BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 5, 2004
SOMALILAND: PUNTLAND FORCES GIVEN UP TO 6 JANUARY TO LEAVE DISPUTED TOWN
Laas Caanood: The minister of housing and rural development, Fuad Adan Ade, who is in-charge of Somaliland government's operations in Laas Canood, Sool Region HQ, has strongly threatened the militia from Majerteenia (Puntland region's main clan) who have invaded Laas Caanood that they will face military action by Somaliland forces if they do not withdraw (from the area) by next Tuesday (6 January).
Mr Fuad Adan Ade who was interviewed on phone from Laas Canood, spoke about the current situation in Laas Caanood and the strategy being adopted by (Somaliland) troops in Laas Caanood. The minister expressed little hope about the possibility of the militia from Garoowe leaving Laas Caanood and other areas in Sool Region.
The following is the interview:
(Jamhuuriya) You are in Laas Caanood and no Somaliland forces have entered the town and Puntland militia are increasing in number. What is your strategy?
(Ade) If they do not leave the town we will attack them. Afguduud (leader of Puntland forces) is from Laas Caanood and some of his maternal relatives there are on his side. Any bullets fired will only harm the Dhulbahante (main clan in Laas Caanood). (Local clan leader) Garad Saleban Garad is also involved in the matter. I do not want to attack the town. The Majerteen want fighting to start in the town and deaths of civilians. Somaliland on its part does not want any fighting in civilian populated areas but inside its own borders.
(Jamhuuriya) What is your mission and that of Somaliland forces considering that Puntland forces are already holding the town?
(Ade) The (Somaliland) forces are in Xargaga, seven kilometres from Laas Caanood. The Majerteen militia cannot dare to go a kilometre out of the town. I have massed up to 500 (Somaliland) Dhulbahante soldiers and they cannot dare to face us. We are sufficient enough to neutralize his (Afguduud) supporters. We have given them up to Tuesday to leave the town. Somaliland which has been using diplomacy and peaceful means for the last seven years will now move to secure its borders.
(Jamhuuriya) It is also being reported that Majerteen forces armed with new battle wagons have arrived in Laas Caanood from Garoowe. Is that true?
(Ade) This has been reported in an area 30km out of Laas Caanood. However, if these forces enter the town, Somaliland will send in four regiments which are ready.
(Jamhuuriya) Is it true that your forces attacked an FM station in Laas Caanood and caused damage on Saturday (3 January)?
(Ade) I can't boast I was not involved at all. When I arrived in Laas Caanood I called the young man in charge of the radio station and warned him about reports he was disseminating to the BBC on the studio. We hope that he has taken heed.
(Jamhuuriya) When do you expect to complete your mission?
(Ade) The deadline in next Tuesday. If these Majerteen men do not leave, do not heed people's the peoples' desires, we will subject them to some stern action. You know what will follow and what our response will be.
Source: Jamhuuriya web site, Hargeysa, in Somali 5 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 4, 2004
SOMALILAND LEADER VOWS "TO RESPOND TO PUNTLAND LEADER'S INTERVENTION"
Text of unattributed report "President Riyale vows to respond to Garoowe's interventions, and disavows Awil's charges against Silanyo" in English published by Somali newpaper The Somaliland Times web site on 3 January
The president of the Republic of Somaliland, Dahir Riyale Kahin, has said his government will respond to (Puntland leader) Abdullahi Yusuf's interventions in Somaliland with appropriate measures.
The president, who was speaking at a Thursday morning (1 January) press conference held in his office, declined to specify the type of measures that he intended to take or fix a date for their implementation. He however said, "our security forces are on alert and we will do our utmost to defend the country".
Commenting for the first time on a widely publicized story in which Finance Minister Husayn Ali Du'ale "Awil" charged that former SNM (Somali National Movement) leader and the current chairman of the Kulmiye (Solidarity) opposition party, Ahmed Silanyo, was behind the assassination of Abdul-Kader Kosar and Adan Shine in Ethiopia in 1987, President Riyale said Minister Awil had only expressed his personal views.
On 6 December (2003), while Ahmed Silanyo was addressing party supporters among the Somaliland Bristol community in the UK, he made a passing remark to the effect that people with past human rights violation records should not be assigned to key government positions.
The statement was published in the Somaliland local press. Few days later, the finance minister shocked the nation by saying that he had evidence connecting Silanyo with the murder of Kosar and Shine, both former military leaders in the SNM's Liberation Army. Awil's accusations made headlines in the press for several days and continued to elicit a lot of negative commentary from Somalilanders inside and outside the country.
At the press conference, President Riyale denied that the government had anything to do with Mr Awil's charges against Silanyo. He said he was displeased with the accusations and counter-accusations exchanged by Silanyo and Awil via the media. "I believe this kind of behaviour doesn't serve the interests of the nation well, and it only works against the unity and progress of Somaliland," the president added.
Mr Riyale revealed that he gave instructions to members of his cabinet requiring them not to respond in the event the opposition made offensive statements about the government. The president appealed to Somalilanders to preserve their spirit of national reconciliation and forgiveness. "At the series of Somaliland clans conferences held in Burco (1991), Sheikh (1992), Boorama (1993) and Hargeysa (October 1996 - March 1997), it has been agreed that we should let bygones be bygones." He however said issues that fall beyond this framework would be dealt with by the Genocide Commission in collaboration with the UN Commissioner for Human Rights.
Mr Riyale urged Somalilanders to refrain from using the following three statements: He wants to take us to Mogadishu, he was with the Faqash (ousted Siyad Barre's government), he took part in the genocide. "Those who use the above expressions for scoring political advantages are undermining our national unity," he said.
The Somaliland president addressed a wide range of issues. He said he gave orders to speed up investigations into the Boorama and Sheikh killings of Annalena Tonelli and Richard and Enid Eyeington (Italian and British aid workers) respectively. "As I mentioned before, this action would have only been committed by Somaliland's enemies, and once the perpetrators have been brought to justice and convicted, we will have no mercy for them."
President Riyale said his government's biggest achievements so far were holding the December 2002 municipal councils elections and the April 2003 presidential elections. He also hailed his recent trip to Djibouti as a significant foreign policy achievement. He said as a result of his visit, Djibouti agreed that each of the two countries would establish representative offices in the other; that Djibouti would accept Somaliland's passports; and that Djibouti would provide two electric generating machines for Hargeysa's power plant
The president described the criticism that his trip to Djibouti received from the opposition and the press as unjustified and unpatriotic. He also criticized the local press for lacking a sense of patriotism while reporting on issues. "The press was supposed to nurture harmony in society but on many instances they only sow discord within the communities," he said. Mr Riyale added that although the freedom of the press is guaranteed, it is important that the media refrain from sensationalism, and that journalists pay more sensitivity to their obligations as citizens.
Source: The Somaliland Times web site, Hargeysa, in English 3 Jan 04
The Washington Post, January 2, 2004
In Africa, What Does It Take to Be a Country?
BYLINE: Jeffrey Herbst
At least a small part of the future of Africa is being played out in Somaliland, the northwest portion of Somalia that declared its independence in 1991. In its bustling but impoverished capital of Hargeysa, the most striking contrast with most African cities is the sense of order. Police -- who, given their salaries, are almost volunteers -- stand in the hot sun and direct obedient drivers. Money-changers sit on the side of the street with huge piles of cash visible, waiting for customers.
Order is supposed to be the defining characteristic of a state, but Somaliland is recognized by no country in the world as a sovereign entity. Instead, the world insists on clinging to the fiction that Somalia has a government that rules over a united territory. Understanding why the world pretends that Somaliland does not exist tells us much about the foibles of the international politics of recognition.
Somaliland was a British protectorate during the colonial period. In 1960, during the rush to decolonization, Somaliland was independent for five days before joining with former Italian Somaliland to create the Somali Republic. In 1989 the government of thug-President Mohamed Siad Barre declared war on Somaliland because of fears that the Somalilanders wanted to go it alone. Government fighters, taking off from the Hargeysa airport, systematically bombed the city, destroying just about every building. In an event all but unnoticed by the international community, 50,000 people were killed and approximately 500,000 of the population of 2 million became refugees in neighboring Ethiopia.
For several years, strife and conflict continued, but Somaliland persevered. Order was gradually restored and a government formed; the refugees returned and embarked on a long process of rebuilding. In 2001, 98 percent of voters opted in a free and fair election for a new constitution that boldly proclaimed the case for independence. Somaliland then had successful, internationally monitored, local council elections in 2002 and a free and fair presidential election in April 2003. The presidential election was most notable because the ruling UDUB party, led by President Dahir Rayale Kahin, won by only 217 votes out of almost 500,000 cast. The opposition party KULMIYE challenged the tally but, in a moment of extraordinary responsibility given Somalia's history of having weapons resolve almost every conflict, eventually accepted the results. Somaliland is planning parliamentary elections this year (the legislature is currently appointed). At that point, it will have a far more impressive democracy than most African countries.
One would think that the natural response of the outside world to the extraordinary accomplishments of the Somalilanders would be respect and recognition, especially because Somalia still does not have a government and is still in absolute ruins a decade after one of the most expensive humanitarian interventions in history. That is not the logic of the Horn of Africa. About the only thing that the southern Somalis can agree on is that they do not want Somaliland to secede. The rest of Africa has not been of any more help. One of the decisions that African leaders took at independence was to retain the irrational boundaries they had received from colonialists, because they could not think of anything better and because they thought that any credence given to self-determination would cause the continent to descend into chaos. The permanence of boundaries has become a major asset for African leaders who do not have to prove that they control their territories or even that they are a legitimate government in order to be granted international recognition and sovereign equality.
The Somalilanders made their own peace without the benefit of international mediators and conflict resolution experts. Of course, they still face extraordinary problems. Literacy may only be 30 percent; education for girls is left to Koranic schools; significant parts of the government are corrupt; just about all men have weapons at home and a good many of them spend much of their income and afternoons chewing kat leaves, an addictive stimulant imported from Ethiopia. In addition, the recent killing of an Italian nurse and a British couple raised concerns across Somaliland that it is still vulnerable to terrorist attacks from those who are determined not to let secession go forward.
Nevertheless, recognizing Somaliland would be a strong signal to the rest of Africa that performance matters and that sovereignty granted in the 1960s will not be an excuse to fail forever. Few regions of any African country actually want to secede; thus the world could recognize the achievements and legal idiosyncrasies of Somaliland without experiencing massive disruptions of Africa's map. The Somalilanders, almost unanimously, ask what more they can do when the international community continues to recognize Liberia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo and other anarchic, violent places as sovereign units. It is time to give them an answer.
Jeffrey Herbst is professor of Politics and International Affairs and chair of the Department of Politics at Princeton University. He is also the director of the Council on Regional Studies. He has broad interests in African politics, economic policy making in the third world, and international political economy. He is the author of "States and politics in Africa: comparative lessons in authority and control"; States and politics in Zimbabwe; The politics of reform in Ghana; and many articles and essays on African politics and the foreign and the domestic aspects of South African politics. He has been a Fulbright Fellow twice, at the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Cape Town. He was also a McNamara Fellow at the University of Ghana, Legon.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 1, 2004
SOMALILAND SAID RECRUITING MILITIAS IN DISPUTED REGION
Somaliland administration is recruiting new soldiers in Laas Caanood.
This (recruitment) coincided with rising tensions sparked by an operation being carried out in Laas Caanood by Puntland's regional police administration. A Somaliland minister called Fuhad Adan Ate was said to be coordinating the recruitment exercise with the help of some Somaliland MPs who recently arrived in Laas Caanood. Reports added that the youth being recruited will be part of Somaliland's troops in Laas Caanood. The new step reportedly has created arguments among local people. (Passage omitted)
Source: Radio Shabeelle, Mogadishu in Somali 0500 gmt 1 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 1, 2004
US OFFICIAL HINTS POSSIBILITY OF SOMALILAND'S RECOGNITION
Assistant of US Foreign Affairs Secretary in Africa, Charles Synder, said that the USA might recognize Somaliland administration after US depression over Somali peace conference in Kenya.
Speaking in a ceremony held by a centre for African research based in Washington, USA, Charles said if Somali peace conference in Kenya fails, the USA will review its policy in the Horn of Africa.
Source: Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, in Somali 1 Jan 04
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 1, 2004
SOMALILAND OFFICIAL REJECTS ATTACK CLAIMS IN DISPUTED AREAS BY PUNTLAND LEADER
Information ministry spokesman of Somaliland has termed it a laughing matter to remarks made by the so-called president of the Majeertenia administration (Puntland administration) Abdullahi Yusuf who said that Somaliland is claiming his land (disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag). Abdullahi Yusuf made the remarks when he was interview by the BBC this afternoon.
The spokesman denied that Somaliland is launching attacks on Laas Caanood and saying Laas Caanood is part of Somaliland according to international boundary laws and the historical data held by the British.
Speaking on insults from Abdullahi Yusuf that the Somaliland president was attacking Laas Caanood from Boorama (home town of Somaliland president), the spokesman said President Riyale is not one based on tribe but is a national president. He said Somaliland's army and protection of its boundaries cannot be linked to a person or clan but it is a common view shared by all people of Somaliland, both government and public, government supporters and opposition, who support the government and the president in the national role of protecting Somaliland and its boundaries.
Source: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 31 Dec 03
BBC Monitoring International Reports, December 31, 2003
SOMALILAND: FRENCH ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER PRE-HISTORIC PAINTING NEAR HARGEYSA
Xavier Gutherz professor of archaeology at Paul Valery University III Montpellier, France, is back in the country for more detailed study of the superbly preserved pre-historic hand painting at Laas Ga'al site in Dubato area of Hargeysa Region.
The studious and soft spoken archaeologist arrived on 4 December 2003 leading a diverse team (of) specialists, 10 members French team that started it's work on the 5 of December.
Prof Gutherz in a interview at the Laas Ga'al site with THT (expansion untraced) correspondent Yusuf M Hasan said that the paintings are more sophisticated than another found in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea which makes Laas Ga'al the most important Neolithic rock painting site in the entire Horn of Africa and most probably the rest of Africa " these paintings are older than other in the Horn of Africa region and my estimate places them around 300 years of age though proper dating is to be done in Paris after our return to ascertain exact age" he added Eleven caves with similar painting within the Dubato area support the professors theory of Laas Ga'al archaeological value as the painting are more of high quality than any in the Horn. Prof Gurtherz thinks that the hand painters used Laas Ga'al as the main religious temple and sacrificial place for the pre-organized religious era prevalent at the time.
The paintings are dominated by a man with both hands raised up as in prayer with a cow whose neck is draped in a colourful cloth. There are paintings of other animals like donkeys, goats and other one similar to a dog.
He pointed out that the archaeological importance of Laas Ga'al is going to place Somaliland in the world headlines thus become a part of the country's quest for international recognition.
Professor Gutherz pointed out that his first mission of Dec, 2002 has generated a lot of curiosity and interest in France about Somaliland after it was covered by Le Monde, France's leading Newspaper.
He thanked the government of Somaliland for making his second mission a reality through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Minister Usman Ali Bile and the department of tourism staff who laid the carpet for his team and has been with the French day and night to ensure security and mission success.
Prof Xavier Gutherz concluded by promising to return for other research missions in the future. At the same interview the minister of Tourism and Culture who has been visiting French and Somaliland teams at Laas Ga'al informed the public that no diggings for Gold or other treasures was being done. These scientists from France are engaged in archaeological research which holds no financial gain for them at all, their research findings will ultimately belong to the country he informed.
Usman Ali Bile further stated that not a single item will be removed from the site "Prof Xavier Gutherz has requested that the site be placed under strict supervision to ensure that the paintings retain their originality" he revealed.
The minister asked the residents of Dubato to be vigilante against treasure hunters and others intent on malicious destruction , he concluded by promising to push for legislative and other protective measure.
Source: Somaliland Net web site in English 30 Dec 03
BBC Monitoring International Reports, December 31, 2003
ARAB LEAGUE OFFICIAL SAYS SOMALILAND TO BE RECOGNIZED IF APPROVED BY SOMALIA
Mr Samir Husni, the man responsible for the Somali desk in the Arab League Secretariat, said Somaliland cannot be accepted as a sovereign state by his regional organization unless its independence is approved through a referendum held in the whole of former Somalia.
"Somaliland's proclamation of independence cannot be endorsed by the Arab League unless approved through a referendum held in the north, as well as the south," Mr Husni said in an interview with the Somaliland Times shortly after his arrival in Hargeysa yesterday as the head of an Arab League fact-finding mission.
The Egyptian-born diplomat pointed out that such a referendum should be held under the auspices of the UN, and universally recognized organizations. He ruled out the possibility of the Arab League's endorsement of two Somali states before then. Mr Husni added that the Arab League has been aware of the atrocities committed against people in Somaliland during (former Somali President) Siyad Barre's regime. "While we are aware of the military campaigns waged against the north by Siyad Barre, Morgan, and others, however, that is not a sufficient reason for the Arab League to recognize Somaliland."
Mr Husni was accompanied on this visit by Mr Abdullah Mubarak Al-Uraymi, assistant to the Arab League's special envoy to Somalia; Zayed Al-Sabar from the Arab League Secretariat; and Shamsa Haji Muhammad Farah, a Somali woman who heads the Horn of Africa Department. The delegation will report back to Arab League Secretary-General Mr Amr Musa, on their findings in Somaliland. "We are going to examine the socio-economic situation in this region to compile an overall report on the needs," Mr Samir Husni said.
Mr Husni asserted that the Arab League member states would be expected to act on the recommendations of the report to be submitted by this mission. He concluded by saying the Arab League would be keen to deliver more aid to Somaliland in the near future.
Source: The Somaliland Times web site, Hargeysa, in English 28 Dec 03
BBC Monitoring International Reports, December 30, 2003
SOMALILAND SPEAKER CALLS ON PUNTLAND TO PULL OUT TROOPS FROM DISPUTED TOWN
The Speaker of the Republic of Somaliland's House of Representatives, Ahmad Muhammad, aka Adan Qaybe, has appealed to the Garoowe administration (Puntland administration) to pull out its aggression forces from Laas Caanood town (Somaliland and Puntland disputed areas) in order to avert any confrontations.
In a written press statement which was availed to Radio Hargeysa, he said Sool Region, which had been enjoying peace and stability for a long time, was today on the verge of being plunged into war because troops from the Majeertenia administration (Puntland administration) had invaded Laas Caanood town 10 days ago.
The tension caused by the Puntland troop's aggression may lead to military confrontations between Somaliland and Majeertenia. This, he said, would definitely lead to destruction and displacement of area residents.
The Speaker, therefore, appealed to the Majeertenia administration to pull out its soldiers from Laas Caanood with a view to maintaining calm.
The Speaker also appealed to the traditional leaders and intellectuals from the Sool Region to remain united and bolster security and stability in the region.
Source: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 30 Dec 03
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 30, 2003
Arab League delegation says Somaliland stable, peaceful
SOURCE: Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, in Somali 30 Dec 03
A delegation comprising Arab League members, who visited the self-declared state of Somaliland, have said in communique they recently released that recent killings of foreign aid workers in Somaliland, do not have an impact on its security and said the state is stable and peaceful. They also said Somaliland had made good progress particularly in social affairs and cooperation between its communities.
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 30, 2003
Somalia: Puntland minister disowned for comments on dispute with Somaliland
SOURCE: Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, in Somali 30 Dec 03
The vice-president of the Puntland regional administration northeastern Somalia has issued a press statement in which he said the recent interview given by Puntland's state minister for interior Warsame Abdi Shire to the BBC Somali Service , to the effect that the Puntland administration is unaware of what is happening in Sool Region claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland , is a personal view.
"The political activities in Sool Region are part of Puntland politics and Sool Region is one of the affiliate zones of the Puntland regional administration," the vice-president said.
Meanwhile, the Puntland parliament held an extraordinary session yesterday afternoon in which it reiterated that the interview was a personal one and that Shire's views did not reflect the official views of Puntland. Passage omitted
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 30, 2003
Somaliland, Puntland continue troop build-up in disputed area
SOURCE: Radio Midnimo, Boosaaso, in Somali 0949 gmt 30 Dec 03
Reports reaching us from Laas Caanood disputed area claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland say at least 600 lightly-armed soldiers arrived in the town of Laas Caanood late last night.
The reports further say the 600 soldiers are natives of the area, but loyal to President Dahir Riyale Kahin of Somaliland. The soldiers are being lead by a Somaliland minister, Yasin Mahmud Fartooyo. Our reporter in Laas Caanood confirmed to us this report.
The Somaliland minister of rural development, Fuad Adan Ade, also arrived in Laas Caanood town at about 3 a.m.
Latest reports from Laas Caanood say Puntland police are on a state of high alert and are advancing towards the base of the Somaliland troops in the area.
The Somaliland soldiers reportedly pulled out of their base when the Puntland police advanced on their base.
The Puntland forces are being lead by Col Abdirizaq Afgaduud.
The two rival forces are reportedly facing each other at Hargago Bridge, about eight kilometres out of the town. Passage omitted
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 30, 2003
Somaliland has begun operations "to defend itself" against Puntland - minister
SOURCE: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 30 Dec 03
Speaking to Radio Hargeysa, the Somaliland minister of state for rehabilitation, Mr Yasin Mahmud Faratooyo, has said the Somaliland government has begun operations to defend its territorial borders.
In a telephone interview this morning while in Laas Caanood, Hon Faratooyo said the Somaliland government operation was provoked by the so-called Majeertenia administration's Puntland administration recent incursions into the eastern borders of the Somaliland republic.
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 30, 2003
Somaliland Speaker calls on Puntland to pull out troops from disputed town
SOURCE: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 30 Dec 03
The Speaker of the Republic of Somaliland's House of Representatives, Ahmad Muhammad, aka Adan Qaybe, has appealed to the Garoowe administration Puntland administration to pull out its aggression forces from Laas Caanood town Somaliland and Puntland disputed areas in order to avert any confrontations.
In a written press statement which was availed to Radio Hargeysa, he said Sool Region, which had been enjoying peace and stability for a long time, was today on the verge of being plunged into war because troops from the Majeertenia administration Puntland administration had invaded Laas Caanood town 10 days ago.
The tension caused by the Puntland troop's aggression may lead to military confrontations between Somaliland and Majeertenia. This, he said, would definitely lead to destruction and displacement of area residents.
The Speaker, therefore, appealed to the Majeertenia administration to pull out its soldiers from Laas Caanood with a view to maintaining calm.
The Speaker also appealed to the traditional leaders and intellectuals from the Sool Region to remain united and bolster security and stability in the region.
BBC Monitoring International Reports
December 29, 2003
INDIAN POLICE IMPOUND "BILLIONS" OF COUNTERFEIT SOMALI CURRENCY
Police in Hyderabad, southwest of India, say they have impounded Somali counterfeit currency totalling billions in an operation they had carried out in a place well-known for making counterfeit goods.
A police spokesman in Hyderabad told an Indian newspaper, The Electric Press, that the police had impounded billions of Somali counterfeit currency printed in India.
The money was stored in two huge stores, adding that they had also arrested some Indian men suspected of printing the money.
The police also impounded counterfeit Brazilian currency, which was also printed in India. Somalia's ambassador to India has said he was unaware of the matter but would soon contact the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further information. (Passage omitted).
According to other reports, the impounded counterfeit money included Somaliland currency which was reportedly much more than the (southern) Somali counterfeit money.
Source: Xog-Ogaal, Mogadishu, in Somali 29 Dec 03