· July, 2006

Stories about Somalia from July, 2006

Somalia, Ethiopia: Mystery plane

  27 July 2006

Reject the Ethiopian Invasion! picks up on reports of a mystery aircraft which landed at Mogadishu, rumored to be carrying arms from Eritrea. “The last thing Somalia needs is more arms,” the blogger writes. There is also part of a transcript of the U.S. State Department media briefing which dealt...

Somaliland, Somalia: Journalistic criticism

  26 July 2006

Guest-blogging on the Voice of Somaliland Diaspora, Faysal Diriye launches an attack on journalistic standards among Somali Web sites which he describes as Siadist. “Cheap shot journalism! Too subjective, too emotional, and as boring as hell! They often shed more tears than thunder clouds could spill,” he writes.

Ethiopia: Eritrean weapons

  26 July 2006

Ethioblog posts news reports quoting the Somali government as saying that Eritrea has sent a plane full of weapons to the Islamists who now control the southern part of the country, attracting a wide range of opinion from commentators.

Africans in Lebanon

  25 July 2006

Black Looks reports that an estimated 20,000 Ethiopians as well as Nigerians, Ghanaians, Sudanese and Somalis working in Lebanon, many of whom were trafficked there, are being “left to fend for themselves without money or papers.”

Ethiopia, Somalia: Potential bloodshed

  21 July 2006

On the appearance of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, Yebo Gogo writes: “I hope all parties will find a way to walk away before more blood is shed, but this has the potential to be a long, deadly conflict.”

Islam: Caged Virgin Reviewed

  21 July 2006

Palava Soup posts a review of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book about Muslim women, The Caged Virgin, by British Muslim Fareena Alam, who is impressed neither by its central thesis nor its author's level of scholarship.

French-Speaking Bloggers on Rabat Conference on Migration

What Will the Conference Bring? Says France-based African blogger Le Pangolin, Du 10 au 11 juillet 2006, s'est tenue à Rabat au Maroc, la première rencontre interministérielle euro-africaine sur les problèmes des migrations entre ces deux continents.Elle a regroupé 57 pays africains et européens et certaines organisations humanitaires qui se...

Somalia: Ethiopian troops

  20 July 2006

Voice of Somaliland Diaspora and Ethioblog take note of a BBC news report that Ethiopian troops have been seen on Somali soil.

Somalia: Congressional testimony

  13 July 2006

Ahmed Quick posts in full the testimony of George Washington University Professor David H. Shinn, State Department coordinator for Somalia, on the emerging system of Islamic courts in Somalia. “Many Somalis…welcomed the forced departure from Mogadishu several weeks ago of most of the bickering warlords by the Islamic court supported...

Somalia: Students of the Taliban

  10 July 2006

Chippla comments on the application of Islamic law by the new regime in Somalia. “Why should 21st century African societies be subject to 7th century Arabic laws?” he writes.

Somalia: Pray or die

  7 July 2006

Ethioblog and The Voice of Somaliland Diaspora both react to an edict handed down by a top cleric in the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) regime emerging in Somalia, to the effect that Muslims who don't observe prayers five times daily will be put to death. Ethioblog draws a fair...

Somalia: Al-Qaeda links claimed

Somaliland Diaspora writes that the Union of Islamic Courts (IUC) which took the Somali capital Mogadishu on June 4 is al-Qaeda-linked, and that the country could soon emerge as a worldwide haven for terrorists, along the same lines as the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Africa: Lessons Learned from Mittal Steel

  5 July 2006

Lessons drawn by Le Pangolin from the recent acquisition by Indian-owned steel company Mittal Steel of European-owned Arcelor (Fr): ” Economic actors of developing countries can really change the world if they are so inclined. (…) The West is not invincible.”

Somalia: U.S. foreign policy

  3 July 2006

Ainashe.net recommends an article on AntiWar.com about the failure of U.S. foreign policy in Somalia, and how it led to the emergence of an Islamist regime there. “It is a good read,” the blogger writes.

Africa: Is Homosexuality a Religion?

  2 July 2006

France-based Togolese Blogger Kangni Alem reflected on homosexuality in Africa recently. Namely, he tackled claims by some on the continent that homosexuality is a heretic religion. In the process, he mentioned recent “outings” of public figures. A debate ensued that involved Martinique's lesbian blogger Le Blog de [Moi] who'd read...