IGAD – Supreme Tool of Ethio-fascism, Anti-African Racism, and Genocidal Practices (II)

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

[ Posted On: 2009-05-27 ]

Document

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 190th meeting held on 22 May 2009, considered the situation in Somalia in light of the outcome of the 33rd Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers on the security and political situation in Somalia, held in Addis Ababa on 20 May 2009.

Council,

1. Recalls the press statements issued by the Chairperson of the Commission on 12 and 19 May 2009, as well as its earlier communiqués on the situation in Somalia;

2. Welcomes the convening of the Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers, expresses its strong support to the communiqué adopted on that occasion and reiterates its full support to the efforts being made by IGAD in support of the peace process, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the people of Somalia in the face of the aggression perpetrated against them;

3. Strongly condemns the aggression perpetrated against the TFG of Somalia and the civilian population in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia by armed groups, including foreign elements, bent on undermining the peace and reconciliation process, as well as regional stability. Council expresses deep concern at the increased presence of foreign elements in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia, as corroborated by the United Nations Secretary-General in his report of 16 April 2009;

4. Also expresses deep concern at the reports regarding the support provided to these armed groups, through training, provision of weapons and ammunitions and funding, by external actors, including Eritrea, in flagrant violation of the United Nations arms embargo. Council notes the condemnation by the IGAD Extraordinary Session of Eritrea, as contained in paragraphs 5 and 6 of its communiqué, for its actions in support of the armed groups operating in Somalia, including its calls for the overthrow of the TFG;

5. Requests the United Nations Security Council, in line with the relevant provisions of the IGAD communiqué, to: (i) take immediate measures, including the imposition of a no-fly zone and blockade of sea ports, to prevent the entry of foreign elements into Somalia, as well as flights and shipments carrying weapons and ammunitions to armed groups inside Somalia which are carrying out attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, (ii) impose sanctions against all those foreign actors, both within and outside the region, specially Eritrea, providing support to the armed groups engaged in destabilization activities in Somalia, attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, as well as against all the Somali individuals and entities working towards undermining the peace and reconciliation efforts and regional stability;

6. Demands that the armed groups currently involved in attacks against the TFG, the civilian population and AMISOM, immediately put an end to their actions, which are tantamount to an attempt at unconstitutional change of Government, in violation of the relevant AU instruments;

7. Reiterates its call to all the Somali parties who have not yet done so, to join the peace process without any further delay;

8. Appeals to all the AU Member States to urgently provide all the required support, including military, to the TFG to enable it neutralize the armed elements carrying out attacks against it;

9. Stresses the need for all concerned, both within the region and outside, to refrain from any action likely to undermine the ongoing efforts and threaten the security of AMISOM personnel, including through provision of equipment, funds and other forms of support to the armed groups opposed to the TFG. Council requests the Chairperson of the Commission to reach out to all concerned to convey the AU position, which, in line with that of IGAD, is to fully support the TFG, as the legitimate authority of Somalia, and reverse the aggression perpetrated against the TFG and the Somali people;

10. Expresses deep concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, and calls on AU Member States and the international community at large to urgently provide needed support to address the situation;

11. Reiterates its appreciation to the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and AMISOM, as well as to all countries and institutions providing support to the Mission. Council welcomes the pledge by Sierra Leone to contribute one battalion to AMISOM and urges AU Member States and partners to provide the required logistical support for the early deployment of this battalion. Furthermore, Council urges the AU Member States that have pledged troops to AMISOM to urgently deploy them. Council strongly condemns all attempts to demonize AMISOM and the TCCs;

12. Welcomes the outcome of the Pledging Conference for Somalia held in Brussels, Belgium, from 22 to 23 April 2009, commends all the countries and organizations that have announced contributions and stresses the need for the speedy fulfillment of the pledges made to facilitate the ongoing efforts to strengthen AMISOM and the Somali security institutions;

13. Reaffirms the determination of the AU to do everything in its power to sustain the ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts, support the TFG and to remain engaged in Somalia, in particular through the continued and strengthened presence of AMISOM, pending the deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation;

14. Agrees to reconvene in mid-June 2009, to review comprehensively, on the basis of the report to be submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission, the situation in Somalia and take the required decisions, particularly with respect to the renewal and the need to strengthen the mandate of AMISOM;

15. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Somalia Vindicated By IGAD Proposed Sanctions on Eritrea, Says Minister

Somalia's new government has welcomed calls by neighboring countries for the United Nations to impose an air and sea blockade to prevent hard line Islamic insurgents from easily getting access to weapons and fighters, according to Voice of America. Mogadishu also said it was pleased with the fact that neighboring countries constituting the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have called for sanctions on neighboring Eritrea for supporting Somali insurgents.

Somalia has often accused Eritrea of supporting hard line Islamic insurgents including al-Shabaab who have vowed to eventually take over the country through violence. Eritrea denies the charges as unfounded. Abdi Kadir Walayo is the spokesman for the Somali government. He told VOA that Mogadishu is grateful for the support shown by IGAD. "The government welcomes that decision and it will help also to curtail those elements who engaged in subversive acts against the government and detrimental to the stability and the security of this country", Walayo said. He said Mogadishu feels vindicated by IGAD's call for the United Nations to impose sanctions on neighboring Eritrea for its support of hard line Islamic insurgents including al-Shabaab. "Yes, as you are aware to the fact that the internal security minister of Somalia had weeks ago leveled these accusations to Eritrea", he said. Walayo said Asmara has often refused to recognize the new Somali administration. "Eritrea has nakedly accused that there is no government in Somalia. And it was denying completely the incumbent government and because of that hostile position taken by Eritrea government, the (Somali) government supports that decision (sanctions) Vis a Vis to Asmara", Walayo said.

He said Mogadishu supports organizations including aid groups who are there to be helping the ordinary Somali adversely affected by the insurgency of the hard line Islamists. "The government has imposed any restrictions about flights intended for humanitarian grounds to the ports to the many people scattered throughout the country… that blockade will not touch the humanitarian assistance", he said. Walayo said the government has plans to restore peace to the country after at least 18 years without an effective government which led to a deterioration of stability. "The government position is so clear and now the government is busy with restructuring the security agencies of the country", Walayo said. He said the government has set in motion moves to restore peace in Somalia. "There is a national security plan now in process and there is training program for the Somali security forces. There are some who have returned from abroad like Uganda and also like Sudan and these people may take part on the maintenance of peace and security in the country", he said.

He said it was too early to know when the United Nations would implement suggestions of IGAD to impose sanctions on neighboring Eritrea among others. "I cannot predict what will happen, but this agreement reached by IGAD members I think is the best to pressurize the UN Security Council to adopt the IGAD entity which I think they will present through the African Union to the Security Council desk", he said. There has been a United Nations arms embargo on Somalia for many years although indications are that weapons are readily available for hard line Islamic insurgents who are determined to overthrow the Somali government. Described by Washington as a terrorist organization with strong ties to Al Qaeda, al-Shabaab has refused to recognize the new Somali government vowing to violently take over the country and impose the strict form of the Islamic Sharia law.

Eritrea hit back Saturday at charges it is backing Islamist insurgents in Somalia, blaming its chief accuser instead of being chiefly responsible for the mess there. The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a six-nation east African regional body, called Wednesday on the United Nations to impose sanctions on Asmara - RTT reports - a position backed on Friday by the African Union. Eritrea retaliated on Saturday, saying it was IGAD that was to blame. "This is an irresponsible resolution by an inept organization which bears primary responsibility for the current mayhem and crisis in Somalia", the Eritrean foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. Eritrea, which pulled out of IGAD in 2007, said neighbouring states had backed Ethiopia's invasion in 2006 and thereby worsened the situation in war-ravaged Somalia. "What was morally more reprehensible than Ethiopia's invasion was the 'endorsement' of this flagrant breach of international law and the charter of IGAD by several member states of this defunct organization", it added.

Ethiopian troops rolled into Somalia in late 2006 to buttress the embattled government against radical Islamist insurgents. They pulled out early this year, but witnesses reported seeing some Ethiopian troops crossing back in recent days. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been tense ever since a devastating border war in the late 1990s in which tens of thousands of people died. Eritrea's U.N. Ambassador said his country has been falsely accused of supplying arms to Islamist militants intent on toppling Somalia's new government, according to a letter released on Friday. "I wish to put on record my government's strong opposition to, and categorical rejection of, the unsubstantiated accusations leveled against my country", Eritrean Ambassador Araya Desta wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council, dated May 20. Somalia has accused Eritrea of supporting al Shabaab insurgents with planeloads of AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. Eritrea has repeatedly rejected the accusations. Eritrea is "appalled by the unwarranted decision of the Security Council to accuse a member state on the basis of “reports”" Desta wrote in his letter to the council. Meanwhile Eritrea, which denies supporting the armed opposition in Somalia, has recalled its AU ambassador in response.

53 Somalis killed in latest fighting

Somali insurgents said they remained in control Saturday of areas of Mogadishu that government troops had battled to regain, AP reports. The heavy fighting killed 53 people in the capital in a single day, a human rights group said. In addition to the dead, 181 people were wounded during Friday's offensive by the U.N.-backed government, said Ali Sheik Yasi, deputy chairman of Elman Human Rights Organization. The center of the city was heavily shelled. Both sides fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and truck-mounted anti-aircraft missiles into residential areas. The government was not immediately available for comment on the current situation. Resident Abdi Haji said there was no fighting on Saturday and that the insurgents appeared to remain in control. The Elman rights group, which collates casualty figures based on interviews with health officials, morgues and witnesses, said more than 150 people have been killed since the latest round of fighting began two weeks ago.

The Islamic insurgents had captured several strategic locations in Mogadishu. Despite successes, they failed to gain control of key installations including the airport and presidential palace, which are guarded by African Union peacekeepers. Hassan Mahdi, a spokesman for the insurgent alliance known as the Islamic Party, said government soldiers on Friday tried to push the rebels away from neighborhoods they had recently gained, but that the Islamists held their positions. The two main Islamist insurgent groups, the Islamic Party and al-Shabab, formed an alliance a month ago. Although the two groups have differing aims, they agreed to work together to overthrow Somalia's new government, headed by their former ally President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. They consider Ahmed a traitor for signing a peace deal with the previous administration which paved the way for him to become president. The U.N. has said some 49,000 people had fled the capital, and the humanitarian situation was dire. Many families camped out under trees or by the side of roads, sheltered by nothing more than a few scraps of plastic, without access to food or water. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then turned on each other.

Somali government's security forces on Friday launched a major counter attack on the Islamist rebels who have managed to capture almost a third of the capital city of Mogadishu in a major offensive launched last week. Officials said that the latest attack by pro-government forces on the militants is aimed at recapturing the areas captured by the rebels in their recent offensive, adding that the latest fighting centered around the one of the city's main roads. Meanwhile, military sources said that the latest operation would last until the pro-government forces succeed in their efforts to flush out the Islamist insurgents from the capital city.

Also, official sources indicated that the African Union peacekeeping force deployed in the country to support the western-backed interim government was not involved in the latest offensive launched by the pro-government sources.
The Islamist militants had launched a major offensive last week for overthrowing Somalia's interim government led by President Ahmed, who had agreed in March to enforce Islamic law in the country to appease the militants after they seized control of many major towns in southern and central Somalia, including Baidoa, the seat of the Somali interim government. Officials say that more than a hundred people have been killed and over 45,000 others displaced from Mogadishu after a combined force of two militant Islamic groups, al-Shabab and Hisbul-Islam, launched the anti-government offensive ten days ago. Al-Shabaab, a military wing of the Islamist movement ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali forces two years ago, and several other allied militants groups have opposed past UN-sponsored reconciliation efforts in Somalia, insisting that they will negotiate with the country's transitional government only after the AU peacekeeping mission leaves Somalia.

Somali President Sheikh Ahmed says that the AU peacekeeping are in Somalia because of a request from the government of his predecessor, Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed, and has said that he will request the AU peacekeeping forces to leave once there is a solid political solution to the conflict. Currently, a 4,300-strong AU force is struggling with their peacekeeping efforts in Somalia after the ousted Islamist fighters turned to guerrilla warfare against the government and AU troops. So far only Uganda and Burundi have contributed troops to the AU peacekeeping force, which was initially planned to have a strength of over 8,000. Their struggle worsened after Ethiopia, which had sent thousands of its soldiers to Somalia in December 2006 to assist the weak interim government in its fight against the powerful Islamic militia there, withdrew its forces from the Horn of Africa country earlier in the year. Somalia has not had a functioning government after the fall of the last government in 1991. It is estimated the fighting between the Islamist insurgents and the army coalition has killed thousands of Somalis and displaced hundreds of thousands more, mostly from Mogadishu.

Somali journalist dies in war in Somalia

Editor Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala of the Shabelle Media Network says Abdirisaq Warsame Mohamed was killed by a stray bullet during heavy fighting between government troops and Islamist insurgents, as he headed to work on Friday reported the independent radio station. Residents say hundreds of government troops have attacked positions held by Islamist fighters in the south and north of the Somali capital. Resident Abdi Haji, according to AP, said government troops captured strategic parts of the Wadnaha road which the troops lost to Islamist fighters earlier this month. Wadnaha, which connects the north and south of the city, is one of the four major roads in Mogadishu.

Whoever controls it will occupy strategic defensive positions. Two foreign journalists are still held hostage inside Somalia. Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and Canadian freelancer Amanda Lindhout were kidnapped in Somalia last August, and remain captive. While the family of the Australian recently spoke out against the shoddy work by Australian officials to secure his freedom, nobody actually knows who is fighting to save the Canadian journalist - the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who had been on the case, are mum.
As resistance grows in Somalia

Imperialists send more ships
By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

A newly reconfigured Transitional Federal Government established during early 2009 in Somalia has lost control of large areas of the country to the al-Shabab and Hisbul Islam resistance organizations. On May 17 and 18, the towns of Jowhar and Mahaday north of Mogadishu, the capital, fell to al-Shabab.

These developments represent a tremendous blow to the TFG, headed by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, who was brought into the governing coalition after previously serving as one of the important leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts (ICU). The ICU has split over support of the government headed by President Ahmed, who was a middle-of-the-road figure in the alliance of organizations that took control of large sections of the country prior to the Ethiopian invasion and occupation in December 2006.

The ICU fought against the Ethiopian intervention, which was encouraged, financed and orchestrated by the United States. With the intensification of fighting and the efforts of the U.S. to broker a peace settlement in the country, the al-Shabab youth wing of the IUC took over leadership in the fighting against the Ethiopian military. It refused to enter into the new TFG because of the latter’s alliance with the U.S. and the continued presence of African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi in Mogadishu.

Ethiopian troops pulled out of Somalia in January. The initial policy of the Ahmed government was to seek reconciliation with al-Shabab and the recently formed Hisbul Islam. However, in recent weeks, the TFG has called upon Somalis to support the government and take up arms against the resistance groups, which the U.S. has labeled as al-Qaeda affiliates.

It was reported that on April 13 Col. Omar Hashi Adan, an ally of President Ahmed who served as a former commander of the militias of the ICU, spoke to supporters stating that “government troops are expected to wage war on the opposition who are still fighting in Mogadishu and other parts of the country and who have refused to accept the peace”. (Garowe Online, May 15)

On April 18 fighting erupted between remnants of the ICU, who have served as the dwindling backbone of military support to the TFG, and al-Shabab forces in southern Mogadishu. A residence that reportedly housed al-Shabab fighters was bombed. In response Sheikh Mohamed Mohamud Jimale, a military supporter of the TFG, was gunned down.

During the last week of April, another former ICU leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who heads the Eritrean-based Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARSA) and represents the most significant component of the Hizbul Islam, returned to Mogadishu after being in exile during the Ethiopian occupation. The TFG claimed that Aweys’ return was aimed at seeking reconciliation with the Ahmed government.

However, on April 25 Aweys articulated his view of the current situation in Somalia. He stated that his supporters did not recognize the TFG due to the fact that it was “not a sovereign government and is commanded by foreign powers”. (Garowe Online, May 15)

On May 16, the U.S. and the United Nations accused the Eritrean government of supplying arms to the resistance fighters in Somalia. The Obama administration’s top State Department official on African Affairs, Jonnie Carson, told the BBC that evidence suggested that Eritrea was providing weapons and munitions to al-Shabab.

The Eritrean ambassador to the U.N., Araya Desta, rejected the charges. In a May 16 BBC interview, Desta asked: “Why do we have to support factions in Somalia? This accusation is always cooked by some neighboring countries and some big powers in order to defame Eritrea. How do they know that Eritrea has sent weapons to Somalia, through which areas have these planes flown? ... As you know the American army is in Djibouti, the French are in Djibouti and they control everything in the sea as well as in the land”

The current regime in Somalia is precarious. Reporter Stephanie McCrummen writes: “Ahmed’s government, while popular with many Somalis, directly 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 in something akin to Baghdad’s Green Zone. Ahmed has remained sequestered there for most of the past week”. (Washington Post, May 18)

The ‘anti-piracy’ campaign

The U.S. government has vowed to pursue the prosecution of a 16-year-old Somali national who was taken into custody by the U.S. Navy after a failed negotiation aimed at the release of the Danish-owned and U.S.-flagged MAERSK ALABAMA. Three other Somalis were killed by the Navy after they sought to negotiate an end to the vessel seizure on April 12.

Abdiwali Muse was charged on April 21 with piracy and four other counts that include conspiracy to commit hostage-taking. Muse is being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan.

U.S. Magistrate Andrew Peck completely dismissed the defense argument that Muse is a juvenile and declared without any evidence that he is 18 and must be tried as an adult under slave-era laws developed during the 19th century.

Muse, who could face life in prison if convicted, has gained the support of the Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) youth organization, which issued a statement in his defense. The mother of Muse has appealed to the Obama administration to release her son because she claims that he is a child and was misled by his colleagues.

In a similar case in the Netherlands where five Somalis are being prosecuted for alleged “piracy,” defense lawyers have described the defendants as modern-day “Robin Hoods” The government of the Netherlands has agreed to prosecute them under a 17th-century law against “sea robbery” due to the fact that the vessel, the Sumanyulo, was registered in a Dutch-controlled area of the Caribbean. (Associated Press, May 18)

Also, the European Union (EU) says it will expand its naval presence in the Indian Ocean around the Seychelles islands, some 1,100 miles off the coast of Somalia.

An EU flotilla, accompanied by both NATO and U.S. ships, will patrol the Gulf of Aden, where most of the vessel seizures have taken place. The EU segment of the operation is the first naval operation launched in its history.

The U.S. Navy has increased its presence as well in the waters off the Horn of Africa. Other efforts are underway to establish a so-called “piracy tribunal” in the U.S.-backed nation of Kenya in east Africa.

These efforts by U.S. imperialism and its allies are designed to continue plans to take control of the Horn of Africa, including Somalia. Utilizing the pretext of fighting “terrorism” on land and “piracy” at sea, the U.S. administration under Obama is maintaining the same foreign policy as the previous government headed by George Bush, which targeted Somalia and the region of east Africa for regime change and the establishment of a permanent military presence in this area of the African continent.

More attention to Somali human traffickers needed.

Despite the extensive presence of international forces in the Gulf of Aden to fight Somali pirates, not enough attention is paid to the little overloaded boats involved in human trafficking that cross its waters, says Médecins Sans Frontières in Yemen. “While the international community mobilizes itself to protect commercial shipping off Somalia’s shores, little, if anything, has been done for people uprooted by the conflict”, said Francisco Otero, head mission for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Yemen.

The ongoing tragedy of Somalis suffering a vicious war, hunger, malnutrition, grinding poverty, disease and lawlessness has led to the massive displacement of civilians, many of whom are desperately seeking safety outside the country, said Otero. “Tens of thousands of people fleeing war or extreme poverty are placing their lives in the hands of merciless smugglers who ferry them from Somalia’s northern coast through the Gulf of Aden to Yemen”, he said. Some United Nation experts have even warned that smugglers may turn out to be pirates themselves: “We don’t have sturdy evidence, but there are signs that some smugglers are involved in piracy”, said Claire Bourgeois, United Nations High Commissariat for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Yemen. She said that the smugglers use African immigrants to distract the international forces, as they collect information about marine traffic during their journey across to Yemen. They also can use the African migrants as human shields when they encounter the marine forces, she said.

On March 21, a French warship came across a fully overloaded boat carrying about 100 people. The boat capsized and eight people drowned, when the refugees all moved at the same time to one side upon disembarking. Later the boat was dragged to the Yemeni port of Aden, where weapons were found, indicate that the smugglers, who had charged the immigrants a lot of money for the illegal crossing, were also pirates. For roughly USD50 to USD120 per person, a huge sum in Somalia, the smugglers accept to take passenger across the sea in small boats, which are often barely seaworthy, and it is rarely that these passengers make it. Boats regularly leave the port of Bossasso in Somalia.

Passengers say that more than 100 people are routinely packed into the 30 to 40 person vessels. Some suffocate and others are beaten to death by the armed smugglers. To avoid detection, the smugglers force passengers into the water far from the beach, often under cover of darkness. As many can’t swim and those who can become disoriented, death by drowning is routine.

One 40 year-old mother described her harrowing experience in January to the Doctors Without Borders team in southern Yemen providing medical care to those who make it to the beaches alive: “It was very crowded… you feel yourself suffocating. As the boat was coming towards the shore, my husband was getting the children ready. Then suddenly the smugglers threw him into the sea. He resisted, holding on to the boat, but they stabbed him. The smugglers threw my two daughters into the sea. There was a young man who could swim very well who helped my children. In the morning I saw the dead body of my husband”.

According to UHCR, more than 50,000 people -Somalis, and Ethiopians fleeing impoverishment or persecution-attempted the journey across the Mandab Strait in 2008. Up to 600 drowning deaths were recorded, and 359 people were reported missing.

“The total figures are likely too low, as Yemen’s extensive coastline prohibits a complete accounting of all arrivals, dead or alive”, commented the head of mission for MSF in Yemen.

“Measures should be taken at the source”, he said, adding that since most of the boats launch from Puntland, which has an autonomous regional government, “the UN should seek ways to expand its existing operations there to receive and protect those who are fleeing for their lives”.

“Safe and legal options to cross international borders and seek asylum and protection must be available, as provided for under international refugee law”, he added, stressing Somalia’s neighbors’ responsibility to open their borders to refugees.

“This exodus has been brought on by crisis and war. In such circumstances, people have rights, including that of safe passage”, he said.

So far this year, over 21,660 people have arrived in Yemen, according to the UNHCR.

Impacting reports from the global village

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Quo vadis Djibouti

Twenty six years after the last census 1983, the Republic of Djibouti conducted a second general census on population and living conditions of its citizens. Operations officially began last Sunday in the capital and 5 regions in the interior. The Directorate of Statistics and Demographic Studies DISED) had trained 550 enumerators for the three municipalities of Djibouti city and 300 locally recruited investigators from the interior regions Arta Obock, Dikhil and Tadjourah. The operation continued until Saturday 23 May. A final report is not yet available, but it is clear that the exercise has not been used to conduct a referendum on the opinion of the Djibouti population on the persistent use of their state for foreign military operations. Formerly a French colony, Djibouti is used in the moment still by France and recently also the United States of America, Spain, Germany and others as military hub and base in the region. Djibouti is the territory of two Somali clans - the Issa and the Afar.

U.S.-American Marines and Sailors Conduct Amphibious Exercise in Djibouti

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) began an ARG/ Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise

(MEUEX) on May 19, in the Gulf of Aden and ashore at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of Amphibious Squadron 5, USS Boxer (LHD 4), New Orleans, Comstock, USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 Detachment 3, Naval Beach Group 1, Assault Craft Unit 5, Assault Craft Unit 1, Beach Master Unit 1 and Fleet Surgical Team 5, while the 13th MEU is comprised of a Command Element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (Reinforced), Combat Logistics Battalion 13 and Battalion Landing Team 1/1.The week-long ARG/MEUEX is an amphibious ship-to-shore training evolution designed to enhance Navy and Marine Corps amphibious capabilities in unfamiliar terrain and involves the USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Comstock (LSD 45) and 13th MEU. "It is extremely important for Marines and Sailors of a deployed ARG/MEU to conduct exercises while deployed", said LtCol Tye R. Wallace, Commanding Officer, Battalion Landing Team 1/1. "In order to be the most ready force, we must constantly keep our combat skills at their peak".

The exercise demonstrates the ability of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 13th MEU to conduct both large-scale combat operations and humanitarian assistance anywhere in the world and will consist of tactical amphibious landings, bi-lateral training with the French Foreign Legion and tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel (TRAP), as well as other events. "The MEU is expected to execute any of its assigned missions, from the sea, within six hours of receiving an execute order", said Wallace. "This means going directly into the fight from our ships. No one else does this. This is a unique capability that the Navy / Marine Corps team provides our nation. This allows our deployed naval forces to be relevant, responsive, and ready for action". The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 13th MEU is currently on a deployment in support of regional and Maritime Security Operations (MSO). MSO help develop security in the maritime environment. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. MSO complements the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. The ARG/MEUEX is scheduled to conclude May 26.

CENTCOM commanders gathered in Bahrain to discuss regional security

Commanders from the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility gathered May 20 for a three-day conference to discuss regional security issues and approaches to these challenges. The conference, hosted by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command officials, brought together Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, CENTCOM commander; Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq; Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command; Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, commander of U.S. Army Central Command; and Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central, among others. The commanders discussed also counter-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia. "We face, in this region, a number of interrelated threats and challenges, from transnational to state-centric, to those who blur the lines between the two", General Petraeus said. "At the transnational level, violent extremism is, needless to say, the most pressing challenge. Al-Qaida and its affiliates pose the greatest such threat to many states in the region". The commanders also talked about the security architecture in place throughout the region and the need for cooperative, comprehensive approaches with regional partners. "Such approaches involve significantly more than the application of just military or kinetic action", General Petraeus said. "In fact, they must do far more if they are to address not just the symptoms of current challenges, but also their underlying causes. The lack of sustainable economic development in certain parts of this region, for example, is not just a social or humanitarian issue. It is a serious security concern as well".

Piracy, threats to the maritime traffic and the need for continued cooperation with coalition and regional partners through maritime security operations also were among discussion topics. "The complex threats that we face at sea require cooperative solutions", Admiral Gortney said. "We will continue to work with our partners in the region to respond to these challenges and help ensure peace and stability in the region. U.S. naval forces have operated in the region for six decades, and we'll be here for many more to come".

U.S. Conducting High-Level Strategic Review of Somalia Strategy, says new africom.mil website

United States seeks a "strong, stable" Somalia, official says

In Somalia, the U.S. government is determined to support the policy of political reconciliation spearheaded by the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson told Congress May 20.

Speaking two weeks after his confirmation by the Senate, Carson told the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs that "the collapse of the TFG would be detrimental to the long-term stability of Somalia".

The Obama administration is working on "a comprehensive solution" to the ongoing crisis in Somalia, Carson said, that "provides stability and promotes reconciliation, economic opportunity and hope for the Somali people".

Along with strengthening the TFG, Carson said, eliminating terrorist threats, addressing the dire humanitarian situation and eliminating piracy are priority goals.

Carson said various departments of the federal government, including the State Department, Defense Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), were working under the direction of the National Security Council (NSC) "to develop a strategy that is both comprehensive and sustainable". He said he hoped to see the NSC review completed "in the next 30 to 60 days".

Citing a sense of urgency, Carson told lawmakers, "In the past two weeks, violent extremists, including al-Shabaab [designated a terrorist organization by the United States] and a loose coalition of forces under the banner of Hizbul al-Islam have been attacking TFG forces and other moderates in Mogadishu".

But despite the assaults, Carson said, "the TFG remains standing and determined to move forward" with help from the United States and other international partners. The U.S. government has provided $10 million in assistance to help Somalia create a national security force.

Carson said the U.S. government is also making substantial contributions to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), whose Ugandan and Burundian peacekeeping forces were deployed to Somalia in 2007. Since then, the United States has contributed $135 million for logistics and equipment for AMISOM and "we plan to continue this level of support in the future", Carson added.

To counter mistrust "generated by al-Shabaab and others", Carson said, "we are working very hard to … give Somalis a more comprehensive understanding of what the United States is doing and wants to do in Somalia".

"We continue through our public diplomacy efforts to reach out to the media, to talk to people, to issue press statements", Carson said. "I have myself spoken to a number of media groups that have access to Somalia in order to indicate to them that our primary goal is to promote political reconciliation, peace and stability. And that our desire is to see a strong, stable Somalia that we can work with".

Somalia’s Security Threats

Subcommittee Chairman Russell Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin, said the recent rise in pirate attacks in the region is "an outgrowth of [Somalia’s] collapse, lawlessness and economic desperation that have plagued the country for over a decade". Feingold has called for more U.S. involvement in the Horn of Africa, and has proposed the Obama administration appoint a special envoy for the region.

Carson said that as part of the NSC-led Somalia strategic review, the U.S. government will examine its strategy on piracy.

Touching on Eritrea, a backer of forces battling the TFG, Carson said, "We have clear evidence that Eritrea is supporting … extremist elements, including credible reports that the government of Eritrea continues to supply weapons and munitions to extremists and terrorist elements".

Responding to inquiries from Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia and the ranking minority member of the subcommittee, over what role foreign fighters and terrorist groups are playing in the country, Carson said, "We don’t know the precise nationalities of these foreign fighters or their political affiliation, but we do have a growing body of information passed on to us that there clearly are foreign fighters operating in Somalia". He added that claims of up to 400 foreign fighters in Somalia were "a significant exaggeration".

Carson said there was "clear evidence" that al-Qaida has a presence in the country. "A small number of al-Qaida operatives have worked closely with al-Shabaab leaders in Somalia, where they enjoy safe haven", he said.

Carson told the Senate panel, "This further underscores the importance of urgent and decisive support to the TFG and engagement with states across the region and beyond".

The full text (in pdf format) of Carson's prepared statement to the committee is available on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Web site.

War planes we can fly to the poorhouse
by Columnist William A. Collins, who is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut. This column was distributed by MinutemanMedia.org.

Weapons keep us,
Safe and free;
On the road,
To Bankruptcy.

The United States is kind of broke. Our trade deficit is mind-boggling, our bailout costs are unprecedented, and our stimulus package harkens to the Depression. We’ve got to save money somewhere before the dollar totally crashes and burns.

The Republicans, remaining consistent, propose cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and any programs aimed at reducing human suffering. The Democrats, also consistent, have little idea what to do. Making the rich once again pay their fair share in taxes starting in 2010 will surely be a good start, but expenses need to be chopped too. Any ideas?

Aha!! The Pentagon! It’s half our budget! Dwight Eisenhower himself suggested it, and President Obama has kept on a Republican defense secretary, Robert Gates, to give himself cover for the upcoming slashing.

Nice try. Gates has dutifully proposed ending the F-22 fighter, the new presidential helicopter, and the V-22 Osprey, reining in Star Wars, cutting back on pointless nuclear submarines, and restricting other wasteful weapons programs. But somehow even after all his ratcheting, the arms budget still would go up by four percent, not down. And that doesn’t count the spiraling costs in Afghanistan or the continuing rat hole in Iraq.

The next question is whether Gates will even succeed with these controversial cuts. Every weapon comes with a militia of corporations, workers and politicians, none caring a whit as to whether it has any earthly use for the good of the nation. My own state is sorely afflicted with just such white elephants, which often manage to transform our occasionally sensible congressmen into mindless cheerleaders.

Take the F-22. We make the engines, but various other parts are made in 42 different states. That’s pretty good political planning. Our state would lose between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs if production ended. Well heck, we can lose that many banking jobs in a week unnoticed, but “defense” means government jobs, and thus we expect our elected officials to protect them, needed or not.

So it is no coincidence that springtime in Washington can be measured by danger alarms from the Pentagon as well as by cherry blossoms. Each spring’s annual report, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China”, is keyed to preserving the defense budget by scaring Congress into ever larger appropriations. That ploy always works, even though Chinese forces actually seem embarrassingly paltry compared to our own. Other similar reports try to scare us about Resurgent Russia and nuclear-tipped Iran and North Korea.

This elegant dance of waste producers vs. waste cutters is unfortunately not well illuminated by the press. Each newspaper is, after all, local. Consequently their headlines concentrate on just how many defense dollars could be coming to the region and how many heroic jobs are at stake. Heroic congressmen, in turn, are quoted from their stern late-night impassioned speeches to empty chambers about the need to keep up our guard against our sworn enemies, real or imagined.

Lucky us in Connecticut, besides F-22 engines we also boast the nation’s largest military dinosaur, the nuclear submarine. Although these have proved remarkably ineffective against Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, or Somalia, they are immensely popular here at home. While their cost may yet sink the nation, they keep the local economy afloat, especially when they run aground and need expensive repairs.

Adding to its potent array of congressmen, arms makers, unions, merchants and media, the Pentagon itself fields an outreach army of 27,000 recruiters, ad men, and PR specialists to tout the glories of military waste. Meanwhile China, from whom we borrow the dough to produce all that, is now shifting its investments from dollars to copper, cobalt, and other long-term global assets. Perhaps in time each American town will eventually be awarded a bronzed F-22 to commemorate this giant financial fiasco.

Alleged Somali insurgency ringleader arrested in Kenya.

Abbas Abdikadir, was arrested and held in Kenya on Thursday as he boarded a flight to Eritrea, the country which has been accused as a key financier of the ongoing insurgency in Somalia. Kenyan anti-terrorism Police seized Abdikadir and held him for questioning in Nairobi after he was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Pana reports. The arrest came hours after information revealed that Sheikh Daud Aweys, the leader of the militant group, Al Shabab, which has been pounding Mogadishu with bombs and mortar fire, has been using Kenya partly to plan his latest attacks against the Somali interim government. Abbas Abdikhadir was later released. Kenyan anti-terrorism Police were also on the lookout for another key Shabab leader and financier, Sheikh Ummal, who is believed to own property in Nairobi, sources said. Aweys, the leader of the radical Islamic militant group, Al Shabab, was reported on Thursday to have chartered a Kenyan aircraft to Eritrea.

Reportedly his name was taken off the US list of top Al Qaeda operatives wanted for trial over terrorism links. Eritrea stands accused by the US, the AU and IGAD as a state sponsor of the ongoing insurgency in Somali, targeting the downfall of President Sheikh Ahmed’s government, who was elected and sworn only in late in January, 2009, in neighbouring Djibouti after UN sponsored talks. African foreign ministers drawn from the Horn of Africa region met on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and resolved to pursue UN sanctions against Eritrea for funding the insurgency against the recognized Somali government. The UN Security Council, whose 15 members have been on a visit to Africa, also voiced concern over Eritrea’s link to the Somali insurgents. UN diplomats say there is evidence of foreign involvement in the latest round of attacks in Mogadishu, targeting the downfall of the government.

The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ministers resolved Wednesday to seek sanctions against Eritrea, one of its dissenting member states, which announced its decision to quit IGAD in protest against Ethiopia’s activities in Somalia. “The government of Eritrea and its financiers continue to finance, recruit and train the Somali militants”, the IGAD Council of Ministers said in a communiqué read by the Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula after the Addis meeting. Eritrea protested IGAD’s decision to hail Ethiopia’s efforts to bring peace and security in Somalia following its 2006 military operation. Ethiopian troops have reportedly crossed back to Somalia to fight against the Al Shabab militia, which had taken two crucial cities within a 100-kilometre radius of Mogadishu, including Jowhar, which earlier had remained more secure and was used by the TFG as a temporary base.

UAE goes nuclear?

French official stresses the importance of Sarkozy's visit to UAE

President Nicolas Sarkozy's chief diplomatic advisor Jean-David Levitte has stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between UAE and France and said that the unique relations present a living model that meticulously integrate the preservation of traditions with modernity, reports the Emirates news agency WAM. Announcing the visit by the French President to UAE at a press conference on Friday in Paris, Levitte said that Sarkozy will hold talks with President his Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and General H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. 'The talks will centre on a number of important issues, including the future of bilateral relations, regional issues such as the Middle East peace process, the future of Afghanistan and Somalia and the Iranian nuclear dossier', Levitte said.

He added that President Sarkozy attaches great importance to his visit to the UAE, given its special relations with France. 'The UAE is a model for a country that pursues modernism, yet, it maintains its heritage and traditions. If any one of you visited Abu Dhabi during the early days of independence, he will find a different city now. Additionally, the leadership of the UAE has a wise vision for the long term development of the country in all fields with unprecedented growth rates'. Levitte noted that France, which did not enjoy any historical presence in the UAE, is now a major strategic partner of that country. He said relations between the two countries extend across four strategic sectors; defence, cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy, culture and education. 'In the economic fields, the UAE has the world's fifth largest energy reserves. Still, it has adopted a wise strategy to preserve this wealth by setting up atomic reactors for production of energy for local consumption instead of crude energy. The first reactor will begin operation in 2017'. He revealed that bids will be invited for building reactors in July. They are scheduled to be awarded in September. 'France will face a stiff competition from other bidders', Levitte said.

U.S.-Malaysia complicity

At a joint news conference in Washington, D.C., with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Y.B. Anifah bin Haji Aman, Secretary Clinton said, "the role that Malaysia is playing and can play, regionally and even globally, on a number of important issues is significant, and therefore we want to broaden and deepen our strategic cooperation". Malaysia, which is the United State's 16th largest and the United States is Malaysia's largest trading partner, is a strong and steady partner of the United States, said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Secretary Clinton praised Malaysia's efforts to combat piracy, noting that Malaysian naval vessels have been very effective in the Gulf of Aden, though Kuala Lumpur, which hosts the Pricay Monitoring Centre, an NGO subsidiary of the International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau of London, does not even have an anti-piracy law. Secretary of State Clinton reiterated to Foreign Minister Anifah "that the United States is solidly committed under the Obama Administration to strengthening our relationship with Southeast Asia".

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 52, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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