Breaking – President Bihi Departs for an Official visit to Djibouti

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September 3, 2019

The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi is departing today to the neighboring country of Djibouti on an official visit.

Though Somaliland has enjoyed a warm relationship with the Republic of Djibouti in the past and many Somaliland government agencies have a close working relationship with their counterparts in Djibouti, President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh has forged a closer bond with Somalia and its President Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo.

*President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh in Mogadishu on March 2019*

Djibouti is Somaliland’s primary strategic and economic rival due to their access to the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb strait and being the supply route to Ethiopia’s landlocked population.

This would be the second visit President Bihi visits Djibouti since assuming office. He has previously visited Djibouti as a Presidential candidate.

Officials in Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation declined to confirm or comment on the President’s visit to Djibouti or provide any details on the President’s Agenda.

Exclusive – Unidentified Spy Plane Surveys Somaliland

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Staff

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September 1, 2019

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On Sunday August 25th, a Beechcraft Super King Air 350 aircraft took off from Djibouti and crossed on to Somaliland airspace.

Unlike many of the other flights using Somaliland airspace that day, this was the only unidentified flight without a call sign or a registered serial number. A standard practice for flights operated by military or intelligence services.

The aircraft unusual flight pattern started to zigzag over an area of Awdal region, making several passes over the same area before it proceeded to an area parrallel to Arabsiyo and North of Hargeisa , an area east of Lughaya on the coast before reaching an area between Berbera and Sheikh and conducting the same a repetitive flight over a small area.

Borama, Lughaya and Hargeisa surveyed areas
Berbera surveyed areas
Flight Altitude and speed

Most commercial flights cruise at 35000 feet but this particular plane maintained an altitude of 19 to 22000 ft and averaged 200 kts ground speed during most of its flight.

Flight path of unidentified aircraft (BE30) in Somaliland airspace.

Beech Master aircraft has been the standard special mission platform fielded by many NATO pact militareis around the world and most notably the United States whose Africa Command is based out of Djibouti.

Beech Master aircraft are capable of carrying an array of sophisticated surveillance equipment including Cameras, Lidar, and LOROP for Photography and Mapping.

The date of this flight coincides with an article by Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute on the National Interest magazine in which he implored the United States to consider setting up military bases in Somaliland.

United States has not expressed a formal interest in a military base in Somaliland though the type of aircraft and where it originated makes the United States the most likely country to own this plane.

Somaliland government officials would not confirm or deny the flight and declined to comment on if prior authorization has been sought for this flight.

The Bihi Presidency At A Crossroads

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Staff

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August 30, 2019

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The Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has just returned from making the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Whilst in Saudi Arabia, he was met with and was rightly accorded the protocol of a Head of State. The social media images of the President aiding his elderly mother around Mecca and Medina not only highlighted his filial duties, but also, showed the humane side of a man often termed as stern, stubborn, unsentimental and strict.

The visit to Saudi Arabia concluded with several meetings with senior Saudi Arabian government officials and a well organized gathering with Somaliland community in the Kingdom. There were those among his supporters and detractors who will mention the lack of meeting with the Saudi monarch or crown prince, but, since Somaliland doesn’t currently enjoy de-jure recognition, it was felt that instead of the large ceremonial gathering with the Saudi monarch, a more productive meeting with Saudi Arabian decision makers would be more of a benefit to Somaliland.

As for that “infamous” photograph, it was a goodwill gesture on President Bihi’s part used for by the rogues in Mogadishu for infantile public relations stunt.

So, it was after this remarkable journey to the Hajj and it’s productive diplomatic elements, that President Muse Bihi returned home to a warm welcome and even a warmer political climate. Because, for all the diplomatic and personal glow from the Saudi trip, the presidency of Muse Bihi Abdi is at a crossroads.

The president has returned to the ongoing political stalemate pertaining to the parliamentary and local council elections. The president has returned to the ongoing situation with the Caare insurgency in the mountains of Sanaag. The president has returned to the howls of indignation from his communities in Somaliland who feel marginalized or worse, victimized by the central government, Ceel-Afweine. The president has returned to daily incursion by the rag-tag militia affiliated with the neighboring Somali state of Puntland and defections by Somaliland soldiers from the community in and around Badhan.

President Muse Bihi has often stated that “he doesn’t mind criticism, because he had been in opposition all his life. That he welcomes constructive criticism and is willing to debate and engage all opponents through dialogue and discussion”. This is all very commendable, but if one doesn’t, much like history, learn from criticism, then what is point of being open to it?

The advice given to this President from many of his more seasoned advisers and more importantly from previous Presidents was, “Don’t isolate yourself, beware of the many, many, people who will trade on your name or position, be a politician, be flexible, be thick skinned, be strong, but most of all be generous, patient and accommodating”.

Now, I am sure, President Muse Bihi has taken aboard most of this advice, and has acted upon it. However, you still get the sense, that there are those among his own community, who keep whispering to him, “It has taken us a long time to reach this office, don’t be weak, don’t give in, don’t do that, or this, etc”. I could be wrong. I am sure the majority of the Somalilanders who voted for President Muse Bihi in 2017 were not all from his own community, because they voted for a strong leadership to roll back the malaise and corruption of the previous administration.

However, if some voted for the President on community basis, well, after almost two years, not even they bargained for the current predicaments facing the country.

Don’t get me wrong, President Muse Bihi has achieved many laudable gaols. I am a great supporter of the National Service. “Shaqo Qaran”. I think it is a wonderful programme that will build self-confidence, self-awareness, knowledge of self, the country and it’s people, in our youth. But, even then this programme has become tainted with nepotism and corruption.The President has campaigned to stop corruption, even sacking some high profile ministers over, alleged, accusation of fraud. The President has also carried on with the DP World Berbera project, The Berbera Corridor, and constituted a more focused approach on agriculture, education, health, fishing, commerce and industry, which are starting to show some results.

There have also been several historic diplomatic successes during the President’s term in office, the recent visit to the Republic of Guinea, comes to mind.

But, where the President, in my opinion, must receive a failing grade or if we are being generous, “must improve”, is domestic political policy.

One of the most important government agencies in Somaliland, is the Home ministry. This ministry is in charge of everything within our borders, from Police, Security, Local regions, etc,etc. It is clear that the current minister, Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, is not up to the job. The president remains loyal to his fellow party stalwart, brother-in-arms, and friend. It is laudable that the President shows loyalty to his colleagues and friends, but, Somaliland must be above friendships.

If the friendship and loyalty between President Muse Bihi Abdi and Minister Mohamed Kahin Ahmed is as strong as we believe it to be, then the truth between friends should not be painful. Minister Kahin is simply not up to the task.

The other torn in the president’s side is the current parliament and it’s destitution. Somaliland has now the longest sitting parliament, without elections, (14 years, 5000+ days), since the “Long parliament of 1642-1653” during the English civil war that cost a King his head. The House of Elders has been sitting for more than three decades ( 30 years) without reform. This is embarrassing!

And the worst thing about this situation is not because of a lack of will, support, logistics, data, or due to war, pestilence, drought or worse, but of leadership. The democratic credentials and progression of the country are being held hostage by “parliamentarians” who will not enact the bills to hold elections, by a political party afraid of losing it’s seats and majority in the house, by a opposition party afraid to trust the process, and by politicians who don’t want see their lucrative careers came to an end.

Finally, we come to the most alarming failure in domestic political policy. The blatant disregard for the law by both the government and the citizens which is leading to the fragmentation of the society.

We have the absurd situation in Somaliland, of a self enthroned “Boqor” raising militias and causing havoc in Sanaag. We have a renegade Colonel in the mountains, we are seeing soldiers from certain communities in the east bolting the country!

Mr. President, Somaliland is not just the corridor between, Gabiley, Hargeysa, Burco, Boorama and Berbera. You need to look east. You need to go there, base yourself there, and once and for all, remedy the situation.

We also need to invest in the quest for international de-jure recognition. Somaliland is blessed with many talented, urbane, influential and educated people, both at home and abroad. The indefatigable Edna Aden cannot to do it all alone. Empower our representatives abroad to take initiatives, engage the international communities. We need to lobby extensively. We have a strong and just case, and should not feel embarrassed to lobby.

I have a great empathy with President Muse Bihi Abdi, because deep down, like all of us, he loves his country and it’s people. All of its people. He just has to show that in deeds rather than words. The president must make sure that the elections take place. That those who feel marginalized become included. That equality, justice and freedoms are protected. That we do not cast “Maandeeq” away, again, like we did in 1960.

For all those old enough to have grown up, educated and worked in the region during the ill-fated union know there will always be social, cultural and even economic ties, but not political ties. There is a Somali saying ”Waa habeen xalay tagay”.

Wa Bilaahi Towfiiq

About the Author
Ahmed Kheyre is based in London, UK and can be reached @ ruraledcomm[at]yahoo.co.uk

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

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: Our Defense Forces Are Above Politics And Tribalism

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Staff

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August 28, 2019

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The people of Somaliland support their Defence Forces and it’s members. Let no one be in any doubt about that. Our Defence Forces are one of the pillars of the nation’s existence. Without them, there is no peace, security or safety. They are and have always been above politics and tribalism.

Even before military rankings were instituted among our Defence Forces, the chain of command was based on mutual respect, experience and obedience. This will never change.

Our Defence Forces have grown, and have become more professional thanks to the support of our friends in the international community and our neighbours in Ethiopia. They have more training, they have more logistics and hardware, but most important of all, they continue to have the confidence and support of the Somaliland population.

And rightly so, because we are going to need them. Let no one be in any doubt that the weak entity in Mogadishu and it’s subcontractors in the region, are gearing up for and will sooner or later, try to engulf Somaliland in another civil war. Do not be under any misapprehension. Our enemies have never left, and are bidding their time.

The issue with the Colonel Caare is unfortunate. It is political and tribal. We have seen this situation before and it was resolved peacefully. But, what makes this situation even more perilous is the intransigence on both sides. There has to be a give and take. We have not came this far to start bickering and fighting among each other.

What is needed is real leadership and we need to use the Somaliland formula; dialogue, discussion and consensus.

Unfortunately, our political leadership, not just from our President, Muse Bihi, but also our opposition leaders, Abdirahman Irro or Faisal Ali Warabe, seem be overlooking the main thing. Somaliland.

As the nation progresses and conditions improve, have we become complacent?. Have we returned to old ways of internal community bickering? This is unacceptable. Do we have such a short memory? Our three branches of government must work. We have to turn away from community elders outside the House of Elders interfering in everything. What on earth is the Guurti for?

We need to reform our institutions in order to strengthen the foundations of our country. We need to hold the prospective parliamentary elections. Get some youth and vigour into the system. We need to reform the Guurti. We need to protect the rights of our citizens. We need to fight corruption. We need to maintain unity among all our communities. And most of all, we need to defend, support and encourage our Defence Forces.

Somaliland is the be all and end all. We must not be distracted by petty party politics, simmering community issues and grandstanding.

This is not the task of the President alone, it is a task for all Somalilanders.

Wa Bilaahi Towfiiq

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About the Author
Ahmed Kheyre is based in London, UK and can be reached @ ruraledcomm[at]yahoo.co.uk

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

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.

GEOSOL: How Mayor SOLTELCO and his Friends Plan to Make Millions in Unlawful Taxes from Hargeisa Property Owners.

By

Staff

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August 28, 2019

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On March 26th, 2018 President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi unveiled a program by Hargeisa Municipality to modernize and manage property and land using geographic information system or GIS.

President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi at the inauguration of the GEOSOL project.

Before we delve into the details of the history of GIS in Somaliland, GEOSOL and how it’s connection to the Mayor of Hargeisa Mr. Abdirahman Mahmoud Aidid SOLTELCO, let us understand how a GIS system would benefit Somaliland in many aspects from simple navigation to infrastructure development and town planning.

Somaliland might be one of the last countries on earth without actual home addresses, especially in main population centers and as a result, the National Identification and driver’s licenses lack an actual place of domicile.

Emergency services, whether medical and fire would not be effective without the ability to locate a victim or the address of the house that is on fire. And while Somaliland has one of the highest adoption rates of mobile communication, emergency services cannot locate subjects via GPS.

It is important to understand that this report is not about the importance of GIS and how beneficial its proper implementation would be for Somaliland and its development, instead our report focuses on the likelihood of success of this project given the record of Hargeisa Mayor and his local council during their tenure.

Esri Case Study: California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)

Brief History of GIS in Somaliland

Efforts to create GIS systems in Somaliland has been ongoing since the late 1990s by multiple UN and International NGOs. The first joint effort was started by UNHCR in collaboration with UNDOS even though it was not detailed enough for urban management and navigation.

UNHABITAT has created a GIS based land management system for many municipalities in Somaliland including Hargeisa as far back as 2004.

Existing GIS office in Hargeisa Local Government.

This is how the project is described “UN-HABITAT set up a Geographic Information System (GIS) and did a pilot land survey in Gebiley, Somaliland. A second pilot survey followed in Burao during the first half of 2003. However, the programme’s GIS and land management component fully took off with the setting up of an Urban Land Information System in Hargeisa in 2004. Experts first vectorized a high-resolution satellite image of the city, digitized all the properties and building blocks visible on screen, and then organized a door-to-door housing survey to gather information on each building’s status.”

It is unclear if the company plans to undertake the actual mapping of Hargeisa and will create the GIS data sets from scratch or will rely on the work previously completed by UNHABITAT.

The Company – GEOSOL

The company tasked with the monumental task of modernizing Hargeisa municipality with GIS-based land management system and an E-Government platform for citizen services is GEOSOL.

In one of their many presentations, the company claimed that its leadership had 45 years of combined expertise in “Business strategy, execution, and technical solutions” and they have managed operations of over 200 million dollars.

The company has zero track record and was only registered in Somaliland on December 2017. Efforts to locate it in foreign company registries were unsuccessful.

Other than the multiple presentations with Hargeisa municipality and meeting with various government officials, there is not a lot of information about the company or its principals to assess the chances of success of this project.

GEOSOL team with Somaliland Vice President and Hargeisa Deputy Mayor.

There is no record of a public bid by Hargeisa Municipality and we could not locate project document including cost estimates, duration or any other specifics.

On the local council, there was not much of a debate or discussion of the project except a lengthy and incoherent speech made the Deputy Mayor of Hargeisa that included the need to catch up with Dubai and its upcoming self-driving vehicles which he correctly stipulated that a GIS system is a key to achieving it.

Few local council members spoke on the same session but they mainly complained about the fact that this was the first time they were hearing about the project and that no specifics.

Promise them the Moon

According to company presentations, the project has two facets: create a GIS system for land management and an E-Government component for citizen services including tax collection.

Related image — Somaliland’s Chief Justice Adam Haji Ali

One thing the company promises is that it will map Hargeisa with great accuracy and that it will virtually eliminate land dispute and help unclog the court system. This is the reason the project is said to have the full support of Somaliland’s Chief Justice Adam Haji Ali.

Also, the company says it will convert existing land and property deeds into new immutable documents that will be hard to forge; it is unclear what that will entail.

The system will include a component that will be used by public notaries, presumably for property and land deed transfer from one owner to another.

The E-Government component, according to the company will offer a full range of services to citizens and will enable them to follow the progression of their case in a modern workflow system. In addition, the system will create financial transparency.

GEOSOL is trying to branch out to other areas and has met with the Minister of Finance Dr. Saad Ali Shire on a possible venture to help his ministry collect taxes.

Hidden Price Tag

One of the mysteries of this project is that no one knows how much it will cost perhaps except GEOSOL and the Mayor and they have not shared that information with the public including the Hargeisa local council, Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology.

What we do know, however, is that when the project was unveiled by the Mayor and his Deputy to the local council, a budget of 3 million dollars was added to the 2018 municipal budget. It is unclear how much of the three million has been disbursed to GEOSOL.

According to multiple Hargeisa councilmen who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Mayor has signed with GEOSOL a 20-year agreement that will institute a new set of fees that will be added to city services including annual property taxes. The fee is intended to help the company recoup the funds it has invested in the project. They added that the Mayor and his Deputy are silent partners of GEOSOL.

To get a buy-in from many government officials for approving projects, in Somaliland, it is an open secret that either an upfront payment or partnering with them is the only way to get things moving.

While GEOSOL and Mayor Soltelco has been less than transparent about the cost of the project, they stand to make a minimum of million dollars a year. Suppose there are only 100,000 taxable properties in Hargeisa and each pays an additional 10 dollars for GEOSOL’s fee.

Number of Homes	GEOSOL’s Fee	Annual Revenue for GEOSOL
100,000.00	$ 10.00	$ 1,000,000.00

Mr. Soltelco has accelerated the timeline to declare the system operational perhaps since his term has ended months ago without an extension from the Senate and unclear prospect for reelection.

Given that this is project is based on existing work by UNHABITAT, it’s unclear why GOESOL and Hargeisa Mayor would start a duplicate project that will cost Hargeisa residents millions of dollars for the next 20 years.

Another area of concern is the safeguarding of of personally identifiable information the system will contain and the lack of any involvement by the relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology.

Efforts to reach the Mayor’s and his Deputy were unsuccessful. In addition, request for comment to Mr. Ibrahim Isse, a GEOSOL principal were not answered.

Notice: This is an article by Somaliland Chronicle. It 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.

President of Jubbaland Wins A second term.

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Staff

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August 24, 2019

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The president of Jubbaland, a Somali region of vital importance to the struggle of East Africa against the militant Islamists of Al Shabaab, has won a new term on Thursday.

The contest has created tensions between Kenya and Ethiopia, longtime allies, both with a large contingent of peacekeepers in the country, who see Jubbaland as a buffer zone against Islamist attacks in their own countries.

Kenya supports the winner Ahmed Mohamed Madobe, while Ethiopia has come closer and closer to the Federal Government in Mogadishu.

Statement from Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Madobe won 56 of the 74 votes cast in the regional parliament, said Cabdi Maxamed Abdirahmaan.

“I am ready to sit and talk to all people, including the opposition.I will speak and work with anyone who has a complaint, ” Madobe said after the vote.

A number of opposition candidates who had been barred from registering for the election said they had cast their votes in Kismayo on Thursday and voted for Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig who has since declared himself President.

The federal government in Mogadishu, which had declared the electoral process unconstitutional, rejected both competitions.

Statement from The Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation.

The Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation said it “does not recognize the two different outcomes in Kismayo where two people claimed to be the president of Jubbaland ”

KEY STATE

A map posted by the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked Jubba land as Special status Region.

Jubbaland is considered the breadbasket of Somalia and the capital Kismayo is a strategically important port.The coast borders a hotly contested sea zone with potential oil and gas reserves claimed by both Somalia and Kenya.

Madobe supplanted al Shabaab in 2012 with the help of Kismayo’s Kenyan forces, then took power and was first elected in 2015.

Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of Kismayo after the results were announced and sang “Long live Ahmed Madobe!” And waved his picture.

Jubbaland is the third of the seven semi-autonomous regions of Somalia to hold presidential elections ahead of next year’s national vote.

While analysts say that President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo needs to exercise greater control over Jubbaland and the other regions in order to have a chance of winning next year, they also expect the federal government to reluctantly accept thursday’s results despite earlier fears of violence.

They will have to live with (Madobe), “said Hussein Sheikh-Ali, former national security adviser and founder of the Mogadishu-based think tank of the Hiraal Institute.

Al Shabaab controls parts of the territory and several cities in Jubbaland, and analysts say it could exploit the spit over the elections.

The militants who want to overthrow the Somali government have killed thousands of Somalis and hundreds of civilians across East Africa in a decade-long uprising.

Somalia has been in a state of prepetual war since the overthrow of the dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

Sources: Reuters and other wire services.

With All Due Respect Mr. President – You May be an Idiot

By

Staff

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August 14, 2019

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Mr. President: We need to talk, we need to talk about your behavior.

Mr. President, your trip to the Hajj, the pictures and videos of you and your delegation and most especially your mother in Mecca was a sight to behold, a massive morale boost for the people of Somaliland. It gave them a much needed reprieve not only from their daily grind the political gridlock – And then you have ruined it all with a picture of the very men who are making life difficult for the people of Somaliland.

You see Mr. President, there is something you may not be familiar with and it’s called public relations, regardless of the context, a picture is worth a thousand words where everyone will interpret it their own way. This is something that Somalia understands very well since they are not wasting anytime governing or even pretend to run Somalia, public relations and photo ops are their specialty.

It boggles the mind how no one in your delegation had any issue with taking a picture with these professional trolls. Everything about their demeanor, their visible blue badges, the stupid smiles, and how they are mixed in with your team shows that they had a plan and have used you and your team as simple props that were arranged to their liking. This may not be the case, but we do not know that.

Farmajo and his government’s sole preoccupation has been to make life difficult for our people and unless we are meeting them in an internationally mediated venue, the pleasantries can wait.

The fact that after 24 hours, no one has bothered to explain to the public what happened and give the photo a context. Somalia, in contrast, has created so many narratives they are tripping over one another with tweet after tweet.

Somalia has been a wedge issue, and being pro-Somalia is something that your party and your government have constantly accused the opposition with zero evidence, sometimes because of a photo – just like the one you have taken with Villa Somalia ministers.

An apology to Waddani party is in order. An apology from you, Kulmiye and your government. Accusing citizens of working against their nation is divisive and harmful rhetoric and must stop.

Finally, Mr. President, you are in desperate need for a team that understands optics, public relations, and basic communication. Not trolls and fervent supporters, professionals who will stop you from horrible mistakes like this.

There was something wrong with the photo and we have fixed it.

Somaliland Chronicle is responsible for the content of this editorial.

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 President Attends Hajj on Official Invitation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

By

Staff

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August 7, 2019

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The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi is leaving for Saudi Arabia tomorrow on official invitation from the Kingdom to attend the Hajj.

Sources close to Somaliland Presidency confirm to Somaliland Chronicle that President Bihi and members of his delegation will be travelling on Somaliland passport. This will be President Bihi’s first visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowment Sheikh Khalil Abdillahi Ahmed
Minister of Interior Affairs Mr Mohamed Kahin

President will be accompanied by two members of his cabinet, the Minister of Interior Affairs Mr. Mohamed Kahin Abdi and the Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowment Sheikh Khalil Abdilahi Ahmed.

News of President’s Hajj attendance was widely speculated in Somaliland media where some outlets reported communication between the President and the Kingdom on travel logistics and possible audience with the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends invitations to heads of states from muslim countries to attend the Hajj. Last year, Vice President Saylici attended the Hajj on similar invitation.

Commander of US Africa Command: Al-Shabaab is the Deadliest And Largest Violent Extremist Organization In Africa

By

Staff

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July 31, 2019

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XVIII ABN Commander Visits Army's first SFAB — Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commanding general for the XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, visits Soldiers from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia, Oct. 23. During the visit, Townsend listened to troops within the unit to get a feel for why they chose to join the SFAB, so he could help spread the word to the rest of the force to assist with recruiting efforts. Soldiers interested in joining an SFAB should contact their branch manager for more information.

General Stephen J. Townsend who has taken command of the US Africa Command based in Djibouti on July 28th has described Alshabaab as the deadlist and largest VEO in Africa.

The change-of-command ceremony took place this morning at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany.

General Townsend is clear eyed about the task ahead of him as the new Head of AFRICOM. In a response to the Senete Armed Service Committee, General Townsend was asked what he considers to be most significant challenges he will face as of USAFRICOM

“Somalia’s al-Shabaab is the deadliest and largest violent extremist organization in Africa and remains a substantial concern. The group is firmly committed to its al-Qa’ida affiliation, continues to control large portions of southern Somalia, and acts as a regional destabilizer in East Africa. Al-Shabaab is responsible for the deadliest terrorist attack in Africa’s history–a November 2017 Mogadishu car bomb that killed over 560 people. The group also continues to demonstrate its ability to conduct regional attacks, most recently in a mid-January armed assault on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya that left over 20 dead, including one American.” General Townsend responded.

General Townsend in Camp Swift Iraq in 2016

On the Generals Senate confirmation in April, Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Presidential hopeful, citing the increased airstrikes in Somalia by the United States asked General Townsend if the United States is at war with Somalia. “No, Senator, we are not at war with Somalia, but we are carrying out our operations against violent extremist organizations in Somalia. It is a designated active area of hostilities. ” General Townsend responded.

On The change-of-command ceremony held in Stuttgart, Germany the Acting Secretary of Defense Richard V. Spencer said “General Townsend brings a wealth of experience from his position as former commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve,”. Operation Inherent Resolve is the US campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

General Towndsend is the 5th commander to lead the Djibouti based US Africa Command.

General Townsend is taking command of US Africa Command at a time when Alshabaab is resurgent and is taking more territory in Somalia and its sphere of influence is growing despite effort by the United States, AMISOM and other nations operating in Somalia to eradicate Alshabaab.

President Bihi Reshuffles his Administration

By

Staff

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July 30, 2019

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President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has made a minor reshuffle to his administration.

One of the people the President sacked today is Mr. Mohamed Dahir Ahmed, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education. Mr. Ahmed was previously appointed to the Ministry of Finance and was moved to the Ministry of Education on November 10th 2018 when he replaced the entire leadership of the Ministry of Finance.

Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education.

It is unclear if Mr. Ahmed’s dismissal is related to the ongoing Auditor General investigation in the MOE. Mr. Ahmed is replaced by Ahmed Hassan Nur (Tajir).

Former General Manager of Somalialnd Road Authority Eng. Osman Sh Abdi

President Bihi has also relieved Eng Osman Sh Abdi of his duties as the General Manager of Somaliland Road Authority and replaced him with Ahmed Mohamed Yusuf.

Somaliland Chronicle is unable to substantiate reports of another major reshuffle in the coming days.

While reshuffles and new appointments by previous presidents were known to the public well in advance, President Bihi has been difficult to read and his administration has had a good track record of preventing leaks.

Investigative Reports

Brief History of GIS in Somaliland

The Company – GEOSOL

Promise them the Moon

Hidden Price Tag

Mr. President: We need to talk, we need to talk about your behavior.

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