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Lunch Meeting With H E
The President Of Somaliland At The Commonwealth Club |
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London, Monday 21st November 2011
On 21st Nov 2011 Friends of Somaliland and Founders
of the Somaliland Development Corporation (“SDC”)
hosted a lunchtime meeting with the President of
Somaliland, with the agenda item being a discussion
on the Somaliland Development Corporation.
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Northwest (British) Somalia was a recognized
independent country for 4 days in 1960 before it
unified with Italian Somalia. It redeclared its
independence in '91, endured a civil war, and has
now rebuilt itself as a model of African democracy
with almost no outside help. The UN keeps many of
its Somalia offices in the capital Hargeysa (called
one of the safest capitals in the world.)
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London, UK, November 26,
2011 – London has long been a favorite haunt of
Somaliland’s political class and St James’s is an
area that proves a magnet for those with lofty
aspirations. This well-healed district in Central
London is awash with Gentlemen’s Clubs and policy
making units, private equity houses and purveyors of
fine art and antiques.
For all the well tailored
suits this is a place where deals are brokered,
plots are hatched and potential commercial or
political empires dreamt of. Dr Mohamed Omar,
Somaliland’s seemingly youthful Minister of Foreign
Affairs & International Co-operation knows this part
of London well and so it was a natural place to meet
him. Coming straight from his near obligatory
meeting with Mohammed Yusef (Chairman/CEO Invicta
Capital Ltd) at the Naval & Military Club, Dr Omar
kindly agreed to give an exclusive interview to
SomalilandPress.
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On Monday last week, November 14th, the Council of
the European Union adopted a new Strategic Framework
for EU engagement with the Horn of Africa – covering
the countries belonging to IGAD, Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and
Uganda. The EU High Representative is also going to
appoint an EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the
Horn of Africa, whose work will focus in the first
instance on Somalia and the regional dimension of
conflict and piracy. The appointment will also look
forward to the development of action plans to
support implementation of the Strategic Framework.
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IGAD Leaders |
Today’s Extraordinary Summit of IGAD Heads of State
and Government, chaired by Prime Minister Meles, the
current chair of IGAD, was attended by President
Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, President Mwai
Kibaki of Kenya and President Sheikh Sharif of
Somalia. Also present were the State Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Sudan, South Sudan’s Minister of
Commerce, Industry and Investment and the Minister
of Defence of Uganda as well as the Engineer Mahboub
Maalim, IGAD’s Executive Secretary, Ambassador
Ramtane Lamamra, the AU Commissioner for Peace and
Security, the AU’s High Representative for Somalia,
Jerry Rawlings, and the Special Representative of
the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia,
Boubacar Diarra. South Sudan was admitted to the
regional bloc during the meeting.
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Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn |
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 26, 2011 – Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn said Ethiopia will further
strengthen the ongoing all-rounded support to
Somalia.
While discussing with a delegation led by the TFG
Somalia Parliament Speaker Sheikh Sharif Hassan
Sheik Aden here on Wednesday, Hailemariam said
Ethiopia will further enhance its support toward
maintaining peace and security in Somalia through
IGAD.
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Kenyan and Somali troops jointly attacked al
Shabaab hideouts in Somalia on Thursday,
killing a number of militants, and a Kenyan
soldier was killed by a roadside bomb
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Garissa, Kenya, November 26, 2011- Kenyan and Somali
troops jointly attacked al Shabaab hideouts in
Somalia on Thursday, killing a number of militants,
and a Kenyan soldier was killed by a roadside bomb
while on patrol elsewhere along the border warzone,
officials said.
The fighting was the latest action since
Kenya ordered soldiers across the border in October
to crush al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels who it
said had attacked its security forces and tourists
inside Kenya.
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Hizbul Islam fighters who battled Al Qaeda
for Kismayu. Picture: File |
Washington, November 26, 2011 – The Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US military special
operations teams carried out frequent espionage and
counter-terrorism missions inside Somalia starting
in 2003, according to a recent series of articles in
a newspaper focused on the US Army.
Secret operatives who flew or swam to Somalia
planted cameras and phone-tapping devices and paid
local warlords to help hunt for key figures in Al
Qaeda’s East African network, the reports in Army
Times reveal.
Sean Naylor, a reporter for the privately owned
Virginia-based newspaper, attributes the disclosures
mostly to anonymous sources currently or formerly
affiliated with US military or intelligence
services.
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By Elias Gebreselassie
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 26, 2011 – The
Ethiopian Shipping Lines Share Company (ESLSC)
announced it is making the Multi Modal Transport
system service open to the private sector.
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Somaliland On China Radio International: 2011-10-10
Phantom States |
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Interview
On Chinese-Somaliland Agreement |
Click
here to
listen to
Radio France
Internationale's
interview
with Jamal
Gabobe about
the
agreement
between
Somaliland
and Chinese
investors.
The
Interview
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British Minister Says
His Department Received No Correspondence About
Somaliland Independence |
London, UK,
November 26,
2011 (SL
Times) – In
what is
bound to be
an
embarrassing
revelation
for
Somaliland's
government
and public,
a member in
the British
government
revealed
that his
department
(the
department
of
International
Development),
"has not
received any
ministerial
correspondence
concerning
the
recognition
of
independence
of
Somaliland"
for a year.
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Somaliland Expects Agreement With Ophir Energy
‘Within Weeks’ |
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By Mark Anderson
Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 – Somaliland
expects to conclude a project- sharing agreement
with Ophir Energy Plc, amid efforts to develop the
territory’s potential oil deposits, an official
said.
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Somaliland Plans Law Allowing Foreign Banks To Set
Up Operations |
By Mark Anderson
Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 – Somaliland
will pass a banking law early in 2012 establishing a
central bank and enabling foreign lenders to begin
operations, the speaker of parliament said.
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Peace
Conference Commemorated In Sheikh Ali Jawhar High
School |
Borama, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 (SL Times)
– The 1993 peace conference that took place in
Sheikh Ali Jawhar High School, in Borama, was
commemorated this week.
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UDHIS Formally
Established |
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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, November 26, 2011 (SL Times) – The
formation of UDHIS political organization was
formally declared this week.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 (SL Times) –
About 50 journalists participated in a seminar on
how they could contribute to good governance and the
fight against corruption.
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Lawya Addo, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 (SL Times)
– A group of Intellectuals from Lawya Addo
criticized the police for doing nothing about
individuals who had attacked a health center and are
trying to create unrest in the town on the border
with Djibouti.
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Photo: Mohamed
Amin Jibril/IRIN
Rampant unemployment in
Somaliland has prompted thousands of young
people to leave the territory every month |
Hargeysa, Somaliland, November 26, 2011 – A high
unemployment rate in the Republic of Somaliland,
especially among school-leavers and university
graduates, has fuelled an increase in migration,
with hundreds of young people embarking every month
on a perilous journey to Europe through the Sahara
Desert, officials said.
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Suspected Al Shabaab members at Lamu Police
Station after they were arrested in a
dramatic operation, Friday. [PICTURE:
MAARUFU MOHAMED] |
By Patrick Beja and Cyrus Ombati
Nairobi, Kenya, November 26, 2011 – Kenyan Police
have arrested six men suspected to have links with
the Al Shabaab.
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Egypt Shows Signs Of
Split Over Military Rule |
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Clashes between protesters and police
continued amid the announcement of a new
prime minister in the country. |
By Leila
Fadel
Cairo, Egypt, November 26, 2011 — Egypt’s embattled
military rulers appointed a new prime minister
Friday as fiery crowds of supporters and opponents
took to the streets, exposing the severity of a
split over the leading role of the nation’s
long-revered armed forces on the
eve of parliamentary elections.
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Wife 'Killed, Cut Up
And Cooked Her Husband Into A Korma To Stop Him From
Abusing His Stepdaughter' |
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Police claim that Bibi's landlord found her
at the stove, cooking a korma with flesh
from her husband's arm and leg. Pictured,
kitchenware from the scene is taken away for
examination |
Karachi, Pakistan, November 26, 2011 – Police have
arrested a woman in Pakistan on suspicion of
murdering her husband, chopping his body to pieces
and boiling it in a bid to get rid of the evidence.
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Shah Rukh Khan's career spans some 70 films
and 30 years of movie-making |
By Tom Brook
Bollywood, November 26, 2011 – His name may not mean
much in the West but Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh
Khan is quite possibly the most popular movie star
in the world.
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– The need for action beyond democratic elections
and the quest for recognition.
1) We are standing close to the Commonwealth club
where, seven years ago, Captain Zarroug of Al Reem
Company, Abu Dhabi, and Enex sponsored the visit of
the then Somaliland President Riyale and Foreign
Minister Edna Adan to London in their quest for
Somaliland's recognition by the British Government.
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In order to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean
region, this grouping should seriously deal with the
Somalia piracy issue by immediate diplomatic
recognition to the Republic of Somaliland and
promote the democratically elected government of
Somaliland.
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The west must act carefully to stabilize the world's
most failed state.
By Nicky
Woolf
Somalia is a failed state, probably the most failed
state in the world. While Somaliland and autonomous
Puntland in the north maintain their own order,
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By Mandy De Waal
The year is 2009 and Mohamed Ashareh is a lanky
22-year-old Canadian using his college funds to
finance his bold ambition.
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She steps forward, a solemn expression on her face.
Too young yet to wear a veil, she wears a cream-coloured,
elegantly frilled bridesmaid's dress.
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The
Plot Thickens In Somalia |
For about two
decades now, three items (terrorism, piracy and famine) have
dominated the news from Somalia, so it might be thought that
the news from Somalia is easily predictable. This is true,
to some extent, but within these three dominating themes,
there are often plots, subplots, and surprises. The latest
such subplot is the Kenyan invasion of Somalia. In a way,
the Kenyan incursion into Somalia should have not been a
surprise, for it was already public knowledge that Kenya had
plans to invade Kenya. Once they were inside Somalia, the
Kenyans at first behaved as if they knew exactly what they
were doing and claimed that they not only had the blessings
of the US and France but that both France and the US were
involved in the military operations. But soon it became
apparent that Kenya did not have the support of France or
the United States, or at least it did not have the level of
support that it was claiming (In fact the latest statement
by the US Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs,
Johnnie Carson, on reports of Ethiopian troops entering
Somalia, was widely interpreted as an implicit criticism of
the Kenyan operation).
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Vocational Training
Cannot Be Excluded From The Definition Of Education
In Somaliland |
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By Liban Obsiye
The simple dictionary definition of education is
“the process of receiving or giving systematic
instruction.” With such a wide definition which can
fit absolutely any type of instruction, why is it
that education is still defined narrowly in
Somaliland?
Most Africans, let alone Somalis, you speak to in
the West and back in the continent only consider
formal schooling as education. To them education is
a very strict clear process. You go to Primary and
secondary school and then either move to college or
straight to university to study an important subject
such as law, engineering or medicine in the hope
that one day one would occupy an office post of
national importance. By simply looking at the
shocking unemployment figures of the graduates of
the industrialised world, this mythical passage to
an important profession and role can be dispelled.
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Somaliland Opinion
Survey-Hargeysa District Is Hideous Trick Meant By
Different Way |
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By Ahmed Ali Ibrahim Sabeyse
The mission statement of the International
Republican Institute reads: “A
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, IRI advances
freedom and democracy worldwide by developing
political parties, civic institutions, open
elections, democratic governance and the rule of
law.” On
face value, it is a noble mission and it
encapsulates the aspirations of those societies
struggling to break off the shackles of
totalitarianism; the dream of all nascent
democracies in a utopian world.
As an institution engaged in the advancement of
freedom and democracy via grass roots participation
in the political process, good governance, the rule
law, and the fundamental rights of the individual,
the International Republican Institute should be
cognizant that these lofty ideals are subject to
modifications to adapt to the cultural norms of the
intended beneficiaries.
Having stated that, I would like to make a few
comments on the above mentioned opinion survey:
Between September28th – October 8th 2011, the local
outfit of the International Republican Institute
conducted what it called “Somaliland Opinion
Survey-Hargeysa District” to gauge the political
pulse of the nation and conversely the approval
rating of the current Somaliland government.
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Somaliland Foreign
Minister's Claims To Be A Victim? A Victim Of His
Own Making.. |
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Written by Ahmed Khayre
In a interview to a Somaliland website,
Somalilandpress.com, Somaliland Foreign Minister,
Dr. Mohamed Abdillahi Omar touched on several
subjects pertaining to Somaliland's foreign affairs
endeavours and his own ability to steer the course
of the nation's foreign policy.
Addressing the issue of international de-jure
recognition of Somaliland, Dr. Omar stated
“With recognition still some way off, I accept that
Britain is wary of taking the initiative lest it be
accused of neo-colonialism and that there is little
likelihood of the British taking a courageous
initiative in this regard". Perhaps the good Dr.
should put more emphasis on the serious national
interests facing the nation instead of using these
channels to embark on personal vendettas and
allegations, as he did so against some of
Somaliland's independent media.
Dr. Omar continued by stating “It is essential that
we become much more professional at putting our
message across.” It is time that
the minister comprehends that this is precisely his
duties as Foreign Minister, although it is
quite admirable that he has candidly acknowledged
his own short-comings.
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How Puntland Gets Away
With Piracy |
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By Mohamud Aden Samatar
The Puntland Authority presents itself as an
important part of any TFG, Transitional Federal
Government of Somalia, formed and to the
international community, and without it that any TFG couldn't
work or survive. For any TFG that comes they always
make sure that they have an important persons or
decision maker in the TFG , like Prime Minster
or President who could cover up the piracy issue and
can avoid any blame or allegation against Puntland
Authority involvement in the piracy business and
Human trafficking..
In the current TFG the Puntland Authority have one
of its own, the Prime Minster Abdi Wali, who hails
from Puntland and is also a strong believer of
Puntland and founder of Puntland Diaspora
in Minnesota , USA. After president
Sharif nominated A. Wali as his prime minister the
Puntland Authority applauded and was endorsed by the
current Puntland president Faroole and by the former
Puntland and TFG president Abdillahi Yusuf , just
because of clan affiliation, Majerten , and knowing
that A. Wali will always stand for Puntland interest
and present it as an important part of TFG.
When A.Wali assumed his premiership of the TFG,
right away within few months in the office he struck
an agreement with the Puntland Authority as a TFG
representative, for Puntland to support the TFG and
that Puntland gets its share of any assistance given
to the TFG by international community. And for
Puntland to explore its natural resource with
international organizations, without the
interference of TFG. Just like Abdillahi Yusuf and
former prime minister, Sharmarke, signed for it.
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