The United Nations Special Representative to Somalia and Head of UNSOM Mr. James Swan paid his first visit to the Republic of Somaliland since United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed him to the post on May 30th 2019.
A busy day in #Hargeisa for @UN envoy James Swan, on his first trip to #Somaliland since taking up his post – a visit to a @UNHCRSom-backed livelihoods project and the @UNDPSomalia-backed Civil Service Institute, and meeting #women leaders to hear about progress and challenges. pic.twitter.com/yZjKeMpkfa
Mr. Swan is scheduled to meet with the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi, the chairmen of Somaliland political parties as well as the Somaliland House of Elders and House Representatives, civil groups, NGOs and business organisations.
On July 24, Mr. Swan was the target of the latest Alshabaab suicide bombing in Municipal building in Mogadishu. The attack claimed the lives of several District Commissioners and other high ranking local council members while gravely wounding Mogadishu Mayor Mr. Abdirahmaan Omar Osman Eng Yariisow .
The Mayor of Mogadishu Mr. Yariisow and other wounded in the attack were evacuated to Qatar for treatment medical treatment.
James Swan, an American diplomat who is the United Nations’ special representative for Somalia, had visited the mayor’s office earlier Wednesday but left before the attack https://t.co/DBqzLo5GQH
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) July 24, 2019
“The UN Special Envoy James Swan, an American, survived an assassination attempt and many government officials were killed and wounded, including Mogadishu’s mayor, after targeting them in an explosion,” said a statement attributed to the Alshabaab terror network.
Nicholas Haysom former head of UNSOM and Special Representative to Somalia with President Muse Bihi Abdi on November 2018
Mr. Swan is a seasoned former US diplomat who has held many positions at the Department of State. He has succeeded Mr. Nicholas Haysom who has been granted a PNG status by Somalia’s Federal Government on January this year.
The three political parties of Wadani, UCID and Kulmiye have agreed to end the stalemate by agreeing to increase the number of Electoral Commissions from the constitutionally mandated 7 members to 9 by amending the relevant election laws that govern the number and composition of the National Election Commission.
Somaliland political parties has been locked in a stalemate that has resulted in delay of elections in Somaliland and a term extension for the Parliament.
Chairman of Somaliland Political Parties, President Muse Bihi Abdi representing Kulmiye, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Cirro, Chairman of Waddani and Eng. Faysal Ali Warabe, Chairman of UCID.
The parties agreed to have a motion presented in the parliament by Members of the Parliament from all three parties to have it ratified.
If the amendment to increase the number of Electoral Commission from 7 to 9 fails in the parliament before September 1st, Wadani, UCID and Kulmiye agreed to hold the election on time and revisit the issue after the election in the new parliamentary session.
The agreement is a very positive step. It has some deadlines that need to be respected. It opens windows for youth and women to participate in the political debate. My sincerest thanks to all political leaders of Somaliland https://t.co/jGNQqkWu8v
Disbanding the current Election Commission and increasing their numbers from 7 to 9 has been one of the main points of disagreement between the parties.
Congratulations to all political parties on today’s historic agreement that will facilitate the holding of overdue parliamentary and local council elections in #Somaliland. pic.twitter.com/WVTeQGLpLh
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Donald Trump said. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.
Today, on behalf of the American people, I received an American flag that flew aboard a ship carrying the first waves of U.S. Service Members to land in Normandy…https://t.co/f1fLTAj0We
In remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a “provocative and hostile” action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that “we have no information about losing a drone today.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
The clash in one of the busiest waterways for international oil traffic highlighted the risk of war between two countries at odds over a wide range of issues. After Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal last year and imposed additional economic sanctions, the Iranians have pushed back on the military front, allegedly sabotaging Saudi and other oil tankers in the Gulf, shooting down a U.S. drone on June 20 and stepping up support for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Adding to the economic pressure on Tehran, the Treasury Department said Thursday it was imposing sanctions on what it called a network of front companies and agents involved in helping Iran buy sensitive materials for its nuclear program. It said the targeted individuals and entities are based in Iran, China and Belgium.
Trump said the Navy’s USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, took defensive action after the Iranian aircraft closed to within 1,000 yards of the ship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Should Back Global Call to End Xinjiang Repression
(New York) – More than a dozen member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) signed a statement supporting China’s policies in Xinjiang that ignored widespread repression of the region’s Muslims, Human Rights Watch said today. The Chinese government-promoted letter was in response to a joint statement by 22 countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council last week expressing concern at massive rights violations in Xinjiang and urging unfettered access by international monitors.
The Chinese government has subjected 13 million ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang to mass arbitrary detention, forced political indoctrination, restrictions on movement, and religious oppression. Credible estimates indicate that over one million people are being held in “political education” camps. Chinese authorities have also placed Muslims in Xinjiang under pervasive surveillance and mobilized over a million officials to monitor Muslims, including through various intrusive programs.
“The Chinese government garnered the support of a dozen Muslim-majority countries to help whitewash its abysmal human rights record in Xinjiang,” said Sophie Richardson, China director. “Instead of joining with the many governments denouncing abuses against Xinjiang’s Muslims, these countries have joined Beijing’s repugnant counter narrative.”
Despite the systematic abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang, the countries that joined China’s statement applauded China’s “counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in Xinjiang” that have led to a “stronger sense of happiness, fulfillment, and security.” The Muslim-majority countries that signed the letter include: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
China’s campaign of repression in Xinjiang has been a key test of whether OIC members will press an increasingly powerful China to end its systemic abuses against Muslims. The 57-country body has largely remained silent and at times applauded China’s efforts in recent months. When the OIC foreign ministers met in Abu Dhabi in March, they ignored the plight of Xinjiang’s Muslims, and instead praised China’s efforts “in providing care to its Muslim citizens” and “look[ed] forward to further cooperation” with China.
OIC delegates also took part in one of the Chinese government’s highly controlled, state-managed diplomatic visits to Xinjiang without any criticism of the government’s rights violations. By contrast and in line with its mandate to “safeguard the rights, dignity, and religious and cultural identity” of Muslim minorities, the OIC has been vocal in condemning abuses against and demanding accountability for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Several OIC members including Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey did not sign the China-backed letter. However, no Muslim-majority country has joined the unprecedented global call at the UN Human Rights Council to investigate abuses. OIC countries should urgently sign this joint statement before the July 26 deadline.
“China’s repressive Xinjiang campaign has put the OIC’s credibility on the line,” Richardson said. “If the OIC wants to be the global voice for the rights of oppressed Muslims everywhere, its members need to stop looking the other way and denounce China’s abusive policies in Xinjiang.”
If you need medical attention from one of the publicly run hospitals in Somaliland such as Hargeisa Group Hospital, make sure you bring with you latex gloves, syringes and most of the basic medical provision you will need. Should you be unfortunate not to have these basic medical supplies with you, the nurse of the doctor will simply move on to the next patient.
While government-run hospitals such as Hargeisa Group Hospital are much cheaper than their privately owned counterparts, every service you may need including the hospital stay is a service you will have to pay for separately and if you need white-glove service, obviously it’s an extra charge.
There are public hospitals in most
major cities in Somaliland and Hargeisa Group Hospital is the largest in the
country and was built in 1950 to serve 20 to 30 thousand people now serves more
than half a million a year with no significant changes or upgrades.
We have visited Hargeisa Group
Hospital and spoke to doctors and other medical professionals and patients to
understand their experience of Somaliland’s public hospitals.
In the past, people lost their lives
because basic medical services were inadequate in Hargeisa Group Hospital.
One person we spoke to told us
stated that a relative passed away because the person in charge of the hospital
oxygen supply was unavailable. Another patient died of her gunshot wounds
because lifesaving surgery could not be performed without the anesthesiologist
who went home for the night.
It is important to note that these
incidents particular incidents took place few years ago and we have
confirmed that both departments are manned 24/7.
While many say the conditions at Hargeisa Group Hospital have substantially improved, others point to staff that are focused on ensuring they get paid a fee to place a patient in one of the payment based rooms than the wellbeing and care of patients.
Only 1.3 million dollars is allocated for activities directly related to public hospitals. It is not clear how much the government has earmarked to individual hospitals and specially Hargeisa Group Hospital.
Other agencies fund various
departments of the hospital such as the maternity and neonatal, maternity and
the dialysis departments.
The hospital itself generates significant revenue from various services it provides including hospital stay in the rooms. The prices are 8 US dollars for the older rooms and there are 34 of them and 15 US dollars for the24 newer rooms and according to current employees of the hospital, there are rarely any vacancies. The room occupancy alone could conservatively generate well over 200,000 US dollars a year.
Rooms
Price
Day
Annual
24
$ 15.00
$ 360.00
$ 131,400.00
34
$ 8.00
$ 272.00
$ 99,280.00
Annual room Rental
$ 230,680.00
While there are no free services at
Hargeisa Group Hospital, its fees are substantially cheaper than the privately
owned medical facilities and there is also a waiver system for those that
cannot pay.
According to a midlevel employee of
Hargeisa Group Hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity, none of the
revenue the hospital generates goes into government coffers where it can be
properly accounted for and ensure that hospital running costs are actually paid
and funds set aside to purchase or replace aging equipment.
In fact, according to the same
employee, every Section Manager from the Ministry of Health was drawing a bonus
of 700 US dollars a month from the hospital. Who approved these payments and
how long this has been the case are unknown. The new Manager of Hargeisa Group
Hospital Mr. Yassin Abdi suspended these payments.
Despite the many sources of funding
and revenues to run and improve conditions at Hargeisa Group Hospital has
significant debt to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Only two weeks after the helm as the Director of the Hospital Dr. Yassin Abdi Arab told the Social Affairs Committee of Somaliland Senate that his predecessor Dr. Ahmed Omar Askar has left him with a debt of 423,000 US Dollars for unpaid electric bill and purchase of medicines for the hospital.
Sources with knowledge of the operation
of the Hargeisa hospital who requested anonymity point to widespread corruption
and mismanagement. When asked for proof of the corruption allegation, most have
pointed to the lavish lifestyles of some employees of the hospital.
A medical professional working in
Hargeisa Group Hospital said: “We need a holistic review and a solid plan, I
don’t think adding a new building every few years has worked for us”.
Medical Waste Disposal and Asbestos
One of the most bizarre things we
have learned during our investigation of Hargeisa Group Hospital is that is the
hospital has no incinerator or medical waste disposal facility.
There is no seperate stream to
ensure hazardous waste does not end up in the hospital’s regular refuse. This
could endanger the hospital’s custodial staff and the general public.
What is more alarming is that the
hospital chooses to bury placentas and other human tissues in the back of the
hospital. Multiple employees from the Ministry of Health Development
confirmed the unmistakable smell of decomposition coming from windows that face
the back lot of the hospital where human tissues are allegedly buried.
In addition, the hospital has no process to dispose of an amputated body parts such as limbs they simply ask the patients family members to take it with them and bury it somewhere.
On the handover ceremony, the former Director of the hospital Dr. Ahmed Omar Askar stated that most of the wards that were build by the British have Asbestos and went to explain the dangerous health hazards associated with exposure to it including the fact that it causes lung cancer.
Lack of Confidence
The lack of confidence in public
hospitals has led to the creation to multiple privately owned hospitals
throughout Somaliland where many are staffed by foreigners and the same doctors
who work at the public hospitals such as Hargeisa Group Hospital.
The vast majority of patients who
use the publicly run facilities such as Hargeisa Group Hospital are those who
cannot afford the exorbitant price of the private facilities in Somaliland.
When the former Minister of Health Dr. Hassan Ismail Yusuf fell ill in late January this year, he was taken to Haldoor private hospital and not Hargeisa Group Hospital.President Bihi accepted Dr. Hassan Ismail Yusuf resignation in April 2019 following his illness and replaced him with Mr. Omar Ali Abdillahi Bade as the Minister of Health.
Private hospitals such as Haldoor, Hargeisa International Hospital, and Edna are not affordable to most patients but many believe that they offer the best chance of survival for acute medical conditions.
Those with means avoid seeking
medical care in Somaliland altogether and embark on arduous journeys to
Ethiopia, Djibouti and as far away as Turkey and India to seek medical
attention and potentially spending tens of thousands of dollars because they do
not trust the healthcare system in Somaliland.
There is no data from the Ministry
of Health to show trends and help compare private and public health facilities
in terms of quality of care.
Other public hospitals throughout
Somaliland fare even worse than Hargeisa Group Hospital and most lack even the
most basic of services despite millions of public funding being spent on them
and changing hands from multiple NGOs.
The new Direct of the Hargeisa Group
Hospital Dr. Yassin Abdi has declined to comment for this story citing an
ongoing review of hospital processes.
Efforts to reach his predecessor Dr. Ahmed Omar Askar for comments were unsuccessful.
According to Somaliland government sources, Somaliland and Somalia will meet in Nairobi for a preliminary talks to restart the dialogue between the two countries.
From Somaliland, the listed participants include the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon), Somaliland’s Representative to Kenya, Mr. Bashe Omar and the Director of Civil Aviation Captain Abdi Rodol. All three are currently in Nairobi.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon), Somaliland’s Representative to Kenya, Mr. Bashe Omar and the Director of Civil Aviation Captain Abdi Rodol and Deputy Representative Mr. Sharmarke Gelle in Nairobi
For Somalia, participants
include, President Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo’s Chief of Staff Dr. Nur Dirie and
his assistant Mr. Abdisatar Gelle.
In addition to the participants from Somaliland and Somalia, there is a heavy participation of international community including the UK Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Stewart Brown, The EU Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Ambassador Alexander Rondos, USAID Mission Director to Somalia Mr. Jeffery Bakken, the Swedish Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Ambassador Urban Anderrson as well as the Turkish Envoy for Somalia – Somaliland talks Mr. Oglan Bekar.
Members of the Center for Human Dialogue including Somaliland’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Mohamed Abdillahi Omer will be participating in the meeting.
This is a developing story and we will update as we know more.
ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s chief of staff
and at least three other senior officials have been killed during a coup
attempt by an army general in the northern state of Amhara, state television
said on Sunday.
Amhara’s state president Ambachew
Mekonnen and his advisor were also killed, according to state media, which
named the region’s security head, General Asamnew Tsige, as the orchestrator of
the attempted coup.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government
faces growing pressure from regional strongmen, including in Amhara, a
flashpoint in growing ethnic violence in Ethiopia.
The
shooting occurred when federal officials were meeting the state president – an
ally of Abiy – to discuss how to rein in the open recruitment of ethnic
militias by Asamnew, one Addis-based official told Reuters.
A week earlier, Asamnew had openly
advised the Amhara people, one of Ethiopia’s larger ethnic groups, to arm
themselves, in a video spread on Facebook and seen by a Reuters reporter.
Ethiopia, a nation of 100 million
people, is struggling to contain widespread ethnic violence that has displaced
around 2.4 million people, according to the United Nations.
Abiy donned military fatigues to
announce on state television late on Saturday that there had been an attempted
coup in Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar earlier that day and that Ethiopia’s Chief
of Staff General Seare Mekonnen was among the casualties.
“He was shot by people who are
close to him,” Abiy said.
Seare had been shot dead by his
bodyguard, state media reported on Sunday. Most of the perpetrators had been
arrested, a general in charge of special forces in Amhara told state media on
Sunday.
Since
coming to power last year, Abiy has tried to spearhead political reforms in the
Horn of Africa nation. Three years of political violence led to the
unprecedented resignation of Abiy’s predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn.
Abiy
has released political prisoners, removed bans on political parties and
prosecuted officials accused of gross human rights abuses, but his government
is battling mounting violence.
Ethnic bloodshed – long held in check
by the state’s iron grip – has flared up in many areas, including Amhara, where
the regional government was led by Mekonnen.
On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy said that
it was aware of reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa, and some residents told
Reuters about hearing six shots ring out in a suburb near the country’s Bole
International Airport around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. The government
did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
People in many parts of Ethiopia
reported being unable to access the Internet beginning late Saturday although
the government has not stated whether it had cut it off. Authorities have cut
off the internet several times in the past for security and other reasons.
Early on Sunday, Brigadier General
Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, told state television that
“most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although
there are a few still at large.”
Residents in Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar
said late on Saturday there was gunfire in some neighborhoods and some roads
had been closed off.
Ethiopia is due to hold a national parliamentary election next year. Several opposition groups have called for the polls to be held on time despite the unrest and displacement.
(Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld; Writing by Elias Biryabarema and Katharine Houreld; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
In Somaliland, there is a culture of impunity where Ministers and other government officials are never held accountable by the public, the media or seemingly the man who appointed them – The President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi.
The first few months of President Bihi’s government, there was a noticeable discipline among government officials that brought a reprieve from the constant barrage of ministers and other government officials posting photos of their latest seminar and the speech they have just given at some kindergarten graduation ceremony.
Unfortunately, the discipline did not last, and the public is being constantly bombarded by the latest harsh response of a government official directed over some private citizen from his particular tribal persuasion who may have criticized the government. We are not sure but it appears responding to critics from one’s own tribe may be part of their terms of reference.
Another worrying trend that never seems to go away is the cozy relationship between media and government officials where some pay to get favorable coverage. Others cut out the middleman and seem to use an army of trolls on social media who will respond and viciously attack anyone who dares criticize them.
We are speculating, but there may be a misunderstanding where government officials are under the impression that President Bihi’s primary tool of evaluating their performance is how many photos they have posted on Facebook today or the latest praise that someone has written about them online.
It is understood that President Bihi a firm believer in giving those he appointed an ample time and opportunity to learn the job but the question is how is he evaluating their performance? Are there deliverables? Tangible metrics? Let us hope he is not going by how well they responded to their clansmen or rebuffed the latest criticism from the opposition party or how many photos they have posted of the latest useless seminar they have attended.
Whether flooding in Hargeisa kills people or yet another deadly crash. Ultimately, the responsible party is the man at the helm – President Muse Bihi Abdi.
The President’s legacy and how he is remembered depends on the operational excellence of his agents to help write the next chapter of Somaliland and we are concerned that they are busy taking selfies and are attending kindergarten graduation ceremonies.
Somaliland Chronicle is responsible for the content of this editorial.
In November 2016, the Former Chairman of the Civil Service Commission Mr. Sharmarke Geele and officials from the World Bank unveiled an ambitious 10 million dollar project funded by the World Bank.
The project, known as the Somaliland Civil Service Reform Project is part of the Somalia Multi Partner Fund and is intended to strengthen basic functions for payroll, human resources and policy management in selected central government agencies and line ministries.
This project is as complex as the Public Financial Reform project also funded by the World Bank.
Mr. Geele has been in charge of Somaliland’s Civil Service Commission since August 2016, before that he has held two other government jobs where he worked as a Secretary for Mr. Hersi Haji Hassan, the former Minister of the Presidency and later for his successor Mr. Mohamoud Hashi.
Mr. Geele’s appointment as the Civil Service Commissioner happened less than two months after the project was approved by the world Bank.
In a lavish ceremony Mr. Sharmarke has announced a major milestone of the project including the start of the head count of government employees and its conclusion.
President Bihi, The Minister of Employment and Mr. Geele unavailing the official headcount of government employees
In this report, we want to inspect the figures made available by the World Bank on this project to understand how much, where and what the funds were spent on.
86% Spent on Consultants Services
Close to 4 million of the project budget has been spent so far; this is according to public records made available by the World Bank.
86% of the 3.9 million was spent on consulting services
The expenditure data of this project shows that 55% or of the four million dollars went to Kenyan nationals for consultation services and even more interesting, half of the two million spent on Kenyan consultants went to just two entities.
One is Mr. Philip Mwangi who was paid $520,000 for his consulting work on Staff Retention, the other is Extra Insight coming in at $566,700 for headcount activity.
55% of the 3.9 million was spent on Kenyan Consultants
Contractor Name
Description
Amount (US$)
Extra Insight
Hr-auditing Firm For Head Counting Activity
$566,700.00
Mr Philip Mwangi
Staff Retention- Consulting Assignment
$520,000.00
Dr Stanley Irungu
Career Development
$171,000.00
Dr Esther
Competency Framework
$156,000.00
Mr Musila Musembi
Record Management And Archive For Line Ministries
$120,000.00
Ms. Alice Kwamboka
Pension Policy Assignment
$108,000.00
Prof Robert Gichira
Re-organization And Modernization Of 8 Bis
$95,000.00
Prof Robert Gichira
Re-organization And Modernization Of beneficiary Institutions In The Government Of Somaliland
$84,000.00
Mr. Micheal Mugo
Code Of Conduct
$72,000.00
Mr. Charles Oloo
Performance Management
$66,000.00
Dr Wario
Coaching And Mentoring Consulting Assignment
$66,000.00
Mr. Gad Awuonda
Consultancy Services On Civil Service To Review And Develop Somaliland Civil Service Law
$40,000.00
Mr. Wycliffe Wesonga Oduor
Payroll Cleaning And Management Controls-lead Consultant.
$36,000.00
Dr. Teresia Kyalo
Development Of Civil Service Administrative Policies And Procedures (team Leader – Cluster 2)
$36,000.00
Dr. Esther Wangithi Waiganjo
Reviewing Of Civil Service Rules And Regulations- Team Leader 1 Of Cluster 1
$36,000.00
Total
$2,172,700.00
It’s unclear if the Civil Service Commission has sought any advice from the many higher education institutions in Somaliland for talent to help develop the policies that seem to have been developed exclusively by Kenyan Nationals.
One that stands out as suspicious in the list above is Mr. Philip Mwangi and the sum of $520,000.00 paid for his services on Staff Retention since there are other tasks listed that seem to have cost the project much less than the sum paid to him.
According to sources with an intimate knowledge of this project, the expats used in this project were generally recommended by World Bank employees in Nairobi.
Though the Somaliland Civil Service Reform Project has been well publicized and the CSC Chairman has been adept at ensuring positive media coverage for himself, the net result of the project that has cost roughly 40 percent of the allotted 10 million funding falls short of the overall project objectives.
One of major achievements of the project is the physical headcount where the CSC has visited every region of the country and biometrically registered all government employees and has issued them identification cards. This effort has netted 1,252 ghost workers.
Despite all the CSC efforts, it has failed to implement a human resource management system and without such a system, ensuring government workers show up for work and their performance, leave and future talent acquisition tracking is an impossible task.
One of the few tangible assets acquired as part of this project is the biometric registration equipment, comprising a fingerprint and a retina scanner at a whopping $96,000 for six units. Despite the infallibility of biometric identification, it’s unclear if future phases of the project include fingerprint scanners at government offices.
Another area of concern is the safeguarding of the data that has been collected since it is more than personally identifiable information and contains biometric information, it’s unclear if any measures to ensure proper encryption and security of this sensitive information are in place.
On May 26th, Ethiopia has officially apologized and removed a map that showed Somalia as part of its territory. The Map was posted a day earlier on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
The Ministry wrote “We have noticed that a wrong and unacceptable image of the Map of Africa has crept in on the Web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia“.
Another posting on the same website showed a list of Ethiopian Representatives including Somaliland and Puntland has forced Ethiopia to once again clarify its position on Somalia.
“I assure you that Ethiopia’s position on the question of the disposition of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland will be given every possible consideration by this Government.” Secretary of State James F. Byrnes responded back to the Ethiopia’s Prime Minister at the time, Mr. Makonnen Endelkachew.
Though the Ethiopian government has officially apologized and has taken down the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, the map seems to support Ethiopia’s documented claim over the territories of Italian Somaliland.
