In blockaded Gaza, Israeli troops kill again
Israeli forces gun down another Palestinian in blockaded Gaza
Israeli troops have killed one Palestinian and injured two others in the north sector of Gaza in yet another violation of a truce signed after Israel's 22-day war on the strip.
Israeli forces opened fire on the three young men in the al-Atatra neighborhood, in the town of Beit Lahia on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip on Monday.
One of the wounded Palestinians later died in an Israeli clinic from excessive blood loss, medical sources told Press TV, adding that none of the three youths was known to be a member of any Palestinian faction.
An Israeli army spokeswoman has confirmed the incident, saying that three rockets were fired into southern Israel following the shooting.
Since the end of the 22-day war, the Israeli army has launched several cross border attacks on Gaza, rolling its tanks and bulldozers into the impoverished enclave, opening fire on villagers' homes and flattening cultivated fields.
The deadly Israeli offensive into Gaza last December resulted in 1,500 Palestinian deaths and approximately 5,450 injuries. Most of the victims were civilians
The offensive also inflicted more than USD 1.6 billion of damage on Gaza's already-stricken economy.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Gaza, Israel, okupation, israel, politik, antisemitism, sverige, palestina, organstöld, Donald Boström, organhandel, ockupation, mänskliga rättigheter
tisdag 25 augusti 2009
måndag 24 augusti 2009
SOMALIA: Livelihoods - and lives - at risk in Puntland
SOMALIA: Livelihoods - and lives - at risk in Puntland
NAIROBI, 24 August 2009 (IRIN) - Fishermen in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are losing their livelihoods and sometimes their lives due to foreign vessels invading their waters, says a minister.
"More and more fishermen in Puntland are coming to us to complain about foreign vessels destroying their nets and denying them access to fishing grounds," Mohamed Farah Aden, Puntland Minister of Fisheries, told IRIN.
He said these foreign vessels were destroying livelihoods. "I have a number of reports of Somali fishermen killed. These people are not only killing their livelihoods but they are killing them as well."
The minister said his office was compiling figures of how many had died in attacks by foreign vessels.
He said Puntland authorities had raised the issue with the international forces patrolling the Somali coast to fight pirates. NATO forces, as well as those from other countries, such as Russia and India, were policing the area.
Illegal fishing
Puntland has requested that the foreign navies should also deal with the influx of foreign vessels fishing illegally. "Illegal fishing off our waters is what started the whole piracy thing," he said.
According to Ecoterra, an NGO that monitors Somali waters, there is an indirect link between piracy and illegal fishing. Many of the pirates have their roots in self-help groups that wanted to defend "Somali waters and marine resources in the absence of a navy and coastguard".
Later, however, the groups became involved in business disputes and were used as mercenaries and eventually evolved into criminal gangs, said Ecoterra.
Mohamed Abshir Waldo, an independent analyst and Somalia expert, goes even further, saying the root cause of the piracy "was massive illegal fishing that has been going on for the last 19 years.
"It is because of the illegal foreign fishing that the first conflict with Somali fishermen started, when the foreign poachers came to fish within the 12-mile territorial waters.
Waldo said he knew fishermen in a small fishing boat that was run over and crushed "with all the seven-member crew killed. There were many other incidents like that one. Many were shot and others burned with boiling water poured on them."
A Nairobi-based regional analyst, however, says that even though illegal fishing occurs in Somali waters "on a serious and damaging scale", the origins of piracy lie not with impoverished fishermen, "but with prominent businessmen and political leaders who initially introduced the 'licensing' of foreign fishing vessels as a kind of extortion racket".
Figures compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that in 2008, pirates attacked 135 ships off the coast of Somalia, "resulting in 44 ships having been seized by pirates and more than 600 seafarers having been kidnapped and held for ransom". Most of these were off the coast of Puntland.
Foreign threat
Jama Isse, a member of a fishing cooperative in the port city of Bosasso, told IRIN that many members were idle due to attacks by foreign ships. "People are afraid to go out there. Sometimes we are mistaken for pirates and sometimes these big fishing ships ram our boats or cut our nets.
"If the situation does not improve, many of us will be forced to join the pirates," he said. "We have no other means of making a living."
Ahmed Ali Abdalla, who owns several fishing boats, said the number of foreign ships had increased since the foreign navies arrived.
He said the foreign ships were using the naval forces as protection and denying locals the opportunity to fish. "They even take our nets with everything in them. It is like taking food from our mouths."
Local fishermen were caught between the pirates and the foreign forces, "but the worst are those fishing illegally", he said. "Some of them are armed and have even fired on us or taken our boats."
According to the analyst, to end insecurity in Somali waters what is needed is a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses "not only piracy, but also the problem of illegal fishing, which pirates routinely cite to justify their actions".
Somalia has a 3,330km coastline, with major landing sites in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Merka and Brava in the south, and Eil, Bargal, Bolimog, Las Korey and Berbera, and Bosasso in the north. It also has large species, including tuna and mackerel; smaller stocks, such as sardines; sharks and lobster.
ah/mw[END]
What's hot? Check IRIN's most popular articles: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=73277
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om somalia, somaliska pirater, pirater, fiske
NAIROBI, 24 August 2009 (IRIN) - Fishermen in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are losing their livelihoods and sometimes their lives due to foreign vessels invading their waters, says a minister.
"More and more fishermen in Puntland are coming to us to complain about foreign vessels destroying their nets and denying them access to fishing grounds," Mohamed Farah Aden, Puntland Minister of Fisheries, told IRIN.
He said these foreign vessels were destroying livelihoods. "I have a number of reports of Somali fishermen killed. These people are not only killing their livelihoods but they are killing them as well."
The minister said his office was compiling figures of how many had died in attacks by foreign vessels.
He said Puntland authorities had raised the issue with the international forces patrolling the Somali coast to fight pirates. NATO forces, as well as those from other countries, such as Russia and India, were policing the area.
Illegal fishing
Puntland has requested that the foreign navies should also deal with the influx of foreign vessels fishing illegally. "Illegal fishing off our waters is what started the whole piracy thing," he said.
According to Ecoterra, an NGO that monitors Somali waters, there is an indirect link between piracy and illegal fishing. Many of the pirates have their roots in self-help groups that wanted to defend "Somali waters and marine resources in the absence of a navy and coastguard".
Later, however, the groups became involved in business disputes and were used as mercenaries and eventually evolved into criminal gangs, said Ecoterra.
Mohamed Abshir Waldo, an independent analyst and Somalia expert, goes even further, saying the root cause of the piracy "was massive illegal fishing that has been going on for the last 19 years.
"It is because of the illegal foreign fishing that the first conflict with Somali fishermen started, when the foreign poachers came to fish within the 12-mile territorial waters.
Waldo said he knew fishermen in a small fishing boat that was run over and crushed "with all the seven-member crew killed. There were many other incidents like that one. Many were shot and others burned with boiling water poured on them."
A Nairobi-based regional analyst, however, says that even though illegal fishing occurs in Somali waters "on a serious and damaging scale", the origins of piracy lie not with impoverished fishermen, "but with prominent businessmen and political leaders who initially introduced the 'licensing' of foreign fishing vessels as a kind of extortion racket".
Figures compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that in 2008, pirates attacked 135 ships off the coast of Somalia, "resulting in 44 ships having been seized by pirates and more than 600 seafarers having been kidnapped and held for ransom". Most of these were off the coast of Puntland.
Foreign threat
Jama Isse, a member of a fishing cooperative in the port city of Bosasso, told IRIN that many members were idle due to attacks by foreign ships. "People are afraid to go out there. Sometimes we are mistaken for pirates and sometimes these big fishing ships ram our boats or cut our nets.
"If the situation does not improve, many of us will be forced to join the pirates," he said. "We have no other means of making a living."
Ahmed Ali Abdalla, who owns several fishing boats, said the number of foreign ships had increased since the foreign navies arrived.
He said the foreign ships were using the naval forces as protection and denying locals the opportunity to fish. "They even take our nets with everything in them. It is like taking food from our mouths."
Local fishermen were caught between the pirates and the foreign forces, "but the worst are those fishing illegally", he said. "Some of them are armed and have even fired on us or taken our boats."
According to the analyst, to end insecurity in Somali waters what is needed is a comprehensive and integrated approach that addresses "not only piracy, but also the problem of illegal fishing, which pirates routinely cite to justify their actions".
Somalia has a 3,330km coastline, with major landing sites in Kismayo, Mogadishu, Merka and Brava in the south, and Eil, Bargal, Bolimog, Las Korey and Berbera, and Bosasso in the north. It also has large species, including tuna and mackerel; smaller stocks, such as sardines; sharks and lobster.
ah/mw[END]
What's hot? Check IRIN's most popular articles: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=73277
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om somalia, somaliska pirater, pirater, fiske
tisdag 11 augusti 2009
GAZA-OPT: Rubble removal uncovers potential health hazards
GAZA, 11 August 2009 (IRIN) - Nearly seven months after Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing some 600,000MT of rubble containing asbestos and other hazardous material [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84177].
Israel's 23-day operation destroyed 4,000 housing units and damaged 40,000 homes [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30948&Cr=palestin&Cr1=]. UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza said rubble was being removed from 2,533 private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings.
"UNDP rubble removal teams were trained how to safely remove, store and crush hazardous material, primarily asbestos," said El-Kharouby, adding that UNDP had provided contractors with safety equipment.
Teams also met residents, some living in tented communities near their destroyed homes, to explain the removal process and warning that hazardous material might be uncovered. In many cases residents are evacuated before removal teams go in.
The UN Mine Action Team is also working to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85633].
Asbestos threat
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), about 10 percent of the rubble in Rafah and Khan Younis is asbestos material, as well as a small amount in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. UNEP conducted an assessment of Gaza in May and is expected to release its results in August. [http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/News/PressRelease/tabid/427/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentID=579&ArticleID=6132&Lang=en]
About 68 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million residents are refugees, living in eight major camps. [http://www.undp.ps/en/newsroom/publications/pdf/other/fastfactgazaen092.pdf] Most refugee camp homes are built from concrete and asbestos.
"Asbestos releases particles into the air and chronic lung conditions in the respiratory tract may result," World Health Organization (WHO) officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza told IRIN.
In addition to private homes, hundreds of public buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including 700 factories.
"[Destroyed] factories that were using lead or other heavy metals, like battery factories, could present a health hazard to the population," said Daher.
Some factory or home owners have denied access to rubble removal teams to what is left of their properties because they said they had not received compensation from the Gaza authorities or UN.
The UNDP rubble removal project will continue until January.
If adequate funding is available, the 380,000MT of remaining rubble from former Israeli settlements that was collected but never crushed will be removed as part of the project. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in September 2005.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om palestina, gaza, OPT, okupation, belägring, folkmord
Israel's 23-day operation destroyed 4,000 housing units and damaged 40,000 homes [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30948&Cr=palestin&Cr1=]. UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza said rubble was being removed from 2,533 private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings.
"UNDP rubble removal teams were trained how to safely remove, store and crush hazardous material, primarily asbestos," said El-Kharouby, adding that UNDP had provided contractors with safety equipment.
Teams also met residents, some living in tented communities near their destroyed homes, to explain the removal process and warning that hazardous material might be uncovered. In many cases residents are evacuated before removal teams go in.
The UN Mine Action Team is also working to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85633].
Asbestos threat
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), about 10 percent of the rubble in Rafah and Khan Younis is asbestos material, as well as a small amount in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. UNEP conducted an assessment of Gaza in May and is expected to release its results in August. [http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/News/PressRelease/tabid/427/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentID=579&ArticleID=6132&Lang=en]
About 68 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million residents are refugees, living in eight major camps. [http://www.undp.ps/en/newsroom/publications/pdf/other/fastfactgazaen092.pdf] Most refugee camp homes are built from concrete and asbestos.
"Asbestos releases particles into the air and chronic lung conditions in the respiratory tract may result," World Health Organization (WHO) officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza told IRIN.
In addition to private homes, hundreds of public buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including 700 factories.
"[Destroyed] factories that were using lead or other heavy metals, like battery factories, could present a health hazard to the population," said Daher.
Some factory or home owners have denied access to rubble removal teams to what is left of their properties because they said they had not received compensation from the Gaza authorities or UN.
The UNDP rubble removal project will continue until January.
If adequate funding is available, the 380,000MT of remaining rubble from former Israeli settlements that was collected but never crushed will be removed as part of the project. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in September 2005.
Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om palestina, gaza, OPT, okupation, belägring, folkmord
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