http://www.hiiraan.com Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia en-us © 2006 hiiraan.com Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15 EDT 5 http://www.hiiraan.com http://www.hiiraan.com/index_files/hiiraan_logo.gif 144 37 Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/can_somali_pirates_be_defeated.aspx Why have the world's most advanced navies failed to end piracy in the seas around Somalia? Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/minn_lawyer_denied_access_to_terror_suspect.aspx ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota law professor and advocate for Somali immigrants in the state says he was denied access to a Minneapolis man who is being held on terrorism charges in the Netherlands. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:48 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/kidnapped_britons_say_somali_pirates_may_kill_them.aspx A British couple being held hostage by Somali pirates said in an interview broadcast Friday that they fear they will be killed or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom is not paid soon. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/deadly_journey_minneapolis_to_mogadishu.aspx Minneapolis is very different from Mogadishu. Yet it is home to the largest group of Somali refugees in the country - more than 60,000 of them. It may seem like an odd place to settle if you are from the Horn of Africa. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:12 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/missing_men_subject_to_canadian_law_van_loan.aspx An investigation into a half-dozen missing Toronto men who are feared to have joined a Somali terrorist group has raised questions about whether they could face criminal charges upon their return to Canada. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:41 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somalia_to_join_child_rights_pact_un.aspx GENEVA (Reuters) - Somalia has announced it plans to ratify a global treaty aimed at protecting children, leaving the United States as the only country outside the pact, UNICEF said on Friday. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:34 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/move_at_un_to_sanction_eritrea_over_somalia_links.aspx UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A draft U.N. Security Council resolution calls for an arms embargo against Eritrea and travel bans and asset freezes for members of its government and military for aiding Islamist insurgents in Somalia. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/police_patrol_owatonna_hs_to_prevent_race_fights.aspx In response to a fight between white students and Somali students, police have increased their presence at Owatonna High School. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:01 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/k_naan_the_dusty_foot_philosopher.aspx Dressed in black T-shirt, matching waistcoat, orange scarf and neat shades, K’Naan oozes confidence that has made him overcome challenges wherever he goes. Looking straight into the camera with an awry smile the rapper and poet whose name means ‘traveller’ narrates his story from battlefront in Mogadishu to worldwide tours. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:56 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/un_marks_20_years_of_convention_on_rights_of_the_child.aspx Ceremonies are taking place around the world to mark the 20th anniversary of a landmark agreement protecting children. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:45 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/another_minn_man_indicted_in_missing_somalis_case.aspx A 24-year-old St. Anthony man faces terrorism-related charges in the federal investigation into the departures of young Somali men who left Minnesota to fight with a terror group in Somalia, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:41 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/minnesota_racial_tensions_calm_after_owatonna_student_fight.aspx OWATONNA, Minn. (WCCO) - Calm has returned to the halls of Owatonna High School, where earlier this week a fight over racial tensions sent one student to the hospital. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:35 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/ethiopian_family_struggles_to_escape_a_lethal_legacy.aspx Garissa, Kenya (Globe and Mail) - During the first month of her imprisonment in Ethiopia, Rukiya Ahmed Makhtal was blindfolded and beaten. “You are Makhtal's family,” she recalled her persecutor saying. “If you are Makhtal's family, that means you are one of the problems.” Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:25 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/is_there_a_sound_defense_against_the_somali_pirates.aspx On Wednesday, four would-be pirates in a skiff approached the Maersk Alabama some 650 miles off Somalia. This time, however, the crew aboard the Maersk Alabama had a brand new line of defense: a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:52 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/aden_muhumed_hassan_i_am_better_at_collecting_charcoal_than_my_friends_who_have_hands.aspx HARGEISA, 19 November 2009 (IRIN) - Aden Muhumed Hassan, 46, a divorced father of one, lost his hands 11 years ago after he accidentally picked up unexploded ordnance [UXO] planted during fighting between the Somali National Movement (SNM) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:29 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/residents_and_sandbank_stymie_pirates_plan.aspx NAIROBI, 19 November 2009 (IRIN) - Residents of a coastal town in Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland saved the crew of a fishing boat when they foiled an attempt by pirates, who had captured the boat, to sail away. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/spain_doubles_aid_for_un_food_operation_in_horn_of_africa.aspx The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) received a boost today for its emergency relief efforts feeding millions of hungry people in the Horn of Africa, with the announcement of a $112 million donation from Spain. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:22 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/u_s_condemns_ransom_payments_to_pirates.aspx Yesterday, the same day that Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack, the UN Security Council was again debating piracy and Somalia. And U.S. Ambassador Rosemary A. DiCarlo stresed U.S. opposition to paying ransom to pirates. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:17 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/u_s_presents_uniforms_to_dadaab_soccer_teams.aspx The Somalia Unit of the United States embassy in Nairobi presented uniforms and sports balls to several youth football and volleyball teams in the Dadaab refugee camps on November 16, 2009. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/piracy_money_distorting_property_prices.aspx Colossal amounts of money received by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean are being used to buy houses and land in Nairobi, thus distorting the property market. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:37 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somali_pirates_can_t_be_beaten_at_sea.aspx The release by Somali pirates of a Spanish trawler and its 36 crew has thrust the issue of Somali piracy back into the spotlight. The vessel was released after a ransom payment exceeding $3m was agreed. Not bad in a country where per capita GDP is barely $2 a day. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:33 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/un_debates_somalia_piracy_strategy.aspx The United Nations Security Council is meeting Wednesday to discuss the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia, as reports circulated that the captain of a vessel captured Monday had died of his wounds. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:25 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/galkayo_threatened_by_rising_insecurity.aspx NAIROBI, 18 November 2009 (IRIN) - Escalating violence in the Somali town of Galkayo, Mudug region, is creating a climate of fear, which in turn has adversely affected livelihoods, residents say. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:22 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somalia_people_smuggling_pirates_bandits_traffickers.aspx It sometimes seems that the only people who want to stay in Somalia are pirates. While the Gulf of Aden is notorious as a haven for modern-day Blackbeards, the past year has also seen a dramatic upsurge in people smuggling, which has been costlier in human lives and far less reported in the international media Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:17 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/_islamist_forces_divided_and_in_chronic_fatigue.aspx It was just few months back when “Islamist” forces of Al-Shabaab and Xisbul Islam were being portrayed as a united force capable of dislodging the feeble transitional unity government from Mogadishu Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:37 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/somalia_a_clash_of_ideologies_and_conflicting_visions.aspx After almost twenty years of ephemeral and episodic interventions sponsored by Western countries, Somalia is far from stability. Dogmatism stands in the way of peace as the conflict in Somalia has taken a new shape of ideological antagonism. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/somali_youth_violence_and_misplaced_priorities.aspx Recently, I have been shocked by the increase of violence among Somali youngsters from Toronto to Alberta; Minneapolis to Seattle. Every week, a Somali youngster is found dead due to gang related crimes. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:13 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/seized_tanker_s_captain_dies_alabama_attacked_again.aspx HARADHEERE, Somalia (Reuters) - The captain of a Virgin-Islands owned chemical tanker hijacked this week has died from gunshot wounds sustained when the ship was attacked, a Somali pirate said on Wednesday. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:39 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/maersk_alabama_repels_somali_pirates_in_second_attack.aspx JOHANNESBURG - You know the Somali pirate season is in full swing when the same ship gets attacked twice in a single year. The US-flagged Maersk Alabama – most recently attacked by pirates seven months ago, Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:36 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/more_eu_troops_to_train_somali_forces.aspx Up to 200 European troops could be sent to help train Somalia's security forces next year, it has emerged. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:33 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somali_woman_stoned_for_adultery.aspx A 20-year-old woman divorcee accused of committing adultery in Somalia has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:30 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/ethiopia_should_probe_political_food_aid_claim_uk.aspx ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia should investigate allegations that local officials are keeping food aid from opposition members to force them to join the ruling party ahead of national elections, a British aid minister said on Tuesday. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:33 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somalia_s_neighbors_face_war_threats.aspx NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Kenya could be dragged into the conflict on Somalia after Islamist militants, allegedly linked to al-Qaida, threatened to attack the East African state if it continued to support the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government in war-battered Mogadishu. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:30 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/families_concerned_about_missing_somali_canadians.aspx TORONTO -- Several Somali-Canadian families are asking what happened to their sons after a group of young men apparently disappeared from Toronto two weeks ago. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:25 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/quests_mida_project_launced_in_canada.aspx Ottawa, Canada (HOL) - An informational forum organized by International Organization for Migration (IOM) was held in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada on 13 and 14 of November respectively. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:10 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/eu_to_train_somali_security_forces.aspx The European Union plans to train hundreds of Somali security forces and possibly expand its anti-piracy mission off Somalia's coast in an effort to bring stability to the war-torn Horn of Africa nation. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:58 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somali_pirate_3_3m_ransom_paid_36_hostages_free.aspx MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Pirates freed 36 crew members from a Spanish trawler Tuesday after holding them for more than six weeks. A self-proclaimed pirate said the hostage-takers were paid $3.3 million in ransom, while Spain's prime minister said the country did what it had to do. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:06 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/is_puntland_sabotaging_and_blackmailing_sheikh_sheriff_government.aspx The Governor of Puntland Honourable C/raxmaan Maxamed Maxamed Faroole met in Nairobi the de facto President of Somalia his Excellency Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:58 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somalia_afghanistan_shamed_in_graft_league_table.aspx BERLIN (AFP) — Lawless Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan topped a blacklist on Tuesday of the world's most corrupt countries drawn up by the anti-graft watchdog Transparency International. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:21 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/saudi_trying_to_stop_eritrean_weapon_smuggling_to_yemen.aspx Saudi Arabian naval blockade on the Yemeni coast is aiming to halt Eritrean weapon smuggling from reaching rebels. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:17 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/ogaden_rebels_say_626_ethiopian_troops_killed_in_clashes.aspx A rebel group in Ethiopia's restive Ogaden region says it has killed 626 government troops in heavy fighting near the border with neighboring Somalia. The government has dismissed the claim as 'a complete fabrication'. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:18 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/spain_seeking_release_of_vessel_seized_by_somali_pirates.aspx MADRID, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on Monday that the government is making all its efforts to seek for the sooner release of the tuna-fish vessel "Alakrana," which was seized by Somali pirates, but respecting the judicial power. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:12 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/officials_worried_group_in_canada_went_to_join_islamic_radicals_in_somalia.aspx TORONTO -- Counterterrorism officials are investigating a group of youths who allegedly left Canada for East Africa two weeks ago, amid concerns they may have gone to join the Somali militant group Al-Shabab. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:05 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/four_somali_canadian_youth_disappeared_may_be_heading_to_somalia.aspx Toronto (HOL) - Four Somali canadian youth have disappeared in the last two weeks according to sources close to the parents of the missing youth. The four youth are said to have been connected to Abu-huraira Center, a somali managed mosque in North York. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:55 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/romance_of_the_ransom.aspx But one town in my country is a seaside oasis of pleasure, tranquillity and glamorous beaches -- as well as cardboard boxes crammed full of hard United States dollars. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:30 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/srsg_urges_collective_and_focused_support_for_somalia.aspx Nairobi, 16 November 2009 – The UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah (SRSG) held a meeting with Louise Arbour, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group on the final day of an ICG conference held in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:49 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/spain_to_expel_suspected_somali_pirates.aspx MADRID (AFP) - Two suspected Somali pirates held in Spain over the seizure of a Spanish tuna trawler will be expelled to Somalia after a swift trial, judicial sources said Monday. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:06 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2009/Nov/naag_da_ah_ma_guursan_kartaa_wiil_dhallinyaro_ah.aspx Aniga shaqsi ahaan waxaan u arkaa in aysan waxba ku jabneyn in haweenay da´ ah in ay guursato wiil dhallinyaro ah sida uu odayguba u guursan karo gabar ka yar, Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:59 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/ethiopia_denies_rebels_have_captured_seven_towns.aspx ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia on Monday denied that rebels fighting for independence for a region with potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves had seized seven towns near the border with neighbouring Somalia. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:48 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2009/Nov/somali_official_laments_lack_of_adequate_financial_support.aspx A Somali official says the international community's lack of sufficient financial support could derail his government's efforts to stabilize the country. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:43 EDT