Since taking office President Obama has attempted to change the terrorist narrative from the War on Terrorism to something softer.  The logic behind this attempted slight of hand is perplexing and does not change realty.  This week’s tragic new reports on terrorism are further proof that the world is indeed at war.

• Mogadishu, Somalia – This chaotic country has been attempting to rebuild itself.  This week the terrorists made a dent in the effort.  As hundreds gathered in Hotel Shamo, Mogadishu to mark the graduation of doctors engineers and others from Benadir University, a man dressed as a woman blew himself up and killed Somali officials, 19 students and others.  Initial reports indicate the attack was carried out by al Shabaab, an al Qaeda affiliate.

• Rawalpindi, Pakistan – Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a mosque as two other militants fired on worshipers during Friday prayers, killing at least 40 people including children.  The attack was carried out by radicals connected with the Taliban.

• Moscow, Russia – A train running between Moscow and St. Petersburg was derailed by a bomb, killing at least 25 and injuring another 100.  Initial reports indicate that the attack can be traced to the people from the northern Caucasus, another way of saying Chechnyans.

There are two things in common between these three terrorist acts carried out in diverse geographic regions.  The perpetrators are all terrorist thugs and all were followers of the Islamic faith.

Terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists is increasing, not only in numbers, but also in the scope of their locations.  No longer can the world avoid questioning why this is occurring.

Terrorism has been increasing because it achieves the desired goals.  In the early days of modern terrorism, most attacks were carried out against Israel and Jews.  The terrorists justified attacks on civilians based on their bogus claim that they were trying to obtain the righteous goal of a Palestinian homeland.  In fact, the terrorist acts were merely a continuation of the Arab counties’ desire to push the Israelis back into the sea, a goal they failed to achieve with the conventional wars of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973.

The rest of the Islamic world took of terrorism’s success.  The attacks listed above clearly have noting to do with Palestinian causes, thus removing the cloak of righteousness which Islamic terrorist often hide behind.  Until the world takes a zero-tolerance view of terrorism under any circumstance, the use of this warfare tactic will continue to increase.

President Obama’s decision to abandon the using the phrase “War on Terrorism” will embolden terrorists by demonstrating lack of resolve.  No war is won until the enemy is defined.  As the great Chinese general, Sun Tzu, so ably said:

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

How many more Mogadishus, Rawalpindis, Moscows or World Trade Centers will be required until we finally get it?  We are in a War Against Terrorism; period!  Let us begin winning this war by first properly defining it and the enemy.

Somalia’s rebel group of Al Shabab has denied that they were behind the deadly attack in Mogadishu, which killed more than 23 people.

A spokesman of Al Shabab group Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage (Ali Dhere) has said that his group was not the mastermind of the blast in Shamo hotel.

“We have no any relation with this attack, it is from the enemy”, he said pointing that the blast was carried out by some of Somali government elements.

“We know some so-called government officials left the scene of the explosion just minutes before the attack. That is why it is clear that they were behind the killing.” Sheikh Ali Dhere said.

The spokesman of Al Shabab has told that it is not their behaviour to carry an explosion in a educational ceremony.

“We don not target the innocent people”, he added.

He told that the group is always concerned about the killing of innocent people saying the ‘enemy’ is doing all these acts to destroy the country and to create a hostile atmosphere between the Somali people.

There was a Suspicion which had fallen on the Al Shabaab group, which is battling the Western-backed government across the country.

More than 23 people including three government ministers had been killed in the blast at a graduation ceremony at Shamo hotel, while 50 more others wounded.

Somali president had blamed the rebels were behind the attack.

Shabelle: SOMALIA

NEW YORK ( Sh. M. Network) – The World Health Organization played a major role in training the Somali medical students who were among those killed and wounded in Thursday’s suicide bombing in Mogadishu Thursday.

The explosion occurred at the Shamo Hotel, where many students from Banadir University were about to receive their diplomas.

One of the wounded following Thursday’s suicide bomb attack in Mogadishu

“I’m very sad,” says Dr. Eric Laroche, the WHO’s assistant director-general for health action in crisis.  “I think of Somalia, I think of the Somali people.  I think it’s a major blow to the nation’s medical fraternity.”

Disappeared, vanished

It takes six years to produce a doctor, he says, and “within a fraction of a second, all that has disappeared.”

A week ago, Dr. Laroche was in Somalia and met with the minister of health. They expressed pride that they “were able to produce doctors, in spite of this very difficult environment.”

“All this has vanished,” he says, “The doctors are…the first ones to come help people when they are wounded or they are victims of a humanitarian crisis. To me it’s like firing on an ambulance.”

Never surrender

WHO, he says, will not give up.

“If there is one message to the Somali people, and especially to the students in medicine and nurses, we are going to help you, and we’re going to continue to help you, because it is so important that in times of crisis we have the right humanitarian assistance,” he says.

But it goes beyond medical assistance.

“I think it is important that the Somali people still have hope that the next batch of students are going to be able to achieve their graduation. It’s extremely important that we continue generating hope.  And I feel extremely determined to continue doing so,” he says.

Defying the odds

“This is the thing.  Everyone talks about Somalia as being a place impossible to live in and to stay.  But guess what?  In the last decade we’ve been able to produce, in spite of all these difficulties, health workers in Mogadishu, in a hospital in Banadir University.  That is a great achievement,” he says.

The World Health Organization official says it’s really about rebuilding a country and its institutions.

“I think it’s so important we have a sense that the Somali are there to help themselves.  It is so important as an image.  And it is probably this image that someone has been trying to defeat,” Laroche says.

Shabelle Media Network – Source of Somalia News ]]> http://sahelblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/saturday-links-nigeria-oil-somalia-bombing-senegal-flooding/ Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:33:09 +0000 Alex Thurston http://sahelblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/saturday-links-nigeria-oil-somalia-bombing-senegal-flooding/

Several articles explore the situation in the Niger Delta and the changes for oil companies:

• Reuters says an oil reform bill in Nigeria “is likely to make it easier for more foreign oil companies to compete for lucrative oil and gas contracts” there but also “transform the way [Nigeria] runs its energy sector by creating a profit-driven national oil company and seizing more control over its natural resources.”
• The BBC reports on farmers in Niger Delta who are suing Shell over pollution.
• Editorialist Bukar Usman argues that President Yar’Adua is succeeding in his initiatives for the Niger Delta.

The recent suicide bombing in Somalia has also generated considerable discussion in the press.

• Christian Science Monitor asks whether the bombing indicates a growing al Qaeda presence in Somalia.
• Al Shabab claims it was not involved in the bombing, VOA reports.
• IRIN shares a variety of Somali civilian perspectives on the bombing.

In another IRIN report, we learn about the continued impact of flooding on school attendance in Senegal.

No confirmed information on the Spanish hostages in Mauritania/Mali that I’ve seen yet, but I’m looking.

What are you reading today?

Stumbled across a list of Somalia’s Greatest Hits on the change.org war and peace site. Given this week’s killing and general renewed grounds for pessimism, it’s perhaps a good time to remember the cool things about Somalia – rather than give in to temptation and simply brick up the whole country and declare the last man standing to be president.

Daniel’s points on Women’s Lib and Islamic Leaders Look to the Sky are important messages to remember before we assume the worst about Somalis, extremism and al Qaeda. And here, for what it’s worth, are my favourite things and the things that give me a small amount of hope (in no particular order)

• K’naan – this kind of stuff (and Jal from South Sudan) makes gangsta rap look absurd. K’naan grew up in Mogadishu and is using his story to inform his songwriting. He’s the real deal. His music is cool, and Wavin’ Flag (above) has apparently been selected as the official World Cup song
• Seafood – favourite Mog story involves a bunch of hacks who order lobster at their hotel. After two hours they ask the waiter what’s taking so long. Oh I’m sorry, says the waiter, we have no lobster. Anyway, generally cheap and tasty as is all the seafood (well, what’s left by the foreign trawlers)
• Fruit – Somalia is gifted with fantastic grapefruit, mango and various other fruits. Fantastically sweet even before you get the obligatory ladle of sugar. Several warlords have substantial fruit plantation interests
• Architecture – OK, it’s the symbol of a former colonial power but who can fail to be impressed by the whitewashed Italianate villas, hotels and cathedral that line the Mogadishu shoreline. All bombed to pieces now
• Coffee - macchiatos, espressos and cappucinos were easily available in Mogadishu at a time when they were alien objects on British high streets. Generally taste of mud, but the point is you sit outside in the sun discussing important issues of the day
• Hospitality – and those coffees? Never paid for them once. Fixers, drivers, security guards always saw it as their duty to keep me fed, watered and in general comfort. Can be double edged…
• Journalists – never has such a small number of dedicated and professional journalists worked so hard to keep news coming out of a conflict despite incredible pressures. I’m lucky enough to know a couple as friends. And once again this week, some paid the ultimate price for their job
• Entrepreneurial Spirit – let’s leave the pirates out of it for now, but every Somali is a businessman at heart. Just look at the telecoms industry. And this is the thing that ultimately gives me hope. At the moment too many people make too much money from conflict for the war to stop. But one day this will change
• Goat Liver – a breakfast fit for a king. Fried up with a little onion and green pepper, the juices mopped up with a hunk of bread. Nothing better
• Public Spirit – many of those who died on Thursday were graduating as doctors. They were young, bright and from well-to-do families. Why didn’t they leave? Just like K’naan’s song and the journalists who have stayed, they knew that Somalia was their home. They wanted to do their bit and could see better times ahead

A suspected suicide bombing rips through a graduation ceremony – killing at least 19 people including three government ministers – at a Mogadishu hotel in Somalia.

Source:
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=8642506&videoChannel=1

Militant Islamist group al-Shabab has denied responsibility for a deadly suicide blast Thursday that killed at least 22 people, including 3 government ministers and a number of Somalia’s educated elite.

Alan Boswell | Nairobi 04 December 2009

Photo: AFP

Somali man is carried away from scene of suicide bomb attack during university student graduation ceremony at a local hotel in Mogadishu, 3 Dec 2009

With a slight twist today, it’s today’s news instead of tomorrow, because there’s a few things I wanted to make sure to log…

First, in Somalia a suicide bombing killed 19 including three government ministers. The attack came during a graduation celebration for graduating Benadir University students who are hoping to be the next generation of doctors, much needed in the war torn country.

Troubling and confusing news of more unrest from Guinea via BBC News and Al Jazeera. Military leader Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, who’s been in power for a year since a successful coup, is said to be “doing well” and “out of danger” after being fired on and wounded by his own troops. The incident comes amidst calls by Human Rights Watch for Camara to release activist Mouctar Diallo.

Also, social media means connecting to anyone, anywhere – and sometimes, not in the way you expected. The Wall Street Journal describes how Iran is experimenting with new ways of using Facebook in Iranian Crackdown Goes Global. They say you never know who’s reading what you put online…

Finally, this New Zealand Herald article, Vanuatu: Lava’s in the air reminded me of this October post, also featuring Vanuatu. John McCrystal introduces us to Yasur, the volcanic “lighthouse of the Mediterranean,” on a daylong excursion

A suicide bomber dressed as a woman has killed at least 19 people, including four government ministers, in the Mogadishu.
The attack hit the Shamo hotel in the city during a Benadir University graduation ceremony for medical students. It is in one of the small parts of the city controlled by the government, just 1km from the K4 junction, where the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, Amisom, has a base.
The hotel is often used by the few foreigners – aid workers, journalists and diplomats.

A suicide blast tore through a Mogadishu hotel earlier Thursday, killing at least 18 people, including three ministers. (Reuters

“It happens so often…And you can’t even complain, because then they will have the pleasure of killing you.”

Lawlessness and anarchy overshadow life in Mogadishu, the scene of almost daily attacks between government troops and African peacekeepers from one side and Al-Qaeda-allied militants from the other.

Militiamen roam the capital city on their machine-gun-equipped pick-ups, a grim trademark of the war.

Corpses that litter the streets and the non-stopping sound of grenades have become a daily fact of life.

A suicide blast tore through a Mogadishu hotel earlier Thursday, killing at least 18 people, including three ministers.

The bombing, which targeted a students’ graduation ceremony, is one of the most serious against the government in recent months.

Somalia has sunk into deadly violence after militants from Al-Shabab and its Hizbul Islam allied militia launched a deadly offensive in May against the internationally-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Civilians bear the brunt of a war that has caused thousands of deaths and displaced 1.5 million people in the past three years alone, according to the UN and local human rights groups.

Apathy

Mohammed Farah Siad, a local businessman whose house stands on the frontline between the government and Al-Shabaab, always keeps the gate of his house open to give shelter to civilians caught in the crossfire.

“It’s the only way to survive here, we have to help each other,” he explains, with his voice barely audible above the bursts of machine-gun fire and the roar of rocket-propelled grenades flying back and forth outside his compound.

“Always call your friends before venturing out and keep your cell phone with you to receive updates on clashes. It can save your life.”

The government blames the growing strength of Al-Shabab on international apathy.

“If we had received even 30 percent of the €250m pledged to us by the European Union, Al-Shabaab wouldn’t be in Somalia today,” Deputy Premier Abdulrahman Adan Ibrahim said with bitterness.

“We are fighting a group openly linked to al-Qaeda, which has brought an ideology that has nothing to do with Somali culture.”

Sheikh Omar Ali Rooble, a regional leader of Ahlu Sunnah wal Jamee’a, a moderate Islamic group allied to the government, agrees.

“We are receiving more and more reports of foreign fighters coming to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab’s ranks,” he added.

“They don’t speak our language and are not fighting for the sake of this country. They’re killing our people and digging our graves, that’s why we were forced to take up arms. They claim to defend Islam, but Somalia is 100 percent Muslim already.”

Abukar Mohallin Mouse, a porter, laments the good old days in Mogadishu.

“When there was peace, this city was one of the most beautiful in the world,” he recalls bitterly.

“I really fear I will die before this war is over.”

IslamOnline.net & Newspaper ]]> http://propagandapress.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/qamar-aden-ali-ibrahim-hassan-adoow-abdullahi-wayel-saleman-olad-robleh-killed-in-somalia/ Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:43:59 +0000 propaganda press http://propagandapress.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/qamar-aden-ali-ibrahim-hassan-adoow-abdullahi-wayel-saleman-olad-robleh-killed-in-somalia/

At least 17 people, including four Somali ministers and two journalists have been killed and over 60 others injured in deadly suicide bomb blast that ripped through a function in … Radio Garowe reports.

According to witnesses, a ‘lady’ suicide bomber detonated explosives near the VIP lounge where the top government officials, who attended the graduation ceremony for Banadir University, were seated.

The dead ministers are Health Minister Qamar Aden Ali, High and lower Education Ministers Pro. Ibrahim Hassan Adoow, Abdullahi Wayel, Sports and youth Minister Saleman Olad Robleh.

“The explosion happened at the podium at the time when Pro. Mohamed Warsame was delivering his speech,” Mohamed Liban, one of the graduates told Garowe Online.

The dead journalists are Mahamed Amin Adan Abdulle of Shabele Radio and Hassan Ali Hassan [Fantastic], Al Arabiya television Mogadishu director.

Duniyo Ali Mahamed, the head of Medina hospital’s staffs said more than 60 wounded people, most of them graduates have been admitted in the hospital.

Shortly after the explosion, the African Union (AU) through a statement issued from Nairobi, Kenya condemned the heinous act.

“The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) condemns in the strongest terms possible today’s suicide attack by armed opposition groups resulting in the death of ministers of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and ordinary citizens,” said the emailed-statement.

Somalia’s insurgent Al-Shabaab group is suspected to be behind the attack, which comes at the time when the bullet-ridden seaside capital has seen heightened violence between rebels and AU-backed government forces.

GAROWE ONLINE

19 dead in Mogadishu suicide bombing, AFP

Another bloody day in Somalia. This looks like one of the worst suicide bombings to be carried out in the lawless country. So far it looks as if 19 people have been confirmed dead – although that is likely to rise way beyond 40.

The target was also a desperately cynical choice – a hotel graduation ceremony for health workers, exactly the sort of people this fractured land needs. The place was also packed with government ministers and journalists. You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to suspect the deadly handiwork of Al Shabaab.

Nor is it difficult to predict what comes next – a fresh round of handwringing by the international community. The danger as always is that spectacular bloodshed will lead to a spectacular attempt at fixing the country and then, inevitably, another round of spectacular bloodshed.

WEAK GOVERNMENT

President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is a decent man and a man with the potential to unite his country. His government though has only a thin hold on power; nothing more than a few blocks of Mogadishu. His power is limited by the machinations of the warlords, clan leaders and Islamists who are constantly jockeying for position. Nor though should the power of Al Shabaab be overestimated. They do not represent many in Somali society and the scale of destruction wrought today is no indication of their military strength. Suicide bombers always punch above their weight.

This latest bombing makes it tempting to believe that Somalia is locked into a Groundhog Day cycle of misery, repeating its mistakes day after day, year after year in a wearying spiral of death.

Yet it is equally possible to point out that the United Nations, Western diplomats and now the African Union are guilty of making the same mistakes time after time. Policy after policy has viewed Somalia as nothing but collateral in the war on terror. Decisions are made not because of what they mean for Somalia – but what they mean for global security. The Islamic Courts were destroyed three years ago, because the world mistakenly feared them. With them went any (albeit still slim) chance of stability. Somalia and its people have to be the reason for acting, not the fear of a global Jihad.

Again the temptation is to try to send in more peacekeepers, more cash for security and call in more American airstrikes to prop up the transitional government and bolster its hold on power. Tomorrow the op-ed pieces will again be warning us that failure to do so risks leaving Somalia to Al Qaeda.

PICKING SIDES IS THE KISS OF DEATH

But imposing solutions does not work in Somalia. Picking sides merely upsets Somalia’s ability to reach a balancing point. Sheikh Sharif will ultimately pay the price for accepting Western support. Finding solutions requires a different approach. Somalia is the ultimate bottom-up society. Villages and clans control the destiny of the country. Winning them over is an impossible task. Leaders have to emerge from within, building consensus and support as they rise. Only then can the rest of the world have a meaningful impact, pouring in aid to build a government that already belongs to the Somali people.

Picking one side, in this case the Transitional Federal Government, is the kiss of death. If we are serious about wanting a stable, successful and ultimately peaceful Somalia then we are going to have to take a step back.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

 Source: VOA
Ras Kamboni faction of Hizbul Islam says its fighters are preparing to challenge al-Shabab in southern and central Somalia

2 December 2009

In Somalia, an Islamist faction says it considers its former ally, al-Shabab, to be the greatest threat to the country.  A spokesman for the leader of the Ras Kamboni faction of Hizbul Islam says Hizbul Islam fighters are preparing to challenge al-Shabab in all areas of southern and central Somalia.

The spokesman for the leader of the Ras Kamboni Brigade tells VOA the fight against al-Shabab militants, which began in late September in the southern port city of Kismayo, is expected to continue until al-Shabab is ousted from Somalia. 
Abdinasir Seraar is the spokesman for Ahmed Madobe, the military commander al-Shabab has repeatedly blamed for triggering the conflict in Kismayo.

Seraar says the fight against al-Shabab will move from the Jubba region to regions of Gedo and Middle and Lower Shabelle, including the capital Mogadishu.  He says Hizbul Islam’s goal is to liberate the country from al-Shabab militants, who Seraar says are indiscriminately killing innocent Somalis and trying to wipe out Somali culture.

Ras Kamboni Brigade and its ally, Anole, are clan-based factions of Hizbul Islam, a fundamentalist nationalist opposition group that formed an alliance with al-Shabab earlier this year to oppose the U.N.-backed government in Mogadishu.  Another faction of Hizbul Islam is led by Hassan Dahir Aweys, who briefly ruled Somalia in 2006 as the spiritual head of the Islamic Courts Union.

Ras Kamboni and Anole took up arms against al-Shabab after al-Shabab tried to impose sole control over Kismayo and its port, which serves as an important source of revenue for all sides.

Al-Shabab, which is on a U.S. list of terrorist groups for having ties to al-Qaida, suddenly found itself at war with Hassan Turki, a long-established hardline Islamist/nationalist leader, who is also listed as a terrorist by the United States.  Turki had been commanding the Ras Kamboni Brigade until he fell gravely ill about three months ago.

Mindful of Turki’s popularity among hardline Islamists and nationalists in Somalia, al-Shabab’s leadership in Kismayo has been careful not implicate Hassan Turki in the conflict, casting blame solely on Turki’s successor, Ahmed Madobe.

Late last month, Islamist fighting spread to the towns of Afmadow and Dobley in Lower Juba, with al-Shabab claiming victory.  Al-Shabab’s spokesman for the Jubba regions, Hassan Yacqub, told reporters Ahmed Madobe fled into neighboring Kenya with his fighters after losing Dobley.  But Seraar says that is a lie.

He says Madobe is in Somalia, still in command of his fighters.  He says Hizbul Islam made a tactical retreat from Afmadow and Dobley and forces there are re-grouping to launch a counter-offensive, which could happen at any time.

It is still not clear how much Somalia’s transitional federal government will benefit from the split among the Islamist opposition in the south.

For the past 10 months, government forces and African Union peacekeepers have been battling near-daily attacks by Hizbul Islam and al-Shabab forces in Mogadishu.

In a sign that Ras Kamboni and Anole factions may have difficulty convincing other Hizbul Islam fighters to shift the focus of the insurgency toward al-Shabab, the spokesman for Hizbul Islam in Mogadishu told reporters Tuesday his group is preparing to increase attacks against the transitional government and African Union forces.

HAS Spurs supporting columnist Richard Littlejohn been to Mogadishu? Has he been to Somers Town for that matter? I only ask after seeing his latest in the Daily Mail:

Here’s the passage that readers in Camden might be puzzled by:

“With the Somers Town estate behind Euston Station now resembling a suburb of Mogadishu, I suppose it should come as no surprise to learn that a Somali family is living free in a £1.8 million house in Westminster.”

Somers Town isn’t in Westminster. It’s not really behind Euston station either, better described as being located behind King’s Cross. And if you take a walk behind either station, I doubt there are too many comparisons to be drawn with Mogadishu, the capital of a country crippled by civil war and devastation.

To get a clearer picture of what Somalia really looks like and the history of that struggling nation, a good starting point for Littlejohn would be to check out journalist Jamie Welham’s report from the country, published in the New Journal earlier this year. There aren’t many national papers, let alone locals, that have printed something direct from Africa which has been guided by such insightful first hand experience.

Not getting enough return on your traditional Wall Street bond, stock, and options investments?

Somali sea gangs lure investors at pirate lair

In Somalia’s main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate.

Heavily armed pirates from the lawless Horn of Africa nation have terrorised shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and strategic Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia through the Red Sea.

The gangs have made tens of millions of dollars from ransoms and a deployment by foreign navies in the area has only appeared to drive the attackers to hunt further from shore.

It is a lucrative business that has drawn financiers from the Somali diaspora and other nations — and now the gangs in Haradheere have set up an exchange to manage their investments.

One wealthy former pirate named Mohammed took Reuters around the small facility and said it had proved to be an important way for the pirates to win support from the local community for their operations, despite the dangers involved.

“Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 ‘maritime companies’ and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking,” Mohammed said.

“The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials … we’ve made piracy a community activity.”

Haradheere, 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Mogadishu, used to be a small fishing village. Now it is a bustling town where luxury 4×4 cars owned by the pirates and those who bankroll them create honking traffic jams along its pot-holed, dusty streets.

. . .

“Piracy-related business has become the main profitable economic activity in our area and as locals we depend on their output,” said Mohamed Adam, the town’s deputy security officer.

“The district gets a percentage of every ransom from ships that have been released, and that goes on public infrastructure, including our hospital and our public schools.”

. . .

Haradheere’s “stock exchange” is open 24 hours a day and serves as a bustling focal point for the town. As well as investors, sobbing wives and mothers often turn up there seeking news of male relatives missing in action.

. . .

Piracy investor Sahra Ibrahim, a 22-year-old divorcee, was lined up with others waiting for her cut of a ransom pay-out after one of the gangs freed a Spanish tuna fishing vessel.

“I am waiting for my share after I contributed a rocket-propelled grenade for the operation,” she said, adding that she got the weapon from her ex-husband in alimony.

“I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the ‘company’.”

See also:
Bandit Bourse? Somali pirates hijack oil tanker, organize ’stock market’
Pirate stock exchange helps fund hijackings
Somali pirates set up ’stock exchange’
Avast ye! Somali pirates create exchange for stolen loot
Invest in Your Favorite Somali Pirate
Somali Pirate Haven Is the Ultimate Deregulated Free Market

Crime pays.

/until the civilived world finally gets good and tired of having its ships constantly hijacked and sends Mr Cruise Missile to pay Haradheere’s “stock exchange” a visit

The yacht of Paul and Rachel Chandler, currently being held hostage by Somali pirates, the Lynn Rival has been returned to the UK. The 38ft boat has been brought back onboard the Royal Navy vessel that witnessed the Chandlers ordeal. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Night said they did not act, as they did not want to endanger them. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said that criticism that the sailors onboard did not do enough to rescue the couple did a “disservice” to the crew. However in a report published in the Mail on Sunday it was reported that a source onboard said there were actually 20 Royal Marines who were equipped and ready to go. Though the marines mobilised twice on the deck of the ship, they were given the order to stand down. The pirates holding Mr and Mrs Chandler are demanding £4 million ($7 million) in ransom. Last week the couple were seen on film asking for help and saying they could be killed within a week if the ransom is not paid. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have repeated, “It does not make substantive concessions to hostage takers, including ransoms.” I continue to hope that the Chandlers ordeal ends soon and they are reunited with their families. Thanks for reading.

Mogadishu's ruined cathedral

I haven’t done a very good job, but in my posts about Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan I’ve tried to avoid using a know-it-all, old-Africa-hand tone. But the truth is that from the moment they were kidnapped it was obvious that they had only themselves to blame. There’s nothing wrong with throwing yourself in at the deep end and pushing yourself to the limits to bring back back an otherwise unreported story. The problem is when you put other people at risk through naivety and inexperience.

The hack pack in Nairobi had never heard of Lindhout and Brennan when they disappeared. That in itself was a bad sign. Anyone heading to Mogadishu should take a few days talking to people who know the place – the Somali journalists exiled to Nairobi, the international press corps who have parachuted in and out, and the NGOs and UN agencies who try to keep aid flowing into a broken country- to find out the latest security information.

Hotels in Mogadishu come in and out of fashion. Who has the best security and which part of the city is free from shelling?

Which stringers are operating in Mogadishu, and who has the best contacts and feel for the situation in the ground?

These are the sorts of thing you learn to ask over weeks and months reporting from increasingly hostile places. My first trip to Somalia was carefully organised by the United Nations. There were two more trips to Baidoa, at a time when it was relatively stable. Only then – and at a time when the fighting had calmed – did I feel confident enough to make a trip to Mogadishu.

In contrast, Lindhout and Brennan seemed unprepared for what they faced.

This piece in The New York Times sums up the lure of wars for the newbie…

Wars have long provided a way into journalism for some adventurous aspiring reporters (as well as death, kidnappings and injury for others). And courageous, if inexperienced, freelancers have brought important stories to light that might otherwise have gone unreported.

But it goes on to spell out how the pair lacked experience

Robert Draper was already in Somalia on an assignment for National Geographic when Ms. Lindhout and Mr. Brennan arrived. Mr. Draper said that it was apparent that she had been the driving force behind their trip. She had met Mr. Brennan backpacking in Ethiopia. While Mr. Brennan was in Somalia as a photographer, Mr. Draper said, it was not clear whether he had ever sold any photographs.

“She was eager to make a name for herself, and I don’t say that as a negative,” Mr. Draper said. “But a lot of the early and intermediate steps one does to become a journalist, she bypassed. Amanda was very eager to go where the action was.”

They were released after 15 months. But not without a hefty chunk of cash being paid to their kidnappers. Paying up is the only way to get people out. Yet once again the armed gangs are richer and emboldened. Journalists mean cash. And for the long suffering people of Somalia, the two-decade cycle of violence shows no signs of ending.

Australian freelance photojournalist Nigel Brennan, and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout, were kidnapped in Mogadishu in August 2008. A Somali journalist and their interpreter, Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, was also kidnapped, but later released in January 2009.

The two journalists were finally released on November 26, after their families paid an alleged $US1 million ($1.09 million) ransom to the kidnappers. Australian millionaire Dick Smith is believed to have generously contributed, while Greens senator Bob Brown is also believed to have contributed from his monthly income. 

“Locked in a room, very little light. I haven’t been able to exercise at all. You know, simple things like being told not to smile, not to laugh – not that there was much to laugh about,” Brennan told Reuters describing his 15 month ordeal. “But my friend Amanda had a pretty rough time, I know that. She was severely beaten and we were both tortured both mentally and physically,” he said. In July 2009 it was reported Lindhout may have given birth, nearly ten months into her captivity.

A number of Somali Parliamentarians are suppose to have played central role in the negotiations with the kidnappers, as did a private security agency hired by the journalists’ families. While the Australian government claimed it had done every thing possible to secure the journalists’ release, short of pay the ransom, Brennan’s family openly lashed out claiming they were forced to act as the government failed to respond.

There is no doubt, the kidnapping and the 15 month ordeal was harrowing, and that Lindhout and Brennan may not have survived the ordeal if their respective families had failed to pay the ransom. But the lingering question is, did the Australian and Canadian government’s failed in their responsibility by continuing to refuse payment? While it may seem harsh, perhaps it should be noted that while Lindhout and Brennan’s families were only concerned for the wellbeing of their loved ones, the government has a wider responsibility to Australians in hostile environments. Most western governments maintain a policy of non-payment when it comes to kidnappings and ransom demands and perhaps it is for the best. Perhaps as the governments argue complying with such demands may place the lives of more journalists and aid workers in even greater danger where they are seen as lucrative targets.

Australian Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s Chris Warren told the Sydney Morning Herald it was “fantastic’ to hear the journalists were released. “We should always be trying to persuade others, such as governments and those that have got influence, to get them out,” he said refraining from discussing the ransom payment.

Somalia has lacked an effective central government for 18 years. The Western-backed administration of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is battling al-Shabaab and other rebel groups, and controls little more than a few parts of the capital Mogadishu. Lawless Somalia is a dangerous place for foreign aid workers and journalists as they risk being kidnapped and held by gunmen until a ransom is paid. However, many local aid workers and journalists have been killed; and more than 200 foreign hostages, seized with their ships by pirates, are also being held off the coast of Somalia – compelling stories that will go unreported if not for people like Lindhout and Brennan.

Perhaps only time could tell if the ransom payment in this case places the lives of others in jeopardy, even then the link would always remain tenuous. As for Lindhout and Brennan, like Chris Warren said it is very good news to hear they are alive and safe, and perhaps this is once again a remainder of the dangers journalists face in such hostile environments.

MOGADISHU:  A judge for an Islamic militant group in Somalia says a woman has been stoned to death and her boyfriend given 100 lashes for having an affair. Sheikh Ibrahim Abdirahman, the judge for the group al-Shabah, says the woman was killed on Tuesday in front of a crowed of some 200 people near the town of Wajid. Abdirahman says the 20-year-old woman had an affair with 20-year-old unmarried man and gave birth to a stillborn child. The militants that control much of southern Somalia and have links to al-Qaida have instituted a conservative reading of Islam’s Sharia law. The stoning death was at least the fourth for adultery in Somalia over the last year. It was the second time a female has been killed. Last month, two men were stoned to death in Merka after being accused of spying.

The conflict between rival Somali Islamist groups al Shabab and Hizbul Islam, who were formerly allies in the fight against the Transitional Federal Government, turned ugly in the port city of Kismayo back in late September/early October. Both sides, and especially Hizbul Islam, have sometimes downplayed the seriousness of the conflict, and judging from variation across southern Somalia it seems that the degree of hostility between the groups varies from locale to locale. With headlines yesterday proclaiming that major fighting is spreading into areas outside of Kismayo, though, I am wondering whether the chances of reconciliation are shrinking to zero.

As I understand the chronology, fighting around Kismayo started this weekend.

There were no reliable reports on casualties, but local sources said Al Shabaab guerrillas carried out attacks on Hizbul Islam fighters based in the area, leading to heavy gun battle.

Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, Al-Shabaab’s spokesman in Kismayo confirmed that his forces carried out attacks on their rivals after learning that they are regrouping in the village to launch attack on the Islamic administration in the region.

I had read before that Hizbul Islam still controlled villages around Kismayo. Perhaps we can infer then that Hizbul Islam tried to retake Kismayo, and al Shabab not only launched a pre-emptive strike but also kept pushing into Hizbul Islam’s territory.

Shebab fighters attacked the Hezb al-Islam militants and took control of the town located some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Kismayo [...]

“The Shebab invaded and the Hezb al-Islam tried to defend themselves but they were overrun after the city was attacked from three different directions,” said Iman Abdi, an Afmadow resident.

Another resident, Ahmed Ali, said the Shebab came in large numbers and seemed well prepared for the assault.

“There could be renewed fighting because the Hezb al-Islam fighters are regrouping to recapture the town,” Ali told AFP by phone.

Many of the dead were fighters, other residents said, indicating civilians had been among the casualties.

The fighting follows last week’s attempts by [...] Hezb al-Islam militia to re-take Kismayo over which they have fought with the Shebab.

According to the BBC, there was fighting on the outskirts of Afmadow by Saturday, which could fit with my theory that after al Shabab attacked they just kept pushing Hizbul Islam back until they got to Afmadow.

Also over the weekend, Hizbul Islam fought TFG/AU forces in Mogadishu. Thinking about that (does Hizbul Islam have a country-wide strategy?) and reading that dissension within Hizbul Islam’s ranks expedited their decision to withdraw from Afmadow makes me wonder how centralized command is in either Islamist militia. Are local commanders operating largely autonomously? How much unit cohesion is there? Reports of talks between Hassan Dahir Aweys, a top Hizbul Islam leader, and leaders within al Shabab adds to my suspicion that Hizbul Islam, especially as the (apparently) militarily weaker of the two groups, has some deep fissures if not an outright fragmented structure.

That does not mean that this civil-war-within-a-civil-war will end any time soon, but it does suggest that what sometimes look like big conflicts (Islamists vs. TFG, al Shabab vs. Hizbul Islam) might be better described as a patchwork of interlocking conflicts, some local, some regional, some both. Finally, if al Shabab does possess greater cohesion – and firepower – than its rival, that suggests that time is ultimately on their side in this fight.

View Larger Map

Every year, Transparency International makes a list of the most corrupt countries in the world. I searched through the blogs to find out more about each one, from a travelers’ perspective.

1. Somalia

Hardiek at the border of Somalia

“For those of you who don’t know (almost everybody, including me up until a few weeks ago) the once unified country of Somalia is now effectively divided into three, the rump Somalia surrounding dangerous Mogadishu, the country of Puntland from which all the ship piracy of recent fame takes place, and Somaliland, relatively peaceful and open for business, connected by land to the also relatively peaceful states of Djibouti and Ethiopia.” – Hardiek

2. Afghanistan

Samcato telling home base about an explosion in Afghanistan

“From ‘grease my palm’ to ‘oil-fill my bellybutton’: corruption has penetrated the political, economic, judicial and social systems so thoroughly that it has ceased to be a deviation from the norm and become the norm itself. Corruption had existed ever since the Taliban regime was toppled, but it has reached a historically record breaking level. Ordinary Afghans are well aware of this, the majority of the country is sorry, not because it existed but they are not in a position to benefit from bribery. Corruption has become so endemic that it is perceived as normal. Nothing is possible at the same time, everything is possible. When a job comes to a standstill it doesn’t mean there is a problem with the job, it is time to grease up some bellybuttons. If one is prepared to pay as much as needed then anything could be done. Shortcuts are introduced if one is willing to compromise. I could have thought of any word as synonyms for bribery but not compromise, Farsi and Pashto languages are rich with euphemisms for bribe. My favorite and all time fresh is ‘Shirini’, the sweetener. It is generally used when you got something done. In other words shirini is post bribery bribe. Don’t be surprised. At least I had something done, these days ordinary citizens pay bribes as much to be left alone as to get something done. They call it ‘Kharcha’, ‘paeesi chai’, ‘jawani’ and many more which are basically *bribe of survival*. Exactly this has changed everything; everyone attempts to be in a position to take a bribe as oppose to a sucker. Bribe takers are at the highest rank of the society where everybody inspires to be.” – Samcato

3. Myanmar

Markl's tour guide "Stella" spoke about the corruption in her country

“Stella was forthcoming about the current regime and it’s appalling corruption. They have moved the capital inland and have created an insane, artificial compound where the military and civil servants live in pampered luxury. They are building a zoo, of all things there, and transporting the animals from Yangon zoo to fill it. So the people in the capital get a few old camels and the rest get shipped 300 miles inland. Civil service pensions are no better, her mother receives 100 Kyat or $0,10 a day. Stella’s bitterness was mainly reserved for the treatment of the poor who seem to have been mainly abandoned by the political rulers. The stories of aid for rural people post Cyclone Nargis in 2009 were terrifying.” – Markl

4. Sudan

Bonthorn on the road in Sudan

“You have two choices when you come to a roadblock. You can play Mr./Mrs. Nice Guy/Gal and greet the officer as if you’ve known him your whole life, shake hands amicably and ask about his health, his family, their health, etc. Calling him ‘my friend’ and patting him on the back is also a good tactic (although never try this if you are female). After all the formalities are completed, he might just let you off the hook and wish you a “Good Journey”. The second option is to play dumb and pretend you have no idea what the officer is saying, although it’s blatantly obvious. Keep jabbering in English in a tone that is neither offensive nor accusing, and sooner or later, he will hopefully tire of you and your feigned stupidity and wave you on. So far, these are the two choices we’ve attempted, both at pretty successful rates. But the key is to pick one and stick to it BEFORE your car is stopped and you’re face to face with him and his gun.” – Bonthorn

5. Iraq

Rebecca.mcneal went through several checkpoints in Iraq

“After passing through numerous checkpoints, Iraqi, Pesmerga and Awakening Council fighter types we neared Mosul. Mosul was the only place that was worrisome. We passed by a truck bomb site that had killed 250 people in the recent past. We were not allowed to photograph checkpoints which were all manned with machine guns.” – Rebecca.mcneal

6. Chad

Kevandsian picked up some unexpected hitchhikers in Chad

“Crossing into Chad was surprisingly hassle free, the police in this country have a bad reputation for being corrupt and subtracting bribes and ‘tolls’ at every opportunity. We took a hitch hiker at the request of the police and also transported a soldier to the next village. We then gave another 5 police and military personnel lifts to neighboring towns 55 kms away,becoming the essential local transport as the first truck to pass through in 6-7 days. We decided this might help avoid searches and bribes at police stops and ease our journey. They did help at one small town where the police demanded a 16 dollar fee per person for registering and stamping our passports which was eventually avoided successfully.” – Kevandsian

7. Uzbekistan

Crowdywendy's tour guide in Uzbekistan, Behruz

Our first morning in Bukhara introduced us to the entrenched police and official corruption in Uzbekistan. It was our first introduction to “bakeesh” or bribes to officials. At the first Bukhara bank we were told that we were not allowed in. “Why not?” we asked. It was a very large bank and there were numerous tellers open everywhere. Well, we just couldn’t. The police were stationed at the entrance of the bank and would not let people in. Well, of course with a little bribe they would… But we resisted and moved on to yet another bank, and another. Later that evening while talking with other hotel guests, we were told that it is not uncommon for locals to have to try ten or so different banks before they would be allowed entry. The young local people were openly disgusted with the practice.

Similarly, bakeesh is a common practice with the police. There are frequent road blocks throughout Uzbekistan. While we had no problems thanks to Naim calling out “tourists!” at every point we were told over and over again by locals about the road police. Apparently being a police officer on the roads is a much sought after profession. Although they are dreadfully underpaid they certainly make up for it in bribes or bakeesh.” – Crowdywendy

8. Turkmenistan

Ricka leaving the "ferry from hell" in Turkmenistan

We loaded on-board after a trainload of freight was stowed and we were squeezed in between the carriages and the crew started to hassle us for “Security Fees”. We all had the sense to tell them to get lost! We were on at last! Another trip back into the customs hall to get our final clearance and it was back on board, passports handed over to a dodgy looking guy along with $90 and then a stagger up to the deck with our luggage. We wondered why there were loads of crewmembers smiling and laughing at us, little did we know!
The dodgy guy we gave our passports and cash to started to try to explain that if we wanted a cabin they were $100. We said no thanks, at that price we could manage the 12 hour crossing on the deck. I had a suspicion that things may not go to plan so I followed a crew down into the ship to have a look at a cabin. He showed me two of the filthyest, run-down excuses for cabins I had ever seen, with the “bathrooms” being even worse. I haggled with the guy anyway as I knew this was a “take it or leave it” situation and I settled on twenty bucks per cabin – I thought we would be needing them!” – Ricka

9. Iran

Jimsim at Persepolis in Shiraz, Iran

“While Sim took a few snaps of the mosque I chatted to a local soldier who was visiting the mosque. He was very young, and was very upbeat about Iran’s prospects for the future. While not stating a preference for either the hardline or more moderate of Iran’s leaders he seemed to believe that by keeping the right (positive) attitude the people of Iran would pull the country in the right direction. It was hard not to be caught up in his enthusiasm. He was also extremely helpful while we were there, happily answering the barrage of questions I had about Shiraz and it’s major attractions.” – Jimsim

10. Haiti

Mim301 on her first day volunteering in Haiti

“It is so hard to believe that so many people in Haiti live in poverty because of such a corrupt government, but that the beaches and mountains are so beautiful. I guess that this is just another one of life’s great mysteries.” – Mim301

The BBC’s Jonathan Beale travels to Minneapolis to investigate reports of teenagers from the city’s immigrant Somali community going missing and turning up dead in Somalia. Could they have been recruited by militant Islamists?… From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: vietnam airport. The blog is also related to: manchester airport.