Columbus Dispatch (Ohio), February 3, 2004
HOPE FOR SOMALIA ; Homeland for many in Columbus has a shot at a stable government
Somalia, homeland of about 20,000 people in central Ohio, has long been racked by violence and political chaos. So diplomats
and world leaders took notice Thursday when the country's warring factions signed an agreement to form a new government.
The yearlong peace talks in Kenya were the latest of 14 rounds of negotiations since the government splintered in 1991. It is
the first accord to include all armed groups that have ripped the nation apart for 13 years.
The next step for the 42 Somali leaders involved in the talks is to choose a parliament, which then will choose the country's
first national government since the dictatorship of Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
After the '91 uprising, Somalia collapsed into warlord-ruled factions, formed along clan lines. Attempts to create a central government led to temporary coalitions among warlords, whose militias cruised the roads in trucks mounted with guns.
As the lawlessness dragged on for a decade, U.S. officials worried that Somalia would be a breeding ground for international terrorists.
This chaos exacerbated problems brought on by drought, leading to famine and disease. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis were forced into refugee camps in Kenya or to depart the Horn of Africa. Columbus was the destination for many other emigrants.
Somali pessimism about the prospects for a stable government and a lasting peace is understandable. A transitional government formed in 2000 turned out to have power limited to a few blocks around the center of government in the capital, Mogadishu.
Areas beyond that remained under the control of rival militias.
The new pact unites most of Somalia under one government drawn from a 275-member parliament elected by clan leaders. The four major clans will each select 61 members of parliament and one coalition of smaller clans will select 31. The task of dividing the seats among sub-clans is left to each group.
No timetable has been set for the process, which will be difficult because of clan rivalries. Once formed, the parliament will choose the president, who will nominate a prime minister to establish a government.
A decade ago, Americans were caught up in the ugliness in Somalia. About 20,000 U.S. troops were sent in to support a U.N.
campaign to bring aid and stability to the ravaged population.
In 1993, when U.S. troops serving as peacekeepers tried to capture one of the most powerful warlords, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a fierce firefight broke out. That battle, featured in the book and movie Black Hawk Down, left 18 U.S. soldiers dead and led to the eventual pullout of U.N. peacekeepers.
Aidid died of wounds received in factional violence in 1996.
Long-suffering Somalis deserve a chance for peace and stability in their homeland. We hope their tribal leaders allow it to happen.
GRAPHIC: Photo, AP PHOTO/, Somalia faction leader Hussein Aidid celebrates with other leaders in Nairobi,, Kenya.
Terror suspect Warsame appears in court
The Associated Press, February 2, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS - A man who authorities say admitted to attending a training camp in Afghanistan at the same time as Osama bin Laden appeared in court Monday to hear charges that he conspired with the terror network al-Qaida.
Mohammed Warsame answered "Yes" when Chief Magistrate Judge Franklin Noel asked him if he understood the charges against him.
Other than answering a few other procedural questions, he did not speak.
A Minneapolis grand jury last month indicted Warsame on conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida.
FBI agents arrested Warsame in December on a material witness warrant issued in New York.
The indictment alleges Warsame conspired to provide material support and resources to al-Qaida from March 2000 until Dec. 8.
Neither the indictment nor the affidavit revealed any other details about the alleged conspiracy, and the prosecutor declined to comment.
Warsame was represented Monday by Dan Scott, the chief federal public defender in Minnesota. Scott told the court he was upset by restrictions he said Attorney General John Ashcroft was trying to set before Warsame could be seen by an attorney.
Scott said the conditions - known as special administrative measures - include who in Scott's office can speak to Warsame, who can be present during discussions with him and what use can be made of information that comes from discussions.
"They want me to agree to restrain his rights," Scott said after the hearing. "I won't do it."
Scott, who appeared with Warsame during a closed court hearing in Minneapolis in mid-December, said he had not seen Warsame since Dec. 23, when he was taken to New York.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Ward said he and Scott should be able to reach a compromise so Scott and Warsame can see each other. The restrictions, he said, mainly deal with third-party messages that could be relayed by a family member or an attorney to a defendant. He said the conditions do not interfere with an attorney's ability to prepare a case.
The two-page section of the Code of Federal Regulations where the rules are set forth is titled, "Prevention of acts of violence and terrorism."
Noel set Warsame's arraignment for Monday. The same hearing will also be used to determine whether Warsame should continue to be detained.
Warsame, 30, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent, had been living in Minneapolis and was a student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He has a wife and daughter living in Minneapolis.
His arrest caused confusion and anger in the Somali community in the Twin Cities.
His wife, Fartun Farah, said she didn't know whether her husband had ever been to Afghanistan. An initial court hearing was closed to the public, further frustrating Somalis who wanted to know why Warsame was being held.
Four guards entered the courtroom with Warsame and were on hand for the hearing, and two courthouse workers manned doors to the courtroom. About 30 people attended, filling one side of the courtroom and part of the other. Several declined to answer questions from a reporter.
Prosecutors can keep material witnesses in custody indefinitely for questioning as long as a judge agrees. FBI agents took Warsame to New York in late December, and he appeared in federal court there before being returned to Minnesota.
BBC World Service, 3 February, 2004, 11:59 GMT
Somali orphans hit by terror link
The US has also linked a Somali bank to al-Qaeda, causing much suffering
The closure of a Saudi-funded charity linked to the al-Qaeda network could have a devastating impact on thousands of orphans in Somalia.
The al-Haramain Islamic relief agency has run a number of orphanages in Somalia for years.
The centres also provide food and medicines for other children. In Mogadishu crying children were seen in front of some of the closed centres.
There has been no central provision of services in Somalia for 13 years ago.
Since the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, rival warlords have battled for control of different parts of Somalia.
Last year, the US administration in Washington added the name of al-Haramain to a list of Islamic organizations linked to al-Qaeda.
Branches in other countries had already shut down, but the Saudi authorities shut down the headquarters of the organisation last week, which in turn has led to the closure of its remaining branches in Somalia.
The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says more than 500 Somalis will lose their jobs following the closure of the centres.
The Associated Press, February 2, 2004
Somali orphanages financed by Saudi charity forced to close for lack of funds
BYLINE: By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
Eleven orphanages in Somalia that were financed by a Saudi charity also suspected of bankrolling al-Qaida activities closed Monday after the relief agency cut off funding, one of the charity's Somali officials said.
Abuu Ali Sheikh Amuud said he was told by the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation on Jan. 15 that it could no longer provide funding for the orphanages, which cared for about 6,000 children.
Amuud condemned the closures as "inhuman and discriminatory against orphans."
On Monday, many children were turned away from an orphanage where they expected to receive food, medicine, clothing and small gifts usually distributed on the Muslim feast day of Eid al-Adha.
The charity's seven offices in Somalia, a lawless nation without a central government since 1991, closed six months ago. More than 500 Somalis who worked in the orphanages will lose their jobs, Amuud said.
In March 2002, the United States and Saudi Arabia moved to block the funds of the Somali and Bosnian branches of al-Haramain, saying they were "diverting charitable funds to terrorism."
On Jan. 22, the two countries said they were seeking international support to cut off funding to the group's other branches in Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania and neighboring Kenya.
At its height, Saudi-based Al-Haramain raised $40 million-$50 million a year in charitable contributions worldwide, a Saudi official has said.
Al-Haramain has denied any link to terrorist activities and said it was only involved in charity work for the poor.
Xinhua, February 2, 2004
UN demands release of abducted German worker in Somalia, XINHUA
NAIROBI, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations has reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff member and German national Rolf Helmrich who was abducted in Somalia last week.
Speaking to reporters in his office in Nairobi on Monday, Maxwell Gaylard, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator and designated official for UN security in Somalia, condemned the action of the militia group responsible. Rolf Helmrich, who
reportedly worked for the UN Development Program, was abducted in the Lower Juba region of southern Somalia on Thursday morning along with three Somali UN staffers, whom the gunmen freed shortly after taking them hostage.
Gaylard urged the militia group to cooperate with the Somali authorities seeking to effect Helmrich's safe release, and to work without delay toward achieving an early and peaceful resolution of the situation. "It is particularly unfortunate that this should happen at a time when Somalis are at last beginning to move toward peace and reconciliation with the support of
the international community," Gaylard noted.
"Helmrich and his UN and other international colleagues are working tirelessly with Somali partners toward the realization of a better future for the Somali people," he added. Abductions of foreign aid workers are not uncommon in Somalia, a country
without a functioning government since 1991 when rebels toppled the country's military ruler. The gunmen usually try to negotiate ransoms for the return of hostages, most of whom are foreign aid workers. The abduction comes at a time when Somali warring parties have signed a declaration on amendments to the Transitional Federal Charter and agreed to form a national parliament that in turn will elect a president.
Africa News, January 31, 2004
Somalia;US Commends Signing of Somalia Peace Agreement
BYLINE: United States Department of State
Urges Somalis of influence to do all within their power to keep momentum going
The United States has commended the January 29 agreement by influential Somalis to establish a new national parliament in Somalia and begin the process of electing a president.
"By signing this agreement, the Somalis have demonstrated their ability to overcome differences, increase their capacity to formulate workable compromises and begin reaching out to former adversaries in the interest of providing a way forward for the Somali people," State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said in a January 31 statement.
Following is the Boucher statement: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Office of the Spokesman,January 31, 2004, Statement by Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Somalia Peace Agreement
The United States commends the signing of an agreement by influential Somalis to establish a new national parliament in Somalia and begin the process of electing a president. By signing this agreement, the Somalis have demonstrated their ability to overcome differences, increase their capacity to formulate workable compromises and begin reaching out to former
adversaries in the interest of providing a way forward for the Somali people.
Somali citizens have suffered a great deal since the collapse of the central government in 1991. The United States welcomes the efforts of influential Somalis in forming a new central government and in working together to improve the quality of life for all Somalis. Although the January 29 signing was a significant event, it is just one critical step in what will still be a long and difficult process. We urge Somalis of influence to do all within their power to ensure that momentum is not lost.
The United States also recognizes and appreciates the efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), particularly the recent efforts of the President and Government of Kenya and Ugandan President Museveni in reaching this agreement. We hope that all international observers will continue to play a positive role in this Somali peace process and
support sustainable peace in Somalia.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 31, 2004
UN APPOINTS PANEL TO MONITOR ARMS EMBARGO VIOLATIONS IN SOMALIA
Nairobi, 30 January: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a four-man panel of experts to monitor violations of the arms embargo against Somalia over the coming six months.
The four, who will be based the in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are Melvin E. Holt of the US, Li Changseng of China, John Tambi of Sierra Leone and Joel Salek of Colombia, according to Annan's letter to the security council made public today.
The security council imposed the embargo on Somalia in 1992 at the onset of the civil war. A four-member panel of experts to investigate violations of the embargo was then appointed by Annan in September 2002. (Passage omitted)
Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 30 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring International Reports, February 1, 2004
SOMALIA: CLERIC ACCUSES PUNTLAND SECURITY AGENCY OF WORKING FOR CIA
The (Id-al-Adha) prayers were this morning held at the Boosaaso Stadium and was attended by many officials of the Puntland government. Several officials addressed the congregation.
One of the Muslim clerics who attended the Id prayers accused the PIS (Puntland Intelligence Service) of handing over Muslims to the American CIA. He said this was a sin, adding it would have been better to put such people before an Islamic court and jailing them if convicted of a crime, instead of handing them over to unbelievers. The cleric, who declined to identify himself, stressed they would direct their complaint to God if these people involved in such acts do not mend their ways. (Passage omitted: on Somaliland)
Source: Radio Midnimo, Boosaaso, in Somali 0700 gmt 1 Feb 04
Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire, January 31, 2004
UN RELIEF OFFICIAL ABDUCTED IN SOMALIA
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - A senior United Nations humanitarian official, Rolf Helmrich, has been abducted by suspected rebel
forces in Kismayu, Somalia, the UN humanitarian office revealed here Saturday.
Maxwell Gaylard, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said Helmrich, a German national, was abducted Thursday at about 11H30 some 45km north of Kismayu.
The UN has condemned the abduction and called for his immediate release.
"The UN mandate is to support the Somali people in their development and peace-building efforts and our staff need to be safe in order to carry out their duties," Gaylard said in a statement.
The abduction comes at a time when Somali warring parties have signed a declaration on amendments to the Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic at the Nairobi State House.
The declaration paves the way for the adoption of the Transitional Federal Charter and commencement of Phase III of negotiations on selection of members of the Transitional Federal Assembly.
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, January 30, 2004
Kenyan paper lauds Somalia's latest peace deal
SOURCE: East African Standard web site, Nairobi, in English 30 Jan 04
It would be too soon to judge the outcome of yesterday's movement towards the signing a peace deal for Somalia, but the event is the closest the Horn of Africa country has come to a possible all-inclusive accord.
The fact that the factions beholden to clan loyalties showed a willingness to arrive at some kind of rapprochement before President Kibaki at State House, Nairobi, shows that the will to end clan feuds and establish some form of government still exists.
Indeed, the presence of the Kenyan leader shows the Somalia crisis is not just a matter for the Somali people. It is their problem essentially, but it is also a regional and an African problem. This is because instability in a neighbouring country
translates immediately into a security crisis across the border.
After more than 13 years of a power vacuum and paralysis, and after 14 months of hosting Somalia delegations in Nairobi, Eldoret and Machakos, Kenya has every reason to be part of the solution.
It not simply for the cost of the hospitality to a neighbour whose house is on fire but the security implications of the power vacuum.
The porous border has meant that Kenya has had to bear the cost of hosting hundreds of thousands of Somalia refugees, not just in camps in North-Eastern Province but virtually everywhere, including in Nairobi.
The absence of a government to the east has meant that it is far much easier for arms to find their way into Kenya. The gravity of international terrorism and the religious implications of the war against terrorism, has placed Kenya-Somalia relations in a much more tenuous position.
The temporary banning of flights from Somalia last year, indicate the concern that the paralysis could worsen the already worrying security concerns.
The Somali people must take this opportunity to establish a government that could restore order in a country that has missed one since 1991, when the late Siad Barre was disposed.
The Somali have to do it now to redeem their country, and Kenya should be part of the solution.
Financial Times (London, England) January 30, 2004
Somalia's factions agree to form parliament
BYLINE: By WILLIAM WALLIS
Leaders of Somalia's warring factions signed an agreement yesterday that brings them the closest to forming a central administration they have been since the Somali state dissolved at the outbreak of civil war 13 years ago.
The agreement, signed at peace talks in Kenya, is the first to include all the main warlords and feuding traditional leaders - 42 in total.
It follows numerous failed attempts to recreate a national government since the overthrow of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.
Most of those attempts involved loose coalitions of militia and political leaders, who were unable to extend their influence much beyond the parts of Mogadishu, the capital, that they controlled.
This time, they have all agreed to the creation of a 275-seat parliament. But observers warned that the process of appointing its members, and their election of atransitional national president, would be fraught with tension. Western engagement with Somalia has been minimal since United Nations troops abandoned their peacekeeping mission there after a disastrous US attempt
in 1993 to capture one of the more powerful warlords.
The killing of 18 US marines in that attempt contributed to subsequent US reluctance to intervene militarily on the continent.
Recent western concern about Somalia has been fuelled by fears that the state's collapse into clan-based fiefdoms has made it a safe haven from which international terrorists have plotted attacks on US and Israeli interests. But diplomats said the
impetus behind yesterday's breakthrough came largely from the region and was led by Kalonzo Musyoka, Kenya's foreign minister.
Kenya has suffered more than any of its neighbours from Somalia's descent into anarchy.
A UN report last year showed how al-Qaeda operatives were able to use Somalia both as a transit point for missiles and explosives, and as a base from which they plotted the 2002 bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel on the Kenyan coast.
Kenya's tourism industry has been in crisis since.
The success of the latest round of peace talks came after Abdiqasim Hassan Salad, the leader of the last attempt at creating a national government, rejoined talks.
"We honestly hope that with this positive spirit we will be able to bury the long-standing differences that prevailed among the various sections of our society," he said at the emotional signing ceremony.
Observers said many of the faction leaders would be travelling back to Somalia before further steps could be taken towards a ceasefire agreement and a plan for the dismantling of militias.
Moves were also afoot to win Ethiopia's support for the process. Ethiopia has played an active role in supporting certain militias.
Inter Press Service, January 30, 2004
SOMALIA: WARRING CHIEFTAINS AGREE ON TRANSITIONAL PARLIAMENT
BYLINE: By Joyce Mulama
Somalia took an important step towards peace this week when warring leaders agreed to set up a transitional parliament to help rule the battered nation.
The Horn of Africa country has been without a central government since 1991, when President Mohammed Siad Barre was deposed.
Thursday's agreement came after leaders of over 23 factions and Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) resolved differences over the number of legislators who should sit in the parliament.
In terms of the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which helps map out efforts to restore a functioning government in Somalia, the number was originally set at 351. These members of parliament (MP's) were to serve a four-year term in the house. And,they were to be selected by, amongst others, the Somali leaders who signed a 2002 declaration to cease hostilities.
However, the TNG and various faction leaders were dissatisfied with this arrangement. The parliament will now have 275 MP's who will serve for five years. Clan leaders and traditional elders are to have a major say in the selection of parliamentarians.
Once chosen, the MP's will elect a President who, in their turn, will appoint a Prime Minister.
Talks to bring peace to Somalia have been underway in Kenya since 2002 under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority
on Drought and Development (IGAD). This group includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Sudan. The European Union, Italy, Norway, United Kingdom, United States and the League of Arab States are also observing the talks.
Thursday's amendments to the TFC have paved the way for a third and final round of negotiations.
"The third round entails the formation of the Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic. It is expected that within a period of one month, all the clans will have submitted the names of their nominees for the Transitional Federal
Parliament," said Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Kalonzo Musyoka, at the ceremony held for the signing of the amended TFC.
Musyoka, who also chairs the IGAD ministerial facilitation committee for the Somali talks, is said to have played a significant role in the agreement.
Faction leader Mohamed Dere told IPS, "We will pursue peace and we expect the 13-year-old conflict to be solved soon, once and for all."
"Anyone who backtracks on the TFC, be it a leader or delegate, should be taken to the International Court of Justice. Somalis cannot afford to squash this opportunity that has been hard to come by," added Mohammed Qanyere, another leader.
Even as peace efforts proceed, however, the prospect of conflict between the self-declared republic of Somaliland and another self-declared autonomous area, Puntland, is looming. Leaders of both these areas have laid claim to the Sool and Sanaag regions in northern Somalia, which have previously been relatively peaceful.
Asha Ahmed Abdi, a delegate to the Somali talks, believes that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan should intervene.
"We are appealing to the UN Secretary-General to use his good office to save this already impoverished country and people from another civil war," she said.
Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2004
Warring Factions in Somalia Sign Peace Agreement ; Under the pact, clan leaders will select a parliament that will choose a government.
BYLINE: Robyn Dixon, Times Staff Writer
After 13 years of war, anarchy and no real central authority in Somalia, the country's main warlords, clan chiefs and community leaders signed a peace accord Thursday to set up a parliament and pave the way for a new government.
The 42 Somalian leaders signed the agreement in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, after more than a dozen failed attempts to reach a deal.
The accord may be the most significant step toward peace in Somalia since 1991, when the former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre
was overthrown in a coup. When warlords failed to agree on a leader to replace him, the East African country was ripped apart
by clan warfare. A million people died in the conflict, many through war-related famine.
The result, the Nation newspaper in Nairobi recently wrote, was that "the state called Somalia has practically disappeared from the world map."
Somalia occupies a dark place in the American psyche, not only because of accusations that Al Qaeda militants have found sanctuary there and because of an infamous 1993 raid by U.S. forces. During the disastrous attack on Somalian warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid, two U.S. helicopters were shot down and 18 American soldiers were killed, a clash that formed the basis of the book and movie "Black Hawk Down."
Kenyan officials who helped broker the peace talks were reported as saying a new Somalian government could be working in a month. Under the agreement, clan leaders will select a 275-member parliament. The parliament will then choose a president who will appoint a prime minister to form a government.
In July, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, leader of the nation's transitional government, walked out of the talks. But he returned recently, boosting the peace effort.
"We honestly hope that with this positive spirit we will be able to bury the long-standing differences that prevailed among the various sections of our society," he said at the signing ceremony in Nairobi, the South African Press Assn. reported.
"We have been given a golden opportunity by our neighbors and the international community to help ourselves. We should not lose it," said Asha Haji Ilmi, a community leader who was a signatory to the deal, according to the United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Networks.
Across Africa, from Sierra Leone and Liberia to Congo and Sudan, there have been moves toward peace in recent years, a process that some see as part of the aftermath of the Cold War in which the superpowers used Africa as an arena for their rivalry.
President Bush and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell have telephoned government and rebel leaders in oil-rich Sudan to urge them to reach a final agreement. There has been significant progress: a deal on wealth-sharing late last year and recent progress on the status of three contested regions.
But doubts have arisen about Sudan's negotiations. On Thursday, the southern-based rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army angrily condemned government authorities who have been accused of bombing civilians in a bid to wipe out a separate rebel group in Darfur, western Sudan. Nearly 100,000 people have fled Darfur into neighboring Chad. The talks were recently
adjourned until mid-February to allow the government's top negotiator to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Some rebel members interpreted this as a sign that the government was stalling.
In Somalia, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni led the international peace effort. As recently as two weeks ago, there was little optimism that the talks would produce a breakthrough. At the time, Museveni described the conflict as "slow genocide."
"A whole generation will soon be wiped out in Somalia," he warned.
A report by the United Nations Development Program last week graphically exposed how difficult life was for ordinary citizens who lack a central government and reliable services and face a war-ravaged infrastructure.
The socioeconomic survey, the first in two decades, found that 43% of Somalis live in dire poverty, surviving on less than $1 a day, and that nearly half the workforce is jobless. Only 17% of children go to primary school, and many enter the workforce
at a young age to help their families.
The country's roads are in ruins, and few Somalis can afford healthcare. One region, Somaliland, opted for independence in 1991; another, Puntland, adopted self-rule in 1998.
The latest peace effort, launched in November 2002, has been marked by fistfights and tussles between delegates.
In a recent article, the East African Standard in Nairobi cataloged the problems that began on the first day of talks, when 300 delegates were expected and 1,000 turned up, spawning struggles in which one delegate suffered a broken arm.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: DEAL: Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, who heads Somalia's transitional government, hugs clan leader Mohammed Omar Habed, right, after signing pact. PHOTOGRAPHER: Agence France-Presse
The New York Times, January 30, 2004
Somalis Reach Peace Deal After Dozen Years of Fighting
BYLINE: By MARC LACEY
An array of Somali warlords and clan leaders struck a deal here on Thursday that could lay the groundwork for the country's first national government since 1991.
Previous peace deals -- there have been more than a dozen rounds of talks since 1991 -- have quickly collapsed, and Western diplomats cautioned that continued clan violence could doom this accord as well.
But the current pact, signed by leaders of all the major warring parties, is widely regarded as more credible than earlier efforts.
The agreement calls for a 275-member parliament, based in Mogadishu. That body will select an interim Somali president who, in turn, will appoint a prime minister who will put together a coalition government.
Each of Somalia's four major clans will select 61 members of the parliament, while a coalition of smaller clans will fill the other 31 slots. But the selection process is expected to be very divisive, as each of Somalia's clans is divided into subclans that are eager for their own political voice.
The negotiations that led to the new agreement have stretched on since November 2002 and have been marked by fistfights, shouting matches and, until now, few achievements. There were varying opinions on Thursday on whether the deal would hold together, ultimately uniting a country that has spent more than a decade as a collection of warring fiefs.
Somalia fell into chaos after the overthrow of the dictatorship of Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. Two years later, an American intervention ended after 19 American soldiers were killed in a street battle in Mogadishu. Although the military action began as a part of a relief effort to aid starving Somalis, it quickly turned into an attempt to hunt down factional leaders and bring order to the country.
Ever since that failed effort, American officials have avoided any involvement in Somalia's affairs. The peace negotiations, Somali leaders have long complained, have received far more encouragement and support from European leaders than from the Bush administration.
The deal is still threatened by continued violence in Somalia, despite pledges of a truce by the warlords.
Recently, two breakaway regions in the north that had been known for their relative stability, Puntland and Somaliland, have begun clashing along their joint border. And even as leaders were heralding a step toward peace on Thursday, the United Nations announced that one of its international staff members was kidnapped north of Kismayo, a coastal town in the remote south.
The pact would unite Puntland, which has operated as a semiautonomous region for the last 13 years, with the rest of Somalia.
Still left out, however, will be Somaliland, which considers itself independent and did not take part in the talks.
The last peace deal in Somalia, in 2000, created a putative national government that managed to control little more than a section of Mogadishu. Led by Abdikassim Salad Hassan, that transitional government set up an array of ministries and secured some financing, mostly from Arab nations. But many armed factions in Somalia never acknowledged the legitimacy the Mr. Salad's government, dooming it to failure.
This time, all the major players in Mogadishu have come aboard, along with other major politicians, traditional leaders and militia heads from other parts of the country.
"We honestly hope that with this positive spirit we will be able to bury the longstanding differences that prevailed among the various sections of our society," Mr. Salad said at the signing ceremony Thursday. He had walked out of the peace talks last November but was persuaded to return by President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who condemned all the warring parties for
creating what he termed "a slow genocide."
United Press International, January 30, 2004
Somali president ready to step down
Somalia's interim president says he is willing to step down following a peace agreement signed by rival warlords, BBC reported Friday.
President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan told BBC that the Somali people are fed up after 13 years of war and lack of development.
Rival faction leaders have finally agreed on how to choose a parliament, which would in turn elect a president, and Salat said he would make way for whomever is chosen.
"I will hand over the power of the presidency," he said.
Since the fall of President Siad Barre, Somalia has had no central authority and been wracked by civil war with rival factions battling each other.
Salat only controls parts of the capital, Mogadishu.
The new parliament will be made up of 275 members, rather than 350 as previously agreed. The idea is that each of the four major clans will select 61 legislators and a coalition of small clans will select 31.
BBC World Service, 29 January, 2004, 12:28 GMT
Q&A: Somali peace deal
Much of Somalia is in ruins after years of fighting
Somalia's main warlords and politicians have signed a deal to set up a new parliament that will elect a president. The country has been without a central government since 1991, since when it has been wracked by civil war with rival factions battling for control for different parts of Somalia.
Does this deal mean the war is over?
No, but it is being seen as a huge step forward.
Rival warlords and faction leaders have been talking in Kenya for over a year to little effect.
Some say that after months of bickering, sometimes over relatively minor issues, if they can agree on a parliament, then the rest might follow fairly smoothly.
What is in the deal?
They have agreed to set up a parliament, which will choose a president who in turn will nominate a prime minister to form a government.
The new parliament will have 275 members - 61 from each the four major clans and a coalition of small clans will select the remaining 31.
Each group will decide on how to choose its representatives but they have agreed that traditional elders will have an input - not just the warlords as had been feared.
Delegates have also agreed that Somalia will have a federal system, so many powers will be exercised at the level of the clan, which remains extremely important to many Somalis.
Do all groups back the deal?
With one major exception - the self-declared republic of Somaliland in the north.
After Somalia collapsed into anarchy, former British colony Somaliland declared independence.
It has been more peaceful than the rest of the country and wants to remain separate, although other Somalis insist it should return to the fold.
Just before the deal was agreed, a group of powerful warlords returned to the talks after a long absence.
It is also backed by Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, president of the Transitional National Government, elected at previous peace talks but who only controls small parts of the country.
What is life like for ordinary Somalis?
Generally pretty awful.
Gun-battles often erupt between the competing factions and civilians are inevitably caught up in the crossfire.
The lack of a central government means that services such as schools and hospitals are either non-existent or set up by aid agencies or groups of local people looking after their own area.
But somehow people struggle on and indeed some businesses are managing to thrive.
Many thousands of Somalis have fled the country to live in neighbouring countries or the west and send money back to their families left behind.
What still has to be agreed?
The make-up of a new government which the different factions can back.
Hopes are high that the end may be in sight
But observers say the key is political will.
When deciding on the parliament, they established the principle of equal representation for the four main clans plus some for minority groups.
If the warlords are serious about wanting to end the anarchy and fighting, it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a similar arrangement for the government.
Why has the deal been agreed now?
Donors were getting fed up with paying massive hotel bills while the delegates spent most of their time arguing and people in Somalia continued to be killed.
They made veiled threats that those who did not sign up to peace would be tried for war crimes.
Regional leaders, such as Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, also took an interest.
He recently told delegates that the Somali civil war was a "slow genocide".
This also contained a veiled threat of Somali warlords being dragged before an international court and may have helped concentrate minds.
But after 13 years of war and the failure of many previous attempts to end the fighting, many Somalis will only believe peace when they see it.
Africa News, January 29, 2004
Somalia;Groups Sign Compromise Deal
BYLINE: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Somalia's various political factions and the Transitional National Government (TNG) on Thursday signed a landmark agreement after days of delay and disagreement.
After days of bargaining, the leaders of the Somali groups meeting in an hotel in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, had reached agreement over the number and mode of selection of the members of a future interim parliament, a source from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is coordinating the talks, told IRIN on Tuesday.
The agreement comes after more 14 months of talks aimed at establishing an all-inclusive, recognised national government.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka, however, is quoted as saying on Thursday that there would be a functional government in Somalia within a month.
Musyoka's involvement is said to have been critical to reaching the agreement. "He spent untold hours in the Safari Park Hotel, shuttling from one leader's room to another. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that without his direct involvement we would not be here," Asha Haji Ilmi, a civil society leader and one of the signatories to today's agreement,
told IRIN on Thursday.
Asha said that she hoped that the signing would mark "the beginning of our of country's long nightmare. We have been given a golden opportunity by our neighbors and the international community to help ourselves. We should not lose it."
She also drew attention to the fact that this had been the first time in Somalia's history that a peace agreement had been signed by a woman. "I think today Somali women crossed a bridge and there is no turning back. We are full partners in the process," she stressed.
The leaders reportedly agreed on amendments to a controversial interim charter which was adopted in July last year by the delegates, but rejected as "flawed" by the TNG and some factions.
A statement issued at the time by the conference organisers said the delegates had agreed that parliament would comprise 351 members; the life of the transitional parliament would be four years; and MPs would be selected by the political leaders who
had been party to the Declaration on the Cessation of Hostilities signed in Eldoret on 27 October 2002, and by politicians originally officially invited by the IGAD's Technical Committee in consultation with the traditional leaders.
The compromise amendments reduce the number of MPs to 275, with 12 percent seats set aside for women. The selection of MPs is also specified in the proposed compromise as designed "to address the concerns" of those who had rejected the July agreement.
Selection will now be effected by clan political leaders and must be endorsed by "recognised traditional elders". The life of the transitional parliament is now raised to five years.
The leaders agreed that these amendments would come into force after the conference's plenary adopted them and after their endorsement by the Transitional National Assembly in Mogadishu. This was seen as a formality, since all the leaders had agreed to it, a diplomatic source involved in the talks told IRIN. "We expect this to happen by next week," the Kenyan
ambassador to Somalia, Muhammad Abdi Affey, told IRIN on Thursday.
Immediately after the agreement was endorsed the talks would move to the third and final stage of the conference, Affey added. In this phase, MPs would be selected "on the basis of the 4.5 formula, the clan formula", he said.
According to this formula, Somalia's four major clans will each select 60 MPs, and an alliance of small clans will select 35.
The task of dividing the seats along subclan lines is left to each group. "This could be a very long process, since each subclan wants to get what it considers to be its fair share of the seats," one Somali delegate, who requested anonymity, warned.
But Affey was more upbeat. "We expect the clans to submit the names of their MPs within 21 days. Parliament will be constituted and the MPs will elect a president, who will in turn appoint a prime minister," he said.
Affey told IRIN that a ceremony would be held in Nairobi at which the TNG would "officially hand over to the newly elected government".
But an international observer involved in the talks was more cautious. "Let's not talk about a timetable now. We have definitely achieved an important goal and we should build on it. What we need to do now is not to lose the momentum," he said. He cautioned that the selection of MPs and the election of a president would take time, "but that is fine so long as it is a transparent process".
Agence France Presse, January 29, 2004
Somalia moves closer to peace, agrees on parliament, presidency
BYLINE: ALI MUSA ABDI
A broad cross-section of Somali leaders on Thursday capped 15 months of talks by signing a landmark deal on how their war-ravaged country should be governed for the next five years.
There has been no national governance to speak of in the Horn of Africa country since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted.
There followed 13 years of factional bloodletting that turned Somalia into the archetypal "failed state" and prompted botched military and humanitarian intervention by the United Nations and the United States in the early 1990s.
The keystone of the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which was also the main stumbling block during the long months of wrangling in Kenya, is an agreement about a future parliament whose members will elect a national president and draft a constitution.
The new assembly's 275 members are meant to be appointed within a month.
The current head of state, Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, is barely recognised outside a few pockets of the capital, Mogadishu.
The TFC was signed by one of Salat's representatives, several warlords, and other politicians and elders in the presence of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
At the signing ceremony, delegates hugged each other and pledged to end fighting and reconcile.
"I commit myself to the letter of agreement signed in front of President Mwai Kibaki," said Musa Suda Yalahow, a prominent Mogadishu warlord.
Salat said it was his "desire to see a peaceful Somalia." "Somalia must build on this historical achievement as they cannot afford to squander this rare opportunity," said Yusuf Ahmed, the leader of the northern region of Puntland.
"I say to Somali people everywhere in the world, there is now a credible chance for Somali to rise from the ashes," he enthused.
Another Mogadishu warlord, Mohamed Qanyare Afrah, suggested that "any leader who does not respect his commitment should be taken to court."
A militia commander in southwest Somalia, Aden Mohamed Noor said: "I hope Allah is on our side so that we can make Somalia a peaceful place to live in, regardless of clan and political affiliations."
More than a dozen previous attempts have ben made to negotiate an end to Somalia's anarchy, but few have brought in so many different players.
Mindful of the raft of broken pledges littering the country's recent history, Kibaki urged the's seven signatories to "commit yourselves to fulfilling what you have started today and not leave it half way."
"Kenya will make available all the resources to pacify Somalia. Please stop the suffering of your people," Kibaki added.
"Let's not think of what we have wasted, rather we should dedicate ourselves in making Somalia prosperous," he added.
Earlier Thursday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka predicted a swift evolution of the political situation in Somalia.
"We hope there will a functional government in Somalia within one month," Musyoka said after briefing the Dutch Ministers for International Cooperation and Defence, Ardenne der Hoevan and H.G.J Kamp.
"Somalis have reached a harmonised position on the transitional national charter, which is now endorsed by all major stakeholders in Somalia," said Musyoka, who spent the better part of January mediating in the rows between various factions.
The deal's signing heralds a new phase in the current peace process, which started in October 2002, when a ceasefire was signed, only to be repeatedly violated, mostly in Mogadishu and parts of southern Somalia.
Notably absent from Nairobi on Thursday were officials from the would-be independent state of Somaliland, northwest of Somalia proper, which broke away in 1991 and has all the institutional trappings, if none of the international recognition, of a sovereign country.
Agence France Presse, January 29, 2004
UN staffer abducted in southern Somalia
A UN staff member was on Thursday abducted north of the southern Somali town of Kismayo, the office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said in a statement.
The "internationally recruited staff member was abducted at 11:30 hours (0830 GMT) this morning, approximately 45 kilometres north of Kismayo in the Lower Juba Region of Somalia," said the statement released in Nairobi.
"The UN is in communication with the de facto authorities in the region that are taking steps to secure the release of the staff member," it added.
Abduction of humanitarian workers has been frequent in the Horn of Africa nation since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled and the whole country descended into numerous fiefdoms.