November 21, 2008
Crisis Group Claims Frustration from Authorities in Puntland, Somalia
The International Crisis Group (ICG) is expressing frustration with the government of Puntland in Somalia after its lead investigator was thrown out of the country Thursday. Customs officials at the Somali airport repatriated ICG official Rashid Abdi, claiming previous reports on Somalia by the Crisis Group have always been negative. Abdi was in the country to ascertain the current situation after an escalation of piracy in the region. Heavily armed Somali men from the chaotic coastal waters grabbed world headlines with Saturday’s capture of a huge Saudi Arabian supertanker. It was loaded with $100 million worth of oil, and the event is being considered the biggest ship hijacking in history. Rashid Abdi tells reporter Peter Clottey that he is shocked by the decision of the authorities in Puntland to throw him out of the country. More on Crisis Group Claims Frustration from Authorities in Puntland, Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- At least 15 people were killed Friday when insurgents attacked the Somali capital city of Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said. More on 15 die in Somalia insurgent attack
The rising number of hijackings of commercial ships by Somali pirate is likely to paralyse maritime business in East Africa, industry players have warned. They voiced their concerns only days after a Liberia-flagged oil supertanker, Sirius Star, was captured at the weekend in the Gulf of Aden. More on Stability in Somalia the only way to end pirate attacks in troubled region
The looming crisis in Somalia is an opportunity for Barack Obama to show that he won’t repeat the mistakes of the U.S.’s recent past. Somalia, a genuine failed state, ranks alongside Sudan as the world’s most conspicuous candidate for American attention in the early days of Barack Obama’s administration. Last week, capping a series of territorial gains across the country, Islamist insurgents seized the port of Merka, and appeared poised for an offensive against the capital city of Mogadishu 60 miles to the north. More on Somalia May Present Barack Obama’s First International Crisis ..!
