Nairobi, Kenya, October 18, 2005 (European Commission Delegation in Kenya – Somalia Operations) – Following the announcement by the National Electoral Commission of the final results of the Parliamentary elections in Somaliland, the members of the Steering Committee supporting the electoral process would like to extend their warmest congratulations to the people of Somaliland on the elections peacefully held on 29 September 2005. Congratulations also go to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), civil society organizations, political parties, the media and all those who made the elections possible.
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HARGEYSA, 1 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Somalia , Francois Lonseny Fall, on Monday praised efforts by the republic of Somaliland to nurture democracy and enhance stability in the territory.
London , UK , Nov 2, 2005 (CIIR) – A team of experts that traveled to the internationally unrecognized Horn of Africa country of Somaliland to observe its first-ever parliamentary elections has welcomed the announcement of the official results of the poll.
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Borama, Somaliland, Oct 30, 2005 (ANN) —People living in the town of Borama and its surroundings have experienced an increase of seismic tremors during the month of Ramadan.
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Ambassador Kiplagat: "There Are No Decisions Made Regarding The Unity Of Somalia By IGAD"
HELSINKI, Finland, Nov 1, 2005 (ANN) – Ambassador Betwuel Kiplagat, IGAD’s and Kenyan government’s special envoy to Somalia peace process, said it was imperative for the Federal Somali government to put its house in order before looking into the question of co-existence or unity with Somaliland.
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Jijiga, Ethiopia, Nov. 02, 2005 (WIC) – The Somali Pastoral and Agricultural Research Institute announced that researches on animal husbandry have been launched to help utilize the potential animal resources in the state.
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First Family Linked To Expulsion Of EU's Liaison Officer
Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 5, 2005 (SL Times) – The Somaliland Times has learnt that Somaliland's first family was behind the recent decision of the minister of Planning, Ahmed Haji Dahir Elmi, to expel the EU's liaison officer in Hargeysa, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mahmud (Ahmed Washington).
On October 28, 2005, the EU's office in Hargeysa received a letter by the Planning minister stating that the liaison officer was no longer welcome in Somaliland and should leave the country within 24 hours.
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A Marine Services Expert Praises Berbera Port
Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 5, 2005 (SL Times) Mr. Peter Astbury, an international marine expert, praised the services provided by Berbera port. Mr. Astbury was in Berbera during the last parliamentary elections to facilitate the a substantial sea water damage to a cargo of bagged sugar carried by a ship called M/V/Royal.
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Wegagen Opens Office On Ethio-Somaliland Border
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 4, 2005 (Addis Fortune) – Wegagen Bank has become the first to open an office at the Ethiopia-Somaliland border town of Togochale for import and export related bank transactions.
Ethiopia had only been using the Port of Djibouti after the 1998 conflict with Eritrea. Last May a high level delegation of Ethiopian officials went to visit the unrecognised state of Somaliland to arrange to use the Berbera Port, 964Km from Addis Abeba, as an alternative. A week ago, a technical team of 12 experts drawn from various government offices travelled to Somaliland to assess port preparations, border towns and the road from the port to Addis Ababa.
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Berbera Port Serves Land-locked Ethiopia and Somaliland
Nairobi October 30, 2005 (Berger World) - Somaliland faces the considerable challenge of having to establish a central administration and a diversified economy in a predominantly pastoralist territory. Key to this will be the fortunes of Berbera port. Berbera is not only a key regional corridor, but is also Somaliland's single biggest income generator.
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World Bank Provides Assistance For Power Access And Diversification For Djibouti
WASHINGTON, November 2, 2005 (noticias.info) - The World Bank yesterday approved a US$ 7 million Power Access and Diversification Project for the Republic of Djibouti.
This project aims to increase the access of underserved populations to electricity services, through priority investments; increase reliability of electricity services, through the development of alternative sources of production and targeted technical assistance; and improve efficiency of the electricity utility, through technical assistance.
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Puntland Begins Reduction Of Security Forces
Garowe November 1, 2005 (UNDP) – Puntland State of Somalia has embarked on its first ever Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Programme of 500 security force personnel with a view to reducing the number of security personnel, while increasing peace, security and development in the state. The exercise is expected to target a total of 1,000 forces by mid-2006.
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ETHIOPIA: CPJ Condemns Government Threats Against Independent Media
New York, November 2, 2005 (CPJ) — Ethiopian authorities have threatened to arrest journalists and made statements that could endanger independent reporters in the capital Addis Ababa, where opposition protesters and police have clashed for the past two days. The government also appears to be using state media to smear foreign and independent media.
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International News
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300 Somali And Ethiopian Refugees 'Disappear In Zimbabwe'
Harare, Oct. 31, 2005 (News24) – At least 300 refugees have deserted holding camps in Zimbabwe in the past two months raising fears that illegal immigrants are using the country as a transit point, a state daily reported on Monday.
"At least 300 Somalis and Ethiopians who entered the country seeking refugee status in the past two months have vanished from holding camps while the government was still processing their asylum papers," the Herald newspaper said.
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Hijackings Cut Food Aid Flow To Hungry Somalis-UN
NAIROBI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Hijackings of ships by pirates off Somalia's coast are slowing the delivery of food aid and threaten the well-being of more than half a million hungry people, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Thursday.
This year, WFP's operations in Somalia have been sabotaged by the commandeering of two vessels carrying relief food and ship owners are now demanding armed escorts to travel in these waters, the agency said in a statement.
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AU Urges Member States To Remain United Over UN Reforms
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 1, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday urged its member states to remain united in the process of the reforms of the United Nations Security Council.
In a decision passed after Monday's extraordinary summit, the pan-African agency reaffirmed Africa's common position as embodied in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration and Resolution. The Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration and Resolution set out Africa's position on UN reforms, which propose two permanent and two non-permanent seats for Africa in a reformed UN Security Council.
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New Islam In An Old English Town
LEICESTER, England, October 30, 2005 (International Herald Tribune) – As Europe gropes for answers to the recent surge of questions regarding its large and growing population of immigrants, many of them Muslims, one place to look might be this slightly down-at-the-heel town smack in England's center.
Leicester, surrounded by rolling fields, was historically a small, prosperous manufacturing town rooted in the traditions of the English countryside. Farmers brought their cattle and sheep to be sold near the cobbled medieval heart of the town, where red-brick Victorian buildings hark back to a less complicated era.
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| Algeria Pays USD Two Million For Support Of Somalia
CAIRO, Oct 2, 2005 (KUNA) -- Algeria paid Sunday its contribution earmarked by the latest Arab summit held in Algiers, totaling USD two million to the Somalia support fund.
Algerian representative Abdelqader Hajjar told newsmen after meeting Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa that his country has paid its share in the Fund totaling USD 26 million.
He added that his country has paid all its dues to the joint Arab action institutions, in particular support for the Palestinian Authority budget.
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Where is Somaliland ?
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A Disgraceful Action
EDITORIAL
Somaliland Planning minister, Ahmed Haji Dahir Elmi's unwarranted action declaring the head of the EU's office in Hargeysa, a persona-non-grata, cannot be treated as a rare case of a high government official committing an ugly mistake. Such a plunder was not unexpected from a government whose most senior leaders were already known for going to any lengths to abuse their power for the sake of furthering personal interests.
It wasn't the first time that Mr. Elmi has behaved in such a thuggish manner with one of the representatives of the international community who simply happened to decline his demands for favors.
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Elected MPs: The Nation Expects
By Guled Ismail, London, UK
The people had their say, the ballots counted, the horse-trading done, the alliances formed. Now is the time to honor the people the way they honored you; now is the time to deliver.
The least you can do is to do no harm: do not steal from the huddled masses, do not feed on their famished bones, do not divide them for personal gain; do not scheme at their expense. Do not let idle talk cause discord, do not perpetrate deeds of evil.
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Some Hats Fit But Feel Awkward
By Mohamud Tani, Ottawa, Canada
That the two opposition political parties are forming an alliance of a sort to take the leadership of the house is an act of playing politics upside down. It totally breaks all rules of the game, and I am not sure whether it serves it's purpose. I do not have anything against the opposition parties forming alliances of policy issues, but this is completely a different ball of game. This is teaming up together for greed and power grasping. It is against the spirit and the letter of the result of the people's vote. Three political parties made a contest. They asked the people of Somaliland for their mandate to lead the lower legislative house. It was a three way run and one party took the lead. It got the most number of the seats. That party should have automatically captured the leadership of the house.
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Terror, Imperialism And The Meaning Of Faith
By Ahmed M. I. Egal, (Guest Commentator)
No single act by terrorists in recent history has resulted in the devastation of relations between states, peoples and the international political order as has the destruction of the twin towers in New York and the wing of the Pentagon on September 11th 2001. The victims of that horror have been multiplied by the subsequent multitude that have been sacrificed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Chechnya, Russia, Indonesia and indeed throughout the world. As I write this missive, the massacre of human beings in the name of cruel nihilism disguised as faith (on one hand) and brutal imperialism disguised as civilization (on the other) continues.
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Dear Editor in Chief (Francis Soler):
Your website claims that "The Indian Ocean Newsletter is recognized for its exclusive news stories, its ability to anticipate and its impartiality". I would like to contest to this statement of your's by bringing to your kind attention the following news story to hit the headlines of major newspapers, satelite tv & radio stations across the globe in the past few days:
Somaliland In First Vote for MP's "Voters in Somaliland are choosing MP's for the first time since the territory declared independence from Somalia 14 years ago".(BBCNews 29 Sept 2005).
Somaliland Hopes For World Recognitiion "Voters in Somaliland cast ballots on Thursday to elect lawmakers amid hopes the exercise will bring them international recognition as a sovereign state".(AFP 29 Sept 2005).
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Masterful Performance
By Ahmed Sh. Farah
President Dahir Rayale Kahin’s first live conference call with Somalilanders in and outside of the country received widespread critical acclaim from both friends and foes. Employing the magic of modern communications, president Rayale was able to reach out to Somalilanders and others in the most far-flung regions of the world. The more than an hour call in show was hosted by the BBC’s Yusuf Grad who ran it with the study hand of a professional, occasionally rephrasing the caller’s questions for the benefit of both callers and the president. President Rayale’s solo performance is racking up rave reviews across the political spectrum in and outside of Somaliland.
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| FEATURES & COMMENTARY |
SOMALILAND: Still In The Wilderness
Robet Wiren, 28/10/05
Africa Today, November issue
Somaliland may be more peaceful than its next-door neighbor Somalia, but it is still waiting for formal international recognition.
Somaliland's inaugural parliamentary elections took place on September 29 without much notice from the world. The Horn of Africa country is a forgotten territory with hardly any international support, despite the fact that it has a government and borders fixed by international treaties and its leaders' insistence that the British Somaliland protectorate was granted independence on June 26, 1960 after 75 years of British presence. Since 1991 this country with an estimated population of three million inhabitants, has been striving to be recognized as a sovereign state without much luck.
So what is wrong with Somaliland? Is this country sheltering terrorists or al Qaeda proxies?
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Somaliland Demands Justice
28/10/05, Africa Today (Nov Issue)
Somaliland is a self-governing country on the Horn of Africa. After 31 years of bloody, polarizing and failed union with southern Somalia, Somaliland reclaimed its independence in 1991 from the failed Somali Republic. But it is struggling for recognition. In this interview with Robert Wiren, Mrs. Edna Adan Ismail, Somaliland's Foreign Affairs minister, makes a case for the international acceptance of her nation.
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