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New Global Health Partnership Stregthens Work in Somaliland

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HARGEISA, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre formally launched a new global health partnership with the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) on 4 February 2010.

Renewing an existing 10 year partnership between THET and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (one of the founding members of King’s Health Partners) this new partnership will allow King’s Health Partners and THET to take steps to develop further their shared agenda and create a new centre of activity within King’s Health Partners.

The new partnership aims to expand delivery of the ‘Health Systems Strengthening’ work, as well as to promote greater involvement of younger members of the health profession by creating further opportunities to be engaged in and learn about global health.

The launch saw guest presentations and speeches from representatives of the existing partnership organisations as well Edna Adan Ismail, former Foreign Minister for Somaliland and Professor Christopher Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of Research at the Department for International Development.

The event was held at the Weston Education Centre based on the King’s College Hospital site, which will now be the home of the Somaliland team from THET, to strengthen the joint working on this partnership.

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Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners said; “We view Global Health as an important part of the work we are doing across clinical care, research, and education and training. As an Academic Health Sciences Centre, we aim to influence healthcare both nationally and internationally. This new partnership with THET will play a key role in our aspirations to be a leader in global healthcare education, and is soon to form part of a wider Institute of Global Health Education and Training at King’s Health Partners.”

Pia McRae, Chief Executive at THET said; “We are delighted to be extending our collaboration with King’s Health Partners, following ten years of successful partnership in Somaliland supporting both the training of health professionals, as well as the development of a health infrastructure. We share some key values with King’s Health Partners including an interest in how to support UK health professionals in providing service to developing countries through working alongside (and at the request of) overseas colleagues. Going forward, we aspire to build on our shared commitment to increasing the understanding, education and awareness of UK health sector students, as well as staff, in global health issues and the needs of developing countries.”

Andy Leather, Director of the King’s International Development Unit, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added; “King’s College Hospital have had a long standing relationship with THET and I am excited that this extended partnership as King’s Health Partners will not only further strengthen the capacity building and educational work in Somaliland but will also catalyse research partnerships with institutions there.”

Source: THET

Somaliland: The Other Somalia

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HARGEISA, 5 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – There are some places you just can’t consider for a vacation. While even Iraq has recently opened up to carefully handled tours, Somalia remains out of bounds. What with an Islamist movement proudly proclaiming its ties to Al-Qaeda, and a decades-long civil war between rival clans, there’s no chance of exploring the Somali culture and landscape, right?

Actually, that’s only half true.

The Republic of Somaliland is the northern third of what most maps show as Somalia. Anyone paying attention to the news knows that Somalia hasn’t been a unified nation for quite some time, but this one region, a little larger than England and home to 3.5 million, has managed to bring stability and a developing democracy to its people. Born out of the colony of British Somaliland, it gained independence in 1960 and immediately joined former Italian Somaliland to create what we now know as Somalia. A brutal dictatorship and a civil war later, it declared independence in 1991 and has quietly built a nation as the rest of Somalia disintegrated into chaos.

But no other country recognizes Somaliland as an independent state, which makes it very hard to get international investment and attention. Now Somaliland officials are hoping an increase in tourism will help to literally put their country on the map. It already has regular contact with its neighbors Ethiopia and Djibouti, and has representatives in several major capitals. The Tourism Ministry is busy making plans and there’s a good website highlighting Somali Heritage and Archaeology.

With a countryside only thinly populated by nomads, Somaliland has good potential for safaris. Lions, cheetahs, zebras, antelope, and other animals are easily spotted. Even more stunning are the well-preserved paintings at Laas Geel, believed to be some of the oldest in Africa. They’re located near the capital Hargeysa and remained unreported until 2002. Colorful paintings of hunters and animals date back an estimated 9,000 years.

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Other towns to check out are Barbera and Zeila, two ports with excellent coral reefs as well as old colonial buildings from British and Ottoman times. More important than bricks and mortar, though, is the chance to interact with a culture that has had comparatively little contact with the outside world. This is a rare chance to see a country unaccustomed to tourism, where there are no “tourist sites” and “local hangouts”. For the adventure traveler, it’s still pretty much uncharted territory.

After almost 20 years of independence, Somaliland is beginning to get some recognition from adventure travelers. The most recent edition of Lonely Planet Ethiopia has a short section on the country, and three young backpackers recently posted a video of their trip there on YouTube. A reporter from the Pulitzer Center has also covered the country on an online video. Somaliland could become the adventure travel destination of the new decade.

While Somaliland has some good potential, travelers should take care. Government bodyguards are required (costing $10 a day each) and there are few facilities for visitors. The country has also attracted the ire of Al-Shabab, an Islamist group with ties to Al-Qaeda that wants to take over the Horn of Africa. In 2008 a series of deadly car bombings blamed on Al-Shabab left two dozen dead in Hargeysa. Also, the countryside is not yet safe enough for foreigners to travel overland from Ethiopia on public transport. There are regular flights to Hargeysa from Addis Ababa and other regional capitals. The office for Somaliland in Addis Ababa (which is not recognized as an embassy by the government of Ethiopia) can issue visas and give advice. If you do decide to go, it’s best to plan well in advance and talk to the government as soon as possible.

Written by:
Sean McLachlan
Source: Gadling

Somalia Islamist Group Bans Video Games

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Mogadishu, 5 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Somalia’s Hezb al-Islam insurgent group on Thursday slapped a ban on video games in areas under its control.

The Islamist organisation argued in a statement that video games, popular with Somali youth and often played in small public game centres, were destroying the country’s social fabric.

“Starting two days after this statement’s date of issue, all video-game playing centres in the areas under Hezb al-Islam control should be closed and playing video games will be prohibited,” it said.

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“Video games are designed in such a way that they destroy our social traditions and for that reason, anybody found ignoring this order will be punishment and equipment will be confiscated,” the statement added.

It was signed by Sheikh Mohamed Omar, head of propaganda for Hezb al-Islam, an insurgent group headed by influential cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and which controls densely populated areas in and around Mogadishu.

Video games became particularly popular in areas on the outskirts of Mogadishu housing tens of thousands of families who fled the fighting in the capital since watching films on DVDs was also banned.

Children and teenagers would gather after school in small centres like cybercafés where PlayStations were wired up and a 30-minute game cost 5 000 Somali shillings (about 15 US cents).

“Hezb al-Islam officials ordered us to close our video-game centres so we today we’re closed, we don’t have a choice,” said Ali Hidig, a game centre owner in Elashabiyaha, a village hosting refugees on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

“Young boys used to like coming here for entertainment after school but it looks like this is now a thing of the past,” said.

The disappointment was deep among teenage boys in the area, where movies and sports are also banned.

“They have basically banned everything that is fun, so we feel increasingly bored,” said one of them on condition of anonymity.

Hezb al-Islam and their insurgency comrades from the al-Qaeda-inspired al-Shabaab are implementing a very strict form of Sharia law in the areas they control.

In recent months across Somalia, people found dancing to traditional songs have been flogged, men guilty of trimming their beards arrested and youth playing football in shorts reprimanded by religious police units.

Source: AFP

Announcement: Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies

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HARGEISA, 4 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, which was formally established at the University of Hargeisa on August 10, 2008, has finished its first batch after covering their assigned Two semesters, would like to announce to the public that it is accepting applications for the second intake of students for its post-graduate diploma programme in conflict and peace studies at University of Hargeisa.

The post-graduate diploma programme in the Institute marks an important milestone for the University of Hargeisa. It is the first post-graduate programme in the university since their establishments in 2000.The class size is 45 students on the bases of First come first served.

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The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies is the product of joint initiative between the University of Hargeisa and Eastern Mennonite University in the US. The initiative is funded by Higher Education Development (HED) in USA through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Institute is also a partner with the United Nations University for Peace in Cost Rica (Central America), which has provided professors to lecture in the Institute. and One of the leading Management of the Instititue Has graduated from It last year, at the same time it Holds now Three other Professors From University of Hargeisa, In its master programs in 2009-2010, they will graduate in the coming August and will cover the Human Resources needs of the Institute.

We provide both public and Private trainings in the field of peace and Conflict resolution, Such as conflict Management, Mediation, Negotiation, Introduction to peace, Conflict Transformation, Conflict Resolution, sustainable development, Environment and peace, Youth peace and Conflict, Sensitive Development and other social and Organizational training programs plus conducting local and regional researches as we have a research Section in the Institute.

Admission requirements

1. Undergraduate degree in any field or equivalent experience in local conflict resolution and peace building
2. Letter of interest
3. An updated curriculum vitae (CV)
4. Completed admission forms( forms are available in the university)
5. Payment of Registration fee of $20 dollars at Dahabshiil Account of University of Hargeisa.
6. Finally the students will undergo an written English test, plus Interview in the IPCS office

For further information on admission requirements, you can contact:

Mohamed Abdelkariim Hirsi
Director of Instititute of Peace and Conflict Studies
Cell Phone: +002522 4421797
Email: Kayd203@Hotmail.Com

# Deadline for submission of application to the university is February 12, 2010. (Forms are received in the morning period between 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, at the office of Institute).

Somaliland: Explosion Kills One Person in Lasanod

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Lasanod, 4 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Explosion rocks Lasanod as delegations consist of Government ministers and other Somaliland officials are in the city. The explosion which happened near Hamdi hotel where the delegation is staying has left one person dead in the scene.

Sources close to the police told Somalilandpress that the incident could be a suicide attack aimed at the hotel. The person who died in the incident is the one who was carrying out the bomb attack. Other sources said that the person did not know how to use the bomb and it exploded to himself while the police stopped him near the hotel.

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The police have not yet recognized the body which is taken and kept in the hospital for investigation.

Somaliland officials believe that this was a suicide attack and it has Alshabab’s finger prints.

Lasanod witnessed a series of bomb attacks lately. Some Somaliland officials died and others were wounded.

No one claimed the responsibility of the attack but the Minister of Interior told the media that the person who died in the scene was the one who was carrying the explosives. He said they found mobile phones, remote control and other materials in his pocket.

Somalilandpress.com

Pirates Aboard Libyan Vessel Fire on Somaliland Forces

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HARGEISA, 4 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – A shoot-out erupted Thursday between pirates who seized a North Korean-flagged, Libyan-owned ship and coast guards in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region, leaving one soldier dead, police said.

It was not clear what sparked the gunfight near Lasqorey, a coastal village which lies in area disputed by the Horn of Africa’s northern self-declared states of Somaliland and Puntland.

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“Pirates holding the cargo ship opened fire on our coast guards… They exchanged fire while heading to Lasqorey,” Abdirisak Yusuf Aseyr, a Somaliland regional police chief, told AFP by phone.

Local elders said the pirates later anchored the cargo vessel off Lasqorey.

“It’s about 10 kilometres (six miles) away from the coast now and there are about 30 of them (pirates) onboard the ship,” said Mohamed Adan Dualeh, an elder.

The MV RIM, a general cargo vessel, was captured Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden north of the internationally recommended transit corridor.

The 4,800-tonne cargo ship owned by White Sea Shipping of Libya was not registered with the Horn of Africa Maritime Security Centre, the European Union Naval Force (NAVFOR) said.

Source: AFP

Sudanese Foreign minister's remarks on Somaliland

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ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) — The Foreign Minister of Sudan, Mr. Deng Alor, who is currently in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Heads of State summit gave a brief interview with members of Somaliland media.

Mr. Alor spoke extensively about the current situation in the Horn of Africa, and in particular the issue of Somaliland’s de-jure recognition and the deteriorating situation in Somalia.
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Mr. Alor, the Sudanese Foreign minister stated “It is imperative that African leaders take stronger steps in addressing the deteriorating situation in Somalia. There are high level discussions all across Africa on what to do about Somalia; There is peace and progress in Somaliland which has given hope to the people there, but why can’t the same be achieved in Mogadishu?”

Sudan plays a key role in IGAD and the AU, and has shown its willingness to participate in several attempts to alleviate the worsening situation in Somalia.

Responding to a question from the Somaliland media regarding Somaliland role as an example to Somalia in bringing about peace and democracy, Mr. Alor remarked “Yes, it is possible for Somalia to achieve similar things; stability, peace, dialogue, inclusion, and so on, to give the people hope, but, once again, we come to the same question, if this possible in Somaliland, why not in Somalia?”

On a similar theme, Mr. Deng Alor addressed the question of why some African nations seem reluctant to face the issue of Somaliland de jure recognition. Mr. Alor responded in the following manner, “firstly, the African Union has to abide by its rules and regulations, having said that, no one in Africa is ignoring Somaliland. That is hard to do, when you take into consideration the remarkable achievements over the last 20 years, compared to the situation elsewhere in the region. But, frankly many African nations would like to see the issue resolved by Somaliland and Somalia. Nevertheless, it is obvious that ultimately, the will of the people has to be accepted.”

After decades of civil war, the people of southern Sudan will shortly participate in a referendum to decide their political future, as a sovereign state or to remain a part of Khartoum.

Source: Qarannews, 4 February 2010
Picture: Somaliland reporters, Moha and Mohamed ‘Rambo’ from Geeska Afrika greet Sudanese Foreign minister – Deng Alor.

Somaliland Foreign Minister meets U.S. and European diplomats

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ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) — Somaliland Foreign minister, Mr. Abdullahi Mohamed Duale met with Ambassador Johnie Carson, United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Mr. Mohamed Duale and Ambassador Carson discussed areas of mutual interest between Somaliland and the United States of America, regarding to the stability, security and democracy in the Horn of Africa.
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Ambassador Carson and his delegation were in Addis Ababa to participate in the African Union’s annual Head of State summit.

Whilst in Addis Ababa, the Foreign minister, Mr. Abdillahi Mohamed Duale also met with several European delegations including, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, British minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Mr. Duale also met with Mr. Pekka Haavisto, Special Representative to Sudan and the Horn from the Finnish Foreign ministry, Mr. Mette Knudsen, Head of Africa Department of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a delegation from the Norwegian Foreign office.

Mr. Duale on his side was accompanied by Somaliland’s vice-ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Ayanle Salad Diriye and Amb. Sigurd Illing, head of Independent Diplomat in Ethiopia, an independent organisation based in the United States.

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Source: Qarannews, 3 February 2010

Somaliland investors open new factory in Borama

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BORAMA (Somalilandpress) — A new factory, Aloe East African Factory, has opened in the city of Borama of Awdal region. The factory will produce both personal hygiene and home maintenance products.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by various dignitaries from the Somaliland government, members of parliament, Awdal regional officials, community elders and businessmen and other members of the community.

The Somaliland minister of Industry, Mr. Ahmed Ali Ubahle congratulated the people and officials of Awdal region for establishing the factory. Mr. Ubahle stated that the factory was the 46th new factory to be opened in Somaliland. Mr. Ubahle praised the owners of Aloe East African Factory for their initiative and pledged the support of the Somaliland government.
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Also speaking at the ceremony, The Minister of Planning, Mr. Ali Ibrahim Muhammad highlighted the benefits that the country will derive from this factory in terms of employment and revenue generation. Praising the people of Borama for lifting the level of knowledge in Somaliland, the minister said, “for forty years Somaliland’s educated people poured into what used to be called Somalia, after that Somaliland’s educated class moved to the Gulf countries until it got to the point where it became difficult to find even teachers in Somaliland, but now thanks to the efforts of the people of Borama, both educational and technological know how are being reestablished in Somaliland.”

The Governor of Awdal region, Mr. Muhammad Sheikh Abdillahi talked about the products of the factory and expressed his belief that these items will surpass imported goods.

Mr. Muhammad Abdullahi Yonis of Aloe East Africa Factory remarked on the start-up process of the new venture and some of the initial challenges.

Mr. Abdi Dahir Ali, from the Amoud Foundation noted that this is a beginning and there will be better days ahead in the economic progress of not just the city of Borama, the Awdal region, but for the whole of Somaliland.

Some of the products

Source: Qarannews, 4 February 2010

Picture: Rays Hotel, Borama

Somaliland Government Worries About Human Trafficking

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HARGEISA, 3 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Ms. Fatima Sudi, Somaliland’s minister of Family Affairs and Social Development said the human trafficking in Somaliland has increased in recent months. In a press conference, the minister said the voluntary migration among young men & women has significantly decreased, but human trafficking is taking its place. Ms. Sudi pleaded with those who are involved to take action to stop it.

“This is something new to us but widely known in the war torn places. It is called human trafficking,” she said.

Ms. Sudi said the Ministry have been involved in finding solutions to end the illegal migration among the youth which they managed to get some positive achievements. She mentioned that human trafficking is now taking the role which is more dangerous and most of the people do not know about it.

“We thank [the] UN & NGOs who help us on finding solutions for the human trafficking. We extend special thanks to the government of Japan who funded IOM to assist us on the problem,” the minister said. “There are people who are experts on carrying out human trafficking activities. They trick people, they tell them there is a better place where they can go and get a better life, but at the end those tricked will be helpless and end up working as slaves.”

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To illustrate the situation in southern Somalia, Ms. Sudi relayed the story of some children who were taken outside the country and later used as human spare parts in other countries. Nothing similar happened in Somaliland but this is the beginning of such actions in the country.

Prevention Activities

The minister said that the government started some activities to cope with the problem.

“There will be a massive awareness campaign in the regions of Awdal, Hargeisa, Sahil, Togdheer and Baligubadle,” she said.

Ms. Sudi said big signboards will be placed in these areas so people can better understand the danger of human trafficking. The minister asked the media outlets to carry out this message of awareness since this problem is new to this society.

Somalilandpress.com

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