Nigeria has recalled its ambassador to Libya after leader Muammar Gaddafi suggested Nigeria be divided into two states – one Christian and one Muslim.
The foreign ministry said the Libyan leader’s statement was “irresponsible”. Earlier in the week a senator had called Col Gaddafi a “mad man”.
Col Gaddafi had suggested the split to prevent any more bloodshed between rival groups in central Nigeria.
Hundreds have died this year in ethnic and religious violence around Jos.
Although the violence in Nigeria generally takes place between Muslim and Christian communities, the underlying causes are a complex mix of political, social and economic grievances.
Nigeria is roughly split between its largely Muslim north, and a Christian-dominated south.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said it was recalling its Tripoli ambassador for “urgent negotiations” because of the “irresponsible utterances of Colonel Gaddafi”.
“His theatrics and grandstanding at every auspicious occasion have become too numerous to recount,” said the statement.
Col Gaddafi, until recently head of the African Union, praised the partition of India in 1947 as the kind of “historic, radical solution” that could benefit Nigeria.
Splitting India in 1947 caused a breakdown of law and order in which at least 200,000 people died. Some estimates say one million people were killed.
About 12 million people were left homeless and thousands were raped.
An attempt by the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria to secede in 1967 sparked a war which left more than one million people dead.
The government of Eritrea has quickly reacted to sharp criticism and aiding the from the United Nations that it is assisting the Somali militant group of Al-Shabbab and other insurgent groups that has been opposed to the transitional federal government allied to former UIC commander and current President of Somalia Sheikh sharif sheikh Ahmed.
Late last year the United Nations imposed an arms embargo and other sanctions to Isaiah’s Afewerki’s regime.
The resolution was backed by 13 votes to 15. China abstained while Libya, the only Arab council member, voted against.
The country suspended its membership of the African Union in protest at the call for sanctions in April.
In a report that is before the United Nations security general and is to be debated within this week added that Eritrea has deliberately continued in supporting the extremists in the horn of Africa nation mostly in 2009.
However in a counter attack on Monday, Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry described the allegation as “concocted, baseless and unfounded”, adding: “It is indisputable that Eritrea had not and would never extend any support to Somali armed groups.
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“The government of Eritrea challenges those quarters indulging in utterly baseless allegations through fabricating and disseminating naked lies in the name of the U.N.”
Eritrea repeated its call for hard evidence to be presented publicly and demanded an independent platform allowing it to respond.
The UN has frequently expressed concern about the flow of arms in to Somalia, where hardliners Islamists of Al-Shabbab and Hizbul-Islam are battling with government forces for control of the capital Mogadishu.
Somalia has been subject to a UN arms embargo for many years, but weapons are still freely available in the Mogadishu weapons market.
Somalia has been without a functional government since 1991 after Mogadishu warlords toppled Siad Bare’s regime that has left the country in catastrophe.
Toronto university student, who vanished last year, died in Somalia fighting for group tied to Al Qaeda.
The family of a Toronto student linked to an Al Qaeda group in Somalia is in mourning after learning online that their son had been killed.
A two-minute video of Mohammed Elmi Ibrahim, also known as Ahmed, was posted on YouTube late Tuesday night along with a terse message that he had been killed in “battle.”
“They (his parents) heard about it Tuesday night … that their son is dead,” said Omar Kireh, administrator at Abu Huraira Centre in North York, the mosque where Ibrahim worshipped.
“Of course, they are devastated. They never thought it would come to this.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Ibrahim was in his early 20s and a student at the University of Toronto.
He was the first of six Somali-Canadian men who disappeared from the Toronto area last year and were believed to have joined al Shabaab in Somalia, an Islamist youth militia aligned with Al Qaeda.
They all worshipped at the Abu Huraira Centre. Some have called their families and told them they are not returning to Canada.
“I don’t know if he (Ibrahim) had been calling his parents,” said Kireh, adding he had yet to talk to the young man’s parents. “It’s very sad … everyone had high expectations from him.”
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In the video, made in Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim speaks in English and discusses the historic significance of the location.
The video’s accompanying text, addressed to Canadian youth, says: “Dont be sadden (sic) but rather rejoice in the news of your dear brother and follow his footsteps and march forth in the ranks of the honest mujahideen, al Shabaab mujahideen. The brave brother achieved his goal while marching forth not wavering. … We ask Allah to accept him.”
It doesn’t say when or where Ibrahim was killed.
His death has not been officially confirmed and Foreign Affairs in Ottawa did not return calls Wednesday.
A Star reporter was turned away at Ibrahim’s parents’ Scarborough home Wednesday evening.
“We are in mourning,” a woman at the door said, asking the reporter to leave.
About 10 cars were parked outside the home and a constant stream of people entered.
Ibrahim disappeared with his passport about eight months ago, his friends told the Star. About a month later, they say, he called his parents and said he was in Kismayo, a port city in southern Somalia ruled by al Shabaab.
The sister of a Markham man, one of the other five Somali-Canadians who disappeared, would not say Wednesday whether she had heard about Ibrahim’s death.
RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers have been investigating the disappearances of the GTA men.
This month, al Shabaab was added to the Canadian government’s list of terrorist organizations.
The designation came soon after the Somali-Canadian community reported the group was trying to radicalize and recruit Canadians.
It was listed as a terrorist organization in the U.S. early last year. More than 20 young Somali-American men have disappeared in two years, and are believed to have joined al Shabaab.
JERUSALEM (Somalilandpress) — The international community should not stand by and watch as Israel attempts to rid Jerusalem of its Arab residents, Jordanian King Abdullah II said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel’s attempts to get rid of Jerusalem’s Arabs residents, Muslims or Christians,” the Dubai daily Khaleej Times quoted the king as saying to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Amman.
Abdullah’s comments came a day after the heaviest clashes in months broke out across the city during the orchestrated “day of rage” announced by Hamas, as the militant organization urged Muslims to reach the Temple Mount compound in order to protect it from an Israeli attempt to take it over.
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On Tuesday, hundreds of Palestinians in east Jerusalem set tires and garbage bins ablaze and hurled rocks at Israeli riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
The Jordanian monarch reportedly demanded the international community take a firm, swift, direct and effective action to “stop Israel’s provocative measures in Jerusalem, that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites there,” he said.
Some 3,000 officers were put on high alert on Wednesday after Hamas called for anti-Israel protests. “We call on the Palestinian people to regard Tuesday as a day of rage against the occupation’s [Israel’s] procedures in Jerusalem against Al-Aqsa mosque,” Hamas said in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Israel lifted its closure on the West Bank and granted open access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, with police saying that thousands of troops will remain on high alert but reported no disturbances. Israel originally sealed off the territory last week.
Police had predicted that Palestinian rioters would continue to stage violent protests on Wednesday in East Jerusalem and elsewhere, but the area was quiet during the morning hours.
Unknown assailants on Tuesday opened fire on a police officer patrolling the Ras al-Amud neighborhood in the east of the capital, hitting him in the hand and inflicting a minor injury, as violence seemed to spread to other parts of the country. Assailants in Jaffa hurled rocks at two public buses, and a truck in the Negev was hit by stones.
Fourteen other police officers sustained minor injuries from stones hurled at them by protesters, of whom a few required medical treatment. Approximately 60 people were arrested on suspicion of hurling stones at security forces.
Police chief David Cohen toured Jerusalem’s Old City as clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces were ongoing, and said he did not believe the recent violence would spark a third intifada. “We are seeing signs of disorderly conduct,” said Cohen, “but that is only a headline. We must be careful about characterizations and remarks being made.”
The police chief also stressed that the city has a unique character that must be preserved, and that peace must be maintained in both the Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. Cohen added that the police will beef up its presence in the eastern part of the capital and surrounding villages until Friday and over the weekend, with the intention of returning to routine deployment by Sunday.
Police responded to Tuesday’s riots, stone-throwing and burning of tires on roads by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, witnesses said. Some 40 Palestinians were treated at East Jerusalem hospitals for minor injuries, medical officials said. Police also arrested an Israeli rightist who tried to enter the Temple Mount compound and was refused by security forces.
Thousands of Palestinians, meanwhile, staged a protest march in the Gaza Strip to protest Israeli measures in Jerusalem. Ahmed Bahar, a senior figure in Hamas, called for an escalation of armed attacks against Israel and urged Arab states “to shoulder their responsibilities and send their warplanes and armies to rescue the Al-Aqsa mosque and end the Jewish policy of Judaizing Jerusalem.”
The head of the police’s Jerusalem District, Aharon Franco, said that despite the clashes, police at present intend to stand by their decision to permit right-wing activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel to conduct a protest march under the banner “We Demand Equal Enforcement” in the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The maximum number of participants is 70, as per the police’s restrictions. Franco nonetheless said that the decision to allow the procession “is subject to change.”
Tuesday’s riots began with two fire bombs that unknown assailants hurled at a house occupied by Jews in Silwan. As riots and stone-throwing occurred elsewhere, police blocked traffic into Jerusalem of Muslim worshipers from other areas of Israel, including the Galilee.
In Wadi Joz in East Jerusalem, a squad of undercover police officers dressed in civilian clothes and kaffiyes, arrested several protesters and dispersed the crowd that gathered there.
Burao, 16 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Local reports from Burao says unidentified men shot and killed a senior policeman in the town. The officer who was coming out of a teashop in the downtown around 8pm was shot several times by an armed man who then escaped with his car.
police spokesman said they are searching for the man but did not give any other details.
Rumors say the policeman’s murder has something to do with a clan revenge in other areas of the region.
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Some local news portals said the police raided one of the houses in a village near Burao but no further details of what happened there. It is not also known if suspects were arrested.
This is the first killing of its kind targeting policemen in Burao since years.
Clan revenge is one of the major problems in Somaliland where innocent people were killed because of some old killings that took place as far as few years ago. The police were always successful to bring the murderers to the justice where some were executed according to the court judgment.
HARGEISA, 16 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – After reading a hastily written “article” entitled, “Somaliland: Dream job turns into a nightmare” published on the so-called The Star Online, few unanswered questions linger. If Somaliland is as lawless as the article portrayed it, why thousands of foreign workers are there? Did the author of the article in question fail to distinguish Somaliland from Somalia?
Yes indeed. The Star Online article states, “The lure of a high-paying job took telecommunications consultant Hor Chee Fei to Somalia, one of the world’s most dangerous places.” Is that so?
Perhaps, the telecom consultant encountered the same scams that people come across in China, U.S., Europe and elsewhere. And Somaliland is not immune to scams.
But few things don’t add up: why the telecom consultant failed to name the CEO or the telecom firm that allegedly chased the worker all the way to Hargeisa’s airport runway? Nor did he provide the contacts of the firm. Something smells rotten.
The worker not only failed to provide the names of the people who have turned his dream job into a nightmare, but he also failed to go to the nearest police station and report the alleged crime.
The Star Online article states, “Hor and five other Malaysians managed to avoid detection by blending in with a crowd of Chinese tourists.”
Well the question is: if there are foreign tourists in Somaliland, then it could not be a lawless country.
Also, what the worker perhaps is not telling you is: that his team members either disputed the contract or they could not deliver the services they promised. Now because things didn’t go as rosy as planned, labeling Somaliland as a lawless land is one way of avenging for their misfortune. Every story has two versions, doesn’t it?
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The least the telecom consultant could have done was contact the hundreds of other Malaysians workers in Hargiesa and seek help. In fact, other firms such as, Chinese construction companies have signed contracts with Somaliland government to rebuild Hargeisa’s airport and roads, and currently there hundreds of Chinese as well as Malaysians working in Somaliland. Some even have opened dentist clinics. Read more:
http://www.qarannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7527&Itemid=59
More important, why the airport security forces remained oblivious of the telecom worker chased around by the telecom firm’s owner inside the airport? Is this logical at all? Hargeisa’s airport has one of the most secured systems I have ever come across. The authority is so paranoid that nothing evades its eyes. Yet the telecom worker claims some gangs chased him inside the runway.
Unprofessional articles written by news outlets which break the ethics of good journalism are unfortunately what many people who seek jobs in Somaliland read. It is these articles that would reshape their perception towards Somaliland and influence their decisions to take their skills to there.
If there is no such system in place already, upon their arrivals all foreign nationals should receive the contacts of the security forces, immigration, human rights groups, and Foreign Minister of Somaliland, as well as U.N. agencies. Additionally, it is the government’s responsibility to monitor the well-being of International workers and take all the appropriate actions to protect them.
Dalmar Kaahin
dalmar_k@yahoo.com
__________________________________________________________________________ Views expressed in the opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial
HARGEISA, 16 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – I write this letter as a Somaliland citizen that values the ancient, cultural, religious, kinship, commercial and geographic ties that bind the peoples of Somaliland and Arabia. However, I must, in all honesty, clarify that I speak for no one except myself, although I believe that many Somalilanders do share the perspective outlined in this missive.
Recently there have been reports, in both the Somaliland and international press, that Israel is prepared to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign nation. These reports have occasioned the predicable response from the TFG of Sheikh Sharif that Somaliland is part of Somalia and cannot be recognised by any country. It is ironic, to say the least, that an illegitimate and unelected government that is imprisoned in a few blocks of its own capital and which can only survive in this prison under the protection of some 4,000 foreign soldiers (which are not drawn from any Arab League member) has the temerity to tell real governments that are in full control of their territories, what they can and cannot do. However, this is the surreal fantasy that passes for a government in Somalia today.
What is sad is that the pathetic mendacity of the TFG was parroted by the Arab League in their accompanying statement which accused Israel of plotting to divide an Arab country. This is palpable nonsense since the people of Somaliland began the recovery of their sovereignty in April 1981 when they established the Somali National Movement (SNM) as the vehicle for their liberation from the oppression of the Siyad Barre dictatorship. The recovery of Somaliland’s sovereignty was finally realised in 1991 when the forces of the dictatorship were defeated and evicted from Somaliland, after a bitter, decade-long war of liberation in which Somaliland’s people were subjected to mass extermination, ethnic cleansing and a calculated and brutal savagery that has been documented by many human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Thus, the Arab League’s cavalier dismissal of Somaliland’s long struggle for liberation, not to mention its unique achievement of reconciliation, peace, representative government and reconstruction with virtually no outside help, is but another manifestation of Arab hostility and enmity towards us.
We Somalilanders remember that many of the weapons and munitions used by the Siyad Barre dictatorship to massacre innocent men, women and children was gifted to him by members of the Arab League, not to mention much of the funding that was used to prop up the regime and enrich its rulers. We also remember that while many other countries with which the people of Somaliland have no historic ties of kinship or culture or faith, e.g. such as Ethiopia, Canada, USA, Holland, Sweden, Norway and the UK, provided sanctuary and safe haven to the women, children and men that had managed to escape the scourge of the dictatorship with their lives and little else. Yet, the governments of the Arab League members were only too happy to cooperate with the enemy dictatorship to harass, imprison and repatriate to them many innocent Somalilanders who’s sole crime was to send financial support to their families and kinsmen which had been made refugees in Ethiopia and elsewhere by the said dictatorship.
Upon achievement of our liberation and recovery of our sovereignty in 1991, the Arab League embarked upon a sustained campaign to obstruct and thwart at every turn not only the success, but indeed the very existence, of Somaliland as an independent nation. This is despite the fact that when Somaliland first achieved its independence from Britain on 26 June 1960, several Arab countries, including Egypt, were among the 35 nations that recognised the Republic of Somaliland. Indeed, it is an irony worth mentioning here that Somaliland’s independence leader and first Prime Minister, the late Mohammed Ibrahim Egal was a personal friend and political ally of Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, yet the current Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, saw fit to characterise Egal’s death as “…the collapse of the wall that divides Somalia…”. This callous ignorance signifies the depths to which Arab understanding of Somaliland’s history and politics has sunk.
Somaliland was the first Somali colonial territory to achieve independence in 1960, and it was the principal proponent and champion of the dream of a pan-Somali state that would unite all Somali peoples in HOA, i.e. the irredentist dream of Greater Somalia. Infected with the same virus of anti-colonial nationalism that propelled Syria and Egypt to their hasty union, Somaliland rushed into union with ex-Italian Somalia as the first step towards realisation of the Greater Somalia dream. It is another irony of history that those who now base their opposition to Somaliland’s recognition on the grounds that this ‘dismembers Somalia’, are ignorant of the fact that it was Somaliland which gave birth to the concept of Greater Somalia and indeed sacrificed its statehood for this dream. Our political maturation and acceptance of the immutable law of politics, that true unity and freedom flow from the application of reason and adult reflection, and not from youthful and oblivious fervour, has been hard won and tempered in blood and steel, and we will never surrender it. Just as Syria recovered its sovereignty after its over-hasty union, so have we.
Concomitant with this overt Arab hostility to Somaliland’s legitimate rights has been the growing appreciation and support of our case throughout Africa and the Western world. Our country’s singular achievements in reconciliation, peace, stability and a functioning representative democracy in stark contrast to the mayhem in Somalia, the autocratic political structures of many of our neighbours and the political instability plaguing established democracies such as Kenya, has earned the respect and goodwill of many nations and their citizens. When we review the Arab World’s hostility to Somaliland and its cause over the last two decades, we have to ask what lies behind this undisguised antipathy. What crime have the people of Somaliland committed against the Arabs to earn such sustained enmity and disdain? In fact, the answer is simple and the crime can be neither mitigated nor undone, but simply accepted as irredeemable and irreversible. Somaliland’s crime is simply to exist, and we make no apologies for it, nor do we wish to ‘correct’ it.
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While the decisions of the Arab League are formally arrived at by consensus at formal meetings of Ministers and Heads of State, in reality the leadership of the Arab World is vested in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, usually acting in concert. In the case of Somaliland, Egypt has taken the lead in determining the position of the Arabs, and thus the policy of the League. This is because Egypt has a particular interest in the Horn of Africa region (HOA) because of its negotiations with Ethiopia regarding the sharing of the waters of the Nile. Egypt has determined that its interests are best served by a united Somalia hostile to Ethiopia and friendly to Egypt which it can use as an effective bargaining chip with which to ‘induce’ the required measure of cooperation from Ethiopia. An independent, sovereign Somaliland that is friendly with Ethiopia (as indeed Somaliland now is) is considered by Egypt as antithetical to its interests in HOA. Thus, in pursuit of its own national interest, Egypt has sold to its fellow League members a false bill of goods regarding Somaliland and the merits, justice and historical precedent of its quest for recognition. History is the one true enemy of falsehood, and Egypt’s selfish and short sighted misrepresentation of Somaliland and the wishes of its people is no exception, as there are now emerging signs that the Arab World is waking up to the truth.
A key indicator of this awakening is Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to rescind the decade old ban on livestock imports from Somaliland. This is a transformational move with respect to relations between the two countries, since over 90% of Somaliland’s foreign currency earnings come from the livestock export trade. This is evidenced by the fact that some 800,000 heads of livestock were exported from Somaliland to Saudi Arabia during the last Haj, resulting in a dramatic improvement in Somaliland’s economy. In addition, other GCC countries (including the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar) are establishing informal trade, cultural and assistance relations with Somaliland and these ties are growing and expanding by the day. Yemen has recently indicated its desire to establish diplomatic relations with Somaliland while developing close security and anti-terror collaboration. The fact is that the world is waking up to the reality of Somaliland and it is beginning to accept that we are here to stay. The world is also beginning to wake up to the truth that Somaliland has been impressing upon it for well over a decade, namely that the only route to finding a solution for the crisis that continues to bedevil Somalia goes through Hargeisa.
We are ready to assist our brothers in Somalia find a just and workable solution to the crisis of the collapse of the state in their country. But our assistance can only be given if we are not party to the anarchy and mayhem, but are separate and distant from it. Only a stable, peaceful and independent Somaliland can help Somalia find its way back from the abyss of anarchy and state collapse into which it has descended. However, this will require a complete review of the genesis of Somali nationalism and an acceptance that the irredentist dream of Greater Somalia has turned into a nightmare. Re-establishment of the state in Somalia will perforce mean a new social contract between the people of Somalia, and, by extension, between the Somali peoples of the HOA. This inevitably means that the irredentist nationalisms of the Somali peoples in Ethiopia and Kenya also need to be reviewed in a new light. Instead of seeking separation from these countries, these Somali peoples need to secure their full, national rights within these countries, including regional autonomy, self determination and social development.
This vision of a peaceful, stable, democratic HOA in which all the Somali people achieve their full rights and self determination does not suit the self-interested, hegemonic designs of Egypt, which seeks through conflict and manipulation that which it can secure through wisdom, fraternity and negotiation. Until the Arab League ceases to let its policy on Somaliland and Somalia be held hostage to the misguided and monopolistic Nile policy of Egypt, until the Arab League decides to let its regional and geo-political interests determine its policy towards Somaliland and Somalia, the people of Somaliland will continue to see little or no convergence of interests between them and their Arab neighbours and kinfolk. It is an axiom of history, not to mention faith that “ye shall reap as ye shall sow”. The Arab League has sowed the disdain and enmity of the people of Somaliland for over three decades (including the period of the war against the Siyad Barre dictatorship); can it now be surprised if the harvest is the disdain and hostility of Somaliland’s people, especially its youth?
In conclusion, let’s return to Israel’s reported willingness to recognise Somaliland. Firstly, let us be clear, Somaliland is a sovereign nation and, as such, it can establish relations with any country that it wishes. Somaliland is seeking international recognition from the community of nations, and it is in our interests to reciprocate every hand extended to us in friendship and mutual respect. Secondly, certain members of the Arab League have full diplomatic relations with Israel, e.g. Egypt and Jordan, while others maintain informal ties and/or trade offices with them, e.g. Morocco and Tunisia. Thus, the knee-jerk reaction of the Arab League to the news reports is not only unwarranted, but in fact misses the point.
The point is not whether Israel is willing to recognise Somaliland, but why the Arab League remains hostile to exercise of the people of that country of their legitimate right to self determination and so recover the sovereignty they unwisely surrendered in 1960? Somaliland will not sacrifice its interests for any third party, but those that seek our respect and friendship must show us the same respect and friendship. Despite the history of hostility outlined above, Somaliland’s hand remains extended in friendship to our Arab brethren, the question continues remains, however, as to whether the Arab League will take it in the same spirit of fraternity.
(SomalilandPress)-The Russian navy operating off Somalia has turned over seven suspected pirates to the breakaway state of Somaliland, where they will stand trial, officials said Sunday.
“The suspects were apprehended by a Russian navy ship and turned over to our coastguards in the His district of Sanag region late Saturday,” local coastguard commander Mohamed Yusuf Otor told reporters.
Otor said the Russians captured the alleged pirates around two weeks ago in the Gulf of Aden.
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“Once the investigation is over they will be brought to court where they will be tried,” local police official Abdulahi Rage told AFP by phone from Somaliland’s main port of Berbera.
Russia has been taking part in international anti-piracy efforts in the Indian Ocean since September 2008.
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HARGEISA (Somalilandpress) — The Republic of Yemen has sent four-member delegation consisting of diplomats and investors to Somaliland on Sunday ahead of the opening of diplomatic office by Yemen in Hargeisa.
According to sources close to the government, the office will serve mainly to carry out consular functions for Yemeni citizens. It will also work toward fostering trade and improving diplomatic contacts between Hargeisa and Sana’a.
The decision to open office in Hargeisa came after the two states recognized growing economic and political cooperation between the two red-sea nations.
Yemen provided no timeline but the office is expected to be opened some time this week.
Reports also added that Yemen was concerned about Islamists movements in Somalia, after al-Shabab group pledged it would send fighters to help an al-Qaeda affiliate in the country.
Yemen’s foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said his country would not tolerate threats and foreign fighters on it’s soil and it is believed now Yemen is going on the offensive by supporting Somaliland.
Yemen is also facing economic and social burdens due to the unrest in parts of the country and the continuous exodus of illegal migrants from the Horn of Africa, who are said to be more than 800,000 refugees. More than 60 per cent are believed to be from Somalia, a country that has been mired in conflict since 1991.
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Yemen and Somaliland have historical and economical ties since 1840 when southern part of Yemen (Aden) was annexed by the British and shortly after, Somaliland became British protectorate. The British established trade with Somaliland mainly to supply mutton to it’s Aden garrison.
This contact initiated Somaliland livestock trade which made it’s way to Yemeni cities and later on the lucrative business attracted Yemeni traders and continued well after the British had left. The Yemenis along with Somali traders later opened other key markets for Somaliland livestock including Saudi Arabia.
Yemen will become the first Arab nation to have diplomatic office in Somaliland. No one knows how other Arab League members such as Egypt and Djibouti would react to the Yemeni move.
Egypt and Djibouti are strongly opposed to Somaliland recognition fearing fearing economic insecurities – Egypt feels it will loose control of the Nile while Djibouti fears the port of Berbera will replace it’s port. However, unconfirmed reports suggest that Djibouti is due to open an office that has an embassy status in Hargeisa after Yemen.
