IGAD Supreme Tool of Ethio-fascism, Anti-African Racism, and Genocidal Practices
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The gangsters met and demanded full freedom in order to eliminate the innocent and the peaceful; this statement can be made about the shameless meeting of the terrorist organization IGAD that brought together the tyrants of East Africa unelected administrations in an effort to study how to better perform genocides in the 3rd millennium.
The Anti-Eritrean and Anti-Somali biases of IGAD demonstrate the need for the UN to demand the immediate dissolution of the criminal organization that serves the interests of Africa worst enemies, and guarantees only the perpetration of the most inhuman and most appalling acts in the world.
More details on the recent IGAD deliberations that took place a few days and the latest developments around the Horn of Africa, along with related documents, comments and analyses, are made available in the Ecoterra Press Release Issue No. 180 that I herewith republish.
Ecoterra Intl. ?SMCM (Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor) ?2009-05-24 / 18h03:12 UTC
(Vol. XLIV + 131 updates since 25. 09. 2008) – Issue No. 180
Ecoterra International ?Updates & Statements, Review & Clearing-house
A Voice from the Truth- & Justice-Seekers, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or overseas, and who neither benefit from global naval militarization, from the illegal fishing and dumping in Somali waters or the piracy of merchant vessels, nor from the booming insurance business or the exorbitant ransom-, risk-management- or security industry, while neither the protection of the sea, the development of fishing communities nor the humanitarian assistance to abducted seafarers and their families is receiving the required adequate attention, care and funding.
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. George Orwell
EA Illegal Fishing and Dumping Hotline: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed) – email: somalia@ecoterra.net
EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: SMS to +254-738-497979 or call +254-733-633-733
“The pirates must not be allowed to destroy our dream!”
Capt. Florent Leman – F/Y TANIT – killed by attack of French commandos – 10. April 2009
Non A La Guerre – Yes To Peace
(Inscription on the sail of F/Y TANIT shot down on day one of the French assault)
Clearing-house
Breaking:
U.S.-American president Obama hints at uncovered secrets in Maersk Alabama story
Whitewashing black ops in colourful ceremonies?
In his third commencement address, though his first to a service academy, U.S. president Obama said during the 2009 commencement ceremony for the graduating class of the United States Naval Academy:
“I will not recount the full story of those five days in April. Much of it is known. Some of it will never be known. And that is how it should be. But here, on this day, at this institution, it must be said: the extraordinary precision and professionalism displayed that day was made possible, in no small measure, by the training, the discipline and the leadership skills that so many of those officers learned at the United States Naval Academy. After that operation ?after Captain Phillips was freed ?I spoke with one of the Navy SEALs who was there and with the skipper of the USS Bainbridge, Commander Frank Castellano ?Naval Academy Class of 1990. And I can tell you, as they would, that the success of that day belongs not only to a single commander or a small team of SEALs. It belongs to the many”.
In what Obama called “the success of the day” U.S. Navy commandos shot and killed three Somali gunmen last month to free Richard Phillips, the U.S. ship’s captain, who was held hostage – that is known.
But was Obama hinting with “will never be known” at the fact that the pirate’s parents, Somali leaders and clan elders had lined up and guaranteed a bloodless ending of the stand-off? No, since that is known too and it is also known that the U.S. of America refused such solution, because they wanted the pirates “dead or alive” by all means.
Was Obama hinting at the fact that the story as it was portrayed in the American media was not the reality? Well, maybe yes, but also there much is already known since the revelations of Mike Perryto – at least to those who pay attention and do just just read spin-doctored headlines. The story about Captain Richard Phillips exchanging himself to pirates for the safety of his captured crew as one of the great stories of high seas heroism is not true. The saga told in media reports and lauded on social network sites like Facebook, a story which made the country feel good, is simply untrue, according to crewmembers of the Maersk Alabama. “The captain was captured from the beginning”, said chief engineer Mike Perry of Riverview.
Was Obama then hinting at the fact that Abdiweli Abdulkadir Muse, the first of the four pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips hostage on a lifeboat, had given himself up since he could not bear the pain of his hand, where he had been stabbed by a Maersk-sailor, and to bring as a message from his fellow pirates a truce? That Muse was then conducting negotiations on the USS Bainsbridge – when three sharpshooters killed his comrades – is known, but maybe it is not known that he was at the time actually already a bearer of the flag of truce – and thereby protected!?!
Is the secret then buried in deception? In the long row of such U.S. American behaviour from the wars with native North-Americans to Waco, one account is outstanding – it is the one of Black Hawk the Great Native-American Chief of the West, whose full name was Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak and who said (affidavit in May 1838) concerning his account of the cause and the general history of the Black Hawk War of 1832:
“I was never so much surprised in my life as I was in this attack. An army of three or four hundred men, after having learned that we were suing for peace, to attempt to kill the flag bearers that had gone unarmed to ask for a meeting of the war chiefs of the two contending parties to hold a council, that I might return to the west side of the Mississippi, to come forward with a full determination to demolish the few braves I had with me, to retreat when they had ten to one, was unaccountable to me. It proved a different spirit from any I had ever before seen among the pale faces. I expected to see them fight as the Americans did with the British during the last war, but they had no such braves among them”.
Were Abdiweli as well as the three snipered men then deceived? Had the three Somalis in the lifeboat signaled a truce or were they tricked into believing the Americans had offered them a truce?
The truth must come out, even though Obama obviously wants to keep it buried. Abdiweli Abdulkadir Muse is on trial in New York and it is high time that he gets an independent defense lawyer, who at least must try to invoke what “never shall be known”.
The consequences could be grave, since Abdi Garad, one of the alleged pirate leaders told Agence France-Presse by phone from the pirate lair of Eyl that American citizens were now marked. Garad said U.S. authorities shot the pirates even though they agreed to free Phillips.
U. S. president Barack Obama seems to have flip-flopped on his election promise also concerning the closure of the U. S. naval detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Last week, Obama said the U. S. government will restart Bush-era military tribunals for a small number of Guantanamo detainees, many of whom are suspected terrorists (five are charged with helping orchestrate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks).
Black Hawk died in 1838 having revealed the truth, the Black Hawk choppers crashed in 1993 in Mogadishu opening the eyes of many Americans to the untold stories from Somalia – is Obama ending the black ops now as he promised or has covered reality caught up with him already?
Though the Navy Secretary Ray Mabus drew loud applause when he quoted from Obama inauguration speech, noting: “We will not apologize for our way of life and we will not waver in our defense”, the U.S. president’s pre-election critics seem to get some credit now.
Like Tecmessa in Sophocles’ Tragic World promised to reveal “the tale unspeakable” and to give the fullest account of the night of madness, Obama should promise: “You will learn the whole deed, as if you were a participant”!
France finally gives in
While the top legal eagle from France during the anti-piracy conference in December in Nairobi – despite being a charming lady – showed her iron-lady character by stubbornly insisting that France would not recognize a 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone for Somalia, her President set now finally the record strait. The African Union (AU) had made it already clear internationally 10 years ago in Maputo that the continuous violation of the waters of African coastal states and specifically of the 200nm EEZ of Somalia would no longer be tolerated. The Leader of the Revolution and President of the AU, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi now held talks with French Minister of Defense Herve Morin and his accompanying delegation who participated in the 5+5 Defense Ministers’ meeting held on 17 May 2009. Morin delivered a letter to the Col. Gaddafi from the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy, the Libyan news agency reported, expressed his desire to meet the leader at the next summit of G8 which he asserted that it would be an opportunity to pursue their talks about various issues of mutual interest and the French president underlined in his letter his keen interest to continue dialogue with the Leader of the AU on African matters, highlighting that the leader’s Presidency of the African Union consolidates such dialogue.
President Sarkozy reiterated France’s interest to launch the French-Libyan Strategic Partnership in the defense field in line with what was agreed upon during his visit to Libya and the Leader’s visit to France in 2007. Sarkozy reportedly also praised Col. Gadaffi in his letter for his efforts to forge peace between Niger rebels and their government, which brought stability to northern Niger. Jana reported also that Sarkozy appealed to the leader to continue his efforts to overcome ongoing tension between Sudan and Chad. But most importantly Sarkozy also reaffirmed his and France’s readiness to support the Libyan initiative to protect the Exclusive Economic Zone and the territorial waters of Somalia since that would help in ending the so-called piracy operations there.
News from sea-jackings, abductions or newly attacked ships
Italian navy men on Friday arrested nine Somali pirates who were trying to seize a Liberian-owned merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, a naval press spokesman said. “Today, around 0600 GMT, our MAESTRALE frigate received a distress call from a merchant ship, the MV Maria K, that had been attacked by a pirate boat, while it was less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) away” from the Italian vessel, he told AFP. The spokesman said the ship’s helicopter fired several warning shots before the MAESTRALE arrived on the scene to make the arrests. The MV Maria K is registered in the Caribbean island of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Crew members from the ship reported receiving rocket-propelled grenade fire, CBS News reported. According to ANSA news agency, prosecutors in Rome will question the pirates via video-link from the MAESTRALE in the next few days. The arrests come as Italy gears up to host a meeting on June 10 to address the roots of Somalia’s piracy crisis.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be hosting the next meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia in Rome on 9 and 10 June. The Contact Group is the principal coordination and consultation forum for the states and international organizations most closely engaged in fostering the peace process in Somalia. It is chaired by Ould Abdallah, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia. The meeting will be opened by Minister Franco Frattini; also taking part will be the Somali Foreign Minister, Abdullahi Omaar. The meeting will enable the parties to examine the most recent developments in Somalia in political and security terms, including measures to combat piracy, and in humanitarian and economic terms also. It will also examine the most suitable instruments to strengthen the Somali Government and Transitional Federal Institutions, especially with respect to the commitments made by the international community at the Brussels Conference of 22-23 April on supporting Somalia’s security institutions and AMISOM (the African Union’s peace mission in the country).
Earlier a Canadian naval spokesman, Michael McWhinnie, said the nearby container ship MAERSK VIRGINIA, a container vessel flying under the United States flag also had been threatened. MV MAERSK VIRGINIA is a sister vessel to controversial MV MAERSK ALABAMA. The Canadian naval spokesman said HMCS Winnipeg dispatched a helicopter after receiving a distress call, but it was not needed. The Virginia sped up to 21 knots, began evasive maneuvers and notified authorities, the company said. The pirate vessel got within three-quarters of a nautical mile.
Dan Lett, embedded for Canwest News Service on board of HMCS WINNIPEG reported:
- With his frantic tone, the captain of the Maria K. left no doubt that he was facing a world of trouble. Without warning, a light-blue skiff with nine pirates fired several rocket- propelled grenades at the freighter. It attempted evasive maneuvers but – being slow and awkward, like most of the merchant vessels plying the trade route through the Gulf of Aden – it was a sitting duck. At the last moment, the pirates disengaged and headed toward another container ship, the U.S.-flagged MAERSK VIRGINIA. Maybe the pirates got close enough to the Maria K. to spot troublesome countermeasures, or maybe the MAERSK VIRGINIA held the promise of better loot. But the chase was on with new quarry. The radio on the bridge of HMCS Winnipeg vibrated with the rapid-fire transmissions between the two merchant ships and several other warships in the area. Although this incident was outside the Winnipeg’s patrol box, Commander Craig Baines immediately steered his frigate towards the MAERSK VIRGINIA and sent word to ready Winnipeg’s Sea King helicopter for takeoff.
The confrontation, which took place Friday, was unfolding some 112 kilometers north of Winnipeg’s position in the sea passage between Somalia and Yemen. At the frigate’s top speed of 30 knots, it would take more than two hours to reach the MAERSK VIRGINIA. Fortunately, the helicopter can travel the same distance in about 20 minutes. “There’s no question now that we’re going to get them”, said Baines. “It’s only a matter of time”. The Canadian captain’s confidence was not unfounded. The pirate skiff had, against heavy odds, wandered into an area surrounded by five warships. By the time the Sea King got within 6.4 kilometers of the MAERSK VIRGINIA, an Italian warship, the MAESTRALE, had confronted the skiff with warning shots from its helicopter and repelled the attack. Eventually, the pirates surrendered and, having already ditched all of their weapons, allowed the Italians to board. “It appears the pirates just picked a bad spot today”, Baines said with a slight grin.
As he watches and listens to the chatter between warships and merchant vessels, Baines listens carefully to a Judge Advocate General lawyer for the Canadian Forces, Major Warren Fensom, who advises the commander on the legal complexities of the anti-piracy mission. It is unusual to have military lawyer on the front line – but then, this mission is unusually complex. When prosecuting an act of piracy, jurisdiction can be very hard to nail down. Legal jurisdiction can be affected by the flag the merchant ship is flying under, the nationality of the captain and crew, of the ship’s owners and even of the owners of the cargo. Jurisdiction is further complicated by the nationality of the warship that responds to the merchant vessel’s distress call. And then there are the evidentiary issues. Somali pirates may come from humble origins, but they know enough to frustrate efforts to build a case against them. Once confronted by a warship, a pirate skiff will dump ladders, grappling hooks and other boarding tools into the sea. The ready availability and affordable price of military-grade weaponry on Somalia’s black markets make ditching an RPG launcher or AK-47 an easy decision for most pirates. The legal peculiarities of anti-piracy operations came fully into focus following a well-publicized incident on April 18 that saw the HMCS Winnipeg board and detain a pirate skiff. To the amazement of many Canadians, after seizing weaponry and other evidence, the suspects were released. The blowback from this incident was almost immediate. Media commentators from across the country challenged the efficacy of the anti-piracy mission. Ottawa was chastised for running a “catch-and-release” program.
The fact that Canada’s Criminal Code allows for prosecution of pirates in Canadian courts caused further confusion. However, a more careful examination of the legal context, and the challenges of mustering evidence in such difficult circumstances, suggests that trying pirates in Canada may not be a good idea. Only two nations are attempting to try alleged Somali pirates – the Netherlands and the United States – and in both instances the trials have unearthed a welter of complex issues [incorrect: France too]. Many worry some of the pirates are too willing to be captured and taken for trial to developed country. Media interviews with the pirates in the Netherlands have suggested that some use prosecution as an opportunity to claim refugee status. This has unleashed a torrent of skepticism about the practical value of prosecution. In Canada’s case, a number of legal questions remain unanswered. Would evidence from a search, seizure and arrest of alleged pirates carried out under the terms of a United Nations resolution be considered admissible in a Canadian court governed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
A good defense lawyer could find fertile grounds to challenge the legality of the broad and wide-ranging powers granted to warships in the Gulf of Aden – powers that easily exceed those granted to law-enforcement agencies in Canada. Canada is currently negotiating to have any alleged pirates it detains taken to Kenya for trial. By all accounts, Ottawa began these discussions prior to the arrival of HMCS Winnipeg in the Gulf of Aden. The fact that an accord with Kenya was not in place earlier suggests that Canada, and other NATO countries, may have underestimated the willingness of the Somali pirates to continue attacking merchant vessels after warships populated the region. The fact remains that, while piracy remains a constant threat in this important trade corridor, successful attacks are way down. This suggests that repelling the attacks is practical, even if it doesn’t eliminate the threat. However, there is no reason to believe the attacks won’t pick up in frequency and ferocity if and when the warships leave the gulf. There are 28 warships here serving in five different international forces, but some, like the NATO group that includes HMCS Winnipeg, are expecting to wind up their operations in June. For now, it appears that international forces charged with repelling the pirate attacks will consider prosecution if necessary, but not necessarily prosecution, to get the job done.
With the latest captures and releases now still at least 15 foreign vessels (16 with an unnamed sole Barge which drifted ashore) with a total of not less than 210 crew members accounted for (of which 59 are confirmed to be Filipinos) are held in Somali waters and are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) have been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 116 attacks (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 36 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least two wrongful attacks (incl. friendly fire) on the side of the naval forces.
Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail. In the last four years, 22 missing ships have been traced back with different names, flags and superstructures. Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season in winter and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon season starting from mid February and early April every year.
Transferring suspects to Kenya and other U.S. allies in the region could expose them to conditions that could expose them to physical harm. Kenya’s justice system is known to be extremely slow and inefficient and its prisons overcrowded. Judges and prosecutors are overworked and susceptible to political and economic threats and inducements. At the same time, the agreement invites retaliatory attacks from Islamists who blame Kenya for facilitating U.S. intervention in the region. It is instructive that threats to Kenya have increased since the anti-piracy campaign started. The Obama administration needs to rethink this suspect transfer policy if it wants to avoid another embarrassing fiasco involving allegations of torture and violation of human rights.
The dilemma for the Obama team is that the suspects cannot be turned over to the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia because it would violate Article 3 of the Convention on Torture that prohibits transfer of prisoners to countries where they are in danger of facing serious human rights violations such as torture, serious injury or death. European and U.S. courts could try the suspects but the cases may be difficult to prosecute successfully in legal systems that protect suspects’ rights. In addition, there is the fear that the Somali individuals involved could claim asylum after serving their sentences since deportation back to Somalia is not an option. Faced with this dilemma, the anti-piracy campaign proposes to try the suspects in the region. This may be a worse option than the current practice of dropping suspected pirates off on isolated beaches along Somalia’s 1,800-miles coastline.
Instead of making Somalia a free fire zone and destabilizing the region further by dumping piracy suspects on countries such as Kenya, the international community should consider putting together a multifaceted campaign to tackle the complex security problems in south central Somalia. This campaign should include a multinational force with powers (and resources) beyond those of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The problems of piracy, anarchy, poverty and hunger are interrelated and cannot be contained without a political settlement and a credible ceasefire that can then be followed by deployment of a peacekeeping force. The long-term goal should be strengthen the security forces of the state by providing funding, training and equipment.
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U. N., recently signaled a continuation of the gradualist Bush policy in the region by pressuring Nigeria to fulfill its promise to send peacekeeping troops to Somalia. Nigeria demurred, however, arguing that it lacks the capacity to deliver the troops. This is a slow start indeed for an administration that promised bold measures on the international arena. AMISOM is under-funded, understaffed and undermanned. It lacks the resources to have any impact on the conflict. The Obama team should be talking about brokering a ceasefire first and then providing funding, logistical support, training and equipment to AMISOM in the immediate future while preparing for a fully-fledged United Nations peacekeeping/enforcement operation. Only a political settlement will create the conditions for a successful peacekeeping operation. The only way to reach a credible political settlement, however, is to bring all stakeholders to the table. Thus the Obama team will have to revise the Bush administration’s blacklist of untouchable militia. After all, the U.S. is known to have associated itself with considerably less savory warlords just three years ago.
The U.S., E.U., China and other stakeholders need to stop looking at Somalia through the lens of trade and take serious steps to stabilize the situation in the region or face further threats to international security. The root causes of violence and piracy are the anarchy and lawlessness that have plagued southern Somalia for 17 years. These countries have already shown their ability to mobilize tremendous resources in record time to fight piracy. Its time similar assets and will were redirected toward dealing with the root causes rather than the symptoms.
Meanwhile the anti-piracy campaign must not be used to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. U.N. Resolution 1851 should not be renewed. All anti-piracy actions must conform to international law including the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, the U.N. Convention on Torture and the 1948 International Convention on Human Rights. The days of forming international posses to hunt down and lynch pirates should have been over by now. Measures should be taken to protect Somalia’s rights to its offshore natural resources including fisheries. With respect to individuals suspected of piracy, an international tribunal such as those established to try suspects implicated in the Rwanda and Kosovo conflicts would insulate countries such as Kenya from blame and would be more appropriate than the current ad hoc and corporate centered development of international customary law.
Already in December last year NWV News Director, Jim Kouri warned:
UN Security Council Authorizes Violation of Nations?Sovereignty
NewsWithViews.com’s news director participated in the United Nations press conference regarding the passage of a resolution that is sure to cause distress to many conservatives in the United States.
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