Somalia, a non-peaceful state with pirates and Islamic terrorists swaying, but in the north of the country there is a place having security and stability.
Somaliland, with a population of just three and half million , declared itself independent when the wider country fell into Anakin in 1991 and Since then, it’s establish rule of law, democratic process and religious tolerance or factors which are driving a campaign for full recognition by the international community.
A high security prison in the middle of town, Hargeisa, funded by the United Nations has since 2010 been a home to some of the most dangerous inmates including Islamic extremists and pirates. Somaliland’s relative stability and security means it is trusted to hold such prisoners by the international communities. Hosting criminals like these and copying with the attendant security helps Somaliland differentiate itself from the neighboring Somalia in the eyes of the international communities.
It’s not just security; Somaliland has modern shops with western goods. The self proclaimed republic has its own president and its own money. Its inhabitant’s Somalilanders as they call themselves are keen to assert their identity for they respond in large numbers when called to come out and register for their national identity cards. Somaliland is campaigning for recognition as an independent nation state but it’s still viewed as part of Somalia by the international community.
Somaliland shall never ever reunite with Somalia citizens among them these local journalists tell the international communityIt’s a few strongly held by those who remember the civil war and 1980s conflict that pitched secessionists against Somalia central government in Mogadishu. More than fifty thousand people were killed according to the authorities here in Hargeisa. The killings were committed by the Somali army of the time and bodies buried in mass graves.
Somaliland’s head of state Ahmed Mohamed Mahmud Silanyo is the fourth president of Somaliland after 3 peaceful transitions of power since independence in 1991.
A reflection of the extremely relaxed atmosphere surrounding the president is shown when he often meets his entourage on foot in the capital Hargeisa and elsewhere in the country. Being a president who isn’t recognized by the international community has its drawbacks as Somaliland cannot fully participate in international forums, it’s not a member of the United Nations and cannot be entitled with all the rights of a fully participant of the international countries.in Somaliland resilience is the key wordSomaliland survives among its larger recognized neighbors by mostly depending on animal exports to the Middle East. Berbera is the lifeblood of the region; more than 30% of gross domestic products are generated by livestock shipments including camels, cattle, sheep and goats according to World Bank data. This has not had much impact on the daily lives of most people as the World Bank has for the first time attempted to measure poverty in this self proclaimed nation. According to the provisional data, her capital income was 34$ in 2012 less than a dollar a day per person.
If Somaliland had a status of a country it would be the world’s 4th poorest. The government acknowledged in 2012 that at least one hundred people are fleeing each month often at great risk.
International organizations and local journalists are increasingly concerned about the restrictions on the media.
Since this year started at least 3 media houses have closed or burned from broadcasting and since the start of 2013, 47 journalists have been imprisoned or harassed according to the European Union but the government is denying that it is violating press freedoms.
Somaliland a country of free willsSomaliland seeks to portray a tolerant image, its conservative moderate brand of Islam far from the extremists extolled by the Al-Shabaab which still controls parts of Somalia. But in Hargeisa there are concerns about the underground influence of al-shabab particularly in young people. Could this cause a problem in Somaliland?
