Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
Official name	Aden
Native name	عدن
Settlement type
Motto
Dot x	|dot_y
Pushpin map	Yemen
Pushpin label position	bottom
Pushpin map caption	Location in Yemen
Coordinates region	YE
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Governorate
Subdivision name1	'Adan
Subdivision name4
Leader title1
Established title
Established title2
Established title3
Established date3
Unit pref	Imperial
Area total km2
Area land km2
Area blank1 sq mi
Population as of	2005
Population total	about 800 000
Population blank1 title	Ethnicities
Population blank2 title	Religions
Population density blank1 sq mi
Timezone	GMT
Utc offset	+3
Elevation footnotes
Elevation ft
Postal code type
Footnotes	}}

Aden ( , ) is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a low isthmus. This harbour, ''Front Bay'', was first used by the ancient Kingdom of Awsan between the 5th and 7th centuries BC. The modern harbour is on the other side of the peninsula.

Aden consists of a number of distinct sub-centers: Crater, the original port city; Ma'alla, the modern port; Tawahi, known as "Steamer Point" in colonial days; and the resorts of Gold Mohur. Khormaksar, located on the isthmus that connects Aden proper with the mainland, includes the city's diplomatic missions, the main offices of Aden University, and Aden International Airport (the former British Air Force base RAF Khormaksar), Yemen's second biggest airport. On the mainland are the sub-centres of Sheikh Othman, a former oasis area; Al-Mansura, a town planned by the British; and Madinat ash-Sha'b (formerly Madinat al-Itihad), the site designated as the capital of the South Arabian Federation and now home to a large power/desalinization facility and additional faculties of Aden University.

Aden encloses the eastern side of a vast, natural harbor that comprises the modern port. The volcanic peninsula of Little Aden forms a near-mirror image, enclosing the harbor and port on the western side. Little Aden became the site of the oil refinery and tanker port. Both were established and operated by British Petroleum until they were turned over to Yemeni government ownership and control in 1977.

Aden was the capital of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen until that country's unification with the Yemen Arab Republic. On that occasion, the city was declared a free trade zone. Aden gives its name to the Gulf of Aden.

History

Antiquity

A local legend in Yemen states that Aden may be as old as human history itself. Some also believe that Cain and Abel are buried somewhere in the city.

The port's convenient position on the sea route between India and Europe has made Aden desirable to rulers who sought to possess it at various times throughout history. Known as Arabian Eudaemon in the 1st century BC, it was a transshipping point for the Red Sea trade, but fell on hard times when new shipping practices by-passed it and made the daring direct crossing to India in the 1st century AD, according to the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea''. The same work describes Aden as 'a village by the shore', which would well describe the town of Crater while it was still little-developed. There is no mention of fortification at this stage, Aden was more an island than a peninsula as the isthmus (a tombolo) was not then so developed as it is today.

Medieval

Although the pre-Islamic civilization Himyar was capable of building large structures, there seems to have been little fortification at this stage. Fortifications at Mareb and other places in Yemen and the Hadhramaut make it clear that both the Himyar and the Sabean cultures were well capable of it. Thus, watch towers, since destroyed, are possible. However, the Arab historians Ibn al Mojawir and Abu Makhramah attribute the first fortification of Aden to Beni Zuree'a. Abu Makhramah has also included a detailed biography of Muhammad Azim Sultan Qamarbandi Naqsh in his work, Tarikh ul-Yemen. The aim seems to have been twofold: to keep hostile forces out and to maintain revenue by controlling the movement of goods, thereby preventing smuggling. In its original form, some of this work was relatively feeble. However, after 1175 AD, rebuilding in a more solid form began, and ever since it became a popular city attracting sailors and merchants from Egypt, Sindh, East Africa and even China. In 1421, China's Ming dynasty Yongle Emperor ordered principal envoy grand eunuch Li Xing and grand eunuch Zhou Man of Zheng He's fleet to convey an imperial edict with hats and robes to bestow on the king of Aden. The envoys boarded three treasure ships and set sail from Sumatra to the port of Aden. This event was recorded in the book ''Ying-yai Sheng-lan'' by Ma Huan who accompanied the imperial envoy.

British rule

Before British rule, Aden was occupied by the Portuguese between 1513–1538 and 1547-1548. It was ruled by the Ottoman Empire between 1538–1547 and 1548-1645. After Ottoman rule, it was ruled by the Sultanate of Lahej, under suzerainty of the Zaidi imams of Yemen.

Aden was at this time a small village with a population of 600 Arabs, Somalis, Jews and Indians — housed for the most part in huts of reed matting erected among ruins recalling a vanished era of wealth and prosperity. Haines stated that it could become a major trading centre and the latter part of the British period proved him correct with Aden growing to become one of the busiest ports in the world. In 1838, Sultan Muhsin bin Fadl of the nearby state of Lahej ceded 194 km² (75 sq. miles) including Aden to the British. On 19 January 1839, the British East India Company landed Royal Marines at Aden to occupy the territory and stop attacks by pirates against British shipping to India. The port lies about equidistant from the Suez Canal, Bombay (now Mumbai), and Zanzibar, which were all important British possessions. Aden had been an entrepôt and a way-station for seamen in the ancient world. There, supplies, particularly water, were replenished. So, in the mid-19th century, it became necessary to replenish coal and boiler water. Thus Aden acquired a coaling station at Steamer Point. Aden was to remain under British control until 1967.

Until 1937, Aden was ruled as part of British India and was known as the Aden Settlement. Its original territory was enlarged in 1857 by the 13 km² island of Perim, in 1868 by the 73 km² Khuriya Muriya Islands, and in 1915 by the 108 km² island of Kamaran.

In 1937, the Settlement was detached from India and became the Colony of Aden, a British Crown colony. The change in government was a step towards the change in monetary units seen in the stamps illustrating this article. When the Indian Empire went its independent way, Indian rupees (divided into annas) were replaced in Aden by East African shillings. The hinterland of Aden and Hadhramaut were also loosely tied to Britain as the Aden Protectorate which was overseen from Aden. Aden's location also made it a useful entrepôt for mail passing between places around the Indian Ocean and Europe. Thus, a ship passing from Suez to Bombay could leave mail for Mombasa at Aden for collection. See History of postage in Aden.

After the loss of the Suez Canal in 1956, Aden became the main base in the region for the British.

Aden sent a team of two to the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia.

Little Aden 1955 to 1967

Little Aden is still dominated by the oil refinery built for British Petroleum. Little Aden was well known to seafarers for its tanker port with a very welcoming seaman's mission near to the BP Aden tugs' jetties, complete with swimming pool and air conditioned bar. The accommodation areas for the refinery personnel were known by the original Arabic names of Bureika and Ghadir.

Bureika was wooden housing bunkhouses built to accommodate the thousands of skilled men and labourers imported to build the refinery, later converted to family housing, plus imported prefabricated houses "the Riley-Newsums" that are also to be found in parts of Australia (Woomera). Bureika also had a protected bathing area and Beach Club.

Ghadir housing was stone built, largely from the local granite quarry; much of this housing still stands today, now occupied by wealthier locals from Big Aden. Little Aden also has a local township and numerous picturesque fishing villages, including the Lobster Pots of Ghadir. The army had extensive camps in Bureika and through Silent Valley in Falaise Camp, these successfully protected the refinery staff and facilities throughout the troubles, with only a very few exceptions. Schooling was provided for children from kindergarten age through to primary school, after that, children were bussed to The Isthmus School in Khormaksar, though this had to be stopped during the Aden Emergency.

Federation of South Arabia and the Aden Emergency

In order to stabilize Aden and the surrounding Aden Protectorate from the designs of the Russians backed communists of North Yemen, the British attempted to gradually unite the disparate states of the region in preparation for eventual independence. On 18 January 1963, the Colony of Aden was incorporated into the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South against the wishes of the communists of North Yemen who claimed the city and south Yemen as part of their territory. The city's populace as the State of Aden and the Federation was renamed the Federation of South Arabia (FSA).

An insurgency against British rule known as the Aden Emergency began with a grenade attack by the communist's National Liberation Front (NLF), against the British High Commissioner on 10 December 1963, killing one person and injuring fifty, and a "state of emergency" was declared.

In 1964, Britain announced its intention to grant independence to the FSA in 1968, but that the British military would remain in Aden. The security situation deteriorated as NLF and FLOSY (Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen) vied for the upper hand.

In January 1967, there were mass riots between the NLF and their rival FLOSY supporters in the old Arab quarter of Aden town. This conflict continued until mid February, despite the intervention of British troops. During the period there were as many attacks on the British troops by both sides as against each other culminating in the destruction of an Aden Airlines DC3 plane in the air with no survivors.

On 30 November 1967 the British finally pulled out, leaving Aden and the rest of the FSA under NLF control. The Royal Marines, who had been the first British troops to occupy Aden in 1839, were the last to leave—with the exception of a Royal Engineer detachment.

Independence

Aden became the capital of the new People's Republic of South Yemen which was renamed the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1970. With the unification of northern and southern Yemen in 1990, Aden was no longer a national capital but remained the capital of Aden Governorate which covered an area similar to that of the Aden Colony.

On 29 December 1992, Al Qaeda conducted its first known terrorist attack in Aden, bombing the Gold Mohur Hotel (), where U.S. servicemen were known to have been staying en route to Somalia for Operation Restore Hope. A Yemeni and an Austrian tourist died in the attack.

Aden was briefly the centre of the secessionist Democratic Republic of Yemen from 21 May 1994 but was reunited by Republic of Yemen troops on 7 July 1994.

Members of al Qaeda attempted to bomb the US guided-missile destroyer ''The Sullivans'' at the port of Aden as part of the 2000 millennium attack plots. The boat that had the explosives in it sank, forcing the planned attack to be aborted.

The bombing attack on destroyer USS ''Cole'' took place in Aden on 12 October 2000.

In 2007 growing dissatisfaction with unification led to the formation of the secessionist South Yemen Movement. According to the New York Times, the Movement's mainly underground leadership includes socialists, Islamists and individuals nostalgic for British rule.

Main sights

Aden has a number of historical and natural sites of interest to visitors. These include:

The Cisterns of Tawila – an ancient, water-cachement system located in the sub-center of Crater.

Sira Fort

The Aden Minaret

The Palace of the Sultanate of Lahej/National Museum

The Aden Military Museum

The Rimbaud House

The fortifications of Jebal Hadid and Jebal Shamsan

The beaches of Aden and Little Aden

Al-Aidaroos Mosque

The Zoroastrian Temple

The historical British churches

Economy

Yemen Airlines, the national airline of South Yemen, had its head office in Aden. On 15 May 1996 Yemen Airlines merged with Yemenia.

Transportation

The city is served by the Aden International Airport, 9.5 kilometers away from the city.

Scheduled flights (as in December 2006):

*Djibouti Airlines: Djibouti

*Royal Jordanian: Amman

*Yemenia: Abu Dhabi, London, Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Mukalla, Sanaa, Seiyun, Socotra, Rome, Mumbai, Riyan

*Felix Airways: Sanaa, Al Mukalla

See also

British military history

History of postage in Aden

History of the Jews in Aden

Port of Aden

Footnotes

References

External links

Aden Free Zone

Old Aden picture postcards

Aden Airways

Aden at WN

Category:'Adan Governorate Category:Populated places in Yemen Category:Populated coastal places in Yemen Category:Port cities in the Arabian Peninsula Category:Ports and harbours of the Indian Ocean Category:Gulf of Aden Category:Red Sea Category:Russian and Soviet Navy bases Category:Capitals of former nations

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
Name	B.o.B|image B.o.B. performing.jpg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr.
Alias	B.O.B
Born	November 15, 1988 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Origin	Decatur, Georgia, USA
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Alternative hip hop, Pop rap
Occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, guitarist
Years active	2007–present
Label	Grand Hustle, Rebel Rock, Atlantic
Associated acts	Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth, T.I., Playboy Tre, Lupe Fiasco
Website	bobatl.com
Notable instruments	}}

Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. (born November 15, 1988), better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. "Airplanes," B.o.B's second single, emulated this success, peaking at number one and number two in the U.K. and the U.S., respectively. His third single, "Magic," became B.o.B's third consecutive top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. B.o.B was named the ninth ''Hottest MC in the Game'' of 2010 by MTV.

Early life

B.o.B was born Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. on November 15, 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Less than a month later, his family moved to Decatur, Georgia. In elementary school through high school, where he played the trumpet in his school band. Although his parents wanted him to continue his education, Simmons decided in sixth grade that he wanted to pursue a music career. His father, a pastor, disapproved of his son's choices until he realized that Simmons was using music as a form of therapy and a creative outlet. Simmons later reflected on his experience, saying, "They’ve always supported me. They got my first keyboard to make beats on and they helped me out getting equipment here and there. But it was kind of hard for them to really understand what I was really trying to accomplish." B.o.B went to Columbia High School in Decatur, GA.

Music career

Early career

B.o.B first began to gain major recognition at the start of 2007. An underground single, "Haterz Everywhere," featuring Wes Fif, gained the rapper recognition and peaked at #5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. A remix featuring Young Dre was featured in the video game ''Fight Night Round 4''. Another single, "I'll Be In the Sky," was released in late 2008 reached #115 on the follow chart. About.com called the song a "smart, funky artrap and a strong prelude to his album" and included it at #13 on its subjective ranking "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008." This was followed by another single called "Don't Let Me Fall" which was more of an R&B; song than the usual rap. He was also featured on T.I.'s album ''Paper Trail'' on the song "On Top of the World." Incidentally, another song produced by Bobby Ray called "Generation Lost" listed alongside the song on the ranking at #32.

The same year, he appeared on the cover of ''XXL'' magazine along with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09". In October 2008, B.o.B was featured on the cover of ''Vibe'' along with some of these same young musicians and was similarly identified as promising young talent. He has described his influences as "80's music, rap, techno, rock, funk, even doo-wop...". B.o.B has also worked with artists such as British rapper Giggs. Along with his solo producing career, B.o.B is part of a production/rap group called HamSquad, along with Playboy Tre, TJ Chapman, and B. Rich.

2009–present: ''The Adventures of Bobby Ray''

His debut album, ''The Adventures of Bobby Ray'', was originally expected to be released on May 25, 2010, but was advanced to April 27, 2010 due to the commercial success of his song "Nothin' on You", featuring Bruno Mars. The album was released under T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle and includes features from Lupe Fiasco, T.I., Playboy Tre, Hayley Williams, Rivers Cuomo, Rico Barrino, Eminem, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars, and Young Dro.

Three other singles followed: "Don't Let Me Fall" (released April 6, 2010), "Airplanes" (April 13, 2010; featuring Hayley Williams), and "Bet I" (April 20, 2010; featuring T.I. and Playboy Tre). A video for "Bet I" has been released on Atlantic Videos on YouTube. The album was released April 27, 2010 and was given generally positive reviews. His album sold 84,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. It made B.o.B the 13th male solo artist to have a debut album at #1 in its first week. In July, B.o.B announced he will go on tour, naming it The SHOOTiN for Stars Tour. The dates and times were released on his website on July 13. B.o.B has received nominations for his album, singles, and himself by the BET Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and the new Suckerfree Summit. "Airplanes" was featured in the trailer for the upcoming movie ''Charlie St. Cloud'' and "Magic" also landed him an Adidas commercial with him in it. B.o.B was announced to be a performer at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on August 18. He was added to the line-up of Eminem, Linkin Park, Kanye West, Drake, Usher, Paramore, Florence and the Machine, and Justin Bieber.

As of July 2010, B.o.B is the latest artist to star in the new Adidas commercial which features "Magic."

On August 14, 2010, Hayley Williams announced via the Official Paramore Fan Club that B.o.B would be the main support for Paramore's November U.K. Tour. B.o.B also opened for Eminem and Jay-Z's The Home & Home Tour at Comerica Park. B.o.B also did MTV Unplugged session. He performed songs off his debut album together with guests such as Robin Thicke, Melanie Fiona, and Janelle Monae. B.o.B also made an appearance in Lollapalooza 2010. B.o.B. made an appearance at the 2010 MTV VMA's on September 12, 2010. He performed parts of both his singles, "Nothin' On You" with Bruno Mars and "Airplanes" with Hayley Williams of Paramore.

On December 7, 2010, B.o.B. released his mixtape ''No Genre''. B.o.B was named "Best New Artist" by iTunes 2010 Rewind Chart. ''The Adventures of Bobby Ray'' was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 16. His song "Champion" from the mixtape May 25 was chosen as the ESPN Bowl Week theme.

Jessie J released a single along with B.o.B called "Price Tag" on 30 January 2011 in the United Kingdom. The song was quick to reach number one in the UK charts selling 84,000 copies in its first week of sales.

On March 22, 2011 Electronic Arts released the Launch Trailer for the upcoming first-person-shooter ''Crysis 2'' which featured a song by B.o.B. entitled "New York New York" containing the main piano chorus from the song "Theme from New York, New York" commonly sung by Frank Sinatra; the song features British singer-songwriter Polly Scattergood singing said chorus.

In Early 2011 Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator released a song titled "Yonkers". In the song Tyler raps ''(What you think of Hayley Williams?) Fuck her, Wolf Haley robbing 'em / I'll crash that fucking airplane that that faggot nigga B.o.B is in / And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus''. In response, on March 25th, B.o.B released "No Future" a song in which he takes aim at the hip hop collective and their leader. In June 2011, it was revealed that B.o.B was featured and produced a song on Tech N9ne's twelfth studio album, ''All 6's and 7's''. The track, titled "Am I a Psycho?" also features Horrorcore rapper Hopsin, who also seems to have issues with Tyler, the Creator. In the song, B.o.B apparently takes more shots at Tyler, the Creator.

B.o.B appeared on the official remix to Kesha's hit single "Blow". The remix was released to iTunes on May 17, 2011.

Discography

2010: ''The Adventures of Bobby Ray''

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

2010: Best Breakthrough (Nominated)

2010: Best Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)

2010: Best Hip-Hop Album "The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (Nominated)

BET Awards

2010: Best Male Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)

2010: Best Collaboration "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2010: Video of the Year "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2011: Best Male Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)

2011: Best Collaboration "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2011: Video of the Year "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

BET Hip Hop Awards

2010: Made-You-Look Award (Nominated)

2010: People's Champ Award (Nominated)

2010: Track of the Year "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2010: Perfect Combo Award "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2010: MVP of the Year (Nominated)

2010: Best Hip-Hop Video "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2010: CD of the Year "The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (Nominated)

Grammy Awards

2011: Record of the Year "Nothin' on You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2011: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals "Airplanes, Part II" (with Hayley Williams and Eminem) (Nominated)

2011: Best Rap Song Collaboration "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2011: Best Rap Song "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2011: Best Rap Album "The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

2010: Video of the Year "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2010: Best Collaboration "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2010: Best Male Video "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2010: Best Hip-Hop Video "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

2010: Best Pop Video "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

2011: Best New Artist Video "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (pending)

MTV Europe Music Awards

2010: Best New Act (Nominated)

2010: Best Push Act (Nominated)

NAACP Image Awards

2011: Outstanding New Artist (Pending)

Soul Train Awards

2010: Best Song "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Won)

2010: Best New Artist (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards

2010: Rap Album "The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (Nominated)

2010: Hook Up Song "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Won)

2010: Best Single "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

2010: Male Breakout Artist (Nominated)

2010: Male Music Star (Nominated)

2010: Best Summer Song "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

References

External links

B.o.B at Billboard.com

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:People from Decatur, Georgia Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:Southern hip hop musicians

cs:B.o.B da:B.o.B de:B.o.B et:B.o.B es:B.o.B fa:بی.او.بی fr:B.o.B ko:보비 레이 hr:B.o.B id:B.o.B it:B.o.B he:B.o.B lv:B.o.B nl:B.o.B ja:B.o.B no:B.o.B pl:B.o.B pt:B.o.B ro:B.o.B ru:B.o.B simple:B.o.B fi:B.o.B sv:B.o.B th:บี.โอ.บี tr:B.o.B vi:B.o.B zh:B.o.B

Robert Benoît (born April 11, 1944) is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1989 to 2003 as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. His name is also spelled as Robert Benoit.

Early life and career

Benoît was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec and studied commerce and administration at the Collège Paul-Valéry in Montreal. He received an investment dealer's diploma in 1968 and was hired by Dominion Securities Quebec in the same year. He became active with the Liberal Party in 1978 and campaigned for the "non" side in the 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty.

Benoît was president of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1985 to 1989 and led the party's finance committee for at least part of this time. At the party's 1987 conference, he called for Liberals to shift from a purely economic focus and devote more attention to social issues, creating policies to benefit the homeless and unemployed. The following year, Benoît helped persuade the party's youth wing to endorse the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. He also supported the unsuccessful Meech Lake Accord on reforming the Canadian constitution.

For twenty-three years, Benoît was the next-door neighbour of Canadian author Mordechai Richler.

Legislator

Benoît was chosen as the Liberal candidate for Orford in the 1989 provincial election, despite objections from some local organizers. He was easily elected. The Liberals won a second consecutive majority government, and Benoît entered legislature as a backbench supporter of Robert Bourassa's government. He was appointed as parliamentary assistant to the premier on November 29, 1989, and served in this position until December 14, 1993.

Benoît campaigned in Quebec's Eastern Townships in support of the Charlottetown Accord on Canadian constitutional reform in 1992. The accord was defeated in a referendum. In April 1993, Benoît said he would support a liberalization of Quebec's Charter of the French Language, which restricts the public use of languages other than French. He was re-elected in the 1994 election as the Liberals lost government to the Parti Québécois. After the election, he served as his party's critic for the environment and industry.

In 1995, Benoît supported Progressive Conservative candidate Guy Lever in a federal by-election in Brome—Missisquoi. Lever finished a distant third against Denis Paradis of the Liberal Party of Canada. Benoît later became one of the first Quebec Liberal MNAs to encourage federal Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest to seek the Quebec Liberal leadership in 1998. Charest was eventually chosen as leader without opposition.

Benoît was elected to a third term in the 1998 provincial election. The Parti Québécois were re-elected provincially, and Benoît once again served as his party's critic for the environment. In 2002, he negotiated with Parti Québécois minister André Boisclair to secure the amalgamation of Magog, Quebec with neighbouring communities. He did not seek re-election in 2003, standing aside for star candidate Pierre Reid.

Out of the legislature

After leaving the legislature, Benoît taught history at the college level and tutored in the Université de Sherbrooke's Master of Business Administration program.

Benoît strongly opposed the Charest government's decision to sell part of the Mont-Orford National Park to private developers in 2006. He helped form the group ''SOS Parc Mont-Orford'' to lobby against the sale and tried to overturn the decision via an emergency resolution within the Liberal Party.

He called for fundamental changes to the Liberal Party in 2010, saying that it had become simply "a machine for collecting money."

Electoral record

External links

Biography: Robert Benoit, National Assembly of Quebec

References

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Category:People from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden شريف حسن الشيخ عدن
birth date	10/ 21 1943
birth place	Berdalle, Somalia
office	Speaker of Parliament
term start	25 May 2010
primeminister	Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
predecessor	Nur Hassan Hussein
office2	Finance Minister
term start2	20 February 2009
term end2	23 May 2010
office3	Speaker of Parliament
term start3	2005
term end3	17 January 2007
party	TFG }}

Sheikh Sharif Hassan Adan (, ) is a Somali politician. He is a former Finance Minister of Somalia, and the current Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). He hails from the Adan Mirifle (Siyeed) Ashraaf sub-clan of the Rahanweyn (Digil and Mirifle) major clan.

Career

Speaker of Parliament (1st term)

In 2005, Sheikh Sharif Hassan was opposed to the establishment of a new capital in Jowhar, which was the preference of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi, demanding the capital be returned to Mogadishu. Baidoa was selected as a compromise location.

On October 6, 2005, he was quoted as saying, "In my view, Ethiopia does not want a functioning government in Somalia and I want to see that the world knows this. Even if Ethiopia does want a government here, it wants a fiefdom government - multiple governments which are all weak."

On January 17, 2007, the Parliament voted to oust him due to his opposition of a peacekeeping force for Somalia and his expressions of support and unauthorized meetings with the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) which acted against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and his opposition to Ethiopian intervention in the 2006–2007 Somali war, with 183 votes against him, eight in favor and one abstention. Justice Minister Adan Mohamed Nuur became his successor in Parliamentary elections on January 31, 2007, and sworn in on February 3, 2007.

Finance Minister

On February 20, 2009, Sharif Hassan was appointed as Finance minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.

Speaker of Parliament (2nd term)

Election

On May 25th, 2010, Sharif Hassan was re-elected Speaker of the Transitional Federal Government's Parliament.

Stand-off

On October 14, 2010, President of Somalia Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appointed former First Secretary in the Somali embassy in Washington, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, as the nation's new Prime Minister. A row between Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan and the President then developed over whether the scheduled vote of confidence on Mohamed's nomination should be decided by a show of hands or via a secret ballot. Sharif Hassan favored a secret ballot while Sharif Ahmed preferred hand-raising, with the deciding voting session repeatedly postponed. The Supreme Court of Somalia subsequently ruled that the vote should be conducted by a show of hands, consistent with how previous confirmation votes in parliament had been decided since 1960. A delegation from the UN, AU and IGAD, including the Special Envoy to Somalia, also flew in to attempt to help resolve the impasse. On October 31, 2010, the vote of confidence was held, with lawmakers overwhelmingly approving Mohamed's appointment as Prime Minister. 297 of the 392 Members of Parliament endorsed the selection via hand-raising; 92 MPs voted against and 3 abstained. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also issued a statement commending the Somali leadership for having reached a consensus on procedural arrangements that facilitated a transparent and consultative confirmation of the new Premier.

Kampala Accord

After months of political infighting between the Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan and President Sharif Ahmed over whether to hold presidential elections in August 2011, the two politicians struck a deal in Kampala on June 9, 2011 to postpone the vote for a new President and parliamentary Speaker for one year in exchange for the resignation of the Premier within a period of thirty days. Overseen by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga, the signed Kampala Accord would also see the well-regarded technocratic Cabinet that Prime Minister Mohamed had assembled in November 2010 re-composed to make way for a new government. Political analysts have suggested that the agreement may have been a bid on President Sharif Ahmed's part to fend off attempts by the Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan to force him from power by pre-emptively "sacrificing" the Premier. Sharif Hassan is also reported to harbor presidential ambitions of his own.

Announcement of Prime Minister Mohamed's proposed resignation was immediately met with protests in various cities. Thousands of civilians, many government soldiers, and some legislators marched through the streets of Mogadishu, calling for the dismissal of the President, the Parliament Speaker and the Parliament. The crowd also demanded that the Premier be reinstated and described Mohamed as the "only honest leader in recent years". Posters of the UN Special Envoy were symbolically burned, with protestors appealing to the UN Secretary General to dismiss Mahiga due to what many felt was the latter's infringement on Somalia's sovereignty through his signing of the Kampala agreement. Attacks on hotels in which members of parliament were staying and at least five deaths were also reported. Additional demonstrations against the Premier's resignation were held in Galkacyo, a key trading city in the north-central Mudug region, as well as in Belet Hawo in the far south. Internationally, protests also reportedly took place in Cairo, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Sydney, London, Rome, Stockholm, Minneapolis and Toronto.

In response, Prime Minister Mohamed released a statement through the state-run Radio Mogadishu commending the military for its rapid response and urging its troops to exercise restraint. He also appealed to the public to calm down, and indicated that "I have seen your expressions and heard your calls[...] You are part of the decision making — what you want must be heard." Additionally, in a press conference, the Premier called for the immediate release of all protestors who had been detained, and stated that his administration would launch an independent investigation into their arrest. Weighing in on the demonstrations, Mogadishu's Mayor Mohamed Nur suggested that "what [the demonstrators] have a problem with is that two people go and decide the fate of this government without considering the feelings of this population", and that putting the issue before Parliament for approval is a more democratic course of action.

On June 11, 2011, Prime Minister Mohamed released a statement indicating that the Kampala decision ought to be presented in Parliament for debate and appraised according to the laws stipulated in the national constitution. The Premier also stated that he would only step down if lawmakers voted to uphold the accord. This was echoed by the Cabinet, which indicated in a press release that, after having convened to discuss the Kampala decision, the Ministers agreed that the accord must be put before Parliament for evaluation. In addition, over 200 parliamentarians reportedly sought to urge the Prime Minister to reconvene Parliament so as to deliberate the decision, indicating in a separate statement that the accord deprived MPs of their legislative role vis-a-vis the government.

On June 12, 2011, President Sharif Ahmed released a statement wherein he condemned the protests, describing them as "illegal". He also suggested that some government officials were financing the rallies in Mogadishu, and warned that the Al-Shabaab group of Islamists that is waging war against the federal government could try to exploit the gatherings to launch terrorist attacks.

The same day, news reports surfaced indicating that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon would sack Special Envoy Augustine Mahiga on account of a lack of tangible progress made and public confidence in Mahiga's work in Somalia. UN sources also stated that, due to prevalent allegations of graft, the Secretary General would fire half of the senior staff in various UN bureaus, including the UNPOS, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO and OCHA.

In an interview on June 16, 2011, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy, Alfredo Mantica, expressed support for Prime Minister Mohamed's position with regard to the Kampala agreement. Mantica stated that the Italian government believed that the accord ought to be reviewed in Parliament. He also indicated that "the prime minister has been in office five months. And [it is too] early to judge his work. But what he has done so far has been very positive. It has achieved important results. The government already seemed a miracle[...] The strength of the instability in Somalia is a constant. And the prime minister represents stability."

On June 19, 2011, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed resigned from his position as Prime Minister of Somalia. Part of the controversial Kampala Accord's conditions, the agreement would also see the mandates of the President, the Parliament Speaker and Deputies extended until August 2012, after which point new elections are to be organized. In his farewell speech, Prime Minister Mohamed indicated that he was stepping down in "the interest of the Somali people and the current situation in Somalia". He also thanked his Cabinet for its efforts in improving the security situation and the standards of governance in the country.

Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Mohamed's former Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, was appointed as Acting Premier later the same day. A few days later, on June 23, 2011, Ali was named permanent Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Mohamed's resignation was immediately met with anger by the general public and many lawmakers. Apprehension regarding a possible resurgence of governmental corruption and lassitude, long-standing problems which Mohamed's administration had made significant strides toward eradicating, were cited as primary reasons for the consternation. According to one legislator, many policy-makers are trying to repeal the Kampala decision, as it also "subject[s] the country to trusteeship." Another MP indicated that "lawmakers are united in their opposition to the deal" and "will object [to] it until we throw it away".

Observers have suggested that Mohamed's resignation could offer militants an opportunity to capitalize on the situation and set back the territorial gains made by his administration in the ongoing insurgency in southern Somalia. They have also opined that firing the Premier would not resolve the long-standing power struggle between President Sharif Ahmed and Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan, but may inadvertently exacerbate and prolong it. Additionally, political analysts have suggested that the Kampala agreement presents other potential long-term issues, such as facilitating intervention and meddling by neighboring countries, with the Ugandan government's role as the final arbiter, in particular, cited as problematic.

Responding to the Kampala decision, the Al-Shabaab insurgent group's head of policy and regions, Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, told reporters on June 22, 2011 that the accord ended in failure since it was "an example [of how] the country is managed by Uganda" and that "it is clear for the Somali people and the international community that [the] Kampala meeting [on] Somalia was aimed to coerce the Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to step down". In addition, the spokesman suggested that Somalia's citizenry was aware of what was going on and that it did not recognize President Sharif Ahmed and the Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan as legitimate governmental authorities. He also reiterated his group's call for Ugandan troops to withdraw from the country.

On June 24, 2011, lawmakers reaffirmed their opposition to and intention of repealing the Kampala decision. The Chairman of the federal Information, Public Awareness, Culture and Heritage Committee, Awad Ahmed Ashareh, indicated that 165 legislators had tendered a motion in Parliament opposing the agreement, but the Speaker rebuffed it. Ashareh also stated that MPs would issue a vote of no confidence vis-a-vis the Speaker Hassan if he continued to refuse to permit debate to take place, suggesting that Hassan's refusal "contravenes the Charter and rules of procedure."

Following talks with parliamentarians, President Sharif Ahmed asserted on June 28, 2011 that, on account of opposition amongst legislators to the Kampala decision, the accord would be brought before Parliament for deliberation. He also indicated that the agreement would not be implemented unless approved by lawmakers.

Notes

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Government ministers of Somalia Category:Members of the Transitional Federal Parliament Category:Speakers of the Transitional Federal Parliament

so:Shariif Xasan Sheekh Aadan