Food aid intended for vulnerable civilians embezzled by corrupt government officials

From: Somalicurrent

“There are Officials who have embezzled the food aid relief sent to the needy people in regions of Somalia.” Said Minister of Interior and Federal Affairs Abdilahi Godah this while he was briefing Somali Federal Government parliament on today.

Minister Godah stated that government halted the food relief aids to the regions and districts of Somalia, after they have confirmed that recipients of heads of district administrations have embezzled and didn’t provide the food aid to the needy people in the districts and regions of Somalia.

 “We have delivered food emergency aids, after we have recognized that people in Bakool and Bay crucially need for help, but much of the food emergency aids have been wasted on the recipient government officials, then we transferred food aids to settlements in Lower shabelle.” Said Godah.

Somali man hailing from the Ogaden province endure torture and abuse in Hargeisa

From: waabarinews

A 23-year-old young man was apprehended in South Hargeisa district of Jama wayne in April 26,2014 after allegedly accused of being a member of Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF sympathizer by the security of Somaliland Administration. The young man, Mohammed Sheik Ahmed aka Mo’alin Biliq was on two weeks visit on his mother’s uncle who hails from that area.

“They (the Security police) started beating him with clubs. When he fell down and the people in the area congregated, the security officer leading the assailants shouted that this man was a terrorist from the Ogaden and started throwing stones at him”, said Mr.Ahmed’s family,who declined to be named for their security concerns.

The crowd took a cue from his action and soon a crowd of about fifty people started stoning the victim. Mr. Ahmed endured hours of beating before he became unconscious.

“After he was mutilated and became unconscious, the security threw him on the Toyota pick up and took him to an unknown destination. Mr M. Ahmed was visiting his uncle on his mother’s side who hail from that area”,added his family.

The fate of the victim left unknown whether he died, extradited to Ethiopia as usual or in a jail only the Somaliland Police could confirm,According to Ahmed’s family. Somaliland shares Somalis from Ogaden region, like any other Somali speaking inhabitants,language,culture,ethnicity, religion and even border,but favored Ethiopia over Ogadenis and has been repeatedly handing over Somalis From Ogaden region to Ethiopian Security forces over the past 10 years,that have been detained, tortured,executed in this way or coerced into confessing or naming family members accused of supporting the Liberation movement, The Ogaden National Liberation Front,who were in return arrested,tortured and killed.

“This is an inhumane act that is against Somali culture, Muslim values and international human rights. The Somaliland administration, which touts itself in front of the international community as a viable state that respects the rule of law and respects the rights of civilians is continually violating the rights of Somali people from the Ogaden,who share with the people in that area blood ties, common religion, culture and economy in deference to the Ethiopian criminal regime, which has instructed the warlords in Somalia to hand over to Ethiopia all that hail from the Ogaden clan to Ethiopia,” said Amina Abdi,the Secretary of Justice for Ogaden.

“The Somaliland administration are reguested without much response up-to now to give medical treatment and release him urgently. Moreover, the continuing violations of the Human Rights of Ogaden in Somaliland continues and may create dire consequences between the two communities, which share long border and economic ties, unless the wayward administration takes effective action to remedy the situation”,said Ms. Abdi

South african Thugs Gun down Somali Businessman in South Africa

From: Somalicurrent

Unidentified South African thugs have deliberately gunned down Somali shopkeeper in Port Elizabeth city in South Africa on Sunday night, as assassinations and Xenophobia on Somali immigrants have been excessively increasing in South Africa which is believed that more than a thousand Somali people to have been killed in South Africa since 2002. 

South African thugs have shot Jeele Mohamed Jeele several times to death, and they have taken all his wealth in the shop and other essential materials, according to one of his family members who spoke to the media. 

He also added that the South Africa thugs have run away from the place that they have gunned down late Jeele and that police members have come to the crime scene where they have started the investigation. “We are shocked by the brutal slaying of the Somali trader by the thugs who have shot several times to death. Always it repeatedly happens to kill and shoot Somali traders in this country. 

Police told us that they start investigations, but never exposed acceptable and convenient results from their investigations,” Said family member of late Jeele. Shootings, assassinations and wave of xenophobia towards Somali Migrants and particularly businessmen have been unprecedentedly increasing for the last 2 decades in the former apartheid nation. Many of those people were stoned to death in South Africa by armed bandits. 

By:  Mohamoud Godah

Somali Parliament Pushes for Stricter Monitoring of Govt Spending

From: Agora-Parl

After a closed session on Sunday (April 20th) attended by the speaker of the Somali parliament, his two deputies, the 15 parliamentary committee chairs and ministry officials, lawmakers said they were still unsatisfied with Ministry of Finance's budgetary accounting. 

The details about last year's expenditures remain "unclear" and other requested changes to this year's budget were not included, Defence Committee Chairman Hussein Arab Isse told Sabahi after the meeting. Lawmakers gave the ministry another week to provide the necessary information, he said. This is the latest step by Somali lawmakers to hold the Ministry of Finance accountable for preparing and providing comprehensive and transparent financial reports related to budgetary spending. 

When Minister of Finance Hussein Abdi Halane presented the country's 2014-2015 budget to parliament on March 31st, totalling $218 million, parliament pressed the Ministry of Finance to submit financial reports from the previous year's budget and to clarify the salaries of government soldiers and generals before tackling the budget for the next fiscal year, lawmaker Mohamed Omar Dalha told Sabahi. "The debate stemmed from the way the Ministry of Finance prepared [the budget], which is missing many things," he said. 

The ministry has requested an inordinate sum of money for expenses it accrued for rental allowances and other unspecified expenses, he said. Another issue he mentioned was the lack of prioritisation for funding social services that would benefit regular citizens. Dalha said lawmakers were committed to combating corruption and irregularities in the budget, and would review it to ensure resources are divided more equitably among various ministries.

"Parliament has to pass something that is clear, understandable and includes an audit," he said. "The most important thing that the parliament wants is to keep track of the budget." "They have brought us the budget for 2014, but they have not provided any financial reports for 2013.

Last year's money has to be accounted for in order to account for this year's," Dalha said. "If last year's money is not accounted for, there will be no way of knowing how this year's funds will be spent." Fellow lawmaker Faisal Omar Guled welcomed parliament's check on the Ministry of Finance, but said passing the budget should be expedited so that the government can focus on the tasks ahead. "The country is frozen as a result of this budget," he said. "The ministries cannot pay for necessary expenses. 

Travel [plans] for senior officials who had to participate to international conferences that are indispensable [for Somalia] were put on hold." Step in the right direction: Parliament's new focus on tightening up and providing oversight for public expenditures is a step in the right direction that can decrease government waste, said Abdullahi Hassan Shirwa of Somali Peace Line, a Mogadishu-based non-governmental organisation. "If parliament is improving oversight on the administration, I see it as a win for the country and its people that can bring about progress," Shirwa told Sabahi. 

"The Ministry of Finance must provide its financials for last year as it is required by law and everything [parliament does] should be based on the law." Shamso Mohamed, 26, who studied management and business at Kampala International University, said the parliament was taking unprecedented steps to hold the Ministry of Finance accountable. "I have been closely following media reports about the debates in parliament between Somali lawmakers, and I can say they are on the path to combat corruption since the Ministry of Finance [has been asked to] revise the budget it submitted and it was not passed quickly like we have seen many times in the past," she told Sabahi. 

"The other victory we have is that from the opening of this parliamentary session, [the parliament ruled that] no additional funds can be withdrawn from the Central Bank without the knowledge of the financial committee," she said. Asha Abdullahi Isse, who served as deputy minister for women's affairs under the Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed administration, credited parliament's new approach to its leadership. "The speaker and his two deputies know the law," she told Sabahi. 

"In previous [administrations] it was a common occurrence for the speaker and the president or the prime minister to be friends. However, now there are people who understand the law and know how to separate the work from the friendship." 

Isse also said the current parliament was able to work more independently because they receive their salaries on a regular basis, unlike under the transitional federal government when salaries were inconsistent at best. "It is easy to understand why it was difficult for a parliamentarian who was not getting paid to perform his job," she said.

US demands Ethiopia provide Human Rights Groups access to the Somali region

From: Hiiraan

Somalis from Ogaden region of Ethiopia has finally been heard by the international community. The United States, the United Kingdom as well as the EU Parliament have in the recent past openly expressed their concerns over alleged humanitarian crisis in the African country.

The U. S House of Representatives has asked Ethiopia to provide human rights and humanitarian organizations with free access to its Somali region of Ogaden.The U. S. said Ethiopia must make sure that funds available for assistance of its military and police forces are not used unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that Ethiopia's government is implementing policies to protect basic human rights like freedom of expression, assembly and religion.

The U. S. Congress declared, "That Funds shall not be made available unless the Secretary of State certifies Ethiopia is implementing policies to protect judicial independence; freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion; the right of political opposition parties, civil society organizations.The world power also asked Ethiopia to make sure that human rights and humanitarian organizations are provided free access to the Somali region of the country and journalists are allowed to operate without any harassment or interference.

Anna Gomes, the EU's head of International Unit Party, pointed out that Ethiopia is one of the largest humanitarian and development aid receiver but it is using donations improperly and dishonestly.Human Rights Groups like Amnesty International and Genocide Watch have been accusing Ethiopia Government of committing brutal crimes against humanity in Ogaden region.

IFJ Condemns Killing of Media Worker in Mogadishu, Clampdown on Critical Media in Somaliland

From: IFJ 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the murder of a media worker in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu, yesterday, Sunday 21 April. According to IFJ affiliate, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ),Mohamed Omar Mohamed, known as Amaar, an advertising and marketing staff at Radio Dalsan, was shot dead yesterday afternoon at the Mogadishu’sBakara Market. His killers, who escaped from the scene, shot him severaltimes, the NUSOJ has reported.

“This cowardly murder is a way to intimidate media professionals and journalists from freely exercising their duties. We call on authorities in Somalia to investigate this case and all crimes against the killings of journalists and to take every step necessary to end the impunity for violence and the country’s media personnel. The safety of media professionals must be a priority,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director. It is still unknown who carried out the murder as no group has claimed responsibility.

The leadership of the NUSOJ has called for an immediateinvestigation to be held.  “We denounce the murder of Mohamed Omar Mohamed and call upon the authorities to carry out urgent investigations that will shed light on the motives behind this killing and bring the perpetrators into justice,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. The IFJ has repeatedly warned authorities in Somalia that the safety of journalists and media workers must be a priority. Journalists in Somalia have been targeted again and again while reporting on issues in the public interest in their country. 

In a separate incident in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland, the IFJhas also condemned the clampdown on critical media, in particular theinternet. The NUSOJ has reported that the Somaliland administration has taken the decision to intensify its campaign to suppress and intimidate Haatufnewspaper by blocking access to its news site www.haatuf.net after it closed down the newspaper on 7 April 2014.

The IFJ has joined the NUSOJ in stating that the blockage is the latest evidence of what independent media see as a clampdown on critical media and particularly the Internet, a platform for disseminating views. According to NUSOJ, the banning of the news website, which also targeted Haatuf’s sister paper www.somalilandtimes.net, was reportedly ordered by Hargeisa’s Marodi Jeeh Regional Court on 16 April and internet service providers were ordered to carry out the action. 

“We call on authorities to unblock Haatuf and the Somaliland Times websites,” said Baglo.    “This internet censorship violates the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom of information of the people of Somaliland,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

Human Rights Center holds press conference on closed newspapers

From: HRC

Human Rights Centre (HRC) today held press conference in Hargeisa. The Centre strongly condemned the closure of Hubaal, Haatuf and Somaliland Times, three independent newspapers based in Hargeisa Somaliland. It also denounced the detention of five journalists arrested in Las’anood the administrative capital of Sool region, east of Somaliland. 

The five journalists were detained yesterday, 20th April 2014 and released today, 21st April 2014. Ms Mulaho Mohamed Ali, the spokesperson of HRC said “the manner which the Police followed to suspend the papers is against the law. The independent media is important pillar and shall not be oppressed. The freedom of press is guaranteed by the constitution of Somaliland and the international human rights.”

The newspapers were not given the opportunity to defend themselves before the courts as required by the law, she added. Mawlid Farah Mouse, a lawyer and member of HRC, stressed the illegality of the closure of the papers. Mawlid said that Hubaal was closed at 13th December 2013 while Haatuf andSomaliland Times were shut down at 7th April. The manner in which the three papers were suspended was the same. Police raided and closed without any court hearing. 

He raised serious concern on the actions of the government against the media. The constitution upholds independent media that exercises freedoms without fear and subjugation, says Mawlid. Ahmed Hussein Abdi, member of HRC, called upon the government of Somaliland to, immediately lift the suspension of Hubaal, Haatuf and Somaliland Times. He further demanded the judiciary to exercise the impartiality and the independence provided by the constitution.

Somaliland Authorities arrest 3 Journalists in Las-Anod for Attending Rival regional State Conference

From: Scoop

MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemns in the strongest terms possible the act of suppression, arbitrary arrests, threats and intimidations against the media by the Somaliland authorities, following the arbitrary arrests of three journalists in the disputed town of Las-Anod town, the latest in a string of violence against the journalists and the media in Somaliland. 

Somaliland police arrested Abdiqani Goox, a correspondent of a privately owned Somalisat Television based in London and two freelances namely Ali Yusuf Ahmed and Abdirashid Aideed on Sunday 20 April, 2014 at the disputed town of Las-Anod, local media reported. According to deputy police commissioner of Las-Anod, Ahmed Abdi Gelle told the local media that the journalists were arrested for attending a rival conference that threats its peace and security. 

 The Secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim called on the Somaliland authorities to stop the media crackdown it is currently undertaking and expressed his outrage against the arrests of the three journalists and demanded their unconditional release. On 07 April, 2014, Somaliland police stormed the offices of Haatuf newspaper in Hargeysa, following the orders of the regional court – after the newspaper published a series of articles accusing senior officials of corruption allegations. In February, Somaliland Authorities suspended the operations of the privately owned Universal Television, after accusing the television for insulting its president. 

Police raided and closed indefinitely the daily Hubaal on December 13 following a court order that claimed the publication promoted insecurity in the nation. Both newspapers are still shut down. 

Swedish Ambassador Meets with Haatuf Media Network Chairman

From: Somalilandtimes

The Swedish ambassador to Somalia, Mikael Lindvall, who is based in Kenya and whose writ also covers Somaliland, met with the publisher of Haatuf Media Network, Yusuf Abdi Gaboobe, the Somali language newspaper Geeska reported. Asked by the media about the substance of their conversation, Mr Gabobe said Sweden is one of the countries that supports the democratic process in Somaliland and we discussed the government’s takeover of Haatuf Media Network and the difficulties facing the independent press in Somaliland. 

Mr Gabobe added that he told the ambassador the reason for Haatuf’s closure without due process was because it wrote about the corruption in the government and that the government is trying to silence the independent media as evidenced by its closure of two newspapers within a few months. In response to a question about the ambassador’s reaction, Mr Gabobe said the ambassador seemed to be well-informed and was tasked by his government to find out what was going on with regard to Somaliland’s media. 

Ambassador Mikael Lindvall told Yusuf Abdi Gabobe that the suppression of the free press was unacceptable and his government will relay its thoughts on this subject to Somaliland’s government. Yusuf Abdi Gabobe also told Geeska newspaper that several international organizations and countries have contacted him and expressed their displeasure with the suspension of Haatuf and the Somaliland Times.

Nairobi's solution to terrorism: blame the Somalis

From: Open democracy

 

Last week’s crackdown on Somali refugees reads like a show of force by a government that desperately wants to hide the cracks in its counter-terrorism efforts.

 

Perhaps due to the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide last week, the Nairobi police’s substantial crackdown on Muslims and illegal immigrants failed to hit international headlines. Over 4,000 people were arrested in just a few days, in response to  yet another grenade attack killing six in the infamous Eastleigh neighbourhood on March 30th. 

Although most were released shortly, an unknown number of detainees who have failed to present proper ID remain held at the nearby Kasarani stadium in substandard conditions, and police sweeps have since expanded to other neighbourhoods. Human rights and humanitarian organizations were initially denied the right to visit the stadium, despite children being among the arrested; they were finally allowed in at the end of the week. At least one woman gave birth while in detention. 

Eastleigh, a largely Muslim neighbourhood near downtown Nairobi, nicknamed “Little Mogadishu” for its large population of ethnic Somalis, is a frequent theatre for both terror attacks – the previous one, a bomb blast in a local bus, claimed four lives last December – and police harassment. Arbitrary arrests and physical abuse are known to routinely target Somalis, many of which are refugees who escaped the squalid, overcrowded camps of Dadaab and Kakuma in the country’s north (Kenya hosts 610,000 documented and 500,000 undocumented refugees from Somalia).

The current crackdown is no exception to this routine abuse. Although Kenyans from other ethnicities and other foreign nationals have been arrested, ethnic Somalis are clearly the main targets. To be sure, the arrests come as Kenya’s Interior Minister Joseph Ole Leku’s announced that all Somali refugees living in Kenya’s urban areas should head back to the camps, citing “emergency security challenges” after the March 30th blast and another attack that killed six near the coastal town of Mombasa on march 23rd.

For the refugees, this is simply history on repeat. In late 2012, a bomb blast in Eastleigh had already led Kenya’s government to order them back to the camps, a decision that was later quashed by the country’s High Court. During the following 10 weeks, at least 1000 refugees were arbitrarily detained and some raped, beaten or tortured. “The current crackdown is not only in breach of the High Court judgement, but has also been implemented unlawfully,” reads a release from Amnesty International from April 11th.

The recent wave of arrests demonstrates the intensification of the repression since Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for last September’s attack on the Westgate shopping mall, which killed at least 67. The attack gave Kenya’s government the validation sought to hold Somali terrorists responsible for the sad state of Kenya’s interior security, while allowing president Uhuru Kenyatta to conveniently divert public attention away from his trial in front of the International Criminal Court and from a yet-to-be-formed commission of inquiry into the Westgate debacle that would likely put part of the blame on Kenya’s military and its intelligence services.

In recent months, Kenya’s government has readily associated Somali refugees with terrorists, claiming some of them have ties to al-Shabab or its local affiliate al-Hijra. This connection was once again invoked last autumn as the government announced a three-year plan to repatriate refugees to Somalia. Although the return of refugees is supposed to be voluntary and focusing on Somalia’s most stable areas, a recent investigation led by Amnesty International revealed that a large portion of returnees[F1]  felt compelled to leave because of intimidation and worsening conditions in the camps (last November, the World Food Programmme was notably forced to reduce its food rations in Dadaab and Kakuma by half due to a shortage of funds).

The Kenyan government has never concealed its wish that all refugees eventually return home. “All the camps should be closed and the debate on whether or not it is appropriate has been passed by time,” said interior minister Joseph Lenku last November, in direct opposition with conditions of the tripartite agreement signed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Somalia’s government. Meanwhile, Kenyan authorities have mostly ceased to register new refugees coming into the country, thereby forcing them to remain in a legal void and face arrest and deportation. Already, 82 of those arrested last week have been flown back to Mogadishu, with more deportations to be expected.

Connections between al-Shabab and Somali refugees have yet to be proven. The biggest threats to national security, security experts say, are instead to be found in the porous border between Kenya and Somalia, failed counterterrorism and intelligence efforts, corruption of immigration officials, and the radicalization of some of the local Muslim youth. This latest point seems largely ignored by Kenyan authorities, who consistently undermine the effects that poverty, lack of education, and unemployment have had on local youth, regardless of their ethnic background. For ethnic Somalis, police harassment and historical marginalization only adds to the long list of factors that might lead them into radicalism.

Framing Somali refugees as terror suspects has inevitably led to racial profiling against all Somalis – with local media generously participating – many of whom, hailing from Kenya’s North Eastern province or having immigrated to the country years ago, hold Kenyan citizenship. Kenya’s authorities have similarly failed to underline the economic role played by ethnic Somalis, notably in Eastleigh, now a thriving business hub in spite of years of neglect by the city government.

The current plight of ethnic Somalis in Kenya should be framed within a decades-long national counter-terrorism effort that has targeted the country’s Muslim population, notably the coastal Swahili people, who have historically been marginalized for religious, ethnic and political reasons. Through the 1990s and 2000s, the Kenyan government – heavily influenced by the U.S., which considered Kenya to be a “breeding ground” for terrorism – sought to prove that Muslims from the coast and in Nairobi were involved in terrorist attacks, without success. The investigation into the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi, for instance, was initially directed at Muslims from Mombasa, before revealing that most participants in the bomb plot were foreigners.

Since the early 2000s, Kenya’s various security agencies have received considerable financial support, assistance and training from the U.S. “American aid has allowed Kenyan authorities to expand their security infrastructure significantly; however this infrastructure has yet been seen to affect authorities’ ability to identify terrorists, foil terrorist plots, and bring criminals to justice,” wrote Jeremy Prestholdt, from the University of California, San Diego. Indeed, Kenya’s security agencies have often been accused of infringing on human rights. The Kenya Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), for instance, has been accused of torture, unlawful killings and disappearances, and renditions of detainees to countries where they faced a risk of torture.

Pressure from the U.S. to intensify counter-terrorism efforts and concentrate on the supposed threat posed by the local Muslim population has undoubtedly reinforced pre-existing ethnic and religious tensions in the country. Similarly, good relationships between Kenya and the U.S. have likely pushed Kenya to take part in peacekeeping operations in Somalia, starting in 2011, first as part of a coordinated military operation with the Somali army, then within AMISOM (Africa Union Mission in Somalia). 

Kenya’s government has vowed to pursue its military operations in Somalia in spite of the increased terrorist threat – the attack on the Westgate shopping mall was conducted by al-Shabab in direct retaliation for Kenya’s presence in Somalia – without having addressed the factors that are likely to facilitate the entrance of terrorists on the territory. It is still likely easy to procure a fake ID through the government’s corrupt immigration services, for instance. In that regard, the crackdown on Nairobi’s ethnic Somalis and its Muslim population at large will likely only serve to increase racial profiling and religious tension, without preventing the next attack.

Somalia: The Rubbish Tip

From: FF

20 years ago the Italian television reporter Ilaria Alpi and her cameraman were murdered in Somalia because they discovered a scandal about illegal hazardous waste transports to the country. 10 years ago a tsunami flooded the coasts and threw barrels of hazardous liquids all across the country confirming Alpis suspicion. We use these sad anniversaries as an opportunity to write an article about this scandal discovered by the reporter ages ago and under which the Somali people suffer until today.  

Somalia has been at a bloody civil war for over 20 years now – dog-eat-dog. Since the dictator Siad Barre had been overthrown in 1991, there has been no functioning government, no sense of unity and particularly no peace. In northern Somalia the regions Somaliland and Puntland fight for their independence and in the other areas the government tries to defend its power against the radical islamistic al Schabaab. Somalia is shattered; the violent struggles for power of different clans split the society.¹ 

The hopeless situation of the Somalis is exploited shamelessly. European und Asian companies dispose hazardous waste, even radioactive and heavy metals, at Somalia’s coasts. According to Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN-envoy on Somalia, “reliable information” confirming the suspicion exists.² The motivation is profit. A UN-speaker says there are great differences in expenses: For disposing its waste legally a company would have to pay 1000 US-$ per ton. 

When disposing illegally, it’s only about 2.50 US-$ per ton.³An employee of UNEP confirms: “Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there.”⁴ The consequences could be seen after the tsunami in 2004, when rusting tanks and barrels were smashed on to the beaches. According to the UN they contained toxic liquids, heavy metals and radioactive substances. More than 300 people died directly of the consequences. Since then many babies were born malformed, sometimes with less limbs.³ 

The cancer rate has grown conspicuously: A doctor reports, he treated more people with cancer in one year than he has done all the years before the tsunami in 2004.⁵ Moreover many people suffer from sudden rashes, loose their skin, bleed from their mouth or get strange blisters.⁶ The illegal transports of waste endanger the lives of Somali people and health but also destroy the coasts and the living space of human beings and animals. Some inhabitants at Mogadishu’s coasts tell there are hundreds of dead fish every day washed ashore.⁷ 

 Especially the fishermen are forced into alternative solutions, which is why many become pirates. They see themselves as the missing coastguard and acting alone to protect their livelihood. “What is ultimately needed is a functioning, effective government that will get its act together and take control of its affairs”, says Ould-Abdallah.² Due to the instable situation in Somalia, it is the perfect destination for illegal waste trade: no extensive investigations, no effective government. Illegal actions of the shipping companies have no legal consequences.⁸ 

There is no proof for the waste trade to Somalia because the containers and barrels are not labelled.⁹ Private enquiries can result in death, like in the case of Ilaria Alpi. The Italian journalist was one of the first who discovered the waste scandal. She suspected the toxic waste to be traded for weapons illegally from Italy to Somalia. She and her cameraman even got film recordings of men obviously transferring toxic waste. But before Alpi could publish this information she and her cameraman got murdered.¹⁰ This is probably one of the reasons why investigating NGOs refuse to name responsible parties. 

Ould-Abdallah is careful as well and doesn’t give away any name of investigating persons or companies involved.⁵ Nevertheless two journalists, Sandro Mattioli and Andrea Palladino, made enquiries and discovered a connection to the Italian Mafia,¹¹  who buys the radioactive and toxic waste, camouflages it and disposes the waste in southern Italia or in weak countries like Somalia. To do so, the Italian Mafia cooperates with warlords; they trade weapons for the approval of the waste disposal.¹² Moreover, Mattioli and Palladino stated that security services are involved. Swiss intermediaries are also interposed, so that there is no direct connection between the waste producer and the waste disposer.¹¹ 

A witness confirms the suspicion: Fonti was part of an Italian mafia-organisation before deciding to cooperate with the legal authorities and testifying. His confession could not be verified, but his testimony is an important source to disclose the structure of the transports. According to Fonti the trade with waste started in the early 80’s, when Italian politicians hired the mafia to dispose of hazardous waste. Security services ensured that transport and disposal took place without the arising of conflicts. Even the state Energy Authority ENEA hired the mafia to dispose of 600 tonnes of toxic waste from different countries including Germany and the United States.¹³ 

The responsible parties have never been punished. Another network organising illegal waste transports to Somalia was the Scalione Network, discovered during the investigation concerning the murder of Alpi and her cameraman. Parts of the network are corrupt politicians: the former honorary consul of Somalia and the former Somalia president Ali Mahdi.¹⁴ Although the waste transport is not directly transacted, some sources report there is evidence about connections to European hospitals and factories.⁵ Mattioli says there are lists accusing also German companies like BASF, Bayer AG, Hoechst or Dynamit Nobel AG having disposed waste there in the eighties.¹¹ 

The UN-envoy to Somalia Ould-Abdallah says: “I must stress however, that no government has endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting alone are responsible.” To him it is obvious that the civil war is fueled by the comportment of the companies.² Nevertheless European governments do not react to the suspicion of illegal waste disposing. Meanwhile the Somali inhabitants suffer from the avarice for profit. Somalia is the rubbish tip of the western throwaway society.

Britain funds human rights abuse in Ethiopia

The UK government is providing financial aid to human rights abusers in Ethiopia through funding and training paramilitaries, who perpetrate summary killings, rape and torture in the Ogaden and elsewhere in Ethiopia. This program sheds some light on the matter.

Children died of malnutrition, illness in IDP camp outside Mogadishu

From: Radio Dalsan

At least eight young children were confirmed to have died of malnutrition and illness in Internal Displaced Camps outside Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.Since early of March, dozens of newly displaced families have been pouring into Mogadishu fleeing from their homes in the regions of south and central Somalia affected by the ongoing military assault of the national army backed by African Union Forces [AMISOM]. 

Most of the newly displaced people reached Mogadishu have fled from Qoryoley, Bulomarer, Barawe and Janale in the Lower Shabelle region, where the government forces and the militant group of al Shabab have been confronting. Radio Dalsan reporters visited a Displaced camp at the Afgoye corridor, where the eight children wre reported to have died in the past three days following hunger and lack of clean water to drink which resulted illness on the children in the camp. The life of the people in this camp is still very critical and there were no any aid agencies helping the newly displaced people 

Kenya: Crackdown on Somali refugees unlawful

From: Amnesty international

Somali refugees and asylum-seekers living in Kenya are being trapped in a catch-22 situation by the government’s counter-terrorism crackdown, Amnesty International said as thousands of Somalis continued to be rounded up by security forces in Nairobi. Registration of Somali refugees in Kenya has been largely halted since 2011, preventing many who should qualify for refugee status from obtaining papers. 

Without these they could be returned to Somalia, where they may be at risk of human rights abuses.“Thousands of unregistered Somali refugees and asylum-seekers are in an impossible situation: they face arrest and deportation because they are not registered, but it is extremely difficult for them to register,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme. “The Kenyan government is punishing refugees and asylum-seekers for being in a legal limbo that it has created, while showing no consideration for their human rights.”

Somali refugees told Amnesty International they had faced intimidation, beatings and unlawful detention at the hands of security forces conducting house-to-house searches in predominantly Somali neighbourhoods over the past week. Ahmed, 26, who was taken from his home to the Kasarani football stadium to have his papers checked on 7 April, said: “They came to my house in the middle of the night and demanded my papers. My ID had expired. They said ‘this is not real ID’ so they beat and kicked me and then took me to Kasarani.” 

Unregistered asylum-seekers are at particular risk, though people with valid papers have also been arbitrarily detained, threatened and mistreated. Mohamed, who was arrested on 6 April near Eastleigh, a predominantly Somali area of Nairobi, told Amnesty International: “Four policemen stopped me and asked for my ID. I showed them my refugee card; they said it meant nothing. They demanded 35,000 KSh ($400 US) from me. When I didn’t have it, they told me I was al-Shabab and forced me to go with them.”  He was detained at the Kasarani stadium, where many refugees have been taken for screening, before being moved to a police station overnight. The following day he was released along with 47 others, but he now has no ID. 

“When they brought us back to Eastleigh they didn’t give me my refugee mandate back. They told me to come back the next day to Kasarani, but when I went I was told to come back another time,” he said.

Refugees and asylum-seekers without IDs are at high risk of arrest and detention. Though Mohamed is legally in Kenya, he is unable to move around freely for fear of arrest.  “I didn’t sleep last night. Now I don’t have an ID, if they arrest me right now, I have nothing to show,” he said.  

Anti-terror operation

The Kenyan government has been carrying out a large-scale anti-terror operation called Rudisha Usalama (“restore peace”) since 2 April, arresting more than 4,000 people throughout the country, mainly from the Somali community. “Such blanket arrests are discriminatory and arbitrary. Marginalizing entire communities is not the way to deal with insecurity, and may well cause further insecurity,” Michelle Kagari said. 

The government crackdown on refugees has escalated since Kenya’s Secretary of Interior, Ole Lenku, issued a directive on 26 March ordering all refugees to move to run-down and overcrowded camps in northern Kenya. This followed a similar government directive in December 2012, which was quashed by Kenya’s High Court in July 2013. The Court said relocation to the camps would violate refugees’ dignity and freedom of movement and risks indirectly forcing them back to Somalia. The Court also ruled that the Kenyan government had not proved that the move would help protect national security.

The current crackdown is not only in breach of the High Court judgement, but has also been implemented unlawfully.  Ibrahim, a Somali elder in Eastleigh, told Amnesty International: “The way they’re treating people is forcing people to go back to Somalia.” Amnesty International’s report published in February, No Place Like Home: Returns and Relocations of Somalia’s Displaced, documented how widespread intimidation and lack of respect for human rights are forcing Somali refugees out of Kenya. 

On 9 April, the Somali embassy in Nairobi said that Kenya had deported 82 Somalis to Mogadishu. More are expected to be deported in the coming days. “These deportations to a volatile security situation in Somalia may well amount to refoulement,” said Michelle Kagari. “Forcibly returning people to places where their lives or freedoms are at risk would violate international refugee law, which Kenya is bound to respect.”

EU Holds Discussion on Ethiopian Human Rights Crisis in Ogaden and Kality Prison

From: Tesfanews

EUROPEAN Parliament opened hearing about the Ogaden Human Rights violations and the Ethiopian prisons in Addis Ababa. The hearing, which was invited to participate in the Ogaden whistle-blower, Abdullahi Hussein, and Swedish Journalist, Martin Schibbye, was held on April 2nd by the group the progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats in European Parliament and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 

“Ethiopia is one of the largest humanitarian and development aid receiver yet these donations are used incorrectly and corruptly. Western governmental Organizations and Western Embassies to Addis Ababa ignored the stolen donations and humanitarian aid that are being used as a political tool by the Ethiopian regime, which is contrary to EU rules on the funding”, said Anna Gomes, MEP Head of international Unit party Socialist democrat. 

Ahmed Abdi Marita Ulvskog, MEP, in her part first thanked Abdullahi Hussein and Swedish Journalist, Martin Schibbye speaking about the steps needed to be taken in order to stop the human rights abuses that is being committed against Ethiopian and Ogaden civilians, she said that the EU could use sanctions or words against Ethiopia or follow up documents and information like the one provided by Abdullahi Hussein to show the reality in the ground. 

Abdullahi Hussein, who is the former regional Presidential adviser and head of the media in Ogaden presented a shocking footage that changed the EU’s view towards Ethiopia. Abdullahi Hussein, who gained the title of “brave man” and nominated for the prize of Sweden’s civil courage of the year 2014, “Antigone Award”, after he had put himself at risk for smuggling out over 100 hours of footage from the Ogaden Province requested the EU to put their words into action as the killings, gang-raping and extrajudicial arresting still continues. 

Speaking with Ogaden diaspora owned TV service of Ilays Tv, Martin Schibbye stated that in conjunction with Abdullahi Hussein their purpose to reset was to tell the World what they had seen which is to fulfill a promise that he made to many people from Ogaden region, but also their co-prisoners in Kality Prison of Addis Ababa. Members of European Parliament, CPJ’s Jean Paul Marthoz and Human Rights’s Leslie Lefkow have also explained the human rights situation in Ethiopia in details to the EU Parliament. Anna Lindy, Chair of the hearing, presented the human rights situation in Ogaden and Ethiopia at the opening time of the session.

                                                              

Hrw: Halt Crackdown on ethnic Somalis in Kenya

 From: Hrw

Kenyan police and other security agencies should stop arbitrary arrests and detentions, extortion, and other abuses against Somalis during security operations,  Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also halt summary deportations and ensure that any undocumented Somalis are given the opportunity to file asylum claims.

On April 4 and 8, 2014, Human Rights Watch visited Pangani police station in Eastleigh and found hundreds of detainees packed into cells designed to accommodate 20 people. Detainees had no room to sit, and the cells were filthy with urine and excrement. Police were also holding detainees beyond the 24-hour limit proscribed under Kenyan law, without taking them to court. One man at Pangani station complained to Human Rights Watch that he had been held for eight days without being taken to court.

“Scapegoating and abusing Somalis for heinous attacks by unknown people is not going to protect Kenyans, Somalis, or anyone else against more attacks,” said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Kenya’s deportation of Somalis to their conflict-ridden country without allowing them to seek asylum would be a flagrant breach of its legal obligations.”

Since April 2, almost 4,000 people are reported to have been arrested and detained in Nairobi and Mombasa. According to Human Rights Watch research, some of the detainees have been released after they produced identification documents, but only after days in deplorable detention conditions or after they paid bribes. On April 9, the Kenyan authorities summarily deported 82 undocumented Somali nationals from the capital, Nairobi, to Somalia. Kenyan officials have said that they plan to deport all undocumented Somali nationals as part of the response to recent grenade and other attacks in Kenya by unidentified people.

The Kenyan government began a massive security operation in Nairobi’s predominantly Somali Eastleigh district on April 2. On April 9, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku told the media that, during “Operation Usalama Watch,” police had arrested “almost 4,000 people.” An Administration Police spokesman, Masoud Mwinyi, said police had arrested and screened 3,000 people of whom 467 had been detained for further investigation. He said police had also charged 67 people with various unspecified offenses.

According to Kenyan officials, the operation began in response to a number of attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa in March that killed a total of 12 people and injured 8 more. An attack on a Nairobi shopping mall in September 2013 killed 67 people and injured hundreds.

Kenyan police operations in Nairobi and Mombasa in the wake of attacks have resulted on numerous occasions in serious human rights violations against both refugees and Kenyan citizens, Human Rights Watch said.

In the Pangani police station, Human Rights Watch witnessed police whipping, beating, and verbally abusing detainees. There have been numerous credible accounts of Kenyan security forces extorting money and beating people during the arrests and in detention. 

Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people have also been detained in the Kasarani sports stadium in Nairobi. Independent investigators and media were denied access to Kasarani until April 9, when a limited visit was permitted. People who participated said that they were only provided limited access and were not able to freely interview detainees in the stadium.

On April 8, Lenku said, “The process will continue until we do not have illegal aliens and those found to have refugees documents are taken to refugees camps.”

Kenyan security forces, including the Administration Police and General Service Unit (GSU) have a  record of committing serious human rights violations during security operations against communities of ethnic Somalis, Human Rights Watch said.

A May 2013 Human Rights Watch report described how Kenyan police in Nairobi tortured, raped, and otherwise abused and arbitrarily detained at least 1,000 refugees, including women and children, between mid-November 2012 and late January 2013, following grenade and other attacks in Eastleigh. The police called the refugees “terrorists” and said they should move to the refugee camps.

“For the second time in less than two years, the world is looking on aghast as Kenyan security forces abuse countless men, women, and children alike in the heart of Kenya, just a stone’s throw from government ministries and the United Nations,”  Simpson said.

The police sweeps follow an announcement on March 26 that all urban refugees were required to move to refugee camps. Such a move would violate a July 26, 2013 Kenyan High Court ruling, which quashed an identical government refugee relocation plan from December 2012.

According to credible sources, some Somali refugees arrested in Eastleigh in the April operation were released with an order to report to the refugee camps within two weeks.

On April 9, Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya told journalists that Kenya had deported 82 Somali nationals to Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Kenya should stop summarily deporting Somali nationals, which risks violating its obligations under Kenyan and international law not to return anyone to situations of persecution or generalized violence. Any undocumented individuals should be given the opportunity to file an application for asylum, Human Rights Watch said.

The Kenyan government should provide full access to staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to interview and register asylum claims of undocumented Somalis.

In January, the United Nations refugee agency issued guidelineson returns to Somalia and called on countries not to return anyone before interviewing them and ensuring they do not face the threat of persecution or other serious harm if returned. UNHCR said that Somalia remains “a very dangerous place” and that no Somali national should be “forcibly returned to Somalia unless the returning state is convinced that the persons involved would not be at risk of persecution.”

Human Rights Watch said the Kenyan authorities were obliged to allow UNHCR to register asylum claims from anyone in Kenya, regardless of how long the person had been in Kenya before lodging a claim. Although Kenyan refugee law says an asylum seeker should lodge their claim with the authorities within 30 days of arrival, UNHCR does not impose any such deadline. Somali nationals’ access to UNHCR is all the more important after Kenya suspended all services to urban refugees, including registering new asylum seekers, in December 2012.

Kenyan immigration law allows the authorities to regulate who is in Kenya, and Kenya may prevent certain categories of people from entering or remaining in the country, including those deemed to be a security threat.

However, Kenyan and international law prohibit refoulement – forcible return to persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, or to a situation where a person would be at real risk of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Kenya is also prohibited from returning anyone to a place where their “life, physical integrity, or liberty would be threatened on account of external aggression, occupation, foreign domination, or events seriously disturbing public order.”

In its January 2014 guidelines, UNHCR said that it “consider[s] the options for Somalis to find protection from persecution or serious harm within Southern and Central Somalia to be limited,” especially in the large areas that remain under the control of the Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab has continued to forcibly recruit people into its ranks, including children, and to target individuals perceived to support the Somali government and its partners. On March 5, al-Shabaab publicly executed three alleged spies in Barawe, one of the group’s strongholds.

UNHCR also noted an increase in al-Shabaab attacks in 2013 in Mogadishu that killed civilians. Conflict related injuries in Mogadishu and the southern port town of Kismayo also increased in early 2014.

According to UNHCR, 1.1 million people are currently displaced within Somalia, including 369,000 in Mogadishu. In a March 2013 report, Human Rights Watch found that members of state security forces and armed groups had raped, beaten, and otherwise mistreated displaced Somalis in Mogadishu.A February 2014 Human Rights Watch report documented high levels of rapeand sexual abuse against displaced women and girls in the capital throughout 2013.

In other parts of south-central Somalia, a joint military offensive by the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) against al-Shabaab has resulted in new internal displacement, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Foreign donors to Kenya and UNHCR should vigorously and publicly oppose summary deportations of Somalis, Human Rights Watch said.

“Kenya’s summary deportation of Somali nationals should end,” Simpson said. “Undocumented people should be given the opportunity to file an asylum application rather than being summarily deported back to the dangers of south-central Somalia.”

NUSOJ condemns closure of independent media in Somaliland

From:  NUSOJ

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is outrageous by the closure of the Haatuf Newspaper offices in Hargeysa by the Somaliland police and urges the authorities to re-open the publication.

Somaliland police stormed the offices of Haatuf newspaper in Hargeysa on Monday 07 April, 2014, following the orders of the regional court - accusing the newspaper for publishing false news - prompting the journalists on duty to flee, according to media reports. 

The National Union of Somali Journalists is outrageous by the raid of the newspaper offices and condemns the act in the strongest terms possible and calls for the Somaliland authorities to allow the resumption of the newspaper without any conditions. "Journalists have the right to expose the truth in the interest of the public and any act to silence them is a severe violation." Mohamed Ibrahim, NUSOJ Secretary General said, "The authorities must allow the newspaper to resume its operations and stop the media intimidations." In February, Somaliland Authorities suspended the operations of the privately owned Universal Television, after accusing the television for insulting its president.

NUSOJ Welcomes Release of Somali journalist

 From: AllAfrica

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) Tuesday (April 1st) welcomed the release of Sky FM news presenter Nuradin Hassan Shardi, who was taken into custody Sunday. "He was released without charges and the reason behind his arrest has not been made public as of today," NUSOJ said via Twitter. Mohamed Khalif Farah, chief inspector of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), told Shardi to report to the CID for questioning on Sunday, and upon arrival he was arrested, according to Director of Sky FM Mohamed Muse.

Muse said Shardi's arrest was related to his report on the missing passport of a British national who is an adviser to the prime minister. The report was aired on Sky FM, which is part of the Shabelle Media Network. "Somali authorities continually harass journalists who portray the government in a negative light," Committee to Protect Journalists East Africa representative Tom Rhodes said. "The unjustified arbitrary arrests against media workers is a direct threat to the freedom of expression guaranteed under the federal constitution of Somalia," NUSOJ Secretary General Mohamed Ibrahim said.

Prof. Abdi I. Samatar oo la kulmay jaaliyada Soomaalida Netherlands

From: Hiil Qaran

Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar oo ah xogahaya guud ee xisbiga Hiil-Qaran ayaa khubad dhinacyo badan taabaysa ka jeediyey shir ay isugu yimaadeen jaaliyada Soomaalida Holland, kaasoo lagu qabtay magaalada Den Haag ee xarunta siyaasada dalka Netherlands. Shirkan oo uu soo qaban qaabiyey xisbiga Hiil-Qaran faraciisa dalka Netherlands, ayaa waxaa ujeedadiisu aheyd in Prof. Abdi Samatar uu Soomaalida warbixin faahfaahsan ka siiyo safarka uu kaga soo laabtay magaalada Muqdishu iyo inuu sawir guud ka bixiyo xaalada dalka uu ku sugan yahay.

Abdi I. Samatar waxa uu marka hore ka tacsiyadeeyey geeridii taxdinta laheyd ee ku timid Danjire Sharif Saalax oo ku dhintay Muqdishu, isagoo ka codsaday ka qeyb galayaasha in loo wada duceeyo marxuumka oo uu ku tilmaamay siyaasi in badan ka soo qeyb qaatay siyaasada dalka. Intaa ka dib waxa uu ka hadlay xaalada colaadeed, siyaasadeed iyo mida nololadeed ee uu dalka hadda ku sugan yahay, isagoo walaac ka muujiyey qaabka hadda wax loo wado ee la doonayo in maamul goboleedyo lagaga dhiso dalka.

“Waxyaabaha soo kordhay waxa weeye imanka waxa weeye in ciidamadii Ethiopia lagu soo daray AMISOM oo la yiri idina ka qeyb qaata nabad dhalinta Somalia, laakiin anigu uma arko wax xal ah in Ethiopia ay wax ka badeli karto mushkilada hadda, waayo Ethiopia sumcad wanaagsan kuma laha dalka Somalia, mana ah talo wanaagsan in AMISOM lagu daro,” ayuu yiri Abdi Samatar. Waxa uu sheegay in Ethiopia waxa ay hadda u soo xiratay shaarkii AMISOM ay tahay in lagu diyaariyo maamul-goboleedyo qabiilo matela oo deetana madax looga dhigo rag diyaarsan oo wax walba lagu shuban karo, lagana dhaadhicin karo.

“Anigu welwelka aan qabo waxa weeyo waa dagaalo cusub oo soo fool leh oo ka dhalan kara maamul-goboleedyada hadda la wado, bal eeg maamul goboleedyadii horey u jiray maxay qabteen, ujeedada laga leeyahay waxa weeye uun qabiil wax maamula, mid kastana uu dabada ka riixayo dowlado shisheeye oo dano gaar ah leh,” ayuu yiri A. I. Samatar. “Hogaamiye kasta oo sheegta maamul goboleed ma ah inuu wax u qabanyo dadka masaakiinta ah ee mamaulkiisa ku hoos ku nool ee waxa uu doonayaa uun sidii uu mar uun ugu fariisan lahaa kursigaa yaala madaxtooyada oo aad mooday inaanu noqotay duqsigii ku degay malabkaa villa Somalia yaala oo dabadeedna ku dhagay.”

Mar uu ka hadlayey xaalada nololeed ee dalka, waxa uu ka dhigay macluul baahsan oo ku habsata malaayiin qof oo Soomaaliyeed oo sabab u ah buu yiri laba arrimood oo kala ah; colaadaha jira iyo abaaro.

“Waxaan ka baqayaa in malaayiin Soomaali ah oo nugul ay u dhintaan nolol xumo haddii colaadaha jira ay sii socdaan isla markaana la waayo roobabkii di’i jiray oo meesha ay ka baxdo dalagii dadku beeran jireen,” ayuu yiri A. Samatar. Dhinaca siyaasada, waxa uu Abdi Samatar ka hadlay in weli aanu jirin hogaan toosan oo dalka ka saari kara dhibaatada uu ku jiro, waxaadna meesha ka maqan buu yiri hayįdahii dowliga ee ficil ku badeli lahaa hadalada badan ee warbaahinta laga sheego ee ah in wax la qabanayo.

Waxa uu intaa ku daray in nin kasta oo madaxweyne ka noqda Xamar uu markiiba sameysto cadaawad siyaasadeed oo isaga uuna uu doonayo in tiisa la maqlaa, kolkaa marka uu ka dagana xilka aanu ku dhici karin inuu dalka ku sii noolaado. “Bal eeg Sheekh Sharif car haku dhaco inuu Xamar dego, waa kan Kampala u cararay uu halkaasi degay, maxay kula tahay baad u maleenaysaa inuu Kampala maciin bado, waa siyaasad xumada iyo cadowtinimada uu dadka sameystay.” ayuu Samatar hadalkiisa sii raaciyey.

Dhinaca kale waxa uu ka hadlay waxyaabaha ay reer galbeedku ka qoreen qoreen taariikhda dadka iyo dalka Soomaaliyeed oo uu ku sheegay mid qaldan oo laga dhigay in Soomaalidu ay reer yihiin oo aanay jirin mab’da dhaafsiisan qabiil oo ay wadaagi karaan, taasina ayaa buu yiri caalamka laga dhaadhiciyey oo nalagu maamulaa ilaa hadda. “Marry Harper oo ah weriye u shaqeyn jirtay BBC-da ay qoraal ay ka sameysay Somalia ku tilmaantay qariiradeeda mid u sameysan sidii geeska wiisha oo leh caarad af leh oo wax muda, markaa waxay ula jeedaa qariiradii baa colaad muujinaysa, dadkiina kaba daran, waxaasina waxa hada nalaga aaminsan yahay oo waxaa la qariyey in Soomaaliya ay tahay dalkii ugu horeeyey Afrika e si dumuqraadiyad leh hogaamiye xilka uga degay.” Gebagebadii ayaa Abdi Samatar waxa uu ka jawaabay su’aalo ay weydiiyeen dadkii ka soo qeyb galay shirka.

Mohamed Abdi Farah (Afgoye)