South of Aden

Tunnel Vision

2007-08-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

The UN Monitoring Group on Somalia recently delivered their report to the Security Council. All of the major newspapers had at least one article on the findings, focusing on Eritrea’s potential support to insurgents fighting against the Western-backed transitional government. They also all lead with strikingly similar headlines:

Washington Post: Eritrea sending missiles, arms to Somalia, U.N. says
NY Times: A U.N. Report on Somalia accuses Eritrea of adding to the chaos
CNN: U.N.: Eritrea giving arms to Somalis tied to al Qaeda

Eritrea denies these accusations and argues that the report fuels discussions of an Ethiopia-Eritrea war by proxy. The ramifications of this aspect of the report are complex and interesting to analyze, but I am a bit surprised by the fact that the rest of the document has largely been ignored.

More specifically, pages 12-13 of the report mention the use of white phosphorus bombs by Ethiopia in Mogadishu. This section notes chemical analysis of the soil, adds witness testimony (stating the bodies of the victims were “melted”) and includes a photograph of the immediate area of impact. Ethiopia disputes these claims but what I find more pressing is the fact that the information only received a passing notation in some (not even all) of the media.

Plastic Flowers

2007-07-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

In some parts, Somaliland can be quite gorgeous. The semi-desert environment allows for a rather stunning landscape - particularly if you drive just a short way out of town.

However, in the past ten years there’s been a rather unwelcome addition to the view. Before the early 1990s, more traditional, home-made pouches were used for carrying goods from the market. Today, I sometimes feel like one of the biggest imports must be plastic bags. On a recent trip to town, a friend remarked on one particularly impressive “bag tree.”

While you do get used to them after a while and almost start to appreciate them in some instances, it does serve as a strong example of deficiencies in the public service sector. As you can see in some of the photos, clean-up leaves a lot to be desired and the implications on the health of the population can be severe. The cholera epidemic spurred a bit of community action… let’s hope there’s more to follow.

Great Presentation! I really liked when you said…

2007-07-21T02:28:00.001-07:00

One of the main “entry-points” of Academy work is the identification of key issues in Somaliland’s democratization process. In order to encourage dialogue about these concepts and build capacity within Somaliland’s youth, the Academy developed a Youth Working Group – comprised of vocal and active young members of the society – and is now in the process of holding a “Democratization Workshop” with over 40 participants from throughout the region.

Not only was this workshop intended to be a forum for candid discussion, it also aimed to ensure that group members understood the relevant research methodology, appropriate process and their role in the bigger picture.

I should note that this training seminar is the first of its kind at the Academy and I’m quite impressed with how it all came together. I was also impressed with the number of women present in the conference and their contributions to the discussion. However, there is one thing that I found (and continue to find) quite comical – in this workshop, much like in the first meeting of the working group in late June– I was asked to comment on the presentations of the break-out groups and help frame their discussions. Yesterday, the larger group was broken down into four thematic areas (Public Participation, Civic Education, Limitation of Political Parties and Land Conflicts) and then asked to convert their issue into problem format, posing the applicable sub-questions that need to be addressed.

Going from group to group was great – they would tell me their ideas and I’d discuss the appropriate ways to look at the issue, the added concepts they may want to consider, etc. etc. What was a bit more challenging was drawing take-away points and giving specific comments after each small group presented to the entire assembly.

I think this is a good point to mention that Somalis have a very very oral culture with a particularly poetic way of speech. Parallel to that, there is little tradition of the written word (the written language was created in the 1970s), so it’s interesting to note that for most presentations the words on the flip charts are in English and the talks are given in Somali. Well – this conference was no different. I would get a small bit of translation after a given presentation if the flip chart was particularly bare, but otherwise I was told that “it’s ok” I don’t understand the 20 minute talk before giving comments on it – “the key things are on the board.”

Right.

Maybe it is true that you can pick up the major points through a brief translation (or presentation) but in a place where every story has two sides, I can’t help but think that missing the nuances means missing all the key details.

Long story short, Somali classes start this week – 3 times a week in the afternoons.

And as one side note, the conference was held in the rather stunning Mansoor Hotel. However, I realized that perhaps I’ve become too adjusted here when it took someone else pointing out the antelope for me to remember that it’s not quite a standard sight…

“Just take a closer look at how carefully the older women sit”

2007-07-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

There’s this part of me that’s always hesitant to write about topics such as FGM – in some way, it just seems incredibly clichéd. However, it’s come up a lot recently – in my conversations, in day-to-day experiences, and even in the news. In fact, the BBC has given it quite a bit of press recently – discussing a new ban on the practice in Egypt and heightened prosecution of the practice in the UK.

Just to give a broader context, in Somalia, about 98% of women have been circumcised. The main aim of the process is to ensure that a woman remains faithful to her future husband (“Who will marry her otherwise?”) and it is also often discussed as a religious duty and a hygienic practice.

Female circumcision can take three different forms:

Clitoridectomy (or “sunna” circumsicion) – part or all of the clitoris is amputated
Excision – the clitoris and the labia minora are removed
Infibulation – after excision, the labia majora are cut or scraped away to create raw surfaces, which are held in contact until they heal, either by stitching the edges of the wound or by typing the legs together. A small opening is left for the passage of urine and menstrual flow. (For further information see links…)

Around here, the third practice of infibulation is most common. And one small detail that I somehow just fully realized is that after marriage – meaning the night of the wedding or at most, the day after – women who have been infibulated must either be forcibly penetrated or un-stitched then penetrated the next day.

I have always been extremely wary of outsiders trying to change local practices – but in conversations about this topic, FGM has always been the one area where I think there is no debate. However, this post has nothing to do with understanding a local culture, assessing international intervention, evaluating the rights of an individual – it’s about me, as a woman, being physically nauseated by a practice that has no silver lining. You can talk about ways to make circumcision medically safe, you can talk about the fact that we have practices in the west that could also be considered barbaric, you can talk about the ways the “developed” world similarly tries to deprive women of their own sexuality – but here, for me, there seems to be very little room for discussion or for acceptance.

I also want to note that women cannot simply be seen as the victims in this situation. Of course, men must be held accountable for their role in societal norms, but it is mothers that pass on this tradition to their daughters, females that accept it as a duty and women that promote it as a rite of passage. Every woman that I’ve discussed this with has acknowledged that it’s simply not discussed between the genders and husbands have minimal involvement in the procedure – or the decision on when it should occur.

When I first started this post – probably a few weeks ago at this point! – it was really meant as a rather unconstructive rant to air some of my own frustrations. As one quasi-constructive addition, I do think it’s time for FGM activists to acknowledge that this is one issue where exposure to “other ways” may be irrelevant. After all, the practice continues in Denmark in much the same way as it exists in Mogadishu.

Instead, it is time for some serious engagement with Islamic leaders to begin. In fact, I would argue that they are the only ones with any influence in the matter. So much of this practice is based on the misconception that it is a religious duty – when in fact, it is not mandated by the Qur’an and at most it simply falls under the “permissible” category of Sharia law. Clearly there is a much larger and much more in-depth discussion to be had on separation of culture and religion in places where it is so deeply intertwined, but for the time being, this is one topic where the conversation needs to be put on fast forward.

Returnees and Refugees

2007-06-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

For all practical purposes, Somaliland is a land of returnees. Virtually every Somalilander has been displaced at some point in the past decade and recent years have shown a tremendous increase in the resettlement of Diaspora Somalis.

However, Somaliland has also recently become host to a number of Ethiopian refugees -- with estimates of thousands living in the nation's borders but only a few hundred with official recognition.

While there is a much longer discussion to be held on this topic, for the time being I wanted to post a few pictures of the soccer match organized by UNHCR on Refugee Day (June 20):

Independence Day... Kind of.

2007-06-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

47 years ago on June 26th, Somaliland first gained its independence from Britain. A week later, it became part of Somalia proper, changing the nature of the holiday. Today, Somalilanders officially celebrate May 18th as the day the state restored its sovereignty – 16 years ago.

However, we did get the day off and President Dahir Riyale Kahin issued this editorial in the Washington Times.

Project Runway: Getting Dressed in Somaliland

2007-06-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

Packing for Somaliland, I knew that I would need to cover my arms, legs and head at all times. What I didn’t know was that the way I covered myself mattered nearly as much. It turns out that skirts are not just preferable – they’re mandatory, and the more scarves you haves, the better – often one for your head and another for your shoulders, or a larger scarf to form a proper hijab.

To help me get started, one of my coworkers presented me with a gift of two Somali dresses and another coworker came with me on my first trip to the market. Little by little, I’m learning how to mix and match and I’m also slowly learning to walk around without tripping on my underskirt.

My 9-5 (or so): The Academy for Peace and Development

2007-06-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I’ve now received more than a few requests to describe exactly what I’m doing in Hargeisa – and so it only made sense that I include more than just a link to the organization in this blog.

For the next few months, I am working as a Fellow at the Academy for Peace and Development. Established in 2004, APD is a local peace-building institution with a broad mandate to assess, assist and encourage dialogue on issues related to political, economic and social development in the region. Its impact has included establishing the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, overhauling the judiciary system, mediating issues with the presidential elections, and facilitating the exchange of prisoners of war between Somaliland and Puntland.

As a fellow, I’ll be conducting some of my own research (on issues of foreign policy, state-building and security) and assisting the Academy in their efforts. My specific involvement – to varying degrees – has been in three projects: a local government assessment (related to decentralization issues), mapping peace initiatives in the region, and developing a working group (and now, a training seminar) to identify key concerns with Somaliland’s process of democratization.

A large part of my reason for working here, specifically, was due to the fact that the organization is locally-run rather than expat-saturated. I felt that it would put me in better touch with the issues and less removed from the realities. To a large extent, this has definitely been the case. However, I did recently find out that the Academy is considered to be an organization of the “elite” in many respects and that this could present a challenge to some of its efforts.

And as another small detail -- and perhaps a better explanation of the “complete freedom” around here – I’m also starting to learn a bit more about the grey area of “free press." At the moment, I’ve nearly completed my round of edits for the Academy’s second newsletter. Though the writing of this blog is not quite indicative of this fact, I do tend to link news writing to be fairly to the point. However, I quickly learned that my edits need to be a bit more… diplomatic.

In the wording of one article, it’s not that the “political actors interpret the constitution through a self-serving lens,” but instead, they “seem to interpret…”

That said, I do tend to be more critical than not...

The Blogging Version of a Footnote – So What’s Somaliland?

2007-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this morning was the fourth time this week that I woke up to the sounds of the Fajr prayer which happens every morning at approximately 4:30 am. Interestingly enough, I don’t really mind it all that much and it strangely makes me feel a bit more comfortable. That said, today was the first time that I couldn’t fall back asleep and somewhere between pretending to read and pretending to write, I came to the realization that I still haven’t given a proper introduction to Somaliland or my work here.

I am currently located in the north-western part of Somalia – a region that declared its autonomy after the Somali state collapsed into civil war in 1991. To date, Somaliland has not been internationally recognized but it has effectively functioned as an independent state with a unique political system that mixes a clan-based institution of Elders and a democratically-elected governance structure. For the time being, the international community has pretty much avoided the issue and in all honesty, around these parts discourse about the issue is discouraged in theory and disallowed in practice (Somaliland should be recognized. You do agree, don’t you? Full stop.).

A couple of articles have recently come out discussing its democratic nature and relative recent stability, but the political situation is complex and there are a number of (often-competing) realities. There is a multi-party system, but it’s limited to three parties without truly distinct ideologies, free press is promised but not necessarily always present, and a democratic constitution exists but is not necessarily closely followed. As one interesting example to consider – approval of the 2007 National Budget has been a point of contention between the House of Representatives and the Executive Office. However, it is now June and government operations have been running “full force” – so the purpose of the budget is... ?

Putting this discussion aside for a moment, the fact remains that Somaliland has come a long way – without any real western intervention – since the civil war in 1991 and definitely serves as a strong case study on its own (for a number of issues) and as an interesting lens through which to evaluate policy in the Horn of Africa.

Let’s Play a Game of Oregon Trail

2007-06-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Somaliland is not quite known for its tourism industry, but that definitely doesn’t mean that the day trip to the North was less than exciting. Our gameplan was to pack the three key sights into one day: Laas Geel (caves with exceptionally preserved rock paintings), Berbera (fishing village on the Gulf of Aden) and the Sheikh Mountains. It took some maneuvering, but once the 6 of us (two men from Shelter Box, a driver, an interpreter, an armed guard and myself) found “comfortable” positions in a well-traveled SUV, we were off.

Impressively, a large portion of our ride was on tarmac roads but I really should have known that a smooth trip would be too good to be true. Some key highlights of the drive included: moving a tortoise out of the road, cautiously driving around a dead camel (the driver noted it had been there for at least half a week by this point and passing over any of it would mean bringing the smell along with us), and losing not one but two tires. Some key lessons from the drive included: retreads on tires are a bad idea anywhere, but particularly awful in a semi-desert climate; one should never expect river beds to consistently (or even predictably) contain/lack water; the only hope for getting back to a village with a punctuated tire is to make the leap of faith and drive through a newly flowing river.

As a result of the noted car troubles, we never actually made it to Sheikh Mountains, but both Laas Geel and Berbera were fantastic to see. The cave paintings in Laas Geel are estimated to have been completed somewhere between 3,000 and 8,000-9,000 BCE and the view from the top is actually stunning. That said, attempting to climb the mini-mountain in flip-flops, a long skirt and a hijab was nothing short of comical. Just as a point of information – cacti are dangerous, dangerous plants.

Berbera is a small port town directly on the Gulf of Aden and the intense heat is actually my first and foremost memory of the visit. It is effectively the only place to be able to take a short swim (the water is absolutely pristine) and used to be the main weekend destination. However, this Friday we were pretty much the only visitors. The half-built hotel made it clear that trips to Berbera have significantly decreased since a few random expat attacks about 2-3 years ago led to a intense restrictions against UN travel to the waterfront. It was also interesting to compare Berbera to Hargeisa – though the port has significantly fewer inhabitants, it was not demolished by the civil war that effectively flattened Hargeisa’s city center. As a result, the buildings actually looked far more structured and developed.

It was on our way back from Berbera that the car troubles began and though they were nothing a complete hassle, at least the final tire puncture meant that we got a chance to spend a couple of hours in a small village somewhere between the two cities. And as a small plug for Shelter Box, I would say the highlight of our down time (aside from constantly pointing a flashlight toward my legs to ward off an assortment of unidentifiable bugs) was when the guys realized they had an entire box of school supplies in the trunk of the car. Unfortunately, the head teacher was sick at the time (presumably cholera), but the village elder was definitely glad to receive the calculators, notebooks, mini-blackboards, etc. that were in the container. As a small side note, a colleague asked (with an appropriate level of worry) whether or not the mix of supplies also included Bibles and I’m happy to report that no, there were no religious elements involved.

It seems that my research and work interests may lead me to Berbera a few more times before my time here is up, so perhaps I’ll get a better sense of the region at that time.

The “Getting to Know You” Phase

2007-06-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

It has definitely been way too long since I’ve been able to upload a post and the main evidence I have of that is the dozen or so pages of notes/entries that I’m currently struggling to break down into manageable pieces. A bit over two weeks into my stay here, it seems that one thing is certain and one thing is probable: I will certainly always have material to write about; I will probably have a delay between incidents and blogs. Either way, I apologize for the slew of posts that are about to appear on your screen…

And a few more photos of my surroundings:

Initial Impressions and Interactions

2007-06-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

Before you begin reading this post, I feel the need to warn you that it’s a bit too long and tries to pack in a bit too much. I should also note that for everything discussion I have and event I observe, it is already evident that there are – and will continue to be – multiple, often conflicting, interpretations of the situation. That said…

I’m thrilled to be here. The weather is nothing short of perfect (hot in the daytime, cool and breezy at night), and while I’m still trying to get the hang of tying my hijab properly (and securely), the entire move has been less of an adjustment than I imagined. I find myself making constant comparisons to the beginning of my time in Accra, Ghana, and while Hargeisa is significantly less developed and the social life completely different, there are certain similarities in my day-to-day existence (only bottled water, caution with food selection, mosquito nets, lack of AC/hot water, etc.) that make the entire setting far from unfamiliar. It also helps that I’m still in the wide-eyed phase and genuinely impressed with just how effectively everything functions considering the financial and structural constraints present.

That said, it seems that it will take a bit more time to get used to the new limitations on my day to day life. While Hargeisa itself has been rather safe over the past two years, foreigners are pretty much confined to their living and work areas – with a nighttime curfew ranging between 10 pm (for UN personnel) to midnight. I am currently staying in a guesthouse approximately 2 minutes away from the Academy (literally) and I’m slowly getting used to the idea of asking a guard to walk me to and from work each day. Foreigners in Somaliland are watched over by the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of the police force so any nighttime “outings” or even daytime trips out of the center of the city must be coordinated with them.

Yet the one area where I should legitimately try to remain extra-cautious in the next few weeks will be in food selection. It seems that my second large adjustment – after the confinement issue – will be the shift away from pretty much any fresh/uncooked foods (though I’m not giving up on fruit just yet!). What started out as a few cholera cases has now turned into a full epidemic, with the hospital in Hargeisa filled to capacity (400 cases), 1000 cases in Burco and 100 in Borama. And those are only the ones that have been reported. Apparently there’s currently a debate between the Ministry of Health and the WHO over who’s to blame, but in the meanwhile the disease has only continued to spread.

And while I realize commentary on the society and culture may be most interesting at the moment, I will have to leave you hanging on this one until I get just a slightly better sense of the world around me. The separation by gender is both expected and evident, but the interesting thing is that I’ve heard quite a few people (expats and locals alike) note not only their extreme love and support of this region but also their opinion that it is one of the most egalitarian societies. Perhaps I’ll be able to unpack that statement through my next few posts…

One of the most interesting things about the entire situation is that the assessment of actual need for such caution varies based on who you talk to. Some have noted that “white-faces” simply aren’t wanted here and as a result, provoking attention by walking alone should be avoided at all costs. Others have mentioned that these are just the rules you follow (and are forced to follow) to ensure you’re not the first new case of harassment or kidnapping.

Yet, just as I was accepting that this is the tried and true way of life, a conversation I had last night with two men working with Shelter Box – and here for a week-long needs appraisal – noted that they were told it’s completely safe to walk around Hargeisa on their own.

Trying to think through this apparent disparity in advice, there seem to be a couple of plausible explanations. It’s definitely possible that the expat community is just far too cautious – after all, just a quick drive through the city center shows that Hargeisa absolutely comes alive at night with dozens of men sitting in the local restaurants and women strolling through the streets. It also simply just does not feel dangerous and in reality, most security advisements from western nations are rarely appropriately revoked, allowing for tremendous amounts of money to be wasted on unnecessary requirements and assessments.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, I’ve already been warned that it’s hard to get a critical viewpoint of the state from the local population. Recognition is a tremendously emotive issue and the foreigners that come and go are seen as the best transmission systems of positive reinforcement of Somaliland’s relative peace, stability and democracy.

While this post has already become too unwieldy, there’s one more initial “impression” I feel I have to mention. Last night, as I was sitting on the balcony of my guest house, I heard the sound of a mini-explosion. It turns out that in the past two months, there have been weekly detonations of one or two small, non-lethal bombs in Hargeisa. For the most part, they have been set off near the homes of ministers, and their source/purpose is unclear (though there is speculation that it may actually be the SPU setting them off). There is a slight element of tension in the air as they are discussed since the only real difference between a non-lethal and lethal weapon is about 5 lbs. of nails (very easy to obtain) and since the past couple of weeks have also been marked by the sounds of low-flying aircraft circling the town (assumed to be US military).

Just to end on a slightly lighter note, yesterday I got through one of the greatest struggles I may face here: cockroaches. In short, they are the one thing I will never get used to. Around 11 pm last night, one particularly large roach and I had an epic battle followed by slightly easier tiffs with his/her two children (in my bed!). I am pleased to report that – to the best of my knowledge – I won.

Ps. As Somaliland functions on a 6-day working week with Friday being the day off, I’ll be taking a day trip this Friday and seeing some of the sights – I promise more photos after that time!

Preparing to depart...

2007-06-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

As a break from multitasking mental and physical preparation for my impending departure, I just wanted to welcome you to my blog and thank you in advance for your visits and your comments! My posts will most likely range from the personal to the academic and I really can't wait to share these next few months with you.

At the moment, my bags are almost packed with the essentials:

long, loose fitting clothes
half the contents of a local CVS + numerous bottles of 99% Deet bugspray
granola bars and chocolate

And background reading has been conducted:

Wikipedia -- of course.
Official Sites
News Reports
Journal articles -- recommended reading!

The truth of the matter is that there isn't all that much information out there -- particularly in recent years. I hope the next ten weeks will be an opportunity to separate fact from fiction, understand how the society, government and economy function, assist in the implementation of a new decentralization process and evaluate the implications of this particular unrecognized autonomous entity on issues of security, policy and human rights.

It's a broad agenda but it's most likely that my next post will discuss a narrower primary goal: impressions on first arrival.