- Speaking after President Silanyo & William Hague meeting, the Foreign
Secretary said: “I am delighted to see President Silanyo in London for the
Conference on Somalia. Somaliland has valuable lessons to share from its own
experience of building stability and democracy. I welcome President Silanyo’s
participation at the Conference and am grateful for Somaliland’s continued
co-operation in the fight against piracy and terrorism.”
That was in February 22, 2012 and indeed, President Silanyo attended that
conference and shared Somaliland’s own valuable lessons from its own experience
of building stability and democracy. Now few weeks before another London
conference on Somalia, Somalilanders are raising the following
questions:
1. Did Somalia learn anything from the Somaliland lessons in stability and
democracy building?
2. Did the International Community reward Somaliland for it achievements?
The short answers to both questions are NO!
Subsequent to that conference in London, Somalia had a new government that
was appointed by closely selected warlords and bogus clan elders. The newly
appointed Somalia Government has achieved nothing, but goes around the world and
sings its own praises about achieving nonexistent democracy, security and
economic successes. The Somalia appointed leaders’ forget to mention single and
true achievement since they came to power, which is their frenziedly
provocations and abusive threats to Somaliland.
Contrary to democratic values and norms, Somalia has evenhandedly picked
some private and politically opportunistic individuals to become “the Somaliland
representatives” in Somalia’s undemocratically and illegally appointed
parliament and government -. that is Somalia's understanding of transparency and
fair democratic process.
Unlike its neighbor to the South – Somaliland government, parliament and
local city and town councils are democratically elected, a fact that is
internationally celebrated.
Very recently, the Somalia appointed Prime Minister wrote to US Secretary
of state asking an amnesty and diplomatic immunity for General Mohamed Ali
Samater, who is nicknamed “the Butcher of Somaliland”. Mr. Ali Samater has
admitted to his role in the Sommaliland genocide of the 1980s in a civil lawsuit
in USA court.
More inhumanly, the current Somalia Prime Minister visited the grave of
General Siad Barre and praised him and General Mohamed Ali Samater for what he
called “their great service to the Somali people”. Prime Minister Shardoon even
went one step further in his provocations and threatened to forcefully bring
Somaliland under the jurisdiction of Somalia’s appointed government.
The alleged perpetrator of Jaziira beach massacre General Maslah Mohamed
Siad Barre (the son of the former Somalia dictator), is a frequent Mogadishu
visitor from his permanent residence in Nairobi, Kenya and he even ran against
the current appointed President of Somalia for the Somalia presidency
appointment.
The International Community holds testimonials to the following facts:
Instead of learning lessons from Somaliland’s stability, the terrorist
activities in Somalia are in upwards drift; Somalia is becoming more divided
with new illegal Somalia states mushrooming, like the one in Kismayo city and in
other places. The rule of law in Somalia is at its lowest levels. The
undisciplined and warlords-affiliated Somalia soldiers are committing more rape
crimes and Mogadishu government fills its jails with rape victims and
journalists that dare to speak out. Prisoners are taken out of government jails,
slaughtered and their corpses dumped in Mogadishu streets for the
dogs.
All these particulars attest to the fact that Somalia is way far from
democracy and stability - Somalia did not learn what it was supposed to learn
from Somaliland and certainly its political choices of action did not bring
about a stable Somalia.
Here is what the International Community did and did not do to reward
Somaliland for its stability, democracy and its continuous war against terrorism
and sea piracy.
Since that London conference, the illegally appointed government in Somalia
was not condemned and punished for illegally and undemocratically choosing
unelected private individuals to represent Somaliland.
Additionally the International community did not condemn the callous and
provocative actions of the Somalia government, but instead, Somalia’s appointed
government was recognized to become the legal representative of both parties
that formed the ex-Somali Republic. In this context, the International community
is guilty of not morally and pragmatically giving real considerations to neither
the history nor the facts on the ground in the current geopolitics in the Somali
peninsula and in the Horn of Africa.
The other Somali inhabited regions in the Horn of Africa (Somali regions in
Kenya, Ethiopia and both Somaliland and Djibouti) are economically, socially and
security wise doing far better than Somalia. For that matter, Logic dictates,
the more Somaliland stays away from Somalia problems the better it will
do.
The United Nations imposed arms embargo on Somalia’s unstable and illegal
government was lifted. This is a green light and a recipe for more anarchic
turmoil for Somalia, Somaliland and the rest of the world. Certainly, those arms
will go to different warlords, terrorists and will encourage the appointed
Somalia government to attack Somaliland.
Somalilanders feel that they were let down by the current UK government and
by the International Community as whole. Apart from the Somaliland-British
historic connection - in the world wars, when thousands of Somalilanders lost
their lives in the British wars against the Nazism and fascism. Somaliland
should have at least been rewarded for its stability, democracy and friendly
cooperation with the International Community and not visa versa.
In that case, there is no reason for Somaliland to attend another
International conference that is rewarding Somalia for its illegal and
undemocratic activities at the expense of Somaliland sovereignty, democracy and
stability.
If the UK and the International Community are resolutely serious about the
democracy, stability and winning the war on terrorism in the Horn of Africa,
then the following steps must be taken:
1. Somalia must be condemned for its crimes against humanity in Somaliland
and the living criminals must be brought to justice.
2. Somalia must respect the separate and peaceful co-existence with
Somaliland and without further provocations.
3. Both Somaliland and Somalia must confine themselves to their respective
colonial borders until a peace solution is reached.
4. The Somaliland and Somalia co-owned assets in foreign lands must be
frozen immediately bending a bilaterally agreement for division of assets
between the two co-owners.
5. All the ex-Somali Republic International organizations memberships must
be frozen until such time a bilateral and legal agreement is reach.
6. Somalia must offer a public apology for its genocide in Somaliland and
offer material compensation to the victims and the loved ones of the genocide
victims.
7. Somalia must return all the looted Somaliland’s public and privately
owned properties that were taken to Mogadishu and else where in
Somalia.
8. The bodies of Jaziir beach in Mogadishu massacre victims must be
repatriated by Somalia for dignified burial in Somaliland.
Like any democratic country in the world the agenda of the Somaliland
government is set by its citizens and not by its leaders. Therefore, only if the
international community meets and tables those minimum Somaliland conditions
then it will be convinced to believe that the International Community means
business and will in turn encourage President Silanyo to attend the up coming
London conference for Somalia.
Otherwise, what is the point of wasting time on another sterile
International London conference on Somalia? Why is the International community
pressuring Somaliland to accept the unacceptable? What is the point of attending
a conference were the culprit (Somalia) is being rewarded rather than the victim
(Somaliland)?
And finally, what is the point of perusing an already tried and failed
Somaliland and Somalia union that
did not benefit and will not benefit Somaliland? Let us wait and see what
Somalia brings to the talks in Turkey first and then go from
there.
By Yusuf Dirir Ali
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