TLC Executive holds first meeting with Tol Sultans

October 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

MINNEAPOLIS/BORAMA, OCTOBER 22, 2010–The Executive Committee of the Tol Leadership Council (TLC) and the Tol Sultans in Borama agreed on the need for a strong, united and innovative leadership that could effectively meet the current and future challenges facing the Tol community.

Attending the meeting held through telephone conference on October 13, 2010 were TLC Chairman Prof. Ahmed Ismail Samatar, and the two Vice Chairs, Mr. Abdiwahid Sh. Osman and Yussuf Adan Kalib; while Sultan Abdirahman Jama Dhawal, Sultan Ibrahim Jama Samatar, and Sultan Baade Hassan Hadi were present on the Sultans side.

The TLC leadership briefed the Sultans on the TLC’s long term vision and mission and the Sultans conveyed their insights about the condition of the TOL and the hardships facing the community, especially in the area of the improvement of the infrastructure such as roads and the development of   local maritime facilities. 

Both sides agreed that without strong unity and very competent and innovative leadership, none of the challenges could be met effectively. 

“The TLC leadership and the Sultans had a substantive discussion in which they listened to each other with high attentiveness, solicitous fraternal spirit, and palpable eagerness to break the ground for genuine civic solidarity,” said Prof. Samatar, commenting on the atmosphere in which the meeting was held.

TLC leadership and the Sultans had agreed on the need to:

1. Drill deep into our people the principle distinction between tribalism or clanism and tolnimo –one that is simultaneously essential for the cohesion of the Gadabursi Tol and brings enormous concrete benefits to them as well as to the Somali communities near and far.

2. Aim to build our region’s material, intellectual, and political capacity

3. Contribute to the legitimate welfare (i.e. justice, peace, and prosperity) of Somaliland

4.   Keep a wakeful eye on the overall condition of the Somali people.

Both sides recognized and underscored the need for close and ongoing cooperation between TLC and the TOL traditional leadership. They also agreed that the TLC should formulate protocols for future mutual consultations between the two sides.