Polanyi

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  9. Posted

    Djibouti cleared Blackwater to kill pirates

     

    Djiboutian navy officers training onboard the US vessel 'Germantown'. The US have a major military basis in Djibouti

     

    © Darrell Dean/AFRICOM/afrol News

    afrol News, 1 December - The government of Djibouti permitted the controversial private US security firm Blackwater "to operate an armed ship from the port of Djibouti" and to "use lethal force against pirates."

     

    The permission was given in February 2009, it is revealed in a cable from the US Embassy in Djibouti, published by WikiLeaks today. Blackwater was to launch its private armed pirate hunt in March 2009, it was reported.

     

    US Ambassador James Swan, residing in the key US allied country Djibouti since October 2008, was informed about the Blackwater-Djibouti agreement by Robert Emmett Downey, Blackwater Worldwide's Development Manager for Africa. Mr Downey said he had received the permission to operate an armed ship by Djibouti's head of national security and intelligence services Hassan Said Khaireh.

     

    "This is the only such arrangement so far that Blackwater has made with a host government in the region, but Blackwater will likely engage Oman and Kenya in the future," Ambassador Swan was told.

     

    Blackwater, which has been involved in power abuse scandals in Iraq and Afghanistan, is the world's largest private security company, often described as "mercenaries acting above the law" by human rights groups opposing to a privatisation of military operations.

     

    Little has until now been known about Blackwater's engagement in Africa in general and in the fight against Somali pirates in particular. The WikiLeaks revelation about Djibouti's willingness to engage the company is expected to create strong reactions in East Africa.

     

    According to the information Mr Downey gave to the US embassy in Djibouti last year, the company had received permission to operate the US-flagged 183-foot ex-research vessel 'McArthur', which has landing space for two helicopters. "The ship will be armed with .50-caliber machine guns, and is able to protect a 3-ship convoy," Ambassador Swan was told. A staff of 33 US citizens would operate the vessel.

     

    The Blackwater vessel was to participate in the international efforts to stop Somali piracy in the western Indian Ocean. These efforts have been jeopardised by limited resources and few nations being willing to send their navy vessels on longer assignments. Repeated calls for more resources have gone unanswered, leaving much space for Somali piracy operations.

     

    In this power vacuum, Blackwater had found a "business concept," Mr Downey explained. Blackwater's business concept was described as "having its armed ship escort other ships requiring protection," according to the embassy report.

     

    "Blackwater's counter-piracy operation does not have any clients yet, but Blackwater expects business to develop following a public launch in Djibouti in March [2009] with government of Djibouti officials," Ambassador Swan reported.

     

    This planned "public launch" however never materialised. According to research by the 'New York Times', the new Obama government reacted negatively to Blackwater's anti-piracy plans and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made sure the controversial company cancelled its Djibouti plans.

     

    Washington probably reacted especially negatively to the Blackwater plans, cleared by Djibouti, as the company announced it would take no prisoners. "Blackwater has no intention of taking any pirates into custody," Ambassador Swan reported. "While the French have previously put pirates ashore in Puntland, Downey said Blackwater had no plans to do so, either in Somalia or Kenya," his report added.

     

    Mr Downey had emphasised that "international maritime law allows the use of lethal force against pirates" and that this was part of Blackwater's business plan. He also admitted that there was "no precedent for a paramilitary operation in a purely commercial environment."

     

    Djibouti intelligence chief Khaireh had agreed to these terms. The only demand by Mr Khaireh for Blackwater to operate its armed ship from Djibouti was the Djiboutian Navy would secure Blackwater's weapons "while ashore in Djibouti."

     

    Ambassador Swan commented that Djibouti authorities probably had approved of the controversial deal mainly due to commercial reasons. "Blackwater's presence in Djibouti would make it one of the largest US businesses operating in the country," Mr Swan commented.

     

    But the Ambassador also made it clear he was sceptical about the Blackwater announcement, saying he would "appreciate [the State] Department's guidance on the appropriate level of engagement with Blackwater." Ms Clinton reportedly advised against the embassy's engagement.

  17. Posted

    1. Elongated Cushitics/some nilotics tend to have pointy foreheads. In the Somali case, this is more prevalent as Somalis tend to inter marry and have rarely married other ethnicities. This is in stark contrast with other ethnicties who are more hetrogenous, like the the British, for example. If Britain had remained a Celtic state, it is said more Brtiains would have had ginger hair. However, a mixture of Roman, Scandanvian and french blood means there a variety of gene pools and people with different features. This is non existant in the SOmali gene. We keep the love within the family, save a few minority groups.

     

    2.This is a very sensitive question. Once a school mate of mine was knocking for me early in the morning, when his younger brother,not knowing I was at the top of the stairs, asked him if my house stank. Thankfully, he told him, " not really".So, there must be a perception that SOmalis stink. I don't know where this impression comes from. But I did have an eppihany a year and half ago when a SOmali lady and her family moved next door to my house. One day, as I was entering I smelt a strong dose of Somali incense, strong coal being burnt and Some kind of Soup. I had realised that this is a classic SOmali smell. Incense plus coal plus Soup= Somali Smell.

     

    3.Why do SOmalis look the same? see the answer to question 1.

     

    4.Why do Pirates attack? Like Biggie said, " I been robbin Niccaz since the slave ships". Niccaz need to eat!

     

    5. Why do Somalis ahve soft hair? Maybe because Somalis don't differentiate between cooking oil and hair oil? The secret is out!

     

     

    Dowlada federalka Bladland.

  21. Posted

    ^^ The experienced Arsenal teams of the past would have finished the game off and probably got four. When will Arsene and his fickle cheerleaders realise that they can't win the league with third rate french defenders and teenagers? :D

  22. Posted

    Originally posted by Chimera:

    quote:Originally posted by Polanyi:

    Truth be told, for most of you/us, our kids we will give birth to children in the west . Returning home is a myth that all immigrant communities subscribe to, but only a few ever do.

    In the Somali situation, the above is non-applicable, there has been conflict continuesly since they arrived in those host countries. Many however have in recent years returned to places like Puntland and Somaliland to live, invest etc.
    Of coursE it is applicable. The Somalis who have returned are only a small minority. The vast majority have children who are giving birth to other qurbo kids.