Garowe (SomalilandPress)-Puntland president Abdirahman Farole spoke about recapture Sool, Sanaag and Cayn during his speech at the 11th anniversary of Puntland State of Somalia establishment in Garowe. President Farole told the audience at the anniversary ceremony that his government will not longer allow Somaliland to govern any land that belongs to the people of Puntland. Per Mr. Farole “I promise the citizen of Puntland that I will recapture our land from Somaliland at the earliest time possible”. The main subject during his speech at the anniversary ceremony was all about recapturing the disputed land from Somaliland.
This was the first time that the Puntland president has directly spoken about his government’s intention on recapturing Sool, Sanaag and Cayn. Somaliland troops took control of Las Anod the capital of Sool region two years ago and majority of these three states are now govern by Somaliland.
Somaliland is due to hold its presidential election in September 27 in which residents of these disputed states are registered to vote.
We live low and dishonest times, where false propaganda comes fast and furious, but anyone who try to normalize the position that Awdal is in today needs a reality check. Because people of Awdal are in a state of shock and it is shame to hear that some of us (Awdalistes) speaking on same intensity about peace and stability as to those other part of NORTH SOMALILA who their own people had committed such a crime but yet expecting the families of the victims to share a dream of a stable country that has never existed in the real world.
I have believed in Somaliland for a very long time and I honestly thought people in that area can find the middle ground for their differences without bloodshed but I have to admit with humility that I was completely wrong like many other Awdalistes.
And I am sorry to disappoint the dream lovers of all sides, but things had changed and nothing is going to be the same and it is time for the few Awdalites who trying to normalize the situation for the sake of their own interests, to realize that the grievances and concerns of Awdalites can not be ignored or concealed any longer.
No one in their right mind should ever contemplate to advocate the idea of Awdal being part of an independent country called Somaliland, because that dream seems to be died with the four innocent men who were being slaughtered by the Isak militia who now moving freely between towns .
And I would like to say to those who are acting like nothing had happened in Awdal. Yes, there is no war going on right now what we used to called Somaliland and yes there are no more victims being slaughter by the Isak dragons, but the absence of these aspects only exist because Awdalites failed to act so far.
The highest crime that humans can commit is to kill another human being and the most horrible inequality and injustice that state can implement is to ignore its citizen’s blood which has been shed unlawfully, so in all aspect the so call Somaliland failed to live up to its expectations and as far as the reality concerns the current status quo in the so call Somaliland territory is not viable for other clans except the Isaks who behaving like they own the country and everything in it.
No one in their right minds or anyone who has functioning heart can ever accept to be part of a group that think they have the fate and the destiny of others in their hands.
We all know that the current Awdal decision makers failed to create any political venues which Awdal could seek refuge if things won’t work out as we were hoping for. But the question is, aren’t there any other able people inside or outside the so called somaliland?
Farhan Adan Warsame a patriotic Awdalites wrote on Saylacnews and Saylacipress Baaruuda qiiqdiyo hadaan BM lagu raadin gobonimo banaan lamagama helo bar iska taal-taale . I believe these words are in every Awdalistes mind but there is something in our blood which is dragging us back. But let us remember that the people we asking to treat us as an equal partners believe that they owe nothing for anyone else in fact they believe they own us.
So as it seems we Awdalistes have only one choice and that choice is to struggle against injustice which has not been put upon us a powerful government but rather a clan administration which we could match its strength.
And I believe it is also worth to mention that how we are being divided by this giant killer call somaliland and the classic example of our divisions appear most Awdal websites that suppose to spread Awdalistes message who are sticking to what they know most which is deviding Awdalistes in to so call party political lines.
This sort of behavior will not serve justice for any Awdalistes and it is time to say NO to the very few people who are trying to manipulate us by speaking behind unknowin characters.
Let us remember no leader of political party or a president has so far condemned the slaughtering of our people, but still we see on Awdal websites delivering meaningless propaganda campaign which carry the messages of those political belly dancers from Hargeisa. And some of the websites are even seem to give more attention to the imprisment of two Camellboy journalists while the blood of their brothers still wet on where they had fallen
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On the other hand Awdal which is the victim of this cruel crime is being condemned through the Hargeisa and Buroa media, and its unfortunate the lack of respond and the impotence of all sectors in Awdal population.
We Awdalites seem to adopt a culture which is alien to our land and that culture which is narrow-mindedness should no longer be tolerated by health minded Awdalistes.
And finally I know many Awdal websites will not publish my opinion and that is because their arrogance and ignorance will lead them to believe that my opinion is no longer serves for what they believe, and it is up to them but we Awdalites should not shy Away by telling the truth. And we should seek justice for the sake of our own survival.
Cabdale Farah Sigad
sigad12345@yahoo.co.uk
____________________________________________________________
Views expressed in this opinion article is solely of the author and does not represent that of the editorial.
Hargeisa, 2 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Western Sahara and Somaliland may not have much in common, but they share the same predicament: all are unrecognised states striving to capture international attention.
Enter Independent Diplomat – freelance diplomats who offer their assistance to such nations-in-waiting. They have scored a notable success helping Kosovo win independence from Serbia – but critics say they can only accomplish so much without involving governments and should not pretend to have more influence than they do.
The non-profit group, comprised of former diplomats from a variety of nations, stands ready to help would-be governments navigate the complex system of national bureaucracies and international organizations designed to accommodate established nations.
‘Very often government or international officials will refuse to talk to our clients, or if they talk to them they’re reluctant to give them the information they need,’ said Nicholas Whyte, who heads the Brussels office of the nonprofit group.
‘And from our clients’ side, they are often inexperienced in dealing with international bureaucracies precisely because nobody talks to them,’ said Mr Whyte, an Irish international affairs expert.
With offices in New York, Washington, London, Brussels and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the organisation provides its clients with guidance on how to approach foreign governments or international organizations such as the United Nations or the European Union.
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The group played a role in helping Kosovo gain independence from Serbia. The province had been under international rule since the war ended in 1999 until declaring independence last year, and has been recognized by about 60 nations so far.
‘We received great assistance from them at a time when we needed it most,’ said Ilir Dugolli, Kosovo’s representative to the EU.
Independent Diplomat’s US$1.8 million (S$2.58 million) annual budget comes from foundation and government donations, as well as client fees. Clients are charged according to their ability to pay, with the poorest paying only nominal amounts.
The group also counsels established nations on issues where they lack expertise, including advising the Republic of the Marshall Islands on the UN climate change process and working with East European countries applying for EU membership.
‘We advise would-be countries, but also regular states where we can add our own expertise to theirs, as long as they are democratic countries that respect international law,’ said Carne Ross, the group’s founder and director.
He said Independent Diplomat adheres to a strict policy of rejecting clients engaged in armed struggle, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers. ‘If Robert Mugabe came to us for advice, we wouldn’t help him,’ said Mr Ross, a former senior British diplomat, referring to the Zimbabwean president.
Kenyan airport official threatened Toronto man with jail. After handing over $50, he boarded flight
TORONTO, August 2 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Seeing a woman desperately stranded in Kenya calls to mind other horror stories for Toronto Somali-born travellers.
“Many people have a very bad problem there,” says Hussein Adani, a former Somali track star and owner of New Bilan restaurant on Dundas St. E.
Adani was returning from a two-month visit to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in 2000 when airport passport police stopped him.
It was the sort of holdup that has caused trouble for Toronto single mother Suaad Hagi Mohamud, so desperate after two months of trying to prove she is the woman in her four-year-old passport photo, that she went to court to have Canadian consular officials take her DNA this week.
“They have two signs,” Adani said yesterday of the departure terminal at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. “One says ‘Africans,’ the other says ‘Europeans and North Americans,’ ” he recalled. “I am Canadian. I lined up at the second sign.”
When airport police asked why he was in the wrong line, Adani showed his Canadian passport and a visitor’s visa issued by the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa.
“They told me, ‘You will have a problem,’ ” he said. “They told me, ‘We’ll put you in jail, you will have to buy a new ticket tomorrow and your luggage will be gone.’
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“I put $50 in my passport and gave it to the officer,” Adani said. “When they opened it and saw the money, they said, `Thank you.'”
At Nairobi airport, every Somali-born Torontonian knows to expect to pay a bribe, said outreach worker Maryan Ali at North York Community House.
“They take only American money,” she said of the airport police. “They look at the date and ask for the newest, 2000 and up. It is well known.”
Such incidents are on the rise, said Mahad Yousuf, director of Midaynta Community Services. “People are travelling back and forth and asking us for help.”
Calls to the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa went unreturned yesterday. In 2008, Transparency International said the chance of being asked for a bribe when dealing with Kenyan police was 93 per cent.
To make matters worse, relations between native Kenyans and ethnic Somalis remain tense. Since 1991, Somali refugees have been pouring over Kenya’s northern border by the hundreds of thousands and an Islamist insurgency in Somalia threatens the entire region.
As a result, ethnic Somalis in Kenya are treated with suspicion even at the Canadian High Commission, community leaders say.
“The inadequate and sometimes casual attitude of the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi” exacerbates Kenya’s “well documented history of institutional corruption,” said Ebyan Farah, spokesperson for the Ottawa-based Canadian Somali Congress.
For Mohamud, callous treatment has extended to Ottawa’s highest levels.
After she showed a dozen Canadian ID cards, spent weeks persuading Canadian consular officials to take her fingerprints and won a federal court action to have them take her DNA, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said she wasn’t doing enough. “The individual has to be straightforward, has to let us know whether or not she is a Canadian citizen,” Cannon told media after the federal court decision.
Yesterday, a spokesperson said Cannon had nothing to add.
Mohamud’s DNA swabs are to arrive in a Vancouver lab on Tuesday to be matched with those from her ex-husband and son.
NAIROBI, Aug 01(SomalilandPress) — The UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) said on Friday it was convening a workshop for former Somali senior military officials under the auspices of the Somali Ministry of Defense next week in Washington.
A statement from UNPOS issued in Nairobi said the Aug. 1 to 5 workshop, which follows a preparatory forum held in June, will bring together former high ranking officers from the military, police, custodial and intelligence services for in-depth discussions on both the historical background of the Somali security forces, and on the re-establishment and the strengthening of the capacity of the security sector institutions in Somalia.
“In keeping with the spirit of the Djibouti process, this is an opportunity for the former Somali military leaders to contribute to the rebuilding of their nation,” the UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said.
Engaging the former leadership of the Somali Forces is expected to enable them to share their institutional memory and know-how with the current leadership.
Hargeisa,Aug 01 (SomalilandPress)-Marriage is one of the precious assets that Allah has bestowed on human. It is a joint venture between two people (man & woman) who live as one; it is not two distinct corporations doing business under the same roof. The importance of marriage is clear to everyone, its building blocks are further and more important than just fulfilling biological needs but it is beyond that. Its horizons lie in peaceful and stable existence of relations and behaviors.
Therefore we want the home to be a haven of love where husband, wife and children live with a sense of security and a feeling of acceptance. With all the school shootings and societal violence outside the home, everyone needs a place in life where they are surrounded by peace and love, hence the home is the best place of emotional safety.
Every one who marries wants that kind of home, but a happy home doesn’t just happen. It is the result of two things:
1. Proper adjustment to each other
2. Incorporating into daily life the principles of marriage outlined by Allah in the Holy Qoran.
Most couples are so head over heels in love that they see only the good parts of their fiancé or fiancée. It doesn’t take much time after the honeymoon -a few days, a few weeks- before the novelty of being married wears off and each partner’s flaws become known. Every human being comes fully equipped with bucketful of weaknesses, though this news may come as a shock to naïve newly weds.
That is why it is so important for married couples to be gentle, patient; kind and self-controlled while adjusting to this new calculus. They must show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Personality conflicts may occur which are weaknesses in one partner that irritate the weakness in the other. Differences between partners also need not to be fatal! No disagreement is a threat to a marriage; it is what a couple does about those disagreements that determine the success or failure of a marriage.
Children are the beauty of the home, therefore both parents must show them kindness and support. It is their responsibility as a couple to raise the child with good manners and behavior. Young couples with children will tell you that children are such a source of enrichment and blessing to them that they couldn’t imagine life without those little ones.
The wife’s attitude toward possession is very important; she can unconsciously drive her husband to overextend himself in an effort to please her. She should avoid comparisons between the home her friend lives or the home her father could provide and the little apartment and frugal conditions under which she starts her marriage. The wife’s patience and joyous acceptance of her husband’s financial capabilities are among the ways she can invest in a long-lasting and happy marriage.
On the other hand your relationship to your spouse’s family is important. You can afford to be considerate and thoughtful of your partner’s parents. After all, they invested many years and thousands of dollars in raising your mate, which means they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Avoid speaking negatively to your partner’s parents, if you feel they are interfering too much in your marriage, let your spouse do the talking, although you should accompany him or her if clarification is needed.
A loving wife should not put her husband into the difficult position of having to choose his loyalties- his wife or his mother. With thoughtfulness and love, the wife can help her husband maintain a relaxed feeling toward his parents and particularly his mother.
Last but not the least, Being willing to do for your partner what you would hope your mate would willingly do for you is the foundation of a great marriage. Young boys and girls who are willing to marry now or the near future must think before they act. Marriage is more than they think; it is something that needs patience and responsibility. The success of every society is presented by the bond between their blocks which is the marriage. A successful marriage leads to successful households which in turn lead to successful community and government.
Ahmed M.Elmi (Shawqi)
Shawqi06@hotmail.com
Hargeisa, Somaliland
BRUSSELS, 1 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Northern Cyprus, Western Sahara and Somaliland may not have much in common, but they share the same predicament: all are unrecognized states striving to capture international attention.
Enter Independent Diplomat — freelance diplomats who offer their assistance to such nations-in-waiting. They have scored a notable success helping Kosovo win independence from Serbia — but critics say they can only accomplish so much without involving governments and should not pretend to have more influence than they do.
The nonprofit group, comprised of former diplomats from a variety of nations, stands ready to help would-be governments navigate the complex system of national bureaucracies and international organizations designed to accommodate established nations.
“Very often government or international officials will refuse to talk to our clients, or if they talk to them they’re reluctant to give them the information they need,” said Nicholas Whyte, who heads the Brussels office of the nonprofit group.
“And from our clients’ side, they are often inexperienced in dealing with international bureaucracies precisely because nobody talks to them,” said Whyte, an Irish international affairs expert.
With offices in New York, Washington, London, Brussels and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the organization provides its clients with guidance on how to approach foreign governments or international organizations such as the United Nations or the European Union.
The group played a role in helping Kosovo gain independence from Serbia. The province had been under international rule since the war ended in 1999 until declaring independence last year, and has been recognized by about 60 nations so far.
“We received great assistance from them at a time when we needed it most,” said Ilir Dugolli, Kosovo’s representative to the EU.
Independent Diplomat’s $1.8 million annual budget comes from foundation and government donations, as well as client fees. Clients are charged according to their ability to pay, with the poorest paying only nominal amounts.
The group also counsels established nations on issues where they lack expertise, including advising the Republic of the Marshall Islands on the U.N. climate change process and working with East European countries applying for EU membership.
“We advise would-be countries, but also regular states where we can add our own expertise to theirs, as long as they are democratic countries that respect international law,” said Carne Ross, the group’s founder and director.
He said Independent Diplomat adheres to a strict policy of rejecting clients engaged in armed struggle, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers.
“If Robert Mugabe came to us for advice, we wouldn’t help him,” said Ross, a former senior British diplomat.
The organization says it has had significant impact as an intermediary, including arranging a recent meeting between EU officials and the president of Western Sahara’s government-in-exile. The territory was taken over by Morocco 35 years ago, and although a U.N.-negotiated truce in 1991 called for a referendum on its future, this has never been held.
Independent Diplomat “are our true friends,” said Mohamed Abdelaziz, who leads the government-in-exile based in a refugee camp in the Algerian desert.
The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus requested the group’s assistance in negotiations to reunify the Turkish and Greek parts of the island. Cyprus was split along ethnic lines after the Turkish invasion in 1974, and thousands of Greek as well as Turkish Cypriots fled to the southern part of the island.
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“Turkish Cypriots are institutionally disadvantaged by the policies of the international community, and yet are expected to carry on with the peace process,” Whyte said.
However, Cypriot officials dismissed the group as outsiders with no influence over island policy.
“The Republic of Cyprus was accepted into the European Union in 2004 with full legal sovereignty over the entire territory” of Cyprus, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with government policy. “That’s certainly not going to change whatever anyone from the outside says or does.”
Robert Cooper, secretary-general of the European Council in Brussels, also questioned the group’s influence.
“Achieving anything in foreign affairs is very difficult for non-governmental groups,” he said. “Some NGOs perform extremely valuable work and are well respected … but in the end nothing is achieved without governments (and) they should not pretend that they have influence when they don’t.”
Still, Richard Dalton, the former British ambassador to Iran, said those involved in the endeavor were “individually capable people” who could make a difference.
“Their philosophy and their code — and the approach that they take — does fill a gap for countries and for movements who don’t have access to the international system,” he said.
International recognition has eluded Somaliland, the self-declared republic in the north of Somalia which has had an effective government for almost two decades, including its own currency and a viable economy.
“International policy has been predicated on shoring up Somalia’s weak and embattled central government rather than supporting the one part of the country that has demonstrated its ability to avoid conflict,” Whyte said.
The organization believes the world’s diplomatic institutions need to be more accessible to such non-state groups, or the price will be more bloodshed.
“Our work helps countries and other political actors avoid conflict by using existing diplomatic channels … as long as they are allowed to,” he said.
Somalilandpress- It is not only the Somaliland where troubles star when there is disagreement among the political factions. We observed dilemmas almost activated around the world when political arguments and disputes became visible. But the most dangerous and uncertain one is if the law enforcement and military are involved the heated political clashes.
Somaliland police and military did a respectable duty when they met the political parties specially the oppositions. This golden and historic opportunity was proved the people of Somaliland who were worried about the situation that the military and police committed and insured for the people who are good citizens, build their country without penny from the world development agency, that they were not a portion of this political drams.
When political parties can not find a solution and solve their dilemma, Military and police have right to keep law and order. Military and Police officers must use their power to keep the peace and security even if that leads to them a military coup. But this takeover must not be used as excuse to become a second dictatorship; it should use only to cure the political disputes, leading the political parties to a free and fair election.
Military can enforce the country a temporary laws which will give the political factions a possibility of negotiation. On the other hand, it will be a lesson to any civilian political party who tries to hold the power forcefully after free and fair election.
It will differentiate between Somaliland and other African nations again and open the road of investment. International investment personal invests only where pillars of the peace are physically powered.
The military are the most fundamental portion of this occasion and they must understand this will be their first constitutional test.
Somaliland had shown the world that it could control its temper. This was not the first election argument happened Somaliland.
There were a difficult times Somaliland faced in the past , so the political parties need to make sure again to handle the situation understandable and more reasonable act as responsible civic political portion or else the law enforcement will take any possible steps to cooling down the temper which can lead military coup possible and necessary
ENG. caaynab
Hargeisa , 29 July 2009 (SomalilandPress)-As the proposed date for elections approaches, tensions here are rising. It is my deepest hope that whatever the outcome, the political situation only moves in a positive direction, though I myself am becoming increasingly uncertain. It’s impossible not to follow the political happenings here. Somaliland is a place that is easy to become attached to, perhaps because the country is so unique and the passion of the local people is perceptible and contagious, or perhaps because it is small and it seems like everyone knows each other. Spend a few months here and I bet you’ll start to call yourself a Somalilander, unless you’re one of the many (among the relatively small population of) foreigners here who do not bother to meet any native Somalis but rather isolate yourself in a compound, only seeing the light of day through an escorted car window. If that’s the case it’s like saying you’ve been to Paris when you never left the airport.
In typical tourist fashion, I finally had the opportunity to visit Laas Geel last week. Laas Geel roughly means “camel watering hold” and it is the site of ancient caves with paintings that date back to approximately 5000 B.C. The site was more impressive than I had imagined. Two carloads of us followed the road towards Berbera until we came to the Laas Geel checkpoint, uncertain if we would be admitted or not. After we picked up a local man who said he knew where to go and proceeded to eat all our biscuits then tried to extort money from us, we arrived near the mouth of the caves dressed in our best dirac and proceeded to walk up the rocky path to truly amazing caves. I was picturing a small handful of paintings scrawled out on a rock, but there were more paintings than one can count, and you could really get a sense of the history and awe of the place. The only people we saw there were nomads who were herding their animals and we were quite out of place in retrospect, with our cameras and bottled waters. Laas Geel and the largely unexplored areas around it have huge potential for historical findings and perhaps for tourism in the future. Just imagine flying into Berbera, scuba diving in the Gulf of Aden, then driving a short hour to Laas Geel, and eventually onward to Hargeisa. Not bad if you ask me.
Apart from that trip, I recently experienced my first concert since I’ve been here and it was a veritable party. We were a crowd of several hundred people, more women than men, and everyone was decked out in their most elegant clothes. It was a strange contrast to the daily life here and at first it was hard for me to get used to seeing the usually very modest, mysterious women I pass on the street with their hair exposed and their hips swaying. The performers were excellent and interacted directly with the crowd, inviting strangers to dance alongside them. My dancing moves were less than stellar; I was always a few beats ahead of the music if I had the courage to move at all. But that didn’t stop me from singing along with a huge grin on my face.
A few days ago I was running short on money so I made a phone call to the States and had my first personal Dahabshiil money transfer experience. I had been to Dahabshiil before to receive local payments, but never to retrieve money sent from abroad. And I thought the non-Somali readers might be interested in the financial system here, as it is quite fascinating to me. Simply put, there are no banks in Somaliland. This of course means that credit cards and checks are simply not recognized, it’s a cash only system. And there are no debit cards or ATMS, so cash only means cash only. Dahabshiil does have an arrangement where they keep your money for you and you can go there to withdrawal it, but there is of course no interest. Dahabshiil is technically a money transfer company, and the closest thing to a bank they have here, but there are no loans, mortgages or credit offered. When I received money from Dahabshiil, the sender went to the local Dahabshiil office in Boston and provided the clerk with his name, ID, and phone number, as well as my name and phone number.
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I immediately received a text message across the ocean in Hargeisa alerting me that there was money waiting for me at the Dahabshiil office. I went there, showed them my text message, told them the name of the sender, and magic! That was that. What’s amazing to me is that it is really a trust system, it is not backed by any sort of federal agency and if they don’t provide you with your money there are no official repercussions. Sure their reputation would suffer, but still I can’t imagine such a system working in other countries I’ve been to. If you want to test the system for yourself, I invite you to send me money any time.
Thank you for reading and best wishes!
__________________________________________________________ Emily will be writing to Somalilandpress.com about her experience in Somaliland and will be offering tips to anyone who may want to visit the unrecognized republic along the way – discover Somaliland from a Non-Somali perspective. This is the second article – It is a great privilege to be here in Hargeisa.
Nairobi, 31 Jul 2009 (Somalilandpress) — The donors congratulate the Somaliland people on the production of a Voter List on 27 July 2009, which is now ready and available. This represents the culmination of enormous effort by the stakeholders and an important opportunity for the Somaliland people.
The donors recognise that the production of the Voter List, as positively evaluated by an independent U.S. company, provides a credible basis for the holding of free and fair elections. The production of the Voter List is mandated by the relevant Somaliland electoral laws and in line with the consensual agreements between the political parties.
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The donors regret the announcement by the chair of the National Electoral Commission on the BBC Somali Service on 28 July 2009 of an intention to hold the presidential elections without the Voter List, which, if carried forward, would represent a significant loss for the Somaliland people – as well as for Somaliland’s democratisation process.
The donors urge all Somaliland stakeholders to draw on the long-standing Somaliland tradition of consensual decision-making and capacity for leadership in order to reconcile any differences and prepare for the holding of credible, free and fair presidential elections.
