By Musse Shode , UK

Who suffers most if UN moves out of Somaliland ? Do you really fear people will suffer? So did I, but I was wrong. That would be the best thing happened to Somaliland . First a little background. Somaliland had proved to the world that it's the only country in the horn of Africa democracy is working well. The stability and the geographical location of Somaliland attracted many refugees/illegal immigrants from different parts of the continent. The country passed to be come one of the African nation's most peaceful and adapted a comprehensive laws to encourage human rights protecting the refugees/Asylum seekers.

As part of the challenge, the cost of illegal immigration to the economy is enormous but since the country willing to be recognized, the government and the people of Somaliland prefer not to talk about the issue. In addition to, the massive inflations and food crisis, the illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers are still continued crossing the boarder entering the country.

You would think why the government of Somaliland did not take any actions to stop or set a law to ban illegal immigrants. Well, the fact is UN is black mailing the government by threatening the country will loose international community support if they interfere their work. The oppositions seem more interested in political power than talking the issue of illegal immigrants, and they see the illegal immigrants as an opportunity for gaining more funds from humanitarian organizations rather than addressing to them to improvement the living conditions of the hopeless IDP (internal displaced people) and repatriated people from the refugee camps.

Not surprisingly UNHCR and non UN humanitarian organizations groups have no interest to create camps for the refuges, and the reason for that is the fear the number of the refugees will increase if they set up a camp (according to UNHCR) –   I say not surprisingly because people are still dying in the oceans, over 85% of them are IDPs and Asylum seekers. There is no doubt that this will continue unless the government of Somaliland and other international donor countries step in and set up a system to monitor the humanitarian organizations working behaviors in Somaliland, especially, UNHCR and WFP. Apparently the mere presence of these two UN organizations in Somaliland is for the benefits of international employees to manipulate the system.

Its shame to see the money paid by the donors to help the people in need is misused and wasted for unnecessary reasons. To give you an example, UNHCR wastes more $ 120,000 US dollars to buy two vehicles every year, and the reason of buying the vehicles is to drive the international officers from the office to their residence which is not even 3 minutes walk.   Not even a local staff is allowed to travel in those vehicles. Its not the only way locals staffs are victimized, they also don't get a chance to express their feeling and share their opinions as they are the once who knows much more things which exist in the country. In 2003, when the incident of the two British couple working as teachers for the Austrian charity SOS Children's Villages in Sheikh were killed, two UNHCR local staff were in the same hotel with their other international colleagues. The two international staffs were immediately evacuated to Nairobi for medical examination and were given a long paid vacation. Unfortunately, the two hopeless local staffs were called for investigation by the government and sent to another mission on the following day with their trauma. Many local employees were dismissed before their pension period and yet not given their entitlements years and years pass. I am a victim too, In Feb 2007 I was offered to sing a contract for the first time and forced to pay 6 months tax and pension contributions back dated from the day I singed the contract. I resigned in July 2007 and still I am waiting for my entitlements which I am not even sure.

Unfortunately, neither the government nor the oppositions realize the money this people are misusing is money meant for to help the poor refuges and IDPs in Somaliland to provide them with shelter and food. What could cause this to change? Monitoring and may be only a change in the working policy facing the humanitarian organizations. One can continue to hope that the donor countries someday will get the news and starts asking what effect their aid agencies have, and they will start listening to the poor country voices who will tell them how their many is misused. Then maybe aid agencies will stop wasting the money and will actually show interest in the many, many good ideas on how to make aid work and protect many hopeless peoples from dying in the oceans.

Recognition for Somaliland .