Somaliland constitution and independence endorsed

afrol News, 5 June - The support of the new Somaliland Constitution and thereby independence in last week's referendum was almost universal. As the self-declared independent Somaliland government of northwestern Somalia published the final results, it showed over 97 percent had voted in support. As the new constitution in its first paragraph contains the clause, which confirms Somaliland's independence, the referendum indirectly, also was about this issue. Somaliland declared unilateral independence in May 1991, but has so far received no overt international recognition. Somaliland draws its independence claims from the fact that Italian and British Somalia were two separate colonies, and that Somaliland was independent before entering into a union with (Italian) Somalia in 1960. Abdi Idris Du'ale, press secretary to Somaliland's President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, yesterday said that the results were announced at a ceremony in the Somaliland parliament, and will be officially endorsed by Somaliland's Supreme Court at a later date. Du'ale said the court was likely to certify the results in the "next few days", but was not sure exactly when, according to the UN media IRIN. The regional breakdown of votes would be released after the Supreme Court certification, he said. Meanwhile, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reported on 4 June that a yes vote in the referendum was highly unlikely to change foreign attitudes. EIU said donors continued to hope for a reunited Somalia and were "highly unlikely to give Somaliland international recognition", as long as the Transitional National Assembly (TNA) in Mogadishu existed. The TNA, set up in the Djibouti-hosted Somali peace conference last year, and which was boycotted by Somaliland, opposed the referendum. Maryam Arif Qasim, a TNA member, told IRIN on 29 May that the referendum was "a foreign-inspired conspiracy..." whose only purpose was to "dismember Somalia". The referendum was also opposed by the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, in northeastern Somalia, in a press statement on 26 April, which described it as "unwise and provocative" and likely to lead to violence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Somalia was without a formal parliament for more than two decades after the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991.

Image
    Years of anarchy followed the downfall of President Barre, and it was not until 2012, when a new internationally-backed government was installed, that the country began to enjoy a measure of stability once more. The decades of fighting between rival warlords meant that the country was ill-equipped to deal with natural disasters such as drought, and around half a million people died in the Somali famines of 1992 and 2010-12. Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1960 when the two territories merged. Since then its development has been slow. Relations with neighbors have been soured by its territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. In 1970 Mr. Barre proclaimed a socialist state, paving the way for close relations with the USSR. In 1977, with the help of Soviet arms, Somalia attempted to seize the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, but was defeated thanks to Soviet and
Read more

SOMALILAND INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES

Image
The international boundaries of the Republic of Somaliland are set out in Article 2 of the Somaliland Constitution as follows: “Article 2: The Territory of the Republic of Somaliland 1. The territory of the Republic of Somaliland covers the same area as that of the former Somaliland Protectorate and is located between Latitude 8’ to 11’ 30’ north of the equator and Longitude 42’ 45 to 49’ East; and consists of the land, islands, and territorial water above and below the surface, the airspace and the continental shelf. 2. The Republic of Somaliland is bordered by the Gulf of Aden to the north; Somalia to the east; the Federal Republic of Ethiopia to the south and the west; and the Republic of Djibouti to the north west. 3. The territory of the nation is inviolable, and shall not be trespassed upon.” This map of the Somaliland Protectorate and consequently of the independent STATE OF SOMALILAND, and. since 1991, the REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND sets out clearly the intern
Read more

Somaliland Constitutional History – 1946 to 1960

The Somaliland Protectorate was of course governed directly by the Queen’s representative, the Governor, who exercised all legislative and executive powers. In 1946, an Advisory Council was established. This consisted of 48 selected members representing all the districts and the sections of the community. It had no executive or legislative power and only met usually once a year. The Council’s main purpose was “to stimulate the interest of the people themselves in the administration of the country and the in the collection and expenditure of public funds” (Touval, S Somali Nationalism, Harvard University Press, 1963, at page 107). Selection to the Council took the form of nominations made at clan meetings, with the District Commissioner aiming to “ensure that a reasonably representative body of delegates is sent from each District” (Lewis, IM The Modern History of Somaliland Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1965 at page 279). The Somaliland (Constitution) Order in Council 1955 was m
Read more