International actors continue to play a direct—and often counter-productive—role in Somalia. Almost all key foreign actors including the African Union, United States, and European Union have adopted a policy of strong backing for the TFG that includes training and arming its fighters. Neighboring Kenya has under false pretenses recruited Somali youths from refugee camps to be fighters—contravening humanitarian principles and returning them to the very chaos they fled. Eritrea, in an effort to undermine the regional interests of its political foe Ethiopia, has supported al-Shabaab and other Somali opposition groups.
Governments supporting the TFG contend that it represents a real chance at peace and good governance for Somalia, while al-Shabaab is the potential leading edge of international terrorism in the region. Many analysts find this policy framework simplistic. But whatever its analytic merits, the policy has failed to achieve its goals. The TFG remains a weak faction confined to a small part of the capital that is under relentless military assault; it would almost certainly collapse without AMISOM’s backing. Somalia’s people continue to suffer pervasive human rights abuses and indiscriminate attacks and al-Shabaab has grown more powerful and radicalized despite increasing international pressure.
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There is no easy solution to the complex and deeply entrenched crisis that is tearing Somalia apart. But the UN, other intergovernmental bodies, and influential governments should first reverse the policies that are contributing to rampant abuses. The US government should stop sending mortars and mortar shells to the TFG in Mogadishu, as it had in 2009, so long as the weapons are used without regard to the laws of war, destroying homes and shattering families. UN institutions and key regional and western powers including the African Union should demand that AMISOM and TFG forces also abide by the laws of war instead of turning a blind eye to their allies’ abuses on the ground.
Al-Shabaab and other armed opposition groups should stop committing abuses such as firing mortars indiscriminately and from densely populated areas, using civilians as human shields, and recruiting child soldiers. Al-Shabaab should also halt floggings, amputations, decapitations, and other practices that contravene international human rights standards.
On the mortars,
Unlawful deployments of opposition forces within civilian areas do not permit TFG and AMISOM forces free rein to conduct retaliatory attacks. The obligation to respect international humanitarian law does not depend on reciprocity by belligerent forces.
TFG and AMISOM officials deny that their forces have conducted mortar attacks that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets but eyewitness accounts belie those claims.115 While residents of areas subject to bombardment usually lack direct evidence as to which side fired, attacks on neighborhoods in northern Mogadishu typically followed mortar attacks fired by opposition forces from those very areas against TFG and AMISOM strongholds in the south of the city. One AMISOM official insisted to Human Rights Watch that al-Shabaab itself conducts the indiscriminate mortar attacks on al-Shabaab-controlled areas to discredit AMISOM forces, but offered no evidence to support this implausible assertion.
Residents of TFG-held areas of southern Mogadishu told Human Rights Watch that following attacks from opposition-controlled areas they often saw mortar rounds being fired towards northern Mogadishu from TFG or AMISOM installations, including Villa Somalia and the AMISOM base near the airport.117 Both TFG and AMISOM forces are deployed around these locations. But mortar fire coming from the AMISOM base by the Mogadishu airport could only originate with AMISOM forces as no other armed groups are based there.
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While denying that their forces fire mortars indiscriminately, neither AMISOM nor TFG officials have explained any measures their forces take to verify that they are shelling military targets and acting to minimize civilian harm. When Human Rights Watch formally requested that AMISOM indicate whether any such measures were being employed, AMISOM’s response was limited to vague assurances that its forces “are not engaged in such act[s].” AMISOM then noted that “It is a well known fact that the insurgents deliberately launch attacks against AMISOM from densely populated civilian neighborhoods using the civilian population as human shields.” But as noted, laws-of-war violations by one party to a conflict do not justify abuses by the other side.
on Ould-Abdallah,
The UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah, has had a profound impact on shaping international policy towards Somalia. Ould-Abdullah was the driving force behind the Djibouti peace process, which brought TFG President Sharif and his wing of the opposition into the TFG in late 2008. But in Human Rights Watch’s view, his uncritical backing of the TFG and AMISOM has led his United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) to categorically reject evidence of serious abuses by either party—effectively causing the UN system as a whole to ignore those abuses.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has integrated its work on Somalia into UNPOS, which has set up a small human rights unit that is theoretically responsible for monitoring and reporting on human rights abuses in Somalia along with other activities. But the unit has engaged in virtually no human rights monitoring and has produced no public reporting on human rights issues. Instead, it has focused on building the capacity of TFG "institutions" that exist largely on paper.
Unfortunately, the larger counter-revolutionary context for the efforts of International actors in the creation of & push for the latest version of the TFG is still something that HRW and others are not willing to acknowledge.
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In his latest published piece at Garowe Online, A Second Independence Movement for Somalia,Michael Weinstein appeals to Somalis to produce leaders that may provide the framework for an independence movement that can withstand the "multi-lateral neo-colonialism" that he identifies as that country's most probable outcome given the current state of affairs. Considering Somalia's grassroots revolutionary potential spent, betrayed & broken, Weinstein advises that the burden of carving out a new nationalist drive for Somalia's self-determination rests largely on a yet-to-emerge leadership across various indigenous actors that can, over time, agree upon and coordinate some form of process (of their own design) to take back their country from the foreign powers responsible for the current mess.
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Garowe Online: Lawmakers meet President Sharif over Speaker row
More than 300 Somali lawmakers have handed over a motion of impeachment against speaker Sheikh Adan Madobe to President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as political bickering heats up in the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports.
The lawmakers met Sharif at the presidential palace Villa Somalia on Monday, where they asked him to intervene and save his fragile government from collapse.
"Sheikh Sharif told us that he would study the motion and get back to us as soon as possible," Somali MP Abdiadir Shiddo told reporters.
"The motion is in accordance to the law, and we are using clauses in the constitution to back our position. We can’t allow any individual to be above the law," said Omar Mohammed Islow, who was also among the lawmakers who met President Sharif.
The lawmakers argue that the term of the current Spekaer expired on August 2009, and would only allow him to hold the position through voting.
"Sheikh Adan Madobe was elected by 275 members, but he is supposed to get the vote of all 550 current sitting members, just like the way Sheikh Sharif did," added Islow.
The lawmakers said they are determined to elect an elder among them to hold the position in the meantime before a new election is held.
However, Speaker Adan Madobe on Tuesday came out defending his position, accusing the lawmakers, who initiated the motion against him, of having agendas to derail the government and hand over the country to the rebels.
“The lawmakers behind this plan are ones that want to the government to collapse so that the opposition would gain momentum,” he said, adding that some lawmakers are Al-Shabaab sympathizers.
Sheikh Madobe said the speaker shares same constitutional mandate with the parliament, vowing not to bow to pressure of resignation call.
“I am the speaker, and I will only relinquish my position when the term of the parliament expires. If the Somali people request me to step aside then I will comply but not to any other party,” he added.
The parliament is set to meet on Thursday for the first time since several months and the stage is set for battle of supremacy between pro-Madobe lawmakers on one side and several other MPs who are getting backings from top TFG officials including President sharif on the other side.
Somali president is said to be backing a bid to elect his right hand man, current Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan as the speaker.
The internal rife between top Somali leadership has derailed efforts by the UN-backed transition government to spread its reign in most part of the war-torn country, which is currently held by the insurgents.
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AP: Are pirate ransoms legal? Confusion over US order
Shipping companies with U.S. interests don't know if they are allowed to pay ransoms to Somali pirates anymore after President Obama declared them an "extraordinary threat,"...
...
The shipping industry has long seen ransom payments to retrieve hijacked vessels, cargos and crews as a cost of doing business. But after Obama last week issued an executive order on Somalia, shipping officials say it's no longer clear whether companies with U.S. interests can legally pay ransoms. The industry is worried because ransoms have been the only way to quickly and safely free hostages.
"It's confusion, is the way you could sum it up," said David Osler, a writer at the shipping news journal Lloyd's List. "Industry sources believe the executive order is worded poorly ... it's not immediately clear to everybody what is being said here."
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AllPuntland: Somali leader said to have failed in attempts to reconcile rival MPs
Officials of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia [TFG] have this week gone public with the infighting within parliament and opted to take it a step further by attacking each other on both national and international media.
President Sharif, who recently returned to Mogadishu, has since held talks with members of the Federal Somali Parliament pursuing opposing motions against senior TFG officials and urged them to end their campaign, a request rejected by the MPs. The president has been busy trying to resolve the conflict by bringing together senior officials in his government who are being supported by MPs in the two rival camps in the Federal Somali Parliament. Sources close to President Sharif have told Allpuntland website that the president has not been successful in his attempts to bring together Prime Minister Umar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and the Speaker of parliament whose term in office is disputed, Adan Muhammad Nur, as both officials claimed they were busy with work.
Some of the foreign government that back the TFG have since written to leaders and said the current dispute between the two senior officials should be resolved using the constitution which they said should be functional. The United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Ahmadou Ould Abdallah, who was the brains behind the formation of the TFG led by Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad, has expressed his concerns over the conflict and urged both sides to make concessions.
The former TFG collapsed as a result of conflict between the president and successive prime ministers over legality of certain issues in the country. All eyes are now on Sharif who is now expected to resolve the conflict between senior officials in his administration. Analysts have expressed doubts as to whether the president will be able to address the difference between officials in his administration and by the look of it parliamentary sessions will resume before the conflict is put to rest.
Shabelle Media: Parliament’s session postponed
the parliamentarian’s session that was supposed to be held at Golaha Sha’biga centre in the Somalia capital Mogadishu was postponed once again, sources said on Thursday.
Officials of the transitional government said that the meeting of the lawmakers was delayed for technical reasons and the absence of some of the instruments intended for the session like the machines, microphones and so an adding that it would be held for following Saturday.
Al-Sharq al-Awsat Online reported at the beginning of the week
The dispute between government and parliament arose after Speaker Adan Madobe said his term as parliament speaker had not ended and there was no justification for the attempt to topple him. The Somali parliament cancelled a meeting it was supposed to hold yesterday in the capital Mogadishu and no obvious reasons were given while parliamentarians told “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” that the parliament, which has not met since the end of last year, is accusing the government of impeding its work and disrupting its members` meetings. The Somali Government announced that the parliamentary session was postponed for what it called technical reasons and stressed that it would be held later this week.
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High-level sources in the Somali Government which is led by Umar Sharmarke told “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” in a telephone call from Mogadishu that the government, backed by President Sharif, is seeking to remove Madobe since his term in office ended last August and replace him with the current Finance Minister Sharif Hasan. They said the parliament speaker is rejecting this and insisting that the Djibouti agreement on national reconciliation, which affirmed Shaykh Sharif`s presidency and enlarged parliament`s membership to 550 members, also says that the speaker`s term ends when President Sharif`s term in office ends next year. The sources, which asked to remain unidentified, revealed that the reason behind the attempt to topple Madobe is his support for the move by some parliament members to question Sharmarke`s government inside parliament and vote to withdraw the vote of confidence from it because of its failure to undertake its tasks.
An official close to the Somali parliament speaker cited to “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” Madobe as saying that the dispute was not with the president (Shaykh Sharif) but with the prime minister. The issue concerns the validity of the parliamentary leadership`s term and the transitional government`s one according to the texts of the Djibouti agreement. He added: “Madobe believes that the term which was extended for the transitional government includes all, whether it is the president or parliament speaker. Thus there is no justification for some deputies` demand from the pro-government ones to choose a new speaker. Parliament was elected in Nairobi for a period of five years and the reconciliation which was concluded the year before last in Djibouti includes all and not just certain persons.”
It was impossible to obtain an immediate comment from Prime Minister Sharmarke after “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” tried to telephone him on his cellular phone but Umar Dalha, the deputy speaker, called on the troika officials to resolve their differences the soonest the possible and told “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” by telephone from the Somali capital that continuation of these disputes would give a negative image of the transitional authority in the country and harm its reputation locally and abroad.
Madobe was appointed the temporary head of the transitional authority in Somalia after former President Abdullah Yusuf decided to step down suddenly in December 2008 when he failed to resolve the disagreements between the authority`s troika which he presided over for the first time in 2004.
Yusuf, of course, made it clear at the time that he refused to step down and only reversed that decision following a brief meeting with Jendayi Frazer at the airport in Nairobi.
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WDN: Secret Documents linking the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to a Planned Recovery of Frozen Financial Assets in Foreign Banks
A collection of secret documents, obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat from the office of the president of the TFG, sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has revealed concerted efforts by the President to use an American Law Firm to reclaim frozen Somali assets held in Swiss Banks since the collapse of the rule of the deposed President of Somalia Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
In a letter signed on the 13th of December last year, Sheikh sharif appointed Ali Abdi Amalow, a former governor of the Central Bank of Somalia, as a financial consultant responsible for recovering millions of dollars believed to have been deposited by former government officials, who were in power at various stages 20 years ago, in foreign banks.
The Somali government suffers from a severe financial crisis that has forced it to suddenly close 10 embassies in the world. Some of the ambassadors affected by the closures claim that the interim government intends to resell the buildings occupied by the closed embassies in order to generate the foreign currency it needs to fund its day to day operation.
Among the documents obtained by Asharq Al Awsat is a copy of a letter signed by the American Law Firm, Shulman Rogers. The letter specifies the legal fees of the firm as $50,000 plus 3.5% of the proceeds it manages to recover from the foreign banks.
According to these documents, Sheikh Sharif has appointed Mr. Amalow to be his liaison with the law Firm. The documents also reveal that the Obama Administration may be aware of the agreement between the Law Firm and the Somali government.
This is the first time that undeclared efforts by the interim government to recover funds and assets languishing in foreign banks for such a long time are brought to light.
The frozen assets include the financial aid that the consecutive Somali Governments have received over the years and which also found its way to secret Swiss Accounts. Most Arab and Western countries have spent millions of dollars on supporting these governments in the hope that they would be able to re-establish peace and security in a country that has suffered since 1991 from a destructive civil war, political chaos and widespread insecurity
While high level officials in the government headed by Prime Minister Omar Abdi-Rashid have refrained from commenting on these documents, a Somali Minister informed Asharq Al Awsat that most cabinet members are not aware of the agreement signed between the government and the Law Firm. The Minister, who asked not to be named, said that this was the first time he heard about the agreement and the documents. He also asserted that the agreement and the documents have never been presented to the cabinet for discussion.
No immediate comments could be obtained from Sheikh Sharif, who arrived in the capital of Djibouti for talks with his counterpart Ismail Omar Gelle after arriving from Ethiopia where he met its Prime Minister Meles Zenawi two days ago.
Although members of the Sheikh Sharif delegation also refused to comment on the matter, reliable Somali sources have said that the efforts of the head of the interim government to recover the frozen Somali funds can be viewed as a gross violation of the interim constitution of the country and accuse the president of overstepping his power.
They also clarified that Sheikh Sharif is not a president for the whole of Somalia but temporarily heads the interim Somali authority. They also pointed out that Somaliland and Puntland have not been consulted on the matter, neither have they officially authorized Sheikh Sharif to recover the frozen assets as the recognized president of the country.
The sources also revealed that the Malaysian government has recently frozen the personal accounts of some high level government officials in Somalia. The Malaysian Government could not determine the legal sources of the estimated $14 million frozen funds and suspects the existence of widespread financial corruption within the Somali government.
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Monday
Mareeg Online: Al-shabab seizes a district in Bakol region
the Islamist fighters of Al-shabab have seized Elberde district in Bakol region in southern Somalia, just as the transitional government troops vacated from the district peacefully, witnesses said on Monday.
Locals said that Al-shabab Mujahidieen officials had addressed to hundreds of the people in the district as they took over the control of the district suggesting to the people to follow the Sharia law.
Ibrahim Omar Dere, an official claimed he was the chairman of Elberde district for the transitional government of Somalia said that forces of Al-shabab had seized the district earlier adding that they lastly recaptured it once again.
Wednesday
Mareeg Online: More Ethiopian and Somali troops reach in Bakol region
More Ethiopian and Somali troops have Wednesday reached at Elberde district in Bakol region, just as Al-shabab fighters vacated from the district after bitter fighting with the transitional government troops there in southern Somalia.
There had been clashes between the government troops and Al-shabab forces at Elberde in Bakol region in the last two days for the control of the district, but Al-shabab fighters reportedly left from the town overnight after controlling it hours.
A resident in the district said that more Ethiopian troops with military vehicles had poured in and around the district, but the commissioner of the ditrict for the transitional government Mr. Ibrahim Dere had disproved the reports saying the Ethiopian troops entered the district.
Elberde, a district in Bokol region borders with neigbouring Ethiopia and the arrival of the Ethiopian troops comes after days heavy clashes between Al-shabab, which controls much of Somalia and the transitional government troops rooted from both Bay and Bakol regions in southern Somalia.
Mareeg Online: ‘Even, we shall collaborate taking over Bakol region with French forces’: official
Mohamed Abdi Tol, the governor of Bakol region in southern Somalia has Wednesday said that they would collaborate taking over the control of Bakol region in southern with French troops if able or possible.
“We shall always work how we would take over Bakol region by searching help from any side. Even, we shall collaborate with French forces so as to seize the control of whole regions in southern Somalia,” said Mohamed Toll.
‘’Our largest centre is in Yed village in Bakol region where our troops have positions. We work the order of the transitional government of Somalia,” he added.
Lastly the governor of the transitional government of Somali in Bakol region threatened that they would seize whole control of regions of Bay and Bakol, a stronghold of Islamist fighters in southern Somalia from their rivals soon as possible.
Thursday
Garowe Online: Ethiopia troops expel Al Shabaab from border town
Somali officials confirmed the presence of Ethiopian troops in the town, saying they came to deter Al-Shabaab military advance in border area.
"The troops came to the town to drive Al-Shabaab elements out of the area which is near the border between Somalia and Ethiopian," said an official.
Witnesses said the Ethiopians troops are now positioned in the outskirts of the town with Al-Shabaab fighters reportedly fleeing to neighboring Rabdhere town.
Shabelle Media: Ethiopian troops impose curfew to Elberde district
the Ethiopian troops entered at Elberde district in Bakol region yesterday had reportedly imposed curfew to the district overnight and captured several teenagers, witnesses said on Thursday.
Residents said that 4 of the teenagers of the district had been captured by the Ethiopian troops overnight as they imposed curfew to the district in southern Somalia.
It is unclear so far where the Ethiopians took the Somali teenagers they picked up, but the elders and scholars of Bakol region had condemned the action of the Ethiopian troops there calling for the release of the detained young people and leave from the district as soon as possible.
Latest reports say that the Ethiopians started search operations in parts of the district.
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Did they consider the symbolism in choosing a bank?
Shabelle Media: AMISOM forms new military bases at Somali bank in Mogadishu
More units of the African Union troops (AMISOM) have made military bases at the former Somali business bank at Shangani district in Mogadishu, witnesses, officials told Shabelle radio on Friday.
Residents said that there had been many displaced Somali people homing at the bank where AMISOM troops formed their new military bases today in the capital according to displaced people that ordered to leave by the transitional government troops.
“AMISOM had arrived at the bank and also Urubo hotel in the same areas. The government troops had chased us from there and we are sleeping outside, we do not have shelters and houses,” said one the displaced women.
...
It is the first military base that AMISOM forms in north of the capital and the step seems to be relating to a recent statement from the officials of the government that fighting would be inevitable.
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Garowe Online: Djibouti delegation in Mogadishu to mediate Somalia leaders
A delegation from the government of Djibouti is in the Somali capital, Mogadishu to find ways of ending the standoff between Somali lawmakers which seems to derail the work of the UN-backed transition government.
Led by Minister for Religious Affairs, Hamud Abdi, the team arrived in Mogadishu on Wednesday and are reported to held meetings with the Somali officials including Prime Minister Omar Abdi Rashid Sharma'arke
On Thursday, the team held talks with Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and speaker Sheikh Adan Madobe, the two protagonists at the centre of heated dispute between various groups of Lawmakers, in Villa Somalia.
Government officials told Garowe Online that the Djiboutian minister is trying to bring together the two feuding leaders to solve the crisis that even the international community failed to solve.
“The Djiboutian delegation met with President Sheikh Sharif and urged him to reopen the parliament so that the lawmakers debate on motions including government accountability,” said a Somali transition government minister.
“The plan of this delegation from Djibouti is to save the (Somali) government from collapse,” said a lawmaker who requested not to be named. The lawmaker added that progress is made so far in bringing together the two leaders.
Speaker Madobe is said to have told the Djiboutian delegation that he is ready step aside if the lawmakers vote him out. Djiboutian president has reportedly spoken with the two Somali leaders through the phone on Thursday.
In the past few days, Somalia’s president held series of meetings with his backers in the parliament in an effort to marshal support for the ouster of Sheikh Madobe from the speakership. He wants the position for his right hand man, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, who is the current Finance Minister.
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Mareeg Online: Ethiopian troops arrest 15 clerics in southern town
Ethiopian troops who have recently reached Elberde town in Bakool region in southwestern Somalia have arrested 15 well known clerics in the town, witnesses said on Friday.
It is not known the motive behind their detention but, residents say the Ethiopian troops suspected the clerics they arrested that they were working with al Shabaab.
Later,
Ethiopian troops release clerics
Ethiopian troops in Elberde town in Bakool region in south western Somalia have released Friday 15 famous clerics they arrested on Thursday evening, witnesses say.
The Ethiopian troops released the clerics after elders in the area made more efforts and won to free the clerics from the Ethiopian troops.
Dozens of teenagers were also arrested in the town by the Ethiopian troops and are still in jails. The teenagers were arrested after the Ethiopian troops suspected them of working with al Shabaab.
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What about the sashimi?
AFP: Piracy rattles Japan to open first foreign military base in Djibouti
Japan is opening its first overseas army base in Djibouti, a small African state strategically located at the southern end of the Red Sea on the Gulf of Aden, to counter rising piracy in the region.
The 40-million-dollar base expected to be completed by early next year will strengthen international efforts to curb hijackings and vessel attacks by hordes of gunmen from the lawless Somalia.
The Djibouti base breaks new ground for Japan, which has had no standing army since World War II and cannot wage war. It however has armed forces -- the Japan Self-Defence Forces -- which were formed at the end of US occupation in 1952.
"This will be the only Japanese base outside our country and the first in Africa," Keizo Kitagawa, Japan's navy force captain and coordinator of the deployment, told AFP recently.
"We are deploying here to fight piracy and for our self-defence. Japan is a maritime nation and the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Aden through which 20,000 vessels sail every year is worrying," Kitagawa said.
He explained that 10 percent of the Gulf of Aden's traffic comes from Japan and 90 percent of Japanese exports depend on the crucial sea lane that was almost overrun by the marauding pirates two years ago.
"A camp will be built to house our personnel and material. Currently we are stationed at the American base," Kitagawa said.
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Japan's decision was prompted by pressure from the country's maritime industry.
"We sent military teams to Yemen, Oman, Kenya and Djibouti. In April 2009, we chose Djibouti," Kitagawa said.
The Red Sea state, which is home to the largest overseas French military base and the only US army base in Africa, was picked for its suitable air and sea ports as well as political stability, the official said.
"political stability"
Don't count on it. Geelle is squandering whatever public goodwill he has by rewriting Djibouti's constitution to allow him to retain power.
More on the base at the bank building
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APA: AU peacekeepers prepare for offensive on militant strongholds in Mogadishu
Secretary General for Somali government regional administration in the capital Abdi Kafi Hilwole Osman confirmed the arrival of AU peacekeepers at the former Somali commercial bank, one of the tallest buildings in Mogadishu.
A Presidential aide who demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media told APA that the AU peace keepers will be advancing to rebel-controlled positions in north and northeast of the capital.
“They will also make up a base at the Global Hotel near the Banadir football facility where the militants are currently based and that is kind of the preparations for a big war to oust militants from the capital,” he said.
AFP: African Union leaders meet US security adviser
Senior African Union officials met US National Security Advisor General Jim Jones at the White House to discuss increased cooperation between the United States and their organization.
The AU delegation, led by chairperson Jean Ping, was on the last day of a three-day visit for the first high-level bilateral talks between the African Union and Washington on issues including fighting hunger, climate change, and boosting peacekeeping operations.
Jones and Ping "both greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet and discuss shared challenges and opportunities in the areas of peace and security and economic development," the White House said in a statement on Friday.
...
The AU delegation also met with senior officials in the State Department, the US Agency for International Development, the Department of Justice and others.
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al Jazeera: Somali fighters seize three towns
Somalia's al-Shabab group, which has vowed to topple the UN-backed government, has seized three towns in the central Galgudud region from the pro-government Ahlu Sunna movement, witnesses said.
Al-Shabab took control of the towns of El Der, Masagaway and Galad towns on Friday reportedly without any resistance from the rival group.
The three towns lie on the road linking Mogadishu, the capital, and eastern Somalia, which is considered to be al-Shabab's power base.
"We have overrun the militants who tried to stop the efforts to spread Islam in Somalia. With the power of Allah we have taken control of three districts in Galgadud region," Sheik Yusuf Kabokudukade, a senior al-Shabab official in the region, said.
"We will not stop until we take control of the whole region from the enemy of Allah," he said.
The loss of the three towns will be a blow to Ahlu Sunna and the government, which signed a deal last month to work together against al-Shabab.
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Garowe Online: Parliament Speaker defies pressure to resign
Somalia's transitional parliament speaker has strongly defended his position, saying he is only answerable to the people of Somalia.
Sheikh Adan Madobe argues that his opposers have hidden agendas and want to lead the country to the lane of destruction and insurgent rule.
“I will not relinquish my position, am holding this high office for the people of Somalia, so I will not act on some suggestions from lawmakers who are Al-Shabaab sympathizers,” he said.
A meeting between Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the speaker and a delegation from Djiboutian government has set Sunday as the official day for the reopening of the parliament in order to vote for the vote of confidence speakership.
However, Sheikh Madobe said he would be presiding over the sitting, casting out any doubt about his failure to retain the seat in the voting
“I am chairing the parliament sitting on Sunday,” he said.
To the surprise of many, Sheikh Sharif is said to have told the Djiboutian delegation, led by Minister for Religious Affairs, Hamud Abdi that he will step aside if the speaker loses his seat in the vote of confidence, a move that raised concerns.
The change of heart between the two Somali leaders is said to have been largely influenced by Ethiopia, which was involved in behind-the-scene talks to retain Madobe as a speaker. However, Djibouti wants current speaker out.
Sharif’s decision was lambasted by some lawmakers who accused of deliberately overstepping the constitution.
“The term of speaker has expired, and Sharif violates the constitution by allowing Sheikh Madobe to retain his position,” said lawmaker Mohammed Qanyare Afrah.
“Defending an official whose term of office has expired with the warning of stepping down as a president is a total disregard to the constitution. And we will not accept that because it will lead to collapse of the government,” he added.
Garowe Online: New dispute surfaces between President, Finance Minister
Somalia's interim government is embroiled in a bitter struggle for survival as upwards of 300 MPs seek to elect a new parliament Speaker. But a new dispute brewing between President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden is worsening an already volatile situation, Radio Garowe reports.
Inside sources tell Somali news agency Garowe Online that Finance Minister Sharif Hassan has been secretly encouraging Somali MPs to pressure the resignation of parliament Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed "Madobe," who has been in power since Feb. 2007.
The sources add that the Finance Minister opposes parliamentary oversight and accountability regarding the management of government funds. Some MPs have already accused the Finance Minister of financial mismanagement, saying that the salary of lawmakers, troops, and civil servants is "missing."
African Union troops (AMISOM), who guard the Villa Somalia presidential compound in Mogadishu, were instructed to "forbid Cabinet ministers from entering the President’s office," according to reliable sources that chose not to be named in print for security reasons.
Accordingly, Cabinet ministers were instructed to hold their meetings at the office of Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, according to AMISOM sources quoting Finance Minister Sharif Hassan.
Somali Information Minister Dahir Ghelle, who is a close friend of President Sheikh Sharif, was reportedly denied entry into the president's office by AMISOM peacekeepers.
When the President found out, AMISOM commanders informed him that the order to forbid Cabinet ministers came from the Finance Minister.
President Sheikh Sharif was "reminded" by the AMISOM commanders his previous statement declaring that AMISOM troops "should obey" the orders of the Finance Minister, who has been a close ally of the President until now.
The international community has expressed worry regarding the parliamentary dispute, where some 300 MPs led by some of Mogadishu's notorious ex-warlords, MP Mohamed Qanyare and MP Muse Sudi Yalahow, have called for a new Speaker's election.
Government delegations from Ethiopia and Djibouti have arrived in Mogadishu to mediate among Somalia's top government leaders.
Its not clear what happens next, but Finance Minister Sharif Hassan is playing a leading role in dividing the Somali transitional federal parliament in order to avoid financial accountability, which he fears will expose widespread corruption at the Ministry of Finance.
Somalia's current interim government is the 15th attempt by the international community to restore national order since the collapse of the central government in 1991.
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Radio Gaalkacyo: Puntland police seize "military supplies" headed to UN agency
Security forces in Puntland [autonomous region in northeastern Somalia] have seized a vehicle carrying military supplies in Gaalkacyo town, central Somalia. The vehicle is said to have been taking the supplies to the World Food Programme [WFP].
The police commander of the Mudug Region, Muse Abdirahman Ahmad, told the media that the police seized the vehicle at the northern checkpoint in Gaalkacyo as it headed to the central regions of Somalia. The commander added that the vehicle was carrying 50 tonnes of bullet-proof jackets. He said the vehicle picked these supplies from the port of Boosaaso, the provincial capital of the Bari Region [in Puntland].
The police officers said that the driver of the vehicle carrying the supplies to the WFP rejected to reveal the nature of his cargo before an investigation takes place. The vehicle is being held at a checkpoint in Gaalkacyo town. Regional authorities are discussing the incident.
It is the first time that a humanitarian aid agency has been found with military supplies. WFP officials are yet to comment on the issue.
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The foreign fighters in Mogadishu finally get put to good use ;-)
Garowe Online: AMISOM troops 'advance to rebel area' in Mogadishu
The contingent of African Union troops (AMISOM) have made new military bases at the former Somali business bank in Mogadishu’s northern Shangani district, witnesses and officials told Garowe Online.
Residents reported that contingent of AMISOM troops arrived at the bank early on Saturday with their battle wagons and other machinery. The troops have also moved to the nearby Uroba hotel.
“The troops moved in and started cleaning the place."..
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Shabelle Media: Lawmakers’ session postpones third time
The transitional lawmaker’s session has been postponed for the third time on Sunday which was supposed to be held at Golaha Sha’biga, the newly reconstructed building for the parliamentarians in Mogadishu, official told Shabelle radio on Sunday.
Most of residents in Mogadishu had not gone to markets and shopping centers on Sunday due to fears of possible attacks and bitter shelling from both rival sides in the Somali capital Mogadishu if the session happened.
Ibrahim Hassan Bulle, one of the legislators told Shabelle radio that the meeting of the parliament which was supposed to be held today was delayed for technical reasons he declined to dispose adding that the session would be held for the coming days.
Sheik Aden Madobe, the speaker of the transitional parliament held a press conference in Mogadishu yesterday and expressed suspicion on holding the meeting.
On the other side more than 300 MPs said that they will not attend any session for the parliamentarians pointing out that they would meet with president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed in Villa Somalia, the presidential palace for following 48 hours and would totally dismiss the speaker.
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