The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi inaugurated a new solar power plant by Sompower, the largest electricity producer and supplier in Somaliland.
President Bihi with Chairman of the opposition party of Waddani Mr. Irro
The statement from the Presidency stated that the new solar plant will produce 20 Megawatt and can supply eighty percent of electricity to Hargeisa.
Electricity rates in Somaliland is one of the highest in the developing world because of the price of diesel fuel and much like the developing world is thought to a major impediment to economic growth and industrialization.
While no potential price reduction was announced at the event headlined by President Bihi, government officials and the heads of the opposition parties of UCID and Waddani, it is expected the new solar power plant will have a major impact on electricity rates in Hargeisa and will encourage others to invest in clean energy.
According to the statement from the Presidency, the price tag of the solar power farm is 20 million US dollars which is the largest investment by a local company in Somaliland.
Sompower, the largest energy producer and supplier in Somaliland is the result of coalescence of many independent electric suppliers. Dahabshiil Group is the majority stakeholder of Sompower.
During his speech, President Bihi congratulated Sompower for its effort and the investment it made in Somaliland and spoke of his government’s effort to encourage the free market. He also encouraged other companies to pool their financial resources to be undertake many important infrastructure projects that need investment.
Electric power line in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Power lines has been a major issue in Somaliland and a hazard to the public that have caused deaths during the rainy season, it is unclear if there is a plan to regulate installation of electric lines and ensuring public safety; it is also unclear if there are similar projects in the pipelines for other cities in Somaliland.
On October 22nd 2019, the Vice President of Somaliland HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici inaugurated a flagship SAMSUNG store in Hargeisa.
Also in attendance at this glitzy unveiling event was the well-known business tycoon, the Chairman of Dahabshiil Group Mr. Mohamed Saeed Dualeh arguably the wealthiest man in Somaliland.
CEO of Dahabshiil Group Mr. Mohamed Saeed Dualeh
From Somaliland government, there were the Ministers of Investment, Employment Family and Social Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Finance, the Chairman of Chamber of Commerce, the Director General of the Presidency and Hargeisa Deputy Mayor Mr. Abdiasis Mohamed Hashi “Agaweyne” and many well-known personalities including the former Minister of the Presidency and the Leader of Waddani Opposition party, Mr. Hersi Haji Hassan.
It is not unusual for government officials to attend the opening ceremony of local businesses and especially one that belongs to one of the largest corporations in Somaliland – Dahabshiil Group.
President Bihi cutting an inaugural cake with Dahabshiil CEO Mr. Mohamed Saeed Dualeh
Just a month ago Dahabshiil Group has opened a Hyundai car dealership that was inaugurated by President Muse Bihi Abdi and attended by chairmen of the opposition parties Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Cirro and Eng. Faysal Ali Warabe.
There is something that stands out about Dahabshiil Group’s venture into retail electronics with its flagship SAMSUNG Somaliland store in Hargeisa, it does not seem to be an official SAMSUNG store, because, unlike Apple, Samsung has only recently launched its retail space with its SAMSUNG Experience stores and there are only a handful of these so far and Dahabshiil Group’s electronic store in Hargeisa is not one of them.
We could not find information on the purported partnership of SAMSUNG and Dahabshiil Group anywhere outside of the event and its media coverage in Somaliland, however, we have located somalilandsamsung.com poorly designed and insecure e-commerce website that seems different from the official SAMSUNG sites that shows an attempt to make it look authentic with SAMSUNG logo.
samsungsomaliland.com is hosted on GoDaddy.com and is designed on an open-source ERP platform known as Odoo. Something SAMSUNG would probably not use.
In this case, Dahabshiil Group has used the Somaliland government to endorse its electronics store and portray it as a major milestone in Somaliland’s development and economic growth by partnering with SAMSUNG, when it in fact opened just another electronics store.
It is easy for a business to become an Authorized Dealer, this is the primary channels that many companies use to sell their products but the claim that Dahabshiil Group has partnered or is operating an official SAMSUNG store in Somaliland is deceptive marketing that dupes the consumer into thinking this is the store with authentic SAMSUNG products.
What the government has done is give Dahabshiil Group an unfair advantage over similar businesses and inadvertently declare every SAMSUNG product sold in Somaliland as a potential fake unless purchased from Dahabshiil Group’s store.
This will negatively impact many small businesses, some that may only have few phones in stock to sell to raise families.
To be fair, SAMSUNG phones are the most copied and there is high probability that Somaliland is awash with fake phones.
Dahabshiil Group did not respond to our question on whether it will be the only authorized dealer of SAMSUNG products in Somaliland and if the warranty is through a third party or is covered by SAMSUNG.
Boost to Somaliland Economy? Hardly
The first issue is the fact that Dahabshiil Group is claiming to have brought SAMSUNG, the Korean manufacturing giant into Somaliland, a claim that has been repeated by almost all the officials that attended the unveiling event including the Vice President. This is simply false.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MotXy0OBP8
Its not SAMSOM, its SAMSUNG and its not Somalia, its Somaliland
The Chairman of Somaliland’s Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jamal Aideed Ibrahim even went as far as linking the electronics store as a tacit recognition of Somaliland by SAMSUNG.
There is also the claim that this store will directly contribute to Somaliland economy and could create jobs, a claim that most of the officials on stage vaguely touched on without specifying how a single store will do that.
Dahabshiil Group is a private company that is profit-driven and is under no obligation to divulge its secret sauce and convince the public how its businesses will benefit the nation at large. This could explain the lack of specificity in the potential effect on job creation and the economy.
Cellphone and other consumer electronics sold by one store will not make a difference to Somaliland’s economy and will create perhaps fewer than 30 jobs.
A boost to Somaliland’s economy would be if a company like Dahabshiil Group got into commercial fishing for export for premier markets such as Japan. Or perhaps get into the attractive industry by restarting the Berbera cement factory that was handed over to Dahabshiil Group back in 2017.
Government Props
There is nothing illegal about having the Vice President or the President attend and cut the ribbon from a new business in Somaliland, at least there are no laws against it, but with Dahabshiil Group, the largest business in Somaliland muscling its way into every facet of commerce and potentially destroying small business along the way with the government’s help in the form of talking props is at the very minimum morally wrong.
Dahabshiil Group did not respond to request for information on its partnership with SAMSUNG and details about the store.
The Minister of Information Hon. Mohamed Muse Diriye reminded that there is a weapons embargo in effect that prohibits Somalia from importing weapons. The Minister added that Somalia is actively seeking to acquire new arms from Eritrea and Turkey and added that others have already delivered shipments of armament to Somalia in violation of the UN weapons’s embargo.
“We all know that Farmajo’s government based out of Villa Somalia has been trying to acquire weapons and that they have asked Eritrea and Turkey and that other countries that I do not want to name have already given weapons to them [Somalia]”, said Minister Diriye.
The Minister stated that weapons acquisition by Somalia would endanger Somaliland and the Horn of Africa at large.
Turkey’s MPT-76 Rifle
Somali Army units with Turkish supplied weapons.
Turkey has given military equipment including to Somalia and is currently operating its only military base overseas in Mogadishu where it trains the Somali National Army. Many units of the Somali National Army, particularly those trained by Turkey are currently fielding weapons made and supplied by Turkey.
Armored vehicles supplied by Qatar to Somalia in January 2019
In his stern warning to the International community and particularly to IGAD and the African Union, the Minister reiterated the need to enforce the arms embargo currently in effect in Somalia.
The Minister of information in his address to the International community through the local media stated that “We want the world to be careful and if they allow him to get weapons, we too should be allowed to import weapons”.
The Minister did not name Turkey and Qatar in his press statement.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi met with the European Union and Swedish Ambassadors to Somalia in the Presidential Palace.
According to an official statement from the Somaliland Presidency, the meeting with Ambassador Nicolás Berlanga Martinez and Ambassador Staffan Tillander of Sweden was to increase cooperation of the European Union and Sweden with Somaliland government on the changing geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa.
The statement added that the upcoming parliamentary and local government elections in Somaliland were also discussed since both the EU and Sweden are supporting Somaliland in the democratization process.
One issue discussed at length between the President and the Ambassadors was the ongoing dispute related to the selection of the new members of the National Election Commission. This is according to sources who were briefed on the discussion between the President and the visiting Ambassadors.
Abdirashid Mohamoud Ali (Riyo-raac)
The latest dispute between the government and the opposition parties centers on Mr. Abdirashid Mohamoud Ali (Riyo-raac) as one of President Bihi’s three nominees to the next Election Commission.
Mr. Ali known as Riyo-raac is a member of the Kulmiye party and has been a vocal supporter of President Bihi during the bitter elections of 2017.
According to sources, a major disagreement between Somaliland and British intelligent services may disrupt their close cooperation.
Sources speaking to Somaliland Chronicle on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, state that the British intelligence services object to the new working parameters set by President Bihi’s new appointee to head Somaliland intelligence services.
According to multiple sources, the disagreement issue has reached the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi and all indications are that he is backing up his intelligence chief.
Somaliland security services especially the intelligence apparatus has been accused in the past of being an extension of their foreign benefactors.
President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has reappointed the current head of the intelligence services early this year to an experienced hand who had served multiple administration in the past who has also been known to not welcome foreign interference in his agency’s mandate. In the past, he has resigned from his position citing interference.
It is unclear if the issue is related but there is also an ongoing disagreement between Somaliland Police whose elite counter-terrorism units are trained and funded by Britain. According to sources, the British authorities have complained about the use of facilities they have financed for extrajudicial detentions such as that of Member of Parliament Ahmed Dhakool who was briefly detained in mid-May.
It is unclear how disruption of the close cooperation between Somaliland and British intelligence services would affect Somaliland’s effort in combating and terrorism.
Security insiders in Somaliland have declined to comment and efforts to get official statement from Somaliland authorities for the intelligence services and police-related matters were unsuccessful.
The President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi convened an extraordinary session of his cabinet meeting on Saturday to discuss implementation of a government wide e-government system.
This is the first time in Somaliland’s history where information technology is being considered as a tool to deliver government services to the public.
Besides the e-government, another issue that was discussed in this extraordinary session was the groundbreaking idea of including information technology in the national curriculum.
Because of deregulation and fierce competition among multiple telecom providers Somaliland has one of the highest rates of cellular phone adaption and coverage relative to its size and GDP in third world countries.
While meritocracy has been an issue in Somaliland, the Minister of Telecommunication and Technology Dr. Abdiweli Abdillahi Soufi is the exception, he holds a doctorate in information technology and is one of the most qualified candidates in President Bihi’s cabinet and has had added good fortune to be assigned to what seems to be his natural habitat.
Dr. Soufi has had few mishaps in his early days as the Minister of Telecommunication and Technology when he learned the hard way that it was difficult to get a top-level domain for Somaliland from ICANN and even harder to get Somaliland it’s country code.
The Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology is one of the most anemic in terms of budget and is tasked with the Herculean task of regulating one of the most powerful industries in Somaliland – the telecom companies.
Dr. Soufi is described as a quiet operator who unlike many government officials does not enjoy attention has done something remarkable, he has convinced President Bihi that the silver bullet to deliver effective services to the public is by implementing an e-government system.
Somaliland is the perfect candidate for e-government, from allowing citizens to renew their driver’s licenses online to ordering a copy of their marriage certificate to the more complex civic duties such as local and national voting.
The Challenges
Implementing an e-government project is no small feat and has many challenges, the biggest of which is a turf war with other ministries and other agencies that having a high-level sponsor such as The President himself is the solution and it seems Dr. Soufi already has the President’s ear.
There are many IT heavy projects at various stages of completeness or failure – depending on your perspective. Mostly funded by the international community to the tune of tens of millions of dollars such as the government accounting system under the Ministry of Finance.
Other critical systems are being managed or developed by foreign firms, these include the court system developed by the British firm Axiom International which was also awarded the implementation of the equally critical Justice Ministry’s judicial case management system by the UK.
After meeting with @StuartBrownFCO and #Somaliland Ministry of Justice, we can announce expansion of our judicial case management system to Hargeisa Prison, Custodial Corps, & MoJ planning dept. This uses #UKaid to improve access to justice & strengthen the rule of law in country pic.twitter.com/0xoOYc3jUV
Some are yet to start such as the Human Resource Management system that is part of the World Bank funded project for Somaliland’s Civil Service Commission.
Technically, none of the existing systems fall under the definition of an e-government system but it is important to understand that none of them fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Technology.
While most of the projects predate President Bihi and his Minister, Dr. Soufi, it is unclear if the Ministry’s technical advice in any of the above projects has been sought especially on ensuring that these systems are properly secured.
Critical Choices
Cloud vs Onprem – One of the most consequential decision that will determine the project cost and delivery timetable is if the e-government system is cloud based or a traditional on-premises route where Somaliland government will build data-centers, populate it with expensive gear and run dark fiber across the country to interconnect the system.
Open source or Proprietary – Another equally critical decision is the choice of software where providers such as IBM, Oracle and Microsoft could cost millions and comparatively Open source products that serve the same purpose are free granted that the right technical experts are sourced.
Tight as a drum – One area that cannot be compromised on an e-government system is the security of the system because the slightest misconfiguration could make the system critical to exploitation that could include data manipulation of catastrophic magnitude.
Source of funding – One of Somaliland weakness has been its reliance on foreign aid on many critical projects where spending the funds has been a priority and filing reports with donors instead of delivering a lasting solution built to address a specific need.
Another issue is the strings that come with foreign-funded projects through consultants or as in Axiom where entire companies have followed their country’s aid money to Somaliland.
Can The Doctor Deliver?
If anyone can make an e-government system a reality in Somaliland, it is Dr. Soufi but he will need the full support of the President to ensure the rest of his government falls in line to make this critical national infrastructure is implemented correctly, on budget and onetime.
The Federal Government of Somalia has gone to an extraordinary length to ensure the President of Jubaland State of Somalia Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) does not get reelected and has financed rival candidates to declare victory to ensure the election process in Jubaland is disputed and potentially destabilize the region.
Somalia Minister of Air Transport and Aviation
According to media reports the President of Somalia Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo handpicked his own Minister of Air Transport and Aviation to be the next President of Jubaland.
The Somali Federal Government even arrested the Security Minister of Jubaland while on transit on Mogadishu airport for unspecified and serious human rights violation. This despite, President Mohamed Abdillahi Farmajo’s open embrace of other convicted war criminals such as Colonel Tuke.
Under Farmaajo @TheVillaSomalia has pursued a campaign of hate & bigotry towards #Somaliland. Appealing to the worst aspects of Somalia's past, & celebrating mass murder & human rights crimes. His welcoming of Colonel Tukeh, convicted of war crimes in USA, shows this. pic.twitter.com/AlBgFlsLNP
After the reelection of President Islam, the Ministry of Interior issued a directive nullifying the reelection of President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) and ordered a redo of the election. President Islam promptly ignored the directive.
One of the most important variables in the widening political chasm between the Somali Federal Government and Jubaland administration is the maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia which holds substantial petroleum reserves. Despite the Federal Government’s protest of President Islam’s reelection, Kenya promptly sent its congratulations.
The United Nations did not help matters when its new Head of UNSOM and Special Representative appointment by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in May, Mr. James Swan also called on Jubaland to hold free and fair election in a move that echoed Villa Somalia’s sentiments .
United Nations Special Representative to Somalia and Head of UNSOM Mr. James Swan in Kismayo with Jubaland President.
As the adage of desperate times call for desperate measures goes, the Somali Federal Government has resorted to instituting a full blockage on Jubaland by instructing all flights to and from Jubaland’s regional Capital of Kismayo to make a mandatory stopover in Mogadishu International Airport. This order has only come into existence after the reelection of President Islam.
Villa Somalia’s air blockade of Jubaland has created a political headache when the former President of the Somali Transitional Federal Government Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was prevented from flying from Mogadishu Airport to Kismayo to attend the inauguration.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed denounces air travel restrictions imposed on him by the federal govt. Ahmed argues his basic rights have been violated. pic.twitter.com/RtFgvW1qQ5
One of the unintended consequences of Villa Somalia’s attempt to prevent President Islam’s reelection and subsequently stop guests from attending his inauguration seems to be the unifying of all the Somali opposition factions.
Somali political elites including the President of Puntland Mr. Said Abdullahi Dani who is also having his own disagreements with the Federal government, former presidents and other opposition members all converged into Kismayo to attend the inauguration of President Islam.
Once again, the Somali Federal Government has protested by summoning the Kenyan Ambassador to Somalia Lt. General (Rtd) Lucas Tumbo to let him know that “Somalia strongly protests this violation and will not accept any encroachment on its air, sea and land borders, and calls on Kenya to respond to this breach while its troops stationed in the Lower Juba region are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).”
Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau denied that Kenya voilated Somalia airspace and called the issue “just a distraction.”.
The Kenyan government and specifically Somali Kenyans have thrown their weight behind President Islam by sending a delegation led by the outspoken Hon. Aden Dualeh, the Leader of the Majority in Kenyan Parliament, the Governor of Wajir County and many members of the parliament to the inauguration.
The Somali Federal Government has not relented in issuing additional directives, warnings, and demands to ensure no direct flights went into Kismayo. The latest of these was a NOTAM that no one seemed to have heeded.
Speaking to the Jubaland Minister of Constitutional Affairs Mr. Ahmed Abdirahman on the inauguration and the massive support for President Islam “The President and the people of Jubaland are grateful for their support of Somalis everywhere. The Federal Government politicized this event and try to prevent participants, trying to make us bend to the will Villa Somalia is a misguided approach and is unhelpful, it’s precisely the mindset that led Somalia down this path 30 years ago,” he said.
The public opinion in Somaliland is split on the attendance of the inauguration of President Islam and support for Jubaland, some see it as a Somalia issue and any official overtures from Somaliland government would harm its cause and equate Somaliland to a Somali regional administration such as Puntland. This is the official position of the Waddani Opposition party.
Others, such as the leader of the opposition party of UCID, Mr. Faysal Ali Warabe, who initially floated the idea of a delegation from Somaliland to Jubaland has shown support though the visit to Kismayo did not materialize.
There was also a recanted statement from a member of Somaliland Parliament Mr. Nasir Ali Shire, who initially stated that he will be leading a delegation from Somaliland Parliament to Jubaland to attend the inauguration.
Former Direct General of Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Mr. Mohamed Elmi.
A prominent Somaliland politician who has served as a Director-General to multiple government ministries and is a member of the ruling party of Kulmiye Mr. Mohamed Adan Elmi (Ilkacase) attended President Islam’s inauguration in Kismayo.
Mr. Elmi, speaking to Somaliland Chronicle and other media outlets was clear that he was not representing the government of Somaliland and was there at a personal capacity but reiterated the importance of engaging in the regional geopolitics.
The next chapter of Jubaland’s history is still unfolding but President Islam seems to have proven to the rest of the Somali member states that Villa Somalia’s power to write strongly-worded statements has little effect in shaping events in Somalia.
President Islam seems to have the wind on his back and fortune smiling up on him, what he does with this momentum will be a consequential even in the history of Jubaland.
A fatal car accident involving a people carrier and a truck transporting the popular narcotic of Khat have claimed 15 lives and wounded another 11 around the port city of Berbera.
The dead and wounded have been transported to Berbera General Hospital and the death may raise due to the nature of injuries according to medical staff currently treating the wounded. Most public hospitals in Somaliland do not have the capacity to deal with multiple shock trauma patients.
Reports from the scene of the accident state the majority of the dead were the passengers of the Toyota Noah minivan are Ethiopian nationals heading Bossasso, the regional capital of the Puntland State of Somalia.
According to multiple media reports, the eight-passenger seat Toyota Noah minivan was carrying at least double its intended passenger count.
Authorities rarely enforce vehicle gross weight in Somaliland and many third world countries and it’s common to share a road with vehicles loaded with twice the cargo and passengers they were intended to carry.
Trucks transporting Khat are legendary for reckless driving and routinely travel at a high rate of speed and have been involved in multiple fatal accidents in the past.
Somaliland Minister of Transportation and Road Development Hon. Abdullahi Abokor Osman
In a wide-ranging interview with Saab TV, the Minister of Transportation and Road Development of Somaliland Hon. Abdullahi Abokor Osman spoke about his ministry’s effort to curb the rate of accidents by targeting three contributing factors, driver expertise, a vehicle’s road-worthiness and road conditions and added that they are now working on tightening driving issuance while not hampering the sector.
The Minister added that in the first six months of 2019 the Ministry of Transportation and Road Development has achieved a 9.3% reduction of road accidents compared to 2018 and that is largely attributable to tightening of driving license issuance.
The Ministry of Transportation and Road Development did not respond to a request for data supporting the numbers cited by the Minister in his interview.
Minister Abokor did not mention that Somaliland is the country that has right hand side roads with majority of its vehicles are also right handed.
Despite the Minister’s claim of 9.3% reduction of traffic accidents and road fatalities in Somaliland, today’s accident is a reminder that automobile accidents is the leading cause of death in Somaliland.
There has been no official statement from the government of Somaliland on the cause of the accident.
The Auditor General of the Federal Government of Somalia Mr. Mohamed M Ali has uncovered large scale corruption in his latest financial audit report for 2018.
The Auditor General, in the Basis for the Adverse Opinion section of the audit report, stated that external donor contributions were understated or misreported to the treasury by nearly half of the 38 million dollars largely contributed by the European Union and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
3.7 of the 17 million donated by the European Union ended up in offshore accounts according to the Auditor General “Whilst the European Union made a total of US $ 17,004,816 as external assistance to the Federal Government of Somalia for the year ended 31 December 2018, only a total amount of US $ 13,266,667 was disclosed in the annual financial statements because the SFMIS captured the latter amount whilst the balance of US $ 3,738,149 was in an offshore bank account.”.
The Saudi contribution of 20 million dollars seems to have fared the worst, in terms of misappropriation where almost 67% of it ended up in offshore private accounts.
The Auditor General’s report did not say what the 18 million dollars that ended up in offshore accounts were used for.
This report directly contradicts many statements by representatives of the United Kingdom Ben Fender and others who have praised Somalia on its financial transparency and anti-corruption posture to work towards debt relief and attracting more aid dollars.
United Kingdom Ambassador Mr. Ben Fender with Somalia’s Prime Minister Mr. Hassan Ali Khaire
One of my top priorities is to help Somalia towards debt relief. Here’s why it matters so much. Honoured to co-host an event with PM @HassanAKhaire last week to make the case. The FGS, FMS and partners all need to join hands to make this happen – but every Somali will benefit. pic.twitter.com/piGNUbP4zB
One glaring omission from the Auditor General’s report is the contribution by the United States which is considered one of the largest donors to Somalia and has multiple ongoing projects it has been funding through its aid agency USAID. It is unclear if the United States directly contributes cash to Somalia’s Federal Government.
According to the Washington Post, the United States has contributed a total of 441 million US dollars to Somalia in 2018.
The Auditor General also produced two separate Compliance Audit reports for security and non-security related sector in which most of Somalia’s Federal Government entities such as the Ministry of Defense, Somali National Army and NISA did not bother to submit annual accounts for auditing in 2018.
Aniga iyo wafdi aan Hogaaminayo ayaa maanta soo gaadhnay magaalo madaxda Koonfur Galbeed ee Baydhabo si aan qaybgalo shir sanadeedka Xeer Ilaaliyeyaasha dalka oo halkaas ka dhici doona. Sidookale, waxan u kuurgali doonaa xaalada Gobolka iyo ta Garsoorka Koonfur Galbeed gaar ahaan pic.twitter.com/mhLPF41xFY
Somali government officials frequently travel overseas and even to other towns short distances from the Capital Mogadishu on private jets due security concerns.
Somalia Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh confirms the country bought the new embassy building in Washington D.C. from Columbia government for $4.3 million. Locating at Wyoming Avenue, the new Embassy was inaugurated on Friday evening by @M_Farmaajopic.twitter.com/H8vmeDjqVr
Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has inaugurated a 4.3 million US dollar embassy in Washington DC while it has a little over 5 million budgetted for all embassies for 2019. It is unclear if subsequent Auditor General reports will shed light on source of the US embassy funding.
The Mayor of Hargeisa Mr. Abdirahman M. Aideed “Soltelco” has embarked on a media blitz to explain away why Somaliland’s capital city of Hargeisa is a disaster zone and blamed everyone but his utter incompetency.
The Mayor seems to suffer from a delusion that he is convinced he has accomplished more than any other mayor in the history of Somaliland. Perhaps including Eng. Mohamed Hashi Elmi.
Former Mayor of Hargeisa Eng. Mohamed Hashi Elmi.
In an interview with Horn Cable, the Mayor explained all the ills of Hargeisa are someone else’s fault, mainly the citizens. He thrown in a zinger involving cats and car bombs in Mogadishu.
On social media, many allies and defenders of the Mayor are asking those criticizing him “instead of taking a photo of a pothole why not fix it? It’s your city too”. There is something wrong with this nonsensical defense. It is not the job of an ordinary citizen to stop traffic and get the road construction material and crews and start doing the job of the Mayor and the local government. This is what they have been elected to do and this argument defeats the purpose for their existence.
This is as if the police told the people of Hargeisa they are too busy but to go ahead and solve their law enforcement needs themselves. Makes no sense.
In a different promotional video, the mayor claimed that the Hargeisa Local Government, under his leadership has built 274 kilometers of new roads in Hargeisa. That is roughly the distance between Hargeisa and Burao when traveling through Berbera and Sheikh.
We suspect that the Mayor is lying outright or has lost his tenuous grasp on reality or there is a remote chance the 274 kilometers of road are made of a new invisible material. What is more alarming is his blissful ignorance of how dangerous the road conditions are in Hargeisa. Especially in the current rainy season.
Flooded center of Hargeisa, between Gargaar and Jirdeh hotels
The Mayor has clearly no shame, for if he did, he would have gracefully resigned but that brings another interesting question; how does the President see all of this? Could he be equally clueless? Could it be possible that the Mayor has campaigned for President Bihi’s election and is being rewarded with zero accountability?
President Muse Bihi Abdi with Mayor Soltelco and his deputy during his presidential campaign in 2017.
We don’t know, but the Mayor reminds us of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES. No one seems to bother telling him he is criminally incompetent.
Somaliland Chronicle is responsible for the content of this editorial.
