Weekly Bulletin of IRIN Radio Service (July 11th, 2002)

SOMALI PEACE TALKS FIXED FOR SEPTEMBER The UN Security Council on Tuesday confirmed that the planned Somali peace talks to be held under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are now scheduled to take place in September. The Council's current president, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, said the Council is to consider a draft resolution on Somalia this week, according to the council president, the draft resolution will be discussed by experts before implementation. A technical committee, comprised the neighbouring states - Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya - was established by the IGAD foreign ministers' committee, which met in Nairobi in February. The proposed conference has been affected by a number of delays arising from differences between the frontline states over the objectives of the conference. An analyst told IRIN that the technical committee members will have to reach agreement on the objectives of the conference, and resolve their political difference very quickly for the conference is to convene in September. BAIDOA CEASEFIRE DOCUMENT SIGNED The warring sides in the southern town of Baidoa have officially signed a ceasefire document, local sources told IRIN on Wednesday. The ceasefire arranged by mediation ,has been observed by both sides, even before the signing of the document. Fighting between rival factions of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), which controls much of Bay and Bakol regions in southwestern Somalia, erupted last week. The conflict pitted forces loyal to the RRA chairman, Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, against those loyal to his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade. According to the source, Shatigadud signed the document on Tuesday afternoon, while Adan Madobe and Habsade signed on Wednesday morning. The document commits the two sides "to move all their militias from Baidoa proper, and hand over all technicals (battle wagons) to neutral elders". Sources told IRIN, This particular clouse in the document removed the threat of renewed fighting inside the town. However regional analysts warned that even though the ceasefire was good news, it did not address "the underlying political issues which caused the fighting in the first place". The basic problem arose over demands by Shai-gudud’s deputies to dismantle the self declared South West of Somalia regional government.The deputies also called for a clan congress of the RRA to elect a new leadership. The RRA chairman Shatigadud, refused, on grounds that the SWS is the only legitimate entity in the region". VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF SOMALI REFUGEES LAUNCHED A first batch of Somali refugees will return from Djibouti to Somaliland on Saturday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR announced on Wednesday. It said these first voluntary repatriations were taking place after "long negotiations" between the Djibouti and Somaliland authorities. About 14,000 refugees - out of a total of 21,700 - have registered to return. Some 2,300 will be repatriated, in convoys of 250 people, until the end of July when the operation will be suspended because of the heat, UNHCR spokesman Jonathan Clayton told IRIN. The operation will resume when the weather improves. According to UNHCR, the voluntary repatriations mark the end of yet another protracted refugee crises in the Horn of Africa after that of Ertirean refugees. The refugees who have been away from their country for over 10 years, will be returning from the camps of Ali-Adde and Hol Hol close to the border with Somaliland. SOMALI REGION OF ETHIOPIA SETS OUT ITS PROGRAMME The new government for the Somali region of Ethiopia intends to switch from relief to development to escape from poverty. According to the vice-president, Abdul Jibril, the key needs are water, health and education. This he hopes to do with the commitment of the international community. The Somali Regional State is an area of Ethiopia synonymous with drought, famine and conflict - each disaster exacerbated by political turmoil that has gripped the region. The new sixty day old regional government has an enormous task to tackle. The region which has been ravaged by wars and clan conflict has hosted tens of thousands of Somali refugees fleeing their country. Five refugee camps housing over 50,000 Somali refugees, have littered the arid landscape and placed an additional burden on already over-stretched services. The Somali Regional State - also known as Zone Five - is one of the largest areas in Ethiopia. Some 85 percent of its official 3.4 million population are nomadic pastoralists whose livelihood depends entirely on their cattle - many of which were lost during the 2000 famine. In addition to fierce clashes with rival clans and ethnic groups, the pastoralists' situation has been further aggravated by lack of water, necessary for their livestock. But gradually, and with the commitment of the international community, the new vice-president of the region, Abdul Jibril, hopes to make a difference. Our needs here are very vast, Abdul told IRIN, but we are already working on our priorities.