tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43474431163881544682024-03-06T03:00:30.538+03:00The Somali RenaissanceSatoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-75100170126027288402014-04-07T03:16:00.000+03:002014-04-07T03:16:36.898+03:00The humiliation that comes with being a Somali in KenyaSunrise...Sunset....Sunrise....Sunset. <div>
From our vantage point, time moves forward linearly but the status of Somalis in Kenya is stuck in place.</div>
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Satoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745605267556088471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-49264333698860748182014-04-05T07:25:00.000+03:002014-04-05T07:39:43.313+03:00Google Searches for the terms "Somali" "War" and "Terror" in Kenya Since 2010I decided to look up the relative aggregate search popularity of the terms "Somali","War" and "Terror" in Kenya.<br />
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Here is the Graphic<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="//www.google.com/trends/embed.js?hl=en-US&q=Somali,+War,+Terror&geo=KE&date=1/2009+63m&cmpt=q&content=1&cid=TIMESERIES_GRAPH_0&export=5&w=600&h=450"></script>Satoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11745605267556088471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-71061842014019440442012-07-02T01:03:00.001+03:002012-07-02T01:04:00.393+03:0017 Killed in Garissa Church Attack<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w3cA1wEHW6k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-86404423814725135002012-05-18T18:30:00.001+03:002012-05-18T18:31:27.745+03:00NAIROBI STAR:Amref Launches a 5-year Health Project in GSABy Stephen Astariko<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Amref has launched a five-year health project in Iftin sub district hospital in Garissa district. Officially launching the programme yesterday, country director Lennie Kyomuhangi said, "People living in semi-arid lands are bedevilled by a life characterised by social and gender inequalities within a hierarchical clan system. "There is an unequal labor force, early marriages, polygamy, female genital cutting and stigmatization of people living with HIV,97 of the inhabitants of the northern Arid lands like Turkana, Samburu,Gabbra, Rendile, Somali, Orma and Pokomo live beyond the poverty line. "As an organisation this are some of the things we want to tackle," she added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The director said her organization was prompted to act in response to the health and economic needs of the vulnerable groups and through the support of the American people, the APHIAplus IMARISHA project she said will be initiated in the counties of Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Tana River in partnership with the government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The programme, is working closely with the GOK line ministries to provide HIV, TB, Family Planning, Reproductive Health, Maternal Newborn and Child Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene as well as household economic strengthening services for these vulnerable and underserved populations. Present during the launch were representatives from GOK, USAID and consortium partners. AMREF, in partnership with the Ministry of Health also offered free medical treatment for area residents.</span></div>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-19073312471153384312012-05-16T19:18:00.000+03:002012-05-17T23:59:09.902+03:00Maryan Hussein Declares interest in County SeatMaryan Hussein, an employee of Garissa Municipal Council has thrown her hat into Garissa County politics. Her campaign launch was attended by various representatives of women's groups. She called for a permanent change in the status quo, the recognition of women's contribution to society and their ability to succeed in leadership roles.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Maryan said many women who lost their livestock due to the sporadic drought have lost their livelihood and were in dire need for micro financing projects that will help reduce the impact of the poverty. she added: "I bilieve i understand the county's problem having bred here and thrust into the thick of problems but after suffering the problem i come with a solution and not bickering," "i was shocked since it was taking me long to make some voter understand the position i will vie for " she said She urged men to shun their preconception that women can never be leaders . The ODM nominated mp Sofia Abdi was the first women who ever tried a parliamentary seat in Ijara constituency of Garissa county 1997 elections but lost .same to others who have been trying civic seats </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. </span></blockquote>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-66142473717915922322012-05-11T00:37:00.003+03:002012-05-11T00:38:22.698+03:00KIDNAPPED: A SHORT FILM SET IN GARISSA<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N6ajt2Fhf9I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-57731338171436059272012-05-10T23:53:00.000+03:002012-05-10T23:53:57.561+03:00Police Abused Somalis in Border RegionsHuman Rights Watch reports of atrocities committed by the Kenyan Police and Military units in border regions where military operations are currently ongoing. Kenya's Defense forces have a reputation for committing war crimes against civilian populations.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In its report, <a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/04/kenya-investigate-security-force-abuses-against-ethnic-somalis-0" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">“Criminal Reprisals: Kenya Police and Military against Ethnic Somalis,”</a> Human Rights Watch says that the Police and the army had committed the widespread human rights violations against members of the country's Somali ethnic minority while responding to the attacks. Many people were seriously beaten and left with broken bones. Others were raped by the police, according to HRW officials.<br />“Our primary concern is despite the series of attacks, so far there has been no accountability. The police and military have not identified the officers who are responsible. They have not been held accountable,” said Neela Ghosal, the Nairobi-based Human Rights Watch researcher at the launch of the report in Nairobi on May 4.<br />The 65 page reports is based on interviews of 55 victims of abuses, including Somali refugees in the Dadaab Refugee Camp, and 35 citizens in the northern Kenyan towns of Garissa, Wajir, and Madera. The abuses were committed in between November 2011 and March 2012, according to HRW.<br />The organization said the most serious abuses were carried out by the police in Dadaab Camp, the home of nearly 600,000 Somali refugees who are fleeing drought and war. Police went house to house, beating and looting, and raping at least one woman, the report said.<br />“What has happened is an arbitrary round-up of the residents who have been mistreated in the aftermath of these attacks… These are activities that have nothing to do with policing, but seemed sort of designed as form of collective punishment,” Ms. Ghosal said.<br />Some of the police tactics seem to be aimed at humiliating the local population, by rounding up civilians and forcing them to roll in the mud or to sit in the water.<br />Derow Abdi Salat, a survivor of the abuses, recounted how he and other Kenyan Somalis were rounded up from their homes and made to lie on their stomachs on a road. The soldiers later forced them to stare at the blazing midday sun.<br />Mr. Salat claims that beatings by Kenyan soldiers caused permanent damage to his genitals. "My marriage is now strained,” he said at the press conference. “I appeal to the government to consider compensating those who were affected,”<br />Early this year, HRW documented abuses by Ethiopian forces and militias affiliated to the<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Somali+Transitional+Federal+Government" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Transitional Federal Government</a> inside Somalia. The organization said the two had executed and detained suspected al-Shabab sympathizers.<br />“We are concerned there could be similar atrocities committed by the Kenyan soldiers and Ethiopian forces,” said Ben Rawlence, senior researcher, Human Rights Watch.<br />Part of the problem in understanding what is happening in Somalia by Kenyan forces is the restriction the forces are placing on the press, said Mr. Rawlance.</span></blockquote>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-71524956275733382132012-05-10T23:39:00.000+03:002012-05-10T23:39:25.426+03:00Bomb Scare Closes off Tana River BridgeReport comes to us via Stephen Astariko<br />
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Transport to and from North Eastern region was paralysed for more than 10 hours after a suspected explosive device was found under Garissa/Tana Bridge.<br />Hundreds of vehicles and commuters remained stranded on the both sides of the five-metre bridge which is the only entry into and exit from the remote region bordering the war-torn Somalia.<br />Security personnel including ballistic experts who were called in from Nairobi condoned off the bridge as they searched for the suspected explosive that was first noticed by a member of the public who was crossing the bridge on foot. The security scare led to more than 10 seminars being cancelled in Garissa town leading to massive loss of income by the local traders. Some hoteliers estimated losses of millions of shillings in the cancellations.<br />According to witnesses, the suspected Improvised Explosive Device was found attached neatly beneath the bridge by a commuter who raised the attention of the police manning the area. A witness who declined to be named said the officers led ballistic experts who come by military helicopter from Nairobi, removed the device and directed the security officers manning the bridge to stop vehicles and people from using it until they ensure its safety .<br />The Islamists militia group al Shabaab who were blamed for spates of kidnappings of foreign aid workers working in North-Eastern region and incursion into the border districts led to the invasion of the Kenya Defence Force has repeatedly threatened to explode the bridge to cut off the Military supplies to KDF fighting inside Somalia flush out the terror linked group.<br />The bridge security scare come barely five hours after a similar incident disrupted humanitarian activities at the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp for the better part of Thursday. In the Dadaab incident a suspected IED was found at the Dadaab main offices for humanitarian aid organizations operating in the area which led to a circulation of security threat that resulted to the suspension of all activities within the refugee camps.<br />Speaking to the press over the two incidents North eastern PC James Ole Serian said that "a device like bomb was seen at the middle of the road last night, one man who seen seated next to the place where the device was found was arrested and interrogated by the police,". He added: "When the police interrogated the man, he claimed to be resting and was ordered by the police to leave the area immediately, when the security personnel went to the check the place where he was seated they saw some bottle they suspected to be an IED,".<br />The PC further said that bomb experts were called in to check and found that what caused the security scare "was an empty bottle tired beneath the bridge". However, they took the precaution and closed the bridge from public use for safety and he urged the public to be extra alert so as not to be caught off guard by terrorist attacks.</blockquote>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-77261605588466145132012-03-10T22:24:00.001+03:002012-03-10T22:24:50.734+03:00A Garissa Family's Story of Shattered Dreams<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qppMcZGom2Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-21467919230301860452012-03-08T00:12:00.001+03:002012-03-08T00:21:24.467+03:00My Take on KCSE Result NullificationsGarissa's efforts to establish unchanging premise when it comes to our failures is tainted by the insoluble contradiction of facts. The cancellation of KCSE results for a staggering 90% of Garissa schools can not be dismissed as just discrimination. I think boiling down a complex story as this with a lot nuances to a simplistic narrative that puts the blame for some of our failures on others is myopic and counterproductive.<br />
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This is a moment for deep soul searching for all of us who care about the academic success of Garissa. We can no longer afford to resist introspection as suspect indulgence.<br />
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Cheating in national exams happens in every part of Kenya. It's not any more common in Garissa than in other part of this nation. However, what is most common in Garissa is dumb cheating. Students copying someone else's work verbatim or walking into exam rooms with prepared notes or cell phones. And even sometimes, students buying the co-operation of invigilators who in the end double cross them by banking their money and reporting their malfeasance to authorities.<br />
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There might have been many good students who had their exams unfairly cancelled and those deserve redress. I'm not trying to belittle their grievances or parse over a history of discriminatory policies from the central government that has targeted Somalis disproportionately.<br />
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That said, there will never be change until we diagnose the underlying circumstances that permit some of these egregious faults to happen. Some of it comes as a result of our own failures. We're entangled in a vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy and disease. We always buy into conspiracy theories that shift the blame to others.<br />
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For as long as Somalis put little value on academic success and hard work, we'll never see change. For as long as we see things through the lens of clanism, we'll have a repeat of this annually. And for as long as we don't stand up for what is just and fight for it, we'll be trampled on.<br />
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I stand by those students who took to the streets to protest peacefully. It's time for Somalis to wake up. However, looting the shops of fellow Somalis is immoral and wrong. Halting trade and bringing the issue to the forefront in the national media is fair as long as its done peacefully.<br />
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Threatening to join foreign militias will not get you an A. Going back to school, working hard and choosing good leaders will get you success in both worlds.Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-72117290428223868672012-03-07T23:01:00.000+03:002012-03-07T23:06:49.492+03:00Riots Post KCSE Results<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sDwBvvS4lnM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-11341972360819390722012-01-02T01:37:00.002+03:002012-01-02T01:37:33.089+03:00Night Club Bombed in Garissa<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j-c-OVBjBAs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-91727696122257870552011-11-28T21:31:00.001+03:002011-11-28T21:31:01.840+03:00Of Grieve & Loss (Video)<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zXPnJSMD-ME" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-16074229121348179342011-11-26T00:30:00.001+03:002011-11-26T00:31:02.153+03:00Garissa Attack Aftermath {VIDEO}<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wJYJSmgeHr0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-64567577537809201602011-11-24T21:42:00.001+03:002011-11-26T00:32:10.459+03:00Breaking News: Two Explosions Rock Garissa TonightTwo separate explosions targeting Non-Somalis took place in Garissa tonight. The explosions have so far claimed six lives and injured thirty more.<br />
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In Ngamia Road, the attackers targeted labourers in the construction industry most of whom are Kambas. A grenade was lobbed into a restaurant near Boolimoog clinic where these workers frequent. Five died here<br />
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The second explosion was in down-town Garissa at Kwa Chege's Restaurant near Jamia mosque. One person is said to have died there. Patrons were watching the 7pm news when an unknown person lobbed a grenade into the restaurant.<br />
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The attackers are said to have escaped on bodabodas. (unconfirmed)<br />
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Heavy police presence is reported in both places. Unfortunately there are no ambulances or paramedics treating and evacuating the victims. Many are reportedly walking to the hospital on their own.<br />
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As usual, witnesses are reporting police meting out severe beatings on local Garissans for no apparent reason, other being Somali. This is counter-productive and bound to radicalize the youth. It's no way to win an asymmetrical war like the one Al-Shabab is waging on Kenya.<br />
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It's a safe bet now that Garissa is no longer the safest city in East and Central Africa.<br />
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Pray for peace and safety. These are truly perilous times.Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-89801958635482678162011-11-20T22:43:00.001+03:002011-11-21T00:02:18.847+03:00Private Omar Mahmud Adan Of Garissa in the frontlines defending KenyaWhile mainstream Somalis in Kenya have been facing the constant discrimination and racism against them with remarkable stoicism and resolve, some of our Somali boys are on the front-lines defending this country at a huge cost.<br />
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Regrettably many in this country throw outlandish and slanderous statements at Private Omar and his ethnic community based solely on their uniqueness.<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NB0zTR0FYuE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-4388695102566487452011-11-19T02:47:00.001+03:002011-11-26T00:43:43.928+03:00Our Lame Media<br />
Human beings have a noted bias towards those of their kind and creed. This explains why Kenya's media has been the equivalent of a Nazi propaganda machine when it comes to Kenya's war on Somalia. The media has been forever overlooking the serious crimes the army has been accused of committing in anyplace it has ever been deployed to; be it <a href="http://bit.ly/uU8vqV">Mount Elgon</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/srCwO2">Mandera</a> and now <a href="http://bit.ly/rzZ6Z5">Somalia</a>.<br />
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I'm not sure if its tribal. Tribal loyalty mainly consists of judging people solely by which side they are on and if the coverage is anything to go by, the media has been nothing short of cheer-leader for this effort.<br />
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It's not so much as being patriotic, it's that they've been consistently pursuing hatred and bigotry against Somalis for half a decade now.<br />
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The media eschews fairness and accountability, writes editorial urging the government to invade Somalia and casts a blind-eye on all the shortcomings of the military and the political class. It's like they've been paid to shill for all that is bad about this country.<br />
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Joseph Goebbels' (Hitler's propaganda minister) infamous propaganda principles included this<br />
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<i><b>"Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the target of hatred."</b></i><br />
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Clearly some at NTV, KTN and Citizen have been reading this.<br />
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I hope this instills some cognitive dissonance in you and makes you seek information from unbiased sources. What we have in Kenya is a sham hate mongering machine that masquerades as MEDIA.<br />
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Let's all pray for peace and brotherly love.Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-23506056211826663622011-11-19T02:40:00.001+03:002011-11-19T02:42:02.949+03:00Human Rights Watch Lambastes Kenya For Rights Violations in a Letter<br />
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Letter to Yusuf Haji, Minister of State for Defence</h6>
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<span class="created">NOVEMBER 18, 2011</span></div>
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<br />Dear Hon. Haji:<br /><br />I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch to raise concerns regarding possible violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by elements of the Kenyan armed forces during Operation “Linda Nchi.”<br /><br />Human Rights Watch researches violations of human rights and the laws of war by governments and non-state armed groups in more than 80 countries around the world. We raise our concerns with the responsible parties and with other concerned actors. For all abuses, we press for justice and accountability.<br /><br />One focus of Human Rights Watch’s work is the protection of civilians during armed conflict. International humanitarian law (the laws of war) seeks to minimize civilian casualties during armed conflict, and prohibits deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. It applies to all parties to a conflict, both government forces and non-state armed groups. The protection of basic civil and political rights under international human rights law must be assured in times of conflict as in times of peace.<br /><br />We are concerned about possible violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by Kenyan armed forces during three incidents connected to Operation Linda Nchi. We wish to know what steps the Kenyan government is taking to investigate the incidents and its response in the event of any finding of wrongdoing.<br /><br />We would appreciate your response to the questions raised below.<br /><br />On October 30, 2011, the Kenyan air force carried out an attack with aerial bombardment that struck an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of the town of Jilib in Somalia. The international humanitarian organization Médecins sans Frontières reported treating 45 wounded people, including 31 children, and confirmed five civilian deaths following the aerial bombardment.</div>
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<strong>I. Possible Unlawful Attack in Jilib, Somalia</strong><br />On November 1, Kenyan Armed Forces spokesperson Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir stated that the Kenyan air force attack at Jilib had only killed members of the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. A Department of Defence statement claimed that any civilian casualties might be due to the fact that “[u]pon the aerial attack an Al Shabaab driver drove off a technical battle wagon … [that] exploded while at the camp causing the reported deaths and injuries.” However, a civilian wounded in the attack told Human Rights Watch that she had seen a dark green plane drop one bomb on the camp. She said the plane then turned around, came back and dropped another bomb on the camp that wounded her, and started firing machinegun rounds.<br /><br />International humanitarian law requires all parties to an armed conflict to only target combatants and never civilians. Attacks that do not distinguish between combatants and civilians are indiscriminate, and are a serious violation of the laws of war. Civilians have reported that al-Shabaab members were expected at the IDP camp. But a camp resident told Human Rights Watch that al-Shabaab members were not present at the time of the bombing as they were praying at a mosque in Jilib town, along with many of the town's male residents. Al Shabaab unlawfully places civilians at risk whenever they place their fighters inside the IDP camp. However, under the laws of war this would not justify indiscriminate bombing of the camp by Kenyan forces.<br /><br />On November 2, Prime Minister Raila Odinga publicly promised that there would be investigations into any civilian deaths that occurred as a result of the military operation. Governments have a responsibility to investigate credible reports of violations of international humanitarian law and appropriately prosecute those responsible.<br /><br /><strong><em>1. What investigations have the Kenyan armed forces undertaken thus far into possible violations of the laws of war that occurred in the Jilib IDP camp as a result of the military operation? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>2. What steps have been taken to hold accountable any military personnel found to be responsible for serious violations of the laws of war and to prevent such violations in the future?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>3.</em></strong><strong><em>What compensation is the Kenyan government planning on offering to civilians for loss of life, injury, and property damage</em> <em>if investigations determine Kenyan responsibility for unlawful attacks? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>4. More generally, what precautions are the Kenyan forces taking during their military operations to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law? What training in international humanitarian law have the Kenyan forces engaged in Somalia received? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong>II. Possible Unlawful Attack near Kiunga, Kenya</strong><br />On the night of November 3 the Kenyan navy intercepted a fishing boat near Kiunga, on the Kenyan coast near the Somalia border. According to research conducted by the Muslim Human Rights Forum (MHRF) and shared with Human Rights Watch, the fishing boat voluntarily came to shore. Navy personnel searched and interrogated the persons on the fishing boat. The passengers, all of whom were Kenyans from Ngomeni, explained that they were returning from two months at sea, and had been carried by the tides toward Somalia, but were trying to make their way back to Ngomeni, near Malindi. The navy instructed the fishing boat to remain anchored for the night and promised to escort it to Ngomeni the next morning. At approximately 1 a.m. on November 4, the navy ship approached and fired on the fishing boat, which remained anchored off the shore of Kiunga.<br /><br />According to MHRF, four civilians were killed, all of them elderly Kenyans: Mohamed Masuo, 85, Haji Omar Mote, 73, Isa Yusuf, 61, and Salim Chechemeyo, 60. The remaining fishermen swam to shore and were detained by the Kenyan armed forces at Ishakani. At least two of them had gunshot wounds. At the army base, they were allegedly severely beaten by Kenyan military personnel before being transferred to police custody and eventually released.<br /><br />This account calls into question the version of events put forward by the Ministry of Defence. According to a statement by Major Chirchir on November 4, the fishing boat was fired upon after it refused an order from the navy ship to stop for identification.<br /><br />International humanitarian law applies at sea and prohibits deliberate attacks on civilians. It requires that warring parties take all feasible precautions to ensure that objects attacked are valid military targets. International human rights law, which was also applicable, permits the use of lethal force outside of zones of armed conflict only when it is strictly and directly necessary to save human life.<br /><br /><strong><em>1. What investigations, if any, have been undertaken into the conduct of navy personnel on the navy ship that fired on the fishing boat near Kiunga? Have any navy personnel been disciplined or otherwise held accountable? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>2. What investigations have been undertaken into allegations of mistreatment of fishermen detained at Ishakani?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>3. What compensation is the Kenyan government planning on offering to civilians for civilian loss of life, injury, and property damage</em></strong><strong><em>for unlawful attacks or use of force? </em></strong><br /><br /><strong>III. Possible Arbitrary Detention and Mistreatment in Garissa, Kenya</strong><br />Human Rights Watch has received reports that Kenyan military personnel have been engaged in arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of civilians in Garissa, near the Somali border. A witness told Human Rights Watch that on November 11, military personnel detained individuals solely on the basis of their Somali appearance. The witness saw military personnel picking up suspects at pubs around Garissa, including DRC Pub and Locus; he later drove to Town Club and saw military personnel detaining additional suspects there, as well as pulling drivers out of taxis. The witness stated that those picked up by military personnel were forced to sit in mud and dirty water outside these locations. According to the witness, a number of them were beaten by military personnel while being interrogated. Most were then released after interrogation, but some were detained. The witness also heard reports that people were detained and beaten in Village Takwa.<br /><br />Both international humanitarian and human rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and national origin. Detention on such a basis is a violation of international law, as is all mistreatment of persons in custody.<br /><br /><strong><em>1. On what legal basis did the military detain and interrogate civilians at Garissa?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>2. What investigations have been undertaken into allegations of mistreatment of detained persons in Garissa?</em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>3. What compensation is the Kenyan government planning on offering to civilians for injury </em></strong><strong><em>from mistreatment?</em></strong><br /><br />The Kenyan Armed Forces have an international legal obligation to conduct any and all operations, both within and outside of Kenya, in accordance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Human Rights Watch will continue to monitor the situation in Kenya and Somalia in order to promote compliance with international law by all parties to the conflict. We would greatly appreciate your response to these questions.<br /><br />Yours sincerely,</div>
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Daniel Bekele<br />Director, Africa Division<br />Human Rights Watch</div>
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</div>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-32440139638407983902011-11-11T21:15:00.001+03:002011-11-11T21:48:04.739+03:00The Cost of War; Trade Slump in GarissaIt's neither the Politicians nor the Generals that pay the price for war. It's rather the citizenry that is already suffocated by inflation and scarcity. <div>
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And I'm not saying this to vindicate my stand on the occupation of Somalia by Kenya's Army.</div>
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K2_iYYo5HSE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-28981962681063581162011-11-09T12:09:00.000+03:002011-11-09T12:09:02.048+03:00It's the 1980s all over again<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iCe5xu4zjPM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-1474005411379435322011-11-08T21:34:00.001+03:002011-11-08T21:56:37.235+03:00The Kleptocracy That is KenyaIn a post I wrote about 11 months ago titled<a href="http://garissacity.blogspot.com/2010/12/kenya-african-mexico.html"> "Kenya: The African Mexico, its Stockholm Syndrome and What Somalis Can do to change their fortunes"</a> I wrote this telling paragraph:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> Kenya is being over-run by drug cartels and narco-hitmen. Its unprofessional and untrained police officers are getting whacked Mafia style right in the heart of Nairobi while they are pre-occupied with explaining their bad fortunes on non existent 'terrorists' and burqa clad femme fatales.</span><br style="line-height: 19px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The uptick in clashes between Police and drug traffickers is a sign that Kenya's long running drug problem is coming of age. We have now entered a new phase where drug barons feel powerful enough to take on the weak and co-opted police force. Kenya's is fast morphing into a Mexico. Its now the equivalent of a Brazilian Favella. Traffickers have heavily embedded themselves deep into every level of society and are virtually controlling law enforcement on this almost failed state.</span></span></blockquote>
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That prognosis still holds true today and this is the actual war we should be fighting today.<br />
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Much of the hooblah surrounding Kenya's occupation of Southern Somalia has gone overboard now. Those of us opposed to the Somali war are opposing it on philosophical, humanitarian and economic grounds. We are not opposed to the war in Somalia because we are lily-livered weaklings. We understand declaring war is different from winning a war and Kenya has over the past 47 years shown that it is bad at fighting.</div>
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There is a temptation to take uncritical pride in your country when its defending you against enemies foreign even if that enemy is the imagination of a couple of brain-addled politicians.</div>
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The real war Kenya's security apparatus should be fighting is the one against narcotics. Our youths and children deserve to be protected from the evils of hard drugs. Our greatest enemy is the insidiousness of drugs, the way it separates families and corrupts every lever of our society.</div>
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The video embedded below is a good indication.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bjAbl0R0aJA" width="640"></iframe>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-11215062554350103462011-11-06T00:11:00.000+03:002011-11-06T00:26:36.226+03:00Breaking: Bomb Explodes in a Church Near County High<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A grenade attack killed two people in the town of Garissa in northern Kenya on Saturday and an explosive device was found close by, local residents said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"We heard a blast and saw a flash light up the area. I rushed to the site and saw two people lying in a pool of blood, dead. Three others were wounded and screaming for help," Garissa resident Abdirahman Yussuf told Reuters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A short while earlier, a bomb hidden in a bag was found planted beneath a power transformer opposite a military camp, eye witnesses said. It did not detonate. (Reporting by Daud Yussuf and Noor Ali</span></div>
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Eid Celebrations in Garissa tomorrow will tempered by the realization that two innocent people were heinously murdered in our city for their beliefs. In a county where religious diversity is the norm, this comes as a shock.<br />
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We pray for the quick recovery of those injured. May Allah grant us peace during Eid-ul-AdhaSatoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-33935256599292951922011-11-05T23:35:00.001+03:002011-11-05T23:35:24.821+03:00EID MUBARAK<img src="http://delhi4cats.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/eid-2010.jpg" />Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-7155851880253891802011-11-05T23:10:00.001+03:002011-11-11T21:49:04.878+03:00Kenyan Somalis at Risk of Xenophobic AttacksApparently people are shocked that the constant vilification of Somalis on TV, Social Media and Parliament could lead to reprisal attacks against them. Some of us are on the record stating the obvious long before this war.<br />
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The distrust of Somalis will always hurt national cohesion more than it will harm actual Somalis living in Kenya. To the extent that there is a significant portion of the Kenyan populace that is somaliphobic, I think that emanates from trade envy and a failure to understand the significant role we played in this country's history. Historical revisionism has edited out the vital role Somalis hold in this nation and our contribution to the remarkable success of the Kenyan economy in the past decade.<br />
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It doesn't help either that we have brain-dead leaders who continue to feed upon our disenfranchisement rather than unity. The unintended consequence of this conflation of Somalis with Al-Shabab might be the unification of all Somalis living in Kenya.<br />
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Let me get to the point of this post.. which is this assessment offered by the head of NCIC regarding Somali Kenyans.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The continued branding of Kenyan Somalis as Al-Shabaab sympathisers could fuel xenophobic attacks against them, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has warned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">NCIC also criticised Friday’s attack on presidential hopeful Raphael Tuju who was on a campaign tour in Kisumu, which it described as the "apex in the country’s pyramid of intolerance".</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">On the hate propaganda targeted at Kenyan Somali community, chairman Mzalendo Kibunjia said this was being propagated through social media, broadcasts and SMS text messages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“These include one that advises Kenyans to alight from matatus if they get on board. This outrightly amounts to fear mongering and is likely to fuel xenophobic attacks against the community. We shall not allow this to happen,” said Mr Kibunjia at the Commission’s Delta House headquarters in Nairobi Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“People become Al-Shabaab or any militia group on their individual capacity and not as an ethnic group or race,” he said citing Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, the self-confessed terrorist, who pleaded guilty to the grenade attacks in Nairobi last month.</span></div>
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Finally, I received an e-mail, yesterday, from a friend asking me to make a distinction between Somali Kenyans and Somali refugees so (non-Somali) readers can know who I'm referring to. I refuse to do so mainly because those who hate us for being Somali generally hate us without making any such distinction. I don't think selling out my refugee brethren would make them accept me for the Kenyan that I am anymore.Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4347443116388154468.post-87490369952802614132011-11-05T01:16:00.000+03:002011-11-05T07:33:15.255+03:00Garissa Police Arrest 70 in a Swoop on Chang'aa Den Kambi Moto<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Another indication of the total inefficacy of Garissa's Ulamaa and the erosion of the city's Islamic identity comes to us via this report filed by Stephen Astariko.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Administration police officers yesterday raided chang'aa dens in Garissa town and its surroundings and arrested 70 people and seized 1,000 litres of chang'aa. Police officers were ordered to conduct the raids after receiving information from wananchi that criminals believed to be al Shabaab sympathisers were hiding in the dens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking after arresting the suspects and impounding more than 1,000 litres of chang'aa, Garissa acting DC Ambroce Lochokwe said that the raids are meant to flush out gangsters hiding in the dens. One youth who narrowly escaped the police dragnet said he had started seeing strange faces at the place that he frequented.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"One heavily built youthful looking man came here (kambi ya moto) two days ago and found me enjoying a glass of chang'aa and started asking me questions about this town. I then become suspicious about him, he disappeared before I raised the alarm," said the man who identified himself only as Musyoka. Lochokwe while briefing the media said the crackdown will continue until all the dens that harbour criminals are 'completely done away with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now I'm not against people wh</span><span style="font-size: large;">o don't share my beliefs and values enjoying their evening pint so long as they are doing so legally and are not a threat to the public. But this popping up of dens where dangerous liquor is manufactured and sold is a threat to public health and safety. </span></div>Satoshi Nakamotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13174494240265460862noreply@blogger.com0