Somalia in the International limelight for all the wrong reasons

The Somali people are sick of fighting and all they yearn for is a chance at peace and a normal existence free from violence. To achieve this, however, they need strong leadership with a long term strategy to rebuild the nation.

During their meeting in London, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Gordon Brown discussed issues related to the current Somali crisis and how Britain could further offer support to assist President Sharif’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to tackle the key issues that are proving to be an obstacle to the achievement of long term peace in Somalia such as Al-Shabaab and the fear of Al-Qaeda making Somalia its new international Headquarters. Mr. Brown also personally requested that Sheikh Sharif and his government work hard on the release of the British couple that are still held hostage by Somali Pirates somewhere in Somalia.

The key obstacles to Somalia’s peace and stability are far too complex for any individual Somali leader to address, let alone an unelected leader who most of his citizens despise. Sheikh Sharif’s poor leadership should not be encouraged by any welcome or invitation by any government anywhere in the world. He and his TFG are far too insignificant to make any real changes in Somalia.

Human Rights Watch urges Kenya to stop military recruitment of Somali refugees

Human Rights Watch urges Kenya to prohibit Somali military recruiters from conscripting displaced men and boys in Kenya’s sprawling Dadaab refugee camps

British Somali communities under the microscope

“The human chain to the Horn of Africa is at the centre of a number of ongoing secret operations. The most established British Somali communities – in London, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol – have been placed under the microscope, but “significant investigations” have been targeted on Manchester and West Yorkshire

Southern neighbour puts Somaliland on Horn of a dilemma

AFTER almost two decades as a failed state torn by civil war, perhaps the world should begin to admit that Somalia – as currently constructed – is beyond repair.

Some of the country, however, can meet at least a basic standard of governance. The northernmost region, Somaliland, situated at the opening to the Red Sea and home to roughly 3.5 million of Somalia’s ten million people, is more or less autonomous and stable.