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HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 46
14 - 20 July 2001


CONTENTS:

SOMALIA: Calm returns to Mogadishu after days of clashes
SOMALIA: TNG denies role in Mogadishu fighting
SOMALIA: Five killed in land-mine incident
SOMALIA: Puntland elders meet to resolve extension controversy
SUDAN: Refugee issues continue to concern UNHCR
SUDAN: Insecurity brings IDP concentration in Awoda
SUDAN: Foreign minister welcomes US humanitarian mission
ETHIOPIA: Food pipeline under threat
ETHIOPIA: Mengistu-era Generals acquitted of genocide
ETHIOPIA: Journalists flee to Kenya
ETHIOPIA: More time needed for corruption probe
DJIBOUTI: New port restrictions introduced
HORN OF AFRICA: More help needed to speed drought recovery

SOMALIA: Calm returns to Mogadishu after days of clashes

Life in Mogadishu is returning to normal after the heavy fighting in the
last few days, a local resident told IRIN. With no fighting since Monday,
"people are coming out of their houses, and picking up the pieces",
Muhammad Ali, a resident of the Medina district in the southwest, said.  
Medina was the epicentre of the fighting on Sunday and Monday.  People who
have laid low for days are now venturing into the streets to buy
essentials, and assess the extent of the damage caused by the fighting.  
"We have had two days of calm", but whether it would last was open to
question, Muhammad said.  Even though the fighting has stopped, the two
militias are still facing each other from defensive positions. Meanwhile,
the KM-7 checkpoint was open on Wednesday and traffic operating normally,
Muhammad said.

Faction leader Usman Ali Ato has blamed the clashes on a militia working
for businessmen, whom he accuses of masquerading as a government, Radio
Banaadir, monitored by the BBC, reported on Monday. The businessmen
reportedly support the Transitional National Government (TNG), which
faction leaders like Ato oppose. The businessmen's support for the TNG had
served to deprive the faction leaders of income they used to obtain in the
form of contributions and taxes on imports and exports, local sources
said. Clan elders were in the process of mediating between the two sides
and trying to get the militias withdrawn from the checkpoint, the sources
told IRIN.

SOMALIA: TNG denies role in Mogadishu fighting

The TNG was not involved in the recent fighting in Mogadishu, a senior
government official told IRIN. Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdid, the Banaadir
(Mogadishu and its environs) regional police chief, said the fighting in
north Mogadishu had been between two sub-clans, and the TNG's role had
solely been "to separate the two sides and mediate, which we have
succeeded in". The fighting which broke out on 12 July, pitted the
Warsangeli against the Wa'asle, both sub-clans of the main Abgal clan,
while the clashes on 14 July were between forces loyal to faction leader
Muse Sudi Yalahow, a member of the Abgal opposed to the TNG, and the
Warsangeli. Local sources told IRIN that the two days of fighting had
caused over 40 deaths and an unknown number of wounded.

The subsequent fighting in south Mogadishu, on Sunday and Monday, was
between a militia working for businessmen and another, loyal to faction
leader Usman Ali Ato, around a strategic checkpoint at KM-7, southwest of
Mogadishu. The businessmen are said to belong to the Ayr sub-clan of the
main Habar Gedir clan, while Ato is member of the Sa'd sub-clan of the
same main clan, a local resident told IRIN.  Qeybdid denied that
government forces had been involved in the fighting. He explained that TNG
involvement was limited to the fact that the businessmen's militia had
been escorting a convoy carrying relief materials. The TNG had since
succeeded in defusing the situation in the city, Qeybdid said, adding that
he was "90 percent confident that there will be no more fighting in
Mogadishu". He stressed, however, that the TNG would deploy police to all
important junctions in the city, including KM-7, in order to contain
rampant crime. The death toll in this confrontation was about 15, plus
more than 60 wounded, Shaykhdon Salad Ilmi, director of the Medina
hospital, where most of the wounded were taken, told IRIN.

SOMALIA: Five killed in land-mine incident

A minibus traveling from the coastal town of Kismayo on its way to
Mogadishu, 500 km to the north, on Wednesday detonated a land mine at
Erile near the town of Barawe, after covering just over 200 km. This was
the fourth such incident in the same area in a week, local sources told
IRIN. Abdishakur Muhammad, a Barawe businessman, said three people died on
the spot, while two died of their wounds soon afterwards. Most of the
injured were taken to Marka hospital, some 90 km to the north, he said. On
15 July five people were injured when the bus they were travelling in hit
a land mine less than two kilometres from Wednesday's incident.

The increase in land-mine incidents was attributed to conflict between the
indigenous Tuni clan and settler clans of the Abgal and Habar Gedir, over
the charcoal trade in the area, local sources told IRIN. The Tuni wanted a
share of this lucrative trade, sources said. [For more details see IRIN
separate: Land-mine incidents blamed on charcoal trade].

SOMALIA: Puntland elders meet to resolve extension controversy

Senior traditional elders of the self-declared autonomous region of
Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are meeting in Garowe, the regional
capital, to discuss the controversy surrounding the extension of the
mandate of the Puntland administration, a local journalist told IRIN. The
administration, led by Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, whose mandate was to have
expired on 30 June, had its mandate extended by three years on 27 June by
the Puntland House of Representatives, Isma'il Warsame, chief of cabinet
of the Puntland president, told IRIN that day. The extension was, however,
challenged by opposition figures and aspiring presidential candidates, who
accused the administration of manipulating the vote. Jama Ali Jama, a
prominent presidential candidate, told IRIN that the extension decision
was a "farce" and had been made by "illegitimate individuals". Puntland
Chief Justice Yusuf Haji Nur on 1 July issued a decree claiming to be "the
legitimate authority in Puntland as of 1 July", and saying he would be
acting president. He told IRIN on 4 July that he would call a general
congress of representatives of all of Puntland regions within 30 days to
elect a new administration. Under the Puntland charter, the chief justice
assumed the presidency within that 30-day period until a new
administration was in place, he said.

The elders' conference, which opened on Wednesday, would discuss, among
other things, the issue of the extension, and decide whether to support it
or call for fresh elections, Muhammad Deq, editor of the Bosaso-based
newspaper 'Sahan', told IRIN. They had already met Yusuf Haji Nur, who
told them he would abide by their decision, he said. The elders met
Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf on Thursday, and reportedly asked him for "an
undertaking that he will abide by whatever decisions they reach" on the
extension issue, local sources told IRIN. The extension controversy had
created much confusion, and "people are looking to the elders' conference
to resolve it once and for all", Muhammad Deq said. The elders' meeting
was not subject to any time limit, but was expected to last at least a
week, given the sensitive nature of the discussions, by which time they
were expected to reach a decision, local sources told IRIN.

SUDAN: Refugee issues continue to concern UNHCR

Sudan had the second-largest number of refugees in Africa, after Burundi,
at the start of 2001, and attempts to find solutions to this and other
problems had borne limited fruit, UNHCR reported on Tuesday. The civil war
in Sudan had shown few signs of abating and continued to drive thousands
of Sudanese refugees into neighbouring countries, it said. Last year, some
30,000 new Sudanese refugees fled to Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia - which,
together, already hosted some 340,000 refugees from Sudan, UNHCR stated.  
With no end in sight to the protracted military, political and social
crisis in southern Sudan, Sudanese refugees remained a source of major
concern, the refugee agency stated. In particular, UNHCR cited the case of
36,000 refugees living inside the Central African Republic near the
Sudanese border, and whose prospects of returning, it said, remained
bleak.

In addition to generating the second-largest number of refugees worldwide,
Sudan was also hosting the second-largest number of refugees in Africa
(after Tanzania), at the start of this year, according to UNHCR. As of
January, Sudan was hosting 414,800 refugees, while Uganda and Kenya were
also in the top 10 African host countries, with 238,040 and 213,610
refugees respectively. As of 1 January, there were 5.3 million people of
concern to UNHCR in Africa of an estimated 21.1 million worldwide. The
Africa figure included 3.6 million refugees, 1.3 million internally
displaced people and 300,000 former refugees who had recently returned
home, it said. In view of the various refugee situations within East
Africa and Horn of Africa, UNHCR said it would maintain its presence in
the seven countries of the region, but would also make efforts to
consolidate camps with reduced caseloads in Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia,
and to close several field offices in Somalia.

SUDAN: Insecurity brings IDP concentration in Awoda

In Bahr al-Ghazal, an upsurge in insecurity as a result of an offensive by
the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in May/June had led to the
displacement of over 10,000 people from Abulu, Daym Zubayr, Sopo, Besilia
and Raga into Awoda payam (sub-county area), with more expected as a
result of the peace prevailing there, USAID's Famine Early Warning System
(FEWS) reported in its southern Sudan update, released on Monday. The
internally displaced people (IDPs), including 5,350 from Daym Zubayr and
more than 4,600 from Abulu, planned to settle in Awoda until the security
situation settled in their home area, it said. Poorer IDPs were living on
relief food and wild plants as well as minimal grain supplies from petty
trade or relations.

In Lakes region, some 10,000 IDPs from Western Upper Nile had settled in
Yirol County and 5,000 in Rumbek County, and they had cultivated after
being given seeds, tools and access to land, the report said. These people
had options to work, particularly in Rumbek town, and their food security
situation was generally reasonable, although they would need support until
harvest, it said. Rapid assessment had also confirmed an improving food
security situation for the resident population in Yirol and Rumbek
counties, FEWS added.

SUDAN: Foreign minister welcomes US humanitarian mission

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma'il has welcomed the
continuing visit of the US Special Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan,
Andrew Natsios, to the country as "a positive step towards discussing
bilateral issues", SUNA news agency reported on Monday. Isma'il said he
hoped Sudanese-American relations on other issues could be pursued in the
same way, "through visits and getting acquainted with the conditions
before taking decisions", it said. Isma'il said he had discussed
humanitarian conditions with Natsios, and affirmed the Sudanese
government's readiness for cooperation with the US as long as transparency
and credibility for mutual relations existed, the report added. The
foreign minister said he hoped the lifting of a ban on entry visas to
American officials would promote cooperation between the two countries.  
Sudan also considered the rejection by the US of the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) call for halting oil production in the
country as a condition of it joining peace talks to be a step in the right
direction, SUNA reported.

Natsios planned to evaluate the severity of the drought in northern Sudan
and the conflict in southern Sudan, where he would also review the
prospects for development, according to a press release from the US
Department of State. Natsios also wanted to raise the visibility of US and
European involvement in humanitarian assistance in Sudan, and to talk with
European donors about the best methods to provide assistance, it said.  
Finally, he wished to emphasise the new US administration's policy of
humanitarian neutrality, which provided for assistance to be given where
it was needed, regardless of the reason for the need, the State Department
added.

ETHIOPIA: Food pipeline under threat

A serious shortfall in the food aid pipeline to Ethiopia may develop
within six weeks if donors do not respond soon to an appeal for more
resources, Wagdi Othman, information officer for the UN World Food
Programme (WFP) in Addis Ababa told IRIN on Thursday. WFP issued a donor
alert earlier this month drawing attention to a major shortfall in the
response to the government's 2001 relief appeal released in January.  
According to the latest WFP estimates, a further 106,000 mt of cereals and
70,000 mt of supplementary foods is required to meet the needs of 6.2
million people suffering from the effects of drought and poor harvests.

"Unless we can secure more pledges, food distributions to needy people
will quickly come to a halt," Othman warned. Although recent rains in
northern and western Ethiopia have improved the overall humanitarian
situation in the country, pockets still exist where the effect of the last
three years of drought remains a reality for a large number of people. In
the mainly pastoral Somali region, the main focus of last year's drought
relief operation, around one million people depend on continued food
assistance for their recovery. According to WFP, the drought-relief
operation in Ethiopia for the year currently faces a shortfall of 38
percent of its total requirements. The Disaster Prevention and
Preparedness Commission, the federal government's relief arm, has already
been forced to cut rations from 15 kg per person per month to 12.5 kg in
order to assist a larger number of people than originally planned.

ETHIOPIA: Mengistu-era Generals acquitted of genocide

A court in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, has acquitted, for
insufficient evidence, four of seven former officials charged with
genocide, Ethiopian state radio, monitored by the BBC, reported on 13
July. The four had been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity
allegedly committed while they were serving during the military
dictatorship of Mengistu Hailemariam. Among those released by the Federal
High Court are the former commander of the eastern command of the then
provisional military government of Ethiopia, Maj-Gen Mulatu Negash, and
Maj-Gen Embibel Ayele. The court also acquitted corporals Kefelegn Tadese
and Sileshi Mengistu, who were tried in absentia. The court ordered one
defendant, Mengesha Yibka, to submit his defence, because the prosecution
had proved the charges levelled against him beyond doubt, said the radio.

ETHIOPIA: Journalists flee to Kenya

The Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) says three
Ethiopian journalists have fled the country and taken refugee in Kenya,
according to a report in the Ethiopian newspaper 'Addis Tribune' on 13
July. The three, Garuma Bekele, Tesfaye Deresa and Solomon Nemera, who
formerly worked for the Amharic-language newspaper 'Urji', had been in
custody for nearly four years and were released in May and June. The
journalists said they had fled because they believed they would not
receive a fair trial, said the paper. They were arrested in 1997 and
accused of terrorist activities, after 'Urji' covered the alleged killing
by government forces of three members of the Oromo Liberation Front, an
armed opposition group, 'Addis Tribune' said.

The programme director of the Network for the Defence of Independent Media
in Africa (NDIMA), Sam Mbure, told IRIN that the three were in Kenya
seeking political asylum and had approached NDIMA last week for
assistance.

ETHIOPIA: More time needed for corruption probe

The Ethiopian Federal Supreme Court has adjourned to consider a request
from police investigators for more time to gather evidence against former
Defence Minister Siye Abraha and other former government officials and
businessmen charged with corruption, local newspapers reported on Tuesday.  
The state-owned 'Ethiopian Herald' said that police had found new evidence
against Siye and Belay Bitew, a former minister of regional affairs in the
prime minister's office. It said that under a warrant issued by the court,
police had searched Siye's offices and found documents related to the sale
of several government-owned development enterprises. According to the
documents, entrepreneurs who had won through the bidding process had been
prohibited from taking part in the final auction of the enterprises.

Also reporting on the court proceedings, the privately-owned newspaper
'The Daily Monitor' said lawyers for the accused had argued that this was
the sixth time the police had requested more time to gather evidence, and
in the meantime, "no single or concrete" formal charge had been brought
against the defendants, despite eight appearances before the court and 50
days of detention. The paper quoted Siye as telling the court: "My case
has nothing to do with corruption. It is purely political." [For
background, see IRIN report entitled "Government moves on dissident
group":  
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/countrystories/ethiopia/20010327.phtml]
 
DJIBOUTI: New port restrictions introduced

A decree signed into law by Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh last
week will impose restrictions on foreign companies wishing to engage in
shipping and transit operations at the Red Sea port of Djibouti. According
to an article in the Ethiopian magazine 'Fortune', the new law, which has
been under consideration for several months, is likely to further fuel
resentment felt by Ethiopian businessmen following the introduction of
increased port tariffs earlier this year.

The decree, signed into effect on 8 July by President Guelleh, gives
"exclusive" rights to Djibouti nationals in stevedoring, and requires
other nationals to "introduce reciprocal laws" should their companies want
to engage in shipping and transit agency operations at the port, according
to a report issued on Monday by DPA, the German news agency. Meanwhile,
humanitarian sources in Addis Ababa have told IRIN that the latest
development is part of a "sequence of reciprocal measures" taken by the
governments of both Djibouti and Ethiopia in the past few months
concerning the use of the port. Implementation of the new law is expected
to take place over a 60-day period, allowing time for commercial interests
in both countries to consider the practical implications. In the meantime,
aid agencies in Ethiopia would be considering the effects, if any, on
current arrangements for the delivery of food and other supplies through
the port, humanitarian sources in Addis Ababa told IRIN.

HORN OF AFRICA: More help needed to speed drought recovery

Speaking in Geneva on 12 July, Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of
the UN World Food Programme said that a well-managed international and
national response had helped prevent famine in the Horn of Africa but that
the humanitarian campaign would not truly be a success without a sustained
follow-up that enabled people to rebuild their lives. Bertini, who is also
the UN secretary-general's Special Envoy on the Drought in the Horn of
Africa was participating in a panel discussion convened by the UN Economic
and Social Council to consider natural disaster preparedness and response
measures.  Referring to the drought crisis in the Horn of Africa, Bertini
said that it had been found that many things in addition to food were
needed, such as seeds, medical supplies, equipment and improved security
for humanitarian workers.  Recently, she pointed out, donor funding had
been falling short of what was needed.  Earlier in the week, the special
envoy had told the special humanitarian segment of the ECOSOC session that
while the emergency phase of the response to well-publicised disasters was
usually well-funded, much more needed to be done in the longer term to
help people recover. [See IRIN Web Special: Struggling with the legacy of
drought - http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/webspecials/drought/index.phtml]
 
Nairobi, 20 July 2001


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