SANA’A, Yemen (UPI) — Yemen systematically arrests and deports Ethiopian asylum seekers, a human rights group charges in a report urging the United Nations to intervene.
Tens of thousands of refugees make the hazardous sea crossing from Africa to Yemen, only to risk being arrested and forced illegally to return home to possible persecution, Human Rights Watch said in a report.
“Illegal immigration is a big problem for Yemen’s government, but hunting asylum seekers down like criminals and sending them back illegally is no way to solve the problem,” Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said.
More than 100,000 people, fleeing war or persecution, have been smuggled by boat to the coast of Yemen in the last two years. They often suffer brutal treatment at the hands of the smugglers, HRW charges, and face being robbed, beaten or even killed.
Once in Yemen, Ethiopians and others are treated as illegal immigrants and often deported even if they are in danger of persecution in their own countries.
Human Rights Watch wants the U.N. refugee agency to pressure the Yemeni government to meet its obligations toward refugees, Gagnon said.
The highs and lows continue at Copenhagen. Today we heard rousing speeches from Gordon Brown and from Hilary Clinton on the need for a deal, and for climate financing. All good stuff, but it’s not good enough. Ethiopia led calls yesterday for a compromise deal infuriating other developing countries who are determined to hold out for what they really need. But rich countries have coalesced around the proposed $100 billion figure for climate finance – to be reached by 2020. Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International said:
“It’s good news that discussions on climate cash have finally got moving after two long years of delay but this needs to be the start of the conversation – not the end.$100bn is half the amount poor countries need to reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate.The money must come from public sources – not be subject to the whims of the markets – and it must not be diverted from existing aid promises.Poor countries will still need to build schools and hospitals – as well as flood defences.”
We are calling for rich countries to provide at least $200bn a year in new money to help poor countries adapt to a changing climate and reduce their emissions. Today I saw an incredibly moving presentation by an Oxfam volunteer, Zunaed, who recently went back to his home country of Bangladesh and visited an area badly affected by Cyclone Aila earlier this year. I saw testimony from people whose lives are in tatters, all because of the increased severity of storms and rising sea levels which have swallowed up their villages. We in the rich world have to accept the moral injustice of this situation, and we have to pay our dues. Let us not forget the $40 billion that was found to bail out the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the $2.3 trillion of guarantees provided to the EU financial sector in 2008. Climate financing is the next major bail out package, without which we face global meltdown – can we afford to let this happen?
Today I urge you to read a fantastic blog by an Oxfam volunteer from Bristol who is in Copenhagen. James was at the centre of the action outside the Bella Centre yesterday, in the midst of violent and not so violent action on each side of the fence. His insights are a reminder of how passionately people feel about the need for action inside the conference centre, and how impatient they are becoming with inertia from those in power. Also read the Fossil of the Day site where America has been voted first once again (third day in a row!) for wriggling out of commitments to concrete emissions cuts.
Today’s action is a reminder to email the US Ambassador – but it’s now been made even easier. All you have to do is click here and you can send an instant message to the US. Please do this and get five of your friends to do it so that we can really make an impact.
As the US, Ethiopia and European Union – including France, Germany and the UK – coalesce around a climate finance package of $100bn, Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International said:
“It’s good news that discussions on climate cash have finally got moving after two long years of delay but this needs to be the start of the conversation – not the end.
“$100bn is half the amount poor countries need to reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The money must come from public sources – not be subject to the whims of the markets – and it must not be diverted from existing aid promises. Poor countries will still need to build schools and hospitals – as well as flood defences.”
Oxfam is calling for rich countries to provide at least $200bn a year in new money to help poor countries adapt to a changing climate and reduce their emissions.
The insecurity in Somalia is fast threatening regional peace, with calls for international intervention to avert a continental crisis.
Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti are at most risk because of their porous borders, the proliferation of small arms and the ongoing recruitment of young people from these countries into the Al-Shabaab militia.
As the militia group pull off a flurry of takeovers of areas previously controlled by the government, the United Nations-supported African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) are in danger of being overwhelmed.
While Al-Shabaab is getting stronger, the Sheikh Sharif Ahmed-led transitional government currently controls only two of the 16 districts in Mogadishu — Wadajir and Darkabley.
Al-Shabaab’s strongholds are Bakara market, Heliwa, Yaqshid.
Amison controls the airport, the seaport and the area around the presidential palace.
President Sheikh Shariff Ahmed, Speaker of the National Assembly Osman Elmi Boqore and the Prime Minister Omar Abdulrashid Sharmarke are all guarded around the clock by Amisom.
According to the director of communications at State House, Abdulkadir Osman, the crisis in Somalia is getting out of hand and the international community should assist the country with both logistics and finance to save the region from possible anarchy.
“If we fail to contain the Al-Shabaab, it will be hard for the continent and the world to restore peace in the region,” said Mr Osman.
“We need financial support to train our armed forces and the intelligence in order to stand on our own feet,” said Mr Osman
Morale is low among government soldiers as most must go without pay.
Meanwhile, some officials are supplying Al-Shabaab with arms diverted from the government troops.
Recently, Kenyan authorities arrested seven Somali nationals at Kilindini harbour with an assortment of arms including rocket launchers, grenades and AK-47s, clear evidence that small arms from the war-torn Horn of Africa country are already flowing within the region.
Despite the threat, Kenya and Ethiopia, as the frontline states, were barred by the 2004 peace agreement from direct military intervention in Somalia because of conflict of interest.
The Ethiopian intervention in 2006 went against this mutual agreement.
Hanatzeb Ethiopian Art Gallery is hosting an art exhibition this weekend in Atlanta where artists Eskender Seyoum, Alex Girma, Muluken Asfaw and Yosef Berta will present their works.
The exhibition will start at 6 PM, Saturday.
Place: 49-B Bennett Street NW, Atlanta GA 30309
Hanatzeb Ethiopian Art Gallery celebrated its grand opening on November 1, 2009.
Located in the Buckhead neighborhood, Hanatzeb Gallery is adding to the City of Atlanta’s growing art scene.
Along with paintings, the gallery carries Ethiopian artifacts, such as traditional crosses, masks, books, and household items.
The Gallery also hosts poem reading events and receptions for Ethiopian painters and artists to help them introduce their works.
(USDOJ) — Khat, Catha edulis, is a flowering shrub native to Ethiopia, East Africa and the Arabian-Peninsula. Khat refers to the leaves and young shoot of Catha edulis. It has been widely used since the thirteenth century as a recreational drug by the indigenous people of East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and throughout the Middle East. There is no legitimate medical use for khat in the United States.
Chemistry and Pharmacology:
Khat contains two central nervous system (CNS) stimulants, namely cathinone and cathine. Cathinone (alpha-aminopriopiophenone), which is the principal active stimulant, is structurally similar to d-amphetamine and almost as potent as a CNS stimulant. Cathine, also called d-norpseudoephedrine, is about 10 times less potent than cathinone as a CNS stimulant. Cathinone levels are highest in the freshly cut khat plant. Once cut, levels of cathinone start declining. Cooling the plant material will reduce the rate of decline in cathinone levels such that detectable levels may be found at least out to 10 days post cutting. Over the last few years, exhibits of dried or dehydrated khat have been encountered. In these samples, cathinone may be detected for many months or even years. Cathine remains stable in khat after the plant has been cut.
Khat produces amphetamine-like effects. They include: euphoria, a feeling of increased alertness and energy, hyperactivity, anorexia, and lack of fatigue. The users also feel relaxed and talkative. Sympathomimetic effects may include elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, hyperthermia, arrhythmias, and increased respiration. The effects of khat usually last between 90 minutes and 3 hours. After-effects of khat use have been reported as lack of concentration, numbness and insomnia.
Khat abuse leads to psychological dependence. Chronic abuse of khat can lead to behavioral changes and impairment of mental health. Clinical manifestations include manic behavior with grandiose delusions, violence, suicidal depression, or schizophreniform psychosis characterized by paranoid delusions. Chronic abuse can also produce physical exhaustion, anorexia, periodontal disease and disturbances of the gastrointestinal system.
Illicit Uses:
Khat is abused for its stimulant and euphoric effects. Most often the fresh leaves and shoots of the khat shrub are chewed, and then retained in the cheek and chewed intermittently until all the juices are extracted. To counter the bitter taste of the plant, copious amounts of water or sweet soda are drank. Dried khat can be made into tea or a chewable paste. Rarely other modes of self-administration include smoking or sprinkling on food.
User Population:
Abuse of khat in the United States is most prevalent among immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Abuse of khat is highest in cities with a substantial population of these immigrants. These cities include Boston (MA), Columbus (OH), Dallas (TX), Detroit (MI), Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles (CA), Minneapolis (MN), Nashville (TN), New York (NY), and Washington D.C.
Illicit Distribution:
Individuals of Somali, Ethiopian, and Yemeni descent are the primary transporters and distributors of khat in the United States. The khat is transported from Somali into the United States and distributed in the Midwest, West and Southeast (Nashville, Tennessee) regions of the United States. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Somali and Yemen independent dealers are distributing khat in Arbor Ann, Detroit, Lansing and Ypsilanti, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Due to a limited shelf life, the khat needs to be transported quickly to the intended market. Thus shipment by air is the most common method of transport. The khat is often transported through the United Kingdom and Canada primarily via package delivery services and to a lesser extent by couriers aboard commercial aircraft. Khat is typically shipped package into bundles that are wrapped in plastic bags or banana leaves to retain moisture and freshness.
Khat has been widely available in the United States since 1995. According to recent Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) data, law enforcement seized 40,244 kilograms of khat in 2006 and 33,384 kilograms in 2007. In 2008, the amount increased to 74,672 kilograms.
The National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) data indicate that 40 drug items submitted to DEA laboratories in 2007 were identified as cathine and 49 items submitted in 2008 were identified as cathine. DEA laboratories also identified 49 cathinone items submitted in 2007 and 51 cathinone items submitted in 2008. According to NFLIS, state and local laboratories received 58 cathine items in 2007 and 71 cathine items in 2008. There were 157 cathinone items submitted to state and local laboratories in 2007. In 2008, state and local laboratories received 143 items of cathinone.
In 2004, Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) reported the emergence of a new form of khat within the Somali community. Graba, a dried form of khat that is similar in appearance to marijuana, has been seized by KCPD. Graba is produced in Ethiopia and is commonly dried before it is transported into the United States. In two separate incidents in January 2004, KCPD officers seized 13.2 pounds of graba from an Ethiopian national and 38 grams from a Somali national.
Control Status:
Cathinone and cathine are in Schedules I and IV, respectively, of the Controlled Substances Act. Missouri placed khat in schedule I of state law. California placed khat in schedule II of state law.
(Comments and additional information are welcomed by the Office of Diversion Control, Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section. Fax 202-353-1263, telephone 202-307-7183, or Email [email protected].)
