London International Conference on Somalia

[Mwali]

Wangekua caucasian wala video hainge oneshwa hiyo nakwambia.
This could also be a justification to condemn 'integration'...
Kwa maana ya kwamba: kizazi cha nyoka ni nyoka tu.
At least that is how I perceive it!

Yes, Kikwete anaenda kupewa hiyo communique. Angekaa tuu pale magogoni aisomee pale. Sidhani kama ata-present chochote as Conference yenyewe ni ya masaa matano tuu.

Pia kuna habari kuwa karibu "volunteers" 50 wa Kiingereza including white Christian converts and British-Somali men have been recruited by Al-Shabab. Msikilize huyo Al-Shabab fighter mwingereza kwenye video alleged to speak with "London accent": National News - ITV News

Al-Shabaab has managed to generate tens of thousands of pounds in funding through the UK-based Somali population which is estimated at 250,000. While some British Somalis willingly donate to the terrorist organisation, a proportion of the cash legitimately sent back to extended families in the country is syphoned off by the Islamists: British Muslims recruited to fight for 'al-Qaeda' in Somalia - Telegraph

Mwali unafahamu ni vijana wangapi wenye asili ya Somalia ambayo wanahodhi British Passports ambao walikwenda Somalia na sasa ni well trained fighters?

 

[Mwali]

Ndio Ground Work yenyewe hiyo, kuandaa declaration, ati?

Halafu Cameron anadai the British have been doing a lot of groundwork ahead of the conference. They have been reaching out to all sorts of Somalis, at home and abroad.

 

[Richard]

Halafu Cameron anadai the British have been doing a lot of groundwork ahead of the conference. They have been reaching out to all sorts of Somalis, at home and abroad.

Mkuu EMT heshima mbele.

Hawa UK wanafanya hivi kwa sababu ni lazima uangalie na back yard yako kama imetulia.

Sasa kukua na kuimarika kwa El-Shabab kumetokana na michango na kampeni ya wasomali wengi ambao wapo nje ya Somalia na hasa Ulaya na Marekani.

Kwahio ni lazima UK imwage pesa pale kwenye maeneo ya elimu , afya na kuhakikisha pesa inadhibitiwa na serikali ambayo ni lazima iwe na mapato kutoka kwenye maeneo kama viwanja vya ndege na bandari.

Pesa hiyo imekuwa ikiliwa tu na wahuni wengi ambayo wengi wao ni wahafidhina wa el-shabab.

 

[Jagermaster]

Lakini wanavo tangaza ni kama Humanitarian action fulani, hawasemi kama ni hiyo terrorism.

Kuna jamaa anaitwa Andrea Cornwall kaandika article moja inaitwa Buzzword and Fuzzword: Dicostructing Develoment Discourses (2007), ukimsoma ndio utajua jinsi gani hayo mashirika ya kimataifa yavyochezea nchi 'maskini'

 

[Mwali]

Kuna jamaa anaitwa Andrea Cornwall kaandika article moja inaitwa Buzzword and Fuzzword: Dicostructing Develoment Discourses (2007), ukimsoma ndio utajua jinsi gani hayo mashirika ya kimataifa yavyochezea nchi 'maskini'

she is a fellow at IDS... (herewith the article)
Abstract (from here):

Writing from diverse locations, contributors critically examine some of the key terms in current development discourse. Why should language matter to those who are doing development? Surely, there are more urgent things to do than sit around mulling over semantics? But language does matter. Whether emptied of their original meaning, essentially vacuous, or hotly contested, the language of development not only shapes our imagined worlds, but also justifies interventions in real people's lives. If development buzzwords conceal ideological differences or sloppy thinking, then the process of constructive deconstruction makes it possible to re-examine what have become catch-all terms like civil society and poverty reduction, or bland aid-agency terms such as partnership or empowerment. Such engagement is far more than a matter of playing word games. The reflections included here raise major questions about how we think about development itself.

 

[EMT]

Mkuu EMT heshima mbele.

Hawa UK wanafanya hivi kwa sababu ni lazima uangalie na back yard yako kama imetulia.

Sasa kukua na kuimarika kwa El-Shabab kumetokana na michango na kampeni ya wasomali wengi ambao wapo nje ya Somalia na hasa Ulaya na Marekani.

Kwahio ni lazima UK imwage pesa pale kwenye maeneo ya elimu , afya na kuhakikisha pesa inadhibitiwa na serikali ambayo ni lazima iwe na mapato kutoka kwenye maeneo kama viwanja vya ndege na bandari.

Pesa hiyo imekuwa ikiliwa tu na wahuni wengi ambayo wengi wao ni wahafidhina wa el-shabab.

Mkuu Wasomali wanalalamika kuwa hiyo conference ina ignore kabisa vitu muhimu na ambayo vina matter kwao. Ukisoma hiyo article ya gazeti la The Guardian (UK), unaona kuna kuna kitu the West wameshtuka. Inaonekana kama Somalia is becoming closer to Turkey na OIC hasa Iran. Wakanada nao tayari wameshaanza ku-drill oil Puntiland, a Somali semi-autonomy territory.

Somalis raise concerns about London conference agenda

Somalis living in the UK say diaspora groups have not been properly consulted ahead of Thursday's international conference in London aimed at setting a course for a country ravaged by war for two decades. Somali representatives of UK organisations addressed some of the questions raised by readers at a roundtable organised by Global development on Friday. A feeling emerged that the concerns of Somalis – in Somalia and in the diaspora – have not been addressed, with participants arguing the focus should have been on investment, jobs, gender, and the humanitarian crisis rather than international security and piracy.

Somalis in the UK have been invited to various events in the prelude to the London conference, but feel the agenda has been preordained. Mohamed Sharif Mohamud, a former ambassador of Somalia and former under-secretary general of the Arab League, voiced particular concern at plans – contained in a leaked document – for a group of 15 states "that would lead work on supporting Somalia with the United Nations".

The international community is "planning to end the mandate of the transitional government and replace it by a committee of 15 states, this is direct colonisation," he said, directing trenchant criticism at Ethiopia for "sponsoring antagonistic warlords in an endless divide-and-rule policy".

The international Somalia contact group, a support body that brings together the UN, World Bank and countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and the UK, has said Somalia's current transitional governing arrangements must end in August, as stipulated in recent agreements. The group has called for a new draft constitution by mid-April.

Rahma Ahmed, co-ordinator of the Somali Relief and Development Forum, agreed the conference has failed to address the concerns of Somalis. "When the British government decided to step forward it should have asked what Somalis wanted," she said. "What they did instead was to identify a few areas. It failed to respect the process and priorities set by Somalis."

However, Abdirashid Duale, the CEO of international funds transfer company Dahabshiil, cautioned that Somalis were so divided it was difficult to know who to consult. While acknowledging that British interests may have taken priority over Somali interests, he took a more charitable attitude. "Whether the outcome of the London conference is effective we don't know yet," he said. "But the British government wanted to help and we should give them the benefit of the doubt."

On the issue of why the international community was so focused on Somalia now, several saw realpolitik at work, with the west competing for influence against Turkey, the Organisation of Islamic States and, particularly, Iran in a strategic part of the world. It was pointed out that the Red Sea is close to the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil flows, and that Africa Oil, a Canadian firm, has started drilling for oil in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, the first oil exploration in Somalia for 21 years. Duale also attributed western interest to concern that radicalised Somali youths will make the UK a target.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, and Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, are among the officials from 50 countries and international organisations expected to attend, along with representatives from Somalia's transitional institutions. Al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgents who last week announced their formal alignment with al-Qaida, will not be at the five-hour conference.

All four participants thought al-Shabaab was a fact of life – like the Taliban in Afghanistan – and had to be engaged politically at some point. "Anyone who prioritises ordinary Somali people has a role to play in the future of Somalia, whoever that group might be," said Ahmed. She also said Somalis had to come to terms with their country's troubled history, a source of much anger and resentment.

"Somalia definitely needs to deal with its past," she said. "We need to address it, we need a platform to let out the anger and frustrations towards each other. We've been through civil war. Young people have witnessed their parents and grandparents being killed. It's part of our very recent history. There has to be reconciliation between average Somalis, between people, neighbours, friends, families, for everyone to feel they have been heard."

Mohamed Elmi, chairman and founder of Somali Diaspora UK, which encourages the integration of the Somali community in Britain, agreed with Rahma Ahmed that women should be more involved in Somalia's fiuture. "Women should be at the forefront of social issues," said Elmi, a call echoed by Somali women living in the UK.

Amina Souleiman, a Sheffield-based Somali activist who spoke with hundreds of Somali women, highlighted deep concern about women being ignored by the London conference. "Somalia has been a failed state for 20 years, and all along, men were in charge," she said. "The draft communiqué talks about a role for Islamists in Somali politics but says nothing about a role for women. This clearly sends the wrong message and gives the green light to clan, tribal and religious leaders to exclude women from the political process."

Source: Somalis raise concerns about London conference agenda | Global development | guardian.co.uk

 

[Mwali]

Mkuu Wasomali wanalalamika kuwa hiyo conference ina ignore kabisa vitu muhimu na ambayo vina matter kwao. Ukisoma hiyo article ya gazeti la The Guardian (UK), unaona kuna kuna kitu the West wameshtuka. Inaonekana kama Somalia is becoming closer to Turkey na OIC hasa Iran. Wakanada nao tayari wameshaanza ku-drill oil Puntiland, a Somali semi-autonomy territory.

Unajua sometimes nashindwa kabisa kuelewa how the current Government conducts its foreign affairs,
hasa linapokuja swala la development/aid na mengineyo.
Just few month ago walilaumiwa kwa kuunganisha misaada yao na haki za mashoga, wakaitwa Imperialists.
few weeks ago wakaambiwa tena India. Sasa wanaleta hii ya Somali bila ku-consult wasomali wenyewe... Nimemsoma huyo binti Ahmed,
apparently wanajaribu kuandaa list ya recomandations from Somali wa UK na wa nyumbani
ili kuonesha tofauti kati ya wanayo taka wenyewe na nchi hizo zinavyo taka.

 

[EMT]

Unajua sometimes nashindwa kabisa kuelewa how the current Government conducts its foreign affairs,
hasa linapokuja swala la development/aid na mengineyo.
Just few month ago walilaumiwa kwa kuunganisha misaada yao na haki za mashoga, wakaitwa Imperialists.
few weeks ago wakaambiwa tena India. Sasa wanaleta hii ya Somali bila ku-consult wasomali wenyewe... Nimemsoma huyo binti Ahmed,
apparently wanajaribu kuandaa list ya recomandations from Somali wa UK na wa nyumbani
ili kuonesha tofauti kati ya wanayo taka wenyewe na nchi hizo zinavyo taka.

Wengi tuu wanalalamika. Hata wafanyabiashara huko huko Somalia.

Conference should focus on positives, argue Somali business leaders

The build up to the London conference on Somalia has focused on what doesn't work in the Horn of Africa nation - the coastguard, the central government, the security services - but the answer to the country's crisis lies in examining what does work, argue Somali business leaders.

Piracy, famine, kidnappings and a multi-sided battle against Islamic militants the Shabab dominate headlines in a country routinely referred to as the world's most-failed state. But there are regions of Somalia that are enjoying comparative stability and strong economic growth, argues Abdirashid Duale, the CEO of the region's leading money transfer company Dahabshil. Studying what's working in the relatively peaceful regions of the country may hold the key to solving the crisis in the southern and central regions which have been worst hit by war and famine.

"Many outsiders are not seeing the full picture," said Mr Duale. "It is true that politically, certain regions of Somalia have failed, but there are significant regions – particularly Somaliland, Puntland and Galmudug – that have benefited from diaspora investment and are relatively stable."

Much of the focus at the London talks will be international efforts to solve the Somali crisis but the biggest investor in the country - at $2bn annually -- is the Somali diaspora itself, he points out. "The conference addresses issues that are highly political, but if the Somali region is to be rehabilitated, then its business community – domestic and international – must be central to any agreed plan," said Mr Duale. For two decades international engagement with Somalia has been dominated by the alternating approaches of military occupation or containment.

Despite the disastrous effects of various military interventions, particularly the Ethiopian invasion in 2007, the first approach has remained popular with policy makers. While up until the Horn of Africa famine spurred a major international response the policy of containing Somalia's problems within its borders was the preferred policy option in a region heavily impacted by the US war on terror. There has been very little focus on taking what hasn't failed in Somalia which typically revolves around the national obsession of trade, in sectors like livestock, and newer fields like telecoms and money transfer.

When the success of Dahabshil and other money transfer systems has been discussed it has often been talked about in terms of blocking alleged funding of extremist groups like Shabab with its self-avowed links to al Qa'ida. In December US banks in Minnesota, which is home to America's largest Somali community shut down remittance services following the conviction of two ethnic Somali women for raising funds for the Shabab.

"Blocking remittances to Somalia from the diaspora in the US is very damaging to those who depend on that source of income to survive," said Duale. "Following the recent case in Minnesota, I would urge the international community not to follow suit."
He points out that annual remittances represent the largest capital inflow to the Somali region, "far greater than the funding it receives in international aid." There is widespread frustration in the Somali business community that the remittance system is being targeted while aid to Somalia's dysfunctional central government is being increased despite its atrocious track record which includes embezzling funds meant to pay its soldiers who have then sold their weapons to the Shabab.

The London gathering backed by the British foreign office is expected to strengthen support to Somalia's transtional federal government (TFG) despite its history of squabbling and theft of foreign aid. There are calls for any new funding to focus on the education system and boosting economic efforts that could offer alternatives for young Somalis otherwise vulnerable for recruitment by radicals or pirates.

"Many of Somalia's key business sectors are already thriving, while civil servants and government officials are often poorly paid and unaccountable, so the political process needs to catch up," said the Dahabshil boss. The strongest message from business and community leaders has been the need for a solution led by Somalis themselves to their country's enduring crisis.

"While the support of the international community is crucial, solutions to Somalia's problems must be Somali-led," said Mr Duale. "The functioning administrations in certain regions show they are more than capable. The international community should recognise what Somalia has achieved and how it has achieved it."

Conference should focus on positives, argue Somali business leaders - Africa - World - The Independent

 

[TIMING]

J walker yupo huko?

 

[EMT]

J walker yupo huko?

Ndiye nani huyo?

 

[Mwali]

Ndiye nani huyo?

We humjui Sindbad?

 

[EMT]

We humjui Sindbad?

Huyu?

 

[TIMING]

Ndiye nani huyo?

Jakaya mtembezi....

 

[TIMING]

As if they couldn't hold that meeting here in Africa....na kama ni venue we have new AU headquarters in Ethiopia na hawa viongozi wetu wanakubali tu..............

And when they call us slaves, we dispute... It's degrading for african leaders to meet in uk about Africa

 

[EMT]

The UN Security Council has just voted unanimously to authorise an increase in the African Union(AU) force in Somalia from 12,000 to about 17,700.

Read more: UN votes to increase force in Somalia | News.com.au

 

[EMT]

Jakaya mtembezi....

Yes, yupo ziarani London kikazi

 

[Mwali]

Huyu?

Ndio huyo huyo mkuu...lol
Alikua anasafiri sana, hakai home.
Halafu akirudi anapiga sound tu kwa wakaaji wa baghdad.
lol
Some sort of oriental Gulliver hivi...

 

[Mwali]

The UN Security Council has just voted unanimously to authorise an increase in the African Union(AU) force in Somalia from 12,000 to about 17,700.

Read more: UN votes to increase force in Somalia | News.com.au

What has the UN ever solved???
Congo ni aibu tupu! the biggest UN mission
They did nothing while 8M people dies outside their fences,
eti mandate yao ni 'observation'.
Sasa 17 000 troops, si ni occupation hiyo?
Mbona Haiti wameshindwa?
Hii habari inaniongezea stress...
Ngoja niende zangu chitchat...

 

[TIMING]

Yes, yupo ziarani London kikazi

Kazi zipi? Mbona za nyumbani zinamshinda??

 

[EMT]

Kazi zipi? Mbona za nyumbani zinamshinda??

Si hiyo ya Somalia Mkuu?