-We the members of Somaliland Community Development Organization of Metro Toronto (SCDO) do appreciate and commend our President's wise decision to give his people the opportunity to have a say on formulating a sound response to the invitation of the government of Great Britain to our government to participate the upcoming London conference on Somalia. The President's move clearly underscores the importance of such a response, and highlights the serious ramifications it is bound to have on our future as country and people.
Accordingly, we as Organization members as well as the wider Somaliland community share with our President the need to study and thoroughly deliberate on this subject in order to come to the right decision. To those ends, we have, on our part, given it our best shot to contribute to the pool of ideas the President has asked for with his nation. Hence, we put into perspective all available pertinent information and strived to pinpoint all possible outcome scenarios.
Here are some of the facts and factors that heavily weighed in on our final judgement:
1. Our meeting could not, in any way, put a positive face to Britain’s motive or agenda of suddenly changing its long-held dual-track Somaliland-Somalia policy in favour of a single-track Somalia-based strategy.
2. Somaliland, as far as we know, hasn’t been offered any especial status at this conference that would separate it from the multitude of Somalia’s self-appointed mini regional authorities, the likes of Puntland and Galmudug.
3. We haven’t been promised or given guarantee the newly improvised so-called Awdal and Khaatumo de-stabilizing groups won’t be allowed to take part.
4. The meeting took into account the newly re-invigorated, foreign sponsored TFG encroachment into our sovereignty, and supporting anti-Somaliland groups.
After long deliberation, the meeting agreed unanimously that attending the London conference, based on current conditions, would definitely open up a Pandora Box, and would evidently entail the following catastrophic outcome for Somaliland:
1. It would compromise and undermine the fundamental principles of Somaliland's sovereignty and independence.
2. It will constitute a blatant violation of the 2003 law that bans all citizens, including government, the participation of any Somalia-based meeting.
3. It will create a dangerous precedent that would undermine our ability to stand up to International pressure pushing us to melt down into chaotic Somalia.
4. It would polarize our society and give anti-Somaliland elements the incentive to scramble for ties with the TFG.
5. It would encourage the creation of mini tribal- based separate regions that would constitute certain recipe for instability.
6. Any protocol or resolution passed at this Conference would be fully binding and applicable to Somaliland once we are a party to that Conference.
7. The meeting was convinced that primary objective of the London conference is the recreation of the defunct state of Somalia along the interest of the UK and its allies at the expense of Somaliland's independence and the rightful inspiration of its people.
In conclusion, we are certain our leadership are fully committed to the interest of this nation.
Our meeting, therefore, would like to warn our government and people to be-aware of this trap, and study and reflect on every aspect of the concerns expressed in this writing in order to avoid a mistake of historic proportion.
Long live Somaliland!
Somaliland Canadian Development Organization
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The Somaliland Canadian Development Organization (SCDO) is volunteer driven think-tank notfor-profit entity striving to enhance good governance in Somaliland and to promote the recognition and membership of Somaliland to the international community.
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