Investigative Reports

Somaliland Office in Taiwan Rejects Sexual Misconduct Allegations

The Republic of Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan has...

Ministry of Information Spends 600,000 US Dollars to Fix a Decade Old Radio Station

According to a contract signed by the Minister of Information, Culture...

How Somalia is trying to Stifle Somaliland – US ties with an Online Troll and a pseudo-Charitable Organization

In February, June, and  August 2022, Mr. Okeke-Von Batten filed Lobby Disclosure Act...
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President Bihi Reshuffles Director Generals

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The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has reshuffled his administration today for the fifth time since taking office two years ago.

President Bihi reshuffled 9 positions at multiple agencies including the Ministry of Environment and Rural Development, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Ministry of Water Development, Quality Control Agency, National Tender Board, Aviation and Airports and the Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Although the Presidency does not state a reason for such sweeping changes, 8 our of 9 appointees are Director Generals from various ministries. Director General’s are the day to day manager’s of an agency’s operation.

The latest changes did not affect the Ministry of Health Development or Hargeisa Group Hospital which has been in the news the last two days due to a scandal involving the death of a child for lack of oxygen.

Request for information on President Bihi’s latest changes to his administration and what prompted it and if it were not answered by the President’s office.

Six Death row Inmates Executed in Somaliland

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Somaliland Government executed six male death row inmates today in the early morning hours by firing squad. A brief statement from the Attorney General’s office confirmed names of the executes inmates and gave brief information of their next of kin and their victims.

Somaliland under its law and Islamic Sharia has the death penalty for murder, and although rarely carried out, due process issues has been raised in the past by Human Rights groups.

An out of court monetary settlement known as “mag” paid by perpetrator clan to the victim’s is a common in Somaliland.

According to sources, Somaliland has the beginnings of a crime scene expertise currently funded by the UK government but relies on eyewitness testimony and confession for murder convictions.

On twitter EU Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Nicolas Berlanga expressed the EU’s opposition to death penalty in all circumstances.

Somaliland Government Launches An Electronic Direct Deposit Service for Public Servants

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Somaliland Vice President HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici has officially launched a new service called E-Shilling that will be used to electronically direct deposit public servent’s employees in accounts in Somaliland Central Bank.

The new service is a joint operation by Somaliland Central Bank and Civil Service Commission and is being launched as a pilot on select government agencies including the Ministry of Finance and others.

According to the information shared by government officials who attended the unveiling ceremony, the new cashless service will solve logistical issues associated with distribution of large quantities of cash for public servants and will have the added benefit of reducing corruption, although, how the system will achieve the last point was not elaborated by the officials.

The service will enable public servants to receive their salaries on time and will have the ability to transfer to existing electronic currency platforms such as Dahabshiil’s e-Dahab and Telesom’s ZAAD.

The two largest telecom companies of SOMTEL and TELESOM are partners in the program.

Once fully functional, the program is expected to bring in a large customer base for Somaliland Central Bank and according to the Minister of Finance Mr. Saad Ali Shire, should help employees save a portion of their salaries.

Opposition Parties Accuse the President of Refusing to Dissolve the New Election Commission

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In the latest sage of the parliamentary and local council election delays in Somaliland between the ruling party of Kulmiye and the opposition parties of WADDANI and UCID, there is a fresh dispute surrounding the dissolution of the new Election Commission.

A joint press briefing held by the opposition parties after a close door meeting, the Chairman of Waddani Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Cirro stated that the President Bihi has informed them that he was unable to disband the new Election Commission despite the previous agreement on the recommendation of the mediation committee.

“We have met with the President for the third time and we expected a progress report on where things stand, and the bottom line is that the President is unable to execute the disbandment of the current Election Commission” said Mr. Cirro

Mr. Cirro called on the new Commission to resign to get elections underway as soon as possible for the sake of the country. He has also called on the mediation committee, the International Community and the public to play their role.

Finally Mr. Cirro stated that the two opposition parties will hold regular meeting to decide their next steps.

Shortly after, the opposition parties press briefing, the Deputy Chairman of the ruling party of Kulmiye Mr. Ahmed Abdi Dhere also speak to the media to explain his party’s position on the latest dispute.

Mr. Abdi Dhere stated that his party has accepted the recommendation of the mediation committee specifically to disband the new commission according to the law and added “the two Chairmen and the President met and there is simply no legal framework that allows the dissolution of the Commission”.

Kulmiye Deputy Chairman also explained the context and rejected the oppoisitions assertion that the President has refused to disband the Commission.

Conned Again – How a Swedish Tombstone Salesman Acquired All of Somaliland's Islands under the Guise of Fake Marine Conservation.

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On June 11, 2019, a high-level delegation of Somaliland Ministers consisting of The Minister of Environment and Rural Development, Ms. Shukri Haji Bandari, the Minister of Minerals and Energy Mr. Jama Egal and the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries development Mr. Hassan Mohamed Ali Gafadhi visited Sweden and met with members of the Swedish Parliament, community and business interests looking to invest in Somaliland.

The delegation’s visit got off to a rocky start when members of Somaliland’s community in Sweden accused the Somaliland Representative Mr. Zakaria Waes of facilitating a meeting with the ministers with members of Sweden’s far-right Sverigedemokraterna party and Mr. Mikael Thorstensson.

The most important aspect of the trip, however, was unknown to the public until early November, when Somaliland Representative in Sweden Mr. Zakaria Waes wrote on facebook to expect the airing of an important program on SVT. This was a 7-minute segment about a project known as Somaliland Marine Conservation Project.

So what do we know about the Project?

Although the sequence of events surrounding the conservation project is unclear, there were two major events, a signing ceremony in Hargeisa and the project unveiling in Stockholm.

At a document signing ceremony in Hargeisa, Ministers Shukri and Gaafaadhi, Representative Waes and Skinnar provided some detail of what the project entails.

Mr. Gafadhi, who at the time was the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development spoke at this event stated that the conservation project will cover an area of at least 35% of Somaliland’s coast with a total ban on commercial foreign fishing.

The Minister of Environment Ms. Shukri who also spoke at the signing ceremony reiterated the importance of Somaliland’s marine resources but added that Somaliland’s all three Islands including the largest Sa’ada Diin will be part of this conservation project or agreement.

Although some news reports have mentioned Swedish government involvement, we could not find any links between this project and the Swedish government. 

Now, let’s look at the cast of characters involved in what could be the largest and perhaps least known agreement the Somaliland Government has entered since DP World Berbera port agreement.

Somaliland’s Representative Mr. Waes

According to Somaliland Representative in Sweden Mr. Zakaria Waes, who we have spoken to at length for this story, the conservation project is part of Somaliland’s commitment to the sustainable development goals in the marine conservation sector and the fact that the Swedish National TV had an entire segment dedicated to Somaliland and the project could improve Somaliland’s image.

Mr. Waes stated that this could be the project that gets Somaliland noticed on the world stage and put it on the map. He added that the people working on this project, presumably Skinnar and Waller will walk our recognition papers into the tall building in New York, a reference to the UN headquarters in New York.

Asked if the project had the full support of the government of Somaliland, Mr. Weis repeated a statement he made on the SVT2 segment that the President of Somaliland, HE Muse Bihi Abdi himself had signed off on it.

Despite his unbridled enthusiasm, however, Mr. Waes seemed to have a tenuous grasp on the basic mechanics of the project and even though he mentioned investors a couple of times during our conversation with him, he did not provide details on how the investors will get their return on investment.

The Swedish Investors: Skinnar and Waller

Let’s start with Mr. Marcus Skinnar, an atypical fast-talking Swede with deep links to China and the owner Edurus, a company that supplies tombstones to the Swedish market.

This is not Mr. Skinnar’s first trip to Somaliland or first fishing related endeavor, in fact, he has visited Somaliland frequently as a member of Anglo Somaliland Resources. A British shell company that somehow convinced the government of former President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud to make it the sole agent to distribute fishing licenses on behalf of Somaliland.

It is unclear what happened to the existing agreement with Anglo Somaliland Resources and how it will be affected by the Marine Conservation Project. Both entities share a common denominator in Mr. Marcus Skinnar.

Mr. Marcus Skinnar in Hargeisa with Anglo Somaliland Resources associates Sir Tony Baldry and Ian Fenwick

Mr. Skinnar who was in Maansoor Hotel in Hargeisa who spoke to us after a referral from Mr. Weis for more details on the project showed little interest in answering critical questions about this vast project and instead told us about his attempt to locate an undiscovered ancient pyramid in Somaliland. Mr. Skinnar, according to him, sees himself as an Indiana Jones of a sort.

Repeated attempt to get Mr. Skinnar to explain the project led to a lengthy explanation of how expensive electricity is stunting Somaliland’s economic growth and his plans to introduce underwater turbines that convert tidal currents from the conservation areas to produce cheap renewable energy.

Mr. Skinnar also took the time to explain how lucrative Somaliland’s untapped tourism sector, especially given its proximity to China and its vast and increasingly wealthy population.

Despite Mr. Skinnar’s hyperbole and repeatedly describing himself as a wealthy philanthropist, his company Edurus AB generated around 3 million US dollars in 2018 before taxes and expenses. This puts Edurus in the small business category.

Connection to Anglo Somaliland Resources

On the event held to unveil the conservation project, Mr. Skinnar seemed to distance himself from Anglo Somaliland Resources and stated that it was a conversation with Mr. Waller that convinced him to end his relationship with them because of their connection with the Chinese fishing industry and its record of decimating fishing habitats in other countries.

Mr. Skinnar also shared a different business that he is currently pursuing in Somaliland related to mineral exploration and the potential for quarrying expensive marble and granite, he added that Mr. Mohamed Mohamed Abdirahman who is a trained geologist is his partner in that business.

It is worth noting that Mr. Mohamed Mohamed Abdirahman is still listed as a Director with Anglo Somaliland Resources.

Although neither Mr. Skinnar or Somaliland’s Representative in Sweden Mr. Waes revealed any useful information about how much the project they were unanimous in pointing out that Mr. Waller is the business brain behind the project and that he is working on assembling investors for the project.

Which brings us to the money man – Mr. Johan Waller.

Mr. Waller is the founder of a successful management consulting firm known as Business Wellness Group founded in 2002 that generated around 60 million dollars in sales in 2018, beyond that, we do not know much about him or his relationship with the conservation project and the fact that he is the businessperson who will get the funding together.

Unlike his business partner Mr. Skinnar, Mr. Waller is a man of few words who politely declined to speak on the record and provide any information about the project.

Tourism Project Disguised as Conservation?

There are too many unknown variables with this project, starting with the astronomical cost required by such an effort and the fact that private investors do not see a conservation effort as a viable investment opportunity.

Mr. Waller, who makes a living showing other companies how and where to cut costs and how to maximize their profits will have a difficult time convincing investors to pour massive sums of money in a non-profit marine conservation effort.

Although tourism was not mentioned by either of the Ministers and only alluded to by Mr. Skinnar, it may be the most plausible reason that an investor will be interested in an island especially Sa’ada Diin

It is also entirely possible that this project is a permutation of Anglo Somaliland Resources with conservation and a Swedish veneer.

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Mr. Skinnar, second from right with President Bihi and Anglo Somaliland Resources associates Sir Tony Baldry and Ian Fenwick

Somaliland government has a history of signing agreements with shady entities with minimal due diligence. It is unclear how much effort went into vetting Mr. Skinnar and examining his relationship with Anglo Somaliland Resources.

It is also unclear if the Somaliland government completed any feasibility studies to understand the true cost of enforcing conservation on 35% of Somaliland’s coast or if tourism is a component of the agreement, how it will affect the fragile ecosystem of Sa’ada Diin and other islands.

Asked if President Bihi is aware of this project and is aware of the details, officials from the President’s office were unaware of a meeting with Mr. Skinnar or if the President have been briefed privately by the Ministers.

Ministers Gafadhi and Shukri did not respond to request to comment on the project and attempts to reach the new Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development Mr. Saeed Sulub Mohamed Hussein were unsuccessful.

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Somaliland Budget 2020: A cautionary note.

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As usual, before I look at the budget in detail, I must say a word or two about the definition of budget. Budget is a financial plan that articulates the objectives and goals of a government for a certain period usually a year. In other words, it is the annual economic strategy but there are occasions when planning, instead of helpful, becomes harmful. Budgeting is a difficult and daunting process of estimating both revenue and expenses during a specific period. A national budget is the financial plan of a country. The government gets money from fees, taxes and fines, and spends on its national interests like national defense, Security, infrastructure, grants for research, Education, Social agendas such as Social security and Medicare.

Somaliland Budget 2020 is 331.5 million dollars. The Central Government Budget is 246.5 million while the parastatal  agencies (like Hargeisa water agency, National printing agency, Central Bank and Berbera Fuel depot) has 29.16 million; Local governments had a budget of 39.36 million while World Bank projects, Somaliland Development Fund and JPLG projects are 5.5 Million, 9 million and 2 million respectively.

On 19 November 2019, Somaliland Minister of Finance presented 2020 National budget to the House of Representatives. Therefore, in this article by using budget data from the 2020 Financial Year, I will make a number of analyses regarding the budget source of revenues, allocations, mismatches, and budget priorities. This will allow us to understand how the 2020 Government Budget allocations differ from the National Development Plan II and realities on the ground.

The best practice for budget measuring contains no more than the following 8 steps: Pre-budget Statement, Executive Budget Proposal, Enacted Budget, Citizens Budget, in year report, mid-year review, year-end reports as well as Auditors Report. However, to the dismay of many citizens hardly three of the above-mentioned items exist; even though those are shrouded with secrecy while public participation is close to nil and with little details and unfortunately at least four of these eight steps does not exist, at all.

The 2020 budget and its format are markedly different from last year’s not as format but substance as well. Under the leadership of the acclaimed economist, finance minister has taken baby steps of reform. The ministry produced Macroeconomic and fiscal framework, Medium-term Budget framework and budget outlook paper. It has increased the Tax identification numbers from a few hundred to over 6000. The number of regulatory frameworks has been introduced, to some extent the Information management system has been implemented, staff training, and development has been prioritized which further facilitated streamlining data and production of quarterly economic performance bulleting was the icing on the cake.

This budget is 17.6% higher than the current 2019 budget, with the forecasted 8.3% growth for a coming couple of years; 2023 will be historic year for Somaliland, domestic revenue will surpass  400 million dollars coupled with the completion of  Berbera port expansion and Ethiopia’s anticipated 30% of its import handling to be channeled through Berbera port will have a multiplying effect on the revenue.  Donor funded projects are insignificant 6.7% unlike Somalia with the direct budgetary support and donor project funded are approximately 50% its budget.

This budget shows clear gaps of not only tax collection at large but also the large discrepancy of income lines, the dividend of Berbera Port and 10% of income tax is not included for the third consecutive year in a row. The overall income for the central government contains $246.5 Million: Customs account the largest amount 77.6% while Inland Revenue contributes only 16.6% and the rest contain 7%.  This year customs revenue is an increase while inland revenue and other sources are in a decrease in percentagewise and it is the manifestation of current strategies for inland revenue collection increase is inadequate. Telecommunication and Financial sectors seem to the least under-taxed and have limited contribution of overall income despite handling at least Billion dollar.

There has been a prodigious improvement for revenue collection of both inland revenue and customs department.  To add to that, 2019 might end up the first year forecast that revenue has been achieved for the last 5 years.

Of the 31.7 million dollars extra revenue, all most, all ministries and agencies benefited; operational cost has been increased 5% flat for all; but 19% went to security, 27% went to economic sector, 23.45 went to Social affairs, 18.82 went to administration, 2.97% to production, 2.7% infrastructure, .7% environment and Others 4.2

Despite having a 340-million-dollar budget, only 23 million has been allocated the paramount portfolio of   Education Ministry which is only no more than 7% of the overall budget. Currently, we are lowest school enrolment in the region approximately 30% of aged children go to school[1]while Kenya whose school enrolment reached 76.2% in 2017 coupled with 84% completion rate of primary schools with further 88% transition rate from Primary to secondary heavily invests Education in 4.7 Billion dollars but our significant amount is hindering not only the current development endeavors but as well future generations.

The health sector is not any better shape under the current budget, 10.24 million dollars has been allocated a country with the highest child and infant mortality and coupled with the high mortality death approximately 850[2] per 100,000 it too insignificant such a small amount. Education and Health in total have been allocated 34 Million dollars which is a fraction of 8.29 dollars per person.

Infrastructure has not been adequately rewarded but maybe the intention can be: as there are large donor-funded infrastructural developmental project including the Berbera Corridor and planned Borama-Djibouti Road and Port Expansion under the DP world and with forthcoming proper maintenance of both Bridges and road between Berbera-Buroa under Somaliland Development Fund but make no mistake,  the infrastructure can’t take a back seat under our current realities.

One of the notable differences for 2019-2020 budget is: security sector budget has decreased 2% while the Economic, Social and Energy sectors increased 1.5%, 1.2%

The top ten prioritized institutions have a combined budget of 85 percent while the least prioritized institutions had a combined budget of 1.6%. comparing to the 2019 budget the ten topmost prioritized institutions increased their share from 69% to a new Hight of 85% while the 10 least prioritized institutions combined share diminished from 1.84% to 1.6% and .1% respectively.

The presidency including Office of the President, Vice president and it’s Security Guards has more budget than 11 Supreme ministries including Water, Livestock and Fishery, Agriculture, environment and wildlife, Energy and minerals, Employment and Social , Planning and National Development, Public works and Housing, Investment and Parliamentary coordination & constitution; astonishing to see while more than one-third of GDP is derived from Livestock, fishery and agriculture but still our core Ministries are underfunded a country with upside-down priorities!

Anything admired-yes, the increase of budgetary allocation for both Environment and foreign Ministries is a welcome to note; continuation Buroa-Erigavo Road, enclosure of two rangeland of Sanaag region in order to increase fodder production and increase of land regeneration, the inclusion of pet project across the country is at least helping citizen in various ways. Construction for more MCHs and Health centers, construction of Harvey Dams and budgetary increase for Hospitals are important incremental steps. But make no mistake, as internationally unrecognized de facto state, we need to invest more in Education and infrastructure this will be a leap into the future and there is genuine demand to fund large labor-intensive projects with far-reaching implications and will have multiplying effect for the entire economy.

Finally, Somaliland Budget is one of the most crucial or important documents that the Government produces annually. It takes the preparation of months yet hardly it attracts any attention either from Academia, Civil Society, Opposition Parties and Media and rubber-stamp House of Representatives hardly debated. Hard it been debated intensely, winners could have been not only Citizens but Government, Opposition, Academics, and the entire Country could have been the winner but was another avenue we failed to endeavor.


[1]  According to ministry of Education interview

[2] Somaliland Women of Reproductive Age Mortality Survey 2014 jointly prepared by WHO and University of Aberdeen.

About the Author 
Yassin Abdillahi Ahmed Studied Baccalaureate in Business Administration and Maser’s in international cooperation and Humanitarian Aid KALU INSTITUITE and currently studying Master of Business Administration at Heriot -WATT University Mr. Ahmed can be reached Yassin_abdillahi[at]hotmail.com

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle and it’s staff. 

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Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work is permitted.

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Signs a Mineral Extraction Agreement with a British Shell Company

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On December 14th, 2019, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development signed an agreement with a British Company called Anglo Somaliland Minerals LTD.

The announcement posted on the Ministry’s Facebook page shows the Minister Hon. Jama Egal singing and shaking hands with an unidentified gentleman but did not elaborate on the nature of the agreement, where the company will be mining in Somaliland and what type of minerals they would extracting.

According to the UK Government’s company register, Anglo Somaliland Minerals LTD is less than 6 months old and was established on June 17, 2019, by BECKETT, Brian Edward and HUDSON STERLING LTD.

There is no evidence that Anglo Somaliland Minerals has done much before it signed the agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, however, Mr. Beckett, the majority owner of ASM has been involved in mineral extraction for years in other parts of Africa.

Mr. Beckett is the owner of few other companies and among them a rather active mining concern known as Kerilee Investments Limited, the is the majority shareholder of KI3R Minerals Ltd which owns the Nyamuliro tungsten mine in Uganda.

Tungsten rods with evaporated crystals, partially oxidized with colorful tarnish. Purity 99.98 %, as well as a high pure (99.999 % = 5N) 1 cm3 tungsten cube for comparison.

Kerilee Investments Limited has had a number of legal challenges over the year involving its mining operation in Uganda and as recently as a month after Mr. Beckett registered Anglo Somaliland Minerals, KI3R Minerals Ltd has laid off much of its workforce in its tungsten mine in Uganda citing cash flow and other issues.

Kerilee Investments is currently suing ITSCI a mineral supply chain due diligence watchdog in Ugandan court for accusing KI3R Minerals Ltd to be involved in conflict minerals.

Although the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Hon. Jama Egal has been to Uganda, it is unclear if the ministry is aware of Mr. Beckett’s history and reviewed his past legal challenges in Uganda and Kenya. It is also unclear if enough due diligence was performed by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to vet Mr. Beckett and Anglo Somaliland Minerals.

During the Minister’s visit to Uganda, a statement published on the Ministry’s website stated that the ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ugandan Ministry of Minerals. No detail on the contents of the memorandum was made public.

Minister Egal in Uganda with officials from the Ugandan Ministry of Minerals

Somaliland government has had a history of signing several questionable agreements in the past while also successfully attracting DP World, Coca Cola, and other companies despite its unrecognized status.

Efforts to reach Mr. Beckett and Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Hon. Jama for details on the agreement and why Mr. Beckett chose to create a new entity with no track record for his work with Somaliland and not use his existing Kerilee Investment were unsuccessful.

It’s the Government & People of Somaliland who decides their Country’s Future; NOT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY!!

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By Eng. Hussein Adan Igeh (Deyr):

Since the dawn of the history, the people of Somaliland has been shaped by outside forces and faced ever since a constant intervention from outside adversaries, at regional and international level. It is a common knowledge that Somaliland’s declaration of independence was under constant threat right from its birth. On May 18th 1991, the Republic of Somaliland stepped on to the world stage with its hands tied. It was as if Somaliland was joining a game in which all the competitors had been in the highest division for a long time, had set the rules of the game, and had all the best training facilities. Somaliland was joining this game with broken arms and legs; but with a brave heart, unbroken sprit and rock-solid self-confidence!!

The current state of affairs with regard to Somaliland’s case and its quest for recognition has entered a critical phase as the weak government of Somalia, under the leadership of Mr Mohamed Abdidullahi Farmajo, pushes their agenda to CAJOLE the international community about the merits of their claim on the Republic Somaliland. The beleaguered government of Somalia still clings to an absurd notion that the Republic of Somaliland should rejoin its wayward and unruly neighbour Somalia, which is far from logic thinking.

Somalia, often taken as the leading example of failed states, has for more than a quarter of a century exemplified the deficiencies of statelessness. The not self-ruling government of Somalia has failed to create and develop a rules-based system to protect and promote the peace, security and socio-economic well-being of its population. Strangely enough, some of the worlds’ leading developed countries, the international development partners as well as the UN are increasingly focused on and giving preferential treatment to a country that failed to meet even the most basic criteria for statehood!!?

A double standard policy approach:

Democracy, good governance, free market and respect for human rights are all universal standards that fully embraced by the West as long as this serves for their geo-political and economic interests. If that is not the case, democracy and other international standards suddenly become considered to be hazardous and the Western countries look to the other end. Somaliland’s case is a quite clear example of the ambivalent morality of the Western powers, and the way in which they always engage in a double standard policy approach: saying one thing but doing something completely different.

The Western powers and their allies are quite convinced that failed states are the seedbed for corruption, mismanagement, human rights abuse, terrorism and extremism, and the long-term solution for this global challenge is establishing democratic institutions and multi-party elections. Unfortunately, these standards are not equally applied in achieving a good functioning African democratic norms and principles!! The Republic of Somaliland has beyond every doubt demonstrated throughout its democratic credentials, development achievements and sustained peace and stability, a belief in a constructive engagement in international issues for peace, security and democracy development.

The international community (the USA, the EU and UK among others) seem to be content to sit idly by and not to act to preserve this young and brave African democracy (Republic of Somaliland). I believe that the international community is making a very serious mistake by ignoring the reality on the ground in the Horn of Africa. May be they (the International Community) would have acted when this courageous and resourceful nation descends into the familiar chaos of its neighbour (Somalia)! The consequences thereof will not only be confined to this long neglected and unrecognized African nation, but it will surely harm and inflame the entire Horn Region! Certainly, the rest of the world will pay the price!!

Final thoughts:

The hasty and ill-considered union with Somalia-Italiano was in fact the prime source from which all Somali tragedy came up! The people of Somaliland are well aware of this historic blunder, and in fact this is the unyielding REASON WHY the people of Somaliland will not, cannot and must not make another historic and costly mistake. If they could turn back the history, millions of Somalilanders would have wished today that the unsuccessful union should have never come into being!!! The people of Somaliland have tested the real benefits and values of the independence, freedom and democracy. They will never fall again into another trap of their own making by sacrificing the costly freedom, independence and sovereignty which our people have reclaimed for the sake of an unproductive and problematic concept of the Greater Somalia.

The bottom line is: It is our people’s right to decide what they want their country’s future to be. It is our people’s challenge to achieve their self-determination by the unyielding nature and incredible perseverance of the Somaliland nation.It is our people’s challenge to realise their ultimate independence goals by the force and wisdom of our curious situation and angle. From our naturally born entrepreneurial art to business, the resilience and creativity of Somaliland people, that will help us to overcome the challenges of today as well as for tomorrow. To put in a nut shell: It’s the Government & People of Somaliland who decides their country’s future; NOT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY!!

ALLAH bless and protect the people and country of the Republic of Somaliland,

About the Author 
Eng. Hussein Adan Igeh (Deyr) is the Former Minister of Trade & Investment and Former Presidential Spokesman.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle and it’s staff. 

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Exclusive – President Bihi tells the IC Delegation "You are Not Here to Dictate to Us"

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President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi met today with a large delegation from the International Community led by European Union Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Nicolas Berlanga as part of their visit to Somaliland to meet various election stakeholders.

Mr. Berlanga and his delegation have arrived in Hargeisa, Somaliland on December 18 following the latest election stalemate related to the formation of the new National Election Commission and resulted in a two-year extension term for Somaliland Parliament.

Although it is not yet finalized, a mediation committee’s recommendation to disband the new election commission and reinstate the old one was accepted by all three national parties.

Despite the generic official statement released by the Presidency, the meeting was described as tense and at times contentious where President Bihi was remarkably candid with the delegation.

According to multiple sources who attended the meeting, the President reminded the delegation that Somaliland has a long history of resolving its differences internally and while he welcomes their support for Somaliland and its democratization process would not accept anyone to dictate how to resolve its internal issues.

The most contentious matter discussed was the disbandment of the newly formed National Election Commission and reinstatement of the previous members as commissioners.

Chief Justice Hon. Aden Haji Ali meeting with International Community delegation led by Nicholas Berlanga

According to sources, Mr. Berlanga told the President that the delegation has consulted the Chief Justice Hon. Aden Haji Ali who confirmed that there was nothing in the Somaliland constitution that prevents the new election commissioners from voluntarily resigning and reinstatement of the old members. This account is confirmed by multiple news reports of the delegation’s meeting with Somaliland’s Chief Justice.

At one point in the meeting, President Bihi has told Mr. Berlanga and his delegation that he expected their agenda to be broader than the election dispute and reiterated that the people of Somaliland care about their country more than anyone and are committed to resolving their differences.

Despite skewering the International Community for what the President said was a clear case of bias against Somaliland, he reiterated his party and government’s commitment to working with the opposition parties and the mediation committee within the bounds of Somaliland constitutions.

Other topics the President raised with the delegation besides the election were equitable distribution of development dollars, the debt cancellation for Somalia the overall security situation in the Horn of Africa.

DP World Announces two Scholarships for top Performing Students in Somaliland

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In a statement issued by DP World and published on Dubai Government Media Office, DP World announced two scholarships for top performing students to Abaarso School of Science and Technology and Barwaaqo University.

Full statement below.

Global trade enabler DP World has embarked on an ambitious partnership with Abaarso School in Somaliland, to dynamically enhance educational opportunities for youths. DP World Berbera manages and is currently expanding the multi-purpose port of Berbera.

The partnership was officially launched with a visit by Suhail Albanna, CEO and Managing Director, DP World MEA Region, to Somaliland. The name Abaarso has become associated with excellence, thanks to the Abaarso School of Science and Technology, the only American accredited school in Somaliland.

DP World Berbera has just finalized two scholarship programmes. The first is a scholarship programme for high performing Somaliland students to attend the Abaarso School of Science and Technology. Through this scholarship, ten students will have their entire six years at Abaarso funded by DP World Berbera.

These students were selected from amongst the highest scores on Abaarso’s 7th grade enrolment exams. By providing this scholarship, DP World Berbera helps assure that Abaarso’s world-class opportunities are open to all Somaliland students regardless of financial capability.

The second scholarship is for DP World Berbera to provide eight annual scholarships for promising young women from the Sahil Region to join Barwaaqo University’s School of Education. Barwaaqo University, founded by Abaarso in 2017, is the first all-female boarding university in Somaliland. Modeled on Abaarso’s education, Barwaaqo focuses on developing strong fundamentals and character, delivered in a 24-hour boarding environment.

The aim of this scholarship is for the young women who graduate to return to the Sahil Region and significantly improve the quality of education. To this end, DP World Berbera plans to partner with Abaarso and the city of Berbera to support the creation of a K-12 school in Berbera; DP World Berbera Kaabe School.

Suhail Albanna, CEO and Managing Director of DP World MEA Region said: “The presence of a high quality American accredited K-12 school will have a positive impact on the education opportunities available to the people of Somaliland. In the long term, we also hope the young women from Barwaaqo University will help to establish an international standard education system in Berbera, which will enable expat management who will establish their business in the Economic Zone to bring their family and children with them. The Barwaaqo University will serve the entire Sahil region and will support women’s empowerment in the area.”

Albanna added “Education is one of the key pillars in our sustainability strategy and we are looking to improve people’s lives to bring positive change to communities in which DP World employees live and work.”

Abaarso School currently serves students in grades 7-12, and the demand to enter its Grade 7 is over 35 times the available capacity. It has just opened its 1st Kaabe School in Hargeisa, which will ultimately enroll approximately 700 students, employing a student-centric Montessori-inspired learning environment.

The DP Berbera Kaabe School will follow this same model and aims to achieve American accreditation. The development of the school will give DP World’s Berbera employees access to high quality education for their children rather than having to send them to boarding schools or live in the capital, Hargeisa.