Somaliland programme




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Sectors of intervention Education

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Many children in Somaliland are traumatised and have mental handicaps as a result of the civil war that started in 1992.
The mentally sick and traumatised are among the weakest and most exposed people in society. Since 1999, IAS has been working with this target group and results are beginning to appear!



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Education
In 2001, an institution for mentally handicapped children was established in Somaliland. It was the first of its kind and the concept was unknown in this nation. So far, the Somalis had been treating this category of children with disgust. Mentally handicapped children were shackled in their homes or turned away to live on the streets. Children with relatively small handicaps or mental disorders were treated like animals.

The project for mentally handicapped children has seen incredible results since the start and the Somali population is now realising that it is possible to help these children. Today, 190 children are enrolled in the school. The institution has become integrated in society and is recognised equal to other schools. The school is delivering know-how and expertise on special education and mental disorders to all of Somaliland’s school system. The Ministry of Education is a co-operation partner in the process of integrating special education into all the national schools.




Activities
- Examination and counselling centre.
- Physiotherapy and psychotherapy.
- Visitation and home schooling.
- Special education.
- Training in protected workshops.
- Training centre for primary and lower secondary school teachers.
- Resource centre and production workshop.
- Distribution of special education materials to schools.
- Awareness seminars around the country.


Facts
- The population of Somaliland is approx. 2,5 million.
- Islam is the religion.

// Torben Madsen
IAS Denmark Director

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Eritrea says democratic progress slowed by regional 'hostility'
Friday March 18th, 2005 13:27.
Sudan tribune.
ASMARA, March 18 (AFP) -- Twelve years after independence, Eritrea still has a one-party political system and has not yet held national elections, a situation officials here say is justified by a regional "climate of hostility."

Despite international criticism over the state of affairs, particularly from the United States, Eritrean officials say they are in no rush to enact reforms, particularly while border tensions with neighboring Ethiopia remain high.

"The overall climate of hostility is the main factor explaining why there have been no national elections," said Zemehret Yohannes, a senior official in Eritrea's lone party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

The PFDJ's head of political affairs, Yemane Gebreab, said uncertainties following the 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia also prevented Eritrea's parliament from meeting.

But, he maintained the party was moving the country toward democracy even though such steps required patience due to Eritrea's current position and fears political pluralism might endanger security in the Horn of Africa country.

"For democracy, we have done a lot, but it takes time," Yemane said, noting that the war with Ethiopia had forced the postponement of scheduled national elections.

The war ended with a peace deal requiring both countries to accept as "final and binding" a border demarcation from an independent commission but Ethiopia has thus far refused to accept the ruling.

Because of Ethiopia's stance, Eritrean officials say their country is in a state of "no war, no peace" that prevents national elections from being held, even as the country's electoral commission works dutifully on a poll calendar.

But even without the lingering tensions with its neighbor, there are concerns that a headlong thrust into full democracy could destabilize the country.

"Political pluralism has its negative aspects," Yemane said, noting that it could spark divisions among Eritrea's half-Muslim, half-Christian population of an estimated 3.5 million that is split between nine ethnicities.

Only a minority of Eritreans are calling now for the political system to be opened up to other parties and Yemane said their voices would be "heard and respected" even if not immediately heeded.

That position has been decried by critics in the west, notably the United States which regularly criticizes Eritrea for its lack of democracy in its annual global human rights reports.

"The PFDJ is the sole political party in the country," the State Department said in its most recent report on the country released in February. "Presidential and legislative elections have been continuously postponed.

"The constitution, ratified in 1997, provides for democratic freedoms, however, its provisions have not been implemented," the report says.

Yet political pluralism is a stated goal of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) -- which led the 1961 to 1991 independence struggle against Ethiopia -- which transformed itself into the PFDJ in 1994 under the leadership of Isaias Afwerki, Eritrea's first, current and only president.

Despite this, officials in Asmara see danger in the speedy implementation of the vow, noting the experience of neighboring states and other African countries they say may have embraced democracy to quickly.

This system "exists in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Ivory Coast, but what has it done for the general people?" Yemane asked.

His rhetorical question does not go over well with democracy advocates, including one diplomat in Asmara who shares the concerns listed in the US State Department report.

"In other countries in Africa, at least there are the institutions to make democracy work one day," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. "But here, what is the trend?"

"During the 1990s in Eritrea, there was a process to prepare national elections, things were moving," the diplomat said. "Now, no one talks of that any more."

EU Election Observation Mission to Ethiopia Deployed
Source : Commission Europeenne (europa.eu.int)
Actualite du 18/03/05 a 14:21


The European Commission has deployed an EU Election Observation Mission for federal and state parliamentary elections in Ethiopia. The Mission will be led by Ms Ana Gomes, Member of the European Parliament, who will travel to Addis Ababa this week to meet relevant stakeholders in the electoral process.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: “These elections represent an important moment in the wider process of democratisation in Ethiopia as well as regional stabilisation. We particularly appreciate the fact that this is the first time in the history of the country that the government of Ethiopia has invited international observers. The EU Election Observation Mission, under Ms Gomes’ leadership, will make a valuable contribution to the democratisation of Ethiopia by delivering an independent, professional and impartial assessment of the elections.”

The EU will deploy more than 160 observers to Ethiopia. This includes a core team of 9 staff which will arrive in Ethiopia on 18 March, 50 Long-Term Observers arriving in mid-April and some 100 Short-Term Observers to be deployed in early May. The mission will be present in all regions of the country and will cover the election campaign, polling and the counting of ballots up to the announcement of the official results. The total cost of the Mission is ?2.810.000. The Government of Norway will support the EU Election Observation Mission by providing some long and short-term observers.

The European Parliament will also send an Observation Delegation.

The elections form an integral part of the political dialogue between the European Union, the government, opposition and civil society representatives. The European Commission and EU Member States are financing a range of activities in the electoral field including civic and voter-education programmes and the training of journalists.

For more information:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/index.htm

ETHIOPIA: Q/A with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Africa Commission report
18 Mar 2005 13:16:16 GMT

Source: IRIN

ADDIS ABABA, 18 March (IRIN) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is one of 17 commissioners who last week released a report by British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Commission for Africa. In an interview with IRIN in Addis Ababa on Friday, Meles explained his views on the report, and its role in fostering greater development in Africa. Here are excerpts from that interview:

QUESTION: The report was launched in Africa Hall, where the founding fathers launched the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. What do you think they would say if they saw the state of Africa today, more than 40 years later?

ANSWER: I think they would say that things have not gone as well as they should. But I hope they would recognise that over the past few years, and with the coming of the Africa Commission report, Africa has been making significant efforts in moving forward.

Q: What are you most pleased about with the recommendations made by the Africa Commission?

A: It is really the fundamentals of that report, based on the need for inclusive and fair globalisation. That is the fundamental point, based on the recognition that Africa should be in the driving seat.

For me it is a new paradigm - no matter what happens in terms of the specifics. If the report is endorsed by the G8 [Group of Eight economic summit], that in itself would be an historic achievement.

Q: You say the report has been infused with African spirit. Fine words, but what do you really mean by that?

A: Well, as I said in my speech, it is about Africa. It is about globalisation. It recognises that in the end, Africa has to stand up for itself, and has to do what it has to do.

And it is about the rest of the world recognising that it is in their interests, and that they are closely linked to Africa doing much better than it has done before.

Q: What do the Africa Commission's recommendations mean for Ethiopia?

A: It means legitimacy in terms of our rights, and it sets [an] agenda of development cooperation which is much more productive in my view than has been the case over the past 30 or 40 years. It creates the right framework for pro-poor growth in this country, as well as on the continent.

Q: Do you think you can set an example by settling, once and for all, the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea?

A: We will try. We have tried in the past, but as I have said it takes two to tango.

Q: What is required on that then?

A: A willingness on the part of our fellows in Eritrea to talk. The outcome of the talks is open, but in the final analysis the dispute will have to be resolved through dialogue. Talking with each other. That is not available to us right now.

Q: But obviously you accept that peace and security are core themes of the commission's work?

A: Nothing good will happen to Africa unless we address the security and governance issues, and that means, in specific terms, in the case of Ethiopia, we have to rule out the possibility of conflict between ourselves and Eritrea for good. We have to recognise that this problem can be, and should only be, resolved by peaceful means through dialogue.

Q: There has been concern about Ethiopia moving troops to the border and the potential problems this might lead to. What is your view on this?

A: The bottom line is we will not initiate a conflict with Eritrea or anybody else. We have had enough. We believe the problem between ourselves and Eritrea can be resolved through dialogue. And so everything we do is calculated to reinforce this message; including the troop movement.

The troop movement is designed to send a message to our brothers that the option of violence in not an attractive option to any side. In the end we have got to sit around the table. There is no way round it.

Q: The measure of success for the Africa Commission is to see the implementation of the recommendations, to see real action. What specifically will you be looking for?

A: The first thing, and for me the most important thing, is that the report should be addressed. I am confident that Africa will address the report, and I very much hope that the G8 will address the report.

Once we have the paradigm in place, then we would expect our G8 partners to move expeditiously on improving the quantity and quality of aid; debt cancellation; and the [World Trade Organisation] Doha round of trade negotiations that provide real and non-reciprocal access for African goods.

Q: What sort of Africa do you see without the implementation of this report?

A: Well, clearly either we have to move forward aggressively, or we are going to move backwards, and we have examples of both. Moving backward means going in the direction of, let's say, Somalia, Liberia and so on. Moving forward means moving forward in the direction of, let's say, Botswana.

Despite the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Botswana has done very well, in terms of governance and economic development, and there are many other African countries that can be cited. So either we move in the direction of Botswana and company, or we move in the direction of Somalia and company.

Q: You have been in power now 14 years, in that time I am sure you have had a lot of promises from various countries that have not been fulfilled. Why do you think these promises [by the Africa Commission] will be fulfilled?

A: First, I am not banking on specific promises per se, I am banking on the paradigm as a whole. Secondly, despite some disappointments, we have seen some countries moving in the direction of implementing their programmes. For example, I can cite - in the case of Ethiopia - Sweden, Ireland and the UK who have improved both the quantity, but more importantly the quality, of their assistance to us.

Q: And realistically where do you think Africa will be in five years time?

A: It may not be the case that Africa, or every African country, will have done well by then, but I think there will be enough countries in Africa that are moving more aggressively to achieving the [UN] Millennium Development Goals.

Q: Is this a landmark document, a blueprint, something that people will look back on and say "that was a turning point for Africa"?

A: That is exactly the case for me, and I would have thought so for every other African.


IRIN news

Press Release by The Djiboutian Front for The Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Frud)
Friday March 18th, 2005 13:13.
Sudan tribune.

The Front For The Restoration Of Unity And Democracy ( Frud)

Press Release


March 8, 2005

Despite the declaration of multi partism in September 2002, the democratic process in Djibouti is at an impasse. The legislative elections that took place in January 2003 have amply demonstrated the fact that the president of Djibouti is not ready to accept the verdict of the ballot box.

Djibouti is as always in a no war no peace situation:

due to the incapacity of the regime to adequately treat the fundamental and deep causes of the war which has legitimised the maintenance of the political and military structure of FRUD.
because of the refusal of Ismail Omar Gelleh to apply the May 12/2001 peace accord with FRUD despite the fact that the agreement had limited content.
because new military garrisons have been opened even in the remotest areas of the North

it is clear today that change through the ballot box is almost impossible in the Republic of Djibouti.

FRUD, which had boycotted the January 2003 elections, launches an appeal to the people of Djibouti to get mobilized against the presidential election planned for April 8/2005.

The FRUD fully supports the decision by the legal opposition gathered within the Union of Democratic Alliance to boycott the planned election.

FRUD firmly believes that there is no hurdle anymore to impede the united action of the democratic opposition and thus calls on the Opposition as a whole for a real leap towards assuming its responsibilities. The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) calls upon those states with a military presence in Djibouti, namely France and USA , to assume their responsibilities in preventing conflicts and avoiding the worst by backing a democratic transition in Djibouti much as Lebanon for one.

Mohamed Kadamy Youssouf, President of the Provisional Committee of FRUD
Contact in Belgium: 32476342583 IN FRANCE: 331 43630451