“For thirty years, the people here paid the price for a terrible mistake…” begins a moving account that Ayub Nuri of the Kurdish Rudaw TV portrayed of the republic of Somaliland: history, people, land, aspirations, sovereignty, international indifference, etc.
The documentary outlines the people of Somaliland’s perseverance in the face of nearly 40 years of Somalia domination, unfair treatment, persecution, genocide, arbitrary mass arrests and the like.
“We were victimized – basically,” H.E. Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire, the republic’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told Rudaw.
“In 1991, the (Somalia) government collapsed and our people decided to leave a union that wasn’t serving any purpose at all. The net result of the union was total destruction and displacement. Our people came to realize that ‘that was enough'”, Minister Saad said.
The story goes on to investigate all facets leading to the re-affirmation of an independence conditionally lost to Somalia in 1960 in the understanding that the union with Somalia was a prelude to a larger union among all the five major regions of a ‘Greater Somalia’ – hence so, the five-pronged, white star.
The story highlights how Somaliland people made an unsung success of their country despite the seemingly insurmountable odds that the world heaped against it at every turn.
Here it is:
| About RUDAW Media Network |
Rudaw is a Kurdish media network funded and supported by Rudaw Company. The network aims to impart news and information about Kurdistan and the Middle East in a professional manner. Those interested in Kurdistan and the Kurdish cause can follow the latest developments in the region in both Kurdish and English through Rudaw’s multiple platforms.Digital Portal
An online platform that provides timely coverage of Kurdish issues in both Kurdish dialects. The website also publishes news and information in English.Radio
A radio news channel that broadcasts on shortwave across the Middle East. Audiences from all over the world can listen to a live stream online.
Newspaper
Published on a weekly basis, with hard copies sold in the Kurdistan Region and Europe. In the Kurdistan edition, stories of interest to the local population are covered. The European edition features issues of interest to the Kurdish diaspora.
TV
A Kurdish news channel that broadcasts to the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. This newly-launched channel can be received on NileSat and Hot Bird satellites.
A Global Network, a Local Flavour
Rudaw is based in Erbil, the capital city of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The company has correspondents in various parts of the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. This broad network of reporters makes Rudaw a reliable source of information for audiences across the globe.
Two Languages, Two Dialects
Rudaw Media Network publishes in Kurdish and English. This has brought the network a large audience from inside Kurdistan as well as throughout Europe and North America. In Kurdistan — Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran — there are two main dialects used by the media: Sorani and Kurmanji. There are also two different characters used: Roman and Arabic (Aramaic). Rudaw publishes products in both dialects of the Kurdish language.
