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HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 53
1 - 7 September 2001


CONTENTS:

HORN OF AFRICA: Rainfall unlikely to offset drought
DJIBOUTI: Refugees and migrants in "hopeless state"
ETHIOPIA: Small arms "traditional", say pastoralists
ETHIOPIA: Detained regional president in court
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Board of inquiry to investigate sex case
ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA: Drought conditions in Haud worsen
SOMALIA: Sultans released in Somaliland
SOMALIA: Puntland conference reconvenes
SOMALIA: Fear of renewed fighting in the south
SOMALIA: Tax collections in Mogadishu
SOMALIA-KENYA: Pilots arrested for evading trade ban


HORN OF AFRICA: Rainfall unlikely to offset drought

Most countries in the Greater Horn of Africa region would receive
near-normal rainfall during the September to December season, weather
experts said at the eighth Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum,
held in Jinja, southeastern Uganda. The workshop was sponsored by USAID
and hosted about 150 participants, including representatives from
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia, a correspondent attending
for the Kenyan 'Daily Nation' said. However, weather experts warned in a
concluding statement read to the participants that the near-normal to
below-normal rainfall expected in most parts of the region might not
offset the water and pasture deficits caused by prolonged drought.

The Drought Monitoring Centre, Nairobi, project coordinator, Professor
Laban Ogallo, said regional meteorological departments were now focusing
on the rains which are associated with the warming of the Pacific Ocean,
resulting in heavy rains. During the conference, Ugandan Environment
Minister Keximbira Miyingo challenged scientists in sub-Saharan Africa to
formulate early warning climate systems. He said climatic changes had a
significant impact on the region's socioeconomic setup, as well as on
health. Representatives from Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda
also attended the 'Daily Nation' said on Monday.

DJIBOUTI: Refugees and migrants in "hopeless state"

Djibouti city is being overburdened by the number of people arriving to
seek work or fleeing drought, Ismail Tani, Djibouti's chief of cabinet,
told IRIN on Wednesday. He said the city's infrastructure was designed to
cater for about 200,000 people, but that this number had been "greatly
surpassed" by a rural-urban drift inside the country, sparked by drought
and movement from neighbouring countries. He said many of them who were
economic refugees were not entitled to humanitarian assistance, but that
it was difficult to control the influx into the port city. "Many arrive in
a hopeless state, and we cannot turn them away or move them on. Most are
nomadic and have no resources left," he said. The World Food Programme
(WFP) last week said an urban influx was part of an emergency affecting
more than 95,000 drought-affected people in Djibouti. Over the next seven
months, more than 11,000 mt of supplies would be given, at the cost of US
$6.5 million, a WFP statement said. [For more details see IRIN separate
DJIBOUTI: Drought and economic refugees overburden capital]

ETHIOPIA: Small arms "traditional", say pastoralists

Millions of small arms have been imported into the Horn of Africa, but
most governments in the region which have been importing them over the
last two years either do not have complete statistics or have not declared
them, a workshop in eastern Ethiopia has heard. Organisers of the
workshop, held in Dire Dawa, emphasised that control and management of
small arms, whether through traditional or other means, constituted a
prerequisite for peace and development, the pro-Ethiopian government Walta
Information Centre said on 1 September. Local elders, representatives of
security sectors, development practitioners and researchers participated
in the workshop, which was co-hosted by the Peace and Development
Committee and the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC).
Kiflemariam Gebrewold of the BICC said it was difficult to know the exact
number and distribution of small arms in the Horn of Africa, because of
incomplete - or undeclared - records, but emphasised the seriousness of
the influx into the region. "We have some statistics which indicate that
over the last two or three decades millions of small arms have been
imported into the region," Kiflemariam said.

While many of the elders attending the workshop said there needed to be
some kind of control mechanism for small arms, such as registration and
licensing, they also pointed to the fact that small arms were a
significant part of their daily lives, and defended their
"indispensability" in their pastoralist way of life, Walta said. They also
emphasised the duty of the government to ensure local security, which was
cited by the elders as one of the major reasons as to why small arms were
acquired. Small arms constitute an array of weapons, ranging from pistols
to sub-machine-guns, the Walta report said.

ETHIOPIA: Detained regional president in court

The detained regional president of Ethiopia's Southern Nations,
Nationalities and Peoples State, Abate Kisho, has complained in court that
his immunity as a president and MP has been violated. Speaking for the
first time since he was detained, Abate said that his right under the
constitution to represent his people had been violated by his having been
detained for 37 days, the pro-government 'Daily Monitor' said on 31
August. He told the court that his deputy had written a letter on 21 June
demanding his dismissal, but that there was no accepted procedure to carry
out such a dismissal.

Seven days later, police came to Awasa, the regional capital, and told
Abate he was needed for questioning. He said he was taken away by the
police, despite the fact that he had asserted his immunity. "So far I have
not had a chance to speak and present my case before anybody," the 'Daily
Monitor' quoted him as telling the court. He denied accusations of
embezzling 72 million birr (US $8.6 million). The court ordered the police
to submit any evidence of the nullification of Abate's immunity.

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Board of inquiry to investigate sex case

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has said it has established
a board of inquiry to investigate and report on allegations of misconduct
by members of the mission. The establishment of the board follows
allegations appearing in Italian media that a former UNMEE peacekeeper was
being investigated by the Italian military prosecutor's office over
accusations of having allegedly had sex with underage girls while serving
in the mission area. UNMEE pointed out that the allegations had never
previously been reported to the mission, but that it had "zero tolerance"
for such acts. According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, the
board, which comprises senior UN military and professional civilian staff,
is to "investigate and report on all allegations concerning incidents
involving serious misconduct by members of UNMEE".

The inquiry would extend to any incidents involving serious misconduct not
previously subject to a board of inquiry, UNMEE said. It is expected to
present its findings to the Special Representative to the UN
Secretary-General on 19 September.

ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA: Drought conditions in Haud worsen

Humanitarian agencies are increasingly concerned about the problems
affecting the Somali Regional State, southeastern Ethiopia, which include
worsening drought conditions in the Haud area, particularly around Warder,
near the border with Somalia. The Haud is an important wet-season grazing
area along the border between Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia. Other
problems include a recent migratory flow from drought-affected southern
Somalia into those areas of the Ethiopian Somali region which have
reasonable water supplies and pasture, with a concentration of people and
livestock particularly in the Afder and Gode zones, humanitarian sources
told IRIN.

A meeting between regional representatives and humanitarian agencies would
take place at the weekend to discuss the situation, including the
worsening drought and the migration issue, the sources said. Held in
Jijiga, capital of the Somali Regional State, it will include
representatives from the regional government, the UN Disaster Management
team and the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission.
Warder is the area most badly affected by poor seasonal rains in May 2001,
which has slowed the pace of recovery from the 1999 drought in the
southern zones of the region. The problem has been compounded by people
coming in with herds of livestock from across the Somali border to look
for better grazing and water supplies. Humanitarian sources warn there is
evidence that some people may have become dependent on traditional wild
foods, like acacia pods, in the absence of milk. Relief operations have
continued since last year to about one million people, with some 86,000
targeted beneficiaries in Warder Zone, humanitarian sources said.

Gregory Gromo Alex, head of the UN Emergencies Unit in Ethiopia, said that
the alarm bells had been sounded nearly a month ago over the need for
intervention, with water supplies disappearing, and evidence of emaciated
cattle. "The situation in the Haud areas is serious and is getting worse,
particularly regarding availability of water and grazing," he told IRIN.
Ethiopian television has been to the area this week to draw attention to
the problem. [See report of multi-agency assessment mission on eastern
parts of Ethiopian Somali region, Somaliland, Puntland and Somalia, by
Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (UNDP-EUE) circulated by IRIN-HOA 5
September]

SOMALIA: Sultans released in Somaliland

Authorities in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland,
northwestern Somalia, have released senior traditional elders arrested on
23 August. Somaliland's official radio station, Radio Hargeysa, said five
clan leaders had been released from the central prison on 30 August. The
report said the five clan leaders had set up a council of clan chiefs in
Burao, central Somaliland. It said the government had also freed nine clan
chiefs who had been under house arrest since 21 August in Hargeysa for
"holding an illegal meeting".

Local sources told IRIN that Sultan Muhammad Sultan Abdiqadir of the Ide
Galle, Sultan Muhammad Sultan Hirsi of the Habar Yunus, Sultan Ahmad
Shaykh of the Habar Awal (all sub-clans of the main Isaq clan) and Sultan
Hadi of the Gadabursi clan, were released after promising to abide by the
Somaliland constitution. The elders reportedly refused to accede to the
Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal's demand that they disband
their organisation, the Sultans' council, said the source. The elders had
argued that the existence of such an organisation is permitted by the
constitution.

SOMALIA: Puntland conference reconvenes

The conference of the representatives of the constituent regions of the
self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia,
reconvened in Garowe, the regional capital, on Wednesday, a local
journalist told IRIN. The organising committee issued the conference
schedule to the delegates on Wednesday morning. The conference, which was
expected to elect a new Puntland administration, was due to continue until
1 October. According to the conference schedule, the president and
vice-president would have been elected and installed by 30 September, Adan
Abdirahman Dolar, editor of the Garowe-based 'Nugal Times', said.

The conference, which opened on 26 August, was first postponed to give
more time to some delegates who had not arrived, and to resolve procedural
differences. It was then to have resumed its deliberations on 2 September,
but was postponed again after questions were raised over the legitimacy of
some of the delegates. "These have now been resolved, and the conference
is in full swing," Dolar said.

SOMALIA: Fear of renewed fighting in the south

Tension is rising again in the Middle Juba Region of southern Somalia, as
forces allied to the Mogadishu-based Transitional National Government
(TNG), and those of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council
(SRRC) deploy in the area, according to reports from the region.
Muhammad Ali Adan Qalinle, the governor of Baidoa, 240 km southwest of
Mogadishu, speaking on behalf of the SRRC, confirmed to IRIN on Tuesday
that his group planned to recapture Bu'aale, the regional capital of
Middle Juba.  Bu'aale, some 200 km northwest of Kismayo, was captured from
the SRRC last month by pro-TNG militia of the Juba Valley Alliance (JVA).
"We may not attack it today, but we will go to Bu'aale," he said. Qalinle
insisted that the SRRC would persevere until it dislodged the TNG and its
supporters "from territory they illegally occupied". The SRRC is a
grouping of southern factions opposed to the TNG.

Meanwhile, families were fleeing their homes in the southern Middle Juba
region in fear of renewed fighting, following the deployment of rival
militia forces, residents told AFP. Jilib resident Ahmad Abdi Hasanown
told AFP by telephone that Somali faction leader General Muhammed Sa'id
Hirsi Morgan had deployed more fighters in the area at the weekend, and
that the JVA militia were also in a state of readiness. "The situation is
compelling the poor civilians to take their scanty valuables and run,"
Hasanow told AFP.

SOMALIA: Tax collections in Mogadishu

The TNG has started collecting taxes in Bakara, the largest market in the
capital, Mogadishu, a senior TNG official has told IRIN. This is the first
time in 11 years that taxes have been collected in Bakara - but not the
first time that the TNG has collected taxes in Mogadishu, TNG Director of
Information Abdirahman Dinari said. Tax collection first began in June, at
the livestock market, to see how the process would work, he said. Dinari
and local sources said the collection, which started on 2 September, was
generally proceeding well, despite the fact Mogadishu faction leaders had
in the past expressed opposition to taxation attempts. News agencies
reported that there had been little resistance to the move.

There was, however, one violent incident, resulting from a confrontation
between police and gunmen in one section of the market on 2 September. A
gun battle ensued in which two women market vendors were killed and four
gunmen and a police officer wounded, Awil Hashi, a Mogadishu resident,
told IRIN. Following the incident, police arrested four of the gunmen and
secured the market.

The tax collection operation had the blessing of the business community,
Ali Muhammad Siyad Ali Dere, the chairman of the Bakara Business
Association, told IRIN. "We fully support it, and our people are
accompanying the tax collectors," he said. The taxes are being collected
by the Mogadishu municipality. Taxes are divided into three categories,
depending on the size of the business, Ali Dere said. Minor vendors pay
500 Somali shillings (about 3 US cents), small shops will be charged 1,000
Somali shillings (about 6 US cents), while large shops will pay 2,000
Somali shillings (about 11 US cents). These taxes would be collected on a
daily basis, said Ali Dere. He said each tax collector was being
accompanied by a member of the business community and two armed police
officers.

SOMALIA-KENYA: Pilots arrested for evading trade ban

The Kenyan government has said it has arrested three pilots and seized two
aircraft for violating the trade ban with Somalia. The pilots had been
accused of flying across Kenya's northeastern border, and giving false
information to Kenya Airports Authority officers at Wilson Airport in
Nairobi, the Kenyan 'Daily Nation' said on Tuesday. Two of the pilots were
seized at Wilson Airport on 31 August by armed policemen on their return
from northern Kenya. Another was arrested at Dadaab airstrip, in an
isolated area of North Eastern Province which borders on Somalia.

Although the pilots denied the charge, the North Eastern provincial police
chief, Alex Rono, told the 'Daily Nation' they had been unable to explain
why they had not flown directly to Dadaab, or why their aircraft were
carrying no cargo when they finally landed there several hours later.
According to Rono, the authorities were aware that more aircraft were
flying to Somalia after leaving Wilson Airport. "Some do not land in North
Eastern Province, and fly directly to Somalia. Our role is only to confirm
that they landed at the stipulated airstrip," he said.

Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, who announced the ban on 28 July, said
Kenya could only deal with a legitimate government in Somalia, and that
the move was aimed at curbing the flow of small arms into Kenya.

Nairobi, 7 September 2001


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001


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