President becomes the first Head of State to stay overnight in Las Anood in Sool region after a quarter of a century
M.A. Egge
For the first time in the past quarter of a century of SL’s history, the Head of State H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud Silanyo becomes the first leader to stay overnight at Las Anood in Sool region, a move that has depicted in a definite manner that, at last, the Unity and Solidarity of Somaliland as a nation is here and here to stay.
The President who travelled to the frontier region that borders Puntland, and by thus, Somalia hence have for long been held as a volatile area, was welcomed in the most hilarious manner that was quite unprecedented and never seen before by the mammoth crowds.
This move which is a result of the SL pacification processes was first sounded by the President when he extended it to the people of the area upon taking over the nation’s leadership.
It was thus culminated this week by the naming for the powerful interior ministry to a member from the area, depicting that the country was one and the same for all Somalilanders.
While on his way to Lasanod, the president sojourned at Adi-adeye and participated in an important pacification meeting for the area whereby he gave a long grandeurs speech that moved the people and entered the journals of the nation’s history.
The importance of the meeting that brought the people and representatives of Haysimo, Sool and Buhodle regions together underpinned the need of the people to work jointly and closely with the administration and government of Somaliland to better the lives of the people while underscoring the priority factor that solidarity and unity entails.
The moving speech by the President showed how he had at his heart the plight of the area since he took the helm of the country’s leadership.
The speech focused on five main aspects viz:-
- The plight of the peoples of Sool, Buhodle and Hargeisa.
- Unity and solidarity of the population.
- Registration (of persons and electorate).
- Maintenance of peace and stability.
Plight of the people
As for the plight of the people of three regions of Hargeisa, Sool and Buhodle the President concurred that there was a genuine complaint emanating from the area especially as per the distribution of national posts.
He averred that it was justice that was the main thing that can bring a people together and foster solidarity, saying that the people were the same and ought to be so.
He pointed out that the efforts of national building and distribution of resources should be shared equally.
He said that all the wrongs done should be addressed and righted hence even the parliamentary seats quotas should be revised.
He welcomed them to join in the tasks of national building saying that we belonged to the same country and that we are one nation.
He revealed that a major official conference concerning the pacification and solidarity will be held in Burao on the 25th of October this year.
This was the culmination of several such talks that the government has held e.g. the one that struck the accord now known as the Awr-Bogeys Treaty.
He said that he likewise hailed the Ainabo talks which brought about the beginning of a new page and chapter in our pacification processes as concerns Khatumo.
He appealed for:
- Bolstering of security
- Creation of an aura of understanding and togetherness hence chart future progress in such spirit
- Collate and unify diverse ideals of the communities
- Work towards the holding of a major conference between SL people the said regions.
Unity and solidarity
The peaceful solidarity and unity of Somaliland is one that is based on the important factor of transparency.
He said that his administration puts at its highest level of priority the issue of unification of the people of the nation.
He said that it was his aim and wishes that after over 4 decades of leadership he hopes to leave a legacy behind that has a country and people united and in solidarity.
He said that he was happy that the registration of persons and that of the electorate which was ongoing had already seen 60% of the exercise completed.
He said that the process would have kick off on Tuesday the 23rd of August 2016 in the area.
He appealed for the area people to exercise their personal and political rights and register themselves in huge numbers.
Peace and stability
He described peaceful stability as the basic foundation of livelihood and without it no society could ever prosper.
He underscored the fact that people only perished in chaotic situations. He appealed for calm, unity, peaceful stability and progress.
Development
Soon after Kulmiye triumphed, he said that he decided that tangible development was to be initiated in Sool.
The President made it clear that the past six years has seen formidable progress made in the area that has made public services more readily available.
Giving as an example, he cited the 50 new schools and over two hundred teachers established in Sool.
So, too, has an abattoir, market shelters, 7km tarmacked roads (6 more are in progress), a football stadium, a boarding school, a total rehabilitation of the regional hospital, free medication etc are developmental aspects so far established.
He revealed that through the SDF about 7 million USD worth of projects are now on-going in the area.
He pledged that apart from the obligations he had for the nation he would continue his personal efforts to lift up the standards of the area.
The President was accompanied by the minister of Interior, Presidency, Finance, Water resources, Livestock, several state and deputy ministers, MPs and eminent personalities from the region.
So, too, was he accompanied by the chairman and flag-bearer of Kulmiye Musa Bihi Abdi.