Afrol News
6 January 2009
Ethiopian Parliament has today endorsed a bill imposing restrictions on humanitarian aid agencies working in the poverty and hunger stricken Horn of Africa state.
The bill which was approved by the House of Representatives after making some amendments, prohibits all aid agencies getting more than 10 percent of their funding abroad from addressing a number of areas, including human rights, conflict resolution, and children's rights.
A local news agency report said the draft proclamation clearly dictates the activities and duties of charities and civil society organisations while clearly mentioning the areas to which the organisations can legally engage in.
07 January, 2009
Range's fortunes in Puntlanders' hands.
The Sidney Morning Herald
7 January 2009
IT IS typical for a rights issue prospectus to be accompanied by a long list of potential risk factors for investors to consider.
But those factors usually involve issues such as timing and future financing rather than "acts of piracy" and "a high risk the company would not be able to effectively and legally enforce any of its rights under its agreement".
Unless, of course, the company is Range Resources, an oil and gas explorer in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
Range is seeking to raise about $3 million through a rights issue of options to help cover ongoing exploration costs and working capital, amid the expectation its Canadian joint venture partner, Africa Oil, will drill two wells this year following delays last year.
The plans are not set in stone. Range does not plan to mail its prospectus to shareholders until January 20, as it is awaiting the outcome of Puntland's presidential election this weekend.
The company claimed it was "confident of the re-election of current President [Mohamud Musse] Hersi" who signed the initial agreement giving Range exclusive mineral and oil rights to Puntland in 2005.
The presidential race initially drew about 35 candidates, but the two main challengers to Mr Hersi's rule appear to be General Abdullahi Ahmed Ilkajir, and the opposition leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole. Mr Farole, a doctoral candidate in the history department at La Trobe University, returned to Puntland in November after two years in Melbourne. He has been an outspoken critic of Range's rights to Puntland's resources since the initial agreement was signed.
In contrast, Mr Hersi's government has in the past received funding from Range and provides the company with armed security guards when its executives visit the region, which is often a staging ground for offshore pirates and onshore kidnappings of Westerners. Range will require extra protection for a planned offshore seismic survey that has already been delayed. "We don't deal with any of the opposition leaders," said Range's executive director, Peter Landau. "From our perspective, Hersi getting back in is very important."
Also important is Africa Oil's ability to fund the joint venture's ongoing exploration efforts. Africa Oil is spending $US45.5 million ($64 million) on exploration of two onshore blocks to earn an 80 per cent interest in those areas. The Canadian company completed an onshore seismic program last year, but as of the end of September it had only $US2.25 million cash on hand and had received $C6 million ($7 million) in loans from its major shareholder, Sweden's Lundin family.
Mr Landau said he was confident the Lundins would continue to support Africa Oil, particularly since it recently received almost $C300 million from selling a major stake in Syrian oil producer Tanganyika Oil to China's Sinopec.
Reuters this week reported that Africa Oil had stopped exploration in Puntland and had not paid staff for three months. Mr Landau claimed the report was inaccurate and was instead a typical dispute with a contractor.
A representative of Africa Oil, based in Vancouver, did not respond to the Herald's request for comment.
7 January 2009
IT IS typical for a rights issue prospectus to be accompanied by a long list of potential risk factors for investors to consider.
But those factors usually involve issues such as timing and future financing rather than "acts of piracy" and "a high risk the company would not be able to effectively and legally enforce any of its rights under its agreement".
Unless, of course, the company is Range Resources, an oil and gas explorer in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
Range is seeking to raise about $3 million through a rights issue of options to help cover ongoing exploration costs and working capital, amid the expectation its Canadian joint venture partner, Africa Oil, will drill two wells this year following delays last year.
The plans are not set in stone. Range does not plan to mail its prospectus to shareholders until January 20, as it is awaiting the outcome of Puntland's presidential election this weekend.
The company claimed it was "confident of the re-election of current President [Mohamud Musse] Hersi" who signed the initial agreement giving Range exclusive mineral and oil rights to Puntland in 2005.
The presidential race initially drew about 35 candidates, but the two main challengers to Mr Hersi's rule appear to be General Abdullahi Ahmed Ilkajir, and the opposition leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole. Mr Farole, a doctoral candidate in the history department at La Trobe University, returned to Puntland in November after two years in Melbourne. He has been an outspoken critic of Range's rights to Puntland's resources since the initial agreement was signed.
In contrast, Mr Hersi's government has in the past received funding from Range and provides the company with armed security guards when its executives visit the region, which is often a staging ground for offshore pirates and onshore kidnappings of Westerners. Range will require extra protection for a planned offshore seismic survey that has already been delayed. "We don't deal with any of the opposition leaders," said Range's executive director, Peter Landau. "From our perspective, Hersi getting back in is very important."
Also important is Africa Oil's ability to fund the joint venture's ongoing exploration efforts. Africa Oil is spending $US45.5 million ($64 million) on exploration of two onshore blocks to earn an 80 per cent interest in those areas. The Canadian company completed an onshore seismic program last year, but as of the end of September it had only $US2.25 million cash on hand and had received $C6 million ($7 million) in loans from its major shareholder, Sweden's Lundin family.
Mr Landau said he was confident the Lundins would continue to support Africa Oil, particularly since it recently received almost $C300 million from selling a major stake in Syrian oil producer Tanganyika Oil to China's Sinopec.
Reuters this week reported that Africa Oil had stopped exploration in Puntland and had not paid staff for three months. Mr Landau claimed the report was inaccurate and was instead a typical dispute with a contractor.
A representative of Africa Oil, based in Vancouver, did not respond to the Herald's request for comment.
Bill Clinton to lobby for Kosovo separatists.
Serbianna
5 January 2009
Former Democratic US President Bill Clinton is set to lobby world leaders to have them recognize the Albanian separatist government of Kosovo as an independent state, reports Albanian separatist media in Kosovo.
Albanian separatist paper Koha Ditore says that Bill Clinton will be joined in the lobby effort by the Austrian Albert Rohan.
Mr. Rohan was an assistant to the Finnish diplomat Marti Ahtasaari who wrote a plan calling for a supervised independence of Serbia’s Kosovo province.
Mr. Clinton promised that he will lobby the largest Muslim country, Indonesia, to have them recognize Kosovo.
German diplomat, Wolfgang Ischinger, will also join the effort.
Mr. Clinton has promised that he will lobby other countries and has promised results.
A helper in the separatist government in Kosovo, Fljora Citaku, said that the separatists have made a list of countries that need to be lobbied for recognition.
She declined to name which politicians will be hired to lobby for their recognition. Mrs. Citaku did not specify whether Mr. Clinton or anyone else will be paid money and if so, how much.
5 January 2009
Former Democratic US President Bill Clinton is set to lobby world leaders to have them recognize the Albanian separatist government of Kosovo as an independent state, reports Albanian separatist media in Kosovo.
Albanian separatist paper Koha Ditore says that Bill Clinton will be joined in the lobby effort by the Austrian Albert Rohan.
Mr. Rohan was an assistant to the Finnish diplomat Marti Ahtasaari who wrote a plan calling for a supervised independence of Serbia’s Kosovo province.
Mr. Clinton promised that he will lobby the largest Muslim country, Indonesia, to have them recognize Kosovo.
German diplomat, Wolfgang Ischinger, will also join the effort.
Mr. Clinton has promised that he will lobby other countries and has promised results.
A helper in the separatist government in Kosovo, Fljora Citaku, said that the separatists have made a list of countries that need to be lobbied for recognition.
She declined to name which politicians will be hired to lobby for their recognition. Mrs. Citaku did not specify whether Mr. Clinton or anyone else will be paid money and if so, how much.
White House criticizes NYT columnist, suddenly orders airlift to Darfur.
Sudan Tribune
6 January 2008
Editor's Note: Read "between the lines" on this one and you will have a good primer on how part of the next chapter in the larger ongoing Sudan saga will be set up.
The US president George Bush issued an executive order today to airlift equipments needed by the African Union – United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The order signed by Bush stated that the “airlift of equipment for peacekeeping in Darfur without reimbursement from the United Nations is important to the security interests of the United States”.
Bush’s national security adviser Stephen Hadley said the move provides a waiver from the 15-day congressional notification requirements to allow for the airlift to proceed immediately.
“The airlift will deliver equipment and vehicles that are critical to the UNAMID deployment, and will thus help UNAMID directly protect civilian lives and improve the safe and effective delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid to areas of west Darfur currently inaccessible due to security concerns” Hadley said in statements published by the White House.
The US has in the past airlifted African Union peacekeepers into Darfur and recently offered to continue the process.
The White House said the airlift had been in the planning stages for months. But some human rights activists expressed puzzlement at the timing of the move, a little more than two weeks before the inauguration of Barack Obama.
"It is certainly more than passing strange to have the national security adviser come out and say that this step is being taken and congressional notification is being waived because of the urgency of the situation in the last two weeks of the administration, when Darfur has been on fire for five years," said John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project.
A spokesman for the United States Africa Command, Vince Crawley, said a small number of American troops would provide protection aboard the two C-17 cargo planes the Pentagon is sending and would remain in Darfur only long enough to unload the aircraft.
Mr. Crawley said the planes would fly from the United States to Rwanda to pick up 75 tons of large vehicles and heavy equipment, belonging to Rwanda, to take to Darfur in the next two to three weeks. Separately, the State Department is to hire a contractor to transport 240 containers of other supplies, currently stuck at Port Sudan.
Hadley blasted New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who accused the Bush administration of refusing to take tougher measures against Khartoum.
“President George W. Bush and his top aides have been given, and ignored, a menu of options for tough steps to squeeze Sudan even destroy its air force,” Kristof claimed.
“Bush himself seemed open to tougher action, officials say, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley always resisted, backed by the Pentagon. Rice and Hadley tarnished their own honor and America’s by advocating, in effect, acquiescence in genocide,” he believes.
But Hadley claims that military action against Khartoum was reviewed but determined not to be a viable option.
“The decision not to pursue those options was driven by the pleas of the leading church, advocacy, and humanitarian organizations dedicated to Darfur, who argued that United States military action would imperil their ability to deliver the kinds of life saving assistance that continues to keep more than 3.5 million Darfuris alive each year,” the national security adviser said today.
Mr. Kristof responded by stating that he was "flattered" that he was mentioned by name in Mr. Hadley’s statement.
6 January 2008
Editor's Note: Read "between the lines" on this one and you will have a good primer on how part of the next chapter in the larger ongoing Sudan saga will be set up.
The US president George Bush issued an executive order today to airlift equipments needed by the African Union – United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The order signed by Bush stated that the “airlift of equipment for peacekeeping in Darfur without reimbursement from the United Nations is important to the security interests of the United States”.
Bush’s national security adviser Stephen Hadley said the move provides a waiver from the 15-day congressional notification requirements to allow for the airlift to proceed immediately.
“The airlift will deliver equipment and vehicles that are critical to the UNAMID deployment, and will thus help UNAMID directly protect civilian lives and improve the safe and effective delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid to areas of west Darfur currently inaccessible due to security concerns” Hadley said in statements published by the White House.
The US has in the past airlifted African Union peacekeepers into Darfur and recently offered to continue the process.
The White House said the airlift had been in the planning stages for months. But some human rights activists expressed puzzlement at the timing of the move, a little more than two weeks before the inauguration of Barack Obama.
"It is certainly more than passing strange to have the national security adviser come out and say that this step is being taken and congressional notification is being waived because of the urgency of the situation in the last two weeks of the administration, when Darfur has been on fire for five years," said John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project.
A spokesman for the United States Africa Command, Vince Crawley, said a small number of American troops would provide protection aboard the two C-17 cargo planes the Pentagon is sending and would remain in Darfur only long enough to unload the aircraft.
Mr. Crawley said the planes would fly from the United States to Rwanda to pick up 75 tons of large vehicles and heavy equipment, belonging to Rwanda, to take to Darfur in the next two to three weeks. Separately, the State Department is to hire a contractor to transport 240 containers of other supplies, currently stuck at Port Sudan.
Hadley blasted New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who accused the Bush administration of refusing to take tougher measures against Khartoum.
“President George W. Bush and his top aides have been given, and ignored, a menu of options for tough steps to squeeze Sudan even destroy its air force,” Kristof claimed.
“Bush himself seemed open to tougher action, officials say, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley always resisted, backed by the Pentagon. Rice and Hadley tarnished their own honor and America’s by advocating, in effect, acquiescence in genocide,” he believes.
But Hadley claims that military action against Khartoum was reviewed but determined not to be a viable option.
“The decision not to pursue those options was driven by the pleas of the leading church, advocacy, and humanitarian organizations dedicated to Darfur, who argued that United States military action would imperil their ability to deliver the kinds of life saving assistance that continues to keep more than 3.5 million Darfuris alive each year,” the national security adviser said today.
Mr. Kristof responded by stating that he was "flattered" that he was mentioned by name in Mr. Hadley’s statement.
U.S. firm to invest in agriculture in South Sudan.
Sudan Tribune
3 January 2008
A privately held U.S. investment firm entered into an agricultural investment with a company controlled by the son of a South Sudanese general.
Jarch Management Group, Ltd, which is registered in the Virgin Islands, is managed by commodities traders and former State Department and Central Intelligence Agency officials, among others.
The investment group announced that it has purchased a 70% interest, by way of sub-participation, in a company incorporated in Juba, the capital of the autonomous region of Southern Sudan. This company, Leac for Agriculture and Investment Company Limited, is controlled by Gabriel Matip, the eldest son of General Paulino Matip Nhial, deputy commander-in-chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
In addition, Jarch has leased a large tract of farmland in Mayom county of Unity State.
“Jarch has leased approximately 400,000 hectares gross of prime farmland from General Paulino Matip. In addition, Jarch will acquire more farm land within Southern Sudan,” said a statement issued by the investment group.
The statement also noted that Mayom county, where the farmland was leased, contains some mineral resources, for which contracts will be executed by the Government of Southern Sudan in early 2009.
A number of commanders of the SPLA are members of Jarch’s advisory board. These figures are drawn particularly from influential members of the former insurgency in Nuerland, including Paulino Matip and Peter Gadet. Notably, Vice-President Riek Machar and Major General Gulwak Deng were also invited to join the advisory board.
Through Gabriel Matip’s company, Jarch Capital will have the right to grow products including cereals, oil seeds, vegetables, fruits, and flowers and can process these raw commodities for both local and export use, given the approval of the southern government’s Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.
While U.S. companies are banned from doing business in Sudan, which the U.S. considers a state sponsor of terrorism, agriculture in Southern Sudan is exempted from sanctions provided that the Khartoum-based national government does not have any stake in the business and provided that no imports or exports pass through non-exempt areas.
“Jarch will only deal in Southern Sudan and will not involve any entity from the Government of Sudan,” said the company statement.
The privately-held firm operates in Africa to extract natural resources. The company is chaired by Philippe Heilberg, who during the 1990s worked in the commodities division of American International Group, a giant American financial company that nearly collapsed in 2008.
“Jarch continues to see tremendous opportunities in South Sudan as it continues to emerge to realize its full potential,” noted the investment group, which will look for a partner to help it maximize the value of this opportunity.
3 January 2008
A privately held U.S. investment firm entered into an agricultural investment with a company controlled by the son of a South Sudanese general.
Jarch Management Group, Ltd, which is registered in the Virgin Islands, is managed by commodities traders and former State Department and Central Intelligence Agency officials, among others.
The investment group announced that it has purchased a 70% interest, by way of sub-participation, in a company incorporated in Juba, the capital of the autonomous region of Southern Sudan. This company, Leac for Agriculture and Investment Company Limited, is controlled by Gabriel Matip, the eldest son of General Paulino Matip Nhial, deputy commander-in-chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
In addition, Jarch has leased a large tract of farmland in Mayom county of Unity State.
“Jarch has leased approximately 400,000 hectares gross of prime farmland from General Paulino Matip. In addition, Jarch will acquire more farm land within Southern Sudan,” said a statement issued by the investment group.
The statement also noted that Mayom county, where the farmland was leased, contains some mineral resources, for which contracts will be executed by the Government of Southern Sudan in early 2009.
A number of commanders of the SPLA are members of Jarch’s advisory board. These figures are drawn particularly from influential members of the former insurgency in Nuerland, including Paulino Matip and Peter Gadet. Notably, Vice-President Riek Machar and Major General Gulwak Deng were also invited to join the advisory board.
Through Gabriel Matip’s company, Jarch Capital will have the right to grow products including cereals, oil seeds, vegetables, fruits, and flowers and can process these raw commodities for both local and export use, given the approval of the southern government’s Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development.
While U.S. companies are banned from doing business in Sudan, which the U.S. considers a state sponsor of terrorism, agriculture in Southern Sudan is exempted from sanctions provided that the Khartoum-based national government does not have any stake in the business and provided that no imports or exports pass through non-exempt areas.
“Jarch will only deal in Southern Sudan and will not involve any entity from the Government of Sudan,” said the company statement.
The privately-held firm operates in Africa to extract natural resources. The company is chaired by Philippe Heilberg, who during the 1990s worked in the commodities division of American International Group, a giant American financial company that nearly collapsed in 2008.
“Jarch continues to see tremendous opportunities in South Sudan as it continues to emerge to realize its full potential,” noted the investment group, which will look for a partner to help it maximize the value of this opportunity.
01 January, 2009
United States Providing $5 Million to Security Force.
United States Federal Government
America.gov
31 December 2008
The United States will provide $5 million to support formation of a joint security force in Somalia, a State Department spokesman said.
The announcement, issued in a December 29 press statement by acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid, came on the same day Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf announced his resignation.
The United States supports and respects Yusuf's decision to resign after four years as president of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Duguid said. He said the United States acknowledges "President Yusuf's contributions to long-term peace and stability in Somalia."
Duguid said the United States welcomes Yusuf's commitment to continue supporting the Djibouti peace process. Members of the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), an opposition party, met in Djibouti in June 2008 and agreed to take concrete steps toward reducing hostilities, including establishing a joint security force.
Parties to the Djibouti agreement called for establishing a joint committee on security arrangements and a high-level committee on political issues related to justice and reconciliation. It also called for more efforts to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations in Somalia.
The United States has called on all Somali involved entities, whether party to the agreement or not, to abide by its provisions and support its implementation.
"We urge Parliamentary Speaker Madoobe, Prime Minister Nur Adde and the leaders of the [ARS] to intensify efforts to achieve a government of national unity and to enhance security through formation of a joint security force," Duguid said.
Duguid said the United States expects the Somali parliament to "act expeditiously" and select a new president within 30 days, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Transitional Federal Charter. The charter is a United Nations-backed framework for restoring peace and good governance to Somalia.
Duguid also said the United States supports strengthening the African Union Mission in Somalia and would like to see a "rapid authorization and deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force."
America.gov
31 December 2008
The United States will provide $5 million to support formation of a joint security force in Somalia, a State Department spokesman said.
The announcement, issued in a December 29 press statement by acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid, came on the same day Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf announced his resignation.
The United States supports and respects Yusuf's decision to resign after four years as president of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Duguid said. He said the United States acknowledges "President Yusuf's contributions to long-term peace and stability in Somalia."
Duguid said the United States welcomes Yusuf's commitment to continue supporting the Djibouti peace process. Members of the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), an opposition party, met in Djibouti in June 2008 and agreed to take concrete steps toward reducing hostilities, including establishing a joint security force.
Parties to the Djibouti agreement called for establishing a joint committee on security arrangements and a high-level committee on political issues related to justice and reconciliation. It also called for more efforts to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations in Somalia.
The United States has called on all Somali involved entities, whether party to the agreement or not, to abide by its provisions and support its implementation.
"We urge Parliamentary Speaker Madoobe, Prime Minister Nur Adde and the leaders of the [ARS] to intensify efforts to achieve a government of national unity and to enhance security through formation of a joint security force," Duguid said.
Duguid said the United States expects the Somali parliament to "act expeditiously" and select a new president within 30 days, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Transitional Federal Charter. The charter is a United Nations-backed framework for restoring peace and good governance to Somalia.
Duguid also said the United States supports strengthening the African Union Mission in Somalia and would like to see a "rapid authorization and deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force."
Ethiopia 'packing up in Somalia.'
BBC News
31 December 2008
Ethiopian troops have started to prepare to leave Somalia on the day they were supposed to complete their withdrawal, witnesses say.
The troops were packing mattresses, personal belongings and loading trucks with military supplies, they said.
But there was no sign that the Ethiopians had started to leave the capital Mogadishu, as they have promised to do by the end of the year.
Some fear the Ethiopian withdrawal could lead to a power vacuum.
But others say it could make it easier for a new government to be formed, including moderate Islamist forces.
The Ethiopian intervention to help government forces oust Islamists from the capital two years ago was deeply unpopular with many Somalis.
Various Islamist and nationalist groups now control much of southern Somalia. Government forces only control parts of Mogadishu and the town of Baidoa.
But hardline Islamist leader Sheik Muktar Robow said his forces would continue to fight government troops even after the Ethiopian troops leave.
"We will not stop fighting even if the Ethiopian troops withdraw because our aim is to implement Islamic law across Somalia," he said.
President Abdullahi Yusuf this week resigned after a power-struggle with his prime minister, partly over whether to negotiate with moderate Islamists.
31 December 2008
Ethiopian troops have started to prepare to leave Somalia on the day they were supposed to complete their withdrawal, witnesses say.
The troops were packing mattresses, personal belongings and loading trucks with military supplies, they said.
But there was no sign that the Ethiopians had started to leave the capital Mogadishu, as they have promised to do by the end of the year.
Some fear the Ethiopian withdrawal could lead to a power vacuum.
But others say it could make it easier for a new government to be formed, including moderate Islamist forces.
The Ethiopian intervention to help government forces oust Islamists from the capital two years ago was deeply unpopular with many Somalis.
Various Islamist and nationalist groups now control much of southern Somalia. Government forces only control parts of Mogadishu and the town of Baidoa.
But hardline Islamist leader Sheik Muktar Robow said his forces would continue to fight government troops even after the Ethiopian troops leave.
"We will not stop fighting even if the Ethiopian troops withdraw because our aim is to implement Islamic law across Somalia," he said.
President Abdullahi Yusuf this week resigned after a power-struggle with his prime minister, partly over whether to negotiate with moderate Islamists.
Bush to meet south Sudan president next week.
Reuters
31 December 2008
U.S. President George W. Bush is to meet next week with south Sudan's president to discuss his peace pact with the Khartoum government.
The White House said on Wednesday that Bush and Salva Kiir, a former rebel who is now president of the semi-autonomous south Sudan as well as national vice president, will meet at the White House on Monday to discuss the troubled 2005 peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war in Sudan as well as the situation in Darfur.
"This transformational peace agreement, which ended 22 years of devastating war, continues to face serious challenges in the lead up to national elections in 2009," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.
Mr. Kiir was the leader of rebels who fought for greater autonomy for Sudan's mostly animist or Christian south from the Muslim north in a civil war that claimed 2 million lives.
He became first vice president in the Khartoum government after Bashir and the rebels made peace. Officials have said he plans to run for president in elections due in 2009.
Bush and Kiir will also discuss Darfur, Johndroe said.
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Mohammad Zargham)
31 December 2008
U.S. President George W. Bush is to meet next week with south Sudan's president to discuss his peace pact with the Khartoum government.
The White House said on Wednesday that Bush and Salva Kiir, a former rebel who is now president of the semi-autonomous south Sudan as well as national vice president, will meet at the White House on Monday to discuss the troubled 2005 peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war in Sudan as well as the situation in Darfur.
"This transformational peace agreement, which ended 22 years of devastating war, continues to face serious challenges in the lead up to national elections in 2009," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.
Mr. Kiir was the leader of rebels who fought for greater autonomy for Sudan's mostly animist or Christian south from the Muslim north in a civil war that claimed 2 million lives.
He became first vice president in the Khartoum government after Bashir and the rebels made peace. Officials have said he plans to run for president in elections due in 2009.
Bush and Kiir will also discuss Darfur, Johndroe said.
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Ethiopians primed to leave Somalia within 5 days.
By Ibrahim Mohamed
MOGADISHU, Dec 31, 2008 (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops propping up Somalia's Western-backed government are primed to withdraw in the next five days, officials said on Wednesday, potentially leaving a dangerous power vacuum in the Horn of Africa nation.
The end of Ethiopia's two-year presence in Somalia and this week's departure of President Abdullahi Yusuf are seen by diplomats and analysts as an opportunity to forge an inclusive government which can work for peace.
But some Islamist insurgents have vowed to keep fighting the government even when its military allies leave, and a hardline opposition group seen as key to any lasting peace said Somalia risked a new civil war.
"We remain in our bases, but we have been ordered to prepare for departure any hour in the coming five days," said an Ethiopian military official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
A senior government official also said the troops would go and that Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein would discuss the withdrawal with African Union and Ethiopian officials in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.
"We so far have been informed that Ethiopian soldiers shall all leave Mogadishu the first week of January as already planned and I can confirm to you they will pull out," he told Reuters.
Ethiopian troops in Somalia are estimated at up to 3,000 and the international community has been scrambling to beef up a separate African Union force there of 3,200 troops, but the United Nations has ruled out any quick deployment.
African Union officials say some 2,500 soldiers from Uganda, Burundi and Nigeria are ready to deploy but financial and logistical obstacles have so far prevented them from effectively replacing those Ethiopian soldiers left.
ISLAMISTS TO FIGHT ON
Without central government since 1991, Somalia has become the epitome of a failed state and the chaos onshore has fuelled rampant piracy in the busy shipping lanes off the coast.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in a two-year Islamist insurgency, a million people have fled their homes and a third of the population rely on emergency aid.
Diplomats say the Ethiopian departure may take the sting out of the insurgency, which has become a nationalist cause and holds sway in much of southern and central Somalia.
Without the Ethiopians to fight, diplomats predict the Islamists will fracture into a small militant wing urging Jihad, or holy war, and moderate elements more open to talks.
A spokesman for the most hardline wing, al Shabaab, which is on Washington's terrorist list, said on Tuesday the group would wage war until Somalia became an Islamic state.
Diplomats in the region hope Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, leader of the hardline wing of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, can be encouraged to become part of a more inclusive administration.
But Aweys made clear in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday he would not join the peace process when the Ethiopians go, nor work with Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
"It is not in our plan and we shall never participate in the Djibouti peace process. If we were ready, we would follow our friends who defected to the TFG," he told Reuters from Asmara.
"If Ethiopia pulls out we may hold a conference for all Somalis -- save the criminals."
(Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu, Writing by David Clarke; Editing by Charles Dick)
MOGADISHU, Dec 31, 2008 (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops propping up Somalia's Western-backed government are primed to withdraw in the next five days, officials said on Wednesday, potentially leaving a dangerous power vacuum in the Horn of Africa nation.
The end of Ethiopia's two-year presence in Somalia and this week's departure of President Abdullahi Yusuf are seen by diplomats and analysts as an opportunity to forge an inclusive government which can work for peace.
But some Islamist insurgents have vowed to keep fighting the government even when its military allies leave, and a hardline opposition group seen as key to any lasting peace said Somalia risked a new civil war.
"We remain in our bases, but we have been ordered to prepare for departure any hour in the coming five days," said an Ethiopian military official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
A senior government official also said the troops would go and that Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein would discuss the withdrawal with African Union and Ethiopian officials in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.
"We so far have been informed that Ethiopian soldiers shall all leave Mogadishu the first week of January as already planned and I can confirm to you they will pull out," he told Reuters.
Ethiopian troops in Somalia are estimated at up to 3,000 and the international community has been scrambling to beef up a separate African Union force there of 3,200 troops, but the United Nations has ruled out any quick deployment.
African Union officials say some 2,500 soldiers from Uganda, Burundi and Nigeria are ready to deploy but financial and logistical obstacles have so far prevented them from effectively replacing those Ethiopian soldiers left.
ISLAMISTS TO FIGHT ON
Without central government since 1991, Somalia has become the epitome of a failed state and the chaos onshore has fuelled rampant piracy in the busy shipping lanes off the coast.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in a two-year Islamist insurgency, a million people have fled their homes and a third of the population rely on emergency aid.
Diplomats say the Ethiopian departure may take the sting out of the insurgency, which has become a nationalist cause and holds sway in much of southern and central Somalia.
Without the Ethiopians to fight, diplomats predict the Islamists will fracture into a small militant wing urging Jihad, or holy war, and moderate elements more open to talks.
A spokesman for the most hardline wing, al Shabaab, which is on Washington's terrorist list, said on Tuesday the group would wage war until Somalia became an Islamic state.
Diplomats in the region hope Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, leader of the hardline wing of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, can be encouraged to become part of a more inclusive administration.
But Aweys made clear in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday he would not join the peace process when the Ethiopians go, nor work with Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
"It is not in our plan and we shall never participate in the Djibouti peace process. If we were ready, we would follow our friends who defected to the TFG," he told Reuters from Asmara.
"If Ethiopia pulls out we may hold a conference for all Somalis -- save the criminals."
(Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu, Writing by David Clarke; Editing by Charles Dick)
US concern over Ethiopia opposition re-arrest.
AFP
31 December 2008
The US embassy in Addis Ababa on Wednesday voiced grave concern over the fate of an opposition leader who was jailed after her pardon from a life sentence was revoked.
Birtukan Midekssa, head of the Unity for Democracy Justice party, irked the regime when she reportedly claimed during a recent visit to Europe that she had never voiced remorse or acknowledged any mistake to obtain her pardon in 2007.
"The United States is concerned about the government of Ethiopia's arrest of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party leader Birtukan Midekssa," the embassy's information officer Darragh Paradiso told AFP.
"We are particularly concerned by reports that Birtukan's pardon has been revoked and she has begun a life sentence in prison."
The 35-year-old woman, who was detained with dozens of opposition figures and supporters in the aftermath of disputed 2005 elections, was last week given a three-day ultimatum by the authorities to confirm or deny the reports.
The justice ministry announced on Tuesday that she has resumed serving her life term.
The United States, a staunch Ethiopian ally and the country's top aid contributor, has called for more political freedom.
"A vibrant opposition, independent media, and a robust civil society are essential elements of any democracy," Paradiso said.
"The United States looks to the government of Ethiopia to provide the political space necessary for them to function. Steps that appear to criminalise dissent impede progress on democratisation," he added.
Birtukan's party made its most spectacular electoral gains ever in the 2005 polls and cried foul over reported fraud, claiming it was robbed of victory by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling party.
The ensuing unrest left close to 200 civilians dead and drew international condemnation.
31 December 2008
The US embassy in Addis Ababa on Wednesday voiced grave concern over the fate of an opposition leader who was jailed after her pardon from a life sentence was revoked.
Birtukan Midekssa, head of the Unity for Democracy Justice party, irked the regime when she reportedly claimed during a recent visit to Europe that she had never voiced remorse or acknowledged any mistake to obtain her pardon in 2007.
"The United States is concerned about the government of Ethiopia's arrest of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party leader Birtukan Midekssa," the embassy's information officer Darragh Paradiso told AFP.
"We are particularly concerned by reports that Birtukan's pardon has been revoked and she has begun a life sentence in prison."
The 35-year-old woman, who was detained with dozens of opposition figures and supporters in the aftermath of disputed 2005 elections, was last week given a three-day ultimatum by the authorities to confirm or deny the reports.
The justice ministry announced on Tuesday that she has resumed serving her life term.
The United States, a staunch Ethiopian ally and the country's top aid contributor, has called for more political freedom.
"A vibrant opposition, independent media, and a robust civil society are essential elements of any democracy," Paradiso said.
"The United States looks to the government of Ethiopia to provide the political space necessary for them to function. Steps that appear to criminalise dissent impede progress on democratisation," he added.
Birtukan's party made its most spectacular electoral gains ever in the 2005 polls and cried foul over reported fraud, claiming it was robbed of victory by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's ruling party.
The ensuing unrest left close to 200 civilians dead and drew international condemnation.
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