Vladimir Peftiev

These collection of Firms have been at the heart of  Arms sales to all kinds of groups in Africa. The EU has imposed sanctions to prevent them from doing many things including arms trafficking. Therefore, it is important to Africa to follow the movement of these men and businesses

Shimron Issachar


BRUSSELS - Selling arms firms from yourself to yourself, labelling petrol as solvents then petrol again - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is trying to make a living while being squeezed by the EU and Russia.

 Lawyers in the European External Action Service are scratching their heads at what to do about Belarusian oligarch Vladimir Peftiev's latest bid to avoid EU sanctions. 

Peftiev - Lukashenko's friend and alleged bag-man - is on an EU blacklist along with one of his firms, Beltekh Holding, which owns arms trader Beltechexport. But this week he sold his controlling stake in the holding firm to one Dmitry Gurinovich.

•  Beltekh Holding says Gurinovich is an alumnus of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration and part of the Russian presidential personnel reserve - a pool of people qualified for work in the Russian leader's chancellery.  He does not show up in the published lists of either body, however. 
•  An EU diplomat told this website he is in fact a former "advisor or aide of Peftiev or maybe he still is."  He added that the sale is an attempt to evade EU sanctions: "Formally, if the company does not belong to the sanctioned person any more, it should be delisted." 
•  A contact in the Berlin-based institute, the German Marshall Fund, said the transaction means "Peftiev actually sold the company from itself to itself." 

 The sale is his latest attempt to beat the EU ban:

• Peftiev and three of his firms, including Beltechexport, have four ongoing lawsuits at the European Court of Justice disputing EU claims that they feed Lukashenko. 
• Another Lukashenko-linked oligarch, Yuriy Chizh, in March got one of his companies, Belneftegaz, off the EU blacklist after Latvia intervened on his side. 

 According to Belarusian Tribunal, an NGO based in The Hague, Belneftegaz is part of a family of firms involved in a Russian oil scam worth $880 million a year.

•  Belarus imports Russian oil at domestic Russian prices.
•  But if it refines it and sells it to Europe it has to pay Russia a duty of between $300 and $500 a ton. 
• The arrangement does not cover solvents and thinners made using the oil, however. 
•  The NGO says Belneftegaz exports petrol labelled as solvent to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands, where it is bought by offshore companies linked to the Belarusian regime, re-labelled as petrol, then sold again to EU companies. 
•  When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Lukashenko on Thursday (31 May) in his first post-inauguration trip, he told media: "The very fact of my first foreign visit to brotherly Belarus reflects the special nature of our relations." A joint statement by the two men said: "Russia and Belarus will co-ordinate efforts to counter attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of [Belarus] and to apply pressure through the introduction of restrictive measures or sanctions."

 But in reality, Putin's embrace is more dangerous for Lukashenko than the EU's cold shoulder. The Kremlin is trying to strongarm Belarus to fully implement a state union with Russia which would reduce it to a de facto Russian province and make Lukashenko one of Putin's regional governors.

 Meanwhile, Kremlin loans to Minsk have seen it take control of Belarus' main strategic asset - the pipelines of Belarusian firm Beltransgaz, which pump Russian gas to Poland and Germany - in return.

 Belarusian Tribunal noted that "Russian authorities [are] perfectly aware" of the solvent scam "but for some unknown reason have ignored it. It is possible the fact of oil smuggling could be used by the Kremlin against Lukashenko in future."

The Rest @ The JPost

Sierra Leon Imports Small Arms

The Sierra Leone government has raised eyebrows around the international community after it imported several million dollars' worth of assault weapons ahead of the country's presidential elections.

Alarmed by the move, the United Nations on Thursday asked the insolvent West African nation to explain the purpose of its latest acquisitions. The international community's concern is based on the fact that presidential elections are due in November.

The UN demanded an explanation because Sierra Leone is still struggling to rebuild from the civil war and political tensions that plagued it from 1991-2002.

• The arms shipment was made in January but details were recently leaked to the UN Security Council. 
• A shipping bill indicated that machine guns and grenade launchers were part of the imported arsenal.
• UN envoy to Sierra Leone, Michael von der Schulenburg, told the Security Council that the arms shipment was "of great concern" because the West African country's Foreign Minister Joseph Dauda did not mention the guns in his latest address to the council.

"Sierra Leone is under no arms embargo," von der Schulenburg told journalists. "However, given Sierra Leone's progress in establishing peace and security throughout the country and its relatively low crime rate, it is not clear why the police would need such weapons."

According to reports, political tensions have been rising in the run up to the November polls with supporters of rival parties clashing in recent months.

"I would urge the government to full clarify these reports and, if true, explain the intended use of these weapons," the envoy said. According to von der Schulenburg, the November 17 poll, in which President Ernest Koroma is seeking a new term, would be a "major challenge for the country's nascent democracy."

Some reports claim that the arms were meant for a recently enlarged police para-military wing, the Operational Services Division.

The Rest @ The Africa Report

Boko Haram Reported in Lagdo, Cameroon

 The Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which has been wrecking havoc in West African country, is reported to have infiltrated northern Cameroon.

The militants are said to have taken refuge in northern Cameroon as the Nigerian government has intensified its clampdown on them especially following their bombing of churches on Christmas Day that led to the death of over 50 persons.

• Reports say members of the extremist group are more and more present in Lagdo, a cosmopolitan town in the North Region. 
• Sources say they are easily identifiable by their bizarre dressing, long beads and red or black headscarves.
• According to reports, for several months, Lagdo residents have testified that the strangers are combing surrounding villages and actively preaching anti-Western sermons, establishing units and proposing huge amounts of money to those willing to follow them.

In a bid to prevent cross-border activities by militants of the Islamic sect, the Nigerian government recently temporarily shut down its land borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, in a televised national address recently, said the closure of the border was to control supposed cross-border activities by members of the sect. He also decreed a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in the Borno, Plateau, Niger and Yobe states.

“The temporary closure of our borders in the affected areas is only an interim measure designed to address the current security challenges and will be reviewed as soon as normalcy is restored”, he said.

It would be recalled that recently during a security coordination meeting, the Governor of the North region of Cameroon, Gambo Haman, enjoined security forces to be on alert, highlighting the incursion of Boko Haram militants into parts of the region.

“The Boko Haram being chased from Nigeria’s northeast, as well as thousands of runaway Chadian soldiers in irregular situation here must be closely monitored to avoid unwanted trouble throughout the national territory,” he cautioned.

Nonetheless, administrative official in the region are quoted as saying there is no need yet for panic

• “We cannot begin to arrest suspects because the law does not allow for that. At the moment, they are not breaking the law,” one of them is quoted as saying.
• Meanwhile, authorities in the region have reinforced surveillance and many Quran learning centres have been reportedly shut down, while Islam teachers are being closely watched by intelligence operatives.
• It would be noted that last year some authorities within the Islamic community in Cameroon had warned that the increasing crackdown on the Boko Haram in Nigeria may cause them to run to Cameroon. 
• Cameroon, some of them alleged, was no longer just a hideout for the militants but a field for enlisting converts.

Sources within the Moslem community say there are many indicators that militants of the sect are in Cameroon and are preaching their doctrines in some mosques.

•  It would be recalled that not long ago the Divisional Officer for Limbe I sub-division,Tsanga Foe, closed a mosque in Limbe when there were allegations that members of Boko Haram had infiltrated it.
• Other pointers that the militants are in Cameroon, sources say, are the distribution of CDs and fliers with the Boko Haram doctrine.

However, government seems to have heeding to the warning of Moslems in Cameroon as recently the Senior Divisional Officer for Wouri division, Bernard Okalia Bilai, convened Imams and Muslim community leaders in Douala and instructed them to come out with ways of repelling any establishment of the sect in Douala and other parts of Cameroon.

• “We have been informed of attempts of Boko Haram infiltration. Their doctrine is anti-social as it condemns western education. It’s a doctrine that persuades young graduates to rip their degrees because it’s satanic. It’s a doctrine that condemns what today constitutes the values of our society and top authorities of the country don’t accept that such hateful dogma is established in our communities, and thus the necessity of this meeting. We must be vigilant,” he counselled.

It is also worth noting that when Chadian President, Idriss Deby, came visiting recently, terrorist fears was part of his discussion with President Paul Biya.

“We must remain very vigilant to the consequences of the upheavals that have occurred in the north of our continent. It is of no interest to anyone that a zone of instability emerges close to our northern borders. In that light, our solidarity is of utmost importance,” Biya told Deby.

On his part, Deby called for a cross-border Security Mixed Commission session to chart ways of dealing with increasing Boko Haram and AQMI (the Maghreb branch of al-Qaeda) threats.

The Rest @ Cameroon Online

A Call to al Shabaab for Peace

Thursday, July 14, 2011

It is said “all wars are evil;” even a just one, albeit necessary. “A son dies, and not born of war,” said also our Somali ancestors.

Today, in Somalia, people are facing the worst humanitarian drought disaster in 60 years.

• In the last 100 days, 200,000 Somalis fled to neighboring countries in search of food.
• This catastrophe is just unfolding.
• Thousands of Somalis have perished so far, and Millions more are most assuredly at grave-risk of starving to death.

With no effective government to respond, and a raging war, this looming cataclysm could not have happen to our people at a worst time.

While it is beyond human capability to prevent natural disasters, it is Man who always must prepare for and alleviate such disasters. Drought and a resulting famine are not new in the Horn of Africa. This has happened to us Somalis before, and not just to us but to the whole region, as it is happening now.

Most of us are old enough to remember about the not so long ago of early 70s drought, where our government then successfully evacuated drought-victims on planes and resettled them. We are not so lucky this time, and it should make us cringe about the potential cost to Somali lives in the offing with this just beginning tragedy.

It is this disaster in progress, more than any other reason, which impeaches the persistent war by Harakat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahidin. It begs the question, “Al-Shabaab: For whom and what do you keep fighting?

• What benefit of your war, if it only brings death and misery to your own people?
• To carry on a war in the name of Islam, in a Muslim country, where the primary victims are the most vulnerable innocents is beyond basic human character.
• It certainly is not Islamic!

It is simply not enough, though much welcomed, that you the leaders of Al-Shabaab have allowed International Aid Agencies into areas under your control. Nor is it acceptable for you to see this human tragedy as a bonanza for public relations.

The stakes for innocent Somalis are much higher than Sheikh Dahir Aways and other Al-Shabaab leaders visiting drought victims in camps inside Somalia and distributing some aid. The people need, more than ever, a total cessation of the conflict.

What use of this war?

• Al-Shabaab, your so-called holy war, of which you so proudly claim to be martyrs of (Al-Mujahidin), is only destroying your country.
• It is killing, by bullet, famine or shear neglect, Somali babies and mothers.

Why [is] seeking peace-terms with your own follow Somalis, to save the people, so unacceptable to you?

Surely, it was more than acceptable for the last messenger of Allah, Muhammad (SAW), who left no stone unturned in search of peace with his pagan persecutors—his own people nevertheless!

Because of the pending devastation of famine, the people of Somalia are crying out for an end to their long suffering.

And, if you Al-Shabaab leaders are listening with your hearts (if they are not turned into stone completely), you will immediately confess of a willingness to an urgent and all-enveloping ceasefire followed by peace negotiations.

Take your terms for peace and put it on a negotiating table.

On your policy to-date, as the only organization, which sees “war” as a strategic option in Somalia, only you Al-Shabaab can end the war peacefully. Others can end your war by war.

There could be peace within Somalia in days, only if you are willing. It is up to you, for no other insists on war in Somalia—not the so-called government or Ahlu-Sunna! For the people, why not at least explore peace?

• By the way, the fastest way to remove foreign troops from Somalia (in case that is the only reason for continuing fighting) is for the Somalis to stop fighting each other!

Abdul-Aziz Mohammed

Amohammed4@insight.rr.com

The Rest @ Garoweonline

South Africa Looking for Sharia INvestment

1 September 2010

South African Islamic investors and financiers are likely to be recognised via a new insertion in the Income Tax Act, says consultancy firm Grant Thornton SA, enabling the country to attract further foreign investors to its financial markets.

Islamic finance is derived from the Shariah, and essentially involves profit and risk sharing and forbids the paying or receiving of interest or investment in certain industries.

"Interest is considered economically harmful by Shariah law, as the extension of credit increases money supply, which stimulates demand for goods and services but does not always result in real, tangible economic activity," Grant Thornton tax consultant Tasneem Gangat said in a statement last month.

"It believes interest-bearing transactions result in economic ills, including issues such as high inflation and unemployment."

Three account types

The proposed new section takes into account three types of Islamic financing and will be aligned to Shariah law.

For investment account agreements, or Mudarabah, tax will be payable on any profits derived by the client as these will be deemed as interest, thus making them taxable at the hand of the client.

Any Murahaba, or financing transactions, between a client and the financier will see "marked up" amounts within the agreement as the taxable amount payable in favour of the bank for tax purposes.

For joint ownership financing – known as Diminishing Musharaka – the client purchases the bank's "portion" of ownership in the asset over time, and the amount paid monthly to the bank includes both the premium payable and taxable amount owed to the bank.

Growing investment trend

According to Grant Thornton, South Africa joins Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and a growing number of other non-Muslim countries developing their Islamic finance sector by changing regulations to attract investors who can only put their money in Shariah-compliant assets.

The changes will be effective from a date to be announced by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Shariah law states that the emphasis on economic activity must ensure that money changes hands (from provider to user), accompanied by an increase in trade, manufacture, service provision and, as a result, employment.

The basis of Islamic finance is equity through profit and loss sharing schemes and rental income, usually mutually developed through agreements between the bank and client. The Islamic financier will assume the risk of the purpose of the funds he is investing and share in pre-agreed ratios in profit or loss which result from the transactions.

"The principles of investment management such as sector diversification, low risk versus high risk, income versus capital growth et cetera, will still apply to an Islamic investor, but the manner in which these objectives are achieved, as well as the investments utilised, will differ from conventional finance," said Gangat.

The Rest @ South Africa Info

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14 AQIM Prisoners Isolated in Mauritania

[Jemal Oumar] Families of imprisoned terror suspects petition the Mauritanian government for information on their relatives' confinement.

Families of detained terror suspects gathered in Nouakchott on Wednesday (June 8th) to press the Mauritanian government for answers on the whereabouts of their relatives.

Salafist prisoners were previously held at the Central Prison in Nouakchott but were recently transferred to an undisclosed location. The League of Prisoners' Relatives issued a call to human rights groups and civil society organisations seeking help in uncovering the fate of their sons.

Analysts believe the move was designed to isolate suspected terrorists and prevent them from influencing other inmates or making contact with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Journalist and security expert Yacoub Behdah explained that Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's recent statements indicated "that the transferred prisoners were placed in an isolated security zone after they had been in continuous contact, throughout their remand, with the terrorist networks and were receiving money and writing to operatives on a daily basis".

"The first reason for the transfer of prisoner is purely security-related, which is to get the Salafists to purely military zones specialised in combating terrorism, which are similar to the Algerian forces that are based in Tamanrasset to fight terrorism," said Sid Ahmed Ould Tfeil, an expert on Salafist ideology.

Ould Tfeil said that the move was part of recommendations stemming from a recent Sahel summit on counter-terrorism. "Certain information indicates that the isolated zone that Ould Abdel Aziz mentioned is located in a mountainous area separating the two provinces of Adrar and Tagant that had been previously used in conducting Mauritanian-US joint military drills near the area of Ayn as-Safra," he added.

"In addition, there is the danger of their presence with criminal prisoners who are often influenced by their thinking and are recruited into the ranks of al-Qaeda," Ould Tfeil said.

Analyst Said Ould Habib believes that the move was designed to "avoid possible attacks from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on the Central Prison to release them, especially as they include leading figures who were sentenced to death".

The transferred Salafist prisoners include eight condemned to death and eight others sentenced to terms of no less than 10 years. The location of 14 AQIM members held in connection with attacks on French tourists and the Mauritanian state remains unknown.

"The whereabouts of the Salafist prisoners, who were transferred from their prison in Nouakchott, will be revealed only to their relatives and not the lawmakers," Justice Minister Abidine Ould Elkheir said on May 30th in response to lawmakers' questions.Meimouna Mint Elheiba, sister of prisoner Maarouf Ould Elheiba, said that the Parliament must play its "moral role and pressure the authorities to bring our relatives back to us".

However, according to opposition legislators and relatives of Salafist prisoners, the justice minister has yet to inform the families.

"The two worrying issues about this matter are the disappearance of prisoners in unknown circumstances, although the law allows the relatives of prisoners to know their whereabouts," parliamentarian Moustapha Ould Bedr Eddine said. "As lawmakers, we will continue with our demands to bring the prisoners back to areas near their relatives to serve their terms."

By Jemal Oumar for Magharebia in Nouakchott –June 6th, 2011

The Rest @ Magharebia

Shabaab Threat Continues in Uganda

By Elias Biryabarema

KAMPALA, May 27 (Reuters) - Uganda police warned soccer fans on Friday that Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents could attack them while they watch Saturday's Champions League final.

Abbas Byakagaba, the director of the police anti terrorism unit, told a news conference that the al Qaeda-affiliated insurgents could also strike on June 3, the Matyrs' Day public holiday and that they had boosted security in the country.

Al Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia's Western-backed government, claimed responsibility for the bombings in Kampala while fans watched last year's World Cup final on television, killing 79.

The Somali insurgents have in the past issued warnings of possible strikes the east African country to try to force it to withdraw its peacekeeping troops deployed in Somalia, as part of an African Union mission (AMISOM).

"We have several events coming up: we have European Champions League finals, there's the Martyrs Day and the information we have is that al Shabaab is targeting these events," Byakagaba said, referring to the match at London's Wembley stadium between Manchester United and Barcelona.

Byakagaba said they had intelligence indicating that an unspecified number of al Shaabaab operatives had entered the country and were planning to launch attacks on crowded areas and big events, adding: "We have heightened our vigilance."

Earlier this week Uganda's opposition dismissed as scaremongering a police warning that al Shabaab was planning to assassinate their leaders and said it was a ploy to scare them off protests against food and fuel riots.

Al Shabaab has criticised Ugandans for re-electing President Yoweri Museveni, who they blame for invading their country.

AMISOM -- which also comprises soldiers from Burundi -- says its forces now control more than 60 percent of Mogadishu. Horn of Africa experts say they are all that prevent the insurgents from toppling an administration plagued by rifts and corruption. (by Elias Biryabarema, )Editing by George Obulutsa)

The Rest @ Alert Net (Reuters)

Internet Out in al: Bakara Market, Mogadishu Somalia

Nairobi — Telecommunications companies based in Somalia's largest open-air market have been hit by stray shells in the latest round of fighting, leading to internet failure in the past four days.

"Our internet service has been down since 24 May," a senior official of an internet service provider, who requested anonymity, told IRIN on 26 May.

The official said many people's livelihoods depend on internet use; "for many businesses and journalists, the internet is their lifeline".

He said his company was trying to revive the service. "We depend on the telecoms companies and when they get hit we are also hit."

A local radio journalist told IRIN he was unable to send his reports to his station based outside the country. "It is very frustrating."

The three major telecommunications companies, Nationlink, Hormood and Olympic, have their most important equipment at Bakara market, which has been a flashpoint in the fighting between insurgents and government troops backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers in the past two weeks.

"When we were setting up, in the 1990s, Bakara market was the safest place but now it is the most dangerous," another official of a telecommunications company said.

The official told IRIN the headquarters of Hormood - the largest telecommunications firm in the country - in Bakara had been repeatedly hit by shells, killing and injuring staff and destroying equipment.

"It is not easy for us to move the equipment we have here, so we are caught in the middle of a war zone," the official said.

In the past eight days, government and AMISOM troops have intensified an offensive to dislodge Al-Shabab insurgents who control Bakara market and parts of the city.

AMISOM spokesman Maj Paddy Ankunda told IRIN on 27 May that the mission was urging civilians not to expose themselves to crossfire.

"We have secured the road nearest Bakara as well as the southern and western edges of the market; I cannot put a time tag on how long the fighting will go on but we are urging civilians to get out of entanglement [in the fighting] as they will become increasingly vulnerable," Ankunda said.

"About 80 percent of civilians [in Al-Shabab-held areas] have left for areas controlled by the government because of insecurity; if Al-Shabab chooses to continue fighting, they will bear the responsibility for the damage caused to Bakara market," Ankunda said

South Sudan on Track to Join Commonwealth Nations

May 22, 2011 (JUBA) – The Commonwealth nations have welcomed the would-be new born state of South Sudan in July at the organization's three-day conference in the Malaysian's capital, Kuala Lumpur, this week.

GoSS VP Riek Machar speaking to press shortly after his arrival from Malaysia on 20 May 2011 (ST)

The people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly by over 98% in favour of secession from the rest of Sudan in an internationally monitored referendum on self-determination which was conducted in January 2011. The plebiscite came as a result of the 2005 peace deal which ended 21 years of civil war between North and South.

President Omer Hassan Al Bashir of Sudan accepted the outcome of the vote, saying it expressed the will of the people of the semi-autonomous region.

In a statement to the press at Juba International Airport on Saturday shortly after his arrival from Malaysia, the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar, said the 54 nations of the Commonwealth have already taken for granted during the conference the recognition of the new state of South Sudan in July 2011.

Machar who participated in the Commonwealth conference added that the countries went further to discuss the possibility of South Sudan joining the organization as the 55th nation after declaration of its independence.

Established in 1931, the Commonwealth nations organization works to promote democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace.

The membership of the Commonwealth nations comprises 54 countries from the continents of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia; most of which were former British colonies, or dependencies of these colonies. The organization is headed by Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.

South Sudan leadership has also been dispatching senior officials of the government to hand-deliver invitations to foreign dignitaries in Africa to attend the day of its independence proclamation. Over eighty per cent (80%) of the 53 countries in Africa have already accepted the invitations.

Machar also earlier revealed that his government will participate in the meeting of the United Nations Security Council scheduled to take place on July 13 in New York, during which the recognition of South Sudan's independence by the world body shall be on the agenda.

The Rest @ Sudan Tribune

Liberians Fighting as Mercenaries for Deposed Ivory Coast Leader

ABIDJAN - Dozens of bodies littered the streets of an Abidjan neighbourhood on Tuesday as fighting continued between Ivory Coast troops and the remnants of a militia loyal to deposed leader Laurent Gbagbo.

The clashes highlight the West African country’s struggle to restore security after a violent power struggle between Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara, who won a November election and is now president.

“We have seen many dead. We recovered 40 bodies over two hours, but we were forced to stop because he had no room left in our van,” said Franck Kodjo, an official at the International Committee of the Red Cross, adding at least five corpses were from Tuesday’s fighting.

The world’s largest cocoa grower nation tipped toward civil war after Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara, triggering a conflict that killed thousands and displaced more than a million people and only began to ease with Gbagbo’s arrest last month.

A commander for the Ivorian army, known as the FRCI, said the remaining pro-Gbagbo fighters in the Abidjan neighbourhood of Yopougon were mostly Liberians who had crossed the border in the election dispute’s aftermath as soldiers for hire.

Efforts to disarm them have so far failed.

“We are in the process of securing the town but there are heavy weapons,” the commander said. “We’re not the ones firing them, it is those we oppose, the Liberians,” he said.

Other parts of Ivory Coast’s main city were coming back to life after the conflict, with banks reopening and street traffic slowly returning to normal.

Ivory Coast’s main industry, the cocoa sector, is poised to resume export at the end of this week of nearly a half a million tonnes of beans backed as a result of the conflict, exporters said on Tuesday.

Ouattara’s government is investigating Gbagbo and his inner circle for alleged human rights abuses during the conflict as he used his military to cling to power. Gbagbo, under house arrest in the country’s north, called this week for his supporters to allow the country to restart its economy in peace

The Rest @ Reuters

Somali Refugees Becoming Mercenaries in Yemen?

It is roumered that Somali Refugees are becoming mercenaries in Yemen. Though I think this is not yet wide spread, if true. However, both Yemen government and al Qaeda mercenary recruiters will likely target Somali refugees. Somali refugees have been paying a high price in money and risk of death to cross fromSomalia into Yemen in consistent numbers for many years. Their motivations have been both economic and avoidance of war. It is my belief that it is unlikely that first generation refugees will become mercenaries, except as a last financial resort; however, second generation Somali refugees, aged 9-18 may be motivated to cultivate their prowess as fighters by becoming mercenaries. And their numbers in Yemen are growing. Therefore, it is likely that Somali refugee communities in Yemen will be targeted by both government and al Qaeda organizations. -Shimron *************** Aden — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it is concerned by opposition media reports alleging the Yemen government is recruiting Somali refugees as mercenaries to help put down a growing protest movement demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Hala al-Horany, UNHCR protection officer in the southern city of Aden, said the agency had investigated and talked extensively to refugee leaders, but was unable to find even a single anecdotal case of government recruitment among the large Somali refugee population. "We are concerned about this situation and are still following up as this has serious implications for the protection of refugees in the short and long term," Horany told IRIN. "We have also conducted awareness-raising in the communities and warned them against even participating in demonstrations, let alone mercenary activity." The mercenary allegations were reported in opposition media, including TV channel Aden Live, and according to UNHCR had also surfaced on social networks like Facebook. They echo reports from Libya that embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi had recruited foreign fighters, resulting in the persecution of migrants and workers from sub-Saharan Africa accused - by Gaddafi opponents - of supporting the regime. Hali Mahaji Abdi, a community service worker with the development agency ADRA in Basateen, a predominantly Somali-populated district of Aden, told IRIN she had not heard any rumours of recruitment, but dismissed the idea: "There is war in Somalia and we have found freedom in Yemen, how can Somalis come and fight in Yemen?" There are an estimated 181,561 Somali refugees in Yemen, most of them urban-based and granted prima facie refugee status by a government that has adopted an open door policy. Somalia has been riven by conflict since the ousting of former president Siad Barre in 1991. While anti-government protesters in Aden complain bitterly over the alleged heavy-handedness of the security forces in clashes that have left over 20 dead since 16 February, nobody IRIN spoke to mentioned the threat of Somali mercenaries. There was consensus that if recruitment and training was under way it would happen in the remote and mountainous Abyan region in the south, where al-Qaeda is active, and the government has several military bases. Protests threaten Somali livelihoods Saleh is facing growing countrywide opposition to his 32-year rule, particularly among the youth demanding more jobs, a fairer distribution of wealth, and an end to corruption. In Aden, protesters have occupied streets in several districts, throwing up barricades during disturbances, paralysing large parts of the city. That poses problems for Somali refugees who are allowed to work in Yemen, but typically rely on day-to-day earnings as car washers, housemaids or beggars. "Six or seven people rent one room and they try and manage, but rent is expensive [about US$35 per month]. Some women can't go out to work, or come back early for fear of the demonstrations," said Nasiha Omar of INTERSOS, an NGO that runs a drop-in centre for refugees in Basateen. Relevant Links East Africa Somalia International Organisations Refugees Arms and Armies Middle East and Africa Conflict Al-Horany said ADRA has been asked to "be more inclusive" in terms of the targeting of its financial support to refugees, to help deal with any increase in needs. " As anything could happen, we are updating our contingency plan and training the refugees and helping them establish joint committees with our [NGO] partners to run essential services in case the situation blows up," she added. The irony is that if political violence escalates in Aden, there could be an influx of people into apolitical Basateen, seeking stability and functioning services. "In the last few weeks, when roads to the hospitals outside have been blocked, we've seen an influx of Yemenis living in the surrounding areas into Basateen to use the primary health care clinic there," said al-Horany. The Rest @ AllAfrica

Defeated Al Shabaab May Be Crossing Into Kenya

Somalia's al Shabaab rebels are on the verge of being defeated after a four-year insurgency and could be driven out of the capital Mogadishu, the country's president said.

Troops backed by pro-government militia took two towns from the Islamist group, which claims ties to al Qaeda, in fighting on Monday, said President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, clad in the military uniform he has worn since the government launched its offensive.

Battles have raged across central and southern Somalia in recent weeks as Somali troops backed by the moderate Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca militia struggle to reclaim territory from al Shabaab. "Al Shabaab is on the verge of collapse," the president told reporters.

"We shall also sweep them from Mogadishu. Our enemies have suffered a great loss, it is obvious they will run away from many towns."Residents said al Shabaab had deserted more towns after it was rumoured the Ethiopian and Somali troops had advanced further. Ahmed said on Saturday his fighters were receiving logistical help from Ethiopian troops.

• Kenyan police said suspected al Shabaab rebels had entered Kenya and warned the public to be on alert and provide any information to aid in arresting them.
• The rebels who crossed the border were fleeing the fighting in Somalia, Kenyan authorities said.
• They are concerned because the Islamists have threatened to strike at Kenya to punish the east African country for training hundreds of new recruits to bolster Somali troop numbers.
• Kenya has been twice hit by al Qaeda. The militants have waged an insurgency against the largely ineffective UN-backed government and control large chunks of southern and central Somalia.
• Counter-terrorism experts say the lawless nation is a haven for foreign jihadists. In the past few weeks, Somali forces have clawed back parts of Mogadishu and now control 70% of the city, the government says.
  

Government soldiers captured Luq, 80 km (50 miles) from the Ethiopian border, and Elwaq, a frontier town close to Kenya after taking Beledhawo over the weekend. "We have taken Luq town after a brief fight. Al Shabaab has fled," Abdi Fatah Mohamed Gesey, former governor for Bay region, told Reuters by telephone from the agricultural town.

The Rest @ Reuters

"We will not stop our operations against al Shabaab. The residents have warmly welcomed us and our next stop will be Baidoa." Sustained clashes over the past week have focused on the capital and Somalia's southern border with Kenya. Government troops and African Union peacekeepers say they have inflicted heavy losses on al Shabaab militants in Mogadishu, but have also sustained some casualties.

"Our troops have captured Elwaq, nine km from the Kenyan border, peacefully," Colonel Mahamud Ali Shire told Reuters by telephone. "They run away from the town. We are now headed for Garbaharey, we have heard their last convoy has left for Bardhere to keep their foreign fighters safe, but we will not for a minute stop our fight against them." (Reuters)

Al Qaeda Moves Deeper into Africa

No new news... Al Qaeda is increasingly moving their efforts South and West to their outposts in the Sahel (AQIM) Yemen and Somalia....

-Shimron


Terrorism experts say the world has every reason to be concerned about terrorism in 2011 and beyond. They say al-Qaida may be slowly dying in Afghanistan, but its tentacles around the world live on in very remote areas.

They also say frustration among the poor in the Middle East and Africa could lead to new ethnic and political conflicts. The turmoil, they say, could embolden al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb popularly known as AQIM in that region. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb grew out of an Islamist insurgency movement in Algeria, merging with al-Qaida in 2006 and spreading through the Sahara and the Sahel region.

Ronald Noble, secretary-general of the police organization Interpol, has said those portions of Africa along with Somalia may become the next Afghanistan for al-Qaida.

Former CIA official and counter-terrorism expert Charles Allen says the recent turmoil in the Sahara and Sahel could further embolden al-Qaida, because it could see the unrest as a result of its own campaign.

"They have appealed continuously, whether it is in Yemen or in North Africa, that there are impoverished communities and then there are wealthy oligarchs who control the masses. This is a long standard ideological campaign that has been relatively effective," he said.He says al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb or AQIM, along with its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia, has been using this region as a breeding ground for its activities."It functions as an umbrella organization for a disparate collection of Sunni Muslim terrorist elements determined to attack what they see as apostate regimes in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco.

The bulk of AQIM forces are located in southern Algeria, northern Mali and Mauritania," he said.Morocco’s ambassador to Washington, Aziz Mekouar is more concerned about the Sahara region in particular because it is now being used by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs to Europe. He says AQIM is trying to take advantage of the situation.

• "We see these Colombian and Mexican drug traffickers using West Africa and the Sahara region to covey drugs to the European markets. That is very dangerous.
• You will see in the future a combination of al-Qaida, drug traffickers, and human traffickers," he said.
• He says the countries of the region should come together to stop this activity and prevent al-Qaida from exploiting the situation.
• Last year, Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger set up a joint headquarters in southern Algeria to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts.
• The four countries' army chiefs met to establish a joint strategy against al-Qaida.

Allen says the focus in 2011 should be to make it more difficult for the al-Qaida leaders to recruit the unemployed and frustrated youth. That, he says, will require cooperation on a global scale to push for political and social reforms and poverty reduction. It will also require, he says, a global effort to educate the younger generation what he calls the real Islam that he says teaches that killing one person means killing all of humanity.

the Rest @ VOA

al Shabaab moves Jihad into Bihororo Burundi

Bujumbura, Feb 8 : Burundian police have arrested eight Pakistani Muslim preachers in a mosque in the central province of Gitega, according to police and local officials.

A group of eight people calling themselves Pakistani Muslim preachers arrived two days ago and started holding unauthorised meetings, day and night, in the Bihororo mosque," the Daily Times quoted local official Alexis Manirakiza, as saying.

"Residents became suspicious at the presence of these foreigners in a remote area at a time when there is a terror threat from Somali rebels and they informed the police," he added.

A police officer said on the condition of anonymity that all the eight were travelling to the African nation on Pakistani passports."

We're investigating to find out exactly who they are and what they were doing in this part of the world without informing the security services or the administrative authorities," the officer said.

The arrests came less than a week after the US Embassy in Burundi warned its citizens in the central African country that terror organisations, including Somalia's al Qaeda-inspired Shebab, could carry out terror attacks in February.

Security measures have been stepped up in Burundi since last week, with soldiers and police patrolling the streets of the capital.

The Rest @ ANI , via Jihadwatch

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