Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/21/2019 12:50:26 PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 11:48:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Subject: Somaliland News Update - May 2019 Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 11:31:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: Somaliland Mission to the U.S. on behalf of Somaliland Mission to the U.S. To: Somaliland
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Somaliland Update / May 2019
Somaliland oil the International Stage
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Somaliland Celebrates 28tb Independence Day
On May 19th, celebrations were held across Somaliland to mark the 28th anniversary of the country’s independence. In Hargeisa, the occasion was marked bv a live hr tarade and other festivities attended by delegations from Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen, among other countries. The Chairman of
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Uganda’s Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Hood Katuramu, who led his country’s delegation, urged recognition of Somaliland, stating, “If we are talking about pan Africanism, which Uganda prides itself to be a leader in this push, I think the time is ripe for us to recognize and start working with Somaliland.” Read more
President Musa liilii Abdi
Yamamoto to Somaliland
On April 12, U.S. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto made his first trip to the Republic of Somaliland to meet with President Musa Bihi Abdi in Hargeisa. During the historic visit, President Bihi and Ambassador Yamamoto discussed strengthening Somaliland-U.S. relations, regional security, U.S. investment in the country and political dynamics in the Horn of Africa. They also discussed upcoming parliamentary and local elections in Somaliland. The leaders were joined by Jeffrey Bakken, the USAID Mission Director in Somalia, Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs Yasin Hagi Mohamoud, and Minister of Finance Saad Ali Shire. Following the meeting, Foreign Minister Mohamoud expressed hope that
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Yamamoto's trip would “set the stage for deeper collaboration between Somaliland and the U.S. in areas of security and investment" and said both countries "represent a beacon of peace, democracy and free market." Read more
President of Somaliland Musa Bihi Abdi Travels to Ethiopia in Historic Visit
President Musa Bilii Abdi traveled to Addis Ababa on February 20 to meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the lirst time since both leaders have taken office. In a major step toward deepening relations between the countries, the two discussed strengthening trade collaboration, working in unison on matters of peace and security, and ensuring the wellbeing of Ethiopians in Somaliland. To further facilitate mutually beneficial relations, the Government of Ethiopia appointed its former Ambassador to Djibouti and Kenya Shamsuddin Ahmed Roble as the new consul to Hargeisa. Read more
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Foreign Minister Concludes I n a u gu ra I V is it to Wash i n gto n
In December, Somaliland Foreign Minister Yasin Hagi Mohamoud made his inaugural trip to die United States, where he traveled to Washington, DC, New York, Ohio and Minnesota. Foreign Minister Mohamoud discussed enhancing diplomatic, defense and commercial ties between the two countries with officials from the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the I .S. Agency for International Development, as well as with a number of Members of Congress, including Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Karen Bass. Foreign Minister Mohamoud also addressed policy experts at an event hosted bv the Atlantic Council and met with over a dozen think tank experts and journalists. In New York, Foreign Minister Mohamoud consulted with officials from the United Nations, where be met with Assistant Secretary-General Taye-Brook Zerihoun. After bis successful meetings in Washington and New York, the Foreign Minister traveled to Ohio and Minnesota to meet with members of the
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Somaliland diaspora. Read more
Defense One Ideas: Protecting Africa’s Oceans
An oasis of stability in a volatile region, Somaliland has long safeguarded our maritime zones from piracy, terrorism and crime, including illegal fishing. Thanks to the responsible stewardship of our coastal ecosystem, Somaliland’s territorial waters are home to hundreds offish species. For this reason, conservationists and diplomats alike should be alarmed by neighboring Somalia’s recent decision to grant licenses to Chinese companies to fish in Somaliland territorial waters. Unless the international community intervenes, 850 kilometers of Somaliland’s coastline and 70,000 square kilometers of its exclusive economic zone will soon become vulnerable to exploitation by foreign commercial entities, putting at risk yet another fragile coastal ecosystem in Africa. Read more
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UAE and Somaliland Continue to Strengthen Bilateral Ties
In April, President Musa Rilii Abdi traveled to the l nited Arab Emirates (UAE) for a three-day working visit to discuss issues of cooperation including security, trade, and the ongoing UAE investments in Berbera. President Billi was accompanied by Foreign Minister 'l a sin Hagi Mohamoud and Minister of Planning and National Development Abdirahim Osman Haji Abdi.
This was President Bill is second visit to the UAE in a month. In mid-March, President Bilii and a delegation from Somaliland met with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour in Abu Dhabi to discuss areas of mutual interest as the UAE continues to expand its investment profile in Somaliland. In addition to the ongoing expansion of the Port of Berbera, the two parties agreed that the UAE will help to fund renovations to the Berbera Airport and the construction of an electricity plant and cement plant. These investments, along with others in Somaliland’s construction, ports, transportation, warehousing and storage, mining, metals and chemicals, renewable and environmental technology, and financial services sectors, will bring the UAE’s total investment in Somaliland to $2.58 billion. Read more
Distinguished American Scholar V isits Somaliland
The American Enterprise Institute’s Michael
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Rubin visited the Republic of Somaliland in February. During bis visit, Mr. Rubin met with Somaliland’s President Musa Bilii Abdi, senior officials and ordinaiy Somalilanders across the country; visited with students at universities; and traveled to the Port of Berbera to tour the extensive modernization project funded by global port operator DP World. Read more
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Somaliland Hosts United Kingdom Defence Secretary
In early January, United Kingdom Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson traveled to Somaliland to meet with President Musa Bilii Abdi. The two discussed shared priorities, including economic development, regional security, counterterrorism efforts and the UK military’s training and support for the Somaliland Coast Guard. Secretary Williamson’s visit marks the first time a British Cabinet Minister has traveled to Somaliland. Read more
Somaliland Hosts Delegation from Eritrea led by Foreign Minister
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Osman Saleh
In March, the first-ever government delegation from Eritrea, led by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and presidential adviser Yemane Gebreab, traveled to Hargeisa for a three-day visit. This comes as part of both countries’ concerted efforts to boost regional peace and the objective of the meetings was to begin bilateral engagement after Eritrea and Ethiopia normalized relations following years of adversity. Somaliland President Musa Rilii Abdi briefed the delegation on Somaliland’s political, social and economic updates and thanked them for their initiative. Read more
Somaliland and the European Union host workshop: “Investing in Resilience in Somaliland”
On April 1, the EU and Somaliland hosted a workshop on investing in resilience, which was attended by representatives of government institutions, donor partners, district commissioners, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. The workshop focused on
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increasing coordination, identifying best practices and promoting innovative mechanisms including cash transfers, social networks, job creation, water infrastructure development and more. The participants discussed the challenges brought bv recurrent droughts and measures to strengthen the resilience of communities to withstand the droughts. Additionally, the EU, UK and Sweden are contributing a total of 19 million euros to support the Somaliland government’s efforts to anticipate, prevent and address the impact of droughts. Read more
Inside Somaliland
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Somaliland Makes Progress in Crackdown on Wildlife Smuggling
A court in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, sentenced two men to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle six cheetah cubs out of the country in September. This marks the first cheetah smuggling conviction in the region. With fewer than 300 cheetahs left in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland’s Minister of the Environment and Rural Development, Shukri Haji Ismail, is leading the fight against cheetah trafficking.
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National Geographic explains that that cheetah smuggling “is an extremely secretive trade, and no hard statistics exist,” though according to estimates, 330-500 cheetahs move through Somaliland. Read more
Athletes from Across the Globe Compete in Somaliland Marathon
More than 200 international athletes gathered in Ilargeisa to participate in the Somaliland Marathon and 10-kilometer races in February. The marathon started and ended in the Hargeisa stadium and followed a paved road east of the city. Osman Elmi Sheikh, who traveled from Boraina, Awdal region, won the marathon and said, “Winning the marathon ahead of Somali and international runners will he etched forever embossed in golden letters on a new page of my athletic ambitions.” Several Somalilander officials attended the event, including Vice President Abdirahman Abdullahi Ismail ‘Sei’li*. Read more
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Somaliland to Host World Cup for Unrecognized Countries
Somaliland is set to host the 2020 Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) World Football Cup. CONIFA was founded in 2013 to represent all football team associations outside FIFA and includes nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories. The association’s vision is to maintain high ethical standards and contribute to the enhancement of global relations and international understanding. This will be the fourth CONIFA World Football Cup, with previous toumaments hosted by Sapmi 2014), Abkhazia (2016) and Barawa (2018). Read more
Somaliland is Open for Business stfo
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the Port of Berbera
UAE marine terminal operator DP World has commissioned the first Mobile Harbor Cranes (MHCs) at the Port of Berbera. The three new cranes will double productivity, reduce vessel turnaround time and stabilize operations during monsoon season while also providing safer and more secure conditions at the port. DP World’s Middle East and Africa CEO Suhail A1 Banna said in a statement. “As construction work for the expansion of the port progresses, we are witnessing a transformation in the capacity of this major infrastructure asset, benefitting people both here and across the Horn of Africa,” adding that the port “provides an effective alternative gateway to international markets” and is “proving beneficial to the people of Somaliland.” The $12 million investment is the latest in a series of significant modernization investments that started in 2017 and include state-of-the-art container handling equipment, vehicles and svstems. Bead more
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W orld Remit Launched in Somaliland
Somaliland was the first country in Africa to host WorldRemit, a digital money transfer service that is in the process of expanding its presence in Africa. When discussing the company's start in Somaliland, Andrew Stewart, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, said, “That was our pilot; it was just a lot quicker from a regulatory perspective to get a license and it's going really well so far. Our Founder, Ismail Ahmed, is a Somalilander so that was the priority, to be honest. We felt Somaliland would be a really good test bed for us. Read more les m
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t Telesom GEO is AfriaCom CEO of the Year
CEO of Telesom in Somaliland Abdikarim Mohamed was awarded as the AfricaCom CXO of the Tear. He is credited with prioritizing innovation, embracing disruptive technologies and elevating Africa’s digital economy by
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successfully navigating the company into the digital age. The award, which is voted on by the public, was presented at the AfricaGom Enterprise Awards. Telesom is considered to be the leader in the telecommunication sector as it uses the latest technology and employs a highly skilled and professional customer care team. Its offerings include mobile voice and data, ZAAD (mobile money payment) and cloud technology. Read more
Construction Begins on Berbera- Ethiopia Highway
On 28 February, a groundbreaking ceremony attended by President Musa Bihi was held to celebrate the start of construction of a 250 km dual carriageway between Berhera anti the Ethiopian border. The United Arab Emirates and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development Construction Company are funding the project, which is expected to increase trade volumes with Ethiopia by 30% when it is completed in early 2022, according to Minister for Roads Abdullahi Ahokor. Earlier this year, outgoing UK Ambassador to Somaliland and Somalia David Concar visited President Bihi and noted the important role that the Berhera Corridor inland road system will play in connecting the Red Sea port of Berhera to Wajaale, Ethiopia. Read more
Closing Viewpoints ^
Michael Rubin in The National Interest: U.S. Africa Policy Cannot Afford to Ignore Somaliland
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”1 nlike Somalia proper, Somaliland lias denied Al-Shabaab access to its territory. Ilargeisa, its capital, is among the safest cities in Africa. Somaliland has contested elections, secured via biometric iris scans, and lias had five peaceful transfers of power amongst rival parties. While Somaliland lias its own currency, its economy is increasingly cashless: organic innovation and permeation of cell phones lias allowed even its rural citizens simply to trade digital money by cell phone. Americans might still think 'Black Hawk Down* when they think of Somalia, but Somaliland lias become more like Sweden and Estonia in its e-practices. In effect, Somaliland does everything right. So why does the 1 nited States ignore it?" Read more
Michael Horton in The American Conservative: Somaliland: A Success Story Without the Billions and Bombs
‘’Somaliland’s government learned a great deal from its antipiracy efforts and applied those lessons to its equally successful counterterror operations. Just as with the fight against pirates, community engagement remains central to the battle against al-Sbabaab. Somaliland does not rely on drones, military contractors, or any of the other expensive trappings of the counterterror programs of its southern neighbors. Instead, the key element of its operations are the people it defends. The best intelligence, which is critical to fighting a group like al-Sbabaab, is not produced as a result of coercion or payments. Instead, Somaliland pays for the information provided by its citizens by maintaining a government they can
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participate in and rely on at least much of the time—to respond to threats to their communities.” Read more
Bill Snaddon in HornDiplomat.com: Why it’s time for an amicable divorce between Somalia and Somaliland
Bill Snaddon of the British Heart Foundation argued that Somaliland should he recognized internationally due to its stability, which sharply contrasts with the situation on the ground in neighboring Somalia. Snaddon quoted Joshua Keating, a foreign policy analyst who studied Somaliland for his book Invisible Countries: Journeys to the Edge of Nationhood, who noted that “Somaliland’s main obstacle is not the world’s animosity, but its indifference.” Read more
Office of the Somaliland Representative in the United States
This material is distributed by the Glover Park Group on behalf of the Republic of Somaliland. For more information visit www.fara.eov.
O
Somaliland Mission USA 6019 Tower Court Alexandria, VA 22304
Office: 703-370-1423
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