No Deal – United Nations and Somaliland to Continue Negotiating Cooperation

[Uusmiir]

No Deal – United Nations and Somaliland to Continue Negotiating Cooperation...

The government of Somaliland and the Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Somalia Mr. James Swan have not reached an agreement on the cooperation framework between Somaliland and the United Nations.

This is according to a brief statement released by the Somaliland Presidency following a meeting between the President of the Republic of Somaliland H.E. Muse Bihi Abdi and the delegation led by Mr. James Swan, the two sides have agreed to continue the discussions on Somaliland and the UN cooperation framework.

Somaliland government have set forth stringent conditions on cooperation between the United Nations and international organizations that essentially demanded that Somaliland be treated as a separate entity from Somalia and as a result has halted all preparatory work related to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNCF) agreement signed by the United Nations and the Federal Government of Somalia.

“The Republic of Somaliland has never been part of the federal system and has not had formal communications for three decades with Somalia. The UN is expected to engage with the Government of Somaliland as a separate entity while respecting its territorial integrity and right for self-determination.” said the 7-page document sent to the United Nations.

[Oodweyne]

Salaan Sare, Uusmiir and Suldaanka.

Guys, waxaan garan waayey wax ka khaldan dowladdeena SL oo ay “own-goal” iskaga dhalineysaa, oo ay James Swan iyo Cadowga UN-ta ee Muqdishu jooga ay albaabka uga fureyso, sidii aanu nahay maamul-goboleed hoos yimaada UN-Trusteeship of Somalia.

Dowladdu waa ay ogtahay siyaasadda “information warfare-ka” ah ee ay Somalia iyo UN-ta naasnuujisaa ay ku wado SL. Markaas, maxey dowladdu codowga SL u siineysaa “libinta propoganda-ta” ah ee ay ka halayaan ama ay ka dhalinayaan in James Swan uu Hargeysa tagey, sidii uu u tagey magaalooyinka maamul-goboleedyadda Somalia.

Taas oo ah sida cadowga SL baraha bulshadda iyo twitter-ka kaga ciyayaan, oo ay guul u arkaan.

Sababta oo ah: To them, as our enemies, they have cottoned on to the fact, that, we have defeated them, militarily, on the ground. Given that not an inch of territory of SL’s land is under the control of Somalia. However, what they want to do is win a “propoganda war” against us in SL, and do so with a “bogus unearned victory” through “disformation warfare”.

Particularly, along the line of suggesting, that, of course, Somalia is under the supervision of the UN as a “Trusteeship entity”, and as a failed state in this day and age, just like today’s Libya. But, such an “ugly and dishorable reality” is also something in which Somaliland is also party to it. That is their argument against us.

And the visit of this Mr. James Swan fellow to Hargeisa, right after he did his official tour over his various bantustan’s fiefdoms in Somalia, will give a “believable credence” to that sort of a pernicious argument against us in SL.

Hence, so sorry to belabor the point in here, guys, but the question is why would SL do this kind of a “diplomatic own goal” in this way against herself? Could you guys enlightened that for me.

And who on earth advise the SL’s government in this area? Do they have some competant folks, who could, at least, advise them how to be always on a “sure-footed terrain” about one’s own diplomtic conduct and always be on the look out for how others are “scheming” against you in SL.

Do you guys think the government have those kind of folks? And if not, why don’t they have some semi competent folks who could give them the heads-up about this kind of “easy-to-spot” public relation (PR) propaganda agenda in which our enemies are cooking up against us, constantly.

Let me know what you guys think about those sort of points, if you could know the answers to them.

[Uusmiir]

Greetings Oodweyne,

Very Good questions that many of us have been pondering for a while now. After the overwhelming euphoria Somalilanders felt upon hearing we were kicking out all UN agencies from Somaliland last October (due to their constant infringement on her sovereignty), you would think the ruling party knew they had a mandate to stay the course. Its crystal clear the optics a Swan visit, especially during his shuttle diplomacy with the Somali Federal Member States, would create to the average Joe let alone the SL government. Don’t forget the UK ambassador was also in Hargeisa a couple weeks ago.

In my view, Swan /UN/US /EU fill in the blank, all see the writing is on the wall for their Somalia mission. Their unicorn Selection / Election looks like it wont be held on time or transparently, something they have been bleating on about for years now. The amount of arm twisting and acrobatics they have had to do just to get the State actors to meet and bash out something, anything, that would save their faces is clear for all to see. It looks like they will fail. Mainly because Somalia is no longer just dependent on the West, they have new benefactors namely the Turks and Qatar. Billions has been spent, by the IC and its doomed to fail. They need to justify the results of those billions to their constituents namely their tax payers. Enter Somaliland , which just so happened to have successfully self-financed and completed registering electoral voters to to take part in parliamentary elections in MAY, despite cutting ties with UN agencies a few months ago! This actually sets a precedent about the relevance of the UN to a countries “democratization”. Enter their charm offensive to highlight how they are part and parcel of Somaliland’s success.

UNSOM (UNSomalia)

Presidency | Rwanda (UrugwiroVillage)

Economic self sufficiency should be the main priority for Somaliland so that she is no longer beholden on any foreign actor. Clearly she is not there yet, but is a lot closer to that than her neighbour.

To your question of what’s in it for Somaliland? The only thing in it for Somaliland at a minimum, is a return to the two track Somali Policy. They will get concessions and probably more on this, especially if things get more dicey down South and the new US Administration probably wanting results. The success of the SDF makes it even more glaringly obvious how successful Somaliland is when she is in charge or her Funds, rather than when it is channelled through Mogadishu (Barawe airport fiasco and Beledawayne floods or even Qardho floods for that matter).

A Norwegian delegation met with Somaliland on the same day as Swan. The Brits were there a couple of weeks ago clearly interested as ever in the trade corridor between Somaliland and Ethiopia and how post Brexit they can take advantage of it. The Brits just so happen to be funding /contributing 22 million to the Hargeisa bypass a crucial part of the Berbera Corridor through their Trademark East Africa Organisation based in Kenya but also with an office in Hargeisa.

“TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is one of the largest Aid for Trade organisations worldwide. It works to reduce barriers to trade and increase business competitiveness in the East Africa region to contribute to economic growth, reduce poverty and increase prosperity for all”.

Aid for Trade is the new moto in town now! Could be a game changer but we have heard that before.

Guess who else was sniffing around Hargeisa this week.

Weriye Axmed Maxamuud (AxmedWeriye)

[Suldaanka]

So long you are turning the other cheek, they will not stop slapping you. The day Somaliland says enough and kicks them out of the country that is the day they will start respecting you.

We have the morale high grounds in this dispute. Over 30 years of Somaliland self-sufficiency and at the same time the UN being at the forefront of undermining our progress starting from the get go when they organised USP (United Somali Party) against Somaliland Gov’t in the early 1990s and all the other deliberate underminings.

Somaliland’s needs to grow a pair and be tough. Otherwise we will always be the doormat that they walk on.

[Uusmiir]

WFP’s impact on the local economy was also highlighted. The food relief agency uses the international port in Berbera, with the facility forming part of a critical corridor serving its operations, not just locally but also around the wider region of the Horn of Africa.

“More than a quarter of a million metric tons of humanitarian assistance cargo passed through Berbera last year,” Mr. Swan said. “Between 2019-2020, the World Food Programme injected more than $50 million into the economy of Somaliland in the form of port fees, warehouse costs and transport charges.”

They make it look like they are doing Berbera/SL a favour by using their services. Try using Djibouti and see how far that 50 million gets you.

They build a well here or a school in the bush somewhere with nothing to show for it apart from numbers for their reports. For 30 years they have been giving food aid such as rice and other grains to a place that has thousands of acres of arable land. The technology exists to put this land to use to feed the nation and even export it. Enter Taiwan.

In less than 3 years the UAE has, built and airport, modernised a port to the tune of hundreds of millions and is building a road to the tune of over 100 million which will touch the lives of far more Somalilanders than any aid the UN has provided in 100 years. They have built a 7 megawatt solar power plant in less than a year which is more than the west has provided in the last 30 years, with their kilowatt here and kilowatt there band aid approach.

[Suldaanka]

Somaliland sent this 7 page letter to the Head of the United Nations mission to Somalia.

[Uusmiir]

“Itch on our back” bit is a bit cringe but the rest is ok. Wax bay isku hubaan! The more Somalia keeps tangling itself up in knots, the more likely the IC will acquiesce to most of this, and use it as a stick against Somalia to get its house in order!

[Oodweyne]

Uusmiir And Suldaanka,

Guys thanks for the lovely debate over this issue. And, although, I really, really, would love to give a benefit of a doubt to our SL’s government in regard to this issue. But (for there is always a but) these UN’s outfits are “past masters” in “hoodwinking” you if you give them a half of an inch of a leeway.

In fact, what they write for you as a “contract” is essentially “hot-air game” with them. For they are happy to put it aside all of that, and then proceed to do as they please.

It’s a “trick” they pull in every third world country in which they work in. They will give you “seductive melodies” of respecting your “agency”, and then the minute your head turn, there they go, again, doing the same thing and the same shit you already have asked them to stop doing it.

Which is why I thought it was a “political mistake” for us in SL to show them a way back in, since all of these UN’s agencies have “emotionally invested” in Somalia and will be happy to belittle anything to do with SL, if it helps them to talk up Somalia.

And in that sense, I very much believe that you will see soon that these same UN’s agencies “buttressing” their works in Somalia with what we do in SL independently of Somalia. Or you may even see Somalia’s paper government claiming the SL government’s data as its own because these same UN’s agencies had passed to them.

Hence, unless we see these agencies as to what they truly are, which is a basic enemy of SL, since what we do (as basic as it could be) seems to show how truly incompetent they are in the art of “State Building”, we are not going to win this “cat and mouse game” they are minded to play against us.

Particularly, in the sense of them telling us that we “respect” your position and even signing an agreement with us on that basis, whilst on the other hand, officially not doing any of that. And even putting “their considerable weight” on the side of the scale in which Somalia sits against us.

Let’s hope that I am wrong in here. For I fervently wish for that, indeed.

[Uusmiir]

World Bank Report on Somalia Cities (They included Somaliland - lots of errors)

I’ll give an example of the sinister ways aid is tied to policies. Remember this story Trademark East Africa has contracted Transtec to perform a Baseline and an Endline Study of the Berbera Corridor in Somaliland. The study will provide a robust baseline and end line evidence and indicators on existing traffic conditions along the Berbera Corridor, which will inform planned interventions to meet current and predicted future demand and track progress on programme outputs as the Berbera corrid…

[Uusmiir]

Whatever happened to this issue.

SAAB TV

[Uusmiir]

Also this issue while we’re at it.

Abdi Daud