The Voice Of Somaliland: Somali Government in Turmoil

Friday, July 28, 2006

Somali Government in Turmoil

A fifth of the members of Somalia’s transitional government have resigned because of the ongoing failure to bring peace to the country and the government’s total opposition to the Islamist forces that currently control its capital Mogadishu.

The transitional government sits in Kenya because Somalia is deemed too dangerous. Meanwhile the situation at home has become more complicated with Ethiopian fighters entering the arena on behalf of the government. At the same time, Eritrea is said to be backing the Islamists. This is more a case of my enemy’s enemy is my friend than any ideological support for the Islamists on the part of Eritrea, according to Richard Cornwell of the Institute for Security Studies. Hundreds of people have died in clashes between the warring factions over the last few weeks.

Courtsey of: The media line
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_mideast_daily.asp?Date=07/28/2006&category_id=8

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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

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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.
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Top Secret.......Read the rest