In a little-noticed story published by the New York Times in the aftermath of the US Presidential elections, the currently US Acting Secretary of Defence Mr. Christopher Miller hatched a plan to start negotiations with the Somali terror group Al-Shabaab. The plan was blessed by Mr. Kash Patel who at the time held a senior position at the National Security Council. Mr. Miller has traveled to Qatar and convinced officials there to broker negotiations with Alshabaab.
According to the report by the New York Times, Mr. Pompeo who was initially unaware of Mr. Miller’s plan to negotiate with Al-Shabaab and trip to Qatar has shut it down as half-baked.
A U.S. Army soldier provides security for a U.S. Air Force C-130 Super Hercules during a stopover in Somalia on February 6, 2020. Image via AFRICOM.
The Acting Defense Secretary Mr. Miller was appointed by President Trump when resignations plans by the former defense chief Mr. Mark Esper has become public. Mr. Miller has since taken the helm at the Pentagon has paid a rare visit to Somalia and has met with US troops serving there. The US government has started plans to withdraw its 700 troops from Somalia.
General Stephen Townsend, head of AFRICOM called the withdrawal of US forces from Somalia a “directed re-positioning”, and in a warning to Al-Shabaab said, “We remain committed to helping our African partners build a more secure future. We also remain capable of striking al-Shabaab at the time and place of our choosing — they should not test us.”.
Although it is not clear if Mr. Miller will continue to explore a negotiated settlement with Al-Shabaab and if the idea still holds merit after the withdrawal of US troops, his appointment to head the Pentagon gives him an opportunity see through such plans which may have his boss’s blessing given that Mr. Trump’s National Security Advisor Mr. Robert C. O’Brien was aware of Mr. Miller’s trip to Doha.
Mr. Miller who has spent decades in US Special Forces is described as someone who holds bureaucracy in disdain and has no diplomatic experience to handle delicate matters of this magnitude. According to the report by the New York Times, the cancellation of Mr. Miller’s plans by Secretary Pompeo has put the US in an awkward position given that his plans were endorsed by the Emir of Qatar.
Qatar has been accused in the past of having deep ties with terror organizations such as the Taliban and Al-Shabaab. The New York Times published a report in July 2019 that implicated Qatar’s Ambassador in a car bombing in Bossasso, Somalia in an effort to drive out the United Arab Emirates — its main rival in Somalia.
According to government sources, the President of the Republic of Somaliland H.E. Muse Bihi Abdi is traveling to Djibouti in the coming days. The purpose of the President’s travel to Djibouti has not been disclosed.
President Bihi arrives in Djibouti for Somaliland – Somalia talks in June
President Bihi was in Djibouti in June this year for the Somaliland – Somalia talks. This visit comes days after the close fo the 38th IGAD Extra-Ordinary Session where the leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia have met and discussed a range of issues including the diplomatic row between Kenya and Somalia, the war in Tigray, border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan and the Somalia and Somaliland talks.
The communiqué released after the conclusion of The 38th Extraordinary Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government has commended “the resumption of the talks between the Federal Republic of Somalia and Somaliland, and appreciated the role of regional leaders and the region in hosting and facilitating the talks;”.
Prime Minister of of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed and President of Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo.
Although the Somaliland government has not officially withdrawn from the talks with Somalia the talks have stalled and the technical teams did not convene in Djibouti. On multiple occasions, Somaliland has accused Somalia of not acting in good faith in the talks between the two countries.
It is unclear if President Bihi’s visit is related to the IGAD summit that just concluded, the resumption of the stalled Somaliland – Somalia talks, or if the visit signals a change of attitude in Djibouti towards Somaliland given its diplomatic push in Africa and warming ties with Nairobi despite Mogadishu’s objection.
Although Djibouti has maintained ties with Somaliland, President Ismail Omar Guelleh has pivoted to Mogadishu since the election of President Abdillahi Farmajo. Djibouti is Somaliland’s strategic rival and has seized Doraleh Container Terminal from DP World after the latter signed a deal to develop Berbera port. Djibouti has been ordered to pay US$485m to DP World by London tribunal in January 2020.
Somaliland Chronicle: As far as I remember the first South African delegation that visited Somaliland was in 2000. The delegation included Prof Iqbal who later became a great supporter of Somaliland and its quest for recognition but at the same time, the delegation back then paved the way for political understanding and sympathy in South Africa for Somaliland’s cause. Are you here to revive that informal relationship between South Africa and Somaliland?
Mr. Nxumalo: Yes and no. Yes in a sense that we want to resuscitate the relationship between Somaliland and South Africa but what we want to do now is to take it to another level. We want it to be formalized. The problem with the initial plan was that it was never formalized which made it easier for that kind of arrangement to be reversed because there was no paper trace where you can make a reference to the existing relationship. Now what we want to do is, we want South Africa as a country to formally make a decision as a country to recognize Somaliland as a state which will then go to the region, to SADC do the same and then go formally and make our own submission to the African Union and say as South Africa we want the opportunity to recognize Somaliland as a nation. So it will be easier with a paper trail so that whoever comes to leadership, the decision is there and it is a formal decision.
Somaliland Chronicle: We want to get on the economic potential of bilateral ties between Somaliland and South Africa, what areas do you think the two countries can work together be it trade, people to people diplomacy after the dust settles and maybe there is a recognition from South Africa?
Mr. Nxumalo: No, no, there is nothing that must happen before the other, some things will run concurrently. For example, as part of the delegation, we brought people from the Chamber of Commerce and one business person already. Once we are dealing with the political question we are also asking them to interact with people in business so they start to share ideas about what is possible that they do in Somaliland and South Africa but in addition to that, sometime next year, the first quarter of next year, we are convening what we are calling Somaliland Trade and Investment Conference where we are inviting Somaliland and South African businesses, the relevant departments from both countries but also identify what are other countries in the continent that we think are strategic in terms of the development of Somaliland in investment or trade. We will also invite those so at a conference there could be a certain minimum agreement that can be reached on things that can happen, whether the political questions have been resolved or not. Parallel tracks. And I think the business people in the delegation have already started to agree on certain things be it the issue of energy, mining, transport, rail, ports, manufacturing, and agriculture. There are certain things already we can say we are almost very close to the minimum things that can be done.
Somaliland Chronicle: In 2018, we asked Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, Jr. about why the United States has not engaged Somaliland in a meaningful way and although he had acknowledged Somaliland’s legal case for recognition stated that the appropriate forum is the African Union. It Seems that Somaliland has embarked on that path and is looking inward into the continent, currently, Somaliland is hosting a delegation led by Minister Foreign Affairs of Malawi Mr. Eisenhower Mkaka, your delegation is here, and the President just came back from Kenya where he met with Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, how do you see Somaliland’s effort and looking inward into to the continent in trying to get the recognition from Africa as opposed to looking potentially to the US or UK and other countries?
Mr. Nxumalo: One of the things we have indicated today in our meeting with the President is that we are quite impressed by what we have seen in the past few days, especially when the President visited Nairobi and the meeting with the President of Kenya and some of the agreements that were reached but also the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malawi has just left now. It is also an important part that the country must double its efforts in mobilizing other states in the continent so that when we begin to engage with people outside of the continent we engaged as a united Africa instead of having Somaliland saying something and South Africa saying something else. Now, the work that is being done now, and we are not saying that Somaliland should not engage with countries outside of the continent, if there is any country outside of the continent that shows potential it must be pursued. It will be important that we engage broadly in the continent before we can go outside of the continent.
Special thanks to the Somaliland Representative to South Africa Mr. Ahmed Jama Hassan for arranging the interview with Mr. Mhlekwa Nxumalo, who is currently leading the South African delegation visiting Somaliland.
In a ceremony, presided by Taiwan’s Ambassador to Somaliland Mr. Allen C. Lou, Taiwan Technical Office and the Ministry of Agricultural Development have signed an agricultural cooperation agreement today.
The new agreement signed today is aimed to improve the production and quality of vegetables and fruits in Somaliland and could contribute significantly to the country’s food security. Most daily stables are currently imported from Ethiopia.
“The objectives of this project are to establish a nursery in demonstration farm, introducing new vegetables and fruits for trial and select suitable ones for an extension, through training and field workshop to improve field management techniques and campaigning of post-harvest process. It’s expected that the profit and income of the farmers will be benefited.” Explained Mr. Allen C Lou, Taiwan’s Ambassador in Somaliland.
This is the third major initiative unveiled by Taiwan since opening its Representative Office in Somaliland. So far, it has inked the Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Project agreement with the Ministry of Health, announced two scholarships to Somaliland students and besides today’s agricultural agreement, a collaboration to build Somaliland’s e-government is expected to be announced soon.
During his remark at the signing ceremony, Ambassador Allen C. Lou explained how these projects are different from anything that was done in Somaliland and the advantage of the Taiwan Model “I would like take this opportunity to share “Taiwan Model in Somaliland” with you all. What is Taiwan Model in Somaliland? It is bilateral, same as what Taiwan does in its diplomatic allies, instead of multilateral as other countries do. It is with the implication of diplomatic support. We based on Somaliland’s urgent needs and Taiwan’s advantages to set the priorities to implement agreed projects. Taiwan dispatches the ICDF (International Cooperation and Development) Technical Mission to Somaliland. We focus on capacity building and training first. Intangible and institutionalized. We are project oriented. Taiwan model in Africa is benefitting the people directly and leaving no debt traps. The spirit of the Taiwan model is: Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Mars Shiue, Leader of the Taiwan Technical Mission with Director General of Ministry of Agriculture Development, Dr. Ahmed Ali Mah.
In a press release, Somaliland’s Central Bank has requested that the mobile money operators comply with the government’s monetary policies and measures intended to prevent currency inflation. Somaliland government issued directives that prevented mobile money users from using their systems for any amount less than 100 US dollars in 2018.
According to the press release, Telesom, Dahabshiil, and Golis telecom have been asked with the directives effective 1st February 2021.
The bank’s latest directive comes at a time when the majority of the users of these mobile money platforms lack the ability to use less than 100 US dollars has already been restricted. However, a Zaad clone service known as Sahal and operated by Golis has not implemented the bank-ordered restriction.
Businesses and consumers have developed a simple loophole to utilize less than 100 US dollars on Zaad and e-Dahab mobile money platforms. In a nutshell, one user sends the other $100+[the transaction amount], the other user returns the $100 to the sender. Although it is predicated on one of the users having a balance greater than $100, this simple loophole has allowed users to get around the bank-imposed restriction on the transaction amounts.
Although a large percent of Somaliland’s population are considered unbanked, most have access to mobile money services through their phone carriers. Somaliland has been widely praised for its adoption of mobile money.
Zaad operated by Telesom, the telecom company that dominates Somaliland’s telecommunication sector and by extension its mobile money service. e-Dahab owned by Dahabshiil is a distant second. Currently, there is no carrier interoperability between Telesom and Somtel in Somaliland and as a result, electronic transactions are restricted to either Zaad or e-Dahab.
A test of Zaad and e-Dahab mobile money service to send less than 100 US dollars has not been unsuccessful.
The Independent Somaliland Civil Society Organizations (ISCO Somaliland) regrets and condemns the Somaliland Ministry of Youth and Sports’ decision to cancel the first women’s national football tournament. The Ministry’s decision said it is against Islamic Sharia women to play outdoor games. The Ministry issued the decision the same day the games were scheduled to start.
The ISCO Somaliland is concerned about the increasing pressure on women’s issues, and the selective application of strict interpretation of “Sharia” on women issues. The measures of the Ministry are against Somaliland laws, and it will put an extra burden on women to exercise their fundamental rights and life enjoyment.
The Independent Somaliland Civil Society organizations (ISCO Somaliland) calls the Somaliland Ministry of Youth and Sports to reverse its decision urgently and allow the young girls to hold their football tournament without interruptions, and should not impose special rules on women footballers.
We are calling on the Somaliland government to respect women’s rights under the Somaliland constitution. Somaliland has one of the best democracies in the region, that its citizens have the power to elect their representatives through polling stations. Women are nearly 50% of the voters in every election, but the outcome of these elections became a male favored since they are the least represented in leadership positions including the elected officials. Women secure only 2.7% of 407 directly elected officials including the House of Representatives, the Local Councils, and the Presidential, and 6% of the 214 highest government nominated positions.
Background:
On Thursday, 17 December 2020, the Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a decision cancelling women football tournament scheduled to start in Somaliland on the same day. The Ministry’s decision said the game conflicted Sharia law. A few weeks ago, the Ministry concluded men’s football tournament. Recently, the House of Representatives approved amended sexual offences bill that contained provisions punishing survivors of rape, outlawing forensic evidence and rejecting women as witnesses for rape cases. The Bill is allegedly based on “Sharia” law. Similarly, women’s quota for political participation was rejected.
In a brief conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) an important delegation from a sub-Saharan African country is paying an official visit to Somaliland today. Minister Faratoon would not say what country the delegation is coming from.
Unconfirmed reports state that the delegation is likely from Malawi and could include legislators and other government officials. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Liban Yusuf Osman has visited Malawi recently. The purpose of Mr. Osman’s visit has not been disclosed.
Somaliland has been very active in lobbying multiple African nations recently including South Africa, Malawi, and others.
It has been a few days since Somaliland has reached a new milestone in its quest for recognition when President Bihi visited Nairobi since taking office. Somaliland and Kenya have issued a communique on areas of cooperation between the two nations.
Kenya has become the second nation the Somali Federal Government has cut diplomatic ties after President Bihi has visited. President Bihi stated upon returning from Nairobi that Somaliland intends to make contact with every nation in Africa to give Somalia an opportunity to sever more ties.
According to multiple sources, the European Union has suspended budgetary support to the Somali Federal government due to the government’s attempt to rig the upcoming election, treatment of journalists, and human rights violations. Sources add, the decision to suspend the funding has come from the EU’s External Action Service and has been communicated to the Somali government.
The EU’s action follows the disagreement by the Federal Government and opposition parties on the composition of the electoral management committees. Villa Somalia has been accused of adding members of the NISA intelligence agency and others loyal to President Farmajo to the electoral management committees.
Ciidanku sharci iyo dastuur ayuu ku dhisan yahay, waxaana loo dhisay in ay dalka ka difaacaan cadowga. Ma aha in loo adeegsado dad shacab ah oo si nabad ah ra'yigooda u cabbiraya pic.twitter.com/YnaUSCXM6y
The council of opposition candidates strongly condemns brutality against peaceful protesters in #Mogadishu that has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/LXa3oFN5JG
Mogadishu was the scene of carnage on December 14th following major protests organized by the opposition parties against the embattled incumbent President Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. The use of live fire by security forces against protesters was condemned by opposition figures including former President Mr. Hassan Sheikh.
Somalia’s partners issued a statement on December 15th that urged the Federal Government and Federal Members states to “reconvene urgently and to reach out to other stakeholders to resolve concerns about the management of the electoral process through consensus-building so that timely, transparent, and credible elections embraced by the Somali people and all key stakeholders can take place. To that end, we welcome Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble’s commitment to convene the leaders in Mogadishu following his current visits to the Federal Member States.”.
EU is withholding 90 million Euros in budget support from the Ethiopian government due to its war in Tigray, It is unclear if other Somalia partners such as the United States and the United Kingdom would take similar action.
This is a developing story and we will update as we know more.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Sports of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Mr. Abdirashid Aided Yasin, the ministry has suspended the ongoing women’s soccer tournament for violating the Islamic Sharia. The letter did not cite specific Islamic edicts the tournament has violated but a Facebook post by the director added that the tournament has been suspended following the broadcast of the games.
The suspension letter refers to a prior agreement that the tournament should not be broadcast on media or social media and adds that the ministry has suspended the games following reaction from religious leaders and the public.
The letter did not specify if a change of attire or other measures to ensure compliance with Islamic laws and conservative values were attempted before the tournament was scrapped but the letter reaffirms the ministry’s support of sports for both genders as long as females play in close venues where no male spectators are not allowed.
Rights activists condemned the ministry’s action and characterized it as a symptom of lack of representation of women in the Somaliland government.
Efforts to reach officials at the Ministry of Youth and Sports for clarification on why the women’s tournament was suspended were unsuccessful.
To encourage outstanding international students to undertake degree studies (undergraduate, master, or doctoral degree) in Taiwan, the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) offers the Taiwan Scholarship Program.
Application period:
From 1 February to 31 March 2021.
Award Value:
Scholarship recipients will be given a monthly stipend of NT$25,000 (around US$860) for the Mandarin Language Enrichment Program (LEP) and NT$30,000 (around US$1000) for degree programs.
Recipients are responsible for all expenses during their stay in Taiwan. MOFA will not provide any other subsidies. MOFA will, however, provide recipients with one-way, economy-class plane tickets for direct flights to and from Taiwan.
Duration of Scholarships:
The award period for each program is as follows:
Pre-degree LEP: one year.
Degree programs:
Undergraduate program: four years maximum
Maser’s program: two years maximum
Doctoral program: four years maximum
Award periods must be continuous, with no breaks, and cannot exceed a total of five years.
Eligibility:
An applicant must meet all of the following criteria:
Must be Somaliland citizen.
Is a high school graduate or above with an excellent academic record, of good moral character and has no criminal record.
Has never attended an educational institution in Taiwan at the same level of degree or LEP that he/she intends to apply for.
Is not an exchange student through any cooperation agreement between a foreign university/college and an educational institute in Taiwan while receiving the scholarship.
Has not previously had a Scholarship revoked by an ROC government agency or other relevant institution.
Checklist:
The following documents are required before the application can be processed:
A copy of highest-level diploma or certificate and official complete grade transcript (if in languages other than English, an English translation should be provided).
Proof of application to university or Pre-degree LEP in Taiwan.
A photocopy of a TOEFL transcript, a certificate of English proficiency approved by Somaliland government, or documents to certify that the applicant has graduated from a program taught in English.
Study plan.
Two letters of recommendation.
Photocopy of applicant’s passport or proof of nationality.
The application package should be delivered to the Ministry of Education and Science, Somaliland (Receiver: Mr. Mohamed Jama Robleh, Director of univerities ; Email:directorhei@hotmail.com)
Please note:
The applicants need to get the admission first and then qualified to be awarded the scholarship.
The applicants can’t double apply another scholarship like TaiwanICDF Scholarship.
