in a few words....."Black Hawk Down(s) Syndrome".

It was rhetorical in nature but I keep thinking there must be some way in the back of my mind. I wrote to some Admiralty/Maritime Attorneys to see what kind of responses they come up with as a basis to refuse the work.

So technically speaking this would mean that the CGPCS, (Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia)being the Intl World Body behind the Illegal Warship Flotilla and being formed and meeting (tri-monthly) in any different number of nations even on a conceptual basis and EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta; Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 151; NATO Operation Ocean Shield; is illegal(present lead legal authority is Greece), is an illegal conspiracy, conspiring together as a collective to violate Somalia & Intl Law, conspiracy to promote illegal IUU fishing (poaching), conspiracy to promote toxic waste dumping, conspiracy to promote kidnapping and illegal forced detention and illegal trespassing just to name a few. So what we have here.... is a an Intl world bodied collective conspiring to directly violate Somalia sovereignty on a huge scale. My take on this would be to somehow force this issue through the UN or International Criminal Court or Hague and try to get them to stop this. Obviously the old agreement with former President Yussuf is null and voided after he left office. The UN cannot declare itself the official governing body of all decisions in Somalia and would make the UN Envoys signature meaningless. So how do you force them into court and get them to stop pooling their funds for these illegal actions and instead use this same money for Somali land based socio-economic reform on the coasts in the form of a fishing wildlife management and strong Somali coastal Naval program?

thats very interesting.... I wonder how any authority having jurisdiction in Somalia would challenge this and where (what world body or Somali Court)? So how would Somalia formally "charge" other nations? Article 10 of the Somali Law No. 37 also stipulates since 1972: “Foreign warships are not allowed to pass through the territorial sea (i.e 200 nm) unless they are authorized by the Somali Government”. That was and is the rule, was internationally respected and enforced from 1972 until 1991 and is still valid until today – despite the temporary, occupational rules made by the UN Security Council. However, a non-existing letter, allegedly signed by former TFG president Abdullahi Yussuf, or the illegally signed later version – signed by the non-Somali Ould-Abdallah, who anyway held no Somali governmental powers – , certainly do not bear any legal significance concerning any such “permissions” or requests, which makes the present occupation of the Somali water territory by the naval armada likewise illegal. Though everybody clearly agrees that piracy has to end and sees the necessity to curb piracy and other crimes on the High Seas – as well as inside the Somali territorial waters-, one has to realize that one injustice can not be curbed with another injustice, while it has become clear meanwhile to anybody that piracy deriving from the Somali coasts and maritime crime committed by Somalis can not be exterminated by a naval armada violating the rights and sovereignty of Somalia and the Somali people. Law are made and should be enforced to avert and fight injustices, but not to create new injustices.

Any Help? Dont everybody jump at once !

Can somebody give me a rough overall translation of this article? Please! I like to keep current with all things Amira. http://somalitalk.com/2010/09/03/amiira/ Sawirada: Amiira oo dhex fadhidey goobtii lagu magacaabay Cumar C/rashiid Faafin: SomaliTalk.com: Friday, September 3, 2010 // 14 Jawaabood Sawirro ay qaaday SomaliTalk ayaa waxaa ka dhex muuqda Michele Lynn Ballarin oo dhex fadhida (13kii Feb 2009) goobtii lagu magacaabayey ra’iisul wasaaraha DFKMG Cumar Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke ee magaalada Jabuuti. Xilligaas Amiira waxay ahayd lataliyihii ugu horeeyey ee Sheikh Shariif u magacaabay si rasmi ah ka hor intii aan la soo dhisin xukuumadda. Sida ka muuqata sawirada, Michele (oo madaxda Soomaalidu u yaqaanaan Amiira) waxay dhex fadhidaa xildhibaano iyo marti kale oo fadhidey goobtii uu Sheikh Shariif ku magacaabayey ra’iisul wasaaraha DFKMG. Waxaa dadka goobtaas fadhiyey ka mid ahaa Gabre oo ah taliyihii ciidamadii Itoobiya ee xasuuqa ba’an ka geystey magaalada Muqdisho intii u dhaxaysay Dec 28, 2006 – Jan 15, 2009. Sida caadiga ah taliyaha madaxweynuhu waa xubinta ugu muhiimsan ee uu kala tashado arrimaha u baahan in laga qaato go’aan culus ama go’aan saamayn ku yeelanaya mujtamaca uu madaxweynaha u yahay. Sawirada oo SomaliTalk.com ay qaaday maalintii Sheikh Shariif magacaabayey Cumar C/rashiid, waxay muujinayaan in Amiira oo markaas ahayd lataliyaha madaxweynaha ay si weyn uga dhex muuqatey madasha uu madaxweynuhu ku magacaabayey ra’iisul wasaaraha. Sawirada oo kamid ahaa kaydka SomaliTalk.com ka diiwaan gelisey magacaabistii Ra’iisul wasaaraha DFKMG, hoos ka daawo: Sawirada waxaa qaaday SomaliTalk maalintii magacaabidda ra’iisul wasaaraha DFKMG, Amiira waa dhex fadhidey madasha. Sheikh Shariif oo Wareegtadiisii ugu horeysey ku magacaabay Haweeney Maraykan ah in ay lataliye u noqoto.. Madaxweynaha DFKMG oo markaas maalmo yar hayey xilka madaxweynanimo ayaa Jabuuti waxaa kula kulantay haweeney Maraykan ah waxayna markiiba ku qancisay in uu u magacaabo latiyahiisa, wuuna ka yeelay… Sheikh Shariif Sheikh Axmed markii madaxweynaha loo maalmo kooban kaddib waxa uu lataliyahiisa ugu horeeyey u magacaabay Michele Lynn Ballarin oo ah haweenay Maraykan ah si ay u noqoto La-taliyaha Xafiiska Madaxdweynaha ee Dib u Dhiska, Gargaarka Bani’aadminnmimo, Borotoolka iyo Gaarsiinta Dibedda, sidaas waxaa baahiyey barnaamij dheer oo ay ka diyaarisay Idaacadda Codka Maraykanka (VOA) oo la kulantay, waraysina la yeelatay Michele Lynn Golden-Ballarin oo madaxda Soomaaliyeed ay u yaqaanaan “Amiira”. Magcaabistaas oo ahayd bilowgii Febraayo 2009 waxay ahayd magcaabistii ugu horeysey ee uu sameeyey Sheikh Shariif, waxayna xilligaas ahayd ka hor intii aan la magcaabin Ra’iisul Wasaaraha DFKMG. Waxaa arrintaas xitaa u qaadan waaweyey Cali Xasan Guuleed (Cali Dhoof) oo kamid ah Qurbajooga Soomaaliyeed oo la socdey Michele markii ay Jabuuti kula kulantay Sheikh Shariif, xilligaas oo 7 cisho ee keliya uu ahaa madaxweyne. Waxaa VOA magcaabisteeda u xaqiijiyey Wasiirka Warfaafinta ee DFKMG Cabdiraxmaan Cumar Cismaan ayaa xaqiijiyey magcaabistaas. Prof Axmed Muumin Warfaa oo xilli dambe loo magacaabay lataliyaha madaxweynaha wax war ah kama uusan ahayn ama looma sheegin in haweeneydaas ay lataliye ahayd, sida uu u sheegay idaacadda. Warbixintu waxay intaas ku dartay in sidoo kale uu Sheikh Shariif uu haweenaydaas “u saxiixay waraaqo kale oo ay ka mid tahay mid uu kaga codsanayo inay ka caawiso xiriir dhexmara madax ka tirsan dalka Faransiiska oo uu ku jiro Madaxweyne Nikola Zarkozy.” Warbaahinta caalamka ayaa qoraallo badan ka sameeyey haweeneydaas iyo lugt aay ku leedahay arrimaha Soomaaliya laga soo bilaabo 2006. Waxa kale oo ay ku lug lahayd la xaajoodka Burcad Badeeda ee haysatey markabkii sidey hubka ay kamid ahayeen Taangiyada iyo markabkii shidaalka sidey ee Sacuudiga. Madaxweyne Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed ma ahayn mas’uulkii Soomaaliyeed ee ugu horreeyey ee ay la kulanto Michelle Ballarin. Waxay horey ula soo kulantay Madaxweyne Cabdullaahi Yusuuf Axmed, Ra’iisul Wasaarae Nuur Xasan Xuseen, Madaxweynihi hore ee Somaliland Daahir Rayaal Kaahin, Guddoomiyaha Baarlamaanka Somaliland Cabdiraxmaan Cirro iyo wasiirro iyo madax kale. Waxay kala hadashahay qorshe ay ugu magacdartay “Organic Solutions for Somalia, ama Xal Dabiici ah oo loo helo Soomaaliya”, ayey sheegtay warbixintu. Barnaamijkan gaarka ah ee VOA waxay ku ku eegayaan danaha ay haweenaydaasi ka leedahay dawladda Soomaaliya, Somaliland, Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jamaaca iyo budhcad badeedda. Warbixinta ka Dhegeyso HALKAN (mp3) ama Halkan (VOA) Qoraalladii hore ee laga qoray Michele Ballarin hoos ka akhri: 2006: Dowladda Mareykanka iyo Dowladda Federaalka oo doonayey in ay iska kaashadaan, Jariirada The Observer oo arrintaasi kashiftay (Tarjumadii SomaliTalk.com ee 2006).,

We are way to far ahead of the learning curve for them, and they cant wrap their heads around it. Diplomatically speaking the Amnesty part is a problem for them, and their current policies are way off base. We hope to see that change through US DoS Carsons new efforts. There are some individual players out there trying to help, but their efforts are so far dis-connected. I would like to see them all coordinate, that way at least they could gauge some progress. Spain is donating huge funds to promote an artisanal fishing/cannery industry but it needs a security component to back it up. They also have a huge special interest as one of the leading poachers of Somalia's fish. There is also a small coalition on donor nations trying to help Puntland start a coast guard, but this needs to be connected to the above efforts and seems to be lacking funds. There is a small problem also of donating or funding military type of vessels to Somalia. And lastly USAID wants to build roads and make efforts, there is money there but we are yet to see any solid progress. And there is a Somalia Navy which is not being implemented to my knowledge as of yet due to lack of funds to the above efforts. So you do have a few components to get this going, but it needs some serious coordination. Since most of these countries do not allow foreign troops boots on the ground to accomplish this our idea was to use a contracted company managed by Maritime experts, using educated local & Somalia diaspora experts to coordinate this whole effort.

Originally posted by Peace Action: quote:Originally posted by Amistad: It should be one in the same. Amistad care to explain it? Sure. I have always promoted a land based approach to curbing the piracy phenomenon and the Intl Community touting its horn of how the warship flotilla is working in "curbing" piracy pisses me off to no end. Their numbers do not jibe and are not accurate. In my opinion it is having a reverse effect of protecting poachers and euro mafias dumping toxic waste. Instead of spending all that money on the flotilla (in the millions per month) pool that money through the CGPCS (International Contact Group Piracy Coast Somalia) and invest it back into Somalia by creating an effective coast guard who can police themselves, poachers and dumpers and invest it in a fishing wildlife management program, Somalia's coastline best chance to create a small micro economy. Draw up an effective amnesty plan for the current pirates, invest the money in boats, radio communications, vehicles for the existing Somalia Navy and hire the pirates and give them jobs. Establish a judiciary proceedings tribunal and anyone caught pirating after the amnesty agreement, goes to a vocational rehab jail and performs paid labor for the State (they receive a chuck of money when released). With this and the communities help you have killed a few birds with one stone. You have created an environment that is non conducive to piracy, have provided jobs, a legal fishing industry and promoted a small legal system that could extend outwards towards other legal matters. Any poachers or dumpers boats are seized, crews released, illegal catches confiscated and distributed to the public, fines levied on the ships owners and put back into a Somali State self standing system. I actually wrote a very nice program complete with outlines and numbers for this and presented it to the US DoS and was shot down in flames. They have no current policy to promote stabilization in Somalia or anti-piracy programs. CGPCS does not seem interested in speaking with us either. This is a great program.... I just wish somebody would listen up.

Save the lecture Jacpher and read my original post again. I am not using anyone for any purpose, this is all about him and for him. It was one name of MANY I have selected and there was no way I was going to contact them all, especially not knowing them, where they are, how to contact them or even if any one of them would have been selected. But thank you for your concern, it is duly noted. Libaax-Sankataabte, thanks for the info ! http://www.somalifca.com/contact.php

Its a problem in America and he simply stated a common fear, nothing he should have been fired for. He does this to open discourse for the American Public to learn more about it and to try to open up understanding through debate and educating folks. The point is nobody should be afraid of anybody because of the way one dresses, Muslim, Martian`s or Swahilis.

Why, to dash his hopes if he didn't get selected? No. He has already been burned before for his award, as if I need to explain anything to you. Which is why I am trying to contact him now. He hasn't exactly been easy to locate so far and for your information there is nothing wrong with reaching out through an internet forum to contact someone. Worked plenty of times for me before. Why, is there some seeeeeecret reason I shouldnt contact him through here? You his Mama ?

Mohamed Olad Hassan, the noted Peabody Award BBC Journalist in Mogadishu? I have a pre-invitation for him to go to Washington D.C. for a seminar, I recommended him for the event and thought it would be a nice trip and visit for him. The seminar sponsors have agreed. Anyone with his details please P.M. me.

It should be one in the same.

Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor II October 21, 2010 by Mogadishu Man Leave a Comment The ****** Continued from ‘Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor’ The Geographical Dispute: There is a deep wound in the heart of the Somalis that continues to bleed profusely and nourishes the long-held distrust in Ethiopia and her policies. That the North Eastern Province (NFD) and the ****** regions are part and parcel of the Somali state is a notion deeply ingrained in the mind of the Somali population in its entirety. And as the years slowly roll by, under the shackles of black colonialism, the lingering hopes of the Somalis imprisoned in those regions also continues to fade. Prompted by foreign meddling and proxy wars that, to this day, continue to shape the political decisions of the region, the protracted cross-border raids between Somalia and Ethiopia have existed for a very long time. There have been several explosive skirmishes at the border between the years of 1960-64 and the flames of the conflict that erupted in the region at that time were doused with a ceasefire between the two countries. But this did not kill the lingering notion of pan-Somalism and the Somali man’s persistent struggle for Greater Somalia. In the run up to the 1977-78 ****** war, the Soviets, having given up on the Somalis, deemed that the ground was fertile enough in Addis Ababa for the establishment of a Marxist-Lenin state and thus transferred their interests to Ethiopia, immediately ordering them to expel the Americans who have been at the time giving substantial military aid and advice to the Ethiopians. Soon the Soviets began pouring in state-of-the-art weapons into the Ethiopian capital. As a result, Somalia withdrew from the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Soviet Union and soon after that, expelled all Soviet personnel from the country. To take advantage of the situation, the United States, having been expelled from Ethiopia, decided to weigh in on the other side and offered support to Somalia, though it soon withdrew the offer shortly after that.

Buzzles good Dr M. butt slams on Phram and other notable U.S. DoS East African Affairs folks are legendary and fairly well documented.

Originally posted by Prometheus: Pure piffle. "Dr." Pham revels and excels in penning political hitjobs. It's remarkable how charlatans like him pass off for "experts" in geopolitics. Have to agree with you there... is that you Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis?

Good read, thanks for that !

Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor October 21, 2010 by Mogadishu Man Leave a Comment http://mogadishuman.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/somalia-the-ethiopian-factor/ Some of the Somali regions that share a border with Ethiopia have been in a state of turmoil over the past few days. In the shifting patterns of this prolonged war in Somalia, the escalation of violence in the regions of Galguduud, Hiiran, Gedo and Bakool has illuminated some of the underlying geo-political dynamics that are at play in the volatile region of the Horn of Africa. More than 400 Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers, accompanied by up to 300 Ethiopian forces, raided the town of Baladweyn, Hiiran, in order to bring an end to the Islamists’ rule in the region; in Galgudud, hundreds of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama (ASWJ) rebels attacked Cadaado, the region’s business hub which is governed by a tribal administration, with military equipment and reinforcements readily supplied by the Ethiopian government; in the border towns of Yeed and Ceel Berde, Bakool region, the Islamists are fending off the Ethiopian troops’ aggressive incursions; in the South-Western region of Gedo, TFG troops buttressed by the Ethiopian might and men wrestled the region’s capital, Beledxaawo, from the iron grip of the Islamists. But while the Transitional Federal Government has its own reasons for driving out the Islamists from the region, what are the motives that underpin the Ethiopian involvement? The Ethiopian regime presents itself as though it had been tirelessly working to restore peace and stability to the troubled Horn. Since the fall of the Siyad Barre regime in the early 90s, Ethiopian involvement in Somali politics had become even more overt; helping Abdullahi Yusuf defeat the Al Ittihad Al Islami, led by Hasan Dahir Aweys in 1994 and then helping him reclaim the Puntland administration from Jama Ali Jama during the mid-90’ or actively being engaged in all the national reconciliation programs and the establishment of the Transitional Federal Institutions to date. But when Ethiopia, Somalia’s archenemy, states that its policy geared towards Somalia is one which is enveloped in altruism and mutual goodwill for both countries, this raises a plethora of questions and many Somalia remain convinced that there are ulterior motives to Ethiopia’s ‘neighbourly’ gestures. The statement that Ethiopia is working with a benevolent intent – safeguarding the interests of the Somali populations – is, in the Somali mind, oxymoronic and the theory that Ethiopia, whose efforts is cleverly masqueraded as being philanthropic, is preventing – rather than helping – Somalia to stand on her own feet is highly tenable. Somali-Ethiopia Relations: One of the most pressing issues in the post-independence era of Somali politics was the notion of Pan-Somalism – or the unification of all Somali-inhabited areas under one country: Somalia. The Somalis refused to acknowledge all treaties defining the Somali borders, carved out by the colonialists, and therefore began to pursue the annexation of Western Somalia (The ******), North Eastern Province (NFD) in Kenya and Djibouti to form Greater Somalia. With the notion of the establishment of Greater Somalia taking a firm root in the nation’s heart, so too did the cross-border skirmishes, with the Somalis in the disputed regions, particularly the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) in the ****** region and the Shiftas, or guerrilla fighters, in the Kenyan-Somali region, mounting constant raids along the borders of the neighbouring countries, with the tacit approval and support of the Somali National Army (SNA). They were, like the majority of Somalis, eager to liberate ‘their’ lands. And as the desire to regain those lands grew, the hostilities escalated, paving the way for large-scale guerrilla operations and, eventually, a conventional war between Somalia and Ethiopia. But the resistance to the Ethiopian regime was not limited to the Somalis alone at the time. Ethiopia’s Northern neighbours, the Eritreans, and the people of Tigray, Oromia, Sidamo as well as an increasing number of Amhars who all suffered under the brutal regime were eager to accelerate the demise of the Ethiopian government and welcomed Somalia’s efforts to liberate the ******. In the long history of conflicts, involving both overt engagements as well as clandestine operations, any encounter with the Ethiopian troops was viewed in Somalia as a noble struggle in the path of Somali nationalism and self-determination. The Ethiopian government, in turn, conducted regular air assaults in order to curtail Somalia’s grand ambitions of unification. Between 1960 and 1964 there were sporadic, and guerrilla-style confrontations along the border regions. These arduous campaigns were secretly supported by the armies on both sides of the border and it wasn’t long before a conventional war, though on a small scale, broke out between the two nations. Having perceived the apparent threat from their neighbour, Ethiopia and Kenya signed a mutual defence pact in 1964, which stated that if one of the countries was attacked, the armed forces of both states would collaborate to fight the Somalis. The cross-border raids still continue to this day, and the Geographical dispute still remains intense, breathing life into one of the longest, and perhaps most volatile cross-border disputes in the region

Hey, I call it like I see it, Duke does good work here and I agree with most of his opinions! I know it must be hard for many Somalis to be optimistic after so many years of hardship so you must appreciate his positive & dynamic approach in all things Somalia, and give credit where it is due.

You are a great General here at SOL Duke, keep up the good work, I would like to see more here just like you. Its not about who is right or wrong, its all about doing the right thing and learning from past mistakes.

It is a very good beginning dont get me wrong there Duke but without some very astute thinking on DoS`s part, something they have not exhibited in the past, it will not work. Good intentions do not pave the road to success, only intelligent thinking will and we have seen where the US`s good intentions have got us so far, even or especially in Somalia. I would like to see some organized and educated Somalia diaspora hammering DoS`s door and waking them up in this regard, saying "Hey, here we are, let us help you"! Check their reaction, if they decline an offer of help (?)...well there ya go, business as usual for them. You see when they fail, they do not lose their jobs, no suspension of pay or loss of benefits...nada. But when their policies fail, Somalis pay with their lives. Lets see if they are once again ready & willing to risk how many Somalis lives. Simply throwing a bone of building some schools and roads through USAID programs, is not going to do the trick. Lets just say some folks are skeptical.

Originally posted by Peace Action: I wonder why the US the world's remaining superpower has no clue and no strategy in dealing with failed states like Somalia. This approach should have been adapted a long time ago and it will have succeeded but sadly it is too little too late unless a sustained comprehensive approach is taken to nurture peaceful areas in Somalia to show violent areas there is a better way. Sad, but so true. The example list of past failures is so long it is staggering and while Dukes optimism and cheer leading is heartening and somewhat amusing at best, the cold hard reality is there still is no defined policy or long term strategy. Their current strategy, reduce violent extremism & piracy and employ and enhance social and civic programs and engage diplomatically on some limited levels is to broad stroke and not refined enough.... at least not yet anyway. One of DoS`s biggest problems is they only listen to themselves (their PHDs who have never been to Somalia) in their old fashioned top down approach. One of the best things they could do to start would be to begin gathering area experts, local expertise, influentials, clan & sub-clan leaders, police chiefs on down the ladder & completely ignore upper echelon politicians to start, and gather these folks opinions on whats happening around them, in all areas. Compile all that data and you get a pretty clear understanding of where you need to be begin and what to do. I just dont see DoS doing that, please advise if they, do I would be shocked.

Hmmmmmm, U.S. boots on the ground in Somalia? this is very interesting !! They are going to employ the three D`s approach, Defense, Diplomacy, Development..... they would need boots on the ground to accomplish that, wether its through USAID or Africom.

Lead, Follow or get out of the way. There are capable people there that can be compassionate and constructive, or continue to be destructive and corrupted in their methods. The lead comes from the front in the highest form of TFG Leadership. They should view past criticism as just that, a summary of things gained and lost and learn from their past mistakes and correct in the future. Their future decisions are under scrutiny at the highest levels. Choose wisely, lest be condemned forever.

So, Mobile Phones are now Un-Islamic? Tell me, exactly how that works Capt Mike. I would like to suggest you get a real grip on your DIASPORA & family's future. Al Kebab now wants to put the remaining families in Somalia who receive MMT`s as a means to survival "back to the stone age". They use this as a weapon against common people who only want to feed their families, and force them into using illegal Arab Hawalas for their own "interest". All traitors and weak willed lackeys against the people will one day be exposed..... Let us make a point of doing so. Take note Capt. Mike, you have been recognized, though being weak willed and slight of heart is not a crime, neither is being an ***** and a *****. In some regards, you remind us of the French.