Israeli media reports say the International Criminal Court might soon issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli government and military officials.

Monday 29, April  2024 {HMC}  Israeli officials are growing wary that they could face prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the war in Gaza.

After days of conjecture in Israeli media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Sunday that it has issued warnings to senior political and military officials that they could soon face arrest warrants.

The ministry said it has informed Israeli missions of “rumours” concerning prosecutions.

The ICC has given no indication that warrants are imminent and has made no comment on the claims.

Israeli officials have referred in recent days to an ICC probe launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian fighters going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. The investigation is also charged with looking at Israel’s construction of settlements in occupied territory such as the West Bank.

‘Anti-Semitism’

Senior Israeli officials have demanded assurances from the ICC that Israel will not be targeted, suggesting any action might constitute “anti-Semitism”.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz pushed on Sunday for the ICC to waive any threat that it could target Israelis over the war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and pushed hundreds of thousands towards famine.

“We expect the court [ICC] to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defence”.

Israel launched its latest war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas carried out attacks in southern Israel, killing 1,139 people.

“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” Netanyahu posted on the social media platform X.

Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territory was admitted with the status of a member state in 2015.

In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed by Hamas fighters in Israel and by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

Khan has said his team is investigating whether any crimes have been committed in Gaza and those who are in breach of the law will be held accountable.

The investigation at the ICC – which tries individuals on allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is separate from a genocide case launched against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also based in The Hague.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is a United Nations court that deals with disputes between states.

Monday 29, April  2024 {HMC} Six employees of Hormuud Telecommunication Company were killed in a landmine explosion in the Garasbaaley area on the outskirts of Mogadishu on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, Hormuud Telecom, the leading telecommunications provider in Somalia, described the attack as a deliberate targeting, which is part of a series of attacks against commercial companies in Somalia.

The company did not attribute blame to any specific entity, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Somali government strongly condemned the attack, accusing the al-Shabab group of being behind the blast.

The six men killed have been identified as follows:

1. Hussein Moalim Abdi Weheliye

2. Mohamed Abdule Wardheere

3. Mohamed Ahmed Wehliye

4. Abdikarim Osman Abdi

5. Abdinasir Ahmed Mohamud

6. Abdifitah Nurur Abdi Fiydow

However, the attack follows a previous incident on March 19th, when an explosion destroyed Hormuud’s branch in the Daallo neighbourhood of the Howlwadaag district. There have been other explosions in Mogadishu and beyond the capital where the company’s staff, employees, and facilities have been targeted, resulting in casualties and property damage.

Monday 29, April  2024 {HMC} Five people died when a bomb hidden on a donkey cart blew up in a Kenyan town on the border with Somalia on Monday, the interior minister said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the explosion occurred in an area of far northeastern Kenya often targeted by the Somalia-based Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said five people were killed and another five suffered “life-threatening injuries” in the blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the town of Elwak in Mandera County.

“The bomb unleashed by the criminals was laden on a donkey cart to avoid detection,” he said in a statement.

“The crime scene has been sealed off for evacuation and investigations while various security formations are in pursuit of the attackers.”

He did not say who was believed to be behind the bombing.

Kenya is a major contributor to an African Union force backing Somalia’s fragile central government in its fight against Al-Shabaab and has suffered a string of deadly retaliatory assaults.

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Monday 29, April  2024 {HMC}  The European Union announced on Monday that it is tightening visa requirements for people from Ethiopia, accusing the government there of a failure to cooperate in taking back citizens found to be living illegally in the 27-nation bloc.

EU headquarters said the time it takes to process visas for Ethiopian nationals will triple from 15 to 45 days. EU countries will no longer be permitted to waive requirements for certain paperwork or issue multiple-entry visas. Ethiopian diplomats and officials will now have to pay for travel visas.

The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, has vowed to use visa rules as a way of applying pressure on countries to cooperate in deportation procedures. Only around one in three people ordered to depart the EU ever actually leave.

The Commission says the action is being taken due to “a lack of response from the Ethiopian authorities with regard to readmission requests,” as well as shortcomings with “the organization of both voluntary and non-voluntary return operations,” which is the way the EU describes deportation.

Most people staying illegally in the EU arrive without breaking any rules via airports or ports but never go home once their visas expire, outnumbering those who arrive on unseaworthy boats or travel overland in search of refuge, jobs or better lives in Europe.

Ethiopia is mired in conflict and a humanitarian crisis. The two-year conflict in the northern Tigray region, which ended with a peace deal in November 2022, left most of the region’s population of 6 million relying on international help.

The country is both a major place of origin and transit for migrants and refugees in the Horn of Africa region, often serving as a hub for people from Eritrea and Somalia aiming to reach Europe or other northern parts of the African continent.

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CHINEDU OKAFOR
Monday April 29, 2024

Tanzania intends to put its weight behind Somalia, the East African Community’s newest member. Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has committed to help Somalia boost bilateral trade. This is part of the president’s continuous drive to improve Tanzania’s connection with the rest of East Africa.

A report by the Tanzanian newspaper, The Citizen shows that President Samia Hassan promised to assist its fellow East African state, Somalia in areas such as defense and security.

She made the announcement during a press briefing at the State House in Dar es Salaam, on the 27th of April, after she met with the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is on a visit to Tanzania.

“We have expressed our readiness as a country to provide training in various fields, whether in defense and security or other areas of government service,” President Hassan said.

“We have assured them of our support in building their capacity as a country to defend themselves,” she added, commending the president of Somalia for his efforts in advancing his nation’s priorities and peacefully overseeing its agendas.

This marks the first time the Somali president has stepped foot in Tanzania since assuming office. While there he attended the country’s 60th Union anniversary between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

The president of Tanzania also mentioned that both countries after the meeting have found new avenues for cooperation despite their already long-standing sturdy relationship.

“We have seen the importance of having a formal system to enhance this relationship; we intend to strengthen cooperation meetings between Somalia and Tanzania, and through our sectorial meetings we will identify areas and projects of cooperation that are beneficial to both of us,” President Hassan said.

Contention between Somalia and Ethiopia

Friction between Ethiopia and Somalia over Somaliland has been brewing for some time now, with conflict being avoided at every turn. At the beginning of the year, the landlocked country of Ethiopia touted its new plan to gain direct access to the sea.

The plan entailed signing a deal with Somaliland, a region Somalia considers a breakaway state. In response Somalia officially declared the sea access partnership between Somaliland and Ethiopia unlawful.

The president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud passed a bill that “nullifies” the port deal, with Somalia even going as far as saying it would stop at nothing to protect its territorial integrity. Somalia considers Somaliland a part of its territory, while Somaliland considers itself a sovereign state.