The President meets the President: Who will blink first?
By Dr. Omer Ibrahim The President of Somalia meets the President of Somaliland in Dubai with a clear agenda prepared by the combined committee in London with the support of hosting countries. They initialed the agreed agenda prepared by the technical committee and postponed the thornier issues for future negotiations. Is it clear however what the […]
The cake first, then the slices
Bashir Goth It was a day like any other. A hot and bright summer day in the Washington D.C metropolitan area as we sat, a group of middle aged Somali men, in a good Afghani restaurant in Virginia at the invitation of a prominent Somalilander. We chatted like all Somalis do while we were waiting […]
THE DEATH OF THE LAST HOPE: How President Silanyo Failed Somaliland.
After a long fought election campaign starting in 2008, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Silanyo) was finally sworn as the new president of the Somaliland Republic in July 27, 2010. The defeated president, Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin graciously handed over the presidency to Mr. Silanyo and wished him the best of luck. Mr. Kahin also promised that […]
Sustainable Peace: Why Somaliland Matters by Abukar Arman
By Abukar Arman Like in wars between states and other organized groups, civil wars and other protracted domestic conflicts are seldom caused by a single factor. Over time, even those that prove to be the exception to the rule eventually evolve into a much more complex conflict- hence the entity known as Somaliland. […]
Missing the mark
After reading Mr. Abucar Arman’s article on “Sustainable Peace: Why Somaliland Matters”, I can’t help but notice a number of rather large inaccuracy and a surprising lack of knowledge on some basic facts. It is particularly disappointing when a representative of the TFG government; someone as eloquent and supposedly well versed on “Somali […]
Somaliland justice falters on the case of Boqor Osman Buurmadow
By Bashir Goth Boqor Osman Aw Mahmoud, Buurmadow, is languishing in jail for the fourth month in a case that exposed the faltering and inept system of Somaliland justice. In four months, the government prosecutor could not build a plausible case against Boqor Osman and couldn’t bring credible people other than government officials […]
“Somalia, welcome back.”
“Somalia, welcome back.” By Bashir Goth* With the arrest of the notorious Hassan Dahir Aweys, the inevitable defeat and apprehending of Ahmed Abdi Godane, the Joseph Kony of Somalia and his Al Shabab gang of criminals, and the ongoing Turkish-led momentum to get things right this time, one can confidently say: Welcome back to the […]
IN MEMORY OF DR. ABDI SHAKUR JOWHAR – FRANTZ FANON OF THE SOMALI PEOPLE *
By Bashir Goth “He lit up a room. If you can imagine the sun, his face was like the sun, that smile, the arm around your shoulder. He was just like a gentle giant, a very lovely man. He was like nobody I ever met.” Shannon Shaw, a ward clerk on psychiatry – Owen […]
New Down in Africa and the Middle East
New Dawn in Africa and the Middle East They called us “the sleeping giant, but Is this the time of our awakening? Fifty plus years passed when colonial flags came down And colorful new Freedom flags were raised. How did we get so far behind? Did those who fought for Freedom, die in vain? Is […]