DTN News: AU soldiers Help Somali Forces As Fighting Rages

DTN News: AU soldiers Help Somali Forces As Fighting Rages

*Source: DTN News / AP

(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - July 13, 2009: African Union peacekeepers in the Somali capital have directly intervened for the first time to support government forces fighting Islamist insurgents, a spokesman said. A witness reported at least eight people were killed on the second day of fighting. Somali government forces stand next to their battle wagon during fighting between the Somali government forces and the al-Shabaab fighters Sunday, July 12, 2009 in Mogadishu, Somalia. African Union peacekeepers in the Somali capital have directly intervened for the first time to support government forces fighting Islamist insurgents, a spokesman said. A witness reported at least eight people were killed on the second day of fighting. AU spokesman Bahoku Barigye said peacekeepers were drawn into Sunday's fighting by a direct threat to their positions as the insurgents advanced into north Mogadishu. "Our troops were in an imminent danger, so we had to take some limited action," he said. "That does not mean we are fully involved in the combat." The 4,300 beleaguered peacekeepers defend themselves when attacked but generally try to avoid being drawn into the conflict to preserve their neutrality. Their mandate includes the defense of the capital's port, airport and key government buildings. Mogadishu's deputy mayor, Abdifitah Shawey, said the AU was forced to intervene after the insurgents fought their way to just over half a mile (1 kilometer) from the presidential palace. "We lost three soldiers in today's battle and the other side left more dead bodies behind. I do not know their exact number," said Shawey. "Our troops are still pursuing them in the streets and through the residential areas." Government commander Salad Ali Jelleh said there had been fierce fighting as the insurgents advanced into the city in the early hours but the Islamists melted away into the city streets when government and AU forces counterattacked. Local resident Abdi Muhumed said he had seen eight dead fighters. Ali Muse of Mogadishu Lifeline and Nationlink Ambulance said at least 16 people had been injured by shelling in residential neighborhoods but many areas were too dangerous to travel to. There has been heavy fighting in the capital since Friday's expiration of the Islamists' deadline for government troops to surrender. The Islamists intensified their efforts to capture Mogadishu after an exiled leader returned in April and pulled the disparate insurgent factions together into an alliance. Various Islamist groups have been fighting the U.N.-backed government since being chased from power 2 1/2 years ago. The situation is complicated by the continual splintering and reforming of alliances and a tangled web of clan loyalties. Ugandan African Union peacekeepers carry the body of a suspected Afghani national fighting alongside the Islamist insurgents in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, July 11, 2009. Clashes between Somali government forces and opposition Islamists groups in the north of Mogadishu killed at least 20 people including a senior police officer and wounded 41, officials, ambulance worker said on Saturday. The government showed the body of what it said was an Afghani national fighting with Hizbul Islam, an umbrella opposition group led by hardline Sheikh Hassan Dahir. The international community had hoped the election of a moderate former Islamist fighter to the presidency early this year, and his subsequent implementation of Sharia law, would help undercut the insurgency. But the president's former allies in the insurgency have fought on, reinforced by hundreds of foreign fighters, and weapons and support from Eritrea. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government for 18 years.

DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

*Source: COMESA

(NSI News Source Info) VICTORIA FALLS - June 10, 2009: The 13th summit of Africa's largest trading group COMESA started in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls on Sunday, with the long-anticipated official launch of a regional customs union topping the agenda. Madagascar's ousted President Mark Ravalomanana chats with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on the second day of the two-day African trade summit Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in Victoria Falls on June 8, 2009. The group, consisting of 19 member countries, has passed a resolution to intervene in Madagascar's political problems to 're-establish constitutional order'. COMESA consists of Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It will be the second crucial step taken by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in its process of economic integration after the 19-member bloc established the first free trading area in Africa in 2000 The important move had been confirmed again by COMESA secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya before the summit.

The COMESA chief announced that the customs union will be launched next Monday when the summit came to an end. "The Common Tariff Nomenclature and the Common Customs Documentation (CCD) are in place and what remains is the COMESA Regional Policy still under negotiation," he had said.The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa - promoting regional economic integration through trade and investment.With its 19 member states, population of over 389 million and annual import bill of around US$32 billion with an export bill of US$82 billion COMESA forms a major market place for both internal and external trading. Its area is impressive on the map of the African Continent covering a geographical area of 12 Million (sq km). Its achievements to date have been significant. See the comprehensive statistics At the opening ceremony of the summit, outgoing chairman of COMESA Authority, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki gave a report on progress made since the last summit in Nairobi in 2007, including the movement towards harmonization of policies between COMESA and the other economic blocs of the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community towards an African Economic Community. He said he was encouraged by the fact that intra-COMESA trade had 52 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, up from three billion dollars the previous year.

"As we collectively position ourselves to ushering the next milestone on our regional agenda, let us also remain fully aware of the broader agenda on the integration of the African continent. It is necessary that we focus on the bigger picture by strengthening our relations with other regional blocs," Kibaki said.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni thanked the Zimbabwean political leadership and people for coming up with an inclusive government and averting a potentially serious conflict. He also said COMESA should push for first world status and look at how it can take advantage of the current global economic crisis.

"We need to find how best we can survive and even how best we can take advantage of it," he said. Vice Chairman of African Union Commission Erastus Mwencha decried the fact that although Africa was represented at the last G20 summit, it was still to remove a stimulus package as pledged there. He stressed the need for Africa to consolidate its strategies with climate change, whose effects he said could affect the lives of its citizens.

The customs union aims to lift tariffs among member states while harmonizing barriers with third parties through the Common External Tariff, which the community's heads of state and government adopted in May 2007.

With the theme of "Consolidating Regional Integration through Value Addition, Trade and Food Security", the summit followed a meeting of the Council of Ministers from Tuesday to Thursday and talks of COMESA foreign ministers on Friday and Saturday. The summit, which had originally been set for last year, has been postponed twice.

The COMESA made a put-off decision first to allow the host country Zimbabwe to complete its electoral process which finally gave birth to the formation of an all inclusive government. The meeting was later postponed again as organizers took into account the need to begin the process of implementing the decisions of the summit of three trading blocs held in Uganda last year regarding the harmonization of Free Trade Areas and common external tariffs.

COMESA, headquartered in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, was formed in 1994 to replace its forerunner, the Preferential Trade Area. It enjoys an aggregate population of about 400 million and combined GDP of over 360 billion U.S. dollars.

DTN News: Somalia May Fall To Islamists Tied To al-Qaeda

DTN News: Somalia May Fall To Islamists Tied To al-Qaeda

*Supported by Eritrea, Islamist forces are focusing on what there is of government in wartorn Somalia. The U.N. calls for end to hostilities.

(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU - May 25 2009: Somalia’s Islamist rebels have launched a major offensive against the central government, reviving long-standing concerns that the country could fall entirely to militants with alleged ties to al-Qaeda. The situation is exacerbated by Eritrea’s support for the Islamists.

Ugandan peacekeepers from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) walk outside the presidential palace in Mogadishu May 23, 2009. Residents fled Somalia's capital on Saturday during a lull in fighting between government forces and hardline Islamist insurgents which killed at least 45 people a day earlier. Government forces launched a pre-dawn offensive on Friday to try to drive Islamist rebels from their Mogadishu strongholds, unleashing the bloodiest day's combat in months.

The U.N. Security Council expressed anxiety over reports that Eritrea has been supplying arms to Islamist militants intent on toppling Somalia's new government and condemned the recent violence.

The council insisted that Somali Islamist extremist groups immediately end the violence and join reconciliation efforts "The Security Council ... expresses its concern over reports that Eritrea has supplied arms to those opposing the (government of) Somalia in breach of the UN arms embargo," the statement said.

While Eritrea rejects accusations that it sends weapons to the al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants fighting Somalia's government, Somalia's government said earlier this month that Asmara continues to support al Shabaab militants with planeloads of AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons.

The accusation was backed by diplomats and security experts. Ambassador Araya Desta, Eritrea’s UN envoy repudiated the accusation. "We have never done this; it is totally false and misleading." He said Eritrea had never given financial or military support to opposition factions in Somalia.

"The historical relationship that exists between Eritrea and Somalia is still intact, we fully respect them and we anticipate peace and stability in the country—that is our goal," Desta said. In DR Congo, Somalia, Sudan, refugees number as much as 4 million each. Civilians and aid workers continue to be targetted. Fighting has erupted in Mogadishu, causing thousands to flee.One diplomat said the Security Council statement was significant for singling out Eritrea by name. It usually refers to "third countries" or "outside" parties, he said.

Reuters reports that fighting between al Shabaab militants—who admit to having foreigners in their ranks—and pro-government fighters has killed at least 139 people and sent some 27,000 fleeing the pock-marked, seaside capital Mogadishu since late last week.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African regional bloc, has called on the United Nations to impose immediate sanctions on Eritrea for backing the rebels. "The government of Eritrea and its financiers continue to instigate, finance, recruit, train, fund and supply the criminal elements in and/or to Somalia," the group said.

The rebels, now operating openly with hundreds of fighters from the United States, Britain, Pakistan, Chechnya and other places, have for the past year controlled virtually all of southern Somalia, where local leaders—some Somalis call them Islamist warlords—have imposed a harsh version of sharia law, publicly flogging people who don't attend Friday prayers and chopping off the hands of alleged thieves.

President Sharif Ahmed's government controls only Mogadishu's airport, its seaport and a small corner of the ruined city where the presidential palace is fortified by 4,000 African Union peacekeepers. Ahmed has remained sequestered there for most of the past week.

Part 2: Arabs Should Contribute Forces Or Funds To Isolate Somali/Aden Pirates Being In their Neighborhood / Bordering Countries

Part 2: Arabs Should Contribute Forces Or Funds To Isolate Somali/Aden Pirates Being In their Neighborhood / Bordering Countries

(NSI News Source Info) January 30, 2009: The Somali pirates are driving up the price of Tuna. Indian ocean tuna fishing is a $6 billion a year industry, with hundreds of boats working off the east coast of Africa. Pirates will seize the fishing boats, even though they these vessels bring a smaller ransom than the larger merchant vessels. But ransoms as high as a million dollars have been paid for tuna fishing boats. This has driven up the coast of insurance, and many boats avoid the increase by staying away from the Somali coast. This has caused the catch to decline about 30 percent in the last two years. This has caused a major recession in the ports in the region that supply the fishing boats with fuel, other supplies and services. Many of the pirates feel it is their patriotic duty to go after the tuna fishing boats, which are destroying the tuna stocks off the coast by overfishing. Since there is no Somali government to regulate the fishing, the large boats (up to 6,000 tons) take all the tuna they can get. Populations of some fishing species have already collapsed, and will take a decade or more (if ever) to revive. The smaller Somali fishing boats can't compete with the larger fishing ships from Europe and East Asia. January 25, 2009: Ethiopia has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Somalia. Already, other nations in the region are asking Ethiopia to send its troops back in. Ethiopia is the only one in the region (if not in Africa, with the possible exception of South Africa) who can handle the Somali gunmen. Somalis and Ethiopians have been neighbors, and at war with each other, for centuries. While the Ethiopians have learned how to deal with the Somalis, they would rather not. It's a nasty business, and these days you get accused of war crimes if you are too good at it for too long. Several hundred heavily armed members of al Shebab, the al Qaeda sponsored Islamic radical group, seized control of Baidoa, long the headquarters for the Transitional National Government (TNG). For the TNG and al Shebab, control of anything is largely symbolic. The TNG represents an attempt by the traditional Somali power brokers to get along with each other and form a government. That didn't work. Al Shebab represents the efforts of one Islamic radical faction to take over the entire country and establish an Islamic dictatorship.

That won't work either, if only because there are several other factions of Islamic radicals competing with al Shebab. And if the Islamic radicals are too successful, the Ethiopians (who have made no secret of this plan) will come back. And then there are the U.S. and NATO commandos up north in Djibouti, who are also up to something. But they are not holding any press conferences about it, unlike al Shebab, which loves to tell the world what it's doing, or thinks it's doing, or plans on doing. The U.S. and Kenya have come to terms on a deal whereby Somali pirates captured by U.S. forces, will be jailed and prosecuted in Kenya. The U.S. will provide money, and other assistance, to reimburse Kenya for their efforts. Most other nations, with warships patrolling the Somali coast, do not have any arrangements to deal with captive pirates. Those ships have been told, in effect, that they can kill pirates, but not take them alive. The anti-piracy patrol is working. While there were twelve ships taken last November, and two in December, none have been taken in January. The pirates currently hold ten ships, having received ransom for, and released six ships this month. The pirates are trying to come up with new tactics, to get around the constant presence of the foreign warships. But so far, the anti-piracy patrol has been able to counter new pirate tactics. January 24, 2009: In Mogadishu, a suicide car bomber set off his explosives before reaching his target (the African Union headquarters), and killed 15 civilians and wounded over two dozen. January 23, 2009: In Somaliland (one of two self-proclaimed statelets in the north, to the west of Puntland), police have arrested several dozen Islamic terrorists and seized ten shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles. The men, and weapons, came from Eritrea (which, with Iran, is supporting Islamic terrorist groups in Somalia).

There were three suicide bombings in Somaliland last October, which prompted the local government and tribal leaders to go after Islamic terrorists (who normally would be tolerated if they did no harm locally.) Al Quaeda has put more money and men into Somalia. The results have been disappointing, because the Somalis are difficult to control, and very dangerous if you anger them. It's like herding cats (if you can imagine cats armed with automatic weapons and nasty tempers.) January 22, 2009: The UN has announced that it will halt food aid to Somalia unless the attacks on the aid effort stop. This includes the extortion of money from food aid trucks by hundreds of roadblocks. But the worst danger is the random attacks on food aid operations personnel, both transportation and distribution. The UN supervised program is currently distributing 57,000 tons of food to 2.5 million people in central and southern Somalia. The food reaches the country via ship, which, for the last few years, has been accompanied by a warship, to prevent seizure by pirates. But once ashore, the food is increasingly stolen by bandits and warlords, who then sell it in the markets, or even take it to neighboring countries (if the prices are sufficiently higher.) It's unknown if the UN would actually halt the food aid program, but it's unusual for them to even threaten to do so. The UN is also trying to get Kenya to stop sending Somali refugees back to Somali. Kenya accepted 60,000 Somali refugees last year, and have had no end of problems with them. Somali gunmen try, and often succeed, in using the refugee camps as rest areas. Worse, the Somali gunmen sometimes do some looting in Kenya, instead of going back to Somali to steal. So Kenya has told the UN to stuff it, and is turning away most Somalis trying to flee into Kenya.