by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 18, 2019 | Okategoriserade
ICJ gives conditions for attendance of Kenya-Somalia hearings Source: theSTAR,Wednesday September 18, 2019 by PATRICK VIDIJA The Hague Based International Justice Court –ICJ is scheduled to start public hearings over the maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia in early November. On Tuesday, the court outlined conditions to journalists, diplomats and members of the public wishing to attend the hearings. Journalists who had received accreditation for the hearings which were initially set for the first week of September have been told they will have to reapply. “Owing to the limited number of seats available in the Great Hall of Justice, priority access will be given to representatives of the States Parties to the case, and to members of the diplomatic corps,” a statement from the court said. Diplomats and Journalists have until October 24 to apply for accreditation to access the court for the hearings.”A number of seats will be allocated to members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be no advance registration procedure, and admission requests submitted beforehand will not be considered,” the statement said. In the statement, the court said the first round of hearing will take place from November 4 and 6. “The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya), from Monday 4 to Friday 8 November 2019 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court,” the statement read in part. According to the court, the hearings, in this case, have been rescheduled further to...
by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 18, 2019 | Okategoriserade
Be patient: Ethiopia PM tells tribes looking to break away Source: africanews, Wednesday September 18, 2019 On Sunday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked ethnic groups pushing to form breakaway regions to be patient and join him in building “a great Ethiopia”. Abiy made the plea during a visit to leaders of the Kafficho ethnic group, that are seeking to create a new federal state heightening further destabilization in Ethiopia’s diverse southern region. “You think that there will be many problems in your problems, there are many interrelated and systemic issues that need to be considered.,” said Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister.The southern region was rocked by violence two months ago following a similar campaign by the Sidama ethnic group. “We have historical problems, that’s why it’s so much about being sensational or tribalistic,” Meaza Assefa, local merchant. Ethiopia’s constitution requires the government to organise a referendum for any ethnic group that wants to form a new entity. At least 11 groups have submitted such bids in the...
by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 16, 2019 | Okategoriserade
Ozone on track to heal completely in our lifetime, UN environment agency declares on World Day. Source: UN, 16 September 2019 Climate Change NASA At the current momentum, scientists predict the planet’s protective shield of gas – or ozone layer as we know it – will be completely healed as far as some regions of the planet are concerned, by the 2030’s, the UN’s environmental agency (UNEP) revealed on...
by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 16, 2019 | Okategoriserade
Burundian soldiers killed in Somalia ambush Source: AFP, Monday September 16, 2019 A senior official contacted by telephone in the Burundian city of Bujumbura said 12 Burundian soldiers had been killed and six injured. AFP PHOTO An unspecified number of Burundian peacekeepers were killed Saturday when a military convoy was ambushed by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, security sources said on Sunday. “We’ve been informed about an ambush in which a number of Burundian soldiers were killed,” Abdikarim Hassan, a local Somali security official told AFP. A senior official contacted by telephone in the Burundian city of Bujumbura told AFP 12 Burundian soldiers had been killed and six injured. “Yes it’s true. Unfortunately 12 of our soldiers were killed and six others injured yesterday (Saturday) by Shabaab militants who ambushed them as they were returning from a security mission in a convoy going from Jowhar to Mogadishu,” the Burundian official said on condition of anonymity.Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, claiming to have killed 14 Burundian soldiers. The soldiers, who were serving with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (Amisom), were attacked on the road linking Mogadishu and the city of Jowhar, 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of the capital. The Shabaab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple the Somali government. A few hours before the attack a bomb exploded on the same road, killing three people including two local officials, Hassan added. Resident Ahmed Haji said villagers had heard gunfire and seen bodies. “Some villagers saw the dead bodies of the AU soldiers near...
by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 14, 2019 | Okategoriserade
UAE build military airport converted for civilian use-Somaliland president Source; Hiiraan Online Saturday September 14, 2019 HARGEISA (HOL) – The airport under construction as part of the UAE military base in Berbera will now be converted for civilian use, Somaliland president Muse Bihi has said. Speaking upon return from the neighbouring Djibouti, Bihi told journalists the construction of the airport will from next week be handed over to a new company to complete the construction works. “People thought this was a military airport but it be used for civilian purposes,” Bihi said adding the new constructor will be expected to deliver its equipment next week to continue the construction. It was not however immediately clear if the new changes affects the naval base deal approved by Somaliland parliament in 2017. Divers Marine Contracting LLC which won the bid to construct the naval base at the cost of $90 million said in a media interview with Bloomberg last November that it would conclude the construction of the base in June 2019. Somaliland parliament in a majority vote in February 2017 approved UAE’s request to build a naval base in Berbera few months after it also endorsed the $442 million 30 year concession for the construction and operation of the Berbera Port by the UAE government owned DP World. The agreements sparked sharp criticism from Mogadishu leading to a declaration by the Federal Parliament that the deals were unconstitutional and that DP World should cease its presence in Somalia. Djibouti has been at loggerheads with DP World resulting in a government takeover of the Dorale Container Terminal which the UAE ports operator...
by Jama Abdillahi | Sep 13, 2019 | Okategoriserade
Competition, Cooperation and Security in the Red Sea Source: The Institute for Security Studies published in August 2019 The Institute for Security Studies published in August 2019 a study titled “Competition, Cooperation and Security in the Red Sea” by Omar S. Mahmood. The report assesses current developments, covering ongoing rivalries in the Red Sea region and making recommendations for future collaboration. 0 comments Labels: Arab League, AU, Djibouti, Egypt, environment, Eritrea, Ethiopia, GCC, IGAD, piracy, Qatar, Red Sea, Saudi...
