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 Ethiopia To Use Somaliland Red Sea Port of Berbera
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Dr.Abdullahi Mohamed (Deputy Editor Geeka Afrika
Online)
Djibouti (HAN) May 27, 2005  Somalia
"a forgotten crisis,"
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“The visit of the Ethiopian delegation is connected with the agreed usage of Berbera port by the Ethiopian businessmen for transit of goods and fuel to Ethiopia,” Somaliland Public Works Minister Said Sulub told a news conference.
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Ethiopia To Use Somaliland Red Sea Port of Berbera
Djibouti (HAN) May 27, 2005 - A delegation from landlocked Ethiopia began negotiating with the self-declared enclave of Somaliland on May 26 to gain access to its Red Sea port of Berbera for trade.
Ethiopia wants to use the port in northwestern Somalia to move goods and fuel through Somaliland.
“The visit of the Ethiopian delegation is connected with the agreed usage of Berbera port by the Ethiopian businessmen for transit of goods and fuel to Ethiopia,” Somaliland Public Works Minister Said Sulub told a news conference.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has been a relatively stable enclave, which held its first multiparty election in 2003. It is not recognized internationally.
President Dahir Rayale Kahin of Somaliland signed an agreement with Ethiopia on August 2003 to legalize trade between the countries, establishing customs posts along their border and agreeing to cooperate in improving the roads linking the countries. Ethiopian Revenues Minister Getachew Belay led the delegation, which is expected to finalize a port agreement by May 28 and to assess the condition of the road network linking Berbera and Ethiopia.
Trade between the two countries is mostly limited to the stimulant leaf qat, fruit and vegetables exported by Ethiopia and foodstuffs and other commodities exported by Somaliland.
Outside Somaliland, the rest of Somalia has had no central authority since the ousting of former President Siad Barre in 1991 and has been devastated by warlords and their militias.
A transitional federal government was formed last year in neighboring Kenya, but has yet to return home.
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SECURITY PROBLEMS IN KENYAN REFUGEE CAMPSa coastline
Mogadishu (HAN) May 27, 2005 -- Reception of local Kenyan television is poor. Still, the Somalis living in Dadaab have followed the current peace process closely, even though most have never actually seen the face of their new president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
Some blame the interim president and other faction leaders for the country's ills and argue that until they can agree on the way forward, no peace will come to Somalia.
Abdulahhi Mohamed Gure, a camp elder, told IRIN: "The Somali war is based on clanism, but we are the same people, we are the same colours, we have the same language and the same traditions.
"The only problem is the Somali warlords [faction leaders]," he added. "I do not think the Somali leaders will reach an agreement that will allow us to go home."
Residents said all three camps sometimes experience violence and insecurity. For example, residents avoid lighting kerosene lamps in their huts at night, fearing they will attract robbers.
The adversity of refugee life in Dadaab adds to existing tensions.
Emmanuel Nyabera, a UNHCR spokesman, said: "The refugee camp is situated in an area that is generally not safe, 80 km from the Somalia border. Thus cases of banditry are often witnessed. With the support of UNHCR, the government has beefed up security in the camp that has dramatically improved the situation."
However, he added, insecurity still remained a challenge. "The Kenya refugee programme would do better with more funds," he said. "We are currently operating at minimum standards."
The refugees in Dadaab flocked to Kenya after Somali former President Mohamed Siyad Barre’s regime collapsed in 1991. Various attempts to restore order in Somalia since then have failed.
After the international community withdrew from Somalia in 1995, the country remained without an effective central government until reconciliation talks, held in Kenya over the course of two years, led to the establishment of a Federal Transitional Parliament in 2004. The 275-member parliament elected Abudllahi Yusuf Ahmed as president.
The continuing turmoil in the country still pushes Somalis over the border with Kenya, notably towards Dadaab, where aid workers from the UNHCR receive them.
Stuck in this arid land, Abdulkadir Ali, 25, summed up his plight: "I have no hope, but I still have ambition."
Somalia..
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at nurkafi@geeskaafrika.com
(Managing Editor/Publisher) |
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