Somaliland’s crisis deepens

EDITORIAL

Two sets of distinct but interconnected problems are posing a serious threat to Somaliland. The first set of problems have to do with the economy and living conditions, and they include the rising food and gas prices and until recently the drought that affected large swathes of the country. Admittedly Somaliland’s economic problems are not unique to it but are part of the worldwide phenomenon, however, whereas other governments have taken measures to lessen the impact of the increase in food and fuel prices, Somaliland’s government did the opposite and chose precisely this moment to increase fuel and import prices.

The other set of problems are political in nature, and here, too, instead of making things better, Somaliland’s government has definitely made matters worse. The list of wrong moves by the government is long, but we will cite just a few:

-The jailing of twenty citizens in Gabiley and Wajale, including Muhammad Antaynle, for having expressed their disagreement with the extension of the president’s term.

-The arrest of Abshir Hasan, the former private chauffeur of President Rayale’s wife and current member of Kulmiye opposition party. This arrest is clearly a case of President Rayale taking revenge on Mr Abshir Hasan for corroborating the reports of Haatuf newspaper about corruption and embezzlement of public funds by the president’s family.

-The murder of Hani Hasan Jama, on April 26, by Somaliland’s armed forces who were pulled out of the frontlines and assigned security duty in Somaliland’s capital city, Hargeisa, a job for which they are not trained.

- The killing, in Hargeisa, of two demonstrators and the wounding of several others by Somaliland’s police. The demonstrators were protesting the city council’s changing of the names of some neighborhoods. Although both President Rayale and the minister of interior tried to distance themselves from the name changing decision, there is no doubt that the government discussed and agreed with the decision as pointed out by Hargeisa’s mayor Jiir.

All of these unfortunate episodes indicate that far from seeking solutions to the serious crises plaguing the country, the only thing that Somaliland’s government is interested in is hanging on to power at any cost. This was most evident in President Rayale’s long, boring and at times insolent speech to the joint parliament, where he lambasted parliament for indulging in disputes, berated the election commission for insufficient knowledge of the constitution, rebuked the international community for interfering in Somaliland’s affairs, and grossly exaggerated the performance of his administration.

With that speech, and with less than two weeks left for the end of the president’s term, the country is set to enter a very dangerous period, thanks to Rayale.

Source: Somaliland Times

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search