Somaliland: So far from Somalia...

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Somaliland: So far from Somalia...

 

The plane that the air force of Siad Barre used to bomb the city during the civil war — mounted on a monument. Photo/Fred Oluoch

By RED OLUOCH

 

Posted Thursday, June 13 2013 at 13:21

 

In Summary

 

Somaliland with a population of 3.5 million is peaceful, has a functioning civil service, judiciary and police and has held five multiparty elections.

 

 

Somaliland, on the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea, is a major contrast to troubled Somalia, its southern neighbour. The people are fiercely protective of their sovereignty even though the international community has not recognised the country as an independent state.

 

Since its breakaway from Somalia following the fall of Siad Barre’s government in 1991, Somaliland with a population of 3.5 million, has created working institutions such as the judiciary, the police, a functioning civil service. The country has maintained peace and has held five successive multiparty elections.

 

Somaliland’s links with the better-known Somalia are through language and religion, but the culture is different. Somalilanders are trying to balance maintaining their unique identity with borrowing a few things from their southern brothers. For example, while all vehicles are right hand drives, they still drive on the right side of the road like in the south — unusual anywhere in the world. Countries that drive on the left typically have right-hand drive cars, and vice versa.

 

In Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland and the second largest city in the whole of Somalia, three currencies are used interchangeably. One can use the US dollar and get change in Somaliland shillings. Some hotels also accept the Ethiopian birr.

 

Money can be changed on the streets, and money changers are everywhere with heaps of Somaliland shillings. It is a sign that the country is free of thieves. Hargeisa is safe compared with Mogadishu; one can walk the streets at night without worrying about their safety.

 

The 160km road from Berbera to Hargeisa is in relatively good condition, having been built by the Chinese 25 years ago. However, some of the link roads in Hargeisa are gravel roads that give drivers a hard time.

 

Construction is booming in Somaliland. One of the key features of Hargeisa is the plane that the air force of former president Siad Barre used to bomb the city to pulp during the civil war in 1991.

The plane was shot down and it is now mounted as a monument and a reminder of the dark period the country underwent.

 

Indeed, Siad Barre is anathema to Somalilanders and the mention of the name elicits epithets at a man who mistreated the people of Somaliland before and during the civil war.

 

State House, where President Mohammed Silanyo lives, is located within the city and ordinary people have easy access to it. Just like Somalia, the Somalilanders love their conversation and can spend hours talking till late in the evening. Although Somaliland does not strike one as a strictly Muslim region, alcohol is not available and city dwellers take their prayers seriously.

 

Despite having been part of Somalia until 22 years ago, Somaliland has little day-to-day connection with Somalia. The people are proud to have broken away and nearly everybody defends their separateness.

 

Any suggestion that they should reunite with Somalia is met with scorn, on the grounds that they don’t want to import chaos into a country that has remained peaceful for 22 years.

 

The former British Somaliland gained its independence on June 26, 1960, five days before their Italian-controlled counterpart in the south.

 

But on July 1, 1960, when Somalia gained independence, Somaliland decided to join hands with its southern neighbour to realise the Greater Somaliland dream. This dream sought to unite the two with three other regions inhabited by ethnic Somali — French Somaliland (currently Djibouti), the ****** region in eastern Ethiopia, and the North Eastern Frontier in north-eastern Kenya.

 

Despite the dream having caused the Shifta War in Kenya in the early 1960s as Kenyans of Somali origin sought to secede, it is now a dead dream and Somalilanders do not entertain any suggestion of unity with Somalia.

 

Entering and leaving the airport in Berbera is expensive. One has to pay $34 for the visa fees and on leaving, one has to part with $10 for security checks, and a further $34 for airport tax.

[Alpha Blondy]

Xaaji Xunjuf;962449 wrote:

 

 

this should be permanently sculptured into iron. its falling apart. also the surrounding area from (banka dheexe branch 2 to the central bank) should be have flowers, a water fountain, benches and fenced-off. it has the potential to become a proper national monument - permanent, symbolic and unyielding.

[Mad_Mullah]

Somaliland deserves its independence. No matter what HAG or Puntland says. If your foot is infested, you cut it off. That's what the Somalia is.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

goorma ruunta leysu sheegaya? Somaliland built its first street in 2013, this civil society can't even muscle waste management let alone anything and the salaries of members of this "government" are paid by the UN. ictiraaf iyo siad barre ba shaqo laga degtay. goodness

[rudy-Diiriye]

Hmm...I thought the key feature of Hargeisa was NAASO HABLOOD!! And the other shyte in this article is that, it was written by a non somali person!

 

Basically, some foreigner got paid to write this bs!! I guess, no one in sillyland can write an english word since they all busy trying to figure out why no other nation in planet earth is ready to recognize them!!

 

I think that they should drop the somali part from their name and come up with a different name like SOL-LAND!! LOL... Hopefully, this might help with this wet dream.

[Marksman]

I think this was written in the EastAfrican website. A day after on KTN there was a discussion on a tv program in Kenya and 1 Kenyan 'expert' called for Somalia to be divided into two states.

[Alpha Blondy]

haters gonna hate.

[Saalax]

Alpha Blondy;962589 wrote:

haters gonna hate.

Indeed.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

They first said Somaliland will be pressured by the UK to attend the Somalia conference when Somaliland said no we will not attend.Than they said Somaliland needs the UN and Aid from the UN , Somaliland told the UN to go to Mogadishu and Somalia no unsom office will be opened in Somaliland.

 

Somaliland doesn't need the west to exist, its Somalia that needs AU troops UN and other agencies to live with out the international community Somalia cannot exist that's the truth.Somaliland exists on the back and the strength of the people of Somaliland. Not because some white dude in a suit tells them to do this and that, hellow this is not Somalia.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Marksman;962576 wrote:

I think this was written in the EastAfrican website. A day after on KTN there was a discussion on a tv program in Kenya and 1 Kenyan 'expert' called for Somalia to be divided into two states.

Well thats a good thing, whats the Name of that Kenyan,

[Mad_Mullah]

Xaaji Xunjuf;962633 wrote:

They first said Somaliland will be pressured by the UK to attend the Somalia conference when Somaliland said no we will not attend.Than they said Somaliland needs the UN and Aid from the UN , Somaliland told the UN to go to Mogadishu and Somalia no unsom office will be opened in Somaliland.

 

Somaliland doesn't need the west to exist, its Somalia that needs AU troops UN and other agencies to live with out the international community Somalia cannot exist that's the truth.Somaliland exists on the back and the strength of the people of Somaliland. Not because some white dude in a suit tells them to do this and that, hellow this is not Somalia.

+1

 

I don't know how people can argue with this when their country is overrun with Africans.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

The Kenyan media has been publishing Somaliland articles the past few days this is very interesting development

 

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Somaliland-has-spoken/-/2558/1883674/-/ixd8dj/-/index.html

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Mad_Mullah;962635 wrote:

+1

 

I don't know how people can argue with this when their country is overrun with Africans.

See Mad mullah Somalilanders do not look for solutions in Foreign Countries, Somalilanders sort out their problems under a tree the traditional way. These people in Somalia cannot survive a day with out general Bahuku. These people cant even tie their own shoelaces. They are 24/7 under supervision. The Turks feed them the AU troops protect them, they have no understanding when it comes to governance state building.Peace making conflict resolution. All that is missing when something goes wrong they call in a UN officer to come with a solution always a European or some African from a 3rd world country comes in between them. And instruct them what to do next. Yet they have the indho adayg to talk about unity Somaliweyn pan Somalism but they cannot even unite 2 sub clans.

[Mad_Mullah]

Xaaji Xunjuf;962651 wrote:

See Mad mullah Somalilanders do not look for solutions in Foreign Countries, Somalilanders sort out their problems under a tree the traditional way. These people in Somalia cannot survive a day with out general Bahuku. These people cant even tie their own shoelaces. They are 24/7 under supervision. The Turks feed them the AU troops protect them, they have no understanding when it comes to governance state building.Peace making conflict resolution. All that is missing when something goes wrong they call in a UN officer to come with a solution always a European or some African from a 3rd world country comes in between them. And instruct them what to do next. Yet they have the indho adayg to talk about unity Somaliweyn pan Somalism but they cannot even unite 2 sub clans.

+1

[kickz]

All though I would like a United Somalia I don't see why Somaliland can't be like Djibouti and be independent.. Perhaps we can form our own

UAE with all the different regions.