SOMALIA: EC funds landmine action
NAIROBI, 14 MAY 2003 (IRIN) - The European Commission has approved a major project to support the second phase of a nationwide landmine impact survey for Somalia.
In a statement on Wednesday, the EC said it had allocated €1.5 million (US $1.73 million) to the project.
An EC official told IRIN that this second phase - to be implemented by the UN Development Programme and the UN Office for Project Services - will be carried out in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland and southern Somalia, particularly in the Baidoa area, "security and access permitting".
The first phase of the project was carried out in the self-declared republic of Somaliland between 1 May 2002 and March 2003.
Landmines have been extensively used in Somalia, during conflicts with Ethiopia in the 1970s and 1980s and during the civil war in the 1990s when all sides to the conflict laid mines. Almost all regions of Somalia have been affected by mines or unexploded ordnance (UXO).
The project will include technical assistance for the Somali authorities to develop a mine-action policy, strategy for clearance and implementation of the Ottawa convention on antipersonnel mines, the statement said.
"The survey will provide Somalia and international donors with quantifiable, standardised data regarding the impact of landmines and UXO upon communities there," it added.
The official also said the project was aimed at "producing a countrywide mine-action plan" based on the results of survey.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Somali Refugees Return Home
NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The first batch of 2,880 Somali refugees who have been accommodated at Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya, this week began returning to Somalia, more than a decade after they fled their war-torn country.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said the return operation kicked off on Tuesday, with the airlift of 50 refugees to Galkayo, northeast Somalia [Puntland state]. The UN refugee agency said it also expected to assist the return of a further 300 refugees to Bosaso and Galkayo over the next five days.
"Ten years is a long time in exile. Some of the children returning to Somalia today will be seeing their homeland for the first time, a sad truth but a happy moment," said George Okoth-Obbo, UNHCR's Representative in Kenya.MORE
NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The first batch of 2,880 Somali refugees who have been accommodated at Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya, this week began returning to Somalia, more than a decade after they fled their war-torn country.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said the return operation kicked off on Tuesday, with the airlift of 50 refugees to Galkayo, northeast Somalia [Puntland state]. The UN refugee agency said it also expected to assist the return of a further 300 refugees to Bosaso and Galkayo over the next five days.
"Ten years is a long time in exile. Some of the children returning to Somalia today will be seeing their homeland for the first time, a sad truth but a happy moment," said George Okoth-Obbo, UNHCR's Representative in Kenya.MORE
Endorse Peace Talks, Aideed Urges Countries and Adan Mohamed
NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003 (The Nation)--Somali presidential candidate Hussein Farah Aideed has appealed to the international community to recognise the Somali peace talks in Kenya.
He was speaking in a Nairobi hotel at the weekend where he addressed over 400 Somali delegates who had come to witness him officially launch his party's campaign for the Somali presidency.
Mr Aideed, a son of former president Mohamed Farah Aideed, has been endorsed by two political parties, the Somali Reconciliation Restoration Council (SRRC) and the Somali National Agency (SNA).
The party that wins the first ever free and fair elections set for between June and July will form a transitional government. "Somalia will for the first time in decades, hold a free and fair election based on the principle of one person, one-vote," said Mr Aideed.
Four other candidates who have declared their interest for the presidency but are yet to name their parties include Colonel Abdullah Yussuf; a former official with the Federation of International Football Association, Mr Farah Adow; Mr Abdikasim Salat and Dr Abdirahma Jama.
Apart from the transitional president, 450 members of parliament who will be nominated by the delegates attending the Mbagathi peace talks will also be elected. The United Nations, regional governments and international organisations will act as observers of the Somali elections.
Muted campaigns have already started with candidates lobbying the delegates attending the conference. Yesterday, Mr Aideed held a luncheon for his supporters at the Tin Tin Restaurant where he assured them that the elections will go ahead as planned.
NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003 (The Nation)--Somali presidential candidate Hussein Farah Aideed has appealed to the international community to recognise the Somali peace talks in Kenya.
He was speaking in a Nairobi hotel at the weekend where he addressed over 400 Somali delegates who had come to witness him officially launch his party's campaign for the Somali presidency.
Mr Aideed, a son of former president Mohamed Farah Aideed, has been endorsed by two political parties, the Somali Reconciliation Restoration Council (SRRC) and the Somali National Agency (SNA).
The party that wins the first ever free and fair elections set for between June and July will form a transitional government. "Somalia will for the first time in decades, hold a free and fair election based on the principle of one person, one-vote," said Mr Aideed.
Four other candidates who have declared their interest for the presidency but are yet to name their parties include Colonel Abdullah Yussuf; a former official with the Federation of International Football Association, Mr Farah Adow; Mr Abdikasim Salat and Dr Abdirahma Jama.
Apart from the transitional president, 450 members of parliament who will be nominated by the delegates attending the Mbagathi peace talks will also be elected. The United Nations, regional governments and international organisations will act as observers of the Somali elections.
Muted campaigns have already started with candidates lobbying the delegates attending the conference. Yesterday, Mr Aideed held a luncheon for his supporters at the Tin Tin Restaurant where he assured them that the elections will go ahead as planned.
SOMALIA-SUDAN: "Tremendous gains" in polio eradication
NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003 (IRIN) - The United Nations is appealing for over US $200 million in the global fight to eradicate polio, and it noted that tremendous gains had been made in Somalia and Sudan, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In Somalia since an outbreak of 46 cases was reported in 2000, only three cases have been reported to date. In Sudan, there have been no reported cases since 2001.
The two agencies say they face significant challenges in both countries due to civil war and insecurity, and they have had "to create their own structures and partnerships".
The key to the success of the polio programme has been creating strong links with the community and hiring national staff in every district, said Dr Elias Durry, the WHO Polio Eradication Coordinator for the Horn of Africa.
The statement also quoted Robert Davis of UNICEF as saying that "we have reason to be optimistic, but not complacent".
"A lapse in funding for Somalia and Sudan would not only jeopardise the goal of stopping polio transmission, but could allow the virus to spread to other regions," the statement warned.
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NAIROBI, 13 MAY 2003 (IRIN) - The United Nations is appealing for over US $200 million in the global fight to eradicate polio, and it noted that tremendous gains had been made in Somalia and Sudan, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In Somalia since an outbreak of 46 cases was reported in 2000, only three cases have been reported to date. In Sudan, there have been no reported cases since 2001.
The two agencies say they face significant challenges in both countries due to civil war and insecurity, and they have had "to create their own structures and partnerships".
The key to the success of the polio programme has been creating strong links with the community and hiring national staff in every district, said Dr Elias Durry, the WHO Polio Eradication Coordinator for the Horn of Africa.
The statement also quoted Robert Davis of UNICEF as saying that "we have reason to be optimistic, but not complacent".
"A lapse in funding for Somalia and Sudan would not only jeopardise the goal of stopping polio transmission, but could allow the virus to spread to other regions," the statement warned.
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Monday, May 12, 2003
Creditor shuts Somali parliament
MOGADISHU, 12 MAY 2003 (BBC)--Somalia's parliament has been forced to shut temporarily because it has failed to pay its rent.
The national transitional government, set up in 2000, owes a year's rent for the building being used by parliament.
Police at the parliament - where many documents are stored - have been told to leave by the proprietors who are now guarding the building.
The government should pay $1,400 a month for the property, Mohamed Hassan Idleh who manages the building told the BBC.
"We won't let anyone into the building until we're paid. We've raised the issue several times, but nobody seem to care what we were talking about," he said.
The drivers of the 29 buses that transport MPs from their houses to the parliament have also stopped working because they have not been paid for one year. MORE
MOGADISHU, 12 MAY 2003 (BBC)--Somalia's parliament has been forced to shut temporarily because it has failed to pay its rent.
The national transitional government, set up in 2000, owes a year's rent for the building being used by parliament.
Police at the parliament - where many documents are stored - have been told to leave by the proprietors who are now guarding the building.
The government should pay $1,400 a month for the property, Mohamed Hassan Idleh who manages the building told the BBC.
"We won't let anyone into the building until we're paid. We've raised the issue several times, but nobody seem to care what we were talking about," he said.
The drivers of the 29 buses that transport MPs from their houses to the parliament have also stopped working because they have not been paid for one year. MORE
SOMALIA: Consensus emerging on federal charter, says talks mediator
NAIROBI, 12 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The Kenyan mediator to the Somali peace talks says a consensus is emerging on the controversial issue of a federal charter.
Ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat said the conference would soon receive a set of recommendations to pave the way for setting up new transitional institutions in Somalia.
"The main document will be the charter," Kiplagat told IRIN. He said there was a "convergence of opinion" towards the charter, noting there was basic agreement on a federal system of government.
"Secondly, there will be a parliament created here in Nairobi, and this will be based on the 4.5 formula, the clan formula," he added. "So we are now working on the details." MORE
NAIROBI, 12 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The Kenyan mediator to the Somali peace talks says a consensus is emerging on the controversial issue of a federal charter.
Ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat said the conference would soon receive a set of recommendations to pave the way for setting up new transitional institutions in Somalia.
"The main document will be the charter," Kiplagat told IRIN. He said there was a "convergence of opinion" towards the charter, noting there was basic agreement on a federal system of government.
"Secondly, there will be a parliament created here in Nairobi, and this will be based on the 4.5 formula, the clan formula," he added. "So we are now working on the details." MORE
SOMALIA: Puntland lifts broadcasting ban
NAIROBI, 12 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have restored the broadcasting license of the Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) radio and television, based in the region's commercial capital, Bosaso, Puntland's acting information minister told IRIN on Monday.
Abdishakur Mire Aden said the SBC had been allowed to resume broadcasting after its owners petitioned the Puntland president, Col Abdullahi Yusuf. "The president has instructed my ministry to restore SBC's license, and we did so last week. They are free to operate in Puntland," Abdishakur said. MORE
NAIROBI, 12 MAY 2003(IRIN)--The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have restored the broadcasting license of the Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) radio and television, based in the region's commercial capital, Bosaso, Puntland's acting information minister told IRIN on Monday.
Abdishakur Mire Aden said the SBC had been allowed to resume broadcasting after its owners petitioned the Puntland president, Col Abdullahi Yusuf. "The president has instructed my ministry to restore SBC's license, and we did so last week. They are free to operate in Puntland," Abdishakur said. MORE
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