Eritrea paying warlord agents to undermine Somalia says U.N. Monitoring Group
Tigrai Online, July 16, 2013
A source on the Eritrean payroll in direct contact with Abdi Wal has confirmed that Abdi Wal has admitted in closed-door meetings that he is acting as an agent for the Eritrean government.
Eritrea is undermining stability in conflict-ravaged Somalia by paying political agents and a warlord linked to Islamist militants to influence the Mogadishu government, U.N. sanctions experts said in a confidential report.
The Eritrean government has long denied playing any negative role in Somalia, saying it has no links to Islamist al Shabaab militants fighting to overthrow the Somali government. It says the U.N. sanctions imposed on it in 2009 for supporting al Shabaab were based on lies and has called for the sanctions to be lifted.
The latest annual report by the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea to the Security Council's Somalia/Eritrea sanctions committee casts fresh doubt on Asmara's denials, undermining its case for lifting the sanctions against it.
"The Monitoring Group has received numerous reports about the warming of relations between Asmara and Mogadishu, and has obtained evidence of Asmara's control of political agents close to the Somali presidency and some of the individual spoilers," the group said in the report, seen by Reuters.
One such operative, the monitors said, is "Eritrean agent of influence Abdi Nur Siad 'Abdi Wal,' ... who is reported to have a close relationship with a senior al Shabaab commander."
The monitors describe Abdi Wal as a "warlord."
"Abdi Wal is now a close ally of former ARS-Asmara (a Somali Islamist network in Eritrea) leader Zakaria Mohamed Haji Abdi, for whom he provides security in Mogadishu," the monitors said. "He is known to command the allegiance of about 100 fighters in Mogadishu and is involved in contract killings."
The monitors said in their report that they have "obtained direct testimonies and concrete evidence of Eritrean support to Abdi Wal and Mohamed Wali Sheikh Ahmed Nuur." The Monitoring Group has reported on Ahmed Nuur in the past, describing him as a "political coordinator for al Shabaab" and a recipient of funds from Eritrea.
"A source on the Eritrean payroll in direct contact with Abdi Wal has confirmed that Abdi Wal has admitted in closed-door meetings that he is acting as an agent for the Eritrean government," the group said in its latest report.
Eritrea's U.N. mission did not respond to a request for comment.
RUSSIAN AND ITALIAN COMPLAINTS
The latest report said that Ahmed Nuur, also known as Ugas Mohamed Wali Sheikh, has repeatedly held meetings in Khartoum with Mohamed Mantai, Eritrea's ambassador to Sudan and, since December, Iran.
"During these meetings, options for Eritrean financial support to Ahmed Nuur were discussed," the report said.
"Mantai, a former military intelligence officer, has a history of operating in Somalia and was expelled from Kenya in 2009 after he returned from Somalia following meetings with al Shabaab agents," the monitors said.
In addition to their nearly 500-page report on Somalia and Eritrea, the Monitoring Group produced a separate report of around 80 pages focusing solely on Eritrea.
Council diplomats said the longer Somalia/Eritrea report will be made public soon, but the shorter Eritrea report will not be published because of Russian objections.
According to a letter the Russian delegation sent to Ambassador Kim Sook, chairman of the Somalia/Eritrea sanctions committee, Russia "objects to the publication of the (Eritrea) report due to the biased and groundless conclusions and recommendations contained in it."
Italian Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini also wrote to Kim complaining about the report because of "misleading information and undocumented implications of violations of the arms embargo." Reuters has obtained both letters.
According to diplomats familiar with the U.N. monitors' shorter Eritrea report, an Italian helicopter exported to Eritrea for mining survey purposes was seen at a military facility there, raising the possibility of a sanctions breach.
The monitors said Italian authorities failed to provide additional information as requested, the diplomats added.
Ragaglini dismissed that allegation, saying "we did provide the information they requested (e.g. on financial flows), but there is no evidence whatsoever of military assistance from Italy to sustain the undocumented claims of the experts."
China, diplomats say, is annoyed about references in the Eritrea report to Chinese machine tools procured for a large government depot in Eritrea that houses tanks, missiles and dual-use civilian trucks. But the envoys said there was no suggestion the Chinese government was violating U.N. sanctions.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Source: Yahoo News via Reuters
Sponsored Links
More Articles
The Nile Egypt's other existential crisis
Ethiopia will submit an offer to the World Trade Organization
Ethiopian Becomes Strategic Partner in New Malawi Airlines
Unfinished Amharization process in Ethiopia and Kemants’ Quest for Dignity and Self-Rule
Ethiopia’s refugee protection and open borders praised by UNHCR chief
Ethiopian Red Terror Cadre admits he is Kefelegne Alemu Worku to court
Dr Berhanu Nega: Esayass’ Coolie
Ethiopian Graduates 121 Pilots, Aviation Technicians and Cabin Crew
Would Haile Gebrselassie be a good president for Ethiopia?
Congratulations Ethiopian University Students Class of 2013
Exponential Population Growth and Carrying Capacity of the Ethiopian Economy
Is it www.bornrich.com or www.bornliar.com Mr Yussuf ?
Egypt and Eritrea changed tactics to destabilize Ethiopia
Falsehood Accusations by Obang Metho and Dr. Birhanu Nega to Weaken the Ethiopian Government
IMF says The Ethiopian economy continues to experience robust growth and reduction in inflation
What are your thoughts about what is going on in Egypt?
Dr. Berhanu Nega: Dreaming a White Dove While Sleeping With a Snake
Language for whose Audience in the Ethiopian context? A Message to PM Hailemariam Desalegn
Ethiopia to benefit from Obama’s new $7 billion Africa Power program
Should Ethiopia punish Eritrea for supporting Ethiopian terrorists?
Uganda starts ratifying the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement
Al-Qaeda in Somalia leader and Al-Shabab founder captured in Somalia
Better Late than Never:The Imperatives of Immortalizing our Martyrs
Ordinary Ethiopians started to speak out against the Egyptian agents
Enough is enough with the old colonial treaty cassettes
Shifting To See Meles in a New Light
Ethiopian Wins Sky Trax World Airline Award for Best Airline Staff Service in Africa
Ethiopian and Egyptian foreign ministers issued a joint statement
Too much ado about nothing: A minor demonstration gets disproportionate speculation
Somaliland to support Ethiopia in the Nile conflict with Egypt
The anti-Corruption Crackdown: Just an episode in the long-term battle
Ethiopia gets $300 million loan from Exim bank of India
Engaging the Diaspora: how, when and where Shaping out workable Methodology
President Yoweri Museveni blasts Egypt in support of Ethiopia
President Mursi and Co., Be Careful What You Wish for Ethiopia and the Renaissance Dam
Ethiopian parliament ratifies the new Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement
Egypt Has No Choice but to Cooperate with Ethiopia On The Issue of the Nile
Eritrean sponsored terrorists annihilated by Ethiopian security forces
Sudan reaffirms support for the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM) quits armed struggle and returns home
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to pay official visit to China
Ethiopian Extremists wagging their tails and begging Egypt to invade Ethiopia
The Egyptian political rhetoric over the Nile and the reality
Ethiopia summons Egypt’s ambassador over Nile dam attack comments
Egyptian politicians caught plotting how to attack Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Dealing With a Pariah State in the Horn of Africa
Kaizen Initiatives at the Ethiopian Wonji Sugar Manufacturing Company