Q & A: Somaliland’s Guurti Sparks a Crisis

The self-declared Republic of Somaliland – a de facto independent state formed from Somalia’s north-western regions – is often described as an island of stability in a sea of conflict. Much of the security enjoyed by its estimated 3.5 million people is attributed to a “hybrid” governance system marrying traditional authority with modern Western style democratic governance. But Somaliland’s main donors have expressed concern over recent developments that beg the question whether its mixed political arrangements are robust enough. CLAIRE ELDER & CEDRIC BARNES from the INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP’s Horn of Africa Project discuss why a decision by the so-called Guurti – the Upper House of Elders – worries Somaliland’s international partners and risks causing a dangerous political and clan polarization. Read Full Article

U.S. domestic surveillance

Islamophobia in the US

E-learning makes higher education a reality for students in Somaliland

Zuhur Yasin has never been to the US, but she holds a bachelor’s degree from an American university. Part of Yasin’s studies in Somaliland, a self-declared independent country in Somalia, were spent in a special classroom lined with rows of computers equipped with webcams and microphones.

The 29-year-old watched videos and took part in live virtual classes at Indiana University as part of her journalism program at the University of Hargeisa. “We had discussions and shared any challenges or questions,” she says.

The African Virtual University (AVU), an intergovernmental organization, connected Yasin with Indiana University. The AVU says it has used virtual learning to train 43,000 students since its creation in 1997. Last year, it announced 29 new distance learning centers like the one Yasmin used to take part in seminars nearly 8,000 miles away. Read Full Article

Happy 24th Year Birth Day Somaliland

Life and opportunity in the world's biggest refugee camp

Dadaab (Kenya) (AFP) - Soon after dawn Bashir Bilal sat outside on his usual plastic jerry can surrounded by young girls and boys chanting Koranic verses.

Each child clutched a worn plank of wood instead of an exercise book, writing on it in Arabic script with ink made from charcoal and water.

In Somalia the Islamic madrassa is often the only education on offer, but here in the Dadaab refugee camps it is just the start. Later in the day the children are able to attend, for free, primary and even secondary school while scholarships are available for college education.

Uprooted and dispossessed, life as a refugee is tough. But for the Somalis who have for years, or even decades, called Dadaab home there are opportunities too.

Bilal, 47, used to live in Afgoye, a breadbasket town 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu. When he came to Dadaab five years ago he found better schooling options than at home where fees were high and children would often spend their days helping out on the family farm.  Read Full Article

Former Saudi Intel Chief: Problem is 'clouded' U.S. policy