EU grants Somaliland 10 million Euros via Somalia to fight COVID 19

Somaliland has been allocated 10 million Euros  from the European Union to aid in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

This is out of the 27 million Euros the EU has donated to Somalia in the war against the spread of the pandemic.

But the internationally unrecognized nation of Somaliland will have to push their erstwhile partner to forward their potion of the donation according to the EU envoy to Somalia Nicolas Berlanga Martinez.

Martinez, held closed door-meeting with Somaliland’s Civil Society Organizations in Hargeisa where he announced Somaliland’s allocation from the grant which will be channeled through the Somali Federal government.

Somaliland has been pushing to get direct access to grants from international community instead of being lumped alongside Somalia.

Last month, Somaliland president Musa Bihi asked the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to deal directly with his country maintaining they were an independent state.

“The World Bank waived the Debt of Somalia and said that they will continue to help Somalia and its States.

They wrote a letter and mentioned that Somaliland broke away from Somalia 1991 and still didn’t get recognition so they removed Somaliland from the help they are offering to Somalia.

Somaliland recognizes itself and doesn’t need Somalia to do that.

We want tell World bank that Somaliland and Somalia are different and they will have to treat them differently.

If the World bank doesn’t recognise Somaliland then we don’t care what they do for Somalia,” said Bihi.

During his meeting with the Somaliland civil society, Berlanga urged them to probe if Somaliland receives its share of the grant allocations.

The majority of the 27 million Euros grant was added into Somalia’s national budget.

According to budget pie chart from EU envoy, 15 million Euros will be earmarked for Somalia’s national budget, 5.5 million Euros will be allocated for Benadir health services, 6.5 million Euros has been allocated for awareness, information and health infrastructure.

The remaining 24.5 percent of the EU grant will be divided among the Federal member states of Somalia.

The Government of Somaliland and the EU forged closer ties after its EU envoy Berlanga brokered a deal between the president and opposition groups over the electoral commission dispute.

EU has been Somaliland’s development partner in recent years.

Last June, the  European Union Delegation to the Federal Republic of Somalia jointly with the Government of Somaliland and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched in Hargeisa the Integrated Land and Water Management (ILWRM) Project.

The event was graced by the EU Charge d’Affairs Dr. Hjordis D’Agostino Ogendo and representatives of the Ministries of Planning, Agriculture and Environment, Livestock, Water and the Agency for Disaster Management as well as other Somali and International partners and stakeholders.