SOMALILAND PUSHES FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

[fagash_killer]

Somaliland Pushes for International Recognition
By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
28 September 2005

Somali women in Somaliland sing and applaud outside a polling station in Hargeisa, (2003 file photo)
Voters in northwestern Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland head to the polls Thursday.

The upcoming legislative elections highlight the region's 14-year struggle to be recognized internationally as an independent republic.

As foreign minister Edna Adan Ismail sees it, Somaliland meets all the criteria of being an independent nation.

She refers to the self-declared republic as an "island of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa," a model for other African countries to follow.

On the line from her office in the capital Hargeisa,

Ms. Ismail tells VOA there are so many historical, cultural, political, and other differences between Somaliland and Somalia as to make the two separate entities.

The big clincher, she says, is that the people of Somaliland themselves have agreed to be peaceful and to support a functioning, democratic government that maintains stability in the area.

"We are gaining from law and stability," she said. "Our economy is thriving, our people are coming back from refugee camps, we have more children going to school in Somaliland today than have ever done in our past. We have better health facilities today, we have better infrastructure today."

Home to 3.5 million people, the area in northwestern Somalia, about the size of England and Wales, unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, the year military dictator Siad Barre was overthrown.

While Barre's ouster plunged Somalia into anarchy that exists until today, Somaliland took a different route.

Initially, fighting gripped the area. But in 1993, a council of elders elected a president. Throughout the years, warring factions reconciled, tens of thousands of militiamen were disarmed, and the private sector developed.

The area, once a British protectorate, actually achieved independence for a few days in 1960 before merging with the former Italian colony to form Somalia.

An analyst at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, Richard Cornwell, tells VOA the differences in colonial administration and education is one reason why Somaliland is stable, whereas Somalia is still wracked by fighting among clans and warlords.

Another reason, he says, is that people living in Somaliland are predominantly from the Issaq clan. In Somalia, four major clans clash for control over territory.

A third reason, says Mr. Cornwell, is that when the United Nations provided drought and famine relief to Somalia in the early 1990s, it by-passed traditional elders and instead hired warlords to protect humanitarian aid convoys, something that did not happen in Somaliland.

"Because the elders and the traditional authorities managed to retain control over the inflow of external wealth and over commerce in Somaliland, they were able to prevent the emergence of a vast class of warlords who would take over and create an economy based on the political economy of disorder," Mr. Cornwell quotes from a paper from American political scientist William Reno.

While Somaliland now has its own government, constitution, democratic multi-party elections, and currency, it still lacks something it desperately wants and has been asking for - international recognition.

The current transitional Somali government, formed last year in Kenya following peace talks, itself refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation.

Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari explains that his government recognizes that Somaliland is peaceful and provides a good model for the rest of the country.

But, he says, Somaliland is part of Somalia.

"We are same culture, we are same religion, we have same heritage - there is only [the difference that] Somaliland is north of Somalia. So there is no difference between those two people," he said.

A diplomatic source, who does not wish to be named, tells VOA the issue of Somaliland independence needs to be discussed and resolved by Somalis themselves within the framework of the transitional government.

If this discussion does not take place, or if Somalia's transitional government falls apart, he says, the international community might come out in favor of supporting Somaliland independence.

Somaliland's self-styled foreign minister Edna Adan Ismail tells VOA she fears that if Somaliland is denied international recognition, it could "cause the disintegration of that one small island of peace and stability."

[Lacageylacag]

The main purpose of Somaliland is to creat an Issaq majority state.
Also Daroods will become minority in both North and South somalia.
In a democratic world, they will never rule again any of the two somali states countries.
The present peace is fake.
Somaliland will be the main source of instability in future(Allah forbid).

[fagash_killer]

WE NEED MORE MALIS LIKE U

IN SOMALILAND EVRYBODY ARE THEM THEIR DAROOS ISAAQS SAMAROONS NOBODY WILL KILL EACH OTHER ORE NOBODY IS ARMED THEIR FOR THE FIRST TIME REER SOMALILAND ARE UNITING AND PUTTING TRIBES AWAYS KUDDOS TO THEM REMEMBER WE GOT THE TITLE THE BEST KEPT SECRET OF AFRIKA BUT ALSO REMEMBER THAT THE WORLD IS WATCHING THEY WILL THINK HEY MALIS ARE NOT SO DUMB AFTERALL NAMEAN WE SOMALILANDERS CAN ATLEAST HELP OURE SOUTHERN BROTHERS AND TO SHOW THE WOLRD WE CAN DO IT ALONE NAMEAN AND WE DID

PEACE ALSO TO SOMALIA

[The-Screw]

Somali who?



Dream on.



that'll never happen.

[North brother]

WE NEED MORE MALIS LIKE U

IN SOMALILAND EVRYBODY ARE THEM THEIR DAROOS ISAAQS SAMAROONS NOBODY WILL KILL EACH OTHER ORE NOBODY IS ARMED THEIR FOR THE FIRST TIME REER SOMALILAND ARE UNITING AND PUTTING TRIBES AWAYS KUDDOS TO THEM REMEMBER WE GOT THE TITLE THE BEST KEPT SECRET OF AFRIKA BUT ALSO REMEMBER THAT THE WORLD IS WATCHING THEY WILL THINK HEY MALIS ARE NOT SO DUMB AFTERALL NAMEAN WE SOMALILANDERS CAN ATLEAST HELP OURE SOUTHERN BROTHERS AND TO SHOW THE WOLRD WE CAN DO IT ALONE NAMEAN AND WE DID

PEACE ALSO TO SOMALIA[quote]

ameen to that may allah keep shining peace in somaliland and all of horn africas muslims and the world, ramadaan is coming so peace yalll [/quote]

[maria from west side]

[quote="Lacageylacag"]The main purpose of Somaliland is to creat an Issaq majority state.
Also Daroods will become minority in both North and South somalia.
In a democratic world, they will never rule again any of the two somali states countries.
The present peace is fake.
Somaliland will be the main source of instability in future(Allah forbid).[/quote]


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www.xaasid.com

[fagash_killer]

MARIA BUT U KNOW THAT HATERS CAN STOP OURE PRIDE

NORTH TELL THEM

[Lacageylacag]

You are contradicting your gaalo loving qaldan asses.
You are running away from Hawiyah and Darood.
Just to live with them in peace in Somaliland!!

You were "peaceful" and "independent" for 15 years yet you have nothing to show for it.
An election confined to Issaq territories and playing the victim.
Absolutely nothing else.
There is nothing to Xasad(envy)

The foundation of somaliland is based on hate, qabil and Uqdad.
That is why it a global pariah state.

[maria from west side]

Your are just jealous..........It's a shame

[fagash_killer]

I HATE IF THESE WALAWEYNS TALK ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES WHILE THEIR COUNTRIE IS FUCKED UP HOW HARD IS IT TO UNDERSTAND THIS WERE GONE AND WE WILL NEVER COME BACK

[dhuusa_deer]

Somaliland will NEVER be recognised as independent state...the same demands for recorgnision by all the other break away somali regions is on the mind of the international community.

If you grant somaliland independence, then you gotta grant independence to Puntland, Jubaland, jareerland, hawiye land, ogaden land or whatever other 'land' wants recognition.

[Ceelgabo]

[quote="dhuusa_deer"]Somaliland will NEVER be recognised as independent state...the same demands for recorgnision by all the other break away somali regions is on the mind of the international community.

If you grant somaliland independence, then you gotta grant independence to Puntland, Jubaland, jareerland, hawiye land, ogaden land or whatever other 'land' wants recognition.[/quote]



You are nobody...so opinions don't have any weight

[Ceelgabo]

Fagash-killer

are you going to kill my mom cause she is Majerteen or my grandmother who is warsengali and properly more Somalilander than you will ever be, just cause they are Daroods?



I hope independent SOmaliland will not have ignorant bastereds like you...

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Oh yeah, the TFG (or TNG or TAG or whatever the fock it is today) is going great guns. No doubt, the Isaaq will join soon...........

[AbdiWahab252]

Demands recognition for the Islamic Republic of Mudugistan.