Somaliland Current - Latest Horn of Africa News and Information

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Somaliland:Waddani On Horns Of Dilemma In Parliamentary Elections

Opinions Staff - April 21, 2019

Waddani Party of Somaliland was founded in 2012. Its MPs in Somaliland Parliament belonged to Udub, which was dissolved in 2011 and UCID on...

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Somaliland

Somaliland: President returns from three days State visit to the UAE

Kenya

‘It Is Better To Work for Yourself Than Sit and Wait...

St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, was one of the churches that was struck [Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP]

Asia

Sri Lanka Easter bombings: Mass casualties in churches and hotels

Somaliland

Somalilander’s celebrate Independence Day in north Edmonton

Somaliland

Educating Somaliland Youth in IT Programming and Training as Software Developers

Opinions

What Somalia & Somaliland leaders learn ahead of the would be...

Somaliland

Opinions

Somaliland:Waddani On Horns Of Dilemma In Parliamentary Elections

Staff - April 21, 2019

Waddani Party of Somaliland was founded in 2012. Its MPs in Somaliland Parliament belonged to Udub, which was dissolved in 2011 and UCID on...

Somaliland: President returns from three days State visit to the UAE

Somaliland April 21, 2019

Somalilander’s celebrate Independence Day in north Edmonton

Somaliland April 21, 2019

Educating Somaliland Youth in IT Programming and Training as Software Developers

Somaliland April 21, 2019

What Somalia & Somaliland leaders learn ahead of the would be...

Opinions April 20, 2019

Somaliland: PFM Coordination Unit organizes three days Leadership, Change Management and...

Somaliland April 20, 2019

Somaliland: President in UAE for official visit

Somaliland April 20, 2019

Somaliland:President inaugurates cranes at port, praises huge progress made

Somaliland April 20, 2019

Assessing the 2017 Somaliland Presidential Election

Somaliland April 19, 2019

This file photo taken on May 18, 2016 shows a woman holding a flag as soldiers and other military personnel of Somaliland march past during an Independence day celebration parade in the capital Hargeisa. It wants to be recognised as autonomous. PHOTO | MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB | AFP

Somaliland:Stratfor ranks Artsakh among de facto independent states

Somaliland April 17, 2019

Somalia

Kenya

‘It Is Better To Work for Yourself Than Sit and Wait...

Staff - April 21, 2019

Kenya needs workers. Kenya has Somali refugees who want to work. If only the government would get out of the way The dusty streets and...

What Somalia & Somaliland leaders learn ahead of the would be...

Opinions April 20, 2019

The Current Political Situation of Somalia

Opinions April 15, 2019

Foreign HE outposts – Navigating opportunities and risks

Somalia April 7, 2019

Ethiopia awaits EU signal to engender Somaliland, Somalia dialogue

Somalia April 7, 2019

Car bomb explodes at restaurant near police academy in Somali capital...

Somalia April 4, 2019

Al-Shabab still controls parts of Somalia's south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu [File: AP]

Al-Shabab senior leader surrenders to Somali government

Somalia April 1, 2019

Secretary-General appoints George Conway of Canada as Acting Deputy Special Representative...

Somalia March 30, 2019

Somaliland and Somalia humanitarian crisis rapidly growing

Somalia March 21, 2019

AU Special Representative saddened by the untimely death of Police Commissioner,...

Ethiopia March 11, 2019

Opinion

Opinions

Somaliland:Waddani On Horns Of Dilemma In Parliamentary Elections

Staff - April 21, 2019

Waddani Party of Somaliland was founded in 2012. Its MPs in Somaliland Parliament belonged to Udub, which was dissolved in 2011 and UCID on...

What Somalia & Somaliland leaders learn ahead of the would be...

Opinions April 20, 2019

The Current Political Situation of Somalia

Opinions April 15, 2019

Will Somaliland to be governed by the rule of law or...

Opinions April 4, 2019

Rape in Somaliland– ignorance, negligence or blindfolded.

Opinions April 2, 2019

This file photo taken on May 18, 2016 shows a woman holding a flag as soldiers and other military personnel of Somaliland march past during an Independence day celebration parade in the capital Hargeisa. It wants to be recognised as autonomous. PHOTO | MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB | AFP

The case of Somaliland and Somalia needs tough mind, strong stand...

Opinions March 31, 2019

Al-Shabaab’s first attack on Kenyan soil was in 2008. Since then the Kenyan government has responded with force. United Nations Photo/Flickr

US missteps in Somalia benefit our enemies

Opinions March 26, 2019

Fact-checking Al-Jazeera’s Ports Program: 10 False & Misleading Info Regarding Somaliland

Opinions March 21, 2019

Business & Economy

Ethiopian Airlines hailed as “African Champion of the year” at AFRICA CEO FORUM AWARDS 2019

Business & Economy Staff - March 26, 2019

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: No survivors among 157 on board

Business & Economy Staff - March 10, 2019

Former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is eminently qualified to lead the World Bank. EFE-EPA/EPA/Gian Ehrenzeller

The World Bank needs deep reforms to reflect a changing world order

Africa Staff - February 8, 2019

Why Immigrants Are Natural Entrepreneurs..Take WorldRemit Founders

Business & Economy Staff - January 26, 2019

Launching the first innovation hub in Somaliland “Harhub”

Business & Economy Staff - January 18, 2019

Why cash is king: How mobile cash transfers save lives and empower locals in Somalia

Business & Economy Staff - December 21, 2018

Ethiopia

Business & Economy

Ethiopian Airlines hailed as “African Champion of the year” at AFRICA...

Staff - March 26, 2019

RWANDA, Kigali, March 26th 2019,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Morocco's Mohamed el Kettani emerged the 2019 African CEO of the year at the 7th edition of the Africa...

The recent announcement that a British museum will return two stolen locks of hair from a 19th century Ethiopian king was hailed as an “exemplary gesture of goodwill” by the Ethiopian Embassy in London. The hair was cut from Emperor Tewodros II’s head after he shot himself rather than be taken prisoner by invading British forces. The forces attacked his fortress at Maqdala during Easter in 1868. The British forces went on a looting spree, taking so much bounty after the Battle of Maqdala that they needed 15 elephants and 200 mules to cart it away. It included more than 500 ancient parchment manuscripts, two gold crowns, crosses and chalices in gold, silver and copper, and religious icons. His seven-year-old son Prince Alemayehu was taken to the UK along with the looted treasures. Strands of the Emperor’s hair were given to the National Army Museum in London 60 years ago. The return of the locks follows a recent report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron that recommended African treasures in French museums be returned to their countries of origin. During colonial rule in Africa, thousands of cultural artefacts were plundered from the continent by Western countries. What makes these 151-year-old Ethiopian artefacts so deeply significant? The answer lies in Tewodros’s subsequent symbolism and significance in the history of Ethiopia – historically known as Abyssinia – a nation that has faced vicious attacks from powerful nations, and still, stands tall in its independence. Ethiopia is a storytelling nation in which the past is of crucial importance. Tewodros has a special place in the storytelling process. King of Kings A ferocious warrior, Tewodros rose from being the son of a provincial chief to power, known as Nəguśä Nägäśt or King of Kings. Ending the chaotic period in Ethiopian history known as “Zämänä Mäsafənt” (the era of princes), he aimed to unify and modernise Ethiopia. Tewodros was deeply religious and saw his political policy as a part of divine mission. The immediate threats that brought about his demise were Islamic Turks threatening to occupy parts of Ethiopia. He assumed that the Christian West would to come to his aid, and made an appeal by a letter to Queen Victoria of England saying, …when I told the Turks to relinquish the soil of my fathers, they refused, and so, by the power of God, here I am about to struggle against them. However, to his utter bewilderment, the queen declined. The emperor could not fathom how a Christian nation like England could uphold the power of Islam in Egypt and Turkey. Out of fury, Tewodros jailed the British consul and other foreigners. His calculation was using the detainees as bargaining chips to secure the British support. However, his action led Britain to see Ethiopia as a “risk without profit”. They sent 64,000 people (including 12,000 fighting men) under Sir Robert Napier, and invaded Ethiopia to face Tewodros. Called the Napier expedition, it’s been described as the largest military offensive by the British empire in Africa. Rather than being captured, the emperor killed himself. Hero status Tewodros’s biographer Philip Marsden wrote the impression he got when visiting the region in the early 1980s, which is when Mengistu Haile Mariam’s military junta governed Ethiopia, was that Tewodros was, a mad dog let loose, a sort of black reincarnation of Ivan the Terrible. But when he returned after the 1990s when the dictatorship had been deposed, a “heroification” of Tewodros had started – this, Marsden found, was necessary because of a vilification of the Ethiopian leader by foreign authors. It’s quite debatable if there was such a dramatic shift in the Ethiopian perception Tewodros. Less debatable, however, is a clear difference between how Western and Ethiopian writers interpreted and portrayed the man. Like all interpretative projects, this one is not without ideological preoccupation. The Western authors wanted to caricature him in a certain way to justify the British looting of precious historical artefacts as “war trophy”. In order to restore him, it required the imagination of arts to cement his memory in the Ethiopian history. No other leader has influenced popular culture in Ethiopia as Tewodros did. He is a treasure trove for songwriters, playwrights and poets. Once Abbe Gubegna, a prolific writer who uses his literary skills to launch sharp political critiques, said, Tewodros will continue to sparkle like a jewel in the heart of many generations. Moreover, the dramatic nature of his lifestyle, his rise from an ordinary background and his ambitions of transforming Ethiopia into a modern state adds to the fascination of the literary world in his life and action. He is viewed as a true leader who authored his immortality by refusing to surrender to British forces and taking his own life instead. The scene of his confrontation with Napier’s forces was re-imagined by renowned playwright, Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin, who was also considered Ethiopia’s poet laureate: ‘Hands up,’ says a European A hand to be raised and surrender What hand does have a wild fire? Except that burns and consumes. Teddy Afro’s tribute to Emperor Tewodros. Teddy Afro, a contemporary singer and songwriter, captures the significance of his hair as a thread that ties all Ethiopians together across ethnic divides: Bring a thread from his (Tewodros’s) hair Let’s tie our covenant so we’re divided no more. A storytelling nation Tewodros’s sacrifice has ramifications to both Ethiopia’s projection of itself at home and to the international community. In domestic politics, the nation has struggled with leaders who could not see beyond their personal enrichment. For those who failed to put the nation first, Tewodros still stands as a loud critical voice. As for international diplomacy, Tewodros symbolises Ethiopia – a nation that has faced vicious attacks from powerful nations, and still stands tall in its independence.

Why it’s significant that the UK has returned the locks of...

Ethiopia March 19, 2019

AU Special Representative saddened by the untimely death of Police Commissioner,...

Ethiopia March 11, 2019

Ethiopian Parliament Declares National Mourning Day For Victims Of Plane...

Ethiopia March 11, 2019

Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: No survivors among 157 on board

Business & Economy March 10, 2019

Kenya

‘It Is Better To Work for Yourself Than Sit and Wait...

Kenya April 21, 2019

Kenya Must Recognize Somaliland

Kenya March 10, 2019

Emergency Drought response launched in drought-stricken Somaliland and Kenya

Kenya February 20, 2019

Fear Of War Between Kenya And Somalia Over Offshore Oil As...

Kenya February 17, 2019

Al-Shabaab’s first attack on Kenyan soil was in 2008. Since then the Kenyan government has responded with force. United Nations Photo/Flickr

Why al-Shabaab targets Kenya, and what can be done to stop...

Kenya January 17, 2019

World

St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, was one of the churches that was struck [Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP]

Asia

Sri Lanka Easter bombings: Mass casualties in churches and hotels

Staff - April 21, 2019

Two new blasts hit capital Colombo, hours after near-simultaneous explosions kill 156 people and wound over 400. Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has been hit by...

COMESA Court of Justice capture leaves one with more questions than...

Africa April 15, 2019

Somaliland:President Muse meets with Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto

Somaliland April 12, 2019

Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir has resigned after three decades in power. AHMED YOSRI/EPA

How Sudan’s protesters upped the ante, and forced al-Bashir from power

Africa April 12, 2019

CPJ troubled by prosecution of Julian Assange

Somaliland April 11, 2019

Eritrea

Senior Eritrean delegation held discussion with various Somaliland officials

Eritrea Staff - March 19, 2019

Somaliland:Political transformation in the Horn of Africa is moving rapidly created concerns and uncertainty circumstances in the region:

Eritrea December 8, 2018

Somaliland:SEMG submitted sensitive report to the UN accused Somali Federal government to support terrorist groups operated in Somalia

Eritrea November 19, 2018

How events in Ethiopia will influence the Horn of Africa

Eritrea November 17, 2018

Djibouti

East African Bank Commences Ambitious Expansion Plan

Djibouti Staff - April 12, 2019

Somaliland: GSK Spokesperson terms claims as False and Baseless-Video

Djibouti April 5, 2019

London Tribunal rules that Djibouti has breached Doraleh Container Terminal’s rights

Djibouti April 4, 2019

The great game in the Horn of Africa

Djibouti January 17, 2019

Could China push the United States out of its only permanent military base in Africa?

Djibouti December 16, 2018

Djibouti:Botched Chinese railway project in Africa is a warning to belt and road investors

Djibouti October 30, 2018

Science & Technology

Nigerian actress, Genevieve Nnaji in her film, ‘Lionheart’. Netflix

What Netflix’s involvement in Nigeria’s massive film industry really means

Africa Staff - January 12, 2019

Indonesian Plane Crashes With 189 Aboard

Asia October 29, 2018

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S DECEMBER 2018 GIGS LISTINGS

Science & Technology October 16, 2018

The filter bubble isn’t just Facebook’s fault – it’s yours

Science & Technology December 6, 2016

Samsung swings big with overhauled Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

Science & Technology March 2, 2015

Master Power Technologies invests in Kenya

Science & Technology February 21, 2015

Sports

More Than 200 Athletes Participate On the Friday Dahabshiil-Somaliland Marathon

Somaliland Staff - February 9, 2019

Somaliland: How Football is Creating Pride, Hope and Change

Somaliland November 21, 2018

Chelsea is using our AI research for smarter football coaching

Somaliland November 6, 2018

Six African finalists selected by Arsenal FC and WorldRemit for new “Future Stars” youth coaching programme

Somaliland October 1, 2018

Farewell, The Greatest (A Tribute)

Somaliland June 9, 2016

Somaliland:Footballers from Cardiff’s Somali community take on ex-Bluebirds in community match at Principality Stadium

Somaliland March 30, 2016