The Voice Of Somaliland: Lascanood voice ought to be heard correctly inside Somaliland cabinet

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Lascanood voice ought to be heard correctly inside Somaliland cabinet

Three years after Lascanod specific status was swept aside by Puntland invasion,emerging reports of the besieged city should not be disregarded any more and call for an urgent crisis response. Not resolving the issue at the military headquarters is understandable, but to all intents and purpose, it seems that Somaliland has forgotten about its eastern district capital. Recent high profile visit to Lascanood of MP Indha Buur and his subsequent press conference in Hargeisa was the nearest any Somaliland official came to explicit comments on Lascanood matters. Making a personal point to the majority of Somaliland cabinet at a time of unaccustomed media interest,MP Indha Buur berated,and rightly so,superficial and spurious speculation about the similarities between Lascanooders and Puntland which are well grounded inside Somaliland cabinet.Far from helping fellow Somalilanders from Lascanood brazing out to Puntland military occupation, these assumptions, from what Indho Buur calls "Puntlandta Hargeysa",help Puntland lay claim and assert itself in Lascanood.

The recent developments reported by MP Indha Buur are heartbreaking at a time when Lascanood reached the climax of its domestic turmoil and while Puntland is increasingly bearing the brunt of public unrest. Last week, Cadde Musse visit led to an outburst of underreported violent demonstrations;visibly shaken of being jostled at,the general only spent two hours in the city and latter summoned Lascanood puppets leaders to a meeting in Garowe.

Meanwhile,faced with an endless military stalemate in Adhi Cadde and continuing oppression from Puntland (vaccination witheld,job discrimination,killings inside Garowe prison..), Lascanood splinters groups and bearer of the traditional Sool fighting spirit are decided to act decisively and last week show of discontent was undoubtedly was a simple dress rehearsal in an apt anticipation for the actual major showdown. While this popular outburst is brewing in Lascanood, Somaliland government has two choices; a no action passed off as defense of political pragmatism or a clear indication that indeed today we are all Lascanoders.

Faysal Diriye

Ottawa, Canada

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The New Somaliland Press & Publications Bill 2007

The Somaliland Government has recently sent to the House of Representatives a new Bill on press and publications. The provisions of this bill (based almost entirely on the Yemen Law No: 25 of 1990 on the Press & Publications) run contrary to international norms relating to freedom of expression and the independence of the press and are not in line with the Somaliland constitution.
The considerable powers given to the Minister of Information (and other ministers) include even deciding on appeals from anyone whose writings have been turned down for publication by a newspaper’s editor (Article 46). These ministerial powers over the press and publishers/printers/distributors etc, the compulsory registration of all press and publication activities, including the practice of the profession of journalism, and the extensive criminal sanctions which add to the existing array of criminal offences in the 1962 Somali Penal Code contrast sharply with the current Somaliland Press Law (2004), which contains no criminal sanctions and is based on codes of conduct. Unfortunately the Somaliland Government has repeatedly made clear its dissatisfaction with the current press Law and has used the Penal Code and extra-judicial powers to detain and imprison journalists. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Somaliland Government is not putting forward amendments of the current Press Law, but is now proposing its wholesale replacement by this new Bill which introduces considerable criminal sanctions, such as fines and imprisonment (Article 99) for the infringement of its numerous provisions, as well as prohibition of continued practice of journalism or publication or even circulation of printed materials; confiscation of property, including printing presses (Article 101) and seizure of printed materials (Article 102)..........Full Text

The Isaq Somali Diaspora And‎ Poll-Tax Agitation In Kenya, 1936-41‎

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The "Letter-of-Death" by General "Morgan" January 23, 1987

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The report is addressed to the President of the SDR, the Minister of Defence, and the Minister of Interior. The latter, Major-General Ahmed Suleiman Abdalla, is also a son-in-law of the President, and Third Deputy Prime Minister. Since President Barre is also the Minister of Defence -- the previous holder of that portfolio, General Mohamed Ali Samatar, having been promoted Prime Minister on January 30, 1987 -- the report is seemingly confined to family members. This would explain its extreme frankness in specifying certain clans as targets for implemented and recommended punitive action.
The target is the Isaaq Clan Family. The term "clan family" was first coined by Professor I.M. Lewis, Professor Social Anthropology at the London School Economics, to describe the collective name for each of the several major divisions to which Somali clans traditionally divide themselves. The Isaaq clan family sub-divides into four main clans.
Top Secret.......Read the rest