Somaliland
Somaliland Pushes for International Recognition
November 26, 2010 · 22 Comments
LONDON (SomalilandPress) –Somaliland has been fighting for its independence for three decades. Its newly elected president, Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, is in London to strengthen economic ties and lobby for support to have his country recognized as a sovereign nation.
Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo launched a new economic cooperation center here in London, the Anglo-Somaliland Chamber of Commerce. The president is in Britain looking for economic as well as political support.
“We would like recognition for our country of course, but we would also want to see the international community and Britain our friends engage with us to mobilize development to give us development, recognition and cooperating with us in many areas,” said the president.
He says the June elections that brought him to power were widely regarded as free and fair, and the peaceful transition of leadership marked another step in Somaliland’s development.
“We have made tremendous progress, Somaliland has been operating on its own, Somaliland has been relatively peaceful in a region which is not stable enough, known for instability activities of al-Shabab and other extremist groups,” he said. “Somaliland has been fighting against these people and Somaliland has been working on stability, not only that but on its democracy and development of its people.”
Silanyo says his government has worked hard to crack down on piracy and Islamic militancy, and is concerned about the instability of Somalia.
“We would like to see peace restored to Somalia itself because lack of stability in the region is bound to affect us, it’s affecting the whole world, it’s affecting our region more than anyone else,” he said.
Somaliland’s new president says international recognition of Somaliland would help with stability, its banks and other institutions would be able to interact freely with the rest of the world.
“Not being recognized by the international community is a huge setback, naturally that goes without saying and that’s why we are moving around and asking the international community and sending an appeal to them to recognize Somaliland,” he said.
Silanyo says Kosovo’s recent recognition as an independent country and the January referendum on independence for Southern Sudan are both positive developments for Somaliland.
“We are heartened by Kosovo and what’s happened to Southern Sudan that means it opens the door for us. The principle that countries should remain as they were at the time of independence has changed so why should it not work for us as well,” Silanyo said
The United States says it will “engage” with Silanyo’s government. Britain, Denmark and Sweden are all increasing their bi-lateral ties with Somaliland. The president said Ethiopia is also deepening its relationship with Somaliland, and, he hopes a new railway will link the two countries.
Source:VOA | Friday, 26 November 2010
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By Mo Guled
Tags: Anglo-Somaliland Chamber of Commerce, Silanyo, Somaliland Government, VOA
Readers Comments (22)
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Congrats mr president i was never your supporter but i really admire your efforts towards your people and your land.
Good job Siinaanyo
It's time for the world communities to accept reality and recognize Somaliland, so that Somaliland can be part of the world community. Without recognition, the people of Somaliland, the right to self determination and humanity is outright been denied. If recognition is good for South Sudan and Kosovar, it's truly good for Somaliland, especially when Somaliland is not caving a territory out of nowhere but, Instead withdrew back to it's original border of British Somaliland before it voluntary joining the now failed union with Italian Somalia.
The case for recognition is getting stronger by the day. Soon the African Union will have no option.
What have Kosovo and the referendum for South Sudan got to do with the entirely much different
Somaliland's Modus operandi case. The Somaliland issue has a solid precedent foundation
history background of Independence after 84 years under the treaty of the British Colonial Protectorate.
Clearly unless there are certain hidden secrets I fail to understand why the Somaliland is not gaining
it's legitimate modus operandi independence of 26 June 1960. What are the hidden secrets disqualifying
this English-speaking Nation from becoming a free Sovereign State…is it because Somalia has written
binding agreements..is it IMF/World Bank Debt…Is it old Oil exploration Western Cos politics.
Whatever the S/land issue is purely a unique straight forward issue and confusing to other
dubious or precarious situations is absolutely unfair. However so much will depend upon how the
S/land Authorities will handle this delicate issue of the dubbed S/Land's best kept secret!.
Let's optimistically hope that the much needed recognition will be forthcoming in due course.
Cheers.
I have many times in the past said Somaliland needs railways, it's good to hear there are plans to build one between Somaliland and Ethiopia. I believe the best people to go for this are the Chinese (Chinese construction) and British operators with 20% for Somaliland government/private companies/shares, 20% Ethiopia and the 60% for British companies.
Well done Dahir Riyale for stepping down but since he is also in London he should have welcomed the President.
Well done Kulmiye, the progress is positive!
I disagree the worst option is to have Chinese involved as they do not pass on knowledge needed to maintain anything they build, just read about the history of the Chinese made Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA). The Chinese will only finance investment which employees its own people and this can be seen all over Africa. Better to have Western investors who will train the locals to maintain the investments.
I support the purchasing of Chinese manufactured items but I do not support Chinese investment in any African country.
keyse above why have u given the bigger share to forign interests i wonder if u r implying that s/land investors dont have resources but am sure if there was a capital markets system developed and listed companies offered IPOs they would raise alot of cash in the hundreds of millions of $$$ . think about it!! good day :)
Because the foreign firms will generate jobs, money that goes back into our country, they gotto bring in the right tools and equipment, expertise, and train our people. All that put together will hit above 80%…if our people are unemployed rather than take huge chunk in the shares we can return some back through taxation.
Sadly, the previous S/land government did not want recognition for S/land nor did it seek recognition. The new government consisting of people who love the country and want to see it develop have achieved more in the last 3 months than the previous government did in 8 years – that's plain for all to see now.
All S/land has to do is knock on doors and ask for recognition. If you don't ask you don't get. It's as simple as that. Recognition is on the way – Yaa rabbi yaa Allah. The previous S/land government did not want recognition for S/land for many nefarious reasons. Praise be to Allah who has saved us and delivered us into the hands of a government who care about its land its people.
Musalsalka aqoonsiga(ictiraafka) dhammaad maleh miyaa horta? Waa sheekooyinkii carruurta lagu maaweelin jireyoo kale. Ninkii aaminsan yeelkii. Dalka wax u qabta, dadkana runta u sheega. Beentu waa xaaraan, mana habboona inaad dadkaaga waxaan jirin ku maaweelisaan xaajiyada meesha isaga dambeeyow!.
Waar ninkii Siinaanyo sowkaa istiilay ee meelkasta galay. jow now. Wooow Anglo-Somaliland kkkk I hope it works man. I know white people look after their interest before anyone else.
Waht does it mean when Somaliland President say that it is the people that want recognition ?
What does Siraanyo believe and want for Somaliland? A cursory review of his speeches will indicate that he believes a federal form of government! If so, what can you do about it in the face of millions of dollars beginning to pour in from the West? Somaliland is being readied to become the staging battleground to attach Al-Shabab in the South – an enemy to all!.
Brother, let him believe whatever he wants. But if any S/land president tries to unite with the south, we'll impeach him. If he doesn't leave quietly, we'll drive him and other somaliweyn politicians out of our land. hundreds of millions of dollars poured in during the eighties to siyad barre from Russia and the West…but wtih Allah's help we crushed them
In opinion – 80% of Somalilnd are happy to be united with the South — Only Website that talks about the recognition is Somalilandpress. Please stop this false info .. Somali is country from South to North. After 20 years of so called independent we didn;t produce any good good governance.
Vive Somaliweyn
80% ?? stop that cheap nonsense talk, im in Hargeisa now and i can assure you that 99.9% of ppl here hate to be to part of so called somaliwayn,the young generation whom born after 1991 dont even know whats somaliwayn look like,,all the they know is there are somalilanders and their flag is green white and red
Abdul, I think you mean 0.8% rather than 80% a simple mistake to make.
Somaliweyn was a dream born as a reaction to Colonial rule by our "new to nationalism" fathers, it had its time like communism but now we have woken up from that dream.
Somaliweyn is gimmick used by southerners of Somalia to keep Somaliland hostage its disguise for tribal hatred and jealously. Somaliweyn died when southerners of Somalia hijack government for their own benefit and neglected Somaliland financially and politically at the start of the union;Somaliweyn died when Somalia government went to war with its neighbors and lost humility and signed off the lands of Ogaden/Somali Western region off and didn't appeal international courts case with peacefull referendum instead;;Somali Weyn died when Somalia Government committed genocide on its own fellow somalis in Somaliland leaving nothing behind but ruins.Somaliweyn died when Djibouti split and Ethiopia and Kenya maintain there somali regions also when Somaliland went back to their orginal borders; Somaliweyn Died a long time ago all that is left now is its carcuss which maggots such as Al Shabaab and TFG feed on for power and greed. Let Somaliland live take its right for place in the world stop being blinded by hatred. The world is realizing now Somaliland has accompilish the impossible in the horn of africa; peace, stablity, and democratic government.
Lets this be known to all……….
the blame for whats going on today in the south and north is on Bare and his cronies. Like many african military leaders, absolute power was what he yearned for; even when his intentions were good; this got in the way. Bare wanted to be the husband and father of a somalia. what he failed to understand was that to be the father of anything, the would be mother has to accept you, in this case the somali people being the mother. Bare forced hismself on somalia and those who colluded with him are guilty of the same crime, in this life and the next. Somaliland is the like the victim of this saga, unable to forgive or forget the brutalities inflicted on her. Let somaliland get over those days; set her free.
Sadly the Brutality of the dictatorial Military Regime of Barre & his cronies are to blame for
the failed State of Somalia. But the Civilian Govts. before him and the self elected warlords
after 1991 uptill now are no better either. sadly it all boils up to say the South since the Independence
of 1st July 1960 up to now never understands the rule of law and good Governance and worst of all
the groomed pride of true nationalism and noblistic patriotism and honestic idealism…with all the
good qualities in the lacking blinded by the groomed prides of Darodism Hawiyeism rivalries
the incentives of abject failures are too much to bear.
Cheers.
Somaliland is a qabiil state and that is the fact, They could even make friends with their somalilander that where not isaaq clan and they abuse the minority people. Somaliland will never bee recognised ever so its best if they reunite with their brother and leave the hate and cogdaad behind, STOP QABIIL SOMALIA IS ONE.
To the majority of my bros and sis who commented above, like me you have striped yourself of your Somali identity and can no longer be considered as Somalia/ Land national. You gave up your right to vote and the right to make decisions on what’s best for your country and people. Realistically we have no more rights to comment on the affairs of France than we are that of Somalia/Land as we do not pay tax or contribute to the economy in any other way (Sending money back to keep your relatives a life can not be considered as a contribution to the economy). Sadly we are also foreigners in the country we live in and the only place we can really call home as for most of us we were too young to remember live back home as our country has been in turmoil for the past two decades. The way I see it, you can either continue slandering those Somali Nationals who’s lives are affected each and every day by the egocentric decisions made by our leaders today or pray for them to have the same peace, stability and security that these foreign countries have provide d us with by will and mercy of our glorious Allah.