Somaliland:Rebuilding shattered lives, one home at a time

Burao (Burco),Togdheer Somaliland

Hoda Dahir and Christian Jepsen (04.01.2012)

In Somaliland, NRC assists displaced people to build their own homes. After years in refugee camps in Ethiopia, young Mohamed can now witness how piles of bricks evolve into a new, permanent home for his family.

By The string of banging hammers is shadowed by mesmerizing chants of Somali poetry and mischievous jokes. “Hey! You young ones, we need more water, and hurry. Faster, faster!” shouts a middle aged man bent over his shovel while mixing the cement and sand into a thick paste. A roar of laughter rises from the skeletons of houses growing from the dusty, red soil.

A returnee building his own home in Burao, Somaliland, supported by NRC. Photo: NRC/Christian Jepsen

The sun is at its peak, yet the men laying the bricks seem undeterred by the merciless rays. They are all in sync with the tasks at hand and have one goal in mind – to complete the houses as soon as possible for their families here at the Aden Suleiman settlement in the eastern part of Somaliland

15-year-old Mohamed is eager to learn the craftsmanship of the masons and carpenters working at the construction site. Mohamed’s young curious eyes follow the mason’s matriculate adjustments to ensure that the large cement and mud bricks are placed in exact alignment with each other.

Photo: NRC/Christian Jepsen

“I am proud of the fact that all the workers and many of the masons and carpenters here are from our own community, meaning we are actually constructing our own houses,” says Mohamed with a proud smile as he peeks into the half-finished structure. “This will be my family’s first ever house made from bricks. We cannot wait to move into our new house and settle in.”

At the onset of the civil war in Somalia in the early 1990s, Mohammed’s family migrated to Ethiopia where they stayed in a refugee camp. After ten years in Ethiopia, they moved back to Somaliland, assisted by the United Nation Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) resettlement program. Having lost his father, Mohamed currently lives with his mother and six siblings in a cluttered, tiny nomadic Somali house – a so called buul – alongside dozens of other families in similar housings.

Photo: NRC/Christian Jepsen

Each of the 50 houses in this project consists of two rooms, each measuring 4 x 3.5 meters and an adjacent veranda. NRC is providing the design, tools, materials and training for the locally recruited labourers, many from the displaced communities and others the host community. The local Burao government has donated the land for the houses that will benefit a total of 350 people. In many other similar projects, NRC is providing temporary shelter solutions with materials such as corrugated iron sheeting. But for this particular project, NRC has been able to secure the necessary land and funding for a better and longer lasting solution.

The recipient community has been heavily involved in many aspects of the project. Dozens of men from the Aden Suleiman settlement have volunteered to work on the construction site, sharing the work load amongst themselves according to needs and skills.

The NRC assisted shelter project funded by the Japanese government through UNHCR. Photo: NRC/Christian Jepsen

The local Somaliland government authorities have provided sand, water, some unskilled labourers and security for the materials on site; equivalent of a total of USD 600,- per shelter. This contribution allowed NRC to increase the shelter with an additional room. It is the first time that the Somaliland authorities have provided direct financial support to a shelter project.

Looking at his family’s cluttered, ramshackle house made of sticks and plastic sheets, Mohamed is looking forward to improved living conditions, popping up only 20 metres from his family’s buul. “These are real houses that will provide security and stability for our families for many years to come”, Mohamed concludes.

The NRC assisted shelter project in the Aden Suleiman settlement is funded by the Japanese government through UNHCR. Other project components are tracking of displacement and stockpiling of shelter materials for use in case of future emergencies due to drought, flooding or conflict. Mohamed’s house and the other project activities were scheduled to be completed during December 2011.

Norwegian Refugee Council: http://www.nrc.no/

VIDEO: Koox ka Soo Goostay Ururka SSC Oo Loogu Soo Dhaweeyay Somaliland

Koox ka Soo Goostay Ururka SSC Oo Loogu Soo Dhaweeyay Somaliland

 

Burco-Xoghayaha Arrimaha bulshada ee ururka nabad-diidka ah ee SSC Kayse Cabdi Yuusuf, oo ay weheliyeen xubin ka tirsan golaha dhexe ee ururkaasi iyo sodameeye qof oo kale oo ka mid ah maleeshiyada deegaanka Widh-widh ee gobolka Buuhoodle ayaa soo gaadhay magaalada Burco ee xarunta gobolka Tog-dheer ka dib markii ay ka goosteen kooxda nabad diidka ah isla markaana ka tanaasuleen falalka nabad gelyo darrada ah ee kooxdaasi ka waddo deegaanada Buuhoodle iyo Sool.

VIDEO: Koox ka Soo Goostay Ururka SSC Oo Loogu Soo Dhaweeyay Burco 

 

Kooxdan soo goosatay waxa si diiran magaalada Burco ugu soo dhaweeyay maamulka gobolka Tog-dheer, waxaana la dejiyay guriga martida ee magaalada Burco. kooxdani waxay wateen afar baabuur oo midi tikniko yahay.

Tallaabadani waxay dhabar jab ku noqonaysaa kooxda SSC, iyadoo Xoghayaha arrimaha bulshada ee SSC Kayse Cabdi Yuusuf uu kooxdaasi ka ahaa xubin miisaan culus ku dhex lahaa oo ka mid ahaa qab qableyaashooda ugu caansan, waxaanu ka hawl geli jiray deegaanka Widh-widh oo uu dhalasho ahaan ka soo jeedo.

waxa kale oo uu Keyse Cabdi Yuusuf waxa uu hore ugu magacownaa badhasaabka gobolka Buuhoodle ee maamul goboleedka Puntland ee dalka Somalia.

sarkaalkan iyo waxgaradka weheliya ayaa la sheegay inay ajiibeen dalabadii Madaxweyne Axmed Siilaanyo ee dhinaca nabadgelyada, waxaana la filayaa inay ka qeyb qaataan shirarka nabadeynta ee la doonayo in lagu soo afjaro dagaaladii ka dhacay deegaanka Kalshaale ee khasaaraha dhimasho iyo dhaawacba geystay.

VIDEO: Koox ka Soo Goostay Ururka SSC Oo Loogu Soo Dhaweeyay Berbera Mar 17 2011

 

Somaliland: Seven Arrested SSC Terrorist members Taken to Burco City

Captured SSC Terrorist members by Somaliland Military

Burco: – Somaliland security officials have taken members of the (Sol Sanag and Ayn) SSC  Terrorist group to Burco. The Seven Terrorist fighters were captured after they attack Wid-wid district in the Ayn region by Somaliland Military.

Reports from Burco’s main hospital indicate that there are two members of Somaliland forces who have been treated from injuries after fighting with the SSC Terrorist group. From SSC Terrorist side at least four casualties and dozen injuries reported.

Captured SSC Terrorist members by Somaliland Military

Names of the seven SSC Terrorist prisoners:

1 Cabdi Ismaaciil Maxamed

2 Cariif Maxamed Axmed

3 Xiis C/laahi Jaamac

4 Axmed Cabdi Jaamac

5 C/laahi Cismaan Cabdi

6 Cabdi Cismaan Yuusuf

7 Nuur Xasan Siciid

Source:Togdheer News

Analysis: Somaliland poll fuels recognition hopes

HARGEISA, 25 June 2010 (IRIN) – As voters in Somaliland prepared to finally cast their ballots in a tight, oft-delayed presidential election on 26 June, there was one outcome for which almost everybody in the territory, regardless of political or clan affiliation, was rooting.

Peaceful and well-conducted polls “will lead to international recognition of Somaliland”, Mohamedrashid Sheikh Hassan, who is running for vice-president on the opposition Justice and Welfare Party (UCID) ticket, told IRIN.

“The first task” of whoever wins “is getting international recognition. Everything else follows from there. Without it you cannot have development,” said Said Ahmed Hassan, the president of Gollis University in Hargeisa.

“It is difficult to do business without recognition, so the new government must strive for recognition so as to set up proper financial institutions which will ease a lot of transactions,” said trader Khadar Ahmed.

“My best hope is for a free, fair and transparent poll as the world is watching to see how Somaliland will hold its elections,” said Mohamed-Rashid Muhumed Farah, a veteran journalist and chairman of the Saxafi Media Network.

“If the poll is successful, this will inevitably lead to Somaliland’s recognition by the international community,” he added.

Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence in 1991, but, despite its relative stability and the establishment of democratic institutions, it is still considered by the outside world to be part of Somalia.

There is a degree of foundation for Somalilanders’ optimism, according to E.J. Hogendorn, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, who noted that regional powerhouse Ethiopia recently upgraded the status of its consulate in Hargeisa to a “trade office”.

Recognition “is discussed at high levels in European circles, in [the UK’s] House of Lords and the European Parliament, for example.”

“But there is a consensus that, if recognition were to occur, an African country would have to take the lead. If a major African state were to recognize Somaliland, pressure on others to do so would be significant, and could lead to a cascading effect,” he said

Recognition reluctance

The first international organization to extend recognition would have to be the African Union (AU). But the AU, noted Hogendorn, “is extremely nervous about setting a precedent of recognition for secession”.

Such recognition reluctance exists not only within the AU, but also elsewhere in Somalia, where many regard Somaliland as an integral part of the country.

This is especially true of the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab, which has publicly called on Somalilanders to stay away from the polls. (The group is suspected of planning attacks designed to either disrupt the ballot or distract media attention from the election.)

One close observer of the country’s political scene said the assumption that a well-run election would boost chances of recognition were “fair” but that any development would likely be “an incremental process, rather than a one-off”.

One reason why these aspirations are unlikely to be satisfied in the immediate future is a fear that recognition would complicate efforts to put an end to the conflict ravaging south and central Somalia.

One close observer of the country’s political scene said the assumption that a well-run election would boost chances of recognition were “fair” but that any development would likely be “an incremental process, rather than a one-off”.

One reason why these aspirations are unlikely to be satisfied in the immediate future is a fear that recognition would complicate efforts to put an end to the conflict ravaging south and central Somalia.

A peaceful poll?

This election was originally scheduled for April 2008. After numerous postponements, a bitter disagreement over the registration process almost degenerated into violence in 2009.

A number of donor-funded measures, coupled with a sense that chaos would do the recognition cause no good, have helped to reduce the risk of unrest.

There is a new election commission in place that enjoys the trust of all stakeholders. Political parties campaigned on alternating days so as to minimize confrontation. There has been a huge voter education campaign, involving religious leaders, elders, and NGOs. On election day itself, only polling officials and observers are permitted to travel by vehicle.

“We are confident everything will go as planned,” Commission spokesman Ahmed Hirsi told IRIN on 20 June.

UCID’s Hassan said: “I don’t think anyone will try to rig it, but if that happens there are enough observers both local and international to call the culprits to account.”

There is widespread agreement that whoever wins, a clear margin and a graceful concession by the losers would help maintain calm.

Riyale, who won a 2003 presidential election by a mere 80 votes at the head of the United People’s Democratic Party (UDUB), appears ready to go quietly should things not go his way.

“If UDUB loses, I am 100 percent sure we’ll hand over power,” his spokesman, Ali Mohamed Yusuf, told IRIN, insisting however that this outcome was unlikely.

This election will resonate well beyond Somaliland itself, since democratic transitions of power are very rare in the Horn of Africa.

“The election is carrying a huge burden of hope of Somali people [also in the Horn and the diaspora] for an alternative governance system, to show that another way is possible,” said the political observer.

“The stakes are very high,” warned ICG’s Hogendorn. “The election is quite likely to be very close and thus vote count will be very much contested. Close elections can prove to be very divisive, problematic and tense.”

Source: IRIN

Somaliland elections on course for Saturday

Somaliland election: International observers for presidential poll dispatch teams across the country ahead of Saturday’s crucial vote

The international mission to observe Somaliland’s long-delayed presidential elections on 26 June 2010, led by UK based development agency Progressio, the Development Planning Unit at University College London and Somaliland Focus (UK) notes that good progress is being made towards holding the scheduled vote this Saturday. The first teams of observers left the mission’s base in Hargeisa for Somaliland’s regions on 24 and 25 June. Country-wide, all teams are expected to commence observation of the vote on the morning of 26 June.

The three organisations were invited in January 2009 by Somaliland’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) to act as coordinators of the international observation mission for presidential elections in the internationally-unrecognised Republic of Somaliland.

Given past difficulties, recent months have seen rapid progress towards a free and fair election, a clear indication of the effectiveness of the new NEC which was put in place after the parties agreed to a revised timetable for elections in late 2009.

In the week since the team assembled in Hargeisa (comprising 59 individuals from 16 countries, including diaspora Somalilanders) much work has been done. The teams have met the incumbent president and the two opposition candidates to hear points of view on the progress towards polling day where all three candidates pledged to accept the result of the poll.

However, the team has noted various complaints from the political parties about each others’ actions and of media bias. Fears about gaps in the voter registration process and the potential for attempted fraud have also been raised. Nevertheless, the observers mission agrees that the campaign has generally been peaceful and good-natured; that campaign ‘rules’ have on the whole worked well, and that the people of Somaliland are still enthusiastic about the election, despite the many delays. Indeed, a carnival atmosphere has prevailed in Hargeisa in recent days.

The potential for unrest does however remain high, the mission notes, and security threats around the election cannot be underestimated (ensuring the security of observers themselves, especially those in the regions, has been of paramount importance to the mission’s leaders). Nonetheless, the mission’s co-ordinators are hopeful that no major disruption will take place on polling day or in the immediate aftermath

The team are looking forward to a free and fair voting process and the smooth collation of the results in the coming days. Michael Walls, joint co-ordinator of the observation team, said: “we are heartened at the good spirit in which campaigning has taken place and are optimistic that the vigilance of Somalilanders and their evident commitment to a peaceful election will ensure that the small minority who wish to disrupt the process will be prevented from doing so.”

Dr Steve Kibble, also of the observation team, said: “We look forward to a peaceful election process that will express the will of the Somaliland people clearly and decisively. We are greatly encouraged by the willingness of the three party candidates to respect the result of the election.”
A post-poll press release will be issued by the election observation coordinators on June 28 2010, with a press conference at 11am at the Hotel Mansoor, Hargeisa. All interested media are invited to attend.

Notes

1. For further information or to arrange an interview with a member of the coordination team, contact Conrad Heine in Somaliland, tel +252 2 409 5464 or by email at conradheine@gmail.com

2. Somaliland’s Presidential elections have been repeatedly delayed. The poll has previously been scheduled for March/April 2008, December 2008, March 2009 and September 2009.

3. Somaliland is situated in Somalia’s northwest. It declared unilateral independence from the failed Somali state in 1991 and has since been a haven of relative peace whilst violence and instability has characterised Somalia, its capital Mogadishu and more recently the Gulf of Aden.

4. Progressio’s involvement in the mission follows its leadership of the international monitoring team for Somaliland’s inaugural parliamentary elections in 2005, judged by observers as “basically free and fair.”

5. Progressio is an international charity with Catholic roots that enables poor communities to solve their own problems through support from skilled workers. And we lobby decision-makers to change policies that keep people poor. For further information see: http://www.progressio.org.uk

VIDEO:New AljazeeraEnglish report on Somaliland Election 24th June

Somaliland set to decide

Somaliland is heading to the polls for its second election in eight years, with the current president facing a strong challenge.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow reports from the capital, Hargeysa, in the lead-up to Saturday’s ballot.

Somaliland finally prepares presidential polls

16 April – The National Electoral Commission in the Republic of Somaliland finally is ready to organise the country’s second presidential elections in June this year, two years late.

According to a brief news release by the government in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s National Electoral Commission has presided over a meeting with the countries political parties, agreeing on the last details for holding the twice postponed presidential elections.

During the meeting, Somalilander political parties signed the code of conduct for the upcoming presidential election. Representatives from President Dahir Riyale Kahin’s ruling UDUB party agreed with the main opposition party Kulmiye and other opposition parties.

The electoral commission presided the meeting that slated the presidential elections to be held in June 2010 “after registration of voters list is completed and new voter identification cards are issued,” according to the government release.

Somaliland organised its first presidential elections in April 2003. The poll, which was deemed both free and fair by international observers, ended in one of the closest poll races ever seen in Africa. President Riyale won the wote with 42.08 percent of the poll, followed by Kulmiye’s candidate receiving 42.07 percent of votes.

President Riyale’s term ended in 2008, but as the electoral commission was not able to organise a nation-wide poll at that state, the Hargeisa parliament agreed to exend his term by one year. Last year, parties agreed to organise elections in September, but again the term of President Riyale had to be extended because voter lists were not ready.

Now, however, the under-funded National Electoral Commission has announced it is close to finishing the electoral preparations. It has established an electronic voter registration system and has started issuing voting registration cards to citizens.