In an interview in Hargeisa, he told IRIN that the Somaliland government had been forced to use all its resources to maintain the public sector, and that development projects needed support by international agencies. Livestock is Somaliland's main foreign exchange earner.

He said international recognition for Somaliland would help, but "we are not in a hurry". (For full interview, see IRIN interview with Mohamed Said Mohamed "Gees")

The visit to Somalia by a team of veterinarians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which took place last week is considered a step forward in attempts to reopen the livestock market following a Rift Valley Fever ban imposed last September by the Gulf States.

A mission report by Paul Rossiter for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said that given the fact that there had been no reported cases of RVF outbreak anywhere in the Horn of Africa recently, the chance of "an animal infected with RVF virus entering the human food chain in the abattoirs in Somalia must be practically insignificant at present." Rossiter, who accompanied the mission, told IRIN that the trip was "extremely successful". "This is a step in the right direction to open up the markets," he added.

The aim of the visit was to look at the health situation of livestock and the condition of processed meat in Somalia. The team also wanted to ascertain whether Somali livestock were free from RVF. The alleged presence of the disease has led to a crippling ban on livestock imports from the Horn of Africa by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, imposed in September 2000.

The team visited Burao in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland, northwest Somalia; Galkayo in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeast Somalia, and the capital, Mogadishu, where they inspected abattoirs. "The abattoirs in Galkayo and Mogadishu are currently at a standard that could supply export meat if markets are available", said the report.

Andrea Tamagnini, Senior Deputy Residence Representative, UNDP, Somalia, said the mission "was one of many steps in efforts on lifting the livestock ban and addressing the RVF issue". Promoting chilled meat was a way of coping with the livestock ban, and also added value to the livestock, he told IRIN.

HARGEISA--Edna Adan Ismail has spent 40 years fighting for the rights of Somali women, and at the age of 60-something shows no signs of giving up the struggle as she builds the first maternity hospital in the northwestern district of Somaliland.
Female genital mutilation tops her hate list.

"It's inhuman, condemned by Islam, painful, harmful to health and a human rights violation," Ismail said of a practice undergone by some 95 percent of women in Somalia.

Ismail was born into a well-to-do family and in 1961 became the first woman from her country to qualify as a midwife in Britain and the first in Somaliland -- which unilaterally broke away from rump Somalia in 1991 -- to gain a driver's licence.

She was once married to Somalia's former prime minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal -- who now serves as president of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland -- but divorced him to marry twice more.

Ismail has served as director of the Somali health ministry and has been to jail three times.

Having quit her post as representative of the World Health Organisation in Djibouti three years ago, she describes herself as retired even as, decked out in elegant traditional garb, she coordinates the bustling activity at the building site that will soon become the maternity hospital.

Ismail is also concerned about the negative effects female genital mutilation has on pregnancy in a country with the highest infant mortality rate in the world.

In Somaliland, one child in eight dies before its first birthday, one in five before its fifth. Every year, almost 4,000 women die during childbirth, Ismail said.

An office in the ward is given over to female genital mutilation where women will be able to have consultations and read pretty much everything that has been written on the subject.

"My family hardly appreciates what I am doing," said Ismail, who is planning an international symposium on the practice.

She herself put up half of the 620,000 dollars invested in the ward. The rest came from international donations.

"Others take retirement by buying a yacht or travelling. I sold what I had, my jewels ... to build this hospital which will be a reference for the Horn of Africa. ... My only revenue now comes from renting the family's house in Hargeisa to the European Union," she said.

About 40 young women are already taking a course in nursing in parts of the building that are finished. There is still work to be done on the lobby, operating theatres, wards and laboratories, as well as the rooms in which Ismail herself will live.

"What we need is specialists. There is not a single gynaecologist-obsetrician in Somaliland (home to two million people) and we will need an anaesthetist and a paediatrician," she explained.

Around the building, women work with spades and build bricks. "If men don't like it, we will also find male masons."

At one point Ismail introduced her "finance minister," a young woman who pays the demobilised factional fighters working on the building site.

Ismail is a staunch supporter of an independent Somaliland. One of her remaining possessions is a videotape shot in May 1991 in a Hargeisa ruined by the forces of Somali former president Mohamed Siad Barre, whose interior minister at the time, Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, now serves as Somalia's transitional president.

Shukri is one of a growing band of Somaliland entrepreneurs seeking to add value to local products and market them to the world. "Henna is so natural, its got anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties - people in Europe and America are just discovering these things and it's great that The Body Shop has picked up our henna," she told IRIN. In 2000 the Asli Mills Company exported 6,700 kg of henna. This year, it is aiming for 10,000 kg.

The four Somali henna-based products were launched in London (UK) to 49 markets worldwide. The Body Shop deal was facilitated by Progressive Interventions, an Irish NGO specialising in marketing assistance and product promotion in developing economies.

It is people like Shukri - who combine local expertise and raw materials with finance from the Somali Diaspora - who may hold the key to economic development in this desperately poor region of the Horn of Africa. After the ravages of the war waged by Mohamed Siyad Barre's regime up to 1991, and later inter-clan fighting, Somaliland now enjoys peace and stability. But, ten years after declaring independence, it has yet to get the international recognition it feels it deserves.

Now, the fragile economy of the region has been dealt another major blow. In October 2000 Gulf States banned livestock imports from the Horn of Africa because of the first outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Saudia Arabia and Yemen. Livestock is Somaliland's main foreign exchange earner. Finance Minister Mohamed Gees has estimated that the present ban will cost Somaliland between US $150-200 million per annum in lost foreign exchange receipts.

One of the effects of the ban has been to highlight the lack of diversification in the economy, and the need for the business community to find new products and new markets. Many of these attempts were showcased for the first time 3-6 March at the Somaliland Trade Fair. The event was organised by the local Chamber of Commerce and supported by the European Commission (EC) and UNDP.

"It's about increasing awareness of locally available products and encouraging investment," Gerry McCarthy, Programme Director of Progressive Interventions told IRIN. Nearly 100 businesses, many brand-new, set up shop in the wind-swept compound in the centre of Hargeisa, determined to show the world that the Somaliland economy has a future. "Nobody knows about us and about the special things we are making," a stallholder shouted. Small-scale gem dealers try to usher people closer to their stalls, and women wearing traditional head scarves gaze shyly at foreign visitors as they run up brightly coloured clothing on knitting machines. Many want to emulate Shukri's success and generate foreign interest in their products.

Although many of the products on display at the four-day fair have only local appeal, some have international potential. Amina Rodol is a local business woman who worked in Saudi Arabia. She has put her life savings into a new range of beauty products using frankincense gum - the ancient base for all perfumes. She makes the cream locally and chats with potential buyers at her stall. Amina told IRIN she was confident that her exotic-smelling range of creams could be successfully marketed in wealthy countries. "I want to make money, but its much more than that," she insisted. She told IRIN that thousands of poor people collect the frankincense, which currently gets exported to the Gulf States in its raw form. "If we can turn it into local products, we will all benefit," she said. Already, the Asli Mills company has proved that new markets translate into new jobs. It now provides work for at least 400 pastoralist women who collect henna leaves to sell directly to the mill.

Somaliland gem stones have also attracted interest. Situated at the top of the Mozambique Belt - from which two-thirds of Africa's gems are mined - Somaliland already supports 5,000 livelihoods in the sector. Emerald, ruby, sapphire, garnet and aquamarine are all mined locally. But lack of mining techniques and poor gem-recognition skills have led to exploitation. A locally-mined stone was recently bought in Hargeisa for US $2,000; yet, after it had been cut in Thailand, it was sold for US $250,000, Progressive Interventions points out. The NGO has been providing Somaliland miners with training to enable them to mine more efficiently and recognise the value of what they produce. "Inevitably, a lot of miners get cheated by unscrupulous dealers, but what is needed is a local jewellery and stone-cutting business," Sarah Jones of Progressive Interventions told IRIN.

This pioneering trade fair is only the second to be held anywhere in Somalia since the fall of Barre a decade ago. It represents a small but significant beginning. Most visitors managed to see all the exhibits within an hour. And all involved acknowledged that these are still early days. "There is a lot of international interest, but buyers and investors want to see bigger quantities of goods and materials before they consider investing," Alrizak Mohed, a local business educator told IRIN. "No million dollar deals were struck this weekend - but maybe next year," he added.

In the meanwhile, reports contradicting Egal's statement to the EU diplomat have however emerged. At least by one account, President Egal told a British diplomat on last year that he will consider entering into a dialogue with leaders of the Arta faction to discuss "re-unification" or a "federal state in Somalia". The Republican has learned that the British diplomat is Phil Batson who visited Hargiasa on October last year. Batson who works in the East Africa desk in the "Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Office" held a long discussion during his last visit with Egal. Reliable sources told The Republican that Egal did most of the talking during which he never raised the question of recognition.

In a report to his superiors, Batson remarked that he felt surprised at Egal's lack of interest in the recognition issue. Our sister paper Jamhuuriyahas in its last Wednesday issue published a long feature article headed " Has Egal ever asked the British to recognise Somaliland?" On Wednesday evening the presidency issued a statement on the talks that Egal have had earlier during the day with EU officials. It has not been clear yet whether Jamhuuriyas story had prompted Egal to mention Somaliland's need to be granted international diplomatic recognition to the EU diplomats.

Despite the enormous destruction that Siyad Barre troops had inflicted on most of urban and rural centres in the country during the eighties, Somaliland has since its liberation 10 year ago been witnessing a rapid reconstruction effort and a steady economic growth without external help. The objective of the Somaliland Fair is to raise people's awareness about products and create marketing opportunities for producers. The grassroots level peace and reconciliation achieved, has had a positive impact on all aspects of life here. "The political and socio-economic progress that we have made in the last ten years have already surpassed what we have seen in 10 years under the post-independence civilian governments (1960-1969) and 20 years under southern dictatorship (1969-1991)", said a prominent businessman from Hargeisa who after losing all his wealth to Siyad Barre's soldiers in 1988 had to start from scratch again.

In May 1988, the rebels of the Somali National Movement (SNM) made two suicidal attacks on Buroa and Hargeisa. In retaliation, Barre's government forces razed both cities to the ground and killed tens of thousands of Civilians. British-made Hawker Hunter bomber Jet planes given by the United Arab Emirates to Siyad Barre were also used in the saturation aerial bombardment of the Civilian population. Barre's pilots were not trained on this type of aircraft, so White South African pilots were hired by the dictator. The slaughtering continued through out the second half of 1988 and until early 1989 when the SNM started bringing down Barre's fighters with the help of shoulder-launched heat-seeking SAM missiles.

In the meanwhile, Djibouti denied Thursday a statement that the London-based Arab daily Al-hayat had attributed to President Gelleh during a visit to Asmara, Eritirea, last week. The paper quoted Gelleh saying; "the pressure that we exerted on the Ethiopians paid off as they are now pulling their troops out of Somalia". An official statement released through the Djiboutian radio on Thursday said the President was misquoted by Al-Hayat.

Most of the income will come from government custom duties mainly on imports. Finance officials attributed the increase in estimated budget revenues this year to substantial improvements made to revenue collection and financial management system. The ministry is understood to have taken also austerity measures to make for the income it will lose due to the ban imposed on last September on Somaliland exports to Saudi Arabia.

The House is expected to pass the budget later this week. Among recipients of government budget funds this year will be a number of privately owned organizations such as Gandhi Library and Hargeisa TV. Over 100 million Shillings have also been allocated to the women organisation NOW. When asked why NOW has been chosen among the many other women organizations in the country to receive government fund, Gees replied that he was just following a practice that has been followed long before he became a minister. A representative from Hargeisa called Faysal Mohamed then asked the minister why the government didn't consider allocating some funds for Jamhuuriyanewspaper to which Gees responded "first, Jamhuuriyais an independent paper. Whether the government likes it or not, we have to admit that this is the country's only national paper. I once asked them jokingly whether they will accept government funds and they said no"

Ali Salad was transferred last year from the UNDP Office in Nairobi in the face of protests from Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs which charged that he was biased against Somaliland. However after an intervention on his behalf by David Stephen, the controversial UN Secretary General Representative in Somalia, Ali has been reinstated in his old job in the office of the UNDP Rep. for Somalia in Nairobi. The Somaliland House of Representatives has recently passed a legislation banning the Egal Administration from making any contacts with Stephen who is unpopular here due to, as many Somalilanders believe, his anti-Somaliland political views. Stephen has never set foot on Somaliland soil since the UN sponsored Arta conference installed a transitory government headed by Siyad Barre's cronies on August last year.

Another Salad brother with the name of Abdi works for IRIN, a news agency that is the mouthpiece of the UNDP. Since the Arta process was unleashed by end of 1999, IRIN has been propagating a lot of distorting or highly inaccurate information promoting in the beginning, the government of Djibouti, and later on, the Arta faction. Almost 90% of IRIN'S news coverage deals with the activities of Abdul Qassim Salad's faction.

Yusuf Garad the editor of the Somali service of the BBC is also a close relative of Qassim. The Somali Service is now the centre of many jokes in popular Somali circles for its lack of impartiality and integrity in reporting on events in the former Somalia. The BBC has been turned by Garad to a propaganda machine promoting the Arta faction. Last month, Garad stayed in Djibouti for 2 weeks. Since assuming his current position one year ago, the Editor of the Somali Service has spent more work-days in Djibouti than in the rest of all the former Somalia.

The council has been formed with the purpose of deepening reconciliation between the people of Buroa and consolidation of peace in the region of Togdheer and beyond, the statement said. The council will also work as a pressure group in order to advance the interests of the region. The statement also said the council will work with other communities in Somaliland with the objective of promoting inter-community collaboration in tackling all domestic issues confronting the people of Somaliland.

Congratulatory messages from Buroa natives living in other parts of Somaliland have kept arriving in the new council premises without interruption throughout the last few days. A number of traditional leaders from Hargeisa have also sent messages of support. However there has been no comment yet by the government. The Habar-je'lo and Habar younis are the two largest communities that inhabit Burao.

Despite the world's defiance to come to terms with Somaliland's proclamation of independence on May 18, 1991, we believe that Egal since assuming power in mid 1993 could have done much more to win friends for Somaliland among the international community of nations. The frequently contradictory messages conveyed by Egal to his foreign interlocutors on the question of Somaliland's independence, has in fact been responsible for weakening the cause of Somaliland's quest for international recognition.

Instead of seeking international recognition, Egal has on numerous occasions in the past expressed a desire to open talks with the so-called Transitional National Government of Somalia (the Arta faction) on "reunification" or the possibility of establishing a "federal state in Somalia". At least this is the impression that Egal made on a British diplomat who visited him in October last year.

In fact president Egal has no mandate to deviate in the slightest from the pro-independence position that the overwhelming majority of Somalilanders have been continuing to maintain though against tremendous odds. There is no doubt that Somaliland and Somalia will have to start talking with each other sometime in the future. But then it will be on the entirely different subject of the war crimes committed against the people of Somaliland by the regime of dictator Siyad Barre in which many members of the Arta faction, including Qassim Salad and Ali K Galaydh, had held senior positions. Southern politicians however are mistaken to believe that Egal will eventually be able to manage taking independent Somaliland in to the state of Somalia as he did on June 26, 1960. For Somalilanders have paid a very high price this time for successfully regaining their sovereignty.

The freedom being currently enjoyed in Somaliland cost its people the loss of tens of thousands of their sons and daughters and the total destruction of their towns and villages. So President Egal should better forget about his "villa Somalia" in Mogadishu and instead start concentrating on how to obtain a diplomatic recognition for Hargeisa.

Hargeisa -- The first phase of the government supported Electrification of Hargeysa City Project has been completed.

When completed the project will supply electricity to over 10,000 homes plus business establishments and small industries and will create more than 200 jobs for the local community. The project is completely financed by the Somaliland government through the Somaliland Electric Agency which spent over $100,000 U.S Dollars in the initial phase.

A Civic Education programme was held in Garowe from 3 - 15 February and received participation from Somalis from different regions and Djibouti. This was greatly affected by the Puntland administration's decision not to send participants to attend workshops in Somaliland. However, the Somaliland government, in a press release stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had requested the Police Immigration department of Somaliland not to ask for entry permission or visa for Somali nationals.

In Garowe, from 13 January to 14 February a teacher education course was held for teachers of Nugal Region to upgrade teachers and social workers up to Grade 8 level. Another course was held 17 to 24 February on training in leadership was held for Community Education Committee members to promote community ownership of schools.

In the southern and central regions, 107 primary school head teachers from the Baidoa district received training on the use of new education kits. Community leaders and authorities participated in the opening ceremonies.

The construction of the basketball playground in Jowhar by Farjano had been completed. Another basketball playground and football pitch was rehabilitated in Baidoa. (UNCT Somalia Monitor - 1-29 February 2000)

Livestock exports, the main source of income for Somalia, have suffered since the UAE and other countries in the Arabian peninsula banned imports of Somali meat in 1998 following an announcement by the World Health Organization that Rift Valley fever had broken out in neighboring Kenya.

Accompanied by representatives of the U.N. Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization as well as by members of the interim government's livestock ministry, the UAE officials also visited slaughterhouses in Hargeisa, Berbera and Burao in the breakaway republic of Somaliland as well as in the central town of Galcaio.

Abdulkadir Mohamud Nur Fatul, whose Som-Meat company still exports goats to Saudi Arabia, said he hoped this week's mission would grant a clean bill of health to Somali meat exports so business can resume with the UAE.

The existence of Rift Valley fever in Somalia has been a contentious issue. For nearly a decade since former president Mohamed Siad Barre was ouseted in January 1991, there was no central government in Somalia and thus no national health or veterinary institutions to test for evidence of the animal disease.

Prior to the ban, Somalia exported hundreds of thousands of head of goats, sheep, cattle and camels to the UAE.

Somalia's second trade fair since the overthrow of Siad Barre a decade ago will be held in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared state of Somaliland, northwest Somalia, this coming weekend. "Its a very exciting development", Jerry McCarthy of Progressive Interventions, an NGO promoting the trade fair, told IRIN.

"The aim of the fair is to stimulate economic diversification in a region overly reliant on traditional trade channels"' he added. The event will serve as a showcase for Somaliland businesses and enterprises and potential buyers and investors have been invited.

"There's a lot happening economically in Somaliland and we want to present a different face to the world through this fair", McCarthy said. Body Shop International has recently launched a new range of four Somali henna-based products. Enterprises dealing in frankincense, the base for all perfumes, bee products, gem mining and micro-financing will be amongst those represented at the fair.

Livestock exports, the main source of income for Somalia, have suffered since the UAE and other countries in the Arabian peninsula banned imports of Somali meat in 1998 following an announcement by the World Health Organization that Rift Valley fever had broken out in neighboring Kenya.

Accompanied by representatives of the U.N. Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization as well as by members of the interim government's livestock ministry, the UAE officials also visited slaughterhouses in Hargeisa, Berbera and Burao in the breakaway republic of Somaliland as well as in the central town of Galcaio.

Abdulkadir Mohamud Nur Fatul, whose Som-Meat company still exports goats to Saudi Arabia, said he hoped this week's mission would grant a clean bill of health to Somali meat exports so business can resume with the UAE.

The existence of Rift Valley fever in Somalia has been a contentious issue. For nearly a decade since former president Mohamed Siad Barre was ouseted in January 1991, there was no central government in Somalia and thus no national health or veterinary institutions to test for evidence of the animal disease.

Prior to the ban, Somalia exported hundreds of thousands of head of goats, sheep, cattle and camels to the UAE.

Security: The zone was calm this month. Two men, who had killed a man in Burao last month and escaped to 'Puntland' were extradited by 'Puntland' authorities in the reporting period. They are now in Burao prison awaiting trial.

In another event, 'Somaliland' coastal guards seized 15 boats and arrested 144 Yemeni fishermen on board for illegal fishing in the self-declared Republic's territorial waters. The fishermen were later freed, but had to leave behind their fish catch, estimated at more than 10,000 tonnes.

Political developments: The 'Somaliland' Foreign Minister, Mohamoud Salah 'Fagadhe' denied press reports that the government had banned the head of the UN office for Somalia, David Stephen, from 'Somaliland.' He said that 'Somaliland' had only requested the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to remove Stephen. He told a press conference in his office that the Parliament council's suggestion that the government withdraw its cooperation with Stephen was not a resolution compelling the government to act, but a reflection of the Parliament's disatisfaction with the views and behaviour of . Stephen towards 'Somaliland'.

The President of 'Somaliland,' Ibrahim Egal, told a joint session of the two houses of Parliament in Hargeisa that 'Somaliland' will never again unite with Somalia. He said further that talks between him and President Abdikassim Salad of the Transitional National Government (TNG), will only take place if the latter renounces his claims to 'Somaliland.'

Egal also talked about his administration's plans for petroleum exploration with the support of China, Romania, South Korea and Taiwan. His administration is establishing offices to register the Somali National Movement (SNM) war veterans, he said.

The two-day joint session of Parliament was held following a request by the administration. It extended the term of the interim national constitution for six months. This is the second time the period of the interim national constitution has been extended since the third reconciliation meeting held in Hargeisa 1997. The latest extension started on January 17, 2001. The aim of this new period extension was to give the administration a chance to hold a referendum on the constitution. Following this, the Parliament approved an independent committee whose responsibility will be the registration of political parties to be established in the country.

This month, President Egal, for the first time, publicly declared that he wants to be re-elected for another term in office. He made this announcement in a speech to 'Somaliland' armed forces on the seventh anniversary of their formation.

The Defense Minister, Omer Nimaleh, resigned from President Egal's cabinet this month. Mohamed Osman Fadal, who was the Director of Somali Centre for Peace and Development (SCPD) in 'Somaliland', joined the cabinet as the Minister of Planning and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

A mission led by the UNDP Somalia Representative, Dr Randolph Kent, who is also in charge of the coordination of humanitarian assistance, and the FAO Representative for Somalia, Dr Daniel Gustafson, visited Burao in the review period to assess the impact of the livestock export ban on Togdheer region, the repatriation status of the refugees returning to the region, and the security situation. The mission met with the regional governor and the Mayor of Burao, and informed them that the UN had made great efforts to convince Arab countries that 'Somaliland' livestock was free from Rift Valley disease, but they (Arab countries) resisted. During its presence in Burao, the mission visited a meat and leather factory being constructed in Burao.

A Norwegian delegation led by . Hans Jacob, a senior diplomat of the Foreign Ministry for Peace and Reconciliation of Africa, visited Hargeisa on a fact-finding mission.

The Swiss Ambassador to Kenya, Josef Bucher, also visited Hargeisa in the review period. Bucher told a press conference that the aim of his mission was to renew ties established with 'Somaliland' a year and a half ago. The Ambassador met with President Egal and other top officials.

Foreign Minister, Mahamoud Salah, visited Italy at the invitation of the Italian government. "The move behind the invitation was that Italy wanted to get 'Somaliland', 'Puntland' and the Arta-formed government (TNG) together to discuss the Somali cause and then participate in a meeting being organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),' the Minister said on his return.

Economy: The cabinet council of 'Somaliland' this month endorsed the government budget for 2001 which amounts to 115,474,610,000 Somaliland Shillings - equivalent to US$ 37,000,000, a 4.5 per cent increase over last year's budget. Sixty-nine per cent of the 2001 budget will go to the armed forces, the central government staff, local municipalities and the port staff.

Newly printed fake Somali currency notes recently delivered to Mogadishu have severely affected the eastern regions of 'Somaliland' (Togdheer, Sool and Sanaag), where the Somali shilling is still in use. Several hundred businesspeople and moneychangers turned out in the streets of Burao and Erigavo in protest. However, the exchange rate of the 'Somaliland' Shilling was stable this month at a rate of 5,000 to 1 USD.

Health and Nutrition: A two-day health and nutrition co-ordination meeting was conducted on February 17th and 18th, 2001 to review the year 2000 health programme, and chart a course for the future. The meeting bought together all international organisations working in the health sector in 'Somaliland'.

Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI): Immunisation campaigns on tetanus toxoid and measles for children under five years of age were launched in Erigavo and Berbera towns of Sanaag and Sahil regions. The campaigns were implemented in collaboration with the respective regional health offices.

Nutrition: In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Labour, UNICEF conducted training for sixty teachers from 21 primary schools and three family life programme schools of Hargeisa on micro-nutrients deficiencies. The purpose of the training was to educate the teachers on the importance of nutrition, and the relationship between education and nutrition. The teachers will be used later as key change agents to undertake nutrition education activities at their schools. The teachers will be able to distribute iron/folic acid supplements to the school children.

In conjunction with EPI campaign in Erigavo town, mass distribution of iron/folic acid for pregnant women was conducted. The purpose of this activity was to screen children and women affected by anaemia and provide treatment and supplementation to the pregnant women.

Water and Environmental Sanitation: A pump and generator were installed at Laanqaciye borewell, while the three dug wells with hand pumps of the Haahi Water Project were completed.

Education: An estimated 360 children will now attend school this year, following the completion of three schools financed by UNICEF. The construction of Adarosh and Ali Aden community schools, as well as the rehabilitation of Galooley Community school was completed in the review period.

The construction of two sports fields, Iftin basketball court and Gabilay football ground, was finalised during this period. This is part of UNICEF's initiative to create recreational opportunities for the youth and children in the zone.

For more information on UNICEF Somalia, you can access our website at the following address: http://www.unicef.org/somalia/

Should you have further queries on the UNICEF Somalia Review contact: Patrick Mwangi, Assistant Communication Officer, UNICEF Somalia: E-mail: pmwangi@unicef.org
OR Julia Spry-Leverton, Communication Officer, UNICEF Somalia, TEL: 254-2-/623958/623950/623862/623959/350410 FAX: 254-2-520640/623965

Special thanks to UNICEF field staff and Communication Section colleagues in Programme Communication, Information and Monitoring and Evaluation in Somalia who help compile input for the UNICEF Somalia Review.

For more information on UNICEF, visit its website at http://www.unicef.org

The team will visit Hargeisa, in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland, northwest Somalia, Bosaso, in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeast Somalia, and Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

"We are prepared to intervene at the highest level concerning this issue", the release quotes UNDP Senior Deputy Resident Representative, Andrea Tamagnini as saying. According to Tamagnini, the livestock mission is one part of UNDP's efforts to "find out what technically has to be done to facilitate the reopening of this market".

The Arab Gulf States imposed a ban on imports of livestock from Horn of Africa countries in September 2000 following an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Some 70 percent of Somalia's GDP depends on livestock production and trade. Since the ban "serious concerns have developed for the food security and livelihood of poor households in northern and central Somalia," said the UNDP release.

TotalFinaElf has secured rights to conduct preliminary exploration work offshore southern Somalia. A spokesman told African Energy the company signed a technical evaluation agreement in Mogadishu in late January with officials from the ministry of water and mineral resources.

The agreement - valid for up to 12 months - allows the company to conduct 2D seismic work in the Jorre region off the southern coast. TotalFinaElf said that work would commence shortly and that the agreement could "evolve towards a concession" should the seismic studies prove fruitful.

Minister of water and mineral resources Hassan Abshir Farah said the company had agreed to open a liaison office in Mogadishu.

For Mogadishu's transitional government, which has said it is eager to attract foreign investment, the arrival of TotalFinaElf comes as something of a blessing. Other companies such as Sweden's Lundin Oil, which has two onshore concessions, have been forced to declare force majeure and are not treating their properties as a high priority. But TotalFinaElf maintains that its work offshore will be free from interference. "We are an oil company so we don't want to get involved in any political aspect," the spokesman said.

Officials in the breakaway republic of Somaliland meanwhile have said that the deal with Mogadishu has no bearing in the north-west where it claims the most prospective hydrocarbon targets are located.

TotalFinaElf has maintained a presence in Somaliland in recent years with the rehabilitation and operational management of the oil terminal at Berbera port, as well as providing aviation fuel services at the airports in Berbera and the breakaway capital Hargeisa.

The French firm told African Energy that it had no immediate plans to pursue exploration in Somaliland. The Somaliland oil and water ministry has said in the local press that no E&P companies have visited the country and that no negotiations are under way with any companies to open up the upstream oil and gas sector.

The batch of trainees graduated on last Tuesday. The source added that all the group members were drawn from the Ayr Habr-Gidir subclan militiamen in Mogadishu and Bali-Doogle airport, about 90km southwest to Mogadishu. The leader of the Arta faction, Qassim Salad, also belongs to the Ayr of the Habar-Gidir sub-clan.

Two other batches of similar background were also given military training in Djibouti in the past 6 months. The training objective was to equip the participants with high military skills needed for conduction of special operations, the source added. Travellers reaching Somaliland from Djibouti in mid last week however said the training program was designed and implemented by a group of elite officers from the French army in Djibouti. There were no reliable sources to confirm this allegation.

Over the last 100 years, France has been maintaining an almost uninterrupted military presence in Djibouti. Despite gaining independence from France in 1977, Djibouti has ever since remained reliant on international aid, particularly from France, for its survival as a state. In April 1999, Ismail Omer Gelleh, a former corporal in the French colonial army, succeeded Hasan Guleed Abtidoon to become the second president of the port-city state.

In the meanwhile, the Afar apposition organisation FRUD declared last week its withdrawal from a cease-fire agreement reached with the government of Ismail Omer Gelleh last year. FRUD accused the Gelleh regime of failing to respect the terms of the agreement.

It's three weeks now since Djibouti's Afar-born prime minister, Barkhad Gurad Hamadu, has resigned his post due to ill health. So far, President Gelleh, an Issa Mamaasan, has not to nominated Gurad's replacement. According to reliable sources, . Gelleh has deliberately delayed the nomination of a prime minister (certainly to be an Afar according to the French sponsored yet unwritten Djibouti's Independence Convention) for the simple reason of sparking a power struggle among the Afar population of Djibouti so as to gain time. So far the Afars have avoided to scramble for the rubber stamp post of prime minister.

Shortly after arriving in Maansoor Hotel from Hargeisa airport, Bucher told editors of The Republican and Jamhuuriyathat he has come back to renew the relations that have been established since his last visit to Hargeisa one year and a half ago. Asked whether his government would consider enhancing its aid for Somaliland in the light of the successful Swiss program on ground, the ambassador responded by saying "The best known Swiss supported projects in Somaliland have been implemented by Swiss Group. And Ute Westphal is here to care of them. Since they have established a good reputation over the years up here, there is no reason why we shouldn't support them to continue their good job".

As he came down from the airport to Maansoor Hotel, the Swiss diplomat was sharply attentive to notice the changes that have occurred to urban Hargeisa since his last visit. "I thought I saw then more buildings which were half-finished. Now it seems more of those buildings have been completely reconstructed", [he said].

Since early 1995, numerous successful, projects have been directly implemented in Somaliland with Swiss assistance, mainly through Swiss-Group, an NGO from Switzerland, funded by a consortium of independent Swiss development organizations and the Swiss government. One of the most successful programs that Swiss-Group has funded and co-managed with a partner in Somaliland is SOOYAAL'S Hargeisa Vocational Training Centre. The VTC has been an important vehicle not only for the reintegration of over 2000 demobilized combatants into the civilian society but also for the over-all promotion of the cause of peace, disarmament and adoption of productive alternatives to military life. Swiss-Group has also been supporting projects which include credit Schemes for Women, Water programs, literacy education and Democracy.

The Swiss NGO is run by Ute Westphal, a German national. During their 2-day visit to Somaliland, the Swiss diplomats met with president Egal, the Deputy Speaker of Somaliland House of Representatives, Sommaliland Foreign Minister, Mahamoud Saleh Nur "Fagadhe" and other officials.

Dictionaries, English language courses and management books in particular are selling like hot cakes. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary priced at $5 is currently the bestseller in Hargeisa. The bookshop stocks the latest editions supplied by leading international publishers including Oxford University Press, Pearson Education, Macmillan and Cambridge University Press.

This latest UN corruption scandal in Nairobi brings to one's mind the cruel and immoral nature of this mammoth organization when it comes to dealing with people in the failed state of Somalia. During the seventies and eighties, the UN was responsible for running a large aid program in the former Somalia estimated at billions of US dollars in order to sustain the lives of hundred of thousands of artificial refugees, from eastern Ethiopia, on Somaliland soil. While this huge assistance was being given, UN officials have known that the influx of people from Ethiopia was actually instigated by dictator Siyad Bare who promised them a better livelihood through UNHCR support. After arming them to the teeth, Barre however used those "refugees" to terrorise the population or join his government's fight against the SNM rebels. The "refugees" did so in great numbers and of course this has considerably contributed to the prolongation of the war of resistance and the suffering of the civilian population in Somaliland. It has also eventually led to the uprooting or flight of 2.5 million Somalilanders from their homeland to escape Barre's genocide.

Disgustingly enough, the UN chose, then, not to tell the world about how international humanitarian aid was being utilized by a dictator pursuing ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses. Few courageous UN voices disclosing the truth about what was happening could have sav[ed] thousands of Somalilanders from death.

It is with great irony that the UN is once again found repeating its political cowardice in relation to Somaliland affairs. This time the UN is heinously trying to internationally portray the new Arta faction (made up mainly of the remnants of the defeated Siyad Bare regime) as a government representative of both the peoples of Somaliland and Somalia and hence well positioned to rule all the former Somalia.

We believe that dissatisfaction with the UN performance is not a feeling only confined to peoples living in this part of the world. There is worldwide frustration with the failure of UN leaders to rid the international organisation of inefficiency and corruptive practices. We therefore believe that the international community should give an urgent consideration to bringing drastic reforms to the UN body in order to eliminate the political, administrative and financial corruption found so rampant within its system. Recalling the fierce resistance shown by UN oligarchs in the past to previous attempts to reform the organisation, it will be necessary to entrust this task to an internationally selected body independent of the UN system. However, if the existing waste within the UN system were to be eliminated, there would be a need for the international community to stop its double standards as to what should be done in order to restore the over-all credibility of the organisation. In this connection, it is our opinion that the current concept emphasising the improvement of financial accountability alone, will get nowhere, unless coupled with equally serious measures aimed at cleaning and safeguarding the organisation of the politically-based corruption now practiced with impunity by many ranking UN officials.

The preparatory committee of the UDUB party consists of a dozen of cabinet ministers in addition to the director of the Civil Services Commission, one of Egal's closest cronies.

The nomination of the committee members was announced in a secret presidential decree, copy of which has been obtained by The Republican. Senior officials in the Administration were observed last week competing as to who spends the largest amount of funds for financing the president's campaign for re-election. The spending spree has infuriated most of Somalilanders whose livelihood has been seriously affected by the loss of family income-support as a result of the ban on Somaliland livestock exports to Saudi Arabia.

"Egal is shattering the vision of a Somaliland where citizens can decide who should lead their country through free and uncoerced elections" said a joint statement by the SNM and UBSL party. The two opposition organisations also pointed out that "it was unprecedented to see a transitory government to proclaim, while still in power, its own political party".

In the Meanwhile, reliable sources told The Republican that President Egal has stashed away several million dollars to be spent in the final stage of his re-election bid. The source added that Egal doesn't believe that direct elections can be held in Somaliland for selecting the next government. Egal was said to be interested in a "shir beeleed", meaning an Electoral College meeting whose attendants will be traditional clan Elders. The SNM and UBSL however appealed on Thursday to all Somaliland traditional leaders to refrain from siding with any of the political contenders.

Norway is a member of the UN Security Council and an influential member of the steering committee for donor countries working with IGAD on Somali affairs. Several thousand Somalilanders also live in Norway, a country that has been showing a considerable interest in the resolution of conflicts in third world countries.
Q. Can you elaborate on the purpose of your visit to Somaliland?
A: Norway is a member of the UN Security Council and we are here on a fact-finding mission meaning to gather first hand information about what is going on in different conflicts in the area before discussing them in the Council. That is the reason why we have come here. We are going to different parts of Somalia to have meetings in Hargeisa, Mogadishu and with representatives of Puntland.
Q: As you are aware Somaliland considers itself an independent state and that the Arta conference didn't concern her. After so many failed attempts by the Security Council and the International Community to resolve the problems of former Somalia, what is the stance of the Norwegian government with regard to the outcome of the Arta conference?
A: The Arta conference has been an important element for achieving peace in the country [Somalia] and the question is how to take this forward.
Q: The Security Council passed a resolution declaring the unity of the former Somalia as inviolable. How do you see this decision in terms of its contradiction with the universal declaration of people's rights to self-determination?
A: First, I would say that there has been war and instability in Somalia for so long. We have however seen very positive developments here in Somaliland and also in Puntland. And in my capacity as an official responsible for peace and reconciliation affairs in Africa, I would say that this is an example that we will bring along with us further on. Actually this is an approach, which can be utilized not only within the Somali context but also at the African level. So it is important that while we have this experience in mind, we go back and discuss how to achieve the kind of peace and stability you have in the whole of Somalia.
Q: A lot of people in the former Somalia view the TNG as a mere new faction. Isn't it wrong for the UN to side with one faction?
A: The UN is not siding with one faction. The TNG emerged as a result of a wide Somali process. And that is a fact we have to relate to.
Q: Why the UN and the International Community shouldn't take into consideration the fact that Somaliland has not taken part in the Arta conference?
A: What is important is to maintain the peace and stability that you have here and achieve peace in other areas in Somalia that are still unstable. It is also important to ensure that any solution should be a one, which brings peace to the whole of Somalia.
Q: Despite the embargo imposed by the UN Security Council on arms to Somalia, yet arm shipments to the Arta faction were reported arriving in Balli-doogle's airport, near Mogadishu. Why the UN shouldn't take steps to ensure international adherence to this embargo?
A: As mentioned in the January Security Council statement, the arms embargo on Somalia should be reinforced, as it is important for peace prospects in Somalia.
Q: A substantial part of international aid given to this area is consumed in high overhead costs incurred in places like Nairobi. Do you agree that it would be much wiser to take measures that will ensure delivering the aid directly to those in need?
A: When you say high overheads, I would rather like to discuss that in a case-by-case basis but not in a general term. Norway maintains quite an extensive assistance program for Somalia within an annual range of 20-50 million Kroner of which a 1/3 goes to Somaliland, through the UN system and NGOs. We are however very adamant that aid should be handled with efficiency in close cooperation with [indigenous] organisations that are ly based and have experience. A good example that can be cited in this case is the excellent cooperation between the Norwegian Red Cross and Somaliland's Red Crescent Society. We believe that that is how things should be done in this aspect.
Q: The UN Secretary General and to certain extent the Security Council solely rely on David Stephen for information on the situation in the former Somalia. Isn't it unfair for the international community to give a monopoly over information to a single person who has been accused by the majority of Somalis of conveying distorted and false information to his superiors?
A: Well I'm here now. Though I'm not going to comment on what you have said about Stephen having a monopoly over reporting information, but we are here now and we have been following this. I'm not able to blame him but any way I think it's very important to have a good relationship between the authorities here and the UN representative. So it is important to work out such kind of a relationship.

Throughout the years since the creation of the Somali Republic, all successive Italian governments have followed a policy of granting huge lucrative contracts to Italian companies to do "development" work in Somalia (mostly in the South where the Italians had considerable cultural influence).

The Italian aid program for Somalia was estimated to cost several hundred million dollars per year. Around this Italian assistance however, grew an equally large corruption business that netted handsome incomes for many Italian politicians and businesspersons. Of course most of the projects were either never implemented or had drastically failed to benefit the Somali people.

The Muri Brothers construction company was one of the firms that the Italian government used to grant contracts to execute projects in Somalia. The current Italian ambassador to "Somalia", . Sciortino, is married to a daughter of Muri.

The Italian political establishment was opposed to the armed struggle waged by the SNM during the eighties against the dictatorial regime of Siyad Barre. The Italians supported Barre till the end because they felt that a SNM victory would threaten their interests in Mogadishu, mainly in the form of illegal income generated by the aid program and trafficking in arms. When Barre razed Hargiesa and Buroa to the ground in 1988, Italy was the only country in Western Europe that failed to condemn the genocide.

"Italy is definitely responsible for the tribal warefare and the genocide in Somalia," said Francesco Rutelli, a congressman for the Italian Green Party, in 1993. The Italian politicians never forgave the SNM for crushing Siyad Barre's Army and eventually causing the collapse of Barre's regime. The Italian political establishment also received the proclamation of Somaliland's independence in May 1991 with deep contempt.

Italian politicians believe that without Somaliland remaining part of a united Somalia, the former Italian colony to the south cannot be recovered from it present disintegration. Thus the hostility harboured by successive Italian governments toward Somaliland.

Italian officials fail to recognize that it was their selfishness and blind policies, which sparked the civil war between the Hawiye of Mogadishu. By trying to install Ali Mahdi as President of Somalia in early 1991, ambassador Mario Sico, Sciortino's predecessor, takes much of the blame for the bloody power struggle that ensued between rival armed groups in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the South.

The Italian role in igniting the in fighting that Somaliland had witnessed in 1992 and again in 1994-1996 cannot be discounted. The Republican has learned that Italian officials had successfully bribed Abdirahman Tur and other political figures from Somaliland now in the Arta faction's government to publicly disclaim their country's independence. According to a reliable source Italian diplomats have offered recently a prominent Somaliland political leader an amount of $10 million dollars in return for his acceptance of re-unification. The offer was however declined.

The anti-Somaliland stance of Italian officials continues unabated. Italian diplomats who visited Hargeisa last year had even issued thinly disguised threats to Somaliland leaders, warning them that if they do not accept participation in the Arta conference, Italy would take drastic actions against Somaliland. For a detailed background on the Italian interventionist and corruptive role in the former Somalia, see the article on page two.

In a speech before the Parliament last month, President Egal pledged to hold a popular referendum on the constitution by next March. The Hargeisa national conference held on Oct. 1996 --Feb. 1997, adopted the current constitution document.

A conference resolution stipulated that the constitution be approved in a public referendum within 3 years. The government of President Egal was mandated to carryout the referendum. It however failed to meet the first deadline, which had fallen due on Feb. 2000. As a result the Parliament allowed the Administration an extra time of one year for the conduction of the referendum. The Administration however failed again to meet the Feb. 2001 deadline.

Couleur e printed the Post-card. Dallo airlines has been contracted to distribute copies of the post-card in Hargeisa, Berbera and Borama as well as in Jeddah and Dubai. Karton said he needs distribution agents in North America and Western Europe. Somalilanders in the Diaspora are most likely to seize the opportunity.

Oblik Karton has also finished writing a book on Somaliland. The first edition is expected to appear in late March this year. The book, entitled "Somaliland-a promising country" provides a general profile on this country's background and the struggle of its people in the period of peace making and nation building.Pictures will also illustrate the text of the book. It will appear in both French and English. For those interested in the distribution of the Post-card, Oblik Karton can be reached through this E-mail address: Couleurloc@intnet.dj or P.O.Box 3500 Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti.

According to the returnees, the unpublicized residential bill was officially introduced in April 2000. It stipulates that the nationals of the Horn of Africa countries (exception - Sudan) together with many African countries south of the Sahara and some Latin American countries, totaling (93), plus handful of others (namely, Morocco & Thailand) are required to undergo a mandatory yearly (full) medical tests including HIV, Hepatitis, Chest X-rays etc , without distinction to age and duration of residency (i.e. those born & brought-up / resided 20 or more years), hence adding an insult to an injury. In fact, the actual validity of one's residence is even less than a year considering the toilsome (occasionally, humiliating) two weeks paper-chase and required period for the results, thus keeping the individual continuously preoccupied with the revalidation of all related documents. The new introduction will incur an average cost per head of the family of not less than $300 per year, with more in the pipeline.

The whole issue seem to be kept off-the-record sort of, as no official decree or publication was made. One fact is that the nationals of the Sudan were exempted only after a strong protest was made by their embassy. Similarly some professionals from other affected countries were also exempted on the basis of their social status. Although Kuwait does not recognize the Republic of Somaliland and other current administrations elsewhere in Somalia, yet the embassy of the former Gov't of Somalia still functions in a caretaker role and should have taken the necessary steps to safeguard the dignity and interests of the Somalis as a whole.

As if they have nothing else to do, the President and his entire cabinet members are now found devoting all their energies to setting up UDUB. Billions of Somaliland shillings in the form of tax payers money have so far been unashamedly spent on the scheme with more to follow to finance Egal's political campaign for re-election to a third term as president of Somaliland.

We believe that 'UDUB' is an immoral scheme, which betrays the mandate given by the Somaliland people to president Egal, requiring his government to fulfil the transformation of the country from the current clan-based democracy to a popular one based on multi-party political system. This behaviour vividly contrasts with the SNM's historic decision in 1993 to hand over power, after remaining only for two years in government, to whomever people select to lead the country. It is regrettable that Egal is still determined at the age of nearly 80 (he was in his thirties on independence eve on June 26, 1960) to stay clinging to power in a manner oblivious to wide popular demands calling for him to step down.

The immediate resort of Egal to usage of public funds for financing "UDUB" and his campaign for re-election is tantamount to political warfare at the domestic front. Instead of trying to turn the clock back to the time when Somaliland was ruled either through a corrupt civilian government or a totalitarian party, President Egal should leave political contest to the general population. But as all indications point to Egal's resolve to remain in power, it would perhaps make more sense if he resigns and accepts to run as an ordinary Somalilander for the job of President. It is however completely illegal and against all fairness for Egal to use the country's meagre resources to buy out votes through "UDUB" while at the same time claiming that he will seek re-election through the ballot box.

By turning to his old habit of adopting plans for stealing votes at times of election, Egal thinks that he will be able to prevail against popular dissatisfaction with his highly inept and corrupt rule. But we doubt if he would be able to get away with it this time.

Longreach Gold Oil Ltd advises that is has entered into a conditional option agreement with a UK-based company in respect of onshore and offshore oil concessions in Somaliland.

The concessions, comprising 7,000,000 acres, will be subject to Production Sharing Agreements being concluded.

Provided the due diligence studies prove to be satisfactory, Longreach will be able to acquire a 25% interest in the Production Sharing Agreements.

Plans are in hand to drill two onshore wells by mid-year.

The Chairman, B Ganke is currently in the Middle East.
P Hetherton, SECRETARY

President Egal in a speech on Jan 27, 2001 before a joint session of Somaliland's two Houses of Parliament promised to hold the referendum in next March. The interim constitution document was enacted in Feb 1997 in a Somaliland National Conference held in Hargeisa. For the constitution to come fully into force it was stipulated that the document should be approved in a popular referendum. The original deadline expired in Feb last year following which the Parliament granted the Administration one more year for holding the mandatory referendum.

The SNM - UBSL communiqu, also expressed concern over President Egal's recent announcement during a speech on Feb 1, 2001 to members of the armed forces that he will seek re-election Egal told the military "I want you to elect me for another 5 year term". The SNM-UBSL statement questioned the motive behind President Egal's decision to solicit support from the armed forces for his re-election. This raises concern especially when four days earlier; Egal failed to inform the country's legislators from both Houses of his intentions to become candidate for president, the joint communiqu, said.

Apparently Fagadhe was responding to recent press reports attributed to the UN political office in Nairobi that claimed Stephen was banned from coming to Somaliland. The Foreign minister's full press statement is reproduced below:

It no longer comes as a surprise that the United Nations Political Office in Nairobi jumps to conclusions without checking the facts. Examples of this unusual culture in the otherwise responsible offices of the United Nations are all too evident in the reports submitted to the United Nations Secretariat by the political office and published by the admirable UN Secretary-General in good faith.

Take the last report to the Security Council, which accused the Somaliland Government of killing an army officer for opposing the deportation of certain persons who had wished to travel to the Arta conference in Djibouti. It was a pure figment of the imagination of . David Stephens, the Secretary-General's Representative in Nairobi. Yet he has done it again.

This time in a press release from his office reporting erroneously that the Government of the Republic of Somaliland had declared . David Stephens persona non grata. The ambiguous source of the information was ascribed to the press media. In point of fact, the Somaliland House of Representatives, having noted the diplomatic shortcomings of . David Stephens, advised the Government to refrain from cooperating with . David Stephens. It was a non-binding resolution expressing dissatisfaction with . David Stephen's attitude and behaviour towards Somaliland. The Somaliland Government in turn did not declare . David Stephen persona-non-grata but instead appealed to the Secretary-General to remove . David Stephens before he does more irreversible damage to Somalia, Somaliland and to the whole region of the Horn of Africa.

Hargeisa -- The Somaliland Minister for Public Works has opened road bridges between Hargeysa and Berbera that have been repaired. The Minister declared that all roads between Hargeysa and Berbera except one have been rebuilt, and are temporarily open for traffic. The Minister added that rehabilitation of bridges between Hargeysa and Dilla is continuing and the official opening of all such bridges will be in March 2001. A representative of the European Union will be invited to attend the ceremony, as the European Union paid the cost of such repairs.

The European Union paid $3million towards the cost of repairing bridges and the work is being done in several stages. The next stage covers the roads between Berbera and Burao and the final stage covers roads between Burao and Ainabo

The outcome of the Arta meeting was however rejected by most of Somali communities living in the failed state of Somalia. The Somali Service of the BBC, whose daily news broadcasts are followed by millions of Somalis living in the Horn of Africa as well as in the Diaspora, made an extensive coverage of the Djibouti - led initiative. However many Somali listeners especially those opposed to the Arta conference felt that their views were being suppressed by the BBC's Somali section, accusing the broadcasting service of running a propaganda campaign for the promotion of the Djibouti initiative. Most of the critics cited Yusuf Garad, head of the Somali service and a close relative of Abdiqassim Salad, as being responsible for the alleged pro-Arta BBC broadcasts.

Yusuf Garad was in Hargeisa last week on an official assignment. On Monday Jamhuriya & The Republican interviewed him.

Excerpts:
Q: It is slightly over one year since you have become head of the BBC Somali section. Many listeners have been however complaining that your Radio no longer observes impartiality and objectivity in imparting information. How would you respond to such criticism?
A: I know that some people blame me for that. But I'm not sure if they are that many as you have just mentioned. Besides, I haven't seen any survey establishing how really wide-spread are the complaints from the audience. Of course my appointment as head of the Somali section coincided with a time when political instability in Somalia has deteriorated further. It has been a time when not only Somalis but also even countries in the region and far beyond got divided over the Djibouti [Arta] conference. So there were many instances when a certain thing [information], which could have possibly pleased a particular group of people, would have infuriated others.
Q: But many of your listeners here, as reflected in letters from our own readers, have been upset by what they consider the massively anti-Somaliland and pro-Arta faction tone of the Somali service. Is there anything special between you and Qassim faction?
A: I don't know of anything special between the Abdiqassim and me. I work for the BBC and can only respond to questions concerning the BBC. As for the alleged anti-Somaliland tone, I wish to bring to your attention that I'm not a program producer. We have also our own correspondents who are based inside the country. For example Ahmed Saeed Ege is our man in Hargeisa. He mostly does most of our news coverage on Somaliland. There are also program producers who work on shift basis. On top of that we have senior supervisory staff. My work essentially deals with administrative affairs with some occasional participation in the programs.
Q: why you carry most of the interviews with leaders of the Arta faction personally?
A: Interruption by Adam Nuh Dhule, Senior program producer at the Somali Service.... I think you should be more specific in your questions rather than focusing on Abdiqassim.
Q: Question to Garad ... in your most recent interview with him, Adam Gabyow claimed that he has done no wrong to anybody. As you are already aware, Gabyow is a suspected war criminal wanted in Somaliland. Why you missed to ask him for a response to the charges that he took part in the atrocities committed against civilians in Somaliland?
A: I admit that this question should have been asked. May be this has resulted from the pressure created by the time constraint (only 5 minutes) and the fact that the topic of the interview didn't focus Somaliland.
Q: In your news bulletins one can easily detect a tendency to conceal or belittle setbacks encountered by the Arta faction versus a consistency to exaggerate minor incidents that occur in peaceful areas in the former Somalia. For example last year's Dec. 21 demonstration in Buroa, which was reported in your headline news of the day while the Oct. killing of Gen. Talan in Mogadishu and the subsequent series of kidnappings involving Arta faction Mps were either suppressed for relatively a long time or never reported at all.
A: We have no right to suppress or delay any news. I don't re-call how we have reported the killing of Talan. I can only remember that it wasn't included in our afternoon news. May be it has taken longer to verify the incident. But I can't give now a concrete explanation.
Q: Despite the frequent violations of human rights in Djibouti, yet the Somali section doesn't pay attention to the situation there. Why?
A: Djibouti is within the scope of the areas we are mandated to cover. But if you would like us to say that a contingent of Djibouti troops, as has been recently published in Jamhuriye, have crossed the border and are stationed in the no-man's land between Somaliland and Djibouti, well, we can't report that. Because there aren't any troops. But we do report on what happens inside Djibouti just as we did during the last coup attempt.
Nuh Dhule interrupts... I think you guys want to drive the message home that Yusuf Garad is pro-Abdiqassim. I think this is unprofessional. I recall that many years ago during the Siyad Barre era [1983], Yusuf Gabobe [Editor of The Republican], was among a group of people arrested in Qatar*. After reporting the incident however, we [the BBC] were accused of being sectarian. One can make errors in the course of the profession but that can't be associated with one's clan background. After all, you know that Yusuf Garad and I belong to two different clans.
Q: Don't you think that your response to our questions might clarify the current public controversy surrounding your program?
A: Yusuf Garad answers... Yes I think it is useful, though your Journal had to a large extent been responsible for stirring the current negative public attitudes towards the Somali Service.
*. Nuh Dhule is referring to the arrest and subsequent deportation of a group of SNM activists, including Yusuf Gabobe, by the Qatari government at the instigation of Siyad Barre's regime.

By one expert estimate, Somaliland has during the last 8 years been losing an average annual income of 20 million dollars in fish illegally caught in its waters by commercial fishing vessels belonging to EU countries alone. Widespread pollution caused by international navigation through Somaliland waterways and dumping of toxic waste along its coasts, has also led to the destruction of greater amounts of marine resources.

We hope the arrest last week of 15 boats owned by Yemen and Djibouti nationals for illegally fishing within Somaliland's territorial water will serve as a deterrence to the other pirate ships still active in the area. It is however necessary to install permanently workable mechanisms for the protection of our fishery resources and territorial waterways from blunder and environmental abuse. The Somaliland ministry of Fisheries, which only exists now in name, has to be revived to take on the formidable task of developing this country's huge marine resources for the benefit of the people.

On last Saturday President Egal addressed a joint session of Somaliland's two Houses of Parliament.

In a long speech that contained more rhetoric than substance, Egal talked about his government plans to improve the country's water resources. Egal also disclosed that his Administration has been in contact with oil exploration firms from Eastern Europe and South East Asia. The president said he was optimistic on the issue of recognition.

He also promised to hold referendum on Somaliland's interim constitution in next month. A large part of Egal's Saturday speech contained an attack on Ali Khalif Galaydh who recently said Somaliland was not an economically viable country.

The budget document of course didn't show any forecasts for income from taxation on livestock exports due to the existing ban imposed on the export of Somaliland animals to the Gulf.

The minister of finance Saeed M. Gees attributed the increase in the budget despite the ban to substantial improvements in revenue collection and better financial management methods introduced by the ministry. About 69% of the budget allocations will go to the security forces and government employees, a total of 26,000 people.

The ministry has taken some austerity means, which saved billions of shillings in expenditure.The budget estimate is expected to be submitted to Parliament today.

Hargeisa -- The Somaliland Council of Ministers has approved a budget of Somaliland Shillings 115,474,6100,000 for the fiscal year 2001. This amounts to approximately US$37 million. According to the Minister of Finance this budget is more than 4.5% over last year's one. He added that revenue accruing from export of animals to the Arab countries has not bbeen included in the budget.

Meanwhile, the Adna Aden Maternity Hospital is expected to become operational by early April this year. Ms. Adna has however appealed to Somalilanders inside the country to help in raising an amount of USD 40,000 needed to complete remaining construction works at the project site. She said this amount of money must be raised ly. Hospital equipment and material are also expected to arrive from Britain soon.

Life International has been in Hargeisa for a number of years. The NGO is involved in training for auxiliary medical staff and health care operations. According to . Bozard the NGO has plans to provide assistance to the education system and at least to another Hospital in Somaliland.

The Egal Administration has been reluctant to carry out the referendum and instead exploited a provision in the constitution that allowed extension of the 3-year time-frame, and so in Feb 2000 the two Houses voted to increase the period for one more year expiring this month. President Egal has of course tried to justify the delay on financial constraints. The referendum needed one million dollars the president has been quoted saying. The public has been stunned to know that the President couldn't raise the one million throughout the last 4 years. But now that he did (and nobody knows how he got it) we hope that the constitution document will be really submitted for a nation-wide referendum in March as promised.

It is however necessary to make copies of the constitution document available to people in all regions. Many people have not yet read the draft constitution. The Ministry of Information has indeed tried to disseminate provisions of the constitution mainly through Radio Hargeisa. We however doubt if this endeavour has been successful due to the technical limitations of Radio Hargeisa whose transmission capacity doesn't cover most parts of the country. It is also important to give Somalilanders in the Diaspora the chance to make their opinion on the constitution.

The tens of thousands of this country's citizens scattered all over the world must take part in the referendum. The event should be seen as an opportunity for Somalilanders to reassert their support for the country's independence. It is therefore important to have credible international observers invited to Somaliland to give opinion on referendum results.

clan as an archenemy of democratic option of Somali unity.

Somali Irredentism practically proved itself as an irrational devotion to one clan hegemony and monopoly of power and resources for clannish elite who was in power, a matter that directly contradicts the common interests of a community, a people, or a nation. High sounding slogans on Somali unity, about the oneness of the Somali people under a dictatorial regime played no other role but consolidation of this particular clan over the others. And hence deepen the contradictions and conflicts. The consequences of which were disastrous and tragic in nature; civil war, influx of refugee, famine and finally total dissolution of the basic fabric of the nation and the disintegration of the country.

The adherents of Irredentism constitute today, more than any time in the past, real barrier to peace and reconciliation, and indeed any possible reunification of the ex-Somali Republic territories. Some important landmarks of obstacles created by such forces are enumerated here below: ( In January, 1991, following the collapse of the Syaad Barre regime, a tiny group of Hawiye politicians unilaterally declared . Ali Mahdi Mohamed president of Somalia, without even having least consultation with the S N M, the only political organisation that liberated the north. And which was already in full control in the north. They have also failed to accommodate the political organisations in the south wich took part in the overall struggle against Barre regime such as SSDF and the armed wing of the USC of General Farah Aydeed.

That irresponsible move led to a protracted civil war in the south, as it was a heavy blow and serious insult to the struggle and the sacrifices of the people of Somaliland against longstanding oppressive regime under the leadership of a southern dictator.

A number of direct and indirect consequences have been the outcome of these in famous actions:

(The entire regions of the south (with the exception of the northeast) have been stuck in a quagmire of inter-clan wars. (Provocation of the public opinion in the north and thus created a favourable ground for immediate reaction, which convinced the people that the reconstitution of Somaliland was the only option open for them. It is important to notice here that the vast majority of the Issaq politicians and the leadership of SNM were not for secession, but for federal option, and were obliged to obey the people's choice. (With Ali Mahdi's insistence in his claims as president of the whole of Somalia reiterating "the unity is sacred and unnegotiable", the peace and reconciliation option became more complicated and rather remote, if not impossible.

In the same year (1991) Hassan Guleed Aptidon then the president of Djibouti organised a mini-conference for a tiny group of (old guard) politicians to re-nominate . Ali Mahdi as president for Somalia. This action marked the first outside intervention to impose a readymade solution on Somalia, which led to an unprecedented inter-Hawye sub-clan armed conflict.

The third act of the political farce was played by another southern dictator, general Mohamed Farah Aydeed, who in 1993, had declared himself president for Somalia and formed his so called 'Broad Based Government' (Sal-balaadh). Which comprised of personalities from different regions and clans, but who had not been representatives of their constituencies but chosen by the General himself.

The impact of this unpopular arrangement was great and fatal, particularly, in Somaliland where a civil war was instigated by Ayded's collaborators who have made use of internal differences between clans in relation to power sharing issue, which were not properly handled by the Somaliland council of elders.
Possible way out of the dead-end

The task to identify a way out of the cul-de-sac is neither an easy one nor an issue that can satisfactorily be realised consensus on whatever conclusion one may have drawn. It is a matter of the political position that one stands on the issues involved. My entry point to the problem, therefore, reflects democratic view of future Somalia/Somalis, which embrace the idea that there is need, first and fore- most, to answer the following two cardinal questions:
1) The nature, magnitude, and the areas of conflict where the Somali crisis express itself?
2) Basic principles and modalities for resolving it?

In general terms, the Somali conflict can be defined as a conflict over resources and power amongst the most active, the most organised, and the militarily powerful political elite, but is also, a conflict between different clans, sub-clans and ethnic minority groups. It is in the same time a conflict between democratic minded section of the society and totalitarianism or Irredentism, which means a struggle between peace and war minded forces. It is on another level a conflict between society and nature.

These contending forces interplay in specific confrontation lines identified as areas of conflict which are: a)First area of conflict: Contentions among political elite over resources and power, Second area of conflict: resource based inter-clan conflict, Third area of conflict: urban versus rural interests, Fourth area of conflict: conflict over the rights of women and minority groups, Fifth area of conflict: contradiction between traditional and modern socio-economic mode of productions and related value systems, sixth area of conflict: man versus nature (environmental crisis), seventh area of conflict: conflict over what form the Somali unity should take, eighth area of conflict: contradictory concepts between Irredentism and multi-ethnic, multi-religion concept of statehood in the Horn of Africa (rational approach in relation to resolving regional problems) etc.

An important opening [s]pace to the direction of resolving these multi-dimensional conflict, that ensures a way out of the crisis is to destroy the (pleasant) but mistaken set of beliefs and ideals of Irredentism, consciously and purposefully dismantle its ideological and practical basis. This will lead to emancipation of thought and hence mental and moral relieve and rehabilitation.

Such a courageous step should be marking the point of departure to progressive and integrated stand about the basic tenets of Irredentism, with a view to redefine Somali nationalism, in order to reform our stand towards the future. For instance what kind of society the Somali people want to give rise to, in other words, how would future Somalia/Somalis look like.

If a peaceful and democratic society is the final objective, to which supreme sacrifices were given, then let all kinds of guardianship from within and all attempts of imposition of "prestigious peace projects" from regional and international interest seeking states and organisations are rejected, once and for all. And genuine Somali peace process that [are] based on the people's initiatives, their material and mental contributions form a solid foundation on which outside partners who sincerely want to grant their input can positively contribute.

In this respect, African and Arab dictators, big and small, as individuals or in coalition, have, morally, nothing to contribute in building peace and reconciliation with democratic prospective, while destroying its very bases in their own home-range where conflicts of the same nature and magnitude, are heading to develop into armed conflict and thus social and political explosion will likely to follow . They better stop exporting totalitarian models of their own images, and politicised religious fanaticism to the Somali peninsula. This would have been the only contribution they can offer. "One can not provide something for others one himself lacks".
Lessons from Somaliland Experiment

The process of restoration of peace and building state institutions in Somaliland has slowly but steadily been growing since 1991, with the exception of interruptions of politically motivated armed confrontations. Many observers inside and outside believe that Somaliland has much to contribute in relation to her rehabilitation and reconstruction experiences. Which without significant external assistance has achieved extra ordinary progress, that was highly appreciated by the friends of peace on the world scale.

Somaliland today is in the post recovery stage, with self-reliance oriented people's initiatives, free press, market economy, and a reasonable representative government. The lessons that can be learn[ed] from Somaliland's peace building process lies in the traditional African mechanism of conflict resolution; of Delegation(ergo), Council of elders (guurti), Conference (shir) Compensation (mag-dhaw), Oath (dhaar), Consensus (g'aan-wadareed)etc. On the basis of which the Somali customary law and Islamic tolerant teachings had for centuries been workable ground for reconciliation efforts.

Needless to underline, is the truth that Somaliland has to further consolidate her achievements and develop the positive aspects of the outcome of a decade of hard work, before peace and reconciliation are considered as irreversible. But, the fact remains, that, hitherto, Somaliland is in the forefront of the peace making process in the area. However, it is important to view the Somaliland option through the horizon of Somali and regional integration prospective, when and wherever democratic model of government emerges.

Crocodile tears over Somali unity: recent history of the post independence Somalia, has clearly demonstrated, the truth that not all talk about unity is talk for unity. Hundreds of millions of tears over the dead body you have killed, is waste of time and effort, it has nothing to do with the today's real issues. To address the current issues, one has to be able to conceive and characterise the nature and essence of the historical period Somali people and indeed, the African continent is traversing right now.

In general terms, scientists have sub-divided the contemporary African political history into two main periods; 1940s-1970s, and 1970s-1990s, and beyond:

The period 1940s -1970s, was the period of national liberation, independence, and the formation of nation state euphoria. This period characterised by rose view of the future and optimism in the success of the course of action, in other words, simplistic interpretation of the historical tasks Africa had to deal with overshadowed the difficult problems that were to be faced in the coming decades. The raised slogans expressed the political awareness of the African peoples at that time, fore instance, pan-African union, pan-Somali unity (Somali Irredentism) were seen as the only tasks Africa had to deal with;

The period 1970s - 1990s and beyond: this period was characterised by further enlightenment and maturity acquired by the African progressive intelligentsia, and indeed that of the humanity at large. The issues of democracy, human rights, environmental conservation, and sustainable development are the current tasks confronting the Somali people and the African continent at large. The basis of any level of unity is largely agreed to be on the basis of democracy and respect to human rights.

It is on that background, that Somaliland people would argue: give me democratic understanding to the issues of our time, I will give my heart to you. And I would argue: give me an organic (committed, and organised inter-clan) Somali intelligentsia as the leading force of the democratic movement, I will give you the whole world. This is fundamental precondition and the central point of departure toward Somali unity, based on common interests for all parts.

But the Somaliland people would further argue: without such an understanding nobody is ready to sacrifice his achievements for the sake of unknown future under the sponsorship of reactionary " Hegelian" type of state, over and above the people and their interests on the ground.

With my best regards and appreciation to Professor I. M. Lewis of London School of Economics, and Dr.Bernhard Helander, of Uppsala University. For the vision and clarity they reflect the post Arta Somali peace process. And also to Dr. Mohamed Suleyman, director of The Institute for African Alternatives in London, whose institution's tireless researches contribute a lot to Africa's path of development.
Adam Musse Jibril, is a peace, human rights, and environmental conservation activist. Member of ECOMAN (the Environmental Change Consensus building and Conflict Management in the Horn of Africa) research group, under the auspices of the Swiss Peace Foundation, The Institute for Conflict Resolution. Hargeisa - Somaliland. Tel. 00252-2-426175.

"The prosecution has drafted charges, including confiscation of all marine products from the fishermen, who are all from Yemen and Djibouti, and to punish the 151 fishermen," an official who requested anonymity told AFP here by telephone from the Somaliland port city of Berbera.

He said 15 small boats used by the fishermen were detained for a few days after their capture by armed boats belonging to Somaliland, which has not received international recognition since it declared itself independent from the rest of Somalia in May 1991.

Some fishermen from the Far East have been allowed to fish in Somaliland waters after obtaining licences from the authorities there.

Somalia's territorial waters have remained unguarded since the fall of the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in January 1991.

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaweb site on 25 January

The Abdiqasim Salad Hasan government set up in Arta [in Djibouti] is buying heavy weaponry and other military equipment from Ukraine.

Well-informed sources say that Gen Muhammad Nur Galal, a member of the Abdiqasim government, is currently in Ukraine to buy tanks, which had been ordered earlier. The number of tanks the Arta group [interim Somali government] wants to buy and their price tag are unknown. Reports added that the group is using the money it got from the Islamist organizations of Al-Islah and Al-Ittihad [Islamic groups] to purchase the tanks.

Recently Abdiqasim Salad Hasan appointed a committee to assess the number and types of arms possessed by Mogadishu militiamen and clans with a view to buying them from any willing buyers. However, the exercise bore no fruit...

The group intends to import the arms through Kismaayo port [southern Somalia], which is controlled by militiamen belonging to Abdiqasim,s clan. Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, 25 Jan 01

Abstract: Speaking on the purpose of the visit [presumably [Sayyid Atallah Bashir]] said that IGAD did not adopt the outcome of the Arta conference and had been urged by Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti to make a follow-up on the outcome of the conference. He said that the delegation was there in order to advice the leaders of IGAD countries. President [Muhammad Ibrahim Egal] responded: We are not a party to the Arta [Djibouti] conference and its outcome. We do not consider ourselves to be part of Somalia and we have said this before. We shall forever never be citizens of a country called Somalia.

Full Text:Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaon 26 January

The president of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, yesterday held a meeting with a delegation from eastern Africa's IGAD [Inter- Governmental Authority on Development] and the EU in his office.

The delegation which was led by IGAD's executive secretary, Sayyid Atallah Bashir, briefed the president on the purpose of their journey, which was to ascertain views held on the Djibouti conference's which brought to power Abdiqasim's faction. The president and the delegation debated on the subject.

Presidential spokesman, Abdi Idris Dua'le held a press conference after the meeting and said that the president had informed the delegation that the outcome of the Arta conference did not concern Somaliland...

Speaking on the purpose of the visit [presumably Bashir] said that IGAD did not adopt the outcome of the Arta conference and had been urged by Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti to make a follow-up on the outcome of the conference. He said that the delegation was there in order to advice the leaders of IGAD countries. President Egal responded: We are not a party to the Arta [Djibouti] conference and its outcome. We do not consider ourselves to be part of Somalia and we have said this before. We shall forever never be citizens of a country called Somalia. In the past we Somaliland decided join the Somali Republic which constituted Greater Somalia - a scheme which failed and was opposed by the international community. This is a dream which is long dead and should not be revived"...

"It doesn't whether [Somaliland's] recognition would come after 10 years or more, as I said in my rejoinder to the Security Council. Commenting on Abdiqasim's faction he said: Attempts by some countries to seek recognition for Abdiqasim's faction even before it had achieved anything is wrong and misguided", he said.

He said it was self-destructive and self-deceiving for him to think that by giving important posts to people opposed to Somaliland they would create disorder in Somaliland. He blundered and he would have been more helpful to Somalia if he limited his choice to Somalia...

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaon 25 January

The Abdiqasim Salad Hasan faction [interim government] set up at the Arta Conference [Djibouti] has announced that it is buying heavy weapons and other military equipment from Ukraine, one of the republics of the old Soviet Union which disintegrated. Informed sources say former army commander [in the Barre government and veteran of the 1977 Ogaden War] Gen Muhammad Nur Galal, who is the commander of the Arta militiamen, is currently abroad and is said to be in Ukraine to procure battle tanks that the Arta faction had ordered. The number and the prices of the battle tanks Galal plans to buy have not been ascertained, but the money was donated to the Abdiqasim faction by international Islamic groups, the Al-Islah and Al-Ittihad. The Abdiqasim faction is trying to build its military muscle...

Credit: Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 25 Jan 01 p 1

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaweb site on 23 January

The gunmen who abducted Abdirahman Du'ale Ali, member of the Arta group [interim Somali government] parliament, have threatened to take action against him if he does not settle the money he owes them within 24 hours.

Abdirahman Du'ale, a member of the Somaliland's Issa clan, was kidnapped from his residence in north Mogadishu on 18 January. The gunmen claimed that the MP misappropriated their money when he was minister of industries in the Ali Mahdi Muhammad government set up in 1991.

Speaking to Mogadishu journalists, Du'ale admitted owing the gunmen money, but blamed the Madi government for not settling his debt. He appealed to the government of Abdiqasim Salad Hasan to pay the gunmen to save his life... Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, 23 Jan 01

In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council dated 17 January, Egal rejected the UN Secretary-General's Report to the Security Council and suggested members of the Security Council should consider independent visits to Somaliland.

In a copy of the letter made available to IRIN, Egal said he did not oppose last year's peace talks held in Arta, Djibouti, which led to the election of the new interim Somali government, headed by President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan. He said it was "of uppermost interest to Somaliland that a successful reconciliation in Somalia be secured." But he complained that there was a UN attempt to "force" his participation which then "degenerated into a bitter feud with Somaliland."

Egal said he had agreed to enter into negotiations with "anyone who has legitimacy in Somalia", but later refused to talk with Abidqassim on the grounds "he claimed to be 'President of Somalia' which, in his view but not in our view, included the Republic of Somaliland." In the letter to the Security Council, Egal said "any discussions between the Republic of Somaliland and the 'Transitional National Government' on future relations can only proceed with prior, unconditional acceptance by the 'Transitional National Government' of the Republic of Somaliland." He dismissed what he called "the cult of political superiority toward Somaliland" prevalent in Mogadishu. Egal said Somaliland had not been economically, socially or politically "orphaned" by declaring separation from Somalia in 1991: "Somaliland's economic relations, and virtually all its cross-border trade, are with Ethiopia and not with Somalia."

"Somaliland Irredentism" has been widely criticized by foreign scholars on Somali affairs as a form of racism and chauvinism. This definition however was often challenged by a wide spectrum of Somali public opinion which saw it as a prejudiced over-statement. However to my knowledge, no Somalis have ever participated in any serious discourse or analysis on the matter.

It is therefore my conviction that this issue should be given much more serious discussion and debate particularly by Somalis. This is an imperative task if we were to gain a reliable understanding of the political history of former Somalia during such an important opoch that began in 1960 and culminated in the downfall of Siyad Barre's military dictatorship in Jan 1991. For any serious attempt to study this history without examining "Somali Irredentism" would be futile as we would fail to gain insight into how the Somali elite that endorsed Irredentism thought and how they related to the world.

Beyond any doubt, the failed state of Somalia bore within itself the very causes that finally led to its demise. From this perspective, the issue raised here deals directly with the question of the political consciousness of the elite that led the Somali state and who had been responsible for its failure. In fact the ruling elite was driven by a kind of a bigotry, national ideology based on the concept of "Greater Somalia" in contrast to a "Democratic Somalia". Millions of Somalis were made politically motivated along this burning ideological path which they tended to fallow to a disastrous end.

Irredentism as a form of Fascism:

"Irredentism", as national ideology means an extreme theoretical system, which politically favours strong central authority for a particular state, based on nation/nationality, or ethnic group. And which calls for unification of all territories inhabited by peoples of the same ethnic origin by means of violence.

Ethnic Extremism (Irredentism) as idealised political perception, under any pretext it may come and in any form it may take; nationalism, clanism, or religious fanaticism, has almost the same meaning and significance. In all these forms the central idea, is to have pure race in mind that has to have distinctive human physiognomy and qualities for self-assertion. Such an idea express itself as political leadership characterised by narrow-mindedness, slapdash voluntarism based on political opportunism.

It is true, that because of shortage of intellectual capabilities of its defenders, there has not been theoretical elaboration for Somali Irredentism as an identified political doctrine, as was the case for Nazism in Germany. Nevertheless, the ethnic oriented "nationalism" of the Somali ruling class has never been an abstract theory isolated from practice but functional policies expressed itself most clearly in the anti-people dictatorial policies practised at home, and anti-peace warmongering political system on the regional level.

On the national level, clanism was both Syaad Barre's power base and his enforced political ideology by his suppressive institutions. Excessive centralisation of powers and concentration of the key political and military positions in his fellow clan members were reflections of the mentality of parochialism of the leadership.

The inhuman, and outrageous ethnic cleansing committed against the Issaq people and the razing of their cities and towns to the ground, the destruction of water points of the North and Mudug regions, were only some examples of the degree of cruelty of the system which can fairly be compared with Nazism in Germany. Nazism and Irredentism are not only two twin brothers in practical terms but also in their politico-economic orientation as both systems called for "National Socialism". Under such banner hideous crimes against humanity were committed by both ideologies.

On the regional level, the narrow nationalism of the hitherto Somali ruling parties has been a source of infatuation, disorder, violence, and inter-state regional wars, as contrast to stability, peaceful approach of solving disputes, and co-operation for economic development and regional integration.

Two devastating regional inter-state wars have been instigated by these policies in 1964 and 1977. Waged against Ethiopia, in both cases the Somali National Army was directly involved in the war battlefield. This is extremely important to notice, because the ONLF and SWLF, which were said to have been liberation fronts, were in fact nothing more than part and parcel of the Somali army's fighting force. And thus the whole business was inter-state wars and not war of liberation as had long been contended by the Somali officials.

Contrary to these allegations, the entire Somali speaking peoples in Ethiopia, kenya, and Djibouti were formally considered as citizens of the Somali Republic. Ironically however, while the peoples of these regions had been deceived, disoriented and victimised for the political ambitions of the Somali ruling class, the educated elite from these areas have been holding ministerial posts, become generals, ambassadors, and finally during Siyaad Barre's time, a decisive factor in the Somali decision making bodies, at the expense of those who saw themselves as the owners of the house. This has been a factor which has exacerbated the already unbalanced equation in the clan power sharing mechanism in the Somali Republic, and thus led to antagonistic contradictions between them, that has contributed to further aggravation of the contradictions within the ruling elite. Any objective and fair judgement for or against Somali Irredentism should not ignore the historical and regional dimensions and factors that led to its rise.

On the other side of the border, there was Ethiopia, a secluded village of feudalism an absolute monarchy based on four component parts of medieval system; the palace, the church, the feudal landlords, and the state bureaucracy. The ideological basis of the feudal system was ethnocentrism of the Amhara state elite (and not the Amhara people) which considered Ethiopia as the centre of the world that all other peoples ought to move around it.

It was on those grounds that Ethiopia viewed the Somali people within her internationally recognised borders as her possession. The same downgraded socio-economic and political position as other oppressed peoples of Ethiopia, whose rights have been deprived, including Amhara peasant population.

On the other hand, Somali Irredentism should not and must not be read in isolation from the European colonialism's portioning of the Somali people into five parts, each under foreign rule. In that historical context Ethiopia was not considered as a colonial power for a simple reason that she herself was a semi-colonial territory within the international division of labour of the world colonial system. This unjust act laid the foundation for an ethnic awareness of the Somali urbanised elite who further developed the pan- Somali political movements in the 1940s. The beginning of the modern Somali national movement witnessed a historical moment of world crystallisation and division into Fascism and Nazism in one camp and anti-Nazism, anti- war, and peace minded alliance on the other hand. The defeat of narrow nationalism in Europe gave rise to liberal and democratic awareness on the world scale that created favorable conditions for the African anti-colonial struggle. As a result many African liberation movements were part of the world-wide anti-Fascist democrat oriented camp.

Unfortunately however, the political forces spearheading the Somali anti-colonial movement had not been influenced enough by these ideals nor developed its own democratic world out look. The colonial educated civil servant and the small scale property owner businesses elite, who were of pastoral-nomadic origin of first and second generation, and without deep intellectual understanding of the world around them, had to react and take the initiative of agitation for Somali Nationalism, which was combination of clan and ethnic based socio-political consciousness.

The Somali State, which was formed on this basis, had to follow an undemocratic path of development. "Greater Somalia" slogans served as propaganda weapon intended to distract attention from the internal problems and to gather support for the elites adventurous regional wars.

The negative aspects of Somali Irredentism in relation to peace, reconciliation good governance and democratic values will be highlighted in the next issue of The Republican.The writer will also explain how Somali Irredentism always served one clan to exercise complete hegemony over all other clans. Finally, Jibril attempts to arrive at a conceptual approach on how best the Somali problem can be solved.
Common Features of the two Systems

The two systems, Irredentism in Somalia and Feudalism in Ethiopia, though with different historical backgrounds and socio-economic and political basis, had commonalties as well as particularities. Our objective here, however, is to identify some common features they shared rather than the particularities. The following are some patterns that could be taken as sample representatives of these commonalties:
(Excessive centralisation of powers, lack of institutional systems and rule of law.
(Lack of accountability to the people of their respective countries to whom they claimed their representations.

(Economic, social and political hegemony [of] one ethncity group or clan with exclusion against others.

(Outright rejection to recognise ethnical, cultural and political diversity of interests by ignoring objective and subjective contradiction within the societies.

(Tendency to resort [to] violence in solving conflicts, and through means of force.

The Ethiopian revolution of 1974, which aimed at overthrowing autocratic ancient regime and liberation of the oppressed peoples of Ethiopia from the yoke of feudalism, exposed the inhuman face of Syaad Barre regime. And further unveiled the false eyelashes of its socialist slogans.

As a result the forces of change and reform of Ethiopia which demanded cultural and political rights, not only for their fellow ethnic groups but for the entire peoples of the country including the rights for self-determination, has been eliminated. The Ethiopian people's struggle had to relapse and their centuries old sufferings had to be prolong[ed] another 17 years of agony.

This is a clear example of how the interaction and intermingling nature of national and regional ideological trends and events have with their inter-playing made a common destiny in the political patterns and social and economic mode of life: reproduction of dictatorial systems which are bound to create internal and regional cyclical conflicts, enduring poverty and backwardness.

Somali Irredentism which was born with the emergence of SYL, in 1943, got matured under the aegis of SRSP in 1976, and reached its declining moment in the 1977 war of aggression against Ethiopia, played a retrogressive role in the history of the Somali people and indeed that of the region of the Horn.

Irredentism of the present stage: Irredentism, embodied in the school of thought of opportunism and adventuresome poses a serious impediment and challenging obstacle to realising peace, reconciliation and progress, not only on Somali level but also on the regional level, and the challenge it provides apparently exist in the following areas and involving events:-
Irredentism negating peace approaches

The animators of Irredentism, old and new, represent a trend of thought that generates conflicts, and constitutes an obstacle to peace, reconciliation, and peaceful settlement of disputes.

Irredentism as highly politicised ideological perception based on one clan hegemony, had in the past been the source and the root cause of the Somali civil war and its tragic consequences. It stands up today against amicable settlement of the Somali question.

On this regard, two conceptual approaches about how best the Somali problem can be resolved have since early 1990s been on the ground.

The first is based on building peace through genuine reconciliation by resorting to the rich traditional values of the societies with full mobilisation of people's material and moral contributions.

The concept bottom - up approach is true to this course of action taken by the peace and state building process in Somaliland, and to certain extent in Puntland too. The basis of this process, from the point of view of our experience, is that the people themselves are making their own history in the way they thought it best for their interest. They are doing this for the first time without dictation from a colonial power or patronage to political elite. And they wanted to make a history that is in line with their needs, demands, and their real interests in peace and democracy.

It is thus a new course of development for the Somali society, a course of action, where people's participation is the basis of the peace and nation building endeavours, that will paves the way to decentralisation, regional autonomy and to genuine democratic reforms.

The second approach, top-down approach represents centralist forces and their way of thinking in relation to the present day crisis who their only objective is not to solve problems but to make the "good olden days" of Syaad Barre return back and by so doing are trying to create their own world through immediate requisition of the central power.

For them recognition of the outside world is the sole legitimacy they have to acquire after which they will necessarily be able to capture the resources essentially through national and foreign aid.

For more then 30 years the corrupt state elite of Somalia used to collect generous foreign aid from both the West and the East as well as liquid money from the petro-dollar Arab states. A matter that gave them material potency for subjugation and suppression of the Somali people both North and South, under the infamous slogan 'unity is sacred'.
Animation of Irredentism in Djibouti

It was on the basis of this thinking that the Dibouti conference has taken place where another attempt was made to turn the wheel of history back to the days of the authoritarian state. The organisers of the conference ostentatiously raised the outdated slogans of the notorious Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party's banner of 'Greater Somalia' (Somalaaliyee toosoo toosa oo isku tiirsada ..).This slogans which used to sound nice in the 1960s and 1970s, but which were exhausted got severely debilitated by crimes committed against humanity. As manifested in the Jaziira massacre, the Hargeisa ethnic cleansing, state sponsored destruction of entire cities and towns of the north such as Buroa and Hargeisa.

The Arta project was not, therefore, for reconciliation and forgiveness, but apparently a project for recurrence of the root cause of the Somali crisis and reversion to the methods of dictation from a central authority. It was an attempt to reproduce the high handed dictatorial repressive regime overthrown by the Somali people.

Nonetheless, it must be an inanimate ridiculous project that has nothing to do with the realities on the ground. It rather looks like a 'project proposal' to the Arab petro-Dollar states who used in the past to make lavish support to Siyad Barre. Unfortunately Arab support [and] other external aid to Siyad Barre's regime had only contributed to the prolongation of the dictatorship and the killing of thousands of Somalis.

The organisers of the Arta Conference forgot a basic and fundamental issue, the issue of alternative system of government different from the previous totalitarian systems. They have also forgotten the fact that the foreign money alone can not solve the Somali conflict nor reconstruct a nation.

Adam Musse Jibril, is a peace, human rights, and environmental conservation activist.Member of ECOMAN (the Environmental Change Consensus building and Conflict Management in the Horn of Africa) research group, under the auspices of the Swiss Peace Foundation, The Institute for Conflict Resolution. Hargeisa - Somaliland. Tel. 00252-2-426175.

President Egal's government has failed to conduct the referendum on time. The Administration also has not announced its plans for organizing general elections to elect Somaliland's next government. Observers believe that Egal has planned the political impasse to force legislators to give in by approving within the next few days some constitutional amendments that would allow him cling to power for another term.

Opposition groups vowed not to let that happen. A group of ministers who went to Buroa last month to lobby support for a 3rd term for Egal, were bluntly told by a pannel consisting of community leaders and politicians that Egal should rather step down.

Last week, the President's men in Hargeisa launched an open campaign to win the support of Aqils (second to Sultans in Somaliland's traditional leadership hierarchy). Haji Abdi Warabe one of the most senior Aqils in Somaliland and a well known supporter of Egal lectured last Tuesday over 70 Aqils from western parts of Somaliland on the virtues of having an elder president, friendly and familiar with Aqils. "We are lucky to have such a president not a young one" Haji Abdi Said.

In Erigavo, Yusuf Essa Dualle (Tallabo) Somaliland's Assistant Minister of Water and Mineral resources held last Saturday a series of meetings with Aqils in the region. In a statement to Jamhuriya last week, Tallabo disclosed that President Egal is going to launch his own political party soon. The party is to be called UDUB, Tallabo said.

David Stephen was accused by the Somaliland government of sending highly inaccurate and misleading reports on the situation in Somaliland to UN Secretary general Kofi Annan. The Somaliland official said his government had no other alternative except to ban David Stephen from setting foot in Somaliland because of "his consistent misrepresentation of truth about the political realities in Somaliland".

Meanwhile, the Somaliland House of Representatives in a rare unanimous decision voted Monday to ban all Somaliland government officials from establishing any contacts with David Stephen whom they charged with conducting a sinister campaign of disinformation on Somaliland and distorting the legitimate aspirations of its people. The House called on the Somaliland Administration to inform the international community that since the Arta faction, headed by Qassim Salad, does not represent the people and government of Somaliland, the government of Somaliland will not be bound by any agreements concluded with that faction.

The legislators also urged the Somaliland Administration to strengthen relations with Ethiopia. David Stephen is believed to have been the author of a report presented on Dec 19, 2000 to the Security Council by UN Secretary General.

Arta faction's minister of Ports pleaded with Hotel owners to allow the guests move freely in and outside the hotel. The minister promised the hotel management that his government would settle the bills as soon as possible. Owners of the hotel however insisted to hold their hostages until all the bills were paid in cash.

Meanwhile Abdirahman Du'ale Ali from Zaila, Somaliland, was still held captive by a group of people to whom he owned some money. Abdirahman who was recruited in 1990 by Djibouti's secret security services to spy on the forces of the SNM, had joined a government set up by faction leader Ali Mahdi Mohammed in 1991. Last year, he became a member of the Arta faction. Abdirahman Dualle has admitted owing money to the kidnappers but insisted that Ali Mahdi who also supports the Arta faction should pay the debt.

After defecting from Ali Mahdi, Dualle joined the faction led by late Mohammed Farah Eideed. But Dualle was understood to have run up numerous debts while serving both factions. He was seized on Monday.

To avoid a constitutional crisis, both Houses of Parliament approved a request submitted by President Egal's government to extend the legality of the interim constitution for a period of one year i.e. until Feb. 16, 2001. Obviously the Administration has again failed to discharge its responsibility to hold the referendum within the time frame prescribed in the last extension.

Also, the government has not been forthcoming on the issue of general elections, scheduled to occur before its term expires on Feb. 2002.

During the last 5 years, life in Somaliland has been marked with peace and tranquility of a nature and scope not even enjoyed by many countries in the world. Despite the unprecedented enormous challenges posed by the legacy of war devastation and genocide not to mention the deprivation resulting from denial of international recognition, the citizens of Somaliland have however shown a great determination in rebuilding their shattered lives without waiting for external help to arrive.

Egal's government has little to its credit in the shaping and making of the peoples success story in Somaliland. On the contrary, the Somaliland Administration has been viewed by most people as a burdening parasite bent on living off peoples sweat and resources without offering anything in return. Egal cannot certainly find a single convincing excuse to justify his indulgence in keeping the process of democratic transformation of this country under confinement.

We believe that by choosing to omit fulfilling the duties entrusted to him under the law, the Somaliland President has deliberately planned to bring the country once again into an unnecessary constitutional crisis with the intention of creating a situation wherein he would be able to prolong his remaining in power. But this orchestrated plan is certain to meet a strong challenge from most of Somalilanders who have already expressed, through various forums their opposition to President Egal's re-election.

In our opinion, the best way out of this impasse is for Egal to accept widespread popular demands calling for his stepping-down. We believe that Egal's resignation would help diffuse the growing tension within domestic politics. It would also pave the way for the installation of a broad-based interim government to carryout the referendum on the constitution and organise direct and national elections, all during next 12 months.

The successful adoption of this alternative will of course depend on whether the Parliament would make its approval to allow extension of the constitution's validity conditional on Egal's resignation.

Security: A clash between police and protestors in Borama resulted in the death of a 17-year old boy and several injuries on both sides. The demonstration was held after the government deported two foreigners.

An Imam from Hargeisa who had been abducted by armed men in an apparent revenge attack, was rescued by 'Somaliland' security forces. During the rescue mission, one of the abductors was killed, three were injured, while 19 were captured.

During the reporting period, a severe water shortage hit Las-Anod after saboteurs damaged the pipes of the town's water system.

Political developments: The parliament of 'Somaliland' passed a resolution against the report recently given to UN Security Council by the UN Secretary-General about Somalia. The resolution urged the government to declare that 'Somaliland' will never accept the transitional national government elected in Arta, Djibouti. The resolution further asked the government to declare the head of the UN Office for Somalia, David Stephens, persona non grata in 'Somaliland.' The resolution was sent to the UN Security Council, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the European Union (EU), the Intergovernmental Agency on Development (IGAD), the Arab league and the Islamic Organisation.

In another development, 189 people including business people, politicians, intellectuals, religious people and the Somali National Movement (SNM), called on 'Somaliland' President, Ibrahim Egal, to step down. In a letter published in the local press, the group stated that Egal's policies were in conflict with his stated commitment to the best interests of 'Somaliland.'

A new political party was launched in Hargeisa this month. The party, called the Forum for Salvation of 'Somaliland' is headed by . Fuad Aden Ade, who is from Sool region.

Economy: The Somaliland Shilling was this month stable at a rate of 4,350 to 1 USD.

Programme activity

Health and nutrition: A seven-day training course was conducted in Berbera, Sahil region, for 12 community health workers from the region. The training was held to upgrade their skills. A training course was also held for the Regional Health Boards in Berbera. Seven health committees elected by the community were trained to empower them to support health sector reform.

Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI): The third round of the expanded programme of immunisation was launched in all districts of Sahil region. During the campaign, 10 teams were deployed to immunise all the main villages in the region. Around 63,377 children under the age of five years were immunised in the campaign.

Reproductive health and female genital mutilation (FGM): Several FGM sensitisation seminars were held in the zone in the reporting period. The first was held in Hargeisa. It was attended by 170 people drawn from government ministries, non-governmental organisations and members of the community.

Another FGM seminar was held in Burao for 25 Sheikhs from all the six regions in the zone. A third training seminar on the medical, religious and social aspects of FGM was held in Hargeisa. It drew 30 participants who will form a core group that can train others in their respective districts.

Nutrition: UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Labour, conducted a three-day training workshop on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) for sixty eight maternal and child health (MCH) clinic staff in Hargeisa, Borama, Buroa and Las Anod. The training was aimed at updating frontline health staff on the latest developments in iron deficiency anaemia interventions, as well as prepare them to carry out the iron deficiency anaemia and tetanus campaign planned for all regions of the zone.

A seven-day control campaign for iron deficiency anaemia was conducted in the towns of Buroa, Borama and Las Anod. The campaign teams' main activities were to screen anaemia among women of childbearing age and young children, providing iron and folic acid supplementation to all pregnant women and young children, treating anaemia, providing nutrition education on dietary control of IDA and providing tetanus toxoid and measles vaccines.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Labour, National Women Organisation and Candle Light for Health and Education NGO, UNICEF trained 710 parents in Hargeisa, Buroa, Borama and Las Anod on the appropriate complementary infant/child feeding. The purpose of this activity was to improve the infant/child feeding and caring practices at household level. The parents were trained on infant/child feeding recipes based on locally available foods as well as caring for and feeding the child during illness. Prior to this training, UNICEF conducted an assessment of the major gaps existing on appropriate infant and child feeding practices.

Water and Environmental Sanitation: A water consultant, . E. Williams, arrived in Borama where he has been contracted to study the existing water system. He will design, make specifications and draw up a bill of quantities for the first phase of Borama Water Supply. Several monitoring trips were made to Ainabo water project and Aw-Aden.

Education: UNICEF sponsored several HIV/AIDS awareness seminars in the zone. Thousands of people participated in the awareness seminars which were held in the towns of Las Anod, Erigavo, Borama, Hargeisa and Berbera.

In Borama and Hargeisa, the awareness seminars were conducted in stadiums. The seminars were facilitated by UNICEF partners. Among the groups targeted were 150 truck drivers and khat distributors.

A syndromic management workshop on HIV/AIDS for senior midwives and medical doctors was also conducted. The main goal of the workshop was to offer advanced training to health care workers, as part of an innovative approach in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) case management. The training brought together 20 participants comprising senior midwives and medical doctors from main hospitals and MCH clinics in the towns of Las Anod, Erigavo and Burao.

A seven- day workshop was held in Buroa and Borama on providing recreation to youth. The objective was to train coaches in sports as well as organisational skills for sports tournaments. Forty coaches participated in the workshop.

For more information on UNICEF Somalia, you can access our website at the following address: http://www.unicef.org/somalia/

Should you have further queries on the UNICEF Somalia Review contact:

Patrick Mwangi, Assistant Communication Officer, UNICEF Somalia: E-mail: pmwangi@unicef.org OR
JULIA SPRY-LEVERTON, COMMUNICATION OFFICER, UNICEF SOMALIA TEL: 254-2-/623958/623950/623862/623959/350410 FAX: 254-2-520640/623965
Special thanks to UNICEF field staff and Communication Section colleagues in Programme Communication, Information and Monitoring and Evaluation in Somalia who help compile input for the UNICEF Somalia Review.

The Friends of Edna Adan Hospital, a Minnesota-based, nonprofit support group, has for about a year been raising money and shipping supplies to the fledgling hospital. Without the group's help, the hospital might not have been built.

Last fall, the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in the Republic of Somaliland began classes for its first group of 39 midwives. The maternity hospital in Hargeisa - the territory's largest city - is scheduled to open to its first patients in February or March.

When that happens, it will be the only hospital of its kind in Somaliland, a region of 3 million people. Somaliland declared itself independent of Somalia in 1991 but is not recognized as a nation by most countries of the world.

Edna Adan Ismail, 62, the wife of a former prime minister of Somalia and the first woman in her country with Western nursing training, visited Minnesota last year to raise funds for a roof on the hospital, which was being built on a cleared garbage dump.

Her visit sparked an effort to support the struggling $800,000 project. Later, the Friends of Edna Adan Hospital was organized and began sending everything from textbooks to toys to the hospital.

"It's hard for people to understand if they've never been to a Third World country," said Sandy Peterson, a Maple Grove woman on the Friends of Edna Adan Hospital's board of directors. "What an undertaking ... It's amazing."

Uban Jama Abdi said she's amazed by how gracious the Minnesota group has been. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States.

"They don't even know us, but they see the papers and learn what (Ismail) is doing and they sympathize," Abdi said. "It's a very great thing."
On the Net: Friends of Edna Adan Maternity Hospital: http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/ednahospital

Zarara has a memorandum of understanding with the government of Somaliland, dated 1 June 2000 giving it the sole right for a 12-month period to evaluate the potential of four blocks and enter into production sharing agreements if the results are positive.

Zarara also has a 25% stake in the gas-producing Kandamis license in Turkey's Thrace basin, where the first production revenue should be realised in mid-2002.

As part of the disposal of its non-core businesses, Zarara sold its commercial property portfolio to Iprop for R219.2m ( Dollars 29m), though the transaction is currently the subject of a dispute. The group's financial services interests have been sold to its former non-executive chairman, Mzi Khumalo, a high-profile South African empowerment businessman, for R6.8m.

Zarara, which is now based in Dubai but emerged from South Africa's Mawenzi Resources, has ceased its mineral resources, telecommunications and technology operations, but retained its trading and logistics interests. The board of directors has been restructured with former chief executive Shukri Yahya as chairman.

Officials from Somaliland, northwest Somalia, have left for training in Ethiopia. In line with a recently signed agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia, 10 officials from Somaliland's Ministry of Aviation and Air Transport used the newly issued Somaliland passport to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 21 January for 15 days training, local Radio Hargeysa said. Training would focus on security at airports, and included men and women officials. The training programme for Somalilanders is in line with the agreement signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia to cooperate in economic, trade and other fields, Radio Hargeysa said.

The UN official, David Stephen, had "misrepresented the truth in Somaliland and the political realities in Somalia," Radio Hargeisa, monitored here, reported .

It said the parliament, sitting in Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa, had on adopted a resolution banning Stephen from visiting the region.

The radio did not specify what Stephen had done to provoke the ban.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from the rest of Somalia five months after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991. It has yet to win recognition from the international community.

The Somali service of the Salad government-dominated BBC service failed to report this demonstration. Yusuf Garad, a cousin of Abdi Qassim Salad, heads the Somali section of the BBC.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has accused Djibouti authorities of breaching a tariff agreement signed between the two countries in 1999 on Ethiopian imports through the Port of Djibouti.

The government of Ismail Omer Ghelle had with effect from Jan 15, 2001 increased Port tariffs due from goods destined for Ethiopia to between 150 and 300 per cent. President Ismail Omer Ghelle leased the Djibouti commercial harbour to Dubai Ports International on last year. According to the terms of the Ethiopian--Djibouti agreement, the two countries were obliged to consult each other prior to announcement of any hikes to port tariffs.

Ethiopian business communities were known to have complained against the unilaterally taken decision to increase the Port tariffs. Moreover, the chief of staff of the Ethiopian Army reiterated yesterday that his forces would not fail to heed any duty to defend the country against any aggression. The Ethiopian Chief of staff was reportedly speaking from Awasa, the site of the military command in southern Ethiopia, bordering the southern most parts of ex-Italian Somalia.

The demonstration was organized by key leaders of the Arta faction in Mogadishu to reinforce allegations by Ali Khalif Galaydh that Ethiopia was arming faction leader Muse Sudi Yalahow.

Ethiopia has denied the accusation.

The demonstrators which chanted anti-Ethiopian slogans were led by Abshir Nur Farah, a poet businessman who is a member of Al-Itihad, an armed group that claims to represent fundamentalist groups in the former Somalia and the Zone 5 of Ethiopia, which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Somalis.

Prominent Arta faction leaders like Sheikh Hassan Aways though present during the rally however, didn't speak. Armed men and women belonging to Al-Itihad stood guard around the stadium as Abshir Nur read some fiercely anti-Ethiopian Somali poems. Aweys heads Al-Itihad forces in Mogadishu. His troops had been responsible for the slaughtering of 18 Americans and at least 20 Pakistanis in Mogadishu in 1994.

The SNM and Ururka Badbaadinta Somaliland (UBS), a political organisation recently launched in Hargeisa and headed by Fu'aad Adan Ade, also condemned what they termed "the heavy handed repression of the demonstration" by the security forces.

The demonstration was believed to have been triggered by a government decision to deport two foreigners who arrived in Borama recently. The two foreigners, an American and a Dutch were reportedly members of a group that calls itself "Fredonia". It was understood that the Fredonians concluded a deal with one of the elders of the Gadabursi tribes named Suldan Ibrahim Jama Samatar to obtain land for their utopian dream of establishing a stateless society somewhere in the world.

In return for land space to have being provided by Suldan Ibrahim, the Fredonians would have constructed some roads and port infrastructure for the natives of Awdal.

Meanwhile leaders of the intellectual community in Borama have established, after reviewing documents presented by Vice-President Riyale, that the Fredonian project was actually a fake. The intellectuals however criticized the Somaliland Administration on the way it had handled the whole affair.

Vice-President Riyale went to Borama on Thursday Jan 11, 2001 to explain the government position with regard to the deportation of the two expatriates. Riyale is still in Borama and seems to have made a considerable success in clarifying the government position.

In the meanwhile, two Gadabursi men were kidnapped in Mogadishu last week by the Habar gidir Hawiye subclan. The two men participated in the Arta conference held last year in Djibouti.

"In 1992, the Security Council voted to create an international war crimes tribunal to punish those responsible for the murders, tortures and rapes in the former Yugoslavia. The Council's decision to create the first international war crimes tribunal since W.W.II further deepened its involvement in human rights. Since then, the Council has been steadily moving away from the cold war-era view that human rights are a country's internal affairs. This was a good step that helped the cause of human rights activities around the world.

But the Council's focus on former Yugoslavia was too narrow. For instance, the Council didn't pay attention to the systematic annihilation of thousands of innocent women, children and men in Somaliland in the 1980s. Today, Somaliland killing fields and mass graves are visible testimonials to the genocide unleashed against its people. These mass graves can be seen throughout the country, including Hargeisa, Burao, Erigavo, Gabiley, Arabsio, Ceel Afweyn etc.

In the mean time, the United Nations Security Council, instead of creating an international war crimes tribunal to try those responsible for the death of the thousands of innocent people in Somaliland is setting up a Quasi government in Somalia, headed by war criminals and thugs. The head of this so called government was for instance, Siyad Barre's interior minister during the infamous Gisera beach massacre. Many of the so-called ministers were also former ministers of that government.

The former regime's premeditated use of all the power and resources of the state for the elimination of the entire people of Somaliland is attributed by the masses to war criminals such as Abdi Qassim and his so called government.

In order not to be subjected again to similar attempts of genocide, we have formed support group on a voluntary basis, whose functions are:

1. To preserve mass graves sites in Somaliland and raise awareness.
2. Produce and provide information reports and publication to Somaliland citizens at home and the Diaspora, UN agencies and interested individuals and organisations.
3. Organize, encourage and assist in the formation and functions of support group chapters throughout the world.
4. Collaborate and maintain links with other suitable and similar networks and organisations throughout the world.
5. Fundraising for building fences around the mass graves sites.
6. Catalyse, advocate and support for the creation of war crimes tribunal to punish those responsible for the massacres in Somaliland during the 1980's.

The gravity of the damages caused by Siyad Barre's regime is shown by the mass graves in Somaliland. The preservation of these mass graves is the only evidence we have to prove that a genocide has occurred in Somaliland and further it is clear indication of the unparalleled suffering our people went through under the overthrown regime of Siyad Barre's government.

We are therefore, asking our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora to join us to preserve this very important part of our history by contributing money.

We also want you to get involved and became active and lobby the UN offices, governments, schools and organisations, explaining the genocide perpetrated against the innocent people of Somaliland. Use the videos as a fundraising mechanism. Advocate also for the creation of war crime tribunal to punish those responsible for murders, torture and rapes in Somaliland during the later part of the 1980's. You must organize and mobilize our people, in the Diaspora to donate money, and become active members of our support group.

In conclusion, "every generation has a responsibility, they either have to fulfil it or betray it".

Please forward donations to this account number "Dahabshiil Do 960".

Reliable sources say that Egal wants to shelve general elections scheduled to take place in the country by early next year. But this Egal plan is likely to stir a lot of trouble in the Republic of Somaliland.

The leaders of the Arta faction wants the world to believe that they can't bring the territories of former Somalia including ostensibly Somaliland under their control because, as they put it, of Ethiopia arming their opponents inside the country. They even go further by threatening to mobilize Somalis into an all-out war against Ethiopia. This is of course unfair.

Ethiopia could hardly be blamed for the problems being faced by the Arta faction that essentially emanate from this group's lack of political viability or respect amongst the overwhelming majority of Somalis. The resorting of the Arta faction to the incitement of anti-Ethiopian sentiments comes [as] no surprise to anyone familiar with the back-ground of its leadership and membership.

The group's two main leaders, Abdiqassim Salad and Ali Galaydh, and most of its rank and file members are either close associates of former dictator Barre or are nowadays practitioners of fundamentalism. As British Ethnologue, Ian lewis has recently said the Salad - Galaydh government "is nothing but a renaissance of the discredited Barre regime" which had sent tens of thousands of Somalis to their death during a massive military invasion of Ethiopia in 1977/1978.

In fact the demarcated border line between present day Somaliland and Ethiopia was the scene where nearly all major conflicts between Somalis and Ethiopians were fought in the past. And it was the people of Somaliland who suffered most from the consequences of Somali irredentism.

Most of the credit for the exemplary peaceful coexistence being experienced on both sides of this border today, should perhaps go to the SNM which immediately after its inception in April 1981, developed a vision for regional peace.

By constantly appealing to the minds and hearts of both Somalis and Ethiopians to replace their centuries-old animosities with peace and cooperation, the SNM calls started paying off for the first time in the form of people to people contacts that were established in the eighties and have ever since been on the rise. Hundreds of thousands of Somaliland refugees who fled for their lives from Siyad Barre's terror during 1988 also found shelter and protection in Ethiopia where many of them still live peacefully, awaiting repatriation.

It is impossible for the people of Somaliland to exchange such strategically and mutually beneficial relations with the Ethiopian people for reinstitution of hatred and hostilities. Neither do we think that any sensible Somalis in the former Italian colony of Somalia would give receptive ears to the calls of hate coming from the new Faqash elitists residing in Mogadishu's hotels.

Qassim Salad and Ali Galaydh are obviously furious with Ethiopia because the latter's government has opted not to join UN, Arab and Italian efforts to impose the Arta faction on the peoples of Somaliland and Somalia.

Naturally, Ethiopia knows better than others what would be the consequences of silencing the free voice of Somali masses in determining their own future in favor of a clique blinded by its thirst for regaining the power it had lost to the people on Jan 1991.

Ali Khalif Galaydh might succeed in fooling the international community for some time. But we doubt if his attempts to scape-goat Ethiopia for the failure of his adventures will turn out the results he desires at least in the minds of Somalis.

"We sympathise with the drivers and owners of automobiles. We import one of the best quality refined oil that can be found anywhere in world markets but it's TOTAL which is responsible for the creation of this mess" he said. . Gamadid went further to explain that the responsibility of importers for guaranteeing product quality ends by the time the fuel imports are taken over by TOTAL at Berbera storage depots. "TOTAL didn't deny that they mix gasoline with diesel. They told us quite frankly that such a thing happens when petrol is pumped through pressure created by diesel fuel injection into the pipe that feeds the storage depots," Gamadid added.

Last year president Egal declared null and void a ruling by a Somaliland court ordering TOTAL payment of USD 500,000 in damage compensation for 3 young Somalilanders who used to work for the company. The three, Ali Dubad Sugule, Mohammed Hassan Saeed and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi were certified by medical experts of sustaining serious damage to their health after a prolonged exposure to a toxic chemical that they were required to use while painting Berbera fuel storage depots in 1999. TOTAL failed to warn the workers of the risks involved in the painting operation. The chemical used contained Benzyl Alcohol and Methylene Dianiline 4,4' which may cause cancer and immediate damage to eyes or skin upon contact. The 3 men were admitted to Berbera hospital on Sept. 24, 1999.

Meanwhile, Somaliland's supreme court chairman Mohammed Haji Saeed resigned last week after challenging for one month the legality of a decision removing him from his job by President Egal. The dismissal of Mohammed Saeed was believed to be related with his refusal to interfere in favor of the Presidency with regard to a decision taken by Berbera regional awarding half a million US dollars in health damage to 3 Somaliland workers who sued TOTAL.

One of the demonstrators was killed while 10 others including seven policemen were reportedly wounded when security forces tried to dispel stone-throwing mobs in down-town Borama.

The two expatriates, an American named Jim Davidson and a Dutchman identified as M. Van, were reported to have arrived in Borama recently to launch "Awdal roads company project" which they said would provide substantial capital growth for its founding investors with minimized risk. The project envisaged the acquisition of substantial land areas to provide "Foundation for substantial growth", according to information retrieved from the purported company's website Awdal.com.

Somaliland authorities however found the project to be a fraud. Vice-president Riyale then ordered the deportation of the two expatriates who claimed they were representing the "Sultanate of Awdal", a sovereign territory within the "Republic of Somaliland".

Apparently, some residents of Borama were angered by the deportation decision which was interpreted as a central government attempt to deny the region a badly needed foreign investment. Several government buildings were reported to have been damaged by the demonstrators. Vice-president Riyale's private villa in Borama was also attacked by a group of youth demonstrators.

The demonstrations, which began on 10:AM, subsided shortly before mid noon. By mid-day, Thursday the situation in Borama returned to normal.

All Somaliland regions are expected to take part in the trade fair, which according to a Chamber source will have international media coverage such as the BBC, CNN, Reutersand Financial Times.

The electrification project will cost $600,000, to be paid by the government of Somaliland. High tension cable poles were seen being installed last week in some parts of the city.

About 150 pillars will be installed on every month during the next few months, Barkhad said. Works will also include installation of 20 power transmission sub-stations. The project will entirely be funded from budgetary allocated to the office of the President.

The deceased was given a state funeral on Tuesday. Dignitaries included Somaliland Vice-president Riyale, Cabinet ministers, community leaders and friends. Olad was among the Uffo group members who were arrested in Nov. 1981 by the security forces of dictator Siyad Barre.

He spent as a prisoner of conscience 8 years in solitary confinement in the maximum security prison of "Labaatan Jirow" in ex-Italian Somalia from early 1982 to 1989. Olad is survived by his wife and four children.

This time, Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh has targeted Mogadishu's faction leaders, in an attempt to persuade them to take part in a new reconciliation conference designed to bring them into direct contact with Qassim Salad's Arta faction.

But the Yemeni initiative has failed before it even took off. President Saleh's foreign minister, Ba-Jammal, insisted on making provocative demands such as prior endorsement by Mogadishu's faction leaders of the legitimacy of Qasim Salad's government as a precondition for participation in the reconciliation talks.

The faction leaders have of course refused to go along with this kind of dictation.

Instead, they have announced their boycott of the Yemeni sponsored reconciliation conference that has been scheduled to take place in Sana later this month.

The Yemenis apparently thought that by striking a deal between Qasim's faction and other Hawiye groups in Mogadishu, the problems posed by the failed state of the "Somali Democratic Republic" could be overcome within an overnight.

The main features of the Yemeni proposal have included the formation of a strong unitary government, versus federal or even confederation, with all public services including the media to be run by the central government and thousands of Somali war criminals to benefit from a promised across-the-board amnesty.

By openly siding with Qasim Salad faction, we believe that the Yemeni government has already squandered its chance for a successful mediation of political differences between Mogadishu groups. Our best advice for the Yemeni brothers would be that they stay out of the political quagmire in the failed state of Somalia.

President Ali Abdulla Salah has a lot of internal problems in his hand that he should seek to resolve before attempting to take on the complicated and formidable problems in former Somalia.

Somaliland can hurt too

Certain States in this region tend to take for granted that they can continue hurting the interests of Somaliland without the risk of invoking the least response, from the government and people of this country.

We believe that the time has come for Somaliland to act in a tit-for-tat manner with regard to its adversaries.

To begin with, there is no reason why the Somaliland government should continue to deny assistance to Djibouti opposition groups. We believe that the Somaliland government should reconsider the long-standing requests made to it by these Djiboutian opposition groups.

It is also unacceptable to remain passive in the face of Arab military assistance to Qasim Salad's faction and continued Arab embargo on Somaliland livestock exports.

Arab governments must be made aware in practical terms of the consequences of their hostile stance towards Somaliland's independence.

We have to strategically challenge Arab government's free and often destructive utilization of Somaliland territorial waters for their oil exports.

The people and government of Somaliland must also be ready to foil any attempts by Ali Khalif Galaydh to set foot on Somaliland Soil. Galaydh is a thug who had made a lot of money by embezzeling state funds during the regime of Siyad Barre. He is now trying to use his financial assets plus those of the international community for funding importation of arms into Somaliland so that he can pit one clan against another. He must not be allowed to do so.

A United Nations spokesperson in Nairobi told IRIN that the Somaliland administration had not contacted the United Nations and it was established UN policy not to react to press reports. The spokesperson said the UN "deplored attempts to personalise serious political issues". Regarding the status of the territory - which has received no official recognition since declaring unilateral independence in 1991 - the spokesperson said the position of the UN was clear:

"The commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Somalia was reaffirmed by the Security Council in its Presidential Statement dated 11 January." One regional analyst told IRIN that Somaliland supporters in the diaspora had used the internet in recent weeks to attack senior UN officials, including Stephen, and that the move "came as no surprise".

Excerpt from report by Somaliland's Hargeysa radio on 21 January

Ali Muhamad Waran-Ade, the minister of information, has announced that Radio Hargeysa is available on the internet beginning today.

The minister said the scheme was mainly meant to enable Somaliland nationals living abroad to keep abreast of events and development activities taking place in their country. The minister thanked Somaliland nationals living abroad for making it possible for the project to succeed...
[The web address is http://www.radiosomaliland.com] Credit: Radio Hargeysa, 1700 21 Jan 01

The UN official, David Stephen, had "misrepresented the truth in Somaliland and the political realities in Somalia," Radio Hargeisa, monitored here, reported Sunday.

It said the parliament, sitting in Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa, had on Saturday adopted a resolution banning Stephen from visiting the region.

The radio did not specify what Stephen had done to provoke the ban.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from the rest of Somalia five months after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991. It has yet to win recognition from the international community.

Excerpt from report by Somaliland's Hargeysa radio on 21 January

Ten officials of the Ministry of Aviation and Air Transport today left for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to undergo 15 days training in maintenance of security at airports. The officials, consisting of women and men, travelled to the neighbouring country on the new Somaliland passport.

The training programme for Somaliland nationals is in line with the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopian governments to cooperate in economic, trade and other fields...
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, , 1700 21 Jan 01

Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Somaliland Republic, today issued a decree appointing head of the National Intelligence Agency.

Presidential spokesman Abdi Idris Du'ale told Radio Hargeysa that the president appointed Ibrahim Farah Godde as chief of the intelligence agency in line with the constitution, and after consultation with relevant people.
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, , 1700 14 Jan 01

The Hargeysa court today sentenced three Ethiopian nationals to three years' imprisonment each for smuggling hashish into Somaliland. They were arrested in Hargeysa yesterday in possession of 15.2 kg of hashish.

The three smuggled in the narcotic drug in the most ingenious way, showing how sophisticated drug traffickers are becoming.
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, , 1700 13 Jan 01

Excerpt from report by Somaliland's Hargeysa radio on 12 January

Dahir Riyale Kahin, the vice-president of the Somaliland Republic, and his delegation are continuing with their tour of Awdal Region. Today they held a series of meetings with MPs, clan leaders and intellectuals from the region...

The vice-president explained why the two foreigners - US and Dutch nationals - had been expelled from the country. He said the two men were expelled because they had been in the country illegally and doing illegal businesses.

Meanwhile, the governor of Awdal Region has accused some traditional leaders of being behind the violence which rocked Boorama town yesterday, during which one person was killed and several others were injured. Addressing traditional leaders, the governor said the vice-president was in the region to explain why the two foreigners had been deported. He said 25 people responsible for the yesterday's violent protest had been jailed for six months each. The governor said calm had returned to the town.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, , 1700 12 Jan 01

Police in Hargeysa have seized 15.2 kg grams of hashish and arrested three Ethiopian nationals found in possession of the drug.

This is the fifth time the police have seized hashish smuggled into Somaliland by Ethiopian nationals. The police said the drug traffickers had adopted clever ways of concealing the drug. They said the three Ethiopians would appear in court soon.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, , 1700 12 Jan 01

"We sympathise with the drivers and owners of automobiles. We import one of the best quality refined oil that can be found anywhere in world markets but it's TOTAL which is responsible for the creation of this mess" he said. . Gamadid went further to explain that the responsibility of importers for guaranteeing product quality ends by the time the fuel imports are taken over by TOTAL at Berbera storage depots. "TOTAL didn't deny that they mix gasoline with diesel. They told us quite frankly that such a thing happens when petrol is pumped through pressure created by diesel fuel injection into the pipe that feeds the storage depots," Gamadid added.

Last year president Egal declared null and void a ruling by a Somaliland court ordering TOTAL payment of USD 500,000 in damage compensation for 3 young Somalilanders who used to work for the company. The three, Ali Dubad Sugule, Mohammed Hassan Saeed and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi were certified by medical experts of sustaining serious damage to their health after a prolonged exposure to a toxic chemical that they were required to use while painting Berbera fuel storage depots in 1999. TOTAL failed to warn the workers of the risks involved in the painting operation. The chemical used contained Benzyl Alcohol and Methylene Dianiline 4,4' which may cause cancer and immediate damage to eyes or skin upon contact. The 3 men were admitted to Berbera hospital on Sept. 24, 1999.

Meanwhile, Somaliland's supreme court chairman Mohammed Haji Saeed resigned last week after challenging for one month the legality of a decision removing him from his job by President Egal. The dismissal of Mohammed Saeed was believed to be related with his refusal to interfere in favor of the Presidency with regard to a decision taken by Berbera regional awarding half a million US dollars in health damage to 3 Somaliland workers who sued TOTAL.

One of the demonstrators was killed while 10 others including seven policemen were reportedly wounded when security forces tried to dispel stone-throwing mobs in down-town Borama.

The two expatriates, an American named Jim Davidson and a Dutchman identified as M. Van, were reported to have arrived in Borama recently to launch "Awdal roads company project" which they said would provide substantial capital growth for its founding investors with minimized risk. The project envisaged the acquisition of substantial land areas to provide "Foundation for substantial growth", according to information retrieved from the purported company's website Awdal.com.

Somaliland authorities however found the project to be a fraud. Vice-president Riyale then ordered the deportation of the two expatriates who claimed they were representing the "Sultanate of Awdal", a sovereign territory within the "Republic of Somaliland".

Apparently, some residents of Borama were angered by the deportation decision which was interpreted as a central government attempt to deny the region a badly needed foreign investment. Several government buildings were reported to have been damaged by the demonstrators. Vice-president Riyale's private villa in Borama was also attacked by a group of youth demonstrators.

The demonstrations, which began on 10:AM, subsided shortly before mid noon. By mid-day, Thursday the situation in Borama returned to normal.

All Somaliland regions are expected to take part in the trade fair, which according to a Chamber source will have international media coverage such as the BBC, CNN, Reutersand Financial Times.

The electrification project will cost $600,000, to be paid by the government of Somaliland. High tension cable poles were seen being installed last week in some parts of the city.

About 150 pillars will be installed on every month during the next few months, . Barkhad said. Works will also include installation of 20 power transmission sub-stations. The project will entirely be funded from budgetary allocated to the office of the President.

The deceased was given a state funeral on Tuesday. Dignitaries included Somaliland Vice-president Riyale, Cabinet ministers, community leaders and friends. Olad was among the Uffo group members who were arrested in Nov. 1981 by the security forces of dictator Siyad Barre.

He spent as a prisoner of conscience 8 years in solitary confinement in the maximum security prison of "Labaatan Jirow" in ex-Italian Somalia from early 1982 to 1989. Olad is survived by his wife and four children.

This time, Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh has targeted Mogadishu's faction leaders, in an attempt to persuade them to take part in a new reconciliation conference designed to bring them into direct contact with Qassim Salad's Arta faction.

But the Yemeni initiative has failed before it even took off. President Saleh's foreign minister, Ba-Jammal, insisted on making provocative demands such as prior endorsement by Mogadishu's faction leaders of the legitimacy of Qasim Salad's government as a precondition for participation in the reconciliation talks.

The faction leaders have of course refused to go along with this kind of dictation.

Instead, they have announced their boycott of the Yemeni sponsored reconciliation conference that has been scheduled to take place in Sana later this month.

The Yemenis apparently thought that by striking a deal between Qasim's faction and other Hawiye groups in Mogadishu, the problems posed by the failed state of the "Somali Democratic Republic" could be overcome within an overnight.

The main features of the Yemeni proposal have included the formation of a strong unitary government, versus federal or even confederation, with all public services including the media to be run by the central government and thousands of Somali war criminals to benefit from a promised across-the-board amnesty.

By openly siding with Qasim Salad faction, we believe that the Yemeni government has already squandered its chance for a successful mediation of political differences between Mogadishu groups. Our best advice for the Yemeni brothers would be that they stay out of the political quagmire in the failed state of Somalia.

President Ali Abdulla Salah has a lot of internal problems in his hand that he should seek to resolve before attempting to take on the complicated and formidable problems in former Somalia.

Somaliland can hurt too

Certain States in this region tend to take for granted that they can continue hurting the interests of Somaliland without the risk of invoking the least response, from the government and people of this country.

We believe that the time has come for Somaliland to act in a tit-for-tat manner with regard to its adversaries.

To begin with, there is no reason why the Somaliland government should continue to deny assistance to Djibouti opposition groups. We believe that the Somaliland government should reconsider the long-standing requests made to it by these Djiboutian opposition groups.

It is also unacceptable to remain passive in the face of Arab military assistance to Qasim Salad's faction and continued Arab embargo on Somaliland livestock exports.

Arab governments must be made aware in practical terms of the consequences of their hostile stance towards Somaliland's independence.

We have to strategically challenge Arab government's free and often destructive utilization of Somaliland territorial waters for their oil exports.

The people and government of Somaliland must also be ready to foil any attempts by Ali Khalif Galaydh to set foot on Somaliland Soil. Galaydh is a thug who had made a lot of money by embezzeling state funds during the regime of Siyad Barre. He is now trying to use his financial assets plus those of the international community for funding importation of arms into Somaliland so that he can pit one clan against another. He must not be allowed to do so.

The breakaway Somaliland authorities in northern Somalia have jailed 25 people for allegedly taking part in protests on Thursday that left one person dead, Somaliland's Hargeysa radio reported.

The governor of Awdal Region said on Friday that they had been given six-month sentences over the protest in Boorama town, which had coincided with a visit by Dahir Riyale Kahin, the vice-president of the "Somaliland Republic".

The governor accused some traditional leaders of being behind the protest, adding that Boorama was now calm.

Local people had been protesting at the expulsion of two foreigners, who had allegedly been trading in the town without a licence.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, 12 Jan 01

After declaring independence in 1991, it established "its own flag, national currency, international recognised borders, a democratically elected House of Representatives, an Upper house, a Cabinet and an independent legal system."

The statement, sent to IRIN 10 January, said a multiparty system was being built and that there was economic growth at an estimated 2.5 percent per annum. The UN and the international community was unlawfully denying Somaliland recognition, which was hampering development, asserted the statement. Lack of international recognition meant Somaliland "cannot access the international agencies and authorities ... This is in contradiction with basic human rights."

It said that the unification between Somaliland and Somalia was unlawful, in July 1960, and meant Somaliland had been an occupied colony of the south. The UN and the international community should stop "putting pressure on Somaliland to rejoin Somalia" and should instead provide a mediation role between Somaliland and Somalia, it said.

One person was killed and several others were injured in a clash with police in the breakaway Somaliland area of northern Somalia on Thursday, Somaliland's Hargeysa radio reported.

The incident happened in Boorama, in Awdal region, when Somaliland "vice-president" Dahir Riyale Kahin arrived to review security provisions in the region.

He was heckled by a crowd for expelling two foreigners - US and Dutch nationals - who had been operating businesses in the region without permits.

Police intervened, and "one person was killed and several others injured during the noisy protest".

The town is now calm, the radio said.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, 11 Jan 01

UNITED NATIONS -- Somali Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh said he would meet Ethiopia "more than half way" if it stopped fomenting secession in his country.

Galaydh was in New York to brief the UN Security Council on .

He told AFP in an interview that Ethiopia wanted to create a breakaway state in south-west Somalia, similar to self-proclaimed Somaliland, in the north, and Puntland, in the north-east.

Galaydh also said his government would need about 400 million dollars over the coming 12 to 18 months to start rebuilding the country after a decade of anarchy.

Most of the money would be used to disarm and demobilize about 20,000 "young, angry militias" who still carry arms in and around the capital, Mogadishu, and to reintegrate them into society, he said.

He estimated that there were about 100,000 militias in the country as a whole, but said most were "free-lance operators" and that the "four or five warlords" opposed to the government had between 350 and 500 full-time armed men each. v Galaydh heads a transitional government -- Somalia's first in 10 years -- set up in November after a conference of Somali politicians and civic leaders, held at Arta, in neighboring Djibouti.

He quoted Abdullah Yusuf, "president" of Puntland, as saying the Arta agreement did not have a mandate from Somaliland, Puntland and "the soon to be formed south-west state."

Galaydh forecast: "We are going to hear about this announcement soon."

He said he would give the Security Council evidence of Ethiopian activities: "What cities they are in, what arms they have given and who they have given them to."

In a letter to the council on tuesday, the Ethiopian foreign ministry endorsed the Arta conference, but said there were "administrations in Somalia which have managed to bring about peace and stability to some areas and these should not be belittled or ignored."

Galaydh acknowledged that Somaliland and Puntland had achieved "some stability and a measure of law and order" while the rest of the country was in turmoil.

"But they have lived beyond their usefulness," he said.

"Somalia as a whole is going to struggle to be viable; Somaliland or Puntland on their own don't have a chance in hell to survive as viable entities."

Somaliland's main source of income was the port of Berbera, he said, and most of the goods exported through it came from other parts of Somalia.

"The biggest market is in Mogadishu," he went on.

The collapse of the state after the fall of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 had not produced "a Hobbesian state of war against all," he said.

Business went on in the private sector, in telecommunications, financial transfers and exchange, airlines, and even trade, he said.

Galaydh, who was born in the north-east, said he had business interests in both breakaway areas and wanted dialogue with their leaders about the future form of national government.

"We are ready to meet them anywhere," he said, adding that he was "very open-minded" and ready to consider "a highly decentralized, devolved system of governance."

His only precondition was that Somali unity was not negotiable, he said.

"We have something solid that we have been lacking for 10 years and we don't want to squander it."

He acknowledged also that "Ethiopia has interests in Somalia, and there are collective regional security issues."

Ethiopia says more than 120,000 Somali refugees are housed in nine camps in the east of its territory. They account for nearly half the total refugees in Ethiopia and about one-sixth of all Somali refugees.

Galaydh said the treatment of refugees had brought about "a sea-change attitudes to Ethiopia," and added: "We would like to take advantage of this historic opportunity; if Ethiopia is genuine, we will meet them more than half-way."

But he said he was "strongly against the idea of lifting the arms embargo" imposed on Ethiopia and Eritrea on May 17 last year.

"Whatever weapons come to the Horn of Africa, to Ethiopia, to Eritrea, to Somalia, whatever, are going to easily get to all the other places," he said.

Abdullahi Ali Yusuf (Olad), the minister of agriculture, is dead. The late Olad died last night after a short illness. He has since been buried at Boqol Jire Cemetery in Hargeysa.

Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, 9 Jan 01

Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Somaliland Republic, today issued a decree appointing Uthman Husayn Khayre acting chairman of the supreme court.

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaweb site on 9 January

The recently formed Somaliland Salvation Party [SSA] yesterday announced its first office bearers. Fu'ad Adan Adde, a politician from Awdal region, has been appointed acting chairman, and Ise Muhammad Husayn (Ise Uragte) is the party's spokesman. In a statement signed by the two men, the party expressed support for the recent petition by 189 Somaliland nationals, calling on President Ibrahim Muhammad Egal to step down...

Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, Jan 01

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaweb site on 9 January

The Somaliland government on Sunday [7 January] deported two foreigners, an American and a Dutch.

An official statement issued by the vice-president, Dahir Riyale Kahin, said that the men, Michael M. Van Notton [Dutch] and Jim Davidson [American], falsely claimed that they were officials of the Awdal Road Company in Awdal Sultanate. The statement further said that the company did not exist.

The vice-president advised the international community and investors interested in helping Somaliland not to deal with the abovenamed ghost company. He said the company was set up by Sultan Ibrahim Jama Samatar, a man who pretended to be a clan sultan...

Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, 9 Jan 01

Two children were killed and two others injured in a hand grenade explosion in Burco town last night. The children had been playing with the grenade they had discovered near their home in the town's October Estate when the explosion occurred.

Our reporter based in Burco, Yusuf Ilkacase, said three of the victims were brothers. The oldest child was 13 years. The explosion was not the first incident in the region, as there had been several bomb blasts before, in which several children were killed. In the middle of last year a child was killed in a grenade explosion in Burco.

There are many bombs and other explosives buried in Burco, which are causing deaths and injuries in the town.

Credit: Mandeeq, Hargeysa, 6 Jan 01

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyaweb site on 4 January

Somaliland nationals, numbering 189, who included politicians, intellectuals, traders, religious leaders and SNM [Somali National Movement, ruling party] veterans, have signed a petition in which they spoke about the current political situation in the country and President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal's policies. The petitioners called on President Egal to step down. The following is the text of the petition, copies of which were distributed to journalists yesterday:

President, the country is experiencing political uncertainty as it is drifting towards a union with Somalia. Sir, you were elected to head a Somaliland administration which would champion the independence of the country as decided by the Burco conference of 18 May 1991.

1. President, your policies are paying a lip service to the sovereignty of Somaliland, as can be seen from your public speeches in Khayriyada Square [in Hargeysa], your news conferences, your playing host to Somali politicians who had committed crimes against our people, your interviews with international news agencies, in which you clearly spelt out your desire for a union with Somalia. Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, the man elected in Arta, said in an MBC [Middle-east Broadcasting Corporation] that he had visited you in Hargeysa three times before his election, during which both of you agreed to work for the unity of Somalia and Somaliland.

Al-Hayat newspaper wrote after interviewing you during your last visit to Addis Ababa: "Somaliland president is ready to seek ways of reunifying Somaliland with the rest of Somalia. President, did you tell the Ethiopian government about your intention as regards the reunification? We believe your deeds and words are aimed at sending confusing signals to the international community. President, in another interview with Reuters on 23 November 2000 you said..."We can even discuss with Abdiqasim Salad Hasan about the issue of the unity provided there is a level playing field."

President, the UN news agency [IRIN] interviewed Ali Khalif Galayr [Somali prime minister] mid this month [as published, presumably last December] whether his administration had established a contact with you. Galayr said: "We use diplomatic channels to convey our messages, and we have received messages from President Egal. We have also established contacts with Somaliland parliament and the council of ministers..."

President, you rendered the country borderless, allowing foreigners to enter it without any visas. You said: "Citizens of Somalia have the right to work in Somaliland." This is a clear proof that you want reunification. You often remarked that once an administration had been established in southern Somalia, you would discuss the issue of reunification with its leaders. President world governments from which Somaliland has been seeking diplomatic recognition have noted your desire for reunification. Has this not watered down the prospects of the country getting international recognition? Some of your deeds and words are against the Burco Independence Declaration of 18 May 1991, and you are acting outside the mandate people have given you. As a result the public has lost confidence in your administration.

2. President, in Boorama you were entrusted with the country and a united people, who unanimously supported the sovereignty of Somaliland. However, you have been dragging your feet over the establishment of a robust administration, which could ensure the territorial integrity of Somaliland. Your administration lacks both in quality and quantity. Its workers are getting a raw deal,they are underpaid, and their human rights are not respected. Members of the armed forces are not given military ranks. You isolated Sool Region and Sanaag East, you offended Sool regional leaders - elders, politicians and intellectuals as well as ordinary people, who genuinely had the interest of Somaliland at heart. You did this as your first step towards the efforts to restore the Somali unity. As a result of your plans and deeds the Puntland regional government has set up administrations in Sool and Sanaag regions.

3. Robust administration, rule of law and independent judicial institutions are the pillars of good economy. But your administration exists only in name. You have the tendency of violating the country's laws, be it the national charter announced during your election in Boorama, be it the country's constitution. You interfered with the operations of the judiciary and equality of the three government organs (the legislature, the judiciary and the executive).

You appointed a parliamentary committee which can override decisions of the high court. You have reached the point of rejecting decisions of the high court. For example, you directed the governor of Berbera, the head of the central bank, the commander of the police force and the attorney-general to ignore a court decision, remarking: "It is wrong to loot the property of the company which has invested in the country under the guise of a court ruling. I therefore instruct you not to comply with the court order." You also said that your administration will not abide by any decisions made by the council of ministers. A judge or a prosecutor can only be sacked if a court of law finds them guilty of a crime, but that has not been the case. President, you have sacked eight attorneys-general and judges without allowing the law to take its course.

President, when you were elected in Boorama in 1993 for a two- year term, you were required to facilitate the formation of political parties and holding of a general election within that period. After the end of your first term, the joint council of the two parliamentary chambers extended your presidency by one and a half more years, and again nothing was done during this period. Later it became necessary to convene an all-clan conference in 1997 during which you were elected for five years. Although your five year term is nearing an end, you have not done in the following important areas:

a) A referendum on the draft constitution has not been held, and the extended deadline is in February 2001;

b) electoral laws are not yet in place;

c) you have been dragging your feet over these important matters because you are opposed to the independence of Somaliland.

Conclusion:

President, after patiently waiting for eight years, after analysing the above issues, after realising that you have stifled the aspirations of the Somaliland people, and failed to explain to the world why Somaliland decided to reclaim their sovereignty it had lost in 1960 because of ethnic cleansing, massacres, destruction, rape and looting against its people, we, the undersigned citizens, decided that it is appropriate, and for the sake of the country's stability, call on you to hand back with honour and dignity the mandate to the very people who gave the same, given that you have chosen to pursue you own agenda, as opposed to the objectives of your electors..

Credit: Jamhuuriyaweb site, Hargeysa, 4 Jan 1

The call came in a petition published in Jamhuriya on Thursday. The signatories who included former Somaliland Vice-president Abdirahman Aw Ali Farah and former Fisheries minister Mohammed Mahmoud Farah "Oday" and two former presidential candidates, said they felt deeply worried and concerned over the state of affairs in the country.

The group of petitioners accused President Egal of frequently back-tracking on the issue of Somaliland's independence.

Citing statements made by Egal to the international press, and in conversations with foreign interlocutors, in which the Somaliland president affirmed that his Administration was ready to negotiate, once a solid government was established in Mogadishu, with representatives of the South (ex-Italian Somalia) the possibility of reunification of Somaliland with other parts of the former Somalia, the signatories said Egal had actually embarked on a policy that Jeopardized the chances of obtaining international recognition of Somaliland. "Such an alarming position has led to the decline of people's trust in your presidency" the signatories said.

The petitioners also blamed President Egal for personally alienating at least the two regions of Sool and eastern Sanag and thereby, as they put it, paving the way for Puntland authorities to encroach on these Somaliland territories.

The letter said the Somaliland Administration failed to promote the socio-economic development of the country. The group of prominent citizens from various parts of Somaliland also voiced a strong concern over what they termed "wide-spread corruption and inefficiency in the government as well as interventions by the President in the Judiciary branch of government".

No sooner a new political opposition organisation (Somaliland Salvation Forum) was launched in Hargeisa few days before the new year's eve, than a group of politicians, civil group leaders, SNM veterans and businessmen demanded Somaliland president Mohammed Egal to relinquish power back to the people.

With the ban hitherto unofficially imposed on the formation of opposition political parties lifted last year by virtue of the electoral laws introduced by the Administration and passed by Parliament, a few more political organisations are expected to emerge in the very near future, including the long-awaited political party of president Egal himself. Surely, it is a matter of 12 months or so before the people of Somaliland elect a new national government.

And there is no doubt that the period separating us from this eventuality is going to attract the public's full attention and consequently participation as already demonstrated by recent political activities initiated by emerging political groups.

What is at stake in this crucially important historical Juncture is whether the right of every Somalilander to elect his/her own representative to the government would be exercised or suppressed, and whether the incumbent Administration would fully respect discharging its constitutional obligations towards a democratically based, smooth transition of power to whichever government voted in by the electorate.

Considering that Somaliland has never experienced, even under the most difficult circumstances of the last 10 years, a political power vacuum, it could be arguably asked why setting the alarm now? However, we believe that there are genuine reasons for us to feel concerned. First, president Egal's Administration has so far refrained from taking the necessary technical electoral arrangements so that people can cast their votes during the general elections scheduled to be held before the term of this government expires in early 2002. Moreover, the reigning Administration has recently made its desire for an automatic extension of presidency to another 3rd term public, on the excuse that such a move would deem necessary, if Somaliland were to foil highly destructive designs planned by the Arta faction and their Arab allies with the intention of undermining the country's peace and stability during the election.

Of course there is a lot of evidence that substantiates the government's information as to the conspiracies being weaved by Salad and Galaydh in order to create political and security upheavals in Somaliland.

We know that the Arta faction has already obtained a lot of money from wealthy Arab governments and even bankrupt Djibouti, ostensibly to be used in the destruction of Somaliland's unity of purpose. Not to mention the UN which has joined the criminal effort of inciting internal conflict in Somaliland as shown by David Stephen's highly inaccurate and misleading latest report to Secretary General Kofi Annan on the situation in Somaliland, and other parts of former Somalia.

However, we believe that the best way for defeating all these hostile designs is not to go back on the democratic traditions and principles for which the Somaliland people had paid so many sacrifices to establish and uphold, albeit against the most tremendous odds.

President Egal is needed to act as an elder statesman who puts the long-term interests of the country above any temptation to remain clinging to power. The Somaliland people have waited so long for the moment when every citizen eligible for voting would freely exercise this right without asking for a permission from anybody to do so. We believe that moment has arrived.

. Fagadhe said David Stephen has deliberately inserted false information in his latest report to the UN Secretary General on the situation in Somaliland. Fagadhe went further to explain that by sending highly misleading or falsified information to the UN leaders and member States, David Stephen wanted to discredit the reputation of Somaliland as the most peaceful place in the Horn of Africa region. Fagadhe has also blamed David Stephen for straining UN -- Somaliland relations. "We have every respect for the Secretary General but we hold Stephen as responsible for feeding the UN senior officials with wrong information that lead to misunderstanding between Somaliland and the UN system" Fagadhe said.

In a report compiled by Stephen and sent to Annan recently, it was mentioned that an army officer was killed in Somaliland allegedly "for opposing the forcible deportations of Majerteen leaders who had wished to travel to Arta", the venue of the Djibouti/UN sponsored peace conference on Somalia. The killing was alluded to have taken place in early July 2000. The information appeared as part of a more comprehensive report on the whole of former Somalia that the Secretary General Submitted to the Security Council on Dec. 19, 2000.

According to an investigation carried out by The Republican, the allegation that an army officer was killed in Somaliland in connection with the Arta conference is completely untrue and misleading. In fact on July 3, 2000 late Col. Osman Farah Mohammed, known as Dhala, was killed while he was in his residence room within Somaliland's Presidential Palace, as reported in The Republican's issue No 120, July 8, 2000.

Dhala was the commander of Somaliland Presidential guards. The killer was identified as a young security guard man called Abdillahi Omer Hersi who was fined few days earlier by Dhala for violating the disciplinary code. According to eye-witnesses, Hersi was drunk when he carried out the murder.

It is not yet known why the UN wanted to establish some connection between the killing of Col. Osman F. Mohammed and the Arta conference. But the allegation mentioned in Annan's report to the Security Council has apparently angered the Somaliland government and people.

The UN Secretary General depends on two Britons for information on the former Somalia: David Stephen and head of the UN political department, Kieran Prendergast.

Stephen spends most of his time shuttling between Nairobi, Djibouti and New York. Neither him nor his assistant are welcome in most parts of the former Somalia. Stephen has openly expressed hostility to Somaliland on at least 3 public occasions in the last 6 months.

Prendergast is a self-confessed racist who, on top of that, never conceals his dislike of Somalis in general and Somalilanders in particular. He is one of those UN bureaucrats who seriously believe that Somalis have been responsible for bringing shame to the UN organisation.

There are no other independent UN officials available to offer Annan corroboration or correction on the information regarding Somali affairs that is prepared and conveyed to him by characters like Stephen and Prendergast.

In a statement issued last week, the group said the Forum is a cross-clan association whose members come from diverse occupational and professional backgrounds.

The statement described the priority objectives of the FSS to "help bring about multi-dimensional comprehensive reform in all aspects of life, create lean but effective government administrative structures and come up with a clear realistic political objectives reflecting the people's aspirations".

The group said it wanted to realise its goals through awareness raising, advocacy, networking and empowerment of the people. The FSS statement criticized the Egal Administration for lacking "political pragmatism and clear political objectives" in relation to recent political developments in the region.

The FSS accused the Egal Administration of "lacking transparency and accountability with a deliberate intent to perpetuate the political states quo".

The founding members of the FSS were understood to come from various regions of Somaliland.

Somaliland Foreign Minister, Mahmud Salih Nur (Fagare), has accused David Stephen UN secretary-general Kofi Annan's representative to Somalia of involvement in what he called systematic campaign of disinformation on the republic of Somaliland. Fagare said David Stephen has deliberately inserted false information in his latest report to the UN secretary-general on the situation in Somaliland. Fagare said David Stephen has deliberately inserted false information in his latest report to the UN secretary- general on the situation in Somaliland. Fagare went further to explain that by sending highly misleading or falsified information to the UN leaders and member states, David Stephen wanted to discredit the reputation of Somaliland as the most peaceful place in the Horn of Africa region. Fagare has also blamed David Stephen for straining UN-Somaliland relations. "We have every respect for the secretary general but we hold Stephen as responsible for feeding the UN senior officials with wrong information that lead to misunderstanding between Somaliland and the UN system," Fagare said.

In a report compiled by Stephen and sent to Annan recently, it was mentioned that an army officer was killed in Somaliland allegedly "for opposing the forcibly deportations of Majerteen [Somali clan predominant in Puntland] leader who had wished to travel to Arta", the venue of the Djibouti/UN sponsored peace conference in Somalia.The killing was alluded to have taken place in early July 2000. The information appeared as part of a more comprehensive report on the whole of former Somalia that the secretary general submitted to the Security Council on 9 December 2000.

According to an investigation carried out by The Republican, the allegation that an army officer was killed in Somaliland in connection with the Arta conference in completely untrue and misleading in fact on 3 July 2000 late Col Uthman Farah Mohammad known as Dhala was killed while he was in his residence room within Somaliland's presidential palace as reported in the Republican issue of 120, 8 July 2000. Dhala was the commander of Somaliland's presidential guards. The killer was identified as a young security guard man called Abdullahi Umar Hirsi who was fined few days earlier for violating a disciplinary code. According to eye witnesses, Dhala was drunk when he carried out the murder.

It is not known why the UN wanted to establish some connection between the killing of Col Uthman F. Muhammad and the Arta conference. But the allegation mentioned in Annan's report to the Security Council has apparently angered the Somaliland government and people. The UN secretary-general depends on two Britons for information on the former Somalia, David Stephen and Kieran Prendergast. Stephen spends most of his time shuttling between Nairobi, Djibouti and New York. Neither him nor his assistant are welcomed in most parts of former Somalia. Stephen had openly expressed hostility to Somaliland on at least three public occasions in the last six months. Prendergast is a self-confessed racist who on top of that never conceals his dislike of Somalis in general and Somalilanders in particular. He is one of those UN bureaucrats who seriously believes that Somalis have been responsible for bringing shame to the UN organization.

There are no other independent UN officials available to offer Annan corroboration or correction on the information regarding Somali affairs that is prepared and conveyed to him by characters like Stephen and Prendergast.

Credit: The Republican, Hargeysa, 6 Jan 01 p 1

Excerpt from report by Somaliland's Hargeysa radio on 3 January

Police in Hargeysa have arrested three Ethiopian nationals in possession of 7,850 grams of hashish. The three men were arrested at Alaya roadblock last night and are in detention pending investigations.

This is the fourth time Ethiopian nationals have been arrested in connection with drug trafficking...

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, 3 Jan 1

Somaliland security forces, both police and Somaliland national defence forces, in an operation carried out yesterday [1 January] rescued the imam [Muslim Scholar] of Sayyid Abubakar Mosque, Hargeysa, Shaykh Abdi'aziz Muhammad Samale from his abductors. The imam was kidnapped by a [Somaliland] armed group last Wednesday afternoon [27 December]. The group held the Imam in captivity for five days before he was rescued and they demanded a ransom for his release. The armed group held the Muslim scholar at a place called Illimaha, in the mountains northeast of Hargeysa.

During the security operation, which commenced at 7 a.m. [Local time], one of the kidnappers was killed and three were wounded, while 19 were arrested.

Reports we received from the HQ of the Somaliland police say the operation was very successful and no damage was inflicted on the security operation team and the Imam was rescued successfully.

Somaliland police commissioner Muhammad Shaykh Mahmud (Dhaga- weyne), in a press conference held after the successful operation was carried out, said the 19 culprits will soon be arraigned in court.

Explaining why the security personnel had resorted to force to release the shaykh, Dhaga-weyne said: we started on the process of dialogue with the kidnappers using religious leaders, intellectuals, elders of the culprits' clans and other clans but we failed. When our security men went to the area, the kidnappers refused to talk to the security officials and sent a letter which contained the "will" of Shaykh Abdi'aziz. They later attacked our security forces. Because of this, we were obliged to attack the culprits to rescue the innocent citizen.

When we held a meeting with Shaykh Abdi'aziz after he was released and asked him how he was treated by the kidnappers, he said: On Wednesday at 5.30 p.m. [Local time] armed men stopped my vehicle and beat me with the back of their guns and later blindfolded me with a piece of cloth and took me to their destination. They uncovered my eyes late in the night and informed me that they wanted a ransom for my release. He said during the operation between the security forces and kidnappers he did not encounter any problem. He said when the security forces arrived in the area the kidnappers asked him to give his "will" since he would be dying along with them in the operation, but fortunately enough, he said, he was not injured in the operation.

Commenting on the most difficult experience he had during his captivity, he said: death is inevitable, but what was most worrying me was the six children who were with me in the car and were left on the street. The eldest of them was 12, he sai Reports say the kidnapping of Shaykh Abdi'aziz Muhammad Samale was instigated out of revenge for one of the kidnappers' clan who was killed by the shaykh's clan. Credit: Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 2 Jan 01 p3 Inter Press Service.

It quoted the NGO's assistant secretary general, Abdul- Wahab Nurwalli, as saying that 150 people were involved in the last of such a courses, which was held in Hargeisa.

The courses were aimed at producing the required human resources for the socio-economic development of Somalia, which has been ravaged by several years of civil war.

Amng other things, the trainees were appraised with the principles of the Sharia or Islamic law and the functioning of Islamic civil society, the agency added.

Hargeisa -- The holy month of Ramadan came to an end in Somaliland on last Monday (Dec. 25, 2000). The last day in the month of fasting and deep worshipping was followed by the Eid-Alfitir fest which was observed in most of Somaliland and a number of other Muslim countries on Tuesday. Somaliland's President Mohammed Ibrahim Egal prayed with the Muslim faithful on early morning Tuesday to say his Eid Al-Fitir prayers in Hargeisa Grand Mosque. After the prayers, the President made a brief speech in which he said "The proclamation of Somaliland [Independence] in 1991 and again in 1993 was announced by men who actually found no satisfaction in seeing the rebirth of Somaliland happen. They had to do so because they sensed the true feelings in the hearts of people. They knew quite well that any failure to go ahead with the proclamation [of Somaliland's independence], would have been sufficient to put them into trouble with the people". Egal went on further to say "It seems as if the enthusiasm and solidarity that people had steadfastly shown for sustaining Somaliland, has these days become less distinct".

President Egal's Eid statement, has invoked a sharp and short reply from the chairman of the SNM re-organisation Council Abdirahman Aw Ali Farah who said "President Egal was ignorant of what was going on in the country back in May 1991, when Somaliland's independence was being proclaimed as he was willingly presiding over Djibouti I conference on Somalia". The SNM leader who is also a former Somaliland vice-president added that the people of Somaliland have not lost hope in remaining an independent and sovereign country.

While alluding to world defiance to grant Somaliland international recognition, President Egal said "It might have already taken us too long without being able to realize our goals yet. But then noble things can not be achieved without dedicated efforts". Egal continued to remind Somalilanders that to achieve their cherished goals, they had to show more persistence, determination and hard work. He went further to urge people not to give up. "In our turn, as leaders, we promise to keep up the tireless effort".

While referring to the short-lived independent state of Somaliland which gained independence from Britain on June 26, 1960, Egal described the birth of Somaliland 40 years ago, as an easy-come-easy-go historical event. In a direct message to the public, Egal had critically said "The public repudiation of Somaliland was something that no one could dare to do infront of you, but this is no longer the case now as evidenced by instances at teashops, Mosques or the market place, during which Somaliland have had come under attack".

Abdirahman Aw Ali Farah however denied that people have recently shown any sign of a lesser support for the cause of Somaliland's independence. He said the people believe, without the slightest doubt, in Somaliland. The SNM veteran said the people's criticism of the administration's poor performance shouldn't be misinterpreted as a weakness to their resolve to hold-out.

Djibouti -- Security forces mounted a massive operation in Djibouti city for search of weapons that are believed to have fallen into the hands of civilians during the coup attempt of Dec. 7, 2000.

Though several thousand foreigners, mostly Ethiopians and Somalis, were also arrested during the search, the real objective of the operation was to recover thousands of pieces of small arms seized by residents of the port city.

The search which began on Dec. 20, continued for several days. It started with Carte A and B of the town. Heavily armed para-military forces conducted a house to house search. It was not yet known how far the government effort to recover the missing weapons has been successful. However following the first day of the search many hand grenades were noticed to have been abandoned on the streets.

Though the government announced that the search operation was intended for expelling illegal Ethiopian immigrants, however reliable sources have confirmed that at least 40% of the deportees were people from Somaliland and Somalia. All those arrested during the search operation were sent to Ethiopia. Few Somalilanders managed to escape into Somaliland through the border at Lawyo-Ado.

On Dec 16, Djibouti crack down military units were sent to Ali Sabieh town after a wide-spread unrest was reported there. Ali-Sabieh to the south of Djibouti is inhabited by the Essa Furlabe sub-clan which [the] president suspects of supporting the leader of the failed coup attempt, Yassin Yabe Galab.

By unleashing its heavily armed militia men on Dec 19 to attack the peaceful town of Bala'd 35km north of Mogadisho, the Qassim Salad-led Arta faction has finally unmasked the true characteristics of its most primary objective: Usurp power in the Somalia proper through intimidation and use of sheer military force. Since the Arta faction was installed as Somalia's new "government" in August, Qassim Salad has been solely busy with obtaining as much financial, diplomatic and military aid as possible from his original foreign sponsors. Peace and national reconciliation has never been among his faction's top priorities. Any attempt in this direction would have been futile anyway as most Somalis regarded Salad as a puppet created by foreigners who couldn't be trusted. Additionally, it would have been unrealistic to expect a faction dominated by the newly rich class that acquired fortunes through illicit trade over the last 9 years, the former Siyad Barre generals and the self-proclaimed Muslim fundamentalists, to work hard on developing a consencus for reconciliation among the Somali communities. The whole so-called Arta peace process has been in-fact an ambiguous exercise that had nothing to do with real political reconciliation.

The assumption held by the foreign sponsors of the Arta group that the lack of a central government has been the cause of all Somalia's existing troubles, has proved not only grossly misleading but also dangerously counter-productive as evidenced by latest events in Mogadisho. On the contrary, if the root cause of the Somali crisis has been anything, it is the one embedded in the struggle that ensued in the entire post-independence era between the citizens of the now-failed state of Somalia who rejected the unitary and centralist form of government and the colonial-trained Somali political leaders who after tasting the delicacies of power had acquired stakes in the preservation of the institutional structures in place. The governments and personalities who engineered the outcome of the Arta gathering had in their carelessness failed to see that their enterprise was beyond the reach of applicability in the localities of the former Somalia. And with Siyad Barre's atrocities still fresh in the minds of most of the people, no Somali with his or her sound sense will ever accept the rehabilitation of a system of governance that has already been practically proven disasterous.

So it shouldn't have come as a surprise to see Qassim Salad resorting to military adventure so that his group can enforce its will on the rest of Somalis. Apart from resorting to violence, Qassim and Galaydh have in fact never stopped sending threatening messages to the only peaceful areas in the former Somalia, saying in effect, that only their faction will have access to world governments and international institutions with even freedom of travel and aid contingent on giving allegiance to the Arta factional government. It is with this combination of military aggression, manipulation of aid and other threats that Qassim and his subordinates want to bring Somalis to heel. The dangers and risks involved under such a design are too great to be left ignored, particularly by the international sponsors of Arta faction-the UN, Italy and some Arab governments.

The recent debacle at Bala'd is only the latest reminder of the Arta faction's brazen policy of coercion through conquest.

We hope that Salad's assault on Bala'd will invoke some self-reflection by the international backers of the Arta faction. It is up to those who had conferred legitimacy on Qassim and his gang to choose among the only two available options left: either to continue siding with a faction that in its pursuit of power is destined to escalate hostilities, or recognize and respect the wishes of the general populace to choose the kind of government(s) they want to establish in their lands.
Congolization of the former Somalia

Arab Presidents, Kings and Queens living peacefully in their oil-rich countries should know better the grave consequences that their plans for a military intervention in the former Somalia, might set off in the region.

Qasim Salad, the leader of the Arta-crafted faction, has no right to blame Ethiopia or Somaliland or anybody else for his inability to bring the failed state of Somalia under his control.

His failure on the promise of restoring peace and reconciliation to "Somalia" can not be attributed to others who seemed to have disagreed with his dubious presidency. The difficulty faced by the Arta faction stems from the fact that it is neither trusted nor supported by the majority of the Somalis. In the eyes of most Somalis, Qasim Salad is a war-criminal whose hands are still wet with the blood of thousands of Somalis killed while he was dictator Barre's Interior Minister. To the Somalis, the Arta faction is a group of ex-Barre associates who sold off the integrity and sovereignty of their country to foreigners for the sake of coming back to power.

We believe that any attempts to Congolize the Somali situation will not be successful as those who are ignorant of the facts on ground here would wish to think. For one thing former Somalia will not be like Kabila's country. In the lands of Somalis, it has never been possible for outsiders to prevail for long, even if they were Arab governments concealing their ill-motives behind the facade of brotherhood.

Arab countries particularly Yemen, Libya, Egypt and Gulf states are warned that their political and material support is already aggravating the situation in the former Somalia. Arab petro-dollars and armaments have further solidified the Salad faction's stance to take over Somalia with foreign assistance. Boasting of the extent of foreign support they are enjoying, the leaders of this group have constantly shown their lack of commitment and respect for any Somali-driven reconciliation effort in Somalia. Arab governments must understand that any military intervention is more likely to blow the whole region to a fire that might engulf the oil fields of the Arabian Peninsula as well. The bottom line is that it is not how much external support you have got that counts in the former Somalia. It is the domestic front which matters, and it's beyond doubt that Qasim's puppet regime will ever obtain even a modest support from the Somalis.

Abstract: The Austria delegation led by the Austrian ambassador to Ethiopia, currently visiting Somaliland, has pledged to assist the University of Hargeysa with reading and...

The Austria delegation led by the Austrian ambassador to Ethiopia, currently visiting Somaliland, has pledged to assist the University of Hargeysa with reading and reference materials. The delegation, which included Prof Horst Seidler [as published] from the University of Vienna, on Monday [28th August] held talks with President Ibrahim Muhammad Egal.

Abstract: The authorities in the breakaway northern republic of Somaliland have announced extra measures against supporters of interim Somali President Abd-al-Qasim Salad Hasan and the transitional parliament which elected him in Djibouti last Friday, the Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyareported on Monday.

The authorities in the breakaway northern republic of Somaliland have announced extra measures against supporters of interim Somali President Abd-al-Qasim Salad Hasan and the transitional parliament which elected him in Djibouti last Friday, the Somaliland newspaper Jamhuuriyareported on Monday.

It said three orders had been issued to regional officials and security chiefs "to counter any trouble which could arise from the new government established in Djibouti".

Under the instructions, security is to be stepped up at Somaliland's borders, any participants and office-holders in the interim parliament are to be arrested if they enter Somaliland, and supporters of the Djibouti assembly are to "face the full force of the law".

The newspaper said that the instructions "follow actions by some ethnic Somalilanders who attended the Djibouti conference which elected Abd-al-Qasim Salad Hasan as Somalia's president".

Abstract: The Somaliland cabinet has announced contingency measures which are going to be adopted to counter any trouble which could arise from the new [Somali] government established in Djibouti.

The Somaliland cabinet had previously stated Somaliland's position on the Djibouti conference.

The Somaliland cabinet has announced contingency measures which are going to be adopted to counter any trouble which could arise from the new [Somali] government established in Djibouti.

The following directives which have to be implemented have been issued to regional governors, mayors, police chiefs and intelligence units:

1. Security at Somaliland borders should be enhanced.
2. Conference participants and office bearers should be arrested if they enter the country.
3. Those who support the Djibouti conference should face the full force of the law.

These directives follow actions by some ethnic Somalilanders who have attended the Djibouti conference which elected Abd-al-Qasim Salad Hasan as Somalia's president.

The Somaliland cabinet had previously stated Somaliland's position on the Djibouti conference.

Djibout -- The United Nation's organziation for education, science and culture known as UNESCO has paid undisclosed amount of money to the Djiboutian committee that had organized the Arta conference, reliable sources in Djibouti said. The UNESCO donation was used to cover production costs of plays and songs glorifying the President of Djibouti Ismail Omer Guelleh who has been hosting since March the so-called Somali peace and reconciliation conference now in its final days at Arta, southwest of Djibouti. The themes of the "Confernce cultural events" have been dominated by anti-Somaliland propaganda. Unesco's money has also been reportedly utilized for payment of "incentives" to performing artists as well as for the purchase of musical instruments.

Somalia's well known artists (singers, musicians, composers, poets, painters etc.) have snubbed the Djibouti government by deciding to stay away of the Arta conference.

In the meantime, Djiboutian business tycoon, Abdirahman Boore who is a close relative of of President Gelle, was quoted recently by IRIN as saying that Djibouti spends US $70,000 daily on the Arta conference. Before Gelleh started inviting Somalis to Arta, he assigned Boore to extort money from Djibouti's business community, particularly those of Isaak origin, to enable him to meet some of the conference budget costs. Boore has substantial business links with Somaliland. He is the sole agent for British American Tobacco Cigarette brands in Somaliland, Somalia and Djibouti. By end of last June, Puntland prohibited the import of Boore's cigarettes to the regional state. Large stocks of British American cigarettes are reportedly smuggled into Somaliland on regular basis.

BBC Monitoring Africa Aug 26, 2000/Radio Hargeysa, 26 Aug 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

Abstract: The Somaliland minister of information has disclosed that the Somaliland government will tomorrow make its position on the outcome of the Djibouti conference very clear.

The Somaliland minister of information has disclosed that the Somaliland government will tomorrow make its position on the outcome of the Djibouti conference very clear. The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, will address a news conference which will be attended by both local and the foreign journalists, the information minister said. He said the president will clarify the Somaliland stand on Arta conference outcome.

Djibouti -- As was expected, self-styled 238 parliamentarians purporting to represent the people of Somalia and Somaliland and assembled since last week at Arta, south of Djibouti city, picked up last night Abdi-Qasim Salad Hassan as the President of Somalia's government in exile which will probably try to make its seat in Baidowa, provincial capital of the Bay region in southern Somalia.

Qasim received 145 votes from the transitional parliament which was formed earlier this month. At the moment however the Qasim's government is most likely to stay in Djibouti. Mogadisho's factional leaders have all refused to take part in the Arta conference vowing to make Somalia's former capital off limit to the government formed in exile.

Despite a field of over 40 people who originally decided to contest the position of President, the final candidates however turned only 16 when the process of their selection started at 6 pm Djibouti local time. In the first round of the contest, Abdullahi Addow received 83 votes, AbdiQasim Salad Hasan 78, Ali Galaydh 35, warlord Ali Mahdi 12 with the rest of the votes going to the rest of candidates. In the second round however Qasim won 124 votes against 110 for Addow. Ali Mahid withdrew his candidacy before the start of the second round.

As no candidate received the obligatory 164 (absolute majority) votes for winning the presidency during the first and second rounds, a third and final round was declared. It was to be won this time by simple majority. Salad won the third round by 145 votes against 92 for Addow. Almost all the 16 candidates formerly worked for Somalia's late dictator Mohamed S. Barre. AbdiQasim Salad Hassan is a Barre former deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister. Salad whose father was killed by one of Siyad Barre's tribesmen was rewarded with a series of other ministerial posts by the late dictator. This earned him to be dubbed "the Minister who never looses a post."

Salad's rival contender Abdullahi Ahmed Addow served as Minister of Finance as well as Barre's ambassador to the United States. Many members of the transitional parliament are also personalities wanted for war crimes committed in Somaliland and some parts of Somalia. They include members of Siyad Barre's top military brass such as Mohamed Hersi Morgan, Mohamed Hashi Gani, Ismail Qasim Naji, Adan Bule, Saed Abdulla Omer (Marino), Nur Galal, Ahmed Warsame etc. Both AbdiQasim Salad Hassan and Addow belong to the Hawiye sub clan of Habar Gidir. Salad is Caydh while Addow is Sacad.

Salad has been the favorite of Djibouti's President Gelleh. He maintains relations with Djiboutian businessman Abdirahman Boore. According to reliable sources, it was Boore who introduced Salad to Omer Gelleh long before the Arta conference was held. The head of the BBC Somali service Yusuf Garad has also been another fan of AbdiQasim Salad Hassan. Yusuf Garad, who is also Caydh, has been promoting the Djibouti led conference on Somalia through the BBC Somali section. Ali Salad Hassan an employee of UNDP Nairobi is also known for his tireless lobbying of the UN system to extend political support to his brother's campaign to become President of Somalia's government in exile.

Djibout -- The United Nation's organziation for education, science and culture known as UNESCO has paid undisclosed amount of money to the Djiboutian committee that had organized the Arta conference, reliable sources in Djibouti said. The UNESCO donation was used to cover production costs of plays and songs glorifying the President of Djibouti Ismail Omer Guelleh who has been hosting since March the so-called Somali peace and reconciliation conference now in its final days at Arta, southwest of Djibouti. The themes of the "Confernce cultural events" have been dominated by anti-Somaliland propaganda. Unesco's money has also been reportedly utilized for payment of "incentives" to performing artists as well as for the purchase of musical instruments.

Somalia's well known artists (singers, musicians, composers, poets, painters etc.) have snubbed the Djibouti government by deciding to stay away of the Arta conference.

In the meantime, Djiboutian business tycoon, Abdirahman Boore who is a close relative of of President Gelle, was quoted recently by IRIN as saying that Djibouti spends US $70,000 daily on the Arta conference. Before Gelleh started inviting Somalis to Arta, he assigned Boore to extort money from Djibouti's business community, particularly those of Isaak origin, to enable him to meet some of the conference budget costs. Boore has substantial business links with Somaliland. He is the sole agent for British American Tobacco Cigarette brands in Somaliland, Somalia and Djibouti. By end of last June, Puntland prohibited the import of Boore's cigarettes to the regional state. Large stocks of British American cigarettes are reportedly smuggled into Somaliland on regular basis.

Hargeisa -- A US government delegation which arrived in Somaliland on last Saturday have paid visits to various parts of the country. The delegation comprising high-ranking officials of the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID), the State Department and the US ambassador in Djibouti Lange Schermerhorn, arrived in the country on a 4-day familiarization and assessment visit, according to a Somaliland government source. During their stay in Somaliland, the delegation made trips to a number of projects implemented in the country with USAID funds through CARE International. The delegation toured Berbera port which is expected to handle more food aid consignments intended for drought-stricken zones in Eastern Ethiopia. The visitors were received by by President Egal on Sunday evening in his office. Later in the evening members of the American delegation were invited by Egal to a dinner thrown in their honor.

The Americans have recently declared the Horn of Africa as the world's highest priority humanitarian emergency. Leonard Rogers, a top USAID official said in a statement in early August that "over 20 million people are at risk if this crisis is allowed to spiral into a true famine." Rogers visited the region in July and said the US was considering increasing food aid to the Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

Reliable reports received from our reporter in Arta, Djibouti, yesterday evening say there were demonstrations in Burco [Somaliland] yesterday. The demonstrations were organized by two opposed groups, one of which supported the outcome of the Djibouti conference while the other supported the Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the report said. The two groups were reportedly threatening to take action against each other. P4.

Somaliland president holds talks with US fact-finding mission in Hargeysa

Abstract: A USAID [US Agency for International Development] delegation, accompanied by the US ambassador to Djibouti, has arrived in Hargeysa town, the capital city of Somaliland. The delegation held talks with the Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, and cabinet ministers.

Full Text:Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, 22 Aug 00 (c)BBC

A USAID [US Agency for International Development] delegation, accompanied by the US ambassador to Djibouti, has arrived in Hargeysa town, the capital city of Somaliland. The delegation held talks with the Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, and cabinet ministers.

Reports say the delegation is on a fact-finding mission and called on President Egal's government to assist them in establishing its mission in Somaliland. The members of the delegation submitted a written request to President Egal on areas where they require assistance and on specific information they need.

A US fact-finding delegation also visited Somaliland last July. The delegation was led by the former US ambassador to Somalia, Robert B. Oakly, and held talks with President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal and senior Somaliland officials. P2

Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, 21 Aug 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

About 197 Somaliland families living as refugees in refugee camps in eastern Ethiopia yesterday arrived on the outskirts of Hargeysa.

The number of Somaliland refugees returning from refugee camps in eastern Ethiopia has been steadily growing, a Radio Hargeysa reporter who contacted the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Returnees said.

Abstract: The plan by the BBC to set up an FM station in Hargeysa is part of its programme to expand FM broadcasts in East Africa. The BBC is already broadcasting on FM in Nairobi, Mogadishu and Djibouti.

Full Text: `Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 20 Aug 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The BBC will launch an FM station in Hargeysa towards the end of October, authoritative sources say.

A BBC engineer, John Luckinay [as published], arrived in Hargeysa yesterday to identify a suitable location to put up the station. The engineer met the Somaliland minister of information, Ali Muhammad Waran-Adeh.

The plan by the BBC to set up an FM station in Hargeysa is part of its programme to expand FM broadcasts in East Africa. The BBC is already broadcasting on FM in Nairobi, Mogadishu and Djibouti.

Once the station is set up, listeners in Hargeysa would be able to tune in to BBC programmes , English and Arabic for up to 18 hours daily, from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight [local times].

Abstract: A USAID delegation led by the US ambassador to Djibouti, Ms Lange Schermerhorn, arrived in the Somaliland capital, Hargeysa, yesterday. The purpose of the American delegation's visit has not been made public.

Full Text: `Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 20 Aug 00 (c)BBC

A USAID delegation led by the US ambassador to Djibouti, Ms Lange Schermerhorn, arrived in the Somaliland capital, Hargeysa, yesterday. The purpose of the American delegation's visit has not been made public.

The delegation will be in the country for four days during which it is expected to tour the towns of Burco, Berbera and Boorama.

The Americans will also hold talks with President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal and some officials in his government.

The delegation was met yesterday by the mayor of Hargeysa, Awl Ilmi.

Hargeisa (Rep)- A US government delegation which arrived in Somaliland on last Saturday have paid visits to various parts of the country. The delegation comprising high-ranking officials of the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID), the State Department and the US ambassador in Djibouti Lange Schermerhorn, arrived in the country on a 4-day familiarization and assessment visit, according to a Somaliland government source. During their stay in Somaliland, the delegation made trips to a number of projects implemented in the country with USAID funds through CARE International. The delegation toured Berbera port which is expected to handle more food aid consignments intended for drought-stricken zones in Eastern Ethiopia. The visitors were received by by President Egal on Sunday evening in his office. Later in the evening members of the American delegation were invited by Egal to a dinner thrown in their honor.

The Americans have recently declared the Horn of Africa as the world's highest priority humanitarian emergency. Leonard Rogers, a top USAID official said in a statement in early August that "over 20 million people are at risk if this crisis is allowed to spiral into a true famine."

Rogers visited the region in July and said the US was considering increasing food aid to the Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

Hargeisa -- - Nine members of the Somaliland House of Representatives have described the imprisonment of Somaliland political activist, Ali Qoryoolay, as illegal and demanded his immediate release. In a statement to the Republican last night, the representatives who included Abdirisaq M. Muse, Abdi Dahir Amud, Mohammed Ahmed Barre (Garad) and Mohammed Muse Diriye, said they believed Ali Qoryoolay was imprisoned for speaking up his mind and therefore consider him a prisoner of conscience.

The human rights group Horn Watch has also appealed to Somaliland President Egal to take measures for either bringing Ali Qoryoolay to trial or release him immediately from imprisonment. Ali Qoryoolay an often critic of the Egal government, was detained by the Somaliland security forces about 3 weeks ago. Relatives and friends said they were not allowed to visit the prisoner who is being kept in solitary confinement and under hard conditions, according to a report by Horn Watch.

Ali Qoryoolay had reportedly distributed last month a letter critical of President Egal's performance to members of the Somaliland House of Representatives. Horn Watch said the continued detention of Qoryoolay without trial is unlawful and violates the constitution of Somaliland (articles 26 and 31) as well as the universal declaration of human rights. Horn Watch described the imprisonment conditions of Ali Qoryoolay as follows: "He has been segregated from other prisoners and kept in a small cell, rejected all visits and banned from press reading and listening to Radio."

Horn Watch has reminded the Somaliland President that it is unlawful to subject human beings to torture or to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment. The Representatives also said the government is violating the constituional rights of individuals to express their opinions and views freely. In the meanwhile the SNM has condemned the arrest of Ali Qoryoolay and demanded his immediate release. In the meantime a "free Ali Qoryoolay" drive is gaining momentum amongst Somaliland Youth particularly among SNM veteran groups.

According to the sources, the police chief was gunned down by one of his subordinates. The junior officer was reportedly angry over "unfair treatment" by the chief; both were from the Issak clan and no political motive is suspected, the sources told IRIN.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Egal said the breakaway republic needed to pursue separate development outside Somalia.

His comments are a significant climbdown from his previous determination to secure international recognition for Somaliland as an independent state.

He said an interim status like that of Kosovo or East Timor would allow Somaliland to deal with donors and international financial institutions - and unlock international purse strings.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has repeatedly expressed fears of being dragged back into the country's long-running civil war.

Investment

"We accept the fact that the international community at the moment is not geared towards giving us sovereign recognition," Egal told the London-based newspaper.

"So what we say is that, just like the Palestinians or the Kosovans or the people in Timor, we should be given a special status, an interim special status whereby we can at least deal with donors and the international financial institutions."

Somaliland is relatively stable compared to Somalia and it is keen to encourage investment from foreign companies and from its diaspora.

It has several airlines and telecommunications companies operating out of its capital, Hargeisa, and also offers the cheapest internet access rates in the region.

However, the lack of international recognition stifles development.

In the banking sector credit and money transfers are impossible; in the oil industry insurance rates are at the astronomical war levels applicable in neighbouring Somalia.

Hence the appeal by President Egal.

He has also signed a new law to set up political parties within 18 months, by which time a constitutional referendum will be held.

Somaliland opposes the current UN-backed efforts to reunite Somalia, which it sees as a threat to its current autonomy.

Hargeisa - Security guards stationed at Radio Hargeisa attacked on Sunday, July 30, 2000, Abdi Haybe, a reporter of Somaliland independent newspaper Jamhuriya and its weekly edition, The Republican. The attack took place in front of Radio Hargeisa.

At least ten armed security men took part in the beating of Abdi Haybe using their rifle butts and sticks. The journalist went to Radio Hargeisa premises on 10:30 a.m. on an official assignment only to be returned by the security forces. Abdi Haybe again went back to Radio Hargeisa, along with fellow colleagues from Radio Hargeisa, on 12:30 p.m, when he was finally attacked.

This has not been the first time that the security personnel attached to Somaliland Minister of Information, Ali Waran Ade, have committed a physical violence against a reporter from Jamhuriya and The Republican. P> Ali Waran Ade, who was formerly trained by the K.G.B and worked under Siyad Barre's notorious National Security Service, advised Somali journalists last week: "If you see a military column heading somewhere, you don't have to report it", during his opening of a two-week long training workshop for a group of journalists from Somaliland and Somalia at the Mansoor Hotel.

Hargeisa -- Somaliland Ministry of Education (MoE) will announce the results of the examinations held this year for Somaliland's public schools. According to an official from the Ministry of Education, 1778 students from all grades sat last June for the MoE examinations. Out of this number, 1319 students or 74.2% passed their examination while 380 fell. 78 students failed to appear for the examination. Students who sat for the secondary school leaving certificate totaled 270 out of which 210 students succeeded.

This is the first time since liberation 10 years ago from dictator Barre's regime that Somaliland has witnessed graduation from a secondary school. A ministry of education official told The Republican last night that the exams were set, conducted and marked with the help of a consultant from the Scottish Examination Board. The Centre for British Teachers also assists Somaliland Secondary education through the provision of laboratory equipment, supplies of text books and teachers training.

As the Djibouti conference draws to a close, there are serious misconceptions about Somaliland and Somalia. Misconceptions that could lead to war, not peace, for economic reasons, apart from the contentious political dimension of huge discordance with the so-called Djibouti initiative in the majority of Somalia's regions and of course in Somaliland's indifference to the conference as well. The general view appears to be that the nation is not a nation at all and therefore poses no threat to the government in Baidoa. The Somaliland 'region', they say, is politically divided into four blocs, namely, the Dir clans in the west; the western isaak occupying Hargeisa and Berbera and the presidency; the eastern Isaak in Burao; and the eastern bloc of sool and Sanaag. Somaliland, they say, is not sustainable politically and can be swept aside with the help of the UN. This is of course a gross fabrication but it serves the purpose of David Stephen (UN representative), President Ismail Omar Guelle and those attending the conference who have high hopes of nestling in on UN largesse when they arrive in Baidoa to set up shop.

The reason for falsifying Somaliland's political realities is to persuade the uninitiated of the international community, who have yet to be taken in by the UN public relations spin-doctor, Stephen, that Somaliland especially can be bulldozed out of existence, given UN political clout.

Other misconceptions have equally sinister design but they are in the shadows; kept out of discussion at the conference and not therefore part of the spin-doctor's agenda for the Security Council. It is simple economics. The Somali coastline from Berbera to Kismayu has only four significant ports; Berbera, Bosaso, Mogadishu and Kismayu. Only Berbera and Bosaso, outside the temporary government's hands in Baidoa, are engaged in serious trade. Mogadishu has a good potential, but like Kismayu they are also outside the temporary government's grasp. Ports bring in foreign currency, especially the export of livestock. In 1994, the last published export data from Bosaso, showed (according to a UN report), exports of sheep and goats from that port at 444,000-head. The same year, Berbera exported 2,700,000-head of sheep and goats. This brought to Somaliland US$170,300,000 in foreign currency earnings that year. In contrast, foreign currency earnings in Somalia apart from foreign incoming private remittances, is miniscule.

Without reasonably substantial foreign currency earnings in Somalia, the temporary government cannot import much in the way of capital goods nor consumer goods. UN subsidies will, of course, infuriate those regions which until now have survived for a decade without UN subsidies. Independent Somaliland will be able to say: "typical of the UN uneven-handedness as with UNOSOM".

The other question, conveniently ignored by the conference in Djibouti and by Stephens in his reports to the Security Council, is revenue for the temporary government's proposed budget. Somalia has modest revenue accruing regionally. It is jealously guarded. Interregional altruism does not exist. How is the proposed government going to get its hands on it, given that the Security Council is circumspect about cash subsidies? The conference hopes that the UN will oblige. The Security Council should address this question before Baidoa's termporary government starts screaming for greenback.

Another fallacy among conferees is that the recognition of the temporary government in Baidoa is the same as gaining sovereign recognition. It is not. Sovereignty is given to a country, not to a government. The Security Council is too experienced, hopefully, to fall for this little game. Nor should the Security Council fall into the trap of induced innocence from the Djibouti conference that Somaliland (and its relative wealth) is ripe for a take over by the temporary government. There is no willingness among Somalilanders to share their well-earned income with the temporary government. Somalilanders will, if pushed to it, fight to safeguard their assets and their sovereignty. Somalilanders themselves should not fall into the trap of complacency. Political and commercial hyenas will soon be prowling around the gates of Somaliland, carrying the banner of territorial integrity, hungry for the spoils of Djibouti 3. Somalilanders Wake Up! Face the realities of the next round of fakash invaders!

UNESCO Civic Education for Peace, Democracy and Development in Somalia

BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION TO TEAM UP WITH UNESCO CIVIC EDUCATION PROJECT.

The British Broadcasting Corporation and UNESCO will soon extend their collaboration to the co-production and broadcasting of two popular Somali programs under the UNESCO Civic Education Project for Peace, Democracy and Development in Somalia. This was revealed by the senior producer of the BBC Somali Service, Younis Ali Noor at the end of the project's 9th planning workshop held in Baidao Somalia from the 14th to the 30th of September 2000

Noor of BBC Somali Service discusses Radio Production with some members of the CIVEDSOM Radio Team Noor, who had participated in the 16-day workshop said he was impressed with the effort made by the project's radio team in the production of the 138 episodes each of the radio soap opera, Geedka Nabada (Tree of Peace) and the radio magazine, Muuqaalka Nolosha (Visions of Life) that have been transmitted on radio stations in Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti since early 1998. He commended the relatively high quality of the programs and the professional commitment of the project's radio production team and said he felt motivated to work with them to ensure that the programs attained the BBC's high broadcast standard.

The UNESCO Civic Education Project for Peace, Democracy and Development in Somalia was launched in 1997 to provide Somali communities with a forum for the exchange of ideas on ways and means of bringing peace to the land. It seeks to create a vehicle through which ordinary Somalis can communicate with one another, bridge the gaps of ignorance and fear, and work for the restoration of peace, reintegration, reconstruction and social solidarity within their communities and the nation. It works through the creation of synergy between the mass medium of radio and community. Groups linked through a network of peace resource centers located in various parts of Somalia. The government of Italy supports the current phase of the project.

Allesandro Campo, Coordinator, Somali projects, represented Ambassador Francisco Sciortino, Italy's special envoy to Somalia at the closing ceremony of the workshop. He expressed his appreciation at the efforts being made by the administration towards the restoration of peace in the region. He reiterated the full support of the government of Italy for the efforts being made by UNESCO in promoting peace in the whole of Somalia. He appreciated the rich cultural heritage of the people of the region and hoped that the artists and musicians would continue to use their talent for the promotion of peace.

The project's Baidao Peace Resource Center, established in May 2000 hosted project staff from 8 other PRCs located in Hargeisa, Bosasso, Garowe, Beledweyn, Mogadishu, Merka, Erigavo and Buale as well as Project management staff from Nairobi. Collaborating broadcasters from Radio Hargeisa, Radio Banadir in Mogadishu, Radio Djibouti, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Baidao also participated in the workshop along with a significant representation of the Baidao civil society made up of sportswomen and sportsmen, musicians, artists, some women heads of household, and small business entrepreneurs.

P. Simkin and M. Font of the EC with Satti of UNESCO listening to a presentation at the workshop Paul Simkin and Ms. Milagros Font of the European Commission and the Director of UNESCO-PEER, Nureldin Satti who had joined the workshop participants earlier in the week commended the commitment of the project officers to working with grass roots communities for peace building in all parts of Somalia. They however noted that the changing political environment in the country posed serious challenges to the project and called for both critical self-examination and creativity in exploring new ways of working with all stakeholders in the country.

Satti emphasized the need to bridge the gap in communication and understanding that existed between the emerging administrations at the local, regional and national levels and to constructively engage the Somali Diaspora in dialogue and exchange if hard-won peace was to be consolidated.

Group work at the workshop with Satti, UNECSO-PEER Director (3rd from left) participating Some of the main conclusions of the workshop were contained in a statement read by Said Warsame, workshop organizer as follows: "We deliberated extensively on the ways and means of improving our internal operations and external relations for greater impact and came to the following main conclusions:"

• Project staff at all levels reaffirm their commitment to the promotion of peace and the cultivation of an atmosphere in which democracy and development can be sustained.
• Project staff at all levels will apply creativity and sensitivity to the promotion of constructive dialogue and in bridging the gaps that exist among various sectors of the community and the agencies of government at the local, regional and national levels.
• The project will continue to collaborate closely with civil society, our donors and development partners in devising and implementing creative responses to the unfolding situation in the country while exploring the potential and resources for the sustainability of the initiatives already set in motion for the development of peace, democracy and development in Somalia.
• The project will use its network and apply its skills and resources to support the emerging governance structures in all its areas of operation in the country.
• We will explore new links with the Somali business community in the various parts of the country and with the Somali Diaspora and work with them towards the sustainability of project initiatives in Somalia.

Mohammed Kalinle commended the efforts of UNESCO in championing the process of peace building.

The Regional Governor for Bay, Mohammed Kalinle formally closed the workshop. He commended the efforts of UNESCO in championing the process of peace building from the community level upwards. He assured his guests of the commitment of the administration to the sustenance of peace in Bay. He assured them of the full co-operation of his administration with the officers of the Peace Resource Center in Baidao.

For additional information please contact: Atsen Ahua, Project Consultant, Civic Education Project for Somalia, civednbi@unesco.unon.org

Hargeisa -- An Austrian delegation led by the Austrian ambassador to Ethiopia, currently visiting Somaliland. The has pledged to assist the University of Hargeysa with reading and reference materials. The delegation, which included Prof Horst Seidler from the University of Vienna, on held talks with President Ibrahim Muhammad Egal.

Such action from Washington would fly in the face of efforts by the United Nations, which has been supporting a peace initiative from neighboring Djibouti. It would also suggest that the United States accepts the possibility of partitioning Somalia, after years of chaos. In turn, Washington could gain access to coastal facilities of strategic value, between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) delegation led by the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti, Lange Schermerhorn, arrived in Somalia's northern breakaway republic of Somaliland on Aug. 19. While the purpose of the four-day visit has not been made public, the delegation will hold talks with Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal.

A former British colony, Somaliland was formed in 1991 when Somalia collapsed into chaotic clan wars following the ouster of longtime dictator Siad Barre. Since then, 13 conferences and international peacekeeping efforts aimed at reconciling the country's warring factions have failed. Yet Somaliland has become a zone of stability and has declared its intention to secede.

The Djibouti peace conference, ongoing since June 2000, was intended to be a new and improved conference with a different cast of Somalis. Clan leaders, intellectuals, elders, religious leaders, exiles and women were all invited to attend and participate. The Djibouti plan provides for a transitional parliament of 225 members: 44 for each of the four largest clans, 24 for minority clans, and 25 women to be chosen at the conference. The parliament is to elect a transitional government that hopes someday to take its seat in the original Somali capital, Mogadishu. Elections are to be held in no more than three years.

Despite its U.N. backing, the Djibouti peace initiative is likely to fail like many other conferences before it. Somali peace initiatives are repeatedly unsuccessful due to their failure to recognize and uphold the de-facto authority of various warlords, who control their respective fiefdoms in the country. The Djibouti conference is not different enough; the warlords were actually invited but only as clan representatives rather than local governing authorities. Indeed, the only Somali warlord who bothered to attend the conference is Mohammad Ali Mahdi, according to the International Herald Tribune. Ali Mahdi - who was temporarily president after the fall of Siad Barre but has since lost power - appears to be betting his future on the formation of a new government.

This most recent delegation includes the highest level of U.S. representation that has been sent to the breakaway region. In April, another U.S. government foreign aid delegation traveled to Somaliland's port city of Berbera to assess the facilities and explore the possibility of using the port to bring relief supplies to famine victims in Ethiopia.

By sending a U.S. ambassador to a breakaway region, Washington is all but officially recognizing its autonomy. Moreover, if USAID uses Somaliland's port at Berbera as a hub for its relief operations, the region will develop its infrastructure and fuel Egal's intransigence at agreeing to give up his power.

But Washington may actually be making a prudent decision by recognizing Somaliland. After all, it is by far the most stable, organized and peaceful region in all of Somalia. The United States may be attempting to set its own agenda for achieving an effective resolution to the Somali problem: partition.

In return, Washington will gain a potentially useful port with facilities strategically located at the mouth of the Red Sea.

From The Republican, August 12, 2000

Hargeisa (Rep)- Somaliland Ministry of Education (MoH) will announce shortly the results of the examinations held this year for Somaliland's public schools. According to an official from the Ministry of Education, 1778 students from all grades sat last June for the MoH examinations. Out of this number, 1319 students or 74.2% passed their examination while 380 failed. 78 students failed to appear for the examination. Students who sat for the secondary school leaving certificate totaled 270 out of which 210 students succeeded.

This is the first time since liberation 10 years ago from dictator Barre's regime that Somaliland has witnessed graduation from a secondary school.

A ministry of education official told The Republican last night that the exams were set, conducted and marked with the help of a consultant from the Scottish Examination Board. The Centre for British Teachers also assists Somaliland Secondary education through the provisioning of laboratory equipment, supplies of text-books and teachers training.

Hargeisa -- A Somaliland delegation consisting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohamoud Salah Nur, Minister of Aviation, Abdillahi Mohamed Ducale, and Minister of Health Dr. Abdi Aw Dahir, left Somaliland on 10 September, heading for the UN headquarters in New York. The delegation led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohamoud Salah Nur, will visit several African countries including Ethiopia and South Africa, before heading for New York. The delegation will deliver President Mohamed I. Egal's message to President Thabo Mbeki and to the UN secretary general. The message reaffirms Somaliland's position on the recent Djibouti sponsored Arta conference. The delegation will also discuss bilateral ties with the leaders of the countries they visit.

When Somaliland and Somalia were amalgamated, I was at Hargeisa where I met some elders who came from Mogadishu. After having had discussions with them about how the Somalis will manage their government, an elderly man of them told me separately "Do not believe what you were told. The whole government administrators act on the advices of special Italian experts who are consulted on all matters." When I visited Mogadisho, I was shown in each of several ministries, an Italian in an office, and was told that he was an adviser. This was a confirmation to the information I had. I, then, inquired of what the government wishes to do about the lands taken from the Somalis by the Italian settlers in Somalia, and whether there is any hope of the restoration of the owned lands to their real landlords. The man to whom I spoke told me "are you not from Somaliland? Don't you know that the Minister of Agriculture to whom the land owners submitted their claims for the return of their cultivation land was very seriously warned by the President Adan Addeh and the premier Abdul-Rasheed, and was instructed to stop taking any action against those Italians who occupied the claimed lands, and that, at last, that Minister to whom the claims were proved in the presence of the Italians, was compelled to resign and left both the ministry and the parliament."

I told the man why the landowners did not go to court and make legal complaints. The reply was "there is no such liberty in Somalia, and anyone who makes a claim against an Italian will be put in prison because all the big courts are managed by Italians." I left that man and contacted other elders who gave me the same stories. I asked them the reason why both the Head of the State and the Prime Minister were in full support of the Italians and against their own people to the extent of making them lose their lawful rights and properties. The answer was "As far as we know, both the men were mission boys who were educated by the missionaries of the Italians, and that ... they are protecting the Italian nation in reward, to please their masters."

I was not convinced with what I heard, and had in mind that there must be something hidden. I carried on my inquiries and discovered the following secrets:

1. That both the president and premier of Somalia were mission boys, had their education in the Italian mission and were in full support of their missionaries who have been in Somalia for spreading the Christianity and worked hard to convert the people from Islam. I was informed by a reliable source that they intended to have a branch of the mission in Somaliland, but that the subject was dropped when what happened in the Holy War during twenty-five years in Somaliland became known to the missionaries and those who were encouraging them. In 1970 the junta made a law in which it was proclaimed that anyone can introduce his religion in Somalia. In 1973-1974 a very big campaign was made in both the territories - Somaliland and Somalia and was said to be for eliminating the illiteracy but was proved to be an invasion of Islam. The Somalis were taught how to read and write the Roman characters which was made the alphabet with which the Somali language was written. It was then declared by the junta that it is the only and official ...scripts for the Somalis to be used in the two Somali countries-Somaliland and Somalia. It was announced again that it is the recognized official Somali ...script which must be used in all government offices, and in all records, transactions, etc. The Bible societies had the Bible and Testament both translated language and printed in Roman characters in Canada and Kenya. It was printed on the first pages of the two books: "The Somali Bible" and "The Somali Testament." The Arabic which is the language of the Holy Koran with its writing which was the only written language in the Somali countries for centuries since 1409 years ago, was declared by the junta as foreign language. This was the real object for which the mission was established in Mogadishu by the Italians. (See pages 32 and 33 of this petition).
2. That the Somalia rulers had a secret agenda involving the granting of Italian residents diplomatic status and permitting them to engage in all trade activities with broad tax exemptions enjoyed by them. They were also allowed to conduct missionary activities. The missionaries had a large business in places like Mogadishu. Since they were exempted from import taxes their goods were comparatively under priced. The customs records of that era clearly reveal the unfair trading privileges enjoyed by the Italians who made huge wealth as a result. President Adan Abdalla Osman and late Premier Sharmarke both acted as care takers of the missionary business and in exchange for their cooperation were well paid.

Nairobi-- The Nairobi-based UN news bulletin IRIN, has alleged that the Somaliland newspaper Jamhuriya reflects the views of the Somaliand administration. IRIN's labeling of the independent Somaliland newspaper as a publication that speaks for the Somaliland government has apparently been made in response to a commentary written by A.A. Qoobey, Jamhuriya's correspondent in Puntland, and published in the paper's July 4 edition. The commentary which dealt with past UN experience in Somalia was also sharply critical of the roles currently played by both David Stephen, Secretary General Kofi Annan's envoy to Somalia and Djibouti President Ismail Omer Gelleh in Somali affairs.

In the newspaper article, Stephen was blamed for "making the undermining of peaceful areas in the former Somalia as his prime objective".

It was also remarked in the article that the motive behind Gelleh's current involvement in Somalia is to secure long-term political, economic and diplomatic advantages for his country at the expense of Somalia. Though IRIN failed to give reasons for its remark on Jamhuriya, however it is an open secret that David Stephen uses IRIN as well as the BBC Somali section extensively to suppress or discredit voices critical to Prsident Gelleh's hostile policies towards Somaliland.

IRIN's report which contained the remark about Jamhuriya is reproduced below;

Somalia: Somaliland Critical of UN over Djibouti talks an editorial in Tuesday's edition of the Somaliland newspaper "Jamhuriya" which reflects the views of the Somaliland administration - said the UN appeal for support of the Somali peace and reconciliation conference in Djibouti was part of a process of "blindfolding" the world community. It said the real aim of Djibouti President Ismail Omer Gelleh, who initiated the talks, was to destroy the Somaliland and Puntland administrations, which had achieved security in their regions. It said Gelleh was hosting military officers at Arta, location of the Somali talks, especially those who had helped destroy the Somali nation. "Therefore no one was obliged to attend or not to attend and President Gelleh is responsible for that."

Until now IRIN has been deliberately avoiding to report on the ban placed since last April by Ismail Omer Gelleh's government on the distribution of Jamhuriya and the Republican in Djibouti. The Djiboutian authorities even confiscates copies of Jamhuriya and the Republican taken by individual passengers while commuting between Somaliland and the city state. However, it's not unusual for some hawkers to smuggle a number of copies which fetch a price of DF2000 per copy or ten times more than the original price of DF200 before the ban.

To overcome national barriers such as that of Djibouti, managers of Jamhuriya and the Republican said last week that they intend to make electronic version of the two publications available on the Internet to readers as soon as the costly rates currently charged to users by local telecommunication companies come down to affordable levels. In the meanwhile the Somaliland Forum, an Internet based organization representing Somalilanders in the Diaspora, demanded in a press release issued on April 4 that the international community act to lift the censorship imposed by the government of President Ismail Omer Gelleh on the freedom of the press in Djibouti.

In an interview with the London-based newspaper the Financial Times, Egal said the breakaway republic needed to pursue separate development outside Somalia.

He said an interim status like that of Kosovo or East Timor would allow Somaliland to deal with donors and international financial institutions.

Somaliland a former British protectorate broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has repeatedly expressed fears of being dragged back into the country's long-running civil war.

Hargeisa -- A law that makes it legal to establish political organisations and parties in Somaliland have been passed. The main features of this law are: An independent commission will be establishment, responsible for the implementation of the law and ratification of political parties. The commission consisting of SEVEN members including the Chair, Vice-Chair and the Secretary will be nominated by the President of the Republic which will then be approved by the House of Representatives by a single majority. At least two of the members of the Commission will be lawyers. Conditions for the qualification for membership of the Commission is the same as that of the House of the Representatives. The commission will have representatives in the regions and districts and will have authority for up to six months after the final THREE political parties have been legally accepted.

Any organisation wishing to be registered as a political party will submit a formal application to the Commission.

An organisation applying for to be registered as a political party must have at least 500 members in every region and must pay a deposit of 5,000,000 Somaliland Shillings.

The membership of political organisations are open to every Somaliland national, irrespective of tribe, religion, or gender.

The three parties that gain at least 20% of the votes for the LOCAL GOVERNMENT elections (due to be held in 2001) will be registered as a political party. If only ONE PARTY gains 20% of the votes cast in every region, the two nearest parties in such votes will also be accepted as qualified.

Any political organisation given a certificate as political party will be entitled to:

• (i) equal use of the nations media and may have its own media after gaining permission from the appropriate authority
• (ii) express freely its political views without damaging general peace and the integrity of the nation
• (ii) have its own funds and cannot be suppressed
• (iv) to criticise other parties and the government
• (v) to complain about the COMMISSION to the local courts and Constitutional Court.

According to the findings, Awdal had suffered from irregular and insufficient rains for the last two to three years. The dependable 'hais' rains of December to February had failed this year "worsening the situation in an already bad case". Malnutrition was manifest, especially in children, and coping strategies were failing, the report warned. Borehole water has been reduced and the condition of livestock condition was poor, with weak animals being abandoned. Milk production was down by 60 percent and below-normal calving and conception rates had been reported, the FSAU said.

The purchasing power of people was "very poor", it added. In Togdheer region, Hawd pastoralists were affected by chronic water shortage after below-normal rains. The main drought-affected districts were Burco, Odweyne and Buuhodle, where there had been below-normal to poor rains, FSAU said. Common water points had become overcrowded and water prices were on the increase. Livestock has been "out-migrated" to neighbouring Ethiopia, and most poor households have split their families and spread over towns and villages with reduced herds, its report added.

The FSAU warned that community support for drought affected people in Toghdeer was waning. In Sanaag region [an area contested between the self-declared stated of Somaliland in the northwest, and the autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast], El-Afweyn has been affected by floods which killed livestock and damaged agricultural land. However, the "general availability of water and lush pastures" meant the affected households were likely to cope with food insecurity until the next rains, the report added. Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000

Abstract: The US ambassador to Djibouti, Lange Schermerhorn, visited Boorama [western Somaliland] town the day before yesterday. The envoy's delegation included Somaliland's former envoy to Djibouti. The purpose of the visit was to assess the situation in Boorama.

Text: The US ambassador to Djibouti, Lange Schermerhorn, visited Boorama [western Somaliland] town the day before yesterday. The envoy's delegation included Somaliland's former envoy to Djibouti. The purpose of the visit was to assess the situation in Boorama.

The delegation visited Camuud University and were received by the chairman of Camuud University, Prof Suleiman Ahmad Guled. The delegation was impressed by progress in Somaliland. The delegation was received at the town by Boorama's mayor, Muhammad Daheye Isma'il.

The American envoy has [also] arrived in Somaliland to attend the second convention for reconstruction in Somaliland. The delegation's visit coincides with the Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti.

Text:The spokesman of the Somaliland presidency has strongly denied that the Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, is planning to resign.

A press statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the presidency, Abdi Idris Du'aleh, said: "There is nothing like the resignation of the president of Somaliland."

The statement was a reaction to a report by Jamhuuriyanewspaper on 21st July, 2000, about rumours that President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal was planning to resign.

The rumours were intended to create confusion among the people of Somaliland, the press statement said.

"Those who are intending to deceive the people of Somaliland by putting out false reports about the highest office in the land, at a time when Somaliland is going through a difficult and sensitive period, should have proof," the statement said.

"We call on the Somaliland people to be cautious of harmful activities which the enemies of our people are planning to carry out in our country by using some of our own people," the statement added.

Text: In a joint statement, 26 elders from Hargeysa have told Somaliland people that the ongoing Somali [reconcilliation] conference in Djibouti is aimed at destroying Somaliland's sovereignty. They said that the men now attending the conference were the same ones who had carried out massacres against Somalilanders. The statement, signed by 26 elders, was issued on 19th July 2000

Abstract: So far no nation has recognised the breakaway Somaliland region of north-western Somalia and Britain has no plans to do so. Ebrahim, 70, and fellow Camel Corps veteran Essa Osman, 75, see that as a betrayal of all the achievements of Somaliland since it declared independence in 1991 while the rest of Somalia descended into a bloody anarchy from which it has yet to emerge.

In places such as Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, guns and violant brutal militiamen rule the streets; but in Somaliland carrying weapons in public is illegal and the ban is strictly enforced. White- shirted policemen in neat berets direct traffic on the busy streets of the capital, Hargeisa, using nothing more than a whistle and hand signals. Indeed, all of Hargeisa bears no resemblance to the current chaotic image of Somalia.

Copyright Daily Telegraph Jul 21, 2000

Text: JAMA EBRAHIM is in no doubt about what he wants from Britain, in whose colonial army he served for five years as a member of East Africa's famed Camel Corps.

"We want the British Government to recognise Somaliland," he said. "They should do whatever they can to help us."

But his dream and the hopes of 1.5 million fellow citizens seem unlikely to be realised.

So far no nation has recognised the breakaway Somaliland region of north-western Somalia and Britain has no plans to do so. Ebrahim, 70, and fellow Camel Corps veteran Essa Osman, 75, see that as a betrayal of all the achievements of Somaliland since it declared independence in 1991 while the rest of Somalia descended into a bloody anarchy from which it has yet to emerge.

Both still fondly remember the last British governor, Sir Gerald Reese. "He built our airport and our hospital," said Osman. "We have looked after these things while Somalia is in ruins. We deserve help."

Certainly the achievements of Somaliland, whose borders are those of the old British colony and which is dominated by the Isaak clan, are impressive. It is an oasis of peace in an otherwise brutalised country.

In places such as Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, guns and violant brutal militiamen rule the streets; but in Somaliland carrying weapons in public is illegal and the ban is strictly enforced. White- shirted policemen in neat berets direct traffic on the busy streets of the capital, Hargeisa, using nothing more than a whistle and hand signals. Indeed, all of Hargeisa bears no resemblance to the current chaotic image of Somalia.

New buildings, some of them luxurious houses, are springing up, the airport is being modernised and cars bear Somaliland licence plates.

"I love Somaliland" bumper stickers are a common sight.

The country prints its own currency, the Somaliland shilling, and has founded two universities.

Since a civil war in 1995, it has maintained peace and runs radio and television stations and a weekly independent newspaper. The stability has kicked off a modest economic boom and businessmen from Dubai and the Gulf have flocked to Hargeisa.

Britain's colonial legacy is strong. Red postboxes dot the street corners and the country drives on the left while the rest of Somalia, which was colonised by Italy, drives on the right.

English, not Italian, is the main second language taught in schools.

But government officials worry that the lack of international recognition is halting further development of their homeland.

Text: Hasan Umar Hori, the director of the Ministry of Information [in Somaliland], has received a donation of recording equipment from Somali Forum [unidentified charitable organization]. Four pieces of recording equipment were donated to Radio Hargeysa by Somali expatriates living in Norway. `Jamhuuriya newspapers also received one recorder.

The director said the Somaliland media had great need for such equipment, adding that the donations would go a long way towards meeting some of their needs...

Abstract: Reports from Puntland say a mediation team led by Yusuf Umar Azhari, a prominent Somali leader, has arrived in Puntland. The team is reportedly mediating between the Somaliland and Puntland presidents.

Text: Reports from Puntland say a mediation team led by Yusuf Umar Azhari, a prominent Somali leader, has arrived in Puntland. The team is reportedly mediating between the Somaliland and Puntland presidents. The two leaders have not been in good terms for sometime, a fact which has led to frequent fighting between the two regions and the decision by the Somaliland authorities to impose visa on Puntland residents.

Although the details of the mediation was not disclosed to the public, it is well known that Azhari is on a mission to mediate between the two leaders...

According to the public view, the mediation will entirely depend on the outcome of the Djibouti conference. The tension between the two regions will end if the Djibouti reconciliation conference sets up a national government supported by the international community. However, the failure of the Djibouti conference will further strain the relations between the two Somali regions and lead to more stricter travelling regulations.

Abstract: The president said the present status quo was attained through cooperation between the people of Somaliland and the government. The president commenting on Somaliland's need for external assistance said "Our ability is stretched to the maximum and tranquility cannot be sustained if external help to support the foundations of the country is not acquired."

The delegation is leaving Somaliland today and will pay a similar visit to Sudan and Kenya. According to Erine Serenchick [as published] from IRC's [International Rescue Committee] Hargeysa office, members of the delegation would stay in Somaliland for two days to assess IRC's projects in Somaliland...age-one

The president of the republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, yesterday held a dinner banquet at State House for a 12-member delegation which arrived yesterday in the country. The delegation was led by a former US ambassador to the regions that once formed Somalia, Robert Oakley.

The presidential spokesman informed the paper prior to the banquet that the president had held a closed-door meeting with Oakley and thanked him and the delegation for visiting Somaliland to assess the situation there.

The president briefed the delegation on how peace and reconstruction had been achieved in Somaliland and how statehood, which was based on democracy and the aspiration of the people, was instituted. President Egal commenting on this said, "Our work and the reconstruction of our country has been successful due to the absence of external interference and our resolve not to rely on handouts from outside which would have, in my opinion, brought trouble in our midst during our long reconciliation conventions."

The president said the present status quo was attained through cooperation between the people of Somaliland and the government. The president commenting on Somaliland's need for external assistance said "Our ability is stretched to the maximum and tranquility cannot be sustained if external help to support the foundations of the country is not acquired."

On his part Oakley who said he was highly impressed by the achievements of the people of Somaliland. "It is my belief that this would not only serve as an example to Somalia but to the rest of Africa." he said. The banquet was also attended by the Vice-president Dahir Riyale Kahin and some members of the cabinet.

The delegation is leaving Somaliland today and will pay a similar visit to Sudan and Kenya. According to Erine Serenchick [as published] from IRC's [International Rescue Committee] Hargeysa office, members of the delegation would stay in Somaliland for two days to assess IRC's projects in Somaliland...age-one

`Mandeeq, Hargeysa, 17 Jul 00 (c) BBC
Senior Somaliland officials recently held talks an with IMF and World Bank delegation in Nairobi, Kenya. This was the first meeting between the two institutions and Somaliland in the last 10 years. Reports say the officials from the two institutions were on a fact finding mission.

The head of the Middle East department in the IMF, Milan Zavadji [as published], in his remarks said the security situation in Somaliland had improved tremendously and that there were many economic activities going on in the region.

"Therefore the IMF felt the need to review the economic progress and the general situation in all parts of Somalia," Milan Zavadji said.

A regional expert working for the UN Integrated Regional Information Network said it was possible that the World Bank and the IMF could adopt a new approach in giving economic aid to some areas, including the Horn of Africa region, and that economic policy management and development did not necessarily depend on established governments and recognized institutions.

Somaliland: Jordanian delegation in talks with government officials

Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, 17 Jul 00 (c)BBC

Reports from Hargeysa say Muhammad Ibrahim Egal's administration yesterday held a meeting with some of the city's most prominent businessmen.

This follows an earlier meeting between the two parties where an appeal was made to the traders to help drought-stricken people in eastern and western Somaliland.

Meanwhile, a Jordanian delegation is currently visiting Somaliland. The delegation, whose mission has not been specified, has held talks with government officials including the tourism minister.

Abstract: Sahardid Bileh, our correspondent in Sool Region, said that the fighting was between the militias of the Dulbahante and the Majerten clans who live in Sool and Bari regions respectively.
Text: Two people were killed on Wednesday [11th July] when two militias clashed in Qoriley village, which is in southern Laas Caanood town [in Somaliland].

Sahardid Bileh, our correspondent in Sool Region, said that the fighting was between the militias of the Dulbahante and the Majerten clans who live in Sool and Bari regions respectively. The clash was sparked off when Majerten clansmen grazed their animals in traditional Dulbahante land. The situation was reportedly volatile after the skirmish.

Six people have died of starvation in Boorama District. Muhammad Mihileh Boqoreh of the Boorama Red Crescent has said that 750 drought victims were being fed by soldiers of the national army based at Jidhi, Ashaado and Ceel Geel villages. The Red Crescent official, who had earlier toured some areas most hit by drought, said the six victims died in Jidhi village after losing all their animals to drought. He said dysentery has also broken out in the area.

Somaliland authorities ban use of old and new Somali shillings

Abstract: The central bank urged the Somaliland public to shun the banknotes from Somalia's southern regions and Puntland regional administration, as the objective was to buy up foreign currencies and goods in Somaliland. It called on the police to take action against those people involved in the irculation of the illegal currencies.

Radio Hargeysa, 12 Jul 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The central bank says that pre-1991 Somali banknotes and new ones printed by factions in Somalia's southern regions and Puntland regional administration [northeastern Somalia] cannot be used in Somaliland, whether for the purpose of exchanging them with other currencies or using them to buy goods in the country.

In a statement, the bank noted that the old and new Somali shilling currencies were back in the market places in Somaliland, despite a ban, adding that they were being bought and sold in Sahil and northern Awdal regions openly.

The central bank urged the Somaliland public to shun the banknotes from Somalia's southern regions and Puntland regional administration, as the objective was to buy up foreign currencies and goods in Somaliland. It called on the police to take action against those people involved in the circulation of the illegal currencies.

In conclusion, the bank urged government officials and the public in general to help it end the use of the currencies currently circulating at forex bureaux and market places.

Somaliland forces clash with renegade soldiers

Abstract: Our correspondent in the region said the gunmen were former soldiers released from Burco jail recently. They had been detained after protesting the killing of the late Uthman Farah Muhammad, the commander of the Somaliland presidential guard. Those wounded were members of the Somaliland national army...

Three people were wounded during fighting between Somaliland troops based in Sool Region and a group of gunmen at a roadblock in the eastern side of Laas Canood town yesterday. The two sides fought for several hours causing tension in the area. The fighting, was sparked off after some 50 heavily-armed men captured the roadblock, which lies along the Laas Canood-Garoowe road.

Our correspondent in the region said the gunmen were former soldiers released from Burco jail recently. They had been detained after protesting the killing of the late Uthman Farah Muhammad, the commander of the Somaliland presidential guard. Those wounded were members of the Somaliland national army...

Hasan Gerash and Husayn Tarwale, the commanders of the army and police respectively, confirmed the clash. The two commanders said the army had wrested control of the roadblock from the group they termed as mercenaries serving a vested interest. They added that the situation in Laas Canood town had returned to normal.

UN official urges Somaliland, Puntland to stop "harassing" civilians

Abstract: Muna Rashmawi said Somaliland and Puntland regions, which had previously been rivals, were now united in their opposition to the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti. She called on them to stop harassing the communities living in the areas under their administration.

The UN human rights rapporteur for Somalia, Muna Rashmawi, has called on Somali faction leaders and regional governments to stop harassing those people attending the Somali reconciliation conference in Arta [Djibouti].

Muna Rashmawi said Somaliland and Puntland regions, which had previously ben rivals, were now united in their opposition to the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti. She called on them to stop harassing the communities living in the areas under their administration.

Her remarks come in the wake of the decision by the Somaliland authorities to expel a group of people born in Puntland, who were on their way to the Somali reconciliation conference currently being held in Arta. These people had been in jail in Hargeysa for some time.

Somaliland: government announces details of new constitution

Somaliland's information minister, Ali Muhammad Warran'ade, was reported by the media as saying the constitution would uphold Somaliland's independence and that it would not be negotiated with any individual, party or state. Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, 10 Jul 00 (c)BBC.

The government has started announcing details of a new constitution for the self-declared republic of Somaliland on radio, TV and in the press in order to get feedback from the public.

Somaliland's information minister, Ali Muhammad Warran'ade, was reported by the media as saying the constitution would uphold Somaliland's independence and that it would not be negotiated with any individual, party or state.

Among the main features of the new constitution is mention of Somaliland's independence in the 1960's, with Hargeysa as its capital, and that Islam is the only religion that can be evangelized.

Somaliland: Parliament passes bill introducing multiparty politics

Abstract: Somaliland Republic Council of Elders [parliament] today endorsed a bill introducing a multiparty political system to the country.

Radio Hargeysa, 8 Jul 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC
Somaliland Republic Council of Elders [parliament] today endorsed a bill introducing a multiparty political system to the country. The bill has already been passed by the House, the Council of Representatives. Our parliamentary reporter said the council held a lengthy debate before passing the bill by an overwhelming 60 votes with two abstentions...

Somalia: Ethiopia-bound relief convoy leaves Berbera port

Abstract: Ninety heavy trucks carrying relief food for Ethiopia left Berbera port yesterday. The relief food was part of the 20,000 metric tonnes brought in by a ship at the port on 4th July 2000
`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 7 Jul 00 (c) BBC
Ninety heavy trucks carrying relief food for Ethiopia left Berbera port yesterday. The relief food was part of the 20,000 metric tonnes brought in by a ship at the port on 4th July 2000

Farhan H. Ali, the chairman of the FAA [expansion unknown], who has been contracted to unload the relief food, said his firm was speeding up the unloading of the commodity to ensure that it was transported to Ethiopia quickly. The neighbouring country has been hit by an acute food shortage.

Somaliland: MPs demand investigation into killing of presidential guard

Abstract: Isma'il Hureh Buba, one of the most prominent politicians in northwestern regions [self-proclaimed Somaliland republic], has said that the killing of the Somaliland presidential guard chief, Col Uthman Farah Muhammad (Daba), was politically motivated.

Isma'il Hureh Buba, one of the most prominent politicians in northwestern regions [self-proclaimed Somaliland republic], has said that the killing of the Somaliland presidential guard chief, Col Uthman Farah Muhammad (Daba), was politically motivated. He said the Muhammad Ibrahim Egal [president of Somaliland] administration was behind the killing, which was aimed at setting Somalis living in northwestern regions against each other.

Meanwhile, 38 MPs and intellectuals yesterday issued a statement saying that they did not believe the official explanation that Col Daba was killed by a drunk soldier. They demanded that the government set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the killing.

Somaliland: President Egal appoints minister, presidential guard chief

Abstract: After consultation with public leaders, president [Muhammad Ibrahim Egal] appointed Nuh Ahmad Uthman [phonetic] minister of presidential affairs.

Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Somali republic, has issued a decree appointing minister of presidential affairs, and commander of the presidency of the Somaliland republic.
   After consultation with public leaders, president Egal appointed Nuh Ahmad Uthman [phonetic] minister of presidential affairs. And also following consultation with ministers, government officials and military officers, and after taking into account the need to fill the key post left vacant by the death of the former commander of presidential guard, the president has appointed Abokor Suli Ahmad [phonetic] as new commander of the presidency.

Somaliland presidential security chief killed, Egal appoints military guard

Abstract: The president of the self-declared Somaliland regional state, Muhammed Ibrahim Egal, yesterday disbanded the Somaliland presidential security guard following the killing of Somaliland presidential security head, Uthman Farah Muhammed...

`Qaran' web site, Mogadishu, 5 Jul 00/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

The president of the self-declared Somaliland regional state, Muhammed Ibrahim Egal, yesterday disbanded the Somaliland presidential security guard following the killing of Somaliland presidential security head, Uthman Farah Muhammed. The head of security was killed by one of his officers.

The members of the former presidential security guard, which was made up of 100 officers, were reportedly replaced with military officers.

President Muhammed Ibrahim Egal and some of his cabinet ministers yesterday attended the burial ceremony of the late Uthman Farah Muhammed in Hargeysa.

Somaliland president commissions anti-Djibouti conference security

Abstract:Meanwhile, the Somaliland minister of information yesterday held a news conference at which he disclosed that the parliament had unanimously approved the dissemination of the Somaliland constitution through the media so that a [public] vote

"The tension between the two regions will end if the Djibouti reconciliation conference sets up a national government supported by the international community," it said. Citing visa requirements the two regions have imposed on each other, it added, "the failure of the Djibouti conference will further strain relations between the two Somali regions and lead to stricter travelling regulations". Last week women from Galkaio and Mudug region, central Somalia, held meetings and demonstrations calling for peace. They called on warring clans to halt clashes in the region, and said women should influence their sons and husbands to lay down their arms and support peace, the pro-Puntland regional government radio station said in a broadcast monitored by BBC.

The private paper 'Sahan' has continued to write articles in support of the Djibouti-hosted talks despite a hostile response from the administration. Analysts recalled that the editor-in-chief, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ahmed, was arrested and beaten on 11 July by administration officials.

The delegation also met President Mohamed I. Egal in a dinner held at his residence. Present at the meeting were the Vice-president Dahir Riyale Kahin, The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamoud Salah Nur, Minister of Interior Ahmed Jambir, Minister of Civil Aviation Abdillahi M. Duale and the Minister of Public Works Yusuf Ainab.

President Egal welcomed the Robert Oakley and the other members of the delegation, and spoke about the achievements the country has made, a process that started at the grassroots national conferences held in Burao, Borama and Hargeisa respectively, some of which lasted 4 to 5 months.

President Egal stated that among the reasons Somaliland has achieved peace was the lack of foreign intervention in the processes that led to successful reconciliation conferences. Egal added that "Somaliland did not wait or rely on foreign assistance in order to hold these successful conferences". Speaking about the present affairs of the country, Egal said that things do not stand still, and Somaliland needs international assistance to consolidate the structures of government, the development of the economy and the social services institutions and be able to establish contacts with international financial institutions.

The president raised the need to follow up the issues he discussed with the officials in the US government in his last visit to the US. The president asked the delegation to report on what they have witnessed during their visit in Somaliland.

On his part the head of the IRC delegation, Oakley, thanked the government and the people of Somaliland for the way their delegation have been received. Oakley said that he was amazed by the achievement that Somaliland has made, adding that it could not only be an example to Somalia but to countries that have had encountered destructive civil wars, citing Congo as an example. Oakley promised that his delegation will make available the findings of their mission about the country to the relevant organisations.

NAIROBI, 11 July (IRIN) - In a recent interview with VOA, leader of the self-declared state of Somaliland, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, explained why he would not be attending the Djibouti-hosted Somali peace talks.

He said the conference "has nothing to do with us because we don't need to be reconciled with anyone. All these people (faction leaders) Hussein Aideed, Ali Mahdi, they are our friends, they come to Hargeisa. You reconcile them first, let them produce a central authority - some authority that can speak for them - then our role comes. Then we'll talk to them..."

On the issue of a future union, Egal said "it's possible to save the union if they are prepared to concede what we think is going to be a fair and amicable union between two countries." With the end of the Djibouti-held talks scheduled to finish by 15 July, there have been attempts by international and regional representatives to persuade Egal to attend the peace process. One Somalilander who supported the boycott told IRIN "Somaliland people have managed to elect leaders, open universities, and created harmonies among clans" and called the Djibouti conference was "misguided".

We in Somaliland do not expect anything from members of the United Nations Security Council, who rely exclusively on UN reportage of the current Djibouti conference, except ignorance of Somali affairs. A few independently minded members, however, spoke wisely on the subject at a recent Security Council meeting in New York. Ignorance of Somali affairs at the Security Council, other than the few who are among the initiated, is a product of the head of the UN Secretary General's Political Department, Kieran Prendergast. Unsurprisingly, the diplomat on whom Prendergast exclusively relies for his information about the Djibouti conference is David Stephen. He reports directly to New York. No other independent UN observer is present in Djibouti to offer Prendergast corroboration or correction.

When Prendergast addressed the Security Council on June 30, he spoke with the concurrence of Stephen. In Prendergast's only references to Somaliland he claimed that 'All elders, with the exception of about three-quarters of the elders (sic) of the Isaak clan from the self-styled "Somaliland", participated in that phase of the conference.'

He added that " Egal had reiterated his position that all options remained open provided that he could negotiate as Somaliland with legitimate leaders from what he termed the "South."

These limited, disparate scraps of information about Somaliland - the only part of the former Somali Democratic Republic that for nine years has had a central government (the raison d'etre for the Djibouti conference) - are evidently as much as Prendergast dared to release to the Security Council. Anything beyond that would have been in embarrassing contrast with both the total absence of government and its structures in central and southern Somalia, likewise a similar situation post-Djibouti, if a so-called government were formed by then. A government without a revenue-earning capacity, or the capacity to earn foreign currency as the ports in the south are in the hands of those who have not participated in the Djibouti conference and have held on to them for nine years, despite UNOSOM's aggressively unsuccessful attempts to free the stranglehold in the 1990s.

This deliberate concealment by Prendergast of the truth about Somaliland also contrasts with the presence in Somaliland (and not in Somalia) of all major UN organizations for the last several years. They have, and still do, accord the "Self-styled" Somaliland government respect and approbation in an environment of peace and security. A strange dichotomy between UN concealment and UN pragmatism. The naked truth is what Stephen should be conveying to the Security Council through Prendergast, and not the unfair message that Somaliland is the pariah of the Djibouti initiative.

The UN public relations impact on the less than comprehending members of the Security Council of Prendergast concealment of the truth was evident in some of the speeches made by members. Take the statement made by the Ukraine member whose country opted for separation from the Soviet Union. He said 'separation must not be allowed to take root in Africa. ... the non-participation of Somaliland in Djibouti, were increasingly disturbing. ...mounting pressure by the international community on the leadership of Somaliland, as well as on the leaders of other entities and factions who continued to defy the on-going peace efforts, could help break their intransigence and obstruction.'

This is not the language of peace, but of war.

Wiser councils, however prevailed in statements by members of the Security Council of the Netherlands, the United States and Britain. The Netherlands gave qualified support only to the OAU doctrine of inviolability of the borders of Africa, suggesting obliquely that a readjustment of former international boundaries should be made possible in certain circumstances. An obvious reference to Somaliland's claim to sovereignty. The United States' representative noted that transferring a Djibouti blueprint into a functioning, effective, permanent, representative government would be far more difficult than the Djibouti initiative. Any effort, she added, to rebuild Somalia must be an inclusive process that enjoyed the support of the existing regional entities, which are based on legitimate, participatory process. Another obvious reference to Somaliland. The UK representative urged Djibouti to proceed cautiously. The imposition of a government, he said, without the broadest possible consultation of all groups might only result in undermining the relative peace self-determined areas, for example the northern regions.

UN Security Council members who do not have the facilities for an independent judgment on Somali affairs should keep their mouths shut in the Security Council or risk exposing their ignorance by relying on UN reportage from Kieran Prendergast via David Stephens in Djibouti.

As a postscript to Prendergast's concealment of facts before the UN Security Council, members of the Council should be aware that his statement in the records of the meeting that the conference had been almost entirely financed by Djibouti is palpably false. Djibouti has a chronic current account deficit (US $40 million last year); chronic total external debts (US$300 million last year); and a chronic fiscal imbalance (1.6% of GDP last year, rising, according to its macroeconomic targets to a deficit of 3.8% this year). Little leeway there for financing the conference despite the compulsory donations by Djibouti officials. It is publicly known that the conference is being financed (unaudited) by the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia to whom no acknowledgment of their financial support was given by Prendergast to the Security Council.

VETAID is working in the livestock sector in Somaliland to help rebuild this important part of the economy.

Agro pastoral development project

The aim of the project is to improve the household food supply for residents and returning refugees in the area of Waqooyi Galbeed and Awdal. This is an area populated by settled, small-scale farmers who keep livestock for dairy and draught purposes. VETAID is helping to increase income from livestock by providing training to improved production and reduce disease, and increasing the potential crop income by providing tuition in the selection, training and management of draught oxen.

Income from livestock is also being increased by providing training and support for women's dairy groups as well as extension on the use of crop residues and locally available supplements.

Animal health issues are addressed by an extension programme for herders and the training of community animal health workers who are linked to a local veterinary group.

In order to ensure that the project benefits can be sustained beyond the life of the project, local partners are being involved at all stages of the project. These partners include the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Ministry of Livestock Forestry and Range, the Somali Veterinary and Agriculture Association, as well as regional and local veterinary groups, community groups and local NGOs. VETAID has worked with International Co-operation for Development in the past assisting in building the skills of local institutions and will continue to do so with the partner organisations. There are also existing links with OXFAM and Swiss Group, which will be developed. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is currently helping Somali refugees to return from Ethiopia, and the project will work with them to ensure that refugees are covered by the project.

Participative Pastoral Development Programme

This project encompasses three different but related components; animal health, development of suitable cropping practices within the system, and pastoral research, networking and advocacy. Again the project works with a large number of local partner organisations to ensure that the effects of the project can be sustained in the future.

The project assists partner veterinary groups and the Ministry of Livestock Forestry and Range to provide animal health services. Communities also select interested people for training as Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), and in conjunction with the partner veterinary groups the project provides training for them.

The project has links with an existing Ministry of Agriculture and Extension project in agro pastoral areas. Again in these areas the project works in conjunction partner veterinary groups to provide training for CAHWs. There is also training for women's groups on smallholder dairy development, forage development and nutrition for both dairy and draught cattle.

Through two local partners, the project is carrying out field studies on:

• the role of women in livestock development
• pastoral ethnoveterinary practices and indigenous knowledge
• pastoral coping strategies
• changes in range ecology
• land degradation and resource use
• alternative pastoral livelihoods.

The knowledge gained through these studies will be shared through all the partner organisations and at workshops and seminars and in publications, to help inform future development initiatives.

The future

Somaliland will continue to have development needs for some time to come. The country receives less foreign aid than it could because of its lack of recognition by foreign powers. As one of the few countries in the world where a significant proportion of the population are totally dependent upon livestock, and in which the livestock sector is a major contributor to the economy, Somaliland is one of the countries in which VETAID will continue to have work to do for years to come.

The editorial said "there are those regions, which, through their own efforts, have established their own administration structures in Somalia" and asked: "Are they not the right people to be consulted on the future of their people and country? Is it fair to destroy what they have achieved over this period in a matter of seconds?" The newspaper accused the UN of acting as a cover for US policy and criticised regional UN representatives attending the conference, claiming the intention was to undermine the peacefully established regions.

Somaliland President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was not injured.

The sources, who requested anonymity, said after Col. Osman Farah Mohamed,also known by his nom de guerre as Col. Dhallah, was shot Monday night, several hundred heavily armed soldiers of the presidential guard sealed off the building in the capital, Hargeisa, but the gunman had fled. But a second group of soldiers then rounded up the members of the presidential guard and sent them to a camp for questioning.

Somaliland interior minister Mohamed Waranaddeh told reporters at the funeral Tuesday that the killing had nothing to do with politics or clan matters and was the work of a disgruntled soldier who had recently been disciplined.

The dead man was a member of the Dulbahanteh tribe of the Darod clan, one of six from which all Somalis claim lineage. The Dulbahanteh are known to support some of the leaders of Puntland in the northeastern corner of Somalia.

President Egal and Col. Abdullahi Yussuf, who heads the regional administration in Puntland, both oppose the peace conference underway in neighboring Djibouti since May 2 to establish an interim administration for all of Somalia, which has been without a central government since 1991 when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted, and the country descended into chaos and clan-based fiefdoms.

Two days ago, Egal arrested 19 clan elders and military officials from Puntland who were travelling through Somaliland to attend the Djibouti conference against the wishes of Col. Yussuf.

The delegates were sent back to Puntland - another area which regards itself as independent.

The Djibouti conference is considering political structures for a future settlement in Somalia, which has been without central government since 1991.

While southern Somalia is controlled by feuding militia leaders, two distinct administrative regions have emerged in the north: Somaliland and Puntland.

Neither entity enjoys international recognition - and Somaliland does not recognise Puntland.

The people travelling to the conference left the area controlled by the Puntland regional government and travelled overland through Somaliland, but were arrested just before they could enter Djibouti.

The Somaliland administration says its territory is not a thoroughfare to the Djibouti conference.

The 900 delegates at the conference are considering a proposal for a future federal government in Somalia, allowing for a degree of regional autonomy.

Mogadishu: The hunt was continuing Tuesday for a soldier suspected of shooting dead the chief commander of the "Somaliland" presidential palace in Hargeisa, Colonel Osman Farah Mohamed, on Monday night, palace sources said.

Almost 100 troops guarding the palace have been rounded up in an effort to find out how the gunman could have penetrated the heavily guarded grounds and gain access to Osman.

Presidential sources said it was believed the soldier was not acting out of political or factional grounds but was harbouring a grudge after having been disciplined some days before.

The death of Osman, better known as Colonel Dhalla, comes as the President of the secessionist territory of "Somaliland", Mohamed Hajji Ibrahim Egal, had decided not to attend the on-going peace conference in Djibouti aimed at reconciling the various factions and forming a government for Somalia.

According to sources close to the presidential palace, Colonel Osman Farah Mohamed received three bullets, which killed him instantly on the spot.

Over 300 heavily armed soldiers sealed the presidential palace to search for the culprit. However, to the embarrassment of the secessionist authority of Mohamed Hajji Ibrahim Egal, the killer escaped unhurt.

The reaction force soldiers rounded up all of the nearly 100 soldiers which guarded the presidential palace at the time of the attack.

Farah Mohamed was buried Tuesday at the graveyard of Hargeisa where Egal and his "cabinet ministers" attended the funeral.

The reason for the attack is not yet known, however it was indicated that the killer, one of the soldiers in the camp, had been punished a few days earlier for disciplinary action.

Mohamed Waranaddeh, "interior minister" of the breakaway authority, told reporters in Hargeisa that the killing of Farah Mohamed had nothing to do with clannish or political matters, but was merely an action carried by an annoyed soldier.

The murder took at a time when Hargeisa is feeling political pressure from the international community following the decision by Egal not to attend the on-going peace conference in Djibouti for the formation of a government for Somalia.

Two days ago, Egal deported 19 clan elders and senior military officials from Puntland who were travelling on their way to Djibouti through Somaliland for the conference.

Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed, war lord of Puntland, also refused to attend the Djibouti peace conference.

The nineteen had been prevented from leaving Puntland for Djibouti by air.

Somaliland and Puntland leaders oppose the reconciliation conference taking place in Djibouti, although a large number of delegates from Puntland are taking part. The conference is in its final phase, and the number of Somalis now attending has risen to two-thousand.

Berbera -- Officers from the immigration department in Berbera Somaliland, have arrested a Dutch woman and transferred her immediately to Hargeysa for further investigations.

The woman, whose name is Margaret had arrived from Ethiopia and was accused of entering the country illegally, according to our Berbera reporter Abdisalam Hirir.

The director of the immigration department Husayn Ali Samatar, who was interviewed by Hirir said the lady had been arrested for entering the country illegally for the third time. She had earlier been deported twice.

Abstract: Addressing journalists from Radio Hargeysa and Television at Hotel Mansur, officials of aid agencies said they were happy that the procession was held to mourn their colleague. They said the emotional outpourings witnessed in the country showed how sad Somaliland people felt about the murder of the aid official on 6th of this month.

Radio Hargeysa, 14 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

A long procession was held in Hargeysa today to mourn the death of Dieter Krasemann, a GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] aid official, who was recently killed in Burco town by a lunatic man.

The procession kicked off from Hotel Mansur and the local government headquarters. The march was organized by the local government and foreign aid agencies in the country. It was led by Ahmad Jambir Sultan, the minister of internal affairs, and the Hargeysa mayor.

Addressing journalists from Radio Hargeysa and Television at Hotel Mansur, officials of aid agencies said they were happy that the procession was held to mourn their colleague. They said the emotional outpourings witnessed in the country showed how sad Somaliland people felt about the murder of the aid official on 6th of this month.

The German aid official was killed in Burco where he had gone to inspect relief work.

Abstract: Somaliland's minister of planning, Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo, and Internal Affairs Minister Ahmad Jambir Sultan have met a UN security officer in charge of Somalia and Somaliland in Burco's Togdheer regional HQ. The official arrived in the country following the murder of GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] operations manager Dieter Krasemann in Burco.

Drehn Drayner [phonetic], a UN security officer for Somalia and Somaliland, spoke briefly, thanking the people of Burco for the way they expressed their feelings on the murder.

`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 13 Jun 00 (c)BBC

Somaliland's minister of planning, Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo, and Internal Affairs Minister Ahmad Jambir Sultan have met a UN security officer in charge of Somalia and Somaliland in Burco's Togdheer regional HQ. The official arrived in the country following the murder of GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] operations manager Dieter Krasemann in Burco.

During the meeting, which was also attended by regional administrators and police detectives, the official was given the knife used by the assailant. The official was briefed on how the murder was carried out and how local officials detested the grisly murder carried out by a mentally deranged man, Abd al-Rashid Muhammad Ahmad, alias Langadheh Haji Khawal, who is being held in Burco.

Drehn Drayner [phonetic], a UN security officer for Somalia and Somaliland, spoke briefly, thanking the people of Burco for the way they expressed their feelings on the murder.

Drehn informed the regional officials that a psychiatricist had been engaged by NGOs to examine the murderer and ascertain whether he is mentally fit or not.

Reports from a Togdheer correspondent, Kayse Ahmad Digale, say that the UN officer, accompanied by an official from Hargeisa's EU office, have visited Burco's central prison where the murderer of the GTZ official is being held. The duo saw the chained lunatic being guarded inside his cell.

Other reports say that a group of people waving placards gathered at the regional HQ to voice their anger over the killing. They submitted a letter to officials expressing sadness over the killing.

Abstract: There has been an increased number of mine blasts in the area. A mine explosion near Ballidhiig [untraced] District killed three sibling children on 10th June.

`Mandeeq, Hargeysa, 12 Jun 00 (c) BBC

A 12 year old boy, called Muhammad Husayn Mahmud, has died from severe injuries as a result of a mine blast.

They boy, who died yesterday in Burco [northern Somalia] hospital, died after entering a former military camp where mines had been planted.

There has been an increased number of mine blasts in the area. A mine explosion near Ballidhiig [untraced] District killed three sibling children on 10th June.

The minister of commerce has rescinded the government decision fixing prices of petrol and diesel.

Speaking to Radio Hargeysa today, the minister of commerce said that with effect from today, 11th June 2000, the government will not dictate prices of fuels. He said prices of diesel and petrol will be left to free market forces, adding that any oil importer was free to sell his commodity at prices of his choice.

Abstract: The president of Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, today sent a message of condolence to the government and people of Syria on the death of President Hafiz al-Asad.

Radio Hargeysa, 11 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The president of Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, today sent a message of condolence to the government and people of Syria on the death of President Hafiz al-Asad. Egal prayed to God to give Syrians perseverance and solace as they try to overcome the loss of their president.

The minister of information, Ali Muhammad Waran-Adeh, today announced a government decision that on Tuesday, 13th June, the burial date of President al-Asad, has been declared a public holiday in Somaliland. On this date verses from the holy book of Koran will be read in mosques.

Abstract: Thousands of Burco residents today held a spontaneous demonstration to express their regret over the callous killing [on 6th June] of a GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] official in the town.

Radio Hargeysa, 10 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

Thousands of Burco residents today held a spontaneous demonstration to express their regret over the callous killing [on 6th June] of a GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] official in the town. A German government official sent to the country to assist the government in investigating the killing, returned to Hargeysa from Burco this afternoon.

The protesters carried placards which summarized how deeply they had been saddened by the death of the GTZ official, Dieter Krasemann, and urged the agency to continue its development operations in the area.

The demonstrators were later addressed by the Togdheer provincial commissioner, who thanked them for grieving for the murdered aid official. He said that the government also shared with them the sadness.

President of the Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, today appointed Hasan Umar Hori, as director-general of the Ministry of Information and National Guidance. The president made the appointment after having considered the important role the ministry plays in informing and sensitizing the public as well as the recommendation of the minister in charge.

Abstract: Speaking on behalf of the president of the Somali Republic, Mahmud Farah Nur Fagareh, the minister of foreign affairs, has sent a message of condolence to the GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] regional director based in Nairobi on the heinous killing of Dieter Krasemann in Burco town [on 6th...

Speaking on behalf of the president of the Somali Republic, Mahmud Farah Nur Fagareh, the minister of foreign affairs, has sent a message of condolence to the GTZ [German Technical Cooperation] regional director based in Nairobi on the heinous killing of Dieter Krasemann in Burco town [on 6th June].

"Words cannot describe how sorry we are about the death of the German aid worker. director, immediately after the incident we arrested and detained the man who killed your national."

In Conclusion the minister assured the GTZ director that details of the killing, which was the first of its kind in Somaliland, would be made available to him once investigations had been completed by the Togdheer regional administration.

Abstract: A delegation from the British embassy in Ethiopian, which is currently in the country on a visit, today toured Caynabo District, Sol Region.

Radio Hargeysa, 7 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

A delegation from the British embassy in Ethiopian, which is currently in the country on a visit, today toured Caynabo District, Sol Region. Our correspondent in the region said that the delegation was received by regional leaders. The delegation later toured Laas Caanood District. The British embassy officials are in the country to see for themselves [word indistinct) in the country.

Dieter Grosseman, an official of the the German aid agency GTZ, died on the way to hospital after the attack by a Somali man in the the town of Buroa, west of Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa.

The assailant was arrested at the scene of the crime and SACB said it was investigating the incident. The motive of the attack was not immediately clear.

Grosseman's remains were flown to Nairobi overnight on Tuesday.

The Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB) expressed its deep shock Wednesday at the killing of a German expatriate in northwest Somalia's breakaway Republic of Somaliland.

SACB, which comprises donors, UN agencies and NGOs, said it was "deeply shocked at the killing on Tuesday of Dieter Krasemann, a project manager of the GTZ in Somaliland," in a statement sent to AFP in Nairobi.

"All SACB members expressed deep sympathy and condolences" to Krasemann's family and friends in the statement, released after an SACB Executive Committee meeting held here at the request of the GTZ and the German embassy on Wednesday.

"Krasemann earned a reputation for his enthusiasm, commitment and dedication, even in the short time he had been working in Somaliland," the statement said.

The statement quoted witnesses who said that Krasemann was stabbed by a knife-wielding assailant while he was sitting in his car in the Somaliland town of Burao and died almost instantly.

His assailant was immediately arrested and an investigation by Somaliland authorities is underway.

"The SACB is awaiting the outcome of this investigation before considering any steps to be taken," the statement added.

Excerpt from report by Somaliland newspaper `Jamhuuriyaon 6th June

The Bank of Somaliland and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia signed an agreement on 30th May on the transfer of business LCs [Letters of Credit].

The agreement signed in Ethiopia followed an official invitation extended to the Bank of Somaliland by the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia...

Abstract: USC/SNA [United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance] faction leader, Uthman Hasan Ato, whose delegation has been staying in Hargeysa's Hotel Club for a week, yesterday held a news conference there and said the future of Somaliland should be left to the people of Somaliland.

Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, 5 Jun 00 (c) BBC

USC/SNA [United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance] faction leader, Uthman Hasan Ato, whose delegation has been staying in Hargeysa's Hotel Club for a week, yesterday held a news conference there and said the future of Somaliland should be left to the people of Somaliland.

He hailed the people and the government of Somaliland for the spectacular development achieved. "We are disappointed with the Djibouti conference, which will be similar to the 1991 conference which created a government, and whose repercussions are being felt to date. The world is aware of the problems and destruction caused" he said, adding that the Djibouti meeting could never provide a solution to Somalia's problems.

"Our visit to Hargeysa was planned" said Ato, who added that he was sent there by the other Mogadishu faction leaders, such as Qanyare [Muhammad Afrah] Husayn Aydid, Muse Sudi [Yalahow], and other prominent Somalis.

When asked what he had discussed with Somaliland government officials during his week-long visit, he said he had discussed various issues and had met [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal, government officials and community leaders. We discussed various political issues like the so-called Djibouti conference and exchanged views.

"From now henceforth we shall have a lasting relation with Somaliland and its leaders" he said.

Abstract: Speaking on his stay in Somaliland for the past seven days, [Uthman Hasan Ali Ato] said they had met Somaliland leaders and ordinary people. He praised the Somaliland government and its people for bringing about sustainable stability in the country. He said that his talks with Somaliland leaders focused, among other things, on politics and the Djibouti conference, adding that they shared identical views on what they discussed.

Radio Hargeysa, 4 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

Uthman Hasan Ali Ato, one of the Mogadishu faction leaders currently on a visit to Somaliland, today held a news conference in Hargeysa. Ato said it was only the people of Somaliland who had the right to decide on the political status of Somaliland. He said the ongoing Djibouti conference was not different from the one held in the same country in 1991 which resulted in the civil war and the political problem facing Somalia.

Speaking on his stay in Somaliland for the past seven days, Ato said they had met Somaliland leaders and ordinary people. He praised the Somaliland government and its people for bringing about sustainable stability in the country. He said that his talks with Somaliland leaders focused, among other things, on politics and the Djibouti conference, adding that they shared identical views on what they discussed.

Ato said they agreed on the immediate establishment of permanent relations between Mogadishu faction leaders and Somaliland government and its people. He said he came to Somaliland after consulting with Mogadishu faction leaders, Muhammad Qanyareh Afrah, Husayn Muhammad Aydid, Muse Sudi Yalahow and other prominent personalities.

Ato is leading a 10-man delegation, including Mowlid Ma'aneh, the chairman of SAMO [Somali Agricultural Muki Organization].

Abstract: Confirming the incident, Dhahal district commissioner Ahmad Husayn said today that the beast, which went berserk, attacked the victims in Balidufle locality.

Radio Hargeysa, 03 Jun 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

A hyena has attacked three people, killing a three-year-old child and injuring two others in Dhahal District of Sanaag Region.

Confirming the incident, Dhahal district commissioner Ahmad Husayn said today that the beast, which went berserk, attacked the victims in Balidufle locality. He advised people in the affected area to defend themselves against the rogue beast with the help of security forces in the district.

Abstract: On Tuesday [30th May] [Ato] and his delegation, which also include Mowlid Ma'aneh, chairman of the Jarer organization SAMO [Somali African Agricultural Organization], were received by President Egal. While recalling the tragedy that had befallen Somalilanders under Siyad Bareh's dictatorship, President Egal told the visitors how new remains of people massacred by the former government forces keep surfacing.

`The Republican', Hargeysa, 03 Jun 00 (c) BBC

A delegation, led by Somali factional leader Uthman Hasan Ali (Ato), arrived in Hargeysa Monday [29th May] to hold talks with Somaliland officials.

In a statement made shortly after his arrival, Ato said he came to exchange views with Somaliland leaders on the issue of the Djibouti conference which he later described as conspiratorial and unacceptable.

On Tuesday [30th May] Ato and his delegation, which also include Mowlid Ma'aneh, chairman of the Jarer organization SAMO [Somali African Agricultural Organization], were received by President Egal. While recalling the tragedy that had befallen Somalilanders under Siyad Bareh's dictatorship, President Egal told the visitors how new remains of people massacred by the former government forces keep surfacing. USC-SNA [United Somali Congress - Somali National Alliance] leader Ato testified that he himself had participated in conducting Islamic burial rituals for 33 Somaliland graduates who were slaughtered at Berbera airport after returning from abroad in June 1988.

Both Uthman Ato and Mowlid Ma'aneh apologized for the letter addressed recently by Abd al-Qadir Salad, who belongs to the Habar Gidir. Salad is currently in Djibouti to take part in the [peace] conference being held in Arta. While claiming to be speaking on behalf of the participants of the conference, Salad asked the Somaliland government to allow a delegation from the conference to come to Hargeysa.

Though a spokesman for Egal's administration gave a sceptical green light for the delegation, he, however, reiterated at the same time that the Somaliland government had nothing to do with the Djibouti conference...

Abstract: Ahmad Geleh, the commander of the Burco prison, told our correspondent in Togdheer Region that the dysentery outbreak could get out of hand unless urgent measures were taken. He said they had appealed to Burco Hospital for urgent medical assistance, but to no avail.

`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 02 Jun 00 (c)BBC

Dysentery has broken out at Burco prison. Five inmates and a prison warden have gone down with the disease.

Ahmad Geleh, the commander of the Burco prison, told our correspondent in Togdheer Region that the dysentery outbreak could get out of hand unless urgent measures were taken. He said they had appealed to Burco Hospital for urgent medical assistance, but to no avail. He appealed for urgent medical intervention to control the outbreak. A prison warden died of the disease recently.

The dysentery outbreak has also affected the residents of Burco town, with many patients being admitted to the Burco Hospital. The outbreak has been attributed to the recent heavy rains in the area.

Three members of Somaliland's Council of Elders issued a written statement yesterday, saying it was improper for the Somaliland government to extend invitations to people accused of committing crimes against humanity. [passage omitted on names of the three members]

Abstract: Hargeysa's mayor, Awad Ilmi Abdallah, summoned all the NGOs and asked them to explain their work in Somaliland. He instructed all NGOs to submit details about their duties to the government so that both parties are in contact. He said the government would not allow NGOs to work on their own.

Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, 1 Jun 00 (c) BBC

Reports from Hargeysa say [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal's administration has announced new strict rules for NGOs operating in Somaliland.

Hargeysa's mayor, Awad Ilmi Abdallah, summoned all the NGOs and asked them to explain their work in Somaliland. He instructed all NGOs to submit details about their duties to the government so that both parties are in contact. He said the government would not allow NGOs to work on their own.

Other reports say an Egyptian delegation which was visiting Hargeysa left for Egypt yesterday.

Further reports say that the minister of interior in a circular released yesterday, named a new mayor and his deputy for Boorama [west of Hargeysa] town. The reasons as to why the former mayor and his assistant were replaced were not given.

Abstract: Five military officers serving in the national army's 7th Brigade based in Laas Caanood and their 15 bodyguards have been in detention at the Burco central jail for the past one week.

`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 31 May 00 (c) BBC

Five military officers serving in the national army's 7th Brigade based in Laas Caanood and their 15 bodyguards have been in detention at the Burco central jail for the past one week.

Our correspondent in Togdheer Region, Keyseh Ahmad Digaleh, said that the officers had been detained for embezzling 30m Somaliland shillings meant to pay the March salaries of the army.

Muhammad Abdi Adan, the commander of the eastern military zone refused to give details of the matter. However, Muhammad Ahmad Abdi, one of the detained military officers, alleged that their detention was orchestrated by the commander of the 3rd Brigade, Hasan Gerash.

The officers and their bodyguards were picked up at Oog village, Caynabo District, after the army HQ ordered their arrest.

Abstract: Reports from the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Arta, Djibouti, say all the clans have not sent their representatives to the conference.

Reports from the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Arta, Djibouti, say all the clans have not sent their representatives to the conference.

The conference, which is still debating the issue of representation, will officially enter its second phase...

Other reports say Somali elders involved in the conference, yesterday afternoon received [Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal's long-awaited response to their plans to send a delegation to Hargeysa to hold talks with him.

Egal's letter said the Djibouti conference was irrelevant to Somaliland whether the delegation came to Hargeysa or not and added that Somaliland would not take part in the conference.

The president of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, has issued a directive barring the public from watching Djibouti Television which has been running the programme "Somalis Listen" on the Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti.

The local government which has its HQ in Hargeysa has been instructed to look out for people watching the channel at night. Anyone found watching the channel will be charged.

Abstract: The leader of a Mogadishu faction, Uthman Hasan Ali Ato [chairman of USC-SNA, United Somali Congress-Somali National Alliance] and a delegation he was leading, arrived yesterday evening in Hargeysa.

`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 30 May 00 (c) BBC

The leader of a Mogadishu faction, Uthman Hasan Ali Ato [chairman of USC-SNA, United Somali Congress-Somali National Alliance] and a delegation he was leading, arrived yesterday evening in Hargeysa.

Uthman Ato and the 11-man delegation arrived at Berbera airport yesterday afternoon at 3.00 p.m. [local time] and travelled to Hargeysa arriving there at sunset. The Mogadishu delegation was received in Berbera by the city's mayor and local government officials.

The delegation was received before reaching Hargeysa by protocol officials from the office of the president and was taken to the government-owned hotel Hargeysa Club where they were accommodated. They were met last night by the minister in the office of the president, Jama' Salah Muhammad.

The mission of the delegation has not been disclosed...

Some 22 people from Mogadishu-based Somaliland clans have been flown to Arta, Djibouti, to represent Somaliland's ethnic groups in the Somali Reconciliation Conference. Some of the 22 are supporters of former Somaliland president, Abdi al-Rahman Tur, who had proposed a federal system for Somalia. The rest of the delegation is made up of ordinary civilians. The group was flown from Mogadishu's Airport- 50 following a decision made in Djibouti that they would represent Somaliland's clans in the Djibouti conference.

Somaliland has formally refused to participate in the conference. Jamhuuriya obtained a document listing the names of the 22 participants signed by Sultan Muhammad Sultan Abd al-Qadir...

The Somaliland House of Representatives yesterday held its 10th convention in the House. The assembly, according to officials, would be better than the earlier ones and is expected to pass major legislations for the future of the people of Somaliland. Some of the bills before the House include those on multipartysm, referendum, security and internal issues. Others are rejecting or endorsing appointments made by the president when the House is on recess.

Abstract: High level Djibouti officials have asked these conferees politely but sternly to postpone return to their homelands and refrain from travelling abroad. Among those who have been declined permission to travel is Abd al-Rahman Ahmad Ali (Tur) [former president of Somaliland], who lives in London on asylum. Tur wanted to go back to London two weeks ago for health reasons but was not allowed to do so. His passport was seized by the Djibouti authorities, well informed sources have said.

`The Republican', Hargeysa, 28 May 00 (c) BBC

Authorities in Djibouti are refusing to let some of the personalities who are taking part in the so-called peace conference on Somalia to leave Djibouti.

High level Djibouti officials have asked these conferees politely but sternly to postpone return to their homelands and refrain from travelling abroad. Among those who have been declined permission to travel is Abd al-Rahman Ahmad Ali (Tur) [former president of Somaliland], who lives in London on asylum. Tur wanted to go back to London two weeks ago for health reasons but was not allowed to do so. His passport was seized by the Djibouti authorities, well informed sources have said.

Most of the people who went to the conference from Puntland [northeastern Somalia] were treated the same way when they tried to take a plane to Boosaaso. Elders from Bay and Bakool regions [southcentral and southwestern respectively] controlled by the Rahaweyn Resistance Army (RRA) were even denied communication with their constituents back home as confirmed last Thursday [25th May] by Muhammad Ali Qalinleh, the governor of Bay Region, during a BBC interview.

On Wednesday [24th May] a high ranking Djibouti official told the BBC Somali Service that the Rahaweyn and Hawiye clans have reached a settlement over their differences. On the same day, Hasan Muhammad Nur (Shatigadud), the chairman of the RRA, issued a statement in which he categorically denied that peace accords between the Rahaweyn and Hawiye clans were reached. Shatigadud also denounced what he called attempts by Djibouti government to coerce Rahaweyn elders into submission.

In the meanwhile, the Djibouti orchestrated conference is now in stalemate, major Somali clans have boycotted the conference.

Abstract:

Mogadishu faction leaders opposed to the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Arta, Djibouti, will fly to Hargeysa, the capital of the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, on Monday [29th May].

Mogadishu faction leaders opposed to the ongoing Somali reconciliation conference in Arta, Djibouti, will fly to Hargeysa, the capital of the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, on Monday [29th May].

Some of the faction leaders told this newspaper that the delegation, departing on Monday, would be led by Uthman Hasan Ali Ato [chairman of the United Somali Congress-Somali National Alliance]. He will be accompanied by Muhammad Qanyareh Afrah and Mowlid Ma'aneh Mahmud, among other officials.

While in Hargeysa the delegation will hold talks with leaders of the Muhammad Ibrahim Egal administration on the adoption of a joint anti-Djibouti conference strategy. Afterwards the delegation will go to Baydhabo [southcentral Somalia] where they will hold similar talks with the RRA [Rahaweyn Resistance Army] leaders who have officially announced their boycott of the conference.

The Mogadishu faction leaders had been scheduled to depart for Hargeysa yesterday, but the trip was postponed to Monday for unexplained reasons.

Abdi Hashi, an official of the Peace Line agency, who is in detention in Somaliland, is serious ill.

Dr Abdullahi Shirwa, the vice-president of the Peace Line agency told `Qaran' that the intellectual was seriously sick with high blood pressure and might die, if he does not receive urgent medical attention. Hashi was arrested recently in Boorama, where he was overseeing the activities of the agency.

Dr Shirwa appealed to the human rights organizations to pressure the Somaliland government to allow the detainee to receive treatment and have him tried in court, instead of keeping him in detention without any trial.

BBC Monitoring May 26, 2000/ `Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 26 May 00 (c) BBC

Abstract: Nine people, eight children and an elderly person, have died of acute dysentery which has broken out in Burco and Oodweyne towns of Togdheer Region.

Nine people, eight children and an elderly person, have died of acute dysentery which has broken out in Burco and Oodweyne towns of Togdheer Region.

Confirming the deaths, Adan Ilmi Diriyeh, the coordinator of health in the region said four of the victims died in Burco and while five others died in Oodweyne. He said 16 people suffering from the disease had been admitted to hospital. He said the dysentery outbreak was caused by the recent heavy rains in the region.

Officials from the ministry of health and Red Crescent Society met in Burco on Wednesday [24th May] to discuss ways of containing the disease. They recommended that local authorities launch a campaign aimed at cleaning the environment and sensitizing people against drinking dirty water.

Abstract: The British government has donated 750 high school text books to Somaliland. The books cover, among other subjects, science, geography and history.

The British government has donated 750 high school text books to Somaliland. The books cover, among other subjects, science, geography and history.

The donation was presented to the CFBT [expansion untraced] office in Hargeysa by the British embassy in Ethiopia. The head of the agency, Rod Hicks, said the donation was aimed at improving the standards of education.

The EU has also donated eight cartons of laboratory equipment to be used for science subjects...

The EU representative to Somalia [Duarte Decarvalho], who is on a two-day visit to Hargeysa [Somaliland] has launched a project in which the Berbera-Burco-Hargeysa road will be rehabilitated by the EU at the cost of 4m euros.

The envoy also said that the EU would also fund other projects in Somaliland as there was relative peace in the region. The European envoy was accompanied in his visit by other officials from the international community.

Reports from Hargeysa say that Somaliland coast guards have arrested five boats and people manning them for illegally fishing in the Red Sea off the coast of Saylac. The arreted people are being held at Saylac jail.

Nationalities of the arrested people or owners of the boats could not be immediately known. The swoop comes on the wake of the recent directive by the Muhammad Ibrahim Egal administration ordering Somaliland coast guard to arrest anyone found fishing illegally.

The administration of the self-proclaimed Somaliland republic has dissolved independent petroleum companies which used to import fuels.

The dissolution followed when the petroleum companies disregarded prices set by the Muhammad Ibrahim Egal administration. In a circular he issued, Egal said the companies had been dissolved and that their existing petroleum stocks would be sold by his government and then proceeds from the sales given to them.

Although it is not clear who the government will appoint to import fuels, it is possible that the administration itself might do so.

Before they were dissolved the petroleum companies were selling petrol at 65 dollars a barrel and diesel at 60 dollars a barrel. The government had recommended the commodities to be sold at 47 dollars and 42 dollars a barrel respectively.

Abstract:

An EU delegation, led by the Nairobi-based regional head, Lutz Salzman, arrived yesterday in Somaliland's capital, Hargeysa.

The delegation included an associate official from the EU's Somali office (Somalia and Somaliland) Joachim Knoth.

An EU delegation, led by the Nairobi-based regional head, Lutz Salzman, arrived yesterday in Somaliland's capital, Hargeysa.

The delegation included an associate official from the EU's Somali office (Somalia and Somaliland) Joachim Knoth.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian delegation arrived yesterday in the country led by the Egyptian envoy to Somalia and Somaliland Halim Salah. The delegation included representatives from firms dealing with production, reconstruction and some businessmen.

The EU delegation's mission was related to some EU projects in Somaliland although there was no official comment on the purpose of the visit. The officials are expected to take part in the commissioning of an office for roads and general works which was financed by the EU. The EU delegation is also expected to sign contracts with local construction companies for the reconstruction of some of Somaliland's roads.

Yesterday the delegation met the vice-president, Dahir Riyale Kahin, and Somaliland's foreign affairs minister, Mahmud Salah.

Abstract: Reports from Hargeysa say that the effects of the recently declared emergency law in Somaliland are already being felt, with the detention of some elders and politicians. Several people, including a paramount chief, Ahmad Samale, have been detained in the past two days alone.

Reports from Hargeysa say that the effects of the recently declared emergency law in Somaliland are already being felt, with the detention of some elders and politicians. Several people, including a paramount chief, Ahmad Samale, have been detained in the past two days alone.

The declaration of the emergency law followed an incident in which a gunman opened fire on a policeman at a khat market in Hargeysa, killing a woman and injuring the police officer. The detainees were accused of being behind the incident and breaking the emergency law which forbids the carrying of illegal firearms in Hargeysa and other towns. There are fears that the detention of these people might heighten political tension in Somaliland.

Abstract: A ceremony marking the 9th anniversary of the declaration of Somaliland independence was held at the presidency, Hargeysa, last night.

A ceremony marking the 9th anniversary of the declaration of Somaliland independence was held at the presidency, Hargeysa, last night.

The function was attended by Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Somaliland Republic, Vice-President Dahir Riyaleh Kahin, the chairmen of the two parliamentary chambers, government officials, representatives of foreign agencies in the country, social groups and other dignitaries.

The dignitaries were entertained by national artists who, through their shows, evoked the stages leading to the proclamation of Somaliland independence...

News just in. Ahmad Jambir Sultan, the minister of internal affairs, has issued a circular regarding maintenance of security in the country.

The circular reads in part: There has of late been emergence of people who have taken the law into their own hands, in total disregard of the existing laws, as shown by yesterday's criminal act. Therefore, with effect from today, in accordance with the country's security law, anyone found carrying an illegal firearm and who defies an order to lay it down, will be shot on sight. However, if the person obeys the order to put down the gun, he will instead be charged in court accordingly.

The circular adds: There have been cases of some people taking their patients to Hargeysa Hospital and then forcing doctors to admit them into the hospital in place of the already existing patients needing treatment. Beginning today this habit is illegal and anyone found practising it will be dealt with firmly.

In conclusion, the circular calls on the Somaliland people to maintain security at personal level and also help security forces in the discharge of their duties of keeping peace.

BY Somali Peace Rally (SPR)

Burao City - The Somali Peace Rally (SPR) is gravely concerned about the recent detention of Somali intellectual, Abdi Hashi Abdillahi, by Somali north-west regional security authority (Somaliland), who was arrested for having participated in current Somali peace process in Djibouti.

The SPR calls for Abdullah's immediate release and strongly urges the authority of northwest region (Somaliland) of Somalia to respect the fundamental rights of freedom of expression. We believe that all Somalis in that region should enjoy those rights as the democratic process develops in those parts of Somalia (including northeast region of Somalia, Puntland).

The SPR also calls on the regional authority of northwest of Somalia (Somaliland region) to promptly investigate the circumstances of Abdullah's detention and torture, and to bring those responsible to justice.

The regional constitution of northwest authority (Somaliland region) clearly underlines the safeguard of civil laws, including freedom of expression. Accordingly, we, the Somali Peace Rally (SPR), strongly urges the regional authority of north-west (Somaliland region) of Somalia to ensure the safety of region's Somali intellectual, Abdi Hashi Abdillahi, and that of his associates.

Somali Peace Rally (SPR), Burao City, Somalia, contact e-mail: sprally@hotmail.com

The Muhammad Ibrahim Egal administration [Somaliland] has detained Abdi Hashi, one of the intellectuals who attended a conference of Somali civil society leaders in Djibouti. He was arrested on arrival in Hargeysa from Djibouti and he faces treason charges. Another man, Abd al-Rahman Alin, has been in detention for a month, after having been accused of attending the conference.

Last week, a plane heading from southern Somalia to Djibouti made a stormy landing at Las Anod, a frontier-town between Puntland and Somaliland. Somaliland military for a time prevented the plane from taking off again but after delicate bargaining, it was allowed to refuel and take off. The problem could have been that the plane was taking a delegation from southern Somalia to the Djibouti conference. By way of retaliation and in particular to make sure no Somaliland delegation might be 'led' to Djibouti to attend the conference, the authorities in Hargeisa decided to withdraw permission for the privately-owned airline Air Djibouti, which they suspect of collusion with the authorities in Djibouti, to overfly Somaliland and especially to land there. The decision, taken following Djibouti's decision to put the Somaliland representative over the common frontier, racked up tension between the two countries another notch.

Somaliland's Transport Assistant Minister Dahir Mohamed Osman said that the ban was in connection with flights to unauthorised airfields in Somaliland, according to the radio, monitored here.

Planes of Air Djibouti and Inter-Somalia, an airline owned by businessmen from Djibouti and Somaliland, are banned from flying to Somaliland.

Osman accused a Djibouti-owned airliner of landing in there without permission at the weekend, giving a fuel shortage as grounds.

Those on board the plane, which was detained and released a day later, included a high-powered Somali delegation to the Somali peace conference in Djibouti and Abdi Korah, an adviser to Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

The ban is believed to be the result of fast deteriorating relations between Djibouti and Somaliland since Guelleh initiated peace proposals for Somalia, which have not recognised Somaliland as a separate state.

The proposals are currently under discussion at a Somali peace conference in Djibouti, which started on May 2.

Somaliland, a former British colony which seceded from the rest of Somalia five months after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in January 1991, has yet to receive international recognition.

Last December, Somaliland closed its main land route to Djibouti for two weeks.

According to the minister, an Air Djibouti plane landed at Burco airport without prior notice, "endangering the country's national security and contravening its aviation laws", said the report. He said the illegal landing came at a time "when anti-Somaliland activities were being committed".

The Somaliland government has declared itself opposed to peace talks being held in Djibouti, and have rejected visiting Djiboutian delegates.

In another sign of hostility between the two countries, Somaliland security forces have arrested a prominent intellectual, Abdi Hashi Abdillahi. Officials said he had attended a Somali peace conference taking place in Djibouti.

Somaliland has ordered its citizens not to attend the Djibouti conference.

Reports from Hargeysa say the German government has sent a senior expert to Somaliland to assess the security situation in Somaliland and the condition of the development projects previously funded by the German government in Somaliland, especially Radio Hargeysa. The German expert held talks with senior Somaliland officials. The Somaliland administration requested the German government to revive its bilateral development programme with Somaliland.

An oil tanker belonging to the French oil company, TOTAL, arrived in Berbera seaport. Ship laden with both gasoline and diesel will begin shortly off-loading the cargo into the state-owned Berbera Oil Depot. However, this off-loading is delayed due to the company's decision to auction off the inventory of fuel stored in the depot. The gasoline and the diesel will sell for US $ 47 and $42 per barrel, respectively as set up by the government.

Makhsoom, the TOTAL's Berbera representative, declined to comment on the volume of the fuel the ship is carrying, but a source close to the company has estimated the cargo to be over 3500 metric tons. He also declined to say when the tanker ship will start off-loading its cargo.

Meanwhile, a long line of tanker trucks waiting to load fuel at the oil depot was reported. These trucks belonged to local oil companies (Red Sea, Sahel and Aljaziya), who also store their fuel in the depot. The loading of these trucks was interrupted by a price dispute between the government and the local oil firms, who filed a class-action lawsuit against the government's interferences in the fuel prices.

The Director General of the Commerce Ministry, Mohamed Muse Abdalle, while on a working visit in Berbera, however, attributed the high fuel prices on a dispute between TOTAL and the local firms. The government stands to intervene if the fuel prices keep rising and the current price ceilings will stand, added the minister.

Abstract: Reliable reports which we have received from well-informed sources reveal that the Somaliland minister for planning and international development agencies coordination, Ahmad Muhammad Mahmud (Silanyo), tendered his resignation to President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal late last week.

Reports have so far not indicated whether President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal accepted Silanyo's resignation, but sources close to the presidency say President Egal was not convinced by the reasons that prompted the resignation and asked Silanyo to withdraw.

Sources also say President Egal and Silanyo have held at least one closed-door meeting since Silanyo tendered his resignation. During the meeting the two discussed issues concerning the resignation, but no details were given.

Reliable reports which we have received from well-informed sources reveal that the Somaliland minister for planning and international development agencies coordination, Ahmad Muhammad Mahmud (Silanyo), tendered his resignation to President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal late last week.

Although sources have confirmed Ahmad Silanyo's resignation, neither the president nor the minister have officially disclosed his resignation to the public.

However, rumours of Silanyo's resignation have been widely circulating in the past few weeks and have raised a great deal of concern for those who closely monitor the trend of Somaliland politics and its leadership.

Reports have so far not indicated whether President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal accepted Silanyo's resignation, but sources close to the presidency say President Egal was not convinced by the reasons that prompted the resignation and asked Silanyo to withdraw.

Sources also say President Egal and Silanyo have held at least one closed-door meeting since Silanyo tendered his resignation. During the meeting the two discussed issues concerning the resignation, but no details were given.

Sources close to Silanyo informed us that the minister has so far not changed his position on the resignation and there were indications that he was firm in his decision.

Although our sources did not disclose what had prompted the resignation of Silanyo at this time, reports say that the minister was not happy with the way the Somaliland leadership was managing the affairs of the country, especially political issues.

Further reports say although Silanyo had long been dissatisfied with Egal's leadership, the recent administrative changes in the Togdheer Region had expedited his resignation.

Recently President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal relieved the former Togdheer governor, Ahmad Dheereh, of his post. Silanyo comes from Burco, the HQ of Togdheer Region.

The dismissal of Ahmad Dheereh came shortly after a ministerial delegation, headed by Silanyo himself, including the ministers of aviation, Abdullahi Muhammad Du'aleh, health, Dr Abdi Aw Dahir, and resettlement, Bashir H.Hasan Gelleh, visited the region.

Silanyo felt that the manner in which Ahmad Dheereh was removed was unprocedural and, as the head of the delegation, he was not consulted on the matter.

Earlier, Silanyo criticized the removal of the previous Burco [Togdheer] governor, Muhammad Husayn, and said he was not consulted.

People who closely monitor the politics of Somaliland and the role of Ahmad Silanyo say his role was crucial in keeping the various SNM [Somali National Movement, ruling party in Somaliland] groups together, and he played a decisive role in 1999 when he mediated between the SNM faction led by Hasan Jama and other group consisting of Egal's administration and the allied SNM faction. Silanyo, as an experienced technocrat, successfully managed to bridge the gap between the two SNM groups.

However, when Silanyo and the anti-Egal administration agreed to end hostilities on condition that a national SNM conference be held to iron out the differences between the two groups, President Egal and his close allies did not honour the agreement. Subsequently, Silanyo travelled to Britain without the consent of President Egal late last year and stayed there for some time.

Ahmad Silanyo is a senior SNM member and the longest serving former chairman of the SNM movement, notably during the SNM struggle against former Somali dictator, Muhammad Siyad Barreh....

Puntland also opposes the conference.

The Somali Peace Line [organization untraced] has said that it was extremely worried about last Friday's [12th May] arrest of Abdi Hashi in Hargeysa for taking part in the [Somali] scholars' meeting in Djibouti.

The vice-chairman of the Somali Peace Line who spoke to `Qaran' yesterday, said the arrest was a violation of human rights. He said the man was a nationalist residing in Mogadishu and had left for Djibouti from there.

He asked the Somaliland administration to release the scholar immediately.

Reports from Hargeysa say the local government of [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal's administration has confiscated expired drugs detrimental to humans and animals. The drugs had been on sale in Hargeysa's pharmacies.

The local government ordered the incineration of the expired drugs, and announced that anyone dealing with expired drugs, or found in possession of the said drugs, would be dealt with accordingly.

Air links between Somaliland and Djibouti have been cut following decisions made by both administrations.

On 10th May 2000, the Somaliland government banned flights conducted by InterSomal and Air Djibouti planes after the Ministry of Aviation and Air Transport withdrew licences from the two airline companies. In retaliation, the Djibouti government banned all flights to and from Somaliland. The flight ban also affects Dalo Airline.

The Djibouti government has not yet issued an official statement regarding its decision to ban flights to and from Somaliland. The ban has inconvenienced many travellers who are being stranded in both countries.

National petroleum companies today agreed to sell petrol and paraffin at government recommended prices of 47 and 42 dollars per barrel respectively.

Commerce Minister Muhammad Haji Abdullahi, who is on a tour of Berbera, struck the deal in the town today with the companies. He then announced that with effect from today petrol and paraffin would be sold at the recommended prices.

Our correspondent in Berbera added that after the agreement was reached, petroleum companies started transporting the commodities to all regions of the country.

Petrol prices in Hargeysa have risen sharply and the commodity can only be bought on the black market. Our reporter who conducted spot checks in the town today found out that motorists had to make the kind of hard bargain one sees at a livestock market to be able to buy the commodity. He said a car he was travelling in was charged 7,500 Somali shillings for five litres of petrol. A few days ago 20 litres of the commodity was selling at 18,000 shillings but today the same amount was going for 30,000 shillings.

Abstract: Somaliland's minister of foreign affairs, Muhammad Salah Nur (Fagadhe), and Education Minister Ahmad Yusuf Duale returned on Sunday [7th May] from a five-day visit to Egypt.

Somaliland's minister of foreign affairs, Muhammad Salah Nur (Fagadhe), and Education Minister Ahmad Yusuf Duale returned on Sunday [7th May] from a five-day visit to Egypt.

The foreign affairs minister said the Egyptian government had accepted requests made by Somaliland pertaining to the fields of education, religion, health, air transport and information.

He said his delegation met Egypt's deputy prime minister, Dr Yusuf Wali, who is the third most senior person in Egypt. They also met the ministers of health and education, the deputy foreign affairs minister, [name indistinct] Shaykh Al-Tantawi, the grand shaykh of Al- Azhar [University]...

Reports from Arta, Djibouti, say that the wandering man, Abd al- Rahman Ahmad Ali "Tuur" [former Somaliland leader opposed to secession of Somaliland] has left the town protesting the manner in which the Somali reconcilliation conference was organized.

It is reported that Tuur was disappointed with the way in which Ismael Omar Gelleh had organized the conference...

A small plane was yesterday refused clearance to land at the new Laas Caanood [northeastern Somalia] airport, according to reports received from our correspondent based there. The plane, which entered the town's airspace at around noon, is said to have been on a mission to take a delegation from Laas Caanood to attend the Djibouti conference. However, the plane was not cleared to land. A report by our correspondent, Faysal Jama, said a commotion ensued at the airport between Somaliland forces and police and some soldiers who were escorting the Djibouti-bound delegation. The disturbances began in the morning and continued until midday. The delegation which was led by Garad Abdi Ghani was waiting for the plane at the airport but left following the scuffle and the turning away of the plane. Meanwhile, reports say that the number of people trying to attend the Djibouti conference out of greed has increased. Scores of people have arrived in the town, including some unknown elders who are staying in hotels after failing to find their way to Djibouti to attend the conference... Source: `Mandeeq, Hargeysa, 8 May 00 p 8

Abstract: Ceerigaabo, the regional capital of Sanaag Region [southeast Somaliland], has been cut off following continuous heavy rains which have flooded all roads connected it to other towns.

Ceerigaabo, the regional capital of Sanaag Region [southeast Somaliland], has been cut off following continuous heavy rains which have flooded all roads connected it to other towns.

According to a report we received from our correspondent in the region this afternoon, the town is only accessible by air. Surrounding districts have similarly been cut off as roads are submerged by floods.

Our reporter added that prices of essential commodities had skyrocketed in Ceerigaabo as fresh supplies of the commodities could not be transported to the town.

Somaliland Minister of Information, Ali Muhammad Waran Addeh, yesterday held a news conference in his office during which he said the Djibouti government was involved in an extensive campaign against the independence and sovereignty of the Somaliland government. The minister also said that the Djibouti government had written to several countries in the world accusing Somaliland of being a major obstacle to the Somali national reconciliation conference in Djibouti.

Waran Addeh, who described Djibouti as a small country which neighbours Somaliland, said the Djibouti government was interfering in Somaliland's internal affairs and was giving false information about Somaliland to the international community.

From now onwards, he said, Somaliland would not tolerate Djibouti's interferance in its internal affairs and the Djibouti reconciliation conference did not concern Somaliland.

Reports from Togdheere Region [in Somaliland] say rains have began falling in several parts of the region which is one of the areas worst hit by the drought and poor pasture. Nomads in Togdheere Region have also been facing an acute water shortage, according to the reports.

A Radio Hargeysa reporter in Togdheere Region whom we contacted by VHF radio confirmed to us that substantial rains have fallen in several parts of the region...

A USAID [United States Agency for International Development] delegation, which was in Somaliland recently, yesterday left Hargeysa. The delegation, which had visited the country to assess security and the general situation in Somaliland, held talks with President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal and members of his cabinet in Hargeysa before they left.

The delegation told President Egal that they would inform the US government of the need to support the international agencies operating in Somaliland's regions. They also spoke of the need to provide urgent assistance to returning Somaliland refugees, from eastern Ethiopia's refugee camps, where they have lived since leaving Somalia during the civil war.

The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, also explained in detail Somaliland's point of view on how to achieve peace in what used to be called the Republic of Somalia.

He said a genuine reconciliation process should be undertaken in southern Somalia to resolve the leadership crisis there. Egal further said this would create a conducive environment to discuss the relations between the south and Somaliland.

Egal also briefed the delegation on the history of Somaliland's struggle to achieve peace, tranquillity and the formation of administrative structures, all achieved after a long period without any support from the international community.

President Egal stressed that the international community should not overlook the reason why the Somaliland people decided to regain their independence through popular demand. He said: They should take note of what we have achieved for ourselves throughout this period.

He said the wounds of injustice, inflicted on the people of Somaliland, was still fresh in their memories and the mass graves of the people of Somaliland reminded them every day of the injustice committed against them.

President Egal also briefed the delegation on Somaliland's view on the Djibouti peace proposal for Somalia. He said the Djibouti initiative should only be confined to reconciling southern factions, saying Somaliland was ready to contribute towards such a reconciliation process.

Egal said: It is not fair to interpret our stand as opposition to our brother's reconciliation initiative to achieve peace in the south. We want them to reconcile urgently so that we can resolve all the issues that we want to discuss with them. What Somaliland does not want is to involve itself in the conflict between the southern factions. He said that would lead to the destruction of what the Somaliland people had already achieved in the past nine years. It was very unfair for Somaliland to be tied up with the south in all these years, he said.

The ceremony was also attended by the chairpersons of the Somaliland parliamentary committees and senior government officials. The delegation is expected to leave Hargeysa this morning.

"The delegation is not invited to Somaliland and they are not welcome here," the official radio quoted an information ministry statement as saying. Somaliland, the northwestern region which broke away from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, has rejected a plan drawn up by President Ismael Omar Guelleh of Djibouti in a bid to end Somalia's decade-old civil war.

The peace plan, to be discussed at a reconciliation conference in Djibouti starting April 20, envisages the formation of transitional government for Somalia with a president, a prime minister and a parliament.

Radio Hargeisa, named after Somaliland's capital, reported that the Djibouti delegation was to be led by deputy parliament speaker Idris Harbi Farah and was due in Hargeisa on Monday.

It quoted Sheikh Ibrahim Yousuf Madar, the head of Somaliland's council of elders, known as "Gurti", as saying that the delegation would be welcome in Somaliland only if its mission was to discuss bilateral issues between the two countries.

The announcement that the Djibouti delegation would be barred from visiting Somaliland came as supporters of Somaliland's secession, which has not been recognised internationally, were busy organising an anti-Djibouti demonstration in Hargeisa.

Somali observers said Somaliland's decision to prevent the Djibouti delegation from visiting Hargeisa could jeopardise relations between the two countries.

Besides support from Somali civilians, the UN Security Council, the Organisation of African Unity, the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and the Arab League have endorsed Guelleh's peace plan.

But Somali warlords -- among them leaders of two self-declared administrations in northwest and northeast Somalia, the Rahanwein Resistance Army in southcentral Somalia, and four major warlords in Mogadishu -- who have sabotaged a dozen peace conferences in the past, have also disapproved the latest plan.

A small plane was yesterday refused clearance to land at the new Laas Caanood [northeastern Somalia] airport, according to reports received from our correspondent based there.

The plane, which entered the town's airspace at around noon, is said to have been on a mission to take a delegation from Laas Caanood to attend the Djibouti conference. However, the plane was not cleared to land. A report by our correspondent, Faysal Jama, said a commotion ensued at the airport between Somaliland forces and police and some soldiers who were escorting the Djibouti-bound delegation. The disturbances began in the morning and continued until midday. The report mentioned the presence of some soldiers from Puntland who also did not want the plane to be allowed to land. The delegation which was led by Garad Abdi Ghani was waiting for the plane at the airport but left following the scuffle and the turning away of the plane. The number of delegates who were travelling is unknown but it is reported that there were two groups, one led by Garad. It was also reported that two people who were trying to mediate were hurt during the encounter.

Meanwhile, reports say that the number of people trying to attend the Djibouti conference out of greed has increased. Scores of people have arrived in the town, including some unknown elders who are staying in hotels after failing to find their way to Djibouti to attend the conference...

Abstract: Abdullahi Muhammad Du'aleh, the minister of aviation and air transport, has received 40 tonnes of medicinal drugs and foodstuffs from a German doctors agency, (word indistinct).

Abdullahi Muhammad Du'aleh, the minister of aviation and air transport, has received 40 tonnes of medicinal drugs and foodstuffs from a German doctors agency, (word indistinct).

The consignment has been donated to the Hargeysa General Hospital and the Alebade rehabilitation centre catering for Somaliland refugees returning from eastern Ethiopia. It was shipped in a by Boeing 707 plane which landed at Berbera port at 9.30 this morning...

Eight scattered Somali refugee camps, situated in east Ethiopia's Somali National Regional State, have been under the good care of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since their founding in 1988.

The state is in a vast stretch of dry land where people and livestock often have little water to survive during the dry season, especially in the severe drought period since the late 1990s. Local residents, mainly pastoralists, usually value water as precious as "gold and diamond".

Some 162,000 Somali refugees currently living in the camps along the Ethio-Somali border are also unavoidably facing the water shortage problem.

However, the refugees apparently enjoy a better water supply as compared with the local residents thanks to joint efforts made by the UNHCR and its implementing partners.

On the way to two refugee camps -- Hartisheik and Kebribeyah --, which are 72 kilometers and 55 kilometers separately south of Jijiga, capital of Somali State, people can hardly see tall trees and green grass. Instead, groups of donkeys, camels, and heavy-duty trucks carrying water are seen very often shuttling between refugee camps, towns and water supply points.

"To deliver water to refugee camps and neighboring towns and villages has become one of our top priorities," said one senior UNHCR staff in the Jijiga sub-office.

For the sake of water supply to the refugee camps of Hartisheik and Kebribeyah, the UNHCR sank five boreholes 11 years ago in Jerrer Valley, some 75 kilometers south of Jijiga.

Besides, several huge water storage tanks with eight meters in diameter and three meters in height have also been installed near the boreholes.

Despite the drought disaster hit in Ethiopia recently, the Somali refugees are still enjoying food rationing in the camps.

"Every refugee regardless of sex or age is due to get once a month 12kg of wheat, 1.05kg of edible oil, 750g of sugar and 150g of salt provided by the World Food Program of the United Nations.

"We also encourage the refugees to make use of the open ground in the camps to plant crops to complement their rations, " the senior UNHCR staff said.

In addition to the stated minimum supplies to the refugees, medical services are made available in every refugee camp. The patients suffering from common diseases like malaria, pneumonia etc. or malnutrition can be treated in the health center free of charge.

Besides, ambulances are available for taking the serious cases to hospitals in Jijiga, Dire Dawa, the second largest city in Ethiopia, or even the capital city of Addis Ababa when necessary, according to the UNHCR official.

In the health center in Hartisheik Refugee Camp, dozens of severely malnourished children under 5 years old, mostly the displaced Ethiopian children, were admitted and treated under the therapeutic feeding program.

The food provided by the center include therapeutic milk, rice, spaghetti, meat, vegetables and famix (the mixture of edible oil, sugar and other nourishment), said chief of the health center Bekele Negussie.

It might be a surprise to someone that the UNHCR's protection and assistance to the refugees is by no means limited to the distribution of food and water to them, but is also to cover education service.

"To provide the refugees with education service is a must in every refugee camp," said Tsegaye Mehiratu, zonal coordinator of the administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs, which is the UNHCR's leading implementing partner in Ethiopia.

Of all the eight refugee camps State, there is none that does not have a school, Tsegaye said, noting that the total enrollment of the schools has come up to more than 6,000 students.

The primary school in Hartisheik Refugee Camp is a school with a dozen of classrooms and a fairly big sport ground in the school compound -- hardly seen any difference from schools in other places.

Ibrahim Abudullohi Salapan, former headmaster of the school, said less than 700 refugee pupils were enrolled in the school due to lack of classrooms and furniture, and that the pupils had to attend the school in two shifts, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

Despite of various difficulties, he said, the school teachers have managed to offer the pupils many courses, including arithmetics, social science, natural science, arts and sports in addition to Somali, Amharic, English and Arabic languages.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR attaches great importance to the education of environmental rehabilitation and protection, and regards it as a major subject in the curriculum.

The fact is notable that the UNHCR-sponsored education of environment protect is based upon practice in the field rather than sermon in the classroom.

In 1997 and 1998, the UNHCR Jijiga sub-office established a nursery in every refugee camp. Ever since then, some 500,000 saplings have been raised in the nurseries and planted annually in and around the camps, according to Abdirazak Abdinahi, an official from the Bureau of Agriculture (one of the UNHCR implementing partners in Jijiga) said.

To reduce deforestation by the refugees, the UNHCR has also introduced to the refugee camps a kind of energy-saving stove made of volcanic ashes and cement. The stove saves at least one third of firewood as compared with the traditional stove commonly used by the Somalis.

The UNHCR officials have also made an interesting decision that the distribution of the stoves is linked with tree planting: The stove is given only to the refugees who are active in planting trees.

The Somalis who are taking refuge in the eastern Ethiopia are lucky enough as they are able to enjoy the UNHCR's care.

However, as the saying goes, "East, west, home is the best." As the political situation in northwest Somalia has become stable, more and more Somali refugees have become homesick, and are eager to return home.

According to statistics by the Jijiga sub-office, as many as 85,000 Somali refugees have so far registered for repatriation following the voluntary repatriation of 92,000 refugees since 1997.

The demographic figure shows that in Ethiopia the number of UNHCR- registered Somali refugees has dropped from 450,000 in years between 1988 and 1991 to the present 162,000.

Stuart Foster of the Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is in Somaliland to assist in the local Chamber of Commerce to acquire recognition within the network of international Chamber of Commerce. The first challenge in the proposed two year programme will be to develop a broad membership base which will support three officers to undertake the work of the Chamber.

The blight of unemployment in Somaliland:

The Somaliland administration is under pressure to come up with policies that will deal with the unemployment problem in Somaliland. According to an article in the Republican, it is believed that giving national consultants a chance will generate employment opportunities through the growth of the private sector. The Somaliland Parliament is reported to have ratified a new law that will require all INGOs to sign, enabling the administration to monitor and control the hiring of consultants.

Declining Inflation Reported

In Somaliland, overall prices including those of food, were declining steadily and significantly last year again due to less new money injections and the strengthening of the Somaliland shilling.

Yemenia Airline to Commence Flights to Hargeisa

In another development, it is reported that discussions are well in advance between the Yemenia Airline and the Somaliland administration and significantly Yemenia is said to have received a green light from a British insurance company based in London to commence flights to Hargeisa. At present, there are no additional details as to when the services will begin, but it is expected to facilitate international travel to and from parts of Somalia.

Somaliland Information Minister Ali Mohamed "Waranade," quoted by the radio, monitored in Mogadishu, accused Djibouti of saying Somaliland was behind an attempt to scuttle the Somali peace process drawn up by President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti.

Guelleh's plan aims to establish a parliament to appoint a transitional government to run the country for two years before elections.

"But Somaliland is not part of Somalia anymore and we see no reason why it should involve itself in the Somali peace process," the radio quoted Waranade having saying.

Waranade declared that the reconciliation meeting scheduled to open in Djibouti on Tuesday only involved Somalia's warring factions who have been fighting since dictator Mohamed Siad Bare was toppled in January, 1991.

"Any Somaliland national attending that meeting is doing so without the support of the people here, because Djibouti is promoting hostile propaganda against our people," Waranade warned.

The Somaliland parliament declared earlier that it was "treasonable" to attend the Djibouti-sponsored conference, a reference to the presence in Djibouti of Somaliland's first president Abdulahman Ahmed Ali "Tur".

The radio quoted Somaliland's Planning Minister Ahmed Mohamed "Silanyo" as saying that "some 650,000 people living in the areas bordering Ethiopia are hit by a severe shortage of food."

Silanyo said that so far, three people had died due to lack of water and food, but warned that the death toll could spiral if the rains failed in the next two months.

Silanyo, who is chairman of the National Relief Committee for Somaliland, which seceded from the rest of Somalia in May 1991 following the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre five months earlier, appealed for international aid to help his people.

"The drought and the subsequent food shortages are generally affecting more than two million, or more than two-thirds of the population of Somaliland, who are mainly pastoralists depending on water for their animals," Silanyo said.

Silanyo appealed to the international community to use Berbera port and airport facilities in Somaliland, Somalia's former northwest region, to assist famine victims in Ethiopia's eastern region of Ogaden, the radio said.

Somaliland has an estimated population of between 3.5 million and four million.

The eastern regional refugee coordination bureau said the Somali refugees had been in camps at Rabasso, Daroro and Kamaboker, near the Somali border.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told AFP that the "voluntary returnees" had received food supplies to last them nine months, plus eating utensils. They were also given 30 dollars each to help them settle in northern Somalia.

Since 1997, some 90,000 Somali refugees have returned home voluntarily from eastern Ethiopia. Of these 55,658 returned in 1998-99, according to the same source.

More than 163,000 people remain in eight camps in eastern Ethiopia after fleeing the civil war in Somalia.

The UNHCR said in late November that Ethiopia was sheltering 262,000 refugees from several countries in the region in the west, south and east of the country.

Reports reaching us from Burco [Somaliland] say the visiting American delegation from the agency for international aid [presumably USAID] visited the town yesterday and held talks with local leaders. The delegations is reportedly on a mission to assess the current drought in the region.

Abstract:

Reports reaching us from the port city of Berbera [Somaliland] say an American government delegation concerned with foreign aid yesterday arrived in the port city.

Reports reaching us from the port city of Berbera [Somaliland] say an American government delegation concerned with foreign aid yesterday arrived in the port city.

Radio Hargeysa last night reported that the delegation was on mission to assess the port facilities and explore the possibility of using the port to bring in relief supplies for the victims of famine in the Horn of Africa region.

Abstract: The information minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Ali Muhammad Waran Ade, has denied reports that the authorities in the breakaway state have closed the border with Djibouti. In a news conference on Monday, the minister said Djibouti was massing troops along the border with Somaliland, but denied that Hargeysa had stationed troops in retaliation to the move. The following is a text of the report and interview published on the Somaliland newspaper `Jamhuuriyaon 18th April; all subheadings inserted editorially:

Somaliland's information minister, Ali Muhammad Waran Ade, yesterday denied a Djibouti government report that his country had closed its border with Djibouti.

The minister said: "It was announced on Djibouti radio and television last night and yesterday that the Somaliland government had closed its border with Djibouti. We would like to inform the people of the two brotherly nations that the report on Djibouti radio and television was a fabricated lie and that Somaliland did not close the border. The border on the Somaliland side is open. However, if Djibouti wanted to close its side of the border it needed no pretext. It is not appropriate for governments to tell lies or peddle falsehood. We see the matter as hollow and reckless accusations. The Somaliland government has not closed its border with Djibouti. Indeed, the border is still open as before on our side."

`Jamhuuriya, Hargeysa, 18 Apr 00 (c) BBC

The information minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Ali Muhammad Waran Ade, has denied reports that the authorities in the breakaway state have closed the border with Djibouti. In a news conference on Monday, the minister said Djibouti was massing troops along the border with Somaliland, but denied that Hargeysa had stationed troops in retaliation to the move. The following is a text of the report and interview published on the Somaliland newspaper `Jamhuuriyaon 18th April; all subheadings inserted editorially:

Somaliland's information minister, Ali Muhammad Waran Ade, yesterday denied a Djibouti government report that his country had closed its border with Djibouti.

The minister yesterday afternoon held a news conference in his office in Hargeysa and said that Somaliland did not close the border and that the border on the Somaliland side was open.

The minister said that the reports carried on Radio Djibouti and television to the effect that the border had been closed were fabricated lies.

The minister said: "It was announced on Djibouti radio and television last night and yesterday that the Somaliland government had closed its border with Djibouti. We would like to inform the people of the two brotherly nations that the report on Djibouti radio and television was a fabricated lie and that Somaliland did not close the border. The border on the Somaliland side is open. However, if Djibouti wanted to close its side of the border it needed no pretext. It is not appropriate for governments to tell lies or peddle falsehood. We see the matter as hollow and reckless accusations. The Somaliland government has not closed its border with Djibouti. Indeed, the border is still open as before on our side."

Following the statement, the minister was interviewed by journalists who asked him questions, particularly on misunderstandings between the two countries:

[Unidentified reporter] Is the border closed now?

[Waran Ade] Our side of the border is open

Troop deployment

[Q] Reports from the border say that Djibouti has deployed forces along the border. Are you aware of that?

[A] We have received reports that Djibouti is massing its forces on the border. We do not understand what has compelled Djibouti to mass its forces on the border.

[Q] Since the time the Djibouti delegation was turned back from Hargeysa the Djibouti government has carried out punitive measures like the expulsion of the Somaliland representative [in Djibouti] and other measures are in the offing. What is your comment as a government representative?

[A] We have no problem with or enmity towards Djibouti.We have no malice towards Djibouti. However, if Djibouti decides to give Somaliland problems then we will respond accordingly.

[Q] We have heard that Djibouti has deployed its soldiers on the border and Somaliland has also brought in troops and there has been exchanges of fire between the two forces. Is there any truth in this report?

[A] To be truthful, there are no Somaliland forces on the border though there are policemen who have always been stationed there.

[Q] On the political front, it is possible that Djibouti may view Somaliland as a country that is trying to destroy the Djibouti conference and welfare of Somalis. Don't you think this diplomatic row needs to be addressed?

Somaliland not opposed to reconciliation in Somalia

[A] Somaliland is not and was not opposed to reconciliation in Somalia. We have never opposed it and we shall never oppose it. It appears that Omar Gelleh's initiative is being misdirected. However, we are saying that we are Somaliland and we have a government and that the Djibouti conference does not concern us. Nevertheless, we are not opposed to reconciliation in Somalia.

On expulsion of Somaliland's envoy in Djibouti

[Q] The Djibouti government has said that the expulsion of the Somaliland representative was in retaliation to the Djibouti delegation which was turned back from Hargeysa. The representative's expulsion was also harsh. What is your view on that?

[A] The delegation which came was not wrongfully sent back. We had informed the delegation before it left its country, Djibouti, that we would not receive it because of circumstances beyond our control and our involvement in other urgent matters. Hence, it was the delegation that entered the country without clearance. The decision was made by Djibouti. We had the right to ask them to wait until such a time when we will be in a position to receive them.

[Q] Have the two governments discussed the issue of the expelled Somaliland representative?

Djibouti "bans" Somaliland newspapers

[A] The representative has not yet arrived here. We have heard of the ugly manner in which he was expelled. We heard of his expulsion later. The Djibouti government has also banned Jamhuuriyaand 'The Republican' newspapers which are published in Hargeysa. The ban was issued on Sunday [16th April] when the Djibouti government took the decision and ordered the police both on the borders and airports not to allow in the newspapers into the country. In compliance with the order, the police barred the Sunday editions of the two newspapers. The Djibouti police also started a massive search on people and luggage from Hargeysa, both on the Djibouti border and airports.

Abstract: The Djibouti government yesterday expelled the Somaliland representative in Djibouti, Umar Haji Mahmud (Umar Dheereh), and two diplomats.

According to a report availed to us by Jamhuuriyareporter in Djibouti the expulsion of Umar Dheereh came to light yesterday at 10 a.m. [local time] when he was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Djibouti and served with the expulsion order. Umar Dheereh was also informed of the closure of Somaliland diplomatic office in Djibouti and was given notice to leave the country immediately, together with two other Somaliland diplomats.

The Djibouti government yesterday expelled the Somaliland representative in Djibouti, Umar Haji Mahmud (Umar Dheereh), and two diplomats.

According to a report availed to us by Jamhuuriyareporter in Djibouti the expulsion of Umar Dheereh came to light yesterday at 10 a.m. [local time] when he was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Djibouti and served with the expulsion order. Umar Dheereh was also informed of the closure of Somaliland diplomatic office in Djibouti and was given notice to leave the country immediately, together with two other Somaliland diplomats.

The Djibouti government then sent security personnel and four vehicles to the diplomat's office and they immediately locked the doors of the office. The security officers then ordered the diplomat and two members of his staff to leave the town before sunset. The three diplomats, accompanied by Umar Dheere's wife and his four children, were not given time to prepare themselves.

According to news broadcast by the BBC Somali service yesterday afternoon the Djibouti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while explaining the closure of the Somaliland mission in Djibouti and the expulsion of the diplomats, said this was in response to the Somaliland authorities' unbecoming move against the Djibouti delegation last Friday [14th April].

The Somaliland government turned away the Djibouti delegation headed by the Djibouti parliament deputy Speaker from Hargeysa airport last Friday.

When we asked the Somaliland foreign minister, Mahmud Salah Nur (Fagadhe), about the closure of the Somaliland office in Djibouti and expulsion of the three diplomats he said: "The Djibouti government has not informed us of its decision to close the mission and has not allowed our ambassador to communicate with us, as he was promptly expelled from the country. So I cannot give you any details."

We also contacted Umar Dheereh late yesterday by VHF in Zayla town and he said: " He [Dheereh] was barred from enterng the office to collect his belongings and was immediately driven towards the border town of Lawyacado [all place names Djibouti-Somaliland border unless specified]."

Umar Dheereh, his family and the two diplomats were allowed to take only one vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser. They reportedly left Zayla at 5.p.m. [local time] heading for Hargeysa.

The Somaliland diplomatic mission in Djibouti was opened in 1998 and Djibouti accorded the mission diplomatic status. During that time, the two countries had cordial diplomatic relations.

The deputy Speaker of the Djibouti parliament, Idris Harbi Farah, on arrival from Hargeysa, after his delegation has been sent back by the Somaliland authorities, was asked how they were received in Hargeysa and he said: "I did not expect our Somali brothers to treat us like that because we share both historical and blood relations."

Harbi urged the Somali people to solve their problems and pledged that the Djibouti government will host them and provide them with all the necesssary support that they need during their consultations.

He said: "In 1960 the north and south voluntarily united and they have now decided to separate from each other. It is up to them to decide whether they will reunite or not. It is not up to Djibouti to intervene in such matters."

Harbi further said: " We had wished to discuss the situation in Somalia and matters concerning relations between Somaliland and Djibouti with President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal.

When asked what Djibouti is going to do now he said: "Djibouti was ready to host the Somali people so that they can sort out their problems themselves and reach an understanding."

After hearing the news yesterday afternoon over the BBC the people of Somaliland overwhelmingly welcomed the action taken by the government. They said the government's action accurately reflected public opinion and that they strongly supported the step taken by the government.

A delegation from Djibouti which landed at Hargeysa Airport yesterday afternoon has been sent back to Djibouti. The Djibouti delegation, which was headed by the deputy Speaker of the Djibouti Parliament, Idris Harbi [as published], was not allowed to leave the plane. The delegation pleaded with Somaliland authorities to allow them to alight from the aircraft but their request was turned down.

After hearing the news yesterday afternoon over the BBC the people of Somaliland overwhelmingly welcomed the action taken by the government. They said the government's action accurately reflected public opinion and that they strongly supported the step taken by the government.

The move sparked off a public debate and many professionals expressed satisfaction with the government's decision, describing it as the most signifcant and transparent step taken so far by the Somaliland authorities.

According to public opinion, the purpose of the delegation's visit was to create doubt and suspicion between the Somaliland administration and the public so that the people would lose confidence in the government. But the step taken by the government proved beyond reasonable doubt that President [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal's administration was sincere and represented the people's view, many people said.

They said the Djibouti government's move had been aimed at destroying Somaliland independence. They said earlier governments which had tried to reconcile the Somali factions had not included Somaliland and so the intention of Djibouti government behind inviting Somaliland to the Djibouti reconciliation conference was to discredit the sovereignty of Somaliland.

We, the people of Somaliland, believe that the people of the two countries are brothers who share many things in common, and we do not believe that they support their government in this wrong move.

We also urge Djibouti professionals to advise their government on this issue which concerns relations between the two brotherly people...

Abstract: Commenting on this, the minister said: "There is a committee dealing with Somali reconciliation and only what comes from this committee is official. So it is not true that the [Djibouti] delegation received an invitation from the Somaliland parliament." The minister also said: "Our Somaliland brothers come to Djibouti without any invitation from us and we receive them, and our delegation does not need any invitation and it will visit Somaliland."

The Djibouti foreign minister, Ali Abdi Farah, yesterday denied that the delegation which Djibouti is planning to send to Somaliland received any formal invitation from the Somaliland government.

Commenting on this, the minister said: "There is a committee dealing with Somali reconciliation and only what comes from this committee is official. So it is not true that the [Djibouti] delegation received an invitation from the Somaliland parliament." The minister also said: "Our Somaliland brothers come to Djibouti without any invitation from us and we receive them, and our delegation does not need any invitation and it will visit Somaliland."

The objective of the planned Djibouti delegation to Somaliland is to hold joint discussions in order to iron out misunderstandings between the two brotherly countries in the recent past.

According to our reporter in Djibouti who sent us this report, the Somaliland representative to Djibouti, Umar Haji Mahmud (Umar Dheereh), also denied there was an invitation. Umar Dheereh was expected to accompany the Djibouti delegation to Somaliland.

This issue came to light while President [Ismael Omar] Gelleh was out of the country. Meanwhile, President Gelleh yesterday received a Somali business community delegation which has been in Djibouti for the past few weeks. The delegation expressed support for the Djibouti reconciliation conference.

Abstract: The president of the self-declared state of Somaliland, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, has sacked his trade minister, Ahmad Adan Qotal.

The president of the self-declared state of Somaliland, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, has sacked his trade minister, Ahmad Adan Qotal.

In a circular he released, President Egal relieved Qotal of all ministerial responsibilities. Qotal was accused of failing to perform his ministerial responsibilities as expected.

Earlier Qotal survived a massive cabinet reshuffle and restructuring which ended up with the dismissal of some cabinet ministers from their posts. However, Qotal was transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Trade...

President Ibrahim Egal yesterday held a meeting with his cabinet and discussed a Djibouti delegation which is said to have been invited by the Council of Elders. A presidential spokesman said they [Somaliland] would not allow the Djibouti delegation to visit the country. He said the delegation would be received if it represented the the Djibouti government to address issues related to the [Somaliland-Djibouti] border.

We would never allow the delegation to discuss anything related to the Djibouti presiden't [peace] initiative. Egal had earlier said anyone who took part in the Somali reconciliation conference would be seen as a criminal and against the state.

Meanwhile, the Council of Elders has denied inviting the delegation in question.

The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, also explained in detail Somaliland's point of view on how to achieve peace in what used to be called the Republic of Somalia.

He said a genuine reconciliation process should be undertaken in southern Somalia to resolve the leadership crisis there. Egal further said this would create a conducive environment to discuss the relations between the south and Somaliland.

President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal last night held a banquet in honour of a six-member Italian delegation. The delegation is visiting the Horn of Africa region with the objective of assessing the situation in the region in general, and in particular, the Ethiopian- Eritrean conflict and the Somali problem...

The two sides exchanged views and the delegation said they were informed of Somaliland's opposition to the Djibouti peace proposal for Somalia.

The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, also explained in detail Somaliland's point of view on how to achieve peace in what used to be called the Republic of Somalia.

He said a genuine reconciliation process should be undertaken in southern Somalia to resolve the leadership crisis there. Egal further said this would create a conducive environment to discuss the relations between the south and Somaliland.

Egal also briefed the delegation on the history of Somaliland's struggle to achieve peace, tranquillity and the formation of administrative structures, all achieved after a long period without any support from the international community.

President Egal stressed that the international community should not overlook the reason why the Somaliland people decided to regain their independence through popular demand. He said: They should take note of what we have achieved for ourselves throughout this period.

He said the wounds of injustice, inflicted on the people of Somaliland, was still fresh in their memories and the mass graves of the people of Somaliland reminded them every day of the injustice committed against them.

President Egal also briefed the delegation on Somaliland's view on the Djibouti peace proposal for Somalia. He said the Djibouti initiative should only be confined to reconciling southern factions, saying Somaliland was ready to contribute towards such a reconciliation process.

Egal said: It is not fair to interpret our stand as opposition to our brother's reconciliation initiative to achieve peace in the south. We want them to reconcile urgently so that we can resolve all the issues that we want to discuss with them. What Somaliland does not want is to involve itself in the conflict between the southern factions. He said that would lead to the destruction of what the Somaliland people had already achieved in the past nine years. It was very unfair for Somaliland to be tied up with the south in all these years, he said.

The ceremony was also attended by the chairpersons of the Somaliland parliamentary committees and senior government officials.

The delegation is expected to leave Hargeysa this morning.

In remarks broadcast by Hargeisa radio, [Ali Muhammad] Waran-Adeh said that the BBC had reported "a baseless story that the Somaliland parliament had invited members of the Djibouti government to Hargeysa to clarify the Djibouti conference".

The government of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland has denied a report saying that the parliament had invited a delegation from Djibouti to Somaliland to provide detailed information on a forthcoming Somali conference being organized by the Djibouti government, Somaliland's Hargeisa radio reported on Saturday.

Information Minister Ali Muhammad Waran-Adeh added that Djibouti officials were not welcome in Somaliland if the purpose of their visit was to discuss the conference.

In remarks broadcast by Hargeisa radio, Waran-Adeh said that the BBC had reported "a baseless story that the Somaliland parliament had invited members of the Djibouti government to Hargeysa to clarify the Djibouti conference".

"I have just met the Speaker of the Council of Elders, Shaykh Ibrahim Madar, and another MP, Haji Abdi Husayn, alias Abdi Warabeh, who told me that the report was a fabrication," Waran-Adeh said.

"As you are aware, esteemed Somaliland people, the government, the Council of Elders and the Council of Representatives have already issued separate declarations that the Somaliland government, or indeed, Somaliland individuals will not attend the Somali reconciliation conference in any capacity.

"The declarations stipulate that any Somaliland national attending the conference will be regarded as an enemy of the state," he said.

The minister added that the Somaliland government "made it clear to the Djibouti government this morning that its delegation would not be received in Somaliland if it was coming to discuss the conference".

"However, the government told Djibouti that its officials were welcome to the country if the purpose of their visit was to discuss the common border and ways of improving bilateral relations. Now that the BBC has reported the real purpose of the Djibouti's delegation visit, we declare that the delegation is not welcome in Hargeysa," he added.

Abstract: The government of the Republic of Somaliland has issued a statement denying a report broadcast by the BBC this afternoon that the Council of Elders [parliament] had invited some Djibouti government officials to the country to give detailed information on the forthcoming Somali conference being organized by the Djibouti government. This is what the minister of information said in reaction to the report.

The government of the Republic of Somaliland has issued a statement denying a report broadcast by the BBC this afternoon that the Council of Elders [parliament] had invited some Djibouti government officials to the country to give detailed information on the forthcoming Somali conference being organized by the Djibouti government. This is what the minister of information said in reaction to the report.

[Minister of information] Dear listeners, as you are aware, the BBC this afternoon reported a baseless story that the Somaliland parliament had invited members of the Djibouti government to Hargeysa to clarify about the Djibouti conference. I have just met the Speaker of the Council of Elders, Shaykh Ibrahim Madar, and another MP, Haji Abdi Husayn, alias Abdi Warabeh, who told me that the report was a fabrication.

As you are aware, esteemed Somaliland people, the government, the Council of Elders and the Council of Representatives have already issued separate declarations that the Somaliland government, or indeed, Somaliland individuals will not attend the Somali reconciliation conference in any capacity. The declarations stipulate that any Somaliland national attending the conference will be regarded as an enemy of the state.

The Somaliland government made it clear to the Djibouti government this morning that its delegation would not be received in Somaliland if it was coming to discuss the conference. However, the government told Djibouti that its officials were welcome to the country if the purpose of their visit was to discuss the common border and ways of improving bilateral relations. Now that the BBC has reported the real purpose of the Djibouti's delegation visit, we declare that the delegation is not welcome in Hargeysa.

Abstract: A high-powered Djibouti delegation assigned to visit and assess the situation on the ground is expected to arrive in Somalia in the coming weeks.

A high-powered Djibouti delegation assigned to visit and assess the situation on the ground is expected to arrive in Somalia in the coming weeks.

According to reports from Djibouti the delegation will first visit Mogadishu. The delegation may face problems in visiting both Hargeysa [Somaliland] and Boosaaso [Puntland, northeastern Somalia], the report said.

According to the Djibouti foreign minister, Ali Abdi Farah, during its visit the delegation will brief the people on what the Djibouti peace proposal for Somalia is all about.

An envoy from the breakaway Republic of Somaliland in Djibouti told AFP Monday he had been deported following Somaliland's refusal last week to admit a delegation of Djibouti deputies.

Speaking by radio from Zeyla, in Somaliland, Omar Haji Mohamud "Omar Dheere" said he was told to leave Djibouti by members of the security forces.

"I was not allowed to collect my possessions before leaving my house. Official Somaliland documents were seized by Djibouti police from my residence," he added.

The Djibouti police later escorted Omar Dheere's four children and his wife to the border town of Lowyade.

Omar Dheere was a liaison officer in Djibouti, which has given de facto recognition to Somaliland since it seceded from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, five months after the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Somaliland has yet to be recognised by the international community.

Omar Dheere's expulsion followed Somaliland's decision on Friday to refuse entry to a parliamentary delegation from Djibouti.

The delegation was ordered to return home soon after landing at Hargeisa airport to seek backing for for Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh's peace plan to end Somalia's decade-old civil war.

Somaliland has already rejected Guelleh's plan, although the UN Security Council, the Organisation of African Unity, the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and the Arab League have all endorsed it.

The plan, to be discussed at a reconciliation conference in Djibouti starting Thursday, envisages the formation of transitional government for Somalia with a president, a prime minister and a parliament.

President Ibrahim Egal yesterday held a meeting with his cabinet and discussed a Djibouti delegation which is said to have been invited by the Council of Elders. A presidential spokesman said they [Somaliland] would not allow the Djibouti delegation to visit the country. He said the delegation would be received if it represented the Djibouti government on issues related to the [Somaliland-Djibouti] border.

We would never allow the delegation to discuss anything related to the Djibouti president's [peace] initiative. Egal had earlier said anyone who took part in the Somali reconciliation conference would be viewed as a criminal and against the state.

Meanwhile, the Council of Elders has denied inviting the delegation in question.

The government of the Republic of Somaliland has issued a statement denying a report broadcast by the BBC this afternoon that the Council of Elders [parliament] had invited some Djibouti government officials to the country to give detailed information on the forthcoming Somali conference being organized by the Djibouti government. This is what the minister of information said in reaction to the report.

[Minister - recording] Dear listeners, as you are aware, the BBC this afternoon reported a baseless story that the Somaliland parliament had invited members of the Djibouti government to Hargeysa to clarify about the Djibouti conference. I have just met the Speaker of the Council of Elders, Shaykh Ibrahim Madar, and another MP, Haji Abdi Husayn, alias Abdi Warabeh, who told me that the report was a fabrication.

As you are aware, the esteemed Somaliland people, the government, the Council of Elders and the Council of Representatives have already issued separate declarations that the Somaliland government, or indeed, Somaliland individuals will not attend the Somali reconciliation conference in any capacity. The declarations stipulate that any Somaliland national attending the conference will be regarded as an enemy of the state.

The Somaliland government made it clear to the Djibouti government this morning that its delegation would not be received in Somaliland if it was coming to discuss the conference. However, the government told Djibouti that its officials were welcome to the country if the purpose of their visit was to discuss the common border and ways of improving bilateral relations. Now that the BBC has reported the real purpose of the Djibouti's delegation visit, we declare that the delegation is not welcome in Hargeysa.

Twenty-two prisoners at the Ceerigaabo Central Jail were released today following the recent general amnesty announced by Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Somali Republic.

The commander of the Ceerigaabo Central Jail, Muhammad Dhigleh Sa'id, advised the freed prisoners to be good citizens and live in society in peace. He warned them against committing crimes.

The council's statement gave a stern warning to countries and individuals working against Somaliland's independence. The statement, which was read by the secretary of the council, says:

"Even though three organs of the government, namely the executive, the council of elders and the legislature have determined Somaliland's position on the planned Djibouti conference, we take this opportunity to state our feelings by issuing a statement as a council following our recently concluded 10th session. We state the following:

This is not the first time that we have advised the international community on our position regarding the independence of Somaliland, which was as a result of the Burco conference of 1991, the Boorama conference of 1993 and the 1997 convention in Hargeysa all towns in Somaliland .

The existence of Somaliland and its sovereignty stands for and manifests the aspirations and feelings of the people. It is highly treasured and was attained through the sacrifice of lives and property. This is a fortune which cannot be traded for anything apart from independence and dignity.

We, as Somalilanders, see the conference which is being organized by Djibouti as a political offensive, openly aimed at Somaliland, since it negates and nakedly contravenes the people's fundamental rights of independence and self-determination.

Moreover, the Djibouti conference is not on the right path, and cannot provide an avenue where the interests of Somalis will be fulfilled through cooperation, mutual help and lasting peace. However, the circumstances and the formula being used will make things worse and may bring loss, calamity and destruction.

Supporting the government's statement on the Djibouti Conference, we would like to state that the pursuit of peace for our southern Somalia brothers, whose suffering we abhor, should be pursued directly. When peace and reconstruction are achieved for "Southern Somalia" formerly Italian Somaliland we can hold talks as two parties (two governments), democratically and rationally. It is only after that the level of cooperation between the two sides can be determined.

Hence, we declare to the international community and to the various agencies that they should not harbour the dream of unification between Somaliland and the rest of Somalia through coe rcion. This dream is far-fetched, oblivious of the situation on the ground, and cannot come without the support of the people.

Finally, if an attempt is made to implement what we have highlighted forced unification there would be bloodshed and further repercussions. We especially urge parties involved in this matter that they would be bear the sole responsibility for their actions and would not escape the repercussions of their futile action.

Somaliland's House of Representatives has enacted a law that forbids participation in the Djibouti Conference at any level, even at the personal level. This action was sanctioned by the government, the council of elders and the people of Somaliland who held demonstrations in the districts in support of the decision.

President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal's [Somaliland] administration on Monday [27th March] deported some Eritrean nationals.

Reports say some of the deportees were involved in business activities in Somaliland. However, the deportees were suspected of laying land mines on roads, targeting trucks owned by the Ethiopian government which transport goods from Berbera Port to Ethiopia.

Among the deportees were Ethiopian nationals who were also suspected of carrying out similar subversive acts.

Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the Republic of Somaliland, today witnessed a swearing-in ceremony of nine ministers and the chief justice at the presidency, Hargeysa.

Speaking on the occasion, the president referred to the various phases the country had gone through, and its social and political structures. He also spoke on this years national budget, which, he said, totalled 26m dollars...

The Somaliland government has issued a statement in response to the appeal and resolutions reached by the Somali scholars meeting in Djibouti, inviting the Somaliland people to participate in the forthcoming Djibouti reconciliation conference.

In response to the appeal of the Somali scholars meeting in Djibouti the Somaliland government says the following [all dates as heard]:

1. Although Somaliland attained its independence from Britain in 1960, it was preoccupied with the unification of the Somali people, Djibouti included. The Somali people had forgotten this fact and the result was injustice inflicted on the people of Somaliland and failure to achieve the unity of the Somali people.

2. The Somaliland people have been subjected to atrocities and dehumanizing treatment in return for their endeavours to unite the Somali people. Efforts have been made to wipe out the people of Somaliland but they have struggled hard against this injustice. They have lost thousands of their people and spent immense resources to fight for their rights.

3. In 1991 representatives of all Somaliland clans met in Burco [northern Somalia] and resolved to regain their independence. They formed a sovereign Somaliland state. This was followed by two subsequent national meetings to decide the political destiny of Somaliland. The two meetings were held in Boorama [northwestern Somaliland] in 1993 and 1996 respectively. This was also followed by a follow-up meeting in 1997 in Hargeysa to consolidate the resolutions of the previous meetings and in the process the regained sovereignty was firmly consolidated.

4. The Somaliland government appealed to its people to reclaim their lost glory by reconstructing national institutions and promoting security and stability. The people of Somaliland, in a very short time, have achieved substantial progress and development in all spheres.

The Somaliland government has made its stance very clear from the beginning on the issue of participating in any reconciliation conference whether it is the current Djibouti conference or previous ones. Our stance is therefore very clear and there can be no retreat under any circumstances.

In the light of all this, the Republic of Somaliland states that:

1. It will not attend the Djibouti meeting or any other meeting, because: a. The Somaliland people have more urgent problems and priorities to attend to;

b. The major obstacle that is now facing southern Somalia is not the result of Somaliland's secession and regaining of its sovereignty, but rather insecurity and lack of trust among themselves, which needs to be addressed urgently;

c. Somaliland is not at war with its brothers in the south.

2. The Somaliland government has made it clear that when the problem of the south is resolved and a national government is established it will have no objection to holding dialogue, as two equal partners, on issues of common interest and to identify future areas of cooperation.

3. It is worth referring to the IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] member countries' heads of states and governments resolutions from their 1997 meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, which stipulated that all efforts should focus on reconciling the southern factions and achieving peace in the south;while the Somaliland administration should retain its current status pending the results of peace efforts in the south. The Djibouti reconciliation conference, therefore, does not concern the people of Somaliland and is specifically intended to reconcile the southern warring factions.

4. Whatever brings together and unites our brothers in the south we will support.

5. Finally, we would like to urge those concerned that the Djibouti conference should not be deflected from its original course of reconciling the southern factions and bringing to an end the continuing bloodshed in the south. The secession of Somaliland should not be an obstacle to saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in the south.

We would like to remind the Somali scholars currently in Djibouti that problems are always addressed depending on their urgency and magnitude and they should not get their priorities wrong by insisting on the participation of Somaliland in the forthcoming Djibouti conference.

In the statement, signed by Abd al-Qadir H. Isma'il Jirdeh, the deputy parliamentary Speaker, the council said the Somaliland Republic was a British protectorate and in 1991 it decided to withdraw from the voluntary union with the southern regions colonized by Italy and set up a national government.

The statement said that the Somaliland Republic had succeeded in establishing total peace and key governmental organs - parliament, the executive and judiciary. On the other hand, the statement said, southern Somalia was ruled by various clan-based faction groups. "This is why the Somaliland Republic refuses to attend the Djibouti conference until the Somaliland realities and its people's wishes are recognized," the statement said.

The statement said that Somaliland was ready to discuss matters of national importance with people of southern Somalia when they had elected their representatives and set up national institutions.

A campaign to eliminate illegal enclosures of land and separate farmland from grazing land was officially launched in Awdal region today.

Our correspondent in the region reported that the campaign started in the hilly areas to the north and east of Boorama town. He said all illegal enclosures of land in the areas were destroyed.

Muhammad Abdullahi, the governor of Awdal region, said that in the coming days illegal enclosures in the region would be destroyed.

A regular monthly meeting of the committee of the Somaliland Society in the UK was held on 26th March at Muslim College Meeting Hall, west of London, and our reporter in London has sent the following faxed report:

The Somaliland Society [in UK] whose executive committee meets regularly once a month, at this month's meeting, unlike previous meetings, extensively discussed the negative effects which the Somali reconciliation conference hosted by Djibouti could have on Somaliland, and President [Ismael Omar] Gelleh's confusing policy which could cause instability in the region in general and Somaliland in particular.

The meeting which was attended by elders, scholars, women and youths of the Somaliland community, who were opposed to the plan and modalities of the Djibouti meeting, said the conference is threatening the existence, sovereignty and wishes of the Somaliland people.

The society resolved that swift action should be taken to educate and persuade the international community that the secession of Somaliland has come about with the full support of all Somaliland people...

Reports say some of the deportees were involved in business activities in Somaliland. However, the deportees were suspected of laying land mines on roads,targeting trucks owned by the Ethiopian government which transport goods from Berbera Port to Ethiopia.

Among the deportees were Ethiopian nationals who were also suspected of carrying out similar subversive acts.

Abstract: The Somaliland Council of Representatives yesterday issued a statement reiterating its position regarding the forthcoming Somali national conference in Djibouti. Copies of the statement have been sent to the UN Security Council, international human rights groups and the OAU.

The Somaliland Council of Representatives yesterday issued a statement reiterating its position regarding the forthcoming Somali national conference in Djibouti. Copies of the statement have been sent to the UN Security Council, international human rights groups and the OAU.

In the statement, signed by Abd al-Qadir H. Isma'il Jirdeh, the deputy parliamentary Speaker, the council said the Somaliland Republic was a British protectorate and in 1991 it decided to withdraw from the voluntary union with the southern regions colonized by Italy and set up a national government.

The statement said that the Somaliland Republic had succeeded in establishing total peace and key governmental organs - parliament, the executive and judiciary. On the other hand, the statement said, southern Somalia was ruled by various clan-based faction groups. "This is why the Somaliland Republic refuses to attend the Djibouti conference until the Somaliland realities and its people's wishes are recognized," the statement said.

The statement said that Somaliland was ready to discuss matters of national importance with people of southern Somalia when they had elected their representatives and set up national institutions.

The Egyptian ambassador in Nairobi, Dr Salih Hairami [phonetic], explained Egypt's stand on the Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti. He said Egypt supports the Djibouti reconciliation initiatives for Somalia and described the Somali scholars who have been invited by the Djibouti government as the right people. He urged the Somali people to sort out their differences without external interference.

The Egyptian ambassador in Nairobi, Kenya, who has been in Somaliland for a two-day official visit, today held a press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hargeysa before leaving the country.

The Egyptian ambassador in Nairobi, Dr Salih Hairami [phonetic], explained Egypt's stand on the Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti. He said Egypt supports the Djibouti reconciliation initiatives for Somalia and described the Somali scholars who have been invited by the Djibouti government as the right people. He urged the Somali people to sort out their differences without external interference.

Commenting on his meeting today with the Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the ambassador said they discussed ways of promoting the ties between the two countries and how Egypt could assist Somaliland, especially in the fields of health, agriculture, education and trade.

The ambassador also said his government would like to see peace being achieved in all parts of Somalia. He referred to several attempts which Egypt had made to reconcile the warring Somali factions.

The Egyptian ambassador to Kenya pledged that his country's assistance would reach Somaliland soon.

The Somaliland ministers of foreign affairs and education, who attended the press conference, said Somaliland's stand on the Djibouti reconciliation conference was very clear and it would not participate the meeting. They said if the Djibouti meeting succeeds and a national Somali government is formed then Somaliland will be ready to discuss all options with the Somali government. The two ministers stressed that with the current situation in southern Somalia it was not possible for Somaliland to participate in the Djibouti reconciliation conference.

The statement, which was released at the ongoing meeting scheduled to close today, was sent to us by Jamhuuriyareporter Si'id Isma'il Guraase. It said:

"We as participants in the conference of Somali experts believe the following:

1. In spite of the fact that the Somali people have suffered a great deal under the Somali government, we admit that the scope of suffering undergone by the people of northern Somalia (Somaliland) has been greater than that of other regions.

2. The Somali people who reside in northern Somalia (Somaliland) deserve praise because of the enduring peace which has brought tranquility and brotherhood to the clans that coexist there.

3. That the Somali people who were unified in 1960 should kindheartedly and amicably reach agreement on their political destiny.

Moving on from the above we would want to state the following:

1. As participants and experts working on the success of the Djibouti peace conference who share the feelings of the Somali people, and as intellectuals and brothers who are hurt by the persecution carried out by the [former] Somali government, we concur that the people of Somaliland deserve an apology.

2. That action should be taken to solve problems that have faced the people of northern Somalia in particular.

3. That the perpetrators who have committed major crimes against the Somali people should be charged for the sake of justice and deterred from such actions in future.

4. The political destiny of Somalia is dependent on the preservation of the rights and interests of the Somali people.

5. As participants in the conference, we urge our brothers in Somaliland to take part in the conference which will deliberate on the future of Somalia.

MILOSEVIC: PORTRAIT OF A TYRANT.Dusko Doder and Louise Branson The Free Press, 304pp, L17.99 L14.40.

Whenever I read denunciations of Slobodan Milosevic, I am forcibly reminded of the story of Sheikh Haji Mohamed bin Abdullah Hassan, known in British imperial history as "the mad mullah of Somaliland". First raising the standard of revolt in 1899, at a time when the British were using the machine@ gun to slaughter untold numbers of Africans in different parts of the continent, the mullah embarked on an Islamic crusade that kept the British at bay for more than two decades. He was finally defeated in 1920 by the new imperial weapon of the 20th century: bombing from the air. But there was nothing "mad" about Sheikh Haji Mohamed. He was simply an anti-imperial warrior - one among many - who was so demonised by the British that it became easy to justify the severe punishment he eventually received.

In January 1920, while the mullah stood in the courtyard of his house in the Somali town of Medishe, the British pilot ofa lone de Havilland two-seater bomber broke through the clouds and dropped eight 20-- pound bombs. The pilot then photographed and machine-gunned the target he had been given: the mullah's courtyard. Out of a small group standing beside the Somali leader- his sister, his uncle and ten riflemen - only the mullah himself survived the attack, with his white jubbah and green turban much singed; 20 other people were killed in the bombing ofthe town, and 20 were wounded.

The mullah took refuge in a bomb-proof cave 15 miles out of town, where he later died. Sir Geoffrey Archer, the governor of Somaliland, recalled in later life that, while "surprise attacks without warning" might seem bloodthirsty, "it must be remembered that the mullah himself was an inhuman creature, a mad dog, to be exterminated by any means possible".

Those were more colourful times. Today, when journalists and politicians seek to demonise the leaders of faraway countries, they soon run out of suitable nouns and adjectives. General Pinochet is usually referred to as "a dictator", while in a new biography of Milosevic, written by two journalists, the Serb leader is described as "a tyrant". Dictator is a Latin word whose accepted definition is rather mild, with hardly a hint of opprobrium; it simply means "an absolute ruler", someone who might so act "in seasons of emergency". Tyrant, on the other hand, a word of Greek origin, makes the absolute ruler sound additionally grim: a tyrant seizes power "without legal right" and exercises it "in an oppressive, unjust or cruel manner". In the demonising stakes, Milosevic comes off worse than Pinochet.

No one describes Milosevic as a "mad dog", though some get quite close. Warren Zimmerman, the former US ambassador in Belgrade, calls him "one of the world's archcriminals", while the veteran US journalist Georgie Anne Geyer perceives him as an "evil croupier" playing games. Others have referred to him as "the butcher ofthe Balkans" or"Europe's new Hitler". The writer ofthe blurb for the new Milosevic biography moves into fresh territory by demonising the country as well as its leader.

Dusko Doder and Louise Branson, two old Balkan hands, make little effort to dig beneath the familiar cliches. They perceive Milosevic as "a hated dictator", "the Saddam Hussein of Europe", and his wife, Mira, appears in her usual supporting role as "Lady Macbeth". Chapter headings have such titillating titles as "Faustian bargain" and "The end of the caravan of dreams", and the writing is never less than breathless. In short, this is a book that does not go beyond the headlines of a tabloid newspaper or the tittle-tattle of the diplomatic circuit, so no reasonably assiduous newspaper-- reader will gain much from reading it.

Maybe a biography of Milosevic is not what we need. His life story as told here is singularly banal, and the gossipy details are largely irrelevant to an understanding of what has been going on. Publishers clearly believe that readers cannot take stronger medicine; yet, as we skim the latest reports, it becomes clear that the biographical approach contributes little to our understanding ofthe continuing Balkan tragedy. What becomes obvious from the portraits of other Serbian politicians that crowd these pages is that Milosevic's personal contribution to the development of the history of his country has probably been quite small. If ever someone personified the collective view of the Serbian political elite, sustained in their actions by the great mass ofthe people, Milosevic is that man, and it is this that provides the source of his power.

What the west needs to understand, and should have learnt from imperial history long ago, is that other societies and cultures have different interests and priorities, which they are sometimes prepared to defend to the death. We may not like their culture, and we may choose to demonise Milosevic, like Sheikh Haji Mohamed, as a mad dog, in an attempt to justify the criminal bombing of Serbia, but he is one among many in that particular kennel- dogs we still seem to be intent on exterminating "by any means possible".

Somaliland presents a quandary because it wants to be recognized as an independent nation. Its people argue that this would acknowledge their land as an island of peace separate from Somalia, a country so lawless that Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary-general, recently referred to it as a "black hole."

African leaders hold few notions as sacred as the usually arbitrary borders drawn by and inherited from their European colonial rulers, because those frontiers define their power. But in this case, if Somaliland - whose desired borders mirror those of an old British protectorate - becomes independent, what might happen to the borders of Nigeria, whose vast territory is riven by ethnic and religious differences? Or to Congo, Sudan and Angola, where competing factions and countries have exploited civil wars to carve fiefs that are essentially self-contained states?

European Union food aid bound for Ethiopia has begun shipment through the northern Somaliland port of Berbera. The 16,670 tonnes of aid is part of a pilot project to assess Somaliland as an entry point for food to the poverty-stricken country. Supplies had reached a bottle-neck because of the conflict between Ethiopia and its former territory, Eritrea, and congestion through Ethiopia's other supply route, Djibouti.

The EU aid had itself been held up in Berbera for several days because of a tax dispute between the Somaliland-based distribution contractors, FAA Company, and the Berbera Port Customs Authority. Customs had attempted to levy a $1 per tonne transit fee on the consignment. The issue went to the Somaliland Ministry of Finance for clarification while the ship waited to discharge, before it was accepted that all taxes had been waived in the agreement between the Somaliland Government and the European Commission, bar some port handling charges.

Two previous shipments from Berbera to warehouses in the Ethiopian towns of Diridhawa and Shinille were successfully processed in February and October, 1999.

According to Farah Abdi, Berbera Port Manager, the EC consignment is vital to the local economy. "All of this is managed by the private sector," he says. "One million dollars is being paid by the European Union to the local transport sector for haulage. A minimum 24 tonne vehicle receives $1,200 per trip to Shinille in Ethiopia, and they might make two or three trips. This is the last of the EU aid, but we are expecting 300,000 tonnes from the World Food programme and USAid," he added.

Berbera Port is emerging from a decade of neglect caused by the Somali civil war to become Somaliland's main seaport. Hundreds of tonnes of cement, fuel and foodstuffs come through the port every day bound for the interior of the country. The port receives technical assistance from UNCTAD and is funded by UNDP.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but remains unrecognised by the international community. It has its own flag, President, an active parliament, police force and military. The country is politically stable with the European Union its main aid donor.

The EU has a $30m aid and reconstruction budget for Somaliland aimed at resurrecting its private sector and rehabilitating government services.

Egal was addressing reporters on his return to Hargeisa from Tripoli, where he and several Somali faction leaders flew last week at the invitation of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

He said Gaddafi wanted to see a reunited Somalia and had proposed that Egal lead it. "I refused to meet (faction leaders) Hussein Aideed and Abdillahi Yusuf," he said.

"President Gaddafi was misinformed about Somaliland's stand as a separate state. We had nothing in common to discuss," he said.

Somaliland broke away from the rest of Somalia and declared itself an independent republic in 1991, when Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted and the government collapsed. Somaliland has not been recognised internationally, but insists that its separation is final.

Egal said he could not be president of two states -- Somaliland and Somalia. Somalia, bordering Somaliland on the south, is neither peaceful nor united, he added. It is now controlled by a number of armed factions.

Egal said a reconciliation conference for Somalia, due to be held in Djibouti in April, already had the backing of the United Nations secretary-general and a number of countries. But he could not agree to that conference interfering in the internal affairs of Somaliland.

Somaliland covers the area of the former British Somaliland, which joined Italian Somalia in 1960 to form a united republic.

Aid to the 8 million victims in land-locked Ethiopia is currently brought through the port of Djibouti, said Hugh Parmer, assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. But Djibouti cannot handle the amount of food relief due this year in the agency's expanded humanitarian mission. As alternatives, Parmer said the agency is looking at Berbera in northern Somalia, and Port Sudan in Sudan. Somalia has not had a central government since 1991, and Berbera is located in a separatist region that calls itself the Republic of Somaliland, but is not recognized by any country. In 1993, 18 U.S. Army Rangers were killed in the capital, Mogadishu, by Somalis during an abortive attempt to seize a leading warlord.

Relations with Sudan, meanwhile, are tense. The United States withdrew its embassy staff in 1996, claiming Khartoum sponsored international terrorism, and relations worsened further after U.S. airstrikes against the country in 1996.

Because of Ethiopia's 22-month border conflict with its neighbor, Eritrea, USAID is unable to make use of the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa, which could cope with the 120,000 tons per month of food aid the agency intends to ship in, Parmer said.

"The war makes the logistical situation much more difficult," he told The Associated Press.

Port Sudan, which would be considered only if Berbera's freight-handling capacity is insufficient, presents political problems and has poor infrastructure. But "the U.S. government would probably allow it if were really crucial for humanitarian aid," Parmer said. Parmer is on a tour of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya and Djibouti,where some 15 million people are threatened by crop failures resulting from prolonged drought. On Saturday he visits Somalia, becoming the first senior U.S. official to visit Somalia since 1995.

Parmer will fly over Berbera on Saturday to assess road conditions from the Somali port to Ethiopia.

The number of Ethiopians affected by a two-year drought has risen from 2.2 million to 7.7 million over the last 12 months, according to USAID. The agency is also providing emergency relief to 350,000 displaced people.

Somalia has been without a central government since its last president, dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, fled the country in 1991... In the northwest, the "Republic of Somaliland" continued to proclaim its independence within the borders of former British Somaliland, which had obtained independence from Britain in 1960 before joining the former Italian-ruled Somalia. Somaliland has sought international recognition since 1991. Somaliland's government includes a parliament, a functioning civil court system, executive departments organized as ministries, six regional governors, and municipal authorities in major towns. The ban in Puntland and Somaliland on all political parties remained in place.

After the withdrawal of the last U.N. peacekeepers in 1995, clan and factional militias, in some cases supplemented by local police forces established with U.N. help in the early 1990's, continued to function with varying degrees of effectiveness... In Somaliland over 70 percent of the budget was allocated to maintaining a militia and police force composed of former troops. Police and militia committed numerous human rights abuses.
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From:
a. Political and Other Extrajudicial Killing

In 1997 a War Crimes Commission in Hargeisa in Somaliland began investigating the murder in 1988 of at least 2,000 local residents, including women and children, by Siad Barre's troops. Heavy rains in 1997 revealed numerous mass graves in the Hargeisa area. During the year, the War Crimes Commission continued to record eyewitness accounts and other evidence.

c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

There were several bomb explosions during the latter half of the year in Hargeisa, Somaliland, including an explosion on December 21 at the U.N. Development Program office in Hargeisa. Somaliland police attributed the bombings to disgruntled persons who had failed to get jobs with various international organizations, and reported that a number of persons had been arrested in connection with the bombings.

Prison conditions varied by region...Somaliland authorities permit prison visits by independent monitors; however, it is not known if any such visits occurred during the year.
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile

In Somaliland a special security committee that includes the mayor of Hargeisa and local prison officials can order an arrest without a warrant and sentence persons without a trial. In July the mayor of Hargeisa sentenced five men to prison terms ranging from 3 months to 1 year for heckling during a speech organized by the Government and the leaders of the Council of Elders. At the end of July, the Parliament abolished the emergency law that established the special security committees. The five men were released from prison in August.

In December Somaliland authorities arrested five persons in Boroma, Somaliland and accused them of acts of subversion after they demonstrated against the Government on issues of employment, education, and reintegration assistance (see Section 2.b.).

Lengthy pretrial detention in violation of the 1991 Penal Code was reported in Somaliland and Puntland.

In February two Ethiopians were detained and deported, allegedly for engaging in Christian missionary activities in Somaliland. At the end of May, seven Ethiopians were arrested in Somaliland, allegedly for attempting to proselytize Christianity (see Section 2.c.).
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial

In the northwest, the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland adopted a new constitution based on democratic principles, but continued to use the pre-1991 Penal Code. A U.N. report issued in September noted a serious lack of trained judges and of legal documentation in Somaliland, which caused problems in the administration of justice.

The right to representation by an attorney and the right to appeal do not exist in those areas that apply traditional and customary judicial practices or Shari'a law. These rights more often are respected in regions that continue to apply the former government's penal code, such as Somaliland.
a. Freedom of Speech and Press

Somaliland has two independent daily newspapers, one government daily, and an independent English-language weekly. Treatment of journalists in Somaliland reportedly improved during the year.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association

In December Somaliland authorities arrested five persons in Boroma, Somaliland, and accused them of acts of subversion after they demonstrated against the Government on the issues of employment, education, and reintegration assistance.

Some professional groups and local NGO's operate as security conditions permit.

The 1997 Somaliland Constitution established the right of freedom of association; however, political parties are banned in Somaliland.
c. Freedom of Religion

The Somaliland judicial system recognizes elements of Shari'a law as well as the pre-1991 penal code and traditional law (Xeer) (see section 1.e.).

In March the Minister of Religion in Somaliland issued a list of instructions and definitions on religious practices. Under the new rules, religious schools and places of worship are required to obtain the Ministry of Religion's permission to operate. Entry visas for religious groups must be approved by the Ministry, and certain unspecified doctrines are prohibited.

Local tradition and past law make it a crime to proselytize for any religion except Islam. Christian-based international relief organizations generally operate without interference, as long as they refrain from proselytizing. In February two Ethiopians were detained and deported, allegedly for engaging in Christian missionary activities in Somaliland. At the end of May, seven Ethiopians were arrested in Somaliland, allegedly for attempting to proselytize Christianity.

d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign Travel, Emigration, and Repatriation

As security conditions improved in many parts of the country, refugees and internally displaced persons continued to return to their homes... The repatriation of refugees to Somaliland from Ethiopia continued during the year; however, there were several interruptions in the repatriation process due to misunderstandings among the refugees about their reintegration packages, allegations of corruption in the contracts for transport of the refugees, and inertia on the part of both the Somaliland authorities and the Ethiopian government. Nevertheless, approximately 9,000 refugees had returned to Somaliland by year's end. However, despite the relative stability in many parts of the country, many citizens still flee to neighboring countries, often for economic reasons.

As there is no functioning central government, there is no policy of first asylum nor are there any laws with provisions for the granting of refugee or asylee status. A small number of Ethiopian refugees remained in the country, mostly in the northeast near Bosasso. The authorities in Somaliland have cooperated with the UNHCR and other humanitarian assistance organizations in assisting refugees. There were no reports of the forced expulsion of those having a valid claim to refugee status.

Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change Their Government

In the absence of a widely supported effective national government, recognized either domestically or internationally, citizens cannot exercise this right...In the Republic of Somaliland, the existence of which was endorsed by clan elders in 1991 and 1993, a clan conference led to a peace accord early in 1997. This accord demobilized militia groups, established a constitution and bicameral parliament with proportional clan representation, and elected a president and vice president from a slate of candidates. The Hargeisa authorities have established functioning administrative institutions in virtually all the territory they claim, which equals the boundaries of the Somaliland state that achieved international recognition in 1960. Political parties are banned in Somaliland.

Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights

In Hargeisa in Somaliland, local NGO's appeared to operate freely and without harassment during the year.

Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion, Disability, Language, or Social Status

Societal discrimination against women and widespread abuse of children continued to be serious problems. The 1997 Somaliland Constitution contains provisions that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and national origin...

Several women's groups in Hargeisa in Somaliland actively promote equal rights for women and advocate the inclusion of women in responsible government positions.

There are three secondary schools in Somaliland...however, only 10 percent of those few children who enter primary school graduate from secondary school. Schools at all levels lack textbooks, laboratory equipment, and running water. Teachers are trained poorly and paid poorly. The literacy rate is less than 25 percent. The Somaliland authorities drafted a national education policy during the year.

Religious Minorities

There was an influx of foreign Muslim teachers into Hargeisa in Somaliland to teach in new private Koranic schools. These schools are inexpensive and provide basic education; however, there were reports that these schools required the veiling of small girls and other conservative Islamic practices not normally found in the local culture.

Section 6 Worker Rights

a. The Right of Association

The new Constitution of Somaliland established the right of freedom of association, but no unions or employer organizations yet exist.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

Wages and work requirements in the traditional culture are established largely by ad hoc bartering, based on supply, demand, and the influence of the clan from which the worker originates. As during past years, labor disputes sometimes led to the use of force or kidnaping (see Section 1.d.).
footnote:

1. The United States does not have diplomatic representation in Somalia. This report draws in part on non-U.S. Government sources. [end of document] full report

SACB Programming in Somaliland: A mission comprised of members of the SACB, including the interim SACB Executive Chair and the UN Resident Coordinator, traveled to Somaliland. During their three day stay, the mission met with various actors including the administration, UN Agencies, INGOs and local NGOs in the area. The mission set on course an exercise to establish coherency amongst all current intervention, ensure coincidence with local authority priorities, and by October 2000 to attempt to secure funding for programme gaps.

A. Food Security

Northern Haud area: dry jilaal conditions in the north-eastern part of the region have initiated movement of herders and some pastrolists out of the area in search of food and water. These families tend to migrate to towns where water is available and several of them have started arriving in Hargeisa. Such nomads travelling from the Haud area into town in search of water and fodder are bringing reports of drought-like conditions to Hargeisa. This has provoked a request from the administration's Drought Committee consisting of members from 5 ministries to undertake a reconnaissance mission throughout the area. Several agencies have responded with assistance.

Effects of Famine in Ethiopia Whilst the emergency is most associated with the southern and central parts of Somalia, the north has also suffered a prolonged dry season. As an indication of how bad the situation in Ethiopia is, Ethiopian Somalis have been reported to have moved across the border into Somaliland around Boroma and Gebiley in search of employment and assistance.

FSAU has given indications of exaggerated population movements and critical humanitarian conditions in the Haud region which crosses the triangle of Somaliland, Puntland and Region 5 in Ethiopia.

B. Health and Nutrition World TB Day:

UNICEF conducted a five-day measles campaign in Boroma for 20 regional health board members from Hargeisa and Awdal regions. At the end of the campaign, 7,000 children were immunised.

UNICEF together with key actors in the Northwest region has held discussions on the reactivation and reconstruction of the national committee for the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation.

C. Education

Dr. Abdillahi Abib of Amoud University and Prof. Mustafa Elhag of California State University, Fresno, were in Nairobi in the last week of February to interact with partners on Amoud University, its future plans and prospects. They proposed to start a new project "Administrative Development in Somalia" in Amoud, which would offer a Masters degree programme, a certificate programme and series of seminars, workshops and consultancies using satellite and Internet delivery methods.

UNESCO undertook a mission to Puntland and Somaliland in the beginning of March to interact with government officials on CEPPES (Curriculum Development, Textbook Provision, Professional Development and the Education Management Information System for Primary Education in Somalia) project. A joint UNESCO-UNICEF-EC mission led by UNESO will be fielded to Somaliland and Puntland in mid-April to officially launch the project.

According to reports from the press in Somaliland, Somaliland expatriates residing in UAE have initiated efforts to raise funds for the Amoud University. The University, established in 1997 in Boroma is essentially a community project that has been supported through the international community's goodwill as well as that of the Somaliland expats residing in UAE. The first university in Hargeisa was inaugurated on 15 February. The university received consignment of furniture from Somaliland communities living in Europe. Over 1,000 persons attended the ceremonies marking the inauguration.

Security

The Somaliland government, in a press release stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had requested the Police Immigration department of Somaliland not to ask for entry permission or visa for Somali nationals.

The UN Zone Security Officer in collaboration with the UN Focal Point and the EC liaison Officer have completed the standardisation of all VHF handsets communications in Somaliland as a first phase of an overall communication strategy. Other activities proposed for the strategy include the installation of an emergency channel, repairs and maintenance programme and provision of operation handbooks.

In a recent government reshuffle, two new ministries have been established in Somaliland. These are the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Ministry of Industry.

Development Activities

UNOPS and UNDP mine action teams visited Somaliland to review the Mine Action programme, from 5 - 14 February. The teams held discussions with local authorities, UN agencies and project staff and INGOs working in the area. The mission reviewed the mine action component of the civil protection programme with a view to strengthen aspects of coordination, capacity building to Somali Mine Action Centre (SMAC) and National demobilisation agencies. Upon their return, the mission together with programme staff attended a PAC of the project for SACB and participated in Donor discussions here in Nairobi.

An overall social economic assessment of Somaliland in economy and social sectors was conducted by UNDP during January and February. The outcome of this mission is a comprehensive country study that will be used by the Somaliland administration as a reference document for their discussions with international and bilateral donors.

UNDP held a donor briefing "UNDP Somalia on the Move: Anticipating the Future" was held in Nairobi on 21 February. The purpose of the briefing was to give the donors an overview of UNDP's activities and future role in Somalia The briefing addressed various issues which included a brief by the UNDP Resident Representative on UNDP Somalia at the cross-roads, UNDP in transition and UNDP Somalia in perspective.

In preparation of the Tripartite Review scheduled for April 2000, UNDP have fielded a mission to Puntland and Somaliland to hold discussions with local authorities on programme and policy issues. The mission will also conduct the monitoring of projects and discussions with other program managers and staff on issues concerning UNDP programmes.

Human Rights

A team of visitors in Somaliland learned that suspected mass graves had been found at the Berbera airport. The Chief of Investigation Department accompanied the visitor to the site where a mapping exercise was underway.

Somaliland authorities requested the International community's assistance in the investigation. The Office of the High Commission for Human Rights has been following this issue for three years and public UN reports are available from the UN Coordination Unit on request.

D. Water and Sanitation

The World Water Day was celebrated in Hargeisa, Berbera and Burao with the support of UNICEF. Various activities were coordinated to commemorate the day. These included a public rally, a football match and a gathering of local dignitaries, representatives of women's groups, UN and INGO agencies.

F. Gender and Human Rights International Women's Day:

Was celebrated on 8 March. Various UN agencies held activities to mark the occasion. In Hargeisa, the commemoration was organised by various women's groups. Over 2000 people participated in a rally where various women's groups gave speeches and were later hosted at a function organised by Somaliland's first lady. A football match, attended by over 3500 people was held in the afternoon. The event received good coverage from two local dailies and the Hargeisa TV. Other celebrations to mark the occasion were held in Boroma. These were organised by the Kulmiye women's umbrella, which received financial and technical assistance from UNICEF. WFP distributed 20 kilograms of dates to each of the 500 vulnerable women who attended the commemoration.

On Somali Conference in Djibouti

Somaliland: the administration has stated firmly that it will not participate in the conference, but is prepared to offer support and advice. However, parliament has passed a resolution prohibiting any one from representing 'Somaliland' at the conference. Not all 'Somaliland' agree with the leadership's position, however, and some delegates are expected to participate nonetheless.

Supporting peace and stability in the North

It is evident that over the past year Somaliland, in the northwest, has been the symbol of hope throughout much of the war-torn country. It is important to note that so much of the reconstruction and development that has been in evidence during the recent period of peace and stability are due to the efforts of the people of that region. While the international community has frequently spoken of a "peace dividend", the reality is that the resources required to demonstrate a real bonus for stability has yet to be seen to any significant extent.That said, there is every indication that a small wave of international donor interest is building up, and if the impact of such resources is to be felt, there will be considerable demand for institutional capacity-building, and effective coordination and programmatic coherence amongst UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.

However, the fate of Somaliland will in the immediate future depend upon a far more regional perspective than assistance programmes have reflected in the past. Refugee reintegration is one obvious indication of the need for a more integrated approach to programming and project design and implementation. At the same time, the possibility of supporting an inter-state trade structure for the future has been opened up as a result of the likelihood of a major humanitarian food operation from Somaliland's port of Berbera into Ethiopia, and the implications of that operation's impact upon the trans-border infrastructure. And, while these prospects are real and possible, in the immediate future Somaliland will have to come to terms with an extraordinary amount of mines and unexploded ordinances that hinder developments both within the region and across the region's boundaries.

No matter how determined the international community might be to support initiatives in the north-east, the possibility that Puntland and Somaliland might find themselves in violent conflict over two regions that divide them - Sool and Sanaag - diminishes donors' interest. To date, tensions over these two regions have resulted in more verbal posturing than military action. Both Somaliland and Puntland are aware that the two regions pose potential internal as well as inter-regional instability for each. The immediate challenge for Somaliland and Puntland is to find ways to ensure peace. For the humanitarian community, the challenge will be to find ways to provide assistance to Sool and Sanaag without exacerbating tensions between Somaliland and Puntland.

The grave was found a week ago near the airport at Berbera, part of the independence-minded Somaliland region.

"The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is aware of the site in Berbera and is supporting the work of the (local) war crimes investigation committee," said U.N. spokeswoman Sonja Laurence Green in Nairobi.

"Our position is to preserve the evidence until the international community decides to start an independent investigation."

Residents believe the skulls and other bones found in a field are those of a group massacred by Siad Barre's soldiers in 1988. Experts say a larger number of remains may be under the sand.

Intact pieces of clothing were found among the bones along with large numbers of cartridges from Russian-made AK-47 assault rifles.

Nairobi, Feb 22, 2000 (EFE via COMTEX) -- The bodies of more than 700 people have been discovered in a mass grave in northern Somalia and they may have been killed more than a decade ago, United Nations officials in the Kenyan capital said Tuesday.

According to the officials, the bodies were found last week near the airport in the northern city of Berbera. The speculated that the bodies may belong to victims of a massacre carried out by troops loyal to then-president Siad Barre who was ousted in 1991.

Local authorities said the bodies could be of members of Issak clan which went missing in 1988 after Barre's troops arrived in the region.

A U.N. fact-finding team is to visit the region to carry out an investigation in collaboration with an organization which is probing war crimes there, the U.N. officials said.EFE

After Barre fled the east African nation, Somalia dissolved into chaos with its people terrorized by warlords and their heavily-armed followers.

"We will go to war if attempts are made by outside parties to unite Somaliland with Somali factions. Somaliland has many enemies who believe that what we have gained is not in their best interest,'' he told newly-appointed ministers on Friday, the newspaper Jamhuuriyasaid.

The paper said the president was apparently rejecting a new approach from President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, who wants to organise a Somali national reconciliation conference in the neighbouring country.

Guelleh has proposed a Somalia peace conference starting on April 30, with the aim of selecting a transitional national assembly, with powers to choose a president of a united Somalia.

He wants local representatives -- religious leaders, women's groups, elders and intellectuals -- to join the search for a formula to restore peace to the eastern African nation.

Somaliland, bordering the Gulf of Aden, covers the area of the former British Somaliland, which joined with Italian Somalia in 1960 to form the united Republic of Somalia.

It declared itself an independent republic in 1991, when the government of Somalia, based in Mogadishu, collapsed with the overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre.

Although unrecognised internationally, Somaliland has remained united while the rest of Somalia has no central government and is divided between armed factions.

This has brought it into some conflict with the openly secessionist "Republic of Somaliland" to the west, with its capital at the port of Hargeisa.

The main problem is that both territories claim control over the regions of Sool and Sanaag.

The dispute reached a head before Christmas when Somaliland and Puntland troops clashed in Las Anod, the main town of Sool region, which had previously been spared most of the chaos of the civil war that has disrupted the country since 1991.

Since that clash, Puntland has tried to distance itself from the breakaway Somaliland Government and to establish its credentials as an autonomous, responsible administration within Somalia.

The Xog-Ogaalnewspaper of Mogadishu reported that Puntland had banned its officials from travelling to Somaliland after an incident in which the secessionist authorities had expelled a group of Puntland teachers from a conference in Hargeisa.

The statement from the Puntland government of Abdullahi Yusuf emphasised the administration's loyalty to the Somali Republic, which it accused Somaliland President Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal of having destroyed.

For good measure, Puntland accused European organisations and the UN of giving succour to the secessionist government, and thereby "encouraging the dismemberment of Somalia".

The Qaran newspaper of Mogadishu reported that Puntland, having failed to expel Somaliland troops from the disputed areas by force, had recourse to more subtle means. Somaliland has yet to react, but Xog-Ogaalsays both sides have been accompanying their war of words with a strengthening of security measures on their common border.

The press concludes that intemperate language and the piling up of hardware make another Las Anod incident possible.

I.O.N. - The corridor would link Berbera to Addis Ababa via Hargeisa, Tog Wajaale, Jijiga, Harar and Dire Dawa. One part of this route (between Berbera and Gabiley and between Harar and Dire Dawa) exists already but needs repairs. The rest is still to be built, with the duration of operations foreseen as more than five years. The need to open an alternative corridor for Ethiopia is the sole major worry behind this project. The Ethiopian authorities envisage also reopening and repairing a route towards Sudan, in the hope of a possible future utilization of Port Sudan as an additional maritime outlet.

A blast that caused no damage is said to have occurred yesterday at 9.56 p.m. [local time] outside the offices of the Resettlement Ministry and Hargeisa's immigration department. Police commissioner Muhammad Jibril arrived at the scene of the blast immediately...

Mahamed Said Qasim is a fisherman who received a boat on loan from CARE.

Berbera, Somaliland - His eyes are crinkled from the sun, his skin is leathered from the elements, and like most men of his trade, he has a fish story.

"It was 50 kilos, at least," Mahamed Said Qasim, 60, says with a twinkle in his eye. "And I caught it. I'm one of the best fishermen around in traditional methods."

Qasim's boast may be founded in his family's long experience sailing the blue-green waters off the shores of Berbera, in northern Somalia. This legendary town of pirates and sea captains, traders and fishermen, has a history inextricably linked with the sea. For much of that history, Qasim's family has played a role.

"My father, my grandfather, his father, were fishermen," says Qasim. "For a hundred years, even more."

THE CARE SOMALIA PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (SPP):

Over the past six years, CARE has become known for its work with local groups and organizations throughout Somalia. Using rigorous criteria, CARE selects and funds local Somali NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) working on all aspects of relief and development in Somalia - from rebuilding destroyed infrastructure, such as irrigation canals, to providing credit to local entrepreneurs. These local groups are intensively trained in the basics of finance, administration and program design, and their work on the ground is monitored throughout the duration of the project. Working with local partners is both cost-effective and culturally appropriate. Particularly in the still insecure areas of southern Somalia, local organizations' ability to deliver relief aid across clan lines and in the midst of conflict has been particularly effective. Funded with a generous grant by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), "SPP" has become a model of how to provide aid in Somalia, and has been replicated throughout the country. Other programs include: the CARE Rural Food Security Program in southern Somalia (USAID-funded), the CARE Partners in Development Program (UNDP-funded) and the CARE Northeast Somalia Partnership Program (Royal Netherlands Government-funded).

Qasim was too - until war came to Somalia and sank his hopes for a fishing life. In 1988, long-simmering resentment between northern clans and the southern-dominated government of President Siad Barre exploded in an orgy of looting, violence and indiscriminate destruction. The conflict soon spread from northern cities to the entire country, killing tens of thousands of people and sending millions more running to the relative safety of refugee camps in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya. In 1989, after selling his beloved fishing boat for a knockdown price, Qasim, his wife and their nine children ran too.

"It was strange," he says, remembering his time in the land-locked camps of Ethiopia, surrounded by the nomadic pastoralists who comprise the majority of Somalia's population. "I missed the sea. The refugee camp was so bad! I would just sit in the tent because I could not understand the culture of those farmers and herders."

Qasim and his family returned to the bomb-blasted ruins of Berbera in 1991 without money to feed themselves, much less buy a boat. For the next six years he subsisted on odd jobs, including fishing with a leaky "sponge boat" - a floating platform of sponge and driftwood roped together with bits of string. Then, in 1997, he heard of an incredible offer: A local fishing organization, backed by the international humanitarian organization CARE, would build 30 leak-proof fiberglass boats for 60 fishermen. Qasim applied to the program, was accepted, and for the first time in six years, "I got my daily food, I got a lot of profit and I supported my family as well."

The program, run by the Somali group SAHIL - meaning "coast" in Arabic - offers the boats as a loan. The first year, CARE paid half the costs and the fishermen were expected to repay the rest over the next year. Only three defaulted. This past year, the terms have become stiffer: Fishermen must now cover the entire cost of the boat, with payments staggered over the course of the year. And soon SAHIL hopes to open a cold-storage facility where fisherman can, for a fee, preserve their surplus catch. Such efforts are not insignificant. With over 3,300 kilometers of coastline and four major ports, including Berbera, fishing has the potential to be a major source of revenue for Somalia.

"If I give you something free, you will not care for it," says Osman Ahmed Ismail, project manager for SAHIL, explaining his organization's methods. "But if your money is in it, you will feel something for it."

As part of the USAID-funded CARE Somalia Partnership Program (SPP), a countrywide initiative to strengthen local organizations and NGOs, SAHIL has benefited from rigorous training in finance and administration. Ismail praises CARE's "stiff, rigid" systems for the discipline it has given his organization.

"It is good - you become professional," he says.

Such professionalism is reflected in SAHIL's strictness with defaulters (they repossessed three boats in 1997) and in the sometimes caustic remarks of its clients.

"CARE and SAHIL are like a woman," jokes Qasim. "They know how to get your money!"

Nevertheless, Qasim is once more a successful fisherman, pulling up to 10 kilos of seafood from the water each day and feeding as many as 25 family members. And experience gained over the past 10 years, when massive international relief efforts saved thousands of lives but also created an undesirable dependence on handouts, has taught SAHIL staff like Ismail the value of hard work.

"Somalis do not like humanitarianism," he notes. "It creates a lot of insecurity. If this project were just giving away things for free, people would come and steal everything. But if you focus on this as a business, it will be better for the people, the fishermen, the NGOs - everyone. Because it lasts."

SOMALIA: Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world and is classified by the United Nations as one of the "Least Developed Countries" (LDC). The civil war that started in 1988 and led to the overthrow of President Siad Barre's government also resulted in widespread looting and destruction of most productive assets by political and tribal factions. Up to 2 million Somalis were forced to flee the country between 1988 and 1992. Tens of thousands died between 1992 and 1994 from war and war-induced famine. Today, relative stability reigns in most of the country, fostered by various regional governments emerging primarily in the north. Even in Somalia's strife-torn southern areas, there has been a marked civil renewal characterized by the formation of elders, religious and community groups, as well as significant private initiative.

Source: CARE, UNDP Somalia
CARE is also the first international agency in Somalia to support the military demobilization effort.

In early June 1977 or two weeks before the former French colony of Djibouti got its independence, the then French mayor of Djibouti city, D. Ornano approached Hassan Gulaid Abtidoon, the man destined to become the country's first president, asking him to employ a Romani as the President advisor for financial affairs. Romani who happened to be the brother of D. Ornano's Corsican wife lived in a self-imposed exile in the pacific island of Tahiti, after allegations that he was connected to both the Corsican and Italian Mafia surfaced in France, compelling him to flee the country.

Immediately after Djibouti became independent, President Gulaid complyingly appointed Romani as his financial affairs counsellor. With that appointment, the Corsican and subsequently the Italian Mafia gained a strong foothold in the Red Sea port state of Djibouti.

In the years that followed, the two Mafia branches were able, under Romani's direction, to establish a variety of businesses mainly in the sectors of tourism (Bars, night clubs, hotels) liquor and tobacco trade, narcotics, prostitution, marine transportation and construction. Smuggling and trade of arms, international drug money laundering, nuclear waste dumping and other activities were added later (in the 80s and 90s) to the list of already well-established illicit businesses.

Some of the ventures run by the Mafia include well-known spots in Djibouti such as Stortit nightclub, Scottish Bar, Club Las Vegas and the Sheraton Hotel Casino (managed until recently by two Mafiosi named Luhetti and Pierr-Paul).

Before his death in 1997, Romani had managed to expand the Mafia activities in Djibouti, establishing ties with underworld groups in Tahiti, the Indian ocean islands of Reunion, Seychelles and Madagascar in addition to Corsica, Italy and Lebanon.

All along, Djibouti provided the Mafia not only an obscure sanctuary but full protection as well. But it was Ismail Omer Ghelle, (the powerful boss of the notorious secret police under president Gulaid and currently the sitting president of Djibouti) who towards the end of the seventies developed such close links with the Mafia that he became a business partner in most of its syndicates in and outside Djibouti.

Beginning from the eighties and with Ghelle's encouragement and patronage, the Mafia moved easily into new business areas:
International drug money laundering

Initially most of money laundering operations were executed through Djibouti Bank of the Middle East (DBME) which was actually established for handling this kind of business. Partners in the DBME included some Arab businessmen in addition to the Mafia. Ghelle called Roble Olhaye, a close friend of his from childhood days in Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia, to become the General Manager of the Bank in 1985. Like Ismail Omer Ghelle, Olhaye was born in Ethiopia from an Essa-Mamaasan tribe. After working in some shady business schemes he fled Ethiopia shortly before Mengistu Haile Mariam's revolution in 1974 to Nairobi, Kenya.

During his stay in Kenya, Olhaye became involved in illegal export of the African elephant tusks through Djibouti. In Nairobi, he also did some business with an international narcotics trafficking dealer. In 1986, the Djibouti Bank of the Middle East was mysteriously declared bankrupt and in 1987 Olhaye was appointed as Djibouti's ambassador to the UN, a job he still holds.

Another Bank especially established for handling international drug money laundering operations is "Djibouti Development Bank", founded as a joint venture by the Djibouti Mafia and some Russian emigrants living in the US. The Russians were believed to be members of the powerful Russian Mafia.

Olhaye who owns one apartment in Manhattan, New York city, and another in Washington DC regularly meets the Russians at either one of his two homes. Through this Russian connection, Djibouti President Ghelle had arranged a higher professional training at a private security accadamy in the US for members of a Djiboutian special crack force that comes under his direct supervision.

Recently money laundering operations have been reorganized so as to be spread across banks operating in Djibouti. But a significant part of the business is carried out by a remittances firm run by a Djiboutian business tycoon called Abdulla Taha Saeed. The money laundering techniques used by Djibouti Mafia connection, were not necessarily highly sophisticated to erase the origin of the funds. Djibouti's geographical position, as an unknown nation snugly lying in the Horn Africa region, where according to much of the world only wars and famine persist, has played to the advantage of drug barons in concealing their money laundering operations from international efforts to expose them.
Drugs, Guns and Liquor Smuggling

In the last decade, Djibouti has become a focal point for smuggling heavy drugs such as cocaine and liquor across the red sea to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. A firm registered as a marine transportation company owned by the Monfreid family, has been contracted by the Mafia to carryout these operations out of Djibouti port. Djibouti airport has occasionally been used as a transit point for Europe-bound narcotics and arms for the Hutu of Rwanda and lately for the "Transitory government of Somalia".
Toxic waste Dumping

Since the early nineties, the Italian Mafia which controls toxic waste dumping in Italy and parts of Europe has shifted its dumping operations at western coasts of Africa to the Red Sea coastal areas of Djibouti and Somalia. On one account, highly toxic and radio-active waste has been dumped at "Gubat-alkharab" and "Muluho" in the Afar-inhabited coastal territory of Djibouti in 1992, 1993 and 1994. The toxic waste disposal venture was jointly managed by Idrisis Omer Ghelle (brother of President Ismail Omer Ghelle) who represented the Djibouti Mafia and the Italians man in Djibouti, Mario Angelo. Both men died later under mysterious circumstances.

After reportedly contracting severe skin diseases and other unusual health problems, the Afar coastal community (subsistent livestock herders and fishermen) at Gubatal-kharab and Muluhu had to flee the area moving in-land, apparently after exposure to effects of the waste dumped in their localities. Following strong protests by Afar leaders, the dumping operations were since moved to the high seas facing the western coast of Somaliland (opposite the area between Zaila and Lughaya). The Italian Parliament has recently began debating this issue.

Assassinations allegedly carried out by the Mafia on behalf of the Djibouti government 1. Mohammed Idriss (Qaraf)-- Killed in 1991 while investigating the assassination of three Essa men in Dire-Dawa during 1990. Among the 3 victims was Hamud Langadhe, a long-time leader of an anti-Ethiopian insurgency movement whose members were drawn from Issa clansmen living within border areas that fall across the demarcation lines between Somaliland, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Hamud and the other two men came to Dire-Dawa to declare allegiance to the SNM whose guerrilla compaign against the government forces of dictator Siyad Barre had entered its 9th year in early 1990. The Djibouti government, which supported Siyad Barre, became angered by Hamud Langadhe's move and has been widely held as being behind the elimination.

Before his death, Mohammed Idriss held the position of assistant director of Djibouti's secret security police. He personally directed the investigation of the killing of Hamud Langadhe and his colleagues. During the investigation, Idriss found sufficient evidence incriminating Ismail Omer Ghelle for masterminding the assassination operation. Idriss started to talk.

Dr. Mohammed Yassin --- A pharmacologist who headed the state - owned medical Drugs Agency. Was killed in 1994 after refusing to obey instructions by Ismail Omer Ghelle, asking him to pay from Agency funds an amount of money needed for hiring an assassination team to eliminate a prominent Essa figure. The targeted man who was hitherto considered a Ghelle confidant had been accused of disclosing highly damaging secrets to political adversaries.

Mario Angelo --- An Italian who arrived in Djibouti in 1978. Mario Angelo was connected to the Italian Mafia and during 1992-1994, he worked with Idriss Omer Ghelle on a project for dumping highly toxic waste along the Red Sea coastal areas inhabited by the Afar people of Djibouti.

A mutual suspicion of each other developed between Agnelo and his Djiboutian counter-parts while the third and last phase of the project was being implemented.

Then at one night in 1994, Mario Angelo was killed infront of Ali Sabieh Hotel in uptown Djibouti known by locals as "Guudka".

Angelo's death came shortly after all the waste dumping operations had been successfully carried out. It was widely believed that the timing was not coincidental but preplanned by the Djiboutian/Corsican Mafia connection.
Mafia dominated businesses in Djibouti

Borre Group Ltd. -- Holding company of Abdirahman Borre's business establishments. A close tribal relative and childhood friend of President Gelle (Essa, clan), Borre is said to be involved in almost half of all the businesses that count in Djibouti that it has been difficult to assess his activities which range from wholesale of imported food material and construction engineering services to general brokering and smuggling of gemstones and counterfeit cigarettes. From an obscure small trader in the early nineties, Borre had become a very wealthy and powerful man at high speed and with little effort.

President Ghelle is said to be a silent partner in most of his commercial and trade activities. His regional business ties witnessed an incredibly tremendous expansion during the last 5 years that they account now for over 60% of his earnings. Borre controls through smuggling, most of the tobacco cigarettes trade in eastern Ethiopia, Somaliland and Somalia.

His ties with Mogadishu businessmen have substantially grown during the last 3 years. With two of his business partners elected in August 2000 as president (Qassim Salad) and prime minister (Ali Galaydh) of the newly formed transitional government of Somalia, Borre has since taken big preparations to take a lion's share of expected reconstruction works in war devastated Somalia.

Qassim Salad has already awarded Borre two lucrative contracts: printing of a new Somalia Passport and a new Somalia bank notes. To finance these awards and his future operations in Somalia, he recently paid up $8 million to become a major stake holder in Djibouti Sheraton Hotel only to sell his shares soon after to a wealthy Saudi businessman of Yemeni origin, called Amoudi (same owner of Adis-Abab Sheraton). Borre also received a commission of one million dollar for pretensely brokering in Sept. 2000 a deal between the Djibouti Port Authority and the managers of Dubai Port International who have been contracted to run the free trade zone at Djibouti port.

Borre met some setbacks though specially after it had been established that he was an accomplice in the corruption scandal that brought down former Ethiopian prime minister Tamarat Leyn 4 years ago. As a consequence, he was no more welcome in Ethiopia, though his cigarette brands continued to be smuggled into eastern Ethiopia.

In mid 2000 Puntland was prompted to outlaw Borre's business activities in the territories under its control following reports that the business tycoon had been destabilizing the regional state in eastern Somalia.

Borre also overseas Ghelle's secret bank accounts held with banks in French Bolonesia, Seychelles, Lebanon and the UAE.

Marine Transportation: Owned by a French family well known for its involvement in arms trade. Originally founded by Henry de Monfreid in mid 19th century. Now run by two grandsons of Monfreid, the company is involved in the smuggling of Hashish, Cocaine, liquor and Gemstones.

Abdulla Taha Money Exchange & Remittances: Owned by A. Taha, a Djiboutian of Yemeni origin. Handles money laundering for the Mafia. In this connection, President Ghelle deals with Taha through a Mamaasan woman with the name of Maryan Ma'aan who works as an executive secretary at Djibouti's Presidency. Legal counselling on money laundering is provided by a French man called Martinet who holds two official titles: Legal Advisor to the President and Chairman of Djibouti Bar Association.

Concore Co: A building contractors company. Major shareholders are Ismail Omer Ghelle and Saeed Barkhad, Minister of Public works (Samaron-reer Nur)

Comad: A shipping line agency owned by Saeed Sheik Osman, brother of Mahdi Sheik Osman, commander of both the para-military police force, the Gendermere, and the Presidential Guards.

Liban Ismail Omer: The 25 years old son of President Ghelle. Sole distributor of Isuzu Vehicles. Since his father was elected president in April 1999, all government departments were instructed to replace their motor transport with Isuzu cars. As a result, Liban sold several hundred Isuzu vehicles to government agencies. Liban also owns 35 large trucks used in transportation of goods to Ethiopia. Among Liban's business associates is Patrick, the son of Romani. Patrick runs a chain of night club including a one in Port Elizabeth, Seychelles

Buh Idriss Omer: President Gelle's nephew. Agent for a Sudanese land transportation Co. Manages 150 trailer trucks for forwarding Ethiopia-bound transit goods. Originally, the firm was co-founded by Muse Shihem, an Afar and former Djibouti foreign minister. Shihem had to relinquish his stake in the company in favor of Bush Idriss as a result of intimidation. He is now Djibouti's ambassador to Brussels. As a kind of compensation, Shihem was given a plot of land that the company agreed to use as its encampment site against a monthly rental of DJFr 500,000.

Most of the trucks used by the company had been reported to be in bad shape. No attention was given to constant complaints by the Ethiopians about the inefficiency of the forwarding services.
Other big business names on the Mafia connection:

- Al-Ghamil women wear- owned by Abdulkarim Al-Ghamil, a Djiboutian of Yemeni origin.

- Saif Group - owned by Dahir Saeed Saif, a Djiboutian of Yemeni origin. A wheeler-dealer with exclusive ownership of business services

- Rubah contractors - owned by Ali Rubah, a Djiboutian of Yemeni origin who has monopoly over French army contracts.
- Salim Al-Mudhi - Djiboutian of Yemeni origin who runs "pleasure business".
Who is who in Djibouti's Top Power Circle

Besides exclusive ownership of so many shady business enterprises, the ruling clique in Djibouti also enjoys a complete monopoly over political power in the whole country. President Ismail Omer Ghelle, an Essa- Mamaasan- of course sits on the top of the power structure.

Long before assuming the top position of Djibouti president in May 1999 (elected in April), Ghelle was declared by the-then Djibouti president Hassan Gulaid Abtidoon as the undisputed heir apparent to the highest government post in the country.

Although Ghelle remains the most-and-all powerful figure in Djibouti, the following regime insiders (most of them close relatives) rank politically among the most influential personalities in the port-state.

2. Hassan Saeed: Nicknamed Hassan Madoobe. Mamaasan. Director general of the Security Directorate, a state security apparatus consisting of three departments independent of each other. SDS -- Specialized in domestic spying, RM --- Military information service and counter intelligence, RG --- General information services. Hassan Madoobe is one of the two persons most trusted by president Ghelle.

3. General Zakaria: Army of Staff, a Mamaasan. Was a lieutenant in the early nineties. Promoted to General because of his close tribal connection to president Ghelle. Together with Hassan Madoobe, Zakaria is among Ghelle's two most trusted aides.

4. Col. Mahdi Sh Osman: Commander of both the Presidential guards and the Gendarmarie para-military police force. Belongs to the Mamaasan.

5. Abdirahman Borre: Business tycoon, childhood friend and frontman in business circles for Ghelle. Over-all representative for Ghelle interests in the Mafia connection. From the Essa clan.

6. Col. Abdi Kahin: Commander of the Nagad maximum security prison - site for torturing political prisoners. Mamaasan.

7. Sherdoon Abbas: Chairman of the High Court, the only member of the inner circle who is not Mamaasan. He belongs to the Odohgob Essa sub-clan but his mother is the aunt of Ismail Omer Ghelle.

8. Col. Hassan Jama: A Mamaasan Reer Abgal. Formerly commander of Djibouti Air Force. Currently in the Armed Forces combined command. Married to a sister of Ismail O. Ghelle.

9. Col. Omer Buh: Operation officer in the Armed Forces combined command. From the Urweine Essa sub-clan. Married to a sister of Ghelle

10. Jama Haid: Governor of Djibouti Central Bank, an Isaak, Habr Awal. Brother of Djibouti's first lady, Khadra Haid.

11. Jama Ali Ghelle: Director general of Djibouti Electricity power supply Agency. Mamaasan Reer Egal.

12. National Treasurer: Mohammed Qumane, from the Essa Furlabe subclan. Married to the niece of former president Hassan Gulaid.

13. Abdulla Domaine: Director general of Customs & Tariff Department, Reer Egal.

14. Ahmed Dualle: General Manager Djibouti Port Authority, Reer Egal.

15. Dr. Saeed Sheik: Director general of the Medical Drugs Agency. From the Mamaasan subclan.

16. Director General of the Telecommunication corporation.

Sana/Mogadishu -- Yemeni president Ali Abdulla Salah has urged Arab countries to seriously consider sending an Arab military force to Somalia to bolster the position of Abdiqassim Salad's Arta faction, against what he has called, growing Ethiopian intervention in internal Somali affairs.

In a message sent by Salah to all Arab heads of state last month, the Yemeni leader has called upon Arab governments to adopt a new common policy towards Somalia. He pressed that Arab countries to shoulder what he termed as the greater responsibilities thrust on them by an actively interventionist role being played by Ethiopia. The call by the Yemeni president for an Arab military intervention in Somalia has already gained the strong support of Libyan leader Mu'amar Qadafi, high diplomatic sources said. Egypt was also reported last week to have responded positively to a joint Yemeni/Libyan proposal to ready several thousand men strong Arab military contingent, for deployment in Mogadishu and its surroundings.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were expected to finance the Arab military expedition force for Somalia, the sources said.

In the meanwhile, The Republican has learned from a reliable source close to the Transitional government of Somalia that the purpose of Salad government's Dec. 19th attack on Sudi Yalahow's militiamen at Balad (40km north of Mogadishu) was to "create a situation that would substantiate previously announced accusations by Salad officials that Ethiopia has been sending arms to some of the factions."

In a comment on the attack, Salad's government alleged that the military operation was carried out to intercept a convoy of arms and ammunition sent by the Ethiopians for Mussa Sudi Yalahow, currently the most powerful faction leader in Mogadishu. The attack, in which about 500 of Qassim's militia men were reportedly used, was however crushed by the Sudi Yalahow forces which comparatively government sources said "showed a clear tactical and combat superiority". About 30 militia men belonging to the Arta faction were taken prisoners during the operation while several were killed.

Abdi Qassim's deputy prime minister Osman Jama Kalun also complained last week that Ethiopian was violating UN arms embargo.

The attack was planned to coincide with fresh Arab calls for intervention in Somalia.

There has been no official reaction from the Ethiopian government yet with regard to emerging reports that Yemen, Libya and Egypt are seriously considering sending troops to Somalia. Diplomatic sources however have predicted a stern response from the Ethiopians.

On Tuesday, Salad's minister of Defence said his government will no longer abide by an agreement of understanding reached with Ethiopia in last November citing allegedly continued hostile actions taken by the Ethiopian authorities against Somalia's new government (Arta faction).

Abstract: In view of the above facts, the Somaliland Forum, an independent organization that represents the Somaliland diaspora, believes that the made-in-Djibouti government of Mogadishu will try to destabilize the Republic of Somaliland, as is evident from its current rhetoric of denial of the existence of Somaliland, a country whose people decided through their own free will to step back from the disastrous 1960 union with Somalia.

3) The independent Republic of Somaliland, whose people simply reinstated their sovereignty within the borders of the State of Somaliland of 1960, as inherited from the British Protectorate of Somaliland in 1960. It is evident that [Salat]'s strategy will create unnecessary wars and upheavals, first within Somalia proper itself, and this has actually started, as Salat's militia is battling now the older faction militias of Mogadishu. In light of the unfolding events in Mogadishu, the Somaliland Forum believes that the renewed Somali political conflict, if Salat and his group have their way, will inevitably spillover into the other neighbouring countries in the region, including Djibouti itself, and would tend to destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.

We also would like to remind the world that the people of Somaliland have determined their destiny and are asking for an acceptance of their right to self-determination, which, in this particular case, does not contravene the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) principle of the inviolability of colonial frontiers--- Somaliland gained independence from Britain in June 1960 while Somalia proper gained independence from Italy in July 1960. We stress, again, and in particular to our African brethren, that because of the above-mentioned specific reasons, the existence of the Republic of Somaliland will not set any precedent for the breakup of states. On the contrary, it will enhance peace in the Horn of Africa region, as it will forestall future fighting between Somaliland and whatever entity comes to govern Somalia proper.

The minister of health, Dr Abdi Aw Dahir, has said a government delegation visiting Burco, Togdheer Region, and the area traditional leaders, elders and wise men have reached an important agreement on maintenance of peace in the region.

The minister said the delegation and the regional leaders reached a five-point agreement, in which they agreed to safeguard the sovereignty of Somaliland, which is sacred. Burco people were signatory to the independence declaration. They agreed to counter Somaliland nationals serving in the so-called government of Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, promote Somaliland currency and reject Puntland and Mogadishu currencies. The traditional leaders pledged that they would resolve the current land dispute in the Togdheer Region peacefully. They further agreed to help maintain peace and stability in the region.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 22 Dec 00

Hargeisa -- The Arta faction headed by Abdul Qassim Salad is planning to send a destabilization mission to both Buroa and Las-Anod during the Eid (ten days from now). Highly reliable sources told The Republican that the mission, to be led by Ali Khalif Galaydh and Osman Jama "Kalun", will depart Mogadishu on the first day of the Eid holidays if not one or two days before. A similar mission is also expected to be sent by the Salad Arta faction to Puntland. Galaydh, a Las-Anod native has been appointed as Abdulqassim's prime minister. Osman Jama Kalun is a disgruntled political figure form Buroa. Both had held ministerial portfolios under dictator Mohammed Siyad Barre.

According to details of the planned mission, Galaydh will arrive in Las-Anod possibly through Puntland's port town of Bosasso while Osman Jama plans to land at Odweyne and then proceed to Buroa by land. The mission objectives mainly seek the creation of a situation paving the way for the complete destabilization of Somaliland through instigation of anti-Somaliland demonstrations and rallies in support of the Qassim factional government, at any cost. The assumption is that that orchestrated violent protests would politically polarize the local population along two major antagonistic forces: pro-Qassim anti-Somaliland versus pro-independence pro-Somaliland. The plan says that the destabilization and eventual disintegration of Somaliland cannot be achieved unless the existing tranquillity is made to disappear. To fulfill their mission Galaydh and Osman Kalun will heavily rely on distribution of cash money to potential saboteurs. Both the oil rich Arab nations of Libya and Qatar have recently granted undisclosed though reportedly substantial financial aid to Qassim faction.

The United Nations which supports the Abdulqassim faction has a shabby record in dealing with the Somali crisis essentially institutional failure of governance and a struggle for self-determination. The UN, Arab States and Italy have been trying to bolster the Qassim faction. While the Arab governments have openly sided with Qassim, the UN and the Italian government prefer to help the Arta faction behind the curtains. "Our position with regard to Somaliland is business as usual" is a brief statement often repeated by UN leaders and Italian diplomats during meetings with President Egal. Diplomatic sources in the region have described this position as counterfeit. The whole objective is to keep Egal misled until Qassim gains full control over Mogadishu through Arab, UN and Italians assistance, the diplomatic sources added.

In the meanwhile The Republican has learned that a Swedish diplomat arrived last week in Hargeisa carrying a message from Ali Khalif Galaydh to the Somaliland leaders. The diplomat from the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi was requested by Galaydh to possibly broker talks between the Somaliland government and the Arta faction headed by Qassim Salad, reliable sources said.

Hargeisa -- The Somaliland government decided last week to expel 3 United Nations volunteers contracted by the UN agency responsible for urban planning and housing-Habitat. The decision to expel the 3 UNV expatriates, identified as Kibe Muigni (PhD holder), Samual Ochanda and Patric Mwale, was reportedly taken in connection with allegations that Habitat program activities in Somaliland were soaked in corruption. All the 3 are Kenyan nationals who had been recruited by Habitat Nairobi. They were declared persona-non-grata after they have been accused by Somaliland authorities of involvement in gross mismanagement and abuse of program resources. The Habitat program has until recently been headed by Uffe Leinum, a Danish civil Engineer. Leinum joined Habitat in mid this year after serving as manager of Danish Refugee Council's program in Somaliland.

Habitat has been managing a fund of $1.3 million most of which was provided by the Italian government for the implementation of multi-sectoral rehabilitation and institutional capacity development activities in the Sahil region of Somaliland. The interventions planned under this program were intended to focus such vital areas as urban planning, water, rehabilitation of municipal premises and capacity building for local government.

According to government sources however, the bulk of the $1.3 million has been misused. The Somaliland authorities were first alerted to the alleged plunder after information on a bitter feuding between Leinum and other expatriate staff, particularly the Kenyans, started to emerge on last month. The internal staff dispute had actually crippled Habitat operations in Somaliland. Field officers had put the blame on Leinum whom they had accused of embarking on a systematic violation of standard Habitat codes of conduct. In a written communication to their superiors in Habitat office in Nairobi, program officers in Somaliland also complained that Leinum lacked the necessary managerial skills that would have enabled him discharge his responsibilities and duties in a substantially more competent manner.

Leinum had however denied the allegations. He explained that because he charged the Kenyans with responsibility for large-scale corrupt practices within the program, they were trying to remove him out of their way. But Leinum eventually found himself sacked by his superiors in higher management. The action drew the suspicion of Somaliland officials that the dismissal of Leinum was a kind of a cover-up. The authorities also became seriously offended and upset by remarks mentioned in a report saying that Somalilanders harbour anti-White people feelings. In this report which was established to have been written by one of the Kenyans employed by Habitat Hargeisa, it was claimed that due to prevalent racial biases, Whites among international aid workers assigned to Somaliland fail to receive the necessary cooperation from their formal counterparts as well as from local communities.

The allegations implied that only Africans, notably Kenyans, would be welcome to do humanitarian work in Somaliland. The report even cited the killing in mid this year of GTZ German worker Dieter Krasemann in Buroa as had been racially motivated. Following these revelations, the Somaliland government was prompted to declare the 3 Kenyans persona-non-grata, a Somaliland official said. The administration also asked for a whole explanation on what has happened from the UN agency.

In the meanwhile the UN is going to send an investigation team to Hargeisa some time in next January to make a full report on Habitat's operations in Somaliland. In the meantime though Leinum was allowed to stay in Somaliland, to explain his side of the story when the investigation team arrives here from New York, he had however left Hargeisa for Denmark on last Thursday.

On Monday, President Egal warned that his government will not tolerate any further practices of corruption on the part of any UN organisation. Egal received Randolph Kent, UNDP representative and coordinator of Humanitarian Aid in Somalia, on last Monday evening. The President warned against what he called the dangerous consequences that the current UN policy of giving support to Abdiqassim's faction might bring not only to Somalia but also to the whole region as well.

The Habitat program in Somaliland has been among the most successful interventions carried out so far by any UN agency. Besides Berbera municipality, Habitat has been providing technical assistance to Hargeisa water agency. Rehabilitation of Buroa water system was about to start soon. For unknown reasons, President Egal has never been at ease with Habitat operations, often over-looking the agency's achievements. However The Republican has been informed that at one time during the presidential elections of 1996-1997, the former Mayor of Hargeisa, Ali Asad, had told Egal that Habitat was not in favour of his re-election. As a result, the agency was asked to evacuate a building belonging to Hargeisa local government that it rehabilitated and equipped.

In the meanwhile, it seems strange that the Somaliland authorities have so far failed to notice another element that could have had an influence on what went wrong with Habitat operations. There is a growing indication that a group of self-styled local hecklers with close ties to international agencies may have also been accomplices in the alleged corruption.

Hargeisa -- Both ministries of Planning and Foreign affairs have asked Somaliland's minister of Interior Ahmed Jambir Suldan to adhere to the terms of the protocol agreement regulating work relationship between government line ministries and international organisations operating in the country.

The ministry of Planning is responsible for coordinating external assistance provided by the UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs).

Jambir has recently appointed a coordinator representing his ministry to international organisations in the country. However the arrangement didn't work as it became a source of nuisance to the agencies and subsequently other departments of the government. This has prompted the foreign ministry and that of Planning to tender protests against the embarrassing behavior of the Interior ministry. As a result Jambir's newly-created position of "coordinator" has been cancelled.

There is no doubt that relations between the Somaliland government and the international organizations working here have considerably improved during the last few years. In fact, there has been a minimum supervision by the Somaliland government of the work of UN agencies and international NGOs. By comparison, governments in neighbouring states exercise a total control over what international organisations do in their countries.

Collaboration and coordination with international organisations in Somaliland has witnessed a shift for the better through the ministry of planning both during the tenures of Gees and Sillanyo. The ministry of foreign affairs under Fagadhe also played a diplomatically useful complementary role in this respect. The government has therefore done well when it recently re-affirmed its commitment to see that this arrangement for coordinating international assistance works to the satisfaction of the authorities as well as its international partners. The re-assurance was of-course needed in the light of the ministry of Interior's straying from the line during the last few weeks. But there is a serious problem which merits our attention: a confrontation between the government and the UN system over some unfortunate developments within Habitat's office in Somaliland has reached an unnecessary climax.

We believe that the Somaliland authorities have the right to demand full accountability report from the UN system with regard to the messy situation left by Uffe Leinum and his colleagues in the Habitat office in Hargeisa. A joint evaluation and auditing of the financial and administrative performance is perhaps the best way for bringing the existing show-down to an amicable end.

The Somaliland government should however retract from insisting on the reinstation of Uffe Leinum, the Danish architect who has been fired earlier this month from his job as head of Habitat office in Somaliland. The government can always objectively express its preferences on such matters. But in this case, it's clearly up to the UN bureaucrats to reach a final decision in as much as the government is entitled to have the final say on who may or may not stay in this country.

However it's worth mentioning that international organisations, specially the UN agencies, refrain from trying to lay down the rules of their engagement here autonomously. The lack of restrictive government mechanisms to regulate the work of international organisations has been part and parcel of the general liberalization trend vividly noticeable in many aspects of life in today's Somaliland. Being a country born out of a bitter struggle against repression and genocide, Somaliland's determination not to go through the same painful experience again is understandable. But it would be a grave mistake to interpret this country's aversion against any rules that may seem inhibitive as a weakness deriving from the fact that Somaliland has not been internationally recognized yet.

We believe that international organizations are obliged to recognize this country's reconstruction and developmental priorities as set by the government and act in collaboration and coordination with line ministries to help realising them. Any gaps could be filled by those community- based Somaliland NGOs which have already demonstrated their indispensable role in tackling the rehabilitation and developmental challenges faced by this country.

We believe that it is in the best interests of both the government and international organisations to capitalize on Somaliland's tangible successes on the ground and endeavor to achieve much more substantial results in the future.

Abstract: Over the years, Italy has sought, come what may, to ensure that the center of power always stays in Mogadishu, i.e., in its former colony, and that Mogadishu dominates Somaliland; accordingly, Italian development aid was concentrated exclusively in the former Italian colony. But now the Somali Republic is no more; Somaliland, after a terrible liberation war fought from 1980 to 1991 and won, despite the huge aid the Mogadishu regime of Siad Barre received from Italy and its other allies of the time, has reverted back to its former status of a sovereign country and nation in 1991. We concede that it is up to the people of Somalia to accept or reject Salad's "government."

While the Italian government is entitled to develop whatever relationships it wishes, and the humanitarian aid of the people of Italy is welcome and much appreciated, the people of Somaliland want everyone, including the Italian government, to respect their wish to remain a separate and sovereign country. The endless Italian efforts at the European Union, and in the region through its emissaries, aimed at reversing the sovereignty of Somaliland, a country whose people took their fate in their own hands, and founded a parliament, a constitution and a functioning government, without much help from the outside, should cease. Italian behind the scene maneuvers aimed at sabotaging Somaliland's independence and legitimizing Abdulqassim Salad Hasan's claim of being president of both Somalia and Somaliland should also immediately stop.

4. Marches Tropicaux, "La Somalie en proie a l'anarchie," 3 March 1991, pp. 1136-37. 5. Le Monde, " Les rebelles sont resolus a chasser du pouvoir le president Syaad Barre," 6-7 January, 1991, p. 5. 6. Perlez, Jane. "Deadly Impasse Said to Go On in Somali City," New York Times, 10 January, 1991, p. 7. 7. Helene, Jean. "La Somalie: deux mois apres la chute du president Syad Barre," Le Monde, 4 April, 1991, p. 10. 8. Reuter, "EU mission leaves after talks with Somaliland leaders," 2 December, 2000. 9. The Republican [Hargeisa, Somaliland], "Italy Promoting Talks Between Egal and Salad," issue 134, 28 October, 200. 10. The Republican [Hargeisa, Somaliland], "Italian Policy," issue 133, 21 October, 2000. 11. Fitzgerald, Mary Anne, "Helping the other 'Somalia'," Christian Science Monitor, 27 December 1998.

President [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal's term expires within a year's time.

The deadline for holding a mandatory national referendum on the country's interim constitution also expires several months from now. Free elections are supposed to be held in all over the country at least by [the] end of the year 2001 so that people could be able to choose, for the first time since over three decades, their representatives to the local and central government, including the election of a president and members of both Houses of parliament, through direct polling.

In practical terms, however, there is nothing in the horizon to suggest that deadlines set for the fulfilment of the above crucial tasks will be met.

This conclusion is actually drawn from the fact that Egal's administration has done little to ready the country for democratic elections. What the government accomplished, so far, is that it unilaterally formulated two laws regulating [rest of the sentence illegible]. In theory, Somaliland citizens will therefore be able to democratically elect their government come next year. Realistically, however, it is already a common knowledge that some essentially important elements deemed necessary for the successful conduction of free elections in the country are still missing.

First, there is a lot of popular mistrust whether the Egal government is seriously committed and honest towards holding clean elections. This deep mistrust is reasonably valid considering that the government itself has aroused public suspicion when it rejected all pleas for allowing popular participation in the formulation of election laws and procedures. Add this to the qualms people have about Egal's history of political corruption. Then public contempt gets magnified even in greater proportions. But even assuming that with some luck the government would turn out to be honest, it would still be close to impossible, from technical point of view, to effectively launch a fair electoral process within the remaining relatively short period of time.

The second most important issue is that the government intends to appoint an electoral commission that is not neutral or independent enough to oversee the electoral process. A third serious element which cannot be overlooked deals with the actual number of regions and districts that are legally recognizable. The Egal's administration has during the last three years announced the formation of additional regional and district administrative structures that the House of Representatives has rejected ratifying. With this political question still unresolved it will not be possible to avoid serious disputes over the allocation of seats to be contested in election. There are certainly many other technical constraints that need to be overcome (such as the question of how people eligible for voting are going to be identified) before we can seriously and confidently engage ourselves in free and fair elections.

To ensure that free elections, a right won by the people through a costly struggle, are held in an atmosphere of trust, the Egal administration has to, at least, agree to the overhauling of the proposed electoral system by an independent commission to be appointed jointly by the government (including parliament) and representatives of credible civil society groups plus the SNM [Somali National Movement, ruling party].

Relinquishing the whole electoral process to such an independent body will help persuade the currently highly sceptical public that the government is not conspiring in fact to steal the forthcoming elections.

Credit: `The Republican', Hargeysa, in English 10 Dec 00

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 09 Dec 2000 /BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Hargeisa -- Somaliland President Mohammed Ibrahim Egal is going to seek a third term in the forthcoming elections scheduled to be held within the next 12 months, reliable sources have told The Republican. In the mean time, there is a widespread popular skepticism concerning the sincerity of the Egal government to hold free and fair public elections. According to independent observers, the administration has been deliberately playing delaying tactics in terms of preparing the country for local and national elections.

Citing that there are no reliable mechanisms in place yet for the smooth conduction of proper elections, one knowledgeable observer commented "A clear proof of peoples lack of confidence in the electoral system installed by the government is demonstrated by the reluctance shown so far by citizens in organizing themselves into political parties". There is in fact a widely held suspicion that the administration wants to maintain itself in power by stealing the next elections. Though the constitution limits the presidential terms that one person may serve to only two times (Egal's second term expires by Feb. 2002), the Somaliland President is expected to maneuver around this legality impediment by making people believe that he is still indispensable for the continuation of stability. "He will play to peoples sensitivities such as that he is the only symbolic figure that stands for peace" the observer added.

It is still not sure whether the Egal administration will go ahead with the general elections as stipulated and scheduled by the constitution. However according to a source close to the government, it will be more unlikely to witness people directly casting their votes to choose their next president and legislators in next elections. "Egal will try to blackmail the nation by saying that there was neither need nor time for general elections and that an all Somaliland Elders conference would do the job of electing a government".

President Egal and his close lieutenants in the administration are of course confident of winning the coming elections whether through the ballot box or through an electoral college consisting of members of the House of Elders (Guurti). After all, the administration will have all the financial and logistical resources of the government under its disposal.

Hargeisa -- The government of the Republic of Somaliland ratified last month the international convention on the rights of the child (CRC). The need to promote and observe children rights in Somaliland was also stressed in a general CRC meeting held during the last week of November in Hargeisa.

The two-day meeting, which was opened on Nov. 20, 2000 by Somaliland vice-president Riyale, dealt with various children issues. During the meeting, participants debated how Somaliland children rights for education, health care, protection and survival can be promoted and adequately met. Child rights within the Islamic context was also among the issues discussed. Child protection rights has been universally recognized as legitimate human rights issue. The UN general Assembly adopted the CRC on 20th Nov. 1998.

The purpose of the Hargeisa Conference was to 1) increase awareness and strengthen knowledge of children's right and advocate these rights among the key groups of the society 2) to review the key issues affecting the rights of children at-risk and to discuss the barriers to overcome if CRC objectives are to be achieved 3) to highlight trends which could be a basis for action and provide a frame-work to assist the delivery of obligations and responsibilities towards children. Somaliland ministers for Education, Religion and Justice also took part in the meeting.

The conference made some important recommendations including the need to formulate a national policy and plan of action on the promotion and implementation of child rights, establishment of a steering committee to follow up the CRC and promote children rights through public awareness programs and sensitisation of government, general public and concerned groups. Among the key-not speakers in the conference was Jay Zimmeruan from SCF/USA. The conference was also attended by Raqiya Haji Dualle who works as consultant for SCF/USA in Somaliland. The CRC meeting was sponsored by SCF/USA.

Hargeisa -- The International Volunteer Day was observed in Somaliland on last Tuesday (Dec. 5, 2000) with UNVs celebrating the occasion by planting trees in Mohammed Moge School in South Hargeisa. The ceremonies held for paying tribute to volunteers in Somaliland and word-wide culminated in cultural performances staged by local youth and women groups.

The UN general Assembly designated the UNV program as focal point for the International Year of Volunteer 2001. In a message for the occasion, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said "Volunteers are bold enough to stand for something. They put their hands and their minds, and most of all, their hearts at the service of others. And in doing so, they bring hope to those they help and can give them the strength to overcome their weaknesses. In turn, they are rewarded with the knowledge that they have truly made a difference. Their courage and dedication should be an inspiration for others-for all of us- to act,".

In another message, Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UNDP had this to say "Every country depends on volunteers. They look after infants, the elderly and the sick. They help educate our children. Keep the environment clean, and make our communities safer places to live. They are the lifeblood of healthy societies everywhere."

UNVs work for various UN organisations operating in Somaliland and Somalia such as the ICAO UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, WHO and others.

Djibouti -- An armed rebellion led by Djiboutian police commander General Yassin Yabeh Galab was crushed Thursday afternoon by forces loyal to President Ismail Omer Ghelle. The fighting was apparently sparked by an early morning announcement on Djibouti national Radio on Thursday that Gen. Yabeh was relieved from his post asDjiboutian Police Commander by President Ghelleh. The dismissal of Gen. Yabeh drew immediate protests from most of police units in Djibouti city.

Later, what seemed initially to be an angry mutiny developed into full scale armed rebellion against the authority of President Ghelle. At around one o'clock Djibouti local time, armed policemen surrounded the Presidency Premises. Police forces also stormed the national TV and Radio station, the country's only telecommunication centre and international airport. Other police unites occupied key positions along the city's inner main roads. Telecommunications lines were cut off and by 4:30 p.m. Djibouti city seemed to be under the control of the rebellions police force led by Gen. Yassin Yabeh Galab. By 5 p.m. however the military forcefully intervened on behalf of President Ghelleh. They were assisted by the para-military forces (Gendarmes). In less than two hours, the forces loyal to the government retook all the main positions including the Presidency and the TV and Radio station.

According to a government statement the number of casualties were two soldiers from the government side dead and seven wounded. Unconfirmed reports have however cited that the death toll from the armed confrontation could be much higher. The Police command installations were also reportedly heavily damaged by artillery gunfire. Damage to properties as a result of the fighting has not yet been assessed. The Djiboutian authorities have imposed a news blackout on the incident. However The Republican has learned that the local population was shocked by the fighting as the confrontation left many city dwellers worried that the incident might lead to a prolonged power struggle in the country. In the meantime, Djibouti government sources were quoted yesterday as saying that Gen. Yabeh has surrendered himself to French troops stationed in Djibouti.

The Republican has learned that the dismissal of Gen. Yabeh came as a result of his refusal to use force in putting down frequent demonstrations by civil servants and students protesting delays in payment of salaries and social allowances by the government. Many months pass before government employees in Djibouti receive their wages. On last Wednesday, the students took to the streets to protest non-payment of small school allowances that they normally used to receive from the government treasury. Gen. Yabeh ordered the police not to crack down on the protesting students, a move which drew the anger of President Ghelleh who in turn sacked the police , accusing him of sabotaging the government.

Ghelleh and Yabeh had been long childhood friends. They grew up together in Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia, where both went to the same school. Later, they joined the colonial French police in the fifties. After independence in 1977, the two sergeants assumed high positions within Hassan Guleed's first government. Ismail Omer Ghelleh became Guleed's Cabinet Secretary and head of the Country's State Security. Yabeh was given the post of Commander of Djibouti police forces. Gen. Yabeh's support of Ismail Omer Ghelleh has been instrumental in the rise of the latter to the top of power in Djibouti. Last year when a power struggle between Ghelleh and two strong former ministers surfaced, Yabeh sided decisively with the President. Yabeh who had shown ambition to become at least the minister of Interior was said to have felt being betrayed by Ghelleh. Both Ghelleh and Yabeh come from the Issa tribe which dominates the Djibouti government and politics.

President Egal's term expires within a year's time. The deadline for holding a mandatory national referendum on the country's interim constitution also expires several months from now. Free elections are supposed to be held in all over the country at least by end of the year 2001 so that people could be able to choose, for the first time since over 3 decades, their representatives to the local and central government including the election of a president and members of both Houses of Parliament, through direct polling. In practical terms however, there is nothing in the horizon to suggest that deadlines set for the fulfillment of the above crucial tasks will be met.

This conclusion is actually drawn from the fact that Egal's administration has done little to ready the country for democratic elections. What the government accomplished so far is that it unilaterally formulated two laws regulating elections and political parties and got them passed by Parliament earlier this year.

In theory, Somaliland citizens will therefore be able to democratically elect their government come next year. Realistically however it is already a common knowledge that some essentially important elements deemed necessary for the successful conduction of free elections in the country are still missing. First, there is a lot of popular mistrust whether the Egal government is seriously committed and honest towards holding clean elections. This deep mistrust is reasonably valid considering that the government itself has aroused public suspicion when it rejected all pleas for allowing popular participation in the formulation of election laws and procedures. Add this to the qualms people have about Egal's history of political corruption. Then public contempt gets magnified even in greater proportions.

But even assuming that with some luck the government would turn out to be honest, it would still be close to impossible, from technical point of view, to effectively launch a fair electoral process within the remaining relatively short period of time. The second most important issue is that the government intends to appoint an electoral commission that is not neutral or independent enough to oversee the electoral process. A third serious element which cannot be overlooked deals with the actual number of regions and districts that are legally recognizable. The Egal administration has during the last 3 years announced the formation of additional regional and district administrative structures that the House of Representatives has rejected ratifying. With this political question still unresolved it won't be possible to avoid serious disputes over the allocation of seats to be contested in election.

There are certainly many other technical constraints that need to be overcome (such as the question of how people eligible for voting are going to be identified) before we can seriously and confidently engage our selves in free and fair elections.

To ensure that free elections, a right won by the people through a costly struggle, are held in an atmosphere of trust, the Egal administration has to at least agree to the over-hauling of the proposed electoral system by an independent commission to be appointed jointly by the government (including Parliament) and representatives of credible civil society groups plus the SNM.

Relinquishing the whole electoral process to such an independent body will in fact help persuade the currently highly skeptical public that the government is not conspiring to steal the forthcoming elections.

The United Nations after producing a factional Somali government by cloning dictator Barre's regime is now set on the dangerous road of providing direct financial and logistical support to Qassim Salad's on-going military build-up in Mogadishu.

Faction leader Abdiqassim Salad Has since his appointment as president in August been shedding crocodile tears that he needs money with which to demobilize thousands of armed militia men in Mogadishu. UN secretary general Kofi Annan and his representative in Somalia, David Stephen, joined Salad in an effort to blackmail the international community for Demobilization and Reintegration Program (DRP) funds. Sympathetic governments in Italy and the Arab world came up with financial commitments while asking other donors to do the same. Qassim Salad has been so happy and encouraged with the feed-back that he ordered two months ago the remobilization of dictator Barre's defeated army. Brandishing their medals and uniforms, Barre's soldiers and officers kept pouring into hastily set-up camps in Mogadishu for their rehabilitation. "The nation can not be rebuilt and protected without you", Salad told soldiers in a battalion formation at one of the camps early last month.

Heavily armed militia men loyal to Qassim are also encamping at specially selected sites in southern Mogadishu. Both military groups were assembled to attract donor funds. With millions of dollars denominated as DRP funds already earmarked by Kofi Annan for Qassim's troops, Siyad Barre's former minister of Interior seems to have never been a happier man. The international community is succumbing and ready to meet all the financial costs needed for sheltering, feeding and paying the personnel of his military forces. Last week, the UN chose not to be an onlooker when Libyan arms and military logistics arrived at Bali-Doogle airport, about 100km to the south of Mogadishu. Arms financed by Qatar and Sudan are next to arrive soon.

The whole exercise actually reminds one of the UNOSOM and the DRP experience in Angola, both UN undertakings that drastically failed during the nineties.

One fundamental lesson drawn from disarmament, demobilization and reintegration experiences in Somaliland and a number of countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia say that the "total cessation of hostilities" is a prerequisite for the launching of a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs involving armed personnel.

Politically, a genuine national reconciliation must have been achieved with a broad-based central authority in place to plan, implement and coordinate the disarmament and demobilization exercise. Of course, none of these terms and conditions are found applicable to the on-going assembling of forces at Mogadishu.

The intention of Qassim and his UN sponsors has never been the down-sizing of armed forces. On the contrary, the objective has been to raise an Army for Qassim's faction within the next few months so that when the adequate force is ready, Kofi Annan and David Stephen could legitimate and enhance their prot,g, without this time UN forces slogging through the Somali Quagmire.

Reports concerning last night's clashes in Djibouti say destruction was widespread and that lives and property was lost. Tension is also still high in the city.

A report received this evening from our reporter in Loyada [along Djibouti-Somaliland border] said the death toll which includes soldiers and civilians stands at 18. Eighty four people who included police officers and civilians who supported the activities of Gen Yabeh were arrested last night.

According to our reporter, Abubakar Hasan Abdi, it has been confirmed that the wife of Gen Yabeh and six policemen were arrested when they surrendered to the minister of labour of that country who handed them over to the interim prime minister... The reports say there were many deaths in Artida [phonetic] estate which houses Djibouti police barracks.
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 8 Dec 00

Somaliland President Mohammed Ibrahim Egal is going to seek a third term in the forthcoming elections scheduled to be held within the next 12 months, reliable sources have told The Republican. In the mean time, there is a widespread popular skepticism concerning the sincerity of the Egal government to hold free and fair public elections. According to independent observers, the administration has been deliberately playing delaying tactics in terms of preparing the country for local and national elections.

Citing that there are no reliable mechanisms in place yet for the smooth conduction of proper elections, one knowledgeable observer commented "A clear proof of peoples lack of confidence in the electoral system installed by the government is demonstrated by the reluctance shown so far by citizens in organizing themselves into political parties". There is in fact a widely held suspicion that the administration wants to maintain itself in power by stealing the next elections. Though the constitution limits the presidential terms that one person may serve to only two times (Egal's second term expires by Feb. 2002),the Somaliland President is expected to maneuver around this legality impediment by making people believe that he is still indispensable for the continuation of stability. "He will play to peoples sensitivities such as that he is the only symbolic figure that stands for peace" the observer added.

It is still not sure whether the Egal administration will go ahead with the general elections as stipulated and scheduled by the constitution. However according to a source close to the government, it will be more unlikely to witness people directly casting their votes to choose their next president and legislators in next elections. "Egal will try to blackmail the nation by saying that there was neither need nor time for general elections and that an all Somaliland Elders conference would do the job of electing a government".

President Egal and his close lieutenants in the administration are of course confident of winning the coming elections whether through the ballot box or through an electoral college consisting of members of the House of Elders (Guurti). After all, the administration will have all the financial and logistical resources of the government under its disposal.

Sources close to the local authorities in the region indicated that the abducted Yemenis are fishermen who were attacked while fishing off His village coasts.

Their boat was also seized by the gunmen who took their abductors deep to the highlands of Maydh, about 130 kilometers south of Erigavo, capital of the region, the sources said.

Confirming the abduction, Ahmed Jabbir, Somaliland's interior minister, told reporters that efforts are now underway to secure the safe release of the hostages.

"But they have been taken far into the Golis mountains where there are no road accesses," the minister said.

Meanwhile, Anis Salah Hajji, deputy governor of Sanag region where the abduction took place, told the media that negotiations are now already under way. "We are fighting for an unconditional release, then we will see to what the gunmen are claiming for," he said.

The reason for the abduction is not known yet. However, sources close to the gunmen indicated that the young men had been annoyed by the killing of their fellow man who was allegedly killed by Yemeni fishermen two years ago.

The Yemenis threw that man off a boat when they promised to transport him to Yemen, the gunmen said.

So far, there have been no other sources confirming the allegation, but people from Erigavo town support the claim, saying that Ahmed Hussein Mohamed was killed by the Yemenis in 1998 when they threw him off their boat.

No one has yet seen the abducted men, but mediators keep coming and going between the two sides. The mediators did not speak of any wounds or injuries the fishermen sustained during the abduction.

There has been speculation that the gunmen were just double crossing, kidnapping the Yemenis in order to make money with the pretext of claiming compensation for the alleged killing of their fellow man two years ago.

There is no word as yet from the government of Yemen over the kidnapping. Yemen is just over the opposite side of the beach along the Red Sea.

Kidnapping for ransom has been very common in Somalia's northeastern region now known as Puntland where gunmen have speed boat to hunt foreign vessels and yacht across their coastal waters. The usual pretext for abducting foreigners is accusations for illegal fishing or dumping wastes in the sea.

The president of Somaliland, Hon Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, yesterday appointed a new minister of planning in charge of Somaliland's cooperation with international agencies.

A statement from the presidency said President Egal had appointed Hirsi H. Du'ale Elmi, the new planning minister. The minister replaces Hon Ahmad Muhammad Mahmud (Silanyo) who resigned from the post on 19th November...

The new minister, Hirsi H. Du'ale, is a newcomer to Somaliland's politics.

Hargeisa -- Sigurd Illing who used to head the European Commission's mission for Somaliland and Somalia until 1997, arrived in Hargeisa on last Thursday on what has been described as a fact-finding mission. According to Somaliland government sources, Illing, who is now the director for east of Africa region development affairs within the EC hierarchy, said the purpose of his visit was to become acquainted with the over-all situation in the area and Somaliland's stance on current issues, particularly in the aftermath of the Arta conference.

The findings of Illing are expected to be incorporated in a report to be raised by the EC to the next European Summit to be held 13th of this month. According to a Somaliland government source, President Egal has reaffirmed to the EU delegation that there has been no change in the position of Somaliland with regard to the issue of independence. "Somaliland's proclamation of the restoration of its sovereignty in 1991 remains valid" President was quoted as saying, according to a press release by the Presidency.

"We do not want to be dragged into the problem of Somalia. The objective of our 1960 Union was not confined to getting united with Mogadishu only. It was meant to be the first step towards the unification of greater Somalia, a dream which no longer lives". Egal also reiterated that his government would have no objection to sitting and talking with Somalia provided the latter comes up with a unified entity to negotiate with. The Somaliland President however added that even a prospect for such a possibility is slim because of the current situation in Somalia.

Egal went further to say during the talks with the EU delegation that whenever the possibility of holding talks with Somalia in the future is mentioned, it is sure to incite accusations that he was a unionist seeking reunification of Somaliland with Somalia "On the other side, the people of Mogadishu self-righteously claim that they are the only Somali nationalists around and that everybody else is bound to come under them".

The Somaliland President concluded by saying that as long as they [Mogadishu] hold such a believe it will be impossible to have talks. Illing, Walid Musa, political advisor for the EC, Ioaschim Knoth, EU Nairobi and Edward Jones Jr., head of UN focal point in Somaliland were guests of honour at a dinner reception held in the Presidential Palace last evening. Only the government owned media was allowed to cover the event.

Earlier in the evening the delegation returned to Hargeisa from a trip to Berbera. The EU funds the reconstruction of damaged bridges on the asphalted road connecting the main urban and rural centres in Somaliland. The bridges were destroyed during Somaliland's war of resistance against Siyad Barre's military government in the eighties. Implementation of the Dilla-Hargeisa-Berbera-portion of the road project started in earnest on last year. It is the most ambitious infrastructure reconstruction effort ever attempted in post-war Somaliland.

Hargeisa -- Tahliil H. Ahmed a Somali employee of the UNDP's civil society protection program left Hargeisa last Thursday to Bossasso, after the Somaliland authorities declared him a persona-non-grata on last Monday. In accordance with a deportation order issued by Somaliland minister of Interior, Jambir, Tahlil was accused of interfering in the political domestic affairs in the country. Jambir's deportation [order] said that Tahlil declined to desist from such interference in spite of repeated warnings issued to him to discontinue the behavior. The government failed to specify the kind of interference Tahlil has been accused of.

The SCPP employee, a lawyer by profession, however denied of any wrong doing. He said he came to know about the government's decision to send him out of the country after reading the government newspaper Mandeeq (Tuesday issue) which carried a news item on the deportation order that has been attributed to the minister of Interior. Tahlil also denied being given warnings before the decision to declare him a persona-non-grata was taken.

In an interview with Jamhuriya Tahlil said it was painful for him to be deported from Hargeisa where he lived for many years with his family Tahlil was forcibly evicted from Hargeisa in 1984 by General Mohamed Hashi Gani, the former military ruler of the northern regions at the time and who is also wanted for war crimes in Somaliland. Tahlil's deportation in 1984 came after he has been accused of sympathizing with the SNM which launched an all and out military offensive against government positions at that year in three main areas in Somaliland. "It is distressful to see this happening to me again" Tahlil said.

Tahlil is married to a Somalilander and has been with his children in Hargeisa. In the meantime, The Republican has learned that the Government has suspected Tahlil of giving legal counselling to three Somaliland young men who sued the French company Total Red Sea for health damages they had sustained during their painting of Berbera oil depots. President Egal contracted all Berbera Petroleum storage facilities to Total Red Sea in 1998. Upon signing the agreement, the President received a bonus of close to USD 200,000 (two hundred thousands) from Total. The Somaliland House of Representatives rejected the Total agreement in a majority vote this year. A Somaliland court awarded $500,000 (five hundred thousand) in damages to the three local employees. One of them happens to be Tahlil's half brother (through mother).

President Egal two weeks ago submitted a bill in the House calling for the establishment of a select committee from the House of Elders to review Somaliland courts decisions. The motion was defeated in the House of Representatives. Moreover, Tahlil was resented by Somaliland's minister of Justice Aafi who thought that the SCPP officer was unwarrantedly dealing directly with the Judiciary department at the expense of the ministry. The SCPP assists Somaliland's courts and custodial corpses.

Immediately after gaining their "independence" from Britain and Italy in 1960, people in Somaliland and Somalia found themselves in confrontation with the government system they inherited from their colonial rulers. The system of governance left by the departing colonialists simply continued, just the same as in the era of British and Italian rule continued to be in conflict with the Somalis egalitarian way of life. Even the post-independence unification failed to work, and since then life in Somaliland has been characterized by a condition of constant and dual rebellion; one essentially against the alien concept of governance imposed on them, the other fundamentally opposed to the unification and demanding restoration of Somaliland's sovereignty.

When the North was fighting dictator Barre's regime in the entire eighties, people in the South remained allied to Barre or at best stayed indifferent to the mass-killings that were taking place up here. However it can be said that by taking the brunt of the armed resistance against Barre's repression and eventually having brought down the unwanted Somali State in 1991, the people of Somaliland have done other Somalis as well as the international community a big favour, unless ridding a country of a brutal dictatorship is a crime. Unfortunately, neither our southern brethrens nor the world have so far shown any signs of gratitude or even acknowledgment with regard to the great sacrifices that Somalilanders alone had to pay so that all Somalis whether in the North or South can be able to exercise their universal right to self-determination.

To be fair, communities in the South have in fact been trying, at least during the last few years, to follow the example of Somaliland in finding their own solutions to their own problems including the questions of peacemaking, reconciliation and establishment of appropriate systems for running communal affairs (self-government). But a holy alliance between power-hungry southern politicians and foreign powers always saw that any genuine Somali effort for arriving at a durable settlement of all outstanding issues was certain to endanger their interests. Thus the endless series of foreign interventions made during the last 9 years in the name of saving Somalis from themselves.

Now it seems though as if both political mercenaries from Somalia, the United Nations and a number of countries have not yet learned lessons drawn from past experiences with regard to Somali affairs. For since August this year, we have been repeatedly hearing self-congratulatory statements by the UN secretariat and certain governments like those of Sudan, Djibouti and Italy that "Somalia has finally a central government in place".

Actually what arrogant UN autocrats in New York couldn't achieve through UNOSOM I & II, they want now to realise through the Arta faction, headed by Qassim and Galaydh, two ex-ministers who while working under dictator Barre had accumulated a lot of government money. Career-conscious senior UN officials are of course desperate to restore some respectability to the UN peace keeping and enforcing missions especially after their historic humiliation in the former Somalia, years back. For that to be done they have to succeed in Mogadishu by installing a nominal government, even if it were composed of thugs and suspected war criminals.

The international community will be wrong to believe that Qasim's factional and centeralist government is the kind of government that would appeal to the people of ex-Italian Somalia. Past history shows that you cannot reinvent a state that has collapsed along the same old patterns.

We believe that the structures of hierarchy and dominations that were rejected by the Somali Communities for long should not be imposed again on the peoples of Somalia and Somaliland. The Somalis should be allowed to experiment an evolution of their own system of governance. By nurturing their natural instincts and beliefs, the Somalis can find a real way out towards achieving their aspirations. In this respect, we believe that Somaliland provides a unique opportunity (example) for other Somalis to follow. Somaliland was not established by Egal or group of people but only through the sacrifices and dedication of the Somaliland people over a long period of time. The Somaliland experiment shouldn't arouse the suspicion of the UN and the Italian government.

Other Somalis should rather be encouraged to learn from it. Because it offers a range of choices that other Somalis can understand and select from for utilization in the settlement of their own problems outside the domain of the UN and foreign governments.

The findings of Illing are expected to be incorporated in a report to be raised by the EC to the next European Summit to be held 13th of this month. According to a Somaliland government source, President Egal has reaffirmed to the EU delegation that there has been no change in the position of Somaliland with regard to the issue of independence. "Somaliland's proclamation of the restoration of its sovereignty in 1991 remains valid" President was quoted as saying, according to a press release by the Presidency.

"We do not want to be dragged into the problem of Somalia. The objective of our 1960 Union was not confined to getting united with Mogadishu only. It was meant to be the first step towards the unification of greater Somalia, a dream which no longer lives". Egal also reiterated that his government would have no objection to sitting and talking with Somalia provided the latter comes up with a unified entity to negotiate with. The Somaliland President however added that even a prospect for such a possibility is slim because of the current situation in Somalia.

Egal went further to say during the talks with the EU delegation that whenever the possibility of holding talks with Somalia in the future is mentioned, it is sure to incite accusations that he was a unionist seeking reunification of Somaliland with Somalia "On the other side, the people of Mogadishu self-righteously claim that they are the only Somali nationalists around and that everybody else is bound to come under them".

The Somaliland President concluded by saying that as long as they [Mogadishu] hold such a believe it will be impossible to have talks. Illing, Walid Musa, political advisor for the EC, Ioaschim Knoth, EU Nairobi and Edward Jones jr., head of UN focal point in Somaliland were guests of honour at a dinner reception held in the Presidential Palace last evening. Only the government owned media was allowed to cover the event.

Earlier in the evening the delegation returned to Hargeisa from a trip to Berbera. The EU funds the reconstruction of damaged bridges on the asphalted road connecting the main urban and rural centres in Somaliland. The bridges were destroyed during Somaliland's war of resistance against Siyad Barre's military government in the eighties. Implementation of the Dilla-Hargeisa-Berbera-portion of the road project started in earnest on last year. It is the most ambitious infrastructure reconstruction effort ever attempted in post-war Somaliland.

The SCPP employee, a lawyer by profession, however denied of any wrong doing. He said he came to know about the government's decision to send him out of the country after reading the government newspaper Mandeeq (Tuesday issue) which carried a news item on the deportation order that has been attributed to the minister of Interior. Tahlil also denied being given warnings before the decision to declare him a persona-non-grata was taken.

In an interview with Jamhuriya Tahlil said it was painful for him to be deported from Hargeisa where he lived for many years with his family Tahlil was forcibly evicted from Hargeisa in 1984 by General Mohamed Hashi Gani, the former military ruler of the northern regions at the time and who is also wanted for war crimes in Somaliland. Tahlil's deportation in 1984 came after he has been accused of sympathizing with the SNM which launched an all and out military offensive against government positions at that year in three main areas in Somaliland. "It is distressful to see this happening to me again" Tahlil said.

Tahlil is married to a Somalilander and has been with his children in Hargeisa. In the meantime, The Republican has learned that the Government has suspected Tahlil of giving legal counselling to three Somaliland young men who sued the French company Total Red Sea for health damages they had sustained during their painting of Berbera oil depots. President Egal contracted all Berbera Petroleum storage facilities to Total Red Sea in 1998. Upon signing the agreement, the President received a bonus of close to USD 200,000 (two hundred thousands) from Total. The Somaliland House of Representatives rejected the Total agreement in a majority vote this year. A Somaliland court awarded $500,000 (five hundred thousand) in damages to the three local employees. One of them happens to be Tahlil's half brother (through mother).

President Egal two weeks ago submitted a bill in the House calling for the establishment of a select committee from the House of Elders to review Somaliland courts decisions. The motion was defeated in the House of Representatives. Moreover, Tahlil was resented by Somaliland's minister of Justice Aafi who thought that the SCPP officer was unwarrantedly dealing directly with the Judiciary department at the expense of the ministry. The SCPP assists Somaliland's courts and custodial corpses.

When the North was fighting dictator Barre's regime in the entire eighties, people in the South remained allied to Barre or at best stayed indifferent to the mass-killings that were taking place up here. However it can be said that by taking the brunt of the armed resistance against Barre's repression and eventually having brought down the unwanted Somali State in 1991, the people of Somaliland have done other Somalis as well as the international community a big favour, unless ridding a country of a brutal dictatorship is a crime. Unfortunately, neither our southern brethrens nor the world have so far shown any signs of gratitude or even acknowledgment with regard to the great sacrifices that Somalilanders alone had to pay so that all Somalis whether in the North or South can be able to exercise their universal right to self-determination.

To be fair, communities in the South have in fact been trying, at least during the last few years, to follow the example of Somaliland in finding their own solutions to their own problems including the questions of peacemaking, reconciliation and establishment of appropriate systems for running communal affairs (self-government). But a holy alliance between power-hungry southern politicians and foreign powers always saw that any genuine Somali effort for arriving at a durable settlement of all outstanding issues was certain to endanger their interests. Thus the endless series of foreign interventions made during the last 9 years in the name of saving Somalis from themselves.

Now it seems though as if both political mercenaries from Somalia, the United Nations and a number of countries have not yet learned lessons drawn from past experiences with regard to Somali affairs. For since August this year, we have been repeatedly hearing self-congratulatory statements by the UN secretariat and certain governments like those of Sudan, Djibouti and Italy that "Somalia has finally a central government in place".

Actually what arrogant UN autocrats in New York couldn't achieve through UNOSOM I & II, they want now to realise through the Arta faction, headed by Qassim and Galaydh, two ex-ministers who while working under dictator Barre had accumulated a lot of government money. Career-conscious senior UN officials are of course desperate to restore some respectability to the UN peace keeping and enforcing missions especially after their historic humiliation in the former Somalia, years back. For that to be done they have to succeed in Mogadishu by installing a nominal government, even if it were composed of thugs and suspected war criminals.

The international community will be wrong to believe that Qasim's factional and centeralist government is the kind of government that would appeal to the people of ex-Italian Somalia. Past history shows that you cannot reinvent a state that has collapsed along the same old patterns.

We believe that the structures of hierarchy and dominations that were rejected by the Somali Communities for long should not be imposed again on the peoples of Somalia and Somaliland. The Somalis should be allowed to experiment an evolution of their own system of governance. By nurturing their natural instincts and beliefs, the Somalis can find a real way out towards achieving their aspirations. In this respect, we believe that Somaliland provides a unique opportunity (example) for other Somalis to follow. Somaliland was not established by Egal or group of people but only through the sacrifices and dedication of the Somaliland people over a long period of time. The Somaliland experiment shouldn't arouse the suspicion of the UN and the Italian government.

Other Somalis should rather be encouraged to learn from it. Because it offers a range of choices that other Somalis can understand and select from for utilization in the settlement of their own problems outside the domain of the UN and foreign governments.

The president of the Somaliland republic, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, this evening hosted a banquet for an EU delegation led by Sigurd Illing, the EU director of development for the eastern Africa region. The delegation arrived in the country yesterday afternoon.

Illing said the purpose of their visit to Somaliland was to assess political developments after the Arta [in Djibouti] conference. For his part the president told the EU delegation that the dream of the greater Somalia was dead and the independence of Somaliland was inviolable. He said the stand was in line with the wishes and aspirations of Somaliland people...

The delegation earlier today visited Berbera town to inspect EU- funded projects. It leaves the country tomorrow.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1845 1 Dec 00

The president of the self-declared state of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, is expected to leave for Addis Ababa in the coming days after receiving another invitation to visit Ethiopia.

Egal was in Ethiopia recently and held talks with the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi.

Egal is expected is to conclude various agreements with Ethiopia on trade and security issues.

The Ethiopian government is keen to use the port of Berbera and will soon send a team of road engineers to rehabilitate the roads linking Somaliland and Ethiopia.

Credit: Ayaamaha , Mogadishu, in Somali 29 Nov 00 p 2

Somaliland's minister of internal affairs, Ahmad Shambir Sultan, has issued a written statement regarding the expulsion of a Somali national, Tahlil Haji Ahmad, who was a legal consultant for the UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] on civil protection.

Honourable Shambir, who spoke to ` Mandeeq last night, said the expulsion of the Somali national was in accordance with circular number 33/B11/2000 dated 4th November in which the president of Somaliland had spelt out the rights and obligations of Somali nationals living in Somaliland.

The circular said Somali nationals in Somaliland could carry out their routine business activities but they had no rights to interfere in the internal affairs of the country.

The internal affairs minister said the expulsion was executed when it was confirmed that Tahlil was involved in issues that were against Somaliland politics. Tahlil had no right to interfere in such activities since he was not a citizen of Somaliland.

The minister further warned other Somali nationals in Somaliland against engaging themselves in the political activities of Somaliland and anyone found interfering in the internal affairs of Somaliland would be firmly dealt with.

When asked when the UN official would be officially kicked out of the country he said: The official was previously warned several times to stop interfering in the internal affairs of Somaliland and he refused to heed the warning so he will be repatriated to Somalia today.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 28 Nov 00 p 1

Hargeisa -- A three-day workshop on the physical, psychological and social effects of Pharonic circumcision on girls was opened Thursday at Nursing Training School. Over 40 people representing various non-governmental organizations in Somaliland were taking part in the workshop. Participants also included women who perform the rites of circumcision on females. The workshop has been organized by a women organization with the name of Dulmar that comes under the NAGAAD women umbrella organization.

Garowe -- The regional State of Puntland closed last week two local newspapers. The decision to ban the two publications -Riyaaq and Nugaal Times were reached by Puntland Minister of Religion Mohamed H. Adam. There was no further information as to the cause of the closure of the two newspapers. In the meantime the Puntland administration declared last week a state of emergency in the region.

Mogadishu -- Sudi Yalahow, the strongest faction leader in Mogadishu has been under pressure during the last few weeks to give up his enclave at Karan in northern Mogadishu. Sudi Yalahow who is an Abgal also controls the Medina section of Southern Mogadishu. Militiamen loyal to Abdi Qassim Salad were reported last week preparing themselves to take over positions under the control of Sudi Yalahow in north of the town. Yalahow vowed to fight off any attempts to bring Abdi Qassim's militia to areas under his control.

Hargeisa -- Somaliland House of Representatives Thursday turned down 26 against 4 with 16 abstaining a controversial bill submitted by President Egal. If passed, the bill would have empowered a committee consisting of selected members of the House of Elders to review decisions taken by the country's courts. President Egal complained last week that Somaliland courts reached a stage where they cannot be entrusted with properly fulfilling their Judiciary role. The President has apparently become furious with a Supreme Court decision granting compensation to three Somali workers who were employed by TOTAL Red Sea.

President Egal signed in 1998 an agreement with Total Red Sea where by the latter was granted sweeping oil storage and distribution concessions in Somaliland. A number of Somali workers were believed to have sustained physical injuries after coming into contact with hazardous chemicals while cleaning Berbera oil storage depots. The local workers sued Total Red Sea. President Egal has however decreed that a Supreme Court compensation ruling in favor of the workers was illegal.

He disqualified the court action. However under the Somaliland constitution, the President has no authority to compromise the independence of the Judiciary branch.

Hargeisa -- President Egal is expected to declare his political organization, reliable sources said last week. The sources added that Ahmed Sillanyo who recently resigned from Egal's cabinet where he held the post of planning, is also expected to proclaim his own political party in the coming few weeks. In a probably related move, the SNM also announced last Wednesday a reshuffle within its leadership apparatus.

Mogadishu -- According to a news broadcast by Radio Banadir, security in Mogadishu has recently witnessed a considerable deterioration. Acts of kidnapping, looting and killing have increased. On Monday a man was killed near Hussein Eideed headquarters. The man, a relative of Abdi Wali Jama, minister of commerce in the Qassim government, was trying to negotiate release of a car looted by the Eideed militiamen.

The car belonged to the Minister. Ten days ago the agent of Dallo Airlines in Mogadishu escaped an assassination attempt. Later in the week it was confirmed that Ayr militiamen in control of Balidoogle airport were behind the attempt. The Ayr militiamen support Abdi Qassim Salad.

Hargeisa -- An American organization named NCMI provided last week various types of assistance to Hargeisa Children's Home. The aid consisted of computers clothes and children games. The Americans also paid for the rehabilitation of some building structures in the compound of Hargeisa Children's Home. During their stay in Hargeisa, members of the NCMI team also provided training on irrigation to some of the local staff of HCH.

"There is no market at all now," said one of Warder's biggest livestock traders, Zeinab Sheikh Muhammad Khalif. "All the livestock we bought for export we are now holding, and we have nowhere to sell."

Zeinab sits in a desolate mood in a tea shop and talks prices. Like most livestock traders in the Ogaden, she buys and sells for export. Before the ban she was selling goats, sheep, camel and cattle up to two or three times a month through the Somali ports of Berbera and Bosasso.

"Sometimes we sell 500-1,000 heads a month, sometimes more... I sell them to Somalia and also exchange them for food stuffs, like sugar, rice and flour," she told IRIN. On top of the losses incurred in buying the livestock, Zeinab is also loosing money fast on paying people to look after the herds and buying water to keep the animals alive.

The internal market is insignificant compared to the export one. Even the type of livestock differs according to which market they are meant for. Smaller, cheaper goats and sheep known as "dubaax" are bought and slaughtered on a tiny scale.

"There is nothing else I can do for now... There is really not much trade and business going on in Warder. The ban has affected everyone, from the one with one bag of rice up to those with more than 50 goats and sheep," Zeinab laments.

The ban was imposed first by Saudi Arabia - the main export market for animals from the Ogaden - and was taken up by all the Gulf States. Its impact here has been significant in the Ogaden, which is struggling to recover from the effects of a three year drought. Livestock is the backbone of the pastoralist economy, in a region closely tied to Somalia. The livestock kept in the Ogaden constitutes one of the largest herds in Africa, Mark Bidder from the UN Ethiopia Emergency Unit told IRIN.

Deputy governor of the Ogaden town of Kebre Dehar, Muhaamad Hirsi Farah, told IRIN that with the ban following hard on the heels of a major food crisis this year "recovery looks impossible". During March and April "people died on the streets... and the livestock lay down and died on the land." Many moved to urban centres, particularly Gode, the capital of the Ogaden, and survived on aid. "Those who have a few animals left can put them out to pasture now, but many have lost everything... those who do have herds left can't sell them," said the deputy governor. Kebre Dehar livestock trader Muhammad Hasan Hargen told IRIN he had little to do these days, as he had lost most of his livestock earlier in the year: "Before the famine I had about 60 camels, 50 head of cattle and about 220 sheep and goats. Now I have only 20 camels, three cows and about 50 sheep and goats." He said he used to take the animals across the border and trade in neighbouring Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared state of Somaliland, northwest Somalia, and Burao. So intimately linked are the economies of the Ethiopian Somali Region and Somalia, that the traders use the Somali shilling in preference to the Ethiopian Birr. "Now I hear on the radio there is a ban on our livestock because of Rift Valley fever... the Arabs have stopped the entire trade," Muhammad Hasan Hargen lamented.

In Warder, Zeinab says it is the responsibility of the regional and central government in Ethiopia to get the ban lifted. A testing system is necessary to establish that the animals for export are not infected, she insists. The livestock ban is as big a crisis as the drought, she says. "The drought is an act of God, and you can only pray for God to bring rain....but the ban is an act of man, and that is worse because it destroys your livelihood but no help comes".

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000

The vice-chairman of the Somaliland Chamber of Commerce, Ali Shaykh Husayn Fure, has informed us that a Somaliland delegation, led by chairman of Somaliland Chamber of Commerce Abdirahman Farah Sugal, arrived in Dubai, UAE, on Friday [24th November]. The delegation had been in Iran for the last two weeks on an official working tour.

Fure further informed us that the purpose of the delegation's visit was to discuss with the Iranian officials how Iran could import livestock from Somaliland. Iran is one of the countries' which have shown an interest in importing Somaliland livestock and so invited members of Somaliland Chamber of Commerce for further discussions.

The Somaliland Chamber of Commerce has been making concerted efforts to find various markets that will import livestock.

Livestock is the backbone of Somaliland's economy and the government is exerting efforts to achieve a major breakthrough in the various livestock importing countries in the Gulf, as well as other world markets. The new livestock industry promotion efforts in Somaliland is aimed at adopting new strategies in the sector to ensure that when similar incidents like the recent Saudi embargo on Somaliland livestock are repeat the country will not suffer problems of similar magnitude.

In the past, Saudi Arabia was the only major Somaliland livestock importer and this caused serious economic crises on a number of occasions when the Saudi government slapped a ban on Somaliland livestock.

The vice-chairman also informed us that he had contacted the delegation by telephone after it arrived in Dubai and it was very optimistic about its visit to Iran, although it declined to give further details...P1 Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 27 Nov 00

Hargeisa -- Berbera water agency paid back $100,000 which was part of $130,000 loan the agency used for equipment and water installation services for the city of Berbera. The spokesman for the agency highlighted the agency's decreased revenues after the ban of exports of sheep to the gulf and how the agency overcame without cutting back on services.

Hargeisa -- Berbera port shipping activities increased the last few weeks due to a higher number of ships and dhows waiting to be unloaded. Spokesman for the port authority reported the increased activities and the need for the port staff to work over-time hours including Friday's which normally the port was closed.

Hargeisa -- The first phase of a water project for Xiis district funded jointly by the local community and UNICEF (Somaliland) has been inaugurated in the city of Xiis. The local community appointed a committee of five local elders to oversee and manage the project. A representative from UNICEF (Somaliland) participated in the inauguration ceremony and will stay over to help the local committee with the project.

President Egal signed in 1998 an agreement with Total Red Sea where by the latter was granted sweeping oil storage and distribution concessions in Somaliland. A number of Somali workers were believed to have sustained physical injuries after coming into contact with hazardous chemicals while cleaning Berbera oil storage depots. The local workers sued Total Red Sea. President Egal has however decreed that a Supreme Court compensation ruling in favor of the workers was illegal. He disqualified the court action. However under the Somaliland constitution, the President has no authority to compromise the independence of the Judiciary branch.

WHO continues to carry out cholera control coordination activities through the regional cholera task force. It has provided laboratory support and cholera supplies as well as chlorination activities. A national plan is being developed and WHO is assessing training needs for case management.

(c) WHO/OMS, 2000

Protests against the arrest of Sultan Mohamed Abdulkadir saw two people killed and more than 60 people arrested, according to media reports. Those arrested during the protests, including 29 women and 22 men, were also pardoned and released, the BBC reported. In September, the Egal administration arrested and sentenced Garaad Abshir Salah of the Dhulbante clan, from Sool region (contested by Somaliland and Puntland), to seven years in prison for his participation in the Djibouti conference. After protests and public pressure, Garad was released.

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000

Somaliland police yesterday arrested and detained nine Ethiopians and impounded 18 kg of hashish. Hargeysa police discovered the hashish during a check routinely conducted on all vehicles leaving Hargeysa for Berbera [eastern Somaliland port town] at a check point in Hargeysa.

During their interrogation, the nine drug traffickers confessed and disclosed they intended to export the hashish to a third country which they did not name.

A spokesman for the Somaliland presidency, Abdi Idris Du'ale, said the drug traffickers will soon be brought before a court.

Credit: `Qaran' web site, Mogadishu, in Somali 21 Nov 00

Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal on Sunday granted amnesties for 51 prisoners and anyone from Somaliland who participated in the Somali reconciliation conference in Arta, Djibouti.

Egal ordered the immediate release of individuals detained for participating in the Arta conference.

"The decree also covers Somaliland nationals serving in the so- called Somali government and its parliament, provided that they renounce their positions," the radio said.

In a second decree, Egal amnestied 51 prisoners who were jailed for one year each last Monday. They had been found guilty of taking part in an anti-government demonstration.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 19 Nov 00

The minister of national planning, Ahmad Muhammad Mahmud (Silanyo), has resigned.

The minister tendered his resignation to President [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal on Wednesday [15th November]. He told this paper that he had resigned with effect from Wednesday but President Egal has remained mum over the matter. It is not yet clear whether the president has accepted the resignation.

Silanyo said he resigned for personal reasons and dispelled speculation he resigned because he had fallen out with the president.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 17 Nov 00 p 1

The Danish Demining Group, DDG, has began detonating bombs littering areas around Hargeysa airport, which had been the base of the airforce of the toppled Barre regime. The Danish agency has detonated 18 240mm aircraft rocket bombs since the exercise began on 13th November.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 17 Nov 00 p 1

Egal announced his country's willingness to discuss unity with southern Somalia.

In a statement to 'Al-Hayat' in Addis Ababa, from where he left yesterday for Hargeysa, "Somaliland's capital", Egal said: "Gelleh is trying to emerge as a champion of a solution to the Somali problem; whereas, in fact, he contributes to complicating it. On the other hand, we say the Somali question can only be solved by Somalis. Some members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development [IGAD], which will hold its summit in Khartoum in two weeks, may try to impose Somali President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan on the Somali people and the world community by force," in reference to Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea.

Egal said he personally does not have any problem with Salad. However, he said he objected to the method of Somali elections held in Arta, "Djibouti", and led to the election of Salad as president.

He said: "We are ready to hold talks with our brothers in the south after they put their own house in order. We are even ready to discuss Somali unity with them. I am 70 years old and I do not dream of power. I want to rest. I would personally initiate unity when the situation in Somalia becomes stable. This is what we wish and would seek to fulfil as soon as possible."

Egal pointed out he was trying to find a unified formula that would help coordinate efforts to find a peaceful and final solution to the Somali crisis. He said it is important to coordinate a mutual vision with those concerned with the Somalia file to spare the Somali people disintegration and repeated civil wars, in clear reference to Ethiopia.

Egal said: "The world community thinks the Somali people are obliged to accept anyone appointed as a legitimate president of Somalia in order to stop the civil war among the feuding factions. This is illogical, however. The Somali people fully realize that a solution can only be achieved by an agreement among the Somalis themselves free from foreign ambitions, which were the reason behind the destruction of united Somalia."

Egal described his talks with Ethiopian officials as positive and better than any time in the past. He said Ethiopia-"Somaliland" relations are "distinguished and the two countries share mutual interests". Egal cited some of the agreements he reached with the Ethiopian side in the economic and trade fields with the aim of bolstering these relations.

Source: 'Al-Hayat', London, in Arabic 12 Nov 00 p 5

The third round polio immunization exercise was concluded in Somaliland this afternoon. During the three-day countrywide exercise, children under five years were immunized against the crippling disease.

Ministries of health, information, local government and UNICEF participated in the exercise, aimed at kicking polio out of Somaliland.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1845 16 Nov 00

The port of Berbera has been seriously damaged after a Singapore- registered ship hit the quay as it attempted to dock to unload cargo owned by some business people.

The ship partially destroyed the cargo handling bay and sea water is said to have flooded some parts of the port. The accident caused panic at the port.

The captain of the ship has been ordered not to move the ship and attempts are under way to repair the damage.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 15 Nov 00 p 3

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sayyid Abdallah today in his office met and held talks with a visiting Somaliland delegation led by foreign minister Mahmud Salih Nur [Fagareh].

During the meeting, Mahmud Salih Nur delivered a special message sent by the Somaliland leader Muhammad [Ibrahim] Egal to President Isayas Afewerki. Ali Sayyid assured his Somaliland counterpart that he will deliver the message to President Isayas Afewerki.

Credit: Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, Asmara, in Tigrinya 1700 14 Nov 00

Members of a foreign energy company, Anglo-Arabian Oil and Gas- South Africa and Middle East [as published], arrived in Berbera port town yesterday. Reports say the main shareholders of the company are British and Arab nationalities, and the engineers are Chinese. Seven officials in the delegation are touring Berbera town and they are accompanied by the Somaliland assistant minister for minerals and water, Yusuf Isa Du'ale.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 13 Nov 00 p 1

The Hargeysa mayor, Ali Ilmi Abdalla, this afternoon held at his office a press conference on the security situation in the capital.

The mayor said that a demonstration was this morning staged by women and children in the city. He said the demonstrators mounted roadblocks and stoned vehicles in an attempt to undermine the precious peace prevailing in Somaliland. But the mayor said the city's residents had not been bothered by the incident.

Ali Ilmi Abdalla refused the idea that the demonstration was in reaction to the detention yesterday of Sultan Muhammad Abdiqadir [clan chief], who was arrested at the Hargeysa airport on arrival from Djibouti where he had participated in the Arta [peace]conference. He said the government had earlier prohibited its citizens from attending the illegal conference.

The mayor called on the Hargeysa residents to cooperate with him on maintaining peace.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1845 11 Nov 00

President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal of Somaliland and his delegation returned to Hargeysa after concluding their four-day visit to Ethiopia.

The president was accompanied by ministers of defence, finance, trade, justice, foreign affairs, health, aviation and the governor of the central bank. While in Addis Ababa, they held talks with top Ethiopian government leaders, including the prime minister, Meles Zenawi, and the foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin. The two sides discussed issues beneficial to the peoples of the two countries.

President Egal and his delegation were received at the Hargeysa airport by government officials led by the vice-president, Dahir Riyale Kahin...

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 11 Nov 00

Reports from Addis Ababa say Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egals, is having a fruitful visit to Ethiopia.

The president has received the support of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to attend an IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] summit, whilst Djibouti, Eritrea and Sudan want Abdiqasim [Salad Hasan, Somali president], the newest faction leader in south Mogadishu, to attend the regional meeting.

Reports added that President Egal held talks with officials of IGAD member countries.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 10 Nov 00

Mohammed Nur was one of eight officials who accompanied Mohamed Ibrahim Igal, the president of the unrecognized state that broke away from Somalia in 1991, to Ethiopia for discussions with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his government.

''Somaliland would never contemplate any union with the south, that option is out of the question,'' Nur said in response to a question at a news conference.

He ridiculed the government of President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, which emerged from a months'-long reconciliation conference, as ''nothing short of a warlord faction.''

Igal declared Somaliland the eastern half of the former British colony of Somaliland independent in 1991 after the government of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed. Factional fighting reduced much of the southern part of the country to warring fiefdoms.

Nur said international recognition is not a priority for Somaliland, although he said the region meets all the requirements for statehood, including effective control of territory, establishment of governmental institutions and acceptance by the population.

Ethiopia does not recognize neighboring Somaliland, but it has been involved in discussions about the use of its port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden.

Since war broke out in May 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their contested 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) border, Ethiopia lost its access to Red Sea ports and has been dependent on the port of Djibouti at the head of the Gulf of Aden.

Relief food destined for drought-striken herders in southeastern Ethiopia has passed through Berbera.

Nur said the Ethiopians were interested in expanding their use of the port, particularly its fuel storage facilities.

Hargeysa police today arrested Sultan Muhammad Abdiqadir [traditional chief] and four other men for participating in the so- called Arta [in Djibouti] conference. The five were arrested soon after arriving at the Hargeysa airport at 6.30 a.m. [local time].

The Somaliland government had made it a treasonable offence for its citizens to take part in the Arta conference, and the men were arrested in accordance with the decision. They have since been taken to Hargeysa Central Jail. The other four arrested with the sultan are Aqil Abdirazaq Muhammad Askar, Meydal [phonetic] Muse Nur, Muhammad Bihi Ali and Muhammad Jibril Bakayle.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 10 Nov 00

Mohammed Nur was one of eight officials who accompanied Mohamed Ibrahim Igal, the president of the unrecognized state that broke away from Somalia in 1991, to Ethiopia for discussions with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his government.

''Somaliland would never contemplate any union with the south, that option is out of the question,'' Nur said in response to a question at a news conference.

He ridiculed the government of President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, which emerged from a months'-long reconciliation conference, as ''nothing short of a warlord faction.''

Igal declared Somaliland the eastern half of the former British colony of Somaliland independent in 1991 after the government of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed. Factional fighting reduced much of the southern part of the country to warring fiefdoms.

Nur said international recognition is not a priority for Somaliland, although he said the region meets all the requirements for statehood, including effective control of territory, establishment of governmental institutions and acceptance by the population.

Ethiopia does not recognize neighboring Somaliland, but it has been involved in discussions about the use of its port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden.

Since war broke out in May 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their contested 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) border, Ethiopia lost its access to Red Sea ports and has been dependent on the port of Djibouti at the head of the Gulf of Aden.

Relief food destined for drought-striken herders in southeastern Ethiopia has passed through Berbera.

Nur said the Ethiopians were interested in expanding their use of the port, particularly its fuel storage facilities.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - A high-level delegation of break- away Somaliland led by President Ibrahim Igal, is in Addis Ababa to explore trade and economic ties with Ethiopia.

Somaliland's foreign minister, Mohammed Nur, told journalists in Addis Ababa Friday that the delegation came to Ethiopia to brief the authorities on what Somaliland could offer in terms of trade and economic ties.

He stated that Somaliland's Berbera port has "a large capacity, including oil storage facility" that Somaliland is ready to share with Ethiopia for its import-export trade, he added.

Nur reiterated that breakaway Somaliland was not interested in reviving the unity of Somalia.

"We have no contact with the recently elected government of Somalia following peace talks in Djibouti, and have no desire to do so in the future," he emphasised.

He stated that Somaliland was doing well on its own and has no desire to tamper with the safety and tranquillity prevailing in the country by getting involved in Somalia politics dominated by rival war-lords.

Nur said that the Somaliland delegation seeks to conclude "a Memorandum of Understanding" on trade and economic relations during the current visit.

The delegation, comprising eight ministers, including those of foreign affairs, trade and transport and communications, arrived in Addis Ababa Wednesday night.

(Copyright 2000 Panafrican News Agency.)

Addis Ababa: A high-level delegation of breakaway Somaliland, led by President Ibrahim Igal, is in Addis Ababa to explore trade and economic ties with Ethiopia.

Somaliland's foreign minister, Muhammad Nur, told journalists in Addis Ababa Friday [10th November] that the delegation came to Ethiopia to brief the authorities on what Somaliland could offer in terms of trade and economic ties.

He stated that Somaliland's Berbera port has "a large capacity, including oil storage facility" that Somaliland is ready to share with Ethiopia for its import-export trade, he added.

Nur reiterated that breakaway Somaliland was not interested in reviving the unity of Somalia.

"We have no contact with the recently elected government of Somalia following peace talks in Djibouti, and have no desire to do so in the future," he emphasized.

He stated that Somaliland was doing well on its own and has no desire to tamper with the safety and tranquility prevailing in the country by getting involved in Somalia politics dominated by rival warlords.

Nur said that the Somaliland delegation seeks to conclude "a Memorandum of Understanding" on trade and economic relations during the current visit.

The delegation, comprising eight ministers, including those of foreign affairs, trade and transport and communications, arrived in Addis Ababa Wednesday night.

Credit: PANA news agency web site, Dakar, in English 1410 10 Nov 00

Saleban Jama Imrane has been detained in Berbera, Sahil regional capital, for attending the so-called Arta [in Djibouti] conference aimed at destroying the sovereignty of Somaliland.

Our correspondent in the region said the man, who had committed treason against Somaliland by attending the conference, was arrested by security forces yesterday afternoon upon arrival from Mogadishu. He is being detained in Berbera Central Jail. Imrane said he had withdrawn his support for the so-called Somali government staying in a Mogadishu hotel. He said the administration did not exist and that was why he decided to come home.

Imrane was a former local government official in Awdal Region, Somaliland.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 9 Nov 00

The president of the Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, this morning left Hargeysa airport on an official visit to Ethiopia at the invitation of Premier Meles Zenawi.

The president was accompanied by ministers of finance, trade, justice and the governor of the central bank of Somaliland. The president and his delegation were picked up from Hargeysa by an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft...

Ethiopian and Somaliland leaders meet tomorrow to discuss bilateral issues, mainly the request by the neighbouring country to use Berbera port. President Egal and members of his delegation travelled to Ethiopia on new Somaliland passports.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 8 Nov 00

A four-man Egyptian trade delegation arrived yesterday in Hargeysa, Somaliland.

The Nozha Group of companies delegation which would stay in the country for 10 days met Hargeysa's mayor yesterday. The businessmen whom we interviewed said the purpose of their visit was to explore trade in Somaliland, and reopen livestock and fish trade between Somaliland and Egypt. The Nozha Group delegation told us that they were also planning to set up a trade centre for Egyptian products and a technology centre which would have state-of-the-art facilities in Hargeysa...

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 7 Nov 00 p 1

Hargeisa -- The construction of a new Skin and Hides factory is nearing completion in the Somaliland city of Burao. The factory, financed by the local business community, is expected to start production in December 2000 and will produce export quality leather.

The factory products will be exported to Italy, Germany, UK and South Korea where the factory management expects to establish buyer contacts. The factory was financed by the local businessmen without any outside financial help. Opening of the new factory will increase the local prices of hides and skins and boost the local economy through employment generation. The factory is estimated to have cost more than US$640,000.

An small independent radio station has opened in the town of Laas Caanood [in Somaliland].

According to a ` Jamhuuriya reporter in the town, the station, which was launched last Tuesday [31st October], is run by young Somaliland nationals. The station features local and international news, among other programmes. The radio can be heard in Laas Caanood and surrounding areas and it broadcasts for several hours in the evening.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 5 Nov 00

Commenting on the allegations, the defence minister of the republic of Somaliland, Hon Umar Muhammad Nim'ale said: "The reports published on the Internet, which claimed that Somaliland had deployed troops along the border with Djibouti and Somalia, are not true. There has been no troop movement in the last four months. Reports reaching us indicate that there may be plans to invade us and it appears there are some quarters that would like to see us clash with our neighbours. It is not our policy to resolve differences by sabre- rattling and military threat. Our principle is that everything should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations."

Answering questions on the Internet report, which allegedly quoted him, the minister said: "I was never interviewed nor did I make those fabricated comments published on the Internet. So far, there has been no troop movement on our side."

The minister said the government was investigating those behind the dissemination of the fabricated report in the Internet.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 2 Nov 00 p 1

So far no government in this region has come publicly against Somaliland's proclamation of independence which is now in its tenth year. Neither has any regional or world government till now given formal diplomatic recognition to Somaliland. Of course, this cruel situation in which Somaliland has neither been fully accepted nor completely rejected to join the international community of nations, has failed to bring the people of this country to heel. The standard justification cited by world governments for [not] deciding establishment of formal relations with Somaliland, is often based on the argument that the recognition could be considered only when and if a majority of Somalilanders decide democratically in favour of independence, possibly as a result of a public referendum. However, certain governments, including Britain, stipulate further that final recognition would only be possible provided such a referendum was conducted within the framework of an over all peace agreement involving the whole of the former Somalia. This last condition actually excites Somaliland, as an independent country that existed separately before uniting with Somalia in July 1, 1960. From history in less than one year after that ill-fated unification, the majority of Somalilanders rejected the Act of Union in a public referendum conducted in Somaliland and Somalia at the same time. The result of this referendum were however turned down by the southern dominated central government in Mogadishu. From there on, Somaliland has in essence become a country under occupation. And for next 21 years, following the independence from Britain and voluntary unification with ex-Italian Somalia, the people of Somaliland employed all sorts of peaceful and democratic means available in order to free themselves from political, economical, social and cultural subjugation by the south. When all these efforts ran aground because of Mogadishu's stubbornness, the Somaliland people had to resort to armed resistance against the state terror that the Southerners, spearheaded by dictator Siyad Barre, had imposed on the North. It was only after a decade-long SNM-led resistance that Somaliland became liberated (in Jan 1991) and independent (on May 18, 1991).

The victory won by the SNM and the people of Somaliland against Siyad Barre's regime ... was in reality also a victory for all the peace loving peoples of the Horn as well. The SNM long term peace policy that envisioned ending the centuries old feelings of animosity and suspicions between Somalis and Ethiopians paid off as reflected in the dramatic change that took place in the attitudes and perceptions that either people had of the other. Both Somalilanders and Ethiopians reaped the benefits of cessation of hostilities along the border areas, the flash point where almost all Somali-Ethiopian wars were fought in the past. History never seemed to be the same again after hundreds of thousands of Somalilanders sought in mid 1988 security and shelter in Ethiopia after being forced to flee their homes as a result of a genocidal aerial and artillery bombardment against civilians by Barre's regime.

In the last 9 years since declaration of independence, Somaliland has been making remarkable contribution to regional stability. To begin with, the Somaliland government and civil society have never wasted time before starting the painful process of rebuilding their shattered lives with the full restoration of peace, through a grass root level reconciliation approach, given first and foremost priority. By contrast, Somalia or the South which since the early nineties has been littered with so many UN designed peace initiatives and billions of dollars in "pacification money", still can not achieve peace. Though Somaliland presents a more genuine peace and stability on [the] ground, this achievement regrettably continues to be opposed by the UN because Kofi Annan and members of the Security Council had no role in it. We believe that the international community should have a fresh look at the issue of Somaliland because the consequences of any policy set to deny a whole people the right to exercise their self determination are predictable ...bloodshed and instability.

Reluctance by the International Community based on the narrow-minded interpretation of international law, will not definitely decrease as long as this serves as a pretext for stopping Somaliland from rising up as a respectable, viable, and independent entity. Is it too much for Somalilanders after being through so much injustice and suffering to demand to be left alone within their own pre-July 19960 international boundaries? Well, it is the duty of the Somaliland government to make it clear, more than any time before, to all countries involved in attempts to resolve the Somali crisis, that they have a shared interest in the resolution of the Somaliland issue in a way that takes into full consideration the legitimate aspirations of the Somaliland people in resuming their sovereignty. Nobody needs peace and stability in this region less than others. However to avoid any vague assumptions on the part of the International community regarding of Somaliland's eligibility for independence, Somaliland must call for an early public referendum on the independence issue, to be closely supervised and monitored by credible international observers for recognition. Those who are now talking passionately about peace for Somalia and Somali unity while suppressing facts and spinning sensational tales to promote Qassim's factional government globally will have no excuses to hide behind arguments intended to undermine Somaliland's chances of becoming an internationally recognized state.

Abstract: The Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia, Marcello Ricoveri and Francesco Sciortino, who are currently trying to mediate between the new Somali government and factions opposed to the Djibouti peace process say that the new Somali president is ready to start dialogue with Somaliland. The following is an "exclusive" interview given to the Somaliland newspaper 'The Republican' on 22nd October and published 28th October; all subheadings inserted editorially:

The Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia, Marcello Ricoveri and Francesco Sciortino, who are currently trying to mediate between the new Somali government and factions opposed to the Djibouti peace process say that new Somali president ready to start dialogue with Somaliland. The following is an "exclusive" interview given to the Somaliland newspaper 'The Republican' on 22nd October and published 28th October; all subheadings inserted editorially

[A] This is what was done also in Somaliland. In 1991, a Somaliland government was declared but the reconciliation process went on for years with even some fighting in between. So the consideration was let us have structures first. So people in Somalia were already making strong demands for peace. That can take the process of reconciliation further. It was not of course perfect in terms of political accommodation and other things but the Arta process at least responded to these two basic demands; installing structures and initiating a process for peace. And that is exactly what we told Salad.

` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 28 Nov 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia, Marcello Ricoveri and Francesco Sciortino, who are currently trying to mediate between the new Somali government and factions opposed to the Djibouti peace process say that the new Somali president is ready to start dialogue with Somaliland. The following is an "exclusive" interview given to the Somaliland newspaper 'The Republican' on 22nd October and published 28th October; all subheadings inserted editorially:

The Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia, Marcello Ricoveri and Francesco Sciortino, who are currently trying to mediate between the new Somali government and factions opposed to the Djibouti peace process say that new Somali president ready to start dialogue with Somaliland. The following is an "exclusive" interview given to the Somaliland newspaper 'The Republican' on 22nd October and published 28th October; all subheadings inserted editorially

[`The Republican'] Don't you realize that the overwhelming majority of the Somaliland people strongly oppose reunification with Somalia and that this position cannot be changed even by Egal, unless he wanted to commit suicide politically?

[Either Ricoveri or Sciortino] We of course understand that this is not purely a political position. This is a position which has roots in the sentiments of the people and the problems that they have met during the Siyad Barre era. And it is exactly because of that historical background that we cannot resort to any kind of pressure. Instead we tell everybody please continue to be open [to all options] and in the meantime desist from taking hasty measures or decisions or making provocative statements. Besides, there can be no reunification unless reconciliation between people in the south and Somaliland has first been achieved. So that process of reconciliation is not a one which involves political authorities only. Only after this process of reconciliation has been done will re-unification can be eventually realized.

Djibouti conference

[Q] The Arta conference was blamed for focusing on the proclamation of a government rather than seeking the realization of a genuine peace and reconciliation among the warring clans and factions.

[A] This is what was done also in Somaliland. In 1991, a Somaliland government was declared but the reconciliation process went on for years with even some fighting in between. So the consideration was let us have structures first. So people in Somalia were already making strong demands for peace. That can take the process of reconciliation further. It was not of course perfect in terms of political accommodation and other things but the Arta process at least responded to these two basic demands; installing structures and initiating a process for peace. And that is exactly what we told Salad.

[Q] How he responded?

[A] Very well. He said he was open and ready to start dialogue with Somaliland immediately.

[Q] Do you foresee the proposed talk, being conducted as between two countries or between President Egal and Salad or the Somaliland government and the Salad-led government installed after Arta?

[A] You have two realities which are not easy to bring together. But we must find a way. We of course cannot deny the existence of the two realities [Somaliland and the Salad government] and from what we have seen from our meeting with him yesterday, President Egal, despite the many things he said were wrong with Arta, didn't deny that Abdiqasim Salad existed. This is different than before when the whole Arta process was being denied. The same thing is with Salad. And now at least everybody is OK and there is no mutual denial of each other, which shows something. So we are pushing for the evolution of an acceptable groundwork but we are not putting pressure. We also felt from Salad an eagerness of trying to find solutions so that people could start concentrating on basic development and improvement of their lives. And there is something for people here and there in getting their political problems solved.

[Q] One of the main reasons why the conference held at Arta and the government formed there were shunned by many Somalis was that the whole exercise was dominated by the participation of a large number of people wanted for genocide crimes committed during dictator Barreh's era against innocent Somalis, particularly in Somaliland. Was this necessary?

[A] This was in our opinion a question of finding the right modality for the selection of delegates or representatives to the parliament or government other than the one which was eventually chosen. Which was going back to the Somali traditional system, i.e., leaving the right to choose ones representative to the clan which is normally a sovereign entity. Attempts made to find another alternative modality failed. But you should remember that you are Somalis and for Somalis a clan killing another clan is not such a so serious business.

[Q] Your response is apparently based on a notion held by some Europeans that Somalis are savages who care the least of who either commits a murder or gets murdered. But dont you think that every clan or community could have had the choice of sending people with clean records instead of individuals suspected of war-crimes?

[A] Unfortunately the reality on the ground in Arta was that people were not giving due consideration to this question. I agree there were mistakes. But it is political dialogue which is meant to correct such mistakes.

[Q] Though Italy contributes a lions share of the international assistance received by Somaliland and Somalia, yet our aid remains substantially below the level of the 80s when Barreh was in power. Is there an intention to increase the volume of your aid in the future?

[A] We will not of course go back to the level of aid as during Barreh. But to increase the size of the cake we have to have peace, reconciliation, stability, conditions needed for the creation of an environment conducive to doing development. That is why [we] are too eager to see existing problems solved.

[Q] Another both provocative and misleading Salad statement has been the allegation that Somaliland was fully represented in the Arta conference. Have you raised during your meeting with Salad the negative consequences that such pronouncements could have for his credibility?

[A] No, we didnt because we do not want to deeply enter into internal Somali politics. We are supposed not to establish the rules for if we could have established them; the rules would have been different.

[Q] What if your mediation deems considered necessary?

[A] If in the future the need for mediation to resolve irreconcilable questions arises, then we will have to see.

EU and Britain

[Q] It is often said that within the EU, Italy is the only power mandated to set European policies if any towards Somali affairs. What is your response?

[A] Certainly it is not [true]. But let us say that within the EU, there is a lot of frustration with the Somali crisis because it has been going on for a long time. So everybody seems to be fed up with Somalia and not ready to hear or talk about Somali problems. The only ones who felt and otherwise consistently paid attention to Somali affairs are the Italians because of our moral obligation.

[Q] What about your British partners in the EU?

[A] They are different, and we don't know why Britain doesn't care about Somaliland.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 28 Nov 00

The president of the republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, yesterday issued a circular on Somali nationals residing in the country and sent it to the minister of justice and internal affairs, the attorney-general, regional public prosecutors, the police commissioner and regional governors.

The circulars says, "The position adopted by the government and people of Somaliland towards their brethren from Somalia is that of genuine hospitality. We shall not treat our brethren like other foreigners living or doing business in the country. We consider them to be a people who have the right to be here, closer to us than other people. It is not compulsory for them to enter the country with passports. They are allowed to work and do any business in the country. They could stay in the country freely and peacefully and should not be segregated from the people of Somaliland.

These are the rights our brothers from Somalia are supposed to enjoy here in Somaliland. However, every right goes with a responsibility and a duty which can invalidate one's rights. Apart from the people of Somaliland, no one is allowed to interfere in the culture and government of Somaliland. We are aware, have confirmed, and continuously receives information on Somalis who are involved in political activities openly or sometimes under the guise of religion. I urge you all, elders and officers who are recipients of this circular, to note that if any of these people who are our guests fail to live with civility, dignity and respect, by interfering in Somaliland's social and political stability and Somaliland's foreign relations, they would be considered to have abused the hospitality accorded to them. Such persons if proven guilty should be arrested, deported and never allowed to return."

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 6 Nov 00 p 1

Reports from Somalia's northwestern regions Somaliland say that 1,100 refugees this morning returned to Boorama town from the Ow Barre refugee camp in south-eastern Ethiopia. The refugees had fled to Ethiopia during the civil war in north-western Somalia. Officials of the UNHCR have confirmed the repatriation of the refugees. Up to 6,000 refugees were repatriated to the self-proclaimed Somaliland Republic from Dir Wanaje phonetic refugee camp in south-eastern Ethiopia last Wednesday 25th October .

The British government has said it is not ready to recognize the independence of the Somaliland Republic.

A statement to this effect was issued by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in response to the London-based Somaliland Democracy Watch Organizations SDWO letter to the office of prime minister Tony Blair. In its letter, dated 25th September 2000, the SDWO urged the British government to recognize the independence of Somaliland.

The statement signed by Stefan Beacon of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the British government had expressed concern over the absence of both the Somaliland and Puntland administrations from the Arta in Djibouti conference. For this reason, "we had warned that any Somali government in which all political groups are not represented could negatively impact on the stability and peace prevailing in Somaliland and Puntland."

Abstract: Reliable reports from Hargeysa say that Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the self-proclaimed Somaliland republic, has rejected a proposal by Somali faction leaders meeting in Garoowe [capital of Puntland] that Somalia...
Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 28 Oct 00 p 2/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC
Reliable reports from Hargeysa say that Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, the president of the self-proclaimed Somaliland republic, has rejected a proposal by Somali faction leaders meeting in Garoowe [capital of Puntland] that Somalia be divided into four autonomous regions. He said Somaliland was not a regional government but rather a country which had regained its sovereignty after pulling out of a voluntary union with Somalia.

Egal earlier dismissed the results of the Djibouti conference, saying that they did not concern Somaliland.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 28 Oct 00 p 2

Journalists working for Jamhuuriya and The Republican are frequently harassed by the Egal government.

President Egal received the two diplomats in his office on Sunday. During the meeting, he took issue with them on the Italian position on Somaliland saying that Italy deals with Somaliland as if it were a region and a half belonging to Somalia. "How you forget that we were two sovereign states before our merger in 1960" Egal said. "The aim behind our union was to unify all the five Somalis into one state. However as this concept of greater Somalia has since been dead, we do not really understand why Italy should still be clinging to [the 1960] union between Hargeisa and Mogadishu which was initiated by us and from which we have now withdrawn" Egal added.

The Italian diplomats said they have informed both Egal and Salad that both have to realize that whatever positions they take or decisions they reach will have consequences. "Somaliland was considered as a good example of building peace and reconciliation from bottom up" they said adding "everybody must adapt to the new situation evolving especially that there is less anarchy now in the south and attempts are being made to realize reconciliation and establish some kind of a state".

The Italians described Salad's last September statement to the Egyptian daily al-Ahram, in which he threatened to use force to take Somaliland back to Somalia, as badly insensitive, adding that Salad has since made conciliatory statements with regard to Somaliland.

Following the publication of the interview with the Italian diplomats in our daily newspaper Jamhuuriya on Wednesday, the Somaliland government media made harsh attacks on the two ambassadors. "President Egal has never asked the Italians to arrange talks between him and Salad" splashed Maandeeq, the government owned newspaper.

Meanwhile, Col. Abdullahi Yusuf of Puntland rejected on Wednesday to hold talks with Abdiqassim unless he "agrees to dismantle the government installed as a result of Arta conference", reliable sources said. Abdillahi Yusuf's position was conveyed to Qassim through two Italian diplomats who met with the colonel in Garowe, the capital of the Puntland regional state. Excerpts from our interview with the two Italian ambassadors are published elsewhere in this edition.

In the meanwhile, Qassim Salad said after his return on Wednesday from an Arab summit held in Cairo, that a proposed meeting between him and Egal was still under study. Salad said in a news conference in Mogadishu that though his government had declared its opposition to the secession of Somaliland he was bound however to welcome the mediation efforts of the friendly government of Italy.

During the last week several of the Somali factions reacted negatively towards Abdiqassim's government, or shall we call it faction, for want of a better word. Can we in fact legally call Abdiqassim's team the government of Somalia without the consent of all the Somali society? In essence, Abdiqasim heads a transitional administration which is supposed to reconcile the different factions and sections of the society in the former Italian Somalia, and to create a peaceful atmosphere conducive to the people's formation of a representative government.

With this understanding, both the Somalis and the international community must regard Abdiqasim's attempts to form a national police force and an army from one faction, which has already cost the life of one of his best generals, as well as his attending of several international meetings, as futile propaganda exercises. The sole aim is availing himself of the opportunity to beg for financial support. Abdiqasim's team would be more useful, doing what they were elected for, if they busy themselves with tangible efforts towards reconciliation and peace making among the population inside the country.

The international community including the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, USA, UK, Kuwait and donor organizations like the EEC have told Abdiqasim that he will not be recognized until all the different sections and factions accepted his government. Likewise, the UN rejected a proposal by President Ismail Omar Gelle of Djibouti Republic that the UN move back country headquarters of its executive agencies to Mogadishu. The reason is the lack of security and absence of fully functioning national police force and army.

During the last week President Mohammed Ibrahim Egal was again accused of foreign policy duplicity when two Italian Ambassadors arrived in Hargeisa and claimed "Egal called us to mediate between him and Abdiqasim". Confused to the limit, the Somaliland public are still puzzled with the mediation the president wants when he already stated on separate occasions that he will not "talk with Abdiqasim while there are members from Somaliland in his government," and also "as long as Abdiqasim claims Somaliland as being part of Somalia." President Egal often says that there will not be any talk with Somalia before a viable government is formed. But Abdiqasim is far from being accepted by all the factions and being firmly established in office.

This latest accusation cuts the thin veil that covers the Egal government's lack of an honestly coordinated plan of action to deal with Somalia and to safeguard the future of Somaliland. This is why one always finds a small number of self-appointed individuals misrepresenting Somaliland at forums meant to deal with the issue of Somalia. As things stand now, Somalia's reconciliation looks a long haul with many pitfalls on the way. Abdiqasim's team has a long way to go to even take the first step: talking with the warring factions, with his differences with them getting worse everyday. An example is the case of the Rahanweyn clan of Bay and Bakol regions who wanted a separate state right from the day of independence in 1960. They were a peace loving sedentary farming community. In the factional strife of 1991-93, the Rahanweyn bore the brunt of the destruction, war and famine.

Their country was captured by Gen. Aideed's Habar-Gidir army of the Mudug desert which ruled them as a colony and took their fertile land until recently when the Rahanweyn raised their own army and retook part of their land. But the Ayr, Abdiqassim's sub-clan of the Habar Gidir still occupy a large tract of the Bay and Bakol regions. The Rahanweyn want Abdiqasim to return this land peacefully before they can be part of his government. The prospect of this dream coming true is remote. Abdiqasim also faces the harder task of returning Somaliland to the fold of Somalia before contemplating the use of force.

The international community has its own opinion of building governance and democracy in Somalia from the grassroots. This means the regional administrations. Decision on this opinion is expected to come out in the forthcoming November and December from the IGAD meetings in Khartoum and Rome respectively. In September the UN representative of Somalia also promised to give advice to Abdiqasim in three months time which coincides with the IGAD meetings. The big question is how many more years is Somaliland going to wait?

Borama -- A.A. Dhameeye correspondent of Jamhuuriya and The Republican newspapers was taken in police custody on Wednesday morning. Dhameeye has been accused by the authorities of filing from Borama last week a news item disclosing the death of a number of children in Borama as a result of an unidentifiable disease. Dhameeye was detained without a court warrant.

Journalists working for Jamhuuriya and The Republican are frequently harassed by the Egal government.

Hargeisa -- Two Italian diplomats who arrived in Somaliland last week denied that their government was putting pressure on Somaliland to accept dialogue with Abdiqassim Salad, President of the Mogadishu government. The two diplomats who were interviewed by the Republican on last Monday are Italy's ambassadors to Ethiopia ( Recoveri) and Somalia ( Sciortino). They said it was President Egal and Qassim who wanted to have talks and that their role was only to encourage the starting of a dialogue between the two sides. In an official press release issued on Sunday, Somaliland President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was quoted as saying that while his government welcomes the Italian mediation effort, it will not however accept to hold talks with those who [Salad] still claim that Somaliland can not exercise its right to self-determination.

President Egal received the two diplomats in his office on Sunday. During the meeting, he took issue with them on the Italian position on Somaliland saying that Italy deals with Somaliland as if it were a region and a half belonging to Somalia. "How you forget that we were two sovereign states before our merger in 1960" Egal said. "The aim behind our union was to unify all the five Somalis into one state. However as this concept of greater Somalia has since been dead, we do not really understand why Italy should still be clinging to [the 1960] union between Hargeisa and Mogadishu which was initiated by us and from which we have now withdrawn" Egal added.

The Italian diplomats said they have informed both Egal and Salad that both have to realize that whatever positions they take or decisions they reach will have consequences. "Somaliland was considered as a good example of building peace and reconciliation from bottom up" they said adding "everybody must adapt to the new situation evolving especially that there is less anarchy now in the south and attempts are being made to realize reconciliation and establish some kind of a state".

The Italians described Salad's last September statement to the Egyptian daily al-Ahram, in which he threatened to use force to take Somaliland back to Somalia, as badly insensitive, adding that Salad has since made conciliatory statements with regard to Somaliland.

Following the publication of the interview with the Italian diplomats in our daily newspaper Jamhuuriya on Wednesday, the Somaliland government media made harsh attacks on the two ambassadors. "President Egal has never asked the Italians to arrange talks between him and Salad" splashed Maandeeq, the government-owned newspaper.

Meanwhile, Col. Abdullahi Yusuf of Puntland rejected on Wednesday to hold talks with Abdiqassim unless he "agrees to dismantle the government installed as a result of Arta conference", reliable sources said. Abdillahi Yusuf's position was conveyed to Qassim through two Italian diplomats who met with the colonel in Garowe, the capital of the Puntland regional state. Excerpts from our interview with the two Italian ambassadors are published elsewhere in this edition.

In the meanwhile, Qassim Salad said after his return on Wednesday from an Arab summit held in Cairo, that a proposed meeting between him and Egal was still under study. Salad said in a news conference in Mogadishu that though his government had declared its opposition to the secession of Somaliland he was bound however to welcome the mediation efforts of the friendly government of Italy.

BBC Monitoring Service - Oct 28 2000/ Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 28 Oct 2000 /BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

There is no doubt that Italy has been the only European country, since the violent collapse of the former Somalia 9 years ago, to have consistently shown interest in Somali affairs. In fact this Italian concern has not been new. For Italy's association with Somalia goes back to the end of the 19th century during which the scrambling of European powers for the establishment of colonies in Africa reached its peak. By the turn of the 20th century, Italy had already taken control of vast Somali-inhabited territories, later named "Italian Somalia", until following its defeat in Second World War, Italy was forced by the victorious allied countries to disown all its colonial possessions in Africa.

Being sympathetic to Italy's postwar obsession with saving what was left of its national pride, in the aftermath of its humiliating defeat, the victorious white powers agreed in 1950 to let their Italian brethren resume their rule of "Italian Somalia" though this time disguised as a UN Trustee. Demands for independence, shown at the time by people living in ex-Italian Somalia had to be ignored as the allies' strategic interests in the forties lied in appeasing the new ruling class in Italy, even if it were dominated by neo-fascists, rather than recognizing the right of Somalis to exercise their self-determination. Both the US and Britain were keen to get support of neo-fascist forces assumingly to prevent a possible communist takeover in Italy.

Italy has in fact continued to pay a special attention to Somali affairs even after the formation of the independent Somali Republic from the merger of the two separate countries of ex-British Somaliland and ex-Italian Somalia on July 1, 1960. However from Independence Day till now, Italy's involvement in Somali affairs has been awfully troublesome. Italy pursued a policy seeking the perpetuation of its culture through the empowerment of southern elites whose only demonstrable qualification were usually confined to the ability to speak Italian and commit political as well as financial corruption. The concept was based on the idea that southerners should always be at the helm of power in any Somali government. One of the cornerstones of this policy called for under developing Somaliland to make it dependent on Somalia, economically and educationally and thus less likely to secede. That is why only 6-7% of all the international assistance given to the former Somalia was spent on projects in Somaliland.

It is unfortunate to see Italy being driven by the principles of the same old self-centered policy which had already led to the alienation of the majority of Somalis against any further Italian involvement in Somali affairs. While Italy's continued attachment to its former colony of Somalia is understandable, Italian attempts to impose the issue of re-unification on the people of Somaliland is not. Of course it is not in the best interest of Italy to promote a policy which is hostile to the legitimate aspirations of the Somaliland people to gain international recognition for their country. Italy must realize that the failed state of Somalia cannot be revamped. Somaliland has repeatedly announced that it has nothing against Italy per se. Also, Somalilanders have had never shown any allegiance to any particular culture other than their own indigenous one. This might not be the case in Mogadishu, so let it be.

Italy's interest lies in reinstating a government and the rule of law in its former colony of Somalia. Somaliland has already done its homework and certainly needs no lectures from the likes of Abdiqasim or Italian diplomats. For the sake of maintaining Italian culture and prestige in this part of Africa, millions of Somalis need not have to suffer.

Announcement of the new government made to coincide with an infamous day, Oct. 21, 2000 the 31st anniversary of Barre's seizure of power on Oct. 21, 1969.

Mogadishu -- On exactly the 31st anniversary of the day when late dictator Siyad Barre seized power in the former Republic of Somalia through a military coup, a 25-member cabinet, announced Friday by Ali Khalif Galaydh, is expected to meet today in a Hotel located in southern Mogadishu, reliable sources said. High on the agenda of the first meeting of the cabinet will be the tightening of security measures intended for the protection of the lives of cabinet and parliament members following the assassination of General Yusuf Talan near Sahafi Hotel by unidentified gunemen on Wednesday.

Leaflets containing warnings for members of the Arta factional government to leave Mogadishu were also distributed on Thursday, the sources said. Galaydh was himself chosen as "prime minister of Somalia", about 13 days ago, by Abdi-Qassim Salad who together with 245 member parliament was installed by end of August, 2000 as "President of Somalia" in the Arta conference. The nominations of the cabinet members were reportedly made in haste to enable Salad travel to attend a summit by Arab leaders in Cairo at this weekend. Sources close to Salad said "The president had to go outside only when a government was in place in-order to improve his chances of securing substantial financial assistance from rich Arab countries."

Most of the appointed cabinet members are known to have served in either junior or senior positions within the government of dictator Siyad Barre. Both Salad and Galaydh were also close associates of Barre. During his tenure as director general of the sugar industry in the former Somalia, Ali Galaydh has reportedly profiteered from widescale artificial speculations on sugar prices. He was also implicated in receiving handsome kickbacks from Italian companies contracted to build the Mareeray sugar factory in southern Somalia. In 1981, Galaydh fled Somalia by a small plane sent to him by a Somali-born Kenyan businessman. During his flight to Kenya, Galaydh had reportedly carried with him millions of dollars in embezzled government money.

Salad was a member of Siyad Barre's inner-circle cabinet for 21 years. During the massacre of Jazira where about 45 Isaaks were killed in the eighties after being picked up by the government's death squads, Salad was Barre's minister of interior. By the downfall of Siyad Barre in Jan. 1991, Abdi-qassim Salad had already turned a millionaire, most probably through illegal misappropriation of public funds. Before their election by the Arta faction as members of the "Transitional Somali Parliament" both Galaydh and Salad identified themselves as "businessmen".

The post of defense minister went to Abdillahi Boqor Muse (King Kong) of Puntland, while Dahir Sh. Mohamed (Dayah) is to assume the position of interior minister. Sayid Sh. Dahir was named as minister of finance. In the meantime, Abdi-qassim Salad ordered some units of the Islamic courts militia in Mogadishu be sent to the port city of Kismayo. No reasons were given for the deployment of the Islamic courts militiamen in Kismayo.

Djibouti -- Suldan Mohammed Abdul-Qadir one of Somaliland's traditional leaders, said he and his followers have decided to quit the government of Arta faction leader, Abdiqassim Salad. The Somaliland Suldan who during the Arta conference supported the nomination of Abdiqassim as "President of Somalia" said Salad has betrayed the understanding that any future government for Somalia should be based on power-sharing. "Our understanding was that if the southern are given the position of the President, the North would take prime minister portfolio and vice-versa."

In an interview with the Republican yesterday, the Suldan said Isaaks and the Dir will no longer be part of the Parliament. While commenting on a statement given by Qassim on Friday that in priniciple he opposed the secession of Somaliland from the rest of Somalia, Suldan Mohamed responded by saying that the people of Somaliland are free to exercise their right for self-determination. The Suldan said his understanding with Qassim was that the government to be elected in Arta conference was to be a southern one which would then hold talks with their counterparts from Somaliland in order to finalize how future relations between the two countries would be.

"We have been to Arta in order to help broker the establishment of a government in the south" he added. When reminded that Somaliland has made its position clear that there will be no negotiations as long as there was a single Somalilander in Qassim's government, the Suldan replied that there was no problem with that now that all the northerners were ready to make it quits with Qassim. Suldan Mohammed has also said he was highly optimistic that Somaliland will be recognized soon. The Suldan didn't elaborate.

Mogadishu -- General Yusuf Talan was fatally shot-down last Wednesday in Mogadishu in front of the hotel he was staying in. According to eyewitnesses, the Somaliland born military officer was approached by four gunmen near km 4 in southern Mogadishu. He just left Hotel Sahafi where about one hundred delegates returning from the Arta conference were also staying. According to one version, Talan was to get into a car by the gunmen but when he refused they opened fire on him nine times. The area of Sahafi hotel is controlled by the supporters of Eideed as well as Osman Ato. Others said the killing of Talan was purely an assassination carried out to terrorize the Qassim Entourage of supporters.

Talan was a career officer in the now-defunct army of Siyad Barre. During 1988, Talan who at the time held the rank of senior security officer in Berbera, has intervened in many occasions to stop the killing of civilians in the city. In 1991 as the SNM took over, Talan joined the expanded central committee of the organization. Being born in the Samaroon inhabited parts of Awdal, Talan has enthusiastically participated in the preparation of the Borama conference of 1993.

The SNM has expressed condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Yusuf Talan who went to Mogadishu as a supporter of Abdi-Qassim's government.

In an interview with The Republican, yesterday, the Suldan said Isaaks and the Dir will no longer be part of the Parliament. While commenting on a statement given by Qassim on Friday that in priniciple he opposed the secession of Somaliland from the rest of Somalia, Suldan Mohamed responded by saying that the people of Somaliland are free to exercise their right for self-determination. The Suldan said his understanding with Qassim was that the government to be elected in Arta conference was to be a southern one which would then hold talks with their counterparts from Somaliland in order to finalize how future relations between the two countries would be.

"We have been to Arta in order to help broker the establishment of a government in the south" he added. When reminded that Somaliland has made its position clear that there will be no negotiations as long as there was a single Somalilander in Qassim's government, the Suldan replied that there was no problem with that now that all the northerners were ready to make it quits with Qassim. Suldan Mohammed has also said he was highly optimistic that Somaliland will be recognized soon. The Suldan didn't elaborate.

Hargeisa -- Teachers at the two secondary schools of Mohamud Ahmed Ali and Ga'an Libah have complained that the ministry of Education and the Centre for British Teachers (CFBT) had exempted them from receiving a monthly payment of USD 70 drawn by other teachers of their level.

In a letter addressed to president Egal and copied to the Chairman of the House of Elders, the teachers have demanded that they be treated in equal terms with teachers working for other secondary schools who they said receive the monthly $70 allowance. The CFBT is a British NGO which assists secondary education in Somaliland. The CFTB provides the $70 monthly allowance to secondary teachers. Ga'an Libah and Mohamud A. Ali school teachers say they don't know why they have not been included. The payment of allowances to teachers of secondary schools operating in Somaliland started in 1998.

In the meanwhile a last week statement by the first batch of students to graduate from post-war Somaliland Secondary Schools, has criticized the Somaliland government for what it has termed as "failure to fulfill its commitment to send the first 20 students who achieve the highest marks on scholarships abroad". The students said the Ministry of Education has promised to send them for higher education in countries like Egypt, Yemen and others. Instead the Ministry informed that it's responsibility is limited to educational services provided up-to the secondary level, the students added.

Hargeisa -- Ali Dool Ahmed, a Somaliland political activist, better known as Ali Qoryooley was sentenced to 3 years in prison on Sunday by the Hargeisa regional court. Ali Qoryooley was arrested by the police in early August in connection with a political pamphlet he had distributed to members of Somaliland House of Representatives. The pamphlet contained a sharp criticism of President Egal's government. Part of Ali Qoryooley's criticism focused on the way Egal has dealt with Arta conference. Qoryooley also suggested in his writing that the House of Representatives consider removing Egal from his post as President, charging him with gross incompetency.

The Hargeisa regional court judge, Suleiman Ero, ruled that Ali Qoryooley has been found guilty of writing statements ridiculing the President as well as criticizing him for mismanaging public government affairs. The state prosecutor presented 3 witnesses in the court to testify against Ali Qoryooley. Among them was a CID police officer called Abdi Hassan Osman who stated that Ali Qoryooley was arrested because of his distribution of a pamphlet in the House of Representatives meetings hall. The CID officer testified that according to his opinion, Ali Qoryooley's action was intended to disturb the [proceedings] of Parliament.

One of the two other witnesses, an SNM veteran by the name of Maloosh told the court: "I don't see anything criminal in what Ali Qoryooley has written. It's constructive criticism." The third witness Abdi Qodax contended that he didn't know whether Ali Qoryooley made any wrongdoing. The court however upon pronouncing its decision stated that the conviction of Ali Qoryooley has been based on the testimonies of the prosecutor's eyewitnesses. The defendant's lawyer, Rooble Michael, had objected to the prosecutor's demand to try his client under article 230 of the penal code. "This article may be invoked only for cases that may involve capital punishment or imprisonment for life," Roble said in his defense. Rooble also argued that there was nothing wrong with expressing one's opinion.

In a short statement after he was sentenced, Qoryooley said, "I haven't done anything wrong. What I said about Egal is true. Justice has been deliberately mishandled by the judge."

"This assistance is the first of its kind to the judiciary system" Mohamed Haji Saeed, Supreme Court Chairman.

Hargeisa -- The Somali Civil Society program of the UNDP handed over Wednesday a significant amount of office equipment to the Somaliland judiciary system. Courts and custodial corpses in operating in various regions and districts of Somaliland have been provided with computers and printers (a total of 8 units) photo-copier machines (a total of 8 units) and type-writers (total of 22 pieces). The equipment has been purchased with funds provided through the SCPP by the Italian, Oxfam Canada, the US government and the UNDP.

According to Jab Swart, manager of the SCPP, further support in the form of training will be given to the judiciary branch. In this respect a training workshop will be held on Nov 7-9, 2000. On the conclusion of this workshop, the SCPP is expected to distribute total of law books to judges and lawyers. Private legal counselors will also have access to to SCPP assistance. The SCPP however would only channel such a kind of assistance through an association to be established by the country's lawyers soon.

The handing over ceremony of the capacity building support was held in the Supreme Court building in Hargeisa. The Supreme Court Chairman, Mohamed Haji Saeed, who formally took delivery of the equipment thanked the SCPP for their support. "The assistance is the first of its kind to be given to Somaliland's judiciary system" he said. Saeed said Somaliland courts have been operational long before any assistance has been received from donor agencies: "This is the first time that any international organization has come to give resources to the courts and I hope that other organizations would take practical steps towards providing meaningful support to our independent Judiciary system in the same way the SCPP has done."

Somaliland minister of Justice Ahmed H Aafi, Attorney General Hussein Abdi Qalib and Custodial Corpses Commander Mohamed Jibril Abdi were also present at the occasion.

Hargeisa -- An Ethiopian delegation led by Hayle Zalasa Malaz, a senior government official responsible for commercial transport and coastal development has arrived in Somaliland on 8 October, 2000. The aim of the delegation of four members is related to laying the groundwork for a multi-sided cooperation between Somaliland and Ethiopia. According to a Somaliland Government spokesman, the delegation will be here for 8 days during which they will meet with some government agencies, particularly those responsible for the economy, commerce and transport.

The Ethiopian delegation is a technical team that is making a survey and study on aspects of commercial transportation, ports and the like. They will study the port of Berbera and the roads connecting Somaliland and Ethiopia, in order to prepare the blueprint of a cooperation between the two countries. This visit, the first of its kind this year, is part of continuing activities and contacts that were taking place for the last several years between the two governments of Somaliland and Ethiopia. Ethiopia, is interested to see if Berbera can replace the Eritrean ports which it used before the recent war between the two countries has erupted. The Ethiopians are known to have made studies on the security situation, conditions of roads, and the quality of management and services at Berbera port.

The Ethiopian delegation met with the minister of commerce, Rashid Haji Abdillahi who on 9 October briefed the council of ministers on the delegation's visit. The delegation is also to meet with the ministers of of finance and public works and the Bank of Somaliland. On 11 October, the delegation went to Berbera to get familiarized with the port, which together with the roads linking the two countries is the delegation's main focus. The delegation examined the port, the fuel tanks and shipping line agencies. Briefing the delegation, the port manager told them "our facilities and services are up-to-date now and the port can compete with any port in the region."

On 12 October, the delegation examined the condition of the main road from Berbera through Hargeisa to Kala-baid and Wajale at the border between Somaliland and Ethiopia. This road from Berbera to Kala-baid is covered tarmac and in fairly good condition. During the civil war in the former Somali Republic, the road suffered extensive damage, including the blowing up of many bridges. But extensive repair work including the rebuilding of all the bridges is in progress through a project financed by the EC. Only the final 20 km of this road from Kala-baid to Wajale on the Ethiopian border is unpaved which causes trouble to transport during the rainy season.

Since June 1999 food aid for Ethiopia have continuously been passing through the port of Berbera. From there, Somaliland commercial trucks transited the food consignments to Shiniile, Jigjiga and other places in eastern Ethiopia. So far this year, the sixth ship carrying food supplies intended for Ethiopia is now anchored at Berbera port. Since this transit food has started coming through Berbera to Ethiopia only one problem has come to light. The Somaliland forwarding and unloading companies as well as the transport owners have continuously complained about the inefficiency of the unloading methods at the Shiniile stores. Long waiting to discharge their loads causes delays and other problems for truck drivers and their vehicles.

According to our reporter in Berbera although the contracting companies and truck owners put their complaints to the Ethiopian authorities, so far nothing has been done about the problem. It is reported that at times 500 trucks could be waiting to be unloaded at Shiniile. Truck drivers also reported that when they encounter problems including accidents on Ethiopian roads, they sometimes do not get any emergency assistance.

Finding a library in Somalia is no easy trick. In fact, there is only one -- in the desert city of Hargeysa. That makes it even more surprising to discover the Canadian flag displayed on one wall, above piles of old books and magazines. Mahad Yusuf Ismail, the library's founder and benefactor, came to Canada in 1986, and, he says, worked with the Ontario government until he was laid off in 1995. He decided to put his separation pay to work for his impoverished east African homeland. "I thought I'd make a difference," said Mahad, "by bringing books." He placed ads in Canadian newspapers asking people to donate used books. The response: nearly 5,000 books, enough to fill 200 boxes. By the time he shipped hem home and opened his library, he had spent $ 17,000.

The facility, open six days a week, has seating for 45. But close to 80 people regularly show up, so those who can't find seats sit on the floor while they read. Mahad hopes to eventually circulate the books in the community and, with so many patrons, to expand. "So," said Mahad, "we will be coming to Canada to get more books."

Abstract: President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal on Monday [23rd October] received at the presidency Recoveri and Sciortino, the Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia respectively. The envoys were in Hargeysa to mediate between President Egal and Abdiqasim [Salad Hasan, Somali president].
President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal on Monday [23rd October] received at the presidency Recoveri and Sciortino, the Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia respectively. The envoys were in Hargeysa to mediate between President Egal and Abdiqasim [Salad Hasan, Somali president].

When the ambassadors told the president about their mission, the president got angry and said: "President Ismael Umar Gelleh [of Djibouti] and Abdiqasim have planned to destroy Somaliland, therefore I should not be expected to betray my people by engaging in dialogue with the man who claims to be Somalia's president.

President Egal termed as a lie reports attributed to Sciortino that he [Egal] had requested the Italian envoys to arrange talks between himself and Abdiqasim...

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 26 Oct 00 p 1

Abstract: Six thousand Somaliland refugees have arrived in Boorama District from the Dir Wanaje [phonetic] refugee camp in south-eastern Ethiopia in the past four days.
Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 26 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC
Six thousand Somaliland refugees have arrived in Boorama District from the Dir Wanaje [phonetic] refugee camp in south-eastern Ethiopia in the past four days.

The repatriation of the refugees, who are from the country's north- western and Awdal regions, were conducted by the UNHCR. One hundred lorries and 50 personnel were involved in the repatriation. The returnees were welcomed in Boorama by UNHCR and local officials.

Repatriation of more Somaliland refugees from Ow-Barre refugee camp in south-eastern Ethiopia is expected next week.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 26 Oct 00

BYLINE: OSMAN HASSAN

A delegation of foreign diplomats has failed to bridge the gap between Somalia's new government and the leaders of the northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland, officials said Wednesday.

Puntland's leader, Col. Abdullahi Yussuf, will meet Somali President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan only if all the decisions made at a peace conference in neighboring Djibouti are annulled, Puntland officials, who did not want to be identified, said.

Hassan and a 245-member assembly Somalia's first government since 1991 were elected during the conference in the town of Arta.

Over the past three days, Italy's special envoy to Somalia, Francesco Sciortino, and Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, Teshome Toga, have toured the two recalcitrant regions in an attempt to gain their support for the new government and assembly.

Both Yussuf, and Somaliland's leader, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, have opposed the Djibouti initiative from the outset of the conference in May and refused to recognize the new administration.

In a statement Tuesday, Egal said Somaliland would retain its independence which is self-declared and not internationally recognized but he said he was willing for Sciortino to act as a mediator between him and Hassan.

Somaliland and Puntland have set up their own administrations and created a semblance of order, and many observers see their support as vital to the credibility of the new government.

Yussuf opposed the Djibouti conference because it did not involve a number of faction leaders.

Egal has said his administration will talk to the new assembly once peace was restored to the south, but only as ''two governments.''

Somalia, which gained independence in 1960 by joining the former Italian colony of Somalia to British Somaliland, descended into chaos and has had no central authority since opposition leaders joined forces to oust dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. The country has since been run by faction leaders who turned the nation in to armed fiefdoms.

The most difficult task facing the new government, which returned to Mogadishu last week, is dealing with faction leaders opposed to the Djibouti process and disarming thousands of gunmen, many loyal to faction leaders.

The election of Hassan and assembly members has stirred a flurry of activity and debate and has raised the specter of continued violence if they do not obtain widespread acceptance.

The officials in Puntland said some faction leaders, including those who oppose Hassan, were meeting in Garoe, the regional capital, Wednesday, with more expected.

There have also been reports of a build-up of Ethiopian troops in the central regions of Bay and Bakol.

Ethiopian forces have been in the regions for several years and helped the Rahanwein Resistance Army, a clan-based faction, to take control of the area in 1998.

Ethiopia, a majority Christian country that shares a border with Somalia and has a large population of ethnic Somalis, is concerned about attacks by Somalia-based Muslim fundamentalists.

The president of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal and the president of Somalia, Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, have both asked the Italian government to mediate between the two sides, the Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia [Marcello] Ricoveri and the Italian ambassador to Somalia [Francesco] Sciortini have announced.

In an exclusive interview with ` Jamhuuriya and `The Republican', the envoys, who are currently in Somaliland on a visit that would last several days, explained the purpose of their visit and why they were seeking to mediate between Egal and Abdiqasim.

The comment by the envoys is a reaction to a statement issued by the Somaliland presidency following the meeting between Egal and the two Italian ambassadors at the presidency [in Hargeysa]. In the statement, President Egal said among the issues he discussed with the Italian diplomats was the issue of the pressure from the Italian government on him to begin talks with the Abdiqasim administration.

The two diplomats however denied the claim, saying the purpose of their visit to Somaliland was not to put pressure on the Egal government but to act as go-between between Egal and Abdiqasim.

"Although the statement contained the gist of our discussions with President Egal, the purpose of our visit to Somaliland was not to put pressure on Somaliland. It was President Egal himself who called on us, the Italian government, for advice and for mediation with Abdiqasim. Abdiqasim, for his part, also made similar requests and asked us to convey his desire for talks to Egal," the Italian envoys said...

"Lately, Abdiqasim has been making conciliatory statements towards Somaliland. He wants Somalis to end their differences through talks and by peaceful means," the envoys added.

"In the past, both President Egal and President Abdiqasim disregarded each other, but it now appears that both sides have recognized the existence of the other and no one can ignore the two realities, the said.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 25 Oct 00 p 1

Abstract: The interim president of Somalia, Dr Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, who returned recently from Egypt, has announced that the interim government of Somalia is ready for talks with all those concerned and interested in the affairs of the Somali people.
Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 25 Oct 00 p 3/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

The interim president of Somalia, Dr Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, who returned recently from Egypt, has announced that the interim government of Somalia is ready for talks with all those concerned and interested in the affairs of the Somali people. Abdiqasim said he was particularly keen to have talks with [Somaliland President Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal.

Asked about the current initiative by the Italian government to mediate and organize a meeting between Egal and the interim government of Somalia, Abdiqasim said: "I will only respond once we know the details of the talks between Egal and the [Italian] envoys. Mediation or no mediation, we have long decided [to have talks]. If a friendly country feels responsible and keen to help Somalis come closer together, that is a good thing, but we must first get the correct facts. As they say, decisions are best made only after the facts are known."...

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 25 Oct 00 p 3

Abstract: The administration of Muhammad Ibrahim Egal [Somaliland] has said that it would never hold talks with [Somalia's] President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan as long as the latter disregarded Somaliland's secession and existence.
Full Text: Ayaamaha , Mogadishu, in Somali 24 Oct 00 p 2/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The administration of Muhammad Ibrahim Egal [Somaliland] has said that it would never hold talks with [Somalia's] President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan as long as the latter disregarded Somaliland's secession and existence.

This report follows a recent visit by the Italian ambassadors to Ethiopia and Somalia to Hargeysa to mediate and effect a reconciliation between the two leaders.

"[Djibouti's] Ismael Omar Gelleh and Abdiqasim want to take us back to the where we stated", said a statement by the president of the self-declared republic to the press. He said he was ready for any talks organized by the Italian government.

Credit: Ayaamaha , Mogadishu, in Somali 24 Oct 00 p 2

Abstract: We joined Somalia in the '60s without any agreement thinking that when the five regions [northeastern Kenya, southwestern Ethiopia, Djibouti, Italian Somaliland and present Somaliland] joined to form Greater Somalia an agreement would be reached on how to share [power]. Since the issue of Greater Somalia has long since died we see no reason why you are insisting on a link between Hargeysa and Mogadishu. We chose to join Mogadishu before but have now decided to reclaim our independence, said the president, adding, "The fact that Somalia has included in their government some individuals who are natives of Somaliland poses no problem to us. This will not change the republic of Somaliland's position regarding its independence...
Full Text: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 23 Oct 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

"The Italians should accept our word and not think of the impossible. We are committed to the decision made in 1991. Never expect that I will sit with this man who says since Somaliland participated in the Arta conference he will use force if it refuses to join Mogadishu [rest of Somalia]."

These are the words of a visibly displeased Somaliland president during talks with the Italian ambassadors to Somalia and Ethiopia in his office. [Francesco] Sciortini [Italian ambassador to Somalia] said he had come with his delegation to discuss the outcome of the Arta process. [Muhamad Ibrahim] Egal told him: "President [Ismael Omar] Gelleh and Abdiqasim [Salad Hasan] have decided to destroy Somaliland. It is impossible and it should never be expected that I will lie to my people and tell them to hold talks with this man who says he is Somalia's president, who wants to divide us and destroy what we have built and turn a blind eye to the fact that Abdiqasim was the internal affairs minister when our people who had committed no crimes were massacred in Jazira [south of Mogadishu]."

The president urged the Italians to understand Somaliland's position. He said he did not think it was necessary for him to keep repeating the same political pronouncements and that his stand should be clear to the Italians. The fact is that it is impossible for the Italians to be oblivious of the reality and to treat Somaliland as a province or a breakaway region from Somalia, since they colonized Somalia and know that Somalia was made up of two states that later joined.

We joined Somalia in the '60s without any agreement thinking that when the five regions [northeastern Kenya, southwestern Ethiopia, Djibouti, Italian Somaliland and present Somaliland] joined to form Greater Somalia an agreement would be reached on how to share [power]. Since the issue of Greater Somalia has long since died we see no reason why you are insisting on a link between Hargeysa and Mogadishu. We chose to join Mogadishu before but have now decided to reclaim our independence, said the president, adding, "The fact that Somalia has included in their government some individuals who are natives of Somaliland poses no problem to us. This will not change the republic of Somaliland's position regarding its independence...

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 23 Oct 00 p 1

Abstract: Suldaan Muhammad Suldaan Abdiqadir [prominent clan elder from the Isaq community in Somaliland], who is currently in Djibouti, has contacted us on telephone to disclose his decision to renounce his seat in the [Somali] parliament recently set up in Arta [Djibouti]....
Full Text: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 21 Oct 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

Suldaan Muhammad Suldaan Abdiqadir [prominent clan elder from the Isaq community in Somaliland], who is currently in Djibouti, has contacted us on telephone to disclose his decision to renounce his seat in the [Somali] parliament recently set up in Arta [Djibouti].

Explaining the reasons for his decision, the elder accused [President] Abdiqasim of going back on his pledge to form a government for the south and then later conduct talks with the northwestern territory [Somaliland]...

Asked whether he was planning to come back to Somaliland, Suldaan Muhammad said he would return but said he did not know when. He said he would also visit Mogadishu...
Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 21 Oct 00 p 1

Abstract: An Italian delegation led by the Italian ambassador to Ethiopia yesterday arrived in Hargeysa, reports from Hargeysa, the seat of the self-proclaimed...
Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 22 Oct 00 p 2/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

An Italian delegation led by the Italian ambassador to Ethiopia yesterday arrived in Hargeysa, reports from Hargeysa, the seat of the self-proclaimed government of Somaliland, say.

No more details are known about the purpose of the delegation's visit and the subject of their talks with [President Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 22 Oct 00 p 2

Abstract: Meanwhile, Garaad Abshir [prominent clan elder] has travelled to Buuhoodle to try and mediate in the dispute between the two groups.
Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 22 Oct 00 p 2/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

At least four people were killed and an unknown number of others injured yesterday when two groups clashed in Buuhoodle District [southern Somaliland] following a land dispute.

Meanwhile, Garaad Abshir [prominent clan elder] has travelled to Buuhoodle to try and mediate in the dispute between the two groups.
Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 22 Oct 00 p 2

I am writing in the hope of clarifying some misunderstanding that have been voiced in your paper (Saturday October 14th) concerning CFBT's support to secondary education in Somaliland. In 1998 our organization was asked to manage a project which would help develop six secondary schools in Somaliland. The project was funded by the European Union and the donor initially agreed to support one school in Hargeisa (Farah Omar), one school in Gabiley (Time Adde), one school in Awdal region (Sh. Ali Jawhar) and also to help develop two other schools in Sahil and Togdheer. This choice was based on the donor's wish to spread the benefits of the project across at least four regions rather than concentrating resources in Hargeisa. When planning and budgeting for this project no other schools were named and as far as we were aware there were no plans to open others. However, there was then a considerable delay of over a year before the project was implemented.

When implementing the project, it was agreed after negotiations to include 26th June, but the donor specified that no further schools could be included in the first phase of the project as the funds would not be sufficient. This was in March 1999 and the first salary supplements of $70 were paid to teachers in May 1999. As previously agreed, this supplement was then reduced to $60 and will be withdrawn at the end of the two-year project. In addition to paying the salary supplements, CFBT has provided in-service training for teachers, guidance on the development of the curriculum and the examination system and has recently provided the schools with textbooks for use in the classroom. Anyhow the ministry has asked, that if a new phase is agreed, existing schools be given greater equality of access to the materials and training provided.

Although in this phase, the project has not been able to pay any salary supplement to additional schools, we have managed to provide training to secondary teachers and sets of textbooks to all schools both new and old. During the last eighteen months we have witnessed an enormous expansion in secondary education as the number of schools has increased from five to fifteen. CFBT is eager to do everything it can to assist the Ministry of Education in developing quality education at secondary level but, obviously we are only able to work within the provisions of our budget.

Most of the people who have been suspected of taking part in the genocide crimes committed under Siyad Barre's regime during the eighties against civilians in Somaliland, are known to be still at large with no possibility in sight yet for bringing the perpetrators to justice. One of the major obstacles that have been rendering any calls or attempts for invoking international or national criminal prosecution of those suspected of inflicting death and destruction on Somalilanders during the dictatorship ineffective, is that many of today's most powerful countries had been Barre's accomplices in the mass-killings that took place here. Moreover, the widesperead atrocities and human rights violations in Somaliland were actually committed during the height of the last two decades of the cold war era.

Under the circumstances, one of Africa's most extensive brutalities passed without being noticed by much of the world due to the lack of the kind of publicity given more recently by the international media to other similar situations such as in Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor. Another factor as to why justice has not been administered with regard to Somaliland's case is that by the time Siyad Barre's regime collapsed in Jan 1991, most of the individuals who would have been brought to stand trial for their crimes had already fled the country and were later given political asylum in so many different countries in the world though mainly in West Europe, North America and the Middle East.

In Somaliland where it is now ten years since Barre's regime was toppled, hundreds of thousands of surviving victims of repression are still unable to come to terms with the cruel reality of realizing in every other day that their former oppressors remain free and on the loose. And in a country where over 2/3 of households have at least lost a loved one or been victims of systematic acts of humiliation, torture and extortion because of their political views and tribal identity, it is not hard to notice the agonizing effects produced by the feelings of bitterness, helplessness as well as guilt that the majority of Somalilanders have to go through in their daily lives as they become reminded of the impunity that those responsible for causing their suffering continue to enjoy. We believe that the international community should realize that there is a compelling need for establishing accountability for the mass-killings that have happened in this country.

Independent international experts have already testified to the existence of mass-graves, dating back to Barre's days in power, in the proximity of Hargeisa alone. Why not investigate further and establish an international tribunal to try the perpetrators of such crimes? After all isn't this step necessary for starting a real healing process in self of every every victim?

The exclusion of Somalilanders from exercising their legal rights under the norms of the international law, normally applied to war crimes or crimes against humanity situations, had even been extended to include denial of the universal right of self-determination to the whole Somaliland people as has been witnessed in the recent UN supported conference at Arta. There, by the instigation of UN secretary general's representative for Somalia, David Stephen, and under the watchful eyes of representatives of the international community, the Republic of Somaliland came under repeated attacks and condemnations by scores of personalities long considered among the key figures suspected of being behind genocide crimes committed in this country. Encouraged by the failure of the international community to speak out against their background, these mass-murderers sought, with the blessing of the UN and Djibouti's dictator, making a come-back in the Somali political scene. The effort culminated in success by the installation of Qassim Salad and Ali Galaydh at the head of a so-called "Transitional Government of Somalia" dominated by cronies of the late dictator.

When it comes to Somalia, we believe that the international community erred again by accepting to sponsor schemes for conferring political legitimacy on the wrong people, often former associates of Barre. No wonder why all the previous attempts to install a ready-made government in Somalia have drastically failed. We believe that the time has been overdue for the international community to try correcting its past mistakes in dealing with the failed state of Somalia.

Of all things, world governments should refrain from giving legitimacy to power-hungry elements such as Qassim and Galaydh who as a matter of fact should have been made to pay, through the due process of law, for the enormous crimes they allegedly have committed against innocent Somalis during their long service as senior cabinet-ministers in Siyad Barre's cabinet.

Mansoor Hotel, Saturday, 21st October 8:30-12:30

In response to requests, Progressive Interventions as part of the MAPPS project is hosting its first Investor Workshop at the Mansoor on the morning of Saturday 21st October. The workshop is intended to be a forum for new business ideas and opportunities in Somaliland. The organizers are hoping to encourage debate on how to translate new and inventive business ideas into effective and successful business. And the sooner the better.

PI has helped a number of businesses to develop and expand their markets and it wants to see many more do the same. It also wants to link investors to the people who have the ideas. As many people are aware, Somaliland represents vast possibilities, let's make them happen.

The human rights group Horn Watch has also appealed to Somaliland President Egal to take measures for either bringing Ali Qoryoolay to trial or release him immediately from imprisonment. Ali Qoryoolay an often critic of the Egal government, was detained by the Somaliland security forces about 3 weeks ago. Relatives and friends said they were not allowed to visit the prisoner who is being kept in solitary confinement and under hard conditions, according to a report by Horn Watch.

Ali Qoryoolay had reportedly distributed last month a letter critical of President Egal's performance to members of the Somaliland House of Representatives. Horn Watch said the continued detention of Qoryoolay without trial is unlawful and violates the constitution of Somaliland (articles 26 and 31) as well as the universal declaration of human rights. Horn Watch described the imprisonment conditions of Ali Qoryoolay as follows: "He has been segregated from other prisoners and kept in a small cell, rejected all visits and banned from press reading and listening to Radio."

Horn Watch has reminded the Somaliland President that it is unlawful to subject human beings to torture or to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment. The Representatives also said the government is violating the constituional rights of individuals to express their opinions and views freely. In the meanwhile the SNM has condemned the arrest of Ali Qoryoolay and demanded his immediate release. In the meantime a "free Ali Qoryoolay" drive is gaining momentum amongst Somaliland Youth particularly among SNM veteran groups.

By Mohammed Eggeh Killeh, Candle Light NGO Ecologist
1. Whatever God has created in this universe was created in due proportion and measure both quantitatively and qualitatively. God says "Verily, all things have we created by measure" and says "Everything to Him is measured." God says, "...And produced therein all kinds of things in due balance". In the universe there is diversity and variety of forms, colours and functions. In the universe and its various elements there is fulfillment of man's interests and evidence of the Creator's greatness; He it is who ascertains and determines all things, and there is not a thing he has created but celebrates and declares his praise. "He who has spread out the earth for you and enables you to go about therein by roads (and channels) and has sent down water from the sky. With it have we produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others. Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle; verily, in this are signs for men endowed with understanding."

Man is part of this universe, whose elements are complementary to one another in an integrated whole. However, man is a distinct part of the universe and has a special position among the other parts of the universe. The relation between man and the universe, as defined and clarified in the Glorious Quran, is as follows:

a)A relationship of utilization, development and subjugation of man's benefit and for the fulfillment of his interests.

b)A relationship of meditation on, and consideration and contemplation of, the universe and what it contains.

2. God's wisdom has ordained to grant man inheritance on earth. Therefore, in addition to being part of the earth and part of the universe, man is also the executor of God's injunctions and commands. And as such he is only a mere manager of the earth and not a proprietor; a beneficiary and not a disposer or ordainer. Man has been granted inheritance to manage and utilize the earth for his benefit, and for the fulfillment of his interests. He, therefore, has to keep, maintain and preserve it honestly, and has to act within the limits dictated by honesty.

3. God has granted all of us the inheritance of all sources of life and resources of nature. Thus, the utilization and sustainable use of these resources is, in Islam, the right and privilege of all people. Hence, man should take every precaution to ensure the interests and rights of all others since they are equal partners on earth. Similarly, he should not regard such ownership and such use as restricted to one generation above all other generations. It is rather a joint ownership in which each generation uses and makes the best use of nature, according to its need, without disputing or upsetting the interest of future generations. Therefore, man should not abuse, misuse, or distort the natural resources as each generation is entitled to benefit from them but is not entitled to own them permanently.

4. The right to utilize and subjugate natural resources, which God has endowed upon man, necessarily involves a commitment on man's part to conserve them both quantitatively and qualitatively. God has, indeed, created all the sources of life and resources of nature so that man may realize the following objectives:

a)Contemplation and worship; b)Inhabitation and construction; c) Utilization; d) Enjoyment and appreciation of beauty.

It follows that man should not distort the environment because it must remain permanently suitable for human life and settlement. Nor should he use natural resources irrationally or in such a way to destroy or spoil their habitats and food bases.

5. The attitude of Islam to the environment, the sources of life and the resources of nature is a positive attitude in as much as it is based on protection and prohibition of abuse and destruction; it is also based on construction and development. This is clear in the idea of revival and restoration or recovery of lands through agriculture, cultivation and construction. God says, "It is he who hath produced from the earth and settled you herein". The prophet (God bless him and grant him peace) says, "On Doomsday, if anyone has a palm shoot in hand, he should plant it."

This positive attitude involves taking measures to improve all aspects of life: hygienic, nutritive and psychological, for man's benefit and the maintenance of his welfare and well-being, as well as for the betterment of life for all future generations.

In Hargeisa alone 53,105 children aged 5 years and under were vaccinated. Over 300 teams of vaccinators covered urban, rural and nomadic areas bringing the polio vaccine to as many children as possible. Women's umbrella organizations took part in Hargeisa, Berbera, Borama and Burao giving communities information and answering questions bout the campaign before the vaccinations started.

Polio, a disease that has paralysed between an estimated 10 million and 20 million people around the world, is on the verge of being eradicated but only if global efforts are maintained. Somaliland is one of only 30 regions in the world where polio is still endemic. The NIDs campaign, which mobilizes a whole country to administer supplementary doses of polio vaccine to cut transmission rates, is a key component of the global strategy to eradicate polio by the year 2000.

The campaign has become even more urgent because of new cases of polio identified in some parts of Somalia. The threat of re-introduction remains high because of cross-border traffic between Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. Many collaborators included the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information and Public Awareness, local authorities, elders, imams, women's groups, local business, non-governmental organizations and international agencies who all played their part in ensuring the success of NIDs. The second round will be on 14th, 15th, 16th October and the third final round for this year will be on 14th, 15th, and 16th November.

Dr. William Sprague, Director of Rotary International, one of the major partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, also visited Somaliland early this week to take part in the NIDs. Rotary International, WHO, CDC and UNICEF unveiled a symbolic countdown clock in New York last month. Donated by international watchmaker OMEGA, it will tick down the number of seconds remaining until the certification deadline at the end of 2005, as well as tracking the decreasing number of polio cases around the world. The number has dropped by 95% since 1988, with roughly 7,000 reported cases in 1999. The countdown clock will be on display at the United Nations until the world is certified polio-free.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Busola Campbell, Polio Eradication Focal Point, Soltelco 3030 and Dr. Ali Abdillahi, Ministry of Health and Labour, Soltelco 3030

Hargeisa : The Somali Civil Society program of the UNDP handed over Wednesday a significant amount of office equipment to the Somaliland judiciary system. Courts and custodial corpses in operating in various regions and districts of Somaliland have been provided with computers and printers (a total of 8 units) photo-copier machines (a total of 8 units) and type-writers (total of 22 pieces). The equipment has been purchased with funds provided through the SCPP by the Italian, Oxfam Canada, the US government and the UNDP.

According to Jab Swart, manager of the SCPP, further support in the form of training will be given to the judiciary branch. In this respect a training workshop will be held on Nov 7-9, 2000. On the conclusion of this workshop, the SCPP is expected to distribute total of 42 law books to judges and lawyers. Private legal counselors will also have access to to SCPP assistance. The SCPP however would only channel such a kind of assistance through an association to be established by the country's lawyers soon.

The handing over ceremony of the capacity building support was held in the Supreme Court building in Hargeisa. The Supreme Court Chairman, Mohamed Haji Saeed, who formally took delivery of the equipment thanked the SCPP for their support. "The assistance is the first of its kind to be given to Somaliland's judiciary system" he said. Saeed said Somaliland courts have been operational long before any assistance has been received from donor agencies: "This is the first time that any international organization has come to give resources to the courts and I hope that other organizations would take practical steps towards providing meaningful support to our independent Judiciary system in the same way the SCPP has done."

Somaliland minister of Justice Ahmed H Aafi, Attorney General Hussein Abdi Qalib and Custodial Corps Commander Mohamed Jibril Abdi were also present at the occasion.

The Ethiopian delegation is a technical team that is making a survey and study on aspects of commercial transportation, ports and the like. They will study the port of Berbera and the roads connecting Somaliland and Ethiopia, in order to prepare the blueprint of a cooperation between the two countries. This visit, the first of its kind this year, is part of continuing activities and contacts that were taking place for the last several years between the two governments of Somaliland and Ethiopia. Ethiopia, is interested to see if Berbera can replace the Eritrean ports which it used before the recent war between the two countries has erupted. The Ethiopians are known to have made studies on the security situation, conditions of roads, and the quality of management and services at Berbera port.

The Ethiopian delegation met with the minister of commerce, Rashid Haji Abdillahi who on 9 October briefed the council of ministers on the delegation's visit. The delegation is also to meet with the ministers of of finance and public works and the Bank of Somaliland. On 11 October, the delegation went to Berbera to get familiarized with the port, which together with the roads linking the two countries is the delegation's main focus. The delegation examined the port, the fuel tanks and shipping line agencies. Briefing the delegation, the port manager told them "our facilities and services are up-to-date now and the port can compete with any port in the region."

On 12 October, the delegation examined the condition of the main road from Berbera through Hargeisa to Kala-baid and Wajale at the border between Somaliland and Ethiopia. This road from Berbera to Kala-baid is covered tarmac and in fairly good condition. During the civil war in the former Somali Republic, the road suffered extensive damage, including the blowing up of many bridges. But extensive repair work including the rebuilding of all the bridges is in progress through a project financed by the EC. Only the final 20 km of this road from Kala-baid to Wajale on the Ethiopian border is unpaved which causes trouble to transport during the rainy season.

Since June 1999 food aid for Ethiopia have continuously been passing through the port of Berbera. From there, Somaliland commercial trucks transited the food consignments to Shiniile, Jigjiga and other places in eastern Ethiopia. So far this year, the sixth ship carrying food supplies intended for Ethiopia is now anchored at Berbera port. Since this transit food has started coming through Berbera to Ethiopia only one problem has come to light. The Somaliland forwarding and unloading companies as well as the transport owners have continuously complained about the inefficiency of the unloading methods at the Shiniile stores. Long waiting to discharge their loads causes delays and other problems for truck drivers and their vehicles.

According to our reporter in Berbera although the contracting companies and truck owners put their complaints to the Ethiopian authorities, so far nothing has been done about the problem. It is reported that at times 500 trucks could be waiting to be unloaded at Shiniile. Truck drivers also reported that when they encounter problems including accidents on Ethiopian roads, they sometimes do not get any emergency assistance.

In a letter addressed to president Egal and copied to the Chairman of the House of Elders, the teachers have demanded that they be treated in equal terms with teachers working for other secondary schools who they said receive the monthly $70 allowance. The CFBT is a British NGO which assists secondary education in Somaliland. The CFTB provides the $70 monthly allowance to secondary teachers. Ga'an Libah and Mohamud A. Ali school teachers say they don't know why they have not been included. The payment of allowances to teachers of secondary schools operating in Somaliland started in 1998.

In the meanwhile a last week statement by the first batch of students to graduate from post-war Somaliland Secondary Schools, has criticized the Somaliland government for what it has termed as "failure to fulfill its commitment to send the first 20 students who achieve the highest marks on scholarships abroad". The students said the Ministry of Education has promised to send them for higher education in countries like Egypt, Yemen and others. Instead the Ministry informed that it's responsibility is limited to educational services provided up-to the secondary level, the students added.

Abstract: Fagareh, who is currently in Washington, said Somaliland should be recognized as a separate entity instead of slumping it together with the rest of Somalia whose newly-elected government in Djibouti could not carry out any work or go to Somalia.
Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 11 Oct 00 p 3/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

The foreign minister of the Muhammad Ibrahim Egal administration [Somaliland], Mahmud Muhammad Salih Nur Fagareh, has said he will request the American government to recognize the breakaway republic just as it recognized East Timor and Kosovo.

Fagareh, who is currently in Washington, said Somaliland should be recognized as a separate entity instead of slumping it together with the rest of Somalia whose newly-elected government in Djibouti could not carry out any work or go to Somalia. He said Somaliland had managed to establish functioning governmental institutions and its people had attained peace and social development.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 11 Oct 00 p 3

Abstract: The demonstration, attended by people from all sections of local community, was also in support of the appointment of Ali Khalif Galayr as prime minister of Somalia.
Full Text: Radio Banaadir, Mogadishu, in Somali 1700 11 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

A huge demonstration in support of Somali MPs returning to the country was held in Buhoodle District, Togdheer Region [all place names in Somaliland].

The demonstration, attended by people from all sections of local community, was also in support of the appointment of Ali Khalif Galayr as prime minister of Somalia. The protesters shouted slogans calling for the Somali unity and wishing the new government a success.

This is the second time in a week a demonstration has been held in Sool and Togdheer regions, north-western Somalia.
Credit: Radio Banaadir, Mogadishu, in Somali 1700 11 Oct 00

Abstract: [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal administration's defence minister has cautioned the newly-created Somali government and Djibouti not to use force against Somaliland.

Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 09 Oct 00 p 4/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

[Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal administration's defence minister has cautioned the newly-created Somali government and Djibouti not to use force against Somaliland.

The minister who was speaking during the passing out parade of about 500 soldiers who had completed a six-month training said Somaliland will close its borders with Somalia and Djibouti and that the new recruits will be posted to the frontiers.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 09 Oct 00 p 4

Abstract: The vice-president of the Somaliland Republic, Dahir Riyaleh Kahin, today presided over a pass out parade by 500 army recruits who completed their training.

Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The vice-president of the Somaliland Republic, Dahir Riyaleh Kahin, today presided over a pass out parade by 500 army recruits who completed their training.

The ceremony, held at the Dararweyne military training camp, was also attended by ministers of defence and information as well as commander of the army. The vice-president urged the soldiers to discharge their responsibilities diligently, maintain high standard of discipline and defend their national sovereignty...
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00

Abstract: The president of the Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, today issued a decree appointing Mahmud Muhammad Warsameh alias Dagaweyneh new commissioner of police, and Dahir Ismael...
Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The president of the Somaliland Republic, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, today issued a decree appointing Mahmud Muhammad Warsameh alias Dagaweyneh new commissioner of police, and Dahir Ismael Ali his deputy. The president made the appointments after considering the importance of the posts and after consultation with the minister of internal affairs and other relevant individuals...

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00

Abstract: A large Ethiopian delegation led by Mokanen Abera [phonetic, rank unknown] arrived at the Hargeysa airport today.
Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

A large Ethiopian delegation led by Mokanen Abera [phonetic, rank unknown] arrived at the Hargeysa airport today. The delegation, on a eight-day visit to Somaliland, was received on arrival by the minister of commerce, the minister of state for foreign affairs and the Hargeysa mayor.

The purpose of the delegation's visit is to hold talks with Somaliland officials on matters pertaining to bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and road transport. The delegation will hold talks with officials of ministries of foreign affairs, commerce, general works, finance, chambers of commerce Berbera port the central bank and Hargeysa mayor...

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 8 Oct 00

As its name depicts, the film also portrays the SNM armed uprising (1981-1991) against Siyad Barre's dictatorship and the complete devastation that Somaliland has suffered in the hands of the former government forces. These topics and others are covered in the first part of the film. The length is 60 minutes including 7 minutes time space spared for advertisements by the local business community and other entities.

The struggle of the Somaliland people for restoring peace, realizing national reconciliation and rebuilding their shattered lives from the scratch is all told in the second part of the film. The film has been originally funded by a South African documentary film-making group (Renaissance). It has been produced by Zhij Films of Zimbabwi.

Members of the Somaliland business community who wish to place advertisements in the film are welcomed. Requests will have to be channeled through Saed Abdulqadir, Mansoor Hotel. The film is scheduled for first public release in early next November.

BBC Monitoring Service - Oct 07 2000/ Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 07 Oct 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.
Hargeisa -- A restricted showing of a documentary film on Somaliland was held in Mansoor Hotel on Wednesday evening. The film with the title of "Somaliland: Rising from the ashes" is the brainchild of Jeremy Brickly, a white Zimbabwian who is also a veteran of that country's war of liberation. The documentary film tells the story of Somaliland; its nomadic culture and traditions as well as its past and present.

As its name depicts, the film also portrays the SNM armed uprising (1981-1991) against Siyad Barre's dictatorship and the complete devastation that Somaliland has suffered in the hands of the former government forces. These topics and others are covered in the first part of the film. The length is 60 minutes including 7 minutes time space spared for advertisements by the local business community and other entities.

The struggle of the Somaliland people for restoring peace, realizing national reconciliation and rebuilding their shattered lives from the scratch is all told in the second part of the film. The film has been originally funded by a South African documentary film-making group (Renaissance). It has been produced by Zhij Films of Zimbabwi.

Members of the Somaliland business community who wish to place advertisements in the film are welcomed. Requests will have to be channeled through Saed Abdulqadir, Mansoor Hotel. The film is scheduled for first public release in early next November.

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 07 Oct 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Djibouti -- President of Somalia's government in exile, Abdiqassim Salad warned last Wednesday against what he called "External and internal conspiracies" aimed at undermining his new factional government (Arta Group).

In a statement to the Somali section of the BBC, released on Wednesday, Qasim has accused unidentified quarters inside and outside Somalia of conceiving plots to frustrate his government's attempts to restore peace and unity in Somalia. However while addressing the so-called "Transitional Somali Parliament" on the same day, Qassim spoke bitterly about Ethiopian leaders. "I do not want to name the countries that are pouring arms into our country and are trying to jeopardize our national unity. But you know who they are" Salad told members of his government's parliament which is seated at Arta, Djibouti.

"We want to live in peace with our neighbours not because we are weak but because this is a matter of principle for us" Qassim added. In a clear warning to Ethiopia and Kenya, Qassim said both countries should realize that "their interests lie in regional peace." Qassim who worked for dictator Siyad Barre also couldn't conceal his bitterness over what he termed as the lack of gratitude and cooperation on the part of Ethiopia's leaders. "Those who are in power in Ethiopia today must not forget the crucial role played by the physical and financial support provided by the government of Somalia in bringing the final defeat of the Mengistu [Haile Mariam] regime", Qassim told members of his parliament, while adding "we therefore expect from the Ethiopian government to desist from any attempts to foil Somali unity".

Qassim also said he hopes that the Kenyan government would put into practice its commitment to support the outcome of Arta conference "as declared by the Kenyan assistant foreign minister during the closing ceremony of Arta conference."

In the meanwhile a growing opposition to Abdiqassim Salad's government was reported last week by sources close to the Rahanweyen Resistance Army (RRA), which ousted the Habar Gidir forces of Baidowa in last year after an occupation of more than 6 years. The Habar Gidir sub-clan to which Qassim belongs has been accused of committing wide-scale atrocities during the occupation of the Bay and Bakol regions, the home country of the Rahanweyne people.

Shati-Gudud, the chairman of the RRA and Dero Isaak the speaker of Abdiqassim's Parliament are being accused by the RRA rank and file of betraying the Rahweyn people for accepting to be part of a government headed by a Habar-Gidir President, the sources added. A potential contender to replace Shati-Gudud is the current governor of Baidowa, Mohammed Adan Qalinle and Ali Marguus, a senior officer in the RRA.

In the meantime, signs of a dispute among the Arta Group over where their government should be seated came to surface last week. The Djibouti President has obviously been eager to see Qassim and his Parliament move into Somalia and establish some kind of a presence to enable him broker financial aid for the reconstruction of Somalia. Bankrupt Djibouti has been placing high hopes on diverting a considerable percentage of donor funds intended for Somalia.

Abdi-Qassim's government is however in a dilemma. According to its National Charter, the capital of Somalia is Mogadishu. However a subsequent resolution passed by the Arta conference pointed out that Baidowa should be the temporary capital of Somalia until such a time when peace returns to all parts of Mogadishu.

Boore is BAT's sole agent in the Horn of Africa countries of Somaliland, Somalia, Djibouti and eastern Ethiopia. In mid this year, the regional administration of Puntland revoked the cigarette business license of Boore's agents in that region. Later, Col. Abdillahi Yusuf, Puntland's President, banned the entry of BAT products into the territory he controls.

BAT is known for making huge profits from cigarettes smuggling worldwide. In Britain alone BAT is being investigated for around 1.6 billion pounds in taxes due to the government from cigarettes smuggled by the company. In the Horn, Boore and BAT maintain large-scale contraband operations. The trio that visited Hargeisa last Wednesday are Laurent Maffre (French), Siman Welford (Briton) and Tony Jones.

The Hargeisa regional court judge, Suleiman Ero, ruled that Ali Qoryooley has been found guilty of writing statements ridiculing the President as well as criticizing him for mismanaging public government affairs. The state prosecutor presented 3 witnesses in the court to testify against Ali Qoryooley. Among them was a CID police officer called Abdi Hassan Osman who stated that Ali Qoryooley was arrested because of his distribution of a pamphlet in the House of Representatives meetings hall. The CID officer testified that according to his opinion, Ali Qoryooley's action was intended to disturb the [proceedings] of Parliament. One of the two other witnesses, an SNM veteran by the name of Maloosh told the court: "I don't see anything criminal in what Ali Qoryooley has written. It's constructive criticism." The third witness Abdi Qodax contended that he didn't know whether Ali Qoryooley made any wrongdoing. The court however upon pronouncing its decision stated that the conviction of Ali Qoryooley has been based on the testimonies of the prosecutor's eyewitnesses. The defendant's lawyer, Rooble Michael, had objected to the prosecutor's demand to try his client under article 230 of the penal code. "This article may be invoked only for cases that may involve capital punishment or imprisonment for life," Roble said in his defense. Rooble also argued that there was nothing wrong with expressing one's opinion.

In a short statement after he was sentenced, Qoryooley said, "I haven't done anything wrong. What I said about Egal is true. Justice has been deliberately mishandled by the judge."

Abstract: The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, has withdrawn the amnesty he granted to Garad [Garad Abshir Salah] [prominent traditional leader and member of the Somali Traditional Assembly] releasing him on Wednesday [4th October] from the Hargeysa prison where he had been serving a seven year jail term.
Full Text: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 6 Oct 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC
The Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, has withdrawn the amnesty he granted to Garad Abshir Salah [prominent traditional leader and member of the Somali Traditional Assembly] releasing him on Wednesday [4th October] from the Hargeysa prison where he had been serving a seven year jail term.

In a press statement he issued at midnight last night, President Egal said Garad Abshir Salah had been authorized to stay only in Sool, one of the six Somaliland regions. The president added that Garad Abshir was released on condition that he kept out of other regions or be thrown back into jail.

In the press statement, the president displayed his anger over comments Garad Abshir made when he addressed journalists on his release. However, the president did not give reasons for withdrawing the amnesty...
Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 6 Oct 00 p 1

Abstract: On Tuesday Somaliland ministers had to leave Buhoodle town after they were attacked by local people who were angry over [Garad Abshir Salah]'s detention. Since his release, Garad has remained in Hargeysa.
Full Text: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 1918 5 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

Garad Abshir Salah [prominent traditional leader and member of the Somali Transitional National Assembly] of Sool, southern Somaliland, was released on Wednesday [4th October] less than three weeks after he was sentenced to seven years in jail for supporting Somalia's newly-elected government...

Sources in Hargeysa told IRIN that Garad was released "to ease the tension in Sool". Egal [Somaliland president] realized that "holding Garad was a no-win situation", said the source.

On Tuesday Somaliland ministers had to leave Buhoodle town after they were attacked by local people who were angry over Garad's detention. Since his release, Garad has remained in Hargeysa.
Credit: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 1918 5 Oct 00

Abstract: Before his departure for Laas Canood yesterday, our reporter visited him at Hargeysa Club where he addressed journalists.
Full Text: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 5 Oct 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC
Garad Abshir Salah [prominent traditional leader and member of the Somali Transitional National Assembly] was released from the Hargeysa Central Jail yesterday, having been in prison for almost a month. He had been sentenced to seven years in prison after a Berbera court found him guilty of treason.

Before his departure for Laas Canood yesterday, our reporter visited him at Hargeysa Club where he addressed journalists. Garad Abshir Salah said he was released following a presidential pardon, and thanked the president [Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, leader of Somaliland] for the clemency. He said he had been well-treated both during his trial in Berbera and imprisonment in Hargeysa.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 5 Oct 00 p 1

The Somaliland Central Bank chairman [presumably governor] yesterday issued a circular warning the dealers of foreign exchange bureaus in the financial market in Somaliland as follows: The Somaliland bank, as a follow up to its previous public notices and directives which it issued through the two main newspapers in Somaliland, Jamhuuriya and Mandeeq in July and August regarding transactions using the former Somali currency or notes printed by the various faction leaders in the Somaliland market, would like to remind the public in general and foreign exchange dealers in the financial market in particular that it is strictly prohibited to transact in the said currencies within the borders of Somaliland.

The bank also warns against the hoarding of Somaliland notes with a view to causing inflation and the depreciation of the Somaliland shilling. Such acts would cause serious fluctuations in the foreign exchange market which could harm the country's economy.

Although it is a long time since the public notice was given and the warning against any transactions in the former currency was issued, it is noted that many people and private firms are not heeding the directives. This has negatively impacted on the economy and subsequently on the lives of the people.

Although the international community has not recognized our country, the Republic of Somaliland has adopted a free market economy which many countries in the world today have succeeded in achieving. It is also unfortunate that some business people misunderstand what the free market economy is all about. They assume that any person or firm can do what they want without any financial regulations and as a result they do not take heed of the directives of the government. Such people inflicted heavy damage on the economy of the country.

Somaliland people have suffered enough and should not be allowed to suffer any more because of the greed of a few people who do not take into account the welfare of the majority of their people.

The bank would like to again inform the authorized foreign exchange bureau, unauthorized ones and the business community in Somaliland that the Central Bank of Somaliland is acting on behalf of the government in running the economy of the country and managing the fluctuations of the Somaliland shilling, fluctuations of the foreign exchange rates and determining the rates of various currencies in the country.

In view of this, the bank, on behalf of the government, would like to call upon all those concerned to stop causing economic crisis and work towards returning the foreign exchange rates to where they were a few months ago; secondly, it would like to remind the public that the free market economy has specific objectives and regulations to be adhered to. If such regulations are violated the economy will not achieve the intended objectives. To avoid such undesired results the government will take stern measures and, if necessary legal actions, to return the economy to the right path, if the public fails to abide by the rules set by the government.

May God guide us on the right path.

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 4 Oct 00 p 6

Abstract: The Somaliland minister of agriculture, Abdullahi Ali Yusuf, who is leading a ministerial delegation touring Togdheer Region has dismissed a report broadcast by BBC this afternoon, describing it as baseless.
Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 3 Oct 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC
The Somaliland minister of agriculture, Abdullahi Ali Yusuf, who is leading a ministerial delegation touring Togdheer Region has dismissed a report broadcast by BBC this afternoon, describing it as baseless.

The BBC report said Buuhoodle residents had demonstrated against the delegation and fire was opened on the hotel the delegation was staying in. The minister termed the allegation baseless and a fabrication only heard on the BBC news.

We contacted the minister by telephone while he was at [name indistinct], 20 km from Buuhoodle, and he confirmed to us that there were no demonstrations nor was fire opened on their hotel as reported. The minister further said the report was careless and a total fabrication.

However, the minister said that there were some people who came to them today in their hotel and appealed to the government to release Garad Abshir [clan leader who was recently arrested on his return from Djibouti and sentenced to seven years on treason charges]...
Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1850 3 Oct 00

Rift Valley Fever has been detected in the long-tailed indigenous sheep of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

This was revealed by Saudi Arabia's government-owned `Al-Iqtisad' paper published in Riyadh, dated 24th September, issue number 3547. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Abdallah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Bin Mu'ammar, told the paper that the disease was not found in the Persian Black Head sheep of Somalia.

Meanwhile, an official letter received by the Somaliland government from Yemen said herds of livestock shipped from Berbera [northeastern Somalia, northern Somaliland] and eastern Africa which were quarantined have been found free of Rift Valley Fever.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 2 Oct 00 p 1

Al-Barakat Global Telecommunications last night held a ceremony at Mansoor Hotel to celebrate the launching of Internet and local e- mail services.

The minister of posts and telecommunications, Jama Gas Muawiyah, said al-Barakat had played an important role in the country's development and had 150 employees. Hon Jama Gas urged telecommunications companies to link their services. He said his office was served by four different telephone companies and urged the companies to link their lines and compete fairly and legally...

Al-Barakat's chairman, Abd-al-Karim Muhammad, said when the company was launched one and half years ago at the Mansoor Hotel, it had promised to cover the whole country especially Sool [northeastern Somalia, southeastern Somaliland] and Sanaag [northeastern Somaliland] regions by providing Internet and e-mail before the end of the year. He said this promise had been fulfilled...

Trade Minister, Rashid Abdullahi Guled, who spoke of the problems faced by subscribers said people were forced to subscribe to four different companies, "Since you have linked us to the rest of world why don't you link your services ?", he queried. He added that during his tenure as the minister of posts and telecommunications, President [Muhammad Ibrahim] Egal had released a circular saying that companies which failed to link their lines would be deregistered...

Internal Affairs minister, Ahmad Shambir Sultan, who also spoke during the meeting, said one of the benefits acquired from al- Barakat services was that cellular phone service was available in Burco [central Somaliland, northeastern Somalia], Berbera [northern Somaliland] and Boorama [western Somaliland] and that the people could find out about their security and what was going on in the country...
Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 2 Oct 00 p 1

` Jamhuuriya has obtained a copy of a plea sent and signed by prisoner Garaad Abshir Salah, currently jailed at the Hargeysa Central Prison. In his plea to President Egal on 29th September, the prisoner asked for clemency in the verdict passed against him by the Berbera court.

In his letter, he said: "Your Excellency, as you are aware, on 16th September, the Berbera court sentenced me to seven years in jail based on Section 230 and 233 of the penal code.

"Therefore, President, I kindly request you to overturn the verdict passed against me."

[Garaad Abshir Salah, a prominent clan elder in Somaliland, was sentenced to seven years in jail after he was accused of treason. Garaad Abshir had earlier taken part in the Djibouti reconciliation conference where he was elected MP.]

Credit: ` Jamhuuriya , Hargeysa, in Somali 1 Oct 00 p 1

"Somalilanders" fasten your seat belts

1. The captain and his crew in the cockpit are the executive branch;
2. The passengers are representing the legislative branch;
3. Departure time was 1991;
4. The purpose and direction of this mission was: (Recognition Spaceship to Descend whenever we detect Recognition Beam from other Terrestrial sources"
5. All messages will be relayed to the masses periodically through their traditional leaders, enhanced of-course to suit their ears;

"Ladies and Gentlemen" Thanks for nominating me to be the captain. Be rest assured that my immediate priority on this flight will focus on realizing my passengers' dogmatic principles as well as the determination of our masses on ground. The slogan for our new identity search as displayed in our spaceship is the challenge: "Somaliland masses have the seed- (it is our self-recognition)". But it is hard to breed (let us search for external recognition)". Ladies and Gentlemen - As a seasoned - Veteran captain, I am confident that I have all the right ingredients on board to achieve our goals with remarkable triumphs. We are ready for take-off. Fasten your seat belts. As we are cruising in space, here are the rules and regulations of my esteemed captaincy. You are to faithfully adhere to them with reverence:

1- My co-pilot and crew shall detect all Extra-Terrestrial signals as there are deadly aliens out there. Any such encounters should immediately be reported to me, as I am capable to identify them as friends or foes. If at any time, members of the crew or the passengers for that matter feel uncomfortable, you need not to panic. Just push the exist button, you will soon be on your way out. May the stars pity your journey by vanishing through cyper world information Highways, you will soon be out of mind anyway. After several years of ordeal here is now my summarized report in my capacity as the captain of the spaceship:

2- The co-pilot and two third of my crew plus some of my passengers vanished through the Exist. Their replacements came safely through the Hobgram. Their contributions are of course limited.

3- In this episode only eight signals were detected that at the end allowed us focal point Representation without diplomatic privileges but attained a lot of indicators to cruise without Turbulence towards ozone Layers for Recognition;

4- Unfortunately, we just received signals of alien spaceships approaching us commandeered by "Djibouti Ghelle Startrek" with an Entourage of other intruding spaceships of IGADD, Arab and UN origin. "Ghelle Startrek" persuaded other intruders by misguiding them due to their limited information in their data bases. The basic motto of "Ghelle Startrek" was as follows: a) To destabilize our bases by Launching a new unconditional codes against our mission; b) To disintegrate our bases by mounting negative vibes within, in order to establish pockets of conflict for the purpose of supporting initiative; Therefore as your captain, I have no choice but to make an Emergency landing, so my dear masses, be aware of these new Emerging undercurrents, and I will be awaiting your advices.

In conclusion, the masses responded to their captain by transmitting the following for consideration:

1. In order to bravely confront with "Ghelle Startrek" illusions - let us mobilize our masses by tuning their spirits for Total Naional Reconciliation that will create an environment of being a United front.

2. By accepting to treat SNM Mujahedeens with reverence so they can prepare themselves to deal with any forthcoming threats;

3. By calling the Think-Tank Vagabonds in position to prepare counter offensive alternatives for our National strategy approaches;

4. Regarding our External endeavors, let us respect at the moment the concepts of being in a low-profile attitude. "A Deafening silence is a paradox."

5. Finally, Captain, your masses are ready to dismantle the newly Launched Som-Spaceship created by Ghelle Startrek. So apse load our inputs accordingly. Let us fasten our seat belts.

Abstract: French sources say the USA is opposed to the policies adopted by the UN and France [on Somalia], according to`Al-Watan al-Arabi' newspaper...

Full Text: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 26 Sep 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

French sources say the USA is opposed to the policies adopted by the UN and France [on Somalia], according to`Al-Watan al-Arabi' newspaper of 1st September 2000, issue number 1266.

The sources say this issue is already in motion and the USA favours the partitioning of Somalia for strategic reasons.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 26 Sep 00 p 1

Full Text: Ayaamaha , Mogadishu, in Somali 25 Sep 00 p 3/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The president of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, has written a letter to the Ethiopian government over a recent attack by Ethiopian forces on Haji Salah village in Ood Weyne District [southern Somaliland, northeastern Somalia] where two Somali residents of the village were killed.

Egal asked the Ethiopian government to give reasons for the attack.

Credit: Ayaamaha , Mogadishu, in Somali 25 Sep 00 p 3

Abstract: The president of Puntland [northeastern Somalia] regional administration, Abdullahi Yusuf, at the end of last week dropped three members of his cabinet who hail from Sool and Sanaag regions in Somaliland.

Full Text: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 23 Sep 00 p 1/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The president of Puntland [northeastern Somalia] regional administration, Abdullahi Yusuf, at the end of last week dropped three members of his cabinet who hail from Sool and Sanaag regions in Somaliland.

These include the minister of general works and transport [ Ahmad Abdi Mahmud], the minister of communications [ Ministry of Posts, Culture and Telecommunications] Awad Ahmad Ashare [third cabinet member not named]. The ministers were replaced with others from Puntland.

This is a clear indication that the administration has dropped claims to some Somaliland regions [eastern Sanaag and southern Sool] and is pursuing good neighbourliness and brotherhood.

Credit: ` Mandeeq , Hargeysa, in Somali 23 Sep 00 p 1

Abstract: A meeting held in Hargeysa yesterday and attended by officials from the ministries of animal husbandry and commerce as well as independent livestock exporters discussed how to overcome the ban imposed on exports of Somaliland livestock by Saudi Arabia.

Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 24 Sep 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The Somaliland government has said that its livestock have not been hit by Rift Valley fever. The announcement followed various tests done locally to determine if the country's domestic animals have the disease.

A meeting held in Hargeysa yesterday and attended by officials from the ministries of animal husbandry and commerce as well as independent livestock exporters discussed how to overcome the ban imposed on exports of Somaliland livestock by Saudi Arabia. The government invited doctors from Saudi Arabia and other countries importing livestock from Somaliland to come and conduct their own tests to determine the existence of the disease.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 24 Sep 00

Abstract: Reports from Oodweyne District, Togdheer Region, say that Ethiopian soldiers have killed two civilians in the village of Haji Salah near the Ethiopia- Somaliland border. One of the victims was a VHF radio operator.

Full Text: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 23 Sep 00 p 3/BBC Monitoring/(c)BBC

[Correction]Somalia: Ethiopian soldiers reportedly kill two civilians in border village

Reports from Oodweyne District, Togdheer Region, say that Ethiopian soldiers have killed two civilians in the village of Haji Salah near the Ethiopia- Somaliland border. One of the victims was a VHF radio operator.

The soldiers came to the village in a military truck to seize VHF radio sets in the area. Later the 30 or so soldiers crossed back into Ethiopia after confiscating two VHF radio sets.

Somaliland's minister of defence said that they would raise the matter with the Ethiopian government.

Credit: Xog-Ogaal , Mogadishu, in Somali 23 Sep 00 p 3

Abstract: The Speaker of Somaliland's Council of Representatives [parliament], Ahmad Adan Qaybeh, is expected in Washington DC this week. In an interview with the Somaliland web site, Somaliland.com, the Speaker said he would return to the country before 5th October, when parliament is expected to resume sitting.

Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 23 Sep 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

The Speaker of Somaliland's Council of Representatives [parliament], Ahmad Adan Qaybeh, is expected in Washington DC this week. In an interview with the Somaliland web site, Somaliland.com, the Speaker said he would return to the country before 5th October, when parliament is expected to resume sitting. The Speaker's comments disprove earlier reports that he had resigned from his post.

On the upcoming general elections, the speaker said the elections would be held as planned in February 2002, during which Somaliland people would elect a president, a vice-president, speakers of the two parliamentary chambers and MPs.

Speaking in the UAE, Qaybeh said that although his visit to the USA was personal, he would try to promote the interests of Somaliland, given that he was a national leader.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 23 Sep 00

Abstract: Ministers of foreign affairs and education, Mahmud Salih Nur Fagareh, and Ahmad Yusuf Du'aleh, visited Egypt early this year and signed an agreement under which Egypt pledged to help Somaliland in the fields of education and health.

Full Text: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 21 Sep 00/BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC

Fifty-four teachers donated by the Egyptian government arrived at Hargeysa airport this morning. The teachers were received by officials of the ministry of education, led by Isma'il Umar Madar. Hargeysa mayor was also in the party welcoming the Egyptian teachers.

Ministers of foreign affairs and education, Mahmud Salih Nur Fagareh, and Ahmad Yusuf Du'aleh, visited Egypt early this year and signed an agreement under which Egypt pledged to help Somaliland in the fields of education and health. There are two Egyptian doctors already working with the ministries of health and animal husbandry.

Credit: Radio Hargeysa, Voice of the Republic of Somaliland, in Somali 1700 21 Sep 00

BYLINE: Juliette Hollier Larousse

Herdsmen in the Horn of Africa, who have already seen their stock decimated by drought, now face an export ban imposed by Gulf states, a key market, because of an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in those countries.

While mostly confined to livestock, RVF can be transmitted to humans by infected flies or by contact with the blood or tissue of freshly slaughtered contaminated animals.

In the first recorded cases outside Africa, the disease has killed about 60 people since the beginning of September in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Flies play host to the virus that causes the disease, whose life-cycle is activated by heavy rains.

"We don't know where or when RVF crossed the Red Sea. The only thing we know is that it comes from Africa," an expert at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) told AFP in Nairobi.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates banned imports of livestock from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya.

Somalia was particularly affected by the move, especially the self-declared autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland, which, together with Ethiopia's Ogaden region, have long been important exporters to the Gulf states.

During the Hadj, or annual pilgramage to Mecca, for example, Saudis import hundreds of thousands of sheep from the Horn of Africa.

"Between three and four million animals go each year through Somaliland and Puntland to the Gulf," the FAO expert said.

"It will create a lot of economical difficulties for the pastorialists and for those two regions," he added.

Taxes on livestock exports from Somaliland account for almost half the revenue of the self-styled independent state, he estimated. Much of these animals come from Ethiopia's Ogaden region.

In drought affected areas "there is an increased need to take animals away because of the drought. (The embargo) will be very difficult economically and environmentally," according to Brian Perry, an epidemiological veterinarian working with the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi.

Especially in the Ogaden, the move comes as nomadic herders are getting over the drought, building up their stock and looking for markets.

An earlier ban was imposed in 1997, when RVF appeared in Kenya during heavy El Nino rains.

This was lifted in 1999, but in the absence of systematic sanitary monitoring, east African countries might have trouble convincing Gulf states to reopen their doors.

Perry noted that no cases of RVF had been recently recorded in east Africa, where drought continues to ravage large swathes of Somalia and Kenya, while Ethiopia has seen heavy rains in recent months.

Sources in Hargeisa told IRIN that Garad was released "to ease the tension in Sool". Egal realised that "holding Garad was a no-win situation", said the source. On Tuesday Somaliland ministers had to leave Buhoodle town after they were attacked by local people who were angry over Garad's detention. Since his release, Garad has remained in Hargeisa. For the views of the Somaliland government on the Djibouti-hosted peace process.

Buhoodle, southern Somaliland, is at the heart of the Dulbahante area, where there have been protests over the arrest of Garad for his "treasonable" attendance of the Djibouti-hosted talks in Arta. Dulbahante representatives attended the Arta peace initiative, and had representatives in the new government.

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2000

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 07 Oct 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 07 Oct 2000

Hargeisa -- Three agents of Djiboutian business tycoon Abdirahman Boore arrived Wednesday in Hargeisa. Though the three agents, a Frenchman and two Britons, refused to talk to the press, sources close to local tobacco dealers said they came to Hargeisa to assess progress being made in the sales of British American Tobacco (BAT) cigarettes in Somaliland and recommend strategies for increasing the magnitude of business turn-over of Boore's operations in the country.

Boore is BAT's sole agent in the Horn of Africa countries of Somaliland, Somalia, Djibouti and eastern Ethiopia. In mid this year, the regional administration of Puntland revoked the cigarette business license of Boore's agents in that region. Later, Col. Abdillahi Yusuf, Puntland's President, banned the entry of BAT products into the territory he controls.

BAT is known for making huge profits from cigarettes smuggling worldwide. In Britain alone BAT is being investigated for around 1.6 billion pounds in taxes due to the government from cigarettes smuggled by the company. In the Horn, Boore and BAT maintain large-scale contraband operations. The trio that visited Hargeisa last Wednesday are Laurent Maffre (French), Siman Welford (Briton) and Tony Jones.

Sources in Hargeisa told IRIN that Garad was released "to ease the tension in Sool". Egal realised that "holding Garad was a no-win situation", said the source. On Tuesday Somaliland ministers had to leave Buhoodle town after they were attacked by local people who were angry over Garad's detention. Since his release, Garad has remained in Hargeisa. For the views of the Somaliland government on the Djibouti-hosted peace process.

Buhoodle, southern Somaliland, is at the heart of the Dulbahante area, where there have been protests over the arrest of Garad for his "treasonable" attendance of the Djibouti-hosted talks in Arta. Dulbahante representatives attended the Arta peace initiative, and had representatives in the new government.

The launching ceremony was held at a Hargeysa hotel and was attended by senior government officials, Al-Barakat executives and prominent members of the community, said the report. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Jama Gas Mu'awiyyah said Al-Barakat had played an important role in the country's development and had 150 employees. He urged telecommunications companies to link up their services and compete fairly and legally, pointing out that his office was served by four different companies, said the report, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

issued by WHO

October 2, 2000

Laboratory analysis at the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, confirmed a diagnosis of RVF in samples from Saudi Arabia. To date, 134 human cases of an acute haemorrhagic fever syndrome, including 31 deaths, have been reported in Yemen, while in Saudi Arabia there have been 160 suspected cases of RVF, including 33 human deaths. WHO, in conjunction with its international partners in the field, is: providing expert advice to the governments concerned in disease confirmation, field investigation and implementation of control measures to contain the spread of the disease, advising on how cases can be treated with the antiviral drug, ribavarin, disseminating health education messages, and putting in place measures to protect high risk groups, such as laboratory technicians and veterinarians. These are the first cases of Rift Valley Fever reported outside traditionally affected areas in Africa. It is important to establish whether this is a new introduction of the virus or whether, in fact, the pathogen has been present for some time and only now has come to the attention of public health authorities.

Ecological studies are being carried out to determine the factors that may have triggered the outbreak. High-level agreement between Saudi Arabia and Yemen to conduct a joint investigation has ensured effective coordination of the international response to control the disease on both sides of the border. Saudi Arabia and Yemen are sharing useful information, including the investigation protocols, and there is good logistic coordination across the border. WHO Rift Valley Fever expert Dr Ray Arthur has played a key role investigating and responding to previous RVF outbreaks. "I'm working with both governments in the outbreak zone to facilitate coordination of the investigation and implement control procedures across the border," he stated.

In Yemen, WHO and partners are assisting with the control of an acute haemorrhagic fever syndrome (suspected to be Rift Valley Fever). Laboratory studies are under way to confirm that the observed disease is in fact RVF. Earlier this week an Epidemic Committee comprised of all relevant Government Ministries in Yemen and a team of international experts, epidemiologists and laboratory technicians from WHO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States' NAMRU-3, a WHO Collaborating Centre in Cairo, began implementation of a joint plan of action to curb the spread of the outbreak. Dr Arthur plans to arrive in Saudi Arabia today and was replaced yesterday in Yemen by WHO epidemiologist Dr Douglas Klaucke, who will continue the advice and coordination function of WHO.

In Saudi Arabia, WHO, CDC and specialists in entomology and ecological studies from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in South Africa-all partners in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network-are providing direct assistance to the Ministry of Health and the Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP). Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonosis that may cause severe disease in both animals and humans leading to high morbidity and mortality. The disease was first identified in Kenya's Rift Valley in 1930, and is fully described in WHO Fact Sheet No 207.

The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network is a technical partnership of national and international institutions and smaller networks who mobilize and pool their resources so that outbreaks of potential international importance are detected, verified and responded to efficiently and effectively by the international community. A zoonosis is a disease which primarily affects animals, but occasionally causes disease in humans.

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 27 Sept 2000 /BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 27 Sept 2000

Forestry history in Somaliland begins in 1952 when the then British Protectors government appointed a principal forestry officer. The accomplishments in Somaliland were mainly in 3 areas before independence.

1. Nurseries establishment to supply municipal needs.

2. Town reserves were created around all the main population centers in the country.

3. Gollis Range reserves: The Gollis range mountains possess the best forest areas in the country.

In a "forestry newsletter for the near east," (FAO publication, letter No. 3, 1958); the following entries referred to Somaliland:

Somaliland protectorate: Do young plants of cassia siamea produce a second "leading shoot" from side branches if the first is cut back before planting?

Somaliland protectorate: Yearly value of imported matches in (US $) 26,278 (1956).

Is a forestry magazine regularly published in your country?

Cyprus - Name: Forest Treasures.

Ethiopia - None at present. It is probable however that when the forest school opens later this year at Ambo a magazine of forest interest may be started.

Iran - Name: Bongah Djangalha, Language: Iranian.

Iraq - No, quarterly agriculture magazine of Ministry of Agriculture contains topics on forestry.

Somaliland protectorate - Only the department monthly newsletter.

Interesting news from the countries, Somaliland - The total area of forest reserves was 243.05 square miles on 31 December 1955 and has been increased to 797.33 square miles on 31 December 1956.

Timber market, new industries etc,

Cyprus - Cyprus usually imports two-thirds of her needs in timber

Egypt - 1. A new paper-mill is under construction near Alexandria, 2. A new project is also under way for production of cellulose from Eucalyptus or reeds.

Ethiopia - Ethiopia has an expanding economy and it is probable that both her home production of timber as well as her import of timber products will continue to increase over the next few years.

Somaliland protectorate - 1. "Juniperus procera (Dayib). A quantity of timber to the P.W.D for parquet flooring. Timber for doors and window frames for local building is a popular product from the small sawbench at Erigavo, and a steady demand has been built up. Towards the end of the year a sale was found for sawmill off-cuts for making rough roofing shingles. As this disposes of waste and saves the undergrowth (brushwood is normally used) it is hoped the market will be permanent." (From the annual report of the Forest Service for 1956.)

2. Interesting export from Somaliland is Frankincense and Myrrh. Last year good prices were obtained for these on world market. Limited amounts of Gum Arabica exported.

These extracts have been made and quoted by the writer so as to let readers and Somalilanders in particular to know the early foundations of the country's environmental management principles and beginnings. Also to compare it with other East African countries - its neighbours and see for themselves the grave desertification process, wildlife habitat depletion and clandestine exportation by fellow countrymen which goes on unchecked, and then think about ways to curb the problem and save their natural heritage of fauna and flora which if quick steps to establish and rehabilitate some of the existed game and forest reserves, many species will be rendered extinct, both fauna and flora species. In the preceding paragraphs, mention is made of Somaliland protectorate - "departmental monthly newsletter." Here is the text of the first: Somaliland protectorate department of natural resources newsletter No. 1

Newsletter, from time to time I have sent out forestry newsletter intended to keep those attending courses up to date on what is happening in the country, and to inform people in districts what other districts are doing. It has occurred to me that this would be of value in the department as a whole, and I am now starting a trial series of these newsletters. Comments, through the usual channels, are invited. Distribution will be to all on scale E5, E4, D4 and upward and any literate staff on E6 whose names are submitted by the senior staff concerned.

Watson left the protectorate in December 1957 for leave in the United Kingdom prior to taking up his appointment as director of agriculture in Fiji in March 1958. In wishing him all the best in his new appointment, we also congratulate him on the award of the C.B.E in the New Year's Honors list.

Forestry students in Tanganyika: In the examination at the end of the first year of their course Ahmed Haji Nur obtained 1st place and Abdirahman Haji Nur 10th place, 27 entered for the examination, of these 7 failed to obtain pass marks. Our 2 learners Rangers spent a period of attachment in districts between the two years of study.

School of agriculture, Houghall: Mohamed Ismail writes that all is going will in his course, and that he is enjoying himself. He says that a national certificate in agriculture is now being introduced.

Popularity of bunding: An interesting observation in Green's quarterly report is that it is particularly noticeable it is for farmers who already have bunds who are most keen to come out with their own oxen and make more bunds and level the land between old bunds. Hassan Mohamed from Erigavo also reports that farmers who have bunds are keen to improve them.

Taisa: Now that the development of the demonstration and bonification area at Boqol-jireh is so far advanced resources are gradually being moved over to the new development area at Taisa. The rate of progress will depend directly upon the amount of cooperation obtained from the local Abdullah Abokor.

Captain C.H.B Grant: one of the joint authors of two volumes on the Birds of East and north-eastern Africa, died at the age of 79 on 9th January.

Mohamoud Essa, has completed two years of study at Houghall college of agriculture and two years at the Glasgow and west of Scotland college of agriculture. He has obtained the Scottish diploma in agriculture, and will shortly be returning to Somaliland.

C.D.A Caldecott, died suddenly in December. As the secretary of the common wealth committee on the Aerial survey of forests and then as the first officer of the forest air survey center he had for 9 years been largely responsible for fostering and developing interest in the application of air photos to forestry in the colonies.

General: there are of course many items not included here, but by collecting any more I would be delaying the issue. Future issues will be more complete (J.J. Lawrie 1958.)

Man in Somaliland has environmentally lost the capacity to foresee and forestall. He will end up by destroying the land at the expense of fuel wood (charcoal) production from live trees.

To be continued next week.

According to Radio Hargeisa, in a report monitored by the BBC, various tests have been done locally to determine if the country's domestic animals have the disease. A meeting held in Hargeisa yesterday and attended by officials from the ministries of animal husbandry and commerce as well as independent livestock exporters discussed how to overcome the ban, the report said. The government invited doctors from Saudi Arabia and other countries importing livestock through Somaliland to conduct their own tests to establish the existence of RVF in Somaliland.

The leader of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, was subsequently quoted by the Puntland newspaper, 'Kaaha Bari', as saying that Puntland nationals who attended the Djibouti conference were "criminals" who would be charged in court. He had earlier said that he would not talk with the interim president of Somalia, Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, in a national capacity, but only as a clan leader.

May I suggest that the mayor initiate the installation of road bumpers on roads that pass in front of schools in order to protect our school children from reckless drivers.

Hasan Muhumed Bulbul, Hargeisa

Note: the first traffic lights in Somaliland were installed in Berbera

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 23 Sept 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 23 Sept 2000

Awl Elmi Abdulle will among other things certainly be remembered as the mayor who has introduced traffic lights to Hargeisa city. While I congratulate our energetic mayor for his determination to improve the city infrastructure and services, let us hope that the traffic lights will end our traffic jam which has become a headache these days in view of the rapid increase in the number of vehicles and the low capacity of our inner city roads. May I suggest that the mayor initiate the installation of road bumpers on roads that pass in front of schools in order to protect our school children from reckless drivers.

Hasan Muhumed Bulbul, Hargeisa

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 23 Sept 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 23 Sept 2000

London -- The largest demonstration ever organized by Somalilanders overseas were held during the last two weeks in several West European capitals including London, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Leaders of Somaliland communities residing in various West European countries told the Republican that the demonstrations were staged to express support for Somaliland's independence and to protest against attempts to undermine it in the aftermath of the Arta conference.

On last Saturday at 14:00 GMT about 1300 Somalilanders gathered in front of Tony Blair's office at 10 Downing Street where they sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans expressing their opposition to what they termed as "plans formulated during the recent conference at Arta [Djibouti] by Djibouti's President Guelleh together with remnants of late dictator Siyad Barre's regime with the objective of undermining Somaliland's peace, stability and independence."

In a letter submitted to the British prime minister's office, the Somaliland community in London appealed to the British government to accord diplomatic recognition to Somaliland, a former British protectorate. Chairman of the Somaliland community Mohamed Ahmed who spoke on the occasion said Britain was historically and morally obliged to support Somaliland's efforts for gaining international diplomatic recognition and support. "Somaliland suffered a great deal under its union with Somalia. Thanks God that we are finally free and an independent country again," said Farah Ibrahim Abdillahi 'Sarhaye' who fought as a marine in the world war two and the Falkland islands for Britain. Somaliland soldiers fought with the British against the Axis Forces during the second world war. According to surviving British officers, Somaliland soldiers were noted for their bravery in combat. Somalilanders in general view the passive attitude of the British government to Somaliland as a form of betrayal. Thousands of Somalilanders now live in the UK. Most of them were allowed into Britain during the eighties at the height of Siyad Barre's repression against civilians in the North (Somaliland).

However, Somalilanders were known to have gone to Britain at the turn of the 20th century to work primarily as seamen. The demonstrators who took part in last Saturday's picketing in front of 10 Downing Street though representing different generations of Somalilanders with distinct backgrounds, were however united in their opposition to any reunification with Somalia under any form. A middle aged woman Amina Aw Muse was charged with emotions when she said "They bombed out our houses from air during 1988, compelling us to flee and become refugees. Instead of leaving us alone, they are here after us again. Reuniting with them is impossible. We don't want them."

Referring to the proclamation of the SNM in London in 1981, to lead the armed resistance against dictator Barre, Somaliland House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Abdulqadir Ismail Jirde commented, "Our gathering today here has symbolically a historical significance. It was from here that the victorious struggle against Barre's dictatorship was launched. Today it is here from where we are going to start the new struggle for the defense of Somaliland's independence and sovereignty. After their defeat in the war, those tyrants who had massacred our people now want to subdue us by using this time other sinister ploys." Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo a former SNM Chairman and Suleiman Gaal another SNM veteran and former Somaliland official also took part in the demonstration, in addition to the RRA representative in London Ali Abdi Baad who said the Rehanweyn people support the independence of Somaliland. A large demonstration in which thousands of Somalilanders are expected to participate is scheduled to take place in mid October in London.

The BBC Somali service which is headed by Yusuf Garad, a close relative of Abdiqasim Salad Boy, gave a one minute coverage to last Saturday's demonstration by Somalilanders living in London. Its reporters though informed in advance about the event failed to appear at the scene. Few days earlier however, Yusuf Garad dispatched a reporter to a crowd of 70 people who came out to express support for Abdiqasim Salad Boy.

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 23 Sept 2000/BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 23 Sept 2000

Mogadishu -- Abdiqasim Salad Hassan who was chosen towards the end of August as "President of Somalia" by Somali individuals who were assembled for thise purpose at Arta, Djibouti, is on his way to become another warlord. During the visit he had swiftly made to Mogadishu right after assuming his new title, Salad has assigned Nur Galaal, one of Siyad Barre's generals to mobilize the Ayr armed militia groups with the mission objective of taking over, by force, positions occupied by rival militia men in Mogadishu, Merca and Kismayo.

Salad who loyally served dictator Siyad Barre until his downfall and Gen. Galaal are close kins. Both belong to the Ayr of the Hawiye Habar Gidir subclan. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys of the Al-Itihad Islamic fundamentalist group is also from Ayr. Aweys, a former military commander under Siyad Barre's regime works currently with Galaal in recruiting Ayr youngmen under the pretext that they were needed to police the capital and other urban centres. Aweys who had been trained in special commando operations is widely believed to have led the Habar Gidir forces that killed 18 American service men in Mogadishu in 1994 during military clashes between the two sides.

Last week, Aweys forces, most of them Ayr fundamentalists overran Merca evicting Hussein Eideed's militiamen from there. The local Dir militia was also disarmed. On last Monday an ambush was laid to an Eideed entourage at Bermuda area in Southern Mogadishu. Eideed's special driver, Garaad Dhoobey and two others were killed in the ambush which was carried out by forces loyal to Ali Mahdi from the Hawiye Abgal Sub-clan. Ali Mahdi who like Abdiqasim Salad was nominated as president for Somalia in a 1991 Djibouti conference, has been living in exile in Egypt for the last 3 years. He was called by Ismail Gelleh early this year to take part in the Arta conference in exchange for a position in the future "government" of Somalia. Ali Mahdi accepted the offer and declared his support to Abdiqasim Salad. Though Ali Mahdi's political support among his Abgal Sub-clan has all but eroded however he did manage to stir trouble for Eideed on last Monday.

Eideed has of course retaliated by launching an early morning attack yesterday against the Bermuda militia group that killed his driver. At least 5 people died and more than 20 were wounded in a fierce battle between the two sides on Friday.

The escalation of tension and hostilities in Mogadishu since the proclamation of Salad as president could have grave consequences for the relatively improved security situation in the capital of former Somalia, during the last two years. Ever since he was crowned in Djibouti in last August, Abdiqasim Salad Boy has been primarily concerned with building international credibility for himself and getting financial and military assistance from charities, and Arab governments. Qasim believed and still believes that to prevail, he has to get diplomatic support and recognition which would pave the way for him to obtain enough material resources and armaments with which to subjugate any opposition to his made-in-Djibouti presidency. The world has almost succumbed to his strategy.

By conferring legitimacy on a man who was an active participant in the slaughtering of his own people by a dictator and who during the last ten years never contributed either a part of his wealth, time or knowledge to his people's struggle for survival against the most tremendous odds, Abdiqasim has so far successfully portrayed himself as Somalia's savior. During his tour of Gulf states recently, he received at least $50 million dollars in cash from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He was also welcomed in the Arab League and the UN Millennium conference held earlier this month.

With the Arab money to which he doesn't need to be accountable, Abdiqasim has already bankrolled arms purchases. International dealers have been given orders to bring weapons from former Soviet bloc countries by air. Delivery will be done at Balli-Doogle airport which is controlled by the Ayr Militia. There is no doubt that the next step to be taken by Abdiqasim will be to use his own armed militia, mainly Ayr, to subdue all other armed groups. Ali Mahdi took the same path in the early nineties and that led to a bloodbath.

The largest demonstration ever organized by Somalilanders overseas were held during the last two weeks in several West European capitals including London, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Leaders of Somaliland communities residing in various West European countries told The Republican, that the demonstrations were staged to express support for Somaliland's independence and to protest against attempts to undermine it in the aftermath of the Arta conference.

On last Saturday at 14:00 GMT about 1300 Somalilanders gathered in front of Tony Blair's office at 10 Downing Street where they sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans expressing their opposition to what they termed as "plans formulated during the recent conference at Arta [Djibouti] by Djibouti's President Guelleh together with remnants of late dictator Siyad Barre's regime with the objective of undermining Somaliland's peace, stability and independence."

In a letter submitted to the British prime minister's office, the Somaliland community in London appealed to the British government to accord diplomatic recognition to Somaliland, a former British protectorate. Chairman of the Somaliland community Mohamed Ahmed who spoke on the occasion said Britain was historically and morally obliged to support Somaliland's efforts for gaining international diplomatic recognition and support. "Somaliland suffered a great deal under its union with Somalia. Thanks God that we are finally free and an independent country again," said Farah Ibrahim Abdillahi 'Sarhaye' who fought as a marine in the world war two and the Falkland islands for Britain. Somaliland soldiers fought with the British against the Axis Forces during the second world war. According to surviving British officers, Somaliland soldiers were noted for their bravery in combat. Somalilanders in general view the passive attitude of the British government to Somaliland as a form of betrayal. Thousands of Somalilanders now live in the UK. Most of them were allowed into Britain during the eighties at the height of Siyad Barre's repression against civilians in the North (Somaliland).

However, Somalilanders were known to have gone to Britain at the turn of the 20th century to work primarily as seamen. The demonstrators who took part in last Saturday's picketing in front of 10 Downing Street though representing different generations of Somalilanders with distinct backgrounds, were however united in their opposition to any reunification with Somalia under any form. A middle aged woman Amina Aw Muse was charged with emotions when she said "They bombed out our houses from air during 1988, compelling us to flee and become refugees. Instead of leaving us alone, they are here after us again. Reuniting with them is impossible. We don't want them."

Referring to the proclamation of the SNM in London in 1981, to lead the armed resistance against dictator Barre, Somaliland House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Abdulqadir Ismail Jirde commented, "Our gathering today here has symbolically a historical significance. It was from here that the victorious struggle against Barre's dictatorship was launched. Today it is here from where we are going to start the new struggle for the defense of Somaliland's independence and sovereignty. After their defeat in the war, those tyrants who had massacred our people now want to subdue us by using this time other sinister ploys." Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo a former SNM Chairman and Suleiman Gaal another SNM veteran and former Somaliland official also took part in the demonstration, in addition to the RRA representative in London Ali Abdi Baad who said the Rehanweyn people support the independence of Somaliland. A large demonstration in which thousands of Somalilanders are expected to participate is scheduled to take place in mid October in London.

The BBC Somali service which is headed by Yusuf Garad, a close relative of Abdiqasim Salad Boy, gave a one minute coverage to last Saturday's demonstration by Somalilanders living in London. Its reporters though informed in advance about the event failed to appear at the scene. Few days earlier however, Yusuf Garad dispatched a reporter to a crowd of 70 people who came out to express support for Abdiqasim Salad Boy.

Source: The Republican Newspaper, Hargeisa, in English 23 Sept 2000 /BBC Monitoring/ (c) BBC.

Text of report by The Republican Newspaper on 23 Sept 2000

By Ahmed Hassan

Somaliland has become an abode for many international aid agencies who spend lot of money on airplane fares to and from Nairobi, and more on expatriate employees whom they usually provide work opportunity here. The international agencies failed to understand the immediate need to give employment to Somalilanders who have the required qualifications available here or abroad. Our government is not in a position to examine the objectives of the NGOs and their programmes prior to their induction officially. Our government has every right to look deeply into every agency and get the true natural validity of the services the agency is trying to perform here. Our hard economical conditions and our immediate needs shall not distort our fairness to study individually every agency and appraise the programmes conducive to proper social services to the country.

Every international aid agency is aware that Somalilanders of higher qualifications who are ready to serve in their mother country are available abroad where the agency has probably its headquarters. Therefore, there is nothing that holds back such initiatives. Our government represented in the ministry of Planning and Rehabilitation don't subject the agencies to proper vetting and the projects which merit prior attention. This lack of oversight or negligence or what you may, has created the impression that Somaliland is no-man's-country where agencies or every person could manage to get away with a naive project and hoodwink the contributors.

The international aid agencies must understand that we have our own people whom we report to directly of every project properly executed here. Our people who are active enough have access to international donors and could manage to offer damaging reports of any body [who] prepared projects deviant to the overall policy. We are against all bureaucratic financial waste which spent on the basis of unnecessary personnel traveling expenses from and to Nairobi and lush salaries according to S/L standards while Somaliland employees with the same qualifications are given rather subsistence salaries which in time make them tolerate a treatment of snobbery, and rather compel them to invent African ways and means to swindle the aid amounts earmarked for the projects and of course in concurrence with those to whom the project was donated. All this takes place because of the absent role of this government.