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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 15 March 2022
Somaliland's leader makes pitch for autonomy in Washington

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA has maintained its own in-
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) dependent government,
— The leader of Somalia's currency and security sys-
semi-autonomous region of tem. The region has large-
Somaliland has urged the ly succeeded in holding
international community regular elections over the
to recognize his territory's years, including parliamen-
quest for independence, tary polls held last year.
saying negotiations with Somaliland's relative stabil-
Somalia had failed. ity over the years has sharp-
Muse Bihi Abdi charged ened the sense of failure
that in a decade of talks in Somalia, where deadly
"Somalia has demonstrated attacks by Islamic extrem-
a complete lack of interest ists are frequently reported
in meaningful dialogue," and elections have been
forcing Somaliland to press delayed because there is
ahead with its quest for in- no agreement on how the
ternational recognition as vote should be carried out.
an independent country. Somalia still sees Somalil-
"Dialogue has failed to and as part of its territory.
achieve its objectives," he It remains unclear how the
said on Monday in Wash- A woman and child relax next to a mural of Somaliland's flag, in Hargeisa, Somaliland, a semi- Somali federal government
ington at an event hosted autonomous breakaway region of Somalia, on Feb. 9, 2022. will respond to Somaliland's
by the Heritage Founda- Associated Press move to seek international
tion, the conservative poli- recognition as an indepen-
cy think tank. ocratic system and process serting his territory's autono- ly located by the Gulf of dent country. Since 2012
Kevin Roberts, president of for three decades. It hasn't my from Somalia. Aden, and Abdi spoke of several rounds of talks over
the Heritage Foundation, been perfect, just like no "The international commu- recent efforts by his gov- possible unification have
said he believes the "U.S. democratic system is per- nity has a moral obligation ernment to refurbish the failed to reach a break-
and Somaliland should be fect," he said. "But the old to support Somaliland's pur- port of Berbera in efforts through.
strong partners." In a region saying is that character is suit of international recog- to open up the region to Abdi said in his speech
beset by violence and the how you behave when no nition," he said. global trade. Monday that the war in
threat of extremists, a rela- one is watching. Somalil- Somaliland has no formal Somaliland's territory of Ukraine brought back pain-
tively calm Somaliland of- and has stayed faithful to diplomatic relations with more than 3 million people ful memories of deadly mili-
fers the U.S. the possibility of democracy when hardly the U.S., and Abdi said he broke away from Soma- tary conflict with Somalia.
"a truly sustainable partner- anyone is noticing." wants to see the U.S. joining lia in 1991 as the country "We feel the pain and an-
ship" in the Horn of Africa, Abdi, who has been So- some countries that main- collapsed into warlord-led guish that the people of
Roberts said. maliland's president since tain a diplomatic presence conflict. Ukraine feel because we
"This territory, of its own ac- 2017, said he was "pursuing in Hargeisa, the capital. Despite lacking internation- went through the same ex-
cord, has stuck with a dem- all available avenues" in as- Somaliland is strategical- al recognition, Somaliland perience," he said.q

Julian Assange denied permission to appeal by UK's top court

By SYLVIA HUI and JILL LAW- likely to kill himself if held decision.
LESS under harsh U.S. prison Barry Pollack, Assange's
LONDON (AP) — Britain's conditions. U.S. authorities U.S.-based lawyer, said
top court on Monday re- later provided assurances Monday that it was "ex-
fused WikiLeaks founder Ju- that the WikiLeaks founder tremely disappointing" that
lian Assange permission to wouldn't face the severe Britain's Supreme Court is
appeal against a decision treatment that his lawyers unwilling to hear the ap-
to extradite him to the U.S. said would put his physical peal.
to face spying charges. and mental health at risk. "Mr. Assange will continue
The court said it refused be- In December, the High the legal process fight-
cause the case "didn't raise Court overturned the low- ing his extradition to the
an arguable point of law." er court's decision, saying United States to face crimi-
Assange, 50, has sought for that the U.S. promises were nal charges for publishing
years to avoid a trial in the enough to guarantee that truthful and newsworthy in-
U.S. on a series of charges Assange would be treated formation," he said.
related to WikiLeaks' pub- humanely. Assange's British lawyers,
lication of a huge trove of Monday's news narrows As- Birnberg Peirce Solicitors,
classified documents more sange's options, but his de- said they can make sub- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters from a bal-
than a decade ago. fense team may still seek to missions to the Home Sec- cony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, May 19, 2017.
The case is now expected take his case to the Europe- retary within the next four Associated Press
to be formally sent to British an Court of Human Rights. weeks, ahead of her mak-
Home Secretary Priti Patel, Nick Vamos, the former ing any decision. WikiLeaks later published, tions of freedom of speech
who will decide whether to head of extradition at the American prosecutors say putting lives at risk. for publishing documents
grant the extradition. Crown Prosecution Service, Assange unlawfully helped But supporters and law- that exposed U.S. military
A British district court judge said Assange's lawyers can U.S. Army intelligence ana- yers for Assange argue wrongdoing in Iraq and
had initially rejected a U.S. also seek to challenge oth- lyst Chelsea Manning steal that he was acting as a Afghanistan. They argue
extradition request on the er points that he had lost classified diplomatic ca- journalist and is entitled to that his case is politically
grounds that Assange was in the original district court bles and military files that First Amendment protec- motivated.q