Of Somaliland & EU Conference, Somalia Oil & Idd Beddel, UN Fumbles & Spoon-Feeds

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 7 -- The UN has congratulated itself for how it handles Somalia, at least of late. The most recent UN Security Council resolution ignored issues raised by Somaliland; its letter to the Council wasn't even distributed.

  Now comes word to Inner City Press from Hargeisa that president Ahmed M. Silanyo has decided that Somaliland will NOT attend the European Union's "Somalia" conference in Brussels, per Free UN Coalition for Access member Mohamoud Walaaleye.

  This comes after Puntland severed relations with Mogadishu -- Inner City Press asked for and got UN envoy the response of envoy Nicholas Kay, formerly the UK's ambassador to Sudan, here -- and then a critique by Jubaland, not yet responded to.

  Mogadishu signed a deal with an oil firm called Soma Oil and Gas, led by UK former Conservative Party leader Baron [Michael] Howard of Lympne. (A report being inquired into by Inner City Press has it that Somali Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Idd Beddel Mohamad, a/k/a Mogadishu in Manhattan, claims he formed a similarly named company and so the contract is void.)

  Somaliland went in another direction: Turkey-based Genel Energy. A proxy war for oil?

  Before the attack on the Turkish compound on Mogadishu, in the attack on the UN compound it's reported that UN Mine Action Service boss David Bax was the hero. Maybe -- but he is accused of sexual harassment and of playing a role in the passing of genetic information to US intelligence. August 7 Q&A here.

  The UN stonewalled Inner City Press after its exclusive report to this effect on June 22; reclusive UN official Herve Ladsous through his spokesperson Kieran Dwyer spoon-fed a pro-Bax and UNMAS spin to a friendly scribe. This dysfunctional approach is unacceptable; the UN's spin on Somalia and environs isn't working either. Watch this site.

   

Amid UN's Somalia Scam, Envoy Kay Cites Puntland But Not Yet Jubaland, Press Intimidation

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 7 -- On the day the UN belatedly admitted, if only to a friendly scribe, to Inner City Press' exclusive June 22 report on the UN's role in sharing genetic information from Somalia with the US FBI, the UN answered the previous day's Press questions on Puntland and journalists' safety.

  But the UN has still not commented on Jubaland's Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe)'s critique of the government in Mogadishu, delivered at the Kismayo airport, or even disclosed which private military contractor it uses for armed guards.

On August 6, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky:

Inner City Press: In Somalia, there’s been a pretty high-profile announcement by Puntland that they are severing all relations with the central or federal Government. They say that they violated the power sharing in the Constitution. So since there’s UNSOM [United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia] there, I’m wondering, do they have any response, or are they going to try to put things back on track? And there’s been two incidents with journalists, one being a journalist, Mascud Abdulahi Adan, was blocked in the Mogadishu airport from going to get surgery on a bullet in him, in Kenya, and given the [UNSC] debate and what the Secretary-General said, I’m wondering if the Mission or the Secretary-General was aware of that. And also, a journalist was attempted to be assassinated in Kismayo, Abdikhadar Iman Dhaqane. It seems like a lot of things are taking place there, and I’m wondering what the Mission and Mr. Nicholas Kay have to say about them.

Spokesperson Nesirky: I’ll check.

  And at 11:30 am the next day, half an hour before reading it out at the day's noon briefing, Nesirky's office e-mailed the following responses which we therefore publish in full:

Subject: your questions on Somalia
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 11:30 AM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Concerning your question on Puntland, we have the following from UNSOM: “SRSG Kay is aware of reports that Puntland's leadership has unilaterally decided to sever ties with the Federal Government of Somalia over a number of concerns including interpretation of constitutional provisions and implementation of federal arrangements. He will use his good offices to continue dialogue with both the Federal Government and the political leadership of Puntland as they seek mutual understanding on these and other key issues."

Regarding the evacuation of the injured journalist who was shot in Kismayo, UNSOM as the following information: "The journalist was evacuated to Nairobi hospital for surgical treatment on Monday 5 August after the National Union of Journalists (NUSOJ) obtained clearance from the Ministry of Information for his travel. UNSOM will follow up with NUSOJ on the condition of the journalist and to better understand why a journalist working with a non-government owned radio station (Radio Dalsan) would need a letter from the Ministry for emergency medical evacuation."

On the attack on a journalist also in Kismayo: as with all similar cases, attacks against journalists are unacceptable and journalists should be able to carry out their work free of intimidation.

This last is a nice statement. While smaller, but inside the UN's own headquarters, consider this UN communication to Inner City Press, about merely hanging the sign on the door of its shared office of the Free UN Coalition for Access, which works on the defense of journalists, in Somaliland,Somalia, in the UN and elsewhere (On August 5, 6 and so far on August 7, the below have not responded to basic press access questions raised) --

Subject: signs on the door
From: Hua Jiang [at] un.org
Date: Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 3:52 PM
To: Inner City Press
Cc: Stephane Dujarric [at] un.org, Isabelle Broyer [at] un.org

Dear Matthew,

We have taken note that you have not until now remove the signs on your office door as per the United Nations Guidelines on Media Access, despite repeated requests communicated to you by emails and verbally by DPI officials.

We reserve the right to take actions according to the Guidelines which stipulate that those violate the rules may have their accreditation withdrawn or suspended.

Best

Hua Jiang
Chief, Press Service, UN DPI

  Of the two individuals cc-ed, the first received and even solicited, including to his private non-UN email address, stealth requests to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN from Louis Charbonneau of Reuters, Agence France Presse,Voice of America and others. 

  The second led a non-consensual raid of Inner City Press' office on March 18, 2013, took photos of the Press' desk and bookshelf and shared them beyond DPI (they later appeared in BuzzFeed, leaked by a “Concerned UN Reporter” account after BuzzFeed called Ban's spokesman for comment on the raid.)

We'll have more on this. Watch this site.

    

UK's Lyall Grant Pitches Federalism on Somalia, Of Whistleblowers & Security Council Reforms

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 27 -- When UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant took media questions at the end of his month's presidency of the UN Security Council, predictably most of them dealt with Syria and relatedly the Golan Heights.

But at least three of the 14 press stakeouts he did in June were about Somalia, not least about the deadly attack on the UN compound in Mogadishu. So on Thursday Inner City Press asked Lyall Grant three questions about Somalia.

First, how did he view Kenya's role in the Kismayo / Jubaland fighting? Second, would he acknowledge that the way the Security Council drafted the new UNSOM mandate has resulted in Somaliland ordering UNSOM out?

Finally, Inner City Press asked Lyall Grant if he thought the UN and its Department of Peacekeeping Operations should offer a substantive response, and a confirmation or denial, of a Mogadishu whistleblower's allegation that David Bax of the UN Mine Action Service shares information with UN intelligence?

Inner City Press first reported on the allegation on June 22.Despite direct requests to DPKO, UNMAS and even via Twitter to UN envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay (clearly busy after the bombing, but the question is related), all the UN has said is they won't discuss what the whistleblower sent to Herve Ladsous. But what about the charges, a simple yes or no?

  Lyall Grant did not answer this last, but did offer a lengthy answer on federalism -- like in the UK -- as the solution to Somalia's problems. See transcription, below.

  At the end of the press conference, Lyall Grant listed steps toward transparency, including the 14 stakeouts for which the new Free UN Coalition for Access had thanked him. Inner City Press asked about one of the demands in the past of the “Small Five,” and now of ACT -- that the Council not make final decisions in open debates until it hears from the non-Council members.

  In fact, on topics on which the Council deigns to hear from the non-members, why not give them some role in drafting and negotiating the thematic resolution? Lyall Grant replied that the UK is flexible, even to “radical” ideas like non-Council members at times speaking before Council members.

Reform is slow in the UN -- but a response should be given to the troubling allegations of the Mogadishu whistleblower. Updates should be given on accountability for the 135 rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army, and now on all stepsChad takes to get off the UN child soldier recruiters list, while it is getting paid for peacekeeping in Mali. Watch this site.

Here is the UK Mission to the UN's transcription:

Inner City Press: On behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, thanks, not only for this briefing, but that you did fourteen stakeouts so it may be a new record, so that was a good in terms of after consultations. I wanted to ask you about Somalia. Three of the fourteen having been about Somalia and also, not just the bombing, but it seems like, although there’s, I know Mr Feltman’s there and he is saying things are the most positive they’ve been in two decades, it seems like in Kismayo, first I wanted to ask you whether you think that Kenya has some role in the sense of supporting at least one of the parties that wants to make a Jubaland there and also, in Somalialand, whether the Council, in writing the new mandate, may have – obviously there’s been a lot of push back. And finally, I’ve learned that the UN Mine Action Service in Somalia, in Mogadishu, there seems to be allegations that somehow they shared information with US intelligence. And this is something that the UN has failed to deny, despite UN whistleblower there with pretty serious information so I wonder... I don’t know what to say to that. I know that you are a person that, you’re a Permanent Member and you look at the Secretariat a lot. Do you think that this is the type of thing that the Secretariat should either come out and confirm or deny and do you think that there is any way in which a UN agency should share information with the intelligence of a Permanent 5 Member. Thanks.

Amb Lyall Grant: Thank you. I can’t comment at all really on that last question, Matthew, because I am not aware of the facts of that... I wasn’t even aware of the allegation that you referred to. On the role of Kenya: I mean Kenya has been part of the AMISOM force for some time. It wasn’t there originally in Somalia as part of AMISOM of course. They went across the border into Somalia for their own reasons, but they have been integrated into AMISOM and therefore they take instructions from the AMISOM force commander. What is important, in our view, is that there should be a proper dialogue between the centre and the regions. We believe in the territorial integrity of Somalia but it needs to have a federal constitution. It needs to have a proper relationship between the centre and the regions. Many countries, including my own, do have such a system and I think that’s the sort of constitution Somalia will need if it is to hold together, so we want Jubaland, we want Somilaland, we want Puntland, we want all the different regions of Somalia to be constituent parts of the state of federal Somalia, so that is still to be worked out. The government is new. The transition has passed, but it is still a new government and those issues need to be worked through. Now we strongly support the President. He recognises what needs to be done. He is trying to work on the Kismayo issue, but it’s not easy. After twenty years of civil war and conflict in Somalia, where large parts of the country are still being occupied and run by Al-Shabaab, it is not easy for the President and the federal authorities to make progress on the sort of political dialogue and constitutional arrangements that we think is going to be necessary, but there is, as I mentioned before, strong Security Council unity on this issues and there is a lot of international support that is going into Mogadishu, so I think, I’m optimistic. The situation fragile, but I’m optimistic that Somalia has seen... the worst of the history is behind it.

  

Jubaland Reaches UNSC But Not Somalia Kenya Rift in Kismayo, UK Hot & Cold on Syria

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 13 -- Jubaland made it into the UN Security Council on Thursday, when UN Assistant Secretary General Taye-Brook Zerihoun gave a closed door briefing. Afterward UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, Security Council president for June, came out and announced that his delegation has circulated a draft press statement expressing concern about tensions there.

  Inner City Press asked Lyall Grant if Kenya would be mentioned in his press statement, given Somalia's complaints including at the recent African Union summit how its parliamentarians were "blocked by Kenya" from entering Kismayo. Video here from Minute 2:38.

  Lyall Grant replied that he didn't think Kenya would be named, but AMISOM would be and Kenya is part of AMISOM. He acknowledged "incidents" in Kismayo and said there should not be distractions from the fight against Al Shabaab.

While Lyall Grant, when reached at the stakeout, is responsive, as is his spokesperson, this stands in contrast still to the UN Mission in Geneva.

  After two days of questions and complaints about the Human Rights Council resolution they tweeted that they had tabled, on Thursday morning when tw-asked for a copy of the resolution, they said it was on the HRC's website. 

  But hours later, after signing in to the "extra-net," the draft resolution wasn't there. And it has still not be received. Ah,Digital Diplomacy. Watch this site.

UK Contradictions on Somaliland & Falklands, Mistranscribing on Table, DFID Flights

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 -- While the UK now takes the lead on Somalia, getting Nicholas Kay appointed UN envoy and chairing today's Security Council debate about the country, it does not seem to take seriously the arguments for independence of Somaliland, as well as Puntland and Jubaland. Click here and here for previous Inner City Press stories on this.

  Meanwhile, in the midst of the Somalia debate in the Security Council, UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant re-tweeted about the right of self-determination of people in the Falkland Islands. What about self-determination in Hargeisa?

  There are questions, too, about the UN system handing Somaliland's airspace to Mogadishu, and the role of a UK DFID funded airline. A journalist in the region got the run-around from UN OCHA (the type of UN systemwide stonewalling the Free UN Coalition for Access is trying to counter-act) and requested that this be asked:

“Is it true, USAID and DIFD yearly cover overall expenses incurring UNHAS running cost in Somalia? If yes, why UNDP staff paid expenses on flight and persuaded to use UNHAS instead of EU chartered airlines which is free?"

The answer provided by a "UN spokesperson in Somalia" was this:

“Following notification by authorities in Somaliland, all UN flights to and from Somaliland have been suspended with effect from yesterday at 6pm. The United Nations and its agencies are taking this transportation issue seriously and are in discussions with the relevant authorities to bring about a resolution as quickly as possible. There has been no impact on ongoing UN programmes and it is our priority to ensure no interruption of support or activities. The UN welcomes the ongoing efforts to resolve this quickly.”

If that were the focus, why hand over the airspace? Here's what Lyall Grant said on Thursday:

"One of the very important roles that needs to take place in parallel with the security and stability aspect is the formulation and agreement of the constitutional relationship that will exist between the Federal Government of Somalia and some of the Somali regions, so Somaliland, Puntland and Jubaland and other regions. And one of the important roles that the Federal government of Somalia and the representatives of those regions have in the immediate future is to begin the process of dialogue to make sure that a constitutional settlement can be reached."

  What was that again, about self-determination?

  As we've inquired into May 21 and reported on since, one or more times a day, the UK is presiding over the roll-back in (new) media access to the Security Council from what existed not only during the Council's renovation relocation but also before it. 

  When Inner City Press for FUNCA asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant if he supported continued media workspace at the Council and if so what he would do about it, Lyall Grant said this is a matter for the UN Department of Public Information and "the journalists" -- it's becoming clear which journalists. See UK Mission "World Press Freedom Day" video, here.

Even the UK's transcript of Lyall Grant's press conference mis-represents the questions. It's always easier to dodge a question other than the one asked. Compare UN web cast video here, from Minute 17:32, to this (mis) transcription:

"media work table used to be in front of Security Council has been moved. Do you think that there should be one so reporters can stay throughout consultations so reporters can speak with people going in and out? What will you do if you think it should be replaced?"

Actually said, or asked was if Lyall Grant and UK believe that the media access and press worktable should to maintained, and "I you believe that, what will you do to make sure it takes place?"

The question was not about the table being "replaced." There's more. We are, as noted, experimenting. Watch this site.