Ambassador Donald Yamamoto assumed the role Somalia Ambassador right around the time President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi was elected. Yet Mr. Yamamoto has so far chose to completely ignore Somaliland.
Ambassador Yamamoto in Puntland province of Somalia last week
Understandably, one can argue that Ambassador Yamamoto is the US Ambassador to Somalia and directly engaging with Somaliland might be out of bounds and could possibly anger and earn him a Persona Non Grata Status from his hosts in Villa Somalia.
U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Donald Y. Yamamoto and Jubaland President Ahmed Islam Madobe met to discuss regional politics and development issues. pic.twitter.com/jIABeeKQbb
That argument falls apart very quickly when one considers the bold actions of his predecessor, Ambassador Stephen Schwartz who not only engaged Somaliland directly but has successfully brokered the ceasefire between Somaliland and Somalia on the border dispute in Tukeraq.
@US2Somalia Ambassador to #Somalia Donald Y. Yamamoto and Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni met to discuss regional politics and economic development. pic.twitter.com/zlKsFjdTr1
And to the possibility that Somalia may assign a PNG status to Mr. Yamamoto? We say hogwash! the United States is not the United Nations.
Historically, United States Ambassadors have a great latitude and their core mission is to advance the interests of the United States. However, Mr. Yamamoto has failed this basic tenent of his assignment by prioritizing a relationship with provinces of Somalia over Somaliland and its strategic importance to the long term interests of the United States. Hint: Red Sea and control of Bab Al-Mandab.
Even worse, the United States Embassy in Somalia in Nairobi (We meant to write Mogadishu) is helping sell the Villa Somalia’s propaganda to hide its abysmal failure in securing that country and assert any meaningful control beyond few kilometers.
Head of NISA Mr. Fahad Yasin
There are reports of the Somali Prime Minister Hassan Khaire heading to Washington DC to meet with members of the Trump Administration including National Security Adviser Mr. John Bolton. We imagine that Mr. Yamamoto has not shared an accurate assessment with the US government on how things are going or the fact that he may have granted a visa to a member of the Prime Minister’s entourage with suspected ties to terrorist groups – the head of NISA Mr. Fahad Yasin.
If unconfirmed reports of Mr. Yamamoto’s visit to Somaliland are true, Somaliland government should reject his effect to make Somaliland look like the provinces of Somalia he has been wandering.
While Mr. Yamamoto does not have the authority to recognize Somaliland, he must remember that the people of Somaliland has decided to stand on their own and have not been part of Somalia for 30 years.
A high-level delegation of
Ambassadors and representatives from Denmark, European Union, Finland, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom visited Hargeisa, Somaliland, on 2
to 3 April 2019. The delegation met with H.E. President Muse Bihi Abdi, all
political parties, Parliament, the Electoral Commission and representatives of
civil society organisations.
The main purpose of the visit
was to demonstrate the partners’ continued support for Somaliland’s
democratisation process and, in that context, underline the need for
parliamentary and local council elections to take place on time on 12 December
2019. The delegation noted with concern the lack of progress in the
preparations for the elections due to disagreements between the three main
political parties and in the passage of electoral legislation in the
Parliament.
The delegation regretted this
state of affairs, and underlined the risks that further delay would pose to the
democratic credentials and international perception of Somaliland. Partners
urged all political parties to demonstrate their commitment and will to make
the necessary compromises to unblock the stalemate and to support the work of
the Electoral Commission. They also urged the House of Representatives to
accelerate the passage of the Electoral Law.
They underlined that elections
should be held according to the principles of inclusiveness, transparency and
credibility in a peaceful environment and stressed that women and minorities
needed to be provided with a legally enforceable right to participate and be
elected.
The delegation expressed the
willingness of the international community to work with Somaliland to address
the current drought. The delegation stressed that the long-term solution to the
negative impact of recurrent droughts lay with a sustainable and resilient
development trajectory.
They also welcomed a commitment
by the H.E. President Muse Bihi Abdi to pursuing dialogue with H.E. President
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo and with H.E. President Said Abdullahi Deni
of Puntland, including on current security challenges.
The delegation thanked their
hosts for their warm hospitality during the visit and reaffirmed their support
for Somaliland’s development and democratisation.
In attempt to clarify the ongoing row over the dispute between the Djibouti government, a private bank and Somaliland businessman Mr. Ahmed Omer Geele, Presidential Spokesman Mr. _ made a statement that further muddied and added more confusion to the case that has captivated Somaliland in recent days.
Mr. Mahamoud Warsame Jama stated that Somaliland has made its position clear that court judgement from Djibouti or France has no merit in Somaliland and gave a chronology of events that the public was unaware before such as the visit of the French Ambassador in Nairobi to Somaliland to discuss the case of BCIMR, parent company and GSK and Mr. Geele.
During the press briefing, the Presidential spokesman contradicted an earlier assertion by the Minister of Interior by stating that Mr. Geele is sought by the INTERPOL.
Somaliland Chronicle has checked INTERPOL Red Notice database and was unable to substantial the Presidential Spokesman’s claim of an INTERPOL interest in Mr. Geele. We have been unable to reach Somaliland Presidency for comments.
Mr. Jama confirm the existence of documents from Djibouti to Somaliland government and accused the SBI Chairman Mr. Geele of illegally obtained them from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and misrepresenting it to his tribal leaders as a warrant for his arrest. Mr. Jama id not specify what laws were broken and if the documents were considered classified and whether Mr. Geele was entitled to receive a copy.
One of the GSK properties allegedly confiscated by Djibouti
Finally, the Presidential Spokesman linked the case to Somaliland’s image and its commitment to rule of law and to ensure the outside does not view Somaliland as a place where one can come to evade his debts and hide from the law.
Unconfirmed reports state that a delegation led by the Minister of Interior of Djibouti and Chief of Police are headed to Somaliland early next week. It is unclear if the purpose of thier visit is related to the case of Mr. Geele.
Mr. Ahmed Osman Geele also known as Ina Geele Arab is one of the most prominent businessmen in Somaliland and the owner of Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI) which produces Coca-Cola products, an assortment of juices and Lis dairy products.
What set Mr. Geele apart from other wealthy Somaliland businessmen is the manufacturing nature of his business and the staggering price tag of 17 million US dollars it took to to build out the beverage plant.
International media including the Financial Times and The Guardian in 2012 widely covered the inauguration of the SBI’s plant in Somaliland.
Mr. Geele is a dual national of Somaliland and Djibouti and has done business in the latter before he started SBI in Somaliland but since October 2017, Djiboutian authorities sought to arrest Mr. Geele for unspecified crimes.
According to sources familiar with the row between Mr. Geele and the President of Djibouti Mr. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, the dispute centers on Mr. Geele’s decision to manufacture the Lis dairy products in his SBI facility in Somaliland rather than build a plant in Djibouti in partnership with the first lady of Djibouti Ms. Kadra Mahamoud Haid.
Because of the fallout with the first lady, authorities in Djibouti confiscated all of Mr. Geele’s assets. An asset estimated to at least 100 million US dollars.
Mr. Geele and Djibouti authorities’ dispute and legal tangling spilled over to Somaliland where unsubstantiated reports of an imminent extradition of Mr. Geele and tribal elders warning of dire consequences dominated social media sites.
The issue was briefly compounded by a fake letter purportedly written and signed by the former Minister of Justice Mr. Abdiqani Ateye (Fariid) instructing law enforcement agencies to apprehend Mr. Geele due to crimes he committed against Djibouti. The Minister has since issued a statement calling it fake news.
The Minister of Interior Mr. Mohamed Kahin Abdi who was asked about the alleged extradition request from Djibouti, told reporters it is untrue that there is a warrant for Mr. Geele’s arrest.
Director General of Ministry of Justice Mr. Abdirahman Sheikh Hassan
So has Djibouti asked Somaliland to extradite or take any action against Mr. Geele? The answer is no but there is more to it than that. Let’s unpack what we have learned so far.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamp and the Director General Mr. Abdinasir A. Hersi signature
Both ministers who spoke about this issue told partial truths and neglected to mention that Djibouti has submitted a legal document through its diplomatic mission in Somaliland. Mr. Ateye, the Minister of Justice at the time is the second ministry to have dealt with this document.
Ministry of Justice Stamp and signature of the Director General Mr. Abdirahman Sheikh Hassan’s signature
Djibouti submitted a legal document from its Appeals Court through its Ambassador to Somaliland who delivered it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation where the Director General Mr. Abdinasir A. Hersi signed, stamped it and sent it on to the Ministry of Justice. The Director General of the Ministry of Justice Mr. Abdirahman Sheikh Hassan also stamped, signed it and forwarded it to the Appeals Court in Somaliland.
The document known as the “Certificate of Non-opposition or Appeal” referring to a case No 192/18 that took place on 04/04/2018 in which Mr. Geele’s GSK Holdings S.A.S supposedly lost and the Bank that was suing him won – La Banque Pour Le Commerce Et L’industrie – Mer Rouge also known as BCIMR. A bank that is rumored to have the first family of Djibouti as major stakeholders.
It is unclear what the next steps are in this case but sources in Somaliland judiciary stated that BCIMR and Djibouti authorities are seeking to shutter Mr. Geele’s businesses in Somaliland and specifically SBI until they settle the dispute. It is unclear if they are seeking this with the current one-page document or are planning to take legal action against Mr. Geele and sue him in Somaliland’s legal system.
La Banque Pour Le Commerce Et L’industrie – Mer Rouge
It is unclear what the next steps are in this case but sources in Somaliland judiciary stated that BCIMR and Djibouti authorities are seeking to shutter Mr. Geele’s businesses in Somaliland and specifically SBI until they settle the dispute. It is unclear if they are seeking this with the current one-page document or are planning to take legal action against Mr. Geele and sue him in Somaliland’s court system
Currently, the documents sent by Djibouti are with Somaliland’s Appeals Court and may be reviewed by the Chief Justice Aden Haji Ali.
A central question that remains unanswered by Somaliland government is what Djibouti is asking Somaliland? A court’s decision has no validity outside of its sovereign territory. That is the role of international courts and arbitration venues. An arrest warrant from one country is equally invalid unless the two countries have an extradition treaty, and a warrant is submitted through INTERPOL.
It is important to note that Djibouti does not recognize Somaliland as a sovereign country and regards it as part of Somalia.
Legal scholars also point out that while a foreign entity such as BCIMR can open a civil case and sue Mr. Geele in Somaliland, there is an issue of jurisdiction where Somaliland cannot enforce any judgement against BCIMR should they loose.
Let them have passports!
There is a negligible trade between the two countries since most of Somaliland business men such as Ibrahim Dheere, Hoogsade and others have moved the bulk of their operations to Somaliland. So what makes Djibouti loom so large over Somaliland? The answer is passports.
Foreign Policy magazine referred to Djibouti as a Friendly Little Dictatorship has controlled the means with which most Somaliland politicians and many others travel because it issues them passports, a short-lived passport with a validity period of three years.
According to a member of Somaliland parliament who insisted on anonymity for fear of loosing his passport, the vast majority of members of Somaliland Parliament host a Djibouti passport. He added that as soon as someone is appointed for a position, Djibouti issues them a passport.
This is one of the many side effects of lack of recognition and the need for people to travel for commerce and more often to seek medical attention overseas but also gives a major leverage to a regional economic and strategic rival.
Our efforts to speak to key personnel from Somaliland government and Mr. Geele have been unsuccessful. Our request for clarification from the former Minister of Justice and current Minister of Defense have not been answered.
A large delegation of European Union Ambassadors are coming to Somaliland on Tuesday April 2nd 2019 to meet with President Muse Bihi Abdi and members of his administration.
According to sources in Somaliland Presidency, the delegation is comprised of Ambassadors from Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom and EU.
This is the largest delegation from the EU to ever visit Somaliland and topics of discussion include Somaliland’s parliamentary elections, development and security cooperation with Somaliland and Somaliland and Somalia talks.
The Ambassador’s are all based in Nairobi and will be in Somaliland for two days and will meet with members of the opposition parties to discuss parliamentary elections.
Sources add that the United States Ambassador Mr. Donald Yamamoto will be visiting Somaliland this week to meet with President Bihi. He has been in Bossaso to meet with the President of Puntland regional administration, Mr. Said Abdullahi Deni.
The international community has been making efforts to establish a better and more direct with Somaliland due to worsening security situation in Somalia.
Story of the EU delegation’s visit to Somaliland was first reported by Mr. Khaalid Foodhaadhi on twitter.
Update
The EU delegation have been welcomed by the Minister of Interior Affairs Mr. Mohamed Kahin Abdi. The delegation members are
Amb. of Denmark , Mette Knudsen
Amb. of UK, Ben Fender,
Amb. of Sweden, Andreas von Uexkull
Amb. of Norway, Elin Bergithe Rognlie
Charge d’Affairs EU Delegation, Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz
Head of Somalia Office Switzerland Embassy, Siro Beltrametti
First secretary Finland, Toni Sandell
Head of UK Hargeisa Office, Stuart Brown
First Secretary Denmark, Adam Sparre Spliid
Senior Advisor Sweden, Johan Svensson
First secretary Norway Svein Olaf Svoldal
The delegation is scheduled to meet with President Muse Bihi.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
President of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi has made the largest changes to his administration since taking office in November 2017.
The largest affected portfolios are the Ministries of Information and Defense. Minister of Information and Culture Mr. Abdirahman Abdillahi Farah (Guri-Barwaqo) and the Defense Minister Mr. Issa Ahmed Hawar who were engulfed in corruption scandals were both sacked.
Mr. Abdiqani Mohammud A’ateye (Farid)
Mr. Mohamed Muse Diriye Wacays
The former Minister of Justice Mr. Abdiqani Mohammud A’ateye (Farid) has been reassigned to be the Minister of Defense where the former Deputy Minister of Interior Mr. Mohamed Muse Diriye Wacays was appointed as the new Minister of Information.
President Bihi has appointed Mr. Abdirisaq Ali Abdi Salah as the Minister of Justice.
In addition to the two ministers, President Bihi also replaced the Deputy Minister of Information Mohamed Muse Abees as well as three Director Generals from the Ministries of Defense, Constitutional Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs and Youth and Sports.
Mr. Munir Haji Abdillahi Abusite
Mr. Hassan Hirad Yasin
President Bihi appointed a heavyweight businessman with extensive contacts in the middle east Mr. Munir Haji Abdillahi Abusite to head Somaliland’s UAE Mission. Mr. Abusite replaces Mr. Hassan Hirad Yasin, whose appointment was widely ridiculed for his limited experience and close kinship to President Bihi.
Mr. Farxaan Haybe
Mr. Sharmarke Geele
Mr. Sharmarke Geele who headed Somaliland’s Civil Service Commission was appointed as Deputy Ambassador to Kenya and is replaced by Mr. Farxaan Aadan Haybe who was the Minister of Aviation in former President Silaanyo’s government.
President Bihi’s changes to the cabinet follows his recent reshuffle of the Army top brass where he stopped short of replacing the Head of the Army and Police commanders.
President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi replaced the commander of the Custodial Corps Brigadier Mohamed Osman Ibrahim (Xudhuun) and named Brigadier Ahmed Awale Yusuf (Libax) to replace him effective March 28 2019.
Brigadier Ahmed Awale Yusuf (Libax)
Mohamed Osman Ibrahim (Xudhuun)
Brigadier Ahmed Awale Yusuf (Libax) was previously second in command to Somaliland Army commander General Noah Tani. No reason was given for the replacement and President Bihi thank the former commander for his service to his country.
There are also unconfirmed reports that indicate President Bihi has replaced the heads of Somaliland’s intelligence services as well as the commander Presidential guards.
General Abdillahi Fadal
General Noah Tani
It is unclear if the changes will affect the Somaliland Police Commander General Abdillahi Fadal and the Commander of Somaliland Army General Noah Tani
Mr. Arfan Hamud Abdo
Addtionally, President Bihi named Mr. Arfan Hamud Abdo to the post of Deputy Manager of the Berbera Port Oil Terminal and Storage.
There are a number of officials including the Ministers of Information and Defense who are facing possible criminal charges for alledged corruption. It is unclear if there are additional changes in President Bihi’s administration but there has been speculation of major reshuffle for a while.
The President’s annual address to the joint session of Congress was informative and showed the breakneck pace with which his administration has accomplished many things – number of schools built, number of youths employed in government and the impressive work that went into to implementing the National Service program and much more.
Immediately
after the speech, commentary from both the public and politicians alike was as
polarized as ever. Some have critiqued the fact that the heads of the different
branches of the Armed Forces were lined behind the President during his speech;
others are discussing a manufactured constitutional crisis involving the emblem
that was on the podium while others think it was the greatest political speech
given in the history of speeches.
You see, the people of Somaliland are used to an avalanche of information from unscripted politicians who often speak off-the-cuff. Remember the fiasco created by the President’s Accra/Ankara comment in Dubai? Of course you don’t, many things has happened since. This was different, he was painfully scripted, disciplined and rather matter of fact.
What
is not being discussed is the substance of President Bihi’s speech, what he
said, what he did not say and should have; the numbers and stats the President rattled
off have not been challenged in anyway
Those
that support President Bihi and his party either for ideology or other reasons clapped
incessantly and are still enamored by the President’s eloquence. For them, the President in infallible and
everything is working according to plan – Moving Forward!
For the opposition everything was wrong, it was heresy, the uniformed heads of different branches of the Armed forces symbolized the coming dictatorship and the sky was falling – with one notable exception Mr. Jirde of WADDANI who brought up the fact that the President did not address the fact that the entire country’s local government and council’s mandate will expire in 4 days.
But has anyone actually bothered to fact check the President? We are not implying that there were mistruths in his speech but we are certain that he relied on others to compile those numbers – some, not very competent, others facing criminal indictment stemming from corruption allegations.
So why has no one bothered to fact check the President?
One
example of progress the president cited is that 659,000 children across
Somaliland were vaccinated. We are curious if the vaccination were actually
done by the Ministry of Health or others such as WHO or UNICEF? Was a joint
effort where with external funding, Ministry of Health employees actually
vaccinated 659,000 kids?
President
Bihi also stated that the government efforts to improve health care have raised
the public’s confidence has resulted in 31% increase of the use of the country’s
medical facilities. This one actually makes no sense. Was the President
referring to the private hospitals or government hospitals? 31% increase over
what period of time and who actually gauged the public’s confidence in the
country’s medical system?
The answer to these questions moves the President’s claim to either the truth or false column. This is trust but verify and it is what we should all be asking instead of debating the color of the drapes behind the President and how the balloons did not resemble a crow or an eagle.
The Somali Federal Government has blamed the lack of payment on the discovery of large number of non-existent troops who have been drawing salaries.
According to Somalia’s Minister of Finance Dr. Baileh, only those who have bio-metrically registered will be receiving payments.
Wasiirka Maaliyadda ayaa ka hadlay muhiimada ay leedahay diiwan galinta Ciidanka ayadoo la isticmaalayo hanaanka casriga ah SFMIS ee fara ka qaadista ciidanka si loo xoojiyo isla xisaabtanka iyo cad-cadaanta pic.twitter.com/JtcliPwiQt
Somali President and Prime Minister at Mr. Saqar Abdalla’s funeral in Mogadishu.
The payment dispute between the Somali Federal Government and front line units of the Somali National Army comes at a time when Al-Shabaab has been gaining territory and has increased the frequency of its deadly attacks on Mogadishu.
Saqar Ibrahim Abdalla, Somalia’s deputy minister of labor and social affairs was among 15 people killed in Al-Shabaab’s latest attack on the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on Saturday.
