Agence France Presse, August 17, 2003/DATELINE: ADDIS ABABA, Aug 17
EU to undertake study of Ethiopia-Somaliland road corridor: official
The European Union (EU) is undertaking a feasibility study on its plan to rehabilitate a road linking the northwestern breakaway republic of Somaliland to Ethiopia, an EU official said on Sunday.
"The study covers 887 kilometres (550 miles) of road network from Somaliland's Berbera port to the Ethiopian border town of Togwechale," EU official Pascal Joanne told reporters.
He said French consultancy firm, Louis Berger, which started the study nine months ago, is to submit its findings to the European Union in two months and will form the basis for the EU's approval to release funds for the second phase, Joanne added.
"The commission will come up with a decision to advance the project into feasibility and designing stage, based on preliminary assessments made by Louis Berger," Joanne said.
Berger is already holding consultations with Ethiopian and Somaliland authorities to integrate their views on the actual situation of the corridor and its future prospects of being used to handle part of Ethiopia's import-export cargo.
Deputy EU delegation head in Ethiopia, Jean-Pierre Pierard, said the Berbera Corridor Infrastructure Programme was part of a strategy to relieve the congested port of Djibouti.
The EU last week shipped 15,000 tonnes of relief food supplies to Ethiopia's hungry through Berbera port in Somalia's northwest breakaway republic of Somaliland and more than 100,000 tonnes of food are expected to be shipped through the same route in the next weeks, relief and government officials said on Friday.
Agence France Presse, August 15, 2003
EU ships food aid to Ethiopia through Somaliland port of Berbera
The European Union (EU) has for the first time shipped its food aid to Ethiopia through Berbera port in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland, relief and government officials said on Friday.
"Some 15,000 tonnes of relief food have already arrived and more than 100,000 tonnes more will have arrived by next Monday, all through the port of Berbera," the officials, who asked not to be named, said.
Somaliland's foreign minister Dahir Kahin, who visited Ethiopia recently, confirmed the move to use Berbera, saying: "A lot of food aid is coming to Ethiopia through the port of Berbera."
"Security is not a problem in the region and 15,000 tonnes have arrived in Ethiopia without any a hitch -- a testimony for the credibility and confidence on the security situation," Kahin said.
Ethiopia had never used any ports in former Somalia, as it used its own ports of Massawa and Assab until Eritrea attained independence.
The use of the Eritrean port of Assab stopped when the two countries went to war between 1998-2000, effectively making Ethiopia landlocked.
Before Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia a decade ago, Ethiopia relied completely on the ports of Massawa and Assab and could never think of using any ports in Somalia, with which it has gone to war several times.
But things have changed since with the overthrow in Somalia of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, which led to Somalia's northwest region declaring itself the independent republic of Somaliland five months later.
Ethiopia is the only country that has recognised Somaliland and currently has air links and a diplomatic presence in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared republic.
Shipments to Ethiopia also pass through the port of Djibouti, but it is usually congested.
Ethiopia has also recently signed a memorandum of understanding with neighbouring Sudan for the use of its Red Sea ports and roads connecting the two countries are currently under construction, the officials said.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, August 13, 2003/published by Somaliland Net web site on 12 August
SOUTH AFRICAN PAPER SAYS FOREIGN MINISTRY IN FAVOUR OF SOMALILAND'S RECOGNITION
Having vacated the chair of the African Union, South Africa is now freer to step out of line on controversial issues on the continent.
The case is growing for the country to do this on one of the prickliest matters: Somaliland. The former British colony is seeking recognition as an entity free from its paralysed southern neighbour, Somalia.
Law advisers from the South African Department of Foreign Affairs support Somaliland's argument for independence. "It is undeniable that Somaliland does indeed qualify for statehood, and it is incumbent upon the international community to recognize it," read the report that was recently commissioned by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma. The government's lawyers agree that "any efforts to deny or delay would not only put the international community at the risk of ignoring the most stable region in the Horn (of Africa), it would impose untold hardship upon the people of Somaliland due to the denial of foreign assistance that recognition entails."
Somaliland stands accused by the AU of the cardinal sin of secession. Absolute recognition of colonial boundaries, logical and historical reality notwithstanding, was a preoccupation of the AU's predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
The OAU feared that if ever this can of worms were opened, it would lead to incessant border wars. This does not apply in the case of Somaliland, which broke an inequitable and eventually genocidal union with Somalia 12 years ago without claiming a centimetre more than the territory it had at independence in 1960.
The South African law advisers address this issue too.
"The interest of world peace and stability require that, where possible, the division or fragmentation of existing states should be managed peacefully and by negotiation. But where this is not possible, as is the case with Somalia, international law accepts that the interests of justice may prevail over the principle of territorial integrity," they say.
The document on Dlamini-Zuma's desk was supported this week by the assertion from the Brussels-based think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG), that Somaliland's demand for recognition presents the international community with stark choices.
"The question confronting the international community is no longer whether Somaliland should be recognized as an independent state, but whether there remain any viable alternatives," the ICG report says.
It says that the international community could either "develop pragmatic responses to Somaliland's demand for self-determination or continue to insist upon the increasingly abstract notion of the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali Republic."
It warns that the latter course is likely to lead to a new round of civil war in Somalia.
The ICG says an international fact-finding mission should visit Somaliland to assess the situation and "recommend policy options." It also calls on the AU to grant Somaliland "observer status pending a final decision on its international status."
Dlamini-Zuma knows South Africa's decision will be key to the rest of the continent's action. Earlier this year she invited a Somaliland ministerial delegation to South Africa and she has sent senior officials there.
South African businessmen, including Mvelaphanda's Tokyo Sexwale, recently visited Somaliland, which offers interesting mineral resources and, more importantly, the political stability in which to exploit them.
The country's democratically elected President, Dahir Riyale Kahin, this week reiterated his refusal to join the stuttering peace process. His Information Minister, Abdullahi Muhammad Du'ale, said Somaliland would welcome any peace deal between the parties "in the former Italian Somalia", but noted that "this has nothing to do with Somaliland."
Du'ale was reacting to media reports that a Kenyan government delegation was on its way to Somaliland to try to convince it to attend the talks in Nairobi. He said any Kenyan delegation to Somaliland was welcome "so long as they are coming to discuss bilateral issues and ways of developing bilateral relations."
He warned, however, that Somaliland "will not entertain any delegation whose objective is to bring us into these talks. Such a mission will not be welcome, and they should not waste their time."
Source: Somaliland Net web site in English 12 Aug 03 / BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring International Reports. August 12, 2003
ISLAND OFF SOMALILAND COAST STRUCK BY WARPLANES ON 20 JULY - PAPER REPORTS
On 24 July, the web site of The Somaliland Times reported an attack on the island of Eibaat and posted a commentary on the incident, which has not been widely reported by other Somali media.
The report said: "Explosions were heard on Sunday (20 July) at Somaliland's island of Eibaat (northern Somalia), about 10 km northwest of Seylac. The explosions were caused by an air strike carried out by US warplanes, sources in Seylac said. However there was some confusion as to the real identity of the military aircraft that carried out the bombing. Military forces belonging to France and the US-led coalition against terrorism have troops stationed in nearby Djibouti. "Eibaat is located in an area declared s a marine protected zone. The area has a unique eco-system with a diversity of species and an outstandingly beautiful marine environment including one of the most admirable coral formations in the world." In its commentary, The Somaliland Times said: "Despite initial press reports that it was US warplanes that bombed Somaliland's Eibaat Island (about 10 km off the coast of Seylac town, northern Somalia) last Sunday (20 July), the Somaliland government apparently has not until now been able to confirm the identity of the aircraft that were involved in the attack. This is understandable since Somaliland does not have the capability to detect whether its airspace has been violated, let alone the ability to identify the aircraft flying over its territory. But since Eibaat is located within the proximity of an area heavily guarded by American military, there are good reasons to believe that the warplanes that carried out the bombing were US owned."
"It is of course true that the US is not the only power in the area that has the capability to make an air strike on Eibaat. The French also have such capabilities. But it was the US that has, for the last month, been engaged in intensive joint military exercises in the area, involving units from the three branches of their armed forces deployed in the wider region. Regardless of whoever was responsible for the attack on Eibaat, Somaliland's territorial integrity has been violated and its marine resources damaged by outside military forces. What is disturbing to many Somalilanders is that not only their territory has been violated, but they are unable to establish whom they should hold accountable?"
"The Somaliland public has also been dismayed with the government's slow and inadequate response to the incident. Nobody expected the government to take retaliatory measures, simply because Somaliland does not have the military ability to challenge the powerful western forces stationed at its northwestern borders. Nor would have it been wise for the government to issue a barrage of condemnations. Though the US and France have not yet recognized Somaliland, the American government does not oppose the right of Somalilanders to exercise their self-determination. What is needed now is for the Somaliland government to accelerate its investigation and diplomatic contacts in order to find out the truth about what happened at Eibaat. The people of Somaliland hope that American diplomats and military officials stationed in the region will cooperate with the Somaliland government in its endeavour to solve the mysterious attack on Eibaat Island."
Source: The Somaliland Times web site, Hargeysa, in English 24 Jul 03 ) BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring International Reports, August 8, 2003
SOMALILAND GOVERNMENT ORDERS DUTCH NGO TO CEASE OPERATIONS
Somaliland's minister of national planning, Ahmad H Dahir Elmi, yesterday issued a statement banning an international aid agency NOVIB (Netherlands Organization for International Development Cooperation) to operate in Somaliland. The minister sent a copy of the letter to local agencies in Somaliland that are in partnership with NOVIB. These include Nagaad, HAYOVYOCO, Candlelight and COSONGO (expansions untraced). Mr Elmi detailed why NOVIB was banned, saying the agency was involved in acts which were against the sovereignty of Somaliland. He also mentioned in his letter that the Ministry of National Planning was responsible for programmes and development projects that were to be implemented in Somaliland. The minister ordered local agencies to stop all programmes sponsored by NOVIB in Mansoor Hotel as of 7 August 2003.
The minister specifically ordered Nagad and Candlelight local agencies to immediately expel NOVIB expatriate members whom they brought in the country.
NOVIB began in 2002 by doing research, collecting data as well as conducting awareness programme in the former Somali Republic by assigning some people opposed to the Republic of Somaliland. NOVIB called the project "Mapping Somali Civil Society." Secondly, experts 80 per cent of whom were from Southern Somalia were invited to Nairobi by NOVIB to make assessment on Somali Civil Society. The total number of organizations said to be able to do this work were up to 500 organizations. Unfortunately, Somaliland was allotted only 80 organizations, while Mogadishu was given twice that number.
The so-called research by NOVIB was, in fact, inimical to the sovereignty of Somaliland. Somaliland's civic society rejected to have cooperation with those in Somalia in a NOVIB-sponsored meeting held at Mansoor hotel. In that meeting, civil society groups in Somaliland said development funds intended for the former Somali Republic should be shared between civil society groups representing Somaliland and Somalia (Passage omitted).
Source: Jamhuuriya web site, Hargeysa, in Somali 8 Aug 03 ) BBC Monitoring
Source: UNICEF
Date: 6 Aug 2003
UNICEF Somalia Review Jul 2003
Peace talks in crucial phase...
As well, local authorities in the Northwest Zone, or 'Somaliland', reiterated their position that they will not participate in the process but would be ready to engage in dialogue with Somalia, if a legitimate representative government was successfully established.
Local support for peace talks...
In Mogadishu, renowned Somali poet Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, alias Hadrawi, launched a march for peace. Named the "Hadrawi Peace Rally", it is an initiative by Somali artists in support of peace. The concept of the march has extended to other towns including Kismayo and has been warmly received by residents.
Political and security update...
Somaliland leader Dahir Rayale Kahin appointed a new cabinet comprising 25 ministers, five state ministers and 12 vice ministers. The appointments are subject to the approval of Somaliland's House of Representatives. In Puntland, differences were reported between leader Abdullahi Yusuf and his deputy Mohamed Abdi Hashi over a cabinet reshuffle.
Throughout the month, the regions of Somaliland and Puntland were relatively stable.
Health programme update...
Five-day training workshops to provide management skills for members of 21 regional health boards were conducted in Borama, Gebilay and Berbera towns of Awdal, Galbeed and Sahil regions respectively.
UNICEF, in collaboration with Somaliland health authorities, organized a week long training workshop for community health workers (CHWs) in Las Anod, Sool region. The training sought to enhance the skills of CHWs in providing proper case diagnosis, treatment and provision of health education. Treatment protocols and registers in the Somali language were provided to participants. A second training session spanning three weeks was carried out in Las Anod for 12 participants working out of health posts. The participants received copies of treatment protocols in Somali while the health posts were provided with basic furniture, medical instruments and supplies. An Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) package has also been translated into Somali and is ready for use.
The second round of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI activities took place in Somaliland from 11-16 July. In Puntland, EPI activities were carried out in Allula, Bargal, Burtinle, Bossaso Dangorayo, Gardo, Galkayo, Garowe and Qandala towns during the last week of May 2003.
A two-day workshop on social mobilization for EPI was conducted in Burao, Somaliland. The workshop drew some 30 participants, among them religious leaders, health workers and local leaders. The workshop aimed at dispelling myths and clarifying the importance and benefits of vaccines.
Some 20 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) were trained at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. UNICEF also provided practical training in the Central Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centre in Burao. The training was undertaken in collaboration with local authorities and trainers in the region. One aim of the training was to facilitate the establishment of a referral system between the TBAs and the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital and two Maternal Child Health (MCH) centres in Burao.
Nutrition programme update...
During the month, UNICEF conducted integrated interventions to curb the effects of drought and malnutrition in the Sool plateau of Sanaag and Sool regions. The interventions included the provision of supplementary feeding for malnourished children and immunization of children under five years against the six childhood killer diseases including measles, tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.
A week's training was held in Sheikh town, Sahil region of Somaliland for 10 community health workers. Among other issues, the training focussed on child growth and development, infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition. The purpose of the training was to enhance the role of community health workers in identifying and dealing with the nutrition problems. In Puntland, Health and Nutrition messages were disseminated through local media - Radio Midnimo and Radio Galkayo and both the Yool and Yamasyka newspapers. UNICEF supports this dissemination through agreements with respective media outlets that run until February 2004.
Gender update...
The appointment by Somaliland leader Dahir Rayale Kahin of women to head two important posts in the local administration was one of the highlights of the reporting period.
In Somaliland, local authorities and other local women's leaders organized a meeting on gender issues attended by religious leaders, members of parliament and intellectuals. At the meeting, the women emphasized their right to more representation in local leadership as stipulated in Islamic religion.
Their proposals have lead to healthy but heated debate among various groups in society with views aired in local media.
Water and Environmental Sanitation update...
In Somaliland, a company to run the Borama Water Supply System was formed and a board elected. The Boon Water Supply Project was meanwhile completed and officially commissioned. In Puntland, installation of equipment for two borewells and connection of pipes for the Galkayo Water Project was undertaken. Installation of pipes and construction of a foundation for a water tank for the Garowe Water Project were carried out. Rehabilitation of offices for the Garowe Water Project is nearing completion.
In Somaliland, hygiene promotion materials were developed and translated into the Somali language while in Puntland construction of latrines and hand-washing facilities for Haji and Af Urur Village schools in Bari was completed. In Mogadishu, UNICEF supplied six drums of chlorine to Medecins Sans Frontieres-Spain and to the NGO Aden Yabaal for the treatment of drinking water supplies and disinfection of cholera treatment centres. During the last inter-agency cholera task force meeting, no new cases of cholera were reported.
Education highlights...
Some 212 teachers and head-teachers from primary schools in Togdheer, Hargeisa and Awdal regions of Somaliland attended an 18-day refresher training workshop in Borama focussing on the new curriculum. So far, nearly 2,200 teachers in Somaliland have been trained in the new education curriculum covering science, mathematics, social studies and the Somali language. In addition, they have been trained in issues related to gender, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and HIV/AIDS. The teachers trained in July were the last group to attend Phase I of the in-service teacher training. UNICEF will support all teachers that have attended Phase I to attend Phase II next year and Phase III in 2005. Following the completion of all phases, the Somaliland health authorities will issue certificates to the teachers.
Youth...
Construction and rehabilitation of six primary schools and three playgrounds in Somaliland is nearing completion. Three of the schools and the playgrounds are in Hargeisa. About 25 schools, playgrounds and resource centres will be rehabilitated or constructed before the end of 2003. In 2002, there was no new intake in almost all primary schools in major towns in Somaliland because of limited space.
HIV/AIDS prevention and control...
The first issue of KOOR, a youth magazine that focuses on HIV/AIDS issues, was released in July. Some 2,050 copies were printed and distributed to youth in schools, private and public institutions, as well as relevant administration offices, including health, education, information, family affairs and social development. Copies of the magazine were also sent to Puntland for distribution there.
Some 90 teachers were sensitized on basic facts about HIV/AIDS during two workshops in Hargeisa. As part of efforts to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues in Puntland, UNICEF provided information on basic facts on HIV/AIDS to some 60 female members of CECs in 35 schools. The sensitization was carried out during a workshop on school management in Galkayo. Other issues highlighted include FGM and gender. Similarly, HIV/AIDS, FGM and gender issues were integrated into the programme of a workshop on Leadership for Organizational Development and Non-Formal Education carried in Bossaso for teachers and youth.
Robert Kihara, Assistant Communication Officer e-mail: rkihara@unicef.org
OR
Julia Spry-Leverton, Communication Officer
Tel: 254-2-623958/ 623950/ 623862/ 623959/ 350410
Fax: 254-2-520640/ 623965
For further information on UNICEF, visit its website at
http://www.unicef.org/
BBC News, 6 August, 2003, 22:49 GMT 23:49 UK
Somaliland leads charge for African women
Ms Ismail is one of Africa's most pro-active minister
The foreign minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland has told the BBC she believes a number of Africa's problems would be eased if there were more women leaders on the continent. Edna Adan Ismail said much of Africa's suffering, especially that stemming from military conflict, would be eased if women were at the top and allowed to approach the issues from their own perspective.
"I think more social areas would be better developed if women were in more decision-making positions because these are the areas that really touch women and their families and their children," Ms Ismail told BBC World Service's Africa Live! programme.
She said more women leaders would lead to an emphasis on health, education, sanitation and water on the continent.
"I think that there would be more tolerance, there would be less violent military movements," she said.
"Certainly problems would be solved by diplomatic channels rather than by seeking a military solution.
"There would be fewer military coup d'etats and military takeovers.
"I think the world would be a much better place."
The foreign minister of the breakaway republic of Somaliland is well known in her country, having been married to the late President Mohammed Egal.
'Great bounds'
Meanwhile Kenya's shadow labour minister Orie Rogo Manduli described the increased involvement of women in the political process as "completely and absolutely overdue".
"All candidates promise a rosy future, but when elected to office another story emerges", Elias Abdi, US
Can women solve Africa's problems?
"It is only when political parties start to take their women more seriously, and give their women greater responsibility and participation in the parties, that the parties will really mean anything," she said.
"In this country, Kenya, a party that has done that in a very small measure has leapt great bounds and done very well.
"It is obvious now that Africa needs women at the top."
She said she felt the time was approaching when there would be a massive influx of women into top government positions throughout Africa.
"Women have been ready - they have been ready forever," she said.
"This time round we want it, and we are demanding that we are given the opportunity to run things."
Advice and support
One of those who has been already tipped to go into power in the future is nine-year-old Chine Mwanere - speaker at the Nigerian children's parliament.
Miss Mwanere, who has gained a reputation as an accomplished speaker despite her young age, added her voice to the campaign to see more women in power.
"We can see that in most countries in Africa, women are beginning to attain a higher level of education in all types of endeavour," she said.
"Secondly we can see the majority of the people in the population are women.
"They are the drawers of water, collectors of firewood, protectors of the environment - they are the mothers of the children and wives of the husbands.
"Therefore they are the pillars of the family and pillars of the nation."
She said women's' networking skills would be immeasurably useful in positions of responsibility.
Chine Mwanere is highly respected in the children's parliament
"In Africa and Nigeria in particular if women are given high positions, most of their relations rally round them to advise them and give them the necessary support, morally and otherwise," she said.
"This advice and support encourages them to be good leaders."
However, she said she had no intention of becoming one of these leaders.
"Many people have asked me to become a senator or Nigeria's president, but that's against my wish," she said.
"When I grow up I will do what I like - not because people are telling me to. I want to become a medical doctor."
Source: AlertNet, 5 Aug 2003
Eyewitness: Somaliland needs strong social services
Nick Sireau, the communications manager for the U.K.-based Catholic Institute for International Relations, visited Somaliland last month and found evidence that the territory - still not recognized as an independent state by any other country - needs help building strong institutions if it is to survive.
The people of Somaliland -- a breakaway region of north-west Somalia -- have suffered for years, first under colonialism, when Somalia was divided between the French, British and Italians, then under Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in the 1970s and 1980s.
They continued to suffer during the civil war that tore Somalia apart from 1988 to 1991, and just when they thought peace and freedom were theirs, after Somaliland declared independence in 1991, the new country descended into chaos in 1994 as opposing factions took up arms.
Today peace appears to be here to stay.
The refugees are back from camps in Ethiopia.
Land mines have been cleared from the most populated areas.
Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is once again a bustling city where business is thriving.
Two universities have been set up: one in Hargeisa and one near Borama, about 50 miles to the west.
Many local non-governmental organisations are working to promote development and human rights.
Crucially, municipal elections last December and presidential elections in May this year went ahead peacefully and were said to be free and fair by election observers.
Somaliland has achieved all this with little outside help.
The international community tends to ignore it -- it has not been recognised by any other country as an independent state -- although a recent visit by a delegation from the British government shows that interest is increasing.
In Somaliland, I visited partner projects and development workers of the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR).
CIIR has been working in Somaliland since 1995 through its skillshare programme, International Cooperation for Development.
Among the few international NGOs working in Somaliland, CIIR has one of the most developed programmes, thanks to support from two U.K.-based organisations, Comic Relief and the Community Fund.
But we realise that long-term development is only possible if civil society and government institutions are strong.
In order to achieve this four key areas of development need particular attention.
First, the capacity of local NGOs needs to be strengthened.
CIIR currently places development workers with local organisations to help them develop their resources and skills.
I had the opportunity to visit one such NGO, called Nagaad, which means "peaceful resting place" in Somali.
Nagaad is an umbrella organisation for the host of women's NGOs that provide services such as health care, education, environmental training, assistance to returnees, microcredit and food support.
It is based in a small building in Hargeisa that was built by the women themselves and testifies to the crucial role women are playing in rebuilding their country.
Second, the country needs to put in place an HIV/AIDS strategy.
A survey carried out in 1999 estimated that the HIV/AIDS infection rate was around one percent of those surveyed.
Yet HIV/AIDS remains a sensitive topic in Somaliland, where Islam and traditional values are strong.
The HIV/AIDS workers I met try to work within the culture to promote education about the virus, particularly among young people.
They meet religious leaders, teachers and parents first to ensure that everyone is working together before they start instructing youth about HIV/AIDS.
Third, the country needs a structured health system.
I was encouraged to find a development worker from Nepal, Ram Sedhain, had helped set up a health management information system to ensure information and figures about health flow from the community level to the top ministry level.
Finally, education needs to be improved.
Somaliland's youth have been called the "lost generation" because the wars have meant that many could not attend school, let alone university.
I visited an institution four miles out from Borama, called Amoud University.
It was set up in 1998 and teaches medicine, business administration and teacher training to 360 students.
Unfortunately, many of the students plan to leave the country when they finish their course.
There are just not enough jobs for them in Somaliland. Although the economy is doing better than it has for years, there's little major investment.
Everything in Somaliland is being rebuilt from scratch.
It is hard, but it means that with initiative, efficiency, skill and motivation, new structures can be put in place that are sustainable and help bring lasting peace to a nation that has suffered too long.
Source URL:
http://www.alertnet.org
Africa News, August 4, 2003/BYLINE: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Somalia; Puntland Denies Interfering in Somaliland's Affairs
The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, have dismissed accusations by the neighbouring self-declared republic of Somaliland that they are interfering in Somaliland's internal affairs.
A statement issued by the Somaliland authorities on Monday warned Puntland's leader Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad to stay away from the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag. "We will not tolerate his threats against parts of Sool and Sanaag regions," it said, adding that Abdullahi Yusuf "will bear full responsibility for the consequences" of his actions.
But Dahir Mire Jibril, a spokesman for Abdullahi Yusuf, told IRIN that Puntland "does not consider Sool and Sanaag as part of Somaliland".
"Sool and Sanaag are part and parcel of Puntland, and the people there do not consider themselves part of Somaliland," he stressed.
Dahir added that the recent elections in Somaliland "during which no voting took place in either region, are proof of that".
He warned the Somaliland authorities "not to foment instability in these stable regions".
Both Somaliland and Puntland claim the two regions, which geographically fall within the borders of the former British Somaliland, but where most of the resident clans are associated with Puntland.
Africa News, August 4, 2003/BYLINE: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Somalia; Somaliland Rejects Attempts to Bring It Into Peace Talks
The authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia have reiterated their rejection of attempts to bring them into the ongoing Somali reconciliation talks in Kenya.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the office of the region's president, Dahir Riyale Kahin, Somaliland is not a party to the Somali peace talks.
And the Somaliland information minister, Abdillahi Muhammad Du'ale, told IRIN on Monday that Somaliland would welcome any peace deal between the parties "in the former Italian Somalia", but noted that "this has nothing to do with Somaliland". The statement described as "a surprise" comments by Kenya's Ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat, who is chairing the peace conference, that the talks concern the whole of Somalia. The draft charter includes Somaliland within the boundaries of Somalia.
However, the Somaliland regional government's statement said Somaliland's borders were those it inherited from the British, and "are recognised by the African Union and the UN".
The information minister, who was reacting to media reports that a Kenyan government delegation was on its way to Somaliland to try and convince it to attend the Nairobi talks, told IRIN that any Kenyan delegation to Somaliland was welcome "so long as they are coming to discuss bilateral issues and ways of developing bilateral relations".
He warned, however, that Somaliland "will not entertain any delegation whose objective is to bring us into these talks".
"Such a mission will not be welcome, and they should not waste their time," he stressed. "We have made our position very clear on numerous occasions and it is well known to IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] and the international community."
The Somaliland statement also warned Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, president of the neighbouring self-declared autonomous region of Puntland to stop interfering in Somaliland affairs.
"We will not tolerate his threats against parts of Sool and Sanaag regions," it said, adding that Abdullahi Yusuf "will bear full responsibility for the consequences" of his actions.
Both Somaliland and Puntland claim the two regions, which geographically fall within the borders of the former British Somaliland, but where most of the resident clans are associated with Puntland.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, August 4, 2003/Source: HornAfrik Online text web site, Mogadishu, in Somali 4 Aug 03 ) BBC Monitoring
KENYAN OFFICIAL SAID TO OFFER SOMALILAND "FINAL INVITATION" TO SOMALI PEACE TALKS
Kenya's assistance minister for foreign affairs (Joab Omino) is expected to leave for Somaliland soon in a bid to convince the authority there to attend the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya.(passage omitted)
Mr Omino attended the peace conference (in Nairobi's Mbagathi suburb) and expressed his optimism on the formation of a new (Somali) government following the peace and reconciliation conference.
The chairman of the peace talks, (Ambassador Bethwel) Kiplagat, said a delegation headed by Mr Omino, will visit Hargeysa (Somaliland's administrative HQ) as urgently as possible. The delegation will offer Somaliland a final invitation letter (after its rejection of the previously ones) to take part in the peace conference in Kenya.
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, July 30, 2003/SOURCE: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 29 Jul 03
Somaliland: Ethiopian, EU delegation tours Berbera port
A delegation comprising Ethiopians and EU officials today returned to Hargeysa, after a short visit to Berbera northwestern Somalia . The delegation was accompanied by Somaliland Ministry of Roads officials.
The delegation comprising Ethiopian roads and customs officials and EU officials have toured Berbera port, fuel storage facilities and Berbera Airport.
They were excited to see a ship carrying food for Ethiopia and other materials for EU sponsored projects, including EU-sponsored reconstruction of Hargeysa-Berbera road, that was being off loaded from the ship to lorries at the port. Passage omitted
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, July 30, 2003/SOURCE: Somaliland Net web site in English 29 Jul 03
Brussels-based think tank says recognition of Somaliland only viable option
The demand of the self-declared republic of Somaliland for recognition presents the international community with stark choices, says a report released this week by the Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG).
The question confronting the international community is no longer whether Somaliland should be recognized as an independent state, but whether there remain any viable alternatives," the report said.
It added that the international community could either "develop pragmatic responses to Somaliland's demand for self-determination or continue to insist upon the increasingly abstract notion of the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali Republic. "It warned that the latter course was likely to lead to a new round of civil war in Somalia.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, but has received no international recognition.
The ICG report made a number of recommendations, including the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to assess the Somaliland issue and "to recommend policy options." It also called on the African Union to consider a legal review of the territory's case and grant it "observer status pending a final decision on its international status."
Full report available at:- http:www.crisisweb.org
Africa News, July 29, 2003/BYLINE: International Crisis Group
Somalia; Somaliland: Alternatives to Independence
The question confronting the international community is no longer whether Somaliland should be recognised as an independent state, but whether there remain any viable alternatives.
A new report released today by the International Crisis Group (ICG), Somaliland: Democratisation and its Discontents*, says recent developments have made the choice considerably clearer: develop pragmatic responses to Somaliland's demand for self-determination or continue to focus exclusively on the unity of the Somali Republic - a course of action almost certain to open a new chapter in the Somali civil war.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991 and, although not recognised by any country, has followed an internally-driven process of political, economic and social reconstruction that sets it apart from the rest of the country. A plebiscite was held in May 2001 on a new constitution and local elections in December 2002. The closely contested April 2003 Presidential election was a milestone. While the electoral process has not been without problems, Somaliland can claim to be more democratic than any country in the region. ICG Senior Analyst Matt Bryden said: "Somaliland's increasingly credible claims to statehood present a diplomatic dilemma just as southern Somali leaders are meeting to establish a new Somalia government. But its creation would be likely to displace the locus of Somalia?s conflict, not resolve it. And a negotiated settlement is unlikely to bear fruit at this point".
"The solution for the time being may be to grant Somaliland some kind of increased international profile without formal recognition - such as observer status at the UN, African Union and the regional Inter-Governmental Authority in Development (IGAD)", said John Prendergast, ICG's Special Adviser on Africa. "This could help to prepare the ground for eventual negotiations between Somaliland and Somalia".
Meanwhile the Somaliland government should demonstrate a genuine commitment to pluralism by releasing political detainees, withdrawing a restrictive proposed media law, accelerating the timetable for parliamentary elections as a means of widening participation in government and ensuring a full transition to a multiparty system, and investigating human rights abuses.
Donor governments can help by providing training and financial assistance to political parties and exploring options for providing Somaliland with access to direct bilateral and multilateral financial assistance. The UN, African Union and IGAD should also adopt a more open-minded approach to the question of Somaliland?s ultimate status.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recent developments have made the choice faced by the international community considerably clearer: develop pragmatic responses to Somaliland's demand for self-determination or continue to insist upon the increasingly abstract notion of the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali Republic - a course of action almost certain to open a new chapter in the Somali civil war.
Somaliland's presidential election of 14 April 2003 was a milestone in the self-declared, unrecognised republic's process of democratisation. Nearly half a million voters cast ballots in one of the closest polls ever conducted in the region: when the last votes had been counted and the results announced on 19 April, the incumbent president, Dahir Rayale Kahin, had won by only 80 votes.
A former British protectorate in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of the Somali Republic in May 1991, following the collapse of the military regime in Mogadishu. Although unrecognised by any country, Somaliland has followed a very different trajectory from the rest of the 'failed state' of Somalia, embarking on a process of internally driven political, economic and social reconstruction. Somaliland?s democratic transition began in May 2001 with a plebiscite on a new constitution that introduced a multiparty electoral system, and continued in December 2002 with local elections that were widely described as open and transparent. The final stage of the process - legislative elections - is scheduled to take place by early 2005.
The electoral process has met with widespread approval from domestic and international observers alike, but has not been without problems. The enlistment of government resources and personnel in support of the ruling party's campaign, the disqualification of numerous ballot boxes due to procedural errors, reports of government harassment and intimidation of opposition supporters in the aftermath of the election, and the opposition?s initial refusal to accept defeat all marred an otherwise promising democratic exercise.
The next phase of the democratic transition will be the most critical: until opposition parties are able to contest parliamentary seats, Somaliland will function as a de facto one party state. Somaliland's international partners can play a key role in assisting the National Electoral Commission to convene legislative elections with the least possible delay, while ensuring a level playing field. Constitutional and judicial reforms may also be required to ensure the integrity of the democratic process over the long-term.
Somaliland's increasingly credible claims to statehood present the international community with a thorny diplomatic dilemma at a time when southern Somali leaders are meeting under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with the aim of establishing a new Somali government. Recognition of Somaliland, although under consideration by a growing number of African and Western governments, is still vigorously resisted by many members of both the African Union (AU) and the Arab League on the grounds that the unity and territorial integrity of member states is sacrosanct. Furthermore, the creation of a new Somali government emerging from the IGAD process that claims jurisdiction over Somaliland threatens to open a new phase in the Somali conflict.
Diplomatic hopes for a negotiated settlement between Somaliland and a future Somali government, however, are unlikely to bear fruit. A hypothetical dialogue on Somali unity would have to overcome mutually exclusive preconditions for talks, divergent visions of what a reunited Somali state might look like and incompatible institutional arrangements. Failing a negotiated settlement, any attempt to coerce Somaliland back to the Somali fold would entail a bitter and probably futile conflict. The question now confronting the international community is no longer whether Somaliland should be recognised as an independent state, but whether there remain any viable alternatives.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To the Somaliland Government:
Demonstrate a genuine commitment to pluralism by releasing remaining political detainees and reinstating any government employees dismissed from their jobs for political reasons.
Withdraw the proposed press law and invite the independent media to assist in drafting legislation more conducive to the development of independent yet responsible media.
Conclude the formal transition to a multiparty political system with the least possible delay, by setting the date of parliamentary elections within less than twelve months.
Introduce legislation providing for reasonable subsidies to all official political parties on an equitable basis.
Demonstrate a commitment to human rights by investigating past abuses, taking corrective action against those responsible and introducing new measures to strengthen the protection of human rights.
Initiate an independent review of the constitution, with particular attention to the three-party ceiling.
Undertake a comprehensive review of the electoral law, based on lessons learned.
Introduce legislation to strengthen the electoral process, including penalties for infractions of the electoral law.
Commission an independent judicial review, with a view to introducing reforms strengthening both the capacity of the judiciary and its independence from political influence.
To Donor Governments:
Provide party building training and financial assistance to all three official parties in order to prepare them for legislative elections.
Offer technical and financial assistance to the National Electoral Commission in order to remedy problems encountered during local and presidential elections, and to assist in the design and implementation of an appropriate voter registration system.
Assist the government with other reforms intended to advance the process of democratisation.
Increase support for social and economic development in order to enhance the 'peace dividend' and preclude public disillusionment with the democratisation process.
Explore options for providing Somaliland with access to direct bilateral and multilateral financial assistance pending a resolution of the territory's legal status.
To the United Nations, African Union and IGAD:
Adopt a more open-minded approach to the question of Somaliland's ultimate status, in particular by:
dispatching fact-finding missions to assess the current situation and to recommend policy options, with leadership taken by either the AU's Peace and Security Council or the presidential troika (currently South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia) in view of the serious divisions within IGAD;
taking Somaliland's demands under formal consideration, including a legal review of the territory's case vis-a-vis the current AU charter; and
granting Somaliland observer status pending a final decision on its international status.
Source: afrol News, 28 July -
Somaliland recognition finds enhanced support
The internationally renowned Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group (ICG) in a new report favours an international recognition of the self-declared republic Somaliland. Historic claims, twelve years of stability and a remarkable democratisation should favour Somaliland's bid for recognition.
Recent developments had made the choice faced by the international community considerably clearer, ICG held in its report. Other countries could now choose between developing "pragmatic responses to Somaliland's demand for self-determination" or continuing to "insist upon the increasingly abstract notion of the unity and territorial integrity of the Somali Republic - a course of action almost certain to open a new chapter in the Somali civil war."
Somaliland's presidential election of 14 April this year had been a "milestone" in the self-declared, unrecognised republic's process of democratisation, the ICG pointed out in its thorough report, released today.
Nearly half a million voters cast ballots in one of the closest polls ever conducted in the region. When the last votes had been counted and the results announced on 19 April, the incumbent president, Dahir Rayale Kahin, had won by only 80 votes.
A former British protectorate in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of the Somali Republic in May 1991, following the collapse of the military regime in Mogadishu.
Although unrecognised by any country, Somaliland after that has followed a very different trajectory from the rest of the so-called "failed state" of Somalia, embarking on a process of internally driven political, economic and social reconstruction.
Somaliland's democratic transition began in May 2001 with a plebiscite on a new constitution that introduced a multiparty electoral system, and continued in December 2002 with local elections that were widely described as open and transparent. The final stage of the process - legislative elections - is scheduled to take place by early 2005.
- The electoral process has met with widespread approval from domestic and international observers alike, but has not been without problems, the ICG report noted. Several violations of democratic ground rules had been reported.
This had included the enlistment of government resources and personnel in support of the ruling party's campaign, the disqualification of numerous ballot boxes due to procedural errors, reports of government harassment and intimidation of opposition supporters in the aftermath of the election, and the opposition's initial refusal to accept defeat all marred an otherwise promising democratic exercise.
Thus, the ICH held, "the next phase of the democratic transition will be the most critical." Until opposition parties are able to contest parliamentary seats, Somaliland would function as a de facto one party state.
Somaliland's international partners could "play a key role in assisting the National Electoral Commission to convene legislative elections with the least possible delay, while ensuring a level playing field," ICG said. "Constitutional and judicial reforms may also be required to ensure the integrity of the democratic process over the long-term."
Somaliland's "increasingly credible claims to statehood" now were said to present the international community with "a thorny diplomatic dilemma" at a time when other (southern) Somali leaders are meeting under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with the aim of establishing a new Somali government.
Recognition of Somaliland, although under consideration by a growing number of African and Western governments, is still vigorously resisted by many members of both the African Union (AU) and the Arab League on the grounds that the unity and territorial integrity of member states is sacrosanct.
- Furthermore, the creation of a new Somali government emerging from the IGAD process that claims jurisdiction over Somaliland threatens to open a new phase in the Somali conflict, the ICG analysis says.
Diplomatic hopes for a negotiated settlement between Somaliland and a future Somali government, however, were seen as "unlikely to bear fruit." A hypothetical dialogue on Somali unity would have to overcome mutually exclusive preconditions for talks, divergent visions of what a reunited Somali state might look like and incompatible institutional arrangements.
- Failing a negotiated settlement, any attempt to coerce Somaliland back to the Somali fold would entail a bitter and probably futile conflict, ICG warned. "The question now confronting the international community is no longer whether Somaliland should be recognised as an independent state, but whether there remain any viable alternatives."
The report by the Brussels think-tank gave several recommendations. The Somaliland government was urged to "demonstrate a genuine commitment to pluralism by releasing remaining political detainees." Further, it should withdraw the proposed press law to create a basis for a free press and conclude the formal transition to a multiparty political system "with the least possible delay."
The UN and the African Union, on the other hand, were urged to "adopt a more open-minded approach to the question of Somaliland's ultimate status," in particular by dispatching fact-finding missions to assess the current situation and to recommend policy options.
The international community the should take Somaliland's demands under formal consideration, including a legal review of the territory's case vis-à-vis the current AU charter and grant Somaliland observer status pending a final decision on its international status, ICG urged.
The ICG is a renowned think-tank on international conflicts and has been seen to have large credibility within the UN, the European Union and the US. This is the first time any influential group has recommended the recognition of Somaliland's independence.
The Indian Ocean Newsletter, July 26, 2003, N. 1052
Agreement on Immigration with Great Britain
The Somaliland authorities signed a memorandum of understanding with their British counterparts authorizing them to send back to Hargeisa Somaliland citizens whose requests for exile in Great Britain were rejected. The British ministry of home affairs and the head of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Colin Harbin, are working on this accord. Harbin was positively impressed by the Denmark government's capacity to reduce the number of immigrants from Somalia and wanted to do as much with those who settle in Great Britain. Many British delegations visited Hargeisa last year and the beginning of this year to negotiate this agreement, which was finally approved in early July by the Somaliland ministry of resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration, in the event of a visit by Harbin to Hargeisa with British diplomats in post in Nairobi (David Bell) and Addis Ababa (Owen Richards).
www.africaintelligence.com
BBC Monitoring International Reports, July 22, 2003
SOMALILAND SAYS IT HAS "NOTHING TO DO" WITH ONGOING SOMALIA TALKS IN KENYA
Nairobi, 21 July: The authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have issued a warning against anyone trying to represent the region at the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya.
In a statement, received by IRIN on Monday (21 July), Somaliland warned Somali leaders and the international community to "abstain from any unfriendly declaration or acts against Somaliland".
"In the event that any person claims to be representing the government of Somaliland and/or its people in the ongoing Somalia peace conference, and in the event that such person or persons are accorded such status, the government of Somaliland hereby officially states that this will hinder any possible future dialogue between Somaliland and any future legitimate government of Somalia (former Italian Somalia) (brackets as received)", the statement said. The Somaliland minister of information, Abdillahi Muhammad Duale, added that Somaliland welcomed any peace deal between the parties "in the former Italian Somalia", but added "this has nothing to do with us".
Some Somali leaders attending the peace talks in Kenya have, in the past, proposed that extra delegates be allocated to represent Somaliland and have repeatedly called for the region to be brought into the process.
Duale told IRIN that Somaliland's position was well-known. "Our position has always been constant," he said. "We have never been part of previous processes and we will not be part of this one or future ones".
"Any claims or declarations of sovereignty over Somaliland by a future Somalia government will be viewed by Somaliland as an indication of hostile intent," he warned.
The Somaliland statement said the authorities were prepared to take part in a dialogue with Somalia "as equal partners, when and if a legitimate, democratically-elected government is established in Somalia (former Italian Somalia) with the full support and mandate of the people of Somalia".
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, but has received no international recognition.
Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 21 Jul 03 ) BBC Monitoring
Africa News, July 21, 2003/BYLINE: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Somalia; Somaliland Warns Against 'Declarations of Sovereignty'
The authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have issued a warning against anyone trying to represent the region at the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya.
In a statement, received by IRIN on Monday, Somaliland warned Somali leaders and the international community to "abstain from any unfriendly declaration or acts against Somaliland".
"In the event that any person claims to be representing the government of Somaliland and/or its people in the ongoing Somalia Peace Conference, and in the event that such person or persons are accorded such status, the government of Somaliland hereby officially states that this will hinder any possible future dialogue between Somaliland and any future legitimate government of Somalia (former Italian Somalia) [brackets as received]", the statement said. The Somaliland minister of information, Abdillahi Muhammad Duale, added that Somaliland welcomed any peace deal between the parties "in the former Italian Somalia", but added "this has nothing to do with us".
Some Somali leaders attending the peace talks in Kenya have, in the past, proposed that extra delegates be allocated to represent Somaliland and have repeatedly called for the region to be brought into the process.
Duale told IRIN that Somaliland's position was well-known. "Our position has always been constant," he said. "We have never been part of previous processes and we will not be part of this one or future ones".
"Any claims or declarations of sovereignty over Somaliland by a future Somalia government will be viewed by Somaliland as an indication of hostile intent," he warned.
The Somaliland statement said the authorities were prepared to take part in a dialogue with Somalia "as equal partners, when and if a legitimate, democratically-elected government is established in Somalia (former Italian Somalia) with the full support and mandate of the people of Somalia".
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, but has received no international recognition.
Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire, July 21, 2003
TRADE FAIR OPENS IN SOMALILAND
Mogadishu, Somalia (PANA) - An 11-day international trade fair opened on Monday in Hargeysa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland. Somaliland chamber of commerce chairman Abdurahman Sugal, officially opening the fair, said that Somalis and Syrian businessmen collaborating with the Somaliland ministry of commerce organised the fair.
Products from Syrian companies like electronic goods, building materials, clothing and others were being exhibited at the fair, where visitors are expected to also buy cheaply priced items.
The Syrian businessmen said that they were very satisfied with the business atmosphere in Somaliland and promised that they would continue doing business with the "breakaway" Somali province.