Thursday 31 March 2011

Kuwait cabinet quits to avoid ministers' grilling


Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:46pm GMT
 
By Eman Goma
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's cabinet resigned as expected Thursday to avoid a grilling by parliament of three ministers, all members of the ruling al-Sabah family, amid calls for political and economic reform.
Lawmakers had asked to question the ministers in the latest of a series of challenges by an unusually assertive Arab parliament that have delayed important economic reforms.
"The ministers submitted the resignation to the prime minister, who will refer it to the emir," a parliamentary source told Reuters. The state news agency KUNA quoted Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Abdulaziz Al-Raudan as saying the government had resigned.
Kuwait's parliament, the most outspoken in a region mostly dominated by autocratic rulers, has triggered numerous cabinet resignations or reshuffles through questionings.Continued

Bahraini Opposition: More than 300 Detained in Crackdown

March 31, 2011
Bahrain's main Shi'ite Wefaq opposition group leader Sheikh Ali Salman speaks to journalists during a news conference in Manama, March 30, 2011
Photo: Reuters
Bahrain's main Shi'ite Wefaq opposition group leader Sheikh Ali Salman speaks to journalists during a news conference in Manama, March 30, 2011

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Bahrain's largest Shi'ite opposition party says the Gulf state's minority Sunni rulers are intensifying arrests of opposition activists, with more than 300 detained as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.

The party, Wefaq, said Thursday Bahraini authorities have detained 304 people, including 11 women, since the crackdown began on March 16, when security forces evicted the protesters from Manama's Pearl Square. The party says 24 activists remain missing.
VOA Middle East Monitor host Susan Yackee interviews Faraz Sanei, with Human Rights Watch, on conditions in Bahrain:

One of the most prominent activists to be arrested is blogger Mahmoud al-Youssef, a vocal critic of the Bahraini government's limits on freedom of expression. Family members and human rights experts say Bahraini authorities took him into custody Wednesday.

Wefaq also accused a police patrol of opening fire on a group of teenagers and killing a 15-year-old boy in the Shi'ite village of Sar on Wednesday.

There was no independent confirmation of the circumstances of the shooting.

Earlier, Bahrain's interior ministry reported that 24 people have been killed in more than a month of anti-government protests in the majority Shi'ite state.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa has accused Lebanese the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah of training Bahraini opposition activists to engage in violent protests against the ruling al-Khalifa family. He made the allegation in an interview published this week in the Al-Hayat newspaper.

Hezbollah issued a statement Thursday denying that any of its members are present in Bahrain.

The Iran-backed group says it has been providing only moral support to the opposition, which has been demanding the Sunni-led government's resignation and its replacement with a new system that gives a greater voice to Shi'ites.

Al Qaeda Declares Southern Yemeni Province An "Islamic Emirate"

al qaeda yemen
Image: Courtesy of Al-Jazeera

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Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has declared Yemen's Abyan province an "Islamic Emirate" and banned women from going outside, according to Eurasia Review and accounts from Yemeni journalists. AQAP, which has established full control over the southern province, made an online statement Wednesday declaring Abyan an Islamic Emirate governed by Shariah.
The statement said women in the province should not go out except under necessary circumstances, "and she who urgently needs to go out, should be with one of her male relatives, and should have ID with her."
AQAP's announcement comes just a few days after jihadists looted an ammunition factory in Ja'ar, a city in Abyan province, killing 150 people in an apparently accidental explosion. Al Qaeda militants have also taken control of local communications facilities in the province.

US-Yemeni cleric: Arab unrest chance for al-Qaida


CAIRO (AP) — A U.S.-born radical Yemeni cleric claims in a new article that violent Islamist groups will be able to take advantage of the Arab world's wave of popular unrest, even if it leads to secular governments in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other countries.
Anwar al-Awlaki writes in a new edition of al-Qaida's online magazine that any new governments will be weaker than the regimes they are replacing, and that will create opportunities for al-Qaida and its allies to operate with more freedom.
"Even if the upcoming governments wanted to continue with a policy of appeasing the West and Israel, they would not have the strength and depth of power that the previous governments had developed over the past three decades," al-Awlaki writes in the English-language article.
Western experts and government officials have described the overthrow of the Western-allied presidents of Tunisia and Egypt by peaceful and ideologically moderate uprisings as blows to the violent ideology of al-Qaida and other militant groups. Continued

Uganda is Next After Libya-Nina Mbabazi

UGANDA TO OFFER GADDAFI ASYLUM
The US and other imperialists have been helped by our ceding our rights to government one right at a time and being comfortable with it. Now the African governments need us to survive and this is in fact the strongest position the citizens of Africa will ever be in. We should talk our intellectual debates off the laptops and actually engage.

I have no doubt that Uganda is next. Not because NRM has overseen Uganda for 25 years but because we are strategically located for world trade and we have oil. It has been an open secret that the US and China have all been looking at African countries that would best suit the air cargo needs of the future. The Somali pirates have brought that point home to these people that soon, they must move to air cargo and get off the waters. It speeds up world trade and it reduces insurance loses that are in the billions. Also with the ongoing weather changes, we are likely to see more Tsunami’s more unstable weather so air is a safe bet.
Since 2006, I have chanced upon many British, Americans and Chinese at Serena, Sheraton, etc who have been talking about Uganda as an air cargo hub. They are ready to build huge air cargo cities outside Kampala. One program they were targetting was Rakai but it got entangled in religious bickering. But they are looking at Rakai, Ntungamo, Soroti and Gulu as air cargo hubs. There are huge Macau casino investors that are also willing to come and I personally met with the Italian Formula 1 team that is interested in Uganda now as their new site outside the Arab world. Uganda is situated in the best place. People, we are the heart of Africa! Take Uganda and you have conquered the African world from Sudan to Libya, Congo to Nigeria, Uganda to Ethiopia, Uganda to South Africa. Continue

Mahiga oo Ceel ku riday Rajadii Shariif Sheekh Axmed iyo Shariif Sakiin oo farxad la qoslaya.

Mahiga oo Ceel ku riday Rajadii Shariif Shech 2011 14:24



amiirnuur.comWakiilka Xoghayaha guud ee Gaalada midoobay u qaabilsan arrimaha Soomaaliya  Gaalka lagu magacaabo Augstin Mahiga ayaa Ceel dheer ku riday rajadii uu Kursiga Madaxweynanimada u qabay  Shariif Sheekh Axmed. Augstina Mahiga ayaa maanta muujiyay  sida uu ula safanyahay Shariif Sakiin, kadib markii uu si cad u sheegay  in waqtiga Shariif Sheekh Axmed ay ku egyahay bisha August ee sanadkan.
Mahiga ayaa sidoo kale sheegay in ka hor bisha August loo baahanyahay in la qabto doorasho loogu tar tarmayo cidda badaleysa Shariif Sheekh Axmed oo hadda ku fadhiya xilka Hogaanka ugu sareeya ee Kooxda dabo dhilifyada Gumeystaha.
Saacado yar dib markii uu Mahiga hadalkaasi ka sheegay magaalada Nairobi ayaa waxa uu soo gaaray magaalada Muqdisho, isagoona Xarunta Madaxtooyada kulamo kula qaatay Shariif Sheekh Axmed iyo Maxamed C/llaahi Farmaajo.  Kulankan Sedax geesoodka ah kama qeyb gelin Shariif Sakiin, balse  Shariif Sakiin waxa uu u muuqdaa mid Sheedda sare ka daawanaya kulamada soconaya maadama uusan Shaki badan ka qabin inuu kusoo kala wareegan doono Mahiga.
Bilihii ugu dambeeyay waxaa khilaaf adag uu ka dhaxeeyay Saaxiibadii shalay, balse maanta cadow ku ah Shariif Sakiin iyo Shariif Sheekh Axmed, iyadoona khilaafka u dhaxeeya labada nin uu salka ku hayo xilka Hogaanka ee kooxda wakiilada Gumeysiga.
AmiirNuur Media Muqdisho

Maleeshiyaad ku dagaalamay Dharkeynleey.

Dagaallo u dhexeeya Maleeshiyaadka DKMG ah ayaa dib ugasoo cusboonaaday xaafado katirsan magaalada Muqdisho oo cadawgu gacanta ku hayaan.
Isku dhacyo xoogan ayaa saacadihii lasoo dhaafay kasoo cusboonaadey degmooyinka Wadajir iyo Dharkeynleey
halkaasi oo lagu laayay Maleeshiyaad Mooryaan ah.

Ilaa 5 katirsan Maleeshiyaadka Hogaamiyaasha Mooryaanta Kooxda Shariif ayaa shalay ilaa iyo xalay lagu dilay Dharkeynleey ka gadaal markii ay isku qabteen lacago baad ah oo ay ka qaadeen gaadiidka BL-ka iyo goobaha ganacsiga.
Maleeshiyaadka dagaalamay ayaa ah kuwii ka cararay aagaga dagaalka magaalada Muqdisho oo ay ku jabeen, dadka deegaanka ayaa sheegay in dhinacyada dagaalamay ay isku hayaan qaab beeleed, Maleeshiyaad ku abtirsada Beesha Abgaal ayaa weeraro joogta ah ku haya kuwa kale oo ku abtirsada beesha Habar gidir, dhamaan dhinacyada dagaalamaya ayaa kawada siman Murtadnimada waxayna isku hayaan qabiilkii sanamka ahaa ee Umadda Soomaaliyed ka gudubtay.

Shariif oo dhisaya maamul loogu magac daray Mahadaay State (Warbixin).

amiirnuur.comGaalada Midowde ayaa wada dhaq dhaqaaqyo xoogan oo ay kursiga dulufka ah uga tuureyso shariif Sheekh Axmed madaxa Kooxda camiilada ah ee gaalada u deegta.

Shariif Sheekh Axmed oo xaqiiqsaday in gaalada caalamka aysan waqti dheeri ah ugu dareyn hogaaminta DKMG ah ayaa bilaabay in uu maaweeliyo shakhsiyaad damiir laawayaal beeshiisa ah.

Wafdi katirsan Qurba joogta beesha Mudulood gaar ahaan kuwa la shaqeeya hay'adda UNDP ayaa dhawaan yimid Muqdisho waxayna kulamo laqaateen Shariif Sheekh Axmed si ay qeyb uga noqdaan dadaalada ladoonayo in lagu kala qeybiyo umadda Soomaaliyeed.

Ilo wareedyo ayaa xaqiijinaya in hay'adaha gaalada aduunka ay mas'uul ka yihiin dhismaha deegaan Gobaleedyada ay dibadaha uga dhawaaqayaan shakhsiyaad damiir laawayaal ah oo magac beeleed wata.

Cadawga umadda ayaa dhisay maamulada kala ah Somaliland,Puntland,Galmudug oo ah Sedax maamul oo deegaanno baaxad leh maamula dhamaantoodna leh calamo u gooni ah waxayna isku arkaan maamulo kamadax banaan Soomaaliya inteeda kale.

Sanadadii lasoo dhaafay waxaa soo baxay jufa hoosaadyo katirsan beelaha Soomaalida ayaa dibadaha uga dhawaaqay maamulo loogu magac daray tuulooyin.

Waa shaqooyinkii ay gaalada aduunka ugu talagaleen in ay ku kala qeybiyaan umadda Soomaaliya iyagoo adeegsanaya khuwano diintooda iyo dadnimadooda iibsaday.

Shariif oo fulinaya awaamirta gaalada aduunka ayaa qorsheynaya in uu dhiso maamulo loogu magac daray deegaano ay degto beeshiisa sida maamul loogu magac daray Waax iyo Waadi iyo mid kale oo dhawaan lagu dhawaaqi doono oo loogu magac daray Mahadaay State.

Mahadaay waa degmo katirsan Shabeelaha Dhexe oo ay Mujaahidiinta Somaaliya maamulaan sidey maamul Goboleed ku naqan doontaa? arrintan waxay kamid tahay waalida khuwanada Soomaalida ah iyo khiyaamada ay shacabka la damacsanyihiin cadawga.


AmiirNuur Media Isha Wararka Somalida

Mujaahidinta oo Dagaal Gaadma ah ku qabsaday degmada Luuq

Warar dheeraad ah ayaa kasoo baxaya dagaallo culus oo xalay ka dhacay degmada Luuq ee wilaayada Gedo kadib markii ay mujaahidiintu weeraro culus qaadeen.


Wararka nagasoo gaaraya Luuq ayaa xaqiijinaya in ciidamada  Mujaahidiinta wilaayada Gedo ay xalay gudaha ugaleen Luuq halkaasina waxaa ka dhacay dagaal saacado qaatay.

Ciidamada Mujaahidiinta waxaa u suura galay in ay qabsadaan magaalada kadib markii ay cagaha wax ka dayeen Maleeshiyaadkii Murtadiinta ahaa ee Amxaarada Itoobiya keentay Luuq.

Goob joogayaal ku sugan degmada Luuq ayaa sheegay in ciidanka Mujaahidiinta ay saaka si nabad gelya ah dib uga bexeen magaalada markii ay gaareen ujeedkii ay weerarka usoo qaadeen.

Ciidamada Mujaahidiinta ayaa maalmihii lasoo dhaafay weeraro taaktiiki ah ku qaadayay fariisimaha cadawga Itoobiya iyo Acwaantooda ka sameysteen degmooyinka Luuq iyo Beled Xaawo.

War deg deg: Dagaal culus oo fiidnimada caawa ka soconaya degmada Boondheere

Dagaal culus oo la isu adeegsanayo Hubka noocyadiisa kala duwan ayaa fiidnimadan caawa ka socda Xaafado ka tirsan degmada Boondheere, halkaas oo ah aagag ay isku hor fadhiyaan Ciidamada Dowladda, kuwa AMISOM iyo Xarakada Alshabaab.

Wariyaheena Muqdisho ayaa soo sheegaya in xabada ay si xoog leh uga dhaceyso aagaga degmadaas, gaar ahaan fariisimo dhufeysyo ah oo dhowaan ay la wareegeen Ciidamada Dowladda KMG iyo kuwa AMISOM.

Hugunka Madaafiicda Taangiyada ayaa si weyn loo maqlayaa iyo hubka cul culus ee boobayaasha iyo madaafiicda garbaha laga tuuro oo si saf ballaaran looga maqlayo Boondheere.

Dagaalka ayaa hada socda ku dhowaad labaatan daqiiqo, waxaana marka loo eego yahay dagaal qorsheysan oo Al-Shabaab ay dhowr jiho kaga soo qaaday Boondheere, maalmo kadib markii laga saaray dhowr dhufeysyo godod u badnaa.

Xaafadaha degmooyinka Xamar weyne iyo Shingaani ayaa si weyn ay saameyn ugu yeelatay dagaalada culus ee ka soconaya Boondheere, iyadoo si aad ah looga maqlayo madaafiicda iyo hubka la is weydaarsanayo.

Dagaalada ayaa xoogooda waxay ka socdaan inta u dhaxeysa Dhismaha Wasaaradii hore ee Boostada iyo Isgaarsiinta ilaa Wasaarada Arrimaha Gudaha oo xaafado u dhow dhow oo uu ka mid yahay Dugsigii Wiil-Waal iyo Hotelkii Caalimow dhowaan qabsadeen Ciidamada Dowladda.

Xadiga dagaalada caawa ayaa ah mid ka culus kuwii maalmihii la soo dhaafay ka dhacayay degmadaas, kuwaas oo ahaa dagaalo goos goos oo aan waqtiyeysneyn.

Wixii ku soo kordha kala soco wararkeena dambe


Warsaxafadeed: DFKMG ka qeyb galimeyso Shirka Nairobi


Warsaxaafadeed shirka golaha Wasiirada
Muqdisho, March, 31.2011——— Shirkii caadiga ahaa oo ay maanta isugu yimaadeen Golaha Wasiirada kaasoo uu shir guddoominayay Ra’iisul Wasaaraha Xukuumada Federaalka KMG ah ee Soomaaliya Mudane Maxamed Cabdullaahi Maxamed Farmaajo ayaa looga dooday shirka la sheegay inuu ka dhacayo bisha April 2011 magaalada Nairobi ee dalka Kenya.
Goluhu wuxuu soo dhoweeyey dadaalka beesha caalamka iyo ergeyga gaarka ah ee Q/midoobay u qaabilsan arrimaha Soomaaliya Dr. Augastina Mahiga, wuxuuna garwaaqsaday culeyska uu xilliga kala guurka ahi ku  hayo ummadda Soomaaliyeed, lagama maarmaanna ay tahay iaan shacbigeena ka gudbinno xilligaasi.
Dood dheer iyo falanqeyn kadib, goluhu wuxuu go’aansaday in dowladda federaalka KMG ah ee Soomaaliya aaney ka qeyb galin shirkaasi maadaama uu caqabad ku noqonayo horumarkii laga sameeyey dhanka sugida amniga, dhaqaalaha, siyaasada, arrimaha iyo bulshada iyo maamul wanaagaba.
Dowladda Federaalka KMG ah waxay wadaa inay wadatashi la sameynayso odayaasha, waxgaradka, culimada, siyaasiyiinta, haweenka, maamulada iyo bulshada rayidka ah si loo xalliyo tabashada shacabka Soomaaliyeed meel kasta uu joogo, loogana wada shaqeeyo danta guud ee dalka, dadka iyo diintaba.
Goluhu wuxuu ugu baaqayaa baarlamaanka Soomaaliyeed iyo qeybaha kala duwan ee bulshada inay taageeraan go’aankan dhaxal galka ah si looga fogaado wax kasta oo wiiqi kara midnimada iyo danaha guud ee ummadda.
Waxaa hubaal ah in waqtigii yaraa ee ay jirtay xukuumadan cusub ay gaartay guulo la taaban karo oo saldhig u ah ka gudbida waqtiga kala guurka ah, balse ay u baahan yihiin dhameystir.
Jaangoynta siyaasada Soomaaliya waxaa mas’uul ka ah xukuumada Federaalka ee Dowladda Soomaaliyeed, sidaasi darteed, waxaan ugu baaqeynaa ergeyga gaarka ah ee Q/midoobay u qaabilsan Soomaaliya iyo dhamaan beesha caalamkuba inay nagu ixtiraamaan mas’uuliyidda Dastuuriga ah ee uu goluhu leeyhaya, naguna taageeraan howlaha culus ee ay ku jirto dowladd Soomaaliya iyo ciidamada AMISOM.
Waxaa nasoo gaarsiiye qoraalkaan
Xafiiska Warfaafinta ee Ra’iisul Wasaaraha

Ugandan women tricked into domestic slavery in Iraq

The BBC has the first detailed accounts of how Ugandan women ended up in domestic slavery in Iraq, and the extraordinary story of their rescue.
Ugandan women farming in the west of the country At least 100 of the Ugandan women who went to Iraq in 2009 remain unaccounted for
Prossie was working as a schoolteacher when she heard an attractive advert on Ugandan radio.
A Kampala company called Uganda Veterans Development Ltd was recruiting women to work for high wages in shops in US Army bases in Iraq.
She signed up, along with 146 other Ugandan women.
But when she arrived in Baghdad, she discovered that been bought by an Iraqi agent for $3,500 (£2,200). Her real job was as a housemaid for an Iraqi family.
Like many others, she was forced to work long hours, sometimes from 5am until midnight. She often received little food or water and she was locked inside the house.
"It was a lot of work because Iraqis have this dust, the sand storms, it keeps on falling, so you have to keep on cleaning from morning until you sleep," Prossie said.
Rape
When Prossie protested, her employer told her: "We paid a lot of money for you and we were told that you people don't get sick and you don't get tired. So you have to work."
Samuel Tumwesigye and Lt Col Theodore Lockwood Sam Tumwesigye and Lt Col Theodore Lockwood rescued 14 Ugandan women
Prossie was raped by the man in the house. Several other trafficked Ugandan women we spoke to were raped too.
"I felt so sad and I had no way out. I really hated everything in the house," she said. "It was psychological torture."
On the other side of Baghdad, at an American military base, a Ugandan security contractor called Samuel Tumwesigye heard what was happening to these women.
He called one of them, Agnes, on a mobile phone she had hidden, and promised to help her.
"The first thing I did was go to my bedroom and pray to God," Mr Tumwesigye said. "I thought: 'Please, I'm going to start this. Let me succeed.'"
He told Agnes that if she could escape from the house and get to the Flying Man statue close to Baghdad Airport he would rescue her.
Escape
Agnes had no passport, very little money and she spoke no Arabic. But she had been told that she was soon to be moved to Syria and she believed this was her only chance of escaping.

Ugandan Labour Exports

Ugandan woman wearing necklace
  • Exporting labour earned Uganda $500m a year, at its peak in 2009
  • Most of the workers sent abroad are men, only a small minority are women
  • A women's rights organisation, FIDA-U, has filed a court case against Uganda Veterans Development Ltd
  • An earlier attempt to sue the company failed when the lawyer pulled out
She waited until the family took an afternoon nap before going up to the roof of the house and stealing an abaya cloak from the washing line. When she got outside the gate of the house, she started running.
She was able to find a taxi driver who spoke English and was prepared to take her to the statue. Agnes had to negotiate her way through four checkpoints without documents.
She called Mr Tumwesigye en route and he risked his job when he appropriated a vehicle from the base and drove to get her - violating a strict requirement of his contract not to leave the base.
Previously, Mr Tumwesigye had approached a base chief, Lt Col Theodore Lockwood, about the women's predicament.
Col Lockwood said there was nothing the US Army could do to help the women. However, if they could somehow get to the base, he would allow them on to it. Continued

Ugandan inflation in shock leap to double-digits

Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:25pm GMT
 
[-] Text []
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's year-on-year inflation rate leapt into double digits in March, driven by surging food costs, piling pressure on policymakers to curb the rising prices.
Food prices, which carry a 27.2 percent weighting in the consumer price index (CPI), jumped 11.9 percent month-on-month to push the headline rate up for a fifth straight month to 11.1 percent from a revised 6.4 percent in February.
Against March last year, food prices were up 23.6 percent, official date showed on Thursday. Among those, food crop prices were up nearly 30 percent.
"Obviously I didn't expect a jump so high and yes, one might speculate that it will probably put some considerable pressure on policy planners," said Bill Page, a partner at Deloitte & Touche in Kampala.
Rising global food costs, the high price of oil on world markets and a local currency that continues to hover just off a record low combined to shove local prices higher.
The shilling fell through a series of all-time lows earlier this year, hurt by declining export earnings, speculative trading by offshore players and soaring greenback demand.
At Thursday's market close, local commercial banks offered the shilling at 2,395/2,400 per dollar.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics said the CPI climbed 4.1 percent in March from a month earlier compared with 1.7 percent in February.
"We'll probably see the government raising interest rates ... and possibly engaging other tools to stem the rise," said Mona Muguma, an analyst at African Alliance.
Other analysts said a tightening of monetary policy would only offer a short-term remedy.
"When you have a swelling urban population while food output remains flat like what's happening here you'll certainly see prices going through roof. This is fundamental and needs a long term solution," said Francis Kamulegeya, partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers .

Libya: Uganda offers Muammar Gaddafi refuge


Uganda has freely offered embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi refuge in Uganda as diplomats attempt to persuade the defiant leader to leave office without military force. However, if Gaddafi chooses to fight to the end as he once avowed, the international coalition said it is prepared to arm Libyan rebels.
According to reports, negotiations on securing Gaddafi’s exit were being conducted with "absolute discretion" and that there were options on the table that hadn’t yet been formalized.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said several nations are willing to welcome Gaddafi and his family, obviously to end this situation which otherwise could go on for some time.
“He [Gaddafi] would be welcome here [Uganda],” spokesman for Uganda’s president, Tamale Mirundi, told the AP.
Frattin however warned that immunity was not an option for Gaddafi.
But if all fails to persuade Gaddafi, the international community is prepared to arm Libyan rebels following reports that Gaddafi’s ground forces are swiftly reversing the gains rebels made since international airstrikes began.
Although coalition airstrikes have neutralized Gaddafi’s air force and pounded his army his ground forces remain superiorly equipped, trained and organized compared to rebel fighters.
A military strategy by Gaddafi forces have seen them abandon their tanks and armored vehicles for minivans, sedans and SUVs fitted with weapons.
This strategy has made it harder for the coalition to distinguish Gaddafi’s forces from the rebels. So far, Gaddafi’s forces recaptured a strategic oil town Wednesday and moved within salient distance of another major eastern city.
The turnaround of events has convinced the United States that the poorly equipped opposition is unlikely to carry out a regime change revolution without decisive Western intervention [An all-out U.S.-led military assault on regime forces or a decision to arm the rebels].
But China, Russia and Germany oppose supplying weapons to the rebels.
The mandate to protect under the U.N. resolution dictates that nations supplying weapons would need to be satisfied they would be used only to defend civilians and not to take the offensive to Gaddafi’s forces.
This limitation has led France, one of the strongest backers of international intervention in Libya, to demand for a new U.N. resolution concerning Libya.

Ethiopian Opposition Names 68 Oromos Arrested Over Past Month

Ethiopia’s main opposition group listed the names of 68 people detained in the Oromia region over the past month.
The majority of the arrests took place on March 13 and 14, Medrek, a six-member coalition of opposition groups, said in a statement handed to reporters today in the capital, Addis Ababa. Those arrested in towns mostly in the West Shoa and East Wollega areas were either opposition activists or sympathizers, spokesman Beyene Petros said.
Police arrested 121 people in the Oromia region this month, all of whom were members of the banned, Eritrea-based Oromo Liberation Front, government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said in a phone interview yesterday, revising downward a figure of 200 arrests he gave a day earlier.
Medrek said the detentions may be related to government fears of unrest, though the opposition group isn’t advocating anti-government protests, Beyene said.
“The fact that it was directed at politically related people is a basis for suspicion this is pre-emptive,” Beyene said.
Oromos are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. The OLF has waged a 38-year campaign for autonomy in Oromia, the largest of Ethiopia’s nine federal states.
To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa via Nairobi at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Djibouti: UN meeting on Somalia will rekindle protracted conflict

 

He said that the UN sponsored meeting for Somali transitional federal government, regional and small self-styled administrations will bring about destructive results on the Djibouti peace process.
As the United Nations plans to gather Somali political factions for a meeting in neighboring Kenya, the Djibouti government is already casting doubt on the outcome.
clearpxl Hamoud Abdi Sultan, Djibouti's minister for religious affairs, indicated that the U.N.-organized conference, which will take place in Nairobi, will rekindle the current protected conflict and civil war in the horn of Africa nation.
Invited to the meeting are representatives of Somalia's transitional federal government (TFG) as well as regional and small self-styled administrations.
“I think it is not good to compare between Somali interim federal government and regional and small autonomous administrations. TFG is agreed upon by all Somali people and must be launching point instead to do another Somali national reconciliation conference,” Sultan explained.
He said the meeting would have destructive results on the Djibouti peace process.
The statement comes as Augustine Mahiga, UN special representative for Somalia, paid visits to Mogadishu, Puntland and Somaliland to invite them to attend the conference.
In 2000, Djibouti hosted a major reconciliation conference, which resulted in creation of the Transitional National Government with a three-year mandate to pursue national reconciliation and Abdikassim Salad Hassan was elected president of Somalia. In early 2002, Kenya organized a further reconciliation effort under Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) auspices.
On Oct. 10, 2004, the transitional federal parliament elected Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president of Puntland, to be the next president and formed a new transitional federal government. Because of the situation in Mogadishu, the election was held in a sports center in Nairobi. The government located for a time to Baidoa. It has suffered internal crises, such as ministers quitting and a no confidence vote, but has survived.
In January 2009, the former chairman of the Islamic Courts Union movement, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, was elected president of Somalia in the second round of balloting held in the capital of neighboring Djibouti.
Somalia has not had any functioning central rule since 1991, when military dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown by Somali warlords. Several attempts to establish a central government have failed.

Radio Journalists Released, Who Was Behind Their Arrest?

press release
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) welcomes the release of two Radio Shabelle journalists who were arrested and locked up illegally by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia for 4 days on the orders of the Ministry of Information.
The complaint of the Ministry of Information stated that the Radio station offended President Sharif Sheik Ahmed. In the detention, NSA officers ordered Radio Shabelle journalists to make an apology about the news report they broadcasted about President Sharif’s visit at frontlines. The journalists refuted to make any apology and insisted that the news report was accurate. The 2 journalists reportedly told fellow journalists that they were neither tortured nor ill-treated during their detention.
“We are very pleased to hear that our colleagues Abdirashid Omar and Abdi Mohamed Ismail are free to do their work after their freedom was stripped off illegally for days because they reported factual news concerning TFG president. We reiterate our total condemnation to the Ministry of Information by coaching the security forces against journalists,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

The war intensifies, especially near the border with Kenya

Somalia's civil war

A bloody border

 

IN THE past few months a force of the African Union (AU), consisting mainly of Ugandans and Burundians, has gained ground in Mogadishu, Somalia’s battered capital, pushing the rebels of the Shabab, the jihadist movement linked to al-Qaeda, back to the fringes of the city. That offensive may, however, be faltering, following the death in battle of a score of Burundian soldiers and rising tension between the AU forces and those of Somalia’s transitional government.
Lately the war has also intensified to the west and south of Mogadishu, which was previously under Shabab control. Fighters of Ahla Sunna Waljama, a Sufi group which has been fighting the Shabab in central Somalia, say they have taken control of several towns close to the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. As a result, thousands of Somalis have fled across the porous border into Kenya, which now hosts 260,000 registered Somali refugees, along with hundreds of thousands of unregistered ones.
The Shabab says it is still in charge of the south and south-west. It has asserted its authority in some border towns by lopping off limbs or even the heads of men they accuse of fighting against them. The Shabab has also accused Kenya’s government of sending its forces into Somalia to help the feeble but internationally recognised transitional government. Sensitive to the views of Kenya’s 2m-plus ethnic Somalis, who favour a policy of non-intervention, Kenyan officials deny such direct involvement.
Most of the recently displaced Somalis have taken shelter in and around the Kenyan town of Mandera. Kenya says it has arrested a number of Shabab fighters in the town, including some non-Somali jihadists. Mandera’s elders are worried that the violence may be spilling over into Kenya. They express particular hostility to the reported presence of Ethiopian agents in the town. But Mandera has long been a regional hub for the sale of cattle, camels and general trade; the border with Ethiopia and Somalia is only a walk away. Safaricom, a Kenyan telecoms firm, says Mandera has the busiest mobile-phone traffic in the country.
The Shabab may be more resilient than the AU and Western countries would like. Some Somalis originally welcomed it for bringing order and for weaning locals off foreign aid. Moreover, Ahla Sunna is distrusted because it gets military support from Ethiopia, the Somalis’ ancient enemy. No single group looks capable of securing permanent control of the border. But the Shabab is on the defensive.

Girl, 5, fighting for life after gangland shooting opens her eyes as gunmen's target comes forward to help police

  • Desperate relatives keep vigil as both victims remain critical but stable
  • Crimestoppers offer £50,000 for information that helps catch attacker
  • Police move in to reassure residents over revenge attacks
The five-year-old girl fighting for her life after being caught in an apparent gangland shooting has opened her eyes, it emerged today.

Thushara Kamaleswaran is still in a critical condition but is considered stable. Her distraught parents are keeping a vigil by her beside.

Thushara and another bystander were caught in the crossfire during a shooting at a convenience store in south London on Tuesday night.
Critical: Five-year-old Thushara Kamaleswaran was gunned down in front of her parents by a bullet that narrowly missed her heart
Critical: Five-year-old Thushara Kamaleswaran was gunned down in front of her parents by a bullet that narrowly missed her heart
Critical: Five-year-old Thushara Kamaleswaran was gunned down in front of her mother and siblings by a bullet that narrowly missed her heart
As detectives hunt the attackers, one of the youths thought to be have been the target of the gang has now contacted police.

Crimestoppers are also offering a £50,000 reward for information that helps lead to the shooters' arrest.

A family friend of Thushara's parents, Velluppillai Navaratnam said today: 'The parents of Thusha are at the hospital now. We are all praying for her to get well soon.'

Roshan Selvakumar, 35, who lived above the shop in Stockwell and was shot in the face, is also critical but stable in hospital.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Boughton said: 'Although their injuries are very serious, they are both under the circumstances doing well.'

Sources have revealed up to 50 gangs operate in the area where the shooting took place.

Territorial Support Group officers have now been called in to reassure residents who fear 'tit for tat' attacks.

Youths visiting the scene of the attack have already been vowing to take revenge. One threatened the perpetrators would be 'hunted down'.


CONTINUED

Lockerbie bombing prosecutors target Libyan defector Moussa Koussa

Scottish investigators have asked to interview Gaddafi foreign minister and spymaster, who has defected to Britain


The wrecked cockpit of Pan Am 103 outside Lockerbie, Scotland, after the 1988 bombing
The wrecked cockpit of Pan Am 103 outside Lockerbie, Scotland, after the 1988 bombing. Moussa Koussa, the Gaddafi foreign minister who has defected to the UK, is being targeted by Scottish investigations for questioning. Photograph: AP

Scottish prosecutors have asked to interview Moussa Koussa about the Lockerbie bombing after the Libyan foreign minister and spy chief defected to Britain.
The request from the Crown Office in Scotland follows demands from Libya's rebel leadership for Koussa to be returned to Libya for trial for murder and crimes against humanity after Muammar Gaddafi is toppled from power.
Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who will not be offered immunity from prosecution Moussa Koussa. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA
William Hague, the British foreign secretary, has said the UK is not offering Koussa immunity from prosecution.

The Crown Office in Edinburgh has said it is formally asking for its prosecutors and detectives from Dumfries and Galloway police to question Koussa about the 1988 bombing. "We have notified the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that the Scottish prosecuting and investigating authorities wish to interview Mr Koussa in connection with the Lockerbie bombing," it said.
"The investigation into the Lockerbie bombing remains open and we will pursue all relevant lines of inquiry."
Continued

Somaliland’s Central Bank Plans to Grant First Banking Licenses

March 31, 2011, 4:45 AM EDT
By Sarah McGregor
March 31 (Bloomberg) -- The central bank of Somaliland, a breakaway republic in northern Somalia, expects lawmakers to enact a draft banking law by June, enabling commercial lenders to extend credit to borrowers for the first time.
Somaliland is in talks with Banque pour le Commerce et l’Industrie, based in neighboring Djibouti, and two other lenders to grant them banking licenses “right away,” Bank of Somaliland Governor Abdi Dirir Abdi said in an interview in the capital, Hargeisa, yesterday. The nation of 3.5 million people currently has no banks.
“Once we see credit to small businesses then our economy will start to grow,” said Abdi, a 61-year-old former trade- financing expert with the Islamic Development Bank. “The presence of international banks will help us trade with the world.”
Somaliland’s annual gross domestic product is estimated at $500 million, of which remittances from overseas workers represent about 80 percent, Abdi said. The remainder of the Horn of Africa nation’s economic output is mostly generated by the export of camels, cattle, sheep and goats to the Middle East and North Africa, he said.
Abdi, who received his MBA from Northrop University in Los Angeles, was appointed governor six months ago by President Ahmed Silanyo, who came to power following a June 26 election. Somaliland is stable relative to its southern neighbor Somalia, where a civil war has been raging for the past two decades. Continued

Ex-MP Jim Devine jailed for 16 months

SCOTTISH ex-MP Jim Devine who fiddled his parliamentary expenses and then tried to pin the blame on his former office manager was jailed for 16 months today.
Devine, 57, submitted false invoices for cleaning and printing work totalling £8,385 between 2008 and 2009.
The former Labour member for Livingston claimed he had acted on advice given with a "nod and a wink" by a fellow MP in a House of Commons bar.
He also told his trial that former office manager Marion Kinley paid herself more than £5,000 from his staffing allowance without his knowledge.
Devine was described by Ms Kinley as a "habitual liar" while prosecutor Peter Wright QC asked him: "Are you just making this up as you go along?"
He said he was not but jurors at Southwark Crown Court, in London disagreed and convicted him on two charges of false accounting last month.
Since his conviction, Devine, of West Main Street, Bathgate, West Lothian, has been declared bankrupt.
Today he became the third former MP to be jailed in the wake of the expenses scandal when he was sentenced at the Old Bailey by Mr Justice Saunders.
The judge said: "Mr Devine set about defrauding the public purse in a calculated and deliberate way."

Wednesday 30 March 2011

The Somali Youth League, Ethiopian Somalis and the Greater Somalia Idea, c.1946-48


Author: Cedric Barnesa
Affiliation:  a School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London,
DOI: 10.1080/17531050701452564
 
Published in: journal Journal of Eastern African Studies, Volume 1, Issue 2 July 2007 , pages 277 - 291
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year

Download PDF Download PDF (~176 KB)     View Related Articles

To cite this Article: Barnes, Cedric 'The Somali Youth League, Ethiopian Somalis and the Greater Somalia Idea, c.1946–48', Journal of Eastern African Studies, 1:2, 277 - 291

Abstract

From 1946 to 1948 the Somali Youth Club (SYC) grew from a small Mogadishu based urban self-help group into a burgeoning nationalist organisation calling for the unification of all the Somali-speaking lands into Greater Somalia, changing its name to the 'Somali Youth League' (SYL) in the process. The reason for this rapid expansion and radicalisation was a conjuncture of several factors, but it is most immediately attributable to the international deliberations over the future of the Italian East African Empire. In 1946 the international community began to address the future of the Italian Empire, and the British raised the possibility of creating a Greater Somalia administration (under British trusteeship) as a basis for future independence. The SYC, which had until then concentrated on a more limited and arguably more achievable political programme for the furtherance of Somali interests in ex-Italian Somalia, became mesmerised by the idea of Greater Somalia. Greater Somalia became a popular rallying call for the expanding nationalist project. However, as this article argues, although the Greater Somalia project galvanised the SYC into a mass nationalist organisation (the SYL), the expansion of its activities into the greater Somalia hinterland, such as the Ethiopian Ogaden region, brought different priorities and perspectives to project. The differing histories of clans and regions dissipated the cohesion, discipline and aims of the SYL at a crucial historical juncture. Ultimately the SYL was unable to create a Greater Somalia, nor prevent the repartition of the Somali-lands and the return of former colonial and imperial powers.
  From 1946 to 1948 the Somali Youth Club (SYC) grew from a small Mogadishu based urban self-help organisation into a burgeoning nationalist organisation calling for the unification of all the Somali-speaking lands into Greater Somalia, changing its name to the 'Somali Youth League' (SYL) in the process. The reason for the rapid expansion and radicalisation of the SYC/L was a conjuncture of several factors, but it is most immediately attributable to the international deliberations over the future of the Italian East African Empire. In 1946 the international community began to address the future of the Italian Empire, and the British raised the possibility of creating a Greater Somalia administration (under British trusteeship) as a basis for future independence. The SYC, which hitherto had concentrated on a more limited and arguably more achievable political programme for the furtherance of Somali interests in ex-Italian Somalia, became mesmerised by the idea of Greater Somalia. Once the idea of Greater Somalia gained public currency it became a popular rallying call for the expanding nationalist project. However, as this article argues, although the Greater Somalia project galvanised the SYC into a mass nationalist organisation (the SYL), the expansion of its activities into the greater Somalia hinterland, such as the Ethiopian Ogaden region, brought different priorities and perspectives to the project. The differing histories of clans and regions included in the Greater Somalia project dissipated the cohesion, discipline and aims of the SYL at a crucial historical juncture. Ultimately the SYL was unable to create a Greater Somalia, nor prevent the repartition of the Somali-lands and the return of former colonial and imperial powers.

Territorial Divisions in the Somali-lands

  The territorial divisions of the Somali inhabited lands of Northeast Africa had been a problem from the outset of colonial administration in the Horn of Africa. In the late nineteenth century, the growing Ethiopian Empire and the Ethiopian defeat of the Italian colonial army at Adwa in 1896 made Ethiopia a direct threat to colonial possessions and spheres of influence in the region. Faced with an armed and aggressive African state, European colonial powers in the Somali-lands were forced to curtail their territorial claims for the sake of greater imperial stratagems.1 Colonial administrators in British Somaliland saw the territorial concession to Ethiopia as a mistake and the subsequent boundary agreement as unworkable, storing up problems for the future. The boundary with Ethiopia became an obsession upon which the many woes of an economically poor and administratively volatile colony were blamed. A similar case applied to Italian Somalia.2 However to the Ethiopians, for whom their independence and sovereign territory became an article of faith, any adjustment to colonial boundaries seemed like a concession to colonial aggrandisement. Soon, however, all the Somali-lands became engulfed in the twenty-year 'Dervish' religious revolt led by Sayyid Maxamad Cabdille Xasan, forcing Ethiopia, Britain and Italy to cooperate, and the differences over the boundaries faded from view.
In the 1920s and 1930s, as 'peaceful' administration returned to the borderland areas between the colonial Somali-lands and the Ethiopian Empire, the unresolved boundary issues came back into view. Throughout the inter-war period there were continual skirmishes on the boundaries between the Somali-lands, not only between the colonial administrations and Ethiopia, but also between the colonial administrations themselves.3 However it was on the boundary with Italian Somalia at the wells of Wal Wal that the issue became altogether more serious. A clash between Italian and Ethiopian border patrols well inside the Ethiopian boundary in the Ogaden region provided the pretext for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Despite the international outcry that the Italian annexation of Ethiopia occasioned, the absorption of the Ethiopian Empire into the Italian empire was quickly recognised by the British whose colonial territories shared the longest boundary with Ethiopia. After the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935-36, the Italian Empire incorporated Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian Somalia into one regional bloc of semi-autonomous governorships and rationalised some of the old international boundaries. One of the most significant adjustments the Italian Empire made was the creation of a much larger Somali administration by excising the Ogaden region from the Ethiopian governorships and combining it with the coastal colony of Italian Somaliland, creating a 'greater' Italian Somalia.
Britain's initial sympathy and cooperation with the enlarged Italian Empire ended abruptly with the Italian entry into the Second World War, on the 'wrong' side. In 1940, as France capitulated and Italy joined the Axis powers, suddenly the Italian Empire changed from a benign modern administration (the very opposite, it was thought, of the ex-Ethiopian Empire), to a belligerent power in the midst of the British Empire in Africa. After initially successful Italian offensives, including the brief invasion and occupation of the British Somaliland Protectorate, British and Commonwealth forces aided by Ethiopian exiles and internal 'patriot' resistance defeated the Italian forces in East Africa. The collapse of the Italian East African Empire came surprisingly quickly, and the upshot of this rapid victory was the need for a British Military Administration (BMA hereafter) over the Empire's vast area, now designated as Occupied Enemy Territory (since the Italian conquest had been legally recognised by the British in 1938). The occupation of this territory, justified as a military necessity, then became entwined with larger and older imperial questions in northeast Africa, such as frontier rectification and rationalisation.4 However, the British maintained territorial adjustments made by the Italians for the duration of the war, and left decisions over the future of the Italian Empire until the projected post-war peace conferences. Continued

Nigeria police thwart rally bombing


A radical Islamic sect has attempted to bomb a presidential rally in northeast Nigeria, just days ahead of the country's first set of elections, authorities said.
Officers killed one suspected member of the feared Boko Haram sect and arrested two others on Tuesday in the attempt to attack Ramat Square in the city of Maiduguri, police said.
The All Nigeria's People Party, a strong opposition group in Nigeria's Muslim north, had planned a presidential rally there, though the party's presidential candidate Ibrahim Shekarau did not attend the event.
Borno state police commissioner Mohammed Abubakar said Boko Haram hoped to attack the rally with locally made explosives, which officers recovered inside a car.
The group previously claimed responsibility for the January 28 assassination of gubernatorial candidate Modu Fannami Gubio, the Borno state candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party.
The commissioner said police have been investigating the radical sect that has terrorised northeast Nigeria in recent months.
Boko Haram - which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language - has campaigned for the implementation of Islamic law. Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria's north already have Islamic law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.
In December, a website claimed Boko Haram committed a series of Christmas Eve bombings and church attacks in Nigeria that left dozens dead. Authorities said a Baptist pastor and two choir members preparing for a late-night carol service were among the victims.Continued

Djibouti country profile


Map of Djibouti
Controlling access to the Red Sea, Djibouti is of major strategic importance, a fact that has ensured a steady flow of foreign assistance.
During the Gulf War it was the base of operations for the French military, who continue to maintain a significant presence.
France has thousands of troops as well as warships, aircraft and armoured vehicles in Djibouti, contributing directly and indirectly to the country's income. The US has stationed hundreds of troops in Djibouti, its only African base, in an effort to counter terrorism in the region.

Overview

Djibouti's location is the main economic asset of a country that is mostly barren. The capital, Djibouti city, handles Ethiopian imports and exports. Its transport facilities are used by several landlocked African countries to fly in their goods for re-export. This earns Djibouti much-needed transit taxes and harbour fees.
Dock workers at Port of Djibouti
Djibouti's Red Sea port is a key African shipping hub
After independence from France in 1977, Djibouti was left with a government which enjoyed a balance between the two main ethnic groups, the Issa of Somali origin and the Afar of Ethiopian origin.
But the country's first president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, installed an authoritarian one-party state dominated by his own Issa community. Afar resentment erupted into a civil war in the early 1990s, and though Mr Gouled, under French pressure, introduced a limited multi-party system in 1992, the rebels from the Afar party, the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Frud), were excluded
Continued 

LONDON (Reuters) – The mother of a Libyan woman who said she had

Mother "offered cash" if Libya woman changes story

29/03/2011
been raped by pro-government militiamen said she had been asked to convince her daughter to retract the allegations in return for her freedom and cash or a new home.
Eman al-Obaidi burst into a hotel full of foreign journalists in Tripoli on Saturday and told them, weeping, how she had been held for two days and raped by 15 militiamen loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
After being intimidated by security men and hotel staff, who also beat journalists trying to interview her in the restaurant of the hotel, she was bundled into a car and driven away.
Her allegations have not been independently verified. The government said on Sunday Obaidi had been released and she was with her family.
Her mother, Aisha Ahmad, told journalists she had been contacted by the authorities about her daughter and how she could be freed."Last night at 3, they called from Gaddafi's compound and asked me to convince my daughter Eman to change what she said, and we will set her free immediately and you can take anything you and your children would ask for," she said, according to Britain's Sky News, which broadcast her interview with an English translation late on Monday.
"Money, new home, just ask your daughter to change what she has said. I told my daughter, keep silent," she said, holding a picture of Obaidi to the camera.
It was not immediately clear when the interview was filmed.
Ahmad said Obaidi had been "mistreated by those criminals and cheaters, Gaddafi and his followers".
"Eman was kidnapped in front of the camera," she said.
"She was trying to appear to the world, she wanted to tell them what was happening in Misrata, in Benghazi and the east. She wanted to reveal that."
Wadad Omar, who said she was her cousin, said on Sunday that Obaidi was first arrested after taking part in a protest in the early days of the uprising in the western city of Zawiyah. The revolt erupted in mid-February.
Residents in Benghazi, bastion of the insurgency against Gaddafi, staged a demonstration in support of Obaidi on Sunday.

Asharq Al-Awsat


The leading Arabic international paper
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world's premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, Printed simultaneously on four continents in 12 cities.
Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan- Arab and international affairs, offering its reader's in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab World.
Asharq Al-Awsat was the first Arabic daily newspaper to execute satellite transmission for simultaneous printing in a number of major cities worldwide, and is currently the only newspaper to own the Arabic copyright of renowned international syndicates; The Washington Post, USA Today and global viewpoint.
Progressive and comprehensive, Asharq Al-Awsat is the preferred daily Arab- language newspaper, with its readership penetrating all socio-economic groups. Famous for conducting in-depth interviews with prominent and influential personalities alike, Asharq Al-Awsat's news team provide their world wide readers with objective and impartial news coverage, thus cementing the journalistic integrity of the newspaper.
Because of its unrivaled style Asharq Al-Awsat continues to out perform every regional or local Arabic daily newspaper, and this success is attributed to its dedicated and experienced team of skilled journalists, editors and columnists combining editorial talent, professionalism, years of journalistic knowledge and the motivation for news reporting.
Contact us:
Email: webmaster@asharq-e.com
Postal address: Arab Press House, 184 High Holborn, London WC1V 7AP
Tel: +44 207 831 8181
Fax:  +44 207 831 2310

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi seeking immunity



27/03/2011


Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Independent Arab and Libyan sources have informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi is seeking to convince the coalition forces to accept a deal that is being secretly discussed between Gaddafi delegates and a number of Arab and American parties. This deal would see Gaddafi stepping down from power, only to be replaced by his son Saif al-Islam, with a deadline being put in place for a peaceful transition of power.
A well-informed Libyan source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has held a number of secret meetings with officials in the French and British governments, discussing the idea of his replacing his father for a transitional period of between 2 – 3 years, in return for a comprehensive ceasefire and negotiating with the anti-Gaddafi rebels.
The sources also revealed that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is pushing for assurances that Colonel Gaddafi and his family will be granted immunity from prosecution, and will not be legally punished in any manner.
The sources revealed that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's plan would see him take over control of Libya from his father during a transitional period during which Libya would transform from a revolutionary state to a democratic state that enjoys public and economic freedoms.
The rebel forces are gaining strength and momentum, moving westwards towards the center of Gaddafi's support in Sirte, and the Libyan capital Tripoli. The rebels have recently captured the cities of Ajdabiyah, Brega, and Ras Lanuf, and Gaddafi's aides are racing against time to prevent the inevitable toppling of the regime in the face of the rebels' momentum.
Asharq Al-Awsat learnt that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who has not appeared in public for almost a week, has been in contact with officials in the US, British, and Italian governments, in an attempt to submit the above-mentioned plan. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that his country will present an alternative diplomatic plan to the British – French plan, on London on Tuesday Continued

Syrian president blames protests on 'conspirators'



30/03/2011
Syrians stand on a balcony over a huge portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for their leader, who is facing unprecedented domestic pressure amid a wave of dissent, in Damascus on March 29, 2011. (AFP)
A Syrian soldier waves his national flag as another man holds a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support to their leaderin Damascus on March 29, 2011. (AFP)
Syrians chant slogans as they rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad (portrait), who is facing unprecedented domestic pressure amid a wave of dissent, in Damascus on March 29, 2011. (AFP)
DAMASCUS, Syria, (AP) – Syrian President Bashar Assad blamed "conspirators" Wednesday for an extraordinary wave of dissent against his authoritarian rule, but he failed to lift the country's despised emergency law or offer any concessions in his first speech since the protests began nearly two weeks ago.
Assad said Syria is facing "a major conspiracy" that aims to weaken this country of 23 million. The Assad family has ruled Syria for nearly 40 years, using the feared security services to monitor and control even the smallest rumblings of opposition. Draconian laws have all but eradicated civil liberties and political freedoms.
"We don't seek battles," Assad, 45, said in an unusually short, televised speech before legislators who cheered for him and shouted support from their seats. "But if a battle is imposed on us today, we welcome it."
Assad's speech was surprising not so much for what he said but for what he left out. His adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, said last week that Syria had formed a committee to study a series of reforms and constitutional amendments, including lifting the state of emergency laws, in place since Assad's Baath party took power in 1963.
Assad had been widely expected to formally announce those changes. But the fact that he failed to mention any of them was a major disappointment for thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets since March 18, calling for reform. Human rights groups say more than 60 people have been killed as security forces cracked down on the demonstrations.
Within minutes of his speech, social networking sites exploded with activists expressing major disappointment, with some calling on Syrians to take to the streets immediately.Continued

The first demand (sharq Al Awsad)



29/03/2011


A Businessman and prominent columnist. Mr. Shobokshi hosts the weekly current affairs program Al Takreer on Al Arabiya, and in 1995, he was chosen as one of the "Global Leaders for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum. He received his B.A. in Political Science and Management from the University of Tulsa.
Previous Articles
Libya: A great resolution
Saudi Arabia: Security and Reform
Bahrain and Libya: Similarities and differences
From WikiLeaks to Irangate: The art of shredding documents
Gaddafi on a trip
Delicious to the last drop
An Imperfect Scene
Like Father, Like Son
You're next!
The most important lesson

I can almost imagine the scene in front of my eyes, and can hear a senior government official in Djibouti being interviewed by a major news satellite channel, commenting on the state of affairs in his country, and on the demonstrating masses in the street, saying: "Please... we are different from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Sudan and Iraq"…as the broken record goes.
The amount of lies which the Arab governments tell, in order to crudely justify their positions, is truly amazing. All those demanding freedom are either deceived, externally influenced, hallucinating, intoxicated, mercenaries, terrorists, or 'rats'. These governments did not think even for a moment that those who took to the streets were sincere in their demands for dignity and freedom. Exorbitant sums of money have been spent on military arsenals, under the pretext of attacking Israel and defending the [Palestinian] cause, yet this government bravado has only manifested in the fight against innocent and unarmed citizens. Dozens of slogans were raised to condemn imperialism, backwardness, and the bourgeoisie, yet these words did not resonate with the ordinary citizen. The governments continued to repeat this rhetoric, as the saying goes: "talk big, and keep talking, until people fear you". In these Arab regimes, constitutions and established systems could be amended in the blink of an eye, yet genuine reforms required committees and extensive consideration before being approved.
However, even if the dignity of the citizen is meaningless, his blood is still priceless. Regardless of whether the protests were incited externally, or internally, or whether there were "hidden fingers" working behind the scenes, or whether the protestors had taken "hallucinogenic" pills or had been "intoxicated", the demands for freedom, rights to expression, equality and justice, and an end to corruption, all are natural, logical and worthy claims. We must not change the subject by focusing on the means, instead of the content and the message of the protests. Otherwise, it will be too late, and any reforms offered would be regarded as outdated concessions. The voice of freedom must be louder than the voice of conflict. The people have been suppressed, and have become unable to resist, build, educate, improve or develop. Hence priorities must be given to the first demand [freedom], and then we can consider the less important aspects.
People are fed up with watching their dreams become nightmares, their future turning into a dark present, executioners becoming rulers, fear replacing hope, and disgrace replacing dignity. In these Arab regimes, words such as dignity, unity, brotherhood and purity are more commonly associated with the names of football clubs, rather than being applied on the ground in public life.
Furthermore, it is not logical or fair that to say that we must secure a dignified and safe exit for the president, before people's demands are met. Some regimes have failed to provide dignity to the people for over three decades. As for political hallucinations put forth by Arab regimes, such as claiming that the protestors are agents of al-Qaeda, or drug addicts, this kind of disregard for the people is no longer acceptable. Similarly, the false slogans which Arab military rulers once raised have also been exposed, as it turns out they have lost more land and dignity than they had promised to regain [from Israel]. It is no longer possible to conduct a policy of lies, deception and false slogans. For the Arab nations today, dignity and freedom are the first demands, and the crisis will not alleviate unless these demands are met.

Why cows may be hiding something but AI can spot it

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