Rebirth of the Somali State
Policy Options and Programme Opportunities for Canada
November 3_4, 2000
Parliament Hill / Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada


 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 Introduction

Since 1988, Somalia has experienced a devastating civil war, which has
driven millions of people abroad, and killed and maimed hundreds of
thousands more. This has led to the socio-economic deterioration and
fragmentation of the whole country. Ten years later, economic and social
indicators show that Somalis are confronted with greater poverty, poorer
health, more unemployment and higher illiteracy. In the political arena,
twelve peace and reconciliation conferences have failed and many of the
regions are still marked by instability and conflict.  The road to
stability, decentralization, federalism and democratic government has a
long way to go.

Despite the situation, a glimpse of hope emerged when the President of the
Republic of Djibouti, Mr. Ismail Omar Geulleh, committed his Government to
initiate a Somali National Peace Conference led by Somali civil society.
The Somali National Peace Conference officially opened on May 2, 2000 in a
city called Arte, in the Republic of Djibouti.

It is important to note that this conference lasted for more than six
consecutive months. It was a Somali_driven process. The participants were
from the various sectors of civil society: clan leaders, community groups,
women's associations and representatives from the Somali diaspora, with the
exception of some regional leaders and a few warlords. After six months of
consultations and discussion, the will, the commitment and the capacity of
Somali civil society from across the country led to the rebirth of a new
Somali State. A New Transitional Government was formed, with a parliament
of 245 members. An interim president, Dr. Abdiqasin Salaad Hassan, and his
Prime Minister, Dr Ali Khalif Galaydh, were nominated and democratically
elected within this process.

This outcome was a solution from within Somalis, with the Djibouti
Government's role being limited to sponsoring the process.  It is not an
exaggeration, however, to say that regardless of this political
achievement, there are more challenges ahead. The New Transitional
Government is passing through a very critical phase on its path to peace,
reconciliation and reconstruction. This line of thinking inspired Som_Can
Institute for Research and Development and Partnership Africa Canada to
organize the Ottawa Conference, which was held in November 3_4, 2000.

 Aims of the Conference

 The aims of the conference were to:

 - to raise  awareness among the Canadian Government, Canadian NGOs, the
private sector and the Somali diaspora, and to seek their support for the
efforts of the peace process and democratic development in Somalia;

- to distill concrete recommendations with respect to the peace process,
and issues of good governance and democratic development;

- to share the recommendations with the new Somali authorities and the
international community;

- to strengthen and empower Somali civil society.

Som_Can Institute for Research and Development and Partnership African
Canada strongly believed that presenting the lessons learned from the
Somalia peace process would allow the Canadian government and NGOs the
possibility to identify options for supporting the ongoing peace process
and reconstruction. Canada is known to its leadership role in peacebuilding
and citizen diplomacy in the world.

 Participants of the Conference

Over a hundred participants and seven prominent speakers attended in this
conference. Participants included representatives from the Canadian
Government, NGOs (including Somali- Canadian NGOs) and other institutions,
individual friends of Somalia and Somali activists.

The guest speakers were:

- His Excellence Mr. Roble Olhaye, the Djibouti Ambassador to the United
States and Canada and representative to the United Nations.

-  Dr Babafemi Badejo, a representative of the United Nations' Political
Office for Somalia in Nairobi.

-  Mr. Ahmed Dahir Shell, a co_chair of the Somali Technical Committee for
Somalia National Peace Conference, who came from Djibouti.

-  Mr. Abdishakur Abdulle, a Researcher and Scientist who is based in the
United Arab Emirates.

 Other speakers were:

-  Dr Osman Salaad, Geologist and Researcher, from Quebec City.

-  Mr. Mohamed Elmi Managing Partner of HornAfrik Media Inc, Mogadishu
Somalia.

-  Mohamed Dalmar former official of the Central Bank in Somalia and
currently a Settlement worker in Ottawa.

-Mrs. Zaynab Aden and Mr. Ahmed Haji Jama (Speakers of the Friday Morning
Session, within Somali diapora communities)

Themes

This conference was divided into three sessions: Friday morning, Friday
afternoon and Saturday.

The theme of the Friday morning session was "the Cry of the Somali Civil
Society for Peace". It was an informal session, and the intention was to
provide a platform for Somali participants to discuss among themselves
about their varying views of the rebirth of the Somali Transitional
Government. The expected outcome was for participants to seek possible
solutions for strengthening the peace process in Somalia.

At the opening of the morning session, Ms. Idil Salah, a co_founder of
Som-Can Institute for Research and Development (SCIRD) and the co_chair of
the session, set the tone of the conference by highlighting the Somali
diaspora's previous contributions and the urgent need of their continuing
support to the peace process. In her remarks, Ms. Idil Salah reminded the
participants that the reason that "we as a Somali Diaspora are all here is
to identify Somalia's political challenges and take part for the
reconciliation and the reconstruction of the country".

In conclusion, she stated that "this conference is neither a recognition
nor a reward to any one, or region. "It is a forum for a healthy dialogue
among Somalis that have different opinions regarding the current political
achievements and the "Rebirth of Somali State". The expected outcome of
this session was for the participants to provide recommendations that could
help the advancement of the peace dialogue among the opposing groups and
the New Transitional Government. Ms. Salah, then invited Mr.Yusuf
Dhabaryare, a member of the Executive Board of SCIRD, and the co_chair of
the session, to the platform.  In his opening remarks, Mr. Ahmed reiterated
how the role of the Somali Diaspora in the peace process is inevitable.  He
said,  "the time has come for all of us to work together in the search for
creative and innovative tools that would hopefully prevent another conflict
and bring a sustainable peace in Somalia.

After that, Mr. Yusuf welcomed the keynote speaker of the morning session,
Mr. Ahmed Dahir Shell who was the co_chair of Somali Technical Committee:
The Somalia National Peace Conference in the Republic of Djibouti.

In his speech, Mr. Shell stated that it was the cry of Somali civil society
for peace which speeded up the Somali National Peace Conference to achieve
a tangible solution.  Before the Arte Peace Process, as a member of Somali
Intellectual Forum, he started working for peace at the grassroots.
Everywhere we go, he said, we expressed the danger that regional or clan
divisions could pose to the unity of the Somali nation. It took us twenty
months to advocate peace and inform most Somalis inside the country. He
reminded the participants "the policy that many suggested as a solution to
Somalia's political chaos is dividing the country into eleven small regions
based on clans and not zones".

In his conclusion, he requested the participants to remember that
"Somalia's strength lies as a united society, and that separation is the
worst enemy among us".

Presentations by two panellists - Mrs. Zaynab Aden from the north-west
(known as Somaliland) and Mr. Ahmed Haji Jama from the north-east (known as
Puntland) followed Mr. Shell's speech. They presented the perspectives of
the Recovery Zones in north-east and north-west Somalia known as Puntland
and Somaliland. Both these regions rejected the Arte National Peace Process
and its outcome, including the recognition of the Transitional National
Government.

In his presentation, Mr. Jama stated that "the Djibouti peace process was
undemocratic, unrepresentative and illegal", while, Mrs. Aden pointed out
that, "this new administration will bring another civil war and chaos to
the recovery zones". In conclusion, both presenters stated that their
perspectives on Somalia peace making in general are not different from
fellow Somalis. They just did not agree with the clan-based approach that
Arte conference adopted.

It is important to note that the positions that the panellists represented
(those of the Puntland and Somaliland administrations) generated a in-depth
and heated debate among the participants. It was noted that both regions
used the same clan-based approach when they were establishing their
administrations.

The participants also raised very important questions regarding how to
enhance the overall peace process in Somalia and maintain the stability of
the recovery zones. Would the New Transitional Government be able:

- to promote their views and interest in all parts of Somalia without
resorting to violence?

- to preserve sufficient support from the international community and the
Somali diaspora to unify the country?

- to face the threat posed by warlords and regional leaders intent on
dividing the country into small regions with the support of neighbouring
countries?

- to decentralize power and share resources equally in all Somali regions?

 At the end of the session, all participants agreed to continue to support
the national reconciliation process through more dialogue, forgiveness and
confidence building among all regions in Somalia.

With the Friday afternoon session, the conference opened officially. The
focus was an update on the current political achievement, challenges ahead
and possible commitments of the international community including Canada
and the United Nations.

At the opening, Ms. Ebyan Salah, the Executive Director of the Som_Can
Institute for Research and Development (SCIRD) welcomed all the
participants and shared some inspiring remarks with them.

She briefly presented the background of SCIRD and its role in working for
Somalia's peace and development. Ms. Salah also reminded the participants
how the Somali community and NGOs in Canada in 1998 mandated SCIRD to
co-ordinate the efforts of Somali Canadians to rebuild and nurture
Somalia's civil society in peacebuilding.

In addition, Ms. Salah summarized the morning workshop entitled " The Cry
of Somali Civil Society for Peace" to the afternoon participants. She
pointed out that the importance of this conference is that we have the
opportunity to learn at first hand about the experience of the Somali
National Peace Process by meeting with those who were involved directly or
indirectly.

Ms Salah introduced Mr. Ahmed Hashi  "Hashara", a former Ambassador, a
lawyer and the chair of the afternoon session.  Mr. Hashi then welcomed Mr.
Eugene Bellemara, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International
Cooperation, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of International
Cooperation, Ms. Maria Minna. Mr Bellemara stated, "I know that Hon. Maria
Minna has made Africa a real priority for the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) and she recognizes the importance of long-term
peace to human security and sustainable development in countries in
conflict, including Somalia."

"This is an important moment," he continued, "in the move towards democracy
in Somalia and this conference will help us all further understand how
peace and democracy can take hold.  Canada has been encouraged by the
progress achieved in establishing a Somali parliament and we particularly
welcomed the participation of civil society actors and the place given to
women in the Assembly during the Arta election process. Currently, Canada
continues to work with the donor community and the United Nations to
determine what future role the international community can and should play
in Somalia. It is through the efforts of people and organizations that are
gathered here today, that the people of Somalia will be able to avoid
future conflicts and achieve a sustainable peace."

Mr. Bellemara concluded his remarks by saying, "I know that Minister Minna
looks forward to hearing from you about your ideas on how Canada can work
with the international community and the people of Somalia to help rebuild
the country."

The second speaker, Ambassador Roble Olhaye, presented the Djibouti Peace
Initiative for Somalia. In his outstanding speech he stated, "There
couldn't be more glaring evidence of the combination of tragedy and
leadership failure in our time than that of Somalia.  The rebirth of
Somalia, therefore, represents the best birthday present to all Somalis
everywhere in this new millennium."  The Ambassador shared with the
participants the whole process of the Somalia peace initiatives and the
role that the Djibouti government played. He concluded in his speech that
the international community's commitments to the revival of Somalia's
institutions and to the rebuilding of its infrastructure are crucial. He
also pointed out that "all countries in the region need to demonstrate that
they have a stake in peace in Somalia.  It is in the best interest of every
country in the region, therefore, to extend a helping hand to the new
government, and support it in its endeavour to bring back sanity and
stability in Somalia."

Dr Babafemi Badejo, Senior Political Advisor at the UN Political Office for
Somalia then presented the United Nation's role in the Somalia peace
process and future commitments. Dr Badejo stated,  "The United Nations
family remains committed to the fostering of peace in Somalia."

The UN Secretary-General in his speech at the inauguration of President
Abdiqassim made it clear that the conclusion of the Arta process was not
the end of the peace process. His call on the TNG to work hard to bring on
board those who did not participate in the Arta meeting was indicative. Dr
Badejo informed us that respective operational Agencies are working on
areas of support to the TNG in particular and the peace process in general.

Dr Badejo concluded his remarks by saying that "Peace is a process and not
an event. The Guelleh initiative was a fundamental effort that narrowed the
differences among Somalis and, more importantly, provided governance
structures that could be worked with by the international community in
pushing the frontiers of peace forward. President Ismail Omar Guelleh gave
leadership in the achievement of a TNG that finally took Somalia out of its
coma and returned it to the community of nations."

Mr. Ahmed Dahir Shell then discussed in depth about "Somalia Peace from
Within".  Mr. Shell urged Somalis to show determination and commitment and
put their house in order before approaching the international community for
assistance.  He also requested Somalis to let bygones be bygones and
together to try to strive towards the development and progress of the newly
reborn state.

Bernard Taylor, Executive Director of Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) then
made some concluding remarks.  He stated, "Som_Can is to be congratulated
for having taken the initiative to organize this Conference.  Partnership
Africa Canada is happy to have been able to collaborate with Som_Can in
helping to organize it."

He added, "It's Election time in Canada and there is a lot of discussion
about Canadian problems, but no one is talking about foreign policy or aid
issues.  We have to redress that somehow.  The UNDP listing of World
Development puts Canada again in the No 1 position.  And Somalia?  It's not
even the list.  If it were, it would be at the very bottom, below war torn
Sierra Leone, with minimal levels of health, education and economic
development, problems of landmines, fisheries being exploited by foreign
fleets etc.. This situation cannot continue.  Somali people (especially
women and children) deserve to enjoy the peace and development that can
happen once the conflict ends."

He recalled that "During a visit to northern Somalia last year, it was
clear that the conditions were occurring which would allow development to
take place, if only the international community would react more
positively. There was stability throughout the northern regions, with
functioning administrations in place, despite the minimal resources.
Economic activity was quite dynamic, but there were few aid programmes.  It
was our analysis that development assistance, through NGOs, the UN and
regional administrations would help consolidate the peace process in
advance of the rebirth of the Somali State.  That holds true today."

He concluded his remarks by an appeal: "I urge Canadian organizations and
Somali Canadians to make every effort to find ways of helping the Somali
people _ all over Somalia _ to address these short-term and long-term
problems.  We must help them break the quarantine that Somalia finds itself
in."

The main purpose of the Saturday session was to discuss Somalia's current
social and economic problems. The ways that could be improved include
strengthening the private and public institutions and encouraging
international investors to invest in Somalia. Four complementary papers
with unique messages and recommendations were presented.

In this session, Ms. Idil Salah welcomed all the participants and the four
panellists. The first panellist was Mr. Mohamed Dalmar, a former employee
of the Central Bank of Somalia. Mr. Dalmar discussed the monetary
experience of Somalia in the past three decades and the reasons that
Somalia has had a very sad monetary experience marked by financial chaos,
currency collapse, runaway inflation and economic ruin.  Mr. Dalmar asked,
"What lessons can we learn from the past experience?" In response, he
provided the following recommendations:

- Donors should never give cash to the government. If they do so, they
should know that they are contributing to political instability in the
country.

- Aid should be transparent, directed to specific developmental projects
and initiatives, and implemented with community participation and
supervision.

- The process of money creation must be protected from political pressure
so as to reduce the scope for corruption and abuse of power. For this
reason, it is recommended that the Central Bank of Somalia be abolished and
that a currency board system be introduced.  A currency board is a monetary
authority that issues notes and coins in exchange for a reserve currency,
such as the US dollar.

Mr. Dalmar pointed out clearly that "the free market economy is now
flourishing in every corner of Somalia, and the spirit of entrepreneurship,
characteristic of the Somalis, is ever strong. There is no reason to fear
that we will ever go back to a public sector dominated economy."

The next speaker was Mr. Abdishakur Abdulle, a Research Scientist who
addressed "Prioritization and investment for Health and Education: a Path
to Human Development for Somalia". His presentation was aimed to review the
present situation of Somalia, particularly health and education, the
building blocks of human development. Mr. Abdulle stated that " in the
absence of a government structure, there are apparently no national
prevention plans or other health services, such as diagnostics and
treatment.  Thus, communicable diseases are the leading causes of morbidity
and mortality.  At present, the main causes of illness and death remain
malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and acute respiratory
infection.  The risk of cholera, measles, and meningitis outbreaks is also
quite high. Although some scientists reported zero prevalence rates of
HIV/AIDS, others indicated that there was a very low prevalence of 1_2%
before the civil war. However, nothing is known about the HIV/AIDS
situation in Somalia.  A particular threat is from the drastic increase in
migration, a major rout for the spread of HIV/AIDS, between Somalia and its
neighbouring countries namely Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya."

Mr. Abdulle also addressed the plight of education in Somalia "which is
nothing but one of grief and sorrow.  At this time and age of a new
millennium, Somalis live in pre_history era of illiteracy.  Almost all
teaching facilities including universities were plundered, destroyed, and
mostly apprehended by rebels in crises zones; and refugees in recovery
zones."

"The basic education rights are denied for the vast majority of Somali
children.  There are no public schools, and the few operational private
schools are very costly and accessible for the wartime rich minorities.
Children of other less fortunate families seek employment to support the
family household instead.  Others, such as orphans, join militias and
street gangs under the tribal umbrella as their last window of opportunity
and shelter."

In his conclusion, he demonstrated how the Somali people and their
leadership are required to have a strong will and determination to overcome
these extreme difficulties: "The question is though, how many more dying
children, crying mothers or helpless aging heroes do we need to see before
we act?  We must understand that war is one thing, peace is quite another.
In war time competition is the dominant attitude, but the search for peace
can be achieved through collaboration, concession and compromise. What is
required is not fund raising, it is rather a far-sighted and capable
leadership, which can illuminate the path to peaceful coexistence and can
take drastic and hard decisions towards peace. Prioritizing and investing
in health and education will become real means that would save Somalia in
the short and long run."

Dr Osman Salad Hersi, researcher and geologist presented a paper entitled "
Exploring Somalia's natural resources: A Geological Perspective."  Dr Osman
divided the natural resources of Somalia into three categories: i) Marine
resources including fish and salt, ii) surface resources  (e.g., forests,
wild life, frankincense and myrrh, surface water, etc), and iii) subsurface
resources (e.g.,rocks and minerals, fossil fuels, and groundwater). Only
subsurface natural resources of Somalia were considered in his short
contribution. Rocks and minerals that are known to exist and available for
development in the Somali Republic include tin in the Majiyahan _ Dhalan
area (south of Bosaso _ Ceelayo), sepiolites in the Ceel Bur district,
iron_ore in the Precambrian terrain of the Bur region, quartzite, granite,
marble, sandstone, limestone and gypsum in different regions of the
country. Occurrences of uranium_, titanium_, chromium_, zircon_, nickle_,
and rubidium_bearing minerals are also known in different places of the
country.

These natural resources include primary raw materials for various kinds of
industries, e.g, cement, ceramic and glass industries, wallboards, roofing
and wall tiles, paving stones, aggregate and concrete production, and
industrial minerals. Minerals with high exploration potential include gold,
zinc, lead, manganese, copper and others. Existence of good petroleum
indicators has been known for a while, and recent data is highly
encouraging concerning the hydrocarbon exploration potential of the
country. Water resources are the most needed commodities in Somalia, and
many areas with promising groundwater accumulation have been identified as
well.

Since we have so many surface, subsurface, and marine resources, Dr. Osman
asked why are the Somalis starving? The answer could be summarized as
follows:

- lack of technology, security, and political stability;

- scarcity of professionals and skilled people, and the struggle for
survival for those few available professionals; and

- mismanagement and/or lack of sincere, capable, and responsible
administration.

Dr Osman Salad concluded his presentation with a few recommendations
addressed to the Somali people, the future Somali Government and the donor
community. Dr. Osman proudly stated that the Somali community should trust
that we have ample natural resources. Therefore he said: "we need to
improve our skills, perfect our professions,  and raise awareness that we
need good governance. Without it, no country can develop its resources." He
also urged all Somalis in the diaspora to collect as much data and
documents in their respective fields as possible, and allocate them for a
national use and reference.

He added: "In the hope of establishing a federal government in Somalia,
this government:

- should trust the constituent states / regions to develop the natural
resources of their respective territories;

- should also develop good foreign policy, which attracts investment, and
facilitate repatriation of Somali professionals;

 The international community should:

- help Somalia morally and materially to recover from the civil war and to
establish good governance;

- contribute to the development of the most needed natural resources,
water, and  continue to support the stable regions to develop their natural
resources."

Mr. Mohamed Elmi presented a paper on "Somalia's Private Sector: the Role
of the Media and Communication". At the beginning, Mr. Elmi briefly
explained how Somalia's telecommunications and media sector were totally
controlled by the previous government, and how "the telephone system was
less technologically advanced than what it is today. The accessibility to
the public was limited and it wasn't that affordable either".  One positive
outcome of the civil war is the privatization of the media. Mr. Elmi argued
that the privately owned media has been very active lately in Somalia, and
freedom of speech and press have never been better. In comparison, during
the dictator's era, there were no more than two to three government
controlled papers in the whole country.  In contrast, at the present there
are more than a dozen private daily newspapers in Mogadishu alone, and many
more in the rest of the country. Some are weekly, bi-weekly, monthly,
quarterly and so on. Their quality, circulation, taste and target groups
are different.

In addition, there are several privately owned FM and SW radio stations in
the country and also at least 3 private TV stations; one in Hargeysa and
two in Mogadishu.

Mr. Elmi also discussed the role of the media in peacebuilding.  As he put
it, "the media helps the exchange of ideas where it becomes conducive to
the peace process".  Mr. Elmi concluded his presentation by saying "with
our people's entrepreneurship skills, and the help of the international
community, a more modern Somalia can be resurrected within a foreseeable
future.

Regarding the question of peace, Mr. Elmi reminded the participants that "a
chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If Somalis want to aspire to
any enviable status, they have to trust themselves, and give peace a
chance."

 Recommendations

The following are some of the recommendations that came out from the
conference.

 The international community, including Canada must:

- react quickly to the external aggressions that are destabilizing
Somalia's peace;

- ensure a more effective implementation of the embargo on arms to Somalia;

- support and guide Somalia's governance structure in place to push forward
the peace process and development;

- encourage and strengthen recovery zones to maintain their peace, and
continue to support their development;

- develop special funding for Somalia's peacebuilding and reconstruction;

- promote peace, good governance and human development as a central focus
of international aid;

- strengthen the capacity of local NGOs by developing partnership linkages
with Canadian and international NGOs.

 The New Transitional Government must:

- continue peace dialogue among Somalis without creating any further
conflicts;

- encourage the private sector and civil society to continue their support
for Somalia's peace and development;

- develop good foreign policy, which attracts investment, and facilitate
repatriation of Somali professionals;

- appeal to the Somali diaspora for further contribution to peace and
investment for the development of the country.

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from: Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade (DFAIT), Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) Ottawa,
Canada, Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee (CPCC), Ottawa,
Canada, Canadian Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Montreal.

The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of SCIRD and PAC, or
its donors, and are the responsibility of the authors.

There is a full report about the conference available upon request. If you
are interested in receiving a copy, please contact us directly at

Som-Can Institute for Research and Development

219 Argyle Ave, Suite 216, Ottawa Ontario K2P 2H4. Canada

Tel: (613) 569_3471; Fax (613) 232_3660 Email: somcan@storm.ca