Apr. 16 – This is the first time such a high-level representative from the government of Somaliland, the self-proclaimed independent state, visits Italy. For his “debut”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somaliland, Mohamed B. Yonis, chose the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, where he will hold a news conference on Monday, April 20, beginning at 3pm. The event came into being thanks to Andrea de Guttry, Professor of International Law and Director of the Institute Dirpolis (Right, Politics, Development) of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. The Minister will present the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, managed jointly by the United Nations and the African Union (a unique case in the world). Minister Yonis is one of the personalities who most contributed to the formation of this mission; and his arrival in Italy and the meeting at the Sant’Anna School occur at a critical time for the region, torn by 20 years of civil war and with a considerable foreign presence in its territory. The Somaliland experiment, a former British protectorate currently not recognized by other States, is an attempt to find a solution to the conflict that caused suffering and destruction throughout Somalia. “This is – explains de Guttry – an important recognition for the role the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna played regarding the internal conflict in Somalia, including its research and higher education contribution to Somaliland and its neighboring countries. This conference reaches the apex of a series of activities implemented by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in the ‘Horn of Africa’. In addition to the many civilian personnel training initiatives, we are taking in Somali and Somaliland students, allowing them to enrol in PhD courses or advanced training here in Pisa.” (Red)
