It was on Christmas Eve 24 December 2006 that the US-backed minority regime in Ethiopia invaded Somalia to oust the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) which was expanding its influence throughout Somalia. Sheikh Sharif, who now heads the TNG, was “hunted down” by Meles Zenawi´s forces. Vicki Huddleston and Jendayi E. Frazier called the UIC a threat to Ethiopia´s security and accused them of harboring Al Qaeda operatives, including those who bombed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and for “introducing strict Islamic laws” and “banning khat”. The invasion brought chaos and destruction to Somalia. Over a million people were displaced, tens of thousands massacred in cold blood and Somali´s infrastructures destroyed. The UN led international community created another TNG in Djibouti, forced the resignation of Abdulahi Yusuf, and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was chosen as the new President of Somalia.

Just as the Bush Administration was leaving Washington, in January 2009, after two years of pillage and destruction, Meles Zenawi claiming “victory”, announced that his marauding forces would leave Somalia. Only the gullible believed that unlikely story. If the Ethiopian troops were to leave Somalia, who then was going to “prop up” the new TNG formed in Djibouti? After all, it was not chosen by the people of Somalia. The west may have labeled the new TNG “moderate”, but that is not going to bring it legitimacy in the eyes of the Somali people. The people of Somalia must be given the chance to choose their own leaders and set the criteria for themselves.

The people of Somalia had accepted Sheikh Sharif and the UIC in 2006 in spite of the labels placed on them by Jendayi Frazier and Meles Zenawi. They had accepted Sheikh Sharif Ahmed then because he was borne out of their struggle against the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Anti Terrorism-CIA sponsored warlords who had prevented the Eldoret formed TNG from establishing itself in Somalia, forcing it to remain in Kenya for over two years. Jendayi Frazer and Meles Zenawi planned and carried out the ouster of the UIC and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed from Somalia in order to establish the puppet regime of Abdulahi Yusuf and Ali Mohammed Ghedi, a regime that would be amenable to Meles Zenawi and the West.

Sheikh Sharif was forced into exile and so were his comrades. He took refuge in Eritrea where the Alliance for the Re-liberation and Reconstitution of Somalia (ARS) was formed by about 450 Somalis representing a cross section of the Somali people. They called for the unconditional removal of Ethiopian and other foreign forces from Somalia. Jendai Frazer and Meles Zenawi blacklisted Eritrea for not supporting the puppet TNG led by Abdulahi Yusuf and Ali Mohammed Ghedi. The UN Security Council decided that the TNG led by Abdulahi Yusuf was the only legitimate government of Somalia.

Today, the UN is once again telling us that the only legitimate government of Somalia is the one led by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the same person that was “hunted down” by Meles Zenawi´s forces in 2006 and 2007. The US led international community is once again insisting that all nations accept the newly formed TNG. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was brought to Mogadishu, but the violence and destructions continue. Today, we hear that Ethiopia is once again in Somalia. I contend that they never left. How many forces did the Djibouti TNG have when it came to Mogadishu? Who took over when the Ehtiopians supposedly left in January? Did the African Union forces have the capacity to take over?

How many troops were trained by Ethiopia and UNDP? Did they remain to support the new TNG or did they leave with Abdulahi Yusuf?

I doubt that even the UN has answers to these questions. With all the lies being reported and repeated, it can be very hard to discern the facts about Somalia, but you do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out this hoax.

Let us take a look at the UN Monitoring Group´s Report of December 2008 to get a better understanding of the forces in Somalia. This is what the Report says about the TNG forces trained by Ethiopia:

“…The Transitional Federal Government possesses a security establishment of fewer than 20,000 personnel, including military, police and intelligence services. Many of these, however, are believed to be “phantoms”, whose pay — when disbursed — is diverted by senior commanders. Payment is irregular. Over the course of the past six months, effective force levels have been further depleted by attrition and defection…”

“…The Government of Ethiopia informed the Monitoring Group in October 2008 that it had trained 17,000 Somali security personnel, but did not specify how many were police and how many military. Of that total, Ethiopia believes less than 3,000 may still be effective, suggesting an attrition rate of over 80 per cent. Since most soldiers who desert or defect take their weapons and uniforms with them, this represents some 14,000 new weapons entering Somali territory…”

“…In 2008, Ethiopia began to withdraw its forces from Somalia and gradually transfer authority to the Transitional Federal Government. During the course of this process, as many as 14,000 Ethiopian-trained troops are believed to have deserted or defected, usually with their uniforms and weapons…”

“…On a smaller scale, UNDP reported in January 2008 that 225 police officers whom it had trained could not be traced, and estimated that 40 per cent of trainees had deserted by November 2008. According to media reports and a senior Transitional Federal Government source, at least several hundred such trainees have joined armed opposition groups, often taking their arms, uniforms and vehicles with them…”

Here are some news reports about the defection of TNG forces:

“…A group of soldiers formerly loyal to the allied governments of Somalia and Ethiopia have reportedly switched sides and “surrendered” over to militants leading the insurgency…Abdirahim Isse Addow, a spokesman for the Islamic Courts movement, said seven Somali soldiers and one Ethiopian military officer said the Islamists would welcome the defecting soldiers…A soldier who spoke for the defecting Somali troops said they were all trained in Ethiopia and deployed at the ex-pasta factory, in north Mogadishu…” (Garowe online 7 September 2008)

“…During this week’s fighting, some government troops have defected to the insurgents, although the government denies it. The local television station HornAfrik has run video of Islamist fighters displaying 17 military vehicles with government plates they said were brought over by defecting soldiers…” (Associated Press 15 May 2009)

According to my sources, the minority regime in Ethiopia, master of gimmicks and deceptions, is at it again. In an elaborate scheme designed to hoodwink the international community and fleece donors of more funds, it seems the shameless regime in Ethiopia is passing off “Ethiopian Somalis” as Somalis. It is the same gimmick it has used to present Tigrayans as Eritreans. Farfetched you say? Well, considering the deceptive nature of the regime and its past activities…

In December 2008, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia reported the following:

“…At the end of February 2008, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a project document and funding request to the British Government. The project envisaged a six-month training course for 10,000 Somali police, but did not address their subsequent integration into the Somali police force. The description of the training curriculum is vague…Subsequent requests by donors and UNDP to inspect the training course on location were rejected by the Ethiopian Government. They were, however, invited to attend the graduation ceremony that took place on 5 July 2008…The Ethiopian Government provided all trainees with uniforms and individual weapons in preparation for their deployment to Somalia. The military and police contingents traveled in joint convoys from the Ethiopian border to Baidoa. The Ethiopian-trained military contingent remained under Ethiopian Command…”

Why was the TPLF regime being so secretive about its training program if it was on the up and up? According to my sources, all the remaining TNG forces and the “Somali Ethiopians” are under the command of a certain Ethiopia General “Gere”. If they are Somalis, why are they not under TNG control? If that is not bad enough, turns out, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) is also under Ethiopian command. It should be recalled that Meles Zenawi heads the African Union´s Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) which created AMISOM in 2007. Leave it to the bigoted regime to come up with such a deceptive charade.

There is also news about the Sheikh Sharif TNG “downplaying” Ethiopia´s presence in Somalia. That comes as no surprise. When the minority regime´s forces were hunting him down in 2006 and when he took refuge in Eritrea, he was singing a different tune. The UIC was calling for the unconditional removal of Ethiopian forces. Today, he imagines that with the blessing of the UN and AU, he is now part of the “bloc”. In a shameful and reckless display of political immaturity, pandering to Meles Zenawi, he has also taken to denouncing Gimbot 7 (Ethiopian opposition), he knows nothing about. He ought to worry about the people of Somalia´s opposition to his illegitimate TNG, then worry about Gimbot 7.

Instead of engaging in senseless propaganda on behalf of Meles Zenawi and the “bloc”, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed ought to be calling for the unconditional removal of all Ethiopia, Burundi and Ugandan troops from Somalia, for that is what the Somali people want. He should also be calling on the international community to stop exploiting the instability in Somalia and stop the illegal fishing off the coast of Somalia; stop the dumping of nuclear and other waste etc. The UN special envoy to Somalia ought to be defending the rights of the Somali people. Johann Hari in an Independent article posted on the 5 January 2009 wrote:

“…Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: “Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury – you name it.” Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to “dispose” of cheaply. When I asked Mr Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: “Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention.”…At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia’s seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish stocks by overexploitation – and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m-worth of tuna, shrimp, and lobster are being stolen every year by illegal trawlers. The local fishermen are now starving…”

The sad thing about this whole sordid criminal, almost mafia-like state of affairs in Somalia is the silence and the acquiescence of the US led international community and the duplicity of the UN Envoy as Somalia disintegrates further. Instead of pointing their blood soaked fingers at Eritrea, they ought to take a good look at the destruction and mayhem they have caused in Somalia as they advance their own interests at the expense (lives) of the Somali people.

It was on 24 May 2007 that I saw Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and his delegation at the Asmara stadium, sitting in a place reserved for guests who come to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. The Government and people of Eritrea treated him with dignity and respect and as one of Eritrea´s friends. Today, as Eritrea celebrates the 18th Independence Anniversary, he finds himself neither a friend of Eritrea, nor wanted or accepted by the Somali people he purports to lead. Forgetting the magnanimity of the Government and people of Eritrea, and has joined in the anti-Eritrea chorus led by the very regimes that hunted him down in 2006. Today, while other invited guests and dignitaries experience the hospitality and friendship of the Eritrean people, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and the “bloc” led by Meles Zenawi will watch from a distance as Eritrea and her people celebrate their hard earned independence.

Author: Rahel

Qaramada Midoobay ayaa sheegtay in Soomaaliya ay soo wajahday abaartii ugu darneyd muddo toban sano ah.

Isu Duwaha Qaramada Midoobay dhinaca arrimaha bini’aadanimada u qaabilsan Soomaaliya, Mark Bowden ayaa sheegay in daraasad dhinaca satellite-ka oo la sameeyay ay muujinayo roob yari.

Daraasadda ayaa muujinaysa in abaar xun ay ka taagantahay deegaano badan ka oo ka tirsan Soomaaliya.

Waxa uu sheegay in lo’ badan ay dhimanayso biyo la’aan darteed, taasi oo sababtay in kala bar dadka Soomaaliyeed ay nafaqo la’aan soo wajahdo.

Mr Bowden ayaa muujiyay sida ay u sii kordheyso kaalmo degdeg ah oo bini’aadanimo oo la gaarsiiyo Soomaaliya.

Source: BBC Somali

By Abdurrahman Warsameh

MOGADISHU, May 7 (Xinhua) — Somali youths will have yet another thing to pass their tough times and perhaps develop their mental capacities and promote peace as schools in Mogadishu now started to hold regular chess contests among their students, thanks to an initiative by local schools chess association.

The first of its kind, the contests which kicked off on Thursday bring together chess players from a number of schools in Mogadishu who will be competing one another for the next week.

Held in Mogadishu, the opening ceremony was attended by senior Somali government officials including the Deputy Speaker of Somali parliament Omar Dalha, head of Somalia’s Olympic Committee, Aden Haji Yeberow Wiish, and the leader of Somalia’s Chess Federation, Ahmed Abdi Hassan Wata.

Somalia Chess Federation which is a member of the International Chess Federation has organized the event for the local Mogadishu Schools Chess Association, the only schools chess organization in the war-torn country.

Sports is very much appreciated in the chaotic country where most of the facilities have either been destroyed or changed into military bases by the warring sides in the Somali civil conflict that raged for the past two decades.

“Chess is not only a sport and past time but is also a mental exercise that will definitely stimulate the young brain and we hope this will contribute to the healthy development of our young people, and promote peace in our country” Said wata, the top official of Somali Chess Federation, as he spoke during the opening ceremony of the Mogadishu Schools Chess Contest.

Other dignitaries who spoke at function praised the Somali Chess Federation for its initiative to organizes the chess contest and for encouraging the youth to take up the sport which many of the officials, agreed help promote peace in the war torn country.

Dozens of enthusiastic young students from different schools soon started tussling at each other as they pondered over the chess board and made their deliberate and thought of moves to checkmate their opponent.

“I have been practicing chess for the past several months for this contest and I am very hopeful that I will win over my opponent in this game,” Twelve year old Muse Ali, said as he made his move.

Parents and teachers were watching over the games anxiously and urging the students as they played the game which one of the teachers attending said would help the young not only enjoy the sport and improve their mental capacity but it will help move them away from the fighting and wars currently going in their country.

“This is what will help them divert their attention from the bad things that are going all around them and help them get along will each other,” Yasin Omar, a teacher at the contest told Xinhua.

“We hope all the schools in Somalia would take to chess and allow their students to play this very important game that will be of benefit not only to them but to society in general,” Omar added.

This is the first time but will not be the last time, promises Wata, such contest is organized for schools in Somalia where the national education system and sport have been destroyed by two decades of civil war in the Horn of African country.

Editor: Yan

The Africa Union Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has sharply denied accusations it was shelling homes of innocent civilians. This follows seven days of deadly clashes between hard line Islamic insurgents and government forces which reportedly left at least 139 dead and scores injured. The hard line Islamic insurgent group, al-Shabaab says it would intensify its attacks after its commander escaped an assassination attempt that it blamed on the government. The group has refused to recognize the new administration promising to eventually take over the country.

Major Barigye Ba-Huko is the spokesman for AMISOM. He told VOA that the insurgents are using the shelling as an excuse to attack AMISOM bases.

“We believe that the allegations that are being peddled to be emanating from the population are allegations of those forces who are opposed to the peace process. They are trying to create an excuse of attacking AMISOM positions,” Ba-Huko said.

He said the hard line insurgents have found excuses to continue their insurgency against the new Somali government.

“Don’t forget that previously they have given all sorts of conditions for them to join the dialogue table and among them were initially the presence of the Ethiopian National Defense forces…after that they said AMISOM should leave before they negotiate,” he said.

Ba-Huko expressed skepticism about the alleged genuine intentions of the insurgent group.

“I can assure you that even if AMISOM left today, tomorrow these guys would come up with another excuse,” Ba-Huko said.

He said the accusation being leveled against the African Union troops is a pretext for the insurgents to attack AMISOM positions.

Ba-Huko said the peace keepers would not be drawn into an all out warfare with the insurgents.

“We know their tactics, we are prepared for those tactics and we are not ready to fall into their tactics of pulling us into the conflict,” Ba-Huko said.

He said it was not clear if the allegations of extortions by insurgents are true.

“As AMISOM we have not been able to verify those allegations, but going by the behavior of all those forces that have been opposed to the peace process, we would not have any doubt in our minds that it is possible,” he said.

Ba-Huko said it was apparent that the insurgents are making their own rules and implementing them with sheer brute force and intimidation.

“There was a situation in the Bakara market and we were informed that the business community was being held at ransom. And they would have to part with something… and those who are not able to do that would have to lose their lives,” Ba-Huko said.

He said the insurgents are taking advantage of the weakness of the new Somali administration.

“This is a relatively new government it’s not been able to consolidate its power and that is the advantage that the forces that oppose the peace process are taking,” he said.

Ba-Huko said the Africa Union forces would not renege on their mandate to fully support the new Somali administration led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

“As AMISOM, among other tasks that we are supposed to implement here or to carry on is the task of participation or helping in the national security stabilization plan,” Ba-Huko said.

Some political observers believe years of conflict in Somalia has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions more, defied 15 attempts to establish central rule and created one of the world’s worst aid crises.

They say the country’s 18 years of anarchy has left millions displaced, killed tens of thousands and created one of the world’s worst aid crises. Attacks on relief workers, extortion and regular clashes have hampered groups trying to work there.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991 after President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown through a coup d’état.

Many diplomats see President Sheikh Shari Sheikh Ahmed’s new administration as one of the latest attempts at restoring peace to Somalia.