HELP US TO REBUILD SOMALILAND, SAYS ELECTION HOPEFUL

[Suldaanka]

Source: Evening Post Newspaper, Bristol. UK

 

The man hoping to be the next president of the self-styled Republic of Somaliland, has told people from the region in Bristol that their country needs them. Faisal Ali Waraabe, chairman of the opposition party UCID, was in the city to bring supporters up to date with the political situation in the breakaway Republic of Somaliland, which in 1991 declared itself independent from the east African country of Somalia.

 

Mr Waraabe said that there was excellent support for his party from the 150 people in Bristol who attended St Paul's Academy to hear him speak.

 

Decades of strife in the region led to thousands of people leaving Somaliland and neighbouring Somalia.

 

But Mr Waraabe said there was a feeling of optimism in Somaliland that the peace and stability which has been established there since the late 1990s will remain.

 

Before it was merged with a former Italian colony to form Somalia, Somaliland was a British colony and the majority of asylum seekers from the region now in Bristol are from Somaliland.

 

Mr Waraabe said he hoped that people would feel safe enough to go back.

 

He said: "We are very optimistic about the future of Somaliland.

 

"The most important thing to people in my country is peace and stability.

 

"I believe we can now sustain that, because there has been a positive move towards embracing democracy.

 

"I know there are a lot of people who left Somaliland because of the violence, many are in Bristol.

 

"We have got very good support from our members here, and in the rest of Britain.

 

"I would say to them that they can come back to Somaliland and help us to rebuild our country and to make it a modern democratic nation.

 

"There are a lot of professionals and highly qualified people in Britain and the rest of Europe who are not able to use their skills here but would be able to in Somaliland."

 

Mr Waraabe said security was a top priority and foreign nationals and those returning home should feel safer.

 

He also called for more partnerships and links between Bristol and cities in Somaliland.

 

He said: "We are hoping to build partnerships between the two countries and with Bristol.

 

"So far we have had training for our emergency services but we need more expert advice to help us achieve the system and infrastructure we need."

 

He added: "The future for Somaliland is looking very good and I hope that next year my party will be able to win a majority of seats in the Parliament.

 

"Two years after that I will be running for President, and now that we have embraced democracy, I believe we can make Somaliland a modern, important African country."

 

The UK Foreign Office website states that while the peace and stability in Somaliland is "widely acknowledged", Somaliland has not received formal recognition from the international community