According to reliable sources, the United States is showing a renewed interest in Somaliland and has approached President Muse Bihi Abdi through a third party for a potential alternative aid corridor to Djibouti.
This week a United States Air ForceC-130J-30 Super Hercules transport plane landed in Berbera airport for an undisclosed mission. It is unclear if the Somaliland government has reached an agreement with the United States to use the Berbera airport and port and if such an agreement would constitute a change in the US’s recent stance on Somaliland. Both facilities have been recently upgraded to international standards.
Conflict in Ethiopia’s northern regions Tigray, Afar, and Amhara is creating a potential chokepoint that may hamper humanitarian aid delivery to the people of Tigray through Djibouti. Most imports to Ethiopia come via this rail system.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cooperation and officials at Berbera Port did not return calls for comment on the Airforce flight to Berbera.
Since the collapse of the Somali Republic, nearly every intervention on Somalia by the international community has failed. It started with Operation RESTORE HOPE in 1992 by the US army and it continues now with delayed elections and the prolonged war to eliminate the Al-Shabab terrorist organization. However, there were success stories such as ending the piracy off the shores of Somalia.
The only issue that didn’t invoke an intervention is the unilateral declaration of independence by the Somaliland people. This is despite the inviting 2005 African Union fact-finding mission that recommends finding a special method of dealing with Somaliland’s outstanding case.
In this article, I will explain why Somalia will never recognise Somaliland and for very good reasons. Then, I will explain why one last intervention is necessary for both countries.
In February 2012, the UK government hosted an international conference on Somalia where for the first time, Somaliland and Somalia agreed to start peace talks to address Somaliland destiny. As we mark its 10th anniversary, these talks have failed miserably since not only their relations has deteriorated but also the question of sovereignty has never been mentioned. In a smaller time frame, the world managed to end harder conflicts such as Scotland, Brexit, South Sudan and Kosovo to a certain degree.
Contrary to the common stereotype, the failure of the Somaliland talks is not due to the incompetency of either party. The question that the international community delegated to Somalia is one Somalia will always say NO.
Unlike the UK and Scotland, the union of Somaliland and Somalia has not been ratified. This is not to start the usual legal arguments of Somaliland leaders but to highlight that Somaliland in the new structure of Somalia is not a result of the union of equals or even unequals. While Somaliland still considers itself a founding country of the Somali Republic, Hargeysa is viewed as a region and a non-founding federal member state. If Somalia grants self-determination rights to one federal member state, it is setting itself on the path of Yugoslavia or close to home, Ethiopia. Therefore, Somalia cannot sincerely look into Somaliland recognition even if it was headed by David Cameron. The latter didn’t have a risk of Wales or Northern Ireland following the steps of Scotland. Again, their act of union was legally signed and it is a living document that serves in the handling of the Scotland question.
One of the goals of Somalia’s federal system is to address Somaliland’s quest for independence. Recognising Somaliland is a negative return in investment which leaves Somalia with a heavy legacy by maintaining a complex divisive structure compared to Somaliland’s stable central government. Furthermore, federalism in Somalia is slowly turning into a de facto confederal system thanks to the geopolitical pulls on Puntland and Jubaland. Accepting Somaliland by Somalia itself will only decompose it further.
Ironically, if Somaliland recognition comes as an intervention by the international community through a fair process, the Somalian government will be stronger in its engagements with the federal states after the dissolution of unity with Somaliland. With a guilt-free position, Somalia can reflect on what system of governance is needed and possibly move to a more centric form of that. It is also guaranteed that no one state in Somalia can dream of independence since no state possesses Somaliland’s unique attributes such as historical independence, genocide, and vibrant democracy.
Recommendations:
To the Somaliland government:
Accept the reality and stop wasting time by continuing the talks with Somalia. The situation is different from 1960. Somalia has moved on. No straight face or negotiation skills will convince her to become another Yugoslavia. After understanding this, continuing the talks only means a desire, maybe, to reunite with Somalia! Your efforts should be similar to the works of late President Riyale but with greater magnitude and wider outreach. Apart from western and African lobby groups, your new parliament should establish an international club of parliamentarians active all year worldwide keeping Somaliland on everyone’s mind.
To the International community:
The deliberate delay in addressing Somaliland quest for recognition is slowly damaging both countries. Somalia’s government structure is turning into a confederal and you have tasted some of that already in the latest election fiasco. In Somaliland, a prolonged lack of recognition could decay Somaliland’s social contract and replace it with extreme or tribal ideologies leading to a new wave of terrorism, civil wars, or both.
Acting on the AU fact-finding report, members of the international community should explore all options of interventions: A legal case in an international court, a referendum on dissolution, or even better, taking the bold action of what is best for the region similar to these great regional and world leaders.
The mounting rate of road traffic accidents both inside and outside urban centers in Somaliland remains one of the major, if not the sole, factor that cause the death of numerous people. On each day, a road accident occurs somewhere in the country with fatality, injury, and destruction of property.
In a country of 4.5 million people, 4654 road traffic accidents occurred resulting in 201 deaths, 3322 injuries, and the loss of 127 animals, in the year 2018 alone. The question that arises from this is: what are the root causes of this ongoing tragedy? Who is responsible for these fatalities? And what can be done by the Somaliland Government to minimize the rising number of road traffic accidents, both in and outside of cities?
This study examines the causes of road accidents and analyzes the negligence within state institutions, especially the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development, in tackling these accidents. The Ministry is expected to regulate drivers and inspect vehicles’ conditions in order to ensure public and community safety, by utilizing the services of traffic police, who are expected to enforce laws and regulations in order to curb the growing danger of road accidents. The study proposes certain measures to tackle road accidents.
After nearly two months since the Parliamentary and Local Council elections on May 31st and an intense jostling of the ruling party of Kulmiye and a coalition of the opposition parties of Waddani and UCID, the new Parliament convened and elected the opposition candidates for the speakership of the House of Parliament concluding weeks-long speculation of the new parliament’s leadership composition.
Hon. Abdirisak Khalif Ahmed of Sool region was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives with 42 votes. Hon Saeed Mire Giire of Sanag and Ali Hamud Jibril of Awdal were elected for First and Deputy Speakers positions respectively with 41 and 43 votes out of 81.
The constitution dictates that the Parliament’s first session should be chaired by the oldest member of the House of Representatives and Hon. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon)’s age and his candidacy for the speaker of the Parliament created a constitutional gap which was challenged by the opposition candidate Hon. Abdirasak Khalif Ahmed and citing precedents has successfully argued that Mr. Faratoon could not be a judge and contestant at the same time.
The issue was quickly resolved by the suggestion of The Chairman of the House of Elders Hon. Saleban Mohamud Adan that the session should be chaired by the Chief of Constitutional Court Hon. Adan Haji Ali instead of Hon. Faratoon which both sides have quickly accepted.
Candidates for the position of Speaker Honorable Abdirasak Khalif Ahmed of Waddani opposition party and Honorable Yasin Faratoon of the ruling party of Kulmiye were each given three minutes to address the first session of the parliament and made their case and final appeal for votes.
Hon Abdirisak Khalif Ahmed’s brief address to his follow MPs has centered around his understanding of the intersection of the executive, legislative and judicial branches and work with other branches and ability to unify the parliament and effectively restore the balance of power. He also touched on the importance of bridging a gap that exists between Sool region where he hails from, and the rest of Somaliland.
Honorable Faratoon spoke of his vision of how he will lead the new Parliament and focused on the need for more training and institutional support, international relations, and ensuring the new elected MPs are connected to their constituents
The transfixed public was treated to few unexpected curveballs when a Kulmiye Member of Parliament Hon. Ahmed Nur Guruje’s and others widely speculated to vote for Hon. Faratoon did not materialize for the ruling party, effectively giving control of the leadership of the House of Representatives to the opposition parties.
President of the Republic of Somaliland HE immediately sent his congratulations to the new the Speaker of the House Hon. Abdirisak Khalif Ahmed and his deputies and asked them to join him in the Presidency.
“This was not a victory for one man or a party. Today all of Somaliland has won. I welcome and congratulate the Speaker, the First and Second Deputy Speakers, and I congratulate the Speaker that was running against him. It was a close contest. It is a democracy and, I welcome the maturity he showed and how he conceded.” said President Bihi.
“Today, Somaliland is proud, and I am proud of Somaliland and I say this to Somaliland’s enemies: This is how far Somaliland has come. And to Somaliland’s only enemy still fighting in Mogadishu and all Somali speakers: You have all witnessed that Somaliland is the most transparent democracy despite tough elections, we are all united, and every citizen protects the nation and, all of Somaliland’s enemies and those trying to hold it back should learn a lesson from it.” The President continued.
Despite lacking international recognition, Somaliland has been widely praised for successfully holding transparent Parliamentary and Local Council elections on May 31st, 2021 where opposition parties have won the majority of seats in Parliament and mayoral seats in most major cities.
In a statement, the President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has asked the new parliament to convene on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021. The Constitutional Court has certified the provisional result of the vote for Parliament on July 7th, 2021. The new parliament is expected to elect the speaker and fill other leadership positions in its first session.
There has been fierce competition for the Speaker position between the ruling party of Kulmiye and a coalition formed by the opposition parties of Waddani and UCID. Most of the new members of Parliament, elected on opposition party tickets but following intense lobbying, some have broken party rank and pledge their support for the Mr. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) of the ruling party of Kulmiye, where others from Kulmiye have gone the opposite direction and supported an opposition-led parliament.
On Thursday, the leaders of the two opposition parties have criticized the President for trying to influence opposition members of parliament to back Mr. Faratoon.
President Bihi has enjoyed an amenable parliament led by his party, it is unclear if his proposals or appointments will face resistance in the new parliament.
According to preliminary reports from Las Anod, the regional capital of the Sool region of the Republic of Somaliland indicate that the Sool Regional Chairman of the National Election Commission Mr. Abdilahi Laba-go’le was shot dead by unknown assailants.
Multiple government and law enforcement sources stated that the incident is under investigation and no suspects have been identified.
In May last year, the regional commander of Somaliland Intelligence, Mr. Abdiqani Guhad Hassan, and the Sool Regional Court Chairman Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud were assassinated in Las Anod, more than a year later their cases remain under investigation.
In a short statement, Somaliland National Election Commission has sent its condolences to the deceased official’s family.
According to a statement by Mr. Mohamed Sidik Dhamme, a senior member of Waddani opposition party, the Erigavo Regional Hospital’s Complete Blood Work or CBC analysis equipment was stolen and sold in Garowe, the regional capital of the neighboring Puntland province of Somalia. Mr. Dhamme has attributed the theft of this machine to widespread corruption and negligence and stated that the Ministry of Health Development has not publicly disclosed the theft of this critical equipment from the hospital.
Mr. Dhamme stated that patients from Erigavo and four other districts in Sanag region are forced to use costly private facilities since the theft of the publicly-owned equipment from the regional hospital. He adds that the hospital’s service delivery has declined, and it is part of the overall pattern of decline in public hospitals but Erigavo is particularly affected by widespread corruption that includes the theft of oxygen cylinders intended for COVID-19 patients.
In response to Mr. Dhamme’s press conference, the regional health officials including the Regional Health Coordinator Dr. Hassan Ahmed Salah and the Director of the Erigavo Regional Hospital Mr. Farah Abdillahi Yusuf spoke to the media have downplayed the cost of the equipment and the significance of the stolen complete blood work analysis equipment and added that it was quickly replaced by the Ministry of Health Development.
The officials who seemed annoyed by the disclosure of the theft of the equipment took particular issue with Mr. Dhamme’s assertion that it was sold in Garowe and called on authorities to treat him as a witness as he may have additional information related to the case. Officials did not state if the theft of the equipment would result in disciplinary action for other officials beyond those currently in custody.
The government officials who spoke to the press stated that multiple individuals are in custody and the case is under investigation by the Police Criminal Investigation Department and that they did not want to give details while the incident was under investigation.
Government records from the Ministry of Health Development seen by Somaliland Chronicle show two transactions totaling 75 million Somaliland Shilling or 8,823 US dollars were approved late last month for unspecified medical lab equipment for Erigavo Regional Hospital. It is unclear if these transactions are directly related to the stolen Complete Blood Work or CBC analysis equipment.
Payee
Date
SL Shilling
US Dollars
Human Care Diagnostic
22-Jun-21
39,560,000.00
$ 4,654.12
Tasnim Medical Diagnostic
28-Jun-21
35,440,000.00
$ 4,169.41
Total
75,000,000.00
$ 8,823.53
Ministry of Health Development, its regional officials, and the hospital have not disclosed the theft of this critical equipment before Mr. Dhamme’s press conference. Efforts to reach the Ministry of Health Development for details on this incident and if similar theft has occurred in the past were unsuccessful.
Technology Could Lead to More Natural Communication for People Who Have Suffered Speech Loss
By Robin Marks
Researchers at UC San Francisco have successfully developed a “speech neuroprosthesis” that has enabled a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences, translating signals from his brain to the vocal tract directly into words that appear as text on a screen.
The achievement, which was developed in collaboration with the first participant of a clinical research trial, builds on more than a decade of effort by UCSF neurosurgeon Edward Chang, MD, to develop a technology that allows people with paralysis to communicate even if they are unable to speak on their own. The study appears July 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Eddie Chang performing brain surgery. Photo by Barbara Ries
“To our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of direct decoding of full words from the brain activity of someone who is paralyzed and cannot speak,” said Chang, the Joan and Sanford Weill Chair of Neurological Surgery at UCSF, Jeanne Robertson Distinguished Professor, and senior author on the study. “It shows strong promise to restore communication by tapping into the brain’s natural speech machinery.”
Each year, thousands of people lose the ability to speak due to stroke, accident, or disease. With further development, the approach described in this study could one day enable these people to fully communicate.
Translating Brain Signals into Speech
Previously, work in the field of communication neuroprosthetics has focused on restoring communication through spelling-based approaches to type out letters one-by-one in text. Chang’s study differs from these efforts in a critical way: his team is translating signals intended to control muscles of the vocal system for speaking words, rather than signals to move the arm or hand to enable typing. Chang said this approach taps into the natural and fluid aspects of speech and promises more rapid and organic communication.
“With speech, we normally communicate information at a very high rate, up to 150 or 200 words per minute,” he said, noting that spelling-based approaches using typing, writing, and controlling a cursor are considerably slower and more laborious. “Going straight to words, as we’re doing here, has great advantages because it’s closer to how we normally speak.”
Over the past decade, Chang’s progress toward this goal was facilitated by patients at the UCSF Epilepsy Center who were undergoing neurosurgery to pinpoint the origins of their seizures using electrode arrays placed on the surface of their brains. These patients, all of whom had normal speech, volunteered to have their brain recordings analyzed for speech-related activity. Early success with these patient volunteers paved the way for the current trial in people with paralysis.
But their success in decoding speech in participants who were able to speak didn’t guarantee that the technology would work in a person whose vocal tract is paralyzed. “Our models needed to learn the mapping between complex brain activity patterns and intended speech,” said Moses. “That poses a major challenge when the participant can’t speak.”
In addition, the team didn’t know whether brain signals controlling the vocal tract would still be intact for people who haven’t been able to move their vocal muscles for many years. “The best way to find out whether this could work was to try it,” said Moses.
The First 50 Words
To investigate the potential of this technology in patients with paralysis, Chang partnered with colleague Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD, an associate professor of neurology, to launch a study known as “BRAVO” (Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice). The first participant in the trial is a man in his late 30s who suffered a devastating brainstem stroke more than 15 years ago that severely damaged the connection between his brain and his vocal tract and limbs. Since his injury, he has had extremely limited head, neck, and limb movements, and communicates by using a pointer attached to a baseball cap to poke letters on a screen.https://www.youtube.com/embed/_GMcf1fXdW8?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0
The participant, who asked to be referred to as BRAVO1, worked with the researchers to create a 50-word vocabulary that Chang’s team could recognize from brain activity using advanced computer algorithms. The vocabulary – which includes words such as “water,” “family,” and “good” – was sufficient to create hundreds of sentences expressing concepts applicable to BRAVO1’s daily life.
For the study, Chang surgically implanted a high-density electrode array over BRAVO1’s speech motor cortex. After the participant’s full recovery, his team recorded 22 hours of neural activity in this brain region over 48 sessions and several months. In each session, BRAVO1 attempted to say each of the 50 vocabulary words many times while the electrodes recorded brain signals from his speech cortex.
Translating Attempted Speech into Text
To translate the patterns of recorded neural activity into specific intended words, the other two lead authors of the study, Sean Metzger, MS and Jessie Liu, BS, both of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering, used custom neural network models, which are forms of artificial intelligence. When the participant attempted to speak, these networks distinguished subtle patterns in brain activity to detect speech attempts and identify which words he was trying to say.
To test their approach, the team first presented BRAVO1 with short sentences constructed from the 50 vocabulary words and asked him to try saying them several times. As he made his attempts, the words were decoded from his brain activity, one by one, on a screen.
Then the team switched to prompting him with questions such as “How are you today?” and “Would you like some water?” As before, BRAVO1’s attempted speech appeared on the screen. “I am very good,” and “No, I am not thirsty.”
The team found that the system was able to decode words from brain activity at rate of up to 18 words per minute with up to 93 percent accuracy (75 percent median). Contributing to the success was a language model Moses applied that implemented an “auto-correct” function, similar to what is used by consumer texting and speech recognition software.
Moses characterized the early trial results as a proof of principle. “We were thrilled to see the accurate decoding of a variety of meaningful sentences,” he said. “We’ve shown that it is actually possible to facilitate communication in this way and that it has potential for use in conversational settings.”
Jessie Liu, BS, David Moses, PhD, and Sean Metzger, MS.
Looking forward, Chang and Moses said they will expand the trial to include more participants affected by severe paralysis and communication deficits. The team is currently working to increase the number of words in the available vocabulary, as well as improve the rate of speech.
Both said that while the study focused on a single participant and a limited vocabulary, those limitations don’t diminish the accomplishment. “This is an important technological milestone for a person who cannot communicate naturally,” said Moses, “and it demonstrates the potential for this approach to give a voice to people with severe paralysis and speech loss.”
Authors: The full author list is David A. Moses, PhD*; Sean L. Metzger, MS*; Jessie R. Liu, BS*; Gopala K. Anumanchipalli, PhD; Joseph G. Makin, PhD; Pengfei F. Sun, PhD; Josh Chartier, PhD; Maximilian E. Dougherty, BA; Patricia M. Liu, MA; Gary M. Abrams, MD; Adelyn Tu-Chan, DO; Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD; and Edward F. Chang, MD, all of UCSF. Funding sources included National Institutes of Health (U01 NS098971-01), philanthropy, and a sponsored research agreement with Facebook Reality Labs (FRL), which completed in early 2021. * Denotes equal contribution.
Funding: Supported by a research contract under Facebook’s Sponsored Academic Research Agreement, the National Institutes of Health (grant NIH U01 DC018671-01A1), Joan and Sandy Weill and the Weill Family Foundation, the Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation, the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, and the Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation. UCSF researchers conducted all clinical trial design, execution, data analysis and reporting. Research participant data were collected solely by UCSF, are held confidentially, and are not shared with third parties. FRL provided high-level feedback and machine learning advice.
About UCSF: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF’s primary academic medical center, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at ucsf.edu or see our Fact Sheet.
In a letter circulated on social media, the Minister of Water Resources Development Hon. Mohamed Muse Diriye Wacays has suspended the Director-General Mr. Mohamed Hassan Dirrir alleged infractions that include corruption and dereliction of duties.
The Minister’s suspension letter accuses the Director-General that work has ground to a halt on his watch and that correspondence and email communication were unanswered. The most serious allegation in the suspension letter states that Mr. Dirrir, the suspended DG has created fake stamps. The purpose of the stamps and what the Director-General used them for is not stated in the letter.
Although turnover is longer under President Bihi in cabinet and other appointed positions, the Director-General, Mr. Mohamed Hassan Dirrir was appointed by the President in October 2020 where the Minister Hon. Mohamed Muse Diriye Wacays was transferred from the Ministry of Information and National Guidance to the Ministry of Water Resources Development on December 2nd, 2019, where he held since President Bihi took office in November 2017.
Minister Mohamed Muse Diriye Wacays was the Deputy Minister for Interior in charge of security in former President Silanyo’s government.
The Ministry of Water Resources Development has been one of the least effective portfolios in making any difference in the lives of the people of Somaliland and particularly rural communities where water scarcity and repeated droughts have decimated valuable livestock. Municipal water agencies are independent of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Sources at the Ministry of Water Development who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, accuse the leadership specifically the Minister of widespread corruption and cite a specific case where Minister Diriye halted the construction of a dam funded by an Aid agency in the Eastern region of Sool until the implementing company made a direct tribute to him. Somaliland Chronicle cannot substantiate this claim.
There are other red flags as well. According to financial records reviewed by Somaliland Chronicle, under Minister Diriye, the Ministry of Water Development Resources spent 43,737.21 US Dollars on banquets for traditional elders. Some of these records show the banquets were hosted by the Minister and the Director-General.
Year/Month
Description
Establishment
Amount in SL SH
Amount in US Dollars
2020-04
MarMartiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer T/dheer ah
Golis restaurant Burco
10,625,000.00
$ 1,250.00
2020-04
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Baraar Hotel
7,369,500.00
$ 867.00
2020-04
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Summer TIme
6,800,000.00
$ 800.00
2020-05
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Fish Steak Restaurant
30,082,800.00
$ 3,539.15
2020-06
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Summer TIme
29,112,500.00
$ 3,425.00
2020-08
Martiqaad Casuumad ah oo ay Wasaaradda Horumarinta Biyaha u fidisay Marti sharaf ka socotay jaamacada maqale ee itoobiya
Hido Dhawr
22,482,500.00
$ 2,645.00
2020-09
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo Wasiirka iyo Agaasimeha Guud W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah Sida Ku cad Qaansheegata No.132 – 18/10/2020 GR. No. 0633093- 08/09/2020 Dalabka Ref:MOWD/03/288/2020 – 09/09/2020
Fish Steak Restaurant
50,000,000.00
$ 5,882.35
2020-10
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo Wasiirka iyo Agaasimeha Guud W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Fish Steak Restaurant
50,000,000.00
$ 5,882.35
2020-11
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo Wasiirka iyo Agaasimeha Guud W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Fish Steak Restaurant
50,000,000.00
$ 5,882.35
2021-07
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf Wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah iyo Marti Sharaf kaladuwan
Fish Steak Restaurant
72,000,000.00
$ 8,470.59
2021-07
Martiqaad Qado Sharaf oo wasiirka W.H.Biyaha uu u fidiyay Madax dhaqameed reer Somaliland ah
Baraar Hotel
43,293,962.00
$ 5,093.41
371,766,262.00
$ 43,737.21
In addition, the Ministry spent whopping $62,000 US dollars on local travel expenses for Minister Diriye and his entourage between March 2020 and April 2021. In 2019, the Ministry spent nearly half that amount on local travel expenses.
It is unclear what actions Somaliland Auditor General would take or if the Minister’s letter will trigger an audit of the Ministry’s finances. Although few officials have lost their jobs on corruption allegations, prosecutions on corruption charges against government officials in Somaliland are rare.
Minister Diriye’s predecessor at the Ministry of Water Resources Development Hon. Saleban Yusuf Ali Koore, the current Minister of Information and National Guidance has faced similar allegations of corruption and has also suspended the Director-General on insubordination and other transgressions few months before he and Minister Diriye were swapped.
Attempts to reach Minister Diriye and Director General Dirrir for comments were unsuccessful.
According to sources, the President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has completed a major reshuffle of his government. Sources add the changes will be announced after the ongoing contest for the Speaker of the Parliament between Kulmiye and Opposition parties is settled.
Although President Bihi has made changes to his government several times, some of his cabinet members and other presidential appointees are holdovers from the previous government of President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo.
Many positions remain unfilled whose incumbents resigned to run for Parliament or local council seats this includes the Foreign Affairs portfolio which has been vacant since early March when Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) resigned. He has since won a seat in the upcoming Parliament where he is seeking the Speakership position.
Sources state that President Bihi has been successful in keeping government changes under wraps may take a cue from the recent voter sentiment where opposition parties have outperformed the ruling party of Kulmiye and swept in Mayor Abdikarim Ahmed Moge and the new member of Parliament Mr. Barkhad Batun and may seek out similarly influential politicians.
Members of President Bihi’s cabinet who spoke on background confirmed the expected reshuffle. The Office of the President has denied that any government reshuffle is forthcoming and dismissed the reshuffle as mere rumors.
