HSM had to accept Somaliland Special Arrangement. Which means Somaliland gets all its development support directly without Mogadishu's involvement. That is one step short of recognition in my books. And the fact that the International Community had to stick it on Cheeseman's face when he tried to stiffle the arrangement was another nail on that Unity coffen. Again, another arrangement which is similar in nature which allows Somaliland to fully take ownership, is ok in my books. The onest is on Villa Amisom's side. When will they realise this is not a joke or a game. When will they face reality and get out of the bubble and mirage that Hargeisa will submit to Mogadishu? These are the questions that @galbeedi and the Unionist pedalists need to gobble with. Hargeisa gives no flying fig about World Bank if they do not tow our line. After all, we survived all along and we will survive and thrive alone.

Somaliland Education Review shows positive trends in boys' and girls' enrolment The Somaliland Ministry of education, jointly with education partners including the European Union and the Global Partnership for Education, conducted the annual Joint Review of the Education Sector (JRES) on 17-18 September 2018 in Hargeisa. They reviewed the performance of education against the targets of the Somaliland Education Sector Plan 2017-2021, which was being reviewed for the first time. Together, they prepared an action plan for education targets to be achieved in 2019. Ambitious education targets for 2019 The action plan includes ambitious targets to increase access to education, including for the most marginalised boys and girls; to improve learning outcomes through better quality, including teacher training; as well as to improve the management of the education sector. The Somaliland government through its Ministry of Finance committed to gradually increasing the education share in the overall budget from 8 to 13% until 2021, in support of the implementation of the education sector plan. The Vice President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail Saylici, opened the review. "The development of Somaliland is fully dependent on providing quality education to its citizens. The government is committed and will ensure that, next to keeping the nation secure and stable, the largest budget portion goes to education", he stated. "The continuous support of our donors and international development partners is critical to the successful implementation of the 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan" said Yasin Haji Mohamoud, Somaliland Minister of Education and Science. "Our focus will be improving equitable education and learning outcomes for all children." EU Chargé d'Affaires Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz commended the ministry on its achievements, noting that enrolment figures are increasing for boys and girls, both in primary and in secondary education. "We have a window of opportunity to accelerate on achievements, boost enrolment and improve the quality of learning, with a major injection of additional funding coming from the European Union, as well as the Global Partnership for Education." A new EU funding initiative worth 8 million Euro to be implemented by Save the Children together with CARE will come online this year to support the education sector in Somaliland. The European Union and other donors have been supporting the implementation of Somaliland Education Sector Plans through a Sector-Wide Approach since 2012, ensuring complementarities and synergies among the delivery of all education services. For more information please contact Alix WURDAK and Abdikadir ABDI DELEGATION-SOMALIA@eeas.europa.eu

THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1482 DATED 28/09/2018 According to our sources, the Somaliland minister of finance, Yusuf Mohamed Abdi, is in secret talks with his Somalian counterpart, Abdirahman Duale Beyle, , and the Somalian deputy prime minister, Mehdi Mohamed Guolid, regarding the possibility of harmonising their tax revenues and their financial architecture in order to meet the criteria of the World Bank (BM) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or a reassessment of their debt and the granting of loans. This initiative would permit the Somalian federal government to allocate part of its loans to Somaliland, provided certain political agreements are reached. Yusuf Mohamed Abdi has held these talks with the Somalian prime minister (who is a relative of his) without informing his own president, Musa Bihi Abdi. Yusuf Mohamed Abdi's negotiations are calling into question Hargeisa's stated desire for autonomy in relation to Mogadishu.

OOdweyne and Xaaji, Please get off from the high horse and smell the coffee. Sometimes, you guys act just like another "Gaas Dhagoole" The article is true on the money issue but incorrect to say that Muuse Biixi is not aware of the deal. He is well aware of the move. Since the EU and the World Bank agreed to pass aid money allocated for Somaliland through the federal government, they are obliged to talk to one another. Still some aid would go directly to Somaliland , but the current issue of harmonizing taxes and sharing economic data is mostly a new effort to get loans from the lender community. So far, after two decades, Somaliland did not get direct loans from the international institutions including the world bank and IMF. In order to qualify, for loans both these entities must fill full certain conditions. This week we all heard about the grants and budgetary help the EU and World Bank Offred to Somalia, but as they say, the devil in the details. Usually, the IMF and others demand micro economic policy that forces nations to reform their taxes codes and imposes harsh austerity measures that target government programs that usually favor the poor. I do not want to be ahead of my self but the publicized grant from the World Bank is prelude to the incoming loan money to Somalia. The Somali government will take this loan on behalf of everyone including Somaliland. Usually, their operating mechanism will be giving you a loan and demanding the repayment of the old national debt through IMF designed policy. Somalia, a country genuinely facing serious debt problems and huge budgetary issue , the IMF loan will only make the situation worse. Somali administrations will never sit down and resolve their disagreements and problems, yet one it comes to money and foreign aid they kiss and make up to take the bag home, while telling their public how much they hate one another. Dawladii waan go'aynaa lahayd iyo tii daciifka ahayd ee Muqdisho Dhaafi la'a ayya ku heshiinaya in ay lacag cusub oo deyn ah qaybsadaan. So in order to get hundred of millions of loans that no Somali state is able to pay back in the next decade, these two entities are negotiating behind close doors through the two cousins, one in Hargeisa, the other in Mogadishu. Folks, just follow the money. By the way, the deputy prime minister Mr. Mahdi M. Guuleed is not your typical northern to fill the place. He could be a ruthless man if he want to be one. In fact, insiders told us that he is involved in some of the uglier policies of the Farmaajo government including the handing of Qalbi -Dhagx to Ethiopia, the ambush of the house of opposition leader C/raxman Abdishakur , and the installation of the new supreme court judge from Hargeisa who is his close family member. At one point, Mr. Mahadi Guuleed was a member of the Cabdi Illey cabinet in Jigjiga along with the attorney general (Xeer Illaliyaha Qaranka) of Somalia Mr. Ahmed Daahir. He speaks a fluent Amharic and has huge influence how to deal with Ethiopia. Since he was trained by Cabdi bIlley, he doesn't care about rules or other obstacles that might hinder his plans. After he left Jigjiga, he joined the family run UCID party of Faysal C. Waraabe. He was a member of the central committee and other roles which will take me some time to dig. While Mr. Hayr Maaryeeye was the point man for Somali government contacts to trhe Siilaanyo government, Mr. Mahdi is the new man who have direct contacts with Somaliland government through Fatsal Waraabe. As most of you guys are aware of, Chairman Faysal Waraabe , is co- ruling with Muuse Biixi as a coalition government, and it seems that the Biixi administration had transferred the Somalia file to him. For Mr. Mahdi, to rectify the Qalbi-Dhagax issue which he handled badly by convincing the amateur Farmaajo to score points with Ethiopia, he asked Faysal to fix it and take him home to Hargeisa and change the narrative. On one hand, I like his ruthlessness to make things done without bothering or talking useless parliamentarians others, on the other hand, I am afraid that he might put some wrong ideas on the head of the " quite man in Villa Somalia" So, my friends, do not be fooled by this new cozy relations to extort some cash and loan from the IMF and others while knowing full well that no one including Somaliland could be able to pay back those loans. It seems the era of loans, debt financing and control of the Somali economic policy by others had begun. Those who installed Farmaajo are throwing few soft balls to the Somali public opinion knowing full well the stagnation of the nation .

Ducale, This is politics. There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics - but consistent interest. Besides, it was Qalbidhagax in his first speech in Nairobi that singled out Somaliland as a place where rest of Somalis should look to for progress, peace and development. And since Eritrea and the Amhara have burried the hatchet - why not? After all, peace between the two sides will only help Somaliland's business community in the Ogaden region. The historic "Wado-bariis" will see again the light of day and caravans will criss-cross carrying goods.