In Somali Chaos, Japan and Germany Offer Separate Training, U.S. Cuts Aid

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 8 — Mirroring the chaos of the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, donors and vultures and purported helpers are all working at cross purposes. Among the vultures we place a company called “Phoenix,” which brags of having contracts with the TFG to train security forces in Jordan for deployment in Somalia. We will have more on this.

  Meanwhile while the UN claims that it alone is authorized to train Somali forces, a senior UN official on Tuesday complained to Inner City Press that Japan and Germany are moving toward doing their own trainings, outside of Somalia.

  This has reportedly angered the UN’s envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould Abdullah enough that he has traveled to Tokyo. His spokesperson has repeatedly declined to answer questions from Inner City Press in the past.

  Three top UN humanitarian managers for Somalia briefed the Press on Tuesday, about shortfalls in fundraising. Inner City Press asked if they have solved their dispute with the United States, which slowed aid because transfers to Al Shabaab would violate U.S. anti terrorism laws. Mark Bowden, the UN’s Nairobi based humanitarian coordinator, confirmed his talks with “donors,” stressing that time is of the essence.

  Inner City Press asked Bowden about the UN urging the TFG president not to fire the police chief of Mogadishu, which nevertheless took place. Bowden confirmed the UN has concerned, but said they “come from the political side.” Then what is Ould Abdullah doing in Japan?

  In belated disclosure of how the TFG’s parliamentarians were paid, Inner City Press was told that when the parliament contained 250 members, countries including the U.S., UK and Norway paid their salaries. When the parliament swelled to 500, the UN Development Program started paying, Inner City Press was told. UNDP itself has repeatedly refused to answer questions about its funding in Somalia.

  Al Shabaab has ordered the UN World Food Program to stop importing food, to buy locally or not bring food in. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Graham Farmer conceded that bringing in food aid during the harvest season depresses the prices farmers get.

  Does WFP buy locally in Somalia? Farmer said WFP tries to buy locally elsewhere, but does not do so in Somalia. Why not? Watch this site.

Footnote: Bowden’s press conference was delayed, a spokesperson said, because he was blocked at the UN’s visitors’ entrance. Afterwards, Bowden told Inner City Press he showed his pass from the UN Office in Nairobi, but that this wasn’t accepted at the UN in New York. Ironically, Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders impersonator got into the building with no problem, but the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Somalia was stopped…

Source: innercityPress.com

PHOENIX INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT INC. CONDEMNS TODAYS BOMBING OF SOMALI MEDICAL STUDENTS GRADUATION IN MOGADISHU AND WEAK SUPPORT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

• Friday, 04 December 2009

(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 04, 2009) Amman, JORDAN – On Behalf of Phoenix Intelligence Support Inc., their Special Adviser on International Affairs – Dr. Mohamed Zayed Issued a condemnation of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Somali medical students as they were preparing their graduation event inside the Shamo Hotel Located within a “Protected Area”

Dr. Zayed stated that this terrorist attack underscores once again the results of slow support from the international community in fulfilling their publically announced promises at an April Donors Conference in Brussels. Pointing out the folly in restricting the AMISOM Mandate to a Defensive Policy during most of this year and supporting no “offensive,” counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism Initiatives such as the development of a “Green Zone” Style Professional Parameter System and operating a trust fund. Funding protocol, that is disjointed and counterproductive to both Private Sector and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) requesting funding for vital and essential programs, such as; third country training initiatives in Jordan, the TFG Zero Tolerance Policy for Anti Piracy and Illegal Fishing Operations that include 25 Interceptor Patrol Craft for Law Enforcement partially financed through Phoenix Partner companies, Electronic Countermeasures Equipment for Intelligence and Defense (GSM Interception, Cell and other Jamming Equipment and Sensors ) many of these programs, could have prevented attacks such as that which occurred today and saved many lives though many lay dormant due to slow or weak provision or promised funding from the international community.

The Phoenix Special Adviser noted that there is no “Civil War” in Somalia however there is a “Foreign” managed group of several thousand Criminals and Terrorists taking advantage of the lack of support and intervention by the international community falsely using religion to justify their criminal and cowardly behavior. There is nothing whatsoever in the properly interpreted religion of Islam , that permits their behavior. These are simply criminal terrorists seeking economic and political gain falsely using religion as a facade for their behavior.

The Phoenix Special Adviser further, that in addition to the special counter-terrorism and police unit training initiatives signed with Eastern International Academy in Jordan, Phoenix has also completed anti piracy and coast guard capacity building, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism Support Programs for the Transitional Federal Government which are currently being presented for funding to the Various “Trust Funds” set up for the support of such initiatives through the United Nations Political Office in Nairobi Kenya(UNPOS), AMISOM, AU, EC and Arab League Member States Dr. Zayed expressed that such efforts are currently being coordinated through their Jordanian office in Amman operated by former Senator Aref Rteimah and others who have excellent relationships with the United States Government as well as other Gulf Arab States.

Dr. Zayed stated that The international Community is not taking full advantage of the private – public partnerships with specialist companies and experts and that while the Naval Task Force in the Gulf Of Aden and Indian Ocean is a small deterrent to Piracy, it is not a proper of effective solution to the problem which emanates from land as without proper law enforcement, counter terrorism operations, intelligence and security systems on the ground Terrorism and Criminal Piracy will increase exponentially.

The Phoenix Special Adviser stated that “The International Joint Naval Task Force(s) cost an average of over $370 million USD per year to maintain with little effect, on the problems of piracy and hundreds of millions more are spent in support of AMISOM troops on a defensive peace keeping mission , with no offensive, counter terrorism/counter insurgency support” (due to a flawed operational mandate) that prevented any real suppression to the problems, which pose a threat to the entire worlds critical shipping lanes and gives rise to a safe haven for violent terrorists that plan to export their attacks throughout the region and are already beginning to do so in Yemen and other areas whereas “if only half of the mentioned amounts were spent on supporting proactive solutions on the ground, the world would see the situation start to resolve in less than a year”.

Money promised has not all been sent, the application of resources are not being focused properly on both defensive as well as offensive programs, none of which are the fault of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), (as they depend almost totally on the support of the “international community”) and it is the International Community who will be responsible for the positive or negative outcome, to the situation in Somalia depending on the speed and force of their publically promised support allocated to areas that will actually resolve these problems that face Somalia and directly effect global security.

Dr. Zayed stated that Phoenix is supporting lobbying efforts for funding on behalf of the Transitional Government according to agreements signed with the TFG in August and for the programs that Phoenix has developed through their partner companies and in cooperation with other governments who support proactive intervention and support for the TFG and understand the real problems facing Somalia and the effects that is has on Global Security.

The Solutions implemented in Somalia will dictate in large part, the future of regional security which directly effects all countries that are dependent on trade and are threatened by exported terrorism brought to Somalia by Foreign Criminals and opportunists.

The Somali people are educated, ambitious, family oriented people. They are not a war-like people, nor are they fundamentalist in their religious beliefs. Somalia has been and is being exploited, by foreign elements and a few thousand criminal elements in a country of nearly 8 million. This means that the international community is allowing “less than one tenth of a percent of the Somali Population” led by Foreign Elements, to kill innocent civilians (one Somali American professor from American university in Washington today foreign journalists and dozens of medical graduates and their families), hold the worlds ships, seafarers and cargo hostage, on a near daily basis, and threaten global security due to the lack of proactive counter terrorism and law enforcement policies on the ground in Somalia, that if not forcefully stifled, soon will cost us all much more in the years to come.

The Transitional Federal Government is comprised of the best that could be assembled through the Djibouti Process and are honest, educated people that are risking their lives every day in service of their country and people. Given the chance and the tools to act , they will secure and rebuild Somalia into the proud, productive and law abiding country that it has been in the past. A reading of the positive moments , in Somali history makes it clear that with properly allocated support from the international community as promised already, Somalia can return to a peaceful and productive member of the international community once again.

Lessons learned in Iraq, Afghanistan and other regions show what happens when real political will and commitment to a transitional government in a conflict area is implemented and what happened when it is not, or comes too little, or too late. The International Community must give the UN Backed Government (TFG) the tools and support they need on the ground and they must do it now, because tomorrow may hold regrets for us all.

Phoenix Intelligence Support Inc., supports both government and private contracts, providing training solutions, intelligence support, capacity building and other critical services to clients worldwide and currently has offices in the USA, Jordan, Egypt, Dubai, Lagos, Nairobi, Djibouti*, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Spain and a permanent office in Mogadishu – Somalia*.

Contact Phoenix Intelligence Support Inc. At:
info@phoenixintelligencesupport.com
www.phoenixintelligencesupport.com
Eastern International Academy Amman Jordan: http://www.eiac.org/

*= Offices Under Establishment With Current Representation

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