Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. UN Photo
4 April 2014 – The United Nations human rights office today voiced its concern at the “hasty” judicial process in the Somali town of Kismayo that led to the execution of man nine days after he allegedly murdered an elder, and called on authorities to impose a moratorium on the death penalty.
According to reports, more than 34 people have been executed in Somalia since January 2013. In the most recent case, a man in Kismayo was executed yesterday after he was accused of killing an elder on 24 March.
“The man was found guilty last week – it is not clear by whom exactly, but possibly not even by a court,” said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“He was executed by firing squad in public on 3 April,” Mr. Colville added during a news conference in Geneva.
He noted that the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) had urged a stay of execution, including at the highest levels within the regional Interim Jubba Administration which appears to have been heavily involved in the sentencing and execution.
“Under international law, the death penalty should only be applied after the most rigorous judicial process,” stated Mr. Colville.
“OHCHR is concerned that the hasty judicial process in Kismayo – just nine days between the murder and the execution – meant that the suspect did not enjoy full fair trial guarantees, including the right to legal representation the right to appeal. Someone sentenced to death should also have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence.”
The Office called on the Somali authorities to place a moratorium on the death penalty, recalling that the country was one of the supporters of the 2012 General Assembly resolution urging Member States to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
“The recent executions in Somalia therefore directly contravene Somalia’s commitments at the international level,” Mr. Colville said.
The Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central, Labour Honorable Paul Blomfield in a parliamentary question and answer session a day after the city of Sheffield councilors votedin favour of recognizing the republic of Somaliland asked the leader of The Leader of the House of Commons ; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative where the present UK government stands on Somaliland yesterday, following a resolution passed by its city council, Sheffield became the first city in the United Kingdom to support calls for the international recognition of Somaliland. Since 1991, the people of Somaliland have made great progress in establishing a stable country with a freely elected Parliament and an independent judiciary. May we have a debate on how the British Government can do more to use their influence in the international community in order to secure recognition of Somaliland?
Hon Andrew Lansley ,The Leader of the House of Commons ; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)had this to say to the Honorable Paul Blomfieldwhile responding to thequestions raised by Sheffeild Mp had this to say , “ I am, of course, aware of the issue that the hon. Gentleman has raised. He may have an opportunity to raise it with Ministers during Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions next Tuesday, and also with other Members who may be interested in Somaliland and Somalia, and, in particular, may welcome the progress that Somaliland has made in recent years.
The Justice and Welfare Party UCID Presidential candidate Hon Jamal Ali Hussein has criticized the current government of President Silanyo spends $2 Million dollars yearly on lavish welcoming of governmentministers money which would otherwise be spend on other mean full purposes.
The banker cum politician said those words in a press statement which stated as follows-
Nearly $2 Million Dollars are spent yearly in lavish welcoming of government minister equal to that extended to head of states each time they return to the country after a trip abroad in a country which lacks even the basic infrastructure let alone the ability to feed its own people this kind of extravagant spending should cease because the country can’t afford it.
It’s a known fact that nearly $5000 is spend in welcoming each time a minister arrives in this country and considering that every minister travels out the country a least 4-5 times a year, calculated the amount spend and you will see its $ 1Million plus the allowance allocated to them when embarking on regional tours and it’s another additional $1 Million which total to $2 Million.
The Presidential aspirant urged the current leadership to be accountable to the people of Somaliland who most live below the poverty line and have strived worked hard over the years without any assistance from the government or international community.
A ship carrying more than 1283 herds of camel has docked yesterday at Berbera port after being sent back by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the livestock heard is said to belong to the Saudi tycoon Suleyman Al Jaabiri and local businessmen this been the second such shipto be send back in the last few weeks.
The ship known as MV Amin is said to have departed from the country’s main port of Berbera on the 26th of March last month destined for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia this after another ship carrying livestock docked in the port of Berbera last Saturday.
550 herd of camel on board the ship belonged to Saudi born livestock magnate Sulymain Al AJaabiri while the rest belonged to Somaliland businessmen; the reason which prompted the Saudi authorities to turn away the ship came about after they found some animals were infected by _ disease.
The business community in Somaliland has shown concern regarding the decision by Saudi Arabia to send back two ships in such a short time on the pretext that Saudi regulations prevents the clearance of contaminated livestock is viewed with suspicion and also crippling not to mention the growing stiff competition from other stakeholders in the region vying for the Saudi market.
Efforts to reach the Minister of livestock Hon Dr. Abdi Aw Dahir was unavailable to answerour question on what caused a second ship to be sent back in just three weeks in the proved futile . It’s a high time that the government of Somaliland realized the ramifications of such actions by the Saudis and must act quickly to resolve any technical or procedural obstacles related to health or any other related problems to avoid such incidence in thefuture.
Livestock, the largest value chain in Somaliland, is one of the program’s main focuses. Livestock production accounts for 60-65% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Among pastoralists, especially those classified as poor, 50-80% of income is derived from sale of livestock and 25-30% of food comes from livestock products.
Moreover, livestock trading is a lucrative business which generates significant profits for not only the pastoralists and for the traders, while the government obtains the most tax revenues out of this trade.
15 Convicted Pirates Escape from a Maximum Jail in Bosaso two days Ago
By Goth Mohamed Goth
Ever since the current head of state of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland came to power the security situation there seems to be to be getting out of hand.
The region has recently seen a rise in the number of unsolved murders taking place with the latest in being the military commander of Puntland forces fighting Al Shabaab militants in Galgala region who was killed when an IED device exploded destroying the vehicle he was travelling in the coastal town of Bosaso.
In another development 15 convicted pirates are said to have escaped from a maximum prison in Bosaso on Friday the 4th of April after being assisted by some senior prison officers assigned to the correctional facility.
The inmates, most who were convicted pirates managed to escape in the early morning hours; although authorities in the semi-autonomous region claim that they have caught most them there is no way of independently verifying their claims.
One custodial official said, “We have already launched investigations into how those convicts managed to escape from the prison which is heavily guarded. The official confirmed that a total of 15 convicts had the escaped and that only a few of them remain at large.
Puntland citizens are starting to have second thoughts on the leadership of the Harvard educated leader ability to rule and who since assuming power security situation in the region seems to be deteriorating by the day.
Hargeisa-The spokesperson of the Somaliland National Electoral Commission Mr. Mohamed Hirsi Gelle has today in a press conference announced that the national identity card /voters registration process will begin in earnest this coming September this year and at the same time the commission shall begin recruiting staff inApril ,2014 and shall acquire the necessary materials needed for the process .
The NEC spokesperson also revealed that the electoral body shall deploy state of the art equipment such as eye scan machines for registering eligible voters and the issuance of national identity cards.
Mr. Hirsi went on to say, “We have meet with international donors recently and I am glad to announce that they have assured us that they’re willing to work and assist us in the preparation for ID/Voters Registration process and they have assigned us an expert who shall help us in the tender and contract awarding and procurement of electoral material and equipment and we expect the process to begin in early September but we shall begin the recruiting of staff and procurement of material later this month.
Responsible department: Foreign and Commonwealth Office
*We believe in the right of self-determination for all nations who wish it.
*We believe that the international community should recognise nations who decide to assert this right.
Therefore:
***WE DEMAND THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM FORMALLY RECOGNISE SOMALILAND***
-Somaliland is a thriving democracy, a success story in hard circumstances. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Yet the United Kingdom will not recognise its former colony’s right to independence (note: Somaliland was a British colony, the rest of Somalia was not). Somalilanders do not deserve to have their democratic project threatened due to lack of recognition by foreign governments.
-We demand that the British Government recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
A Big Thank You to the Sheffield City Council for Recognising the Republic of Somaliland as an Independent State
With much appreciation and gratitude we, the Somaliland Society in Europe (SSE), are delighted that Sheffield City Council voted on 2nd of April 2014 to pass a motion to support Somaliland’s bid for an international recognition and for calling the UK Government to play a major role in this effort. It is a historic motion.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Council, its leaders and Councillor Moroof and all Somaliland community in Sheffield for their hard work and excellent campaign for the Sheffield City Councillors to pass this motion.
The motion is a significant symbolic ice-breaking motion that will certainly send a clear message to the UK government to shift its policy towards the Horn of African nations of Somaliland and Somalia which are at logger heads over the question of two-nation state solution to the political conundrum in the region. We expect other city councils and government will follow suit.
SSE appeals to the rest of the government of the United Kingdom and the International Community to heed the call of Sheffield City Council and re-consider its stance on the Republic of Somaliland. The re-recognition of Somaliland does not violate international law pertaining to state borders. Somaliland has become an independent nation in 1960.
The government of Somaliland has wholeheartedly welcomed the noble gesture made by the people and council. The Foreign Minister who was the first to welcome has since been followed by Guurti speaker Hon Saleiban Mohamud Aden and Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Hon Ali Yusuf.
Government ministers from Somaliland have thanked the people of Sheffield for recognizing their nation’s right to be an independent state.
Several dignitaries from Somaliland attended a Sheffield Council meeting on Wednesday, where members passed a motion acknowledging Somaliland’s right to self-determination. Sheffield is the first city in the world to recognize this.
Hon Mohamed Behi Yonis, Somaliland’s FM, said in the council chamber: “Somaliland is a peaceful, democratic nation, which has been striving to be recognized by the international community since declaring independence in 1991.
“Sheffield’s decision will help strengthen our campaign for recognition.”
The Chairman of the Guurti, Somaliland house of elders, today in press briefing expressed his profound gratitude to the city of Sheffield in which he said, “I would like take this opportunity to thank members of the Sheffield City Council for under taking a very bold and unprecedented motion to recognition Somaliland’s independence and achievements.
“Somaliland Diaspora living in Sheffield have worked in relentless manner lobbied for our national aspiration and not forgetting those noble members of Sheffieldcity council have worked so tirelessly and passionately to show the rest of the world that Somaliland deservesinternational ”recognition” so that our nation can assume its rightful place among the league of nations,” he said.
Hon Suleyman finally said , “ Thevote of confidence by Sheffield city Council to recognize the independent statehood of Somaliland was a clear and resounding message to UK foreign policy makers that have made a serious diplomatic blunder by not putting Somaliland case for recognition before UK parliament and at the UN”.
In January this year, Somaliland and Somalia signed the Istanbul Communiqué committing themselves to mutual cooperation and peaceful resolution of their relationship, which has been on rocks ever since Somaliland proclaimed independence more than 22 years ago. As much as the international community wants to be optimistic about the recent development in the horn of Africa, the completely opposite reaction of Somalia’s and Somaliland’s governments to the peace memorandum suggests the rift between the two has only got bigger during the last two decades. If Somalia wants Somaliland back, it is a now or never situation.
According to the Somalilanders, whom mass grave discoveries every now and then remind of Siad Barre’s regime atrocities, the use of ‘Government of Somaliland’ in the memorandum marks its official recognition by Somalia. The Somalis, keen to extend their relatively stable federal arrangement, think it is high time their prodigal son returned – after all, Somaliland has in more than 20 years of intensive effort yet to achieve any international recognition. It is not all about recognition however.
Since its secession, Somaliland has proved it can stand on its own feet. It has avoided security breakdowns and unstable leadership, and has made a remarkable progress in both economic and political spheres. Just like Botswana, famous ‘African tiger’, Somaliland incorporates elements of traditional clan based society into its governmental institutions. While the beel system helped to maintain traditional kinship relations during transformation, the guurti laid basis for the upper chamber in a bicameral democratic parliament. Inasmuch as lack of international recognition did Somaliland out of development aid, the country was forced to rely on domestic sources of income. A resulting unique collaboration between the government and local business environment, and mutual assistance thereof, has enabled the state to provide basic public services including education and health.
Yet, this is not to suggest that Somaliland is a thriving prosperous country, quite the contrary. A recent World Bank study[i] ranks Somaliland as the fourth poorest country in the world based on GDP per capita. Heavily dependent on its diaspora, Somaliland struggles to generate decent levels of domestic revenue, and is in dire need of reforms of its private and financial sectors.
Thanks to an eventful year, the economic future of Somaliland might not look all too gloomy after all. Sitting on the geologic framework of the Arabian Gulf, Somaliland has been in the spotlight of a number of energy companies that believe the country possesses lucrative oilfields. In fact, five companies, examples being Genel Energy or DNO International ASA, have already been granted oil exploration licenses. Genel operating in eastern parts of the country is expected to start drilling by the end of this year. Moreover, Somaliland is finalising a multi-million dollar deal to develop a port at Berbera which will operate as a trade hub between Africa and the Arab world, serving mainly landlocked Ethiopia. Both the port building French Bollore Africa Logistics and international oil companies are about to invest heavily in the country’s much needed infrastructure.
In light of the promising economic development in Somaliland, Somalia’s willingness to peacefully resolve issues with its northern counterpart is more an acknowledgement and indication of Somaliland’s potential than an honest conciliatory gesture. Somalia knows it is now or never – once Somaliland starts benefitting from oil revenues there will be no coming back. Somaliland’s oil fields are simply too attractive to lose.
Somaliland will face enormous pressure in the near future, especially since Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, newly elected president ofneighbouring Puntland, is likely to push for federalization. Unlike Somaliland, Puntland has very little interest in independence. Ali, a prominent figure of an influential Majeerteen clan, will find it difficult to forget his time as the Prime Minister of Somalia, and will try to finish off his federalization agenda. Bringing Somaliland in also gives Puntland a chance to acquire the Sool and Sanaag, regions disputed between the two.
It is clear that Somali jets zigzagging across Somaliland’s sky will not leave anytime soon. Regardless of the Istanbul Communiqué, the dissension between Somalia and Somaliland is gaining momentum. As the international community, including the African Union, advocates one-or-the-other strategy, Somaliland is once again thrown back on itself – a position from which it has developed a remarkably inclusive system of governance which many parts of Somalia can only dream about. It deserves to be given a chance to prove its case. So if the question for Somalia is still ‘now or never’, the answer is a resounding never.
