In a press conference held in the capital, Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed said that the all Un agencies should come to Mogadishu within 90 days.
...
Mohammed called for Augustine Mahiga, the UN envoy to move to Mogadishu and set up his office in the capital of Somalia.
He said that the security in the capital is reliable and dependable as different embassies are right now operating in the capital, adding that if the UN is serous, its agencies should operate in Mogadishu.
AHN: UN envoy: It is not easy for us to move to Mogadishu
Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, the United Nations special representative to Somalia, on Tuesday said that it is not easy for U.N. agencies involved in Somalia to relocate to Mogadishu.
Mahiga said that for security reasons and because of bad facilities, U.N. personnel can’t move to the capital of Somalia.
“The prime minister’s announcement is very ambitious and doesn’t recognize the fact that United Nations’ significant presence in Somalia,” Mahiga told the BBC Somali service.
Flashback to August 9, 2010: UN deliberating possible ‘light presence’ in Somali capital
With the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia nearing its full capacity, the United Nation is now “seriously considering” the second of its three-part strategy in which the world body would have a light presence in the capital, Mogadishu, and other parts of the war-ravaged country, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.They'd be like sitting ducks in the middle of a hot war that has already and still requires a considerable amount of violence and civilian casualties to achieve their goal of creating space for the TFG to look more official and accepted.
...
Before Augustine Mahiga, who recently took up the post of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, departed for Nairobi, Mr. Ban said the two men held discussions on the second phase, in which some UN personnel would be relocated to Mogadishu and other areas in Somalia.
The UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), headed by Mr. Mahiga, has been based in Nairobi due to security concerns.
“At this time, [Mr. Mahiga] will take all necessary measures [for] staffing and to ensure safety,” the Secretary-General told reporters in New York, adding that his envoy will have to coordinate closely with the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS).
Mr. Mahiga’s predecessor, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, told the Security Council last year that “our temporary presence in Nairobi has lasted far too long. We can only work effectively for peace with the Somalis and address pressing humanitarian needs if we are close to the victims of famine, violence and different abuses.”
From an opinion piece published at al Jazeera English: Somalia: Manifestation of stealth trusteeship
The US and UN rejected the unilateral extension, with James Steinberg, the US deputy secretary of state, arguing that it would strengthen al-Shabab and Augustine Mahiga, the UN special representative for Somalia, joining in the chorus of criticism. The disagreement within the international community over Somalia was exposed, with Ethiopia and IGAD lining up on one side and the US and UN on the other.
...
But the Obama administration has condemned neither IGAD nor Ethiopia for triggering and defending the Somali parliament's decision at international forums. Logic dictates that if Washington is so serious about this it should direct its concerns to the source of the latest political entanglement – Ethiopia. And, as bizarre as this may seem, Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, could deliver a reversal of the decision much more promptly than the Somali parliament.
Meanwhile, the UK is positioning itself to lead Somalia's post-transition period after August 2011 – a role it sought to kick start during a conference it hosted in February. Unsurprisingly, besides some general recommendations, nothing substantive came out of the gathering.
Although Mahiga participated in the UK conference, he failed to influence its outcome and therefore called for another conference to be held in Nairobi in March. Both the Djibouti government and the TFG rejected this, arguing that it would not advance peace in Somalia. Obviously, this will further exacerbate perceptions that Mahiga, like his predecessors, is micro-managing Somali affairs as though he is the governor of the country.
Perhaps a reconciliation conference for Somalia's external patrons is in order.
...
To put it bluntly, the Somali people deserve better than to have external parties micromanaging their internal affairs.
Prof. Michael Weinstein does a commendable job of putting chronological order and context to the power struggles for controlling Somalia's political directions in the past weeks in his latest analysis, published at Garowe Online: Transition Games
He concludes w/ the assessment that
What comes next is anyone’s guess and all depends on Washington’s next move. Will Washington finally give up on trying to (re-)direct the “transition” and join the rest of the players rather than attempting to change the game? Will Washington make yet another stab at fighting above its weight – trying to manage the “transition” when it either cannot (that is the likely case) or will not (a result of the “cannot”) do so?
All that Washington/Mahiga has been doing is stopping any possible “transition,” likely or not, dead in its tracks. Another month will be lost as August looms. Indeed, perhaps it has reached the point that it is too late for any structural changes to occur in August – all the time has been wasted on divisions among all the actors. If that is the case, then Washington will have to fold its tent and join the party. The struggle for control over the “transition” would shift to trench warfare, with the “donor”-powers digging in through the High Level Committee. That would be business as usual, but now under hyper-factionalized and hyper-mobilized political conditions that were precipiated by the “donor”/powers’ determination to (try to) end the “transition” rather than acknowledge the conditions and simply extend the T.F.I.s without all the fuss.
It is possible that the “transition” fight has put political processes in motion that will go on with their own dynamics, particularly regionalism and localism - the formation of a patchwork of “authorities” contending among themselves (including H.S.M.) in southern and central Somalia. The longer that the T.F.I.s remain in a state of suspended “transition,” devolutionary movements will gain momentum and independent (Somaliland) or autonomous (Puntland) regional states will gain power. Ethiopia will gain by exploiting division.
Is the actual transition – not the “transition” games – already taking place?
Shabelle Media: Rallies against UN organized meeting on Somalia rock Mogadishu
Hundreds of Mogadishu people on Thursday have taken to streets condemning the United Nations sponsored meeting on Somalia that will be held in neighboring Kenya on 12 and 13 April.
The demonstrations were highly organized and attended by Somali religious figures, young people, women and more children as they were chanting slogans supporting the transitional federal government’s decision of abstaining from taking part the UN meeting.
The demonstrators were raising placards and banners written with: “We will never accept the outcome of Nairobi meeting”, “We don’t want the conspiracy plotted Mahiga”.
Not so sure whether there were actually "hundreds".
AHN: Cleric calls for Ban Ki-moon to fire UN envoy to Somalia
Speaking at a huge peaceful rally in Mogadishu to denounce the United Nations sponsored meeting for Somalia factions, Sheikh Ahmed Abdi Dhi’isow, the chairman of the Somali religious assembly said the Somali people don’t recognize and are against what he called a blatant conspiracy by Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. Special Representative to Somalia, to dismantle and destroy Somalia.
Dhi’sow said that he met with Mahiga and told him that every meeting should be held inside Somalia rather than abroad. However, he indicated that Mahiga appears to be rejecting his commitments to pull together all Somalis in a conference.
“We have imparted to U.N. special representative to Somalia a letter with nine main points, including U.N. to give moral and material support to the TFG [transitional federal government]; U.N. should work restoring the relations Somali government with neighboring countries and those in the world; U.N. to help Somali young people to get jobs and more,” the cleric said.
“Mahiga disregarded all of our requests and suggestions and he continued organizing the meeting in an attempt to divide Somalis, so we are calling on the U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon to dismiss Augustine Mahiga from United Nations Political Office for Somalia,” he added.
Shabelle Media:
Sheikh Ahmed Dhi’isow, the chairman of Somali religious assembly said that he will never recognize the results of UN meeting on Somalia that will be held in Nairobi during this month.
He told hundreds of demonstrators in Mogadishu today that Mahiga is doing something against the interest of Somali people and their sovereignty.
He said that every meeting should take place inside Somalia, particularly seaside Mogadishu city.
From a UNPOS press release:
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Augustine P. Mahiga today said that the High Level Consultative meeting will take place as scheduled on the 12 and 13 April in Nairobi.
“We have received positive responses to the conference from Somali parties and officials who are willing to participate in strengthening dialogue between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its partners.”
Ambassador Mahiga said he believes that some small groups that have reacted in protest to the conference do not fully understand the true aim of the meeting, resulting in confusion surrounding the initiative.
“I believe some people have been misinformed about the objective of this meeting. The UN has a role as a facilitator. Recent events within the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) have demonstrated that there has been a disruption in dialogue between the TFG and its partners. It is my responsibility as facilitator, in accordance with the Djibouti Peace Agreement, to assist the TFIs in reconciling their differences so that the peace process can move forward.
This meeting will pull into sharp focus the needs and tasks that must be addressed to end the transition productively for the Somali people. The outcome should be an agreed upon straight forward set of principles on how to move forward with the peace process and end the current transition,” Ambassador Mahiga said.
He said that this meeting will also pave the way forward for another, follow-up meeting in Mogadishu as proposed by the TFG.
AP:
"We can take back our city," said Mohamed, a Somali-American who previously taught at a community college in New York state. "If we get a year's extension, we can push al-Shabab out of Mogadishu."
AFP:
The Ugandan effort is a painstaking sequence of short operations in which they reconquer the area block by block, securing every new patch with thousands of sandbags and hastily established military positions.
To slow AMISOM down and work around them, the Shebab had created an ingenious network of trenches and tunnels, which in some areas run over several hundred metres.
"They never move back without fighting. And when they lose ground, they immediately remobilise to retake it," said another Ugandan commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Mugarura.
AMISOM now controls around half of Mogadishu and is gradually tightening its grip around Bakara market, the heart of the capital economic activity and a crucial source of funds for the Shebab.
The part played by Somali pro-government troops in the reconquest of Mogadishu remains very limited but AMISOM does however link up with some units on a case-by-case basis.
The African Union force was supported by men loyal to warlord Yusuf Mohamed Indahade in the Hodan district, by the Sufi militia Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa along Maka al-Mukarama and by soldiers of colonel Osman Abdullahi "Agey" in Hosh.
"We are taking ground, we have advanced in several areas of Mogadishu... We'll continue, while trying to reorganise the TFG forces," AMISOM top commander General Nathan Mugisha said.
Again, nobody writing a report that detailed even bothers to ask how waging urban warfare assaults (in heavily populated areas, no less) falls w/i AMISOM's mandate as it is still published.
Another excerpt from that al Jazeera piece:
In 2006, the Islamic Courts Union pacified Mogadishu with a militia of less than 1,000 people. Now, in theory at least, the AMISOM has close to 10,000 troops in Mogadishu, while the TFG claims to have more than 15,000. But even with these forces at their disposal they have failed to pacify Mogadishu, let alone the rest of the country.-- -- --
UNHCR: Latest fighting forces more Somalis into displacement
UNHCR is monitoring a deteriorating situation in south and central Somalia where sporadic fighting has continued to be reported in the towns of Doolow, Bulo Hawo, Luuq, Elwaaq, Dhoobley, Diif and Taabdo. We are again urging all armed groups and forces in Somalia to avoid targeting civilian areas and to ensure that civilians are not being placed in harm's way.-- -- --
UNHCR estimates that clashes between the forces of the Transitional Federal Government and Al-Shabaab militia have displaced about 33,000 Somalis over the past six weeks. More than half of these are people who have been displaced in Mogadishu.
...
Some of the most recently displaced are people who have fled shelling in Dhoobley, a town just across the border from Liboi in northern Kenya. Dhoobley acts as a final stop-off point for people fleeing Somalia for the Dadaab refugee complex in neighbouring Kenya. According to local sources, the town and its surrounding areas remain tense. Pro-government forces have been consolidating their control of the town, which they took earlier this week.
In Bulo Hawo, a Somali town across the border from Mandera in north-west Kenya, people are in desperate need of shelter. Our staff report that 150 permanent shelters and some 400 to 500 temporary structures were destroyed during recent shelling. The market area has also been destroyed and many people are sleeping outside.
The Obama Administration is committed to recognizing Africa’s strategic importance and drawing more attention to its enormous promise and potential. This is especially important in the economic arena, where there is growing awareness of Africa’s potential as a high-growth market and investment destination.-- -- --
Johnnie Carson, April 5, Woodrow Wilson Center
Notice from the President on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia
NOTICE-- -- --
- - - - - - -
CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SOMALIA
On April 12, 2010, by Executive Order 13536, I declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, which have repeatedly been the subject of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and violations of the Somalia arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
Because the situation with respect to Somalia continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on April 12, 2010, and the measures adopted on that date to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond April 12, 2011. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13536.
From AFRICOM's 2011 posture statement presented for the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee April 5th budget request hearing (w/ some slight reordering):
International Military Education and Training (IMET) is a long-standing and well-regarded program funded by the Department of State. IMET provides military course education and training for foreign military and select civilian personnel.
...
A notable IMET participant from Uganda is Major General Nathan Mugisha—the commander of the African Union‘s peacekeeping mission Somalia; a U.S. Army War College graduate.
...
U.S. Africa Command is a judicious steward of the resources provided to us by the American people to accomplish our theater objectives. With the fiscal challenges we face at home and the competing global demands on our military forces, we are dedicated to helping build partner nation capability at the lowest cost possible. In many instances, we achieve positive effects that enhance the capability of our partners and support U.S. interests with a modest investment in resources.
...
Somalia remains a failed state: divided, weak, and fragile. Despite the intentions of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to establish the sinews of a functioning state, Somalia is unable to provide essential services or control of its territory on its own. It does not have a civil service, central bank, judicial system, police force, or functioning cross-clan military. Inter-clan rivalries and the Islamic extremist groups al-Shabaab and Hizbul al-Islam continue to challenge Somali‘s ability to form a functioning and stable government, and al-Shabaab controls much of southern Somalia. The survival of the TFG in Mogadishu depends, in large measure, on the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the more than 8,000 troops supplied by willing African partners.
Linked to Somalia‘s instability is al-Qaida‘s dramatic increase in influence in east Africa over the last year. In early 2010, al-Shabaab announced their alignment with al-Qaida. This alliance provides al-Qaida a safe haven to plan global terror operations, train foreign fighters, and conduct global terror operations. The July 2010 attacks in Kampala, Uganda, demonstrate a willingness and capability to expand the conflict beyond Somalia. This situation poses a direct threat to the security of the United States.
When was that section of the 2011 posture statement written? Hizbul Islam officially disbanded on December 20, 2010 when they folded into H.S.M. So why wasn't the posture statement corrected before being presented to the U.S. Senate?
Also from that posture stmt, days before IOG "wins" reelection:
As U.S. Africa Command‘s sole Forward Operating Site on the continent, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, serves as a critical operational and sustainment facility (a hub for lift, logistics, intelligence, and Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4)) in support of DOD activities in the region. It is critical for activities and operations across AOR boundaries in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Camp Lemonnier‘s proximity to Djibouti‘s air and seaport make it ideal for supporting U.S. Africa Command operations throughout the region. Of equal importance is the Camp‘s ability to support DOD‘s global transportation infrastructure network as a key node. Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, is essential to U.S. security interests in East Africa and the Gulf of Aden. The FY12 military construction request contains a number of important projects that will allow us to continue to enhance the capabilities of this facility. We appreciate your attention to these requests.
0 comments:
Post a Comment