STATUS OF SEIZED VESSELS AND CREWS IN SOMALIA, THE GULF OF ADEN AND THE INDIAN OCEAN (ecoterra - 01. November 2011)
PROTECTING AND MONITORING LIFE, BIODIVERSITY AND THE ECOSYSTEMS OF SOMALIA AND ITS SEAS SINCE 1986 - ECOTERRA Intl.
ECOTERRA Intl. and ECOP-marine serve concerning the counter-piracy issues as advocacy groups in their capacity as human rights, marine and maritime monitors as well as in co-operation with numerous other organizations, groups and individuals as information clearing-house. In difficult cases we have successfully served as mediators, helped hostages to get medical or humanitarian relief and released, assisted in negotiations and helped the families of victims. Our focus to make piracy an issue of the past is concentrating on holistic coastal development as key to uplift communities from abhorrent poverty and to secure their marine and coastal ecosystems against any harm.
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STATUS-SUMMARY:
Today, 01. November 2011 at 23h45 UTC, at least 29 larger plus 18 smaller foreign vessels plus one stranded barge are kept in Somali hands against the will of their owners, while at least 505 hostages or captives - including a South-African yachting couple, two (or now only one) frail elderly ladies and four aid-workers - suffer to be released.
But even EU NAVFOR, who mostly only counts high-value, often British insured vessels, admitted now that many dozens of vessels were sea-jacked despite their multi-million Euro efforts to protect shipping.
Having come under pressure, EU NAVFOR's operation ATALANTA felt now compelled to publish their updated piracy facts for those vessels, which EU NAVFOR admits had not been protected from pirates and were abducted. EU NAVFOR also admitted in February 2011 for the first time that actually a larger number of vessels and crews is held hostage than those listed on their file.
Since EU NAVFOR's inception at the end of 2008 the piracy off Somalia started in earnest and it has now completely escalated. Only knowledgeable analysts recognized the link.
Please see the situation map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA (2011) and the CPU-ARCHIVE
ECOTERRA members can also request the Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor for background info.
- see also HELD HOSTAGE BY PIRATES OFF SOMALIA
and don't forget that SOMALI PIRACY IS CUT-THROAT CAPITALISM
WHAT THE NAVIES OFF SOMALIA NEVER SEE:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/05/fighting_for_control_of_somali.html
What Foreign Soldiers in Somalia and even their Officers Never Seem to Realize:
The Scramble For Somalia
PEACE KEEPERS OR BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGENTS ?
SG Ban Ki-Moon (UN) and President Ram Baran Yadav (Nepal) should resign and take the responsibility for 4,500 Haitians having been killed by a Cholera strain introduced by unchecked, so-called UN Peace-Keepers from Nepal into Haiti.
LATEST:
STILL OVER 500 SEAFARERS ARE HELD HOSTAGE IN SOMALIA !
ECOTERRA Intl. has been the first group to clearly and publicly state that the piracy phenomenon off the Somali coasts can only become an issue of the past again, if tangible and sustainable, appropriate and holistic development for the coastal communities kicks in. Solutions to piracy have to tackle the root causes: Abhorrent poverty, environmental degradation, injustice, outside interference. While still billions are spend for the navies, for the general militarization or for mercenaries or conferences, still no real and financially substantial help is coming forward to pacify and develop the coastal areas of Somalia ir to help the Somali people and government to protect and police their own waters.
Updates and latest news on known cases of piracy - see the status section :
GREEK CHEM TANKER SEA-JACKED BY SOMALI PIRATES IN GULF OF ADEN (ecop-marine)
NATO did sent out the following alert yesterday:
---WARNING WARNING WARNING---
At 0858 UTC a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 1 skiff in position 1200N 04533E.
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of alert : October 31, 2011
Alert type : Attempted Attack
Location : [234] GULF OF ADEN 1200N 04533E
Latitude : 12 00 N
Longitude : 045 33 E and said: "The Pirate action group is still in the area", but only today confirmed that at 11h52 UTC on 31, October 2011 the merchant vessel actually had been hijacked by 1 skiff in position 1200N 04533E en route from Port Suez to India.
After some confusion, it has meanwhile also been clarified that the captured vessel is said to be the Marshall Islands-flagged and Greek-owned MT LIQUID VELVET (IMO 9083940) - formerly MT Liquid Challenge or MT Shina - and not her in 2007 renamed namesake managed from Singapore, which is called today MT BEN.
The 1994 built double hulled chemical tanker of 11,599 dwt is owned by the Greek firm ELMIRA TANKERS and operator is Elmira Tankers Management S.A., while Minimal Enterprise Co. serves as owner-manager, who confirmed that the ship is manned by a crew of 21 Filipino seafarers and security advisor from Greece.
EU NAVFOR, which is supposed to watch the International Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden has so far not yet reported.
"We have hijacked the tanker and it is due to anchor near the shores of Garad," Khalif told Reuters by telephone from the pirate haven of Dhanane.While still on Sunday the International Chamber of Commerce's IMB/PRC spoke of oppressed piracy as success for the navies, the real season seems to have started now with a bang.
Also the watchofficer at NATO had to wake up and reported further incidences:
INDICATION OF MOTHERSHIP
01/11/2011 10:00 Suspicious Activity
There have been approaches on two seperate vessels in the vicinity of position 1730N 05726E in a short period of time. In addition there has been a report of a suspicious dhow in this area which is assessed to be a mother ship. Investigations are on-going.
Extreme caution is to be taken when transiting through or near this area.
WARNING: APPROACH
01/11/2011 09:35 Approach
There has been a suspicious approach on a vessel in position 0121S 05221E at 0936Z on 1st Nov. The vessel was approached by two skiffs. On board security repelled the attack and the vessel evaded hi-jacking. VESSEL IS SAFE and continuing on its original journey.
Additionally the master saw a possible mother ship in position 0130S 05226E (yet to be confirmed).
Vessels transiting in or around this area should proceed with extreme caution.
WARNING: ATTACK
31/10/2011 20:30 Attack
A Vessel came under fire from an unknown number of skiffs in position 0810S 04606E at 2028Z on 31/10/11. Vessel was fired upon aft of bridge bulkhead, port and starboard side accommodation and portholes. On board security team returned fire and after 30 mins pirates left the vicinity of the vessel.
VESSEL IS SAFE. Master is unable to give any further details as it was dark at the time of the incident.
Vessels transiting in or around this area should exercise extreme caution.
WARNING: APPROACH
31/10/2011 14:15 Approach
A vessel was attacked by three white skiffs in position 0223S 04929E at 1415Z on 31/10/11. Vessel protection detachment was on board aboard and managed to evade hijacking. VESSEL IS SAFE.
Vessels transiting through this area are to take extreme caution.
©2011 - ecoterra / ecop-marine - articles above are exclusive reports and, if not specifically ©-marked , free for publication as long as cited correctly and the source is quoted.
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What you always wanted to know about piracy, but never dared to ask:
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Ghanaian hostage in Somalia faces execution (citifmonline)
One of the Ghanaian hostages, Francis Koomson Snr, being held captive by Somalia pirates could be executed today.
Koomson, who is one of four Ghanaians being held on the MV Iceberg 1 off the Somali coast, is making a passionate and urgent appeal through Citi FM to the President of Ghana, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills and all well meaning Ghanaians across the world to come to his aid. One of the Ghanaian hostages, Francis Koomson Snr, being held captive by Somalia pirates could be executed today.
The pirates have already executed two non-Ghanaians in the past four days and in the next few hours the fate of the Ghana national hangs in the balance. They have been in captivity for the past two years.
Fifty-year-old Koomson told Citi News on Tuesday from their Gulf of Aden base that the pirates are angry that the one million dollar ransom they demanded has not been paid. He said he is due to be slaughtered by the pirates in a matter of hours.
“Please I want the whole nation if possible to talk to this man [pirate] right now to stop their action and the government of Ghana should take over," a desperate sounding Koomson said.
“Give them the ultimatum that stop this and I would take over the case as soon as possible because we have some few hours left.
“We’ve done no wrong, we were doing our job and the ship was pirated, there is nothing wrong that we have done. Fellow Ghanaians pray for our dear lives if our government cannot do anything for us. Pray for our dear lives because we don’t have time."
Koomson continued: “The time is limited, so I want the government of Ghana to intervene right now because I am the next person to go.
“They gave me the phone to talk to my family, anywhere that I want to call so I talked to my family, I told them to pray for me, have faith in the Lord.
“I would just tell President Mills to look up to God and assist us because we have done no wrong and we are Ghanaians. I want His Excellency President Mills to talk to this people and give them the assurance that they should hold on to whatever plans they are making and he would take over the case.
“If the President talks to them, they may hold on. ”
Other Ghanaians being held hostage include Edward Kofi Asare, Jewel Amiable and one other whose identity is not yet known.
Listen to Koomson making an appeal to Ghana's president in the audio clip[N.B.: Though usually Somali pirates do not let their threats become true - such episodes must stil be taken very serious and all must now work together to achieve the release of this crew and end the longest piracy case in the history of Somalia - see also the casefile below.]
You can shoot Somali pirates By K. Shofield (TheSun)PM to let Brit ships use guns on hijack mob
BRIT ships yesterday got the green light from David Cameron to SHOOT pirates.
The PM declared it was time to fight back against Somali hijackers holding vessels to ransom — announcing ships sailing under our flag will for the first time be allowed to hire armed guards.
Mr Cameron said: "The extent of the hijack and ransom of ships around the Horn of Africa is a complete stain on our world.
"The fact a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is a complete insult." The PM said he was determined to take a lead in tackling the burgeoning peril — which now costs the world £10billion a year in lost trade.
Around 200 commercial ships sail under the Brit flag — and it has been illegal for them to have gun crews.
New licences will let them do so in pirate hotspots.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening confirmed: "Officials are acting quickly to facilitate the change in policy and are working closely with the shipping industry and partners in the region to achieve this."
The move comes just weeks after Brit commandos freed 23 hostages from a ship boarded by Somali pirates off the east coast of Africa.
Last year kidnapped Brit tourists Paul and Rachel Chandler spent months in captivity before being freed. Mr Cameron held talks on ways to combat the menace when he met African leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Australia.
Other measures being taken include Treasury support for Kenya's battle to seize pirates' assets. Countries such as Mauritius and the Seychelles — desperate to end the high seas curse — could also get help to put pirates in the dock and jail them.
Somali pirates need jobs or jail, not ransom or death By Richard Darlington (leftfootforward)
David Cameron’s announcement that UK flagged merchant ships will be licenced to carry armed guards has been interpreted as tough action to take the fight to Somali pirates. But on its own, it’s a move that could make a complex situation worse and put UK sailors at greater risk in the long-term.
The prime minister told Andrew Marr:
“The evidence is that ships with armed guards don’t get attacked, don’t get taken for hostage or for ransom.”But because of the seasonal nature of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off the horn of Africa, the evidence also shows that attacks only happen when the sea is calm.
As Lt. Nathan Christensen of the U.S. Naval 5th Fleet explained to Stars and Stripes:
“It’s all weather-dependent… the monsoon season stopped and there was an increase in incidents of piracy.”Unfortunately, the international community does not seem to have taken action during the off-season and are now reacting because the pirate season is back in full swing.
At the weekend, the prime minister said:
“The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system I think is a complete insult”.An insult it maybe but that doesn’t stop it being a growing phenomena that has now become international criminality on an industrial scale.
The numbers are mind boggling. Ecoterra International, a group that monitors piracy attacks, say that 50 vessels are currently being held by Somali pirates along with more than 800 crew. The International Maritime Bureau say that 49 ships were hijacked off Somalia’s coast in 2010 and that 1,181 people were taken hostage.
Since 2008, the problem has grown year-on-year. The IMB say there were 445 pirate attacks in 2010, a 10% rise from 2009. But the year before there were just 130, a rise of more than 200 per cent over 2007. It is estimated that maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn (£4.4bn) and $12bn (£7.6bn) a year.
The problem has also spread, more than a thousand miles to the south, and more than a thousand miles off the coast.
This spread of the problem is what is leading policy makers away from the methods that successfully protected commercial freight shipping through an internationally agreed path – policed by NATO warships – through the Gulf of Aden.
But when dealing with criminality on an industrial scale you need to take the same three pronged approach that deals with any type of organised crime.
Firstly, you need to make it harder to commit the crime; secondly, you need to make it more likely that the pirates will be both caught and punished; and finally, you need to give the seemingly endless supply of young male Somalis an alternative livelihood.
This three pronged approach has been at the root of the success in Afghanistan in combating the opium trade and the poppy harvest.
But in Afghanistan, the scale of the international aid effort completely dwarfs the resources devoted to East Africa in general and Somalia in particular. With NATO troops on the ground for over a decade, rich countries have supported development in Afghanistan in terms of education, health, governance and alternative livelihoods for former poppy farmers. In Helmand Province, the UK aid effort operates side-by-side with the UK military and diplomatic service.
The comparison with the international effort to deal with former fishermen in Somalia is stark.
Somalia gets famine relief from the World Food Programme but British officials cannot be insured to work in Mogadishu, let along outside the Somali capital. Instead, they are based in Nairobi, Kenya.
There are some limited World Bank employment programmes, mainly building roads in Puntland, but nothing to rival the piracy industry and no investment in public services, nor a stable state for foreign donors to partner. The bravery of NGOs operating in such a hostile environment is matched only by the frequency of their kidnapping and ransom.
It’s an oversimplification but well worth noting that Somalia is almost three different countries:
Somaliland, relatively stable and petitioning the UN for independent nation status; South Central Somalia, where the American backed TFG continually battle the Al-Qaida backed al-Shabab, while a totally inadequate African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) watches on in impotency; And finally, the middle bit, Puntland, the home of unimaginable poverty of the mass population and incredible wealth of a tiny number of organised criminal pirate bosses.
Some analysts suggest that pirates give as much as 50 per cent of their ransoms to al-Shabab as protection money, while others suggest much of the funding is channelled back to Al-Qaida controlling interests in Yemen.
Scotland Yard and the Serious Organised Crime Agency has even investigated the UK based maritime industry for a kind of insider-trading insurance-fraud whereby individuals in London provide intelligence about what ships, carrying what cargo, are sailing when and where.
On one level, the issue is completely bound up in global politics. But on another, the criminal technique is fairly simple and there seems to be a lot of very poor people prepared to take the opportunistic risk for the chance of a huge reward. More than 130 pirates, are being held in Kenya and there are another 750 Somali men in 14 different countries awaiting trial over piracy acts.
Pirates use small but fast fishing boats (skiffs) to get alongside their targets, then use noisy AK-47s to scare and slow their prey and finally grappling hooks and rope ladders to get aboard and secure a hostage situation. During the monsoon season the weather makes it impossible to do and if ships spot potential pirate skiffs early enough and sail full ahead, they can usually make it to a friendly naval warship. Here’s a ‘how to counter a pirate attack’ video.
The best policy response would have been for the international community to choke off ransoms some years ago, but because they didn’t it is now a huge industry in a part of the world that has little other connection to the global economy. The Kenyan foreign minister claims that pirates received an estimated $150m in ransom payments in 2009.
On an individual level, of course it is very difficult to argue that families should not pay ransoms to secure the freedom of their loved ones but the commercial values of cargos and the maritime insurance industry has in effect poured fuel on the fire. Who could blame the family of the British couple seized on a pleasure yacht from paying up? But on a policy level, the more ransoms that are paid, the more ransoms will be demanded.
Without co-ordinated action on this issue, progress on a political settlement in Mogadishu and the development of a viable Somali state, violence just leads to more violence.
If crew on UK flagged vessels are going to carry firearms it is better that they are licenced than not, but firefights on the high seas will only displace the problem and could escalate it, leading pirates to changed their tactics.
As Peter Hinchliffe, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping told Reuters:
“To date no ships with armed guards on board have been captured. But pirates will respond with increased firepower to overwhelm the armed guards, and when that happens the impact on the crew will be pretty dreadful.“(*) Richard Darlington is Head of News at IPPR and was Special Adviser at DFID 2008-2010
See also:
• East Africa food crisis could have been prevented – Katy Wright, July 22nd 2011
• East Africa famine: We need funds now, and to deal with underlying problems – Katherine Nightingale, July 22nd 2011
Should Pirates on the High Seas Be Taken Back to the Country of Origin for a Trial? By Lance Winslow (cmvlive)
There seems to be a bit of debate around the world as to what to do with the Somalia Pirates which are captured while trying to boat-jack a ship, or vessel on the high-seas. As you know if anyone attempts to resist these bad guys they use RPGs, and AK-47s on them, thus, these pirates are murderers in many regards. Now then, depending on which vessel of which country’s Navy intercepts these pirates, they go about the issue of justice differently.
If the Chinese catch the pirates, they merely eliminate them, leave them for shark food you could say – the proverbial burial at sea so to speak. Other nations like India’s Navy capture the pirates and put them into prison awaiting trial, unfortunately, India now has 100 Somalia Pirates detained and has not brought them to trial yet. Okay so, what should they do with them? And if found guilty is it a capital offense in India? Firing squad, I mean what is the penalty.
Many world organizations are calling for a common and standard way of dealing with justice, and once agreed upon, every Navy would do the same thing when they catch the pirates. Now then, I am not a socialist or communist, I don’t believe that the “group think” makes sense in this case, and an international “team effort” is the correct way to play it in defending against pirates, but is it the right way to go about serving justice? Yes, sometimes it “might be” but usually it isn’t.
Should we take these pirates back to their own county and allow them to carry out the justice there? Well, hard to say, after all, they may just line them up after a 5-minute trial as a formality and execute them, but what if one of them is not guilty, just along for the ride, or coerced or something like that, then they too would be dealt a blow even in their quasi-innocence.
We also know that we cannot trust nations with corrupt governments to have legitimate courts. Thus, the worst offenders would merely buy their freedom, and the courts for pirates would be forever compromised.
Okay so, consider this; if someone is caught as a pirate on the high-seas, they committed that crime outside their country, that’s where the court should take place, on a Naval ship and if found guilty the penalty is death, and then dispose of them. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Many of these pirates kill anyone who resists, they come aboard private and company vehicles with automatic weapons. They are killers. We cannot build trust with un-trustworthy people, they are humans, inherently untrustworthy anyway, and throw in a culture which operates like Ferenges, and what do you have? So, we have a problem here, one which I don’t believe can be solved by socialist-neo-liberal thinkers, or amnesty international. Please consider all this.
(*) Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Accused pirate's attorney wants charges dismissed By Brock Vergakis (AP)
The attorney for a Somali man accused of being the highest-ranking pirate the U.S. has ever captured wants all charges against him dismissed, saying that the U.S. doesn't have the proper jurisdiction to prosecute and that even if it did, Somalia is far too dangerous a country to travel to and mount an adequate defense.
Mohammad Saali Shibin faces a litany of charges in the February hijacking of the yacht Quest, which resulted in the deaths of all four Americans on board. They were the first Americans killed in a wave of piracy that has plagued the Indian Ocean in recent years.
Unlike the other 14 men charged in the case, Shibin never set foot aboard the yacht. Instead, prosecutors say he acted as a land-based negotiator who researched how much ransom to seek for the Americans.
He also faces a series of charges in securing ransom of a German merchant vessel. An indictment alleges Shibin received $30,000 to $50,000 for negotiating a ransom for the Marida Marguerite estimated in the millions.
If convicted of piracy of either vessel, he faces a mandatory life sentence. He also faces hostage taking, kidnapping and weapons charges, among others.
Shibin attorney James Broccoletti wrote in a federal court filing Tuesday that the piracy charges should be dismissed because Shibin didn't engage in robbery at sea. He also wrote that the U.S. needed to extradite Shibin if it wanted to prosecute him. Shibin was apprehended in Somalia.
"Additionally, the United States cannot establish jurisdiction over someone who is 'found' in the U.S. solely through our government action of seizing and bringing him here — especially when there is no connection of the U.S. government to the offender, the victims, or the victim ship," he wrote.
The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment. It has not yet filed a response.
Broccoletti writes that Somalia has a functioning judicial system that could prosecute Shibin for the crimes he's been charged with. However, he also acknowledged the chaotic nature of Somalia — which has become a pirate haven — in a detailed filing that lays out all the reasons it is unsafe for him to travel there.
He contends that his inability to travel to Somalia, gather evidence and interview witnesses would result in an unfair trial.
"The historical setting to Somalia's state of chaos, its continued corruption and violence, make it clear shy Somalia is one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world. Travel to any region of Somalia is clearly not a viable option for any American citizen, much less anyone associated with the American government, at this time or the foreseeable future," he wrote.
Pirates get 3-year sentence in Oman (omanobserver)
The Appeal Court in Muscat awarded open jail sentence to 10 out of 13 pirates who had been involved in the high jacking of vessels and were arrested recently by Omani military units.
According to a statement released by the Public Prosecution Department here yesterday, three of the pirates were awarded three jail sentences in related crimes. The 13 pirates first got hold of a wooden ship sailing from Somalia to the Sultanate (with livestock on board) and used it to operate raids on other vessels in the high seas. They chased a container carrier leaving, but the vessel increased its speed and escaped. At this stage, an Omani rescue team consisting of forces from the Coast Guards, the Royal Navy of Oman and the Royal Air Force of Oman staged an operation which led to the arrest of pirates, who were found to be in possession of firearms and GPS devices.
The suspects were charged with various crimes, including abduction, forcing victims to pay ransom and illegal possession of firearms, all of which are incriminated by the Omani Penal Law.
The Public Prosecution Department, in another statement, said that the Appeal Court in Nizwa handed a four year jail sentence to a driver who caused a road accident when he drove under the effect of alcohol. The accident caused the death of four people.
The drunken driver, who was travelling from Sinaw to Izki, lost control of his vehicle at Shaffea Triangle in the Wilayat of Izki and dashed into the opposite direction, causing the death of all four in the other vehicle.
In another case, the Appeal Court in Nizwa handed down an 18 month jail sentence to a man who used fake currency in purchasing items in the Wilayat of Adam.
The drunken driver, who was travelling from Sinaw to Izki, lost control of his vehicle at Shaffea Triangle in the Wilayat of Izki and dashed into the opposite direction, causing the death of all four in the other vehicle.
In another case, the Appeal Court in Nizwa handed down an 18 month jail sentence to a man who used fake currency in purchasing items in the Wilayat of Adam.
Kenya military claims to kill 18 pirates (AP)
Kenya's military is claiming that it killed 18 pirates.
A Kenyan military statement said that its forces captured two skiffs on Monday and that 18 pirates were killed. It said that Kenyan forces "hit" three skiffs — small boats — on Sunday.Kenya's military is claiming that it killed 18 pirates.
The military statement provided no further details, such as how the pirates were killed or how the military knows there were 18 of them. A military spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Kenyan forces moved into southern Somalia in mid-October to attack militants.
Current efforts to stem piracy off Somali coast must be strengthened – UN official (UnitedNations)It is vital that Member States strengthen efforts to tackle piracy off the Somali coast, a senior United Nations official stressed today, adding that current initiatives, while laudable, are insufficient.
Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told a meeting of the Security Council that the international community has responded with an “unprecedented” effort to counter piracy, including through a naval presence off the coast of Somalia which has resulted in the reduction of incidents of piracy at sea.
In addition, more and more pirates are being arrested and prosecuted, and information sharing and coordination have improved, he said, as he presented the annual report of the Secretary-General on piracy off the Somali coast.
“Despite these unprecedented efforts, attempts to stem pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa remain insufficient,” Mr. Zerihoun stated, adding that Somali pirates have expanded their operations well into the Indian Ocean.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 316 people and 15 vessels were being held hostage as of early October 2011.
Mr. Zerihoun noted that the pirates’ technical capacities have increased and they have become more violent. Many young Somalis continue to be willing to take the risk of becoming criminals at sea.
Another cause of concern is reports of links between pirates and the Islamist militant group in Somalia known as Al-Shabaab, according to the official. Somali piracy could also be inspiring attacks elsewhere on the world’s shipping lanes, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea, he added.
“It is important that Member States and international actors redouble their efforts,” said Mr. Zerihoun.
The fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia can only be won through an integrated strategy that tackles deterrence, security, the rule of law and development, he noted, adding that counter-piracy efforts should be an integral element of the Somalia peace process.
He said it is also worth looking at interim objectives, including developing Somali capacity to deal with piracy on land and waters close to shore through the establishment of a coast guard.
“The Somali people, especially the youth, need greater incentives not to succumb to the lure of piracy. Economic rehabilitation and the creation of alternative livelihoods, especially the development and rehabilitation of coastal fisheries, must be at the centre of efforts to fight piracy. But as long as piracy is lucrative, alternate livelihood options will be a hard sale,” he stated.
Last week the Council adopted a resolution renewing its call for tougher anti-piracy measures in Somalia and the wider region, and urging all countries to adopt laws and cooperate with international organizations to accelerate the prosecution and punishment of piracy.
It also emphasized that the failure to prosecute persons responsible for piracy undermines the broader anti-piracy efforts of the international community, and stressed the need to establish specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia and other countries in the region.
Denmark Contributes To NATO Military Build-Up Off Somalia
Denmark to deploy surveillance aircraft against Somali pirates (XinhuaNewsAgency)
-Meanwhile, the Danish frigate Absalon is sailing again to the waters off the Horn of Africa with a crew of 150 to strengthen the NATO mission known as Operation Ocean Shield...
COPENHAGEN: Denmark will deploy one surveillance aircraft off Somalia's coast in a bid to tackle piracy in the region, the Danish government said Friday.
From January 2012, the Challenger surveillance aircraft will assist in aerial patrols for an initial two-month period as part of a NATO coalition force operating...in the Gulf of Aden.
"Other countries have aircraft there, but it is a gigantic nautical area," said Defence Minister Nick Haekkerup.
"Therefore it is important to know where to place the (coalition's) ships," he added, explaining the need for deploying surveillance aircraft.
The decision to deploy the aircraft was confirmed at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Danish Parliament on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Danish frigate Absalon is sailing again to the waters off the Horn of Africa with a crew of 150 to strengthen the NATO mission known as Operation Ocean Shield, said Danish news agency Ritzau.
The Absalon has already seen action in the region and its tour of duty is now extended by six months. Its arrival means there will be four international ships operating under Ocean Shield as of Nov. 1.
With the latest developments, the total number of Danish military personnel deployed in the Gulf of Aden operations rises to 190 persons, Ritzau said, marking a sharp increase in Danish counter-piracy initiatives.
Ocean Shield has operated since 2008, and been involved in several actions against pirates...
"Therefore it is important to know where to place the (coalition's) ships," he added, explaining the need for deploying surveillance aircraft.
The decision to deploy the aircraft was confirmed at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Danish Parliament on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Danish frigate Absalon is sailing again to the waters off the Horn of Africa with a crew of 150 to strengthen the NATO mission known as Operation Ocean Shield, said Danish news agency Ritzau.
The Absalon has already seen action in the region and its tour of duty is now extended by six months. Its arrival means there will be four international ships operating under Ocean Shield as of Nov. 1.
With the latest developments, the total number of Danish military personnel deployed in the Gulf of Aden operations rises to 190 persons, Ritzau said, marking a sharp increase in Danish counter-piracy initiatives.
Ocean Shield has operated since 2008, and been involved in several actions against pirates...
TOURISM IN KENYA GETS DESTROYED NOT BY SOME SKINNY KENYAN AND SOMALI HIJACKERS ACTING ON ORDERS TO PROVOCATE, BUT BY WARPLANE-NOISE OVER LAMU AND RETALIATIONS FOR THE INVASION OF SOMALIA BY KENYAAFRICOM/APS: U.S.-Led Eight-Nation Naval Exercise In Somali Basin
Exercise Cutlass Express By Lt. Cmdr. Suzanna Brugler, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs (U.S. Navy - U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet)
USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, At Sea: USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) completed the inaugural at-sea portion of exercise Cutlass Express, in the Somali Basin region, Oct. 25-28.
Cutlass Express is an exercise sponsored by U.S. Africa Command, and focuses on addressing piracy through information sharing and coordinated operations among international navies.
The at-sea portion of Cutlass Express was a multinational communications exercise designed to improve cooperation among participating nations to increase counter-piracy capabilities in the waters off the Horn of Africa. In addition, this exercise is a branch of Africa Partnership Station (APS), during which Samuel B. Roberts was the training platform in the most recent edition of APS East that took place July through September of this year.
"Exercise Cutlass Express was the culmination of all the relationship- building Samuel B. Roberts has facilitated in the East African region over the past four months while executing the APS mission," said Cmdr. Angel Cruz, commanding officer of Samuel B. Roberts. ...
Samuel B. Roberts' role in Cutlass Express was primarily geared towards providing ship-boarding operation training to the eight marines of the Uganda People's Defense Force who were embarked aboard the ship. The ship also had two ship riders from the South African navy who observed Cutlass Express and the day-to-day underway operations aboard Samuel B. Roberts... ...
The ashore portion of the exercise featured simulated civilian and military operations centers that seek to enhance both cooperation and capacity on the East African coast, which took place July 18-22. The weeklong table-top planning exercise paved the way for all that would happen during the recent at-sea portion of Cutlass Express. ...
Exercise Cutlass Express is yet another pillar that demonstrates U.S. and participant- nation commitment to regional stability and maritime security, with participating nations including Djibouti, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, The Seychelles, Uganda and the United States...
Exercise Cutlass Express took place at sea in the vicinity of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mombasa, Kenya, and The Seychelles with coordination among regional maritime operations centers. Samuel B. Roberts provided at-sea U.S. warship platform participation while several Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet staff personnel also participated as exercise planners and trainers.
Samuel B. Roberts is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate that is homeported in Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and is currently on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of responsibility.
APS is an international security cooperation initiative, facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships. ..
Cutlass Express is an exercise sponsored by U.S. Africa Command, and focuses on addressing piracy through information sharing and coordinated operations among international navies.
The at-sea portion of Cutlass Express was a multinational communications exercise designed to improve cooperation among participating nations to increase counter-piracy capabilities in the waters off the Horn of Africa. In addition, this exercise is a branch of Africa Partnership Station (APS), during which Samuel B. Roberts was the training platform in the most recent edition of APS East that took place July through September of this year.
"Exercise Cutlass Express was the culmination of all the relationship- building Samuel B. Roberts has facilitated in the East African region over the past four months while executing the APS mission," said Cmdr. Angel Cruz, commanding officer of Samuel B. Roberts. ...
Samuel B. Roberts' role in Cutlass Express was primarily geared towards providing ship-boarding operation training to the eight marines of the Uganda People's Defense Force who were embarked aboard the ship. The ship also had two ship riders from the South African navy who observed Cutlass Express and the day-to-day underway operations aboard Samuel B. Roberts... ...
The ashore portion of the exercise featured simulated civilian and military operations centers that seek to enhance both cooperation and capacity on the East African coast, which took place July 18-22. The weeklong table-top planning exercise paved the way for all that would happen during the recent at-sea portion of Cutlass Express. ...
Exercise Cutlass Express is yet another pillar that demonstrates U.S. and participant- nation commitment to regional stability and maritime security, with participating nations including Djibouti, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, The Seychelles, Uganda and the United States...
Exercise Cutlass Express took place at sea in the vicinity of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mombasa, Kenya, and The Seychelles with coordination among regional maritime operations centers. Samuel B. Roberts provided at-sea U.S. warship platform participation while several Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet staff personnel also participated as exercise planners and trainers.
Samuel B. Roberts is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate that is homeported in Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and is currently on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa area of responsibility.
APS is an international security cooperation initiative, facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships. ..
From the SMCM (Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor): (and with a view on news of events with an impact on Somalia)
The articles below - except where stated otherwise - are reproduced in accordance with Section 107 of title 17 of the Copyright Law of the United States relating to fair-use and are for the purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by ECOTERRA Intl.
Articles below were vetted and basically found to report correctly - or otherwise are commented.
Somalis say:
NO TO UN-TRUSTEESHIP OVER SOMALIA AND NO TO AU AND IGAD MILITARIZATION
NO foreign or local military governance on land or foreign naval governance on the Somali seas.
NO to any threat infringing on the sovereignty of Somalia, especially concerning the 200nm territorial waters, given since 1972, and the 200nm EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone / UNCLOS) already in place since 1989 as well as the 350nm continental shelf zone.
NO to any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in relief food or Genetically Engineered (GE) seed supplies.
Kenya warns al-Shabab of bombing by Twitter (bbc)
Kenya wants to secure its long border with SomaliaKenya's military spokesman has warned the residents of 10 towns in Somalia via Twitter that they "will be under attack continuously".
Maj Emmanuel Chirchir clarified to the BBC that bases of the al-Shabab militia were outside those towns, and that these camps would be their target. Kenya sent troops into Somalia earlier this month as it blames the Islamist group for a spate of kidnappings.
Al-Shabab, which is in control of most of the south, denies the allegations.
"The Kenya Defence Forces urges anyone with relatives and friends in the 10 towns to advise them accordingly," Maj Chirchir said on his official Twitter account.
He listed nine towns in one of his tweets: Baidoa, Bardhere, Dinsor, Afgoye, Buale, Barawe, Jilib, Kismayo and Afmadow. The town of Baidoa was listed twice.
Maj Chirchir said it was difficult to fit all the information into the 140 characters allowed in a Twitter message.
He told the BBC most al-Shabab bases were on the outskirts of the towns the group controlled.
"We're not attacking towns - I want to make that clear - we're attacking al-Shabab camps - all we're saying is that people in Somalia, [should] avoid being close to al-Shabab camps," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
He said the al-Shabab-controlled towns were targets because they were suspected of receiving weapons from an arms consignment carried in two aircraft that landed in Baidoa on Monday.
He said it was an operational decision and the attacks would begin "any time" from Wednesday.
His warning follows controversy over the aerial bombardment of Jilib on Sunday.
Maj Chirchir said a Kenya fighter jet only hit al-Shabab positions in Jilib, killing 10 militia fighters.
But the medical charity MSF-Holland said at least five people, including three children, died after a camp for internally displaced people was bombed.
People abducted from Kenya since September include a French woman suffering from cancer, who French authorities say has since died, a British woman taken from a coastal resort, whose husband was killed in the raid, and a Kenyan driver and two Spanish aid workers seized from the Dadaab refugee camp near the Kenya-Somalia border.
After two decades of civil conflict, Somalia is awash with guns, and analysts say any number of groups could have carried out the kidnappings - including pirate gangs.
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, is locked in a battle with the weak UN-back interim government for control of the parts of the country which are currently outside its power, particularly the capital, Mogadishu.
Kenyan leadership starts to understand the Ogadeni conspiracy (WaGoshaNews)
After a meeting with Somali premier, the Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga for the first time declared that his country did not recognize the so called Azania state formed in Kenya few months ago. To many it was a surprise statement from a Kenyan leader, but on the other hand it shows that Nairobi has felt the heat of peoples’ anger over the clan hoax administration announced in April 2011.
Mr Odinga spoke after having lengthy talks with his Somalia counterpart Abdiweli Muhammad Ali in Nairobi.
Last week Somali government expressed deep concern over Kenya’s military incursion, suspecting that Kenyan leaders of Ogaden clan are using the operation to back clan state in Jubba regions.
The Somali prime minister is visiting Kenya , when Nairobi government last week requested an explanation after the Somali president claimed the military operation had been undertaken without Somalia’s agreement.
Although Kenyan top leadership has genuine goals of eliminating Al-Shabab, but its widely known that the Kenyan minister of defence Muhammad Yusuf Haji, his son, who is an intelligent officer and other Kenyan Ogadeni politicians were secretly using the Kenyan institution to achieve clan goals including a creation of a state that will bring together Ogadenis in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In Somali the Ogaden clan resides only in one district called Afmadow in Lower Jubba region, but the dream is to conquer the whole Jubba regions that consist of more than ten districts, with different clans residing.
In Kenya the Ogaden resides in parts of North Eastern Province, while in Ethiopia they live with other Somali clans in Zone Five region. In both countries, Kenya and Ethiopia the Ogadenis are not the majority of Somali community living there.
In Kenya the Ogaden resides in parts of North Eastern Province, while in Ethiopia they live with other Somali clans in Zone Five region. In both countries, Kenya and Ethiopia the Ogadenis are not the majority of Somali community living there.
The Ogaden communities in Kenya and Ethiopia enjoyed huge support from Somali government since Somalia’s independence, specially during the ear of “Greater Somalia dream”. Its believed that it was that support that plunged Somalia into the current endless crisis, and surprisingly it’s the Ogadenis in Kenya and Ethiopia who became the obstacle to Somalia achieving lasting peace.
(*) Wagoshanews, New York, USA
Official: Investigations to be carried out on civilian deaths in Kenya army’s Somali operation
Kenya to probe deaths of civilians in Somalia By Tom Odula (AP)
Kenya's prime minister said Tuesday that the government will carry out investigations if there have been any civilian deaths stemming from the country's military incursion into Somalia, even as the international Red Cross lent weight to the view that civilians were harmed.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday it resumed distribution of food aid to more than 6,000 people at a camp in southern Somalia a day after the aid group Doctors Without Borders said five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in airstrikes there. The ICRC said it suspended operations following an air raid on Sunday.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said that any civilian loss of life in Kenya's pursuit of al-Qaida-linked Somali insurgents would be regrettable and that investigations would be carried out if civilians were killed.
The Kenyan military acknowledged carrying out an air raid attack on Sunday but blamed militants for the deaths.
Kenyan military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said the civilian deaths from Sunday's attack occurred when one of the militants drove a burning truck of ammunition into the refugee camp in the town of Jilib where it exploded. He said the Kenyan air force had hit the truck as it drove away from an al-Shabab training camp.
On Tuesday, the Kenyan military warned that it will attack 10 Somali towns where it believes al-Shabab has a presence and advised civilians to stay away from al-Shabab camps or being used as conduits for weapons.
In a statement, Chirchir warned residents of Baidoa, Baadheere, Baydhabo, Dinsur, Afgoye, Bwale, Barawe, Jilib, Kismayo and Afmadow that their towns are under imminent attack.
He said the Kenyan military has received reliable information that two aircraft landed in the town of Baidoa with arms consignment intended for the al-Shabab. He did not say where the weapons originated from and could not be immediately reached for further comment.
Kenya sent hundreds of the troops to Somalia in mid-October in pursuit of al-Shabab militants it blames for a string of kidnappings in Kenya.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Somali Red Crescent said in a joint statement that "all feasible precautions" must be taken to avoid civilian deaths and injuries. Somali Red Crescent volunteers administered first aid after the bombing, ICRC said. ICRC provided the facilities with medicine and supplies to treat the wounded.
On Monday, Odinga held a joint news conference with Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the second in two days. The two briefed diplomats from Western and African countries on the progress of the joint military operation against al-Shabab. Odinga told reporters that Kenya was not in Somalia to stay.
"Kenya has no imperialistic intention of staying longer in Somalia or annexing any part of Somalia. We want to see a united, liberated strong Somalia to join the East African Community," Odinga said.
Ali urged the international community to support the operation against the militants and to deliver humanitarian support to Somalis in the areas liberated from al-Shabab.
"Somalia is going into a new phase and hopefully soon Somalia will be an important member of the community of nations," Ali said.
Somalia has been a failed state for more than 20 years. The lawless country is a haven for pirates and international terrorists. The lawlessness in the country's south led to a famine affecting hundreds of thousands of Somalis.
Meanwhile, 50 al-Shabab fighters - mostly teenagers - laid down their weapons and defected to the government this week in line with a government deadline for amnesty. The defectors complained of a lack of salary and being mistreated while in al-Shabab. The militants often conscript teenagers and younger children into their ranks.
"These young men have decided to surrender after they were overwhelmed by unfortunate living conditions within the anti-peace elements," Ibrahim Omar Aden, Somalia's national security agency spokesman, told reporters. "They were brainwashed and have long been subject to unfair treatment by al-Shabab."
One of the defectors, Ahmed Abdi, said that high-ranking members of al-Shabab had lots of money and multiple wives, but that lower-ranking conscripts received little pay.
The government runs a program to feed, shelter and educate dozens of al-Shabab defectors in Mogadishu.
Elsewhere, Iran's government delivered 5,000 tons of food aid to help hungry Somalis suffering from famine. Mohamed Hashim, an official with the Iran Red Crescent. said the food aid included flour, sugar, rice, medicine and tents.
Rally Against Kenya Air Raids Held (ShabelleMedia)
Crowds of people on Monday gathered in southern Somalia town of Jilib to protest against Kenyan air raids that killed more than 10 people in the town itself.
The demonstrators marched the main streets of Jilib chanting slogans against Kenyan government.
They condemned Kenya's indiscriminate bombardments on famine victims in Jilib town, according to reports emanating from Middle Jubbe region.Most of the demonstrators were famine displaced people whom some of them died in Kenya air raid by two fighter jets in southern Somalia town.
Comment by Ras Sideeq:
WHERE ARE THE KENYANS GOING WITH THIS MILITARIST IDEOLOGY ? WHAT HAS THE WEST PROMISED YOU THAT YOU WILL RISK UNDERMINING THE STRONG BRIDGE BEING BUILT IN AFRICA . WHAT MAKES YOU SO AFRAID OF THESE PEOPLE WHEN A MAN IS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS WAYS HE CAN FACE ANY MAN EVEN STAN HIMSELF. WHEN THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS THEN THERE IS NO NEED TO FEAR EVIL FOR THE SCIENCE OF EVIL IS WEAK AND IT CAN NOT DETERMINE THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. WHENEVER THE DEVIL FEELS HE IS LOSING HE MANIPULATES THE WEAKEST OF THE LINK AND THEY ALL FELL LIKE HUMPTY DUMPTY IN EAST AFRICA. THIS IS DISTURBING YOU RATHER WAR WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS WHOM YOU'VE FED AND GIVEN LODGINGS FOR YEARS THEY ARE YOUR BROTHERS YOUR PEOPLE YET YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BACK ON THEM FOR THE IDEALS OF THESE VAMPIRES WHO LIVE OFF THE LIVES OF THE POOR AND THE OPPRESSED WHAT IS TRULY YOUR AGENDA? ARE YOU NOT FEELING THE BRIGHT STAR THAT IS SHINNING IN AFRICA!!! AREN'T YOU PART OF THIS GLORIOUS RENAISSANCE IN OUR BELOVED CONTINENT" THIS IS OUR TIME THIS IS OUR FUTURE LET US NOT THROW THIS AWAY WITH BAD DECISIONS THIS MUST BE PATHS TAKEN WITH VISION AND SERIOUS FOCUS. AFRICA CAN NOT AFFORD TO BE COMPROMISED BY ANY NATION OR ANY PERSON. LEADERS OF AFRICA ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UPLIFTING OF THE OVER ONE BILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE MOSTLY UNDER-PAID AND UNDER-FED. THEY WILL RISE UP AGAINST ANY MORE CORRUPTION AND DISUNITY. THEY WANT TO GUIDE THIS CONTINENT TO PROSPERITY THEY WANT TO LIVE FREE FREE FREE FREE OF AGGRESSION, FREE OF CONFLICT, FREE OF TRAUMA. WHY SHOULD THE WEST BE ENTITLED SUCH A LUXURY WHILE WE CONTINUE TO SUFFER - WHY? WHY MORE DEATHS, WHY ARE YOU NOT BOMBING THE US OR FRANCE WHY YOUR OWN BROTHERS? WHY TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST THOSE WHO CAN NOT TRULY OPPOSE YOU INSTEAD OF BUILDING YOU NOW RESORT TO THE ONE THING WE MUST ABANDON IN THIS GLORIOUS TIME.
SATAN IS THE LOSER, HE CAN NOT WIN HE HAS NO POWER OTHER THAN WHAT YOU ARE GIVING TO HIM. REFUSE HIS IDEOLOGY, REJECT HIS PLEA FOR BLOOD SHED, TELL HIM ITS UNCHRISTIAN, UN-ISLAMIC. TELL HIM HE BROUGHT YOU CHRISTIANITY AND WE JOIN HANDS IN REJECTING VIOLENCE AS IT SOLVES NOTHING NOT ONE THING JUST INFLAMES AND INSTIGATES MORE WARS AND MORE TYRANNY. ASK THEM WHAT WAR HAVE THEY WON IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS ASK THEM. THEY ARE LOSERS WHO WILL NEVER SEE "THE GLORY OF HIS MAJESTY" FIRE BALL FOR THE WEAK FIRE DESTRUCTION TO THE MINDS OF ALL THE INIQUITY WORKERS THOSE WHO ARE CONSUMED WITH MATERIAL AND NOT SPIRITUAL WEALTH . FOR THE SPIRITUAL BRINGS THE MATERIAL AND WITH GIFTS OF CHARITY YOU WOULD LEARN THAT ALL THINGS EVEN OUR SKIN THAT COVERS OUR BONES IS ALL MATERIAL ALL VANITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bombardment of Somali Refugee Camp Is Symbolic of Kenya's Doomed Invasion By Alex Perry (TIME.com)
Kenya's hasty invasion of its northern neighbor Somalia took a tragic turn late Sunday when, according to witnesses on the ground, the Kenyan air force bombed a refugee camp sheltering those fleeing Somalia's famine, killing three children and two adults. A spokesman for the Kenyan military in Nairobi insisted that the bombers killed 10 fighters from the militant Islamic group al-Shabab and wounded 45 others in the southern Somali town of Jilib. He dismissed reports of civilian casualties as al-Shabab propaganda. But those statements looked doubtful in light of information from the independent medical-aid group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which said it was treating victims of an aerial bombardment of a refugee camp near Jilib, an attack its staff witnessed. "I can confirm five dead and 45 wounded," Gautam Chatterjee, head of mission for MSF Holland in Somalia, told Reuters. "In our hospital in Marare, we received 31 children, nine women and five men. All of them with shrapnel injuries." Though MSF did not specify whose airplanes carried out the bombing, the only bombers known to be operating in the region are Kenya's. For many, the bombing of a camp housing those who had fled the world's worst famine will come as tragic, literal proof of the misguided nature of Kenya's military adventure in Somalia. Two weeks ago, Kenya sent between a few hundred and a few thousand troops over its northeastern border into Somalia in pursuit of al-Shabab, a Somalia-based group that is fighting the officially recognized government in Mogadishu and its African Union protection force (made up of Ugandans and Burundians). Al-Shabab also has an international capacity: several dozen of its members are Americans and Europeans, and last year it killed 76 people in simultaneous bomb attacks on two bars in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. For its part, Kenya took action after the recent murder of a British tourist and kidnapping of two Spanish aid workers and two more tourists (one British and one — who later died — French). The attacks, which Kenya blamed on al-Shabab, occurred in the past few weeks near the Somali border.
(PHOTOS: Collateral Crisis — the Catastrophic Famine in Somalia)
From the first, Kenya's action has appeared poorly thought out. Somalia, after all, is not a place to invade lightly. U.N. and U.S. attempts to back a humanitarian operation in 1993 ended in the firefight known as Blackhawk Down, when 18 American soldiers were killed in Mogadishu. An earlier Ethiopian attempt to crush al-Shabab and other Islamist factions in Somalia in 2006 ended more than two years later with Ethiopia's withdrawing after a bloody occupation that seemed to only embolden al-Shabab.
From the moment the first Kenyan soldier crossed the border, there were obvious questions over strategy. Though Kenya has not released a figure for the number of its troops in Somalia, anecdotal reports suggest less than 2,000, which would mean they are outnumbered from the start by al-Shabab, whose strength is estimated at 2,500 men. The attack seems likely to strengthen al-Shabab and bolster its local support, just at a time when the group was splintering and losing popularity. Kenya has invaded during the rainy season, when much of southern Somalia turns into a marsh. And Kenya is experiencing blowback inside its own borders: since the invasion, there have been two grenade attacks in Nairobi, which killed one and injured several, and an attack on a government car near the Somali border, in which all four passengers died.
(MORE: Will We Really Let 750,000 People Starve to Death?)
Most tragically, aid groups have warned that the invasion will only further disrupt efforts to reach the 3 million or so people in southern Somalia who are at risk of starvation amid the world's worst famine. That operation is woefully insufficient, and tens of thousands of people have already died because of restrictions placed on aid by both al-Shabab, some of whose members reject Western help, and the U.S., the world's biggest donor of food aid, which bars aid groups from using its donations in a way that might benefit al-Shabab.
Despite all these concerns, however, there is increasing evidence that Kenya did indeed act hastily. The U.S. ambassador to Nairobi, representing Kenya's ally and significant military funder, has said he was unaware of the attack until after it started. The Somali President said Kenya did not seek Mogadishu's permission to enter Somali territory — and he added, for good measure, that Kenya was not welcome. Finally, on Saturday the commander of the Kenyan army, General Julius Karangi, appeared to confirm that Kenya's action had not been well planned. While predicting that Kenya's operation would be lengthy, he said the time lapse between the decision to invade and the action itself was all of 12 days. "Some people mentioned that this entire operation was pre-planned, [that] it had been on the table for many, many months and years," he said. "The answer is no. We acted as a country on the spur of the moment." Which begs a horrifying question. Can it be that the Jilib refugee camp was bombed on impulse too?
Kenyan troops ambushed in Somalia-sources (Reuters)
Somalia's al Shabaab rebels ambushed a Kenyan military convoy in the south of the Horn of Africa nation on Tuesday, the insurgents, a pro-Somali government militia and a Kenyan security source told Reuters. The Kenyan security source said a number of al Shabaab fighters had been killed in a firefight and three Kenyan soldiers were wounded. Kenya's military spokesman did not respond to phone calls from Reuters seeking further comment.
Shoddy clan intelligence puts Kenyan forces into trouble (WaGoshaNews)
Following the death of innocent Wagosha/Bantu people in Jilib District in southern Somalia, reports suggest that members of the Ogaden clan who support the so called Azania state provided false information to Kenyan forces to attack innocent people.
The Kenyan forces are accused of carrying out air strike targeting a displaced people camp in Jilib town of Middle Jubba Region in southern Somalia.
It has been reported that at least 12 people have been killed and dozens others injured when two Kenyan jets raided the Somali town of Jilib. The jets reportedly bombed an Al-Shabab base and a nearby internally displaced people camp.
The Kenyan military has denied involvement in Sunday’s [30 October] killing of three civilians during the operation.
A statement from the Department of Defence in Nairobi said Kenyan troops were only responsible for the killing of 10 Al-Shabab militants in the region during an aerial attack.
But reliable sources told Wagoshanews in Mogadishu that some Ogadeni clan members have vowed to direct Kenyan planes to areas inhabited by innocent Wagosha people, so that they can ensure that their campaign of eliminating the Wagosha people from the land succeeds.
The Wagosha Movement of Somalia has said it was supporting the Kenyan operation against Al-Shabab, but warned over any exploitation by members of Ogadeni politicians in Kenya or in Somalia, who have a motive fo creating a clan entity in Jubba regions, but lied to Kenyan government that the purpose was to create a buffer zone.
(*) Wagoshanews, Mogadishu
Why capturing Kismayu could trigger proxy wars for Kenya (TheEastAfrican) Army enters the third week of its military campaign in southern Somalia, the African Union peacekeeping force is upping its pressure on the Al Shabaab around the capital Mogadishu, with the plan of “bringing some order” to the war-ravaged country by the end of December.
In conversations with diplomats, government officials, and intelligence sources in the region, a clear picture has started emerging of a war that has been in the making over the past five years and one that could dramatically reorder the Somali state, and just possibly bring about the peace that has proved so elusive over the past two decades.
According to these sources, Kenya’s military offensive was timely, coming as it did when the Al Shabaab militants are at their weakest and at a time when there is convergence of opinion in the wider East African region about what to do about the crisis in Somalia.
However, a clearer strategy crafted by Somali leaders and regional players in the conflict is also emerging. The first step, the sources say, is to create three new “areas of influence” in the rest of Somalia, beside Somaliland and Puntland, which now function as independent territories.
These territories would provide a buffer zone for Kenya and Ethiopia.
Already, Ethiopia has created a buffer zone spanning Galgadud, Hiraan, Bay, Bakool and Gedo (See map above).
Kenya’s military ambition is to create a buffer zone spanning Gedo El Wak, Middle and Lower Juba regions.
Ultimately, these regions will be governed as semi-automous states at first that could one day form part of a strong united federal government of Somalia.
The second step after the fall of Kismayu would to be to hand over all “liberated” areas to Amisom.
This, according to diplomats, would mean that the UN Security Council would be forced to reconsider upgrading Amisom into a full-fledged mission with the recommended minimum troop level of 20,000 soldiers.
So far, Amisom has about 9,500 troops in and around Mogadishu — and only two East African Community countries, Burundi and Uganda, have contributed.
There are plans to add 3,000 soldiers, but no one has offered to pay for them. Both Uganda and Kenya have been calling on the Security Council to upgrade Amisom.
The third step down the road, is for Amisom to hand over a pacified Somalia to the UN.
“If Kenya and other regional players can stabilise Somalia a little,” Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya, Shemsudin Ahmed, told The East-African last Thursday, “it will require more, not less, support from the rest of Africa and the international community.
It would make sense to hand over to the UN at that point,” he said. Ethiopia supports the Kenyan invasion, which mirrors its strategy five years ago.
Ethiopia, which went to war without the support of the international community with the exception of America, learnt some hard lessons.
Ethiopia’s foray
After Ethiopia made its foray into Somalia in late 2006 to fight the Islamic Union Courts regime led, ironically, by the country’s current President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, to prop up the more internationally recognised Transitional Federal Government that was then hiding out in Baidoa, it withdrew just over two years later in the face of international criticism.
Ethiopia then focused on creating a “buffer” zone with Somalia along the common border. Amisom already controls the bulk of Mogadishu, and the plan is for it to also establish a sphere of influence in Middle and Lower Shabelle and the coastal area of Galgaduud.
Kenya would establish a sphere of influence in Lower Juba, Middle Juba, and Lower Gedo and, of course, gain access to the key port of Kismayu, which is also the economic lifeline and greatest strategic asset of Al Shabaab.
Managing victory
However, as Kenya’s military campaign in Somalia clocks two weeks, the major cause of concern among diplomats, military and intelligence experts is starting to turn from taking over the Port of Kismayu into how to manage victory.
With Amisom increasing pressure in Mogadishu and the Kenya Defence Force continuing its onslaught in the south, experts told The EastAfrican that the capability of Al Shabaab to continue fighting on multiple battlefronts will face a significant challenge.
“There is no doubt we shall get Al Shabaab out,” said a source within Amisom, “but the key problem for Kenya is management of victory.
The moment the city of Kismayu falls, who will control it? There is a major potential for conflict between Kenya and Ethiopia.”
This potential conflict is symbolised by two men who experts say are being fronted as potential leaders of Jubaland, the new semi-autonomous state Kenya wants to help establish.
One of the men is former Somali Defence minister and “president” of the Azania state, Mohamed Gandi, who is said to be favoured by the bosses of Kenya’s National Security Intelligence Service as well as the French.
Ethiopians are wary of Gandi because his clan, the Ogadeni, harbour territorial ambitions of one day creating a super-state carved out of southern Somalia, southern Ethiopia and a huge chunk of Kenya’s North Eastern Province.
Then there is Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam, known as Madobe, who is the leader of the Ras Kamboni Movement that is allied with the Transitional Federal Goverment. Madobe is favoured by the Kenya military establishment because he comes to the table as a commander with troops, while Gandi is a politician with good business connections.
Managing local politics in Kismayu could easily see Kenya getting sucked into proxy fights with regional powers such as Ethiopia and Eritrea that have traditionally characterised the conflict in Somalia.
There is also the risk of getting entangled in clan politics that could easily turn the groundswell of support for Kenya by ordinary Somalis as a liberator and turn it into a foreign occupier.
In order to walk the fine line between invader and liberator, the Kenyan military has been taking a very cautious approach of turning over towns that have been captured to the local communities through the Transitional National Government.
However, when it comes to the port of Kismayu, the situation might turn tricky fast.
Mr Ahmed however downplays the potential conflict with Kenya over the establishment of the governing authority in Jubaland, claiming that Ethiopia has a good working relationship with both Gandi and Madobe.
However, even the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
A few days after the Kenyan incursion, Sheik Sharif threw a spanner in the works when he opposed Kenya’s military campaign. Everyone seems to have been caught by surprise, and the Kenya government wrote to the TGF to demand an explanation.
There was speculation that Sharif was playing to the Somali nationalist gallery, privately supporting the Kenya action, but maintaining his national credibility by publicly opposing it.
There seemed to have been widespread agreement too that Sheik Sharif was wary that the Kenyans were going to instal a regional government dominated by the Ogadeni clan in Kismayu, and that this would only create a Jubaland or Azania state that would operate like Puntland or Somaliland, and entrench the partition of Somalia.
Ethiopian hand
Some commentators saw the secret hand of Ethiopia, which was alleged to fear that Kenya’s Ogadeni proxy, with the lucrative Kismayu port and its revenues in its control, would back the Ogadeni National Liberation Front (ONLF), which is seeking to break away from Ethiopia and join a dreamed of Greater Somalia.
However, Ethiopia’s ambassador Ahmed denies the latter, telling The EastAfrican that he and other mission officials in Nairobi “talk regularly to… Gandi, the Nairobi-based Ogadeni leader and governor-in-waiting, who is likely to take over in Kismayu.”
He also said the majority of the Ogadeni are in Ethiopia, and they are leading lights in the politics of Ethiopia’s Somali State.
However, diplomats close to Sharif said a Jubaland or Azania state is the least of his worries.
Rather, it is his view of the role of Al Shabaab and the period after the one-year extension of the TFG extension, that is influencing his remarks on the Kenya campaign.
As for Kampala, it was President Yoweri Museveni who managed to get Somali groups to agree to extend the term of the TFG, which was expiring in August, by a year.
The international community, which initially opposed the extension, were on the spot once the Somalis agreed. Besides Uganda, which has the bulk of the troops in Amisom, made the argument for extension to the international community primarily as something that the peacekeeping forces needed to consolidate the gains they and the TFG forces were making against Al Shabaab in the Mogadishu region.
Sharif, the diplomats say, is “happy to see the Shabaab expelled from Mogadishu. But he is not ready to see it defeated.”
This is because, they say, his plan was to use the Shabaab to continue his stay in power when the extension expires next year.
The plan, they say, would involve Al Shabaab calling for a ceasefire, then entering into talks with Sharif, on the basis of which a new transitional government with him at the head would be formed — and he would thus get another term without an election.
Sharif’s plan, if that is what it is, seems to be unravelling.
Al Shabaab has reportedly asked for a truce, although this must be seen as a move by the Somali and less hardline faction, not the foreign faction of the militant organisation, who want to preserve some of their spoils around Kismayu.
The one thing that all Ethiopian, Kenyan, Ugandan, Burundian and Amisom officials The EastAfrican spoke to seem to agree on, though, is that if Sharif or the TFG embrace the Shabaab, then it is over for him. He would likely be ousted from power in seconds.
Turkish connection
In the meantime, Sharif and other players in Somalia are moving away from their traditional friends and allies in the Middle East, toward Turkey.
Turkey’s role, diplomats say, is one of the factors that make this moment in Somalia ripe for peace.
Turkey is rising as the new Muslim power in the world, and unlike the theocracies in the Middle East, it is eager to showcase the “modern” face of Islam, to show that a country can be Muslim and be a democracy, with free markets, full rights for women, and play a role in the world without a persecution or victim complex.
Its involvement in Somalia would help more secular and moderate elements to rise.
Secondly, despite the continuing attacks in Somalia by unmanned US drones, this time it is the French who are playing a greater role in the Kenya campaign.
For starters, Gandi is seen as “France’s man.” He is one of the very few Somalis who speak fluent French and is married to a Frenchwoman. In the past nearly 10 years that he has lived in Nairobi, most of his costs have been paid for, a source told The EastAfrican, with “French money.”
France has assumed a very aggressive, and equally controversial role in Africa.
It was very forward in using its military to help rebels oust Laurent Gbagbo from power in Ivory Coast in April this year, after the strongman lost elections to rival current president Alassane Ouattara, but refused to hand over power, leading a resumption of civil war.
France also assumed a high profile in the Nato bombing of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s embattled regime, to aid the rebels of the National Transitional Council. Gaddafi was captured, and very quickly killed in a gruesome incident by rebels in his hometown and stronghold of Sirte, just over two weeks ago.
France now seems to have turned its attention to East Africa. President Nicolas Sarkozy became the first French leader of the past 20 years to bury with the hatchet with Rwanda’s ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front.
The RPF blames French forces who were in Rwanda for collusion with Hutu extremists in the 1994 genocide, in which nearly one million Rwandans, most of them Tutsi, were killed.
French authorities, on the other hand, had long blamed the RPF, alleging they shot down the plane carrying then Rwanda president Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi’s Cyprian Ntaryamira over Kigali in 1994, setting off the last deadly phase of the genocide.
Not only has Sarkozy visited Rwanda and extended an olive branch, but Kagame too went to Paris.
France is seen as more likely to be willing to soil its hands in Somalia than the Americans, who have preferred to use proxies and drones, since their invasion of Somalia in 1992 ended in disaster and humiliation.
This is particularly important for Kenya, as it will need someone who is willing to share the bill for what looks set to be a drawn-out and expensive campaign.
Somali rebels say Somali American carried out suicide blast By Robin Dixon (TheLosAngelesTimes)
The Islamist militant group the Shabab releases a suicide message that it says the Somali-born American recorded before the attack on an African Union base in Mogadishu.
Abdisalan Hussein Ali, 22, was among about 20 young Somali Americans from Minneapolis allegedly recruited since 2007 by the Shabab, a rebel group, to fight in Somalia. (FBI / October 31, 2011)
Abdisalan Hussein Ali, 22, was among about 20 young Somali Americans from Minneapolis allegedly recruited since 2007 by the Shabab, a rebel group, to fight in Somalia. (FBI / October 31, 2011)
An Islamist group says an American militant of Somali origin carried out a suicide bombing against an African Union base on Saturday, killing at least 10 people in Mogadishu, and it released a suicide message that it says he recorded before the attack.
Abdisalan Hussein Ali, 22, was among about 20 young Somali Americans from Minneapolis allegedly recruited since 2007 by the Shabab, a rebel group, to fight in Somalia.
In an audio clip aired Sunday on a Somali radio station associated with the Shabab, a voice attributed to Ali said in English that jihad, or holy war, was the most important objective for Muslims and urged them not to "just chill out all day."
"It is not important that you become a doctor or you become some sort of engineer."
The speaker also called for attacks on nations including the U.S.
"My brothers and sisters, do jihad in America, do jihad in Canada, do jihad in England, anywhere in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in China, in Australia, anywhere you find kafir [those who don't believe in Islam]. Fight them and be firm against them."
U.S. officials did not confirm claims of Ali's involvement in the bombing.
A Minneapolis news website, MinnPost.com, reported Monday that university friends of Ali did not believe the voice in the clip was his.
"That did not sound like Bullethead," the website quoted one friend as saying, using Ali's nickname.
Ali was one of 14 Americans indicted in 2010 on charges of supporting the Shabab, which is fighting the United Nations-backed Somali transitional federal government and has links with the Al Qaeda terrorist network. The Shabab is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Britain and other countries.
A suicide bombing in Somalia by an American raises fears of other recruits returning to the U.S. to carry out attacks or enlist more militants.
There have been at least two previous American suicide bombers in Somalia, Farah Mohamed Beledi, 27, who attacked a military base in May, killing three people, and Shirwa Ahmed, who left the U.S. in 2007 and targeted the Ethiopian Consulate in Hargeisa in 2008, killing more than 20 people.
Several other young Somali Americans from Minneapolis reportedly have been killed in fighting in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, in recent years.
Another American who joined the Shabab, Abu Mansour al-Amriki, or Omar Hammami, of Alabama recorded a militant recruitment rap song and features heavily in the group's efforts to recruit Americans and other Westerners.
In 2009, he was featured in a Shabab recruitment video. Another video released that year featured two young men who identified themselves as Somali Americans.
The Shabab reportedly has more than 300 recruits from Britain, Sweden, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, South Asia, Kenya and elsewhere.
Shabaab Chiefs Could Be Probed By Ocampo (AllAfrica)
Kenya and Somalia want the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the leaders of Al-Shabaab for crimes against humanity.
Kenya also announced plans to go to the UN Security Council to seek support for an international naval blockade of Kismayu to starve Al-Shabaab of income.
In a joint communiqué issued in Nairobi on Monday, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his Somalia counterpart Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia had given Kenya permission to pursue the militants, but hand over the liberated areas to the local administration.
They asked the international community to provide warships to patrol Kismayu, regarded as Al-Shabaab's main source of income.
The leaders said the ICC should investigate individuals within Al-Shabaab over the terrorist attacks.
"The TFG will seek ICC assistance in beginning immediate investigations into crimes against humanity committed by individuals within the Al-Shabaab movement with the aim of seeking their indictment," read the statement in part.
Some of the known leaders of the group include Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubayr (better known as Ahmed Godane), the Supreme Leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali Abu Mansoor, the deputy leader, Sheikh Fuád Mohamed Khalaf, the propaganda chief, Sheikh Hussein Fidow, chief of political and regional affairs, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, former leader of the defunct Hizbu Islam, Sheikh Hassan Abdullahi Hersi alias Sheikh Hassan Turki, former deputy leader of the defunct Hizbu Islam and Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raghe alias Sheikh Ali Dhere, the spokesman.
The Nairobi meeting was also attended by Defence Minister Yusuf Haji, Chief of General Staff Julius Karangi, National Security Intelligence Service chief Michael Gichangi, Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere, Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka and Kenya's ambassador to Somalia Maj Gen (rtd) James Mulinge.
Mr Ali was accompanied by Somalia's deputy prime minister and Minister for Defence Hussein Aab Isse, Minister for Interior and National Security Abdisamad Mhamud Hassan, TFG Armed Forces commander Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Dini and Somalia's ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur.
Mr Ali was in the country to clarify reports by Somalia President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed questioning Kenyan's military intervention.
He said the TFG was united and that it supported the operation.
"I came with the blessing of the President. We will work with the Kenya government. There's no discord," Mr Ali said.
The join-statement said the security operation in Somalia was aimed at eliminating the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to Kenya's national security and economic well being "and is based on the legitimate right to self-defence under article 51 of the UN Charter."
The countries said the Al-Qaeda linked group was a common enemy for the region and the world.
Humanitarian assistance
"This threat must be fought jointly by the two nations with support from the international community," it said.
The two countries also agreed that the Kenyan government shall not negotiate with Al-Shabaab, but the TFG is free to negotiate with all armed opposition groups.
Fielding questions from journalists, Mr Odinga said people in areas that had been liberated by Kenya's Defence Forces were suffering and that the soldiers were sharing the little they had, including water and food, with them.
He appealed to the international community to intervene and provide humanitarian assistance, build schools and hospitals to restore normalcy in the area.
"We want to save the liberated Somali so that the country could join the East African Community in future," Mr Odinga said.
Mr Odinga denied claims that Kenyan troops were targeting civilians, saying they were only interested in destroying Al-Shabaab hideouts.
He said it was cheaper to crush the terrorist group now than defer military action.
Mr Odinga added that Kenya had no imperial intention of occupying Somalia, but the operation against Al-Shabaab will continue until they are defeated.
He said Djibouti has offered to deploy more soldiers to bolster the African Union contingent in the country.
"The TFG and Kenyan forces have been highly welcomed by population in Somalia. They had not seen forces which are human like that," he said, adding that more than 12,000 peacekeepers were needed to keep order.
He said the AU, Igad, the US, France, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, among others, had backed Kenya's operation and that the country will soon be seeking UN support.
Mr Odinga said Kenya does not support the secession of Southern Somalia and "all we want to see is a stable civilian government in Mogadishu.
"Somalia
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