Xukuumada Somaliland oo war kasoo saartay muddo kordhinta iyo doorashooyinka 

Source: Hiiraan Online, Khamiis, October, 6, 2022 (HOL) – Qoraal kasoo baxay Wasaarada Arrimaha Dibadda Somaliland, ayaa lagu sheegay in xukuumadu soo dhawaynayso muddo kordhinta iyo in doorashooyinka loo qaban doono sida ugu haboon ee ugu dhakhsaha badan.

ⓘQoraalkan oo wasaarada arrimaha dibaddu ku sheegtay in uu kasoo baxay madaxweynaha Somaliland Muuse Biixi Cabdi, ayuu madaxweynuhu ku sheegay in ay ka go’antahay in uu doorashooyinka u qabto sida ugu dhakhsaha badan.

“Maamulkaygu wuxuu la shaqaynayaa hay’adaha dimuquraadiga ah, si uu u hubiyo in doorashooyinka soo socda loogu qabto wakhtiga ugu haboon ee ugu dhakhsaha badan, iyadoo la raacayo habraacyada guddida doorashooyinka”.

Waraaqda ayaa sidookale, lagu sheegay in uu madaxweynuhu soo dhawaynayo go’aanka guurtidu wakhtiga ugu kordhisay, si nidaamka dowladeed usii socdo inta laga qabanayo doorashooyinka.

Waxa kale oo uu sheegay in uu wadahadalada lasii wayo axsaabta siyaasada, isaga oo rajo ka qaba in horumar laga gaadho, oo la wada horumariyo nidaamka dimuquraadiga ah.

“Waxa naga go’an in aanu wadahadalada lasii wadno dhamaan saamilayda siyaasada, aniga oo rajo ka qaba in aanu isku nimaadno anaga oo muwaadiniin waddan wada leh ah, si aanu usii horumarino nidaamkayaga dimuquraadiyadeed”.

Qoraalka ayaa lagu sheegay in Somaliland ay hore usoo qabatay doorashooyin hal qof iyo hal cod ah, iyadoo caalamku uu korjoogtaynayay, isla markaana hay’addaha dimuquraadiga ah ee Somaliland ay yihiin qaar adkaysi leh, oo madaxbannaan.

Abdilahi Geel-maal, Hiiraan Online
abdilahi@hiiraan.com

Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels accept AU call for talks 

David Bamford
Source: BBC, Thursday October 6, 2022

Fighting in Tigray state resumed in August

Both sides in the two-year long civil war in northern Ethiopia have now agreed to attend peace talks this weekend in South Africa. following an invitation by the African Union.

Tigrayan rebels confirmed they would take part after the Addis Ababa government confirmed its participation earlier on Wednesday.

The Tigray rebels have however raised some questions about the invited participants, observers, guarantors and the role of the international community.

“Considering we were not consulted prior to the issuance of this invitation, we need clarification to some of the following issues to establish an auspicious start for the peace talks,” said a statement signed by Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael.

Fighting in Tigray state resumed in August, breaking a five-month humanitarian truce.

The upsurge has also brought in troops from neighbouring Eritrea, who are backing the Ethiopian government army.

The talks will include as mediators former presidents of Nigeria and Kenya, Olusegun Obasanjo and Uhuru Kenyatta.

United States Donates Training Center to Strengthen Somalia’s Maritime Security 

Source: USA, Thursday October 6, 2022

United States Ambassador to Somalia Larry André joined Minister of Internal Security Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh Ali and Somali Police Commissioner Major General Abdi Hassan Mohamed Hijaar on Wednesday, October 5, to open the newly constructed Maritime Training Center in Mogadishu.

“Somalia has the longest coastline in continental Africa and rich marine resources,” said Ambassador André at the inaugural event.
To protect the interests of the Somali people in the sustainable development of those resources, the government of Somalia, coordinating between multiple ministries at federal and state levels, requires the means to surveil, to monitor, and to enforce the law in its territorial waters.  This training center will contribute to the Somali government’s effectiveness at carrying out that important responsibility.”

The U.S. Government’s State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) funded the construction of the facility through the United Nations Office Drugs and Crimes – Global Maritime Crime Program (UNODC GMPC).  With cooperation from the Ministry of Internal Security, the Somali Police Force, and the Department of Coast Guard/Mogadishu Maritime Police Unit, as well as other partners including INTERPOL and the Halo Trust, the new facility will support training in a secure area that can be jointly accessed by all levels of government law enforcement and international partners offering training support.

The United States has provided more than $3 million to support Somali-led maritime capacity building programs that develop the capacity of security and justice partners in Somalia.

“We would like to thank to thank the Embassy of the United States and the people of the United States for this support for the Somali Police Force,” said Commissioner Hijaar.  “The ocean needs to be protected – both the resources within it and the security on its surface.  This is just one area where the United States is supporting the Somali Police Force.”

SNA: Al Shabaab spokesman succumbs to wounds in Middle Shabelle region 

Source: Hiiraan Online, Thursday October 6, 2022

Mogadishu (HOL) – Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Dhere reportedly died of injuries sustained during heavy fighting in the Hiiraan region this week, according to Somalia’s military.

Somali National Army radio reported that the spokesman was wounded in the most recent heavy fighting in El-Qohle on September 29.advertisementsThis claim has not yet been independently verified. Senior Al Shabaab figures have been falsely reported as dead in the past.

Somali government forces backed by local pro-government militia groups killed 80 fighters, including a senior leader known as Qoorgaab, during the offensive operation in El-Qohle village, radio reported.

According to army radio sources, he died last Sunday at 04:30 p.m. at a hospital in the Aden Yabal district of the Middle Shabelle region.

There has been no independent confirmation of the claim.

On Monday, the group’s co-founder Abdullahi Nadir was killed in an operation by the national forces in collaboration with international partner forces in the Haramka area in the Middle Juba region on October 1

Getting Sudan’s Democratic Transition Back on Track

 Source. The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) published on 3 October 2022 a commentary titled “Helping Put Sudan’s Democratic Transition Back on Track” by Benjamin Oestericher, FPRI intern.

The author argues that the international community, especially the United States, failed to adequately support Sudan’s civilian government during the key window of opportunity it had to gain the legitimacy of the Sudanese people.  COVID-19, climate change, and serious flooding exacerbated the challenge.

Comment:  The missing part of this argument is the unwillingness of the military, which has the guns, to yield meaningful power to a civilian government.  

Labels: Abdalla Hamdok, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, climate change, coup d’état, COVID-19, democracy, Egypt, flooding, Forces for Freedom and Change, Resistance Committees, state sponsor of terrorism, Sudan, US

U.S. military kills wanted Shabaab leader in airstrike in Somalia 

Source: Threat Matrix, BY BILL ROGGIO AND CALEB WEISS
Tuesday October 4, 2022

The U.S. military killed a senior Shabaab leader in an airstrike in a terrorist haven in southern Somalia on Oct. 1. Abdullahi Yare, the Shabaab commander who was killed, had a $3 million reward out for his capture, and is the first senior Shabaab leader killed in more than two years.

Somalia’s Ministry of Information stated that Yare, also known as Abdullahi Nadir, was killed in a joint operation with “international security partners in Haramka village in Middle Jubba region.” According to the Somali government, Yare was acting as the head of Shabaab’s da’wah, or proselytizing, department at the time of his death.

The Somali government also noted that Yare was a close ally of both Ahmad Abdi Godane (a.k.a Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr), Shabaab’s first emir, and its current emir, Abu Udaidah Ahmad Umar. Yare was also reportedly a co-founder of Shabaab, which emerged as the youth wing of the former Islamic Courts Union (ICU) around 2005.
advertisementsU.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed that it launched an airstrike on Oct. 1 “near Jilib.” Haramka, where Yare was killed, is approximately 50 miles from Jilib.

“The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed a Shabaab leader and that no civilians were injured or killed,” AFRICOM noted in its press release that announced the strike. Shabaab is al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa.

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offered a $3 million reward for information leading to Yare’s capture and conviction in February 2022. Rewards for Justice noted that Yare, who is also known as Abdullahi Yarisow and Ubeyd, “plays a prominent religious role within Shabaab” and he “previously … served as Shabaab’s head of media.”

Shabaab has not yet commented on Yare’s reported death. Earlier this year, Ethiopia claimed it killed two other senior leaders of Shabaab, Fu’ad Mohamad Khalaf and Abdulaziz Abu Musab. However, the al Qaeda branch quickly disproved these allegations with photo or visual evidence from both leaders.

Yare is the first top tier Shabaab leader reported killed in U.S. counterterrorism operations in Somalia since Aug. 25, 2020, when the U.S. killed Abdulqadir Commandos. AFRICOM launched 19 other strikes since it killed Commandos, but the targets, with the exception of Yare, were a mix of low-level Shabaab fighters, explosive experts, and military compounds.

A majority of the strikes are what AFRICOM describes as “defensive,” meaning they were launched to support Somali forces as they were being attacked by Shabaab.

According to data compiled by FDD’s Long War Journal, the United States has launched at least 236 airstrikes killing at least 1069 people in Somalia since 2007. The United States maintains that the vast majority of those killed were affiliated with Shabaab.

The U.S. military continues to describe Shabaab as a significant threat to U.S. security. AFRICOM described Shabaab as “the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests.”

The reported killing of Yare comes as Shabaab faces severe military operations against it across central Somalia. Earlier today, the group launched a series of three suicide bombings in the city of Beledweyne as retaliation for the operations.

Despite some setbacks in recent years, Shabaab continues to be one of al Qaeda’s most effective branches. It maintains significant control over much of southern Somalia and retains the ability to strike in Mogadishu, Kenya, where it also controls territory, and against heavily fortified bases in both Somalia and Kenya.

Note: the spelling of “Shabaab” has been changed to remain consistent throughout the article.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.

Somaliland’s House of Elders approves multi-year term extensions for itself and president 

Source: Hiiraan Online, Saturday October 1, 2022

Hargeisa (HOL) – Somaliland House of Elders extended President Muse Bihi Abdi’s term of office by two years on Saturday, and the tenure of the House of Elders was also extended by five years.

Members of the House voted by a majority vote to extend the term of the president and the mandate of the office of the senate.

Lawmaker Omar Nur Waye, the lone member who did not vote on the extension, said there should have been more dialogue before the decision.

Somaliland’s opposition parties said they would not accept an extension for President Bihi without consultation.

Last Saturday, Somaliland’s electoral commission announced that technical and financial issues meant the poll could not go ahead.

The commission did not set a potential new date, saying there would be “a nine-month delay from October 1, 2022.”

Muse Bihi Abdi was elected president of the self-proclaimed republic on the Horn of Africa on a five-year mandate in 2017, and the election was scheduled for November 13, a month before his term expires.

The Role of Religious Actors in Somali Politics

 Source: The Rift Valley Institute and Somali Public Agenda published in 2022 a report titled “The Role of Religious Actors in Contemporary Somali Politics: Key Dynamics and Opportunities for Engagement” by Stig Jarle Hansen, Mahad Wasuge, Abdimalik Abdullahi, and Abdullahi Adan.  

Since the collapse of the Somali state in 1991, religious organizations have demonstrated strong staying power when compared with the rapidly changing mosaic of non-faith-based actors.  In so doing, they have acted as a source of institutional stability in Somalia.  At one end of the spectrum, religious groups actively participate in armed combat or seek to gain power over, or exert influence on government.  At the other end lies the broader societal influence wielded by religious leaders and groups, which, though not explicitly political, may have political consequences.  Religious actors are set to play a significant role in Somalia’s emerging democratization process and the broader shaping of the country’s political settlement in the years to come.   

Labels: armed insurgency, civil society, clans, governance, Islam, peace process, political parties, religion, shafi’i, Somalia, sufism

Ukraine Donates Wheat to Ethiopia and Somalia; Germany and France Cover Transport

 Source: The German Foreign Office posted on 22 September 2022 a press release titled “Ukrainian Wheat for the Horn of Africa: Germany Supports International Assistance Mission.”

In spite of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is donating 50,000 tons of wheat to the people of Ethiopia and Somalia.  Germany and France are providing funding to the World Food Program to cover the cost of transportation.  

Labels: aid, Ethiopia, France, Germany, hunger, Russia, Somalia, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, WFP, wheat

Ethiopia Cancels Contract with Chinese Petroleum Company

 Source: The Addis Standard published on 21 September 2022 an article titled “Ethiopia Terminates Contract with Chinese POLY-GCL Effective Today.”

Ethiopia announced the termination of a contract with Chinese oil and gas company POLY-GCL for failure to meet the conditions of the agreement.  POLY-GCL has been exploring for oil and natural gas in the Ogaden basin of Somali Region since 2013.  

Labels: Abiy Ahmed, China, contracts, Ethiopia, natural gas, oil, POLY-GCL, Somali Region

Somalia confirms Turkish TB2 deployed against Al Shabaab 

Source: Hiiraan Online, Tuesday September 27, 2022

Mogadishu (HOL) – The use of Turkish drones in the recent offensive against Al Shabaab fighters in central and southern Somalia has been confirmed by Somalia.

In an interview with Universal TV, Somalia’s interior minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, acknowledged the use of the “Bayraktar TB2,” which has become a household name in the world of military technology.

“When it became clear that the Somali people were willing to rise and fight, several countries expressed their support. Turkey has joined the offensive by providing air support, and other governments are assisting with intelligence”. He went on to say that US forces had also carried out air strikes in support of government troops.

The minister declined to provide additional details on the strikes, citing operational security, and the Turkish military has not confirmed or denied its participation in the offensive.

The SNA’s current offensive is arguably the most successful in a decade, having captured dozens of villages and killed hundreds of suspected Al Shabaab fighters.

According to reliable military sources, the first Turkish drones were delivered to Somalia in December 2021. Those drones were reportedly for reconnaissance purposes only and were not armed with anti-tank missiles.

The highly coveted drone, pronounced “bye-rack-tar,” which means “standard bearer” in Turkish, has propelled Turkey into the ranks of the world’s top drone powers, alongside the United States, Israel, China, and Iran. According to official statistics released this summer, Turkey’s defence and aerospace exports in the first half of 2022 reached a record high of nearly $2 billion, up 48 percent from the same period in 2021.

The TB2 can fly to a height of 7,600m (25,000ft) and remain in the air for up to 27 hours. It is designed to accommodate laser-guided micro missiles onboard.

Analysts say the TB2 drone cannot perform as well as a $32 million US-made Reaper, but it is significantly less expensive at around $5 million per aircraft and represents a better value overall.

Somaliland: House of Elders sends amendments to election law back to Lower House 

Source: Hiiraan Online, Tuesday September 27, 2022

Hargeisa (HOL) – Somaliland House of Elders sent an amendment to the nation’s election law back to the House of Representatives on Monday.

The law sought to alter the rules governing organizations and political parties.The House of elders stated that their decision was based on a complaint from 46 MPs, who argued that the vote violated House bylaws.

The amendment was presented to the House of Elders on September 19, following a contentious vote. The House of elders stated that their decision to send the legislation back was based on a complaint from 46 MPs, who argued that the vote violated House bylaws.

“We determined that this amendment should not be placed before the house and should be returned to the House of Representatives after consulting with the house’s lawyer,” the House of Elders said in a statement.

The election law amended by the House of Representatives allows the presidential election and the formation of political organizations to be held simultaneously. 

The parliamentary speaker called off the House of Representatives session on Saturday after lawmakers from the opposition, and the government disagreed on the legality of the election law amendment.

The electoral commission of Somaliland announced on Saturday that the presidential election would be postponed due to “technical and financial reasons,” according to the electoral commission.

The commission did not specify a new date, only stating that there would be a “nine-month delay beginning October 1, 2022.”

Muse Bihi Abdi was elected President of the self-proclaimed Horn of Africa Republic for a five-year term in 2017, and the election was set for November 13, a month before his term expires.
 

FORUMCIV: Håll det ni lovat och håll ut i förhandlingarna 
Regeringsskiftet riskerar att ta oss bakåt när vi behöver gå ännu snabbare framåt. Vi står inför en brant
uppförsbacke i många av de globala utmaningar som vi måste hantera. Det kräver mer internationellt
samarbete, inte mindre. Det kräver långsiktighet och en förståelse för att världen och politikområden
hänger samman. Nu har vi ett regeringsalternativ där de två största partierna drastiskt vill minska
Sveriges internationella bistånd för att finansiera satsningar på hemmaplan.
Det är kristider
Partiledarna har pratat om kristider i valrörelsen. Ökade energi- och matpriser drabbar oss i Sverige.
Det är kristider. Men om vi lyfter blicken ser vi att kriserna är som störst utanför Sveriges gränser. 71
miljoner människor i världens utvecklingsländer har hamnat i fattigdom som en direkt följd av höjda
mat- och energipriser på grund av Rysslands invasion av Ukraina. Kriget är en av flera konflikter som
tvingar människor på flykt och in i fattigdom. Vi är mitt i en klimatkris som påverkar redan utsatta
människors vardag i detta nu. Detta i länder där utvecklingen redan backat till följd av pandemin och
som inte alls har samma förutsättningar att bemöta kriser som vi. I det läget kan vi inte skära ner
biståndet och ta pengar från de som har allra minst. Det skulle till exempel leda till att flickor inte får
gå i skolan, att hungern fortsätter att öka och att demokratikämpar som redan idag riskerar sina liv
skulle stå utan skydd och stöd.
Att agera kortsiktigt och vända sig inåt är inte vägen framåt i kristider. Biståndet är inte den enda
lösningen men det är den enda resursen vi har som syftar till att ge de mest utsatta människorna
möjlighet att förändra sin situation.
Det är nu det gäller – stå upp för det svenska biståndet!
Engagemanget för internationellt bistånd handlar om vilken värld vi vill leva i, om värderingar och
visioner. Det handlar om en värld utan fattigdom där människor kan åtnjuta sina rättigheter, om
demokrati och frihet från förtryck, oavsett vem du är eller var du bor.
Vi är XX organisationer som tillsammans med partnerorganisationer runt om i världen arbetar för att
stärka människors möjlighet att förbättra sina liv. Vi uppmanar den kommande regeringen att inte
vända världen ryggen när biståndet behövs mer än någonsin. Det är nu de politiker som lovat sina
väljare en bättre värld måste hålla i och hålla ut i förhandlingarna för att inte svika de mest utsatta. Det
är nu det gäller – stå upp för det svenska biståndet.

Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean Security

Photo: U.S. Navy

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, (SIPRI), The Horn of Africa is undergoing far-reaching changes in its external security environment. A wide variety of international security actors—from Europe, the United States, the Middle East, the Gulf, and Asia—are currently operating in the region. As a result, the Horn has experienced a proliferation of foreign military bases and a build-up of naval forces. The foreign military presence in the Horn increasingly operates as part of much wider military networks—across the Middle East and the Gulf, and the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The external militarisation of the Horn is promoting a shift in regional security. In particular, the increased importance of maritime security issues has blurred the conventional division between the Horn, the Middle East and the Gulf, and the Indian Ocean.  Over the next decade, the Horn’s international security linkages are likely to strengthen further. The emergence of crowded international security politics in the Horn raises the prospect of proxy struggles, growing geopolitical tensions and a further extension of externally driven security agendas in the region. 

SIPRI’s work on the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean Security will analyse peace and conflict challenges in the region. Specifically, the work will focus on the interface between the fast-developing regional agendas of external emerging and traditional international security actors, and the evolving conflict dynamics within the region.

2022 Stockholm Security Conference

STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL
PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

November 2022 09:00 – 14 November 2022 19:00,

Online event

Source: Stokholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), On 8–14 November, SIPRI will convene the seventh annual Stockholm Security Conference, this year under the heading of ‘Trends of Conflict and Warfare in the 21st Century: Effects and Impact of the War in Ukraine’. The conference will be held in a virtual format with more information forthcoming.

When last year’s conference launched a series on the theme ‘Battlefields of the Future’, war as a phenomenon was expected to continue. However, nobody expected or could predict the type of war being witnessed in Ukraine: a contemporary interstate war in Europe. This war is considered a game changer. What does that mean for battlefields of the future?

Against this backdrop, the 2022 conference will focus on the means and methods of warfare used in Ukraine and what implications they have for military spending, the development of new weapons and the role of information warfare. The conference will also explore the effects of the war on the global multilateral system and regional dynamics as well as on old and new nuclear risks. The concepts of protection of civilians and urban warfare discussed during the 2021 conference have become even more relevant. This year’s conference will explore the complexities surrounding the protection of civilians with a particular focus on gender, peacekeeping and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) perspectives.

SIPRI produced a short film that summarizes key findings from the hybrid 2021 Stockholm Security Conference on ‘Battlefields of the Future: Trends of Conflict and Warfare in the 21st Century’. Footage of the discussions from last year’s conference is available on SIPRI’s YouTube channel.

Registration information

Information about the registration process for the online sessions will be made available on this page.

Conference inquiries

For more information, please contact the conference organizing team at sthlmseccon@sipri.org.

Media contacts

For media enquiries, please contact Alexandra Manolache, Media and Communications Officer (alexandra.manolache@sipri.org, +46 76 628 61 33) or Stephanie Blenckner, Director of Communications (blenckner@sipri.org, +46 8 655 97 47).

Is Sudan Destined to Be a Failed State?

 Source: World Politics Review published on 23 September 2022 an analysis titled “Sudan’s Stalled ‘Transition’ Could Create a Failed State” by Yasir Zaidan, National University of Sudan.  

Sudan is facing institutional paralysis, an economic crisis, and deepening sociopolitical tensions that risk the result of a failed state.  

Labels: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, border conflict, coup d’état, Darfur, democracy, economic crisis, Ethiopia, failed state, Forces for Freedom and Change, inflation, mediation, Rapid Support Forces, Sudan

Back to War in Ethiopia

 Source: The International Crisis Group aired on 23 September 2022 a 55-minute podcast titled “Back to War in Ethiopia” with Richard Atwood and William Davison.  

They discussed the failure of the cease fire and resumption of fighting, the problem of reestablishing essential services in Tigray Region, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.  They shed light on the now interrupted peace talks that took place in Seychelles and Djibouti, and concluded that it will be challenging to get them back on track.  In fact, it looks more like an all out war will ensue.

Labels: Abiy Ahmed, Amhara Region, AU, civil war, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU, Fano, human rights, humanitarian crisis, Isaias Afewerki, peace process, sanctions, Tigray Region, UN, US, war crimes

Sunday 25 September, 2022

Somaliland National electoral commission says 13th November presidential election is not possible

Source: Somaliland.News, ByChief Editor on September 24, 2022

The Somaliland National electoral commission publicly said for the first time that holding the 13th November Presidential election is not possible citing technical and financial problems. This could pave way for President Bihi to extend his term in office.

The national electoral commission said they will need 9 months to conduct the elections starting from 1st October 2022. According to the constitution, the house of elders can only extend the term of office of the president after the electoral commission announces a time they could manage to hold the election, but, it’s not yet clear if the house will extend for the President the 9 months requested by the electoral commission or not.

The announcement of the electoral commission came barely a few days after the house of representatives approved a bill favoring combining the Presidential and political association election which still has stages to be approved by the house of elders and the President.

This is not the first time Somaliland’s national electoral commission has informed the public that they can not manage to hold a planned election as the country previously faced several election postponements due to numerous reasons, including technical and financial problems as well as droughts.

Ideas for Reaching Peace in Ethiopia

 Source: Aljazeera published on 22 September 2022 a commentary titled “What Ethiopia and Tigray Need for Peace Talks to Succeed” by Mahari Taddele Maru, scholar on peace and security.  

The author proposes a process that he believes constitutes the best way to achieve peace in northern Ethiopia. 

Labels: Abiy Ahmed, AU, drones, Ethiopia, EU, mediation, Olusegun Obasanjo, peace process, Tigray Region, TPLF, Uhuru Kenyatta, UN, US

Qatar pledges $12mn in aid to Horn of Africa 

Source: Gulf Times, Friday September 23, 2022

HE Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs Dr Mohamed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh al-Khulaifi 

Qatar has pledged $12mn in humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa, noting that millions of people in this region are facing the threat of starvation and enormous challenges caused by the deteriorating conditions due to drought, food insecurity and malnutrition.

This came in a speech delivered by HE Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs Dr Mohamed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh al-Khulaifi at the High Level Side Event: Responding to the Urgent Humanitarian Needs in the Horn of Africa.

The event was hosted by Qatar alongside Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom, in co-operation with the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In his speech HE al-Khulaifi said that the collapsed situation and the great humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa require continuous commitment and urgent measures from the international community to reach those in dire need of aid, reduce risks, and enhance the resilience of the population; adding that this event constitutes an important opportunity to reaffirm unwavering support for the countries of the Horn of Africa as they struggle to meet its basic needs.

He underlined that Qatar has been keen to co-operate with the international community in order to address humanitarian challenges, affirming that Qatar gives top priority to providing humanitarian and development assistance, especially in areas of greatest need.

He explained that this approach constitutes an essential pillar of Qatar’s policy, pointing in this regard to its leading role in the field of providing humanitarian assistance, and undertaking many initiatives and efforts in this field, based on its moral responsibilities and obligations.

HE al-Khulaifi expressed Qatar’s pride in being one of the most prominent countries that support the United Nations in many fields, pointing to the pledge of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and its partners in 2021 to finance sustainable development and humanitarian relief, which has transformed the lives of people in 47 countries around the world, including countries of the Horn of Africa.

In addition, QFFD, in co-operation with Qatar Red Crescent, has started to support the health, water, sanitation and hygiene sectors in Somalia for two years. In co-operation with a number of institutions in Qatar, QFFD is also financing and implementing many development projects in different sectors in Somalia, including infrastructure, education and economic empowerment, he added.

HE al-Khulaifi also expressed Qatar’s pride in hosting the second part of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) from March 5 to 9, 2023; stressing the importance of strengthening the capacity of the least developed countries to face complex and unexpected emergencies, such as the ongoing crises in the Horn of Africa.

He considered the conference an important opportunity to bring about a transformational change in the lives of those who live in the most vulnerable countries.

HE the Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Affairs underlined that solidarity and multilateral action have become more important than ever; adding that Qatar will remain deeply committed to harmonious humanitarian work, and it has a priority to maintain its great contribution to alleviating human suffering, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

He expressed Qatar’s deep gratitude to all humanitarian workers who continue to work tirelessly to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to millions of people around the world, stressing that their commendable efforts represent an inspiration to everyone