Somaliland unable to gain international status after 23 years Somaliland adopted the use of its official flag in 1996. Somaliland adopted the use of its official flag in 1996. By Frank Mutulu NAIROBI, Kenya – This May, Somaliland will be celebrating 23 years of self-declared independence. But as Somalilanders mark another year of independent rule, the occasion will likely pass without the world noticing. Such has been the case for over a decade, because the breakaway nation is not recognized internationally. Unlike the larger Somalia, it doesn’t attract media attention. Somalia is made up of three zones: south-central Somalia and two breakaways, Puntland and Somaliland. Somaliland is a semi-desert territory in northern Somalia that declared unilateral independence in May 1991 after the country fell into anarchy following the overthrow of then-President Muhamed Siad Barre. For those who aren’t immersed into the region’s political history, it isn’t common knowledge that present-day Somaliland and Somalia were separate states before. European interest in the larger Somalia was sparked by British adventurer Sir Richard Burton, who explored the region in 1854. That interest grew in 1869 when the Suez Canal was opened, and Britain declared the northern Somalian coast a protectorate in 1884. It was named British Somaliland. In 1889, Italy took southern Somalia, including the present capital Mogadishu, naming it Italian Somaliland. On June 26, 1960, British Somaliland attained independence. It was recognized as a sovereign entity by the U.S. and 34 other countries, as well as the United Nations. Former Italian Somaliland, present-day Somalia, became independent days after. On July 1, 1960, the Somali Republic was formed after a voluntary merger between British Somaliland (present-day Somaliland) and Italian Somaliland (Somalia). This voluntary move was meant to unite all the lands Somalis occupied in the horn region. To date, that remains a dream of the nationalists. From the merger’s onset, discontent arose from the northern front, since most of power went to Mogadishu in the south. In 1961, Somalilanders rejected a referendum for a unitary constitution across Somalia. The relationship became strained in the 1980s when Barre sent forces to attack Somaliland, claiming the lives of an estimated 50,000 civilians. Periodic internal strife continued until Barre was overthrown in 1991. Somaliland seized the opportunity and seceded immediately to chart its path, solo. The rest of Somalia remained engulfed in inter-clan rivalry and wars. The breakaway state has pressed on alone and achieved important milestones. Although Somalia has a functioning government now, some parts are still mired in chaos, while Somaliland is an oasis of relative peace. It has a functioning government, a flag, its own currency, defined borders and a constitution. Politically, the horn breakaway state has permitted multi-party democracy and has held five national elections since 2000. Peaceful transfers of presidential power were witnessed in 2003 and again in 2010. With somewhat considerable success, the government has introduced free primary education and boasts three universities, polytechnics and a number of colleges. Somaliland also has made headway in reducing child mortality. It has, however, remained poor because its economy relies on diaspora remittances, livestock exports and a bit of tourism. It does not attract considerable foreign investors because it is not recognized internationally. The African Union (AU) has for a long time maintained that Somaliland is part of Somalia and has not changed its stand on the illegitimacy of the independent breakaway state. The U.S. has adopted a similar standpoint. Somaliland does not seek to create new boundaries, but wishes to revert to its previous status, maintaining its borders as it was when it was British Somaliland. Somaliland’s history is unlike that of other vocal separatist movements and would be unlikely to set a precedent among African territories seeking independence. An AU study on the matter in 2005 confirmed in part that “the case is unique and self-justified in African political history and should not be linked to the notion of opening a Pandora’s box.” The U.S., together with the international community, has spent millions of dollars in external military intervention and aid to stabilize Somalia. Such efforts have borne minimal positive results. Somaliland, which shares a common background with the larger Somalia, is better placed with international backing and funding to address pacifying the horn region. No Somali pirates lurk off its shores, nor are terrorists harbored in their borders. This could be extended to Somalia. “The republic of Somaliland is not different from Eritrea which had a separate history from Ethiopia, but was allowed its independence,” wrote Evarist Kagaruki, a Dar es Salaam-based political analyst. “And Southern Sudan, which is historically part of the Sudan, recently decided to secede through a referendum and got international support. Now, why, one might ask, should Somaliland be treated differently? Is it because it has no oil?” Kagaruki’s opinion piece appears on 18may.org, a web site dedicated to Somaliland politics. With its track record of good governance and relative stability, international recognition is likely to bolster Somaliland on the path of economic growth while securing a better future for its 5 million citizens. Frank Mutulu is The Atlantic Post’s East Africa Correspondent, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

tILLMookk , hadal iyo ilka ba wala cadeyaa adeer anigu cidna ma habaarin cidna waxba ma yeelin waxan ku sheegey uun si xeerarka iyo xuduudaha la ilaayo,, cidna garowe administration kuma dulaan ah Mooge uun u sheeg inanu marba marki indhaha cabdi cawar kaga bilig leyo inanu Somaliland so qaadi inta kale wa oke adeer.

Its mooge homunculus he is the one who injects when ever cabdi cawar goes or smiles some way he tries to twist it and say its about Somaliland, its very simple if the garowe boys want peace than SL will give them peace if they want war, and trespass on SL territory than they will get a war it is really that simple

Clan wars where and when , destruction of property did you make all of that up. Mooge lolz Cabdi cawar is a small cat bit mouth little action.

^ if he refuses to hand over the port and airport he breaches the addis ababa agreement agreed on 6 months ago

Cabdi cawar laascanood raaadista ma addis ababa bu ka doonay he was closer when he was in jigjiga loolz Mooge Cabdi cawar will not move a finger aniga ta ku og, and if he does he will be crushed but he is has troubles at home enough for him.

The addis ababa agreement mediated by Minister tedros Foreign minister of Ethiopia is about to end , Madoobe needs to hand over the airport and the port the Somali federal government , i believe he wants more time.But will the SFG give him more time. Axmed cabdisalaan is aware of what is happening there.

Addis ababa:-Madaxwaynaha Mamaulka Juba oo kulan laleh Madaxda Itoobiya. 27. februar 2014 Allpuntland Madaxwaynaha Maamulka Juba Axmed Maxamed Islaan Axmed Madoobe ayaa kulan la leh Madaxda Itoobiya isagoona kala hadli doona danaha Maamulka Juba & Xariirka dhinaca amaanka. Mudane Axmed Maxamed Islaan Axmed madoobe ayaa la sheegay inWasiiro uu ugu horeeyo Wasiirka Arimaha Dibada Itoobiya uu la kulmaya, isagoona kala hadlaya arimaha Xariirka labada dhinaca iyo Heshiiskii Adis ababa ee Ay kala Saxiixdeen Sanadkii hore Axmed Madoobe oo maamulka Juba ah & dawlada Federaalka ah ee Soomaaliya. Wafdiga Madaxwaynaha Juba ayaa Adis ababa Malmahan ku sugnaanaya waxaana Warar hoose oo allpuntland helayso ay sheegayaan in Jigjiga uu Socdaal ku imaan doono Halkaas oo uu hataan wali ku suganyahay Madaxwaynaha Puntland. xafiiska Wararka Allpuntland, Adisababa.

Why would his visit bother me it should bother u are u not from Puntland dont u want a president hat serves ur region

Wiil tarzan now declare war on xabashida like few years ago,now that he holds no office any more.

Do you think it was appropriate for cabdi cawar to go to ethiopia while police offcer were killed alshabaab raided mudug and suspects were captured in Puntland alleged shabaab members. No one said that if an officer is killed the security is out of order but its a range of issues which happened in Puntland that are raising some concern.

Sorry i have not seen that thread

If you carefully follow Shabaab their target are always specific targets they attacked the intelligence office in Mogadishu today UN offices Turkish emabassy. Now they have attacked the intelligence office because the intelligence was an obstacle to them.

Its corelated as some reports are comming in why on earth would than be 4 people be badly injured from the same constituency no one said Puntland was going in flames, but police commander was killed in goldogob and cabdi cawar went on a tour to Ethiopia while he should resolve the security issue there, But even if they were not related issues we could say that several fronts puntland security is getting worsen. Ma been ba mise wa run??

Somaliland: FIRST STREET LIGHT ‘S LAUNCHED IN HARGEISA CITY Wednesday, 26 February 2014 22:01 Submit to Delicious Submit to Digg Submit to Facebook Submit to Google Bookmarks Submit to Stumbleupon Submit to Technorati Submit to Twitter Submit to LinkedIn solarsolar By: A.A Jama HARGEISA: (Somalilandsun) -The Mayor of Hargeisa Abdirahman Mohamed aided (SOLTELCO) has launched the first solar project in Hargeisa city. The project is part of his program of ensuring that Hargeisa city is beautified. During the initiation of the street lights project, the Mayor said "This is part of the new program we are starting in the city and we will ensure that we put the street lights in the entire Hargeisa city. He also thanked the government for working towards ensuring that Hargeisa city is beautified" These solar installations will assit in beautifying the city and curbing crime in some areas of the city at the same time assist in making Somaliland a 24 hour economy. The Street lights are automatic in nature and charges during the day and automatically switches on during the night.

Gheele the were clashes the next day in the garsoor district of galkacyo four people were badly injured it was really getting out of hand. Are u saying that is not true.

Long live Khatumo , khatumo are proud people defenders of Somaliland founding fathers of the USP party We will erect a statue for Garaad cali near the National Somaliland assembly and enshrine his name and this time write Nacam yaa garaad. For he was a visionary man and was very suspicious of the Koonfurians and asked the SNL to halt the union in 1960. Ilahoow ku naxariiso.

Cabdi cawar cant do anything the moment he added axmed karaash and biidnhe as part of his cabinet he allianated khatumo there is little he can do , today Khatumites despise cabdi cawar more than anything. khatumo is holding its conference and this is not in the interest of the buglanders. As the god father will lead the conference mr galaydh, and last week galaydh made it clear that there is nothing for his people in mogadishu. U dont understand Somaliland culture Somalilanders talk they talk openly about qabi sub clan in their media they are open about it. This is not hatred Somaliland have a different culture than the koonfurians for koonfurians qabil is toxic for Somalilanders they know how to deal with qabil issues. People are open about qabiil. Koonfurians are scared to talk about qabiil yet they had the biggest qabil. If 2 clans in Somaliland have a fall out and its serious Somalilanders know what to do and how to do the gar qaad. The Koonfurians will let it escalate and so many human casualties and eventually still not a winner. As for what cabdi cawar believes he said the puntland region is up for discussion when he was raising the issue of khatumo lol. He is not as firm as u believe lol

Khatumo people are SL people the garaad clan do u know what khatumo stands for its Gol khatumo the place the USP party was formed in 1959. Somaliland elites know never to antagonize people with jabhad tactics. Most of the Kulmiye leadership were former SNM fighters if there is allot of human casualties it will hunt Somaliland more in the future. since they dont form a threat and they are cut off from Somalia and are only in taleex no need to attack them. Its better to see a few skimirieshes here and there some attacks but never a full blown war the Buhoodle clashes were the Limit. Somaliland already won the vast majority of reer laascanood to kick out garowe in 2007 do u know why ,,because the 1991 peace agreement that the people of Somaliland forgive and forget and live together as brothers as one nation. in 2002 in laascanood there was a Puntland administrator and a Somaliland administrator both operating , Somaliland wins more ground like this , its the best strategy thats why the entire southern Sool fell in the haands of Somaliland and northern sool the last remaining towns are boocame and taleex. So tell me how we are losing

I dont mind u reporting bad news of SL as there is more good news coming from Somaliland than bad news. Somalia every day u will hear hebel got gunned down a homicide attacker has detonated him self.. African union troops are coming to Somalia, The TURKS are leaving or cutting of aid so be my guests post all u like First Khatumo and the garowe clan enclave are not in agreement Garowe claims khatumo ,, khatumo rejects this so there can never be an alliance there and there is no threat on that flank. Somaliland already became reality it has all that it needs a functioning state a flag an army a police a navy a currency a business sector a prospect for a better future. U will see eventually khatumo will form an alliance with SL the same way ssc did. How exactly do get stronger by war , war kills you kills your children mothers fathers peoples it hurts the Land seriously u need to stop the madness of killing each other and inviting 3rd world countries to come to ur country

Somaliland already controls the vast majority of British Somaliand close to 94% of the land mass, khatumo has never been a real issue Khatumo is an integral part of SL why would Somalilanders lose hope, Somaliland is today stronger than ever than it was 10 years ago Somaliland during siilaanyos reign has captured the following towns and cities xudun ceegaag dharkeengeeyo southern sool sarmaanyo northern soool widh widh karin dabayl weyn Somaliland army is 16 miles away from the Somalia border who is really winning. Where is this khatumo and bug land threat u keep speaking off. Somaliland is much and much stronger Somalia today is weaker than ever divided along tribal lines Alshabaab gaining more momentum attacking the heart of villa Somalia African union troops increasing their deployment tribal federalism is further tearing Somalia apart, Jubba state is being formed as a satellite state of Kenya. Professor samatar said it best Somalia today is nothing but an empty shelf.

Somalia is as messed up as it was always there is no real progress only in name there are more than 25.000 African union troops Turks are feeding the mothers and children and homicide attacks have tripled in Somalia corruption is enormous and there is no defense apparatus nor any working institutions on top of that clan federalism is further tearing apart Somalia and the fragmentation is in full gear. Its just wishful thinking on your part that there is a clan war in Burco even if there was a clash in Somaliland the Somalilanders are politically mature to resolve their matters peacefully they have all mechanism to resolve their differences through the Guurti as we have seen even the parliament dispute was solved by them. Yes in every country attacks happened but not constant and the countries u mentioned have defense apparatus Somalia has non. There is no threat from garowe at all never was really , now how are you going to fix Somalia. Somalia has been killed by Koonfurians and their madness over and over again.

Gunmen seize government buildings in Ukraine's Crimea, raise Russian flag By Marie-Louise Gumuchian. Laura Smith-Spark and Ingrid Formanek, CNN February 27, 2014 -- Updated 1248 GMT (2048 HKT) Watch this video Gunmen seize Crimean parliament STORY HIGHLIGHTS Moscow warns against "violations of compatriots' rights by foreign states" Crimea PM says gunmen occupying parliament are refusing to negotiate Tensions have simmered since President Viktor Yanukovych's overthrow last week Ukraine's parliament was voting on a new government Thursday Have you witnessed the protests in Ukraine? Share your experiences, but please stay safe. Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Dozens of armed men seized the regional government administration building and parliament in Ukraine's southern Crimea region Thursday and raised the Russian flag, in a challenge to the Eastern European country's new leaders. Crimea, with its ethnic Russian majority, is the last big bastion of opposition to the new political leadership in Kiev after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster Saturday. The incident, coming a day after Russia ordered surprise military exercises on Ukraine's doorstep, has raised fears about the push and pull of opposing allegiances in a country sandwiched between Russia and the European Union. Photos: Ukraine in transition Photos: Ukraine in transition Tensions rise over Crimean peninsula Fmr. Pentagon official on Russia, Ukraine Putin call behind Yanukovych truce? A broad divide has emerged between those who support what is going on in Kiev -- where parliament was voting on an interim West-leaning government Thursday -- and those who back Russia's continued influence in Crimea and across Ukraine. "I'm concerned about developments in #Crimea. I urge #Russia not to take any action that can escalate tension or create misunderstanding," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen tweeted Thursday. In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the Kremlin will "give a tough and uncompromised response to violations of compatriots' rights by foreign states." Opinion: Will Ukraine's Crimea region be Europe's next 'frozen' conflict? No negotiations It was not immediately known who was occupying the buildings in Simferopol, the regional capital. The head of the region, Premier Anatolii Mohyliov, told CNN the gunmen were refusing to speak with him, telling him he had no authority. The men, who stormed the building early Thursday morning, had made no demands, and it was not clear what they wanted, he said. He said there are no civilians in the building and "the situation is under control." He added that government security forces, which were outside the buildings, would not use force or weapons to take over the buildings. "All police in Ukraine have been ordered to be prepared," acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov wrote on his Facebook page. "Orders have been issued to create a cordon around the Parliament in Crimea and to avoid shooting and violence." A witness, who gave his name only as Maxim, said he saw the armed men run into the building. "Inside, nobody knows what is going on inside at the moment. We only saw the building being taken over," he said. "When they took over the building, they kicked out police from there. More buses came and around 30 more people came out. They started to bring their bags and the bags had RPG's (anti-tank weapons), there was SVD (sniper rifles), Kalashnikov (assault) rifles, handguns, so these people were fully armed." 5 things you need to know about Ukraine's Crimea region Scuffles break out Tensions have simmered in the Crimea region since Yanukovych's ouster. Map of CrimeaMap of Crimea Scuffles broke out Wednesday as the mood soured among the thousands rallying in front of the Crimean parliament building. One group waved Ukrainian flags and shouted "Crimea is not Russia," while the other held Russian flags aloft and shouted "Crimea is Russia." Local leaders sought to calm the mood, urging the protesters to go home and resist provocations. Military exercise Also on Wednesday, Russia ordered military exercises near Ukraine. The timing of the move prompted speculation about the Kremlin's motives. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the exercises were to check "combat readiness." And U.S. military intelligence saw no immediate indication the Russians were preparing for any offensive military action in Ukraine, two U.S. officials said. Instead, the officials said intelligence suggests Russia is "repositioning" up to half a dozen Russian ships near the Ukrainian port city of Sevastopol in case they're needed to respond if Russian interests are threatened. Sevastopol is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet. About 60% of the population in the city is Russian. Secession fears Concerns were heightened in the region when the Crimean parliament convened a previously unscheduled session Wednesday, amid local media reports that secession might be on the agenda. But parliament Speaker Volodimir Konstantinov dismissed the reports as "rumors" and urged residents to not be provoked. In Sevastopol, residents told CNN they were angry that Yanukovych had been forced out and fear that they will be oppressed by the country's new leaders. Many are struggling to come to grips with the rapid political upheaval. Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused Ukraine's lawmakers of discriminating against ethnic Russians by excluding them from the reform process. New government In the capital, Kiev, Ukraine's parliament met to vote in a new government Thursday after protest leaders named the ministers they want to form a new Cabinet. Leaders of the popular demonstrations that toppled Yanukovych named former Economic Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk as their choice to head a new interim government. In a display of people power, the announcement of Yatsenyuk and candidates for other key ministries was made Wednesday after protest leaders addressed crowds on Independence Square, the heart of the protests. The crowd, some of them dressed in camouflage, cheered as the names were read out. Lawmakers face the challenge of forming a body that genuinely represents all the main political parties, despite their widely divergent views. Presidential and local elections are due on May 25. Opposition leader and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko will run for the presidency, his press secretary said. Financial woes Last week, bloody street clashes between demonstrators and security forces killed more than 80 people, the deadliest violence in the country since it gained independence when the Soviet Union collapsed 22 years ago. Russia says Yanukovych was driven out by an "armed mutiny" of extremists and terrorists. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but his whereabouts remain unknown. While Yanukovych is on the run, the diplomatic wheels have been set in motion within the international community. One key concern is cash-strapped Ukraine's perilous financial position. Yanukovych's decision to scrap a European Union trade deal in favor of one with Russia prompted the protests, which began in November.

Why Should Somaliland attack Khatumo they are no harm they are in a bufferzone in taleex there is no need to provoke or to attack them, they are not terrorist just dissatisfied Somalilanders, Somaliland never had any interest to attack Taleex.