The President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Muse Bihi Abdi, today officially inaugurated the Dacar-Budhuq Valley Bridge, a valley whose construction was assisted by the government of the United Arab Emirates.
This large ceremony was held at the Dacar-Budhuq Bridge and was attended by the President of Somaliland, officials led by the UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Somaliland, Amb Abdalla Alnaqbi, the Minister of Transport and Road Development of Somaliland and many other dignitaries.
Among the first speakers were the Minister of Transport and Road Development, the Mayor of Hargeisa and the UAE Ambassador to Somaliland, all of whom highlighted the importance of these bridges to the community and the country, especially during the rainy season where thousands perish everyday trying to get across.
President Bihi, who also addressed the gathering, first thanked the government of the United Arab Emirates. In his remarks, he said “We are very grateful to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for implementing many projects including the Berbera Port, Airport and Road, all of which showcase the results of their pledge to support and aid Somaliland. The company building the port is a trading company with whom we have a trade agreement, but the work done on the airport and this road was thanks to the UAE government. May God bless them.”
The President also thanked the distinguished guests who attended the event and those who worked hard to implement the UAE government’s development projects in the Republic of Somaliland.
“I would like to tell the people of Somaliland, wherever they are, that when a project is being developed, we need to stand by it. It is completely unreasonable to always complain that we don’t have enough resources to do such things and when given the resources, do everything to sabotage it in an attempt to take control of it all. The constitution clearly states that those resources belong to the nation of Somaliland, and the nation entrusts it to the government,” said President Bihi.
On another note, the President stated that there is a severe drought in the country and said, “For the last two months, the government has established 45 wells to combat the drought. We are lucky that our livestock has pasture as there is almost no water all over the country. It is expected to start raining again after 50 more days, but in the meantime, I would like to commend the businessmen who have each donated 1000 tankers to help with the shortage.” The President also noted that most businessmen and those with deeper pockets do very little to help in these situations and urged them to take a more active role in their communities and country.
The president also stated that the fuel shortages have eased and called on the traders to reduce the price of fuel. Moreover, the security forces and the Ministry of Commerce have directed the President to take action against the merchants who hide their goods in times like this to make them more expensive.
Finally, the President sent a message to the entire Somaliland community saying, “The world is at war and we need to protect ourselves. Too many of us have been consumed by khat, when we need to be investing our energy and resources into better things. We need to take a deeper look at ourselves and ask ourselves how we can move forward. I pray to Allah to save us and protect our children in these chaotic times.”
