HARGEISA, 17 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Opposition parties said they postponed the mass demonstrations until Thursday. An official from the Opposition told Somalilandpress that they decided to postpone the demonstrations that were expected to take place tomorrow so that they will have more time to mobilize their supporters.
The opposition parties called a joint mass demonstrations in all regions of Somaliland to show their stance in the government’s decision to suspend the voters registration results.
It is not clear if the opposition’s decision has something to do with the President’s invitation to the opposition leaders for a consultation meeting on Wednesday.
Members from the opposition told Somalilandpress that this has nothing to do with the president’s invitation to the two opposition leaders.
HARGEISA, 17 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The President of Somaliland, Dahir Rayaale Kahin called the leaders of the two opposition parties, Mr. Siilaanyo and Mr. Faysal for a consultation meeting.
In a press release from the government’s spokesman, the President said he will meet the opposition leaders at the presidential palace on Wednesday to discuss the current situation.
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The invitation was a surprise from the government especially this time where many citizens were worried of the current political situation in the country.
There is no official statement from the opposition but sources close to KULMIYE told Somalilandpress that there are consultation meetings going on between the opposition parties today. They might set conditions to attend the meeting.
HARGEISA, 17 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – It was two days ago when the two opposition parties of Somaliland formed a joint committee and called for a mass demonstrations in all the regions of the country. The opposition parties asked their supporters to show their loyalty and put pressure on the government to reconsider its decisions towards the elections.
The demonstrations are likely to take place tomorrow (Tuesday) as a part of the deteriorating political crisis in the country. The opposition parties said the demonstrations will put a pressure on the government and show how much the Somaliland people support the opposition in the current issues.
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The government said any demonstrations by the opposition parties are illegal and will be dealt with. Speaking to the press, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abdillahi Mohamed Irro said his ministry was not informed about the demonstrations. He said the intension of the opposition parties is to disturb the peace and will not be tolerated.
He accused the opposition of threatening people to close their business or face the consequences. He said such actions are shame to the republic and should be stopped.
Whatever the case, it is expected to witness a day of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations in the main cities of Somaliland. As usual the protestors will fill the main streets and the security forces will try to use bullets to stop them reaching the main governmental buildings and offices.
HARGEISA, 17 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Suspected Islamist insurgents stormed a U.N. aid compound in southern Somalia overnight, witnesses said on Monday, but U.N. guards fought back and killed three of the attackers in a gun battle.
One U.N. official said about 10 heavily armed men attacked them in Wajid, 70 km (40 miles) northwest of Baidoa town, at a compound used mostly for storing humanitarian supplies.
“After several minutes shooting our security guards repulsed the attackers and killed three of them,” the official told Reuters, adding that one U.N. security guard was injured.
“We don’t know what they planned, but we think they wanted to take over the whole compound and kidnap foreign aid workers.”
Another U.N. official said nine aid workers staying in Wajid had been evacuated to neighbouring Kenya. U.N. officials in Nairobi could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Western security agencies say Somalia is a haven for Islamist militants plotting attacks in the region and beyond. Violence has killed more than 18,000 civilians since the start of 2007 and driven another 1 million from their homes.
Somalia has been mired in civil war for 18 years, and the administration of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls only small pockets of the coastal capital Mogadishu.
Ali Isak, a local resident in Wajid, said it was unclear who launched the pre-dawn attack, but that the town was controlled by al Shabaab rebels. The United States accuses the group of being al Qaeda’s proxy in the Horn of Africa nation.
Last month, al Shabaab banned the U.N. Development Programme, U.N. Political Office for Somalia and U.N. Department of Safety and Security from operating in its territory.
Elsewhere in central Somalia, hundreds of pro-government militiamen on trucks fitted with heavy guns occupied Bulahawa town, near the Kenyan border, on Monday without firing a shot.
“Now there are armed men, some in military uniforms, in the town centre,” said local man Ali Hassan, adding that al Shabaab gunmen who had controlled the area looked to have melted away.
Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, spokesman for the Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca group, said their forces would not rest until they had driven al Shabaab out of its southern strongholds.
“Al Shabaab ran away when our battlewagons approached,” he told Reuters. “We were welcomed by residents who they harassed. We will capture Kismayu, Bay, Gedo and Bakool regions. We can’t watch our people being jailed and punished for no reason.”
Aug 16, 2009 (SomalilandPress)-On 6th August 2009, we were shocked with the sudden death of a great leader, a hero who stood for justice, a defender of human rights, and fighter for transparency and accountability. I would like to honour a man who doesn’t know the meaning of fear, a man who doesn’t know the meaning of defeat, quit or surrender. I share with you a short note on the life of this hero, a drop of this giant’s life history.
To a friend Ali was a shoulder to cry on, to a foe he was a bullet ready to escape from a gun, to the poor he was a hand to feed, to the media he was tireless advocate, to oppressed he was an army to count on., to the youth he was a role model…..a man educated to the peak, employed comfortably who gave up the leisure and easy life of California for the dry, dusty, and moreover disorderly, where rule of law is yet to be established. He did that for he wanted to have his mark on the development of his beloved motherland. He believed rightly he can contribute more not only to his countrymen, but to the whole humanity in taking part of Somaliland nation building. A country totally destroyed in every aspect, economically, socially and legally, a nation below any conceivable measurement of human livelihood. The need was immense, and any contribution to its betterment was magnified beyond imagination. That touched his kind heart and his decent soul.
Ali took a lion’s share in planting the seed of democracy in Somaliland. He continued to cultivate, feed and nurture that seed to grow. That process is perpetual and needs dedication, determination and conviction. Alas that trait is rare in our countrymen, but it was abundant in Ali. He started the struggle to emancipate his people in early 1980’s when he visited home after long period abroad. On his return he had an interview with Abdillahi Haji of the BBC and he was the first who bluntly used the slanderous name of Siyad Barre in a public radio and more than once, despite a sharp opposition of Abdillahi…” He concluded if Af-weyne is not removed, there will be no Somalia”. How true he was.
He was a man of principle, a visionary with talented leadership. Though never bending his longterm strategy, he was pragmatic, open to reconciliation that is needed in today’s politics. Ali believed that regular elections alone are not sufficient to create a democratic government. Other conditions must also be present: a free press, and a minimum degree of respect for political adversaries, the national institutions and the laws. Access to independent information is essential to the health of democracy. It ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices. Information also serves a checking function by ensuring that elected Representatives are accountable to the electorates, carrying out their wishes, instead of serving their personal desires.
As a professional auditor, Ali left a legacy of holding government to account. His annual analysis of national budget is the only document the public has an access to know how their hard earned tax shillings are spent. No other document is in public domain. Our government has no sense of governance to publicise national budget even in short summary, neither the Parliament did better. That role is gallantly undertaken by Ali Gulaid. I had the chance to collate this national treasure in my blog page, for public scrutiny now and in perpetuity. Under the label of “Ali Gulaid” you can browse detailed budget analysis from 2002. It is an eternal legacy that will remain for public reference. http://samotalis.blogspot.com/search/label/ALI%20GULAID
Lately I contacted Ali for his knowledgeable advice on an organisation; I thought is drastically needed for the development of the fragile institutions of our democracy. I established this organisation which is in its infancy with much of his contributions. “Somaliland Democracy Shield” a name that tells all. Ali with all his commitment to Kulmiye cause, emphasised the need that this organisation be free of party politics and geared nothing less than building a nation where rule of the law is the king, where personal freedom and liberty is well guided, where every citizen has given his or her potential …” I advise you that this organisation should be for justice and for human rights, regardless which party is governing the nation” Ali emphasised.
With his work intact, with his vision in process, with his struggle on the horizon, Ali remains active among us, though physically absent. His ideas are discussed, debated and implemented on daily basis between generations and cross parties, and practically within Kulmiye Party that works on Ali’s agenda. I among many of his supporters am fully committed to realize his vision. Following his footsteps Insha Allah, we shall build a free society, where individuals have equal rights to reach their potential, where government is the servant of the people and not its master, a nation where peace is guarded with justice, where transparency, accountability and good governance is the guiding principles of all national institutions. That was Ali Gulaid’s dream, he paid the ultimate cost in seeking that noble objective; he gave his life for it. It is us, his fans young and old that can continue and with sure determination and conviction Insha Allah, we shall realize sooner than latter. Just hold yourself to account for the general good and get rid off selfish trash that blinds you from what is right and traps your soul with sugar coated ills that will lead you to social crime, corruption, bribery and lack of peace of mind. Worst of all, as a believer; remember if your evil deeds are not punished in this world, there is the day of judgement, when no one has the ability to hide the slightest of his deeds good or bad. Saving your self from sins of injustice will save your nation.
I am delighted to receive a number of calls from unconnected sources that want to honour Ali by giving his name to a school. That initiative came this early is a witness how this nations values Ali Gulaid, may Allah bless his soul, and may Allah guide his children and supporters to follow him in pursuit of justice and social development for all.
At this moment let me refresh your remembrance with one of his remarkable articles, appealing for recognition of Somaliland as independent and sovereign state, published in April 2002:
Shafy Ahmed-Nuur
714 The West Mall, Apt. 612
Etobicoke, Ontario. Canada
M9C 4X1
June 20, 2009
The Federal Government of Ethiopia
I begin with due respect and appreciation for the efforts of the Federal Government in the organizing of the Raaso Conference. Unfortunately, this conference failed and given the present state of affairs between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Shekhask people of the Somali National Regional State, this letter seeks to present an avenue through which an amicable relationship can be established so that mutual benefits can take root and flourish.
According to the constitution, everyone is equal under the law. Yet, for the past seven years the Shekhash people were being attacked by members of the Provincial Government while the Federal Government did nothing to intervene. Given the fact that even today, Shekhash people are rounded up and placed in jail for no reason and these innocent people are made to suffer just for being whom they are, there exists a high level of mistrust among the Shekhash for the members of Provincial government. In view of this mistrust and the recent failure of the Raaso Conference, there is little good that can come from any role by the Provincial Government in seeking peace.
Now, to achieve peace in this area, the Ethiopian government must first get rid of the middleman, i.e. the Provincial Government, and deal directly with the elders and representatives of the Shekhash people. Once we have done so, there will be many opportunities for progress. For example, the Ethiopian Government can use the Shekhash people as assets to the nation. It is well known that the Shekhash are a proud, peaceful, hardworking, and productive people. This can be seen from the development we have achieved within a relatively short time. Starting from bare land, we have built a strong and vibrant community with large buildings and all the infrastructure. It would benefit the Ethiopian Government to work together with us in harmony to achieve lasting peace and progress.
Our first step must be a collaborative effort to root out the harmful factions among us, particularly those in the Provincial Government who are only pursuing their own agenda and do not want peace. We must get rid of the unlawful gangs who are causing unjust suffering among the people, creating mistrust for the government and impeding our progress towards establishing a bonding relationship upon which we can all prosper.
The Ethiopian Government must realize that the Shekhask people are Ethiopians and not just a tribe. In so doing, the Ethiopian Government must take action to stop the killings and persecution of the Shekhash people because any such atrocity is seen as genocide or ethnic cleansing by the global community. Taking the first step as mentioned above will help to eliminate the atrocities that are inflicted to the Shekhash people.
Like all people, the Shekhash tribe deserves the basics of safety and security from their government. In the interest of fairness and justice, I appeal to you to do your utmost to put a stop to indiscriminate and rampant ill-treatment of our people. Only then can we can all work in harmony to achieve the many great things we are capable of achieving together.
Sincerely,
Shafy Ahmed-Nuur
________________________________________________________________________________________ Views expressed in the opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial
HARGEISA, 16 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – IN recent weeks, Nairobi has hosted two crucial meetings that touched on pertinent issues that deal with wealth creation. The East African Investment Forum was as important at the AGOA gathering that followed it in quick succession.
Whereas AGOA included 38 African countries that export to the United States market under that Act’s special arrangement, the Investment Forum was concerned with dwindling foreign investments in our region.
However, before we seduce foreigners to come and invest in our region by promising them lucrative terms with possible tax holiday for years, it may be prudent to consider the kind of incentives we can give our local and regional operators.
Do not tell me that there is no money for investment in East Africa. There is. If you doubt me; just look at the Ken Gen, Mumias Sugar, Equity Bank and Safaricom IPOs when these companies went public. They were all over-subscribed in the margins of close to 1000%. What they also revealed was that more individuals were keeping more money under their mattresses than they are in our banks.
This reminds me of two occasions I witnessed in Nigeria and Somaliland nine years apart. In 2000 while in Abuja, it was difficult to find enough dollars in banks yet the same dollars were plentiful under trees being held by Hausa traders hawking them freely! Ironically, Nigerian banks at times visited the same Hausa hawkers under those trees to buy foreign cash from them!
This year, as I strolled on the streets of Hargeisa in Somaliland, hawkers on the streets were hoarding sacks of local and foreign currency alike, ready to sell to the willing buyer with no questions asked. They were least concerned with an individual’s source of dollars and no paperwork was necessary.
What I am saying is that if you free any group of people to do business without burdening them with unnecessary oppressive laws, they tend to be more transparent in their dealings and less inclined to steal, cheat or evade tax. The more rules there are; the more restrictions, the more chances there will be more people bent on breaking those rules. It is human nature to go against the grain just to annoy the governor.
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Right now, East Africans I have met either in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi or Tanzania are waiting with bated breath for our borders to finally open. They are waiting with anxiety for that day when our rulers will announce that the borders in Namanga, Isebania, Tanga, Busia, and Malaba are now open 24 hours a day seven day a week. They are waiting for that day when cyclists, motorists and bus drivers will sail through our borders without being made to look like criminals. They are waiting for that day when Tanzanian, Ugandan, Rwandan and Burundian number plates will be a source of pride rather than fear on Kenyan roads; when the police on our highways in the five states will stop erecting “toll stations” to extort bribes from ‘foreigners with foreign number plates’.
We in East Africa badly need the Common Market because we are tired of being prisoners of our rulers. I feel sad and embarrassed to walk with a Ugandan or a Tanzania on our streets then suddenly the police pounce on us asking for our Kenyan identity cards. I feel insulted when I am asked to go while my friends are detained for “further questioning”!
Without freedom of movement, no amount of infrastructure development will move us forward. No amount of fibre-optic cabling, new railway lines and super highways will bring progress. People must be allowed to move, trade, exchange ideas and services in a free atmosphere in order to build trust among us East Africans.
I need to know that today I can fly to Dar-es-Salaam, Kampala, Bujumbura or Kigali in the morning and all I need to do is to show my passport or my identity card to prove that I am an East African national.
I need to know that if I have to set up business in any of my East African states, I will be given an equal opportunity and same treatment as my local counterparts. That is why I am personally yearning for these borders to be flung wide open on January 1, 2010.
On this score, I am pleasantly surprised that in the last two weeks, Paul Kagame, Mwai Kibaki and Jakaya Kikwete have been reading from the same script. Their statements have been bold and focused.
Unlike in the past, they have not wavered on the subject of regional integration. Therefore as the East African Media Summit prepares to meet in Kampala in the next few days, it too should not waver on the issue of regional integration. Let the media avoid mediocre, parochial partisan and nationalistic issues.
East Africa is bigger than us all and can accommodate all of us if we only tried a little tolerance.
MOGADISHU (SomalilandPress) – Officials in lawless northern Somalia traded accusations on Thursday a day after masked gunmen massacred seven Pakistani preachers at a mosque.
The sheikhs were killed in Galkayo, a town on the southern edge of the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region. Violence is increasing in the area, which had been relatively more peaceful than the rest of the failed Horn of Africa state.
Western security agencies say Somalia has become a haven for Islamist militant plotting attacks in the region and beyond.
The president of Puntland, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, accused officials in Galmudug, which covers the southern part of the town, of ordering Wednesday’s shooting.
“The administration of southern Galkayo was behind the killing of the Pakistani preachers,” Farole told reporters. “They are causing chaos in our region.”
But a senior Galmudug official, Mohamed Warsame, denied it.
“Puntland is definitely behind the killings,” Warsame said.
“When the Pakistanis landed in Puntland their passports were taken by the authorities and they were settled in a mosque … the Puntland president has imposed a night curfew in the north of Galkayo. His forces must have killed them.”
The group of about 25 sheikhs had arrived in Puntland on Tuesday. Local officials said they were mostly from Karachi.
It remained far from clear why they were murdered.
Some residents said they may have been suspected of al Qaeda links, while others rejected that and said the clerics were from South Asia’s apolitical Tablighi Jamaat religious movement.
Somalia has been torn by civil war since 1991, and the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls only small pockets of the bomb-shattered capital Mogadishu.
It is battling hardline Islamist rebels in southern and central regions, including the al Shabaab group, which the United States accuses of being al Qaeda’s proxy in Somalia.
At least six people were killed in Mogadishu on Wednesday when two supposedly pro-government factions exchanged artillery and anti-aircraft fire across the city’s strategic K4 junction.
Violence in Somalia has killed more than 18,000 people since the start of 2007 and driven another 1 million from their homes.
Rowaida Abdelaziz doesn’t want your pity. She doesn’t want your frosty public stares; the whispers behind her back; the lament that she’s been degraded by her father.
What the Muslim high school senior wants you to understand is that she doesn’t wear the hijab, the head scarf worn by Muslim women, because she is submissive.
“It represents beauty to me,” says Abdelaziz, the 17-year-old daughter of two Egyptian parents living in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
“My mom says a girl is like a jewel,” Abdelaziz says. “When you have something precious, you usually hide it. You want to make sure you keep it safe until that treasure is ready to be found.”
The nation has heard plenty of debate over racial profiling. But there’s a form of religious profiling that some young Muslim women in America say they endure whenever they voluntarily wear the hijab.
The hijab, also known as the veil, is the headscarf worn by Muslim women around the globe. It’s a simple piece of cloth, but it can place young Muslim women in Western countries in difficult situations.
Some hijab-wearers say that strangers treat them as if they’re terrorists. Others ask them if they’re a nun — or even allergic to the sun. In some cases, their worst critics are not Americans, but fellow Muslim Americans.
The pressure on Muslim teenagers in the U.S. who wear the hijab may be even more acute. Their challenge: How do I fit in when I wear something that makes me stand out?
Randa Abdel-Fattah, who has written two novels about this question, says wearing the hijab can “exhaust” some young Muslim women in the West.
“You can sometimes feel like you’re in a zoo: locked in the cage of other people’s stereotypes, prejudices and judgments, on parade to be analyzed, deconstructed and reconstructed,” says Abdel-Fattah, a Muslim who has Palestinian and Egyptian parents but was born in Australia.
Abdel-Fattah says people should not assume that Muslim women who wear the hijab are being controlled by men. She, too, struggled with the choice of wearing a hijab when she was a teenager.
“When it comes to the hijab — why to wear it, whether to wear it, how to wear it — there is theology and then there is practice and there is huge diversity in both,” says Abdel-Fattah, author of “Does My Head Look Big in This?”
The surprising history behind the hijab
Some women say the hijab makes them feel like they’re locked in a cage. But others say it leads to personal freedom. Sarah Hekmati first wore the hijab at age 15 growing up in Detroit, Michigan. She is the daughter of Iranian parents who left Iran in 1979 during the Islamic revolution.
Hekmati says the hijab liberated her from some teenage angst: Does my hair look good? Am I cute enough? Should I lose weight?
“It gave me a sense of identity,” she says. “I really liked the purpose behind the hijab — a woman covering herself so that a man should know her for her mind, not her body.”
That purpose can be traced back to the Quran, Islam’s holy text, which encourages women to dress modestly, says Faegheh Shirazi, author of “The Veil Unveiled.”
Some Muslims take the Quran’s advice as a command for women to wear the hijab, while others disagree, she says.
“The Quran is very ambiguous about whether you have to wear the veil or not,” Shirazi says.
The hijab, however, actually predates Islam, Shirazi explains. The first known reference to veiling (Shirazi uses the term hijab and veil interchangeably) was made in an Assyrian legal text in the 13th century B.C., Shirazi says.
In the Assyrian, and later, the Roman and Byzantine empires, the veil was a symbol of prestige and status, she says. By the 12th century, the veil had been imposed on women in the Muslim world to exclude them from public life, Shirazi says.
“A sign of distinction had been transformed into a sign of exclusion,” she writes in her book.
People are still debating the meaning of the hijab today.
In 2007, British Muslim groups protested when schools were given the right to ban students from wearing full-face veils. In 2008, Turkey’s top court upheld a ban on wearing Muslim headscarves at the country’s universities. That same year, a Muslim woman was briefly jailed at a suburban Atlanta, Georgia, courthouse after refusing to remove her hijab in court.
Some moms against hijab wearing
The debate over the hijab can literally hit home for some young Muslim women. Those that wear the hijab in the United States can befuddle their mothers, who often immigrated to the West so they could be free from wearing the hijab and other rules imposed on women.
That’s what happened to Hekmati, the Muslim-American from Detroit. Her mother, Behnaz, was puzzled by her daughter’s decision to wear the hijab. Behnaz Hekmati grew up in Iran, where she did not wear the hijab. Young women who attended college in Iran like she did generally didn’t wear the hijab, she says.
Behnaz Hekmati warned her daughter that wearing the hijab would arouse the suspicion of Americans.
“I said Sarah, when you cover your head here the people think you are political — they see you differently,” Behnaz Hekmati says.
Most of the trouble, though, came from Iranian-Americans, who came to the United States to escape the Islamic fundamentalists who seized power in 1979, she says.
“The Iranians here bother her more than Americans,” Behnaz Hekmati says. “They say, ‘We got rid of you guys. We came here because we didn’t want to see you guys anymore.'”
Hekmati was more concerned as a teenager about more personal issues, like her relations with boys. The hijab made it more difficult, she says. Few asked her on dates. Guys always seemed to put her in the “friend category.” She wondered if she was attractive.
“I wondered at times: Am I always going to be a guy’s friend and nothing more.”
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Strangers in public saw her as something else — a subjugated woman.
They looked at her with pity, she says. Some were just baffled.
“One guy asked me if I was allergic to the sun,” Hekmati says.
Abdelaziz, the New Jersey high school senior, also had her tense public encounters: angry looks, people feeling sorry for her or assuming her father ordered her to wear the hijab.
“It’s not oppression; it’s not that I’m accepting degradation — it’s about self-respect,” she says.
But it’s more about faith as well. She says the hijab affirms “Islam in the most respectful and purified way.”
“When you actually wear it, it opens your eyes,” she says. “It makes you want to explore your religious faith.”
At times, Abdelaziz says she wonders what it would be like to attend her prom, get a tan at the beach and have a boyfriend.
But she says her decision to honor her faith is already paying off.
“It really feels good,” she says. “It felt like I was missing something and now I’m complete. I finally understand my purpose.”
mr marshal You’ve left us precious memories, your love will be our guide, You live on through your children, you’re always by our side.
Birth is a beginning
and death a destination
And life is a journey:
we will uphold your values and beliefs and soon your dream will come true insha allah. my allah rest him his soul in peace and accompany him with the chosen ones in the paradise amiin..dream for a democratic, recognized, developed somaliland run by a transparent government from the people working for the people……..
Somaliland: is in the decline stage.
In businesses products progresses through sequence of stages from introduction to growth, maturity and decline, these sequences is known as product life cycle and is associated with changes in the market situation.
Similarly Somaliland republic has been undergoing through these stages since it declared its restoration of independence from Somalia in 18 may 1991.
The Introduction stage
In 1991 when Somaliland territory was liberated by SNM after a decade of struggle, the senior elders of Somaliland and the leadership of SNM converged at the town of Bur’o for a grand conference for the northern people and a meeting of a SNM central committee, they were joined by intellectuals, artists, militia commanders, religious leaders, delegates from the Diaspora and business people, who financed the event.
The purpose of the meeting was to consolidate the cessation of hostilities and to discuss the future of the north. After several months of discussion and dialogue, Somaliland elders proclaimed the creation of the independent republic of Somaliland and raised its flag for the first time. SNM was mandated to run the country for a 2 year interim period and Cabdirahman Ahmed Ali, the chairman of SNM was named the first president of Somaliland and Hasan Isse Jama as his vice president.
The SNM interim government inherited a territory devastated by a decade of insurgency and war, it had no revenue, no financial institutions, no social services and no direct international support, the infrastructure was shattered, the country and the towns were littered with land mines and half of the population was displaced living in a refugee camps.
Post war reconstruction and state building was to bring many challenges, internal conflict, and disruption of life stock trade after Gulf States placed embargoes on Somali life stock, lack of diplomatic recognition, meager levels of foreign assistance, limited human resources in the government, a fragile infrastructure and thousands of returning refugees. Finally the two year interim period was over and civilian administration was elected in Borame. The first one and half years of the new administration the country was in chaos and civil war broke out in the big cities of Hargaisa and Burco.
The growth stage
After civilian administration was elected, Somaliland started to grow, the gangs and militias were demobilized, basic infrastructure was established, peace and stability was restored through out Somaliland, schools, hospitals, industries and business were launched, national army, police and custodian guards were recruited and shaped, all government institutions became functioning, regional and local administration were named and became functional and the authority was decentralized, people started investing, remittances increased, private businesses become flourishing, new Somaliland currency was printed, a national flag of three colors red, white, and green was adopted, red for the fallen heroes, white for peace, green for prosperity, black star for the dead dream of great Somalia and the shahada for Islam.
A national constitution was drafted, referendum was made in the majority of Somaliland territory, 97% of Somali Landers voted yes and thus voted for Somaliland’s independence, a reversal of that policy could only be effected by another referendum, The power was peacefully transferred from the deceased president Igal to his vice Dahir Rayale Kahin. Multi party system was implemented, six organizations have completed the requirements for taking part municipal elections in Somaliland and the first three had the honor to become national parties.
Local government, presidential and parliamentary elections was held, Somaliland army has reached beyond lascanod, almost all territory of Somaliland is in the control of the government with the exception of Buhodle, Taleex and eastern Sanaag. Unfortunately Somaliland has failed to get international recognition.
The Decline stage
Before reaching maturity Somaliland started to decline, since 2005 Somaliland’s reputation graph was leaning down.
Somalilanders are struggling for the basic needs such as food and water, even in the capital, residents has an access for water only few hours in every two days. Government schools has been abandoned, quality teachers has migrated to the private schools, only unprovoked and immoral teachers are available in the government schools, the few fortunate children from the rich families can have access for quality education from private schools.
The students, those who are providential enough to have university education, after graduation they don’t have sources for employment, they spent every day looking for employment but they go back homes empty handed, not knowing what to say for their parents, they have been invested so many years and they want to pay it back but how?
Our graduates, the future elites are dying in the seas in search for the alleged prosperous life in the west. President Riyale has once said that there is no reason for youth migration. one time I red a poet by Cabdi Idan from Deelay in which he says:
Islaantii docdeediyo
Degalkay ku noolayd
Daruuruhu ku hooreen
Dadba wada hel moodoo
Daad wararac bay tidhi
Corruption is in the highest level; even ministers can publicly say that they are ticks who imbibed enough blood. In early 2007 the editor of hatuf news paper and some other journalists were detained over allegations made against president and his family. The leaders of political organization of Qaran has been arrested, Shura net was intentionally smashed, Hargaisa general hospital has been raided by military, using excessive force such as tanks, the term of Guurti was illegally prolonged by the president and the Guurti it self, later they fully rewarded the president by extending his term for a nother year, despite it was illegal neither of them (the president and the Guurti) has respected the law,
Eastern regions of Somaliland are neglected, there are no development projects, people in sool, sanag and some parts of burco are undergoing serious circumstances.
The president has failed to fulfill his promises to wards those people such as changing burco’s old Somali shilling and supplying pure water for lascanod residents, despite of creation of a special fund for the rehabilitation and development of the abandoned region of sool, by placing an additional 2% on taxes, no one knows where about that money.
In the parliament, the minister of finance was asked where about that money, he replied it is in a secret account which only he knows. Sool is in the hand of Somaliland, but it is clear that no one can occupy a place by force, sool people are loosing faith from Somaliland government,
President’s term was again prolonged because voter registration was not completed.
In remarkable days, Somaliland people went to the registration offices to register for voting, brave young men and women mainly from universities led the unprecedented event. Somaliland has succeeded to have a citizenship card for the first time of the history, finally some thing we can be proud of it. Unfortunately the government and the national electoral commission had smashed the only humor that Somali Landers had; the president dropped the registration results, deported Inter piece representative in Somaliland and declared that the country will go elections with out registration. The president has violated the electoral law, the registration law and ignoring the high courts decision which was no elections will be held with out registrations
The opposition parties, the representatives, civil societies, the UN, US and EU have all requested the president to rethink, but as usual he has deaf ears to hear.
The dreadful situation of Ceel bardaale, the arrests of Radio Horyaal journalists, the ban of Hargaisa Cable TV, which is the only Somaliland television that can be watched in Kampla, Uganda, the capture of Mahamed Cabdi SHeekh of HCTV, and the interrogations of cabdiqani xusen baynax of Somaliland press, in addition the latest human rights watch report about Somaliland, all these indicate that Somaliland has derailed the Wright path, and headed to wards decline.
The exit strategy
In businesses when the product is in the decline stage, the options that the company has include: discontinuing the product by liquidating the remaining inventory or selling it to another firm.
My fellow citizens we need to discontinue the life of this shady, corrupt, fraudulent and weedy government. After years of greed and individualism, we need to return to values and behaviors that are respectful of each other and return to valuing the democratic virtues that contribute to the common good of all SomaliLanders.
