SOMALILAND STRIVES TO BECOME AFRICA'S NEWEST STATE

The breakaway republic hopes to become Africa's newest state, wooing international support with state-of-the-art elections. But it faces the corruption, injustice and tensions endemic to the region.

By Edmund Sanders
Friday, May 15, 2009

Hargeisa, Somaliland
When it came time to register voters for a presidential election in Somaliland, this dirt-poor breakaway republic picked the most expensive fingerprint-identification technology available to prevent fraud.

Then it seemed everyone did their best to undermine it.

With many people using different fingers on a biometric scanning pad or other ways to fool the device, nearly twice as many as the 700,000 to 800,000 estimated eligible voters received voter cards. Under the new $8-million system, one polling station registered, astonishingly, nearly 14 times as many people as it had for a parliamentary election four years ago.

Now Somaliland's embattled election commission, aided by a European consultant, is scrambling to cull the list of voters by applying a second security layer, of facial-recognition software. If it works, the voter rolls in this relatively stable corner of northern Somalia stand to become among the most technologically vetted in the world.

The voter registration controversy says a lot about the challenges facing this Horn of Africa territory of 3.5 million people. Somaliland, after declaring its independence from Somalia in 1991, has hoped sovereignty would enable it to better protect its citizens, rebuild the economy and attract foreign assistance.

Just about everything Somaliland does -- from holding elections to chasing pirates -- seems aimed at currying international favor, portraying an image of stability and distancing itself from the chaos raging to its south. It dreams of becoming Africa's newest nation.

"It's the thing always in the back of our minds," said Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, one of Somaliland's founding fathers and a leading opposition figure. "The only commodity we sell to the international community is that we are a stable country."

Yet as Somaliland tries to leapfrog from oppressed backwater to regional role model, it's facing the same ghosts -- corruption, injustice and ethnic tensions -- that have haunted its neighbors.

The election scheduled for September, which was intended to highlight Somaliland's democratic progress, is instead exposing institutional weaknesses and stirring domestic discontent.

Besides the voter-registration debacle, the election date has been twice postponed at the request of President Dahir Riyale Kahin. His term was extended over the objection of opposition parties, who now call his government unconstitutional.

Ethnic rivalry is on the rise as political parties court Somaliland's major clans, which yield considerable cultural and political clout in Africa. Many residents are bracing for what is expected to be a very close race. In 2003, the president was declared the winner by just 80 votes amid allegations of rigging.

Civil-society leaders worry Somaliland could be headed toward the same kind of election turmoil that rocked Kenya last year after a disputed presidential vote ignited ethnic violence that left more than 1,000 people dead.

Longtime human rights activist Ibrahim Wais questioned whether Somaliland's political leaders respected democratic ideals enough to conduct a free and fair election.

"It's not a conviction with them," he said. "It's a pretense, a plaything to impress the international community."

President Kahin insisted Somaliland was on the right path to democracy and dismissed naysayers, noting that there have been three peaceful national elections since 2001.

"There's no [democratic] backsliding," he said in an interview in the reception hall of the presidential palace in Hargeisa. "A lot of people never believed elections could happen smoothly in this country."

But opposition leaders suggest they won't accept defeat as gracefully as they did in 2003.

"If I lose by the rules, I'll accept," said Silanyo, the leading presidential challenger. "If I don't, I'll fight it."

Silanyo said he wouldn't resort to violence, but others in the opposition aren't so sure. He and others accuse Kahin of clinging to power by repeatedly delaying the election. They also say that the president has hidden lucrative oil-exploration deals from parliament, arrested opposition leaders and journalists, monopolized state-owned media and bribed clan leaders and members of the Upper House.

The president denied the allegations. He blamed election delays on the faulty voter-registration system and last fall's triple suicide bombings in Hargeisa by Islamic extremists, which killed about two dozen people.

Source: Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2009


6 comment(s)

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wiifgarow @ 5/16/2009 6:46 AM EST Brother Awdal

I agree with you wholeheartedly. The writer underestimates Somalilanders capacity to forgive each other and choose peace everytime. If politicians like Siklanyo decide to stir up things people will stop them. Secesion or not we will pursue peace.


fiqicigaal @ 5/16/2009 6:07 AM EST Indeed people must have righteous principals in the first place and then they will not fail to perform virtuous actions.

It is only luck and opportunities that has been on Somaliland's side while the south suffered, they could have done more with it.

Instead they exposed their weakness and incompetence to a suspecting and undecided world about the integrity of those in the authority.

Awdali4life @ 5/16/2009 4:11 AM EST
If only every one stopped all the negativities and focus more on the good things...What we all need to worry about now this ever-changing phase of the conflict in South Somalia, a new name and force that's halting a peace we might attain at last in Somalia. Pray...keep praying is all we should do now!

simbe @ 5/16/2009 4:09 AM EST If Somali stay together as nation during these difficult times the real hero’s will be the people who refuse this dismantling of Somali republic. I really gave that credit to WARSANGELI AND DHULBAHANTE, they decided to stay in Somalia no matter what…….. Majeerteene gadaal ayuu ka jiraa, ogaada gaaladuna taas waa ogyihiin oo ma aqoonsanayaan inta ay dadkaas diidan yihiin.

Awdali4life @ 5/16/2009 4:05 AM EST "...corruption, injustice and ethnic tensions..."
"... Is instead exposing institutional weaknesses and stirring domestic discontent..."
"It's not a conviction with them," he said. "It's a pretense, a plaything to impress the international community."
Civil-society leaders worry Somaliland could be headed toward the same kind of election turmoil that rocked Kenya last year after a disputed presidential vote ignited ethnic violence that left more than 1,000 people dead.

Too pessimistic Article I think! At this critical time, the last thing I want to hear is Chaos that erupts in this part of my land. May Allah restore the grace all Somalis had in the world, and protect the remaining peaceful areas of my country…Aamiin!