somalia:Islamists warn Gov attack on their stronghold region

DOLOW ( Mareeg ) – Mohamed Ibrahim Indabur, head of the interior affairs for Hisbul Islam organization in Gedo region has warned fighting against the Islamist forces which members of the transitional government are organizing in Dolow town in the region.



Mr. Indabur accused the transitional government officials for creating insecurity situations in the region saying that the Islamist forces will never accept such that action.



The head of the interior affairs of Hisbul Islam organization in Gedo region denounced the transitional government members with Ethiopian troops for planning to attack parts of the region which the Islamist forces are controlling now calling for the people in the region to be ready for what he called Jihad (Islamic War).



Mr. Ibrahim Indabur expressed concern about the possibility of fighting that starts between the two sides pointing out that it is a situation that needs to be protected anymore.



The statement of the Islamic administration comes as some of the government members said earlier that they were they were amassing soldiers in parts of the region to attack against the Islamist fighters who are manning most of Gedo region.

Somali government unhappy with international community in delaying contribution m

CAIRO (Mareeg) – the transitional government of Somalia has denounced the international community on Saturday for delaying to give the contribution money which was collected for the TFG in the Belgian capital Brussels.


Abdirahman Aden Ibbi, the deputy prime minister of transitional government of Somalia said in a meeting held in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Friday that the international community did not offer the contribution money which was promised for the Somali government in the conference in Brussels.


“The international community promised $256 million for the Somali government and the government did not get that amount of money so far. So they are too late for handing over that money to the transitional government of Somalia,” the deputy PM said


The deputy prime minister reiterated and suggested for the international community to quicken supporting that contribution money to the transitional government of Somalia as soon as possible.


On the other hand Mr. Ibbi suggested for the Arab league that the international community needs military support from the league to take part the peacekeeping mission in Somalia and protect the pirate attacks against the international ships traveling in the Somali water.



The deputy prime minister of Somalia said lastly that the African Union troops AMISOM are in Somalia for the peacekeeping mission adding that they will be in the country until the Somali government takes over the control of whole the country. Mareeg.com

somalia:Two Radio journalists seriously beaten by islamist in Bardhere town

Mareeg.com- The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ today expresses its alarm over aggressive attacks against two broadcast journalists in southwestern Somalia.

Mr Omar Abdirahman Mohamoud (Jaajaa) and Ms Sahra Ali Mohamoud, who work for privately owned Markabley Radio as reporter and newscaster respectively, were seriously beaten Thursday evening (11 June) by four masked Al-Shabab militias soon after they left the station, according to the journalists in Bardhere. The two journalists ran on foot from in an attempt to escape their attackers, but were chased and beaten severely with baseball bats. They were able to evade their attackers and are now hiding in the town.

According to journalists in Bardhere, during the beatings the militia attackers were over heard saying: “These are bad guys, so called journalists, we have to take an action.” After the attacks the militias went on to say: “The other journalists should have to leave the town.”

In addition to the beating of the journalists, the journalists of the region are fully censored and are not allowed to interview government officials, according to journalists in Bardhere. The beatings of these two journalists in Bardhere came less than a week when the director of Shabelle media network was brutally gunned down inside Bakara market by armed men.There is now tense and fear among the ranks of the Somali journalists while many of them decided to suspend their duties soon after the killing of Mr, Hirabe because of fear and threats passed to them by the armed groups in Mogadishu.One of these journalists resigned has famously said that Somalia has turned into the republic of fear for journalists and he told there are armed groups who want to police the mentality of the journalists Somali journalists face deadly risks in their country like targeted killings, threats and detenation. Mareeg.com

Militia loyal to Aweys warn local Media journalists against interviewing Gov offi

Mareeg.com-2009-06-10-After Somali journalists on Tuesday went on strike to protest the recent assassination of a colleague and demanded protection from the international community, the militia hardliner Islamist cleric Sheikh Aweys have threatened to target any radio station journalists who hold sensitive interviews with the Gov officials, sources in their ranks . “They decided to target the journalists who interview Gov officials accusing our group” a fighter with Hizbul Islam led by Aweys . “We know they work with the Christians” he added angrily. Around 15 Mogadishu-based journalists held a press conference, two days after the director of private radio Shabelle, Mokhtar Mohamed Hirabe, was assassinated in broad daylight in the capital. "In addition to the direct threats against us, we cannot work impartially at this time and send correct information to society, so we are temporarily suspending our journalism activities," the group said in a statement. "We know the impact this decision can have on society and the free flow of information but we are obliged to stop working in Mogadishu in order to save our lives," Shabelle editor Abdirahman Yusuf explained. "We are in danger, so we call on the international community to protect Somali journalists," the statement read. Hirabe was the third Radio Shabelle journalist to suffer a fatal attack since the start of 2009, the fifth journalist killed this year. Somalia is one of the world's dangerous countries for journalists. Media houses have been routinely shut down by the authorities and many reporters, Somali and foreign, have been kidnapped by armed groups. Two freelance journalists, an Australian and a Canadian kidnapped near the capital nine months ago, are still being held. The security situation has been particularly volatile in recent weeks, with an offensive by insurgent groups bent on toppling internationally-backed President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and a counter-attack by government forces. In addition Somali president sheriff held meeting with protesting journalists today and promised them that his government will provide safe accommodations while they are in Mogadishu as well some help with travel expenses outside Somalia.

Human Rights Violations Escalate in War-torn Mogadishu

NAIROBI, 9 June 2009: UNICEF and UNHCR are gravely concerned over the extent to which civilians are being affected by the escalating violence in Mogadishu and the human rights violations being committed by the parties to the conflict. Many Somali civilians and media describe the recent violence which erupted in Mogadishu on May 7, generated by fighting between Government-allied forces and armed opposition groups, as the most devastating in the last few years. Reported bombing of civilian residences and public places has forced an estimated 117,000 people to flee their homes in Mogadishu during the past four weeks alone.

The majority of the displaced are women and children, many fleeing with very few belongings, and having to endure extremely difficult circumstances. Women are particularly vulnerable with reports of rape and sexual exploitation during their flight and in places of refuge – risks that are exacerbated by the limited humanitarian assistance available. More than 200 people were reportedly killed in the last month alone, the majority of whom civilians. Reports from hospitals indicate that some 700 people were wounded in the clashes. Reports received from NGO partners supporting a hospital in Dayniile indicate that of the 218 wounded people treated in that hospital, 81 of them were women and children under the age of 14, including a six-month old baby.

The manner in which civilians are being victimized by this conflict is unacceptable. War Crimes and crimes against humanity are committed with impunity on a daily basis by the parties to this protracted and violent conflict. Reports indicate that people desperate to flee are stuck in their residences for days, waiting for a lull in the fighting to be able to ‘safely escape’ from Mogadishu, with no access to food, water or any basic service. A hospital in Yaaqshiid district was unable to operate temporarily due to fears for the safety of its medical staff, limiting access to medical care for wounded civilians.

“Yet again, parties to the conflict in Mogadishu fight with no regard for the safety of civilians in clear violation of international humanitarian and human rights principles” stated Mr. Guillermo Bettocchi, the UNHCR Representative for Somalia, today in response to the fighting. “The international community must intervene to end this self-perpetuating culture of impunity, including by establishing a credible and independent process to investigate and eventually prosecute those responsible for the apparent war crimes and crimes against humanity that Somali civilians have and continue to be exposed to.” added Mr. Bettocchi.


Countless families have allegedly been separated due to the conflict. There is no safe place for children in Mogadishu in the current situation. Children are being killed and maimed in their own homes, in schools, and on the residential streets of the city. The events of May have worsened a pattern of indiscriminate violence that has seen at least 34 schools temporarily occupied by armed groups since the beginning of the year, and at least six schools raided or shelled in the last twelve months.

Children are also threatened by the systematic and widespread recruitment into forces of all sides of the conflict currently taking place in Somalia. Adolescent boys are particularly targeted. Orphaned, separated, abandoned or destitute children are especially vulnerable.


“Parties to the conflict must realize that the main victims are their own children, who are being killed, maimed or displaced by the fighting, some even recruited to take part in the fighting,” said Ms. Hannan Sulieman, Acting UNICEF Representative to Somalia. “Recruitment of children is in contravention of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and use of children under 15 years old in combat is a war crime with legal consequences for the perpetrators”.

UNHCR and UNICEF call on all those involved in the conflict in Somalia to put an end to the grave human rights violations being committed on a daily basis against civilians

Somalia:Sheik Aweys says I have not been injured

Mogadishu(Mareeg)—Somalia’s opposition leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys said on Monday that he was not injured in fighting between Islamist rivals in central Somalia and he added that he was not attended in that fighting.




“I think this is propaganda released by defeated factions in the fighting that took place in Wabho village in central Somalia,” said Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys.




This comes as there have been rumors in the country that Sheik Aweys was badly injured or dead in central Somalia.




Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of Hizbul Islam insurgent group held a press conference in his house in the Somali capital Mogadishu.




He vowed that his group will continue the fighting against the Somali, fragile government until the African Union troops leave the country.




He said the fighting that is continuing in Mogadishu is planned in New York referring to the United Nations.


By Ahmednor Mohamed Farah
gentlemannor@gmail.com