Items related to "Human Security Gateway: Horn of Africa". Fri, 16 May 2008 0:30:18 +0000 Fri, 16 May 2008 0:30:18 +0000 robert_hartfiel@sfu.ca (Robert Hartfiel) Wed, 14 May 2008 15:47:41 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24369 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24369 « Grande campagne de miracle », « programme spécial de guérison divine », « soirée de délivrance et de prophétie » : de telles annonces fleurissent sur les murs des grandes métropoles africaines, témoignant de la visibilité croissante des manifestations pentecôtistes en Afrique subsaharienne. Depuis plusieurs années, l’expansion du pentecôtisme sur le continent suscite un intérêt grandissant. Pour beaucoup d’observateurs, la croissance de ce courant chrétien, qui se manifeste notamment par une pratique religieuse expressive et démonstrative, provoque une certaine méfiance. Un grand nombre d’idées reçues accompagne en effet le développement des Églises et des mouvements pentecôtistes : le phénomène serait entièrement nouveau, il serait massif et déstabiliserait les autres forces religieuses, il enfermerait les individus dans de nouvelles identités, il serait dirigé depuis les États-Unis, correspondrait à l’imposition d’un modèle américain et ferait le jeu de la politique états-unienne, etc… Pourtant, des études novatrices ont été conduites depuis une quinzaine d’années, tant par des chercheurs européens qu’africains. Elles permettent de dresser un état des lieux du pentecôtisme sur le continent en soulignant notamment, par ce biais, l’insertion de l’Afrique subsaharienne dans la globalisation. Elles soulignent également la pluralité du phénomène, représenté par des milliers d’Églises différentes et sa complexité. Elles insistent enfin sur l’ambivalence d’un mouvement qui contribue à la création de nouvelles sociabilités tout en renforçant l’individualisation, et entretient de multiples formes de relation au politique. SOURCE: Institut français des relations internationales Institut français des relations internationales Wed, 14 May 2008 12:51:54 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24354 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24354 Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Afrique australe, Afrique de l’Est, Afrique de l’Ouest et Afrique centrale, et Afrique centrale, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: le double défi de la tuberculose et du VIH, circonsion masculine et préventions du VIH, epidémies latentes parmi les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes, la consommation de drogues injectables: un facteur croissant dans plusiers épidémies de VIH de L'Afrique Subsaharienne, et signes de changements vers des comportements à moindre risque. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Wed, 14 May 2008 11:35:42 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24338 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24338 Le Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique est le fruit de larges travaux de recherche sur les pratiques de gouvernance entrepris dans 27 pays africains par la Commission économique pour l’Afrique (CEA), par l’intermédiaire d’instituts nationaux de recherche, qui ont recueilli, ensemble par échantillonnage, les opinions de plus de 50 000 ménages et de 2 000 experts. Les conclusions, soumises à la CEA entre 2002 et 2004, ont fait l’objet d’un processus rigoureux d’examens auxquels ont participé des experts nationaux et internationaux travaillant sur la gouvernance et les questions politiques et économiques. Ce rapport est la première grande étude de ce type initiée par les pays africains, qui vise à analyser de façon empirique les opinions des citoyens quant à l’état de la gouvernance dans leurs pays, tout en mettant en évidence les principaux déficits de capacité dans les pratiques et institutions de gouvernance et en recommandant des pratiques optimales et des solutions pour y faire face. On s’est attaché à assurer l’appropriation locale de l’ensemble empirique de résultats afin de renforcer l’efficacité et la légitimité de la prise de décisions et de l’effort de sensibilisation aux niveaux national et infrarégional. Les données ainsi générées peuvent être utilisées pour mesurer la performance des gouvernements et de toutes les principales parties prenantes dans leur réponse aux préoccupations exprimées par les citoyens et pour suivre la mesure dans laquelle le contrat qu’ils ont passé entre eux est respecté. Nous avons pris soin de ne pas être trop directif. Le Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique contient des recommandations qui découlent essentiellement des réalités propres aux pays, car, pour être durable, la gouvernance doit être replacée dans son contexte et internalisée. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Wed, 14 May 2008 11:02:26 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24335 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24335 Le présent rapport fait la synthèse de la première grande étude continentale visant à mesurer et contrôler les « Progrès accomplis sur la voie de la bonne gouvernance en Afrique », entreprise par la Commission économique pour l’Afrique. Dans le cadre de cette étude, des enquêtes et des recherches ont été menées sur 28 pays. Les résultats complets et l’analyse de l’étude seront publiés en 2005 dans le premier «Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique ». La CEA a entrepris ce travail pour évaluer l’idée que les citoyens se font de l’état de la gouvernance en Afrique, pour rassembler des informations sur les meilleures pratiques et pour identifier les principaux besoins de la région en matière de développement des capacités. Le projet a identifié quatre tendances positives sur la voie de la création d’États compétents en Afrique: transitions démocratiques, ouverture politique, liberté d’expression et obligation comptable, et gestion économique. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Mon, 12 May 2008 14:54:24 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24310 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24310 On January 8, 2007, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed set foot in the capital city of Mogadishu for the first time since taking office in 2004. His arrival symbolized a victory by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) over the Islamic Courts, a group of fundamentalist Islamic militias that had grown so powerful over the preceding year that they briefly controlled much of the country’s territory. Though international observers had hoped the TFG would bring stability to the war-torn nation after sixteen years of “failed state” status, by mid-2008 experts said the TFG was fraught by internal divisions. Meanwhile, the Islamists have made a strong comeback, with an increasingly radicalized extremist movement holding sway over more moderate factions of the Courts. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations Fri, 09 May 2008 14:41:52 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24281 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24281 Pirates hijacked a record number of ships off the Somali coast this year, fighting in Mogadishu has driven hundreds of thousands from the city, and the aid workers that supply critical food and medical supplies to displaced Somalis are now targeted by Islamic insurgents (TIME). Yet perhaps the most telling indicator of Somalia’s deepening crisis is this: Not only has the country’s weak transitional government failed to protect civilians, according to a new report from Amnesty International, it routinely targets them. Somalia’s transitional federal government has tried to legitimize its hold over the country since December 2006, when Ethiopian troops invaded to oust the Islamic Courts Union, a fundamentalist militia. Some eighteen months later, the Ethiopian troops remain, the Islamist insurgency has intensified, and moderate elements of the Islamists that split from the courts are refusing to negotiate with the transitional government. As this Backgrounder describes, the transitional government is an amalgam of warlords vying for power. The United States has backed it in the hopes of eliminating the country’s Islamic extremists, but many experts say that strategy has led to further radicalization. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations Thu, 08 May 2008 10:36:06 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24233 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24233 The first part of this publication focuses on the demand side of small arms issues in the Horn of Africa region. The second part is composed of the findings of fourexploratory field research studies commissioned by SALIGAD. The studies were based on questionnaires and focused group interviews. They involved communities, as in the case of Kenya, and government officials, as in the case of Gambella. In all studies, a method for gathering information was developed and tools such as questionnaires and interview outlines designed in order to collect data. Most of the information gathered is primary data in as much as stakeholders, opinion leaders and people involved in the subject matter were interviewed. By staying in the area for several days or weeks the authors also applied 'non-participatory observation'. The studies are complemented by a list of references. SOURCE: Bonn International Center for Conversion Bonn International Center for Conversion Wed, 07 May 2008 15:07:42 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24224 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24224 Du fait de l’escalade du conflit et de l'insécurité civile en certains endroits du sud de la Somalie, en particulier à Mogadiscio, des milliers de personnes fuient vers les régions voisines. Ces déplacements aggravent la crise humanitaire déjà préoccupante. Selon des rapports récents, environ 20 000 personnes en moyenne quittent leur foyer chaque mois. La route qui relie Mogadiscio à Afgooye (29 kilomètres seulement) compte à elle seule quelque 250 000 personnes déplacées. La situation humanitaire s’est particulièrement dégradée dans les régions de Shabelle, d'Hiran et du Centre. Selon les estimations, près de deux millions de personnes en tout, dont environ un million de PDI ont besoin d'une aide humanitaire de base et d'un appui aux moyens de subsistance pendant les six prochains mois au moins. SOURCE: Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide sue l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide sue l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture Wed, 07 May 2008 12:02:34 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24206 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24206 The International Contact Group for Somalia (ICG) held an unprecedented meeting in Oslo, Norway, from 29-30th April 2008. At this meeting, Norway handed over the chair of the group to the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in order to further strengthen the leadership role of the UN in Somalia. The meeting discussed the political process, the security situation and the humanitarian conditions in Somalia. It also signaled Norway’s reluctance to continue as member of the ICG and as an active peace broker internationally. SOURCE: Institute for Security Studies Institute for Security Studies Wed, 07 May 2008 11:04:09 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24191 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24191 Anti-terrorism officials in the Horn of Africa are on high alert following the killing of Shaykh Aden Hashi Ayro, the military leader of al-Shabaab, the youth wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia, in a May 1 strike by U.S. ship-launched Tomahawk missiles (SomaliNet, May 2; Daily Nation [Nairobi], May 2). Shaykh Ayro, trained in terrorist and insurgency methods in Afghanistan and believed to have been in his 30s, was killed in a house together with another five insurgents in the small central Somalia town of Dusamareb, 250 miles north of Mogadishu (al-Jazeera, May 2). Those killed included Ayro’s brother, another commander, Muhiyadin Muhammad Umar, and several other insurgents. At least a dozen civilians in neighboring houses were also killed by the missiles. Soon after the attack, Shaykh Muqtar Robow Adumansur, the group’s spokesman, vowed the group would retaliate, setting off an alert in the Horn of Africa: “This does not deter us from continuing our holy war against Allah’s enemy; we will be on the right way, that is why we are targeted” (The Standard [Nairobi], May 2). Thousands of people took to the streets of Dusamareb on May 4 to protest the attack (AFP, May 4). SOURCE: Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation Global Terrorism Analysis // The Jamestown Foundation Tue, 06 May 2008 15:11:13 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24169 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24169 After a US missile killed a senior leader of an Islamist militant group in Somalia, the BBC's Rob Watson considers how serious the West considers the militant threat from the region. The precise links, if any, between Somalia's Islamists and al-Qaeda are decidedly murky. But there is little doubt that the US and other western countries see Somalia in particular - and East Africa in general - as a potential breeding ground for violent Islamic extremists. SOURCE: BBC News BBC News Tue, 06 May 2008 09:30:52 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24146 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24146 Amnesty International is deeply concerned about ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict in Somalia, specifically torture and other ill-treatment, rape, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention, and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Some 6,000 civilians were reportedly killed in fighting in the capital Mogadishu and across southern and central Somalia in 2007, and over 600,000 Somali civilians were internally displaced from and around Mogadishu. In addition, an estimated 335,000 Somali refugees fled Somalia in 2007, despite enormous obstacles to their movement, including Kenya’s closure of its border with Somalia, armed combatants and bandits on the roads, and perilous travel across the Gulf of Aden. Somali civilians suffered violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the conflict areas of southern and central Somalia, on the roads as they fled conflict areas, and in camps and settlements to which they fled. UNICEF announced on 14 February 2008 that some 90,000 children could die in Somalia in the next few months due to a lack of adequate funding for nutrition, water and sanitation programmes. SOURCE: Amnesty International Amnesty International Fri, 02 May 2008 14:55:07 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24108 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24108 Council members are currently negotiating two draft resolutions on Somalia. There are ongoing differences of view among members, and it is unclear when agreement will be reached on both drafts. The first draft, prepared by the UK, responds to the proposed strategy for Somalia recommended by the Secretary-General in his 14 March report. After an initial round of expert-level discussions, a second version of the draft was circulated on Wednesday, 30 April. The second resolution, prepared by France, the US, the UK and Panama, addresses piracy issues. SOURCE: Security Council Report Security Council Report Fri, 02 May 2008 14:27:46 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24103 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24103 From 11-13 March 2008, over 150 leaders of Somali civil society gathered at the Imperial Beach Resort Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda. The group included: Somali NGOs, business leaders, professional associations, women’s groups, religious leaders, academics, the media, and traditional leaders. Almost half of the group are members of the Somali expatriate community, who travelled from as far afield as Australia, Canada and Scandinavia. It has been an unprecedented gathering of such a wide-ranging and influential group of civil society. The prospect of recovery and peace-building in Somalia rests in large part on civil society, which can be a catalyst for social, political and economic change. The purpose of this meeting was two-fold: first, to foster a more collective voice among the diverse sectors and groups of Somali civil society, both those living within Somalia and those living outside; and second, to begin to build consensus among this group on how the Somali civil society can most effectively and constructively contribute to peace-building in Somalia. SOURCE: Saferworld Saferworld Thu, 01 May 2008 11:03:28 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24043 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24043 The Security Council, Reaffirming its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia, in particular resolution 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992, which established an embargo on all delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia (hereinafter referred to as the “arms embargo”), resolution 1519 (2003) of 16 December 2003, resolution 1558 (2004) of 17 August 2004, resolution 1587 (2005) of 15 March 2005, resolution 1630 (2005) of 14 October 2005, resolution 1676 (2006) of 10 May 2006, resolution 1724 (2006) of 29 November 2006, resolution 1744 (2007) of 20 February 2007, resolution 1766 (2007) of 23 July 2007, resolution 1772 (2007) of 20 August 2007, and resolution 1801 (2008) of 20 February 2008, Recalling that, as set out in its resolutions 1744 (2007) and 1772 (2007), the arms embargo on Somalia does not apply to (a) weapons and military equipment, technical training and assistance intended solely for support of or use by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and (b) supplies and technical assistance by States intended solely for the purpose of helping develop security sector institutions, consistent with the political process set out in those resolutions and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”) within five working days of receiving an advance notification of such supplies or assistance on a case-by-case basis. SOURCE: United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Thu, 01 May 2008 10:04:06 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24032 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24032 Armed conflicts are defined as political conflicts in which armed combat involves the armed forces of at least one state or one or more armed factions seeking to gain control of all or part of the state, and in which at least 1,000 people have been killed by the fighting during the course of the conflict. Globally, the number of armed conflicts has been decreasing since 1995, when it peaked at 44 recorded civil wars. By 2003, seven of these conflicts had ended, and in 2003 there were 37 active conflicts in the world. More than 80 percent of these conflicts were in Asia and Africa. The latter continent harbored 42 percent of all conflicts in 2003, involving 28 states and their neighboring countries. Many governmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as research scholars, evaluate the human impact of civil conflict for operational and policy purposes. These evaluations typically measure not only direct casualties due to violence but often indirect casualties among persons affected by the breakdown of the health and social-service infrastructure and its consequences. SOURCE: John Hopkins University John Hopkins University Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:31:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23977 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23977 Le présent rapport est la mise à jour d’un précédent document publié en octobre 2005 et constitue une déclinaison régionale du rapport de la FIDH intitulé « L’antiterrorisme à l’épreuve des droits de l’Homme : les clés de la compatibilité », en apportant un éclairage sur la situation prévalant en Afrique sub-saharienne. Si la menace d’attentats terroristes en Afrique subsaharienne est avérée (pour exemples, les attentats terroristes à la bombe perpétrés le 7 août 1998 à Nairobi et à Dar es-Salaam), les leaders de la campagne internationale de lutte conte le terrorisme – au premier chef les États-Unis d’Amérique - considèrent surtout que cette partie du monde peut être un terreau fertile au recrutement de terroristes, une cache potentielle pour les terroristes, un lieu sécurisé pour l’acquisition illicite d’armes ainsi qu’un terrain privilégié pour les transactions financières opaques liées aux activités terroristes. Pour ces raisons, le Comité des Nations unies contre le terrorisme, créé par la résolution 13733 du Conseil de sécurité, appelle les États africains à ratifier les conventions internationales de lutte contre les actes terroristes et harmoniser leur droit interne en conséquence. Notamment, le Comité insiste sur la nécessaire criminalisation de l’acte terroriste et du financement du terrorisme dans leur législation pénale, ainsi que sur la mise en oeuvre de politiques d’asile et d’immigration plus strictes. Ainsi, sous pression diplomatique mais aussi politique et économique de la communauté internationale et parfois même par opportunisme sécuritaire, les États d’Afrique subsaharienne ont massivement ratifié les conventions internationales et régionales de la lutte contre le terrorisme, notamment la Convention de l’Organisation de l’unité africaine sur la prévention et la lutte contre le terrorisme. Par ailleurs, de nombreux États ont intégré dans leur droit interne des dispositions spécifiques de lutte contre le terrorisme. Si la lutte contre le terrorisme est légitime et nécessaire, l’analyse du cadre juridique régional et des législations nationales y afférentes démontre cependant les potentialités liberticides de certaines dispositions. En effet, au prétexte de lutter contre le terrorisme, nombre d’États ont adopté et appliquent des dispositions qui dérogent aux normes internationales de protection des droits de l’Homme qui les lient. D’autres prétendent lutter contre le terrorisme en s’affranchissant de tout cadre légal et ainsi de tout contrôle. En dépit du fait que la lutte anti-terroriste est une question sensible et, en conséquence, se caractérise par le manque de transparence des mesures prises par les États en la matière, le présent rapport présente de nombreux exemples de violations des droits de l’Homme dans le cadre ou au nom de la lutte contre le terrorisme en Afrique Subsaharienne. Il est pourtant nécessaire d’assurer « la compatibilité des législations anti-terroristes avec les droits de l’Homme et les principes démocratiques, pour le succès même de la lutte contre les auteurs d’actes terroristes », comme le soulignait M. Kofi Annan, ancien Secrétaire général des Nations unies devant les membres du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies en janvier 2002. Loin de constituer un obstacle, la revendication d’une lutte anti-terroriste respectueuse des droits fondamentaux participe en effet tant de la recevabilité que d’une plus grande efficacité de celle-ci. Quelle que soit son origine, le terrorisme a pour effet et parfois comme objectif ultime d’annihiler les principes de démocratie, de liberté et d’humanité. Déroger à ces valeurs pour combattre ceux qui cherchent précisément à les détruire reviendrait à leur prêter main forte et à les conforter dans leur aversion des normes universelles qui fondent l’organisation de nos sociétés, qu’elles soient mondiales, régionales, nationales ou locales. Le respect des droits de l’Homme et la lutte antiterroriste sont compatibles. Il faut cesser de les aborder de manière antagoniste. A cet égard, la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples et la future Cour africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples devraient jouer un rôle important dans le contrôle de la conformité des mesures et pratiques des États dans le cadre de la lutte contre le terrorisme avec les dispositions internationales et régionales de protection des droits de l’Homme. SOURCE: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:26:32 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23876 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23876 It has been almost 15 years since Somali militias shot down two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters over the capital Mogadishu and killed 18 American servicemen in a battle that also killed more than 1,000 Somalis. Since that fateful day in 1993, which had followed decades of American involvement that contributed directly to Somalia’s brokenness, the United States has largely turned its back on the fate of the Somali people. U.S. involvement has been rooted in counter-terrorism efforts in which the suffering of the Somali people has barely been factored beyond the sending of humanitarian band-aids to cover gaping human rights wounds. The crucial requirements for reconstructing a state—which are the basic elements, on paper, of U.S. counter-terrorism policy—have received little beyond rhetorical support. SOURCE: ENOUGH Project ENOUGH Project Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:28:34 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23597 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23597 The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 32 of my special report of 3 March 2008 on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) (S/2008/145), in which I informed the Security Council of my intention to prepare a second special report providing options and recommendations for any future United Nations peacekeeping presence in Eritrea and Ethiopia. With the temporary relocation of UNMEE military personnel and equipment from Eritrea, as outlined in my previous special report, the Mission has reached a critical turning point. It is therefore important to set out the context of the developments leading to the temporary relocation of the Mission and to recount pertinent events since the signing by Eritrea and Ethiopia, in Algiers, of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities of 18 June 2000 and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 12 December 2000. SOURCE: United Nations Secretary General Report United Nations Secretary General Report Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:10:56 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23595 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23595 The region of the Greater Horn of Africa has turned into one of the largest and most violent conflict regions in the world. Five international peacekeeping operations are desperately struggling to contain the situation. In Somalia, the few troops of the AU mission AMISOM are hardly able to leave their barracks. UNMEE, the UN mission tasked to monitor the cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea has just been forced by the government of Eritrea to withdraw its Blue Helmets from its territory. At the border between Chad, CAR, and Sudan, the joint EU/UN Mission EUFOR Chad/RCA is well behind schedule. And the new AU/UN Hybrid Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, is suffering from an even worse delay in its deployment. SOURCE: Center for International Peace Operations Center for International Peace Operations Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:52:59 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23327 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23327 Mogadishu - Change in Population of IDP settlements between June and December 2007 SOURCE: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:51:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23326 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23326 New Displacement in February (From 1 – 29 February, 2008) SOURCE: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:47:33 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23325 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23325 Internally displaced persons in Somalia as of February 2008 SOURCE: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:55:14 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23273 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23273 Reported Incidents of Pirate Attacks and Hijackings off the Coast of Somalia SOURCE: United Nations Operational Satellite United Nations Operational Satellite Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:12:37 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23246 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23246 Somalia is without a doubt the most neglected crisis in the world today. Over the past seventeen years, Somalia has been subject to ongoing civil wars, droughts and floods. Most observers agree that the crisis has never been as acute as it is today. The immense gap between the level of need and the corresponding humanitarian response is striking. Agencies struggle to provide food, water, health care, and other basic assistance to one million internally displaced people because of the worsening security crisis. Additionally, their own bureaucracies have not sufficiently adapted to the ground realities of this situation. Further complicating matters, the official Somali government propped up by the international community is viewed as illegitimate by its own people. SOURCE: Refugees International Refugees International Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:04:40 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22878 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22878 Somalia: New Displacement in January [From 1 to 31 January, 2008] SOURCE: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:41:06 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22833 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22833 Le 21 janvier 2008, j’ai adressé une lettre au Président du Conseil de sécurité dans laquelle j’appelais l’attention des membres du Conseil sur la crise à laquelle fait face la Mission des Nations Unies en Éthiopie et en Érythrée (MINUEE) par suite de l’interruption totale, par les autorités érythréennes, des livraisons de carburant à la Mission depuis le 1er décembre 2007. Dans mon rapport du 23 janvier 2008 (S/2008/40 et Corr.1), j’ai informé le Conseil que la MINUEE commençait à se heurter à de graves difficultés pour pourvoir aux besoins de ses contingents et observateurs militaires et maintenir un système de transmissions fiable avec ses bases d’opérations dans la Zone temporaire de sécurité. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Conseil de sécurité Nations Unies // Conseil de sécurité Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:22:12 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22745 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22745 Several challenges have limited U.S. and international efforts to stabilize Somalia. The international community, including the United States, is seeking to improve the security situation in the country, mainly by funding an African Union peacekeeping operation. However, a shortage of troops has hindered peacekeepers’ ability to achieve their mission. In addition, the most recent attempt at political reconciliation was limited, in part because several important opposition groups were not involved. For example, while this key attempt resulted in resolutions to end the conflict and return all property to its rightful owners, these opposition groups denounced the resolutions, citing their lack of participation in drafting them. According to many officials, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government lacks institutional structures and national acceptance, and these weaknesses, in our view, have constrained U.S. and international efforts to establish the transitional government as a fully functioning central government. To mitigate these challenges, the international community, including the United States, is taking steps that include encouraging all parties to participate in reconciliation discussions. SOURCE: Government Accountability Office Government Accountability Office Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:36:21 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22701 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22701 At the edge of the global spotlight, Somalia stands as one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian emergencies — threatening war, famine and a breeding ground for terrorism that is truly unrivaled in its potential for disaster. As Zach Baxter explains, the United States must shift its counter-terrorism policies in Africa if the worst outcomes are to be avoided. SOURCE: The Globalist The Globalist Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:53:52 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22634 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22634 Les conflits et les troubles civils en plusieurs endroits de la Corne de l'Afrique, qui sont en recrudescence ces derniers mois, ont rendu des millions de personnes tributaires de l'aide alimentaire et détruit les moyens de subsistance de beaucoup d'autres. Il est très probable que des ménages qui jusqu'à présent étaient en général en situation de sécurité alimentaire connaîtront l'insécurité alimentaire chronique, tandis que les déplacements massifs se poursuivront. L'insuffisance des précipitations saisonnières tombées récemment en certains endroits a aggravé les difficultés vivrières auxquelles des millions de personnes sont confrontées. SOURCE: Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Programme alimentaire mondial Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Programme alimentaire mondial Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:14:39 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22620 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22620 Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, held a demonstration in the city on 24 February to call attention to their plight. "We demonstrated to remind the world that we are here and our children are here and suffering," said Abdullahi Kabe, a community leader in the Arbiska IDP camps, near Afgoye, 30km south of Mogadishu. Kabe, a father of three, said: "We are appealing to the world to come to the rescue of our children, before it is too late for many of them." At least 6,000 families (about 36,000 people) most of them children, fled the violence in Mogadishu and have settled in the area, according to Jawahir Ilmi, who coordinates the 12 IDP camps in the area. SOURCE: Integrated Regional Information Networks Integrated Regional Information Networks Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:48:53 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22465 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22465 This document reflects the discussion and outcomes of the scholarly conference on the Ethiopia-Eritrea Conflict held in Oslo in July, 2006. The report found that almost all participants unanimously dismissed territorial dispute as the pivotal cause of the Ethopia-Eritrea conflict. Nevertheless there was strong disagreement amongst the participants who should gain control over Badme. It was claimed by both Eritrea, which considers Badme to be a part of Gash-Barka Zone, and Ethiopia, which considers Badme part of the Mirabawi Zone of the Tigray Region. Most participants also agree the mediation process was too hasty and simplistic. SOURCE: Eldis Community Eldis Community Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:42:42 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22368 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22368 Ethiopia is one of the multi-ethnic state in which most of its people speak the language of “Afro-Asiatic family such as Semitic, Cushitic. Oromitic and Nilo-Saharan.” It is one of the world’s oldest nations and is considered to be one of the “cradles of civilization.” The region lies on the Eastern side of Africa. It is situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It covers the areas of Blue Nile, and its tributaries, as well as a major stretch of the African Rift Valley. Hence; the scope of this paper will examine the brief history of the nation, its society, politics and political system, economy, human right issues and other challenges. SOURCE: Anyuak Media Anyuak Media Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:46:03 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22336 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22336 Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991. It is the archetypal failed state. Following the overthrow of Mohammed Siad Barre's military regime in 1991, the country was torn apart by feuding "warlords". Each had its own clan-based militia, armed to the teeth with AK47s, RPGs and driving around in "technicals" – jeeps with the top ripped off and an anti-aircraft missile welded to the back. The lives of Somalia's 10 million people were gradually destroyed by endless civil wars, countless droughts and floods. Thirteen attempts at creating a new central government failed. A 14th established the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Nairobi in 2004. SOURCE: The Independent The Independent Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:28:48 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22143 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22143 Une Mission d'évaluation des récoltes et de la sécurité alimentaire s'est rendue du 19 novembre au 12 décembre 2007 en Éthiopie afin d'évaluer la production de céréales et de légumineuses de la campagne principale 'meher' de 2007, de réviser les estimations finales après récolte de la campagne principale 'meher' de 2006 et de la campagne secondaire 'belg' de 2007, de formuler des prévisions concernant la campagne belg de 2008, et d'évaluer la situation globale des approvisionnements alimentaires pour la campagne commerciale de 2008 (janvier-décembre). SOURCE: Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Programme alimentaire mondial Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Programme alimentaire mondial Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:26:16 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22098 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22098 The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 1320 (2000) of 15 September 2000, by which the Council requested me to keep it closely and regularly informed of progress towards the implementation of this resolution. The report provides an update on developments in the Mission area and describes the activities of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) since my previous report dated 1 November 2007 (S/2007/645). [For corrigendum, please click here: http://www.humansecuritygateway.info/documents/UNSG_EthiopiaEritrea_corr_english.pdf] SOURCE: United Nations Secretary General Report United Nations Secretary General Report Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:19:14 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22083 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22083 This paper seeks to discern the influence of environmental variability on pastoral conflict in the Horn of Africa. While the literature on environmental factors in civil wars is rich in empirical research and explanatory power, the dearth of data is an obstacle to the study of other important forms of violence such as pastoral conflict. If environmental factors are associated with pastoral conflict then what are they, and can they be used as early warning indicators to prevent its escalation or mitigate its effects? These questions are increasingly important given the expected impact of climate change on pastoral societies worldwide. To help answer these questions we draw on data collected by field monitors with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Conflict Early Warning and Response Network (CEWARN) and environmental data for the same region. Field monitors collect incident and situation reports from more than two dozen areas of reporting along the borders of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda collectively known at the Karamoja Cluster. We compare these conflict data with three environmental indicators: precipitation, vegetation and forage. Preliminary statistical analyses of the data suggest that aggravating behavior, along with a reduction in peace initiatives and reciprocal exchanges, is associated with an escalation in pastoral conflict, particularly when coupled with an increase in vegetation that may provide cover for organized raids. We therefore recommend that conflict early warning systems integrate both response options and salient environmental indicators into their analyses to better deal with the complexity of the relationships between pastoral conflict and the environment in an era of climate change. SOURCE: Centre for the Study of Civil War Centre for the Study of Civil War Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:59:55 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22012 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22012 Établi en application du paragraphe 12 de la résolution 1320 (2000), en date du 15 septembre 2000, par lequel le Conseil de sécurité me priait de le tenir informé, régulièrement et dans le détail, des progrès accomplis dans l’application de la résolution, le présent rapport rend compte des événements survenus dans la zone de la Mission des Nations Unies en Éthiopie et en Érythrée (MINUEE) depuis mon rapport du 1er novembre 2007 (S/2007/645). Il décrit également les activités de la Mission. SOURCE: Nations Unies Nations Unies Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:52:45 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21985 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21985 Somalia, a nation in the horn of Africa has plunged into a state of lawlessness and anarchy and became ungoverned land soon after tribal rebels toppled the late strongman Mohamed Siad Bare in 1990. During, the rule of Siad Bare, Somalis were enjoying in their full, a state of peace and tranquillity even though the government of Siad was as simple as one of the African administrations known for corruption and misrule. But after the dismiss of Siad Bare government by the rebel groups, the expectation of the Somalis for better vanished there and their country pitched into disorder characterised by displacement, killings, rape and warlordism that has sent shockwaves through the spine of the world community and that has led an international intervention to the country in late 1992 led by the US government. SOURCE: allAfrica.com allAfrica.com Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:23:02 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21914 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21914 Sexual violence against women in the Somali capital Mogadishu has reached an unprecedented level, with women raped at checkpoints and during the day in front of bystanders by all parties to the vicious conflict, the United Nations said. The UN children's agency UNICEF said rape was becoming an "instrument" used by Ethiopian-backed government troops and insurgents, a new trend in the 17-year conflict, which has worsened dramatically since the New Year. SOURCE: ReliefWeb ReliefWeb Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:20:12 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21811 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21811 For the citizens of Somaliland, the presidential election of 2003 was more an exercise of their democratic rights. It was the beginning of a new hope for a nation ravaged by a brutal war, a wave of terror carried out by Gen. Siad Barre—the ruthless dictator who ruled former Somalia (Southern Somalia and Somaliland) with iron fist—from 1969 to 1990. But that hope almost turned to despair. After the UDUB party leader Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin—the incumbent candidate—was elected to lead the nation for a five-year term, the leader of the opposition party KULMIYE, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo—the contender—quickly accused Mr. Kahin of rigging the election and misusing public funds for campaign purposes, an accusation denied by UDUB. Looking back the election of 2003, as it seemed, the nation was a hair’s breadth away from a civil war. Many citizens asked themselves: would Mr. Silanyo destroy the very country that he librated? Or would Mr. Kahin engulf the country that he helped to pacify after the war of liberation in a violent firestorm and crush the nascent democracy that he himself introduced? SOURCE: Garowe Online Garowe Online Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:27:37 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9964 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9964 The United Nations could improve the performance of its peacekeeping operations by taking a more regional approach to efforts to end conflicts, Refugees International concludes in a new report. Regional cooperation is particularly important in the design and execution of programs to disarm, demobilize and retrain soldiers, interdict weapons shipments and even halt the cross-border movement of combatants. The study focuses on the need to coordinate separate UN operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. However, the report notes that a regional peacekeeping approach also should apply to East Africa, where the UN is conducting several peacekeeping operations to halt conflicts that have spread from one country to another. SOURCE: Refugees International Refugees International Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:04:40 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21513 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21513 Soumis pour donner suite à la déclaration du Président du Conseil de sécurité en date du 31 octobre 2001 (S/PRST/2001/30), dans laquelle le Conseil m’a demandé de lui rendre compte au moins tous les quatre mois de la situation en Somalie, le présent rapport expose l’évolution de la situation depuis la publication de mon dernier rapport, le 25 juin 2007 (S/2007/381), notamment le déroulement du Congrès de réconciliation nationale et les résultats auxquels il est parvenu ainsi que les efforts qui ont été déployés pour promouvoir un processus politique sans exclusive en Somalie, comme le Conseil de sécurité l’a demandé dans sa résolution 1772 (2007). Il fait également le point sur les conditions de sécurité et la situation des droits de l’homme, ainsi que sur les activités humanitaires et l’aide au développement des organismes et programmes des Nations Unies présents en Somalie. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Nations Unies Conseil de Sécurité Nations Unies // Nations Unies Conseil de Sécurité Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:48:27 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=257 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=257 Organizers of the Somali national reconciliation conference are optimistic it will be on schedule, but observers warn that very little can be achieved unless questions over representation and ongoing violence are first resolved. SOURCE: Integrated Regional Information Networks Integrated Regional Information Networks Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:32:35 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8742 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8742 Already struggling to keep peace in lawless Somalia, African Union (AU) peacekeepers have also been overwhelmed with hundreds of desperate people seeking free treatment at their clinic in the capital Mogadishu. SOURCE: Integrated Regional Information Networks Integrated Regional Information Networks Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:28:03 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21519 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21519 Le Conseil de sécurité ayant examiné, à sa 5812e séance, le 19 décembre 2007, la question intitulée « La situation en Somalie », son président a fait en son nom cette déclaration. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Nations Unies Conseil de Sécurité Nations Unies // Nations Unies Conseil de Sécurité Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:21:31 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21610 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21610 In an ethnically polarized country, does aversion towards inter-ethnic inequity induce citizens to vote for a party promoting an equitable allocation of national resources among ethnic groups? We base our analysis on a survey that we conducted among 331 students from Addis Ababa University. We show that aversion towards inter-ethnic inequity does exert a significant influence on university students’ vote. Yet, its relative impact is small in comparison to the impact of ethnic group loyalty which determines ethnic voting. We provide confirmation that some specific sociodemographic characteristics significantly (i) increase the degree of aversion towards inter-ethnic inequity and (ii) lower ethnic group loyalty. Those characteristics have in common that they reduce the ‘psychological’ distance between ethnic groups, like living in a cosmopolitan city and having parents belonging to different ethnic groups. SOURCE: Households in Conflict Network Households in Conflict Network Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:54:44 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21526 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21526 Chris Petch travaille pour le Conseil danois pour les réfugiés et pour l’OIM, comme conseiller au sein du groupe de travail mixte sur les Migrations basé à Nairobi, au Kenya. Il rend compte, depuis la Somalie, de la situation critique des migrants irréguliers victimes de l’un des plus importants réseaux de passeurs au monde. SOURCE: Organisation internationale pour les migrations Organisation internationale pour les migrations Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:44:59 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21482 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21482 Depuis le 1er octobre 2007, le premier commandement militaire unifié pour l’Afrique des États-Unis (AFRICOM) est officiellement opérationnel, depuis Stuttgart où se situe son quartier général temporaire. En effet, Washington n’a toujours pas trouvé d’hôte africain qui lui convient pour installer son siège et sa création a été accueillie avec un certain scepticisme. Preuve de l’engagement stratégique croissant de l’administration Bush sur le continent africain depuis le 11 septembre 2001, le but officiel de l’AFRICOM est d’aider à prévenir la guerre par le renforcement des capacités militaires africaines et par l’assistance humanitaire. Comment dès lors expliquer l’inquiétude dont ont fait part récemment la presse africaine, la société civile et bon nombre d’africanistes ? L’une des explications réside dans la stratégie de plus en plus controversée que Washington met en Å“uvre en Afrique et ce, surtout dans la Corne dite élargie de l’Afrique (Djibouti, Érythrée, Éthiopie, Kenya, Somalie, Soudan). Cette stratégie procède d’une lecture singulière de l’Afrique (définie comme menace) dans la lutte menée par Washington contre le terrorisme et se traduit par une approche militarisée, dont nombre d’observateurs soulignent les contradictions. SOURCE: Centre d’études des politiques étrangères et de sécurité Centre d’études des politiques étrangères et de sécurité Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:16:52 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21443 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21443 The article attempts to briefly analyze state-building theories and methods, as applied to justice system reform in post-conflict scenarios. In this respect, the international authorities involved in the reconstruction process may traditionally chose between either a 'dirigiste' or a consent-based approach, which represent the essential terms of reference for past interventions. However, features common to most reconstruction missions and relatively poor results confirm the need for change in the overall strategy. This requires the international donors to focus more on the 'demand for justice' at local level than on the traditional supply of legal aid. In this respect, the articles stresses the need for effectively promoting the 'local ownership' of the reform process, without this expression being merely used by international actors as a political umbrella under which to protect themselves from potential failures. SOURCE: European Conference on International Relations European Conference on International Relations