Wednesday, June 6, 2007

The BBC Contribution to Somalia’s Agony


Jun 06, 2007 By:Mohamoud Hassan

Maqaal (Jidbaale.com) Twice in the recent past, I have posted two articles in WardheerNews drawing attention to the nefarious role of the BBC Somali Service in the affairs of Somalia. These articles were made during the time when the newly established Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was being torpedoed by the mighty Mogadishu warlords who had become a law unto themselves since the collapse of the Somali State in 1991. At the time, the BBC Somali Service was blatantly on the side of the warlords and this was what prompted my articles.

Having worked for the BBC Somali Service for nearly a quarter of a century, and having been all along imbibed its self-serving claim for impartiality and objectivity, I and many others have in our different ways highlighted the glaring inconsistency between what the BBC preaches and what in reality it practices as regards it coverage of Somalia’s internecine conflict and power struggle. Indeed, it is not only me but more than a dozen former announcers of the BBC Somali Service, hailing from every region and clan in Somalia, and who served the Service from the early years of independence up to the year 2000, had sent a joint appeal to the head of the BBC complaining how the once enviable reputation of the Somali Service for objectivity and impartiality had fallen by the wayside since the appointment of the current head of the Service.
Sadly, neither the joint appeal of former staff nor those from countless concerned listeners had made any dent on the BBC position. Perhaps, this stand was only to be expected. The BBC World Service, of which the Somali Service is part, rarely ever acknowledges that it had erred even when the facts are to the contrary. More often than not, its predictable knee-jerk reaction is to shield itself behind its claim of professional infallibility rather than concede listeners’ justified complaints and make the necessary amends. As the recent past attests to, the BBC has always chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with the head of the Service when it comes to a choice between him and heeding the well-founded complaints of its main stakeholders - the listeners. In other words, the head is more important than the recipients of the service, the raison d’étre of the Service!!

Returning to this subject once again might appear to some readers like flogging a dead horse. But the role the BBC Somali Service has played in the recent tragic events in Southern Somalia - prior, during, and subsequent to the Ethiopia intervention - has prompted me to come back to the subject and speak up once again. It is understandable that shocked ordinary Somalis, inside Somalia and worldwide, should react the way they do against what they see as naked Ethiopian invasion of their country, and to single out the leaders of the Somali government, namely President Yussuf and Prime Minister Gedi, for much of their loathing. But in apportioning the blame for the Ethiopian intervention, one has to be objective as to the degree of the government’s culpability and who else shares this blame.

If there is one positive thing one can undeniably say about the TFG, it is its patience in the face of provocative and aggressive designs from its sworn adversaries. That was the case with the Mogadishu warlords and it was the same with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Memories are short but it should be recalled that the government had been holding negotiations with the UIC in good faith in Khartoum and it was quite clear that they were prepared to share power with the radical Islamists. But as the UIC grabbed more territory all the way to Kismayo and Dhiin Soor, progressively encircling Baidhawa and increasingly tightening the noose around the beleaguered TFG, it was plainly clear that they were paying little heed to the Khartoum negations and were simply going for an all-out offensive to capture Baidhawa and get rid of the weak TFG once and for all. If that was to happen, they would have ended up as the de facto government of Somalia.

With its back to the wall, the TFG had faced three difficult choices: either passively surrender to the UIC without fighting, or fight and defend itself but face an inevitable UIC victory entailing the demise and downfall of the government, or else call on their Ethiopian allies for help. No government worth its salt would entertain the first two options. Hence the government opted for last course of action. As such, the UIC is the principal culprit for the Ethiopian intervention. What we have is cause and reaction. One can call president Yussuf and Prime Minister Gedi all kinds of names- from stooges, puppets or lackeys of Ethiopia. But one thing is certain: Notwithstanding their alleged bondage to Ethiopia, both men would have liked to maintain a modicum of legitimacy and acceptability among their subjects and hence would not have liked to call for an Ethiopian intervention if it was not forced upon them by the UIC.

If the UIC are the principal culprits for the Ethiopian intervention, the BBC Somali Service is their accomplice and therefore shoulders a greater share of the blame. Once the UIC defeated the warlords and threw the gauntlet to the government, the BBC Somali Service, under its current head, was quick to throw all pretences of impartiality and objectivity out of the window. From the outset, it has presented the conflict as one between the goodies and the baddies and allowed the Service as a forum for propelling the UIC with no let-up to the propaganda support it has provided them while at the same time denigrating the TFG as an irrelevant Ethiopian puppet. Apart from the biased contributions of hand-picked stringers in the field, the Friday “Have your say” programme stands out, among other programme slots, as the one shamelessly managed and orchestrated in order to support the UIC.

If the UIC were to occupy the seat of the TFG in Baidhawa, Talibanisation would have been imposed throughout Somalia with Al Qeda gaining a bigger foothold in the country than it was initially alleged to have. Needless to say, if the UIC were to oust the TFG, it would have been a disaster for Somalia and even more so for the West. I do not believe that this is an outcome that the BBC management ever entertained but all the same this is what was being hatched by the head of the Somali Service right under their very noses.

To the extent that the imposition of Talibanisation in Somalia has been averted, one has to therefore grudgingly give the credit to the TFG even if the presence of their Ethiopian backers in the country is a bitter bill to swallow for any Somali nationalist. But taking a broader view, it should be born in mind that the presence of the Ethiopian army is a temporary one and that the TFG itself has less than two years left of its term. Thereafter, the nation has the opportunity, if it can wisely grab it, to choose another government and other leaders. Surely this is a better prospect than promoting or embracing Talibanisation and condemning Somalia as a pariah state and as a battle ground for the foreseeable future for those engaged in the war on terror for their different national interests.

The head of the Somali Service might have burned his fingers in backing the vanquished Islamists but that has not in the least dampened his ardour to flout the impartiality of the Service whenever an opportunity presents itself. A more ominous agenda of the Head of the Service is exploit or stir up inter-clan or inter-regional animosities to the extent that it may weaken the TFG and its leaders. More precisely, such a sinister agenda would include exporting the endless troubles in Southern Somalia to other peaceful regions in the North, namely Somaliland and Puntland.

The dispute between Somaliland and Puntland concerning the status of the regions of Sool, Eastern Sanaag and Cayn is one that the head of the Service has lost no opportunity to exploit for his own purposes. In this dispute, he has chosen to propagate Somaliland’s position while suppressing the voice of the “disputed” regions as one can judge from the Services’ coverage. Under these programme shenanigans, Somaliland obviously gains preferential treatment while the head would ensure himself a supportive regional constituency which is all the more important since it is not his region of origin.

The mutuality of interest between Somaliland and the head would come handy for him in countervailing any hostility towards him emanating from the TFG, or critical listeners which can all be dismissed, as he no doubt articulates, as motivated by clan vindictiveness. Indeed, this has been the well-worn self defence that the Head has been hitherto feeding the credulous BBC management and by all appearances it seems they had swallowed it.

Nothing better exemplifies the one-sidedness of the Service more than the “Have your say” programme on May 18th, the anniversary of the declaration of independence by Somaliland. Since this administration is claiming sovereignty over the whole North West Region (former British Somaliland) and that the secession is supported by all the clans and regions in the territory, this special programme would have been a good opportunity, given an even-handed and balanced programme, to hear the views of the people in the so-called “disputed” region who had repeatedly reaffirmed their loyalty to Somalia and their membership of the Puntland regional administration. All the head can give in the name of impartiality is to allow only one solitary caller from Buuhoodle to give his dissenting say but otherwise the rest of the callers and participants from the NW region were unmistakably those hailing from the main clan supporting the secession.

It is not as though these “disputed” regions lack competent people who can speak on their behalf: they have traditional leaders, parliamentarians and Ministers both in the TFG and the Puntland governments as well as renowned elites. The Head of the Service had never lost an opportunity in the past to invite Prof Ali Khalif in support of the UIC but not to this programme. It was left to Osman Jama (Osman Kaluun), a well-known unionist from Hargeisa, to defend unity but otherwise the voice of the “disputed” regions and their opposition to the secession was deliberately suppressed. The impression listeners not fully informed on the facts may draw is that the pro-secession sentiments they heard was truly representative of the people in the NW region. As we all know, nothing could be further from the truth.

My main concern is not the one-sidedness of the programme of May 18th per se, or that it is the latest of its type, but rather it’s potential to ignite an already simmering powder keg which could plunge Somaliland and Puntland into uncontrollable armed conflict. Conquering Sool, Eastern Sanaag and Cayn is the clarion call that unites almost all Somaliland’s politicians that is often relayed by the BBC’s local correspondent in Hargeisa or by the local media. Such threats are not empty talk. After all, Somaliland’s militia have recently invaded the town of Dhahar in Eastern Sanaag only to be repulsed and driven out. They tried something similar few years to capture Lascanod, the capital of Sool, but were stopped at nearby Adhicadeeye where they remain holed up to the present day.

If a war was to breakout between Puntland and Somaliland, perhaps President Yussuf might be forced to send back his forces in Mogadishu and Southern Somalia to defend Puntland. That would immensely enhance the capacity of the UIC and other insurgents in Mogadishu to recoup lost territory. To speculate that this scenario is perhaps part of the calculations of the head of the Somali Service is not as far fetched as it may appear.

Conclusion:The 50th Anniversary of the BBC
The BBC Somali Service was established in 1957 and hence its 50th anniversary is due in June. Initially, it was only one half-hour transmission. Then that was increased to two half-hour transmissions and today we have four such transmissions. The resources the BBC has allocated to the Service since its creation has increased manifold.

Over the sweep of this 50 years, the Somali Section of the BBC has until recently provided an excellent, reliable impartial service and no other Somali speaking broadcasting service has ever managed to come anywhere near it in terms of the quality of its programme, or the size and loyalties of its listeners. One could today find many surviving Somalis who had been unfailingly listening daily to the Service since its establishment. Such is the importance they attach to the Service that when things are no longer what they used to be, in terms of falling standards, they can only complain.. The BBC may have a lock on its listeners for now but if their complaints are not addressed they surely desert it for other competing services. The prevailing disenchantment with the Service is of a recent origin The 50th anniversary is therefore a good moment for reflection and change in order to restore its credibility. That can only come with change at the top of the Section.

Mohamoud Hassan
Email:mohamoudhassan2@yahoo.co.uk

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

In Somalia, Violence Is Status Quo - New York Times

Mohammed Ibrahim and Yuusuf Maxamuud contributed this article from Mogadishu. Both of the belong Ayre clan which I call the Bashtuns of Somalia. In Somalia, Violence Is Status Quo - New York Times. Another one qouted in this article is Ali Iman Sharmarke, co-owner of Mogadishu’s HornAfrik radio station. He's another Ayre media campaigner who swore not to say anything good about the TFG government. Today, one major news story about somalia was the meeting between president Abdullahi Yusuf and the prime minister of Britian. None of the media outlets in Mogadishu mentioned that news story. A. Farah

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

BBC NEWS | Africa | Somalia's PM demotes his deputy

BBC NEWS Africa Somalia's PM demotes his deputy
This article by the BBC is misleading. The somali PM did not demote his deputy, Hussein Aidid, rather he transfered him from one ministry to an other. Mr. Aidid still has the title of deputy prime minster. I think the goal here is to pit Aidid's clan against the Somali Transitional Federal Govermnet (TFG). BBC is the only news agency that termed this event as "demotion". Who writes this stuff for the BBC. This is another example of the biased editorial reports against (TFG)

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

BBC Somali Service Staff Meeting

Translation:
Staff of BBC Somali Branch:
Director: I'm the head of this radio station. You can not say anything against Islamic Union of Courts at this radio station. Anybody who violates my order will lose his/her job. Keep the praise and the good reports that are in favour of the Islamic Courts Union. Anytime you mention the Transitional Federal Government, make sure to use the phrase "weak government".
Staff member response: "So, this guy treats this place like his own house?"

Somalis protest against BBC biased reporting in Londong, UK

One of the protesters T-shirt reads:
"The last remaining somali warlord = BBC somali service head"
"Pitting a clan against a clan = BBC Somali Service"
"Fanning the flames of somali civil war = BBC somali service"
"Stop the progpogand against the poor people of Somalia"

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Al-Qaeda in Somalia: Secret Decision

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA
Islamic Courts Administration
Office of the Chief of the Imams
Dhusamareb, November 09, 2005


In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful


To: The representatives of the Islamic Courts in Northwest Somalia
Cc: The Representatives of the Islamic Courts in Northeast Somalia
Cc: The Committee of the Somali Religious Leaders, Mogadishu



Subject: Secret Decision
Brothers in Islam
,



Right from the sixties, when Somalia realized civilian government and the military regime led bySiyad Barre which was defined by injustice, the practice of the Sharia law was undermined and grossly violated. The Sharia law ordains the path of righteousness and warns against bad deeds.
In the same vein, the over 10 years of disintegration marked gross violation on the teaching of Islam. The population was divided by the warlords who caused pouring of the human blood in large numbers and weakened the belief of the people.
As you are all aware, the so-called Transitional government formed for Somalia is hunting the Somali religious leaders and the Muslims in general. They have influenced the International Community to believe that the Somali religious leaders are Al-Qaeda. You very well know that its agenda is to bring the Ethiopian troops in order to use them and kill the Somali population. As you are aware, there are faction leaders who are fighting this government without subscribing to our vision but would be vital in using as a bridge.
In order to react to the threats posed by the plan of this government, which is aimed to inflict sufferings on the people of Somalia who are Muslims, we have decided the following agenda points as shown the on the next pages for your implementation.
Following the tangible progress made by the Islamic Courts in expanding its political programmes that restored just administration founded on Sharia law.
In view of the findings on the programme contents used in the awareness campaigns, and the reception hailed by the population on plans to establish Islamic State that would herald justice and unity.
In view of the findings on the dire need for expansion of the Islamic Courts Administration to all parts of Somalia to refocus public attention on justice.
In view of the findings on the need to derail the so-called Transitional Federal Government and the Regional Administrations who are holding the population as a hostage.
The following decision was made:
To open Islamic Courts in all districts of Puntland and Somaliland in collaboration with the clan elders and the Traditional leaders.
That the representatives of the Islamic Courts in Puntland have to obstruct Militias and arms flowing to the TFG from Puntland and the Ethiopia border
Plots to mar the existing relationship between the TFG, Puntland, Somaliland and Ethiopia have to be employed
Penetration into the armed forces of Puntland and Somaliland has to be made and clan used as an instrument to unfasten the cohesion
The heavy and the light weapons used by Puntland and Somaliland armed forces have to be purchased with hard currency in secret deals.
If that fails, the custodian of the heavy weapons should be approached with an offer.
Cooperation has to be made with criminals and hard currency provided as motivations to assassinate the officials of the administrations (TFG, Somaliland & Puntland)
A traditional leader has to be crowned for each and every Sub-clan and the required financial support extended.
Religious lectures indirectly influencing the public should be put in full gear
Friction with these administrations should be avoided and instead the taxes paid as required
Strong allies should be identified within the cabinet of each of the administrations using clan elders and the traditional leaders as an entry point while flexibility is maintained and support provided.
Generous support should be given to the Oromo¡¯s and the ONLF to weaken the capability of Ethiopia which is our primary enemy as well as the administrations they are using to pursue their agendas.
The minority clans who are marginalized by those administrations should be welcomed and influenced.
The Wagerdha¡¯a sub-clan of the Marehan should to be supported and hostilities promoted within other sub-clans of the Marehan.
Fully fledged support should be extended to Gen. Morgan as a tool to destroy and disconnect the clan powerbase of the Key leaders who wield significant power within Somalia.
The political animosity with the Religious leaders who are in support of those administrations should be minimized.
The representatives in Puntland and Somaliland should furnish ideas on how best to restore the Islamic Courts and implements the enlisted decisions.
Care has to be maintained all along to avoid leaking of this information
Whosoever leaks this information and is found guilty should be shot.
Finally, the representatives are advised to employ diplomacy in the execution of this decision and report on the activities progress including what was possible and the resources required.
Unity comes from Almighty Allah
Chief of the Imaam of the Islamic Courts
¡¡
¡¡
Shiikh Hassan Dahir Aweys (signed)












propaganda press - gunnin’ for freedom! » Inside the Somali Civil War and the Islamic Courts - Said S. Samatar

Inside the Somali Civil War and the Islamic Courts - Said S. Samatar

Pajamas Media: America’s Boots on the Ground in Somalia

Pajamas Media: America’s Boots on the Ground in Somalia

Right Truth: Key front in war on terror, Somalia (OTA)

Right Truth: Key front in war on terror, Somalia (OTA)

U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure - washingtonpost.com

Old War Dogs: U. S. attacks al Qaeda in Somalia -- Again

Old War Dogs: U. S. attacks al Qaeda in Somalia -- Again

US sees Somalia as key front in war on terror - Yahoo! News

US sees Somalia as key front in war on terror - Yahoo! News

Islam in Europe: Somalia: European fighters in custody

Islam in Europe: Somalia: European fighters in custody

Somalia's Islamist Courts regroup (The Fourth Rail)

The following blog will give you a clear picture of the kind of slamist groups that Yusuf Garad is trying to prop up. Yusuf Garad and his army of reporters have promoted the riddiculous idea of moderate islamist. The bottom line is that there is no clear line that devides between a moderate and radical islamist. And the fact of the matter is that Sheikh Sharif is a member of the group who have sought the support Al-Qaeda in public. Check it out yourself on this blog: Somalia's Islamist Courts regroup (The Fourth Rail). A. Farah

Beware the BBC Somali Service

Beware the BBC Somali Service


By Mohamoud Oogle - UK


The fledgling government of Somalia does not only have to contend with the well-armed and well-funded warlords of Mogadishu but also has to face another mightier weapon at the disposal of the warlords: that is the regular propaganda support they receive from the BBC Somali Service sadly headed by someone by the name of Yussuf Garaad. For those who do not know, the name Garaad is a nickname which would normally evoke qualities such as wisdom and fairness. In Yussuf's case, it is a misnomer. He is simply a warlord collaborator masquerading as a respectable BBC employee. From the time he took over the BBC Somali Section, the service has changed from an icon among the Somali broadcasting stations inside and outside the country to a mediocre service pandering to the personal agenda of the head of the Section.
Those who are old enough will no doubt recall with nostalgia those golden old days of the BBC Somali Service. A broadcasting service is of course as good as the quality of its broadcasters and those who manage it. The BBC Somali Service has been very fortunate in the past in both these respects- until unfortunately Mr. Yussuf Garaad came on the scene some years ago. Its first broadcaster, seconded in 1957 from Radio Hargeisa, was the well-known and highly respected Haji Abdi Dualeh, the father of Somali broadcasting. A stream of distinguished announcers came after him: men like Aden Farah, Mohamed Abokor Haji Farah, Mohamed Abshir Yussuf, Mustafa Haji Nur, Ismail Haji Abdi, Hussein Mohamed Bullaleh, Osman Suguleh, Ahmed Ismail Samater, Idris Hassan Deria-just to name a few. It has been headed for many years by the late. C.J Martin who will always be remembered for his deep attachment to Somalia and its people. After his retirement, he was succeeded by Hugh Walker, AbdiRahman Abby Farah, Patrick Gilks and Mohamoud Abdullahi, all of whom had maintained the highest standards and integrity of the Service that its listeners had came to cherish.
What Yussuf Garad has done to the BBC Somali Service is a mirror image of what his alter egos, the warlords, had done to Mogadishu. Just as the warlords unleashed a systematic and savage ethnic cleansing in Mogadishu soon after the fall of the Siyad Barre government and thereafter turned their guns on one another thereby reducing the once beautiful and historical city of Mogadishu into ashes and ruins to the detriment of future Somali generations if not mankind, so has Mr. Garaad eviscerated, some would say vandalised, the BBC Somali Service soon after his appointment as its Chief Editor.
In one swoop, he got rid of more than half of the staff of the service only to replace them with inexperienced novices from his clan. Those victims were highly experienced and popular announcers w hose only misfortune was to serve as sacrificial lamps to give place to Yusuf Garad’s nominees.Parallel to his in-house revolution at the Somali Service in London, he also recruited correspondents inside and outside Somalia, most of them from his clan.

This brutal restructuring of the Service has given Mr. Yussuf Garaad almost total domination of the service which he now uses in pursuit of his personal whims but above all in support to the warlords. Those who know him close enough would diagnose his tribalism as typical of that mindless strain that would see anyone not from his tribe (****** ) as an enemy, and within the ****** anyone who is not from his sub-clan ***** as an outsider and in the end anyone who does not belong to his sub-sub clan ******** as no kinsman.

This is the worst form of tribalism. It afflicts not only ordinary folks back home in Somalia whose defensive psyche may have been shaped by their security and basic needs in the absence of government. But its carriers also include so-called sophisticated individuals among the Diaspora who peddle in this primitive evil from their safe distance abroad but in the end ensure that the ordinary people back home are the victims irrespective of their tribe or clan. Those who regularly follow the programmes of the Somali Services can doubtlessly point to numerous occasions when the Section under Yussuf Garad's supervision has been flagrantly one-sided and partisan. You only have to compare the different treatments meted to President Abdulqasim Salaad Hassan and President Abullahi Yussuf at the time of their election. In a nutshell, Yussuf Garaad's BBC Somali Service gave full backing to President Abdulqasim, his cousin.

Much as this smacks of nepotism, I would still continue to support such a stand which did not only benefit Abdulqasim but could also have served as the necessary catalyst for the revival and restoration of the Somali State. Has he treated President Abdullahi Yussuf and his government in a similar manner or at least remained impartial?. As it is, the BBC Somali Service has spared no effort to derail the government of Abdullahi Yussuf well before it sets its foot in the country.

This is the same objective as that of the warlords and their backers. Full publicity had been given to the wayward speaker of the national Parliament, to dissident MPs, and above all to the warlords, all of whom are united in their opposition to the deployment of peacekeeping forces from neighbouring countries.The worst examples of the use of the BBC Somali Service for propaganda purposes are the coverage given to demonstrations organized and orchestrated by the warlords in Mogadishu, Marca and other places.
On a number of occasions, the BBC correspondent in Mogadishu, Farxiya Cali, would devote her entire daily dispatch to the BBC to the mantra of well selected individuals almost all saying the same thing as if the whole show has been rehearsed in advance. This should not be surprising as the demonstrators may be the militia of the warlords or their hangers-on. I cannot recall a single individual interviewed who said anything different.
This is reminiscent of Siyad Barre's days when pro-governmen't demonstrators would predictably chant the same slogans with no discordant voice. How did the BBC come to be used in this sordid manner? That is the one-million dollar question. What is certainly true is that the BBC would have heeded listeners' concerns if they were to mobilise themselves and complain to the top echelons of the organization. This is essential not only to defend the new Somali government from Yussuf Garaad but no less importantly to save our beloved BBC Somali Service from his mischievous machinations. There will come a time in the near future, we hope, when Somalia will have an ambassador in Britain who naturally will look after our interest and ensure that Yussuf Garad is defanged and can no longer visit any harm on Somalia or on the Somali Service. In the meantime, protests through all possible channels, including email messages, would serve an important role. Silence is the worst option.
Mohamoud Oogle
Midnimadu waa lama huraan.

February 3, 2007 Somalis rally against BBC somali service in London, UK


BBC World Service claims to be founded on thefollowing principles:


  • Trust, independence, impartiality, honesty and freedom from commercial interests and political bias.

  • The Somali Service of the BBC functions on the basis of partiality in the political conflict in Somalia, dishonesty in its dissemination of news from Somalia and to be the mouthpiece of warlords.

  • The BBC Somali Service fuels the conflict in Somaliaand contributes to the subversion of peace andstability in Somalia. Furthermore it promotes schismand discord among the Somali speaking people.



























Mudaaharaadkan ay soo qabanqaabiyeen xubnaha SOMALI PEACE COUNCIL in the United Kingdom ayaan maanta ka dhacay halka laga galo BBC BUSH HOUSE.
Mudaaharaadkan oo ay ujeedadiisu aheyd si xun u adeegsiga saxaafadda xorta ah ayaa looga cabanayay sida ay Laanta Afka Soomaaliga ee BBC-du u noqotay goob laga abaabulo colaadaha iyo iska hor imaadyada abaabulan ee ka dhaca dalka Soomaaliya.
Dadweynihii ka qeybgalayay mudaaharaadkaasi ayaa tiradoodu kor u dhaafeysay 450 illaa 500 oo ruux ayaa halkaasi ka qaadayay heeso iyo buraanburro iyo halkudhigyo kale oo muujinaysay cabashadooda.
Sidoo kale intii uu socday mudaaharaadkaasi waxaa dhinac socday mudaaharaad kale oo ay dadka Serbia iyo Iiraan uga soo horjeedaan qaabka laamaha warbaahinta ee BBC ee afafkooda ku hadla ay halkaasi ka sameeynayeen.
Intii uusan dhammaan mudaaharaadkaasi ayay ururka Somali Peace Council u gudbiyeen madaxda sarsare ee BBC-da cabashadooda ku aadan sida xun ee loo maamulay laanta ku hadasha afka Soomaaliga.
Warsidaha Idamaale ayaa waraysi ka qaaday shacabkii caraysnaa ee Mudaharaadkaan ka soo qayb galay, iyada oo dhinaca kalana ay sheegeen in ay cabashooyin farabadan u gudbiyeen BBCda laanteeda afka soomaaliga iyo madaxdeeda sare.
shacabkaan caraysnaa ayaa la kulmay ku simaha Tifatiraha Laanta Afka soomaaliga ee BBCda Yoonis cali Nuur ,waxayna sheegeen inay qoraalo u gudbiyeen.

February 3, 2007 Bush House, London, UK.

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Friday, February 2, 2007

Somalia: Profile of UK-based pro-Islamic web site

Somalia: Profile of UK-based pro-Islamic web site

February 02, 2007

Somalia's Islamists, who recently lost power in the country, seem to be quickly resorting to the internet as their main media outlet.

Analysis of the Islamists' media trends indicates that they are using the net to conduct propaganda and also publish news as seen from their perspective.

Their latest web site is the www.soomaalinews.com

Although the site does not explicitly say it is allied to the defeated Union of Islamic Courts, its reporting tone depicts so. BBC Monitoring notes that most of the reports carried on the site between 31 January and 2 February 2007 either support the Islamists or are critical of the Somali interim government and its Ethiopian and Western allies.

A 1 February report had the Islamists "setting" conditions for the release of US soldiers "kidnapped" by the Somali Islamists. The site carried another report alleging that some 5,000 Ethiopian and Puntland troops operating in Somalia were HIV positive. According to the report, these "sick" soldiers were being deployed "to spread" AIDS in Somalia.

The AIDS allegation is similar to a 27 January 2007 report by the Eritrean state radio, which claimed that Ethiopia had "sent over 130 HIV-positive prostitutes" to Somalia as part of a "ill-advised plan, which is aimed at annihilating the Somali people by infecting them with HIV".

Address

An analysis of the web site using whois.net indicates that it was created on 4 January 2006. Its owner is listed as Mohamed Hersi and email contact as somalimarket@hotmail.com. The postal address is given as 50 Tangmere Willan Road, Tottenham, 6NB N17, Great Britain. The telephone contact is +44.2088018597.

The contact person's address is given as: Hostmaster Funktionen with the email address being hostmaster@b-one.nu

The postal address is given as: Kalvebod Brygge 45, Copenhagen V, and telephone address as +45.46907100.

Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 2 Feb 07

© 2007 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved

Thursday, January 18, 2007

BRAVO: The BBC Somali Service Team

I'm a Dutch national who worked and extensively traveled throughout Somalia, South to North, between 1994 and 1998. During my residence, I made many good friends, some of whom I still maintain regular contacts through the Internet. I have developed a hobby and nostalgia to browse Somali websites to update myself of the progresses made in the town and villages I once worked.At that time, I realized how vital the BBC Somali Service was to the lives of the Somali people. I observed men throng at teashops around 5:30 p.m. to catch their daily dose of local and world news, from their favorite and, of course, only reliable source. Somalis recognize the significance of keeping this important service and had previously appealed against a decision to close the Service.However, I'm baffled by the continued attack, somewhat personal in nature, on the BBC Somali Service team and particularly its chief editor by few Somali websites, most notably Allpuntland, Wardheernews, Allwadani, and Idamaale. It is hard to digest the daily slanders heavily rained on its editor, a man I personally met and have a great respect for; a man who is genuine and sincere and has taken the Service into a commendable level appreciated by those who really depend on their daily world news. I have met Mr. Garad in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2003 and we had a very good conversation. There are things he talked about which included improving the Service even higher to make one of the best African programmes in the BBC World Service.I was stunned to read statements like: close the BBC relay antennas in Puntland, and begging others to follow suit to close down all BBC relay centers in that country. I asked myself the question of who will lose if the antennas are brought down. I understand that the webmasters of the afore-mentioned websites reside in Europe or North America. I also recognize that these webmasters have the luxury to choose between hundreds of radios and television stations anytime of the day or night and that they don't need the thirty minute news time that the masses in Somalia cherish to listen. The losers in this case will be the millions living in remote villages and towns in a country that doesn't have proper mass media such as radios and television.Then I took the trouble to investigate why these websites where so critical of this marvelous man and his team? My findings of the reason behind the continuous insults, some of which are dehumanizing, against the chief editor and his team is beyond belief. First, I established the fact that ALL the above-mentioned websites are either edited or owned by people from Puntland. Secondly, I also found out that ALL these websites are pro-Abdullahi Yusuf government. Here is then where the problem lies: These webmasters wished the BBC to be the mouth piece of the interim president's government and promote his policies.
Unfortunately, when the chief editor asserted the neutrality and independence of the Service from the Somali politics, they decided to destroy his character and dedicated team that work so hard in the most difficult of circumstances. Their motive is to tarnish Mr. Garad's character in order to persuade the World Service programme editors to dismiss him or demote him. Their means are to continually publish articles, interviews and lies against this good man and his team. And their objective is to get away with murder by knowingly lying and discrediting this highly professional individual and seeking his head.
The World Service understands your motives and may not replace Mr. Garad with one of your kin. At least in the West, it doesn't work that way. It is worth mentioning that this act is not part of Somali culture or puritan Islamic code of conduct. It is as I understand, after research and years of experience in Somalia, based purely on clan difference and hatred. These are accusations intended to cause maximum damage not only to character assassinate the lead editor but the good men and women who so tirelessly provide unbiased first hand news from the world's leading news agency, The World Service. Behold! Clan loyalty in Somali is so sacred that one will not hesitate to kill or hurt fellow citizen without giving a thought in its name. The clan is the Satan that the Somalis worship and where Satan rules, humans are subjugated to perform every undignified act without asking questions. No amount of reason will explain why these websites are so obsessed to dehumanizing a fellow human being. Clan fanaticism is the lowest points a human being can reach. A piece of advice to these websites, please don't attack, insult or humiliate someone or some people who are so dedicated to serving your community. Please stop seeking the destruction of the Somali Service, because millions depend on it. Please understand that the Service is an independent entity and no one can influence how it works. Please stop acting as INTERNET WARLORDS who terrorize their victims in every home and internet cafe. Please stop the continual character assassination of the highly qualified chief editor, who as many Somalis put it, is considered the best ever editor the Somali Service has ever had.Finally, I would like to strongly commend on the excellent job that the Somali Service team is doing. I congratulate you all for the professionalism, reliability and accuracy of the news that you provide to Somali populations who rely solely on your hard work and dedication. Very well done all!
Adrian Baldwin
The Hague, Netherlands
A response to the preceding article was posted by Ali Osman Samater as shown below:
A Dutch citizen, Mr. Adrian Baldwin a self declared advocator of the present BBC Somali service warlord
By Ali Osman Samater
Assuming that Mr. Baldwin is a Dutch citizen who worked and intensively traveled to Somalia as he claims between 1994 and 1998, the BBC Somali service was perhaps or at that time not under the present chief editor as he titled him. However and at that same time, Mr. Baldwin admits that he met the chief editor of the BBC Somali section sometime in 2003 perhaps during the Somali peace and reconciliation conference in Kenya, Nairobi. It is very logic and understandable that Mr. Baldwin developed like many other European experts a close relationship with the Somali people and the country where he worked 4 years long. Apart from the time differences in world, it is also true that Somalis listen to the BBC Somali service since the beginning of the Somali services in the BBC. This is because the BBC was known to the Somalis as a liberal and independent Radio but since your favorite editor is responsible for the Somali section in the BBC things has changed dramatically.
The BBC Somali section became a propaganda section for the criminal warlords of Mogadishu. This can proofed by the daily propaganda news that the BBC Somali section fabricates without any journalistic ethic. Every genuine Somali know today that the BBC Somali service is literally part of the Somali conflict. They create problems through their biased, irresponsible and manipulated reports about the Somali conflict. However I was surprised to read that our Dutch European expert stands and defends someone who simply told him his version about the huge and nation-wise protest against the Warlord in the BBC Somali service. That is far beyond the well known critical thinking of a Western citizen because; to make a fair judgment on a given subject one must make an intensive research on different sides of the issue and that is categorically missing in the article of Mr. Adrian alias Baldwin.
In the contrary and strange enough Mr. Baldwin is attacking some Somali Webs and insults Somalis whom he might not even know and perhaps never talked to about their permanent criticism on the BBC propaganda as a clan motivated Internet warlords. In addition to that and surprisingly Mr. Baldwin is saying without scruple that the major target of the critics is to turn the BBC Somali service into Abdullah Yusuf Propaganda center. Following that, that statement implies that our Dutch citizen understands the Somali language, the Somali conflicting clan diversity as well as its conflicting contradictions. If not so, the crucial question is who explains or translates, our world citizen Mr. Baldwin, all the BBC news and all other manipulated live field reports of the BBC propaganda Somali section. I assume that Mr. Baldwin is either misinformed or his statement has certain private opportunistic back ground because as Dutch citizen he must know that even in the Nederland people sometimes democratically protest against a TV report or documentation no matter how right or wrong but nobody insult them for their personal view.
As a genuine Somali from Awdal Region and all other Somalis who criticize the BBC ethic free Somali service have every right to do so with out being insulted. For your information and those who are carrying the real responsibility of the BBC, this is the first in the history of the BBC Somali service that thousands and thousands of genuine Somalis are protesting against the civil war creating propaganda machinery of the BBC Somali services in Bush House. Again for your general information, the very recent and impudent Chapter of the BBC propaganda is the newly nominated 64 so-called Banadir Council. Couple of months ago the TFG Mogadishu Warlord faction launched a campaign packed by the BBC Somali service to remove all barricades from the streets of the ex-Somali capital so that the TFG as whole can operate in Mogadishu. Nevertheless, day in day out the BBC Somali section reported about that perverse show and Mogadishu remained today the biggest obstacle of the Somali peace. Without asking any critical question to the warlords, the BBC is again part of the new cheap political maneuver of the Mogadishu warlords. The BBC Somali section warlord gives unlimited propaganda air time to those who are not totally interested in finding peace solution for the Somali people and our people are indisputable severing under the criminal law of the war lords in Mogadishu. Mr. Baldwin I fully agree with you as you fantastically expressed that a clan fanaticism is the lowest point a human being can reach. Sorry to say this. Your favorite and BBC Somali services editing warlord is literally honorable member of that species. He became an Editor of the BBC Somali service in the darkest days of our nation and he could have become a Somali hero (For example, instead of Good morning Vietnam he could have said good morning Somalia) but instead of that he preferred to become what you called correctly a primitive clan fanatic. Advice to you and your fellow Editor, Please Mr. Baldwin inform yourself about the Somali drama from all sides and do not mix your perhaps personal interest and the national interest of the severing Somali people. That is not fair .To your fellow friend and BBC Somali service editing warlord, many Somalis are lead today by their clan warlords and are seriously severing a destructive clan virus infection, therefore it could be a liberal and progressive BBC Somali services that can contribute to the healing of our poor people and the sick intelligencer of the nation. Otherwise it is time and advisable that the Directors of the BBC Somali service makes the way free for a new start in the interest of their Somali listeners and the peace in Somalia.
Ali Osman Samater

Facts About The BBC Somali Service

Facts About The BBC Somali ServicesUnder the stewardship of Yusuf Garad, the BBC Somali service's reporting on Somaliland has become so biased it prompted the doyen of Somali studies, I.M. Lewis, to dub it the "Arta faction mouth piece." BBC (Somali Section which is headed by TNG president's cousin Yusuf Garad) as a propaganda tool to change the international public opinion.About four years ago when Yusuf Garad was named the editor of the BBC Somali Service, he became the first Somali to hold such a position.Unfortunately, since the commencement of preparations for the Arta peace conference in early 2000 and the subsequent enthroning of Abdiqasim Salad Hasan as president of the now-defunct TNG [Transitional National Government], the Somali Service of the BBC seems to have departed from the BBC's standard policy of fair, objective and accurate reporting. Of particular concern is a pattern of omission and distortion of developments taking place in this country and the harshly anti-Somaliland fervor consistently emanating from the Somali Service broadcasts.The BBC Somali Service has done great damage to the reputation of the BBC, and something must be done about it before it is too late.

Please write to the BBC Head quarter regarding the Somali BBC Services bias reporting.
Click Here to Complain
*Write:BBC Complaints,PO Box 1922,Glasgow G2 3 WT
*Phone: 08700 100 222
*Textphone: 08700 100 212
* News Posted By M Ghalib Musa.

Residents in Mogadishu rally against BBC and Yusuf Garad



Residents in Mogadishu carrying a banner that reads "we don't want BBC propoganda, extremist Yusuf Garad and his Horn Afric radio".

Mr. Garad has been accused of siding with the now defunct Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in Mogadishu. Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of UIC is his uncle. He is the the man who coined the famous over used slogans such as "weak transional federal goverment" and "the powerful UIC". A. Farah

Yusuf Garad


Yusuf Garad,
Director, BBC Somali Service
Supporter of Somali Union Islamic Courts