Background: Shifting Policies Exacerbating Ongoing Conflict In February 2008, the U.S. and Somaliland achieved a significant milestone with the visit of Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, to Hargeysa. During a panel discussion in 2020, Jendayi Frazer expressed regret for not advocating more strongly for Somaliland's recognition during her tenure as assistant…
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On the other side of the continent, we find Somaliland, where its citizens have adeptly debunked legal misconceptions surrounding their statehood. A new generation of Somaliland advocates confidently assert, "It's not de facto, stupid!" They rightfully emphasize a widely accepted understanding based on the fact that Somaliland has never lost its independence due to the unratified and rejected act…
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I believe that fair and democratic elections are crucial for Somaliland. Unfortunately, the current political landscape is restrictive, with only three parties allowed to participate, and a ten-year waiting period for other political associations to compete again. This unfair monopoly on elections has been one of the main criticisms of Somaliland's political process It is important to note that…
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Both are running behind schedule because of an ongoing constitutional crisis since Jan 2022 about which election comes first. The Bihi government and the opposition have different preferences and it is hard to explain what is really going on. Best place to learn more about this: my YouTube series on Somaliland Constitutional crisis. In this blog post, I want to highlight a great and timely…
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Only a fair, open and transparent system will resolve current conflicts and guarantee wider participation in politics by the youth and regional Somaliland. We should no longer stand on the sidelines. The new proposals for Law 14 from current political parties do not only aim to resolve their own conflict but they're overreaching to dictate the political future for all of Somaliland's next…
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2022 July update Ethiopian Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa: Informal Relations with Somaliland and their Possible Future Development (2016) BEING A DE FACTO STATE IS
NOT ENOUGH
Somaliland’s innovative regime (2022) Recognition may not be Somaliland’s immediate goal
(2022)
Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States(2022) External Power Competition in the Horn of Africa…
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If you noticed, things are not the same. When I started this advocacy our audience was the western elites (IR experts, MPs, journalists influencers etc). The challenge was to first let them know about us and then address any misconceptions they have about Somaliland's unique position in the world. At the same time, several geopolitical events have opened up a very rare opportunity for Somaliland's…
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In the following week, Australia is hosting the Quad meeting of foreign ministers in our city Melbourne. Since its inception, the goals of this alliance have included an open and free indo-pacific. Unfortunately, democracy and alliance with free democracies have not improved much since the last Quad meeting in Washington DC. We have seen how the Solomon islands for example switched its recognition…
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However, no one has told that to Claire Elders in her latest article in the reputable International Affairs journal. In this blog, I will explain how such a scientific paper does not even meet the standards of a news article let alone peer-reviewed journals. It is an insult not to Somaliland but to science and research methods. If Claire or the publisher did not take corrective actions, it will…
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The Somaliland and Somalia talks' should follow all of the following four principles: Principle #1: Somaliland statehood is based on aspects that require international intervention; not Mogadishu's Approval. Somaliland statehood is based on the following aspects: Respecting colonial boundaries and historical independence since 1884 an unratified union with Somalia The genocide of 100,000 people…
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Kulmiye1 and Somaliland sovereignty During their tenure in government, former Kulmiye member Hirsi Ali xaaji and his group, known as Kulmiye1, temporarily halted the pursuit of Somaliland's international recognition. This information has been corroborated by an insider and a close ally of Somaliland on the international stage. President Bihi, however, has reversed seven years of self-imposed…
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The only issue that didn't invoke an intervention is the unilateral declaration of independence by the Somaliland people. This is despite the inviting 2005 African Union fact-finding mission that recommends finding a special method of dealing with Somaliland's outstanding case. In this article, I will explain why Somalia will never recognise Somaliland and for very good reasons. Then, I will…
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Taiwan/China ( 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 🇯🇵 🇮🇳 ) Somaliland is one of the few African countries that established relations with Taiwan. This can make Somaliland subject to the US TAIPEI Act of 2019 which allows US to protect Taiwan allies. On China's influence on Africa, Somaliland held its ground against China's tactics to cut ties with Taiwan. Horn of Africa ( 🇺🇸 ) According to Freedom House, Somaliland…
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Where can I see Far Wadaad? This video by Aziz Farah will show you an 90 years letter from a man called Saleh Dirir in Berbera to his wife Haboon Wacays in Burco. Where can I try Far Wadaad? Head to this page where you can convert from Somali Latin to far wadaad How do these Scripts compare Below you can see the difference between current Somali (Latin) script, Galaal script and Aw Barkhadle…
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However, Egal's system started to erode when our tribal society found a loophole. In Local elections, each family or subclan tries to play the system to maximize its representation. In Parlement elections, the same strategy is followed but on a higher hierarchy. Finally in presidential elections, since there are only three candidate seats, elders from the Zayla to Laas Qoray started to form…
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Contrary to what I thought, we have 4 climates in Somaliland: Hot desert climates (BWh) Cold semi-arid climates (BSk) Subtropical highland oceanic climate (Cwb) Hot semi-arid climates (BSh) This is called Köppen climate classification. It is an awesome system that helps you think more clearly about the weather conditions anywhere in the world. It lets you say for example Melbourne has about the…
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Currently the Gadabousi, Habar Younis feel that president Muse Biihi gave all the power to other tribes, namely Habar Jeclo and Habar Awal. To check if this is true, first, we need to agree that a fair share would be a one that gives each tribe a number of ministers proportional to their population. Luckily, we have a survey made by the British protectorate in 1951. Using the same ratio, we can…
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