The Voice Of Somaliland: What Is The Next Stop

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

What Is The Next Stop

The responsibility for the national disgrace at the war front in Eastern Somaliland on the 15th of April, 2007 might not be confined to the Minister of Defense alone. The contents and the tone of today's Presidential press release is neither good enough nor is it a sufficiently plausible explanation. Blaming the news media for spreading baseless accounts of what has transpired is an ill timed damage control. The government has national responsibility towards the citizens and a more credible version of the chronology of the events is in order. The evacuation of the army from the frontlines at the time of war should be made at a meeting of the cabinet.

The hastily constituted three man ad hoc civilian war committee is a manifestation of a government that has completely lost its bearing- apparent lack of unity and cohesiveness to face any crisis. Our nation is not short of talented and battle hardened military officers and at time of any external threat to our security, these professionals should be at the front lines. Civilians have no place in matters of war. Let those who know how do the job.

Granted that all lines of communication with Mr.. Adam Mohamed Waqaf have failed at a critical juncture, there was a bus load of government ministers in the area although the decision to dispatch so many ministers at the same time is questionable.

However, the delegation included some highly trusted ministers in the executive branch as well as other competent ones with no known political baggage from the past. This event has exposed some serious flaws in the administration of our nation's affairs and someone should be held accountable for this national treason.

If all contact with the minister of defense was lost, where did the chain of command of the Somaliland army fit in all this nonsense? The army chief of staff and the regional commander of the army base in Erigavo as well as others should be at the front and centre of this maelstrom. On saturday 14/04/2007, according to the Ministry of Information press release, the Somaliland army repulsed and routed the invaders from Majertenia but at the same night reinforcements from Hargeisa and Burao left for the Eastern front. We assume that the Minister of Defense has called for additional support at some point in time. This is where the regional commander at the forward base in Erigabo fits in the equation and he should not be left out because he has a lot of explanation to do.

Now, the burden of proof is upon the former minister of defense and he should come forward to give his side of this national debacle. Let us hope that Col. Adam Mire, as a professional soldier, will face the nation with courage and dignity and recount how and why our army lead us into this shameful betrayal.

WHAT WE HAVE HEARD SO FAR DOES NOT ADD UP AT ALL.

Ahmed Ibrahim Sabeyse

Toronto, 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

Poll-tax agitation has been a fairly common phenomenon in Africa. On most occasions it has involved little ‎more than vocalized protest. In a few instances, however, it has led to resistance that has been both serious ‎and violent; the earliest example of the latter is probably to be found in the widespread Fante uprisings that ‎occurred immediately after the introduction of the Gold Coast Poll Tax Ordinance of 1852; a later example is ‎the Natal uprising of 1906 which has been attributed in large measure to the introduction of poll tax at the ‎end of the previous year. Yet the agitation by the Isaq Somali in Kenya did not follow either of these two ‎patterns. In several respects it was a highly unusual movement: first, the Isaq were campaigning to pay higher ‎taxation; secondly, in order to secure their aims they attempted to mobilize the whole Isaq diaspora, so that ‎Somali in Uganda, Tanganyika, British Somaliland and Britain were all involved in this agitation, (see map )‎.....Read the rest

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

(Waridaad) - Following is the famous "Letter-of-Death" as translated into English by Mohamoud Sheikh Ahmed Musa, former President of the Supreme Court, including his explanatory notes as footnotes:1
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