A large UK delegation led by the Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin has to visited Somaliland today for a high level meeting with the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi.
Minister Baldwin is the second Minister for Africa to visit Somaliland and is expected to cover a wide range of topics with Somaliland government including UK aid, security cooperation and potential private investment by UK companies.
This is Minister Baldwin’s first visit to Somaliland since she assumed the portfolio of Minister for Africa in January this year.
Boris Johnson in Mogadishu in 2017
It is unclear how long Minister Baldwin will spend in Somaliland or if there are other stops beyond Hargeisa in her itinerary but what is certain is that her visit will be a vastly different experience in terms of peace and security.
Former UK Africa Minister Rory Stewart with Somaliland Vice President Saylici in Hargeisa in August 2017
Rory Steward, her predecessor has also visited Somaliland and met with Somaliland Vice President Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici and discussed aid as well the Presidential elections underway at the time of his visit in August 2017.
Senior member of the Conservative Party, Zac Goldsmith urges direct aid to Somaliland.
British MP Zac Goldsmith urged Minister Baldwin during parliament debate to reconsider UK policy of passing British aid to Somaliland through Somalia and urged direct engagement with Somaliland due to its peace and stability.
Minister Baldwin is a former Investment Banker with JP Morgan Chase and is expected to discuss not only economy and traditional banking but possibly Somaliland’s participation in international financial systems.
How comfortable would you feel putting your child on a vehicle with a sketchy road worthiness? How about if the steering is on the wrong side? Would that make it bit more dangerous? how about if the said automobile is a bus and the exit on on the wrong side that your child has to exit on to oncoming traffic lane?
This is not an imaginary scenario; this is actually the case of almost 90% of automobiles on Somaliland roads. Right-handed vehicles from Japan are being driven on the right side of the road. We are going to point out a very obvious fact – This is simply dangerous and deadly.
Bodies on the road.
There are daily outpouring of sympathy and prayer on social media for yet another young and promising life cut short on Somaliland’s deadly roads. Everyone in Somaliland either knows someone who perished in one of these crashes or possibly survived one themselves. Although there are statistics compiled from news reports, unfortunately, there are no official traffic fatality statistics in Somaliland.
Somaliland’s new license plates
The total number of registered of vehicles in Somaliland is less than 100,000 but the actual number on the road are at least 30% lower. This is due to how until few weeks ago, Somaliland motor vehicle authorities have serially registered vehicles.
Braving a raging flood is a common occurrence in Somaliland
There are multiple factors that contribute to high traffic fatality rates in Somaliland, starting with the condition of vehicles themselves, suicidal drivers and general disregard for safety among Somalilanders when it comes to road safety.
Are Our Vehicles Safe?
One peculiar thing we noticed in many automobile crash photos in Somaliland is that an extreme minority of vehicles involved in a crash show a deployed airbag. This leads to a frightening possibility that most vehicles imported to Somaliland have been salvaged from previous accidents. Due to their high cost, unfortunately for many vehicles intended for export into third world markets, airbags are simply not replaced.
Automobile insurers in Japan and many other countries, do not bother repairing a vehicle if the value of the damage exceeds a certain percentage of the total value. These vehicles are sold for a fraction to buyers who perform minimum repairs for export purposes.
Oddly shaped cargo, Wait! those are camels.
The issue of importing what developed countries consider unsafe and end of life automobiles is purely economic and is not just a problem for Somaliland but many poorer nations.
While researching for this article we have also heard that airbags are actually removed intentionally, because the value of a vehicle that has its airbag intact is actually undesirable in Somaliland simply because owners fear that it will deploy in the event of a minor frontal accident.
Can traffic rules and regulations make us safer?
Somaliland is unique when it comes to traffic rules and regulation in that it has none. There might be some on the books but their enforcement is practically nonexistent.
Dude! where is my steering wheel?
There are 75 countries that drive on the left, Somaliland is not one of them but conservatively 90% of vehicles on Somaliland roads are intended to be driven on the left.
Simply put, Somaliland may be the only country that has right hand side roads with majority of its vehicles are also right handed.
Allowing vehicles intended for right-hand side roads to drive on the left creates dangerous road conditions especially at higher speeds.
There is no traffic ordinance that enforces the use of seat belt, in fact those that use it are ridiculed but this is not a problem in just Somaliland, its a problem of awareness and it is prevalent to most developing countries. An awareness campaign to raise awareness for seat belt coupled with traffic penalties in Somaliland would safe countless lives.
Whose Jobs is it Anyway?
Somaliland has had traffic police for the last 27 years but their sole function is to direct traffic. Sort of human traffic lights with the occasional commandeering of a motorist to their barracks for a quick shake down.
There are no valid economic argument to be made in allowing our roads to have such high rate of fatalities. A simple mix enforcing traffic laws and awareness will safe countless lives in Somaliland.
Allowing a truck to carry 10 times its capacity and have 50 passengers on top of that already overloaded cargo that it can barely pass under power lines and the slightest turn will make it flip, endangering not just its occupants but the public, is simply immoral and unacceptable.
Though there are no official statistics, traffic fatalities are undoubtedly the single biggest threat Somalilanders face on a daily basis.
Solutions?
The single biggest cause of traffic fatalities is the use of left handed vehicles on our roads. Nothing is preventing Somaliland from solving this problem. This does not require recognition or massive funding from donors.
Gradual, city by city ordinance where roads are switched from right to left will make our vehicles compatible with the roads and prevent many traffic accidents and safe countless lives.
Enforcing seat belt use especially on interstate highways is another surefire way to cut traffic fatalities by 60%.
Traffic accidents is one of the leading causes of death in Somaliland but has been an area where almost no attention has been spent for the 27 years that Somaliland existed as a country.
Limited resources will for the time being prevent the Government in investing in highway patrol to a level where reckless truck drivers on interstate highways purposefully drive other motorists off the road but completing ignoring the leading cause of death in Somaliland is a dereliction of duties on the part of Somaliland authorities.
This is an ongoing series where we examine traffic and traffic fatalities in Somaliland and track progress and where possible hold the authorities responsible and bring awareness to the leading cause of death in Somaliland – Somaliland Chronicle.
The results of our week long poll to evaluate Mayor of Burao Mohamed Yusuf Murad and Burao City Council’s performance rating through public polling are finally here!
Number of Participants
957
Poll Duration
7 Days
Poll Method
Online
A total of 15.6% of respondents approve of Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad handling of his job while 84.4% disapprove.
Burao City Council has a job approval rating of 13.3% v 86.7% disapprove of how the Council has handled its job.
An 11% of respondents favor Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad for a second term as a Mayor.
84.4% of respondents have unfavorable view of Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad honesty and trustworthiness.
Only 22.3% of respondents approve the Mayor’s handling of water services in Burao.
On this question, only 17.8% of respondents agree that their property taxes are used for their intended purposes without corruption, while 82.2% disagree or strongly disagree.
Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad has cited new road construction as one of his greatest accomplishments, however 73.4% of respondents do not agree.
Only 13.3% of respondents are satisfied by the basic services they receive from Burao Municipality, while 86.7% are either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied.
While we are unsure of Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad’s future political ambition, 91.1% of respondents will not elect him as President.
The backlash that followed the President’s signing of the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill into law has claimed its first major political casualty, the Chairman of the Ruling party’s Central Committee Mr Jama Ismail Egeh (Shabeel).
Mr Shabeel with other national parties voicing opposition to the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill
Mr. Shabeel has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill which he characterized as a foreign concept that did not originate in Somaliland but rather imported from other cultures. He specifically spoke on some wording that he attributed to endorsing homosexuality.
Somaliland Chronicle has not reviewed the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill and is not in a position to substantiate Mr Shabeel’s claims about the Bill.
The opposition to the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill has dominated the news cycle in Somaliland and forced the government of President Muse Bihi Abdi to back peddle promising to give the contents of the legislation a more through review.
Somaliland Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs promises review of Rape and Sexual Offences Bill
Though technically the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill is now is the law of the land, the government acknowledged gaps in how it was developed, corrections and comments from religious scholars and legislators were omitted before it landed on the President’s desk for signature, and promised to review all aspects of it according to the Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs.
The bill has passed the senate and parliament back in April 2018 and was signed into law (Law No. 80/2018) by President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi on August 28 2018.
Somaliland Senate vote for the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill
Kulmiye Secretary General Mr Hassan Saeed
The Ruling Party’s dismissal letter of Mr Shabeel has not directly addressed his opposition of the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill but cited other unspecified instances of being in direct conflict with the party and the government’s policies. Mr Shabeel has been trading verbal jabs with other Kulmiye officials via multiple media appearances.
It is not a secret that Somaliland legislators have not created many bills in recent memory and most legislation that it votes on have been wholly created and drafted by INGO and UN agencies, however, this is the first bill that created a major political headache for the new President.
Director General of the Presidency Mr Mohamed Ali Bile with President Muse Bihi Abdi
So far, no government official has been held responsible, including the Ministers of Endowment and Religious Affairs and Constitutional Affairs, the President’s own gatekeepers Mr Mohamed Ali Bile and Mubarak Taani for how this bill ended up on the President’s desk and got signed into law without proper vetting and ensuring all amendments, comments and corrections are incorporated.
President’s Secretary Mr. Mubarak Taani
High ranking members in Kulmiye who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the Party’s Chairman is still the President of Somaliland and without his approval Mr Shabeel wouldn’t have been dismissed. We are unable to confirm if the President is still involved in the party’s day to day activities or if he was made aware of the Party cutting ties with Mr Shabeel.
Mr Shabeel disputes the manner of his dismissal and has threatened legal and other unspecified actions.
Continuing our Evaluate Your Mayor series, today, we are conducting our another poll to gauge the public opinion on the performance of Burao Mayor Mohamed Yusuf Murad and Burao City Council. The Poll is open until midnight September 30 and will publish the results as soon as it closes.
Diplomatic sources in Djibouti confirm to Somaliland Chronicle that on the 21st of September, Saudi Arabia’s deputy chief of directorate of intelligence known as Al Mukhabarat Al A’amah Major General Ahmad Hassan Mohammad Asiri, has visited Somaliland and met with President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi.
The highly secretive meeting between President Muse Bihi Abdi and General Ahmad Hassan Mohammad Asiri is another sign of newly energized diplomatic overtures by the Kingdom to Somaliland. Vice President Saylici was among King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s guests during his recent visit to Hajj pilgrimage.
There has been no official word from the governments of Somaliland and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding Major General Ahmad Hassan Mohammad Asiri visit to Somaliland and meeting with President Muse Bihi Abdi.
Flight logs for the 21st of September to Egal International Airport (HGA) did not show any chartered flights from Saudi Arabia but our sources indicate that General Asiri came via Djibouti on a commercial flight.
Vice President Saylici’s delegation in Jeddah
A high ranking member of President Bihi’s administration who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed General Asiri’s visit to Somaliland “KSA is very interested in a military base in Berbera along side its ally, the United Arab Emirates and if all goes well, President Muse Bihi Abdi will be heading to Jeddah to meet Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman” he said.
King Salman with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (R) and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki
A member of an opposition party who accompanied Vice President Saylici to Saudi Arabia, could not confirm General Asiri’s meeting stated “The Saudis are very interested in Somaliland and based on their 1.789 trillion dollar economy which dwarfs the Emirates’, any terms they offer will be far superior and it does not hurt they can tell anyone in the region what to think and whom to like. So if this is a good thing for Somaliland, we just got to play our cards right”
The results of our week long poll to evaluate Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) and Hargeisa City Council performance rating through public polling are finally here!
Number of Participants
3,567
Poll Duration
7 Days
Poll Method
Online
A total of 12.1% of respondents approve of Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) handling of his job while 87.9% disapprove.
Hargeisa City Council has a job approval rating of 11.2% v 88.8% disapprove of how the Council has handled its job.
9% of respondents favor Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) for a second term as a Mayor.
88.3% of respondents have unfavorable view of Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) honesty and trustworthiness.
Only 11.3% of respondents approve the Mayor’s handling of water services in Hargeisa.
On this question, only 14.9% of respondents agree that their property taxes are used for their intended purposes without corruption, while 85.1% disagree or strongly disagree.
Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) has cited new road construction as one of his greatest accomplishments, however 83.4% of respondents do not agree.
Only 12.7% of respondents are satisfied by the basic services they receive from Hargeisa Municipality, while 87.4% are either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied.
While we are unsure of Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco)’s future political ambition, 92.3% of respondents will not elect him as President.
Zamzam Abdi Adan with other government official at the launch ceremony of SLFMIS
There have been numerous reports of impropriety at the Ministry of Finance related to the PFM project during the tenure of the former Minister Zamzam Abdi Adan.
President Muse Bihi Abdi with current Minister of Yusuf Mahamed Abdi
New security vulnerabilities are routinely discovered on everything from windows on consumer grade laptops to a system running an important national infrastructure such as the SLFMIS. Unfortunately, 90% of all hacking incidents involved a security flaw.
We have consulted cyber security professionals to confirm if indeed there are security vulnerabilities as reported, and they have confirmed that in fact there are numerous vulnerability are critical and need immediate attention or the system should be taken offline and added that only a low level of expertise is required to exploit and access the system.
“Not sure how much was spent to create this system, but it appears whoever designed it has a tenuous grasp of today’s cyber security risks and has not put any controls in place to protect this system” said an IT professional who was briefed on this issue.
The experts we consulted confirmed that Somaliland’s SLFMIS would not have passed minimum security standards in any small to medium company let alone critical government infrastructure.
Side by side, Somaliland’s SLFMIS and Somalia’s Revenue Collection System
SLFMIS has been implemented and hosted by PFM Smart. There is a little information about this company whom one of Somaliland’s most valuable data sources resides with but what is clear is that it also implemented Somalia’s Revenue Collection System and is hosting it on the same network as SLFMIS.
Somaliland government has a history of using unscrupulous foreign companies often established solely for the purpose of the project at hand, PFM Smart seems to be one of those.
Minister of Finance meeting
On Monday, the Minister of Finance Yusuf Mahamed Abdi has met with yet another foreign company called OBM which works with the ministry on financial reform. It is unclear if this company is related to the PFM.
Somaliland Chronicle has reported and shared our findings with high ranking members of Somaliland government to get the right resources tasked for immediate remediation. Somaliland Chronicle will not discuss the nature of the vulnerability due to its national security implication.
Today, we are conducting a poll to gauge the public opinion on the performance of Mayor Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidiid (Soltelco) and Hargeisa City Council. The Poll is open until midnight September 22 and will publish the results as soon as it closes.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Somaliland, His Excellency Dr. Saad Ali Shire discusses the current course of Somaliland’s diplomacy, changes in the region and Vice President’s visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and many more topics.
Dr Saad Ali Shire addressing Chatham House
Somaliland Chronicle:Let’s get one thing out of the way; Are you the right man for the job of Somaliland’s Chief Diplomat? And why?
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:Whether I am the right man for the job is a matter for the commander in chief. But what I can say is that I have some critical skills for the job: I am hardworking, strategic, good manager, results oriented, calculating and cool. I have good writing skills and fluent in English. I also speak Spanish, Italian, Arabic and French in various degrees, and I have over 30 years of experience in foreign countries.
Dr. Shire addressing the media with UN Special Envoy Michael Keating
Somaliland Chronicle:There is a lot happening around the region, Somalia Eritrea, Ethiopia and now Djibouti seem to be all on the same page, and are signing all sorts of agreements with one another. What kind of impact do you think this will have on Somaliland and possibly its sovereignty?
Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn transferring power to Dr Abiy Ahmed
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:Everything and every change that takes place in the Horn of Africa will affect us either positively or negatively, either in the long term or in the short term. The changes ushered by Dr. Abiy are:
Political i. Peaceful resolution of conflict ii. Respect for human rights iii. Release of political prisoners iv. Reconciliation with opposition groups e.g. ONLF. v. The establishment of a new government in the Somali region vi. Eritrea membership of the IGAD
Economical i. Privatization of public companies ii. Economic integration iii. Multinational port concessions
Strategic i. Realignment of internal and external allies ii. Oromo and Eritrea rapprochement, iii. Opening of borders between Ethiopia and Eritrea iv. Ethiopian access to Eritrean ports
Security i. Peace deal between Eritrea and Djibouti ii. Down grading of the lieu police force iii. Conflict between ethnic communities iv. Instability
Peaceful resolution of conflict, economic integration, restoration of law and order, respect for human rights, and disbandment of the notorious lieu security forces are all positive developments that are beneficial. It also possible that the regional and international community will focus more on the problem between Somaliland and Somalia once other outstanding issues in the Horn are cleared. Of course, the reform is still in process, and if at any stage security breaks down that will have serious implications for us.
Dr Saad Ali Shire with DP World and Ethiopian Officials
Somaliland Chronicle: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has visited or met with every leader in the region and has yet to mention Somaliland and in some of his speeches seemed to favor greater Somalia. Any concern that Dr Abiy may not have Somaliland’s best interest at heart?
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:The fact that our president has not yet met the Prime Minister raises questions, but as far as our working relationship at the ground level is concerned nothing has changed, and the signals and the messages we are getting indicate that Ethiopia still considers Somaliland as a valuable partner. We will know exactly what the position of the prime minister is when we meet him.
Somaliland Chronicle: With the end of hostilities with Eritrea, Ethiopia has now access to a much closer and frankly better port facilities than Berbera, do you think they will fulfill their commitment to developing the Berbera corridor? If not, are we rethinking the 19% stake they hold in Berbera DP World deal?
President of Eritria Isaiah Afewerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sign peace agreement
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:Ethiopia is a huge country that is growing fast in terms of population and economy. The population is growing at the rate of 3% which means it will double to 204 million by 2042. Its economy is growing fast at 7-10%, which means, if you take the midpoint, it will double to reach $160 billion nine years from now by 2027. Hence, it will need more ports than Djibouti, Assab and Berbera to handle its external trade. It is not a zero sum game. Berbera can only gain from the increasing demand. You have to understand that Ethiopia has two main population centers – east and west, and Berbera will positioned to serve the eastern wing. As far their share and interest in the port of Berbera is concerned, noting has changed up to now.
Somaliland Chronicle: The Vice President’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and official business showed Somaliland in an elevated diplomatic status in the Kingdom, could you tell us more about the famous handshake and where we go from here with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
Somaliland Vice President Abdirahman Saylici meeting Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Saudi investors
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:I think the high level protocol awarded to the Vice President indicated how much Saudi Arabia values its relationship with Somaliland. Saudi Arabia is an extremely important country for us. It is the number one importer of our main export, live stock. The foreign currency we earn from this trade plus the remittance of our Diaspora is what pays for our large import bill. We greatly appreciate the warm welcome extended to our vice president and thank the King for the royal reception.
Somaliland Chronicle: This is probably not the first time you are being asked this question, but there are some reports that Russia is interested in Somaliland for naval base while some have recently urged the US to recognize Somaliland before Russia does. Are we open to speaking with the Russians about giving them the base in exchange of our recognition?
Dr. Saad Ali Shire:We are an independent country, though not yet fully recognized, and our diplomatic doors are open to all including Russia. But the fact of the matter is that Russia has not yet approached us to talk to us about bases. It is all speculation.
Somaliland Chronicle: Back to Ethiopia and the Somali zone, there are lot of inhabitants with roots in Somaliland on that side of the border, is Somaliland doing anything to bolster and help them take part in the political process in Ethiopia?
Dr. Saad Ali Shire: As you rightly said, the people of Hawd and Reserved Area of Somali Region of Ethiopia, hail from Somaliland, and Somaliland has naturally vested interest in the new developments in the region. We would like to see the region peaceful, stable and more development programs coming its way. We would like also to see more cross border trade for the benefit of both sides.
Somaliland Chronicle: If and when talk with Somalia resume, can you assure Somalilanders that our sovereignty is not up for discussion?
Somaliland – Somalia talk in Ankara back in May 2016
Dr. Saad Ali Shire: In this type of negotiation, naturally sovereignty will be discussed, but it will not be given away by the negotiators. It is a constitutional matter. It will be for the public to decide on anything that might compromise their sovereignty.
Somaliland Chronicle: Finally, you have served Somaliland with distinction, could you share with us your future political ambitions, seeking a higher office perhaps?
Dr. Saad Ali Shire: My honest answer at this moment is that I have no ambition to seek higher political office. But I will keep serving my nation as long as I am alive as a citizen.
