Somaliland (Somali: Soomaaliland) is an unrecognized de facto sovereign state located in northwest Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In May 1991, Somaliland people declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes five of the eighteen administrative regions of Somalia, roughly the region between Ethiopia, Djibouti, Gulf of Aden and the former Italian Somaliland, an area of about 137,600 square kilometres (53,128 sq mi). The capital of Somaliland is Hargeisa.

Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence, due in part to the dominance of a ruling clan. In September 2005, multiparty municipal, presidential, and parliamentary elections were held, and were won by the UDUB party. A team of observers from several countries monitored the polls and found them generally peaceful, free and fair, boosting Somaliland's bid for international recognition as a sovereign state.

History

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BBC News | Africa | World Edition

Nigeria military chiefs dismissed
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:45:49 -0000
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua announces the surprise sacking of the country's top three military chiefs.
'Fraud' halts US refugee scheme
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:29:42 -0000
America suspends a programme to reunite African refugees with family in the US after uncovering evidence of widespread fraud.
Deadly bombings hit Algerian town
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:15:51 -0000
Two car bombs kill 12 and injuring 42 in northern Algeria, the second deadly bombing in as many days.
Row in Nigeria over Obama money
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:40:19 -0000
A Nigerian group backing Barack Obama says money it raised was not meant for his campaign.
Kenya ex-graft czar urges amnesty
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:26:25 -0000
Kenya's ex anti-graft chief John Githongo says those who admit corruption should get amnesty.
S Leone on 'ghost teacher' hunt
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:10:39 -0000
Sierra Leone's education minister finds non-existent teachers invented to embezzle money.

NYT > Africa

Blasts Kill 12 and Damage a Military Compound in Algeria
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:05:15 -0000
Two car bombs killed at least 11 people and wounded 31 others a day after a suicide bombing killed 43 people, according to the Algerian Interior Ministry.
Levy Mwanawasa, Zambia President, Dies at 59
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:11:25 -0000
In Zambia, Mr. Mwanawasa may best be remembered as a crusader against corruption.
A Threat Renewed: Ragtag Insurgency Gains a Lifeline From Al Qaeda
Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:57:32 -0000
A group of Algerian militants has been transformed from a nationalist insurgency to a potent ally of Al Qaeda.

L.A. Times - Africa

World Briefing
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Pakistan: 5 killed in missile strike / Cameroon: 9 prisoners die in escape bid / Sudan: 12 Darfur rebels sentenced to death / Mexico: Effort to save porpoises / India: Protests continue in Kashmir 5 killed in missile strike in tribal area
Algeria car bombings kill 11
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Two blasts rock Bouira, in the eastern Kabylie region, a day after an attack at a police recruitment center in another town killed more than 40. Two car bombs struck Wednesday near a hotel and a military compound in Algeria, killing at least 11 people and wounding 31 others, the Algerian Interior Ministry said. The blasts came a day after a deadly attack on prospective recruits at a police academy.
Turkey urges Sudan to end Darfur suffering
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Visiting Istanbul, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir is told that his government should work to end the violence. Turkey's president said Tuesday that he had urged Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir to act responsibly and end the suffering in the devastated Darfur region.

UN News Centre - Africa

Deadly terrorist attacks will not deter Algerians from path of peace - Ban
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terrorist attacks which have struck Algeria in the past 24 hours, stressing that violence will not deter the country's people from the path of peace and reconciliation.
DR Congo: UN peacekeepers deployed to east after rebel attacks
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
United Nations peacekeepers and soldiers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been jointly deployed in the eastern provinces of Ituri and Orientale to protect civilians after attacks by the rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
UN human rights expert welcomes Somali accord
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Independent Expert on human rights in Somalia has welcomed Monday's signing of a peace agreement between the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and an opposition group, calling it "a hopeful sign" in the war-torn nation.

The Economist: Middle East and Africa

Syria:
Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:49:44 -0000
A recent assassination makes Syrian politics look as mysterious as everTHOSE who speak do not know and those who know do not speak. That classic adage of how information flows in a dictatorship has always fitted Syria rather well. But the fog in the Syrian capital, Damascus, has rarely been thicker than now. Take the mysterious death of a top general, Muhammad Suleiman, at a seaside resort earlier this month. Was he shot by a lone sniper from a passing yacht, as first alleged, or killed at closer range, perhaps even by a masked hit squad? Was he targeted because he had fallen out with Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, or because he had angered Israel by funnelling Iranian and Syrian arms to Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shia guerrilla group with which the Israelis fought a messy war in 2006? Or was he killed in revenge for his role in other assassinations, such as the lorry-bomb killing of the Lebanese leader, Rafik Hariri, in 2005, or, contrarily, in the death of Hizbullah’s elusive tactical mastermind, Imad Mughniyeh, whose car blew up last February inside a compound housing Syrian intelligence operatives? ...
Mauritania:
Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:49:44 -0000
Africa’s reaction to the continent’s latest coup is being carefully watchedAFTER a decent election last year, Mauritania was held up as a fine new democracy for Africa. Alas, no more. The latest military putsch, on August 6th, put failed and successful coups in the last three decades into double figures and prompted a flood of international criticism, including suspension of aid and of membership of the African Union (AU). But will such remonstrations make a jot of difference?The hopeful part of the story goes back to 2005, when soldiers including Colonel Muhammad Ould Abdelaziz overthrew Maaouya Ould Taya, a nasty dictator who had been in power for two decades. For once, the soldiers kept their promise to organise fair elections. But Colonel Abdelaziz stayed close to the centre of power, first by persuading Sidi Muhammad Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to compete in the presidential election of 2007, which he won, and then by serving as the head of his presidential guard. ...
Iraq:
Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:49:44 -0000
The country is awash with oil money but still lacks a proper planIN THE second quarter of the year, an American military auditor recently reported, Iraq’s oil production averaged over 2.4m barrels a day, the highest level since America invaded Iraq in 2003, and a marked improvement on last year’s average of around 2m b/d (see chart). Rising output, along with the high (if now falling) price of oil, should pump up Iraq’s oil revenues to almost $80 billion this year. That, in turn, has allowed the country’s parliament to boost this year’s budget from $48 billion to $70 billion in a supplementary spending bill approved earlier this month. As security improves, the government has a lot more cash to spend than it did a year ago. Will it make the best of it?For one thing, revenue from oil should go up more sharply still. Iraq produced 3m b/d as recently as October 2001, despite the crippling UN-enforced sanctions at the time. Iraq’s oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, has spoken of raising output to 6m b/d. In theory, that is possible. Iraq’s proven reserves, of 115 billion barrels, are the world’s third-largest after Saudi Arabia and Iran. Yet Iraq ranks just 13th in terms of production, suggesting there is plenty of scope to pump more. Russia, for example, produced almost 10m b/d last year from reserves of 80 billion barrels. Only 27 of the 80 or so fields that have been discovered in Iraq have ever been tapped. ...

Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune

Exiting Iraq, Petraeus says gains are fragile
By DEXTER FILKINS Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:31:00 -0000
For all the signs of fatigue, General David Petraeus is preparing to leave Iraq a remarkably safer place than it was when he arrived.
Iraqi figures back U.S. view on low spending for reconstruction
By Campbell Robertson and James Glanz Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:16:01 -0000
Iraq's lagging spending on its own reconstruction has been the subject of widespread criticism as oil prices, the country's main source of revenue, have skyrocketed.
Draft is set to keep U.S. forces on Iraqi soil
By STEPHEN FARRELL AND THOM SHANKER Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:31:00 -0000
The difficulty in reaching a long-awaited security agreement to govern the presence of American troops in Iraq reflects its importance to Iraq and the U.S.
UN readies a 'grand deal' over Kirkuk
By Stephen Farrell Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:16:07 -0000
The United Nations said it would present a list of proposals to resolve the conflict over the oil-rich city and other disputed regions in northern Iraq.
Car bombs rock streets of Algeria for 2nd day, killing 11
By STEVEN ERLANGER Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:31:00 -0000
Two car bombs killed at least 11 people and wounded 31 others a day after a suicide bombing killed 43 people, according to the Algerian Interior Ministry.
Iran executes 20-year-old who murdered at age 15
By NAZILA FATHI Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:31:00 -0000
Human rights groups condemned the execution of Reza Hejazi, arguing that he was a minor at the time of the murder and therefore fit the category of a juvenile offender.

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