By Goth Mohamed Goth

The drilling of two water borehole in the district of El Afweyn in Sanaag region by Somaliland Trading Company is near completion.

Eng. Ashur representing the company drilling said , “We have been luck to find water in this otherwise arid area referring  of the two water boreholes in El Afweyn district is been funded by the Kuwait government donations,

“We Have reached water in 200M depth and produce up to 60mq or equivalent to 300 barrels of water per hour, that why we are pleased to announce that the one of the well holds a vast amounts of water in fact this is the biggest underground water reservoir the company has struck since we started drilling in the country’, stated Eng.  Ashur.

Sheik Esse is representing the government of Kuwait said, “This is part of the project by the government of Kuwait to fund the initiate the sinking of more than 13 water boreholes in the country which aims to drill strategic boreholes for the pastoral communities to alleviate the effects of the ever recurring droughts.

Residents of El Afweyn District thanked both the Kuwait government and Somaliland government for initiated the water boreholes project.

Introduction:

“one must call spade a spade” Somaliland case and dignity has been derailed, degraded, debased and dishonored in Turkey by the wrong people delegated to fight for Somaliland case in the negotiation table there.

The prophet of Allah (scw) as revealed by Abuhurayra was asked when the time is. The Prophet (scw) said:

a) When a trust is not safeguarded as it should be and when

b) The wrong people are the decision makers, it is the signs of (the end of the world) time” Whether it is the sign of the end of Somaliland as we know her is to be seen.

What happened to the people of Somaliland fits the legal definitions of both genocide as well as ethnic cleansing which falls within the meaning of the Genocide Convention and that was what the Somaliland delegation to Turkey absolutely failed to put forward!
Every body knows that Genocide had taken place in Somaliland from 1978 to 1991. Even the goats in the streets of every city and town in Somaliland knows that. We were there, we lived in that hell, it was Genocide/ethnic cleansing and the world knows it was.

Somaliland was isolated from the rest of what was then called Somali Republic Somaliland was put under marshal law. It was ruled by Military generals from Siyad Barre’s family members. Somalia was not under Marshal Law. The only people who deny that (evil act) fact in its true trend is Somalia and her delegation to Turkey!
Somalia still denies what they have done to us and that is understandably true to their character and cruelty.
What we can not understand however is why the Somaliland representatives followed the deniers’ argument and danced with the devil! The punch has betrayed the cause and the case of Somaliland in that occurrence! However, the buck stops at Siilanyo’s desk.
Both the living and the souls of the martyrs are waiting for an answer from the President because it was him who said,” I will send any body I like to represent Somaliland case and cause in Turkey and else where” now we see what happened! The bunch he sent to Turkey failed to articulate the Somaliland case; instead they followed the argument of our adversary! That amounts to betrayal and some one must be accountable for that.
The crimes committed during an ethnic cleansing, which was happening in Somaliland are similar to those of Genocide.Some academics consider genocide as a subset of “murderous ethnic cleansing.” Ethnic cleansing bleeds into genocide, as mass murder is committed in order to get rid of the targeted people from their land and replace them with the desired community of the perpetrators. This inhuman act happened in Somaliland from1978-1991 under the “displace and Replace” policy of Siyad Barre”
General assembly resolution47/121 referred in its Preamble to ‘the abhorrent policy of ‘ethnic cleansing’, which is a form of genocide’, as being carried on in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Genocide:
“The international legal definition of the crime of genocide is found in articles-2 and -3 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide article.
Article-2 describes two elements of the crime of genocide:
1) the mental element, meaning the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such”, and
2) The physical element which includes five acts described in sections a, b, c, d and e. (see below)
genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Somaliland has experienced all of above evil doings done to them by Siyad Bare of Mogadishu
(Sources: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prevent genocide International
United Nations)
Note: in the case of Somaliland they forcibly removed in whole or in part of the targeted Somalilanders in Somaliland and another group Replaced the displaced Somalilanders under the government’s policy of “Displace them as to Replace them.” The intent was replacing the targeted group with Siyad Barre’s tribal group of “Absami”a sub-clan of “Daarood” That was a classical ethnic cleansing under the genocidal activities. Some academics consider genocide as a subset of “murderous ethnic cleansing.”
Shockingly the Somaliland delegation did not put these evil acts committed against the innocent people of Somaliland on the table, a job they were supposed to do. Somalia delegation, which always deny or minimize and degrade what can not be minimized or degraded denied the fact that genocide and ethnic cleansing was committed by Mogadish regime of Siyad Barre. Somaliland delegation failed to contest that with all the proofs they had!
To Somalia delegation’s glee, Somaliland delegation followed their argument which was that atrocity which they said it happened to them as well, and that started in 1991!
[Atrocity is an actor circumstances, the quality or state of being atrocious, in executing harmful acts, against people? An atrocious and appalling condition, situation, quality, or behavior(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright)
To Somalia, their civil war started in 1991.Unlike Somaliland which was a victim of government initiated, sponsored and executed genocide/ ethnic cleansing, Somalia tribes were fighting among themselves as to who will take over the government in Mogadishu after Siyad Barre fled from the scene.
In the case of the Somaliland people the genocide and the ethnic cleansing which started in 1978 ended in 1991, whereby Somalia’s clan wars started in 1991 after the defeated genocidal regime of Mogadisho had left Mogadishu.
Ironically unfortunately, Somaliland delegation acted as though they were representing Somalia, and the whole exercise in Turkey ended in agreement with Somalia’s contention which was the denial of the genocide/ethnic cleansing against the people of Somaliland! Somalia delegation argued that atrocities happened to Somalia as well, more so to Somaliland! Somaliland delegation accepted that ridiculous, unfair and wrong-on-the- facts argument. They did not represent Somaliland case well. They betrayed Somaliland and they have to answer for that now or later.

However peace and prayers
By Ibrahim M Mead

Jan 31, 2014 | By Mohamud M. Uluso

As one of the rare opportunities, eighteen days before the International Conference on Somalia held in London on May 7, 2013, Chatham House, a British Think Tank on International Affairs, invited Somali intellectuals for consultation on building Somalia’s unified state necessary for constructive engagement with the international community. At the conclusion of the consultation, Chatham House issued a summary report titled, “Somalia’s future: Building a unified regional state.”

The three topics addressed in the consultation were: (1) defining the Somali state and mechanism for power sharing; (2) the role of stakeholders; (3) and the nature of the international engagement. Among the sub topics included federalism, strong judiciary, clanism, definition of who are the stakeholders, the role of media, Somali ownership, bringing Somaliland back in, and the role of the international community. These same topics have been again addressed in three conferences held in Mogadishu: (1) National Dialogue on Justice Reform Conference  of April 1-5 2013, (2)  Vision 2016 Conference of September 2-6, 2013, (3) National Conference on Tackling Extremism in Somalia of September 7-11, 2013.

Generally, the consultation brought out the disagreements and contradictions of ideas and positions among Somalis on the fundamental concepts of peace-building, state-building, and nationhood. These divergent ideas and positions still persist. The knowledge that 70 per cent of the Somali youth aged between 18 and 30 are unemployed and 80 per cent of the Somali people lack access to water and sanitation should compel the Somali elite to immediately come together and establish an “effective and accountable” national government. Below is a recap of the salient points made by the participants.

Constitution

The participants have concluded that the “Somali constitution was an ill-conceived project” because it failed to set out the fundamental guidelines for state building, for example,  how the outrageous cost of the duplication of governance levels in a federal government will be paid. To ensure Somali ownership of shared polity, the participants proposed the principle of “constitutional patriotism,” a political attachment to shared values and norms rather than to an ethnic origin and by which citizens are united by their loyalty to the constitution and their patriotic feelings. All stakeholders must have the opportunity to participate fully the constitution making process from the beginning to the end.

It has been raised the essential prerequisite to determine the relation between Somalia and Somaliland in a new Somali constitution; otherwise it will be difficult if not impossible the national integration including Somaliland once a new constitution is re-written, approved, and adopted. This determination is consistent with the fact that Somalia’s federal government represents the people of Somalia and Somaliland.

Federalism V. Justice

After the general consensus about the need of some form of devolution of power (power delegation) within a decentralized unitary state, participants disagreed on the form of government. As expected, two views emerged during the consultation. The problem lies in the misconception of associating “Somali federalism” with unity, justice, equality, fairness, security, and socio-economic development.

One group sustained the view that, in reference to the past experience of governance, transfer of political and economic decision making power to regional states is necessary and inevitable. This view is shaped more by the scars of 1991 civil war in the South, particularly in Mogadishu rather than by the dictatorial regime that have affected almost all Somalis.  The unfortunate implication of this view is the institutionalization of clan antagonism, division, and distrust.

Advocates of this view reject past reconciliations that formalized the social contract (constitution) legitimizing the federal government and they hold on distrust as a rationale for objecting central government seated in Mogadishu. They also oppose the negotiation with Somaliland as a political entity which represents North West, Sol, Sanag, Awdal, and Togdher regions of Somalia.

The second group argued that “Somalia needs a strong and capable central authority that is able to consolidate the state, harmonize its institutions, and unify its population.” The group maintains that federalism is “very likely to exacerbate the social and regional fragmentation of the Somali state, largely along clan lines,” This view is in line with the participants’ consensus that clan is an instrument of fragmentation and an obstacle to building peace and security, so that it cannot be taken as the building block for the reconstitution of Somalia. Federalism constructed on clan identity, territory, and spirit, hampers Somalia’s unity and economic and social transformation and recovery. Ordinary citizens have been recognized as the primary Somali stakeholders.

The participants agreed that building a strong independent judiciary system and legal institutions is the necessary precondition for the establishment of any kind of sustainable decentralized governance structure in Somalia. This means that the rule of law is the essence of building a state instead of federalism.

The role of the Media

The participants warned against the monopolistic use of government media-National TV and Radio- by the power holders for their own ends. They suggested that the media should serve as a platform for broad based debates on national issues, for example, federalism. On the other hand, since the media has an important role to play in the Somali society, the participants proposed legal and regulatory framework that promotes a code of conduct, ethics and professionalism.

Somalia and Somaliland

For inclusivity and lasting peace in Somalia, some participants suggested a focus on the relation between Somalia and Somaliland so that “Somaliland could present a list of minimum conditions that it wanted to see fulfilled for reunification.” Two reasons have been put forward for Somaliland inclusion in the building of the Somali state efforts.  First, Somaliland’s quest for independence could have detrimental effects for the broader Somali state making project. Second, Somaliland could facilitate the revival of Somalia by rejoining the union.

Others considered Somaliland to be related but distinct and felt that the relationship between Somalia and Somaliland should not be the starting point for the reconstruction of the Somali state and the focus should remain on existing and potential regional entities in the south. The assumption here is that Somaliland represents one dominant clan.

International Engagement  

The participants complained that some members of the international community have had too much influence on the constitutional process of Somalia. Therefore, they demanded that Kenya and Ethiopia are exempted from being involved in the constitution making process of Somalia. The unfettered foreign influence has had deleterious repercussions on national cohesion and Somali State.

My comment

It is anyone’s guess what British Officials learned from the consultation and which suggestions/arguments prevailed. However, participants laid out essential points for further examination among Somalis even though the parliament’s ineffectiveness, Puntland’s separate status, and the Addis Ababa agreement between Ahmed Madobe and Federal government have made worthless the debate over constitutional review and federalism for building a unified state.

One apparent contradiction concerns the capacity of the federal government. On one hand, the participants described the federal parliament mandated to exercise people’s will as “deeply flawed, ineffective, and little more than a free market for personal gain.” They also repeatedly argued that that the country lacked a political leader with national vision. On the other hand, the participants have recommended a list of tasks to be fulfilled by the above despoiled federal institutions and leaders.

The lack of acceptance of past reconciliations mediated by international actors since 2000 is serious setback for the efforts of Somalia’s conflict resolution, building trust, and moving forward. The post conflict federal government which is inherently problematic cannot reconcile clans competing over constitutional legitimacy and form of political association

Mr. Uluso is a senior Somali political analyst. He was a former minister and governor of the Central Bank of Somalia. He is an author who writes extensively on Somali politics.

I began to understand my identity from being SOMALILANDER yet it wasn’t the only thing that defines me socially or culturally, I was taught at my very early ages to learn by heart my tribe line and my parent insisted to take this seriously but I didn’t understand how important is this till grown up, In fact I didn’t bother to read the details… It was just names in a sequence way, if I got it right then I’m a good kid if not then I need to do my homework, I remember once an old man came to ask me what is my name and lineage and just because I kept this by heart; I couldn’t fail and it was that moment where I noticed the beauty of the heritage of tribalism.

But what Tribalism we’re talking about? The name or the pronoun? The sane or the insane, surely the origin of this value is not on par with the actual way of thinking that becomes if anything a reality where one considers a center of power, a center of influence and sadly it serves who knows better and who brings if anything normative values to the meaning of tribalism, people use it often but too often out of its context!

In the past it was believed to be a bridge for people to know and live in harmony with other but today that reality is far different and it is used to divide and segregate certain people by tribal allegiance…words failed me!!

Tribalism is pervasive, and it controls a lot of our behavior and as David Roepik –an instructor at Harvard University has called on Huffington Post that Tribalism is making a risky world even more dangerous and uncompromisingly only one continent had suffered the most which is Africa where the ethnic allegiances run deep, in fact from South Africa to Nigeria to the world’s newest nation – South Sudan, tribalism is used to climb the political ladder and to create wealth. For years analysts warned that ancient tribal loyalty is conflicting with the modern national identity

History attest that In early times Africans claimed Afrikaners both by the cradle of humanity and thehome of most ethnic diverse people, among best of these are the ASHANTI of Ghana, EUROPA of Nigeria, SHONA of Zimbabwe and the ZULUS in South Africa whose proud traditions predate the European arrival in the early

15^thCentury, in the west they’re often called as Ethnic groups but in Africa they’re referred as TRIBES.

Africans never gave up tribalism in favor of NATION and it’s what weakened them and made them vulnerable to the European intervention and slave trade in the first place but there was another face of Tribalism in Africa, one that is more violent and more ugly only when it was used to divide certain people and rule! A case in point is South Africa were largely the whites used against the blacks during the apartheid similarly the implications of tribalism have been disastrous in Rwanda where 800, 00 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 1994.

Unlike other Africans – Somalis remained the only people that were not prone to slave exploitation in fact in the past, the conventional wisdom has been that Somalis population would not face serious inter-communal problems because it has one of the most homogeneous peoples in the world, in general, and in Africa, in particular. This is so, because they belong to the same ethnicity, share the same faith (Islam), speak the same language and share the same culture and history yet this type of way has dominated the majority of people critical thinking and it’s almost that primitive idea which comes when you have friendly chat with someone, or need to attend an occasion or a football match maybe, people today look for anything to start that assumption maybe from your last name or the team you support or the party you campaign for and it’s that moment where you remember why Sir H. B. Kittermaster has posed this question quote “Why do the Somalis occupy today their present position inthe scale of civilization and development? This is a question which perhapsdemands a passing thought. They are undoubtedly still primitive, having reachedonly a system of loose tribal organization in which even the tribal elders andherdsmen exercise but small control.” The truth was proved to be traumatic for Somalis when they couldn’t eradicate tribalism from TRIBE, there was no single progress or improvement in their life socially, economically or politically.

Additionally one thing has been a common denominator for Somalis always and was the shallow measurement to define, shape and limit one’s Idea tendency or belief – in other words suppress certain ethnic identities and tendencies towards tribalism in order to bring a common base for ideas and debate.

Somalis fought this so hard that they diminish somehow the spread of the ideas that Tribalism were carrying and calling for people, many leaders were standing stages and made speeches nothing but on one issue – TRIBALISM or what many have agreed to believe is one of the backbone of the destruction among Somalis development that beyond many efforts it gets bigger and uglier. Imams have addressed it publicly in their religious sermons that Tribalism didn’t bring anything but segregation, discrimination and being that dignity of someone injected on the flour , It’s the tribalism that has been for years something makes Somalis so concerned about where ever they are and it was one aspect that if dealt with wisdom and smart way it could not only save lives but also help grow healthier nation.

The process of persuasion has started and it was from one man who perhaps didn’t understand much of ART and the white center of Rothko paintings in early 1950 – 1960 which was if anything one of the best languages people share among each other butt here is another different language which is has more power and influence namely POEM and it’s what  AbdilahiSuldan Timacade – a young man born in  1920 in the small town of Galooley situated near Gabiley has used all his life persuading his people from the wickedness of Tribalism.Reading his poems will only make you strip away all your prejudice and let it flow like the music!

The message was clear and that was to be less tribal allegiance but more national unity,that Tribalism is beautiful and being proud of your tribal heritage is wonderful. Forcing a western style democracy down the throats of non – westernized people is the problem.

Abdillahi or better known as TIMACADE has wrote many poems to warn Somalis not to have ancient African ethnic groups ideas that weakened them in the first place. He mentioned Tribalism on one of his poems as tuberculosis(TB) which shows nothing but the kind message he was trying to convey “Tafiir yarida waxay noogu wacan, taahagaajada’e Tiibbiidu soomaalidaay, maaha tiif cudure – Tallaalkeedu waaceeshaddaan, taabi la’nahaye” . Abdillahi knew that Somalis were getting information through poems and as such, has tried to send this message to them warning that there is no such thing that can endanger their life more than TRIBALISM regrettably his message wasn’t well received among society as it was what Somalis have believed to be their magic wand to solve their problems and fix things. Maybe sometimes their mentor to guide their intellectual ideas and thinking. For Somalis; the tribalism was the only thing that can help them use any deductive reasoning (top-down logic) at any aspect of their life ,this means that if something is debated among a group of people firstly academically but is not too long time when that debate turns to be on the tribal grounds! This is scary when people have nothing to contribute except Tribalism but more scary to involve such ideas in a political level and process mainly because when we’re talking about politics in a national level that’s where Tribalism should take back step simply as a community you’re taking a mature step and saying that I vote with my neighbor!

Finally Tribalism has worsened our nation and to make it worse, it even transferred from the politics life into ordinary life like sports where you’re not save if supporting a single team or become a fan supporter to be labeled in supporting the clan not a particular team, it’s getting ugly every day and we need to do something about it. To cure Tribalism is simple and is to find alternative where creating a real allegiance not only to the tribe we’re proud proud of its heritage and identity but more to the national identity and unity but the question is: Are we really yet ready to do something about Tribalism and to get rid out of it for good or we will remain as traditionalists that never try to do differently!!!

Faisel Ahmed

Sources:

Tribalism in Africa TVDocumentary – Press TV

David Ropeik – Huffingtonpost

Kittermaster, H. B.“British Somaliland.”  African Society Journal.

By Goth Mohamed Goth

The Minister of Agriculture Prof. Farah Elmi Geedoole spearheading a high level Ministerial has embarked on a working tour of coastal areas in western regions of the country which  expected to cover Lughaya, Garbo Dadar and areas in a bid assess the damage caused by a recent locust infestation .

Prof. Geedoole is currently in the town of Saylac accompanied by a team of experts from the ministry who are conducting studies and assess the scope of damage caused by the recent infestation of locust in the region.  

“I strongly urge all concerned agencies to be prepared, to monitor the locust populations at all times and should not wait until things get out of proportion, Findings from a damage assessment indicate that crops losses due to locusts are at the moment centered in Saylac but the problem may spread to neighboring areas if appropriate measures are not taken”, He Stated.   

The Minister of Agricultures went on to say, “Carrying out a campaign against locusts is a complex and, at times, perilous venture, but the complexity does not end with the cessation of swarming.

The Agriculture Minister and his delegation will also visit other locations in the coastal areas in the western region to inspect a pilot program which is been funded by Germany GTZ  to provide local farmers with cash crops in form of Date palm trees.

SomalilandPress.Com

A Dusty street in Tog Wajaale Somaliland -Ethiopia Border

By Nouri Omer Abdullahi

The long flight aboard the comfortable and generous Ethiopian Airline was long and full of complementary food and drink. I land in Addis knowing that I have to be up very early in the morning, so I got to my hotel and took a nap, lost to the world for a few hours. I wake up somewhat refreshed. I went down to ask front desk for a place to go eat. Since I didn’t want to go far, the guy at the desk recommended a Restaurant next door so I walked over.

When I enter I notice the cowboy at the door with all the trimmings. Further in all the waiters are also dressed in cowboy gear, then I realize that I walked in to a Taxes style establishment.  I think to myself “here I am trying to get away from the US and what luck, I run smack dap in to a Texan nightmare”. Any ways I sit at a table and order a drink, take a look around and notice all around me sat couples gazing in each other’s eyes with a rose in each girls hand, with me the only person sitting alone on Valentine’s Day. The rest I will leave to your imagination.

I wake up the next day not feeling any better than the day before; decide to head to the Airport to continue my trip to Somaliland. I get on a much smaller Ethiopian Airline but luckily they served me a cup of tea and a small sandwich that would later save me from dying of hunger. We made a stopover in Diri-dawa ,a small town where we dropped some passengers off and also collected others, then on to my final destination Jig-jiga.

Things started to go downhill when we landed in Jig-jiga, from there I was supposed to find my way home to Hargeisa. I stepped off the plane expecting to see an Airport but what I see is an open space which is supposed to be an airstrip. A few miles down, there stood a small shack which all the passengers began to walk towards. The only logical thing to do then was follow. To make a long story short, I found out that my luggage did not make it on the plane with me after all. After a lot of yelling and screaming on my part, the only agent present for the airline promised me to have my stuff on the next plane from Addis, which sadly arrives in 2 days later.

Since I was nowhere near home, I was left with two choices, to stay in Jig-jiga, this dusty  little town for two days to collect my bags, or take a three hour bus ride to the border town of Tog-wajale that boarders Somaliland, where hopefully my family awaits. Knowing that I will have to make the trip back in a couple of days with the hopes that my belongings would arrive safely, I chose the latter. I head down to the town center with the help of two nice guys who were luckily still there waiting to see if I needed help, since everyone else was picked up by their awaiting cars, and I was deserted. When I got the bus station it was full of people pushing and shoving each other to get to me apparently, to offer me something or the other. I fought my way out for a while until I finally found the right bus. A after a  long commotion I get on this small bus; that was falling apart and appeared to have been  held together by tape.

This bus should seat three people on each row, naturally they fit five. So there I was squeezed in between four other people, their bags of rice, clothes and other unknown luggage. My knees were touching my chin and there is some kind of loose metal poking my backside, all of a sudden the bus lurches forward rattling and shaking and we finally get on the road. Then the bouncing starts, off my seat and back down again. There is someone kneeing my back and there is elbowing on both sides. After three long hours on the bus from hell, fatigue sets in, but was happy to realized I have reach the border between Hargeisa and Ethiopia.

We get off the bus and there was my only relief for the day, my family was there to welcome me. I stumble out of the bus with red dust all over me from my eye lashes to my aching feet. And then began the grueling visit to the Somaliland immigration and then to the Ethiopian customs where the guy in charge decides to hold a training session for the border police for two hours on how much American currency I should have on me while crossing the border. This happened while I sat there numb from exhaustion. At last it was over, but this process was repeated two times as I had to go back to that godforsaken place to collect my lost bags. After a month of rest in my mother’s beautiful house in Hargiesa, I am able to write about this experience without cringing at the thought. Also now I am a bit able to chuck this experience as my right of passage to Africa.

SomalilandPress.Com