Ahmed Muhammad Isse Says Somali Language In Danger
Hargeysa, Somaliland, February 27, 2010 (SL Times) – One of Somaliland’s intellectuals, Mr. Ahmed Muhammad Isse (Ina Aw Salawaad) warned that the Somali language is in danger of being overwhelmed by foreign languages.
Mr. Ahmed Isse revealed his fears about the Somali language in a conversation with Haatuf newspaper in Hargeysa on Wednesday. He blamed the Somali people for preferring foreign words to Somali words. He gave as an example the names of menu items served in restaurants which are often in English when there are equivalent Somali words are available. Similarly, Mr. Ahmed Isse criticized businesses who adopt foreign names instead of Somali names.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Somaliland Minister Of State For Education Says Spread Of Private Universities Could Pose A Problem
Somaliland Minister Of State For Education Says Spread Of Private Universities Could Pose A Problem
Hargeysa, Somaliland, March 13, 2010 (SL Times) – The Minister of State for Education Mr Mohamud Muhammad Garad said that the rapid increase in the number of private universities could pose a problem for Somaliland’s educational system when it comes to the quality of education and the standardization of the curriculum. The minister gave this warning in a conference at the University of Hargeysa.
The minister pointed out that very often these private universities are established without permission from the ministry of education and then when the government tries to close them the government is accused of hampering education.
The purpose of the conference was to evaluate the curriculum of the university’s various departments. Among the participants in the conference were the president of the university, the vice president, the chairmen as well as the deputy chairmen of the university’s departments. The conference took place in the new building of the University of Hargeysa and was scheduled to go on for five days.
Hargeysa, Somaliland, March 13, 2010 (SL Times) – The Minister of State for Education Mr Mohamud Muhammad Garad said that the rapid increase in the number of private universities could pose a problem for Somaliland’s educational system when it comes to the quality of education and the standardization of the curriculum. The minister gave this warning in a conference at the University of Hargeysa.
The minister pointed out that very often these private universities are established without permission from the ministry of education and then when the government tries to close them the government is accused of hampering education.
The purpose of the conference was to evaluate the curriculum of the university’s various departments. Among the participants in the conference were the president of the university, the vice president, the chairmen as well as the deputy chairmen of the university’s departments. The conference took place in the new building of the University of Hargeysa and was scheduled to go on for five days.
UN: No Side Strong Enough to Stabilize Somalia
UN: No Side Strong Enough to Stabilize Somalia
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Photo: AFP - Somali government soldiers man a position near frontline of heavy clashes in northern Mogadishu, 11 Mar 2010
A United Nations report on Somalia says no side in the country's conflict has the strength to impose its will on the others and stabilize the chaotic, war-torn nation.
The report, compiled by the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia, was presented to the U.N. Security Council Tuesday after portions were leaked to news organizations last week.
The authors say the Somali transitional government is weakened by corruption "at all levels" and that its soldiers are mainly loyal to individual government officials or military officers.
They say insurgent groups like al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam are better organized and disciplined but lack popular support and are equally likely to suffer internal divisions.
The report makes recommendations for improving the situation, including sanctions against designated individuals and entities, and a review of a 1992 arms embargo that the authors say is routinely violated.
The Monitoring Group also calls on Eritrea to stop subsidizing members of Somali opposition groups and allow the inspection of any facilities allegedly used for training Somali insurgents.
The U.N. and United States have repeatedly accused Eritrea of arming the insurgents. Tuesday's report said Eritrea appears to have scaled down its military assistance while continuing to provide political, diplomatic and possibly financial support.
The Security Council discussed the report in a closed-door session Tuesday. Afterward, the chair of the council's Somalia Sanctions Committee, Mexican ambassador Claude Heller, said the council generally backs the report but has not taken any decision yet on the authors' recommendations.
He said there is a consensus for an independent probe into allegations of corruption in the World Food Program's Somalia operations. The report says up to half of all food aid for Somalia is diverted to militants, corrupt food transporters, and local WFP personnel.
The report also warns that the conflict is having an increasing impact abroad. It says Somalia's neighbors are already involved in the conflict or soon will be, and that al-Shabab is recruiting funds and fighters in Somali diaspora communities.
It says the "most obvious" symptom of the war and its economic effects is Somali piracy. The report accuses senior figures in Somalia's Puntland region of allowing the pirates to remain free and says some have accepted campaign contributions from pirate leaders.
The report also says weapons continue to enter Somalia at a steady rate despite a 1992 arms embargo. It says the primary sources of supply are Yemen and Ethiopia, but that U.S. and Ugandan contributions to the government have also entered Somali arms markets.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Photo: AFP - Somali government soldiers man a position near frontline of heavy clashes in northern Mogadishu, 11 Mar 2010
A United Nations report on Somalia says no side in the country's conflict has the strength to impose its will on the others and stabilize the chaotic, war-torn nation.
The report, compiled by the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia, was presented to the U.N. Security Council Tuesday after portions were leaked to news organizations last week.
The authors say the Somali transitional government is weakened by corruption "at all levels" and that its soldiers are mainly loyal to individual government officials or military officers.
They say insurgent groups like al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam are better organized and disciplined but lack popular support and are equally likely to suffer internal divisions.
The report makes recommendations for improving the situation, including sanctions against designated individuals and entities, and a review of a 1992 arms embargo that the authors say is routinely violated.
The Monitoring Group also calls on Eritrea to stop subsidizing members of Somali opposition groups and allow the inspection of any facilities allegedly used for training Somali insurgents.
The U.N. and United States have repeatedly accused Eritrea of arming the insurgents. Tuesday's report said Eritrea appears to have scaled down its military assistance while continuing to provide political, diplomatic and possibly financial support.
The Security Council discussed the report in a closed-door session Tuesday. Afterward, the chair of the council's Somalia Sanctions Committee, Mexican ambassador Claude Heller, said the council generally backs the report but has not taken any decision yet on the authors' recommendations.
He said there is a consensus for an independent probe into allegations of corruption in the World Food Program's Somalia operations. The report says up to half of all food aid for Somalia is diverted to militants, corrupt food transporters, and local WFP personnel.
The report also warns that the conflict is having an increasing impact abroad. It says Somalia's neighbors are already involved in the conflict or soon will be, and that al-Shabab is recruiting funds and fighters in Somali diaspora communities.
It says the "most obvious" symptom of the war and its economic effects is Somali piracy. The report accuses senior figures in Somalia's Puntland region of allowing the pirates to remain free and says some have accepted campaign contributions from pirate leaders.
The report also says weapons continue to enter Somalia at a steady rate despite a 1992 arms embargo. It says the primary sources of supply are Yemen and Ethiopia, but that U.S. and Ugandan contributions to the government have also entered Somali arms markets.
EU personnel to train Somali security forces.
EU personnel to train Somali security forces.
By Toby Vogel
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The European Union is on the brink of launching a new military mission, to train around 2,000 Somali security forces in Uganda. A decision is expected from member states in the coming weeks, and the EU Training Mission (EUTM) could start as soon as 1 May.
Around 150 military personnel – with between 20-30 planners and trainers each from France, Spain, Germany and Italy – will provide training in urban warfare and the search for improvised explosive devices to recruits on the side of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, which is resisting Islamist insurgents.
A mission of this sort was proposed almost a year ago by France, which has already trained Somali forces in Djibouti. But planning was held up by member state concerns – including over the risks of trainees deserting to better-paying militias, misappropriation of funds, or human rights abuses by trained soldiers.
Concerned aid workers
Since January, when member states' foreign ministers approved the mission's broad outlines, details have been refined on vetting of trainees, monitoring and mentoring of soldiers once they return to Somalia, and the funding and payment of salaries. But aid agencies with headquarters in the EU have expressed anxiety that their staff could become a target for insurgent attacks once the EU starts training government troops.
Source: EuropeanVoice.com
By Toby Vogel
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The European Union is on the brink of launching a new military mission, to train around 2,000 Somali security forces in Uganda. A decision is expected from member states in the coming weeks, and the EU Training Mission (EUTM) could start as soon as 1 May.
Around 150 military personnel – with between 20-30 planners and trainers each from France, Spain, Germany and Italy – will provide training in urban warfare and the search for improvised explosive devices to recruits on the side of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, which is resisting Islamist insurgents.
A mission of this sort was proposed almost a year ago by France, which has already trained Somali forces in Djibouti. But planning was held up by member state concerns – including over the risks of trainees deserting to better-paying militias, misappropriation of funds, or human rights abuses by trained soldiers.
Concerned aid workers
Since January, when member states' foreign ministers approved the mission's broad outlines, details have been refined on vetting of trainees, monitoring and mentoring of soldiers once they return to Somalia, and the funding and payment of salaries. But aid agencies with headquarters in the EU have expressed anxiety that their staff could become a target for insurgent attacks once the EU starts training government troops.
Source: EuropeanVoice.com
Galgadud villages abandoned as water shortage bites
Galgadud villages abandoned as water shortage bites
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
NAIROBI (IRIN) - An acute water shortage after a prolonged drought in central Galgadud region of Somalia has forced thousands of people to abandon their villages, say officials.
"A prolonged drought, coupled with a drying-up of wells and barkads [water pans], is forcing many people to leave their homes," said Abdirahman Mohamed Adawe, the district commissioner of Adado, one of the areas hardest hit.
However, some parts of the region are receiving the Gu (long) rains.
More than a dozen villages around Adado town, housing an estimated 35,000 people, are affected. Those with livestock are moving in search of pasture and water, while those who lost their livestock, the economic mainstay of the area, are moving to towns.
Many rural people are arriving almost every day "with nothing and camping on the outskirts of town”, he said.
"In February alone, over 500 families [3,000 people] arrived in Adado town [some 620km north of Mogadishu]," he said.
The problem was most acute in Baá Dheer, 75km north of Adado; Goryale, 40km northwest of Adado; Hin Jilaabo, 40km southwest; and Ada kibir, 70km southeast.
"In many of these villages the wells and barkads have dried up and the only other option is water trucking, which is difficult and expensive," Adawe told IRIN. "Some villagers are going as far as 100km to get water."
Moalim Hassan, an elder in the village of Baá Dheer, told IRIN: "The closest water point is 75km away and a drum of trucked water costs 120,000 Somali shillings [about US$4], a sum of money most cannot afford.”
The area has not had any rain for the past two years and the Gu rains – which should have begun – have failed.
In Ada Kibir, the situation is even worse. "We have been in a drought situation for a few years. We had very little rains or none at all in the last two years," Abdullahi Moalim, a resident, told IRIN.
Many residents have left the town. The one borehole had dried up and water was being trucked in from a borehole 60km away. "Those who are left in Ada Kibir are paying the equivalent of $4 or $5 for 200l of water."
Authorities in Adado were setting up a committee to deal with the influx of drought displaced, said DC Adawe.
"We are appealing to aid agencies and Somalis in the diaspora to come to the rescue of the people," he added.
He said there had been no reports of people dying, "but it is just a matter of time if the situation is not addressed soon".
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
NAIROBI (IRIN) - An acute water shortage after a prolonged drought in central Galgadud region of Somalia has forced thousands of people to abandon their villages, say officials.
"A prolonged drought, coupled with a drying-up of wells and barkads [water pans], is forcing many people to leave their homes," said Abdirahman Mohamed Adawe, the district commissioner of Adado, one of the areas hardest hit.
However, some parts of the region are receiving the Gu (long) rains.
More than a dozen villages around Adado town, housing an estimated 35,000 people, are affected. Those with livestock are moving in search of pasture and water, while those who lost their livestock, the economic mainstay of the area, are moving to towns.
Many rural people are arriving almost every day "with nothing and camping on the outskirts of town”, he said.
"In February alone, over 500 families [3,000 people] arrived in Adado town [some 620km north of Mogadishu]," he said.
The problem was most acute in Baá Dheer, 75km north of Adado; Goryale, 40km northwest of Adado; Hin Jilaabo, 40km southwest; and Ada kibir, 70km southeast.
"In many of these villages the wells and barkads have dried up and the only other option is water trucking, which is difficult and expensive," Adawe told IRIN. "Some villagers are going as far as 100km to get water."
Moalim Hassan, an elder in the village of Baá Dheer, told IRIN: "The closest water point is 75km away and a drum of trucked water costs 120,000 Somali shillings [about US$4], a sum of money most cannot afford.”
The area has not had any rain for the past two years and the Gu rains – which should have begun – have failed.
In Ada Kibir, the situation is even worse. "We have been in a drought situation for a few years. We had very little rains or none at all in the last two years," Abdullahi Moalim, a resident, told IRIN.
Many residents have left the town. The one borehole had dried up and water was being trucked in from a borehole 60km away. "Those who are left in Ada Kibir are paying the equivalent of $4 or $5 for 200l of water."
Authorities in Adado were setting up a committee to deal with the influx of drought displaced, said DC Adawe.
"We are appealing to aid agencies and Somalis in the diaspora to come to the rescue of the people," he added.
He said there had been no reports of people dying, "but it is just a matter of time if the situation is not addressed soon".
Djibouti president hopes for third mandate starting 2011
Djibouti president hopes for third mandate starting 2011
* Sees Somalia situation improving
* Expects up to 6 pct GDP growth in 2010
* Chinese to transform port into region's shipping hub
By Martina Fuchs
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh - Photo A. Kahin
DJIBOUTI, March 21 (Reuters) - The president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh signalled in an interview that he was prepared to run for a third six-year term if lawmakers amend the constitution in the small Horn of Africa nation.
The national assembly is expected to decide next week on an extension of presidential terms in office and speculation has surrounded his plans to run for a third mandate.
"This is a demand from our population and this will be next year. Let us wait for the outcome of the national commission that is working on the subject," Guelleh said in an interview on Saturday at the 19th century French colonial presidential palace on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Asked if he would accept the parliament's decision to approve a third term, he said: "If it's God's will."
Guelleh took office in 1999 and his second mandate expires in April 2011.
Djibouti, a former French colony which separates Eritrea from Somalia, hosts France's largest military base in Africa and a major U.S. base. Its port is used by foreign navies patrolling busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy.
Guelleh said he believed the situation in Somalia was improving.
"I think the situation is better than before. There is some sort of fed-up (mood) among the Somali people especially of Mogadishu's citizens which suffer from this opposition. I think that (President) Sheikh Sharif (Ahmed) will prevail," he said.
Since 2007, fighting between pro-government militia and the Islamist al Shabaab group -- which Washington sees as al Qaeda's proxy in the region -- has killed more than 21,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes.
Ahmed joined a Western-backed peace process and was voted president of Somalia in January 2009 in an election which took place in Djibouti.
Guelleh said he was not planning to send more troops to Somalia on top of the 450 Djibouti has pledged to boost a 5,000 strong African Union force there.
Relations between Djibouti and neighbouring Eritrea under President Isaias Afwerki remain hostile.
The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in December, accusing it of destabilising the region by providing funds and arms to Islamist insurgents in Somalia. Eritrea has denied the allegations.
"We are now in the process of implementation of the resolution which we hope will make this guy more flexible to the international community," Guelleh said, referring to Isaias. "He must abide by international law."
Guelleh said he expected Djibouti's 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) to come in above a 5.4 percent estimate by the International Monetary Fund.
"We have not so much been affected by the financial crisis. We hope that there will be an influx of foreign direct investment which will boost our economy. We hope that we will achieve 5.7 or even 6 percent," he said.
Chinese will be Djibouti's biggest investors next year and in 2012, Guelleh said. "The Chinese will help make the port of Djibouti the biggest hub in this region. That will cost nearly half a billion U.S. dollars," he said.
"We'll have an electrified railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa -- also by the Chinese. And we'll have geothermal energy. And we are in discussions with French investors (about) wind farms."
(Reporting by Martina Fuchs; Additional reporting by Abdourahim Arteh; Editing by Noah Barkin)
* Sees Somalia situation improving
* Expects up to 6 pct GDP growth in 2010
* Chinese to transform port into region's shipping hub
By Martina Fuchs
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh - Photo A. Kahin
DJIBOUTI, March 21 (Reuters) - The president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh signalled in an interview that he was prepared to run for a third six-year term if lawmakers amend the constitution in the small Horn of Africa nation.
The national assembly is expected to decide next week on an extension of presidential terms in office and speculation has surrounded his plans to run for a third mandate.
"This is a demand from our population and this will be next year. Let us wait for the outcome of the national commission that is working on the subject," Guelleh said in an interview on Saturday at the 19th century French colonial presidential palace on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Asked if he would accept the parliament's decision to approve a third term, he said: "If it's God's will."
Guelleh took office in 1999 and his second mandate expires in April 2011.
Djibouti, a former French colony which separates Eritrea from Somalia, hosts France's largest military base in Africa and a major U.S. base. Its port is used by foreign navies patrolling busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy.
Guelleh said he believed the situation in Somalia was improving.
"I think the situation is better than before. There is some sort of fed-up (mood) among the Somali people especially of Mogadishu's citizens which suffer from this opposition. I think that (President) Sheikh Sharif (Ahmed) will prevail," he said.
Since 2007, fighting between pro-government militia and the Islamist al Shabaab group -- which Washington sees as al Qaeda's proxy in the region -- has killed more than 21,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes.
Ahmed joined a Western-backed peace process and was voted president of Somalia in January 2009 in an election which took place in Djibouti.
Guelleh said he was not planning to send more troops to Somalia on top of the 450 Djibouti has pledged to boost a 5,000 strong African Union force there.
Relations between Djibouti and neighbouring Eritrea under President Isaias Afwerki remain hostile.
The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in December, accusing it of destabilising the region by providing funds and arms to Islamist insurgents in Somalia. Eritrea has denied the allegations.
"We are now in the process of implementation of the resolution which we hope will make this guy more flexible to the international community," Guelleh said, referring to Isaias. "He must abide by international law."
Guelleh said he expected Djibouti's 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) to come in above a 5.4 percent estimate by the International Monetary Fund.
"We have not so much been affected by the financial crisis. We hope that there will be an influx of foreign direct investment which will boost our economy. We hope that we will achieve 5.7 or even 6 percent," he said.
Chinese will be Djibouti's biggest investors next year and in 2012, Guelleh said. "The Chinese will help make the port of Djibouti the biggest hub in this region. That will cost nearly half a billion U.S. dollars," he said.
"We'll have an electrified railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa -- also by the Chinese. And we'll have geothermal energy. And we are in discussions with French investors (about) wind farms."
(Reporting by Martina Fuchs; Additional reporting by Abdourahim Arteh; Editing by Noah Barkin)
Decision on $200 billion Yemen-Djibouti development ‘due by April’
Decision on $200 billion Yemen-Djibouti development ‘due by April’
Dubai-based developer says it is ‘confident’ that approval will be given for the creation of two new cities and a 28.5km bridge spanning the Red Sea.
Kippreport
By Ben Flanagan
Mar 17th, 2010
An ambitious plan to build a 28.5km bridge between Yemen and Djibouti could be approved by the end of April, according to the Dubai-based developer Al Noor Holding Investment.
Mohammed Ahmed al-Ahmed, the company’s CEO, tells Kipp that he is ‘confident’ that the respective governments will give the go-ahead for the $200 billion development, which includes the construction of a major city on either side of the bridge.
“We have a memorandum of understanding between our company and the governments of Yemen and Djibouti. The next step is to [sign] the framework [agreement], which has been officially submitted to the Yemen and Djibouti governments,” says al-Ahmed.
“We are expecting this later this month or next month. The moment we have received the signatures of the framework, all the companies are ready to move forward.”
Al-Ahmed added that he is “comfortable and confident” that approval will be given. “We have received very high support from these governments,” he says.
The estimated cost of the bridge itself is $14 billion, with Danish design consultant Cowi having already submitted the architectural plans. The structure, dubbed the ‘Bridge of the Horns’, will carry vehicles and trains, and include a natural gas pipeline.
The ‘Al Noor Cities’ will include one 1,500 sq km city to be located on the southwestern tip of Yemen, and a similar 1,000 sq km city in Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa.
Al-Ahmed says that Al Noor Holding Investment has received many enquiries from potential construction partners. “The Chinese, in particular, are in interested in doing the project from A to Z,” he says. “But that wouldn’t work for political reasons: The whole world needs to be involved, not just one country.”
Al Noor Holding Investment a sister company of Middle East Development, an organization founded by Saudi businessman Tarek Mohammed bin Laden.
Dubai-based developer says it is ‘confident’ that approval will be given for the creation of two new cities and a 28.5km bridge spanning the Red Sea.
Kippreport
By Ben Flanagan
Mar 17th, 2010
An ambitious plan to build a 28.5km bridge between Yemen and Djibouti could be approved by the end of April, according to the Dubai-based developer Al Noor Holding Investment.
Mohammed Ahmed al-Ahmed, the company’s CEO, tells Kipp that he is ‘confident’ that the respective governments will give the go-ahead for the $200 billion development, which includes the construction of a major city on either side of the bridge.
“We have a memorandum of understanding between our company and the governments of Yemen and Djibouti. The next step is to [sign] the framework [agreement], which has been officially submitted to the Yemen and Djibouti governments,” says al-Ahmed.
“We are expecting this later this month or next month. The moment we have received the signatures of the framework, all the companies are ready to move forward.”
Al-Ahmed added that he is “comfortable and confident” that approval will be given. “We have received very high support from these governments,” he says.
The estimated cost of the bridge itself is $14 billion, with Danish design consultant Cowi having already submitted the architectural plans. The structure, dubbed the ‘Bridge of the Horns’, will carry vehicles and trains, and include a natural gas pipeline.
The ‘Al Noor Cities’ will include one 1,500 sq km city to be located on the southwestern tip of Yemen, and a similar 1,000 sq km city in Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa.
Al-Ahmed says that Al Noor Holding Investment has received many enquiries from potential construction partners. “The Chinese, in particular, are in interested in doing the project from A to Z,” he says. “But that wouldn’t work for political reasons: The whole world needs to be involved, not just one country.”
Al Noor Holding Investment a sister company of Middle East Development, an organization founded by Saudi businessman Tarek Mohammed bin Laden.
Cdn-Somali parents hide passports to prevent kids from joining terrorist group
By Ciara Byrne
Friday, March 19, 2010
TORONTO - Some Somali-Canadian parents are hiding their children's passports following reports a student was recruited by a terrorist group and killed fighting for the cause in east Africa, community leaders said Thursday.
Suspicions that Al-Shabaab has been radicalizing and recruiting Canadian youth over a two-year period has parents fearing the worst, they say.
That anxiety has only heightened with the news that Mohammed Elmi Ibrahim, a former University of Toronto student who went missing in 2008, has been killed in Somalia after joining the group.
"I lost my child," Ibrahim's father, Elmi Ibrahim, said Thursday when reached at his Toronto home.
"I am mourning, so please respect our privacy."
According to leaders in the community, Al-Shabaab, an organization aligned with al-Qaida, has been targeting young Canadian men through websites, videos and recruiters.
Ottawa labelled the Somali-based group a terrorist organization earlier in the month, citing the issue of youth recruitment as one reason.
"These young men get radicalized abroad in these diaspora communities," said Ahmed Hussen, national president of the Canadian Somali Congress.
"Once they get radicalized they somehow are lured into fighting for this idealistic utopia."
Worried parents have gone to the extreme.
"They're hiding their passports," said Hussen, who has spoken with parents refusing to give their children their travel documents for trips of any kind.
"You don't know which kid is going to go, there's no profile."
Hussen said he has been in touch with relatives of six young Muslim men who attended the Abu Haraina mosque in Toronto. The young men disappeared last fall.
"I'm told by some of the relatives there were recruiters that came and radicalized these people," said Hussen.
"(They're) appealing to their sense of good versus evil, and (they're) saying come make your life mean more than what it is in Canada, come and join an adventure."
Farah Aw-Osman, executive director of the Canadian Friends of Somalia, said he believes the people behind the recruitment are still in the country.
The community is reeling after hearing about the disappearances and now devastated that a young man has died.
"This is what we were afraid would happen, and it happened, and now we are even more worried," Aw-Osman said in a phone interview from Ottawa.
It's believed that some of the young men were given plane tickets, as the cost of travelling to east Africa is more than $3,000.
The FBI has been investigating the disappearance of about 20 young men who left Minneapolis over the last two years for Somalia, presumably to join Al-Shabaab.
Hussen said Al-Shabaab uses aggressive recruiting techniques, which includes pointing people to websites that push the message of holy war in Somalia.
"It's done in a very hip way," said Hussen.
"There's a white American young man from Alabama who joined the Al-Shabaab and is one of the commanders, and he produced a rap video where he urges young recruits from Canada and the U.S. to come and fight."
But Hussen said the young men are misguided, completely unaware of what they are about to enter.
"It's a one-way ticket. Once you join Al-Shabaab you don't come back."
After leaving Somalia for a better life, many of the parents are struggling to find a reason why their Canadian-born sons would want to do battle in a country unknown to them.
"They don't know what's going on, who has taken their kids... everything is like a bombshell," said Mohamed Dahir, a journalist for a Somali-Canadian television program, and a friend to the families of the missing youth.
Hussen and Aw-Osman said officials have been investigating the disappearances, but RCMP would not confirm if there is an ongoing investigation.
Source: The Canadian Press
The African Senior Championships
Sunday, March 21, 2010
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The African Senior Championships might be four months away, but a small group of Somali athletes are in Nairobi to tune up their preparations as they look forward to making a comeback to a competition they have skipped for over a decade.
Somalia is one of the countries that have already handed in their reserved list of athletes for the championship which will be staged in Nairobi from July 28 to August 1.
David Okeyo, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chief executive officer, confirmed that Somalia will bring in 12 athletes out of the total 2,300 expected to converge in Nairobi for the championship, which will be used to select Africa team for the Athletics World Cup in Split City in Croatia in September.
Based in Eastleigh, the athletes join hundreds of their Kenyan colleagues in morning run and remain optimistic they might get a medal in the competition.
Mohammed Tareq, a 5,000m athlete had to literally run away from Mogadishu to Nairobi and like his colleagues, eyes to make the Somalia team, done its national jersey and hope he will be able to break the Kenya/Ethiopia monopoly.
"Here it is possible to train.
In Mogadishu, it is dangerous and hot making it hard for anyone to focus on his training.
There is also very little technical support," said Tareq.
Already Kenya has surpassed Nigeria, traditionally known to enter the biggest number of athletes in the competition, with the number of preliminary entries at 164.
Nigeria has reserved slots to enter 154, Somalia has 12 athletes, Uganda 30, Congo 32 while Swaziland, a tiny country landlocked within South Africa will have three athletes.
Okeyo said he is expecting the national carrier Kenya Airways to offer reduced fares, which is expected to motivate many countries to attend.
Kenya is thus expected to attract the highest number of entries.
Meanwhile, over 1,000 athletes are expected to gather in Nyeri, about 250 kilometres east of Nairobi for a two-day second Athletics Kenya/New KCC Weekend Meeting from on Friday.
This is the second series of events Kenya has planned in its preparations for the continental championship.
Also during the two-day weekend meeting, Local Organising Committee of the African Championships will run a two-day seminar for journalists from Mount Kenya Region.
Five-time world cross country champion and twice Olympics 10,000m silver medallist, Paul Tergat, is expected to attend the seminar.
Source: Xinhua
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The African Senior Championships might be four months away, but a small group of Somali athletes are in Nairobi to tune up their preparations as they look forward to making a comeback to a competition they have skipped for over a decade.
Somalia is one of the countries that have already handed in their reserved list of athletes for the championship which will be staged in Nairobi from July 28 to August 1.
David Okeyo, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chief executive officer, confirmed that Somalia will bring in 12 athletes out of the total 2,300 expected to converge in Nairobi for the championship, which will be used to select Africa team for the Athletics World Cup in Split City in Croatia in September.
Based in Eastleigh, the athletes join hundreds of their Kenyan colleagues in morning run and remain optimistic they might get a medal in the competition.
Mohammed Tareq, a 5,000m athlete had to literally run away from Mogadishu to Nairobi and like his colleagues, eyes to make the Somalia team, done its national jersey and hope he will be able to break the Kenya/Ethiopia monopoly.
"Here it is possible to train.
In Mogadishu, it is dangerous and hot making it hard for anyone to focus on his training.
There is also very little technical support," said Tareq.
Already Kenya has surpassed Nigeria, traditionally known to enter the biggest number of athletes in the competition, with the number of preliminary entries at 164.
Nigeria has reserved slots to enter 154, Somalia has 12 athletes, Uganda 30, Congo 32 while Swaziland, a tiny country landlocked within South Africa will have three athletes.
Okeyo said he is expecting the national carrier Kenya Airways to offer reduced fares, which is expected to motivate many countries to attend.
Kenya is thus expected to attract the highest number of entries.
Meanwhile, over 1,000 athletes are expected to gather in Nyeri, about 250 kilometres east of Nairobi for a two-day second Athletics Kenya/New KCC Weekend Meeting from on Friday.
This is the second series of events Kenya has planned in its preparations for the continental championship.
Also during the two-day weekend meeting, Local Organising Committee of the African Championships will run a two-day seminar for journalists from Mount Kenya Region.
Five-time world cross country champion and twice Olympics 10,000m silver medallist, Paul Tergat, is expected to attend the seminar.
Source: Xinhua
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