Welsh Somalilanders on war-ravaged home they cannot forget

- But for some members of Cardiff's Somaliland community, the conflict in Syria is akin to a nightmare they have lived through."Maybe it was worse than Aleppo. There were bodies scattered everywhere, people dying in the streets, children," said Abdirahman Ahmed, about the war in his homeland.

He joined 150 people at Cardiff's city hall on Thursday to recognise the contribution of Welsh Somalilanders and to raise awareness of problems still afflicting the state 25 years after the war ended. These include a lack of medical facilities, jobs or help for the large amount of men suffering from mental health problems and a crippling drought exacerbating the situation.

Read more;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38331804

Somaliland: War-ravaged state linked to Wales for 150 years

- There may appear to be few similarities between Wales and a war-ravaged self-declared African republic where people suffering from mental health problems are chained up. Yet, a group of Cardiff men raising £100,000 to help them is just the latest chapter of a relationship with Somaliland that goes back nearly 150 years.

In May 2015, the city council became the second British local authority - after Sheffield - to recognise the country's independence from Somalia. Despite this, Welsh Somalilanders think there is little awareness of what they believe is Wales' fastest growing ethnic minority community, saying its population is nearer 7,000 than the 1,300 recorded.

Read more;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-37911424

UNESCO: Laas Geel Rock Arts site

"UNESCO expert mission examines the state of conservation of Laas Geel Rock Art site in Somaliland". In the framework of UNESCO’s support towards the sustainable development of the Somali Culture Sector, and in partnership and with the financial support of the French Embassy in Kenya and Somalia, UNESCO sent a technical expert mission to Somaliland from 28 October to 2 November 2016 to review the state of conservation of the Laas Geel Rock Art site, one of the oldest rock art sites in Africa and the most important ancient site in Somaliland.

Turkey, Qadiyadii J. Somaliland Way Ku-habawday oo ay ku Hafatay....

- Safiirka Turkey u fadhiya Soomaaliya waxa uu yidhi, "ujeeddada Turkey ka leedahay wada-hadaladda Somaliland iyo Soomaaliya waa midnimo Soomaaliyeed oo la gaadho", weedhahaasi waxa ay ku jireen waraysi dhawaan ay la yeelatay idaacada Maraykanku leeyahay ee VOA-Somali. 

Hadaba, su'aashu waxa ay tahay, waa ayo cida ay ka qarsoonayd ee aan arintaasi ogaynin^).  Jawaabtu waxa ay tahay, nin-doqon ah iyo malaha dawlada Somaliland ayaan ogayne cid kasta oo kale way ka dheregsan tahay in dalka Turkiga warkiisu dhayda ka cadaa ilaa iyo bilowgiiba.

British Council: New overseas higher education partnerships announced

-The British Council and Department for International Development (DFID) are pleased to announce the first two partnerships supporting the transformation of overseas higher education, under the Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR). 

The two initial partnerships will focus on healthcare provision in Somaliland, and education provision in Jordan and Lebanon for Syrian refugees.  The partnerships will begin delivering their projects in early 2017. The projects will bring together knowledge and expertise from King’s College London as well as organisations from the UK, Germany, Somaliland, Lebanon and Jordan, according to the British Council.

Colonizing Somalia: The Fall of Xeer Law

- Members of the Isaaq clan largely inhabit Somaliland, which was one of several clans that faced extreme persecution from the Barre regime. Siad Barre’s government imprisoned Isaaq elders, raped women, and killed civilians in massacres in order to quell resistance to his rule. In Somaliland, the traditional Xeer system is still widely practiced by the population. The self declared government of Somaliland has incorporated aspects of the Xeer in its legal system in order to promote stability.

Somaliland has a House of Elders made up of 82 members representing traditional elders from the different clans. They are primarily responsible for resolving and preventing disputes from turning violent. 

Read More;

http://www.startupsocieties.com/archives/1105

Moving the goalposts; DPW-Berbera (Somaliland)

- East Africa is a region of complexity and opportunity, as Felicity Landon finds out. It’s not easy to achieve a snapshot of what’s happening in East Africa – mainly because politics, economics, corruption, borders and the lasting impact of conflict combine to keep the goalposts moving and investment plans uncertain.

However, the region is attracting investment – earlier this year, for example, DP World signed an agreement to develop the multipurpose Port of Berbera in Somaliland, with the aim that the port should "achieve its potential for becoming a regional trade and logistics hub", according to the operato. The group already has operations in Djibouti, where it operates the Doraleh terminal, as well as in Mozambique.

Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives, Collective Failures, 2011-12

- On Wednesday 19 October 2016, the Rift Valley Forum and the University of Hargeysa’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) hosted a public forum to discuss the key findings of the book, Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives, Collective Failures, 2011-12. The book, written by Dan Maxwell and Nisar Majid, is based on extensive research on the 2011–2012 drought that affected Somalia and the region. Previously launched in Nairobi under the Rift Valley Forum, the Hargeysa forum attracted national and foreign academics, expatriates, post-graduate students and government officials.

Worcestershire MEP backing Somaliland's bid for "re-recognition"

- A WORCESTER-BASED UKIP politician has spoken of his visit to Somaliland speaking to desperate people. James Carver, an MEP representing the West Midlands, visited the autonomous region of Somaliland earlier this month to help reignite its bid for "re-recognition".

Mr Carver, UKIP's Commonwealth spokesman, has used his position in the European Parliament to try and lobby for the region to be recognised as a "state in its own right" by the international community.

Ogaysiis: Ka Qayb-qaado "Petition-ka Ictiraafka J.Somaliland

- Dad-waynaha reer Somaliland ee degan dalkan UK, waxa la ogeysiinayaa in dardar gelinta Petition-kii aqoonsiga Somaliland ee uu diyaariyey saaxiibka reerr Somaliland, mudane xildhibaan Stephen Doughty, ay ka bilaabmi doonto maalinta sabtida ah ee ay Bishan October tahay 29, 2016 dhammaan magaalooyinka waaweyn ee UK. Haddaba waxa la xusuusinayaa dadweynaha reer Somaliland ee degan UK, inay fursad dahabiga ah ay codkooda ugu hiiliyaan qadiyada dalkeena: 

Waqtigu waa  10:00 subaxnimo  illaa 6:00 galabnimo

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131174.

Saudi Arabia’s KS-Relief Supports IOM Somaliland’s Yemen Response

Saudi Arabia - With support from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KS-Relief), IOM is building up the institutional capacity of immigration and coastguard officials in Somaliland who are at the forefront of the humanitarian response to help thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen.

The support includes an eight-day training workshop for 30 immigration and coastguard officers – monitored by five senior government officials – which kicked off on 22 October 2016. The selected coastguard officials work in Zailac, Hargeisa, Maydh, and Berbera. The immigration officers are based in Hargeisa and Berbera.

Somaliland hopes Brexit will pave way for UK to grant international recognition

- As Berbera port deal opens global trade gateway, Somaliland optimistic that freedom from EU policy will allow Britain to acknowledge self-declared state Britain’s looming departure from the EU may be a fraught issue at home, yet in one corner of the Horn of Africa hopes are harboured of a very definite Brexitdividend. The government of Somaliland believes the impending split marks a pivotal moment, one that will free the UK to grant the self-declared state the international recognition it has been seeking for more than 25 years. “I think Brexit will make it much easier for the British government to make up its mind,” said Somaliland’s foreign minister, Dr Saad Ali Shire.

Read more; 
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/oct/19/somaliland-brexit-pave-way-uk-grant-international-recognition-berbera-port-deal

Welcome to limbo: Somaliland, country that never was

- From the cave paintings at Laas Geel to striking colonial architecture, the people of this self-declared East African nation have good reason to be proud. It is well worth a visit, even if tourism infrastructure is lacking Rather surprisingly, as a Briton, I feel at home in Hargeisa, the ram­bunc­tious capital of Somaliland, a country that doesn’t legally exist. It is partly because the locals gather for tea and a slice of cake in the afternoon, but also because I find myself being hailed by Somalilanders with distinctly London accents. “What brings you here, mate? Good to see ya!” proclaims one returned diaspora man, leaning out of his car window.

Read more;
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2029380/welcome-limbo-somaliland-country-never-was