By: M.A.Egge

The President H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamed Silanyo has inaugurated the Somgas Berbera storage terminal.

He also officially launched the use of three newly constructed major tarmac roads in the port city.

The Somgas storage terminal is believed to be the largest in the Horn region for the liquefied gas.

This is in fact an ample time to the inauguration given the extent of desertification and the prevalent perennial drought in the country.

In a long speech during the function, the Head of State called on the populace to remain united and maintain peaceful stability, urged Somalilanders to invest in the country, praised environmental minister Hon. Shukri for her diligence and dutiful endeavors and turned pastoral by calling for togetherness, help each other and praying to Allah for benevolence.

The President started by first underpinning the importance of the project as far as its national impact is concerned.

The President said that the investors, thus SOMGAS, had painstakingly built itself slowly for the past 9 years in the project with the future of the country in mind.

“If they wanted fast profit they would have divested”, said the President.

He said that with the intensive and extensive desertification prevalent, the use of the Somgas product would go down well to reduce the use of charcoal hence forestall desertification.

The President noted that the biggest problem in desertification causes happens to be the cutting down of trees which are mainly burnt for charcoal.

He said that the decree he signed in the in-action of the Environmental and wildlife Law No 69/2015 on the 10th of January 2016 banned the cutting down of live trees for the use of charcoal.

He hailed the minister of Environment for stretching the extra mile in stepping up diligence and dutiful endeavours, a praise that received thunderous applause from the crowd.

The President appealed to the Somgas fraternity to make their products more affordable such that more people may get the services, and by thus, more conservation of the forest would be achieved.

He appealed to all compatriots who have the ability to invest extensively in their homeland.

He lastly appealed to the members of the public to remain united, be more patriotic, maintain peaceful stability and step up vigilance by shunning anything that can render the populace asunder.

He prayed to God shower his mercy upon us by making the rains full, lead us NOT astray, make us live harmoniously and bless posterity and aspirations.

The Somgas establishment honoured the President by awarding him their charter.

He handed over keys to a vehicle run by gas to the environmental minister, courtesy of Somgas.

Meanwhile in a related story the President made an inspection tour of the Port of Berbera and the Berbera Petroleum storage laboratory which has now attained ISO status.

On both fronts, major developments had made gigantic strides in the recent years.

A lot of expansion and modernization face-lifts have been implemented.

In every step of the way, standby workers were ready with information and explorations for the Presidential tour. On his part the President praised the workers for their differences.

The President learnt that the laboratory has now achieved the IS0 status (International Standard Organization).

In his tour the President was accompanied by the First Lady, the Ministers for the Presidency, Information, Finance, and Environment amongst other dignitaries.

The President and his entourage are expected to spend the night at Berbera hence leave for Burao and Saraar regions to inspect ongoing oil exploration works.

These are the young men struggling against all odds to enact change in a generation and improve the lives of Somali women

Khadar, 23, has been challenging men to speak out against FGM in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Photograph: Alice Rowsome

In Somaliland, Unicef estimates that about 98% of girls and women between 15 and 49 are subjected to some form of female genital mutilation – almost a despairing figure. This is largely an issue in the hands of women, and not something openly discussed. Yet Unicef believes it is vital that men are part of any solution. Young men in the region who are against the practice are forming a growing movement for change, but the drought crisis is dominating people’s lives right now.

Khadar, 23

“The first thing I did as a campaigner is convince my sister not to do Type III FGM on her daughter. I told her about the side effects and I also made her listen to Islamic scholars that are against the practice to show her that FGM is not religious. After a lot of negotiation, she agreed and didn’t do it. I am proud of that.” Khadar was trained in FGM awareness by the indigenous-Somali organisation Candlelight.

“Men, in general do not speak about FGM. It remains a taboo,” he says.

“Men here are the heads of the household and this means they can play an important role in ending FGM, if they chose to.”

While studying at New Generation University College in Hargeisa, Khadar was exposed to the realities and consequences of FGM on women’s health. “Once I realised the psychological and physical trauma, I was against it.” He became an anti-FGM ambassador at his university and felt more confident in challenging some of his peers. “When I tell others all the facts, especially young people, they are easily convinced. Lack of knowledge is the reason FGM is still practiced in Somaliland. I am confident that FGM can be eradicated in one generation.”

Mohamed, 23, uses social media to spread the message Photograph: Alice Rowsome

Mohamed, 23

Sitting opposite him drinking spiced tea, Mohamed nods his heads in agreement. “Our parents’ generation really didn’t talk about FGM but now, you know, we speak about it among our friends. This will make a big difference.”

Also trained by Candlelight and now working as a project co-ordinator for ActionAid, Mohamed has embraced social media to spark debate.

“Men have seen first hand the impact of FGM on their wives. In some, lesser ways, men have been affected too. Many say that they struggle because they see their wife in pain and cannot have sex with them. They see that FGM takes away all sexual pleasure for women. They want their wives to have pleasure too. And so largely, they are against it.

“FGM can cause divorces, a bad thing for society. But because there is no dialogue and because it is taboo, they don’t speak out.” he says.

Social media, both men agree, has proved an important tool. “I have been posting many different articles about the work we are doing. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, it has proved a good way for people to read about it in their own time, from the privacy of their phones and computers.”

While there were many challenges at first to make the Abaarso School co-ed, now there are many female applicants. (Henry Holt & Co. – Macmillan)

Abdisamad Adan is the first Somali undergraduate in decades to be accepted to Harvard.

One of 19 siblings who grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing, he is one of the growing number of success stories to come from a unique African high school that is working on getting its students into top colleges on full scholarships.

“I didn’t picture my life leading me to Harvard or anything like it,” Adan said.

Adan is a former student of the Abaarso School of Science and Technology in Somaliland — a self-declared republic still internationally considered to be part of Somalia.

Adan, now studying economics at Harvard, gives a lot of credit to Jonathan Starr for his success.

Starr is a former hedge fund manager — an American with an uncle from Somaliland — who wanted to do something different and “fun” after success in the financial world. He opened the Abaarso school, which has both male and female students, in 2008. Aden is one of many to move from there to elite international institutions after graduation.

The Abaarso School was founded in 2008 by former Wall Street hedge fund manager, Jonathan Starr. (Twitter/Patrick Adam)

He tells The Current’s Anna Maria Tremonti that getting girls to come to school at the start was extremely difficult but now there are tons of female applicants.

“Ultimately, the boys actually became terrific supporters of the girls — it just took time. I think it was very foreign to them. And for me, I felt like they had to see that these girls were their equals.”

Aden says seeing girls succeed in school gives him hope for the future.

“[Girls are] encouraged to think big and to want to one day lead their country, and that has been actually transformational Starr doesn’t consider himself a “traditional do-gooder.”

“I was much, much more intense,” he tells The Current’s Anna Maria Tremonti.

“The cliche is usually that they donate money. And I did donate money. But I moved there. I lived on campus. I was with the students 18 hours a day.”

Related: An Unlikely Education

Starr says his students are family and worries about the impact Trump administration’s travel restrictions might have on their future success.

“I understand the fears that some people in America have,” Starr says.

“[But] Abdisamad coming to America, going to Harvard, going back, and becoming a leader and developing his country is good for American security.”

Listen to the full conversation at the top of this web post.

This segment was produced by The Current’s Lara O’Brien.

CBNEWS

“It is part of our culture. I cannot keep my things when someone next to me is dying. We have shared what little we have.”

Shukri Mohamud Abdi lives in the village of Haro-Sheeikh, four hours’ drive east on barely passable roads from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Here, as in all of rural Somalia, livestock is the backbone of the village’s economy. Most people are pastoralists depending on their animals for a livelihood, and everyone else depends on pastoralists for their businesses.

Five months ago, after more than two years with barely any rain, animals started dying. As the fourth consecutive rain season appears to be failing, an economic crisis is turning into a human catastrophe.

Shukri is the elected chairwoman of a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), through which groups of women put individual savings into a collective box, providing capital for small business investments and a social fund for emergencies. Her group is one of four set up by CARE in Haro-Sheeikh. Shukri explains:

“We used the money we had saved to support families who need it.”

On the outskirts of the village, a camp has been set up for people who have been displaced by the drought. With more people arriving every day, the total number is approaching 300 families, adding 60 percent to the village’s population. Some have been brought to the village in cars sent by local authorities to pick them up. Jamal Hussain, the deputy mayor, says:

“We may come from different places, but we are all Somalis. All we can do is to help each other.”

In the nearby village of Ulasan, around 300 pastoralist families have arrived in a camp next to the village seeking food and water. According to Ugaaso Bulaale Warsame, chairwoman of one of the five women’s groups in the village:

“Those who have migrated have almost nothing. Some have only two or three animals, and they are very weak. Children and pregnant women are malnourished.”

The savings groups have helped the new arrivals, says Ugaaso: “We have given them money, food, water, shelter, and we have donated clothes. All groups contribute. The last time, we helped 15 of the weakest families.”

“Without us women, more people would have died. When somebody needs help, they call us.”

However, as Ugaaso explains, the help they can provide is coming to an end: “Nobody is buying anything from our shops. We used to trade with animals, but now there are no animals to trade with.”

“Before the drought, each group collected 100 dollars in savings every month. We have used these savings to buy food and keep our livestock alive, but now we are running out of money.”

It is the same story in the village of Suuqsade, where four groups of women are using their savings to help internally displaced people coming for the village’s relatively plentiful water. This is thanks to a water pump powered by a solar panel installed by CARE last year. So far around 400 displaced families have come from the surrounding highland. Amina Mohamud Abdillahi (aged 62), the chairwoman of one of the groups, says:

“We are helping the weakest families coming from other villages, giving them food, water and money.”

They estimate they have helped 20 families with gifts of more than 200 US dollars. But now the money is running out. Amina says:

“Our livestock was our livelihood. When they are gone, we have no money to save. We used to have shops selling food and soft drinks, but most have now closed.”

Back in Haro-Sheeikh, Shukri explains that her community is also running out of resources. The village’s main source of water, a pump and tank constructed by CARE, is drying out. Food is getting scarcer and more expensive. As Shukri says:

“It is a dire situation. People have not died here yet, but it is going to happen if we do not get more help soon.”

RW

Somaliland cannot handle corrupt Politian to rule it, we see in the era of UDUB regime 2000-2010 what they did to Somaliland nation. Somaliland had made a lot of success under current silaanyo administration and it well elect after him his successor MUSE BIHI. Somaliland’s presidential election is nearly a year away. If voting is managed wisely without any hiccups, Somaliland could surprise the world and earn global praise again. Somalilanders anticipate having reasonably good candidates to vote for like MUSE BIHI of the ruling party KULMIYE. Although Somaliland has politically matured and is ushering in a new era of candidates, it is confronted with a stark reality.

Abdirahman irro OF waddani opposition party wants to win the next presidency as well. His campaign sign is “although I can usurp power with tanks, I say elect me without any hesitation!”.

Therefore Somaliland nationals won’t allow the incumbent president to handpick a corrupt junta to rule Somaliland for the next generation. Our mentality should be guided by moral principles. It is our morality to tell us what is right or wrong. Morality means manner, character, and proper behavior. To begin with the subject article, in the event any person who knew IRRO started from the days of Somalia siyad barre regime in 80’s and till today, they will respond in a same manner which is IRRO a person difficult to understand, difficult to compromise, he believes that, he should all the right while others deserve no right.

The entire Somaliland living in the region’s are united against IRRO in view of his attempts to divide his nation who are brothers, sister, aunts, cousins, father in laws, mother in laws, sister in laws, brother in-laws and tens of types of other kinships. I am in the opinion that above 95 % of Somaliland society share with what I have explained in the above. The nation wants a leader like MUSE BIHI, H.E. MUSE BIHI truly believes in democratic ideals, not the pithy lip service paid to it by detractors. A man not only highly educated in the Western discourse, but a true wise man in the best tradition of our people. A man his entire life is a testament to honesty and decorum and decency.

MUSE BIHI is the choice and the man of the hour in Somaliland , the voters whom today registering them self’s at the polls stations around the country if you ask them who is your favorer man to elect ,the answer quickly will be BIHI and KULMIYE. Somaliland needs a new paradigm. Somaliland needs a new dynamic Politian in order to move on. and that is H.E. MUSE BIHI.

By Khadar Ibrahim

Khadar338@hotmail.com

In a makeshift camp beside a disused airfield in the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland, 32-year-old Nima Mohamed sits next to an open wood fire, boiling a kettle of black tea.

Unless aid groups bring them food and water, the tea is the only meal of the day for her three sons and three daughters who lie nearby in a home made of old bedsheets.

Ms Mohamed is one of the two million people in the breakaway Horn of Africa republic — about half its population — facing starvation after an acute drought killed their livestock.

“We have lost all our animals,” she told Reuters. Before their goats died from lack of pasture and water, they provided milk for the children to drink and butter which was used to cook rice for the family to eat, she said.

About 100 or so other families were camped out next to Mohamed’s hut in similar structures made of sticks, plastic sacks, moth-eaten canvas and cardboard.

They settled outside the airfield after migrating from various drought-stricken parts of Somaliland, especially in the eastern part of the territory.

According to the Government, 70 per cent of Somaliland’s economy relies on livestock.

The carcasses of goats, sheep and camels strewn around Burao and the vast, dusty scrubland surrounding the small city, are stark reminders of the extent of the hardship.

At another makeshift camp housing 500 people in Bardihahle, 100 km (62 miles) from Burao, pregnant Amina Haji, 23, who fled from Wardad in the eastern Sanaag region, one of the heaviest hit by drought, sat in her small hut in sweltering heat.

“We do not have any kind of help and I live under this makeshift shelter,” she said.

Reuters

Somaliland Parliament on Saturday passed all 5 ministerial nominees of President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo. The approval was contained in the national assembly session today which was approved by the MP’s.

The ministers-vetted and approved include the nominee for national planning, Mohamed Ibrahim Adan Qabo, minister for labor and social affairs, Mohamed Abdilahi Obsie, minister for youth and sports, Abdirisak Wabari Roble,minister for water resources, Husein Abdi Bos, and deputy education minister, Ahmed Husein Roble.

BURAO, Somaliland–Deadly cholera is spreading through drought-ravaged Somalia as clean water sources dry up, a top aid official said, deepening a humanitarian crisis in a country that is on the verge of famine.

The Horn of Africa nation has recorded more than 18,000 cases of cholera so far this year, up from around 15,000 in all of 2016 and 5,000 in a normal year, Johan Heffinck, the Somalia head of EU Humanitarian Aid, said in an email on Thursday.

The current strain of the disease is unusually deadly, killing around 1 in 45 patients.

Somalia is suffering from a severe drought that means more than half of its 12 million citizens are expected to need aid by July. Families have been forced to drink slimy, infected water after the rains failed and wells and rivers dried up.

“We are very close to famine,” Heffinck said.

The Security Information Network (FSIN), which is co-sponsored by the United Nations food agency, said in a report on Friday Somalia was one of four African countries at high risk of famine.

Somalia’s rainy season normally runs from March to May, but there has been no rain this month.

The drought has hit particularly hard in the breakaway northern region of Somaliland, where the rains began to fail in 2015, killing off animals that nomadic families rely on to survive.

‘THIS IS THE LAST BOTTLE’

Listless, skinny children last week lay in crowded wards in the main hospital in the regional capital Hargeisa.

Three-year-old Nimaan Hassid had diarrhea for 20 days before his mother brought him to hospital. He weighs only 6.5 kilograms, less than half the normal weight for his age.

Doctors say he is suffering from severe malnutrition but his grandmother, 60-year-old Fadumo Hussein, told Reuters the family has no money for food or clean water.

“We don’t have mineral water to give to the sick child. This is the last bottle,” she said, carefully pouring it into a feeding tube inserted through his nose.

In the malnutrition ward in the general hospital of Somaliland’s second city Burao, doctor Hamud Ahmed said children were also being hit hard by diseases like tuberculosis, meningitis and measles.

Children’s admissions reached almost 60 in March, up fourfold from October.

“This is due to the drought,” Ahmed said. “When families lose all their livestock and children do not get milk, this is the famine that causes the children to suffer.”

If the rains fail, the country could tip into famine. Somalia’s last famine, in 2011, killed more than 260,000 people.

Heffinck said aid agencies were working overtime to try to prevent a similar disaster, trucking in clean water and stepping up the distribution of food and cash.

“The big difference this time is that we have started the preparation and scaling up of the relief operations earlier,” he said.

Reuters

By M.A. Egge
The Presidential Spokesman has said that important projects that are indispensable for the country’s economy and future are incumbency of the state to implement as per constitution.
Eng. Hussein Adan Egge told our sister paper Dawan that it was in this context that the Head of State traveled to Togdeer region and Sahil to inspect and monitor the major projects of state coffers that are in process.
He said that the President thus official launched the oil explorations which are underway on the 25th of March 2017.
The Presidential Spokesman underscored the importance of such projects as well expressed in the President’s historic speech at the function.
He highlighted the President’s policy as one based on the fundamental task of building the nation to achieve developmental aspects that would boost the national economy hence putting basis on issueswhich would catalyze this; such as the infrastructure and associated factors of production.
The Presidential spokesman cautioned, in the same breath, that any individuals undermining such positive steps would never be tolerated.
He hailed H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud’s reflex in mobilizing the country to rally themselves in the relief aid efforts following the biting severe drought, and now famine, which is sweeping the regionleaving untold sufferings in its wake.

By M.A. Egge
The Minister of the Presidency Hon. Mohamud Hashi Abdi has appealed to all and sundry in the nation to defend their hard-won nationhood and uphold the prevalent peaceful stability cherished.

Hon. Hashi made the call at Adadley Boarding School grounds at town where he toured its premises to inspect and monitor the reconstruction.
The Minister who was accompanied by a large delegation of fellow ministers, senior government officials and traditional leaders to mention but a few, were hilariously welcomed by the local residents.
While noting that the project of reconstructing, rehabilitating and rebuilding the school is indeed a monumental task, the minister was contented with the works which are nearing completion and final stages hence praised the contracting company Daryeel for the job well done.
He revisited the important glorious spot the school held in the history of the country’s education given that it was one of the handful schools in the country that had moulded household names and eminent personalities across the country.
He revealed that the school will start operations come September this year and that it will be fully equipped and staffed.
The minister said that the administration was always there to formulate and create plans and projects, but due to the nascent nature of the nation, developments were mainly based on partnership.
He said that in recent years urban schools were mainly focused on at the expense of the boarding schools that churned out well educated, well behaved and non-tribal students.
He hoped that such boarding school being resuscitated will be upgraded to polytechnic centers.
He said that the foundation stone laid were not mere acts but works followed to see that the intended projects are implemented and established.
He cautioned that party politics were only based on differing policies hence politicians shouldn’t polarize the populace.
He called on all Somalilanders to shun petty politics, tribalism or antagonism but instead steadfastly guard and defend their hard won aspirations, be diligent and vigilante, maintain peaceful stability and security and, of course, be wary of the enemies of the land who he said were in abundance.
The minister of Aviation revealed that a borehole will be sunk in the Sabawanaag and Adadley area soon.
Present were also the Director General ministry of education, state minister for trade, Ugas Hussein and other Sultans.

THE Republic of Somaliland is now rooting for recognition at the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) as a sovereign state, apparently in a bid to win legitimate rights as an independent state.

Among its diplomatic forays, the country is now out to woo investors from Tanzania to go and invest in its finance, agriculture, hospitality and industry sectors as well as in marine services.

Addressing journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Somaliland Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Saad Shire, said the country has all “the credentials” that a sovereign state is entitled to have.

“Somaliland has its own elected government, an army, its own currency and a flag … we therefore deserve recognition … we believe that we have a legal case, a humanitarian case and, above all, a history now,” Dr Shire pointed out. He said initially such traits had denied his country international recognition it deserves, adding : “To the extent of denying us ‘basic rights’ such as access to international credit, loans, aid and migration to other countries.”

He further said: “Politics and misconceptions are major issues that have hindered our country from gaining its full recognition as a sovereign state in the past….. people do not understand the full history between Somalia and Somaliland.”

Dr Shire hinted that their separation from Somalia had occurred a very long time ago, therefore, it should not hinder them from acquiring what was “rightfully theirs.”

“Somaliland is not at war with Somalia, but if it happens, we are ready to defend our country at anytime … we also believe that once we become a sovereign state, Somalia will also benefit,” he argued.

Somaliland’s Justice and Judiciary affairs ministry announced yesterday the release of 7 prisoners convicted in Seychelles on piracy acts after finishing sentence terms in Hargeisa prison.

Somaliland President, Ahmed Silanyo met with his Seychelles counterpart in London in 2012 and signed a deal which paved the way for transfer of  convicted Somali pirates in prison in Seychelles, to Somaliland to serve their sentences. The 7 prisoners were transferred to Hargeisa in 2011 and completed ten years behind bars in Somaliland prison. The convicted pirates are ethnically from Puntland and Southern Somalia and were caught in Seychelles.

The ministry of justice has confirmed that it provided the transportation pertaining to the released pirates to reach their homelands. The ministry further said that they had gone thorough a robust rehabilitation and parole which paved the way for setting them free. They have been educated both in Islamic teaching and vocational training during in prison.

Press Release from the Ministry of Justice in Somaliland:-

HARGEISA — Somaliland authorities say famine looms in the breakaway republic as the government suspends development programs due to a crippling drought that has killed dozens of people and most of the livestock in eastern regions.

HARGEISA—  Somaliland president Ahmed Silanyo has today o3 March-2017 received the Special Representative of the Secretary General of United Nations Michael Keating at the presidential mansion.

The delegation led by the UN Special Envoy to Somalia is accompanied by high level delegation whose mission is to assess the impact of drought that hit hard in most rural areas in Somaliland.

Mr. Michael Keating has toured centers built for the drought displaced IDP’s in Somaliland and inspected the coordination of relief efforts underway.

The foreign minister, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire said that the president and UN Special Envoy discussed ways to enhance the cooperation.

Issues high on the agenda of the talks ranged from development projects, elections, and enhancing the bilateral ties between Somaliland and the UN as well.

A Senior UN delegation visited Somaliland to discuss a number of matters including how to improve the response to the devastating drought which is presently affecting 1.5 million people in Somaliland and has resulted in the deaths of 70% of livestock, which is the backbone of the Somaliland economy.

The Ministry received the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Michael Keating and his delegation which included officials from OCHA, and UNSOM to discuss how to improve the drought response. Minister Saad Ali Shire thanked the UN for its assistance so far, but raised concerns that support from the international community in response to the drought has been too limited, and required an increase in resources and improved coordination and information-sharing. He also pointed out the work of the Somaliland National Drought Committee, which had reached almost 130,000 households with assistance. He added that the drought was exacerbated by climate change which is something that was not caused by Somaliland
The Foreign Minister stressed the level of urgency, noting that time was running out to prevent a possible famine, saying: “if the gu rains do not arrive, then there will be a spike in the mortality rate”
The government of Somaliland also noted that it was seeking support from the UN to help fund the upcoming elections which had been pushed back until later in the year due to the drought. He noted that if the #UN was prepared to support the election process in Somalia, it should also do so in Somaliland. He emphasized that people of Somaliland had decided for themselves to embrace democracy as a form of governance, and not due to any external pressure.
Michael Keating expressed solidarity and sympathy for the people of Somaliland that are affected by drought and made clear his willingness to press the international community to support Somaliland with humanitarian aid. The Minister and the Special Representative subsequently undertook a joint monitoring visit to Gabiley to view the drought response efforts being undertaken there. The government of Somaliland hopes the visit will lead to a more coordinated and effective response in efforts to tackle the drought.
Source – MoFA

Interior Minister: Under pressure to demobilise militias

In October 2017 ten years will have elapsed since Somaliland captured Lasanod after Puntland scaled down the presence of its forces in a disputed region in a sovereign Somalia. The Somaliland government inherited the security turmoil in Lasanod. Since 2007 the security situation in Sool has been dealt with through reliance on local militias. Militias have subsequently become more powerful than Somaliland authorities that pay salaries of militias.

The choice for Somaliland government was to disarm or disband militias, a Sisyphean and self-defeating task. The decision by Khatumo administration to hold unconditional talks with Somaliland government will help Hargeisa leaders to entertain a third option: to recruit militias from other segments of the district. This strategy will drastically reduce reliance of Somaliland government on militias.

Last year  when disturbances   led to a brief take-over of Lasanod by militias, the Interior Minister, Yasin Mohamud Hir,  overhauled  Sool regional administration. He appointed a new governor and regional police commander despite the new commander being allied with local, Somaliland-funded militias.

Somaliland government has recognised Khatumo as the legitimate political representatives of people in Sool. Two weeks ago the Somaliland Parliament endorsed talks between Somaliland  goverment and “Khatumo administration”. In the third round of talks concluded in Djibouti, Khatumo and Somaliland agreed to work towards making Sool an area aid workers can visit in an attempt  to save the face of Somaliland government whose claim of Sool as a part of “Somaliland Republic” has made the region along with Eastern Sanaag a “disputed land” inaccessible to aid workers.

As Somaliland Parliament Deputy Speaker said recently, the Somaliland government supports the resolution of the conflict between two subclans in Sool through traditional conflict resolution and adjudication by religious leaders. Neither approach has so far delivered the desired outcome to stop feuding. The perception that Somaliland is too weak to stand up to the local militias paid in the name of Somaliland government is contributing to the stalemate. Somaliland government has no monopoly on violence in Sool. The demobilsation (abaabul-ka-saarid)  stage  that Somaliland authorities introduced in Hargeisa early 1990s did not take place in Sool. For nine years successive Somaliland governments have not been able to demobilise militias  in Sool. This could have been done by getting political stakeholders in Sool to agree on how to recruit new inclusive security forces. Somaliland government has realised that Sool political representatives in Hargeisa lack the support base enjoyed by Khatumo representatives, who have put on the talks agenda the initiative to make Sool accessible to aid workers. Within this agenda lies the challenge to address corruption in Sool partly and unwittingly documented in Sool Regional Development Plan (2014 – 2016), which brought to the fore phantom schools in Yagoori and  Kalabaydh hamlets in Sool.

Khatumo administration has committed Somaliland political leaders to reversing the policy to outsource the regional security to local militias. A key feature of the new policy will be  decentralisation (maamul-daadejin) agreed by Somaliland and Khatumo negotiators in the third round of talks heldin Djibouti.  The Somaliland security policy has forced the regional adminstration to allow customary law to replace the rule of law in Sool. Since 2009 assassination and assassination attempt cases in Sool have gone cold. Somaliland police grew wary of relying on outcomes of criminal investigations in Sool, where many people view law enforcement agencies as facilitators of jailbreaks. Somaliland must demobilise militias in Sool and accept its securitisation model to keep peace have been counterproductive in the region and a blow to its cause to secede from the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Liban Ahmad

libahm@icloud.com

HARGEISA— President Ahmed Silanyo of Somaliland has today ( Tuesday) hosted a dinner banquet in honor of his predecessor, the former Somaliland president, Dahir Rayale Kahin who paid a courtesy call to the incumbent president at the presidential palace.The incumbent Vice President Abdirahman Sayli, First Lady, Ms. Amina Weris, minister for presidency, deputy presidential affairs minister, Somaliland Representative to the UAE and president’s special secretary all attended the banquet. The former President Dahir Rayale Kahin was accompanied by his wife, the former First Lady, Ms. Huda Barkad This was a rare meeting between the two presidents ever since the incumbent president defeated his predecessor in 2010 presidential polls which saw the peaceful of democratic power transfer from one president to the next.The former president lived in exile after he was badly defeated in 2010 presidential elections.He lived in France and the UAE and was a regular visitor to his homeland.

BERBERA, Somaliland (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The land along the road into Berbera is barren and empty. Somaliland’s small, rusty Gulf of Aden port which for centuries made the town prosperous rises suddenly out of the ground as the road hits the coast.

The crumbling town has languished for decades, but its fortunes look set to change following a multi-million dollar deal to revamp the port which has triggered a rush to buy land.

Berbera, along the coast from Djibouti, has been a backwater since 1991 when Somaliland broke away from Somalia following a bloody civil war.

The town’s buildings, some dating back to the Ottoman era, stand neglected. Unemployment is rampant, exacerbated by a devastating drought that has decimated livestock, a backbone of the export economy.

But last September Somaliland’s government signed its largest-ever investment deal which could allow Berbera to become a major trading hub for goods to and from the Horn of Africa.

The development will be carried out by DP World, a multinational port operator from the United Arab Emirates, which has valued the project at more than $400 million. The deal was followed by another with the UAE, signed in March, for a military base a few kilometers down the road.

Locals and investors believe Berbera is on the brink of an economic boom that will make the town wealthy once more.

Adan Abokor, a researcher at the Rift Valley Institute in the capital Hargeisa, says the project has sparked a “land rush”, as diaspora Somalilanders and wealthy businessmen from nearby regions flock to buy a piece of the town.

Though the surrounding land appears deserted, brick foundations enclose recently demarcated plots from the airport to the coast. Freshly built walls sprout into the distance.

“There has been more building in the last two years than in the whole period from 1991,” said Jimale Abdulahi, a local government official.

But not all residents are happy.

LAND TENSIONS

Land has long caused trouble throughout Somaliland, and is behind the majority of violent incidents recorded in towns and cities, the Hargeisa-based Academy for Peace and Development (APD) reported in 2010.

Clan disputes have for years been drivers of conflict, aggravated by the destruction or loss of legal documentation during the civil war, leading to competing title claims.

Despite the existence of a national land law since 2001, clan ownership is still seen as the dominant, if unofficial property ownership system throughout most of the country.

In Berbera, the Ise Musa clan has dominated local politics since the late 1990s, and some fear the arrival of outsiders will threaten this.

Sayeed “Sonny” Sayeed, a young resident, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that many in the town are suspicious of the port deal, suspecting the plans will alter Berbera’s clan composition.

“People from other regions want to take over,” he said. “If they move here then new people will be born in this place, so that they can vote here.”

His friend, Ahmed Nazal, said returning members of the diaspora were welcome, but only if they originally hailed from the area.

“If not, they should go and invest in their own regions,” he said.

Others who spoke to the Thomson Reuters Foundation disagreed, saying diaspora investment would be good for the town.

“These lands were empty, no one was investing here,” said Salelan Adel, a young unemployed man.

“It will give locals the chance to finally develop the lands that we own.”

SIMMERING UNEASE

The port deal has also highlighted other tensions, with the role of the local council targeted for particular criticism.

Unlike many other major towns in Somaliland, Berbera’s government controls swathes of land, including a 70-km (44 miles) “free zone” around the port.

This undeveloped land had been reserved for use by the port, but has been hurriedly allocated to newcomers since the DP World deal was signed, according to locals and Hargeisa-based experts.

“It is being sold off without clear procedures and guidelines,” said Mohamed Farah, director of the APD think tank. Critics say most of this land has been allocated to those with government connections.

“What we are seeing is land grabbing,” said Ahmed Hussein Esse, president of Abaarso Tech University in Hargeisa. There is now almost no public land left in Somaliland, he added.

Diarrhea Is a condition in which there is unusual frequency of bowel movement more then 3 times day, it often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss

It is common cause of death in developing countries and second most common cause of infant death in the worldwide.

WHO defines diarrhea is the passage of 3 or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual.

Health  Departments and the staffs are available to provide guidance during the outbreak. Public health can approve laboratory testing of stool specimens free of charge in order to confirm the

etiology of the outbreak. In return, LTCFs are expected to follow infection control standards of practice and to provide public health with copies of line lists)

detailing the extent of the outbreak among both residents and staff.

How is an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis controlled?

Despite all the control measures and precautions that a facility may have in place, there is usually little that can be done to prevent the initial introduction of the virus into the facility by an infected health care worker or visitor who may be shedding the virus even before they are ill. In addition, infected individuals may never be symptomatic, although immediate implementation of precautions for signs/symptoms of acute gastrointestinal illness may limit

the extent of the outbreak. The following recommendations may assist facility personnel in controlling an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis.

Steps that government should follow

1. Each resident unit should immediately report any resident(s) or staff member(s) with a sudden onset of symptoms suggestive of viral gastroenteritis to the person in-charge and infection control practitioner who should immediately take appropriate action. The medical director should be consulted anytime the facility suspects an outbreak.

2. New cases should be recorded daily using a line list

3. Notify the local health department of any suspected or confirmed outbreak.

Consult with the local health department about laboratory testing.

4.Notify “sister” facilities that may share staff/resources with the affected facility so they can put proper control measures in place and monitor for illness.

Management of Residents and Staff

1. Immediate isolation of the resident and restricting access to affected areas is essential.

2. Confine symptomatic residents to their rooms until 48 hours after symptoms cease.

3.  Exclude non-essential staff from entering the room.

4. Require symptomatic staff, visitors and volunteers to stay home until they are symptom-free for at least 48 hours.

5. Discontinue “floating” staff from the affected unit to non-affected units, if

possible.

6.Discontinue “floating” staff from affected units to food service.

7.Consider discontinuing use of common dining areas and instituting in-room

dining.

8. If the outbreak continues, facility staff in consultation with their medical director should consider closing the unit/neighborhood or facility to new admissions as well as referring facilities such as other nursing homes or hospitals.

9. Suspend discharges/transfers to other facilities

10. Minimize movement of residents. Asymptomatic, exposed residents should not be moved from an affected to an unaffected resident unit. The value in moving asymptomatic residents who have been exposed (e.g., to asymptomatic roommate) is uncertain since they may already be infected.

11. Cancel or postpone group activities for at least 48 hours after the last identified case.

12. Clean and disinfect all equipment including, but not limited to blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, electronic thermometers and transfer lifts before using for another resident.

13. Consider use of antiemetics for patients with vomiting

14. For residents experiencing vomiting and/or diarrhea, monitor hydration status to include implementation of intake and output monitoring

15. If any resident, regardless of symptoms is transferred to a hospital or other facility, notify the facility (and EMS or private ambulance service if used) that the resident is coming from a facility at which an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis is occurring.

16. Eliminate the storage and sharing of resident’s personal food supplies for the duration of the outbreak.

17. Limit staff from moving between affected and unaffected units

18. Wear personal protective equipment to include gloves, and gown (mask and goggles or face shield if vomitus present) upon entry to the room and when in contact with the symptomatic resident