Hope In the Horn of Africa

[Gediid]

Here 's an interesting article. Hope in the Horn of Africa

[SamiGyrl]

Here is the article in full

 

Hope in the Horn of Africa

Posted to the web 14:43 May 01 2003

 

May 01 2003 The quiet American noticed the blue on his chinos and cursed: "Goddamn! These are my good pants." Then, as Somalilanders queued in the blazing sun outside to vote in their first presidential elections, he told the waiter: "You may prepare my lunch."

 

The man from the United States embassy in Nairobi was not one of the 35 international observers who came to witness Dahir Riyale Kahin squeak in as the first elected president of this enclave of relative stability on the troubled Horn of Africa.

 

With much bigger fish to fry across the Gulf of Aden, the US was not one of the 15 countries that sent observers to this country that has been shunned by the international community since breaking its union with Somalia 12 years ago.

 

Nevertheless the American tucked into his rock lobster taken only hours earlier off the coast at Berbera. That port still boasts the longest aircraft runway. It was built by the Russians and later extended by the Americans, testifying to the ebb and flow of the Cold War in this country that has pulled itself up by its bootstraps.

 

The American networked as furiously as the other observers, tainting as potential CIA agents the Somalilanders he spoke to as surely as the ink had ruined his trousers. That blue stamp pad refill ink and the carpet of green qat leaves littered the floor of every polling station in Somaliland.

 

Despite their straitened circumstances the men of this country spend $600 000 a day buying the qat from neighbouring Ethiopia. They spend most afternoons chewing on the leaves to get the appetite suppressing and alertness enhancing affects of the amphetamine they contain. Donor countries might complain about the squandering of their aid on this mild drug - if there were donor countries.

 

Somaliland is growing despite the international community, not because of it. It gets no loans or other assistance from the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.

 

Proud as they are of this achievement, Somalilanders resist the temptation to give the rest of the world the finger.

 

All three candidates in last week's presidential race were united on the need for the international community to give them credit for the democratic progress they have made so far.

 

Last December they elected local councils. Last week they peacefully returned Kahin by a mere 80 votes.

 

Kahin is a rather dour, Moscow-trained soldier who became vice-president under president Mohamed Egal, a giant of post-colonial Africa.

 

When Egal died of complications after kidney surgery in Pretoria last May, Kahin stepped up to the plate in terms of the Constitution approved by a referendum in 2001.

 

Last week's narrow victory presents complications for this struggling country. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, who lost the presidential race, told me on the eve of the poll that he was not entirely happy with the campaigning.

 

The ruling UDUP party has used state resources to promote Kahin's campaign, he charged. Nevertheless, he would accept the outcome of the vote, whatever the result.

 

"I do this out of respect for Somaliland voters," he said.

 

The polling, although peaceful and transparent, was by no means technically perfect. Many of the polling stations I visited in the capital had to close for an hour or more because of a shortage of ballot papers.

 

Silanyo's Kulmiye Party emerged as the clear winner in Hargeisa. Silanyo thus has good reasons to ask: what if? His party spoke of legally testing the outcome of the election, saying there were problems with the count.

 

Interestingly, observers concurred that the counting - with agents from each of the three candidates present at all the polling stations - was the strongest feature of the election.

 

Silanyo cancelled a planned mass protest outside the national electoral commission office in Hargeisa last Tuesday.

 

By week's end it appeared he might be willing to join a government of

 

national unity. Beleaguered Somalilanders have a history of putting national unity and stability above all else.

 

Silanyo will soon have another opportunity to show his party's strength. Kahin has promised to have parliamentary elections next year.

 

The country, with a $30-million annual budget, has spent $2,5-million on elections this past year.

 

The seven-man electoral commission, selected by government, opposition and the council of elders, had its work cut out. Somaliland does not have a voters' roll because the country has never had a census.

 

The best that observers could do last week was opine that democracy had been served by the election. The British government representative wanted something more substantive - particularly that emotive appellation "free and fair". Britain is softening its line on the colony it granted independence in 1960 - a few days before the emergent country entered into a union with the former Italian colony of Somalia.

 

A second point uniting the major Somaliland parties is total rejection of repeating that mistake. "We wish them well and some day we might even have a special relationship. But right now we want nothing to do with them," said Faizal Ali Warabe, the third presidential candidate and leader of the minority UCID Party. "We can forgive but we cannot forget what happened."

 

Somaliland bonded with Somalia in search of the impossible dream of a greater Somalia that would include parts of Ethiopia and Kenya. But it soon became clear to Somalilanders that they had drawn the short straw. The top jobs and the real power all went to Mogadishu.

 

Somali dictator Siad Barre cruelly smashed his opponents in Somaliland. His Hawker Hunter jets, some piloted by South African mercenaries paid by the sortie, took off from Hargeisa to bomb the Somaliland capitals. Barre's artillery razed what the bombs did not flatten. Hargeisa was deserted from 1988 until Barre fell in 1991.

 

The break of the union followed shortly afterwards as Somalilanders returned from refugee camps in Ethiopia. Many did not return and today comprise the 300 000 Somalilanders in the diaspora whose remittances comprise the largest source of income to this country.

 

A two-year politically motivated ban on Somaliland's livestock imports to Saudi Arabia has curtailed what was once the country's major earner. However, the port Berbera is becoming a good earner as a lifeline to landlocked Ethiopia.

 

The regional power is using Berbera to bring in the food aid on which it once again relies. Ethiopia says it much appreciates the peace and stability in Somaliland. Its trade office in Hargeisa is the only form of diplomatic representation in the capital.

 

Ethiopia admits it will have to be the second country to recognise Somaliland. Becoming the first would pose unacceptable problems in relations with Egypt that insists on a united Somalia.

 

Nevertheless, Ethiopia insists it will not allow Somaliland to be forced into any unity with the south. Somaliland has shunned the Somali peace talks in Nairobi, which have produced a transitional government that controls only a few city blocks in Mogadishu.

 

All three candidates told me that they would like to see South Africa become the first country to tie the knot with Hargeisa.

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has invited her Somaliland counterpart to visit South Africa. However, South Africa is unlikely to break ranks with the African Union while it holds the presidency of that organisation.

 

Which brings us back to the American.

 

He was looking at more than a presidential race with a million voters. The US base in neighbouring Djibouti is held largely at the whim of the French, who maintain a strong hold over their former colony. Having a foothold at the top of the Horn is imperative to US strategic needs.

 

There was talk last year of the US opening a liaison office in Hargeisa as it could not operate in Mogadishu. Following the humiliating US withdrawal from Mogadishu after being given a bloody nose by a low-tech warlord, mention of Somali-anything remains a turnoff in Washington.

 

However, the magic word oil is increasingly being touted around Hargeisa. Exploration off Somaliland has produced promising results. These still have to be confirmed. For this, US oil companies need not remind their government, there has to be continuity and stability.

 

Somalilanders could find their moral arguments and democratic ideals eclipsed by their undersea wealth.

 

Jean-Jacques Cornish, Hargeisa

Source: Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)

 

 

Monsieur tres gentil, merci Monsieur Jean Jacques, bon soir, a demain.

 

-Citizen Sami

[Gabbal]

ETHIOPIAN PLOTS OVER SOMALIA

 

 

The history of East Africa is a witness to religious transgressions by the Christian Ethiopians against the Muslim Somalis who seem to inherit these transgressions with every new generation. These incursions date back to the Islamic kingdoms of Taraz and continue through the eras of the Ethiopian occupation of the Somali lands including Harar. From 1977 to these days, when we see Jihad going through its highest stage, no sooner that we see the people recuperate from war for a short period of time that we see it going again and raging fiercely. The war throughout these years was one where victory was shifting between the two parties, as is the nature of the war between truth and falsehood. However, there are elements which accompanied this war and distinguished its battles, amongst which are:

 

1- Ongoing support from Christian countries to Ethiopia in its battles against the Muslims and their supplies of troops, money, and arms, in addition to political support. Everytime the Christian throne in this area began to topple, and the Muslims appear to be nearing victory, these countries would rush to help Ethiopia and stand by its side.

 

As a contemporary example of the assistance of Christian countries to Ethiopia, America has been reported in the book "The red sea and the Arab Israeli conflict", "Ethiopia received from the United States between 1953 and 1974 economic aid to the value of 35 million dollars, and military aid to the value of 2,786 million dollars, these amounts were 50% of the aid which America paid to the entire African continent during this period." There was also a defense alliance between America and Ethiopia for 25 years until it was discontinued by Mangisto Hila Mariam.

 

Mahmoud Shaker referreded in his book "Islamic History" to a speech made by the American minister of defense Robert McNamara before an armed forces committee sponsored by the American Congress which included: "The center of our interests in Africa is Ethiopia, and some of the other African countries...."

 

When Ethiopia was about to fall into a political quagmire, America rushed to make amends between the government of Mangisto and the other groups, which finally led to the departure of Mangisto from Addis Ababa and his taking refuge in Zimbabwe. All this took place in accordance to the plans and the blessings of America in order to rescue Christianity and to further block the emergence of the Muslims in the region, and to remove the opportunity for the Muslims to have self determination. They also sponsored the Jabray front which is the more fundamentalist Christian group. When the militias of this group went into Addis Ababa, the West -at the forefront of which was America- stood by its side. America continues to this day to pour vast amounts of money on this group in addition to the provision of military support where there are 5000 American troops at the Debrezit air base. These American forces also partook in the three prong attacks on Mujahideen bases in Western Somalia in April 1994. Added to this are their political support and the other types of aid. BBC reported an article from the "James Defense weekly" that the Ethiopian defense minister admitted that America promised his government additional military aid including military jets, and that America also promised to organize the Ethiopian army which currently works as tribal militias most of whom are from Tigray. The report added that an American agent visited Addis Ababa in February and expressed his approval of the policies which are being pursued by the governing regime in Addis Ababa. This clearly indicates that the policies of invasions and transgressions which Ethiopia is pursuing in the African Horn are taking place under American planning and direction. The report also mentioned that Ethiopia is no longer of the same strategic value to America after the split of Eritrea as it is now a closed country with no sea port. However, America continues to use it as a trump card against the Muslim countries in the region.

 

2- Amongst the important elements which distinguished this war is the fact that Ethiopia dreamed throughout this war to reach the waters of the red sea, as it also had expansionist designs claiming that the Muslims are invaders with no right of existence in EastAfrica. This had been claimed openlyby the kings and heads of government of Ethiopia on numerous occasions.

 

Ethiopian plots did not stop at this, they in fact strived continuously to affect the internal politics of Somalia through introducing puppets into Somali government and society in order to overtake Somalia and contain it.

 

During the Djibouti meeting between Mangisto and Ziyyad Barry in 1986, Mangisto demanded that the seaside city of Zilg be given to him in exchange for his withdrawal from Belanby and Jaldujob which were occupied by Ethiopia after the 1977 war.

 

The Tigray front which is governing in Addis Ababa continues to look for a sea port as did its predecessor governments. What is new now is the creation of opportunities for this group which had not been created for any previous Ethiopian government, through the fact that there is no longer a government, not even a weak one, which means that the traditional enemy "Somalia" no longer demands any concern. Added to this is the fact that all the fighting groups in Somalia arose and received their nursing in the laps of Ethiopia.

 

From a second view, Ethiopia organizes mass migrations to Somalia. A responsible source in Somalia confirmed that Ethiopia is conspiring to change the demography of the coastal cities in Somalia. These mass migrations come at a time when the Somalis are fleeing their country and migrating away from the famine and lack of security, Ethiopia in turn helps these people by granting them an Ethiopian passport despite knowing their different nationality. In addition to this, the media in the West are giving an image of Somalia as a jungle with wild beasts which prey on all that go to it!! These Ethiopian migrants currently form a sizable minority in the major cities in Somalia, in particular the coastal cities. Ajjal has announced the granting of citizenship to those so called Ethiopian refugees in Hergisa at a time when the people in Hergisa are receiving the worst treatment in the camps in Ethiopia. Evidence at hand indicates that these Ethiopian refugees are heavily armed which is helping them to counter any obstacle in the way of their establishing in Somalia.

 

From a third view, Ethiopia is striving vigorously to remove a psychological barrier and the enmity with the Somalis against the Christian Ethiopians so that they can overlook the Ethiopian transgressions. There is also an international Christian cooperation to prepare the climate for this. The Christian countries, which opened their doors for the migration of the Somalis, moved their offices, which usually met the refugees, from Kenya to Addis Ababa in order to associate the Somalis with Ethiopia as their original capital as desired by the Christian West. There was also an opening of a new Radio station in Addis Ababa which broadcasts its programs in the Somali language and is funded by an International Children's Fund in order to present an alternative for the Mogadishu station and Radio Hergisa, and in order to confuse the Somalis with the Ethiopian propaganda. This station also sends correspondents to Somalia to conduct interviews in order to influence public opinion.

 

What is worse and more cunning than this are the incursions of the Ethiopian forces into Somali territory including the cities of Bourma, Jibily, and Jalkiyu, where they go on raids, steal what they can and extensively place land mines in various areas. They have also fired their weapons on many occasions at the mosque of Bourma leading to the wounding of members of the Islamic Union who were offering prayers. Information on hand also indicates that Western organizations are paying particular attention to the region of Udil where the city of Bourma is, and they are working on opening roads and paths, the plots behind these activities are presently unknown.

 

It would not be unexpected if Ethiopia declares soon its annexation of Udil in view of their presence there, and in view of the fact that it has a sea port into the Red sea and it has the city of Zilg which Mangisto attempted to take previously. It is also the closest seaside city to Ethiopia, with the city of Bourma being no more than 120 kilometers away from Bourma. Another claim is the fact that the tribe of Jedbirsy which lives in the area is a weak tribe with many branches inside Ethiopia.

 

The military commander in the occupied Somali territory sent both oral and written messages in July last year to the leaders in the city of Las'nud, threatening the population of Las'nud with aerial bombardment and a military invasion if they do not put a stop to the Muslim Da'wa efforts, under the claim that they are a source of stress and threat to the Ethiopian government.

 

On the ninth of August 1996, Ethiopia launched heavy military campaigns both on land and in the air against the city of Jidu in Southern Somalia. This campaign was restricted to the cities which were under Islamic control in the area, with the Ethiopian invasion killing scores of innocent civilians and destroying many suburbs, ports and mosques where the name of Allah is mentioned. All these efforts are to destroy the alert elements in Somalia and the people who are calling to Islam, in order for the air to be clear for them to corrupt the land and take it over.

 

What removes any doubt that the plan to take over the Somali ports had begun; is the report of the Ethiopian minister for transport, who is of Somali origin, to the BBC, that his government intends to expand its economic activities and requires a number of ports to use for their exports and imports. He also announced on his return from Djibouti that his government's state of readiness to use the neighboring ports including Barbara, Busasu, Mogadishu, Bourma, and Mombassa for 40% of their needs. An extradition treaty had also been signed prior to this announcement between Ijal and Addis Ababa which included the pursuit of suspects over each others borders. This treaty included the use of the Barbara ports without payment of taxes or port duties.

 

In summary, the government of Ethiopia will not stop or spare an effort until it occupies a sea port and annexes this to its territory, there is no doubt that it is preparing to take over Somalia whilst its people are in a state of civil war. However, there continues to be some obstacles in their way which they are planning to remove, these obstacles include:

 

1 - The Jihad in Western Somalia. This had become obvious after the invasion which America and Eritrea took part in as allies with Ethiopia against the Mujahideen in Western Somalia in 1994. In this respect America promised vast amounts of money and armaments in order to close the boundary with Somalia. This was a mere preface to the conspiracy to take over the important cities such as Bourma and Birhidly. Ethiopian forces have already reached these cities and are threatening to disarm the people. However, when the Mujahideen increased their attacks using the militia strategy, the Christian alliance became distracted from their advance on Somalia. This clarifies the importance of Jihad in Western Somalia and the fact that it forms a Strategic post for the revival of the Muslims of Somalia.

 

2 - The sincere teachers of Islam, the callers to the way of Allah are constantly working to revive and advice society and enlighten them with respect to the reality of their situation and what dangers they are facing. For this reason the Christian front began to ambush the Muslim teachers. The nefarious Christians have so far assassinated Shaykh Abdul Qader who is an Imam in a Mosque in Bourma, whilst on his way to perform the night prayer. We have already mentioned their firing into a mosque in the same city.

 

3 - Instability in Ethiopia as the matter has not seeped into the Tigray front yet, for the Amhiru are ready to pounce as are the Urmu, who are preparing to reclaim their rights which had been usurped a few centuries before. The elections which took place in Addis Ababa were mere efforts to calm the situation.

 

4 - The language barrier which is making it difficult for them to easily mix with the Somalis, for this reason, they are expending a great deal of effort to leathe Somali language, many of which have this task .

 

 

By: Abu Hammam Al-Ibrahimi,

Islamic Research Institute/Kuwait

[Grinov]

Hornafrique, you are one of a heck of a Nationalist. its funny though,.keep it up dude

[Thinkerman]

Grinov sxb you shouldnt be so quick to dismiss ppl's contributions outright and label them this or that.

 

Both articles where very interesting.

[Rakim]

shuju...who labeled who ?? I don't see any!

 

The bottom Article makes more sense and full of realities than the first one about the real hope of Horn of Africa.

 

HornAfrique......Nice sharing with us bro!

[Grinov]

My dear brother shujui zaaana, i DIDN'T dismiss anyone's article, but i was taken by the tenacity of Horn. He is indeed a rare Patriotic Breed for Somalia

 

keep it coming guys, this is really getting funny

[Thinkerman]

Dont worry about it Rakim, maybe its just em seeing things.

[AYOUB]

nice article, thanks for that Gediid.

Hornafrique what's up bro? do you have to hijack every post? how many debates have you destroyed with some long and irrelevant posts? next time just post them with the topics which already provided.

somaliland is going places and not towards the south!

Samigyrl nice to see you around again babe

[LANDER]

Both interesting articles,

 

The article on Somaliland speaks volumes about the character of our people. I hope we can continue in the path of improving and strengthening our nation. We need no recognition from pitiful governments such as Egypt and Saudi-Arabia who are slaves to will of the Americans. In my eyes we are self-determinant and the only approval we need is that of our masses. The biggest fear I have in the future is of the US and their greed for oil. This “hyper-puissance” as the French would say can grant us all the needed international recognition with the lifting of their small finger. You can bet their puppet governments (i.e. Egypt , Saudi Arabia) would fall in line afterwards, just like the rest of the weakling African states. So when people make the argument that we are not recognized by these ladder nations, I start to….lol…and lol…some more. Saudi Arabia a nation built on Bedouin culture and ruled by one of the biggest disgraces to the history of Islamic nations (King Fahd). Egypt, with a president who’s been nicknamed “La Vache Qui rit” or “The smiling Cow” by his own people for his submission to the Americans and his treachery to the cause of muslim people world wide (Hosni Mubarak). Are these the people we expect to stand by our side?……ha ha ha..gimme a break. As far as I’m concerned they are close to irrelevancy when it comes to gaining international recognition. But back to my point about the US. I’m afraid that they might make some very tempting offers to us with minimal effort on their side, in exchange for the exploitation of our nations resources. We do not want to become another Saudi Arabia and this poses great concern.

 

HornAfrique

 

I honestly have to say I admire your willingness to try and bring about Somali Unity through the introduction of a perceived common threat. This is would be a noble cause if you were not politically motivated in contradicting Gediid’s pro-secessionist views. With that being said, need I remind you the people of Somaliland have the most engaged history of conflict with Ethiopia. Our ancestors fought many times with the Amhari Christian Empire including the battles that lead to the occupation and near destruction of that empire lead by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ghazi in the 1500’s. Do not think for a second we are unaware of the intentions of Ethiopia, however we should still maintain our strategic economic alliance with them. They need a port because they’ve been land locked by Eritrea and we need trade because our so called muslim brothers have put trade embargoes on us (Saudi Arabia). If you were sincere in your hopes of challenging the Ethiopian threats, you should find a realistic way of bringing about commonalities amongst all Somali peoples. By opposing the independence and sovereignty of Somaliland, you and most other Somalis make it hard for us to find common ground in order to pin our interest and present a united front where the Habashis are concerned. Until the rest of Somalis find some charismatic leadership amongst themselves, Somaliland will continue to pursue its own interest.

[Gabbal]

I honestly have to say I admire your willingness to try and bring about Somali Unity through the introduction of a perceived common threat.

Lander aboow first of all let me just say that history has showed that the Somali people are united when they have a perceived or present common enemy, i.e The Empire of Ethiopia. Second of all it's funny how you try to bring logic to an idea that is illogical. How can we confront Ethiopia's hidden agendas on our people when we are divided?

 

Emperor Haile Sellassie himself made his formal claim to our nation/state in his speech at Gabredare in the Ogaden on August 25, l956:

 

"The people of ex-Italian, British, French Somaliland are to achieve independence in the near future. We are confident that they will also remember that unity is strength, even as the Eritreans recognized that unity is strength. Not only they, but the whole world will recognize that we are united by race, color, economics, and that we all drink from the same great river. . .As to the rumors of a greater Somalia, we consider that all the Somali peoples are economically linked with all Ethiopia and, therefore, we do not believe that such a State can be viable standing alone separated from Ethiopia. We will speak of this more fully when the proper time comes.

uhm.

 

Is this what you want? For our peoples and lands to be engulfed in a larger empirical habash state?

[SamiGyrl]

So let me get this straight the only time we are united is when we have a common enemy well that is true with all people not just somalis, and by the way if that is all the keeps us together then what good is unity, for if we break ethiopia we will just turn on each other. As we did before, and even then we did not beat ethiopia, and we sstill killed each other after that, so what now?

[Gediid]

HornAfrique

I am a bit confused walaahi,I mean what is the purpose of your article following mine.My article talks of development and people moving forward with their lifes.The whole purpose of my article was to enlighten this honoured forum on all the positive things that the people of Somaliland have achieved in so short a time.I also wanted to show this young forum that even though they hear of so much negativity when it comes to Somalis all is not lost and somewhere someplace where Somalis live,people still endure and survive honourably.I wanted them to feel that all is well in a land where Somalis inhabit and the people there continue to preserve the dignity of Somalis and uphold their name.

That was my whole motive,what's your's???????

[Gabbal]

What hope in the Horn of Africa did the article you brought talk about. Instead of writing about real hope, this article was a politically motivated peice that basically layed waste to the Somali people that live in that part of Somalia.

 

Example:

 

Silanyo's Kulmiye Party emerged as the clear winner in Hargeisa. Silanyo thus has good reasons to ask: what if? His party spoke of legally testing the outcome of the election, saying there were problems with the count.

Since Kaahin was elected "president" this quote implies that the voting was a hoax. Which is contradictory to what "Somaliland" is selling to the world of free and fair elections.

 

Example:

 

Despite their straitened circumstances the men of this country spend $600 000 a day buying the qat from neighbouring Ethiopia. They spend most afternoons chewing on the leaves to get the appetite suppressing and alertness enhancing affects of the amphetamine they contain. Donor countries might complain about the squandering of their aid on this mild drug - if there were donor countries.

And you Geediid said

I also wanted to show this young forum that even though they hear of so much negativity when it comes to Somalis all is not lost and somewhere someplace where Somalis live

This article was written by a careless journalist and I think the only highlights of it were when he wrote that Ethiopia will not be the first to recognize "Somaliland" and that South Africa will not even want to recognize it.

 

 

If you want to write about the hopes, dignity, and endurance of our people please bring meaningful articles like this:

 

April 25, 2003

Nairobi

 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has launched a prototype community project in parts of the Somali capital Mogadishu which it hopes will be expanded to cover the entire city.

 

The project, implemented by a local NGO, SAACID (Somali for 'To Help'), has employed 600 local people (300 men and 300 women) and hired private sector hauliers to remove sand and garbage from the streets of Mogadishu.

 

The scheme, launched earlier this month, is being carried out in six of the city's 16 districts for a period of three months.

 

"The project is seen very much as a test case to determine whether it is possible to operate effectively in war-ravaged Mogadishu," said Joe Connolly, the project's chief technical adviser.

 

He said extensive discussions were held with community, clan, business and political leaders ahead of the work, and the project has generally received widespread support.

 

"The ILO views access to decent work as a basic human right and a critical factor in support of economic recovery, reconciliation and peace," Connolly added.

 

"Hopefully this relatively simple project will act as a first step for an expanded and more structured employment-intensive project that will cover all of the 16 districts," he said.

 

The ILO hopes the project will also act as a foundation on which to build long term community-based economic development initiatives.

 

Connolly noted that similar projects had already been launched successfully in post-conflict countries such as Mozambique, Bosnia, Serbia, Cambodia, East Timor and Colombia. They include core elements of local ownership, an integrated approach to addressing people's needs, gender and adherence to ILO decent work principles.

[Gediid]

HornAfrique

Do you not speak enough English to comprehend a simple article.

Here are some of your thoughts regarding the article that you need to look more closely at.

 

Quote

quote: Silanyo's Kulmiye Party emerged as the clear winner in Hargeisa. Silanyo thus has good reasons to ask: what if? His party spoke of legally testing the outcome of the election, saying there were problems with the count.

Since Kaahin was elected "president" this quote implies that the voting was a hoax. Which is contradictory to what "Somaliland" is selling to the world of free and fair elections.

 

I think they are just trying to say here that Silaanyo will be contesting the result through peaceful means..."Legally testing" being the keyword here.

 

 

And another quote from HornAfrique

 

quote: Despite their straitened circumstances the men of this country spend $600 000 a day buying the qat from neighbouring Ethiopia. They spend most afternoons chewing on the leaves to get the appetite suppressing and alertness enhancing affects of the amphetamine they contain. Donor countries might complain about the squandering of their aid on this mild drug - if there were donor countries.

 

Here the author seems to imply that Somaliland is not receieving any aid from the donor nations in the West and what ever they have achieved is through internal means.Period.

 

I honestly think that whenever you see the name Somaliland you rush to conclusions and in your haste to reply you sometimes forget what the person is alluding to.

 

As regards to developments that are positive in nature affecting any Somali any where in this world I will extol them and hold them in highest regards.

The irony of all this is that you go out of your way to portray yourself as a diehard nationalist but your daily display of negativity towards Somaliland and its achievements show the opposite .

 

Lastly a word of advice that I have learned over the years and found unvaluable dealing with people Concentrate on a person's positive side to gain support for what you believe in. and make sure you commend them on that, not jump the gun and criticise.

Gracias