The U.S. government has provided about 40 tons of weapons and ammunition to shore up the besieged government of Somalia in the past six weeks and has sent funding to train Somali soldiers, a senior State Department official said yesterday, in the most complete accounting to date of the new American efforts in the strife-torn country.
The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the military aid was worth less than $10 million and had been approved by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the National Security Council.
“We do not want to see Somalia become a safe haven for foreign terrorists,” the official said.
Hard-line Islamist rebels allegedly linked to al-Qaeda have launched an offensive to topple Somalia’s relatively moderate government, which has appealed to the United States and other African countries for help. The fighting has killed 250 civilians and forced more than 160,000 people out of their homes in the past month, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
In an indication of the rebels’ growing power, they held a ceremony Thursday in the capital, Mogadishu, in which they chopped off a hand and foot from each of four men convicted of stealing cellphones and other items, according to news reports from the region. The punishment was in line with the rebels’ harsh version of Islam. The United States considers the rebel group, al-Shabab, a terrorist organization.
Somalia has been racked by violence since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. U.S. officials say the bloodshed and lawlessness in the country have caused a massive outflow of refugees and contributed to an upsurge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden. The country has also become a haven for al-Qaeda operatives alleged to have carried out attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, U.S. officials say.
The African Union has sent troops from Uganda and Burundi to help Somalia’s fragile government keep order.
The U.S. aid does not involve the deployment of any troops to Somalia, where 18 American soldiers were killed in the 1993 raid depicted in the movie “Black Hawk Down.”
In order to strengthen Somalia’s military, the U.S. government is providing cash to its government to buy weapons, and has asked Ugandan military forces there to give Somali soldiers small arms and ammunition, the official said. The U.S. government is then resupplying the Ugandans, he said.
The U.S. government will also help pay for the Kenyan, Burundi and Ugandan militaries to train Somali soldiers, and is providing logistical support for the African Union troops, the official said.
Clinton called Somalia’s president, Sharif Ahmed, in recent weeks to consult on the crisis, according to another U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment.
He said the U.S. aid would likely encourage other African countries to do more to help Somalia’s government.
U.S. officials accuse Eritrea of supporting the Somali rebels as part of a proxy war with its rival, Ethiopia’s [tribal junta]. But efforts by State Department officials to meet with the Eritrean government have been fruitless so far, the official said.
BBC — With the death of pop star Michael Jackson at the age of 50, BBC correspondents report on the reaction around the world.
By MAGGIE SHIELS, LOS ANGELES
Throughout the day camera crews and media from around the world staked out the coroner’s office which sits at a busy junction across from a gas station and a fast food restaurant.
Rumours that Jackson family members would come to the coroners office kept reporters on alert but were soon dispelled early in the day. Captain Paul Villaneuva of the LAPD revealed instead that the coroner had visited the Jackson family “at an undisclosed location”
Cars driving by tooted their horns and shouted cries of support for the family. “Michael lives on,” hollered one drive-by fan.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Michelle Rindels from Associated Press.
“It’s really crazy. It’s been a complete circus since early this morning.”
Dedrich McClure of TV News Guide who has covered Michael Jackson for several years said: “The king of Pop was one of the last true icons. Who else is there to cry over?”
The coroner’s office might not seem like an obvious place for fans to flock to but it made perfect sense for Maria Cervantes.
“We wanted to show our respects to the family. I know how hard it is for the family and what they are going through
“My kids loved his music and dancing. He was a hero to them and he will live on.”
Her 13-year old nephew Cristin Pineda told BBC News: “I was a big fan and when I heard he had died I thought it was a tragedy.
“I wanted to come here to say goodbye.”
NKEM IFEJIKA, NEW YORK
Above the entrance of the Apollo Theater in Harlem the neon sign reads: “In Memory of Michael Jackson, a true Apollo Legend, 1958 – 2009.”
At least 2,000 people have gathered outside spontaneously, blocking the pavement in front and opposite the famous venue. The overwhelming spirit in the crowd is of jubilation, dancing, singing, blaring out hit after Michael Jackson hit.
But there are sombre pockets of people carrying lit candles. One mourner fighting back the tears, and failing, says: “I just wish he could come back.”
This is Harlem, after all, often described as the heart of African-American culture. This was where, aged nine, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 got their first real break, winning Amateur Night in 1969. He returned several times over the years to perform.
The crowd transcended national barriers. One Frenchwoman says: “I know back home in Paris, my grandparents will be upset.”
A Hungarian reporter spoke about what Michael Jackson meant in the 1970s and 80s in Communist Eastern Europe: “It was part of our lives behind the Iron Curtain, a symbol of freedom for us, creativity, unlimited success.”
Occasional chants of “Michael, Michael, Michael” would erupt, after which another loudspeaker would play another song, pulling the crowd with it. Some wannabe moonwalkers entertained onlookers, complete with Jackson’s trademark white shirt, black trousers and hat from his Billie Jean days.
STEVE ROSENBERG, BERLIN
I’m standing in the waxwork museum Madame Tussauds in Berlin where the Michael Jackson waxwork has been moved into the foyer. There is a special book of condolences which visitors can sign after coming into the museum.
The waxwork museum is almost directly opposite the Adlon hotel. This is where Michael Jackson stayed in 2002 when he came to Berlin to pick up a music award.
And it’s where he very controversially dangled his own baby out of a top floor window, showing off the child to fans down below.
At the time, German police considered launching an investigation into the affair. They never did and despite the incident Michael Jackson remains supremely popular in Germany.
Reacting to the news of Michael Jackson’s death the German economy minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, said the pop star had been a truly great artist who met a tragic end.
ZUBAIR AHMED, MUMBAI
Television networks in India abandoned normal programmes to run news of Michael Jackson’s death.
Popular news websites and portals have wall-to-wall coverage of the pop star’s death. Mourners have been posting condolence messages on their favourite websites.
The singer, who was a huge name in India, had come to Mumbai 13 years ago when he performed at a packed concert.
He was invited by a right-wing Hindu nationalist party and his visit had become controversial, with some questioning how his music was connected to Hindu culture.
Regardless of the controversy, a whole generation of Bollywood music directors have been influenced by his music.
Some have been accused of plagiarizing his tunes. His dance sequences have also left a deep impression on Bollywood stars of the 70s and 80s.
NICK BRYANT, SYDNEY
On the east coast of Australia people awoke to the news that Michael Jackson had suffered a cardiac arrest, and heard that he’d died by the time they reached work.
The main television networks have been interrupting their schedules to carry special programmes, radio stations are playing some of his most popular hits, and fans are leaving tributes on web and social networking sites.
Walking through the streets of Sydney this morning, his signature song Thriller could be heard coming from passing cars.
People here are likening his death to the passing of other musical greats, such as Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
There’s been a conflicted response. There’s enormous respect here for his musical talent and his extraordinary stagecraft.
ROLAND BUERK, TOKYO
Japanese television networks broke into normal breakfast programmes to carry coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, and a text alert was sent early in the morning to people who subscribe to mobile phone news services.
The singer was a huge star in Japan – a country he visited often over the years. It was here in 2006 that he made his first official public appearance, at an awards ceremony, after being acquitted at his trial.
He came again a year later and a screaming mob of fans greeted him at the airport. There were more crowds outside a downtown electronics store where he went on a shopping spree.
And hundreds of people paid more than $3,000 for a ticket for what was known as a fan appreciation event.
It featured a buffet dinner, Michael Jackson impersonators, and a chance to be in the same room as the singer himself — but not to see him to perform.
Michael Jackson’s popularity was perhaps knocked less here by the scandals that surrounded him later in life.
People in Japan seemed more willing to overlook his much-publicised troubles and see him just as a great performer, and that’s how he’ll be remembered.
JONAH FISHER, JOHANNESBURG
Michael Jackson first visited Africa at the age of 14, as the lead singer of the Jackson Five.
Emerging from the plane in Senegal, he responded to a welcome of drummers and dancers by screaming: ”This is where I come from”.
Returning for an African tour 19 years later, the king of pop was crowned chief of several African villages.
Michael Jackson’s most tangible contribution to Africa came at the peak of his career in the mid-80s, when he co-wrote the charity song We Are The World with Lionel Ritchie.
The violent and unstable situation in Somalia was the subject of a U.S. congressional hearing on Thursday. Testimony by officials from Somalia, the United Nations and the African Union, and experts came as the Obama administration confirmed it has decided to bolster Somalia’s embattled Transitional Federal Government against Islamist forces.
With each day bringing further deterioration in Somalia, including among other things the recent bomb attack that killed the Somali transitional government security minister, Thursday’s hearing was timely.
Coinciding with the hearing, the State Department confirmed that the U.S. is providing urgent shipments of weapons and ammunition to Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, the TFG, to help it avoid a complete takeover by Islamist rebels the U.S. suspects has ties to al-Qaida.
Ted Dagne, African Affairs Specialist with the Congressional Research Service, predicted that violence is likely to increase in coming months as the Islamist group al-Shabaab, backed by foreign fighters, attempts to oust the transitional government. “The primary objective of this offensive is to force the collapse of the TFG (Transitional Federal Government), and to force AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) to leave Somalia,” he said.
Al-Shabaab has taken over much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia, and is on a U.S. government list of international terrorist groups.
Dagne says highly de-centralized and mobile al-Shabaab forces threaten the Transitional Federal Government, and noted that African Union forces are constrained because they are not authorized to take offensive action. He said al-Shabaab is supported by more than 400 foreign fighters, and is funded by al-Qaida and certain foreign governments.
Peter Pham, Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science and Africana Studies at James Madison University, says conditions in Somalia threaten security and stability of the Horn of Africa:
“Even without toppling the TFG, al-Shabaab has already achieved a major objective by securing a territorial base from which like-minded militants and terrorists can carry out attacks elsewhere, especially against targets in the Arabian Peninsula as well as participating in the current violence against Somalis,” he said.
Representative Donald Payne, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said further violence can be avoided only if Somalis from all three regions of the country come together: “As we gather today many Somalis continue to be displaced, maimed and killed. The dream and aspirations of millions of Somalis are on hold or crushed,” he said.
Of Somalia transitional government and regional officials invited to the hearing, the foreign minister of the Republic of Somaliland declined to attend.
But the President of the Puntland State of Somalia, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, appealed for foreign assistance to stable areas of the country, saying this would be the best way to prevent extremist groups from expanding areas they control:
“There are limited options for dealing with extremists and terrorist threats in Somalia. The international community must support stable regions, for example Puntland, and offer long-awaited development incentives in order to attract the attention of other Somali regions that see the benefits as counter-weight to joining extremists,” he said.
Speaking for the Transitional Federal Government, Idd BedelMohamed,Deputy Permanent Minister of Somalia at the United Nations, read a statement accusing al-Shabaab and some hardliners of rejecting reconciliation, and acknowledged that the transitional government faces intensified attacks:
“Insurgent groups continue to attack [the] Somali government and AMISOM forces with a new influx of foreign fighters allied and in support of al-Shabaab and its radical agenda. Attacks by radical groups against the combined forces of TFG and AMISOM are becoming more sophisticated, coordinated and lethal,” he said.
Ugandan Minister of Defense, Crispus Kiyonga, said the African Union force, composed of 2,590 Ugandan troops 1,600 from Burundi, has so far been able to defend the transitional government’s state house, Mogadishu port and airport, but said reinforcements to al-Shabaab have created a difficult situation.
“What we have in Somalia is an extraordinary situation that requires extraordinary means. For the U.N. to keep urging that peace be created first before a U.N. peacekeeping force can be sent continues to deny the Somali people badly-needed international forces to assist in the stabilization of that country,” he said.
Ngoga Gateretse, Senior Advisor to the African Union Special Envoy for Somalia, called the situation in Mogadishu grave and said al-Shabaab is trying to force an extreme form of Islam on the Somali people, “This is completely new and shocking to the majority of the Somalis. It is unfortunate that some would use the religious zeal of sincere Somalis to prosecute what amounts to terrorism and the promotion of their agenda,” he said.
A State Department official did not provide details of military aid going to the U.N.-backed transitional government. However, news reports quoting U.S. officials said it consisted of small arms as well as training which would be conducted outside the country.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia EthioPolitics.com — Ethiopian artists and music fans on Friday mourned the death of Michael Jackson which occurred late on Thursday with heart related health problems.
The news was received here with surprise and shock for the majority of his fans in Addis Ababa.
“I was really shocked by the news about the death of Michael Jackson who proved to the world that people of African descent can make great contribution to music in the world. I cannot say that Michael Jackson is dead, he will be with us for the coming so many years with his best works,” said Ethiopian artist, Solomon Tefera.
Tefera added that Michael Jackson, as a “king of Pop” remains as the best ever musical artiste in the world.
“We Africans should be proud of him and his works. His works are a legacy for the world artists and his fans,”added Tefera.
Michael Jackson who died at age 50 started to get recognition in the 1970s with his music that is still being played throughout the world in radio and TV stations.
“Michael Jackson’s death was unexpected. I did not believe when I heard the news from my friend. He was everything to the music. No musician will replace him in my age or beyond,” said artist Tigist Mesfin.
She added that she was looking forward Michael Jackson’s scheduled concerts in London. “We are unlucky that he died just before that. Michael Jackson will remain with us through his works, even in the next generation,” added Mesfin.
Ethiopian radio and television as well as local FM stations in Addis Ababa are playing his music since Friday morning.
A majority of the taxi drivers are also playing his music in their car stereos since the news of his death was announced here.
His fans are mostly in the ages of 30s and 40s here in Ethiopia..
His tracks like ’Thriller’ and ’Bad’ are among Michael Jackson’s best selling albums that are still popular throughout the world.
Michael Jackson was the first black artist whose video music was played on MTV in the early 1980s.
Michael Jackson is survived by his three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Lower birth rate and high death rate especially from HIV/AIDS are the factors causing lower population increase rate in the Amhara regional state, a controversial study by the Population Census Commission revealed this week.
The head of the census office, Samia Zekaria, told parliament on Thursday that her office had been re-examing the data collected during the 2007 census for the past several months and found out that there was no visible mistake made by data collectors.
She said that experts at the office have tried to identify the reasons why the population growth in the Amhara region only was lower than the others.
Due to HIV/AIDS and other reasons, life expectancy in Amhara region is lower than in other regions.
In addition, Amhara region witnessed a lower birth rate – the second lowest next to Tigray – which according to Samia, contributed to lower population growth rate in the region.
The population census released a few months ago puts population growth rate at 1.7 percent while in most other regions it is close to 3 percent.
The 2007 population census whose result was released months back put the population at 17.2 million while the projection was 19.6 million showing a difference of 2.4 million people.
The report drew criticism mainly from the Amhara Natinal Democratic Movement (ANDM) members. AMDM is one of the four parties which constitute the ruling coalition EPRDF.
One MP from EPRDF/AMDM, Tadesse Meskelu, said that it was ironic that HIV/AIDS should particularly kill most in Amhara region than in others.
Abdurahman Amedin of the Ethiopia Democratic Party (EDP) criticized the commission for not coming up with a satisfactory explanation and lamented the loss of time and money spent on re-evaluation. He said that it would have been less costly if another census was held in the region.
Samia, on her part, said that the commission had found no reason at all to conduct a population census again in the region.
She said that the problem lay in the projection rather than the actual count.
While voting was conducted to adopt the report, one EPRDF member, in a rare defiance observed in the ruling party, refrained from supporting the motion and abstained.
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) — Ethiopia’s [tribal junta] (the Woyanne regime) said on Friday it arrested three Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebels who beat up Chinese technicians in a raid on a dam construction site in the west.
State TV said three Chinese were in hospital after being badly beaten by the OLF gang during the attack this week at the Neshie Dam. The statement said they were planning “terrorist activities” there, and were later caught by security forces.
“The culprits beat Chinese technicians working at the site, robbed laptops, printers, digital surveying machines and other equipment at the site,” it said.
The three were paraded on TV, together with guns, communications equipment and bomb-making materials.
Prime Minister Warlord Meles Zenawi’s government blames the OLF, which has fought for autonomy for its southern homeland since 1993, for various explosions in the capital Addis Ababa.
[The Woyanne regime in] Addis Ababa accuses arch-enemy Eritrea of training and funding the OLF and other small rebel groups in Ethiopia’s remote, outlying areas. Asmara says that is an excuse to mask popular unrest with Meles’ government.
(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse, Writing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia