Somaliland: Dr Mohamed Abdi Gabose leads Somaliland officials to Djibouti for USAid talks

A delegation of ministers, mayors and chief policy makers from Somaliland are in Djibouti this week to meet US Agency for International Development (USAID) representatives in the tiny Horn of African nation.

The delegation of 73 members is chaired by the Interior Minister, Dr Mohamed Abdi Gabose and they are expected to meet with senior USAid representatives in Djibouti. They left Egal International Airport on Wednesday morning and their visit will last seven working days. They will discuss a number of programs the U.S. agency is funding in the country.

USAid will provide funds for the Ministry of interior to boost police force in the country and to improve prisons and human rights. It’s unclear if additional funding will be made available for the formation of an Anti-Terrorism Force. In April, a local newspaper Waaheen said the Minister of Interior’s office is establishing an Anti-Terrorism Task Force aimed at combating internal and external threats. They claimed the U.S. government was providing funds for the Counter-Terrorism unit. They also said the force will be commanded by the former Intelligence officer, Mr Ibrahim Farah Dodi.

The other departments the USAid are providing funds for the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Public Work. The funds will be distributed according to need. Late last year the U.S. Government said they plan to double its aid for Somaliland after a successful election.

Somaliland is a former British protectorate that gained independence June 1960. It later unified with the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) forming what became known as the Somali Republic. However the union collapsed in 1991 following two decades of internationally-hidden civil war that left more than 50,000 Somalilanders killed. In May 1991, Somaliland declared the restoration of its sovereignty however it has not managed to regained international recognition.

Source: Somalilandpress