The UN and human rights groups have condemned the decision by Somalia’s government to charge a journalist for “offending national prestige” and other crimes while investigating allegations of rape by security forces.
Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, 25, a freelance reporter in the capital, Mogadishu, was charged with insulting state institutions on Tuesday.
Court documents allege that he “paid money” to gather “false notices” of rape in camps for internally displaced people. He has been in detention since January 10.
Four other people, including an alleged rape victim, were also charged for reportedly helping the journalist.
“Allegations of rape should be met with objective investigations by the proper authorities, not detention for victims who come forward or arrest for journalists who report on such crimes,” Zainab Hawa Bangura, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said in a statement.
‘Politically motivated’
The alleged rape victim – a 27-year-old woman – was charged with “insulting a political body” and other crimes.
Court documents claim she had told a reporter that security forces had raped her in a camp for internally displaced people.
Three others – Hawa Hassan Ali, Muhyidin Sheik Mohammed and Abdirizak Adullahi – have been also been charged in the case.
Hawa Hasan has been accused of gathering all those involved at a restaurant and helping the woman “to play the role of a rape victim”.
The two others were charged with plotting to fabricate the story with the journalist and the woman for the purpose of “gaining income”.
Rights groups have condemned the actions against the five.
“Bringing charges against a woman who alleges rape makes a mockery of the new Somali government’s priorities,” Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said.
“The police ‘investigation’ in this case was a politically motivated attempt to blame and silence those who report on the pervasive problem of sexual violence by Somali security forces.”
Somalia officials were not available for comment.
Al Jazeera was unable to get comment from Abdiqadir Muse, the attorney general, or Abdullah Abyan, the justice minister.
The charges against the five come amid increasing media attention on reported sexual abuse by Somali government security services.
Earlier in January, Universal TV – a local television station – and Al Jazeera’s website separately published stories about allegations of rape by the security forces in the city’s crowded camps for displaced people.
None of the people charged on Tuesday have any connection with Al Jazeera.
‘Criminalising victims’
Abdiaziz, the journalist, had not published his own investigation into rape allegations before being detained.
Despite this, Sharif Shekuna Maye, a Somali police official, held a news conference on January 16 where he accused Abdiaziz of assisting Al Jazeera with its story, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported.
Research from the CPJ confirmed that “Abdiaziz had no connection with Al Jazeera’s report”.
The next hearing in the court case is set for February 2. International organisations are calling for Somalia’s government, which depends on foreign aid for its survival, to free the detainees.
“The approach taken by the Somali police does not serve the interest of justice; it only serves to criminalise victims and undermine freedom of expression for the press,” the UN’s special representative said.
“Attempts to intimidate and silence reporters rather than investigate crimes of sexual violence diminish public faith in government institutions while letting criminals go free.”
If they are men of honour with an ounce of self-respect, both the Somaliland Foreign Minister, Mohamed Abdillahi Omar and his colleague at Home Affairs, Mohamed Nur Araale “Duur” would resign.
Time after time, we have seen their abilities tested and found wanting. Time after time we have seen the policies they have implemented turn into ashes, and now, to cap it all of, our strongest ally has unilaterally called for her citizens to leave or not to travel to Somaliland.
This is the first time that Somaliland had been subjected to such a humiliation. And even worse our bumbling Foreign minister and his equally incapacitated colleague at the Home ministry found about the warning from the British Foreign Office website!
Where were the ties with our friends in London? What happened to the shared information? To the diplomatic way of doing things? Have we, rightly or wrongly, being lumped with the madness in Somalia after all these years?
What happened to the people who handled the terrorist attacks in 2008 with such courage and finesse? I tell you where they are, they have all been replaced by non-entities, who have been finally exposed as unable, incompetent and utterly worthless.
President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silaanyo” addresses the parliament today, if he was a strong leader, he would sack the pair. But, he is not, and even more disturbingly, he appears to be infirm and out of touch. Or, does he actually approve of Somaliland’s slide into to the ranks of basket cases like Somalia? I don’t think so. I hope I am wrong, for I believe that the President is a patriot, but, if these two ministers do not do the honourable thing and resign, then he should fire them.
Somaliland and its people take great pride in their many achievements, but above all, they take great pride in the fact that Somaliland had men and women who were made of the right stuff running the country. Today, this is not the case.
Britain has the right to tells its citizens whatever it wants, but as a friend, they always took into account our sensitivities. However, having seen the mettle of the people running things in Somaliland today, they did what they had to do.
It doesn’t matter that the Somaliland intelligence services had, allegedly, uncovered some suspicious movements by certain people in the country, as well as, arrested two people
carrying some pretty nasty stuff. That should have been the start of this episode.
If these two ministers had any ability, they should have managed the matter in a way that put Somaliland in a positive light;
We have uncovered a possible terror alert
We have made the arrest
We have consulted our friends in the UK and come to an agreement as a precautionary measure, foreign nationals should be more vigilant
We are working to resolve the matter so that any departed foreign national can return as soon as possible.
No such luck, one minister was in Dubai trying to flog Somaliland’s greatest asset, the Port of Berbera, whilst the other one was stuck between two mayoral rivals in Zeila.
It is the wish of every patriot to serve their country and their people, in any capacity, sadly sometimes some people just don’t know their own limitations.
If they had any honor or self-respect left, both ministers would tender their resignation, whether the president accepts or rejects it, is another r matter.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The Somali government has charged a woman who has said she was raped by security forces, according to an international human rights group, which says the case is politically motivated.
The group said a journalist who interviewed her was also charged.
Human Rights Watch said three other people including the woman’s husband were charged with assisting the alleged rape victim to evade investigators. The rights group said in a statement Wednesday that Somali government should drop the politically motivated charges.
The woman was charged in Mogadishu court Tuesday of insulting a government body, inducing false evidence, simulating a criminal offense and making a false accusation while journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur has been charged with insulting a government body and inducing the woman to give false evidence.
Under the Somali penal code Abdinur faces up to four years in prison for the first charge and two years for the second. The charges against the woman carry punishments of up to three and six years respectively, according to Human Rights Watch.
Rights groups say the arrests are linked to an increase in media attention due to reports of the high prevalence of rape and other sexual violence in Somalia, including attacks allegedly committed by security forces.
“Bringing charges against a woman who alleges rape makes a mockery of the new Somali government’s priorities,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
Rape is rampant in Mogadishu, where tens of thousands of people who fled last year’s famine live in poorly protected camps. Government troops are often blamed.
“The police ‘investigation’ in this case was a politically motivated attempt to blame and silence those who report on the pervasive problem of sexual violence by Somali security forces,” Bekele said.
Attempts to contact officials from the Somali government for comment were unsuccessful. Most government officials evaded calls and questions from an Associated Press reporter.
Human rights watch said the woman’s husband and a man and woman who helped introduce her to the journalist were charged with assisting the alleged victim to evade investigation, which carries up to a four-year term, and assisting her to secure a profit for the rape allegation, carrying up to a five-year term.
The charge sheet indicates that the government believes there was a conspiracy to discredit it and somehow acquire financial gain, the rights group said in a statement.
The rights group says the charges the five face stem from a January 8 interview between Abdinur and the woman about her rape allegations. Abdinur did not report the story to any media outlet.
Human rights watch says on Jan 10, he was called to report to the Somali Central Investigations Department of the police and when he did, was detained without charge.
Since then he had been interrogated repeatedly and his home was searched, the rights group said. It said the woman retracted her claim after being interrogated for two days by the police without legal counsel; the police then publicly presented her to the media. She was released but her husband was detained in her stead. Credible local sources say it was for insisting that his wife had been raped, Human Rights Watch said.
STATE OF UNION ADDRESS – JOINT MEETING OF GUURTI AND PARLIAMENT: PRESIDENT AHMED MOHAMED SILANYO
In the name of Allah the most merciful the most gracious: Thanks to Allah, prayers and peace be upon his prophets and messengers.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of both houses, Honorable leaders of the National Parties, esteemed guests and members of the Media, I say to you Peace and Blessings be upon you all.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
On behalf of my government, I extend my appreciation and congratulations to both houses for the excellent working relationship we have established in the past years. This demonstrates how the Institutions of the Government are working to address the challenges that face our people and this nation. Furthermore; my deepest gratitude goes to the brave people of Somaliland for their undying devotion and patriotism to protect and advance the interest and the causes of this nation, and for their support to this government.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
I am here with you today to address a joint meeting of both Houses as required by our constitution and to report on the state of the nation; including what my administration has accomplished in 2012 and our plans for the new year of 2013.
Opening of the Political Process & Municipal Elections
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
It was a year ago in this very chamber that I made the promise to hold the Municipal elections, which have not taken place for over ten years. Despite the inherent difficulties, the political, economic, and security burdens involved in opening up the political process by forming new parties and holding Municipal elections, my administration successfully conducted the promised election in a timely fashion.
Somaliland constitution requires an open political process, this was also one of my campaign promises, the public demanded it too, and the commission I nominated to advise on this issue recommended that the government submit legislation to the parliament that will open the political process. I submitted such legislation to this Chamber and you have created the institutional and legal basis to support it.
We have made it possible for our citizens with political ambitions to find the appropriate avenues to pursue their ambitions and have the opportunity to become candidates and be elected into public office. We have provided security for more than 1800 polling stations to make sure municipal elections were conducted in a free, fair and secure manner, in according to the International standards. We have paid 33% of the funding for the elections (even though we were required to pay for only 25% of the expenses while the rest was funded by the International community).
Additionally we spent one billion Somaliland Shillings in order to provide transportation for the polling station observers of the contesting political parties
This was accomplished with the understanding that it is in the best interest of the country to advance the democratic process and hold elections, allowing the people an opportunity to elect their representatives despite the tribal nature of our culture when choosing our leaders.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
My administration prohibited the use of government facilities and vehicles to be used for political party activities. We also banned all government workers to participate in and support the events of any political entity while using the office of Government to advance one party over another. The public Media (Radio Hargeysa and Public TV) was made available to all contenders on an equal basis. Great care was taken by this administration to safeguard the independence of the Election Commission to conduct its duty without interference by anyone.
We have successfully concluded a peaceful election after a vigorous campaign by 7 parties/associations. In the end, three parties advanced to become national parties: Kulmiye, WADANI, UCID; There were four parties that did not win to advance to national parties and there were also 1865 candidates who lost their races. This shows the magnitude and the impact this election had in our nation.
Somaliland is lucky to have elders and politicians who always put the interest of the country before theirs and I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the leaders of the political associations who despite their misgivings about the results have conceded the election and graciously accepted the outcome; Dr. Mohamed Abdi Gabose, Hassan Mohamed Ali “Gaafaadhi”, and Ismail Adan Osman.
Budget and Revenue Growth
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
Since my election, one of my top priorities was to focus on the economy and increase government revenue through increased efficiency measures. We have streamlined the tax rules and lowered tax on basic necessities which impact the lives of our people. We fought with and reduced the corruption and the theft of public property and assets. We provided development training for government employees, awareness programs to the public at large, we have had consultation meetings with private businesses, and with wealthy Importers. These activities allowed us to grow government revenue annually. We have instituted new tax collection processes in all the regions as of April 12, 2012. We have also appointed a new National Budget Committee which is responsible for drafting our national budget.
We inherited a large deficit and debt from the previous administration and the 2010 budget presented to us was a mere 330,909,580,627 SL Shillings ($46 million dollars). The 2013 government budget is $174 million dollars (one trillion SL Shillings). This is the largest budget in the history of Somaliland and it is also a balanced budget.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We have introduced new retirement pension accounts and implemented the collection of additional 1% tax on income which is a law this Chamber approved last year. This tax will pay for new established retirement pension for the Central Government employees who qualify for retirement. We have also implemented a new 5% tax on sales of Cigarette and Qad (Chat) at the wholesale level, we introduced new revenue sources to sectors of the economy that have not been paying their fair share of the taxes, such as new payroll income tax for teachers and administrators of private schools, and we established new rules for renting government houses.
My government has increased payments to local governments in both 2011 and 2012 by approximately 20%. This allowed local governments to increase their services to the people in the last two years by implementing new projects such as roads, garbage collection, and other new projects.
As required by law, we have submitted a full balanced budget report for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011; this has not been done since 2002. The government is required by law to provide accountability and issue a complete report on all the government budgeted expenses for the previous budget year.
My government has a plan to help grow the economy significantly and also grow the government revenue to $250 million dollars over the next five years.
Department of Interior and Defense of Nation
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We have given our first priority to the defense, security and stability of the nation. In that regard we are committed to support our brave and dedicated security forces in cities and our heroic uniformed soldiers who protect our borders.
We have professionalized the armed forces and increased their rank by 1800 soldiers. We have increased their equipment, capacity and logistics including training, armored vehicles, communication and their ability to rapidly respond to national security incidents.
We have provided medical equipment and increased the capacity of the special military hospitals in Hargeisa and Burao. We have built a training school for the armed forces in Dardarweyne where a large number of soldiers have already graduated since my administration was sworn in.
We have built and fully equipped a new Special Forces Unit of the Army, whose role is to protect our borders from external security threats. We are confident this Special Forces Unit will play a vital role in providing security for this nation.
To increase the morale of the armed forces and the quality of our professional military force, we have provided training to a large number of officers in and outside the country. We have also allocated in the 2013 budget the salaries commiserate to each soldier’s rank, from private soldier to the highest officers in the armed forces. This will impact more than 5000 soldiers who are officers in the army. This issue has been the number one request from our armed forces for more than a decade and we’ll achieve that in 2013.
With the resolution of this issue, it will make it possible for the armed forces to recruit and retain more soldiers, especially now that we have so many officers joining the ranks after receiving their training abroad. We see this action as yet another example of our resolve to support the armed forces of Somaliland.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We have increased the ranks of the police force with new younger recruits who have graduated either from high school or the local universities. We have hired 3900 new police officers (including 632 female officers) and they have all completed the required training at Mandhera Police Training School.
Additionally we have created a highly trained police unit (Rapid Reaction Unit) designed to quickly react to public security threats. We have increased the police presence throughout the country by building 75 new police stations who are fully equipped and 95 police Centers. Furthermore we have provided 30 new vehicles, police communication equipment, and training for police officers.
We have submitted to the Parliament a legislation addressing the structure of the police force and are in the process of building a new institute geared to train the police forces in matters of the law and the constitution as it relates to human rights and outreach community programs between the police and the local communities.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We have increased the number and the capabilities of our Coast Guard and Immigration personnel. New communication equipment and training has been provided to these forces in order for them to discharge their duties efficiently and protect our waterways and ports of entries at all times.
We have streamlined the Visa process of entry and exit for Somaliland by introducing international standard equipment to screen travelers (PIRS System) and recognize forged passports. We have made it easier for those seeking entry Visa into the country to obtain it from abroad, online or at the port of entry.
We have built a new three floor office building with 40 offices for the Immigration Agency to better serve the growing need of the nation. Also new facilities have been built in all ports of entry for the Immigration Agency. A new scan-able electronic Somaliland passport is coming that will elevate its design to international standards and we hope this will make it easier for our people to travel. Furthermore a new legislation was passed to enhance the laws governing the operations of our national security agencies.
The people of Somaliland are renowned for protecting their peace and stability. My administration is aware that we must have peace to realize progress. We are also working hard to establish peace with our neighbors, and prepared to do our outmost to safeguard the peace and stability in our nation at any cost.
Social Affairs
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
Fighting illiteracy and investing in education is the key to uproot poverty and increases the chances of advancement in life. Education is a priority for my government and to that effect we have established a special fund that allows free education to all our children in primary and middle schools.
We have provided more free books than ever before to Elementary and Middle schools and have created the capacity for the Ministry of Education to print text books in the country in order to provide an adequate number of textbooks to students. The current target is one text book per two students. We have built 145 new primary and middle schools and rehabilitated 10 high schools with new classes in the regions. We have 24 new schools that are under construction now.
We have established a good working relationship with the International Agencies and the international community which support and provide different levels of education assistance and this allowed us to increase our education budget for 2013 to $14.8 million dollars (EU 11 million).
There have been 6,646 students who graduated from Somaliland Universities and it is a testimony to our progress in higher education. Despite the high unemployment rate in our country; I believe illiteracy is one of our biggest enemies. Our future economic development and progress depends on building an educated society. That is why my government developed a national strategy for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Mr. Chairman and Honored members;
My government understands the importance of providing adequate healthcare to our people. We made improvements in the quality and quantity of health care available to our people. This is done so that we reduce the need for our people to travel abroad to get medical attention. The Ministry of Health has submitted its 5 year plan to improve the health care services available in the country. We have also submitted a proposed Healthcare legislation to this Chamber for your attention.
A new hospital building for Women and Children (named after Dr. Mohamed Aden Sheikh) is under construction in Hargeisa by generous Donors. When complete it will significantly contribute in improving the healthcare provided to women and children in Hargeisa.
We have provided new equipment, services, and made significant improvements to many of the regional hospitals in the country, where we have instituted the Essential Package of health Services (EPHS) at these hospitals.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
In our effort to grow the economy and increase the production of agriculture in Somaliland, the Ministry of Agriculture has tested and introduced new seeds or crops with the potential to increase farming output in the country. The Ministry of Agriculture succeeded in growing rice locally where such crops were never harvested locally before. A variety of other crops are currently being tested and many of them show real promise for the future of agriculture in the country.
We have provided a training program for 2000 farmers within the last two years who received training in better farming techniques that would improve their farm output. The government provided farming tools, ten grinding mills, water pipes, and ten farm tractors at discounted prices to the farmers.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
The people in Somaliland depend on their livestock, and because this is of such vital importance to our economy and the wellbeing of our society; we have provided veterinary services including immunization to 500,000 heads of sheep and goats last year. We have hired 50 new Veterinary Doctors who graduated from the Burao University, Sheikh Veterinary School, and from Ethiopia.
We have established two new teams of Doctors to respond to emergencies who were deployed in 24 different locations last year. We have built facilities in livestock markets to provide water and rest area (shade) to the livestock. We provided water wells and veterinary services to all the major holding pens; before livestock is exported abroad. This has increased the export of livestock and has grown the local economy and created jobs in the country. We have for the first time reduced the charges paid to the Quarantine facilities in Berbera from $6.00 to $4.00 per head of livestock. The $2 dollar savings are equally shared between the government and the livestock exporters.
Foreign Policy
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
It is evident that Somaliland has fulfilled all the requirements necessary to achieve independent nation status. Somaliland has peace and stability, defined borders; it is a democratic nation with law and order, with a constitution that defines the separation of power between the different branches of government. All of it made possible by a society willing to respect and abide by its laws.
We are all here today because we have been elected by our people to be their leaders; it is the reason why the international community acknowledges our legitimacy, it is the reason why I am the President of this nation, accountable to you as their representatives.
Somaliland is a place where human rights and international laws are observed and respected. It is also true that we have good relations with the international community who support Somaliland with a number of modest programs. However we have not yet received full recognition status from the international community.
We have visited several countries where we discussed Somaliland causes with the leaders of those nations. We have also received delegations in Hargeisa that met with me and received a briefing from our side. We have engaged International Agencies with experience in matters relating to International recognition for countries such as ours. We have tangible relationship with the governments in the region, Arab Countries, EU Countries, and the United States.
The talks between Somaliland and Somalia are promising and were based on the outcome of the London conference in Feb 23, 2012, where the International community expressed their support to see the dialogue between Somaliland and Somalia to determine the future relationship between the two countries. This Chamber approved the talks and provided my government the legal basis to have this dialogue with Somalia. That was a good step towards building peace in the region and with our neighbors.
We wish to have good relationship with the new government of Somalia as we have done with other governments in the region. Our people are working hard to develop this nation and get the International community to respect our self-determination and sovereignty.
The recognition of the government of Somalia by the US government does not concern Somaliland; it is a new development for Somalia and only speaks to the US acceptance of the new government in Mogadishu and the new process that created it. We are not concerned about this nor do we see this as an ominous sign, in fact we are glad to see Somalia achieve a modem of stability and peace.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We can attest that there is a good relationship between Somaliland and the US government and the US recognition of Somali government will have no impact in our ongoing and fruitful engagement with the US. The Government of the United States has assured us that its recognition of the government of Somalia will not prevent the US government from engaging in Somaliland nor prevent them from maintaining ongoing programs in Somaliland. The US Government further assured us that it made sure to clarify this with the Somali government before deciding to recognize them.
Despite the historic relationship and the close collaboration we have had with the British government; I find the communique issued by the UK Foreign Office very regrettable and hasty; this statement made the allegation that there is a lack of security in Somaliland. It certainly does not do justice for the peace and stability that we enjoy in Somaliland, which we have worked so hard to achieve.
My fellow citizens; the most important goal of this nation is to get recognition from the International community. Reaching this goal is a common responsibility that requires our unity and the collective effort of my administration, this honorable Chamber, the leaders of all national parties and the brave people of Somaliland.
National Development
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
When I came into this office I was presented with a government that was completely broke, public employee and armed forces did not get paid salary for four months. There have also been a host of other problems that we do not have the time and space to enumerate.
It is a fact that my administration has achieved tangible progress in a short period of time and we have addressed many of the immediate challenges that were facing this nation. The history will show the accomplishments of my administration. I want to share with you a sample of the achievements of my administration.
Peace and Stability; we have ended the long conflict in Ceel bardaale, the conflict in Kalshaale and Buuhoodle and we have successfully made peace agreement with the armed SSC militia whose leader is a cabinet member of this administration.
Education; we have made the public elementary and middle schools free for all students; this allowed the low income families to send all of their children to school including girls. In the last two years 7,817 new students have been enrolled. We have also built 165 new schools and hired more than 2000 new teachers.
Government Revenue; the government revenue in 2010 was 330 billion SL Shillings ($50 million dollars), we grew the revenue to $175 million dollars. This is 350% increase in two years and it is testament to the growth in the economic activities of the country as well as the effective functioning of the state.
Public Media: We have purchased new transmitters, for Radio Hargeisa, that have the capacity to reach all the regions of Somaliland and neighboring countries. We have expanded the Somaliland Television services to reach audiences outside the country. This will carry our message to large audiences and help us to educate the international community about Somaliland, its culture, and people.
Water: We dug 42 new deep wells in the last two years compared to 89 wells in the previous 20 years. We have rehabilitated the water systems in most of the regions in the last two years. Worth noting is that we have started a water project in Hargeisa that will provide sufficient water to the city, and this project will cost $21.3 million dollars.
Roads: We have maintained up to 290 KM of major roads in Hargeisa, Burco, Borama, and Berbera. We have also completed a major bridge in Hargeisa. The government and the people have also collaborated to build new road between Dilla-Borama, Hargeysa-Salahley, Burco-Odwayne, Kalabaydh-Togwajale, and Dawga Cag-Hargeisa. Some of these roads are still under construction.
Buildings: We have built new buildings for several government Ministries including Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Fishing, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Labor and Civil Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we have added new buildings in the Presidency.
Airports: We have renovated the Hargeisa and Berbera Airports. We have also installed new equipment including machines to scan the luggage. The Hargeisa Airport building and run way is also under construction.
Defense: We have purchased 107 military vehicles including armored vehicles and transportation vehicles. This will strengthen the capability of our armed forces.
Public Employee: We have hired 5,557 new government employee in two years.
Legislations: I express my gratitude to this Chamber for the good working relationship we have had in the last two years. I proposed 27 legislations to this Chambers and 21 of those have been enacted into law in the last two years.
The 2013 Somaliland Government Plan of Action
Mr Chairman and honorable members,
We held cabinet-level strategy meetings in October 2012 that laid out the blueprint for the 2013 government plan. The following areas have been identified as government’s top priorities:
Security;
We will strengthen the security of the country and intensify the war on terror, piracy and against those who threaten our peace and security. We will increase inter-collaboration and communication between the different branches of the security forces. Special attention will be paid to expand the security, capacity, and services to the regional government (such as Sool and Eastern Sanaag)
Justice
We will strengthen our judicial system by increasing its capacity and quality to make it more efficient and transparent so that our people will have more trust in the judicial system and in our courts.
Economy – Creating Jobs
The best way to create more jobs is to grow our economy and that is one of our primary tasks. We’ll seek investors to develop our natural resources to create more jobs, we’ll implement government projects that will create jobs in the country, and we’ll support our private industries to help them grow and create even more jobs.
Food Security & Self- Sufficiency:
It is our priority to grow enough food in the country to feed our people. To achieve this we’ll be increasing the output of our farmers by providing them more equipment, training in new farming techniques, and more seeds. We will exploit the riches of our seas by growing the local fishing industry and enticing investors to invest in this fishing industry.
Land Management Policy
We will submit legislation to this Chamber that will setup a sensible land management policy for the nation and will address the persistent land conflicts that are wide and deep in the country. This policy will setup a zoning mechanism for grazing land, farming land, private development land, and government land.
Foreign Policy
The foundation of the Foreign Policy of this nation is to secure recognition for our country. To that end the foreign policy of my administration is to vigorously pursue a policy of engagement with the international community particularly governments in Africa, Arab world, IGAD, Europe, UN, and the US.
Additional guiding principles are: to increase our security and maintain our stability by working closely with the governments in the region. It is also necessary to grow our economy and increase the business opportunities by inviting foreign investors to develop the natural resources in our country.
National Budget
Our 2013 budget reflects my administration’s priority, namely the development programs, security, defense of the nation, judicial system, Healthcare, Education, and foreign policy. There is a lack of economic progress that is more evident comparatively in the regions of Sool, Buuhodle and eastern Sanaag, we plan to implement 38 developmental projects to stimulate the local economy in those regions. We have allocated a stimulus plan of $1,300,000.00 for these regions. The funds will be allocated as follows: Sool Region ($500,000 to fund15 projects), Eastern Sanaag ($500,00 to fund15 projects), Buuhodle Region ($300,000 to fund 10 projects).
Voter Registration and Elections
We have the parliamentary elections coming in 2013, we have the Guurti elections the following year in 2014 and there will be presidential elections in 2015. Furthermore we must do a complete voter registration before we can hold another election given the experience of the 2012 election.
It is exceedingly difficult to hold three elections and conduct a voter registration within two years in the country. This will put tremendous pressure on every branch of our government, not to mention the financial burdens involved.
I’ll appoint a National Commission, which will consult with the nation and make the appropriate recommendations to address the issue.
We have budgeted $1 million dollars to conduct the voter registration in 2013.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
As many of you know I have always been opposed to extending the constitutional term of the President and the Vice President when their term in office ends. I want you to know that I still feel the same about this issue. I give you my word that I will not extend the term of my office by one-day beyond my constitutional term.
Developing Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
We have very high unemployment, poverty, and an underperforming economy. One of the ways we can address these challenges is to grow our economy by developing the natural resources of the country. This will help us with the unemployment problem and create jobs, and more importantly this will contribute to the long term security of this nation.
We have renegotiated parts of all the oil and gas contracts that the previous government has entered into with International investors. The new contracts include clauses that require these projects to create a number of jobs and to have a specified time for ground breaking. The changes in these contracts made it possible that after 21 years; the oil companies must perform surveys for oil and gas in the country with the agreed budget of $57 million dollars within the next two years.
We have also entered into agreement with two additional companies that will perform survey work and will build mines in the country to extract Iron, Magnesium, and Coal. The extraction of Coal in Somaliland will provide cheaper source of fuel for electricity. These projects will also stimulate the economy and create jobs for our people.
Energy Policy
My government will submit an Energy Legislation to this honorable Chamber. This will be the first of its kind in the country. We have a policy to encourage and implement some renewable energy projects this year. We are implementing 5 wind energy facilities in Hargeysa Airport to meet the electricity needs of the airport and we are also establishing 4 additional wind energy facilities in Las Anod. These projects will create jobs for our people.
Central Government Act
To improve good governance and separate the roles of different departments of the government; as article 126 and 127 of the Somaliland Constitution permits, I’ll submit legislation to this Chamber that will designate the responsibilities and duties of the different branches of the Central Government.
Constitutional Amendments,
I would like to propose a revision to our Constitution to better serve the people and our nation, and to that end I will submit an official request referencing article 126 and 127 of the Constitution.
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
I would also like to propose a change in how the Upper House (Guurti) is structured and selected. In order to preserve its capabilities and experience I propose the members of the Guurti should be selected and not elected.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman and Honorable members;
I promise you that my government will continue to respect the independence of the Judicial System, the Constitutional duties of the two Houses, Human Rights, and freedom of the press.
The role women and the youth play in contributing to the growth of this country are essential and their participation in all aspects of our country’s development should be encouraged and increased. As a sign of our commitment to this goal we have introduced a bill last year that lowered the age of a candidate to run for office to 25 years old, and because you agreed with me, today it is the law of the land.
In an effort to reflect all members of our society in the political arena I have also introduced a bill that would reserve seats (quota) for women and minorities. This bill did not pass this honorable Chamber; I respectfully request that you reconsider this bill before the next Parliamentary elections and pass this bill so that all segments of our society can be represented in the highest elected offices of this nation.
You are all aware of the long path we took to get here. Without much support from anyone, the people of Somaliland rebuilt their cities, their communities, their institutions and forged a nation out of their sweat, tears and blood and they understand that their future is in their hands and not in someone else’s. The people of this nation are willing to protect their freedom at any cost. That is our promise to each other.
We have come a long way since we declared our independence and established a republic many envy today, and I am certain our best days are ahead of us and the future of our children to live in prosperity is brighter and we will achieve our aspiration to be a recognized sovereign and respected member nation of the world.
The will of the people demanded the creation of Somaliland and they passed a Constitution which declared the independence of Somaliland, therefore our independence is not negotiable. We urge all peace loving people and nations to respect the wishes of our people and support Somaliland’s steady march toward democracy and prosperity.
I urge Somaliland leaders to refrain from actions that will hinder or damage the ongoing talks with Somalia and the principal agreements reached at the London meeting. Fostering friendship and collaboration on issues of mutual interest with our neighbor as two distinct and different nations’ is in our best interest, and does not diminish or damage our self-determination or sovereignty.
Finally, I ask the remarkable people of Somaliland to continue holding hands and stand together to safeguard our precious peace, stability, and all that we have accomplished over the years. I once again promise you that I will re-double my efforts to advance our nation and reach our collective goals.
Long Live Somaliland and God Bless Somaliland.
Thank you,
H.E. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo
President of the Republic of Somaliland
H.E President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo) was among thousands of somalilanders who took part in a massive demonstration held in capital ,Hargeisa earlier today to denounce a decision by the UK Government to issue a travel advice which warned Uk citizens against travelling to Somaliland.
Thousands among thousands of Somalilanders came out in force today waving the tri color flag of Somaliland and other national memorabilia’s in a bid to express their discontent this while responding to Sunday’s UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s revised travel advice for Somaliland.
President Silanyo Joined the cheering demonstrators who earlier were camped outside the parliament building to listen his state of union speech address walking more than half a kilometer shoulder in shoulder with fellow countrymen in a momentous moment of unity, putting aside their recent bitter conflicting divisions caused by the 28TH November 2012 local elections.
“We the people of Somaliland consider the people of Great Britain as our brothers of whom we had friendly relations spanning for more than two centuries and we look forward in maintaining those same cordial relations,” said President Silanyo.
The demonstrators called on the Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain to intervene and retract the decision of the foreign office terming it unfair.
Similar Demonstrations also took place in Gabiley, Caynaba ,Las Geel, and other major towns across the country.
Goth M Goth
Somalilandpress.com
Somalia took a fresh step in its return to the international fold Wednesday with a high-profile EU visit by its leader that comes days after finally winning US recognition.
Months after his election, new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was to meet the European Union’s top officials, marking what a senior diplomat said was the African nation’s “move from hopelessness to hope.”
“This visit symbolises a highly significant shift in the way the world sees Somalia and Somalis see the world,” said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We want to encourage Somalia, say we are with them, that we take them seriously,” the source added.
At the 27-nation bloc’s headquarters in Brussels, Mohamud is to meet successively EU president Herman Van Rompuy, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.
Mohamud, a university lecturer, was elected in September after eight years of transitional rule by a corruption-riddled government, bringing hope of an effective central government after more than two decades of chaos and war.
Recent months have seen a 17,000-strong African Union force, fighting alongside government forces — many of them EU-trained — and Ethiopian soldiers remove Islamist Shehab insurgents from the capital and from key towns.
EU support to Somalia in the last years has focused on three fronts, defence, diplomacy and development, a formula that the bloc is likely to try on beleaguered West African state Mali in the coming weeks, as it likewise has been under attack from Islamist fighters.
Last week, EU ministers agreed to extend an EU mission to train soldiers in Somalia for another two years at a cost of around 11 million euros.
Launched in 2010 it has trained some 3,000 Somali troops.
The EU’s anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, EUNAVFOR, has also been extended until December 2014.
Elections in Somalia have been set for 2016 “but in the meantime we cannot be complacent,” an EU official said.
He said next steps for Somalia will necessitate a new deal with its global partners to clear its huge financial arrears and put in place international aid programmes to help establish the government’s legitimacy.
An international meeting of players involved with he Horn of Africa nation may be held soon.
Mohamud’s administration too will need to continue extending control over the territory and improving security while easing testy relations with its neighbours.
Less than two weeks ago Mogadishu took a crucial step on launching a new era in its ties with the United States, which recognised its government for the first time since 1991.
“Today is a milestone. It is not the end of the journey, but it is an important milestone towards that end,” said US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton after meeting Mohamud.
Source: AFP
The deputy minister in charge for security in the ministry of interior Hon Abdillahi Abokor has termed the decision by the British government to issue a travel warning to its citizen as rush and irrational.
Hon Abdillahi went on to say “Somaliland has always carried out risk assessment in order to protect its own national interest and those of all westerners working or settled in Somaliland soil. Somaliland is a country which has the most sophisticated intelligence agencies, having a very professional well trained staffs and maintains constant working relationship with its international security partners’.
“The downgrading of Somaliland security status to grade C by the British government is uncalled of and with regards to this potential terror threat in Somaliland which deems to be very exaggerated and superfluous assessment and sadly damaging the excellent record of peace and stability issues of Somaliland,” said the security minister.
The Security minister told reporters during a press briefing “It’s sad our friends (British) didn’t inform us on this new development considering the existing relations between our intelligence agencies and we have the right to know the source of these preposterous allegations’. `
Residents In the port city of Berbera took to the streets today to demonstrate against the recent decision by the U k foreign office and commonwealth affairs warning British citizen not to travel to Somaliland.
Hundreds of residents of berbera flocked to the main roads of the port city waving the flag of Somaliland and slogans demanding that the UK government should retract its decision of downgrading the security status of Somaliland to grade C hence being in the same status as neighboring Somalia.
The demonstrators later converged at the 26 of June stadium which is situated at the center of the city and were addressed by the mayor and governor of sahil region.
The Governor of Sahil Region lauded the people of Sahil for their zeal and unrelenting devotion when it comes to protecting the name of their nation; He went on to say Somaliland had accomplished much in the past 21 years and has taken many strides in the right direction be it in the fields of democracy, development, security, health and education.
“Somaliland has a good security record compared to many African countries not to mention that foreigners roam our streets freely without any security escorts and will continue to do so,i assure you all Somaliland is also capable of maintaining its own security, “said the governor.
The Newly elected Mayor of Berbera told residents “let it be known that Somaliland is here to stay whether the English stay or leave, we are here to stay that’s for sure and I urge all Somaliland to safeguard our hard earned security and peace.
Many Somalilanders are upset by the UK government stance on with many terming it as rush and irrational.
There Is No Time To Sit Back, Relax, And Forget The Fact That As Somalilander
We cannot go back to the Days of Faqash….These Days will be no more. There will be rough times, difficult situations, things to fall into, major obstacles, hurdles, stumbling blocks, mountains to climb, things to get over, oppositions to resolve, unpleasantness to face, feelings to understand, disappointments to accept, mysteries to solve, wonders to unfold and promises to keep to yourself.
Now that you know what to expect, prepare yourself, get ready. The only way to get to what we want to be is to do what needs to be done to get it. “ You know what I mean”. Do it fast, do it right, do it in the daylight, do it by the moonlight. Do it alone, do it with others. Do it for free. Get paid to do it. Do it for yourself.
We always want to do the right thing, but we do the wrong thing when we do not make a decision about what to do . Decisions have power. Decisions have force. They usually take us to the exact place. We need to be , exactly the way we need to get there “ ICTIRAAF”.
It is the wavering back and forth that is dangerous. It places us at the mercy of events; We fall prey to the choices people make for us. Since time and opportunity wait for no one, our lives will not what to do. The rightness of a decision is based on our ability to make the decision when we weigh what we want against what we will have to do, a decision can be an effortless event. We must know what we will and will not do, what we can do and choose not to do; and decided in harmony with the things we know. The freedom from making a decision can only come we have made the decision.
THE DECISION ON MAY 18, 1991, THE DECISION ON MAY 18,1991, THE DECISION ON MAY 18,1991…..
Somalilanders keep the faith, continue the fight for your rights, strive to keep the dream alive. “ SOMALILAND REPUBLIC “. BE proud of your heritage, stand tall. Do not slumber, and risk the chance to lose it all fate stands knocking at your door…..I SAID FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT AND KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE…..” SOMALILAND REPUBLIC “…NOW!….SOMALILANDERS, I SAY TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
ANIIS A. ESSA. HEAD
SOMALILAND ADOVCACY GROUP
WASHINGTON DC…USA
ANIIS@YAHOO.COM
