Al Qaeda's Africa Express East -Khartoum to Mogadishu

There seems to be an al Qaeda resupply route running fro Khartoum to Mogadishu.

Another al Shabaab member was just detained in the same area as the other four, carrying bomb making materials from Kenya to Somalia. This time, an Arab. He claims to have come a similar route as the other four. They seem to have no papers or forged papers and when they have passports, they have no stamps in them.

This suggests that there is a regular route from South Eastern Sudan, across the Northern frontier of Kenya near the Ethiopia border, crossing over into Southern Somalia.

It's worth Exploring whether the South Sudan Liberation Army in South Sudan are providing safe conduct for Islamist terrorists connected to al Qaeda from Khartoum through South Sudan, being handed off to Somali tribes in North Kenya who then move them through to the Somali border.

This would be third land resupply and route for al Shabaab, and suggests that the Kenya border with Somalia is tighter now than it used to be. If this is true, then there is probably a small but key transportation organization lead travelers on that route.

-Shimron Issachar

*************

By Cyrus Ombati

A man believed to be an Al-Shabaab militant was arrested and bomb-making material seized from him as he tried to cross into Somalia at the Liboi border.

The man who police said is of Arab origin was carrying a powder and other chemicals used in assembling explosives.

He told police he had come from Sudan via Uganda before entering Kenya through the Busia border.

Anti-terror police who are interrogating him are, however, puzzled his passport does not bear the stamps of the borders he claims to have crossed.

"We do not know why his passport is not stamped, but he insists he came from Sudan and is headed to Somalia to teach his followers," said a senior officer, who sought anonymity.

Train militants

A Ugandan national who wanted to cross into Somalia was also nabbed at the same border. Police say they are yet to establish the pair’s motive for crossing into Somalia but suspect they were going to train the militant group.

Both men were driven to Garissa where anti-terror police interrogated them. Police on Thursday issued a terror alert, citing intelligence reports, that Al-Shabaab was planning attacks during Easter.

Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere cautioned Kenyans to be careful when visiting shopping malls, places of worship, Government buildings and recreational centres.

"We wish to inform the public that Police headquarters has received intelligence that Al-Shabaab has threatened to carry out violent attacks on certain targets," said Iteere.

The police boss advised the management of targeted places to enhance security.

"Members of public are also reminded it is their civic duty to co-operate with legitimate security personnel to improve security and safety. We also wish to encourage the public to promptly report any suspicious activities or characters to police.

"It is encouraging to note that due to this co-operation there is a marked improvement in the flow of information between police and the public," he said.

This is the second time this year that the terror group threatens to hit Kenya for supporting Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

The group had two months ago threatened to hit Kenya for training TFG security personnel.

TFG is battling with the gang at the Kenyan border to oust them from the region. The group was blamed for the bomb attacks on fans during the World Cup finals in Kampala that killed more than 70 people, last year.

At least eight Kenyans are among suspects being held over the bombing. The same group was also blamed for the bombing of a bus in Nairobi that killed at least one person last year.

Sudanese Women Call for Release of Detainees

February 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – A group of Sudanese women on Sunday demonstrated for the second time in a row this week in the capital Khartoum, demanding the release of dozens of detainees held in custody since anti-government protests erupted last month.

Around thirty women whose relatives and sons have been held in detention since the authorities forcibly dispersed anti-government protests on 30 January gathered outside the premises of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) amid heavy police presence.

The protesting women held placards bearing the pictures of the detainees and slogans calling for their freedom, claiming that they had received reports of them being tortured.

Rabah Al-sadiq said they received information about the torture of the detainees. "We heard they are being sprayed with water and electrocuted," Rahab Al-Sadiq, the daughter of Sudan's former Prime Minister and leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), told AFP on Sunday.
According to Rabaha, the authorities are holding more than 70 protestors.

A similar protest occurred last Friday but the women were quickly contained by the police who briefly detained some of them as they marched towards NISS HQ, including Mariam Al-Sadiq, a leading figure in the NUP and also daughter of Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.
This time, however, the protestors managed to deliver a petition to the NISS demanding that the detainees be freed immediately or charged formally.

The NISS director-general Mohamed Atta Al-Moula met them and pledged to release the detainees on Monday. Nuha Al-Nagar, from the opposition Umma Party told reporters that they decided to suspend their protest to Monday to see whether the security service would respect their promise of not.

Last month's protests were organized by youth groups inspired by the toppling of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt through the use of online media, mainly Facebook. However, the organizers barley managed to assemble few hundreds who were forcibly dispersed by the police using teargas and batons.

The police also arrested dozens in the process, besides eight journalists from the Al-Midan of the opposition Communist Party.

The Sudanese police also broke up today another protest by dozens of journalists gathered outside the National Council for Press and Publications, in Khartoum, demanding the release of detainees from the staff of media outlets and newspapers.

The police seized cameras from journalists who wanted to cover the event, and prevented them from raising any banners demanding the release of their colleagues.

The protesters handed a letter to the press council demanding to secure the release of the detained journalists and to exert more efforts to ensure the respect the freedom of expression for the press.

The ousting of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Friday after weeks of mass protests in Egypt further encouraged other Arab nations to stand up to their abusive rulers.

The secretary general of the council El-Obeid Ahmed said the security service told them the journalists of the communist daily are held for activities not related to their profession.

The Sudanese government, which welcomed the “triumph” of the Egyptian revolution, dismissed the possibility of a similar scenario in the country, attributing the downfall of Arab regimes to their alliance with Israel and the U.S.

Sudan is a major cooperator with the US administration in counterterrorism despite being on its list of countries sponsors of terrorism.

The Rest @ The Sudan Tribune