British Policy Toward Somaliland Needs A Qualitative Improvement

EDITORIAL

In the last two months, Somaliland has seen a steady flow of foreign delegations. When it comes to long-term impact, the two most important of these delegations are the World Bank and the combined delegation of British parliamentarians and staff of the British embassy in Ethiopia led by Ambassador Dewar. The World Bank visit is important because it could be a signal that Somaliland’s status has changed from being solely a recipient of humanitarian aid to a recipient of development aid, a change in the attitude of the World Bank that Somaliland has been trying to bring about for quite some time.

The visit of the British parliamentarians is important because it sends the message that Somaliland has supporters among the British people who succeeded in persuading their representatives to visit Somaliland. The fact that Ambassador Dewar and other embassy staff were part of the delegation shows that the parliamentarians’ concern about Somaliland is shared by the British government.

These visits could not have come at a better time, since there has been a growing feeling in Somaliland that the international community has been dealing unfairly with Somaliland. Britain as a traditional friend of Somaliland was, of course, well-placed to allay some of these fears, and its efforts are well-appreciated by Somalilanders. However, in order to keep the peace and stability in Somaliland, Britain needs to significantly upgrade the sort of assistance it provides to Somaliland. To be more specific, Britain and the international community need to extend to Somaliland developmental assistance in the form of projects for fixing the infrastructure, such as roads, that also have the additional advantage of employing people, thus reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country.

The government of Somaliland would also have to do its part by:

(1) Presenting well-prepared project proposals to Britain and the donor community.

(2) Staying away from actions that damage Somaliland’s image in the eyes of the international community, and heed the advice of the British government by releasing the leaders of QARAN party from jail.

An often heard comment about Britain is that it acquired its empire in a fit of absent-mindedness. Nothing of the sort can be said about Britain’s current policy toward Somaliland. It is a policy with serious thinking behind it, and is in the right direction, but it needs a qualitative improvement in order to meet the current situation.

Source: Somaliland Times

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