Investigative Reports

The Diplomacy of Gullibility: How Somaliland’s Foreign Ministry Keeps Falling for International Fraudsters

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In what has become a familiar scene in Somaliland's...

Ex-US Ambassador to Somalia Lobbies for Hormuud’s Access to American Banking System

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Questions mount as André partners with Somali MP who...

Major Corruption Allegations Rock Somaliland Finance Ministry’s Recruitment for World Bank’s Public Resource Management Project

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According to documents examined by Somaliland Chronicle, serious allegations...
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Somaliland – Somalia talks hit an impasse

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Somaliland – Somalia talks taking place in Djibouti since June 14th have hit an impasse according to Somaliland’s Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Hon. Saeed Sulub who spoke to the media a short while ago.

“it is true that the talks have collapsed, the folks we met were not serious, clueless and lacked basic understanding of what was being discussed” Minister Sulub said.

He added “They want tie our sovereignty to international aid and politicize it”, the minister also discussed a freedom of movement for politicians proposed by the Somalia team that Somaliland delegation at the meeting rejected saying that accepting it would essentially means Somaliland’s acceptance of becoming a regional administration of Somalia.

A key point in a communique on the talks issued by the Djibouti government stated that the two sides agreed not to politicize aid and development.

Despite rosy expectation and adulation from many in the international community on the resumption of the stalled Somaliland/Somalia talks, this is the second time a member of Somaliland’s delegation has assessed the talks to be a complete failure.

President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi is still in Djibouti, although it is unclear if he is personally participating any of the negotiation rounds or if he is directing the Somaliland team.

President Bihi’s address at the opening of the talks in which he reiterated Somaliland’s sovereignty and the atrocities committed against its people by the Somali regime was widely received in Somaliland.

Sources add that President of Djibouti Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh and the United Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Donald Yamamoto are trying to salvage the talks.

Efforts to reach Somaliland delegation or Ambassador Yamamoto for further comments were unsuccessful.

A recognized Somaliland will play an even bigger role in promoting peace in the Horn of Africa

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By Ambassador Bashe Awil,
Somaliland Representative to Kenya

In August 2018, Somaliland President Musa Bihi appointed me to come and head the Liaison office in Nairobi. My previous mission was in the United Arab Emirates where I played a similar role as head of the embassy in Dubai.

In Nairobi, part of my mission is to work towards strengthening the ties between Kenya and Somaliland which have been cordial since the pre independence days when we were both under the British colonial rule.

During the period I have served in Nairobi, I have come to appreciate the good working relationship the Kenya government and my country has despite the obvious stumbling block occasioned by the fact that Somaliland remains virtually unrecognized internationally.From culture, education, trade and social issues, Kenya and Somaliland are joined on the hip making the two countries able to work with each other and supplement the other

On paper, Kenya, just like many other states does not recognize Somaliland, but beyond the political radar, Kenyans accept and appreciate the existence of Somaliland as an independent state.The fact that we have a liaison office in Kenya that acts as a link between the two countries is testimony enough that Kenya recognises the existence of Somaliland.

It is for this reason, I have engaged in a vigorous shuttle diplomacy within the Kenyan government not only to acquaint myself with my hosts but also to implore on the Kenyan government on the growing need to open a liaison office in our capital city, Hargeisa. I have met the ministry of foreign affairs officials in Nairobi and together we share the same opinion that a Kenyan mission in Somaliland will cement the great ties the two countries have had.

Kenya’s former Prime Minister and African Union special envoy, Raila Odinga is one of the top leaders here who have shown total support to “free Somaliland.”Odinga has been leading calls for the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state and we see him as a valuable partner in the quest for independence of Somaliland.His appointment as the Africa Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa was well received in Hargeisa.

Raila is quite aware of the role Somaliland plays not only in the economy of Kenya but also in this region.We are home to the largest number of Kenyans living and working in the Horn of Africa region. The Kenyans in Somaliland work in the education industry as teachers and lecturers, in the hotel industry, while others are working as doctors and nurses and in the Information Technology sector.

We also have a huge number of businessmen and investors in our country. Most of these Kenyans have helped impart their skills to our people and are helping in building our young economy. These Kenyans in Somaliland are also supporting their families back home in Kenya hence contributing to the Kenyan economy.

These Kenyans need representation especially when they undergo challenges in their course of duty like for instance the current COVID-19 era where countries are either repatriating their nationals or monitoring their well being through their embassies and high commissions in different nations.And there are other many areas Kenya and Somaliland can work together for the benefit of their citizens.

We have previously worked together on improving security in a region that had earned a negative reputation of terrorism and piracy perpetrated by the Al Shabab and youth from neighbouring Somalia.

While I cannot confidently say the war against terrorism has been won, we have managed to control previous cases of piracy in the Horn of Africa. Our cooperation can see trade between the two countries grow. We are in the process of expanding the Port of Berbera which once complete will be one of the most modern in the region.

While in the UAE, I played a key role in convincing the DP World to come and invest in Berbera where we are also building a free market akin to that in Dubai. My role in Kenya is to encourage investors to venture in Somaliland.

We have held two conferences in Kenya other the last two years where we invited the private and public sector players in Kenya to showcase Somaliland’s potential.

With Kenya also expanding the Lamu Port, the two countries can supplement each other in trade between the two ports and beyond. Somaliland economy is booming, yet we have had to import most agricultural commodities from the middle east. An interesting fact is most of the produce like fruits and vegetables that we import from the middle east are originally from Kenya. We therefore do not need to look to the middle east yet we can get what we need from here.Further, with a more solid partnership, we can promote educational and health tourism. As things stand now, our people are forced to seek further education and medical attention in Europe and the middle east yet they can access the same facilities in Kenya.

There has been plans to have the Kenya Airways making a direct flight to Hargeisa. Officials of the Kenyan airline and government representatives have been to the Somaliland capital and made recommendations but implementation is yet to be done.

This has denied the KQ the much needed revenue because passengers have had to connect through Addis Ababa with the Ethiopian Airline which operates two flights a day to Hargeisa from Nairobi.Kenya is respected across the continent and beyond for its democracy and strong international policy. Should Kenya recognize Somaliland, the rest of Africa and especially the African Union will have no alternative.A recognized Somaliland will play an even bigger role in promoting peace in the Horn of Africa.

Time for Kenya to recognize Somaliland is now. 

About the Author 
Ambassador Bashe Awil is Somaliland’s Representative in Kenya and previous Representative to the United Arab Emirates more on him at https://somalilandliaison.com/the-representative/

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.

Hargeisa Group Hospital Management Team Fired

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Before his departure to attend the Somaliland – Somalia meeting, President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has ordered the firing of the entire management team of Hargeisa Group Hospital with the exception of the newly re-appointed General Manager Dr. Ahmed Omar Askar.

President Bihi visiting Hargeisa Group Hospital

Reports indicate the firing of the hospital management team is related to corruption allegation and missing funds. Those that lost their jobs include the Deputy Manager of the Hospital, Head of Administration and Finance, Chief Accountant and others with direct involvement in the hospital’s finances.

Hargeisa Group Hospital has been in the limelight lately for issues related to its treatment of patients including deaths attributed to lack of oxygen at Somaliland’s biggest government run hospital.

Waddani Party Spokesman Mr. Barkhad Batun

Opposition parties have criticized President Bihi and his administration for Hargeisa Group Hospital’s dire condition often emphasizing the hospital’s close proximity to the Presidential Palace.

It is unclear if President Bihi has consulted the Ministry of Health Development for the changes at Hargeisa Group Hospital. Hospital Manager is a direct presidential appointment.

Additionally, it is unclear if management changes will be done in other public hospitals around Somaliland where subpar patient services and inadequate lifesaving equipment have been reported.

There is no indication that Auditor General was involved or has uncovered any issues at Hargeisa Group Hospital despite allegation of massive corruption.

No official statement have been released about the firing of the entire management team of Hargeisa Group Hospital and what temporary measures were put in place for day to day operations. Efforts to reach Hargeisa Group Hospital Manager and Ministry of Health were unsuccessful.

Somaliland – Somalia talks resume in Djibouti

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Staff
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The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi and his delegation departed Hargeisa International Airport and arrived in Djibouti today to meet with delegation led by Somalia President Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo.

The meeting between the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi and the President of Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo is arranged by the United States government and is hosted by Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Geulleh.

President’s delegation include Dr. Edna Aden and Mr. Mohamed Bihi Yonis two former Foreign Ministers and seasoned politicians currently not part of Somaliland government.

The first meeting seems to be limited to the Presidents of Somaliland and Somalia, Chairman of Somaliland House of Elders Chairman Hon. Saleban Mohamud Adan, Somalia’s Chairman of the Upper house of the Parliament, the Somali Prime Minister, the President and Vice President of Djibouti.

Somaliland public opinion on the resumption of talks with Somalia and President Bihi’s meeting with Farmajo is mixed where some question the timing or if Somalia can be trusted to follow through on anything agreed on as the case was with previous rounds of talks in London and Ankara.

Somaliland government has not publicly released any information about the meeting and how long the arrangements has been ongoing. Sources tell Somaliland Chronicle that the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Mr. Tibor Nagy has spoken to President Bihi about the meeting.

George Floyd is Closer to Home, Lessons for the Somali Diaspora

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The incident involving George Floyd was a heinous crime witnessed in real time in the age of social media, a horror of a show in itself – not many see acts of murders as they unfold.

The police officer that committed the crime knew what he was doing – because he got away with so much (16 incidents) police brutality in the past, he was emboldened to assume this was another day in the office. The good people of the United States and the world over are rightly outraged and that gives me hope as we all call for justice, human decency and dignity for all.

The fact that the police officer won his appeal process every time exposes far deeper issues within police departments and disciplinary processes – which is often employee led rather than victims due to the unionised nature of the complaint processes. Racial disparities in the US is deep seated and historical in nature – because black people were not part of the original national narrative .In fact some of the US’s founding fathers were slave owners at the time they wrote the US constitution and this contradictory commitment of values and actions is still present in the US, hence why white US citizens are not referred to European citizens while  black citizens are referred to African Americans (outsiders).This racial indifference further plays out in the sphere of employment, justice system, health and power politics.

In its current juncture, the US is best advised to formulate a new chapter of co-existence, check and balances that promotes deeper ties and racial balance in all aspect of society. Failure to deal with this issue ahead – on would be mean the politics of denials and tick-boxing will eventually collide with reality and we are witnessing this across the US today. Whether there is a Republican or Democrat in Office, the issues are systematic, societal and structural – beyond the term of one party presidency or personality. It requires a root and branch change beyond words or piecemeal policy initiatives, often driven by the emotions of the day – it’s about new settlement of co-existence beyond tolerating each other, a call for new national narrative beyond soothing words and slogans. It must deliver for all equally and locally.

It is also fair to say that black people and minorities at large are also part of the problem. I have met many who see power/politics as white person’s exercise. Unfortunately, this is a costly judgement and is proving so at grassroots level.

What gave those police officers the confidence and impunity to publicly kill another black man has direct link with our lack of engagement and apathy. Black people must turn a new chapter and engage in local decision making at District Prosecutor’s offices, Parole and School Boards, Unions, Courts and Jury services. Our attitude of apathy to towards power politics is costing our lives and opportunities. When we are on the table, you can deter problems, influence direction of travel and have an impact on quality of outcomes of decisions that affect our daily lives, families and community – the baseline for consolidating power through our common interest.

Demonstrations and riots are only half the story. Once the dust settles we will still have to live with the systematic structures that reinforced injustice and brutality. To truly have maximum impact we must embrace new chapter of collective organising towards power from bottom up. To take a leaf out of the Jewish community, to their credit, they are on (almost) every table of decision making – not because they are more special but they know the cost of non-involvement. In a space of 60 years, they rose from the ashes/horror of the Holocaust. They have organised, spread their wings everywhere in politics, economics, science and academia to make sure such atrocities never return – and if they do, is on their terms. This is about fluidity of influence and power, which has taken aspiring individuals and groups’ decades to build to help change society for better. It is a great human story and we must all embrace this form of revival in our own ways peacefully.

The great Martin Luther King was eloquently right to say “the arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice” – I would add, only if we seize it politically by building a collective narrative behind it.

The world is awash with great black, white and brown people who hear the message of justice and equality – it beats in everyone’s hearts that is free of dogma and hate – Lets embrace change within and beyond. It starts with being at the table –the side-lines are all too costly personally and structurally.

About the Author 
Mohamed Ibrahim BA/MSc, LSE, UK based, Social Activist – He can be reached via mohamedlsyf[@]gmail.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.

Somaliland and Covid 19: Government Response and Socio-Economic impact.

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The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the infection of this outbreak was first reported in December of 2019 in Wuhan – the seventh largest city of china. This contagious disease infected thousands of people of the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) considered this outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and recognized as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The rapid ‘globalization’ of the COVID-19 pandemic is something that the world perhaps has never encountered before. As world health organization ( WHO) and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  declared the virus is transmitted by close contact and by small droplets produced during sneezing, coughing even talking. People may also be affected by this virus by touching a contaminated surface and then without washing their hand touching their face [CDC 2020). Therefore WHO recommended some preventive measures taken to suppress the spread of the pandemic which includes washing hand through water and soap often for at-least 20 seconds, avoiding touching the eyes, mouths or nose with unwashed hands, practicing good respiratory hygiene, staying at home, avoiding crowded place, maintaining social distance, covering ones mouth when coughing and sneezing, self-isolated himself if someone suspected himself that he might be affected (CDC 2020).

On March 31, a Coronovirus Pandemic was the first two cases confirmed in Somaliland by announcement of the Ministry of Health, these two people were among the three suspects who were quarantined by Ministry of Health and had their DNA sent Kenya for testing. As of this writing, the number of detected cases in Somaliland is more than 500 positive cases, 26 have died and 84 have recovered after treatment. The Somaliland government has implemented a partial lockdown. This largely affects only public offices, including schools and universities.

To stop the spread of this mammoth virus, there are lots of preventive actions taken by the government of Somaliland like regional or national quarantine, travel restriction, cancellation and postponements of events, curfews, boarder enclosure and screening at airport etc. These kinds of preventive measures like lockdown the borders may extract  normal flow of raw materials, products and services, capitals, humans which resulting in business and production shutdowns at least temporarily.

The outbreak of Covid-19 is not only an ominous global health challenge but has caused gigantic negative effects on populace wellbeing, society, education, and the economy in Somaliland.  Social distancing, self-isolation and travel restrictions forced a decrease in the workforce across all economic sectors and caused many jobs to be lost. Schools have closed down, and the need of commodities and manufactured products has decreased. In contrast, the need for medical supplies has significantly increased. The food supply has also seen a great demand due to panic-buying and stockpiling of food products.

In response to this global outbreak, the aim is to deliver a comprehensive overview of the observed and the possible impacts in socio-economic effects of COVID-19 and government response in Somaliland.

Economic impact:

The COVID-19 pandemic has formed deep disruptions to Somaliland economy and society. Many businesses are experiencing an adverse impact from the outbreak, which is same with other countries fighting the disease. In prevention and response to the crisis of this pandemic, the Somaliland government imposed the country under national lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, caused in shutting down of many businesses.

Local decisions have affected Somaliland’s major economic sectors including in aviation, hospitality and domestic transport. Hargeisa had regular flights to/from Addis Ababa, Dubai, Nairobi and Mogadishu; all international and domestic flights are suspended except Ethiopian Airlines and those carrying essential goods across the country. Somaliland was reluctant to close its airspace but decisions taken elsewhere have effectively made such closures inevitable. The Federal Government of Somalia’s banning of both international and domestic flights has led to tensions with Somaliland over control of airspace. Ethiopian Airlines is currently the only carrier that has flights to Hargeisa but passenger numbers have significantly reduced.

Decisions made to close schools – government-run, private and Madarasas – have a huge knock-on effect within the informal economy, as the small shops and traders – mainly women – that supplied snacks and drinks has been closed  and half a million children are now shutdown. Street vendors are also being evicted by the police and cleaners, working in homes and offices, have less work.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt not just on the national economy but on the household economy of local people. Its devastating impact is already unfolding in Somaliland. Daily wage earners have been badly hit; many have nothing to live on now and are unable to buy food for their families. Hunger, malnutrition, and other problems that have always plagued Somaliland are poised to intensify as a result of the lockdown.

The government has sought to enforce social distancing through the lockdown but has not been too successful in this regard so far. Several factors make this a near-impossible task in Somaliland; social distancing is anathema to Somali community and culture. Most Somali people live in close proximity to each other. Families are large and live in small and cramped cottages, with several families sharing a single tap and toilet. This is even more pronounced in the IDPs camps, where around a huge number of low income families live in crowded and temporary shelters and do not access health facilities. Other hand, people are unable to stay at homes without work for their survival, thus, they are concerned much more about their job rather than Covid-19. 

Education impact:

Education is one of the sectors affected the most by this crisis. More than 1.5 billion students and youth across the world are affected by school and university closures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. In this present scenario, all academic activities have been stopped. Since the students are not attending classes, they are spending their time watching television, playing games, internet surfing, chatting, etc.

A day after the first COVID-19 positive cases was confirmed in Somaliland, Ministry of Education announced that all of the country’s educational institutions would be closed for one month, in a bid to stop the spread of the disease. The order was subsequently extended. On April 18, 2020, the authorities of education advised both private and public schools and universities to take classes online to recoup the academic losses as a result of the suspension of academic activities during the Covid-19 outbreak. These initiatives were highly informative to the faculty members and the students to enhance their knowledge. The initiatives include: Online courses, Learning through YouTube channel and Digital library etc. Somaliland Television already has started some online classes for primary and secondary students.

This unaware outbreak has caused Significant impact on continuity of education and availability of remote services for primary and secondary schools, also has impacted for children from marginalized and most vulnerable groups in the community as they will have limited or no access to the alternate modes of education promoted by the government.

Teachers of the private schools and universities in Somaliland also have fallen victim to COVID 19 outbreak more or less. All schools and universities have been declared closed since March 2020 and shall stay closed till august 2020 if the situation continues unabated. The private Schools/universities, mostly run by tuition fees, seem to have been doubly affected by the pandemic. They are anticipating huge financial losses to be incurred by nonpayment of tuition fees caused by the suspension of academic activities and uncertainty about the upcoming new semester enrolment and academic year registration. The great bulk of tertiary level students are studying at the private universities many of which may be threatened with continued existence by the financial crisis.

Recommendations:

1.    Supporting the government to increase the pool of alternate education platforms made available, giving due consideration to availability and accessibility by vulnerable groups.

2.    Increasing awareness among students and parents about alternate platforms
available for education.

3.    Supporting most vulnerable groups with appropriate in-kind and cash support to ensure that they have adequate access to essential food items.

4.    Immediate interventions to ensure fair pricing to safeguard producers and consumers, as well securing and supporting the food value chain and market distribution system.

5.    For COVID-19, hand-washing is the most important practice which we should focus on and ensure hand-washing material available and affordable in market

6.    Ensure continual functionality of water facilities in rural and urban areas

7.    Ensure all community clinics have access to WASH services and provide
relevant hygiene messages

8.    Planning for needs of marginalized and communities in slums in meeting self isolation and quarantine requirements that will emerge.

9.    Support to enterprise recovery for small businesses and micro-enterprises through providing start-up grants which may include but not limited to new skill for returnees, small grants for small business for both local and returnees.

About the Author 
Adam Duale holds Msc Degree in Development studies from Alpha university, Hargiesa-Somaliland and is currently MA candidate student at United International University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. he studied social work affairs with special interest in education sector. He can be reached Ademduale[@]gmail.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.

Breaking – President Bihi to Meet Somali President Farmajo in Djibouti

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According to sources, a meeting between the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi and the Somali President Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo is set to take place in Djibouti next week. The meeting between the two Presidents is brokered by the United States Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Donald Yamamoto.

US Ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Donald Yamamoto

Although President Bihi rebuffed efforts by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Mr. Abiy Ahmed to bring the Somali President Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo to Hargeisa, the two have met in Addis Ababa at the sidelines of the African Union in February this year.

Reliable sources confirm that President Bihi will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) and the Chairman of Somaliland House of Elders Chairman Hon. Saleban Mohamud Adan. The delegation of the Federal Government of Somalia will include the Prime Minister Mr. Hassan Khaire.

Somaliland government has downplayed President Bihi’s meeting with Farmajo as a chance encounter at Prime Minister Abiy’s office.

President Bihi has publicly conditioned the Somaliland and Somalia talks on Somalia’s recognition of Somaliland and has insisted on the addition of neutral international partners to the process, it is unclear what changed President Bihi’s mind to accept a meeting with the President of Somalia Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo whose term is coming to an end next year.

President of Somalia is at the lowest point of his presidency and has been facing a unified apposition from former Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

President Farmajo’s government has been openly hostile to Somaliland and has taken steps to isolate it and oppose development projects including DP World’s investment in Berbera port.

It is unclear if Somalia’s Federal Government has made any concessions to President Bihi to change his position and accept the meeting brokered by Ambassador Yamamoto to be held in Djibouti.

Since the appointment of Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, the United States Embassy in Somalia has adopted a one Somalia policy and has had little contact with the government of Somaliland.

Coronavirus won’t kill globalization – but a shakeup is inevitable

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Jun Du, Aston University; Agelos Delis, Aston University; Mustapha Douch, Aston University, and Oleksandr Shepotylo, Aston University

The COVID-19 pandemic is now expected to trigger the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Many argue it could unravel globalisation altogether.

Globalisation relies on complex links – global value chains (GVCs) – that connect producers across multiple countries. These producers often use highly specialised intermediate goods, or “inputs”, produced by only one distant, overseas supplier. COVID-19 has severely disrupted these links.

Although the global economy was fragile at the start of 2020, many hoped for increased international trade following the US-China Phase One trade deal. COVID-19 has scuppered those hopes, bringing the world’s factories to a standstill and severely disrupting global supply chains.

China plays a key role in this. According to Chinese customs statistics, the value of Chinese exports in the first two months of 2020 fell by 17.2% year on year, while imports slowed by 4%.

Author provided

This drop in Chinese trade impacted some markets more than others. Comparative figures between the first two months of 2019 and the first two months of 2020 reveal a collapse in Chinese trade with the EU and US. Chinese exports to the EU fell by 29.9%, while imports from the EU declined by 18.9%. Exports to and imports from the US tumbled 27% and 8% respectively.

These substantial declines are likely related to the strong interdependence between European and US firms and Chinese ones.

The scale of the shock

To understand the magnitude of the supply shock in China and its global propagation, the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Business Prosperity (LBGCBP) at Aston University has mapped China’s global trading networks using official Chinese data.

In 2019, the US had the highest trade dependence on China, followed by seven European countries and Japan. By 2020, European countries had moved even further up the rankings.

As the pandemic continues, the worst affected Chinese exports include capital goods such as nuclear reactors, intermediate goods like iron, and labour intensive final goods such as furniture.

The most disrupted Chinese imports include intermediate goods such as organic chemicals, a likely result of factory closures in China, and capital goods like electrical machinery. Hardest hit were precious stones and metals, highlighting the emergence of a sophisticated middle-class of Chinese shoppers and how COVID-19 has reduced their demand for luxury goods.

Trade has tumbled between the EU and China. Shutterstock

Interestingly, Chinese imports of meat and mineral fuels increased sharply in 2020. The first can be explained by China’s weakened domestic supply of food during lockdown. The second highlights China’s growing demand for crude oil.

Four product categories have been particularly hard hit as both imports and exports: nuclear reactors, electrical machinery and equipment, plastics, and organic chemicals. These categories include some commonly used intermediate goods (those that are used for producing other goods).

Under normal circumstances, such goods would be traded back and forth between China and other countries as part of the heavily interconnected global production system. This significant drop in their international trade highlights the devastating effect of COVID-19 on GVCs.

An uncertain future

But an unprecedented, synchronised and likely deep fall in demand is now developing. And China was again among the first to feel its impact.

Chinese workers returned to work in April but many no longer had jobs. Widespread cancellations of international orders and delayed payments have led to liquidity problems and mass closures of businesses reliant on global demand.

Read more: How to boost UK productivity after coronavirus

Investment also tumbled. During February and March 2020, official Chinese statistics report 24.4% fewer new foreign trade enterprises established in China compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, 12,000 existing foreign trade enterprises closed down.

Agriculture, logistics and those producing raw materials, textiles and clothing have been hardest hit. But, on a more positive note, there has been a surge in demand for medical supplies.

Many are now highlighting the dangers of relying on global value chains – and in particular, those linked to China – leading to talk of “de-globalisation”.

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, for example, has called for the “shortening” of global supply chains because the EU is too dependent on a few foreign suppliers. Similarly, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has argued for a strengthening of French and European “economic sovereignty” by investing at home in the high tech and medical sectors.

So is this the end of globalisation? No. But a reconfiguration of GVCs is inevitable.

A way forward

Global supply chains are extremely complex, and no sector or country is an island.

Complex: a sample network of GVCs. World Input-Output Database (WIOD), 2014. Based on author’s calculation., Author provided

But GVCs follow the principle of efficiency. They are the result of businesses sourcing the best possible inputs to meet their production needs at the lowest cost – wherever those inputs come from.

This is good news for globalisation’s survival. While efficiency remains the main target, businesses will continue to shop globally.

Concerns about an overreliance on complex GVCs are justified in the case of products related to national security, such as medical supplies. Many countries will now ensure they can produce such goods without relying on imports.

Nobody can predict the next crisis. But the most reliable and efficient insurance by far is to build a strong international cooperation network. As yet, global political consensus on this remains elusive. But that doesn’t mean we should ever lose the ambition.

Jun Du, Professor of Economics, Centre Director of Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Business Prosperity (LBGCBP), Aston University; Agelos Delis, Lecturer in Economics, Aston University; Mustapha Douch, Research Fellow in Economics, Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Business Prosperity (LBGCBP), Aston University, and Oleksandr Shepotylo, Lecturer in Economics, Aston University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Education during Covid-19 lockdown: the Challenges and Consequences of Online Teaching Approach in Somaliland

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Staff
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The Coronovirus disease (Covid-19) is caused by widespread socio-economic impacts in almost all spheres of life throughout the globe. This fatal virus has so far infected more than 2.5 million people and caused about 339,000 deaths in almost all countries around the world. Due to unavailability of a vaccine and effective medicines, most of the countries around the world are implementing the strategy of “lockdown” to slow the spread of Coronovirus. More than a third of the earth’s population is under some form of restriction in an effort of limiting the number of cases and slowing the spread of virus. The lockdown is perhaps the only way left to fight virus, which has forced more than half of the human to stay at home and stay healthy.

This pandemic disease has affected education system worldwide, leading to the total shutdown of schools, colleges and universities. Most of governments around the world have temporarily closed all educational institutions in an effort to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to UNESCO research, as of April 21, 2020, approximately 1.723 billion students have been impacted due to school closures in response to the pandemic, 191 countries have implemented nationwide closures and impacting about 98.4 percent of the world’s student population.

In response to significant demand, UNESCO  has suggested the use of distance learning programs and open educational applications and platforms that schools and teachers can easily use to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education.

In Somaliland, the whole country closure of the education intuitions was announced during the second week of March although the closure was a bit earlier. Initially, the closure was for four weeks but now the National Preparedness Committee for Covid-19 has been extended another four weeks starting from 18 April, 2020, till May 15, 2020 – and perhaps schools and colleges will remain off till May 31 for the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation. The educational term in most of the schools and colleges was near at the final year.

Urgently to respond the staidness issue of covid-19 lockdown and in an attempt to save students from educational losses, the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) implemented online based education and urged the primary and secondary schools to initiate online classes. Most schools have been applied distance learning system and thousands of students in cities and towns are glued to Television broadcasts and Smartphone screens as teachers take to online apps for lectures, tutorials and assessments. The Somaliland Ministry of Education and Science with the help of National Television launched Platform to support the students learn at home with the teachers delivering lectures via SLNTV and Radio without interruption. Most Teachers of the private schools have started to upload lectures through Google Classroom, YouTube, Facebook pages, WhatsApp and private televisions, so that students can go through these lessons at their convenience.     

The challenges of online based learning in Somaliland.

In the light of National Preparedness Committee for Covid-19 guidelines, the education institutions of the country are trying to engage students through different online classes via the communication tools (TVs and Radios) and various social media platforms. It is confirmed that the online mode of teaching is not applicable for every student.   

The traditional system of face to face teaching requires class activities and out of class activities. The teachers remain committed to guide students for building their ideas on their discipline. The significant advantage for students in such environment remains the presence of instructors, his motivation, support and guidance. In the online mode, it is a challenge for the teachers to perform the above mentioned roles. He can only respond by both synchronous and asynchronous design of mode in which he may be adopt a strategy to define, explain and exemplify the ideas.

Apart from that, many students, especially those living in rural areas, lack the steady internet connection and the devices to be able to learn remotely. Huge number of children has not taken part in online lessons during Coronovirus lockdown. However, all students might not have communication tools and internet connections in their homes and those who do may not afford expensive internet packages.

Furthermore, while mobile phones and Televisions can enable learners’ access to information, connect with their teachers; about half of the learners live in locations not served by mobile networks, almost in remote areas. Even teachers in some regions where Technology and other distance methodologies are less available, the online teaching has been even more difficult or impossible at this time of unprecedented educational disruption. Some households, Parents are not sure whether their children are studying or just spending time on the screen due to lack of knowledge capacity. As a ministry of education, it is important to conduct daily assessment of distance learning practices and follow up regularly with each student and pay special attention to disadvantaged background students, so they are not left behind.

The biggest challenge is being created around lab classes. Most of the lab classes of technical disciplines can’t be conducted in online. This is a challenge confronted for both teachers and students. Some schools are not going to carry on the education in online platforms considering psychological condition, accessibility availability of internet, and financial condition of the students as they may be the barriers of online education.

Government should be considered the element of “Social justice” and remove “social inequalities’ while making and formulating any policy. The internet is still a luxury for many households, while students from low income families are not able to quickly adjust towards online teaching. The problem is particularly impacted for students living in marginal rural areas. The authorities of education sector in Somaliland should plan to address most of these issues and try to convince internet companies to offer cheaper internet bundles for students during Coronovirus lockdown. This current situation requires active and supportive participation to create an enabling online environment for teaching and learning, which is best for the all students who are country’s asset and potential to adopt new ways of teaching and learning in these times.

Online medium based teaching is only effective for those who do have access to the right technology; there is evidence that learning online can be more effective in a number of ways. The main problems are a lack of capacity of some instructors and the affordability of the internet by the students. The online teaching system is being effectively used in technologically developed countries during COVID-19 lockdown but it cannot be fully followed in Somaliland. It has experienced its own problems, and should have to find local solution keeping in view the socio-economic conditions of all students.

About the Author 
Adam Duale holds Msc Degree in Development studies from Alpha university, Hargiesa-Somaliland and is currently MA candidate student at United International University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. he studied social work affairs with special interest in education sector. He can be reached Ademduale[@]gmail.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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The Political anxiety and tension in Somalia election 2021.

By
Staff
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0

The tensions between the Federal Government of Somalia, regional States, and oppositional parties are getting each day more complicated while the election is approaching, however, it is not clear how or what model of elections will take place in the country.

The president of Somalia Mohamed Farmaajo since he took office in earlier 2017, his government faced a lot of challenges and tensions against his administration, as a result, the main actors are the regional states, oppositional parties, neighbor countries as well as Al-Shabaab group. There are a lot of incidents that make the situation worst in which the FGS started and create tensions, for instance, the government interfered and changed the previous speaker, Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari, after a dispute with the president Farmaajo. Furthermore, the government try to assassinate one of the main oppositional parties in the country Abdishakur Warsame (Wadajir Party leader) and killed his security guards at midnight. In addition to that, the government signed an agreement with the federal government of Ethiopia related to the ports of Somalia while the government still did not show any kind of agreement and MOU in the press and the parliament. This creates a lot of tensions not only between the government and the opposition parties but the whole country, following this, the statement between Farmaajo and Abiy Ahmed did not name on which ports the two-sided would develop in the future.

In earlier, 2019, the former president of Somalia Sheikh Sharif was barred from boarding a flight to Kismaayo, Jubbaland at Mogadishu airport, hence, these events create a conflict between FGS and former president of Somalia while former president Hassan Sheik stated that the government is using airspace as a political weapon that can have a serious ramification on the political stability and unity of the country.

The relation of the Farmaajo administration with the regional states at this time is very complicated, for instance, in 2018, five regional states cut ties with central gov’t due to interfering with the region’s issues, failure to implement security architecture and not fulfilling political agreements. In doing so, in 2020, Jubaland state and Puntland state have zero relations with the Farmaajo administration. In earlier March 2020, for these above reasons, the main opposition parties held a conference in Turkey; the officials of the national forum have finally decided to hold one-party and to have one candidate in the 2021 elections. It’s clear that the oppositional parties are working together to resolve the current political and security issues that this country is facing and to win the next election in 2021.

FGS and its war on Somaliland

On the other hand, Somaliland who have been exercising their administration since 1991 and have been working in the international community with regard the development is still facing problem with regard to talks with Somalia. Somaliland stated that Farmaajo’s government is the worst government in terms of the violating former agreement between them. For example, Under the tripartite agreement signed in March, Ethiopia acquired a 19% stake in the port, joining Somaliland and DP World of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a 30 year concession, Somalia declared the agreement ‘null and void’ saying Somaliland had no authority to enter into international agreements, to which Somaliland responded by saying FGS had ‘declared war even the port is still working and the FGS is watching. This incidents creates tension in the parliaments both Somalia and Somaliland. On the side of Somalia parliament, members from Somaliland who claim they represent Somaliland stated that the FGS is against the development of Somaliland. Furthermore, the FGS control alone the airspace without consultation of Somaliland which goes against Somaliland because of the agreements reached in Istanbul, Turkey when the former government of Somalia and Somaliland agreed on joint airspace management. In doing so, again, the FGS is tried to ban and waging economic war on Somaliland by targeting livestock exports during the Hajj season. Last but least, the FGS president nominated a committee for talks with Somaliland while most of were Siyad Barre Regime members which go against Somaliland interests and conditions. This creates on the side of Somaliland to cancel any talks with FGS while Farmaajo is in the power.

Somalia’s president has shown Somaliland unprecedented enmity since he came to the office. For some time now, Somaliland academicians, experts, and senior politicians have been holding a conversation with themselves regards the coming Somalia election 2021. Most of them believe that it is good diplomacy for Somaliland to interfere and has a good role of the next Somalia election for this reasons, firstly, at least Somaliland has influence the politics in Mogdasho and decided to join the political war against the current FGS, secondly, Somaliland will work closely the coming leader of FGS regards with their interest in terms of recognition and development if they participate indirectly the election by influencing the Somalia parliament members who claim they represent Somaliland.

External challenges on FGS

The FGS is not only facing internal challenges but external challenges are there. Changing the political direction of the country creates political anxiety in the country. Former two presidents of Somalia Sheikh Sharif and Hassan Shiekh had relations and a good friend with, UAE, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia. However, the Farmaajo administration changed the direction of the country started a new way of direction which is Turkey, Qatar, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The Middle East politics and geopolitics of the horn of Africa and competition of superpowers had negatively affected the direction and politics of the country. In doing so, the former presidents of the country, other opposition parties, and their friends include mainly KSA and UAE working with oppositional parties how to win next election in the country, for this purpose, the Farmaajo administration new friends also working with him how Farmaajo to stay in the office and win the next election. The FGS also facing another challenge with regard to the maritime dispute against Kenya.

NIEC Challenges

Somalia’s National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) has announced plans to register millions of Somalis to participate in the coming election. Moreover, the NIEC registered political parties but there is a long way to hold one man one vote election due to these reasons. Firstly, many of the states are not working with Mogadishu and NIEC, hence, it is very difficult to hold an election without cooperation between states and FGS. Secondly, the other challenge is technical and logistical requirements need to hold the election. Thirdly, due to security reasons, for instance, Al- Shabaab Groups controls many districts, cities, and regions directly and indirectly, and finally, Somaliland as a separate state which is not possible to participate in the election. For the above reasons, the oppositional parties of the country argued that “anyone who entertains the thought that there will be one person one vote elections in 2020 is paving the way for term extension.” Even though the last election was postponed less than six months during former president Hassan Shiekh’s time, in this difficult time and the outbreak of pandemic disease of coronavirus, no one knows is the government preparing postponement of the election?

In general, if you asking yourself many questions regarding who is going to win next election in Somalia, you need only to understand the above trends and dynamics of the country in order to predict the future president of Somalia, however, you must always keep in the mind that predicting Somalia future president is very complicated and not easy due to last two elections in the country.

About the Author 
Mahdi Ismail is a politician, researchers, and lecturer. He is a human rights, development, and peace activist. He has a degree in Development Studies from the University of Admas and this moment he is a candidate for master’s Peace and Conflict Studies at Mekelle University of Ethiopia. In 2017, Mahdi was chairman District of UCID party in Somaliland and now a researcher at Yazza capacity and solution in Hargeisa.

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

Creative Commons License

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.

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