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By ABDI GULED

Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - A man raises his cane in anger outside Somalia's largest money transfer company. He is furious that the Merchants Bank of California has announced it will shut down accounts for informal money-remittance services in Somalia that have been a lifeline to many Somalis who receive money from families abroad.

"If they close the hawala (Somali for money transfer agency), will they pay our bills? I'm totally hopeless." said Zahra Hussein, a mother of nine in Mogadishu, outside an agency where she received the news.

Money transfer services have operated for years, but they are now under intense scrutiny as many countries, especially the U.S. and U.K., have accused the agencies of helping fund Islamic extremist terrorist groups. That concern has forced some international banks to terminate business with them - anti-terror laws hold banks responsible if they transfer money to criminal or terror elements.

In 2013, Barclays, one of Britain's largest banks, cut ties with Dahabshiil, a Somali company that brings in the majority of the country's $1.2 billion in yearly remittances, according to the U.N.

Merchants Bank of California informed Somali-American money transfer operators that it would discontinue their relationship in late January. The decision will likely affect more companies that allow transfers of money from the U.S.

No formal banking system exists in Somalia, and making such transfers is the only realistic way many Somalis can receive cash.

Somalia's prime minister, along with aid workers and experts, have asked banks to back down on these decisions.

"We need to find a permanent solution to keep open this vital humanitarian lifeline," said Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke. He said the money transfer would help bring peace to the Horn of Africa nation, which is recovering from decades of war and sees almost daily violence by militant group al-Shabab.

"Remittances form the backbone of Somalia's economy," said Degan Ali, the executive director of aid group Adeso. Nearly three-quarters of a million Somalis are facing acute food shortages, she said, "and we are likely to see that number rise if money transfer companies cannot remit funds from the United States."

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Somalia: Who Destroyed Somali Hopes And Dreams? Part V | RBC Radio

Abdulkadir Aden Mohamud “Jangeli”

The literature you are about to read is divided into several parts. Its contents are based on facts and fictions. The players are the stakeholders of Somali politics and plights: Ethiopia, Kenya, Al-shabaab, “fadhikudirir,” so called parliament and the rest of the world.

President Hassan has appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the third Prime Minister within the two years that he has been in the office. Alas, that tells how astute President Hassan is! Yet, the parliament gave vote of confidence to Sharmarke before he was given the list of his cabinet members, which exceeds 60 names. Like the Gang of Four of China in 1970’s during the cultural revolution, Somalia is hostage for the manipulation of

four men who control President Hassan’s decisions and activities.

Meanwhile, Ethiopians were very happy and satisfied the 60 members of the cabinet , especially the Four Gang were placed in the offices they wanted. But, a group of parliament members rejected Sharmarke’s cabinet members and warned that they will not give a vote of confidence.

Mr. Mariumu called his advisors as soon as he heard the bad news from Somali parliament’s rejection of the Ethiopian preferred Four Gang to be part of the new administration.

Mariumu: The news coming from Mogadishu is very bad for our goals and I am not pleased with Mr. Girgis. He assured me that Mr. Hassan and his advisors are masters of manipulation and experts of corruption and they will adequately deal with every obstacle of our plan. A group of boneheads from the parliament have spoiled our strategy and they are rejecting our men.

Alamanie: Who is this group? And how come they have the guts to reject what we want?

Girgis: They are the worst spoilers in the parliament and they are self-nominated as “National Salvation Group”

Alamanie: Where were Hassan and Farah when this spurious group was forming such a fake Somali “Salvation”.

Girgis: There is also another group called “National Correction Group” This group is about 70 members of parliament.

Alamanie: And how many members are the National Salvation group?

Girgis: They are between 80 and 100 members of the parliament. In total they can be 170 members of the parliament.

Mariumu: NO no no … this will change the whole landscape that we designed for Somalia. It is very dangerous for the plan of fishing Indian Ocean and Golf of Aden. We have to send delegations to Mogadishu, Galmudug, Puntland and Cabduwaq.

Alamnie: Please explain in layman’s term the main tasks of these delegations?

Mariumu: Before I explain the tasks, let me tell you about the main delegation which I intend to go into Mogadishu.This delegation must be led by top officials. We can’t go into Mogadishu without a reason, so we make a call for IGAD to meet in Mogadishu before the parliament reject the cabinets. This will give us an opportunity to talk with all the parties, including spoilers.

Meanwhile, we send delegation to Abudwaq to wake up Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama and arm them to make some military activities in central regions. Thanks to Al-Shabab they are always doing their military actives in Southern Regions and Mogadishu, so they don’t need an emissary. Regarding Galmug, Abdi Qeybdid must stick to his positions about the division of Mudug region and must show that he is ready to fight as long as he has a drop of a blood in his veins. And we have to make him understand our position if he needs our support. Meanwhile, Abduweli Gas must reject the division of Mudug or even discuss this issue to any individual. He must show his muscle to anybody who tries to be part of Central Regional government and we will support him in that regard. These are the tasks of our delegation into different parts of ex-Somalia.

Girgis: It is a wonderful plan and I knew that you are a valuable student of our beloved late leader Mr. Zinawi; moreover, you are following his footsteps and blueprint for Somalia….KKKKKKK

Mariumu: Zinawi was a visionary leader and as you remember his last words were not to confront Somalis with military. They can easily defeat us regardless of our military superiority. Never forget how they were fighting in Mogadishu in 2007. Britain called them nomads without fear. So the best strategy is to divide and rule. It easy to set them clan based enclaves and give a false titles to the most power hunger person in the clan. They love titles like president, Prime Minister, Clan Chief or King. And they don’t care whether it is based on a clan affiliation or national. Look at the prominent Professors from USA Universities Mr. Galeydh and Gas who became Prime Ministers of Somalia and now they are running their small clan enclaves. Therefore, it is enough to give them a title and give them the tools to fight each other.

Girgis: I like that ……. Khatumo against Somaliland, Puntland against Khatumo, Somaliland against Puntland, and now Awdal…. It is amazing how good they are implementing our plan.

Alamanie: Mr. Girgis don’t forget Southwest Regions of Madobe Nuunow against Southwest Regions of sharif Hassan, Jubbaland against Southwest Regions and Galmug against Puntland.

Girgis: The irony is we support all of them and they know it, but never question our intention of supporting their enemies.

Mariumu: That is what our late leader figured out best to disintegrate Somali nationhood and possess the Shores of the Indian Ocean.

Alamanie: Why did we once believe that Somalis are intelligent people? It seems that they are not if they have not yet figured out our games.

Marium: Because they are all political animals and they love the power which blinds them. As long as you give them tools to grab any kind of power they forget what is good for their nation or clan.

Girgis: Mr. Prime Minister when are you dispatching the delegations?

Mariumu: As soon as possible.

Dr. Tedros led a delegation from Ethiopia to participate the Meetings of IGAD in Mogadishu. This meeting is about Somalia’s future and political stability. IGAD contributes to the majority of AMISOM’s military wing, even though it has been founded as a development organization. It stands for “Intergovernmental Authority for Development,” but Ethiopia changed it into a tool to manipulate Somali political affairs.

Now Ethiopians have seen that they can’t change much about the parliament positions, so they advised Hassan and Sharmarke to change the tactics and withdraw the names of ministers they nominated for re-organization.

FADHIKUDIRIR GROUP:

Ifteen: Is this true or am I dreaming? Did our parliament reject the Four Gangs and the puppets of Hassan Sheikh?

Taagane: Your enthusiasm will not last more than a few days. I know these guys, at the end of the day Hassan will buy them off, plus Ethiopia’s interference can change the whole dynamics.

Ifteen: Nonsense! 157 members of the parliament are moving towards the right direction and even NATO can’t stop them. They feel the heat of the people and that is their fuel of no return. Today it is like the day we founded SYL so be optimistic brother!

Taagane: I love to be optimistic, but do you believe Godax Barre and his group are sincere?

Ifteen: Yes, until they show differently. We have to believe them and verify what they are claiming is true.

Mubarak: Abduweli was my classmate, and I talked to him during the campaign of no vote of confidence… and he told me that this will be good whether he stays or not. The parliament is changing their attitude by not acting on just the behalf of their clans. Sometimes what we may believe to be a bad action, may bring a brighter outcome for Somalia a whole.

Taagane: These parliamentarians are rebels, and rebels don’t last long.

Ifteen: Let me tell you a quote from Frederick Douglas “The thing worse than a rebellion, is the thing that causes the rebellion.”

………………………………….. To be continue VI

Abdulkadir Aden Mohamud “jangeli”

jangelione@yahoo.com

Somalia's Shebab plays down surrender of wanted official | Daily Mail Online

Somalia's Shebab militia on Monday played down the surrender and arrest of a senior militant figure, saying the official had left the movement more than a year ago.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels said Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, identified as a top Shebab intelligence official and the subject of a $3 million bounty as part of the US State Department "Rewards for Justice" programme, would be of little intelligence value.

"He abandoned the organisation more than a year ago," a senior militant official told AFP, insisting that the "news of the defection was only released in order to shift attention" away from last week's Shebab attack against the headquarters of the African Union force in the capital Mogadishu.

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Four suspected Shebab fighters are detained by Somalian national soldiers following a gun battle in Mogadishu that left four other suspects dead on December 26, 2014 ©Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP)

"All the information on military set up or plans he knew has been changed since he left, and therefore the so-called defector has no intelligence value to offer to our enemies," the Shebab official said.

He also said the surrender should not be seen as a weakening of the movement, which is fighting to topple Somalia's internationally-backed government.

According to Somali officials, Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi gave himself up to government and AU troops on Saturday. He had been hiding out in the Gedo region, where Somalia borders Kenya and Ethiopia.

Officials said he had once been close to former Shebab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed by a US air strike in September, but that he may have been sidelined during a series of recent bloody splits and purges within the group carried out by Godane and his successor, Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah.

The Shebab emerged from the Islamic Courts Union that controlled Mogadishu in 2006 before being pushed out by Ethiopian forces.

The militants were finally driven from their fixed positions in Mogadishu in 2011, and have lost several strongholds in the south and centre of the country in a recent offensive by the AU's AMISOM force. The group, however, still control vast rural areas.

Somalia: Vengeance Is In The Air

More and more al Shabaab groups are leaving central Somalia and heading for the Kenyan border, where they have access to the large number of Somali refugees (in well supplied Kenyan camps) and ethnic Somalis long resident in northern Kenya. These Somali Kenyans are easier to convince or coerce into cooperating with the Islamic terrorists than the Kenyans belonging to one of the many black African tribes native to East Africa south of Somalia. Al Shabaab is still angry at Kenya for sending troops into southern Kenya and, with the aid of local clan militias, set up a new government in the area that had long been under al Shabaab control. Traditionally Somalis invade Kenya not the other way around and the fact that the Kenyans got away with their “invasion” of southern Somali still annoys al Shabaab (and a lot of other Somalis.) So al Shabaab is moving south for revenge as well as to get away from peacekeepers, anti-al Shabaab militias and the trained soldiers the government now has available. The al Shabaab forces along the border are not yet strong enough to go to war with the Kenyan Army and the local Somali militias, but terrorism is another matter. So groups of al Shabaab gunmen have been crossing the border and murdering non-Moslem civilians they come across. This has angered Kenyans who are demanding that their government do something. In response Kenyan warplanes have bombed suspected al Shabaab camps and Kenyan troops are aggressively seeking out al Shabaab men on both sides of the border. Despite that there is panic among non-Moslem Kenyans living near the Somali border and thousands are leaving.

Kenya currently has 3,000 troops on the Somali side of the border and even more on the Kenyan side (in addition to police). The government is apparently going to send more troops and police to the Somali border and Kenyans up there who are ethnic Somalis are being asked to help. Some do, but many do not and a few actually support al Shabaab. At the moment the Kenyan security forces are held in low esteem by most Kenyans and political and military leaders are under a lot of pressure to actually do something.

The UN and other foreign aid groups gave become increasingly strident about foreign donors not providing enough money to deal with growing food shortages in Somalia. So far only about a third of the money (over 800 million) needed to handle the coming food crisis has been pledged. There are 20 percent more Somalis in need of aid this year than last. Foreign donors are reluctant to spend a lot of money on Somali aid because over the last two decades so much aid has been stolen by Islamic terrorists, warlords, bandits and whatever passes for government. The drought in 2011 killed a quarter of a million, largely because al Shabaab banned the “un-Islamic” food aid from those needing it. But the donor nations note that the aid groups play down the theft and subsequent investigations revealed this and the fact that the aid groups simply paid off the thieves, often with a portion of the aid. Donor nations want better security before they provide all that is demanded.

The major problem in Somalia has long been corruption and when this problem is actually measured Somali finds that it has the dubious distinction of being best at something they would rather not be. Thus a recent international study found Somalia one of the three most corrupt nations in the world. Corruption in this Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The three most corrupt nations have a rating of 8 (Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia) and the least corrupt are 91 (New Zealand and Denmark). A look at this index each year adds an element of reality to official government pronouncements. African nations are the most corrupt, followed by Middle Eastern ones.

Somalia also excels at terrorist violence. A recent terrorism survey (Global Terrorism Index) found that five nations (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria, in that order) accounted for 80 percent of all terrorism related deaths in 2013 and even more in 2014. Four Islamic terrorist organizations (ISIL, al Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Taliban) account for nearly 70 percent of all terrorist deaths. Many of the lesser terror groups are also Islamic. In fact, of the top ten nations by terrorist activity (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, India, Somalia, Yemen, Philippines and Thailand) only India and the Philippines had a significant minority of terrorist deaths that were not carried out by Moslems. In those two countries the minority terrorists were leftist rebels who had not noticed the collapse of radical socialism in 1989. Meanwhile the rapid growth in Islamic terrorism violence caused the total number of terrorist acts to increase 44 percent in 2013 over 2012. Al Shabaab does what it can to keep Somalia competitive.

December 14, 2014: In Mogadishu al Shabaab fired several mortar shells at the largest peacekeeper base in the country. There were no casualties. This was apparently retaliation for an operation earlier in the day that arrested 200 men suspected of belonging to or supporting al Shabaab.

December 13, 2014: In central Somalia (Galguduud province) fifteen people (five soldiers and ten Sufi militiamen) died when troops drove the Sufi militia out of a village they had occupied. Since late 2011 Sufi militiamen have been again fighting al Shabaab gunmen in central Somalia. In the first eight months after the Sufi Ahlu Suna Waljama militia went to war with al Shabaab, the Islamic terrorists lost control of most key towns they held in central Somalia. Sufis are believers in a more mystical and peaceful form of Islam, and are looked down on by many radical Sunni groups. But the Somali Sufis got tired of being harassed by al Shabaab, and in 2008 began to arm and organize themselves for defense. In 2010 the Sufi militias became allies with the TNG (Transitional National Government) and Ethiopia, which keeps lots of troops on their Somali border, occasionally crossing into Somalia in order to discourage al Shabaab from raiding into Ethiopia.  Since 2013 there has been growing friction between local Sufi leaders and the officials the national government has sent to set up local government. The Sufi complain that they are being ignored and taken advantage of. The corruption of the government officials doesn’t help either.

December 12, 2014: In the Bakool area (175 kilometers north of Mogadishu) seven women have been killed because of an al Shabaab effort to intimidate soldiers. It began last week when al Shabaab kidnapped and beheaded the wife of a local soldier and another woman who cooked for the soldiers. In revenge soldiers seized ten women they believed were married to al Shabaab members and began killing them. Five of the ten were killed before tribal elders showed up and persuaded the soldiers to stop.

December 6, 2014: In Mogadishu parliament voted (153 to 80) to remove the current prime minister from power and thus give the president another chance to find a prime minister who will do what the president tells him. The dismissed prime minister and the president have been openly feuding for months over who gets appointed to senior positions. This is not about appointing the most effective officials, but the ones who will steal the most for the president or prime minister (the two most powerful politicians currently in government.) A recent UN study found that many officials will steal over 70 percent of the government funds they have control over.

December 5, 2014: In the central Somalia town of Baidoa al Shabaab set off a car bomb in a crowd and another bomb in a café that killed 15 and wounded three times as many.

December 4, 2014: One of Kenya’s F-5 jet fighters crashed on its way back from a bombing mission along the Somali border. Al Shabaab claimed to have shot down the fighter but the pilot reported mechanical problems before the jet went down. Kenya has obtained 29 F-5s since the late 1970s and about twenty are still in service and several more are being refurbished. Fifteen F-5s were recently refurbished after being obtained from Jordan. The F-5s is a 12 ton fighter roughly similar to the 1950s era MiG-21, and is a contemporary of that Russian fighter. The F-5 was built mainly for export to nations that could not afford the top-line Western fighters, but did not want the MiG-21s. The F-5 is normally armed with two 20mm cannon, and three tons of missiles and bombs. Introduced in 1962, over 2,200 were built before production ended in 1987.

December 3, 2014: In Mogadishu an al Shabaab suicide car bomber attacked a UN convoy killing four people (all security guards or civilian bystanders). The UN personnel were safe within armored trucks that are used to transport them from the heavily guarded UN compound to the equally well guarded airport.

Just across the border in Kenya (Garissa) someone threw a grenade into a café and wounding two people.

December 2, 2014: Just across the border in Kenya (outside Mandera) al Shabaab killed 36 non-Moslem workers at a quarry. As a result of this atrocity the Kenyan president fired his Interior Minister and the head of the national police promptly retired. Later in the day gunmen attacked a pub near the Somali border, killing one customer and wounding three others. Al Shabaab is violently opposed to alcoholic beverages and all sorts of other things (like school for girls).

November 26, 2014: The EU (European Union) agreed to keep its 128 military trainers in Mogadishu for another year. In 2014 the EU instructors trained 1,200 Somali troops and expects to train the same number in 2015.

November 24, 2014: Many Kenyans doubt their government’s claims that security forces quickly killed over a hundred al Shabaab men in the wake of the Mandera massacre. Al Shabaab denies that they suffered any losses and the government simply says that air force warplanes bombed al Shabaab camps along the Somali border while ground troops pursued and caught some of the Mandera killers. If that is so, Kenyans wonder why there are not photos or prisoners shown to prove it. Kenyans are losing faith in their security forces.

November 22, 2014: Just across the border in Kenya (outside Mandera) al Shabaab gunmen stopped a bus and killed 28 non-Moslem passengers, while leaving the Moslem passengers unharmed.

Somaliland: Ethiopia Government Unaware of any Clan Militias Amassing at Common Borders

Saturday, 13 December 2014 23:31

Says Consul General Berhe Tesfay as Hargeisa Dispatches Senior Duo to Addis Ababa Ethiopian Consul General Berhe Tesfay says his government is unaware of any clan militias amassing in common borders By: Yusuf M Hasan HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The government of Somaliland has dispatched its foreign affairs minister Mohamed Behi Younis and Chief of the armed Forces Gen Ismail Mohamed Shakale to Addis Ababa for negotiations with Ethiopian Authorities. The two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding geared towards enhancing inter-border cooperation at diverse fronts. While no reason was given, the visit by the two comes in the heels of recent reports that a renegade traditional leader from Awdal region Sultan Abibakar Elmi Wabari is amassing clan militias along the Ethiopian border with Somaliland. In the recent past Awdal region has been engulfed in controversies following anti-Somaliland sentiments expressed by Sultan Abikar who is also reportedly leading Samaron clan militias whom he has amaased along the common border shared by the two countries. The two neighbouring countries share cordial relations that pertain to not only cross border movements of people and goods but security as well. The Awdal saga started with a video clip released by the reneged Awdal region sultan in which he vomited anti-Somaliland state hood sentiments without giving clear grievances that he is attributing to his clansmen. On the other hand the Ethiopian government is unaware of any clan militias from Somaliland being amassed on its common borders. This was informed by the Head of Ethiopian General Consulate in Hargeisa, Brigadier General Berhe Tesfay, following querries by Somalilandsun adding that "our country's constitution does not facilitate the wrecking of havoc" in friendly countries "through hosting anti-government militias". Somaliland FM Mohamed Behi and Amry Commander Gen Shakale in Addis for talks with Ethiopian Countparts "While we are aware of a rumor of minor conflict happening few days ago in Borama town, we are however unaware of Somaliland clan militias amassing on our common borders," said Consul General Berhe Tesfay adding that "as far as our knowledge is concerned, the Somaliland Foreign minister and Defence chief are in the Ethiopian Capital for bi-lateral discussions with Ethiopian counterparts". General Berhe who expressed his country's "track record of encouraging peaceful resolution of any internal differences" including in Somaliland and of the "readiness to share experiences and support any efforts aimed to resolve internal differences by peaceful means with a view to avoiding future confrontations or any forms of escalations of conflict", also noted his Government's determination "to take legal actions, based on evidence, on any peace-eroding individuals or groups hiding themselves in any cross-border areas within the Ethiopian sovereign territory while creating havoc or anywhere as this compromises the improving mutual peace and stability in the Ethiopian and Somaliland common borders". On the other hand, the foreign affairs operative who revealed that Ethiopia has nothing to gain by supporting dissent within Somaliland, said that once the government in Addis Ababa is appraised on the allegations relevant action shall be pursued to unveil the truth thence appropriate action. At the same time the Ethiopian government shall in pursuit of constitutional fulfillment upon ascertaining facts if approached by Somaliland provide relevant support and share experiences of similar activities. VP Sayli and his renegade cousin Sultan he has failed to rein Meanwhile what is most surprising is the very conspicuous absence of the Somaliland Vice president Abdirahman Abdilahi Ismail Sayli who is not only the senior most politician and leader from Awdal region but missing in efforts towards reining the renegade his Cousin Sultan and remedy issues before they get out of hand.

Kenya, Ethiopia in talks to create buffer zone in Somalia | GlobalPost

Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2014 8:15pm

Africa Focus: Kenya, Ethiopia in talks to create buffer zone in Somalia

by Ben Ochieng

NAIROBI, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Ethiopia are in discussions to create a buffer zone inside Somalia along their respective borders to deter Al-Shabaab attacks, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Deputy President William Ruto decried that the existing 800km porous border which Kenya shares with Somalia has made it difficult to curb cross-border terror attacks mounted by Al- Shabaab.

"Kenya is holding talks with Ethiopia to likewise create their buffer zone inside Somalia to police their common border against insurgency from the militants," Ruto told a local television station during a talk show.

For several years, Kenya, with international support, has been pushing for the creation of a buffer zone at upper Jubaland, just inside Somalia, to shield its territory from neighboring Somalia.

Kenya shares an 800km-long border with Somalia, whereas the length of Ethiopia-Somalia border measures 68 kilometers.

Ruto's remarks come in the wake of fresh attacks at the border town of Mandera on Tuesday in which 36 quarry workers were killed at point blank range after being told to lie facing down.

The dawn massacre occurred barely 10 days following similar killings after members of the militant group murdered 28 people whom they pulled out of a Nairobi-bound bus at sunrise.

"Terrorist activities from Al-Shabaab have been exacerbated by the 800km long porous border and the similar communities occupying both sides of the border that make it difficult to discern one from the other," Ruto said.

He said that whereas terrorism continues to pose a huge challenge to the country, Kenya will not pull out its troops from Somalia, which he said is the narrative that the insurgents use as the reason for the attacks.

"The best defense is offense. The paramount way to keep Al- Shabaab away from Kenya is to take the fight to them in Somalia and stem the problem at its base," he said.

Ruto said Kenya is winning the war against the militants hence the reason Al-Shabaab is agitating for Kenyan troops to pull out so that they can have space to carry out their murderous activities against the Somali nation.

"If Kenya and the international community had not gone into Somalia at the time they went in, we would not have a region to talk about. We are here talking about a well-armed and ruthless group in their thousands that is out to further their militaristic agenda," Ruto said.

He said the 36 quarry workers who met their fate had been requested to move out to safer areas, but they did not think they were under threat.

"Even after they were informed that this is not safe for you, you better move out that place, they still insisted on staying there, unfortunately we learn a lot of lessons. We are re- strategizing to make sure our security forces read from the same script to be able to protect Kenyans," he said.

"We have learned a lot. I admit it was a failure on our side not to have moved them out forcefully, and we will in future do what needs to be done in matters pertaining to security," he added.

Somaliland: Why the Country Craves Recognition as an Independent Sovereign State

Somaliland: Why the Country Craves Recognition as an Independent Sovereign State

Sunday, 23 November 2014 16:44

Somalilandsun: It has been twenty three years plus since when Somaliland Withdrawn its Independence from Somalia. The case was denied by the International Community to consent this self-determined, democratic, stable country as a Nation State. The elected government of Somaliland led by the incumbent President Silanyo officially declared again to keep this self-governing State a self-regulating free, liberated country, even if that takes 100 years plus. But the one million question is why Somaliland wants to be an Independent Sovereign State? To elucidate the main reasons behind why Somaliland wants to be an Independent Sovereign State are three simple whys and wherefores; Firstly, the citizens of Somaliland are truly peace loving people who designated to have good relations with the neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen as well as other nation states of the world. Collaboration and regional group effort towards political stability, economic development and social integration are the key political raised area of the Somaliland National Policy. Unfortunately, the Southern part of Somalia known as the Federal Republic of Somalia be injurious to this, as the elites of that ferocious country still insisting the unrealistic failed notion of future unity of the five Somali territories as a one nation state, including the self-determined nation Somaliland, Independent Djibouti, as well as the two other Sovereign Republics of Ethiopia (the Reserve Area) and Kenya (the NFD region). Secondly, the people of Somaliland and their government will never consent to irrigate their blood to the farms of Egypt. This allusion back to the proxy war in Somalia between Egypt and Ethiopia, which concomitant to the Nile River. Somaliland President Egal unequivocally brought up his first diplomatic visit to Ethiopia and avowed that his country stands for regional peace and stability, promotion of democracy and the admiration of the international recognized borders. On the contrary, Somalia sees Ethiopia its biggest enemy and retaliation to conquer Ogadenia is an ongoing hidden agenda within the context of Mogadishu politics. The third factor, which I revealed in my previous Article, was the interminable tribal politics between Darod and Hawiye. The most attention-grabbing phenomenon is, if the people of Somaliland join in matrimony with them, the discrepancy and power struggle will vanish. From there, these tribes have two different enemies, the internal one will be Isaak for the reason of in favouring Ethiopia. Whilst, the other one is very clear ''Ethiopia''. This is to laminate the underlying tribal philosophy of Darodism and Hawiyism, where if Somaliland stays independently the power struggle and proxy war on the Nile River remains in the south. The unity will never prosper but only disturb the regional peace and stability of the region, either by tribal civil war that spreads in the region or another attempt of neighbouring aggressive war, most properly a radicalised faith war. The universally recognized government of Somalia in Mogadishu failed to resolve the routine conflict cases of the Presidents and the Prime Ministers for the last 23 years. The artificial government again nosedived to defend and preserve its own premises let alone to restore peace and stability in the country as a whole. For instance, the offices of the President, the Speaker of the House, the Chairman of the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister have been attacked and invaded several times. These incidents disappointed the International Community as America and Britain express their concerns about the internal power struggle within the hand-made government of Somalia. It was the government of Qatar that compelled Britain and the US to stretch recognition to Mogadishu, so that the Regional State Administrations of Somalia come to be heartbroken and then follow suit or straightforwardly, fade away and evaporate. The political and the social nature of Somaliland and Somalia, to a certain extent, is divergent. The citizens of Somaliland are peace loving people, respect the rule of law through means of legitimised government system. The nation believes skirmishes and political crisis can only be solved through conciliation, consensus and a vital compromise. Somaliland sustained healthy Political Accommodation and in the context of Somaliland culture these ideas is designed to help political groups and other stakeholders the means of a technical approach to develop a governance arrangement that supports to construct peace and social democracy. Any competing interests have already been set into conceptual tools, which are: Equity of representation; which is not only to give different actors a seat, but a fair say and participation that always helps to improve the quality of the options developed. Equity of political decision making influence as well as the degree of public participation and mutual conciliation. Somaliland deserves to be recognised as an Independent Sovereign State. Because the nation fulfilled the qualification of statehood and the indigenous democratic pillars of their way of life. Where politics do not determine culture, but culture determines the political and economic life of Somaliland. Those are the political structure, the electoral system, the executive, the legislative, public participation, traditional and customary arrangements. Whereby people of Somalia are less civilized, arrogant and corruptive. The International Community sent more troops to stabilize Somalia, the procedure of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration ''known as DDR'' and provides technical and financial assistance as well as institutional and the government formation. The sustenance seems that the Mogadishu administration has not yet applied, that is why the US government changed the political perception, the White House is now more sceptical about the status quo on how this fluctuating situation be addressed. Current action for Copenhagen Summit is one good example. The reiteration of Somaliland Special Arrangement and the Somalia/Somaliland talks enshrined in the UN charter in New York shows a good hope and political enthusiasm that the world has no choice but to acknowledge the case of Somaliland. Mohamed Hagi Mohamoud. The Department of Political Science. The University of Warwick. Email: M.Hagi-Mohamoud@warwick.ac.uk;mohamedomar1@hotmail.com Originally published by Qarannews under the title "Why Somaliland wants to be an Independent Sovereign State"