That Freedom Shall not Perish
African Continental - First HIV surveillance programme in SomalilandTHE first-ever HIV surveillance programme in the self-declared republic of Somaliland has been launched. The surveillance is set to explore key findings of the earlier research, with a focus on most-at-risk populations. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) have announced their launch of the first community-based HIV surveillance programme in Somaliland. Building upon its groundbreaking Somali HIV hotspot mapping research, IOM says it has started a “biobehavioural HIV surveillance survey” in the breakaway republic, in collaboration with WHO. Focus on the earlier study was on so-called “most-at-risk populations”. The HIV hot-spot mapping was the first Somali research study to identify and engage transactional sex workers and their clients, including truck drivers, uniformed services, seafarers and militia. “Key findings indicated poor knowledge of how HIV is transmitted and prevented, low condom use and multiple, concurrent sexual partners,” according to IOM. HIV surveillance is widely regarded as the cornerstone of an evidence-informed AIDS response. The “bio” component establishes who is HIVinfected, which is then linked to “behavioural” indicators of risk practices, according to IOM Hargeisa Head of Office Adrienne Testa. The findings is set to guide the Somalilander government’s HIV response to develop and inform programmes for risk populations, including sex workers, truck drivers, uniformed services and other vulnerable groups. Baseline prevalence of risk behaviours and HIV infection are also expected to be established. The community-based surveillance among most-atrisk populations is also to complement WHO’s HIV surveillance among Somaliland antenatal clinic attendees, says Ms Testa. Data collection is to start August 2008, according to IOM, “to establish HIV and STI prevalence, as well as HIV and STI risk perceptions, condom usage patterns, barriers to condom usage, gender-based violence and integrated health service needs,” she notes. Local partner organisations included the Somaliland National AIDS Commission (SOLNAC). The project, which is funded by UNICEF, the Global Fund and UNAIDS, will initially be conducted only in peaceful Somaliland. But IOM says it hopes to be able to replicate it also in troubled Somalia, starting in the relative peaceful semiautonomous north-eastern region of Puntland and moving down to South Central. This was however “subject to additional funding,” IOM said.
The AFRICAN ECHO is a bi-weekly community newspaper designed for Africans and Africans in the Diaspora. It targets all Africans of both sexes, age groups, income groups and all educational and social backgrounds. It is a community weekly newspaper targeting African and Africans in the Diaspora. Breakaway region Somaliland hopes for links with Ireland`The British used to say that we were the Irish of Africa," said Abdillahi M Duale, the foreign minister of Somaliland, a breakaway region that runs along Somalia's north-western coast on the horn of Africa. With a population roughly equivalent to that of Ireland and a history teeming with struggles for independence, the British may have had a point. One difference, however, is that Somaliland, although autonomous, has yet to be recognised by the rest of the world. But if Duale and his government have their way, that could be about to change. In recent months, Duale has been on an international mission to forge ties and set out the case for the recognition of Somaliland. He has visited London, Paris and Washington, where he was treated to full diplomatic protection, a rarity for a representative of an entity that has not been recognised. Last week, he met a number of Irish academics and senior business people. ``I want to build ties with Ireland and create links between our two countries," he said. ``There are a lot of parallels between Ireland and Somaliland. We have both had to overcome years of adversity and conflict and we have both achieved peace." Somaliland, which has an abundance of oil resources, has already started to create business links with Ireland. The territory recently signed a deal with oil company Enex, and the resulting joint venture partnership, Enex Somaliland, has its holding company incorporated in Ireland. Duale now believes that there are opportunities for other link-ups between Somaliland and Ireland. ``We are particularly interested in your educational model and the success of the Irish economy," he said. Somaliland has been one of the success stories of African democracy. In 1991, as Somalia's government disintegrated and the country spiralled into war, Somaliland, traditionally one of the poorest parts of Somalia, declared its independence. The area had previously been a British protectorate, while the rest of the Somalia was controlled by Italy. The former British area decided it wanted control of its own affairs, and went its separate way. Its leaders have since established a democracy so secure that the United States is considering backing Somaliland ahead of the more volatile Somalia. The territory has held three rounds of multi-party elections, demobilised thousands of young gunmen and moulded them into a functioning army. ``We have a stable democracy. We have shown failed states in Africa that they too can achieve peace and democracy. We have three political parties and we have checks and balances on our political system. Our parliament is very nosey and that is a good thing," said Duale. ``We have a budget of just $55 million, but we have achieved a lot with it. We have built the institutions of state and we have developed infrastructure." Somaliland has designed a political system that minimises clan rivalries by carving out a special role for clan elders, the traditional pillars of Somali society. The country is predominantly Muslim, but operates on a largely secular model. A big sticking point remains the refusal of the African Union formally to recognise Somaliland. Pending a change in that view, Duale will continue to create links with foreign countries, including Ireland, and to further his country's cause. Somaliland: KULMIYE Statement on the Horn of AfricaFrom http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/75597/ September 26, 2008 Drawing on a reputation for neutrality and commitment to peace, Somaliland´s KULMIYE PARTY is in favour of a peaceful means for resolving all the disputes in the Horn of Africa. Our vision for the region´s stabilisation reflects on this principle and is anchored around the following five key priorities. First, we support an inclusive political dialogue and integrated peace approach aiming to achieve a broader consensus among the parties in conflict in bringing an end to the prolonged regional confrontations. Second, we call on the international community to provide effective development and humanitarian assistance to the civilian population that are caught up in these conflicts. Third, we encourage efforts aimed at creating conditions that are conducive for building democratically representative institutions that would facilitate greater participation in the decision-making process. Fourth, we advocate for a regional economic integration and freedom of trade. Fifth, we deny extremist groups the opportunity to find a safe haven in the region. In achieving the above policy priorities, we believe that an internationally- supported and regionally- coordinated diplomatic strategy is the best way forward, with an integrated peace building and post-conflict planning. We strongly believe that promoting democracy and freedom is essential for the broader regional peace programme, including supporting peaceful and effective administrations in the region, acknowledging democratic initiatives and defending free media. We recognize these are the only ideas that can lead to a lasting stability in the region. We are also of the opinion that a free trade and market economy with investment opportunities will facilitate a peaceful co-existence and a desire for cooperation among the people in the Horn. Therefore, we call for a regional economic policy reform that could create incentives for peace and tolerance. We believe these are important steps towards the goal of a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution to the conflicts in the Horn, as well as rebuilding the communities devastated by these conflicts. For this purpose, we work with our partners in the region with whom we share these values and, together, we work on achieving well-governed, law-abiding democratic states. Contrary to fabricated reports by Somaliland government officials, KULMIYE supports neither Eritrea nor any other groups that are engaged in the regional disputes. Instead, we call on all the parties involved to choose for a peaceful and democratic path to advance their interests and to redress injustices. Promoting democratic development and fighting against extremism have made Somaliland peaceful and stable. KULMIYE is determined to promote this process. We respect civil rights, freedom of expression and individual freedom. We believe that applying these values and focussing on the above policy priorities will give Somaliland an opportunity to build a better relationship with the region and to enhance its national security. KULMIYE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPOKESMAN Somaliland Foreign Minister in Ireland to Advance Somaliland's Economic Diplomacy: Oiling wheels ofhttp://www.qarannews.com/ From Irish Times, Sep 26, 2008 HAVING STEPPED down last week from the board of Circle Oil, Irish businessman John McKeon has turned his attention to oil exploration in Somaliland, a self-governing African region that is seeking international recognition and independence from Somalia. McKeon is one of the promoters of Enex Energy Resources, which has a joint venture with the government of Somaliland to prospect licences to the southeast of the de facto state. Somaliland's foreign minister, Abdillahi Mohamed Duale, was in Dublin this week. Enex was registered in Ireland. Director Len Tiahlo says it expects to be shooting seismic in Somaliland by Christmas and hopes to drill two test wells. He described the prospect as "world class", meaning it could have hundreds of millions of barrels of oil. That remains to be seen. This is a risky venture and the area in question is under claim by a Canadian company. Somaliland's government says the claim is spurious. This might be true but if Tiahlo is right about his prospect's potential, he will surely have to fight to establish a legal right to extract oil. That's to say nothing of the terrorists and pirates operating in the region or the fact that Somaliland has yet to gain UN recognition. McKeon is no stranger to doing business in Africa. Earlier this month, he persuaded a Libyan fund set up by Col Muammar Gadafy to invest £19 million in Circle, which he co-founded, for its drilling activities in Africa. Pulling off a similar trick with Enex would surely top it.
France obtained permission from Somaliland authorities to use the abandoned U.S. base at Berbera.From http://www.qarannews.com/ by J.Peter Pham, PhD, Sep 25, 2008 Time to Hunt Somali Pirates Late last Monday evening, for the second time this year, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy dispatched special operations forces into the territory of the defunct Somali Democratic Republic to free French citizens who had been hijacked by pirates off the dangerous waters off the Horn of Africa. The next morning, in a pre-dawn operation lasting just ten minutes, a team from the Commando Hubert of the berets verts, the elite naval commandos, freed a French couple, Jean-Yves and Bernadette Delanne, who had been kidnapped two weeks earlier when their yacht, the Carré d'As IV, was seized by pirates as it was passing through the Gulf of Aden en route to France from Australia. The pirates holding the Delannes had been demanding a $1.4 million ransom.Instead one pirate ended up dead and another half dozen received a free trip to one of holding cells belonging to the France's special counterterrorism court where they will join six other Somalis captured by French commandos in April after they hijacked the luxury sailboat Le Ponant and held its thirty crew members hostage. The berets verts suffered no casualties. Several hours after the commando raid, in a speech from the Élysée Palace in Paris, President Sarkozy noted that he ordered the rescue when it became clear the pirates planned to take the hostages to Eyl, a pirate base in the semi-autonomous northeastern Somali region of Puntland, where "their captivity could have lasted months." According to the French chief of state, "The world cannot accept this. Today, these are no longer isolated cases but a genuine industry of crime. This industry threatens a fundamental freedom, that of movement and of international commerce."Citing the fact that piracy in the Gulf of Aden had "literally exploded" this year with more than fifty attacks so far this year and Somali pirates still holding an estimated 150 hostages and more than a dozen ships, mainly around Eyl, the president called the international community to action against "this plague." Yet barely 24 hours later, a Hong Kong-registered ship, the 25,000-ton Stolt Valor, which had been chartered by the Norwegian-Luxembourgish Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group and bound for Mumbai, India, with a chemical cargo, was seized with its crew of twenty-two, including 18 Indians, two Filipinos, one Bangladeshi, and one Russian. The next day, Somali pirates hijacked the Greek-owned, Maltese registered bulk carrier Centauri, which was carrying 26 Filipino seamen and a load of 17,000 tons of salt to the Kenyan port of Mombasa; the vessel was taken to southern Somalia which, as I reported late last month, had come under the control of Islamist forces with al Qaeda links. In a separate attack that same day, the Hong Kong-registered Great Creation, which was traveling to India from Tunisia, was also seized with its crew of 24 Chinese and one Sri Lankan. On Sunday, another Greek-owned freighter, the Bahamian-registered Captain Stephanos, was hijacked 250 nautical miles off the Somali coast. As of the time this column is being filed, there is no word on the fate of ship's crew of seventeen Filipinos, one Chinese, and one Ukrainian. That the attacks are increasing should come as little surprise. In an interview with Der Spiegel last week, Germany ship owner Niels Stolberg admitted that his Bremen-based firm, Beluga Shipping GmbH, paid $1.1 million earlier this month to recover its $23 milllion freighter, the Antigua and Barbuda-registered BBC Trinidad, which had been hijacked while carrying pipes and other oil equipment from Houston, Texas, to Muscat, Oman. With ship owners willing to pay ransoms of more than $1 million for the release of their hijacked vessels, Somali piracy in increasing in both frequency and sophistication. Not only are the attacks the most lucrative economic activity in Somalia these days, but the pirates are using at least part of the ransoms they have collecting to upgrade their arsenals in the hopes of landing even larger maritime prizes. The authoritative shipping paper of record, Lloyd's List, warned last week that "ransom paid to pirate raiders off Somalia could spiral to $50 million this year, fueling copy cat attacks." From being the occasional nuisance whose deadly potential I warned about more than two years ago in the inaugural column of this series when I reported on an incident of some pirates foolishly taking Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Cape St. George and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gonzalez 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast, Somali piracy has, alas, burgeoned into an international problem affecting literally dozens of countries around the globe. Hijacked vessels currently being held in Somali ports include ships flying the flags of China, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Panama, South Korea, and Thailand. Captured seamen presently being held for ransom by the pirates come from fifteen countries, including Croatia, India, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Russia. Insurance premiums for commercial shipping which must pass through the Gulf of Aden have soared tenfold over the course of the past year, adding yet another drag to the sluggish global economy. Yet shippers have few options: the adverse impact on international commerce of having to navigate all around the Cape of Good Hope, which adds at least 4,500 miles to a voyage, could be even more severe than the increased insurance costs. Late last week the Round Table of International Shipping Associations - an umbrella group that brings together the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the International Association of Dry Cargo Ship-owners (Intercargo), the International Chamber of Shipping/International Shipping Federation, and the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) - jointed the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) in a joint appeal calling on the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) to use its influence with the world body to secure "real and immediate action against brazen acts of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery, carried out with increasing frequency against ships in the Gulf of Aden, by pirates based in Somalia," a challenge which the statement described as "in danger of spiraling completely and irretrievably out of control." It should be recalled that the shipping industry and union were hardly exaggerating the potential risks: in addition to other commerce, some 11 percent of world's seaborne petroleum - some 3.3 million barrels - must pass through the very waters currently infested with the Somali pirates. From the international security perspective, even more grave than the danger to global maritime commerce, there is increasing evidence that at least part of the proceeds from the piracy has gone to fund the Islamist insurgency against the internationally-recognized, but otherwise utterly ineffective, "Transitional Federal Government" (TFG) of Somalia. The insurgent "Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia" (ARS) is spearheaded by al-Shabaab ("the Youth"), a group with ties to al-Qaeda which was formally designated a "foreign terrorist organization" by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier this year (see my March 27th report). The latest confirmation of what is at the very least tacit cooperation between the Somali pirates and their terrorist counterparts were the reports over the weekend that the Centauri was headed toward the Islamist-controlled southern Somali coast, rather than to one of the usual pirate havens in Puntland. Moreover, should the link between Somali piracy and Somali Islamist terrorism ever mature beyond the current marriage of convenience to achieve operational and strategic synergies, then the real consequences of the maritime economic warfare which I sketched out in concept two years ago will be truly catastrophic. And while the pirate gangs and, however indirectly, the ARS insurgents have benefited from the attacks on shipping, the already marginal existence of ordinary Somalis has deteriorated. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) currently feeds some 2.4 million of the approximately 6 million inhabitants of Somalia proper; by the end of the year, the number of those totally dependent upon food assistance is expected to grow by about 50 percent to more than 3.6 million as the region faces what WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran characterized Monday as "the worst humanitarian crisis since 1984," when over one million died in the Ethiopian famine. With approximately 90% of that food aid moved by sea, the pirate attacks threaten to cut off that vital lifeline. While the pirates have not targeted WFP food shipments recently because of escort protection provided by the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec, the vessel is scheduled to end its three-month deployment and sail home this coming weekend. As yet, no country has stepped forward to take over the mission. The dire humanitarian situation is further aggravated by al-Shabaab's warning last week against any aircraft landing at Mogadishu's Aden Adde Airport, a threat backed by intelligence that the terrorist group had taken delivery of a new consignment surface-to-air missiles. As a result of the Islamists' ban on flights, the only plane to come in all week was a Ugandan military flight that slipped in last Friday to deliver supplies to the Ugandan People's Defense Force contingent which makes up the bulk of the woefully undermanned African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeeping force. In response, ARS forces pounded Mogadishu over the weekend, shelling two AMISOM bases, the airport, and the city's Bakara market; at least two dozen civilians were killed on Monday alone. What then, might be done to deal with the growing challenge of Somali piracy? First, commercial vessels need to be better prepared to protect themselves. For now, commercial shipping should limit their risk by navigating within the limits of Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) proclaimed late last month by the Commander, United States Naval Central Command, and entrusted to the Combined Task Force 150 multinational effort originally set up to stop suspect shipping in support of the war on terrorism. In the event they come under pirate attack, vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden via the MSPA corridor stand a greater chance of receiving assistance from coalition ships maintaining a continual presence in the vicinity. Some ship owners have also invested in alarm systems, close-circuit television, electric fences, and even armed guards as measures to counter the threat of being boarded, many have not. Nonetheless, even if all ships deployed countermeasures, the merchant marine cannot be turned into an armed fleet. Furthermore, with some attacks being mounted more than 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast by heavily armed pirates in ocean going vessels equipped with satellite technology, there is a limit to the effectiveness of the standard advice given to commercial shipping to avoid the coastline, keep alert, and maintain speed. (See point six below.) Second, given the large area within which the pirates now apparently operate as well as their improved armaments and tactics necessitates a strong naval response to sweep the international sea lanes clear of the pirates. Since early this month the Royal Danish Navy has had a combat support ship, HDMS Absalon in the Gulf of Aden as part of the Combined Task Force 150 (the rotating command of the task force handed over to a Danish officer, Commodore Per Bigum Christensen, last Monday). The Absalon, however, has been spending more of its deployment chasing pirates away from commercial shipping in the MSPA than interdicting terrorist movements of men and materiel: this past week, the frigate-type vessel was answering at least one distress call a day. European Union (EU) foreign ministers meeting in Brussels last Monday expressed their "serious concern about the acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast" and decided to establish a coordination unit tasked with supporting surveillance and protection activities undertaken by individual member states. The ministers also approved "a strategic military option for a possible European Union naval operation." On Saturday, a press release from the Spanish Defense Ministry announced that, in support of the EU coordination unit, Madrid had dispatched a P-3 Orion maritime reconnaissance plane and a Hercules helicopter, as well as a Boeing 727 carrying support personnel, on a three-month deployment to Djibouti, from where the aircraft will patrol the Somali coast. Also over the weekend, the French Permanent Mission to the United Nations was circulating a draft Security Council resolution calling on "all states interested in the safety of maritime activities" to "actively take part in the fight against piracy against vessels off the coast of Somalia, in particular by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft." Third, while an international anti-piracy coalition as advocated by the French is well and fine, it is effective; and it can only be as effective as its components. While the unanimously passed UN Security Council Resolution 1816 authorizes for a period of six months beginning in June the naval forces of other countries to enter Somali waters in pursuit of the pirates, that document predicated the legal authority to do so on cooperation with the TFG. The problem is that not only is the TFG no government, but it is part and parcel of the problem. Last Friday, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, accused the rulers of Puntland of complicity in the piracy, telling a press conference in Djibouti that "the Puntland leadership has made it easy for pirates to establish a base there" and alleging that some of ransom money collected would "be used to fund the 2009 presidential elections in Puntland." What the Mauritanian diplomat discretely omitted was that Puntland is the stronghold of TFG "President" Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad's Darod clan and the Majeerteen subclansmen who are his most loyal supporters enjoy a disproportionately high representation in the ranks of the pirates. One can only guess how many of the consumer purchases which TFG chieftain is wont to make during frequent sojourns abroad are paid for with misappropriated international funds that are supposed to aid Somali civilians and how many are funded by the tribute payments received by the old warlord from his pirate kinsmen (see this photo posted on a Somali website - the very week it was taken in London earlier this year, dozens of Somalis died in attacks in Mogadishu). The TFG is likelier to be a hindrance than a help in taking the type of strong action, both on land as well as in the water, which will be needed if the pirate havens are to be destroyed once and for all - statements like last week's declaration of support by the International Contact Group on Somalia for the TFG's constantly proliferating array of do-nothing committees to dialogue with the toothless rump of the ARS that, having lost the internal power struggle to more extremist elements, signed the so-called Djibouti Agreement last month are little more than wishful thinking. Fourth, in addition to eschewing entanglements with obstacles like the TFG, it is imperative that ties be forged with effective authorities capable of helping in the fight against piracy. While pirates operate openly along most of the 2,285 kilometers of the coastline in Somalia proper, none ply the 740 kilometers of Gulf of Aden coastline belonging to the as-yet unrecognized Republic of Somaliland. According to information first disclosed last Wednesday by my friend Professor Iqbal Jhazbhay of the University of South Africa in an interview with Nairobi, Kenya-based Voice of America (VOA) correspondent Alisha Ryu, despite having a base in neighboring Djibouti, France obtained permission from Somaliland authorities to use the abandoned U.S. base at Berbera in the northwestern region of the republic as the staging area for last week's successful rescue. According to other sources, the operation also involved the La Fayette-class light stealth frigate Courbet and two ATL-2 maritime patrol aircraft. After the raid, the base was used again to transfer the six captured pirates to an airplane bound for France. The French appear to have decided to avail themselves of Somaliland President Dahir Riyale Kahin's coincidental presence in their capital for consultations to secure the use of a staging ground that was less likely to jeopardize operational secrecy than Djibouti, where the one runway at Ambouli International Airport is shared by commercial traffic, the French military mission, and Camp Lemonier, home of the America's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA). As I have previously advocated and must repeat again: The international community needs to formally acknowledge de jure what is already de facto: the desuetude of "Somalia" as a sovereign subject of international law. Unitary Somalia is not only dead, but the carcass of that state has been putrefied; reanimation is no longer in the realm of possible. To apply Max Weber's thesis, a government like the TFG that does not even enjoy the monopoly on the legitimate use of force in its own capital -much less elsewhere in the territory it claims as its own - is no government at all. Instead of constantly trying to put the best face on a bad situation,...the emphasis should be shifted to local Somali entities which have taken responsibility for governance in their respective regions. Fifth, while naval operations can be undertaken to clear the sea lanes of the pirate menace and commando raids launched to rescue hostages, the long term security of the waters around the Horn of Africa requires the development of maritime capacity on the part of states neighboring the anarchic regions of Somalia. As I suggested in last week's column, there is a need to for engagement initiatives like the United States Navy-led Africa Partnership Station (APS), which strengthens the capacity of partner countries to deal with a variety of challenges, including piracy, criminal enterprises, and poaching. However, for most African nations, the scope of their maritime ambitions and interests is far more modest than those of the blue-water navies of middle-tier powers, much less those of the U.S. Navy. In America, functions like maritime safety and law enforcement, littoral escort, and port security have traditionally been the primary responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard. Given that, in terms of mission as well as vessel size, this service is a much closer match to almost all of Africa's naval forces than most of the assets of Naval Forces Central Command or the Pacific Fleet which operate nearby, it would behoove military strategists to consider how to incorporate the Coast Guard more into their planning for security in East Africa. Sixth, even with short-term kinetic operations and long-term capacity enhancement initiatives, one has to acknowledge that in the waters off the Horn, there would still remain a not insignificant gap in maritime security between what assistance the international community can or will provide and such capacities as African states (and Yemen) might possess. Might it not be the case that, as I argued in The National Interest Online last year with respect to lack of deployable peacekeeping, the international community as a whole, interested states, or even those with stakes in maritime transportation ought to at least consider leveraging non-traditional security resources available within the private sector to fill, at least provisionally, the security vacuum? It is bad enough that, Somaliland aside, the lack of an effective, much less legitimate, government in the territory of the former Somalia since 1991 has occasioned virtually endless conflict among the Somali. It is intolerable that the lawlessness should spill over and threaten the security of neighboring states like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen, as well as global commerce as a whole, much less that it should augment the already considerable terrorist challenge. The time has come for responsible powers in the international community to develop an integrated strategy to cope with the worsening piracy, one that begins with declaring open season on the seaborne marauders whom admiralty law has long branded hostes humani generis, enemies of mankind. In addition to serving on the boards of several international and national think tanks and journals, FamilySecurityMatters.orgContributing Editor Dr. J. Peter Pham has testified before the U.S.Congress. Kulmiye's Crisis and the Democracy in Somaliland
If Kulmiye does not put his house in order and come up with an agreed Vice President for the forthcoming presidential election, democratic process in Somaliland will suffer a huge damage. The current crisis of Kulmiye has mainly originated from the leadership contest in Burao party conference, but not entirely from the conference. The election of the Presidential candidate was finally agreed to be Silanyo after a rough ride. The problem of electing the Vice Presidential candidate plunged the party into unprecedented crisis, resulting that the party has split in the middle. There were three candidates for the Vice Presidential candidacy, Abdirahman Sayli'i, Abdirahman Aw Ali Farah, both from Awdal Region and Ahmed H. Ali Adami from Sanaag Region. It was clear from the beginning whom was Siilanyo's favorite among the three contesters and it was Abdirahman Sayli'i. Why Silanyo preferred Abdirahman Sayli'i seemed based on analysis touching different aspects, but the main one was that Silanyo clearly and honestly stated that it is Abdirahman Sayli'i that he can work comfortably with, and this is correct in the ethical and leadership rules in any organizational. The other two candidates did not accept that and immediately organized their own group within the party to challenge this outcome. Their main argument was that the Burao conference was undemocratic particularly the way in which the Vice Presidential candidate was elected. After these events, the situation within Kulmiye became an open Pandora Box where "political marketers" trade in and made their political playground. There were several mediations from different walks of life of the community, including the other two political parties, UCID and UDUB. I am a concerned Somalilander who feels uncomfortable how recent events in Kulmiye`s party have been developing, because I feel this is damaging the national interest. There is no profit or benefit for anyone for Kulmiye party's crisis. It is in the interest of the country that the dispute in Kulmiye has to be settled sooner. Having said this, I would like to contribute this debate with the following observations: Democracy in Somaliland and its process Those who are well familiar with the Somaliland democratic process perfectly know that we are not still democrats, but we are trying to build a democratic society. The way we go about this has been, and still is, by using mixture of clan, Islamic and limited democratic methodologies to choose our leaders and to settle our conflicts, and we call these democratic actions, though it is far from democracy. In connection to this, the argument that Abdirahman Aw Ali and his supporters saying that Burao Kulmiye conference were not democratic loses its validity and credibility in Somaliland political context. I can quote one main event, during the election of the parliamentary speakers. The Guurti realized the political system of the country tilts decisively to the ruling party, UDUB if the speakers of the parliament also went to the ruling party. The Guurti settled with the well-known formula, by allowing the opposition parties to have had the speaker and its two deputies (Shir-gudoonka). That day I remember by asking the wise man of the Guurti, H. Abdirkarin (Abdi Warabe) what legal basis of this compromise was based. He said to me, "We did not refer too much on legal basis, but we refer to the political wisdom "xikma" of Somaliland. Because we thought if "shir-gudoonka" also goes to the ruling party, the government will have too much power." (Xisbu xaakimku haday taa ku darsadaan waxay helayaan doobi buuxa, qolada mucaaridka ahina doobi madhan, markaa taasi nalama aha wax wanaagsan.) History of Kulmiye Party If I may go back for a moment to the history of Kulmiye Party, during the Presidential election in 2003, Abdirahman Aw Ali was a member of the Asad Political Organization headed by Suleiman Mohamoud Adem, the current chairman of the Guurti. In Kulmiye at that time, there were four candidates, all from Awdal Region who were competing for the candidacy of the Vice President., including my self For instance, in my case; I was well-prepared for the post. I had just finished my PhD in Political Science from London University (SOAS and LSC) with a professional working experience and political background and being an active supporter of the SNM struggle. I met Silanyo as soon as he left form Siad Barre's regime and before he joined the SNM leadership in Addis Ababa. I was Student at London University and a coordinator of a lobbing Group consisting of students and Somali Diaspora in London against the military regime of Siad Barre. We welcomed Silanyo to our group and we gave him a full support in his opposition activities in London. I personally organized for him several lectures in London University (SOAS) where he spoke and explained the atrocities of the regime of Siad Barre. I went with him to Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool for lobbying and support. After almost a decade, I met Silanyo again for a lunch in London before he established the Kulmiye Party and we had one-to-one lively discussion about the political situation in our country. The Somaliland Diaspora particularly those living in London encouraged me to join Kulmiye Party and give Siilanyo the political and media support and experience that he and the party needed. I came to Hargeisa and joined the party. Abdi Mohamoud (Gaagaale), now an MP was also among the other three Awdal candidates. Abdi Mohamoud played an important role in the peace making processes in Somaliland particularly in the Awdal region. At that time he was living in the United States, but he came back because of assurance from Kulmiye leadership that he will be selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate. The two others were Abdi Hassan Buni, an elderly statesman and Dr Mohamed Hadi, a professional medical doctor. To our surprise and maybe to the surprise of the Somaliland political history, Abdirahman Aw Ali mysteriously entered the party from the back door in the last few days before the election date and before our eyes open, Abdirahman Aw Ali was hastily declared the winner as the Vice Presidential candidate of the party. In my analysis abandoning of the other contesters and the sudden switch of bringing Abdirahman Aw Ali from the back door caused Kulmiye and its leader Silanyo not to win the 2003 Presidential election. This episode left with Silanyo and the Kulmiye party with uncomfortable historical memorial reflections. In my case, I swallowed my pride, walked out from the party and hoped a good luck for Silanyo and the party, but I still I respect Siilanyo as a Somaliland statesman. Who engineered this plot by bringing Abdirahman Aw Ali from the back door? It was engineered by the three Mujahiddin Musketeers, Mouse Bihi, Mohamed Kahin and Dhagaweyne. They even convinced the good-hearted Islamic politicians in the party, such as Abdiaziz Mohamed Samaale, whom I had a good relationship with, to their point of view. I give great respect to Muse Bihi, who frankly told me at that time that he was no longer supporting me and that he switched his support to Abdirahman Aw Ali, because he was his colleague in the trench during the SNM struggle. Now we have another face of the political history of the Kulmiye Party. The four Mujahiddin musketeers (by the way, the four mujahidins Musketeers have an honourable place in the history of Somaliland because of their contributions to the liberation struggle) are no longer in the same trench. Abdirahman Aw Ali and Dhagaweyne are in the same camp and Mouse Bihi and Mohamed Kahin are supporting Silanyo. Conclusion To Ahmed H. Ali Adami & Abdirahman Aw Ali I consider Mr. Adami a good and productive Somaliland statesman because of his record in Somaliland National Electoral Commission. He ran the commission in a difficult times and he kept his head above all these difficulties sometimes using his humourous potentialities. I advise him to be a good mediator between the two factions of the party and convince Abdirahman Aw Ali group and himself as well to drop their objections and join the rest of the party for the national interest. The country can't afford at this time of historical junction that none of the three political parties, UCID, Kulmiye and UDUB, have an internal strife. If the way in which Abdirahman Aw Ali was elected in 2003 Kulmiye's election was acceptable and ok, logically the way that Abdirahman Sayli'i was elected should also be ok. Moreover, Abdirahman Sayli'i did not enter the party from the back door but he came from the front door and without "plotters" to put him in. I would like advise Abdirahman Aw Ali the following:
Somaliland: Somalilander by Default
Yes that is by default. I have no choice do i? I was born Somalilander, I lived in Somaliland, studied in Somaliland raised in Somaliland. My fathers, grandfathers and grand-grandfathers are all from Somaliland. I was celebrating when i got my independence from Britain on the 26th June 1960 but chose to try if the union with my other Somalis could bring me more than i can get alone. Two of the five Somali regions that are Somaliland and Somalia got emerged on 1st of July 1960, that is four days after the Somaliland's independence. I overwhelmingly took my flag to Mogadishu expecting my other Brothers will welcome me with the same excitement and joy but dissapointed of the arrogance, corruption and power-hungry folks in that place. Asked my self if i can continue with this or go back to my own but decided to stay now and see how things will change in the short run. It got worse and getting even worst by the day. Nine years went and there was no hope at all. Then it was the coup where Mohamed Siyad Barre announced his revolution. People felt a little hope and wished this might be the best for all and will end up the years of corruption and political chaos. Yes, it was good during the first years and the achievement was really a brilliant before he came out from the closet and show his true colors. Next, the enemy, the traitor and those who oppose to the unity were the Somalilanders. The thousands of the military personnel, the heavy duty weapons, the jet fighters and everything that was made out of the people's taxes were converted towards Somaliland and its people. Imagine the nation that donated both the flag and the land in order to unite the Somali people are now treated as the enemy of the nation and bombarded with missiles and mortars. Still Somalilanders they had no choice but this time to resist and reclaim their lost sovernginity at any cost. The mission started in 1981 and ended in 1991 with success. The independence was again gained after paying thousands of Somalilander's souls and the arrogant and dictators in Somalia started to fight agains each other as usual but this time by guns. For 17 years and Somaliland is gaining more development by the day. It was not an easy job to start a whole nation from scratch but as i said people in Somaliland are patriotic and managed to achieve their goals. Still more to do but the destination is very close. I'm a Somalilander by defaul, always and forever. US Policy Shifts towards SomalilandSource: http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/4566, Sep 23, 2008 In what appears to be a effort to reward stablilty in a highly unstable part of the World ,The US is going to increase the amount of aid it sends to the "Breakaway Region" of Somaliland. On the surface that can be seen as the US growing increasingly frustrated with the Pace of "Nation Building" within Somalia. In Recent Weeks there have been several Incidents of Piracy on the High Seas. In at least one instance there has been Western Intervention to Free some of those that were taken hostage. Several Nations will be deploying Warships to this volatile region in the near future to address this rapidly unfolding and deteriorating situation. The Situation on the Ground isn't much better either with Islamist Militias targeting Peacekeepers. Earlier this year US Undersecretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazier paid a visit to Hargeysa. Security Issues were forefront Naturally in her visit. The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) already has some contacts with Somaliland Authorities as well as several US Funded Aid Agencies. Somaliland has been registering Political Parties for its Presidential Elections in 2009. The Visit by Jessica Davis Ba who is the US Diplomat Responsible for Somali Political and Economic Interests in the US Embassy in Nairobi and a representative from the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) was a follow-up to the trip of Underseceretary Frazier. The US Feels that Somaliland has made great Economic and Political gains since it declared its unilateral Independence back in 1991. There are concerns in Washington that the rise in both Global Food and Petroleum Prices could be a hinderance to the Emergance of an Independent Somaliland. Several Countries have sent Delegations to Hargeysa in recent weeks to determine if any Economic Investments are indeed feasable. There are concerns about the youth of the country leaving school early to take on other endeavors currently. With the rest of Somalia continuing to suffer Famine and the effects of a very effective Insurgency it is not a bad idea to reach out to People and areas that are having a modicum of success. Although the US has no immediate plans to open up a direct contact with Hargeysa the current Administration will use the contacts it already has to further improve ties. In the past the United States has stated that it will wait until the African Union Recgonizes Somaliland as an Independent State before it does. In Recent Weeks there have been reports that Ethiopia is considering pulling out of Somalia. If this occurs than once again the efforts of the United Nations to restore a functioning Government to Somalia will have failed once again. Efforts to have African Peacekeepers on the ground have been lacking. Famine is a growing concern as is the rise of Piracy in the region known as Puntland. So it appears that the US is once again hedging its bets in a volatile region. The Author publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet. It can be found at morganrights.tripod.com
SOMALIA: Hundreds affected by diarrhoea in north"The outbreak began on 13 September and so far we have registered 261 cases and no fatalities," Adan Ilmi Diriye, the regional medical officer, told IRIN. The biggest one-day caseload was on 13 September, with 92 cases, he said, adding, "so far today we have registered 16 cases". Diriye blamed the outbreak on contaminated water drawn from wells in the area. "We had rains and we suspect the problem is the water people are drinking has been contaminated."
Source: Understanding and Managing Acute Diarrhoea in Infants and Young Children A task-force consisting of local authorities and aid agencies based in Burao, chaired by the regional medical officer, has been set up to deal with the outbreak. An awareness campaign was also under way. "We are using every avenue to reach people," Diriye added. "Even the mosques have been involved in passing information to avoid contracting the disease." Two wards in Burao general hospital were being used as a treatment centre. "If we feel we need to use a bigger place we will set it up, "he said. As part of the efforts to contain the outbreak, Diriye said: "We have started chlorination of water wells and we are distributing water purification tablets directly to families in affected areas." The worst-affected parts of the city were the October and Jarmalka neighbourhoods. Diriye said the Somaliland government had sent enough drugs to deal with the problem and "we are changing our plans day to day to stay on top of it and be prepared if the situation gets worse". He said there was no sign of a slowdown. "I am, however, confident that with our awareness campaigns and the work of the task-force, we will be able to contain it." Somaliland: US government promises more aidA US diplomat who visited Hargeysa earlier this week disclosed that Somaliland would receive more American aid in the coming year than it did in the past. Jessica Davis Ba who is responsible for Somali political and economic affairs at the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, said they hoped to keep the level of assistance for Somaliland increasing in the future, depending on the ability to show real measurable results on ground. The US embassy officer, who was accompanied by Hodan Hasan from USAID, arrived in Hargeysa on last Tuesday. The duo discussed bilateral aid, democratization and security issues with Somaliland government officials, leaders of political parties and parliament as well as international organizations which are carrying out US-funded projects in Somaliland. Ms Davis also indicated that the US administration has no intention of establishing a diplomatic office in Hargeysa anytime soon. "We have no plans to open an office in Somaliland at this time", she said in a Somaliland Times interview. It was the first visit to be paid by American diplomats to Somaliland in 2 years.[Passage omitted- full interview]. Meles Proposes a Two-State Solution for Somaliahttp://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/74967/September 21, 2008 According to a source with intimate knowledge about the affairs of the hilltop palace of Meles Zenawi, the prime minister of Ethiopia, who is not willing to be quoted due to the sensitivity of the issue, Meles has commissioned a committee of Somali specialists early this year to come up with a strategic analysis and a menu of options with respect to Ethiopian national interest towards Somalia. The committee chaired by Ethiopia´s foremost expert on Somalia, Dr. Alemu Tekede, minister of state for foreign affairs, comprised senior officials of the ruling EPRDF, several military generals and security and intelligence officers. According to the source, after five long months of deliberations, the committee submitted to Meles a well-thought-out "red" dossier containing confidential policy proposals in last August. The committee of experts persuasively argued that the reconstitution of Somalia to its pre-1991 status would not serve the national interest of Ethiopia. Furthermore, the committee emphasized the possibility of landlocked Ethiopia becoming "sandwiched" between two hostile countries, i.e. Eritrea in the north and Somalia in the south, underlining Ethiopia´s vulnerability to gruesome civil-war and disintegration if the current Ethiopian efforts in Somalia fail and the country fall back to the hand of ousted Islamic forces. The committee further emphasized the possibility of Ethiopian Muslims becoming influenced or radicalized by Somalia´s Islamists which could ultimately ignite a devastating religious war in the country. The committee recommended the following propositions: 1 A two-state solution for Somalia along the pre-independence colonial boundaries. The committee suggested the Ethiopian government play a lead role in advocating for the international recognition of the breakaway republic of Somaliland. 2 Southern Somalia (former Italian Somaliland) to be divided into four federal regions in line with ethnic based Ethiopian federal system, namely, Puntland, Hawiyeland, Jubbaland and Rahanweinland. 3 The Somali region of Ethiopia to be "isolated" from the rest of Somalia, and limit to the extent possible commercial and traffic links between the Somali region and Somalia. According to the source, Meles has discussed the proposed two state solutions with Rayaale Kahin, the president of Somaliland, Abdillahi Yusuf, the president of the TFG, and with Mohamed Gedi, the prime minister of the TFG, in separate meetings held in September in Addis Ababa. While Mr. Yusuf rejected any discussion on the subject, Mr. Rayaale has praised the initiative and committed to deploy ten thousand Somaliland troops in Mogadishu to work with Ethiopian military forces to help quell the growing insurgency in the Somali capital. Mr. Rayaale also assured Meles that Somaliland will help Ethiopia in subduing the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a Somali rebel group based in the Somali region of Ethiopia. According to the source, Mr. Gedi began to entertain the two-state notion after the rift between him and Mr. Yusuf reached to a point of no-return, though he reportedly rebuffed the idea in the initial discussion back in September. The relationship between Yusuf and Meles has deteriorated since, according to this knowledgeable source. Subsequent to the September discussion between Meles and Rayaale, a Somaliland delegation comprising ministers of foreign affairs and finance and chief of staff of Somaliland army held several meetings in Addis Ababa with Dr. Tekede and the chief of staff of Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF). The two sides discussed the role Somaliland can play in quelling the growing insurgency in Mogadishu and part of the Somali region of Ethiopia, deployment of Ethiopian troops to Berbera to protect Ethiopian military hardware coming through the Somaliland controlled Red Sea port and Ethiopia´s support to Rayaale´s re-election for another five years term. The Somaliland delegation highlighted the fear of Somaliland drifting towards Eritrea if the KULMIYE opposition party wins the presidential election scheduled to take place mid next year. The Somaliland delegation also tabled a number of evidences accusing Puntland of providing sanctuary to ONLF and Oromo dissident groups. The Somaliland delegation has agreed to send an advance team of military officers to Mogadishu to pave the way for the eventual deployment of Somaliland troops in Mogadishu and to extradite to Ethiopia members of the Ogaden clan residing in the territory of Somaliland. Ethiopian government believes that the ONLF is drawing support from Ogaden businessmen and some segments of the Issaq clan who largely hail from the Togdheer region of Somaliland. In light of these discussions, Somaliland was given the green light to secure the borders of the former British Somaliland. According to the source, Meles has taken into confidence members of the Ethiopian opposition parties who have fully endorsed the proposed two-state solution for Somalia. With the blessing of the Bush Administration, Ethiopian troops invaded Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia in last December. They were successful in overthrowing the radical Islamist dominated regime of the UIC and in installing divided and unpopular TFG. His troops bogged down in the messy quagmire of Mogadishu where the remnants of the ousted Union of Islamic Court (UIC) continues to wage Iraq-style bloody insurgency, Meles is understandably frustrated with the apparent failure of the internationally recognized but toothless fledgling Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in pacifying the tumultuous Somali capital. The Somali experts in Addis Ababa view the two-state solution as a vital long-term strategy for Ethiopia´s national interest. Silanyo's Predicament- This Time Its The Presidency or PerishAhmed Mahmoud- alias Silanyo, the chairman of Kulmiye, is a figure who has been in politics for the last four decades and has held several political posts during that period. He is a man who has always wanted to be in the limelight of Somali politics and whenever one curtain at a stage falls he has always managed to bounce back at another stage and under another title. When he left Siad Barre's regime in the early 1980's he joined the SNM rebel group and became its chairman. It is said that he never got over the fact that he was not the chairman of the SNM when liberation dawned in 1991 and thus missed the opportunity of becoming Somaliland's first president. But he remained in politics and became a member of Somaliland's first clan-based parliament and later became Egal's finance minister. Had Egal been alive during the presidential elections of 2003 Silanyo would have never competed against Egal who was more popular, charismatic and competent than Silanyo. It is therefore that Silanyo created his opposition party only after the death of Egal and it is a fact that Kulmiye was the last opposition party to be registered. The death of Egal opened a window of oppurtunity for Silanyo to aim for the presidency and as the Somali saying goes, '' Geeriyay maxaad tartaa? Nin meel waayay ayaan meel u baneeyaa.'' - ''Oh death, what do you accomplish? I make way for the one who has no place.'' During the presidential elections of 2003 Silanyo made a big miscalculation by thinking that having been a well known political figure for so long and having been the chairman of the SNM alone would give him an edge over the little-known Rayaale. But it was precisely on those two points that he had been so wrong on. The people of Somaliland, when given the chance of direct election showed that they did not want the old politicians that they already knew all too well. In this context Silanyo was a man whom they already knew had only hollow rhetoric to offer and had a past record of being incompetent and divisive. That is why the people of Somaliland chose the quiet and humble Dahir Rayale Kahin who within the spate of only 10 months in power as an interim president delivered on his biggest promise to hold Somaliland's first ever municipal and presidential elections. Once again Somaliland holds its second presidential elections in April of next year. The run up to the upcoming presidential elections have shown just how Silanyo is hell bent on becoming president and there are several reasons that make him even more desperate this time around.
Chairman Silanyo ceded the post of party chairman to Musa Bihi in exchange for being allowed to be the party's sole presidential candidate and conceded to Musa Bihi's demand to be appointed as minister of interior in the scenario of Silanyo winning the presidency. Relinquishing the post of party chairman was no easy deal for the authoritarian Silanyo but he was forced to concede or face the threat of Muse Bihi as an aspirant for the party's presidential candidate. In fact Silanyo gambled away his chairmanship of the party because if he loses the presidential elections he has in effect no political position left. But this is no surprise taking into consideration that the [1]septuagenarian Silanyo's last chance of sitting on the seat of presidency, a post that he has always coveted, is during these elections which means that he could at last fulfill his dream of being called president at last. On the other hand Silanyo knows that the post of party chairman in the face of an election defeat would be of no use to him because he is old and frail and does not have the energy to remain as opposition leader for another five years. Therefore, he chose the more lucrative prize of the party's presidential candidate because for him, at such an age, it is now or never.
Mr. Silanyo, who is a master at clan manipulation ever since his days as the chairman of the SNM, has made a lot of efforts behind the scenes in order to obtain the support of the majority of his clan. Silanyo was one of the main catalysts in both initiating and facilitating the Gar-adag clan conference and he himself participated at that meeting and in an interview with the BBC's Somali service he advocated for what he called the ''clan's right to self determination.'' Listening to that interview one would have easily thought that it was the clan-conference's spokesman speaking and not the chairman of a political party. However, Silanyo's real and hidden agenda within the framework of this clan gathering was to win the maximum support of his clan during the upcoming elections. A reliable witness at this conference confirmed to me that Silanyo's lobbyists and henchmen at the conference pursued this objective through a two-fold persuasion argument: a) That this time around ´´we'' (the east-Burao based clan) deserve the post of presidency more than any other tribe since the other two other major Isak clans and even the Samaroon tribe have had their turn. Their argument was that Somaliland's democracy is just pure whitewash, that we are still a tribal based society and that the east-Burao clan's best interest was to vote for Silanyo and the Kulmiye party. They also laid forward their grandiose plan that the east-Burao clan with it's already several notable merchants would become the most powerful clan in Somaliland if it achieves to hold both the economical and highest power of office at the same time.
It is reported that Silanyo ultimately succeeded in getting a pledge of support from most of the prominent members of his clan that were present at this conference and this explains his enthusiasm for the conference during the BBC interview. The existence of such an understanding is evident from the fact that the communiqué issued at the end of this clan conference stated that several of the agreements reached were not to be made public because they dealt with what was called ''the clan's internal affairs.'' It is worth pointing out that this is the first time in Somaliland's history that a tribal gathering has shrouded with secrecy a whole section regarding the points reached at their conference. Silanyo's descent from a party leader to clan-based and tribal minded politician exposed his true colors and showed just how low this man would stoop in order to gain the presidency. His agitation of his own clan has made ordinary Somalilanders asking themselves how such a man can be relied on to lead a democracy when he himself is subverting democracy by practicing clan politics. Furthermore, Silanyo's dictatorial attitudes at the recent Kulmiye conference in Burao have undermined whatever little credibility he had left and made it clear that he does not possess the competence or the caliber to rule a party let alone a country. However, all these unscrupulous actions on the part of Silanyo are an indication of his ever growing desperation to become president at all costs. It is quite obvious that he will cry foul if he loses the election just like he did the last time but with vengeance this time around. Sources close to the ageing Silanyo say that he has even gone as far as promising different politicians ministerial portfolios in his `'first cabinet'' provided that they campaign on his behalf. But this tactic has backfired when it turned out that a couple of candidates found out that one or another candidate had been offered the same ministry by wannabe-president Silanyo. But what is more alarming is what these Kulmiye insiders reveal: that Silanyo has given a clear hint that he will not concede defeat even if he loses the election. Taking into consideration Silanyo's past deeds, power-hungry nature and deviousness it is not hard to believe his threat because for the aging Silanyo this is his last battle for a seat that he has always coveted, for him it is do or die, the presidency or perish. By Faisal Haji Noor Abdalla, Strasbourg, France. fai_noor@hotmail.com * Silanyo's date of birth is unknown and even his own party's website avoids mentioning his date of birth in his CV posted on their website Kulmiye.org. However, this CV starts his lifehistory with the mention thathe attended the secondary schools of Sheikh and Amoud from 1946-1957. This means that he probably was born in 1935 and if we allocate a 2 year minus or plus margin this makes him in the range of 71 to 77 years. If he ever won the elections this would put him in the notorious group of the oldest ever Somali presidents such as Abdullahi Yusuf and Siad Barre. NUSOJ Condemns Somali Red Crescent and Somaliland Police for Arrest of Journalist
The journalist was arrested in 17 September, after head of Somali Red Crescent (SRC) in Las Anod Mr Dakir Ali Nur submitted to police a complaint against Abdiqani Ismail Goh, regarding news report on SRC's food distribution that the journalist published on the internet. In the news report the journalist cited residents protesting how the food was distributed. The arrest of the journalist was ordered by head of Somaliland police division in Las Anod, Mr Abdi Muse. When NUSOJ contacted the journalist in his small room in police station, the journalist said the SRC head in Las Anod was behind as the police officer told Abdiqani. As well, Mr Dakir Ali Nur visited the police station at the arrest and reportedly threatened to the journalist face-to-face. The head of the police, who presented to Abdiqani copy of this news report the journalist published, also accused the journalist of not having official recognition letter or identification from Somaliland Ministry of information to work as a journalist in Las Anod. "We unequivocally condemn this reprehensible detention of our colleague Abdiqani Ismail Goh and we demand his immediate and unconditional release" said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. "In light of the full involvement of the Red Crescent, which is against fundamental human rights of human being, particularly the right to freedom of expression, we ask all forces for human rights and freedom of expression to impress upon the Somali Red Crescent in Las Anod and the Somaliland Police that this arrest is intolerable and shameful one that urgent action needs to be taken against this unlawful imprisonment" Omar added In May this year, journalist Abdiqani Ismail Goh was summoned at Las Anod police station for questioning after he was accused of disseminating information against Somaliland government and the administration in Las Anod. Since then, his movements were being followed by the police, according to him and fellow journalists in Las Anod. Recently Somaliland police in Las Anod also arrested two Radio Las Anod journalists, namely Abdiasis Ahmed Suleyman and Mohamed Ali Elmi, for being against policy of Somaliland administration in Las Anod. SOURCE : National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) Somalia journalist union condemns arrest of journalist in Somalilandhttp://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=75850 APA-Mogadishu (Somalia) The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSAJ) on Friday expressed worry about Somali journalist, Abdiqani Ismail, who was arrested on Wednesday by Somaliland police and the type of treatment meted out to him. The arrest of the journalist took place in Las Anod, the administrative capital of Sool region of Somaliland, after the head of the Somaliland Red Crescent (SRC) in Las Anod Mr Dakir Ali Nur complained to the police regarding a news report on SRC's food distribution that the journalist Abdiqani Ismail Goh, published on the internet. In the report, Goh cited residents protesting about how the food was being distributed. "We unequivocally condemn this reprehensible detention of our colleague and we demand for his immediate and unconditional release," said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General, in a statement. "In light of the full involvement of the Red Crescent, which supports fundamental human rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression, we ask all defenders of human rights and freedom of expression to impress upon the Somali Red Crescent in Las Anod and the Somaliland police that this arrest is intolerable," the statement says. In May this year, journalist Abdiqani Ismail Goh was summoned at Las Anod police station for questioning after he was accused of disseminating information against the Somaliland government and the administration in Las Anod. Since then, his movements were being followed by the police, according to him and his colleagues in Las Anod. Recently, the Somaliland police in Las Anod also arrested two Radio Las Anod journalists, namely Abdiasis Ahmed Suleyman and Mohamed Ali Elmi, for being critical of the policies of the Somaliland administration in Las Anod. Somaliland:the light at dark tunnel of the horn of Africahttp://www.qarannews.com/ by somalilandpatriots, Sep 20, 2008 The Speaker of Somaliland House of Representatives Hon. Abdirahman M Abdillahi met 17 september at the House of Swedish Parliament with Mrs Birgitta Ohlsson, member of the Swedish parliament, member committee on Foreign Affairs, Spokesperson Foreign Affairs, Liberal party and President Liberal Women of Sweden, Gunilla Davidsson, General secretary, Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC, Jenny Sonesson General Secretary Liberal and others at the Swedish parliament. The Speaker was accompanied at the meeting by Eidarus Sh Adan, Somaliland ambassador to Sweden and Dr Zeinab M Muse, a Somaliland Patriot from Germany. The speaker briefed Birgitta Ohlsson and the other about the current situation of Somaliland and the forthcoming elections in march 2009 and the on-going preparations. Birgitta Ohlsson informed the Speaker about Swedish position of Somaliland and she welcomes that the date for the coming presidential election have been set and look forward to be in Hargeisa during the election. Mrs Birgitta Ohlsson told the Speaker that there will be observers from the Swedish parliament during the coming election . Birgitta Ohlsson see Somaliland as light at the dark tunnel in the horn of Africa, an area of conflict and lack of democracy.
The target of the co.-operation is to empower Somaliland women when it comes womens participation in politics. A Swedish delegation from SILC will come to Somaliland end of 2008 or beginning of 2009. Eidarus Sh Adan, the Somaliland ambassador to Sweden expressed his appreciation the work Birgitta Ohlsson is doing for Somaliland recognition and the support for democracy. There have been 2 parliamentary bills presented by Birgitta Ohlsson at the Swedish Parliament. Immediately after the talks a seminar about Somaliland Womens participation in politics began at the House of Parliament in Stockholm. The seminar gathered officials from the Swedish government, Agencies, organisations, business community and others who are interested to hear about the positive developments that are taking place in Somaliland.
She talked about the role of the Somaliland women in Europe and in Somaliland and what is needed to be done so that the women can participate the Somaliland society fully. Dr Zeibnab M Muse is involved in a project helping Somaliand in the heathcare and she committed to make a difference so women can get access to healthcare and education. The Speaker of the Somaliland house of representatives told the audience that the Somaliland constitution gives equal rights to men and women but it is obvious that womens are underrespresented in society. The Somaliland parliament is considering one way to increase the numbers of elected womens and that is to give quota to womens like for example 10% of the seat will be given to womens, Somaliland's readies for upcoming electionHARGEISA, Somaliland- The government of Somaliland this week has announced that it would commit 30 percent funds required for the registration of voters for the horn of African nation's upcoming elections, seventy percent of the fund has already been pledged by donors for the general elections slated for next march. In an exclusive interview with SSI, Somaliland's minister of Finance Mr. Husein Ali Duale stated that despite the current global food and oil price hikes taking a toll on the nation all efforts are being made to carry out a successful election. Minister Husein Ali forecasted that UDUB, the incumbent party of Somaliland will win the upcoming elections with majority because of the achievements made by the party. "I know my political friends Mr. Siilaanyo and Mr. Waraabe, the two chairpersons of the opposition parties couldn't cope with the international community because there will be problems which they do not have the capability to solve with courage.
"Somaliland in respect to other nations receives little support from the international community because of its recognition as a state is still in limbo. Had we been given recognition our ability to cope with the global economic crisis would have been more effective", said minister Husein Ali.
By Moha Dahir Farah Jire Source: The Sub-Saharan Informer France recognizes de facto Somalilandhttp://www.qarannews.com/ Sept 15, 2008 I had various positions since Somaliland was created again. A national charter was adopted in 1993 in Borama and government structures came into existence. I became then a member of parliament representing my Sanaag region up to 1997 when late president Egal was elected. Then I joined the government as minister of Foreign Affairs until 2001. When the political parties were created I became one of the founders of Kulmiye party. Lately I was chosen by president Riyale, taken into consideration my background, even though I belong to an opposition party and I did not leave my party. I was appointed as a representative in France. And the Somaliland government has decided to open an office taken into consideration the position of France as one of the great powers. It is a force to reckon with in Europe and we have decided to introduce the French language into the educational system. Now French is beeing taught in the universities of Somaliland, both in Borama and Hargeisa. I just have arrived to open this office. LNA. – It cannot be an official diplomatic representation because there is no recognition yet. What can be your status? MSN. – Recognition has got two aspects. You have de facto recognition and de jure recognition. What we have now is de facto recognition. France takes into consideration the fact that Somaliland has existed for 17 years and single-handedly was able to survive, has shown unbelievable resilience to survive on its own. To day without boast Somaliland is a force to reckon with in the region. It has got the most democratic institutions, it has got the freest press, it has got a real functioning parliament and lot of things are controlled by the opposition. As you know we have separation of powers. The legislative, the judiciary and the executive. The parliament is controlled by the opposition which has got the majority. So it is something like cohabitation in a strange way on that part of the continent. LNA. – You mentionned recognition de facto. Are you referring to the visits of French diplomats to Hargeisa last October and more recently? Do you think this is a first step toward full recognition? MSN. – We think that there is a growing awareness worldwide that it is high time, it is overdue that the world has finally to grant Somaliland a legal, diplomatic recognition because the international community has realized that we have met all the conditions for a fully-fledged state, all the requirements as stipulated in the Montevideo Convention on recognition of states in the sense that we have fixed boundaries, permanent population with all the functional institutions of a state and we have legitimacy because we had several elections. We had presidential elections, we had parliamentary elections. By the way we are unique in East Africa in the sense that we have a president who is there by the virtue of the fact that we had national elections with a thin majority of 80 votes. That has happened nowhere in the world. And above all we are an oasis of peace and stability in the region. Thus number of people say this merits the respect of the international community. LNA. – One strange thing is that while European countries like France and Great Britain have started to have relations, even if they are unofficial, inside the African Union they are waiting to do something. In your opinion will the African Union continue to wait and take no decision ? MSN. – It is a very interesting question. In fact having officially made an application for membership in the African Union, a high level delegation was sent to Somaliland and finally a draft report was written, a very positive report about the situation which prevails in Somaliland. It strongly recommends that Somaliland should be recognized and admitted into the African Union, that our country cannot be equated to Biafra or to any split state but that Somaliland is unique in the sense that it meets all the conditions for a fully-fledged state. What Somaliland has done is fully in harmony with the charter of the African Union. This is now seriously debated by African countries and we think soon, inch'Allah, they will reach a positive decision. LNA. – Beeing now in France do you plan to meet some personalities to inform them, in the ministry of Foreign Affairs for instance ? MSN. – The Foreign Ministry has already agreed in February that Somaliland should be given the right to open an office to represent our country. Not fully diplomatic but a sort of ex officio. LNA. – Like the Palestinian representation ? MSN. – Something along that line. You call it officieux. The decision of recognition will be taken by France and by the European countries. France cannot take this decision alone but it will have to consult other European governments. France will be chairman of the European Union by the first of July.We think by then the Europeans will seriously debate the issue of the recognition of Somaliland and that depends on how much efforts we put in to convince and sell our gopel to Europeans. LNA. – You have a lot of work ahead. Welcome to this country. We shall certainly meet again. MSN. – Thank you Somalia: Somaliland Leader Visiting EuropeThe president of Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland, Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin, flew from the region's capital Hargeisa on Friday to Europe via the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Mr. Riyale was accompanied on this trip by First Lady Huda Barkad, Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullahi Mohamed Du'ale and Finance Minister Hussein Ali Du'ale.
While in Europe, Mr. Riyale will appeal to the European Union to deal with Somaliland as a political entity independent of Somalia in the distribution of aid. Mr. Nicolah Bwakira, the African Union's Special Envoy to Somalia, visited the Somaliland regions on Friday and met privately with President Riyale. The AU Envoy told reporters that he last visited the region in 1993 and was "impressed" with the security and economic development in Hargeisa, Somalia's second-largest city and the capital of Somaliland. "It was a must that I visit Somaliland and see first-hand the democratization process," Mr. Bwakira said at the Hargeisa presidential compound, adding that he will present his findings to AU heads of state. For his part, the Somaliland leader criticized the AU, Arab states and European countries for "ignoring" positive developments in Somaliland. Mr. Riyale said Somaliland is peaceful and "independent" of the chaos in southern Somalia, citing daily acts of violence, a massive refugee exodus and piracy as examples. Press Release:Somaliland MP comments on Asante Oil dealhttp://www.garoweonline.com/ 14 Sep, 2008 In this week a team from a little-known, infant company called Asante Oil has been visiting Hargeisa, the capital, and had some meetings with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water. On August 21, 2008, Thursday-night, Mr. Jarand Rystad named as the Chairman of the Board of the company has invited around 40 members for a gathering intended `to honor Asante Oil (Norwegian Oil Company) which will commence an important oil exploration in Somaliland Republic' [quoted from the invitation card]. To the astonishment of all, none of the local stakeholders and professionals in the fields of oil and mining was invited; while almost all the participants were government officers and individuals from Somaliland Diaspora. Moreover, a very brief presentation [approx. 8 minutes] delivered by Asante team has accentuated the ambiguity and haziness in the dealings with little-known, newly formed oil companies which we have discussed in our earlier press statements. The presentation was very concise, conveyed little information, and feedback from participants was not allowed. In every aspect, this gathering, which was stage- Saeed Mohamed Elmi, Somaliland MP managed by Qassim [Minister for Minerals], had further augmented the rift between the Ministry and Somaliland House of Representatives. `Agreements' between The Minister for Mineral Resources and Water and two Norwegian entities, namely TGS-NOPEC and Asante Oil, have never been submitted to the House of Representatives for Final Approval, as prescribed by the Constitution. More sternly, the agreement with TGS-NOPEC has been implemented, in all its important aspects, without the approval of House of Representatives. Data relating to minerals and oil and the geological structure of the Republic of Somaliland are now in the hands of foreigners while there is no agreed law, properly passed by the House that governs its usage. As is stated in the a GTS publication, and also reiterated by Asante team, almost in this month of August 2008, TGS-NOPEC plans to sell at the open market the minerals and oil data of the Republic of Somaliland for indeterminate sums that no one knows, other than the Minister and the company. The arrangements and procedures for accounting the proceeds from data sales are unclear and fishy. This is a clear violation of Somaliland constitution, financial regulations, and principles of good governance – transparency and accountability. Here, the irony is TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company, which is enjoying its share of this blunder, is registered in Norway, a European country which preaches the third world on principles of transparency and good governance and is assumed as one of the less corrupt states on this globe. Furthermore, Asante Oil has enthusiastically declared, within their brief presentation, that their `agreement' with Minister Qassim has been `finally ratified'. This is a clear violation of the constitution and the principles of good governance. Therefore, I hereby declare that:
Thank you Saeed Mohamed Elmi, Secretary
REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND The national media has been recently reporting disagreements between the Office of the Secretary of the Natural Resources & Environment Subcommittee [House of Representatives] on one side, and, on the other side the Minister of Mineral Resources & Water. This legal controversy, as noted in a letter sent to the office of the Minister [Letter Ref No. GW/G/21/244/2008 dated 23/06/2008] and subsequent press statements, is mainly based on secret agreements struck between the Minister and little known foreign companies, foremost of which are TGS-NOPEC and Asante Oil. These ambiguous agreements have become the core discussion for the legislative council, media and the public at large. This stems from the disbelieve and mistrust that surfaced with the eccentric ministerial statements in which Mr. Qassim has been incessantly renouncing the constitutional rights of the House of Representatives regarding the ratification/approval of agreements with foreign companies. These ministerial statements revealed the level of legal violation and the intensity of professional misconduct jointly exercised, or at least mutually designed, by the Minister and the two aforementioned Norwegian entities. Furthermore, in the last three weeks, there was significant debate on the objectives
behind the timing of Asante operations [the Presidential Election Campaign is already
gathering momentum] and the selection of that specific Eastern Zone which is unerringly
renowned as opposition stronghold. The visit of Asante Oil team in the Eastern part of
Somaliland has affirmed the doubts about the Minister's intentions in that Zone. We have
received confidential information asserting the existence of election campaigning
associated with the Minister's unilateral reception, negotiation and recognition of the
two Norwegian companies. The minutes of the meetings of Asante and ministry's team with
elders, youth and other influential individuals in that zone has all the hallmarks of
election campaigning. This is a very serious dangerous development and will adversely
affect the fairness of the forthcoming election, the stability of that eastern zone and
the reputation of the two European companies. Therefore, we hereby state that:
Saeed Mohamed Elmi, BBC Monitoring International Reports, September 13, 2008/Source: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 13 Sep 08/BBC Monitoring SOMALILAND LEADER LEAVES FOR FRANCE FOLLOWING "INVITATION"[Presenter] A delegation led by the president of the Republic of Somaliland, Dahir Riyale Kahin, this afternoon left for France on a working mission. This followed an invitation. The delegation flew from Hargeysa's Igal International Airport. The president, who spoke to journalists at the airport lounge, said the visit to France follows invitation from the French government. He said that he would hold talks with French leaders, adding that France was the current chair of the European Union. The president stated that although Somaliland had no relations with France, it has an office there. [Kahin] First, I will visit France where I have an appointment with the French government. France is the current chair of the EU. I haven't visited France before. They accepted us to open an office in their country; that is my mission. After I return, God willing [words indistinct] [Presenter] The president added that he also planned to visit Germany on medical grounds. The president and his delegation was seen off at the airport by the vice-president, Ahmad Yusuf Yasin, and other government officials. The president inspected a guard of honour mounted by the national armed forces. He was accompanied by the first lady, the minister of finance, and his personal secretary. Somaliland Is Expected To Receive Larger American Aid In The Coming Year, Says US Diplomat During Visit To HargeysaFrom http://somalilandtimes.net/ Hargeysa, Somaliland, September 13, 2008 (SL Times) – A US diplomat who visited Hargeysa earlier this week disclosed that Somaliland would receive more American aid in the coming year than it did in the past. Jessica Davis Ba who is responsible for Somali political and economic affairs at the US embassy in Nairobi , Kenya , said they hoped to keep the level of assistance for Somaliland increasing in the future, depending on the ability to show real measurable results on ground. The US embassy officer, who was accompanied by Hodan Hassan from USAID, arrived in Hargeysa on last Tuesday. The duo discussed bilateral aid, democratization and security issues with Somaliland government officials, leaders of political parties and parliament as well as international organizations which are carrying out US-funded projects in Somaliland. Ms Davis also indicated that the US administration has no intention of establishing a diplomatic office in Hargeysa anytime soon. "We have no plans to open an office in Somaliland at this time" she said in a Somaliland Times interview. It was the first visit to be paid by American diplomats to Somaliland in 2 years. For the full interview with American diplomat Jessica Davis Ba, see below. Interview By The Somaliland Times With Jessica Davis Ba, Officer For Political/Economic Affairs In Somalia At The US Embassy In Nairobi During Her Visit To Hargeysa On September 7, 2008 Hargeysa, Somaliland, September 13, 2008 – (SL Times)
We took the opportunity to congratulate the government as well as the political parties as key stakeholders who are able to get through the electoral crisis early this year and return to consensus politics through dialogue and through compromise. We wanted to make it clear that the US government at the highest levels has noticed that all the stakeholders did on that electoral process and we forward to seeing how the registration process goes as well as the presidential elections in 2009. Those were some of the opportunities. But also we have talked about some of the challenges that Somaliland is facing such as the high food and oil prices which despite being global, Somalilanders in particular are having very difficult time to deal with. We discussed the issue of people who come to Somaliland after fleeing other places in crisis or war and the pressure that this [influx] is having in Somaliland . We shared some ideas about how we can work in partnership on both political and economic development issues.
As you have mentioned security concerns have generally been difficult for a while in this region. But in particularly the piracy issue has taken a whole new level and Washington is very concerned about it. We talked about the recent arrests in Somaliland of several pirates who were then tried and sent to prison. So we were able to hear some specific steps that Somaliland is taking to address the piracy issue. Q: Does the US government intend to open a liaison office in Somaliland? A: We have no plans to open an office in Somaliland at this time. But we do have our partners who do have offices here in Somaliland and are implementing projects funded by the people of the United States . Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 10 Sep 2008 http://www.reliefweb.int/ Somaliland's legal clinic spreads its wingsThe Legal Aid clinic is staffed by nine legal aid lawyers assisted by students from the university's law faculty. Last year saw them expand their activities beyond Hargeisa to provide outreach services in Burao, Berbera, Erigavo, Boromo and Gabilay, recruiting legal aid lawyers in those regions to take on cases and represent clients free of charge. A dedicated human rights section was added to the clinic last year, with funds partly provided by UNHCR, and has resulted in an increase in legal assistance provided to IDPs and refugees living in the settlements around Hargeisa. They have benefited from advice in a variety of civil and criminal cases as well as on immigration and asylum claims. This expansion has seen a rapid increase in the number of cases dealt with by the Legal Clinic from 174 in 2006 to 509 in 2007, including 250 remand cases, a tribute to the dedication and determination of the clinic team and an indication of its growing profile and reputation not only in Hargeisa but throughout Somaliland. The head of the Regional Court in Gabiley, a town an hour and a half drive from Hargeisa, says, "We have been impressed with the Legal Clinic over the last year. Whenever people have requested lawyers and they cannot afford one, the Legal Clinic has been on hand to help. We hope this cooperation continues". The Clinic has represented clients in a number of ground breaking cases over the last year. One such case was a civil matter concerning a client from a clan affiliated with the former regime. He had owned property in Hargeisa which was then appropriated by persons belonging to a Somaliland based clan. He approached the Legal Clinic who agreed to assist. After a number of hearings throughout the Court System, the Supreme Court of Somaliland eventually found in favour of the Legal Clinic and ordered the property to be returned to its rightful owner. The case was seen as a landmark, illustrating the transparency and growing independence of the Judiciary here in that the court was not afraid to go against what is perceived to be the status quo. Another important case involved a victim of an assault in which he had suffered extensive head and facial injuries, leaving him scarred and destitute as a result of being incapacitated. The Legal Clinic agreed to act, bringing a civil claim for loss of earnings and compensation against the suspect, and referring the case to the police who brought a criminal prosecution. The court sentenced the suspect to six months imprisonment and ordered him to pay compensation to the client. Following his release from prison, he is paying this compensation in monthly installments to the court. The Dean of Hargeisa University's law faculty and director of the Legal Clinic, Mohamoud Hussein Farah, explains, "The case was important because of the linkages between civil and criminal law, it is rare here that in criminal cases that a civil action will necessarily follow. This case was an important development." Goals for 2008 include building on the growth of last year, expanding the clinic's coverage in the regions while consolidating their work in Hargeisa. The Dean is an enthusiastic supporter of the clinic. "The Legal Clinic has an important role to play in the administration of justice, in developing jurisprudence in Somaliland and in ensuring that everyone who wants to is represented when they have their day in court. This can only help to ensure that everyone has a fair trial." Bringing justice for the poor motivates paralegal adviser Hussein Aw Deria has been working as a paralegal in UNDP's Legal Clinic since November last year. He and another paralegal, Adam Ali Buale, visit each of Hargeisa's eight police stations twice a day where they are given free access to the cells and the police registers detailing arrests and charges. Their aim is simple: to provide legal assistance to the poor and vulnerable in Hargeisa and to provide that advice free of charge. In the few months since he started this work, Hussein has helped provide free legal advice in more than 50 criminal and civil cases including assault, theft, extortion as well as as domestic violence and rape in one month. He has also provided assistance in a number of civil cases involving land issues and compensation. In each of these cases Hussein has used his experience and judgement and either referred the case to UNDP Legal Aid lawyers or, where appropriate, sought to resolve them himself. He is enthusiastic about the impact of his and the Legal Clinic's work, "we provide free legal assistance for everyone. In the past suspects might wait on remand for months, but we are trying to reverse this and ensure that people's cases are dealt with quickly and, moreover, that they have their day in court". Hussein, 55, and Ali, a former police officer, are themselves graduates of Hargeisa law faculty and amongst the first group to graduate in 2006 after UNDP's support for the faculty began in 2004. Hussein was not able to afford the fees and applied for and was granted a full scholarship by UNDP. He is now committed to assisting his Community through the Legal Clinic saying, "I believe it is important to give a voice to the poor and the vulnerable. The Legal Clinic has been able to do that. It is important for these people to have a lawyer if we are serious about giving everyone, rich or poor, a fair trial." Over the last two months Hussein has helped personally in resolving a number of civil and criminal cases. Earlier this year he represented a 13 year old girl who had been arrested for shoplifting and was being held in detention at a police station in Hargeisa. Hussein explained "because of my intervention, the case was expedited and heard by the Court within three days. Before the hearing I mediated between the child's parents and the owner of the shop, during which the owner agreed to an out of court settlement and all charges against the child were dropped. She has now been reunited with her parents". Hussein is committed to providing free legal assistance to the people of Hargeisa. "The chance UNDP gave me in helping me gain a quality legal education at Hargeisa University now means I can put my knowledge into practice and also improve the administration of Justice in Somaliland. Thank you to UNDP for giving me the opportunity to help to realize this". Somalia: 15 years each for Somaliland piracy suspects http://www.garoweonline.com/ 8 Sep 8, 2008 BERBERA, A court in Somalia's breakaway northwestern region of Somaliland has sentenced five suspects to 15 years each, after the court convicted the men of plotting a pirate attack near the port of Berbera. Osman Dahir, Berbera Court chairman, told Radio Garowe during a Monday interview that the five suspects were convicted after police found two speedboats and weapons including rocket launchers at their home. The suspects were arrested on September 2 in Berbera. "Another suspect, who is not in custody, was sentenced to 15 years also," Mr. Dahir said, without naming the missing suspect. The weapons and equipment the suspected pirates wanted to use for future attacks were handed over to Somaliland security forces, according to the Berbera Court chairman. Piracy is a major problem in Puntland, a neighboring region in northeastern Somalia where local pirates are currently holding upwards of 10 foreign vessels for ransom. BBC Monitoring International Reports, September 5, 2008/Source: Garoweonline.com in Somali 4 Sep SOMALILAND RELEASES FROM CUSTODY FORMER ELECTORAL COMMISSION OFFICIALThe former deputy chairman of the Somaliland electoral commission, Hirsi Haji Ali, who was under detention for a long time under by the CID [Criminal Investigations Department] was released yesterday. No charges were presented against him in court. The Somaliland government has not commented on the release and it's not clear why authorities decided to free him. The government arrested him claiming he had links with the Al-Shabab Islamic Movement of southern Somalia. The police arrested Hirsi Haji Ali in Burco, the provincial capital of the Togdheer Region [eastern Somaliland]. He was accused of mobilizing a group opposed to a business deal between Somaliland and an Arab businessman, Al-Jabiri. The group had assembled battlewagons. [Passage omitted] After al Shabaab allegations, Somaliland releases politicianhttp://www.garoweonline.com/ 4 Sep 4, 2008 HARGEISA, Somalia Sep 4 (Garowe Online) - A Somali politician in the country's northwestern breakaway republic of Somaliland was released Thursday after spending a month in jail, Radio Garowe reported. Hersi Haji Ali, who resigned from the Somaliland Election Commission, was released by order from President Dahir Riyale. Mr. Hersi was not formally charged with any crime, but Somaliland Interior Minister Abdullahi Irro had accused the politician of having "links to al Shabaab," a militant group spearheading an anti-Ethiopia insurgency in south-central Somalia. Sources in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa said Mr. Hersi's arrest was linked to his opposition to the Somaliland administration's agreement with Saudi Arabian company al Jabberi, which gave the company exclusive rights to export livestock via the Port of Berbera. The Somaliland Livestock Traders' Union, for which Mr. Hersi was deputy chairman, opposes the al Jabberi deal on grounds it gives a foreign company a "monopoly" in the most important sector of the local economy. http://www.garoweonline.com/ 2 Sep 2, 2008 BERBERA. Police authorities in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland arrested five men on Monday on suspicions of piracy, Radio Garowe reported. The five men include Somalis from the Somaliland regions, as well as others from neighboring Puntland, a region renowned for pirate activities. Mohamed Dubad, Somaliland's police commissioner, confirmed to local media that the five men were detained at a house in the port city of Berbera and are being held at the police station. But he declined further comment, saying that the case is "under investigation." Security sources in Berbera said the five suspects were "planning" to hijack ships and hold them hostage for ransom payment. Currently, there are at least six foreign ships being held for ransom near Somalia's Puntland coast. BBC Monitoring International Reports, August 30, 2008/Source: Radio Simba, Mogadishu, in Somali 1000 gmt 30 Aug 08 BBC Monitoring SOMALIA MEDIA SEMINAR UNDER WAY IN HARGEYSABBC Monitoring International Reports, September 1, 2008/Source: Shabeelle Media Network website, Mogadishu, in Somali 1 Sep 08/BBC Monitoring SOMALILAND POLICE ARREST PIRATES FROM PUNTLANDPolice arrested five men said to be members of Somali pirates on board two boats, and armed with bazooka, and a number of AK 47 guns. The pirates, said to hail from Puntland regional administration of Somalia, were accused of planing to abduct ships that dock at the port of Berbera. Somaliland government officials stated that they were pursuing another group of pirates hiding in Hargeysa [Somaliland's capital], saying that they would be arrested anytime. This is not the first time that Somaliland police have arrested such groups, who are trying to destabilize peace in Somaliland. BBC Monitoring International Reports, August 30, 2008/Source: Radio Simba, Mogadishu, in Somali 1000 gmt 30 Aug 08/BBC Monitoring SOMALIA MEDIA SEMINAR UNDER WAY IN HARGEYSAThirty two Somali journalists from different media organizations attended a seminar in Hargeysa, the capital of Somaliland. The seminar was organized by the Education Development Centre.The training was intended for Somali journalists from all over the country. The training seminar was conducted by foreigners. [Passage omitted-Background] The Objectives of the Ministry of commerce,Written by Deputy Minister of Commercehttp://www.qarannews.com/ Aug 30, 2008 Dp. Minister of Commerce The Objectives of the Ministry of commerce, the role of the private sector and Investment climate of Somaliland. In the last seven years, the government of Somaliland has thoroughly revised its various policies and legislation to create a more conducive climate for private sector growth and investment. Above all, the government maintains a healthy and on-going dialogue with the private sector, local and foreign. The Somaliland of today is very different from that of the 1970s and 80s when we were almost totally a centrally planned economy (during the union with the failed state of Somalia). We came to realize, at considerable cost, that governments are not very good at doing business. So we decided to leave business to business people and concentrate instead on the traditional functions of state, including social services, law and order, administration, and promulgation and enforcement of regulatory mechanisms. We embarked on far-reaching economic reforms aimed at: Guaranteeing sustainable low levels of inflation;
- Ensuring higher revenue collection through widening the tax base on the one hand, and prudent fiscal management on the other;
Current State of the Economy Investment promotion is recognized worldwide as an indispensable strategy for developing and diversifying the economy. In our country, diversification of the economy is particularly important because our over dependence on livestock whose markets are susceptible to the pressures of today’s fast changing world and the lack of the diplomatic recognition places us at great risk. We have seen cases of countries that were once heavily dependant on mineral wealth just like ours today but have now become some of the world’s poor countries around. In the same breath, we have seen situations where countries have moved from being the poorest in the world to being among the wealthiest. A typical example here is Ireland, which in the 1950s was one of the poorest countries in Europe, with citizens queuing at the borders to leave to look for greener pastures elsewhere. Today it boasts one of the strongest and most vibrant economies in Europe, which it has attained through foreign direct investment attraction. This is what we should aim for. Foreign direct investment is a commodity that virtually all countries, developed and undeveloped are fiercely competing for. Investors look for locations where capital is sufficiently remunerated and where there are minimum obstacles to setting up a business. It is therefore critical that we remove all barriers and intensify our efforts to attract FDI. Foreign direct investment in Somaliland's economy is at the center of our plans for building a more prosperous country and a better future for our own people, as well as people's throughout the region. In this strategy, foreign investment leads the way. The country offers one of the best favorable destinations for foreign and local investors in the region. The government is therefore undertaking measures aimed at further improving the business environment for existing and potential investors. In this regard the Ministry of commerce is preparing the Private Sector Development Strategy whose objective is to create an environment conducive for private sector growth by alleviating major constraints and to enhance the growth and the competitiveness of the private sector, especially the micro-small and medium enterprises.
In order to achieve the overall objective of the PSDS, the following five specific goals should be developed;
My message today is: Somaliland has set an irreversible course for the future. We are growing a market economy and we had established democratic institutions defined by the rule of law and respect for human rights. Our goal is to be among the 50 most competitive countries in the world within 15 years. To understand the depth of our commitment to these goals, it may help to consider how far we have come since declaring independence and withdrawn the union with southern Somalia In 1991 A modern economy is not possible where contracts are not binding. Resource nationalism is not a policy for Somaliland.
We seek achieving five ambitious goals:
Working in partnership, we can accomplish these things. The government side must maintain the political will and sustained attention necessary achieve to these objectives. But the private sector must also play its role in this partnership. To succeed, you must serve as advocates for these shared objectives. By lending your active support, it becomes more likely that they will happen. The private sector also has technical expertise that can be applied. For example, when we speak of training and workforce development, the private sector can play a decisive role. And, of course, private companies are in day-to-day contact with enterprises throughout the region; by facilitating business-to-business cooperation in pursuit of these goals, the private sector will be a true partner. Our partnership between government and business is ambitious and certainly there will be challenges ahead. But our recent history in Somaliland suggests that these things can be done. Our future is bright. In solving any issues that arise, we find willing partners in the people of Somaliland and their government. As the Ministry of Commerce has the mandate and responsibility of coordinating Private Sector Development activities. We recognize the important role played by the Private Sector in the socioeconomic development of this country and the attainment of the vision of the Ministry of commerce to the economy growth. In this respect, the Government is committed to playing its facilitative role to the Private Sector and will strive to create a more enabling and conducive business environment for the sector to flourish. We however recognize that we may not have done enough in this area and there is room for more to be done both by Government and the Ministry of Commerce in making the environment more conducive. We will therefore continue to welcome constructive engagement with the Private sector to improve on our respective mandates. Investment potentiality: Somaliland has plenty of arable land, and land suitable for ranching and irrigation, of which only a small part is currently under use. We reckon only around 1/10 of arable land is being used now. A new Land Act was approved by Parliament to strengthen the security and protection of the land rights of investors. We are currently reviewing this legislation to see how it can be improved further to facilitate the emergence of a thriving agricultural investment market. We have large proven and confirmed deposit of petroleum, gold, World Largest Gypsum, Zinc, lead, Magnesium, Nickel, High value minerals and other precious and semi-precious minerals and gemstones. Great potential exists. Large deposits of natural gas have been discovered - Exploration for hydrocarbons continues. The industrial sector has been important to Somaliland for many years and a new Industrial Policy will be formulated to give new life to both privatized as well as new industries. Investors in this sector with additional capital and industrial technology can invest in areas such as food processing, electrical equipment, ICT, pharmaceutical industry, beverages, textiles, other consumer goods as well as any other manufactured products. The political and economic history of Somaliland will tell you that what we have done - especially in the last seven years - is a veritable revolution. What I do want to assure the investors locally and internationally is that we will leave no stone unturned to make it easier and profitable for those who want to have a stake in the new Somaliland. I will also keep up the dialogue with investors to review improvements to the investment climate Somaliland is a most peaceful and stable country, one of the few African countries to enjoy an unbroken record of political stability and concord among its people. Our national unity and social cohesion puts Somaliland apart from most other African countries. In terms of market access Somaliland avails investors the opportunity to access larger markets with a population of 100 Million including 70 million landlocked people of Ethiopian. Protection of foreign investment is a key and sensitive element to investors. Somaliland has a transparent legal framework that facilitates the promotion and protection of all investments. Similarly, the government has taken into consideration and is a party to several regional and global arrangements, which promote and protect foreign investments, In |
MOGADISHU - The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is appalled to learn of
arrest and treatment meted out by Somaliland police to journalist Abdiqani Ismail Goh of
Radio Las Anod.