Issue 47 December 14, 2002
| ELECTION PHOTOS | ||
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| FEATURE |
How President Rayale Escaped Assassination In Las-Anod
Attack allegedly planned by Abdillahi Yusuf with the blessing of Qassim Salad
The Somaliland Times has learnt that the assassination attempt carried out against Somaliland President Dahir Rayale Kahin last Saturday morning in Las-Anod, was actually planned by Puntland’s warlord Abdillahi Yusuf. According to reliable information obtained by the Somaliland Times, Abdillahi Yusuf has been contemplating the assassination of President Rayale since early November 2002.
Somaliland Expatriates Outraged by the
Assassination Attempt
The Somaliland Community in the UAE expresses outrage at aggression of the
tribal enclave of Puntland on Somaliland.
Political Organizations Condemn Las-Anod Attack
PRESS RELEASE
It is not necessary to review here the history of Somaliland and the noble struggle of our people for justice and democracy. It is well known that our people fought valiantly against the dictator, Mohamed Siyaad Barre, that their struggle was among the primary causes that brought him down. Also well know is that our people have shown during the past ten years that they are committed to peace, that they can settle conflicts among them peacefully, and that they have developed their own government without foreign instigation or support.
| REGIONAL |
In Djibouti, US Special Forces Develop Base Amid Secrecy
by Robert Schlesinger, Globe Staff, 12/12/2002
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti - This desolate new US base is much like the military mission it supports: a work in progress, and shrouded in secrecy.
Pallets of supplies and equipment, unloaded but not yet unpacked, line a dusty road, while huge piles of dirt point to the flurry of construction at the main support and logistics base for the new US military presence in the Horn of Africa. Its sharp edge is an unspecified number of US Special Forces soldiers for whom this base is being built and whose mission is to hunt down Al Qa’eda and other terrorists operating in the region.
Ethiopian Villagers Build Own Airstrip
Staff Reporter
FIK, 11 December 2002
Villagers in one of Ethiopia’s most isolated and drought-stricken areas have built an airstrip so that emergency relief can be delivered.
FIK: The people of Fik Zone, in the Somali Regional State, built the runway under a food-for-work scheme run by the charity Save the Children-UK.
| ARTS & CULTURE |
History Of Music In Somaliland (II)
By Mohamed And Mohamoud Ahmed Shunuuf
Youth and Music
The energy of youth is a volatile force indeed and is often in danger of being misdirected or abused. Growing up with the satellite dish, mass media, electronics and internet, this generation of Somaliland youth have been exposed to more music than ever before. There is considerable potential for raising the educational and artistic standards of the youth, through music and songs; but the current standards being set by these new invasions from abroad, leave a lot to be desired. Like the rest of the world's youth, Somalis are turning increasingly to manufactured techno-music as an outlet for their energies and as an expression of their identity. As a developing country that is recovering from twenty years of brutal dictatorship and genocide, Somaliland is exposed and vulnerable to the cultural aggression and hegemony, once again, of what was known as Somalia (Italian Somalia).
| NEWS IN BRIEF |
President Rayale Lays Foundation Stone For New
Berbera Market
The Project is to be assisted by Habitat
Berbera (SL Times): President Rayale laid the foundation stone on Thursday for the new Berbera vegetables and meat market to be constructed there.
The ceremony was attended by the mayor of Berbera M. A. Hassan (Talata Odle), the minister of interior Ismail Aden and Habitat officials working with the municipality.
The project will be implemented through collaboration between the Berbera local government and Habitat.
Thousands Welcome Omar Arteh In Buroa
Buroa (SL Times): Thousands of people turned out in Buroa on Wednesday to welcome HORMOOD party candidate for President, Mr. Omar Arteh Ghalib who arrived here to trump up support for the organization’s candidates in the local elections to be held tomorrow.
Addressing Buroites who gathered in thousands at the Khayria plaza, Mr. Arteh promised that if elected President he would give priority to tackling social issues such as education and health.
"I started as a teacher in Buroa at the age of 16 and I think many of you among the crowd might have been my students," Mr. Arteh told his audience as many people in the crowd raised their hands in agreement.
Mr. Arteh left Buroa for Erigavo in the last leg of his election campaign.
ASAD Gains Points From Quick Response On Las-Anod
Hargeisa (SL Times): ASAD’s popularity has risen following a statement of condemnation issued by the organization on Saturday evening about the incident of Las-Anod.
In the statement, ASAD described the incident as an attack not only against President Rayale but an attack on the whole people of Somaliland. The statement was welcomed by most Somalilanders, prompting a surge in the popularity of the organization.
Sool To Be Placed Under Emergency Laws
Hargeisa (SL Times): Somaliland President, Dahir Rayale Kahin, has placed the Somaliland region of Sool with the exception of the district of Ainabo, under emergency laws.
The announcement came in Mr. Rayale’s speech at Khayria plaza in Hargeisa yesterday. The President returned to Hargeisa on Thursday from a visit to Las-Anod, Ainabo, Erigavo, Buroa and Berbera. He had escaped an assassination attempt on his life while in Las-Anod last Saturday.
The decision to declare emergency in the region is believed to be connected to the assassination incident. In his Khayria speech, President Rayale vowed to ensure that the territorial integrity of Somaliland is safeguarded and protected.
"We will not be guided by emotions but we must study all our options and get prepared to respond adequately. In the meantime, I ask the electorate to cast their votes peacefully in the coming elections," he said.
Nine Of Abdillahi Yusuf’s Bodyguards killed in Ambush
Qardho (Puntland): Nine of warlord Abdillahi Yusuf’s personal bodyguards were killed on Monday at a village located within 100km south of Bossasso, when the vehicle in which they were traveling was ambushed.
The bodyguards were accompanying Abdillahi Yusuf as he was traveling from Qardho to Garowe. The warlord arrived earlier in Qardho in an attempt to warn elders of the Osman Mohamoud sub-clan against cooperation with forces opposed to his authority.
| EDITORIAL & OPINION |
The Consequences of the Assassination Attempt
Against President Rayale
There is no doubt that Somalilanders have been shocked and outraged by last Saturday’s assassination attempt against their president, Dahir Rayale Kahin, in Las-Anod. But those who have closely known Puntland’s warlord Abdillahi Yusuf, must have been not surprised to learn that he was the man behind this cowardly attempt. As chairman of the SSDF in the eighties, he personally ordered the silencing of hundreds of voices that criticized his dictatorial methods in running the organization (founded in 1980 to liberate the then Somalia from Siyad Barre’s totalitarian regime) through physical eliminations. One of the most well-known assassination operations that he masterminded in those days took place when Abdirahman Eideed, a leading SSDF dissident, was gunned down in broad day-light in Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia, on Oct 17, 1984.
A Short Note To The Ministers Of Defence And Internal Affairs
A. Mohamed Ali Hashi (Dhimbil), Ottawa
Forces loyal to the tyrant Abdullahi Yusuf, and under his direct instructions, attacked the symbol of this Republic's national sovereignty, the person of the President. This attack represents the failure of the tyrant Abdullahi Yusuf to convince the people of Sool to live in tyranny. This is the fundamental reason why the tyrant Abdullahi Yusuf attacked the constitutionally elected President of this Republic and the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of this country whose mission was one of dialogue and discussion with the great people of Sool and their leaders. While the President Of this Republic represents the forces of dialogue and discussion towards a democratic dispensation for this country, the tyrant Abdillahi Yusuf presides over a recurrent and never ending civil war in Puntland. Indeed, Somaliland and its people have welcomed refugees from Puntland and its capital Garowe several times, showing their brethren that they hold no grudges and indeed have a responsibility to help their neighbours. The decent people of Puntland know that the people and Government of Somaliland are their eternal friends and are ready to help in confronting tyranny in Puntland, which is indeed a clear and present danger for this Republic.
Somaliland Is A Nation Of Transition
By Hassan Hirsi
Anyone who read a ridiculous article recently posted on Hiiraan Online, entitled "Somaliland: The Myth of Clan-Base Statehood" by Ali Ismail (Barud) is probably amazed with the author's lack of knowledge about Somaliland's history. Ali Ismail in his hypothesis attempted to put forward a case against the Republic of Somaliland to undermine the nation's self-determination. However, his hatred and animosity toward the people of Somaliland has been revealed in his article. Obviously, he is jealous of the success and progress that Somalilanders have accomplished by themselves for the last eleven years without any foreign assistance whatsoever. Ali Ismail has to only take a look at his own country. A country that is synonymous with never-ending warlordism. His plan to divide our people into little groups of clans would not work but will unite us.
Elections Must Be Held On Time
by Ali Gulaid
The Las-Anod attempt to assassinate the President of Somaliland is an unprovoked aggression, which is designed to cast a spell of chaos in order to abort the upcoming elections for security reasons. This incident shouldn’t perturb our resolve to hold elections as scheduled. This naked aggression is a setback to our stability and international reputation of being a peaceful oasis in the midst of a region devastated by civil wars. In my view, Somaliland should do the following:
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