Shame that we can't see her answer. But anyway he made one good point "you can say always enemy of my enemy is my friend"

All other 4 countries are in a part of democratic countries, which referendum is enough to make big change and they are part of highly develop regional organisation not silly African union and Arab league. To be realistic I thing Somaliland has lest chance and stronger determination than rest . Xaaji is dreaming if he expecting acceptance from Mogadisho

Dr_Osman;972753 wrote: Naxar 80% of the enclave is all high, this is the sad part Diktoore tell me percentage from your pirate enclave?

Nin-Yaaban;972611 wrote: Taleexi, sxb, qoftaan halmar ayaan eegay, kadibna waxaan iri...'dee' waxaani, waa fitna. Ciyaal Xaafad or not, nin yahow, waxaan ma 'wacana'. After Ciid, waa caadi laakinse. Nin Yaaban Ramadaan iyo bacda ciid xaarantu waa isku mid Ilaahay xagiisa markaa bacda ciidna Fidnada iska ilaali

Looking good Waar ninku muxuu shubayaa noo macnee

Classified;972276 wrote: If you believe in such "Self-Determination" then why is that you lay claim to territories settled not by your tribe, such as parts of Sool, parts of Sanaag and parts of Togdheer along with Awdal? SXB you didn't ask me if I believe that, but anyway I believe that Somaliland army is on ground only parts of country where its ppl want to be part of Sl why they are long time in adhi-cadeeye and not in Buuhoodle. If majority ppl of any place in Sool region doen't want SL, they can go where they want, but they cann't decide for the rest of the region.

Yugoslavia is settled after they accept rights to decide own historic sovereignty or Self-determination. my question is: will Somalia fellow that path or they will continue old central authority with iron hand?

Ilahay khayr ha ka dhigo he took historic step.

Carafaat;972110 wrote: Wiil Cusub sheekadani mee kugu Cusub tahay. lool Maantuun bay igu dhibicday:D

Yes that is why I thinking that something is going on, first Duur is Mogadisho and now this. Just they are testing their capacity to manipulate community.

Ma dhabaa Wasiirka Arrimaha gudaha Somaliya in uu ka soo degay Berbera Xukuumadduna kau qaabishay? Berbera(Waaheen) warar hordhac aah oo Waaheen heshay ayaa sheegaya in Wasiirka Wasaaradda Arrimaha gudaha Somaliya manta ka soo dagey wasmadaarka magaaladda Berbera ee Somaliland, halkaas oo ay kula kulmeen Wasiiro ka tirsan Xukuumadda Somaliland. Warkan oo aanu ka helnay Ilo wareedyo muhiim ah ayaa Waaheen u xaqiijiyay in Wasiirka Arrimaha gudaha Somaliya manta la socday diyaarad ka soo duushay Muqdisho, isla markaana ka soo degtay madaarka Berbera, halkaas oo Wasiirka markiiba si deg deg ah loogu gudbiyay qolka Nasashada. Qof Diyaaradda la socday oo ayaa sheegay in markii VIP-da la geeyay ay iyagu dariiqii kale mareen markaasna ay ugu danbaysay, hase yeeshee warar kale ayaa sheegaya in Wasiirka Arrimaha gudaha Somaliya loo soo kaxeeyay dhinaca caasimadda Hargeysa halkaas oo la sheegay in la dajiyay mid ka mid ah Hotelada waaweyn. Si rasmi ah looma oga sababta Wasiirka Arrimaha gudaha Somaliya u yimi Somaliland xiligan laakiin wasiirka ayaa ka mid ahaa Ergadii wadahadalada Somaliya iyo Somaliland uga qayb qaadanayay dhinaca Somaliya, kuwaas oo qoddobka kali ah ee ay ku soo heshiyeen u ahaa arrimaha Duulimaadyada in labada dhinac ka wada shaqeeyaan Xafiis laga maamulana Hargeysa laga sameeyo. Wasiirka Arrimaha Gudaha Somaliya ayaa lagu waday shalay in uu ka soo dego madaarka Berbera hase yeeshee lama garanayo sababta dib dhigtay, waxaana warkaas Waaheen u sheegay Dublamaasi aad ugu dhaw dawladda Somaliya oo ku sugan Nairobi. Si kasta ha ahaatee warkan Xukuumadda Somaliland illaa hada wax war ah kamay soo saarin hase yeeshee talaabadan ayaa noqon doonta haddii ay dhabawdo mid looga fadhiyo faahfaahin in ay ka bixiso.

Xaaji waan ka shakiyay warkan: arintan waxbaa ka jira ama waa la inagu tijaabinayay si loo eego in dadku ka kacaan iyo inkale.Walee ninkaa gaaban hadaan reerka laga qaban waa loo wada joogi!

“Somaliland Xaq Ayey U Leedahay Inay Lacag Ay Gaar U Leedahay Daabacato” Gudd. Baanka Somaaliya (SLT:Hargaysa) – Guddoomiyaha Baanka Somaliya Dr. Cabdisalaan Cumar Hadliye, ayaa si kulul u beeniyay warar ay warbaahinta Somalida qaar ka mid ah maalmihii u dambeeyay baahinayeen, kuwaas oo sheegayay inay dawladoodu ka dalbatay dawladda Ingiriiska inay joojiso daabicista lacagta shillinka Somaliland. Warkan oo si weyn u baahay ayaa xataa ay dad ajaanib ahi ku falanqaynayeen bogaga Internetka ee ay bulshadu xogaha isku dhaafsato sida twitterka. Hase yeeshe guddoomiye Hadliye, oo isagoo jooga magaalada Muqdisho ee dalka Somaliya, xalay telefoonka ugu waramay Wargeyska Geeska Afrika, ayaa beeniyay jiritaanka warkaas, waxaanu sheegay inay Somaliland xaq u leedahay inay lacagteeda daabacato. “Warkaas aad I weydiisay gebi ahaanba waa been abuur oo maaha mid ay wax ka jiraan.” Ayuu yidhi Guddoomiyaha Baanka Somaliya oo dhalasho ahaan ka soo jeeda Somaliland. Guddoomiyaha waxa uu Geeska Afrikasu’aalay bal in isaga ka sakow uu warkan ka maqlay madaxda wasaaradda maaliyadda Somaliya amaba cid kale, waxaanu Mr. Hadliye yidhi, “Waa been abuur boqol kiiba boqol (100%), aanay waxba ka jirin. Somalilandna xaq ayay u leedahay inay lacagteeda daabacato,kolayba anigoo gudoomiyahii baanka ah Cabdisalaan ahaan waligay arinkaas samayn maayo. Cid I waydiisay iyo cid ka hadlaysana maan arkin mana jirto sabab loo joojiyo waxay Somaliland rabto.” Wuxuu hadalkiisa ku soo gunaanaday, “Somalilandna anigaa ka imid oo kama soo hor jeedo.” Warkan uu guddoomiyaha Baanka Somaliya baahiyay ayaa meesha ka saaraya jiritaanka warkaas sheegayay inay dawladda Somaliya ay ka codsatay dawladda Ingiriiska inaan dalkeeda lagu daabicinta lacagta shillinka Somaliland. Xigasho: Geeska Afrika

Cambuulo iyo bun;971503 wrote: I disagree during the fightings, properties were dirt cheap in xamar especially when Al shabaab controlled parts of the city. No I mean postwar economy not during the fighting. This is real postwar rush which created bubble in property price, and beside Somalis are always speculative in price look business prices in London before 2008 and now or Isli in nairobi.

Cambuulo iyo bun;971496 wrote: Compared to xamar its cheap dee those houses would cost double as much in xamar. Ok that is true they call war economy, check Iraq property. Hargeisa price doesn't change last 15 years or slightly decline. I hoop Xamar house price will decrease when whole mogadisho area declare save and become available otherwise very bad for economy growth. Housing prices in Iraq's Kurdistan higher than prices in California: Report 29.8.2012 A burst housing bubble could leave Iraq's Kurdistan region in tears: Property boom

do you belief this http://somalilandproperties.com/?cat=9

Haatu;971094 wrote: PS: What's the song at the beginning they sing. I've heard it before but don't know it. It is one of the best and most famous song for independence 1960 Mohamed ahmed Kuluc: dhaxaan muragiyo haraad mudanee Maantay curatoy mataaneeysee ( twins for HArgeisa and mogadisho) Aan maalo hasheena Maandeeq.

Really funny and true history, but next time they need some quality improvement.

Xaaji wuxuu ka helay Ukrain shaqo cusub "Dilaalka hubka" Sababtaas ayuu kooxaha koonfur ku hirdamaya marba qolo u raacaa waa hadba qolada hubka Ukrain ka iibsada.

Xaaji waamaxay jacaylkan cusub iyo Ukrain meeshu waa cusnsur oo Kiev madawga laguma arki karee yaan lagugu dilin

Laba Weriye Iyo Laba Waraysi Faallo Cumar M.Faarax July 23rd, 2013 Comments Off Xalay cawayskii 22/07/2013, waxaan daawaday oo ay indhahayga iyo dhegahayguba si fiirro leh uga bogteen laba waraysi oo ka kala baxay Telefishanadda UNIVERSAL iyo HCTV. Waxa labada waraysiba la soo geliyay youtube-ka, waxa ka sii kala xigtay oo soo daabacay ama geliyay qaar ka mid mareegaha internet-ka ee wararka laga daalacdo. Labadaas waraysiba waxa labada Telefishan ay si gooni-gooni ah ula yeesheen Prof. Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar oo ku laabtay dalka Maraykanka oo uu degan yahay. Waxa labada Telefishan-ba ay Aqoon-yahanka afka hodanka ku ah ay wax ka weydiiyeen socdaalkii uu ku yimid dalkiisa Hooyo oo uu muddo 26 maalmood ah socdaal dheer oo indho indhayn iyo daraasadayn ah ku soo gaalaa-bixiyay goboladda waaweyn ee dalka. Waxay ka waraysanayeen wixii uu soo arkay iyo aragtidiisa siyaasadeed ee socdaalkaas dal tabyadda ahaa ka dib. Aan ku horreeyo waraysiga hore waxa la yeeshay Prof-ka muuq-baahiyaha UNIVERSAL, waxa waraysiga ka qaaday weriye magaciisa la yidhaahdo Sakariye Aadan, waxaanu socday muddo 36 daqiiqo ah, Suxufigaasi inkasta oo uu dhiirranaa isla markaana isku kalsoonaa, waxa haddana ka muuqatay u diyaar-garow la’aan, xog la’aan, taasi oo marinka seejinaysay. Waxa uu ahaa mid aanay dhegahiisu u daloolin waxa la warsatuhu sheegayo, dhawr jeer ayaa intii waraysigu socday lagu yidhi “waanigii hore kaaga jawaabay arrintaas.” taas ah oo laf jab ku ah Weriyaha oo laga doonayo feejigo iyo inuu dhugto waxa uu qofka uu waraysanayaa sheegayo, si uu su’aal uga weydiiyo faah-faahinta xogaha ka soo baxaya qofka waraysiga laga qaadayo. Waxayse u darnayd markii Weriyihii UNIVERSAL ee Prof. Samatar Waraysanayay lagala wareegay gabi ahaanba maamulkii waraysiga, isla markaana isagii la waraystay, taasi oo uu aqoon yahan Axmed Ismaaciil mihnadiisii saxaafadeed iyo aqoontiisa durugsan ku fashiliyay suxufi Sakariye Aadan. Weriye Sakariye waxa laga raacay su’aal ahayd “Somaliland waxa ka jira cadaalad darradii aad Xamar ku sheegayso, waxa jira kuraasida dawladda waxa intooda badan gacanta ugu jiraan hal reer, magaalooyinkana qaarna waa la horu mariyay qaarna waxba looma qabto ee sidaad u aragtaa?.” Axmed Ismaaciil waxa uu kaga hal celiyay “Somaliland goorma ayaa kuugu dambaysay? ma soo aragtay?,” markaas ayuu weriye Sakariyena inta uu yara fir ka naxay ku jawaabay “Haa.”, haddana waxa lagu soo celiyay su’aal kale oo ahayd “Miyaad wada aragtay” markaasi ayuu ku tiraabay “Maya.” Markaas ayuu qofkii daawadayba u yax-yaxayaa suxufigaas makarafoonkii martidiisii kala wareegtay. Aan in yar dul istaago sida uu Prof. Samatar uga jawaabay su’aashii la xidhiidhay reer baa kuraasta Somaliland wada haysta, waxa uu yidhi “Somaliland sideed sanadood ayuu nin ******** ahi Madaxweyne ka ahaa oo waliba kaga guulaystay nin ***** ah oo inta uu sagaashan cod wax ka yar kaga helay ayaa mufaatiixdii loo dhiibay. Laakiin 53 sanadood Soomaaliya qof reer Somaliland ahi kama uu noqon Madaxweyne.” Waraysigaas waxa ka muuqanaysay in la waraystuhu si walba uga gacan sareeyay weriyihii aan isagoon diyaar garoobin soo hor fadhiistay mid ka mid ah aqoon yahanada naadir ah ee qaniga ku ah afkiisa hooyo. waraysiga kale ee ka baxay Telefishanka HCTV waxa Prof. Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar ka qaaday Weriye Cali Cabdi Xaraare, waxaanu socday muddo 32 daqiiqo ah. Waxa suxufiga ka muuqday diyaar-garow baaxad leh oo aan malahayga is idhi waxay ka qaadatay dhawr maalmood si uu u noqdo waraysi saamayn yeesha oo xiise geliya daawadeyaashiisa. Weriyuhu salaan ka dib, waxa daawadeyaashiisa tusayaa filim iyo muuqaal laga soo qaaday Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar oo 2-dii Bishii June ee la soo dhaafay, isagoo ka degaya gegooyinka diyaaradaha ee Magaalooyinka Berbera iyo Hargeysa. Waxa uu waraysigiisa ku furayaa sida uu u arko soo dhawayntii aan loo kala hadhin ee lagu qaabiley. Waxa uu haddana si kooban u soo saarayaa oo lagu yara hakanayaa muuqaaladii sidii loogu soo dhaweeyay magaalooyinka Gabiley, Boorame, Saylac, Berbera, Ceerigaabo iyo Burco. Waraysigan Cali Xaraare waxa uu ahaa mid xog lagu raadinayo oo yool iyo qorshe loo dhigay. Waxa uu si taxanne ah oo is daba joog ah u weydiiyay su’aal kasta oo maan-gal ah oo maskaxdaada ku soo dhacaysa. Waxa uu ku fur-furayaa warasiga dhawr su’aalood oo fudud oo ay ugu muhiimsanayd qoddobadii dhinacyadda bulshadda, dawladnimadda, cadaaladda iyo nolasha ee uu Prof-ku ku soo arkay goboladda Somaliland. Waxa uu waraysiga badhtankiisa uu soo saarayaa muuqaalkii Prof. Samatar oo maraya Gabiley oo si weyn loogu soo dhaweeyay, hase yeeshee isagoo khudbadeynaya calanka Somaliland oo dusha loo saarayay iska tuuraya. Markaas ayuu odhanayaa “sawirkaas ma garanaysaa, maxaad calankaa lagugu caleemo saarayay u diiday?.” Prof. Samatar-na waxa uu dadweynaha ka jaahil tirayaa arrintaas waxaanu yidhi “Qof nool calan lama saaro, waxa calanka la saaraa marka uu qofku dhinto ee maydkiisu naxashka saaran yahay, laakiin dadkeenu arrintaasi ma fahamsana.” “Maalin dambe ayaad dadka u sheegay inaanan calanka diidanayn ee ka warama iyadoo calanka lagu saaray oo uu dushaada saaran yahay haddii aad iska qososho ama wax aan macno lahayn-ba aad sheegayso,”ayuu yidhi Axmed Ismaaciil Samatar. Waxaan rajaynayaa in Weriye Sakariye dib isku daawado oo uu kaligii diirada saaro ga-daloolooyinkii uu muujiyay intii uu waraysigaas ku jiray, ka dibna daawado waraysiga kale ee saaxiibkii Cali Xaraare ka qaaday. Markaasi ayuu ka go’aan ka gaadhi doonaa waxa uu mustaqbalka yeelayo marka uu waraysi siyaasi ah oo noocan oo kale ah qaadayo. Labadan suxufi ee wadaaga mihnadda waxay soo kala saareen laba wax soo saar oo aan isku dhawayn, waxaan bogaadinayaa labadoodaba sababtoo ah waxay noo soo bandhigeen macluumaadka siyaasi iyo aqoon yahan indho-dheer aanu ku eegaynay. Geesta kale, Waraysigan Prof-ka waxa uu ku cadeeyay mowqifkiisa Somaliland-nimo oo uu waliba muujiyay inuu aad ugu ad-adag yahay, maadaama oo uu gar-waaqsaday in Somaliland ay tahay meesha kaliya ee rajo horu-socod ahi ka jirto marka weynayso lagu eego wixii la isku odhan jiray Jamhuuriyaddii Soomaaliya ee burburtay. Samatar waxa labadiisan waraysi iiga baxay inuu si dabiici ah dusha ugu ritay inuu noqdo looyarka koowaad ee caalamka ka difaacaya madax-banaanidda iyo qanimadda Somaliland. Waxa intii uu hadlayay ka muuqatay sida uu ugu soo muraaqooday dalkiisa hooyo oo uu tilmaamay in daabiyad kasta laga arkayo raadadkii dawladnimada oo aan iska yeel-yeel ahayn ee dhab ah. Prof. Samatar waxa uu sheegay in la gaadhay ammintii uu dadkiisa reer Somaliland dhinac ka raaci lahaa, si uu ula ilaaliyo wanaaga iyo horumarka ay ku naaloonayaan isla markaana ka badhitaaro inay hayaanka iyo halgankooda adag halkaas ka sii balaysimaan. Cumar Maxamed Faarax Somaliland.Org/Hargeysa cumarmfaarax@hotmail.com

KKK Ali M. Geedi mar ayaa Faysal ali waraabe lagu yidhi wuxuu yidhi Land-Land wax la yidhaa ma jiraan ee sideed u aragtaa? Faysal "waxaan u arkaa ninkaas inuu xanuunkii uu lo'da ka durayay uu ku dhacay!" ;)

PROF. GEEDDI: “ Wariyihii Wareysiga iga qaaday wuxuu ahaa khaa’in, wuxuuna ii sheegtay hay’ad uusan ka tirsaneyn” Ra’iisal Wasaarihii hore ee Soomaaliya Prof. Cali Maxamed Geeddi Jimco, July 19, 2013— Ra’iisal Wasaarihii hore ee Soomaaliya Prof. Cali Maxamed Geeddi ayaa dhawaan waxaa uu wareysi siiyay Radio Al-furqaan oo ah Idaacad ay maamusho Al-shabaab, wareysigaasna wuxuu ahaa mid kulul oo su’aalo adag lagu weydiiyay Prof. Geeddi. Su’aalaha aan soo qaadan karno ee wareysigaas lagu weydiiyay waxaa ka mid ahaa in intii uu Ra’iisal Wasaaraha ka ahaa Soomaaliy uu dalka Soomaaliya ku soo hoggaamiyay ciidamo Itoobiyaan ah, isla markaana uu xasuuq geystay. Haddaba markii uu shaacay wareysigaas ayuu Ra’iisal Wasaare Geeddi bixiyay wareysi kale oo uu ku sheegayo in wariyaha wareysigaas ka qaaday uu ahaa khaa'in, isla markaana uu u sheegtay hay’ad warbahineed uusan ka tirsaneyn. “Waxaan ugu baaqayaa siyaasiyiinta Soomaaliyeed ee kuwa noocaas oo kale ka digtoonaadaan, isla markaana ay iska hubiyaan qofka ay wareysiga siinayaan, waxaana uga tacsiyeynayaa umadda Soomaaliyeed in ay raalli ka noqdaan wixii ay iga maqleen, aniga oo ogsoon in ay isleeyihiin Cali Maxamed Geeddi maxaa ku dhacay" ayuu yiri Prof. Geeddi. DHEGEYSO WAREYSIGII HORE DHEGEYSO WAREYSIGII DAMBE

How can the Guurti be reformed? "The dilemma of the Guurti is that their legitimacy has been decreasing over time, but ultimately they are the the only recourse that Somaliland has for these kinds of issues," said Matt Bryden, former coordinator of the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea and director of Sahan Research, a think-tank focused on the Horn of Africa, told IRIN. "It's very risky for Somaliland to close their eyes and hope for the best." There is much debate over how to reform Somaliland's House of Elders, if at all, and what mechanism should be used to select its members. Essentially, there are three broad viable methods for choosing them: through election, selection by quotas or nomination by clan. Azam holds that electing the Guurti would destroy the effectiveness of the body. "The legitimacy of these people is due precisely to the fact that they are not elected," he said. "Their legitimacy is due to their traditional base." He points to the fact that the Guurti have been very organized in collecting taxes and controlling violence. "The basic idea, when you build a new country, is you have to have basic fiscal revenues," he said. In a research paper, he examines the role of the Guurti system in collecting taxes from the population. He believes that, at least for the next 10 to 15 years, the Guurti can informally negotiate a power-sharing solution and does not need major reform. Hoehne strongly disagrees, and says proper governance demands more professional, elected legislators, not clan elders. "If you want to regulate you need to have an official system - otherwise you're just ignoring the contradictions," he told IRIN. "I would recommend just doing away with the Guurti and establishing legal pluralism." Still, Hoehne acknowledged that the symbolic attachment of the Guurti to Somaliland society would mean that it is highly unlikely that they will choose to simply do away with the system. "You would have to develop a face-saving strategy [for the Guurti]. You have to offer them a nice way out. Or it will lead to very unpleasant results," he said. SONSAF's Mohamed asks: "If the Guurti were to be elected, what's the difference between the House of Guurti and the House of Representatives?" One solution would be to create a criterion for selecting elders, based upon the notion of inclusivity among disenfranchised groups. "I see the Guurti acting essentially as a senate. My personal view would be to lean to regional representation, with equal representation for all regions," said Bryden. He also feels that such a system would open up the eventual possibility of including quotas for women and the youth within the Guurti. But before any decision regarding the method of selection to the Guurti can be made, Ahmed argues that the process for becoming a clan elder needs to be standardized. "We have to organize the elders system first. We have to regulate it - there should be law," he said. "Then we have to think about and explore a way to make the House of Guurti a very competitive, equal-opportunity house." The other question revolves around what the role of the Guurti should be, and whether they are qualified to take a legislative role. "To have a traditional house would be quite useful," said Paice. "There could still be a national council of elders, but who are wholly impartial and outside the system." But Paice feels that whatever the solution, it needs to be one that is home-grown. "The right answer is that it's for them to decide," he said. "These things are difficult, but I think that they have to be solved by the locals with their hands to the pulse."

NAIROBI, 18 July 2013 (IRIN) - Over the past 20 years, clan elders in Somaliland's Guurti, the upper house of parliament, have negotiated inter-clan disputes and kept the peace, carefully steering the self-declared republic away from the fate of south-central Somalia, which lapsed into a long, bloody civil war after the 1991 fall of the government of President Siyad Barre. In 2001, Somaliland passed a constitution that installed the Guurti, a body of traditional elders, in the upper house, giving them legislative authority. But they have never been elected, and their constitutionally mandated six-year term limits have effectively been ignored. Now, leaders across Somaliland are in serious discussions about how best to reform the body to avoid a constitutional crisis. What is the Guurti? "The Guurti is a traditional forum for elders for mediation," Edward Paice, director at the Africa Research Institute in London, told IRIN. "Since time immemorial it has been a way of settling disputes." Elders used to convene under an acacia tree to arbitrate rows, using a customary legal process known in Somali as ‘xeer’. Disputing parties would bring their concerns to the elders, and the proceedings would continue until a resolution was achieved. Leading up to the fall of Somali president Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991, Somaliland engaged in a brutal secession war with Somalia. In May 1991, Somaliland declared independence as Somalia dissolved into civil strife and eventual state failure. When Somaliland was torn apart by violence, the Guurti stepped in. "This was one of the key institutions that was functioning at the time," said Mohamed Farah Hersi, a researcher at the Academy for Peace and Development in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, speaking at an event in Nairobi, Kenya. Clan elders came together for a number of peace conferences in the early-1990s, the most prominent of which was the Elders Conference at Borama in 1993. This led to the creation of the 82-member Guurti, which formalized the mediation system as a parliamentary body. In Borama, the Guurti also elected Somaliland's president and vice president. "They were peacemakers for Somaliland," acknowledged Markus Hoehne, a strong critic of the contemporary Guurti system and a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. "Those guys put their lives on the line. They went to different conflict zones, often at great personal risk." Hoehne believes that in the early 1990s, the Guurti was instrumental in rebuilding the country, but says that now the role and composition of the body is outdated. The Guurti was responsible for drafting Somaliland’s constitution, which was passed in a 2001 referendum by an overwhelming majority. According the constitution, the Guurti "shall have special responsibility for passing laws relating to religion, traditions (culture) and security", in addition to reviewing legislation passed by the House of Representatives. "They are the centre of gravity. They are the cornerstone," Adam Haji-Ali Ahmed, director at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Hargeisa, told IRIN. "One hundred percent of people in Somaliland trust the Guurti. They preach about peace." Why was the Guurti so effective? Somaliland has a large number of clans and sub-clans, each of which has its own structure of authority. Because its 3.85 million people are spread out over a large area - 55 percent of people are nomadic - governing from a central administration is tricky. "We have a highly divided, fragmented society," said Asmahan Abdelsalam Hassan of the NAGAAD Network, Somaliland’s umbrella organization for women's rights groups, at an event in Nairobi. In many areas of Somaliland, customary law is the most effective and often the only way to mediate and address disputes. To negotiate between warring factions, Somaliland turned to their elders, who were in charge of each group. "They got their authority from customary law, from the clans," said Ahmed. "They built on traditional mechanisms - there was no one from outside telling them what to do," said Paice. "There is a tradition that no Somali meeting ends until a consensus has been achieved." The 1993 Borama Conference lasted four months, but it resulted in a comprehensive framework and roadmap for a way forward. A charter with five guiding principles was drawn up, and was used as a temporary governing structure until a constitution was drafted. Because many of the conference participants had strong ties to the Somali National Movement - the secessionist movement that was key to the formation of Somaliland - they were very effective at coordinating the demobilization and disarmament of rebel groups. This was a crucial step to achieving peace. "Tradition is very important for peace-building, but not for state-building" "These elders from the different clans want the welfare of their children, and their children after that, to be preserved," Jean-Paul Azam, professor of economics at France's Toulouse School of Economics, told IRIN. "For them, what matters is the collective evolution, what happens to the clan." Minorities also have significant representation within the Guurti. "One of the main [principles] of the Guurti is inclusivity, that all clans should be included," said Hersi. It is the only decision-making body that rests fundamentally on power-sharing between all groups. The House of Representatives tends to be dominated by the larger clans, so the Guurti is a crucial mechanism to engage all of Somaliland society. However, since 1993 clan alliances have shifted and clans themselves are no longer drawn along the same lines. This means that the composition of the Guurti will need to change if it is to reflect all of Somaliland. So, what’s the problem? The Guurti has never been elected. If a clan elder dies or retires, the seat is passed down to one of his descendants. This, many feel, is undermining the legitimacy of the body. "Many of the experienced people and the old people have died," said Ahmed. "The young people are coming who know nothing about the culture, about customary law, about the history of Somaliland." The constitution provides no direction on how Guurti members should be chosen, saying simply that "the members of the House of Elders shall be elected in a manner to be determined by law." A law governing this decision has yet to be drafted. "We believe that Somaliland's democratization has made tremendous progress. But there are many challenges ahead with the Guurti,” said Mohamed A. Mohamoud, executive director of the Somaliland Non-State Actors Forum (SONSAF). There are also accusations that the Guurti has lost independence and now bows to pressure from the president. Its unilateral decision to postpone presidential elections in 2008 was viewed by many as a sign that their impartiality had been compromised. "A lot of the descendants of the original members see it as a business opportunity. That's not in keeping with the original ethos," Paice told IRIN. Traditionally, elders were not paid for their services on peace-keeping and arbitration. In addition, many consider the Guurti ill-equipped to handle some of their legislative responsibilities. "There is by no means universal literacy in the Guurti," Paice added. "If it's a 450-page finance bill, this is problematic." "Tradition is very important for peace-building, but not for state-building," noted Hersi. "Elders can build peace, but they cannot build a state." Some analysts say the Guurti needs to be more gender-inclusive in its representation. Traditionally, women are not appointed clan elders, and the first House of Elders after Borama was an all-male body. Since then, a few women have inherited seats from their husbands, but they still represent a very small minority. "Cultural and religious misperceptions undermine women's political participation," said the NAGAAD Network's Hassan. She argues that while women play an important mediation role in within Somaliland society, they are significantly underrepresented in terms of political participation. She also points out that because women were not included in the drafting of the constitution, no special protections for them exist within the current legislative framework. Photo: Charles Roffey/Flickr Need for gender inclusivity in the Guurti (file photo) NAGAAD and other civil society organizations lobbied for a bill in parliament that introduced the idea of reserved quotas for women and minorities for elected positions. Although the proposed legislation had the support of the current president, it was thrown out by the House of Representatives.