thousands of people to flee. He condemns the use of civilians as shields and the launching of attacks from populated areas.

The report notes that the decision by the African Union and the European Union to raise AMISOM allowances to the United Nations levels will help the Transitional Federal Government to bring more territory under its control. However, resource gaps continue to have an adverse impact on the Mission’s effectiveness, possibly discouraging troop contributors. The Secretary-General calls on Member States to make prompt and generous pay-ments to the United Nations trust fund in support of AMISOM, “without caveats”, or direct bilateral donations.Calling for reinforcing police capacity, establishing basic administrative services and other measures to stabilize the security situation in areas recovered from Al-Shabaab, the Secretary-General also en-courages Council members to take more steps to disrupt the group’s supply lines for arms and other goods. On the humanitarian front, he expresses concern over the unfolding drought, and notes that, as of April, only one quarter of this year’s $529 million humanitarian appeal has been funded

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Empowering Somali Youth Economically Instead of joining militias or idling at street cor-ners, the youth in Garowe, the regional capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, are learning skills to help them earn a living, of-ficials said.A local NGO, the Farsano Technical Institute, is implementing the project, which is funded by the Education Development Center (EDC), an Ame-rican NGO. Trainees learn skills such as welding, plumbing and electrical services; carpentry, auto mechanics, bookkeeping, and IT.Instead of joining militias or idling at street cor-ners, the youth in Garowe, the regional capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, are learning skills to help them earn a living, of-ficials said.A local NGO, the Farsano Technical Institute, is implementing the project, which is funded by the Education Development Center (EDC), an Ame-rican NGO. Trainees learn skills such as welding,


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Empowering Somali Youth Economically >>welding, plumbing and electrical services; car-pentry, auto mechanics, bookkeeping, and IT.“These are young people in their teens and 20s; most, if not all, were born during the civil war,” said Abdihakim Mohamed Jama, of the Farsano Technical Institute. “We have to find something for them to do or they may end up in criminal gangs, such as militia groups.”Jama said the project, Shaqa Doon (“Looking for a job” in Somali) started early this year with 156 trainees.“We have two types of trainees; those with no edu-cation and those with some education,” he said, ad-ding that some had completed primary school while others had a secondary school education, “but most are illiterate.”Jama said, “Bookkeeping and IT are taught to those with education, because the others cannot manage. We also teach reading, writing and basic mathema-tics to those who never had an education. So while they are learning the skills, we are also teaching them how to read and write.”Of the total number of current trainees, Jama said, 38 are women.One of the trainees, Amina Mohamed Nur, 20, said after completing primary school, she could not af-ford secondary school fees.“I was basically sitting at home doing nothing; when I heard about the project I applied and was accepted.”Nur chose to train as a mechanic, an unusual profes-sion for a woman from a conservative community. “I am not the only one,” she tsays. “Four other girls are with me in this training. Since I was a child, I always wanted to work with cars. I don’t know why but that is what I wanted to do.”She said she would eventually like to own a ga-rage.Nur Hassan Hussein, 25, from Garowe, was unem-ployed when he heard about Farsano. He had drop-

Nur Hassan Hussein, 25, from Garowe, was unem-ployed when he heard about Farsano. He had drop-ped out of school due to a lack of funds and is train-ing to become an electrician. “I want to be the best electrician I can be and then eventually start my own business.”Hussein said there were many young people like him “who would do anything to get this opportu-nity; I am very lucky.”Jama said that once they have finished the course, trainees “go out and become self-employed, placed in jobs with government agencies or with busines-ses and other groups. If they don’t get the first two options, we absorb them in Farsano and they help with the project.”“All these trainees are at-risk young people; if we save them now, they, in turn, will save others and contribute to the well-being of the community ins-tead of becoming a menace,” he said.The Farsano Technical Institute project is the only one in Garowe targeting the youth.“There are many young people out there who need help, but we cannot take them all,” Jama said, ur-ging other agencies to help with the growing num-ber of unemployed youth by “giving them the abi-lity and capacity to be productive members of their community.”

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Ohio-based leader of Somali group (SSC) trying to unite territories >> Much of the attention has been focused on Minnesota, the center of a federal investiga-tion into the travels of roughly 20 young So-mali men, believed to have returned to their homeland to join the terror group al-Shabab.

Across the country, the government has charged more than a dozen people with being participants in schemes to raise money for al-Shabab and recruit money and fighters from the U.S. to al-Shabab.Last year, federal authorities questioned a handful of Somali women in Columbus who raised money door-to-door for health care aid in their native country in a case that tied the money to terrorists.A federal indictment issued in Minnesota said one Columbus resident — who was not charged and not identified — helped a Minnesota woman raise money for al-Shabab.Somali leaders in Columbus and Minnesota have started education programs to deter youth from such terrorist recruiting. Somali leaders in Columbus meet regularly with local, state and federal police to share information and discuss concerns.The SSC was formed in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2009, when Ahmed was elected president. It is not on any U.S. list of terrorist organizations.Ahmed said the SSC is not an armed group and is not associated with any terrorist group, including al-Shabab.The SSC says it has been the victim of attacks by Somaliland. Somaliland accuses the group of fomenting war in Northern Somalia, including recent bombings of police stations in Somaliland.Ahmed “is a very dangerous and destructive individual who is waging a brutal war against his own people,” said Mahdi Abdi, deputy representative of the Herndon, Va.-based Somaliland Mission.Ahmed, 44, came to the United States in 1995 and lived in Phoenix and Minneapolis before moving to Columbus in 1999. He became a citizen in 2001.

SOMALITIMES

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Documents

ssc somalia

northern somalia

unified somalia

areas of somalia

terrorist group

somali outreach group

suleman ahmed

somali communities