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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, October 3, 2009 (SL Times) – The Arabic television al-Jazeera
broadcast this week a special program on Somaliland and the various
stages that the country has gone through. The program was prepared by
al-Jazeera’s correspondent Muhammad Rashad and started with a camera
shot of the memorial for the 1988 airplane attacks on Somaliland’s
civilians by Somalia’s then military regime.
Al-Jazeera’s correspondent explained to his audience that the reason
Somalilanders have put this plane on display is to remind themselves and
the world of what happened to them.
The program also included an interview with Somaliland’s Foreign
Minister, Abdillahi Muhammad Duale, and a session of Somaliland’s
parliament.
Asked why international news organizations, especially Arab news
outlets, are now giving much attention to Somaliland, al-Hatif al-Arabi’s
editor, Jama Ahmed said, “it is a result of the hard work that our
people invested in giving their country a positive image in order to
gain recognition, but we should also keep in mind that good news takes
time to spread while bad news gets around quickly.”
Jama Ahmed also suggested that al-Jazeera open an office in Somaliland,
so it would keep abreast of developments in the country.
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