Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
| Somalia: Somaliland's new President Silanyo sworn-in 27 Jul 27, 2010 - 11:39:35 AM |
Somaliland security forces had cordoned off areas around the presidential palace in the capital Hargeisa, where the dignitaries had arrived from other regions of Somaliland and neighboring countries to attend the historic transfer of power from President Dahir Riyale to the new leader, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, a former opposition chief.
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| Historic moment: Riyale [left] and Silanyo |
President Silanyo was sworn-in by Somaliland's chief justice, who repeated the words of the oath of office. Speaking briefly, Mr. Silanyo said he will announce his new Cabinet tomorrow and deliver his first official speech.
Mr. Riyale the outgoing leader of Somaliland, congratulated incoming President Silanyo and promised to work with the new administration.
He called on the people of Somaliland to "unite as the elections are over," and praised neighboring countries Djibouti and Ethiopia as "friends of Somaliland."
President Silanyo becomes the four president of Somaliland since 1991, after: Abdirahman Tur, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, and most recently, Dahir Riyale, who was president since 2002.
The separatist region is praised for maintaining relative peace and the semblance of governance, although the region remains dirt-poor in terms of development and its educated class lives abroad, like fellow Somalis, due to the overall instability of Somalia as a whole.
Peaceful transfer of power from one elected official to another is not completely uncommon in Somalia. In 2005, and again in 2009, Puntland State held presidential elections and in both cases the opposition leader was elected president.
However, the international community has largely neglected both peaceful regions of Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland, and has invested massively in Mogadishu where Al Shabaab insurgents are fighting to topple the unpopular but Western-backed TFG led by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
Somaliland, located in the northwest corner of Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
The unrecognized separatist republic claims Sool and Sanaag regions, which are disputed with Puntland, a self-governing federal state that has never declared independence.
Somaliland's election did not take place in most of Sool and Sanaag regions, as Somaliland forces control a very limited area in these two regions.
During June 26 election day, at least four Somaliland election workers were killed in Sool region during election-day skirmishes.
GAROWE ONLINE
SOMALIA: New Somaliland president sets sights on corruption
Initially a senior minister in former Somalia President Siyad Barre's government in the 1980s, Mohamoud quit to join the then armed opposition Somali National Movement (SNM), eventually becoming its leader. After Somaliland's declaration of independence in 1991, Mohamoud held various senior ministerial positions until 2001 when he resigned from the government of the late President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal. Mohamoud formed Kulmiye in 2002 and contested the 2003 presidential elections but lost by only 80 votes to Dahir Riyale Kalin, who won around 33 percent of the last ballot. He spoke to IRIN a few days before the election, when he said he was “very optimistic” of victory. Q: What is your priority should you win? A: Well, in our programme, there are a large number of issues we need to handle but I would say, first of all, we would put together a lean government with limited ministerial posts, which will also be very effective, I hope. Secondly, I will abolish emergency laws, which are unconstitutional and which have sent so many people to prison. I will release all prisoners not sentenced by a court of law, except those accused of terrorism and theft. [According to a July 2009 report by Human Rights Watch, a key component of the criminal justice system consists of unconstitutional “security committees [which] sentence and imprison Somalilanders, including people accused of common crimes and juveniles, without any pretence of due process. They regularly sentence defendants en masse on the basis of little or no evidence after truncated hearings in which the accused are given no right to speak."] My cabinet will be much smaller than the current one. We will also make sure that the judiciary is independent. We will also deal with the problems in Sool and Sanag East [disputed territory regions] to create peace and stability. We also aim to boost our relations with neighbouring countries to strengthen the fight against terrorism and piracy.
A: That is one of our highest priorities; it is one of the main problems in this country. We will fight corruption and will deal with corrupt people and show them no mercy whatsoever. We will reform the judicial system and will introduce measures to punish corrupt people in an appropriate manner. We will set up an anti-corruption commission. Q: Somalia has been in crisis for more than two decades now. Do you have any ideas or suggestions how this crisis could be resolved? A: Well, in terms of Somalia, first of all, we wish our brothers [in south-central Somalia] every success in achieving peace and stability because that affects us as well. We are saddened by what is happening to the people of Somalia. We have thousands of refugees here. We are going to give full support to the position of the international community to bring peace back to Somalia. We are going to support the position taken by the UN and other international organizations to restore stability and peace to Somalia. We are going to be part of the world and we are going to play a very [key] role, I hope. We will definitely study which way we can help directly, without comprising our independence. Q: There are thousands of people from south-central Somalia, displaced by the conflict there, who have sought refuge in Somaliland. Should you win, do you have a programme for them? A: These people, who are refugees from Somalia [and] whom the international community regards as internally displaced, have been warmly welcomed here. They are our brothers and sisters. There is a very large number of people from Somalia in Somaliland at present and many of them are not in camps. They are with us; they are part of the population and they will continue to be our guests and we will ask the international community to do whatever they can for them. Also, we are going to ensure their safety. Their presence will be one of the major issues we will deal with, Inshallah [God-willing]. Q: The number of youth leaving Somaliland to seek opportunities elsewhere, often undertaking dangerous boat journeys, is increasing. Would your government have a specific programme for them? A: It is a major problem facing the country... In our programme we have very clearly stated that we are going to create all the incentives possible to discourage young people from throwing themselves in the sea and going abroad. We are going to create a normal life for them in their own country, by creating jobs for them, facilitate education for them and encourage them to stay in the country and believe in their own country and its stability. We will encourage investment in the country to create more employment and also create confidence in the country and its youth. js-ah/am/mw Theme(s): (IRIN) Governance [ENDS] [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
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New President of Somaliland Fights for Recognition
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: July 3, 2010
HARGEISA, Somalia (AFP) — The newly-elected president of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamud Silaanyo, vowed on Friday to campaign “vigorously” for international recognition of his breakaway republic in the Horn of Africa.
“During my tenure as president I will vigorously fight for the recognition of Somaliland. The world must recognize our democracy,” Mr. Silaanyo said a day after the announcement of his election victory.
“The first part of recognition of our independence is acquired as our people recognize themselves as a free country. What we are seeking is recognition by the outside world,” he said in an interview.
Mr. Silaanyo, a member of the dominant Issak clan, studied economics in Britain and served in the government of former Somali president Mohamed Siad Barre.
A former British colony tacked on to Somalia when the latter gained independence from Italy in 1960, Somaliland has remained reasonably stable, spared the clan warfare that has dogged Somalia because of the domination of the Issaks.
It broke away from Somalia in 1991 after the overthrow of Siad Barre plunged the country into chaos and anarchy.
An official of the hard-line Shabab militia that controls much of southern Somalia said: “The election is a sham and a dictation of anti-Islamic forces.”
“Silaanyo must denounce secession,” added the official, who did not want to be named.
Mr. Silaanyo, elected for a five-year term, said his government will “concentrate on development and rehabilitation of public services.”He expressed gratitude to outgoing president Dahir Riyale Kahin, from the Gaddabursi clan, “for his services to the nation, including the holding of democratic elections.”Mr. Kahin, who came to power in 2002, conceded on Friday night.“This was a friendly match and at the end somebody had to emerge as a winner,” Mr. Kahin said. “I congratulate President Ahmed Mohamud Silaanyo and his Kulmiye party for winning the presidential election.”He added: “I will remain in the country as an opposition leader and I will hand over my responsibilities immediately, in accordance with the law.”Mr. Silaanyo said he would maintain close links with Ethiopia and called on Somalia to sort out its problems.“Our neighbor Somalia needs peace more than anyone and it is the Somalis themselves who can achieve that. We are praying for peace in their country,” he said.
“The Ethiopians are our neighbors. They have always been friends of Somaliland.”
Mr. Silaanyo’s election marks the second democratic transfer of power in Somaliland since 1991.
SOMALIA: Somaliland's New President Silanyo Sworn-in
Garowe Online (Garowe)
27 July 2010
The newly elected leader of Somalia's separatist region of Somaliland was sworn-in on Tuesday in a well-organized event attended by local and regional officials, Radio Garowe reports.
Somaliland security forces had cordoned off areas around the presidential palace in the capital Hargeisa, where the dignitaries had arrived from other regions of Somaliland and neighboring countries to attend the historic transfer of power from President Dahir Riyale to the new leader, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, a former opposition chief
Djibouti's information minister, Ethiopia's tourism minister and Kenya's deputy Parliament speaker were among the foreign dignitaries that attended Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony.
President Silanyo was sworn-in by Somaliland's chief justice, who repeated the words of the oath of office. Speaking briefly, Mr. Silanyo said he will announce his new Cabinet tomorrow and deliver his first official speech.
Mr. Riyale the outgoing leader of Somaliland, congratulated incoming President Silanyo and promised to work with the new administration.
He called on the people of Somaliland to "unite as the elections are over," and praised neighboring countries Djibouti and Ethiopia as "friends of Somaliland."
The separatist region is praised for maintaining relative peace and the semblance of governance, although the region remains dirt-poor in terms of development and its educated class lives abroad, like fellow Somalis, due to the overall instability of Somalia as a whole.
Peaceful transfer of power from one elected official to another is not completely uncommon in Somalia. In 2005, and again in 2009, Puntland State held presidential elections and in both cases the opposition leader was elected president.
Relevant Links
Somaliland, located in the northwest corner of Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
The unrecognized separatist republic claims Sool and Sanaag regions, which are disputed with Puntland, a self-governing federal state that has never declared independence.
Somaliland's election did not take place in most of Sool and Sanaag regions, as Somaliland forces control a very limited area in these two regions.
During June 26 election day, at least four Somaliland election workers were killed in Sool region during election-day skirmishes.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
12 Killed In Fresh Somali Fighting
(RTTNews) - At least 12 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a fresh round of fighting between government
forces and Islamist insurgents in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, according to officials and local media reports.
Somali government Both sides reportedly exchanged automatic weapon and mortar fire during the clash, which also left more than 45 others injured. Witnesses said most of the casualties happened after a mortar crashed into the jewelry section of the capital's largest market.
A spokesman for the insurgent group claimed later that its fighters had briefly captured some positions held by the government forces and destroyed at least one armored vehicle. The government forces, however, insisted that none of their members suffered any injuries in the fighting.
Such clashes between government troops and rebels are common in Somalia. Continued fighting between insurgents and the pro-government security forces had killed thousands of Somalis and displaced hundreds of thousands more, mostly from Mogadishu.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991. Currently, a weak U.N.-backed interim government under President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is struggling to enforce its authority in the country.
While the interim government's control is limited to certain pockets in and around Mogadishu, the hard-line Islamist insurgent outfits control large parts of southern Somalia, where they enforce strict Islamic laws or the Sharia.
Al-Shabaab, military wing of the Islamist movement ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali forces in 2006, and several other allied militant groups have opposed past U.N.-sponsored reconciliation efforts in Somalia, insisting that they will negotiate with the country's transitional government only after the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission leaves Somalia.
The al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam were united until recently in their fight against the forces of Somalia's interim government and the AU peacekeeping troops. But the two groups are currently engaged in fierce fighting for the control of the southern port city of Kismayo.
Presently, a 6,100-member AU force is struggling with peacekeeping efforts after the militants turned to guerrilla warfare against the government and AU troops. So far only Uganda and Burundi have contributed troops to the AU peacekeeping force, which was initially planned with a strength of over 8,000.
(RTTNews) - However, the AU has pledged an additional 2,000-strong force for the Somali peacekeeping mission after the al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks that left 74 people dead in the Ugandan capital Kampala on July 11.
by RTT Staff WriterFor comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
UN Says Terrorist Threat Worsens Treatment of Somalis
VOA News.com English Africa
The U.N. refugee agency says there has been an alarming deterioration in the treatment of uprooted Somali civilians, both inside Somalia and in the surrounding region. Agency officials say Somali civilians are suffering a backlash from recent terrorist attacks.
The U.N. refugee agency reports a rise in xenophobic incidents against Somali civilians, both inside Somalia and in neighboring countries. In the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the region, officials say displaced Somalis are being rounded up and deported.
The UNHCR says Somali communities are the frequent victims of verbal and physical harassment, as well as arrests, arbitrary detention, extortion and even push backs of Somali refugees.
For example, U.N. refugee spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, says the Somali community in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi has come under suspicion. She says Somalis are increasingly being arrested and detained until they can prove they are refugees. Then they are released.
"We believe this is having a corroding effect on the traditionally quite positive relations between the host communities and Somali refugees, many of whom have spent decades in exile," Fleming said. "One thing we are particularly worried about is the action by the local authorities of Somalia's Puntland region. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, they pushed back more than 900 internally displaced people into the conflict zone in Central Somalia."
Fleming says some of the deportees, mainly Somali men between the ages of 18 and 25, are being detained in the town of Gaalkacyo. She says the U.N. refugee agency and other aid groups are providing them with food, water, medical assistance and blankets.
The UNHCR is calling on the Puntland authorities to halt these push backs. Fleming says her organization believes people fleeing Southern and Central Somalia are in need of international protection. She says forcing people to return to that part of the country is putting their lives at grave risk.
"We fear that those who have fled, fled for very good reason," Fleming added. "Young men in the age group of between 18 and 25 are very often targeted for recruitment by al-Shabab. So…we definitely are extremely concerned about any populations having to return to a place where fighting is raging, violence is indiscriminate and lives are being lost every day."
The UNHCR says Somali communities are the frequent victims of verbal and physical harassment, as well as arrests, arbitrary detention, extortion and even push backs of Somali refugees.
For example, U.N. refugee spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, says the Somali community in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi has come under suspicion. She says Somalis are increasingly being arrested and detained until they can prove they are refugees. Then they are released.
"We believe this is having a corroding effect on the traditionally quite positive relations between the host communities and Somali refugees, many of whom have spent decades in exile," Fleming said. "One thing we are particularly worried about is the action by the local authorities of Somalia's Puntland region. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, they pushed back more than 900 internally displaced people into the conflict zone in Central Somalia."
Fleming says some of the deportees, mainly Somali men between the ages of 18 and 25, are being detained in the town of Gaalkacyo. She says the U.N. refugee agency and other aid groups are providing them with food, water, medical assistance and blankets.
The UNHCR is calling on the Puntland authorities to halt these push backs. Fleming says her organization believes people fleeing Southern and Central Somalia are in need of international protection. She says forcing people to return to that part of the country is putting their lives at grave risk.
"We fear that those who have fled, fled for very good reason," Fleming added. "Young men in the age group of between 18 and 25 are very often targeted for recruitment by al-Shabab. So…we definitely are extremely concerned about any populations having to return to a place where fighting is raging, violence is indiscriminate and lives are being lost every day."
The United Nations calls Somalia one of the world's worst crises. It says current conditions there are particularly dire. During the past three weeks alone, the United Nations reports 18,000 people have been displaced, 112 killed and around 250 wounded.
Somali Puntland Forces Attack al-Qaida-Linked Militia
VOA News.com English Africa
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Fierce fighting has broken out in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, as the government mounts an offensive to drive out Islamist forces accused of destabilizing the region. Attacks in the region took place near Bosaso, in the western Bari region of Somalia.
Puntland President Abdirahman Farole told reporters the fighting was initiated by the rebels early Monday when they attacked Puntland security forces gathered in the area. There are unconfirmed reports that more than a dozen rebels were killed in the fighting. President Farole said Puntland forces killed some rebels and also captured one of the leaders of the attack.
The president called for the international community to assist Puntland in eradicating Islamist insurgents in the region, warning that it would spread throughout Somalia if not eliminated. The Puntland government has been preparing for an offensive in the region in recent weeks to expel the remnants of insurgent group al-Ittihad al Islamiya, led by Mohamed Said Atom.
While most of the group was driven out by the government in the early 1990s, Atom has maintained a presence in the mountainous region on Puntland's eastern border, which the government fears will be used to establish terrorist training camps similar to those in Afghanistan. The U.N. Security Council has also identified Atom as one of the principal suppliers for Islamist group al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia.
President Farole has accused Atom, as well as "international terror groups," of attempting to destabilize the semi-autonomous region. In addition to mobilizing forces around Galgala, the Puntland government expelled about 500 southern Somalis last week from the region's economic capital Bosaso. The deportation has drawn sharp criticism from the U.N. refugee agency, but President Farole defended the expulsions, saying the group targeted posed a major security threat to the region. The 500 are being sent back to their homes in the tumultuous south, where insurgents - such as al-Shabab - are battling Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to create an Islamic state.
The terrorist group, which controls large portions of the region including parts of Mogadishu, has recently ordered families living in Shabab-held territories in the Lower Shabele region to send one able-bodied male to fight government and African Union forces in Mogadishu. While there are conflicting reports about the order, one source told VOA those unable to pay were required to donate either money to al-Shabab or blood for wounded fighters.
Other reports from other residents in Lower Shabele indicated that families that can not provide male volunteers must purchase an AK-47 from the rebel group or simply pay $50 per month.
The president called for the international community to assist Puntland in eradicating Islamist insurgents in the region, warning that it would spread throughout Somalia if not eliminated. The Puntland government has been preparing for an offensive in the region in recent weeks to expel the remnants of insurgent group al-Ittihad al Islamiya, led by Mohamed Said Atom.
While most of the group was driven out by the government in the early 1990s, Atom has maintained a presence in the mountainous region on Puntland's eastern border, which the government fears will be used to establish terrorist training camps similar to those in Afghanistan. The U.N. Security Council has also identified Atom as one of the principal suppliers for Islamist group al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia.
President Farole has accused Atom, as well as "international terror groups," of attempting to destabilize the semi-autonomous region. In addition to mobilizing forces around Galgala, the Puntland government expelled about 500 southern Somalis last week from the region's economic capital Bosaso. The deportation has drawn sharp criticism from the U.N. refugee agency, but President Farole defended the expulsions, saying the group targeted posed a major security threat to the region. The 500 are being sent back to their homes in the tumultuous south, where insurgents - such as al-Shabab - are battling Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to create an Islamic state.
The terrorist group, which controls large portions of the region including parts of Mogadishu, has recently ordered families living in Shabab-held territories in the Lower Shabele region to send one able-bodied male to fight government and African Union forces in Mogadishu. While there are conflicting reports about the order, one source told VOA those unable to pay were required to donate either money to al-Shabab or blood for wounded fighters.
Other reports from other residents in Lower Shabele indicated that families that can not provide male volunteers must purchase an AK-47 from the rebel group or simply pay $50 per month.
Former Kenyan minister calls for recognition of Somaliland.
| Qaran NewsJul 23, 2010 at 06:18 PM | |
 Former Kenyan minister, Mukhisa Kituyi Text of commentary entitled “Need to re-think our policy towards Somalia” by Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, former Kenyan minister published by Kenyan privately-owned newspaper Daily Nation website on 18 July; subheading as published In the recent past, two events have occurred in lands far apart which force Kenya to re-think its policy towards Somalia. First, the people of Somaliland, the self-declared autonomous region formerly called British Somaliland, held a very credible election last month which was won by the opposition. Second, came the traumatic bombings that killed and maimed hundreds of people in Kampala with the Somali group Al-Shabab rushing to claim responsibility. These two events are bound by the reality of the failed state in Somalia and even worse the failed response by the international community to the shame that is Somalia today. Kenya must read the line and make a firm stand in the national interest. At independence in 1960, British Somaliland voluntarily joined the Republic of Somalia in the hope of peace and development. When all they got was the brutality of the Siad Barre regime, they declared independence in 1991. The response was painful and remains enshrined in the mass graves of Malko-Durduro near Hargeysa. They picked up the pieces and, while the rest of Somalia descended into chaos, the people of Somaliland have sustained dialogue in modelling a democratic system balancing between clan elders and elected chambers of parliament. Visiting Select Committees from the House of Commons (2004) and the Kenya National Assembly (2006) have applauded the progress made. Trying militants Today Somaliland has fashioned an effective administration regularly collecting due taxes, arresting and trying militants bent on disrupting the peace, patrolling the Gulf of Eden to keep pirates off its shores, and operating efficient air and sea port facilities at Berbera. Despite their best efforts, the people of Somaliland remain constricted because the world has refused to recognize their statehood. Arguments about sanctity of independence boundaries run hollow in the face of cases like Ethiopia-Eritrea and failed federations like Senegambia. The sick state of Somalia requires no further pretence at sanctity. More crucially, incremental solutions to the mess that is Somalia require solidarity with successful Somali peace initiatives. There is none better than Somaliland. Kenya should lead other regional players in recognizing and strengthening the Republic of Somaliland as a frontline counter to the violence spewing out of Somalia. This is the least we can do for a country that gave us the Isaq immigrants of the post World War II that played a key role in the spread of African entrepreneurship in the hinterland of pre-independence Kenya. In the wake of the Kampala bombings, President Museveni has vowed strong response in Somalia. It is important to see Uganda`s predicament in its context. President Museveni committed Ugandan soldiers to the peace initiative of IGAD. Since then, three major things have emerged which require a total re-think of the Africa Union and IGAD approach to Somalia. First there is no peace to keep in Somalia and the AMISOM forces are pretending to offer security to an interim government that is permanently on life support. The idea of a green house for the transitional government to grow before being let out to pasture has failed as the government in Mogadishu remains a cacophony of foreigners of Somali origin who fly in from Nairobi, Australia, Canada and Scandinavia for cabinet meetings and fly back home. If government is wilting in the green house, when will it grow capacity to govern without Burundi and Ugandan soldiers? Secondly, the alternative to the TFG in Mogadishu left on its own remains absurd and disruptive. Al-Shabab wants us to appreciate it on the basis of its ability to spread pain and shock, and its recent declaration of a fatwa on democracy. The third thing is the recent coming into force of the Common Market for East Africa. This has entailed a commitment by the member countries to grow the protocols on foreign and defence cooperation into unified policy on regional security and foreign relations. Somalia accords them the earliest opportunity to think and act together. This is the time for Kenya and the rest of East Africa to tell Uganda “you shall not walk alone”. The strategic interests of East Africa are tied to secure maritime trade off the shores of Somalia. Illicit trade in small arms and the threat of terrorist acts can be better dealt with in Somalia than at our porous borders. Firm decisions founded on clear measurable and achievable goals must inform the way forward as we join our brothers in Uganda in mourning the innocent lives that have been lost so meaninglessly. |
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