According IndianOceanNewsLetter and African Intelligence
The leader and presidential candidate of the ruling Kulmiye party in Hargeisa, Musa Bihi Abdi, admitted to senior party officials in Burao in early June that he was worried about the idea of the United Arab Emirates establishing a military base in Berbera (ION 1442).
Close to the Western countries and to Ethiopia, Bihi held secret meetings in May with senior officials from Addis Ababa who also voiced misgivings over the matter. Tension on the economic front has been generated by the UAE appropriating taxes from the port of Berbara that’s primarily managed by the Emirati operator, DP World. Musa Bihi reportedly told his circle that if he won the presidential election – the date seems to have been put back once again (ION 1454) – he would think of overturning an agreement allowing the UAE to set up a base in Berbera.
According to our sources, in threatening to scrap the agreement for the base, which would have the second longest runway in Africa (ION 1442), Musa Bihi was seeking to gain diplomatic support in the West. Talks on building military infrastructure were led by the son-in-law of the current Somaliland president, Ahmed Mahamoud, a k a Silanyo, and Somaliland’s representative in Dubai, Bashe Awil Omar ……..
Electoral fraud and Media restrictions
According to our sources, a lot of electoral fraud is taking place in Somaliland ahead of the presidential election planned for Nov. 13 but which has little chance of being staged at that date (ION 1454). A black market in fake identity cards looks set to disrupt electoral lists. The former president of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Abdullahi Jawan, has walked out because he doubts the panel’s honesty. In addition, polling booths are being set up in areas with little access in order to limit the number of voters. Elsewhere, some people who took part in anti-government demonstrations have been ruled ineligible to register on voting lists. Lastly, the ruling Kulmiye party has clamped down on numerous media outlets on grounds they are inciting Somaliland’s population to rise against the authorities .
The leader and presidential candidate of the ruling Kulmiye party in Hargeisa, Musa Bihi Abdi, admitted to senior party officials in Burao in early June that he was worried about the idea of the United Arab Emirates establishing a military base in Berbera (ION 1442).
Close to the Western countries and to Ethiopia, Bihi held secret meetings in May with senior officials from Addis Ababa who also voiced misgivings over the matter. Tension on the economic front has been generated by the UAE appropriating taxes from the port of Berbara that’s primarily managed by the Emirati operator, DP World. Musa Bihi reportedly told his circle that if he won the presidential election – the date seems to have been put back once again (ION 1454) – he would think of overturning an agreement allowing the UAE to set up a base in Berbera.
According to our sources, in threatening to scrap the agreement for the base, which would have the second longest runway in Africa (ION 1442), Musa Bihi was seeking to gain diplomatic support in the West. Talks on building military infrastructure were led by the son-in-law of the current Somaliland president, Ahmed Mahamoud, a k a Silanyo, and Somaliland’s representative in Dubai, Bashe Awil Omar ……..
Electoral fraud and Media restrictions
According to our sources, a lot of electoral fraud is taking place in Somaliland ahead of the presidential election planned for Nov. 13 but which has little chance of being staged at that date (ION 1454). A black market in fake identity cards looks set to disrupt electoral lists. The former president of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Abdullahi Jawan, has walked out because he doubts the panel’s honesty. In addition, polling booths are being set up in areas with little access in order to limit the number of voters. Elsewhere, some people who took part in anti-government demonstrations have been ruled ineligible to register on voting lists. Lastly, the ruling Kulmiye party has clamped down on numerous media outlets on grounds they are inciting Somaliland’s population to rise against the authorities .
