Sunday, September 9, 2000
Ref. SF/EC-020-2000
The UN, adding to its catalogue of errors in Somalia, has just rubber-stamped Mr. Salad Hassan’s claim to being the president of two countries—Somalia proper, and the independent Republic of Somaliland. “The UN and some of the neighbouring states to Somalia and Somaliland have re-written International Law, and have extended recognition to one man, with no government and no effective control over the lands which he claims to preside over”, said Amina Malko, Chair of the Somaliland Forum.
This hasty action, railroaded through the auspices of the President of Djibouti, Mr. Guelleh, totally overlooked the reality of the situation in the independent Republic of Somaliland and Somalia, and shows a callous disregard for the rights and interests of the people of Somaliland and Somalia.
Mr Abdalqasim Salad Hassan, during his address to the UN, obviously overlooked some details of his own background such as the time when he held high ministerial positions throughout the dictatorial regime of Siad Barre. Unlike many others who served in that regime, he remained totally loyal to the dictator until the dying days of his regime. It is, indeed, ironic to witness the UN applaud Mr. Hassan, one of the late dictator’s closest allied henchmen. The UN has shamefully rewarded the Barre loyalist with an audience and a warm welcome, rather than holding him accountable for his key role in the destruction of the former Somali Republic in the 1970s and 1980s when one of the worst human rights atrocities occurred in the former Somali Republic.
Many of Mr. Hassan’s so-called ‘parliament’ members chosen in Djibouti along with him were also involved directly or indirectly in crimes against humanity. “The UN should create a war crimes tribunal for the former Somalia, so they can question Mr. Hassan and his friends for their part in the massacres and pogroms that finally brought down the fascist Barre government, instead of welcoming him in the hallways of the UN”, said Amina Malko, chair of the Somaliland Forum.
Documents on what went on in the former Somalia when Mr. Hassan was a high profile minister in the fascist Barre government are abound. For example, the US General Accounting Office in a 1989 Report, relating to the northern regions (now Republic of Somaliland), concluded that looting, jailing, rape and mass murder by the Somali Army from 1982 was widespread and that the military bombarded populated areas in Hargeisa and Burao. Africa Watch (1990) estimated the number of people killed during that period at more than 50,000. Since then, there has been considerable evidence of mass graves around the major towns in Somaliland.
The Somaliland Forum, does not, in anyway, oppose any peace initiatives for the people in Somalia proper; on the contrary, we welcome any effort that would create a lasting peace in Somalia. However, we strongly believe that the international community needs to be aware that peaceful solutions are needed in Somalia, not a foreign-nominated ‘President’. The world also must be aware that Somaliland is separate from Somalia.
The UN needs to realign its policies with the hard facts on the ground relating to the former Somali Republic whose era ended in 1991 when Somaliland left the union. Today, the former Somali Republic of 1960, born from the union of Somaliland and Somalia, does not exist anymore. In its place we have two de facto countries: Somaliland and Somalia. Somaliland is peaceful and progressing each day; it has a parliament, a constitution, an independent court, two universities and a free press. Somaliland, which was completely razed to the ground by the very government of the Somali Republic in which Mr. Hassan was a top minister, has rebuilt itself without outside help and is still peacefully engaged in reconstruction. On the other hand, Somalia is in chaos and still embroiled in war. It is Somalia that needs reconciliation, peace, and a government, not Somaliland.
It is indeed incredible that all the UN can do for the people of Somalia and Somaliland at this moment is to receive in its halls a man who claims to a ‘president’ of all the people in the former Somali Republic. It is high time that the UN policies, relating to the former Somali Republic, which were written down for the UN by the former head of the UN, Boutros-Boutros Ghali, should change. The current head of the UN, Kofi Annan, also from Africa, knows quite well the history and the situation of both Somaliland and Somalia proper. He knows that Somaliland has reasserted its statehood within the frontiers of the State of Somaliland of 1960, as inherited from the colonial borders of British Somaliland. Mr. Kofi Annan, additionally, knows that the existence of Somaliland does not contravene the inviolability of colonial frontiers in Africa, which are enshrined in the OAU Charter, as Somalia and Somaliland were born out of different colonial entities. Somalia received its independence from Italy on July 1, 1960 while Somaliland received hers from Great Britain on June 26, 1960.
The UN should stop its misguided actions in the former Somali Republic. Why would the UN, financed by the world’s taxpayers, want to dismantle and destroy the achievements and progress that were achieved without a cost to the world? Why would the UN encourage the Djibouti-appointed Hassan to lay a claim to being the president of both Somaliland and Somalia? It is about time that the UN registers the fact that Somaliland is not Somalia and Somali Republic no longer exists. It is about time that the peaceful achievements of the people of Somaliland are recognised and respected.
The people of Somaliland have sacrificed their lives to reclaim their sovereignty in a liberation war that lasted from 1980 to 1991. After the collapse of the Barre regime, in which Mr. Hassan was high-ranking official, they chose to put an end to a union, which was fraught with irregularities from the start and whose only benefits were a complete destruction of their country and countless massacres under the southern-dominated government. Any attempts to sabotage their independence or destroy their achievements would create a conflagration in the Horn of Africa. We urge the UN and sensible world leaders not to contribute to further tension and instability in the Horn of Africa by supporting the claims of the Djibouti-appointed “president” who has no mandate nor a foothold in his own native Somalia let alone in the independent and peaceful Somaliland.
SOMALILAND FORUM
For further information, please see attached fact sheet, or contact Somaliland Forum’s Media contacts:
FACT SHEET:
REASONS WHY THE WORLD SHOULD QUESTION THE DJIBOUTI MANUFACTURED GOVERNMENT
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Mr Salad was not elected by the civil society but was appointed by Mr. Guelleh of Djibouti.
The President of Djibouti recruited a collection of personalities mostly from the same group of people who destroyed Somalia, including war criminals such as General Ganni, who is now a close advisor to Mr. Hassan. Even after having handpicked who should be present at his conference, Mr Guelleh of Djibouti gave himself the discretion of apportioning out some of the seats of the so-called ‘parliament-in-exile,’ thus making himself the only president in the world who was actually nominating the members of what is being called the ‘parliament’ of another country.
The fact is, there was no election nor was there a popularly mandated assembly and Mr. Hassan was appointed by Mr. Guelleh of Djibouti, who had earlier fashioned out what he calls a ‘parliament for Somalia.’
2. It is absurd that someone appointed in exile can claim to represent the people of the former Somali Republic.
The logical conclusion to the strategy used in Djibouti is that any group of exiles of Somali origin can have a gathering somewhere—it does not matter where, and then claim to have elected the ‘president.’ In the annals of world history, there is no parallel. The people of Somalia have not even been reconciled and there is still a fighting in Somalia right at this moment, yet a man comes out of a gathering in a foreign country and the UN says that he is the president of Somalia and Somaliland.
3. The so-called conference in Djibouti was not a peace conference at all.
Who was reconciled with whom? The factions in Somalia have not been reconciled; there is still enmity, tension and fighting in Kismayo, in Mogadishu, in the Lower Shabelle, in Bay and Bakol, in Belet-wein, etc. The bullets and the mortars are still flying.
Where is the comprehensive plan for bringing peace and governance to Somalia? There was no plan developed for peace-making and the whole aim of the so-called ‘Djibouti Conference’ was to appoint a “president” in Djibouti and then parade that person as the president of Somalia and Somaliland.
4. Nothing has been done about war crimes, and instead of being brought to justice, war criminals were rewarded with seats in the Djibouti-appointed “parliament”.
Mr. Hassan and his friend, Mr. Guelleh of Djibouti, would like the world to conveniently forget that war crimes were committed in the former Somali Republic. There were indeed war criminals in the gathering in Djibouti including General Ganni, one of the notorious war criminals under the Barre regime. The so-called Djibouti-appointed parliament also includes General Morgan, also known as the Butcher of Hargeisa.
5. Somaliland opted out of the disastrous union with Somalia in 1991 and all Mr. Hassan can say about the existence of Somaliland and the millions of its people is that “they don’t exist.”
Indeed, as soon as he had the chance, Mr. Hassan went on record saying that Somaliland does not exist. One wonders why the urgency when so many problems exist already in Somalia and in his native region and home—Mogadishu; why would Mr. Hassan hurry to deny the existence of Somaliland when he does not even have a foothold in his own native Somalia?
The Republic of Somaliland obtained its independence from Great Britain in June 1960 then formed a voluntary union with Somalia, formerly Italian Somalia. However, the people of Somaliland, after lengthy deliberations in general assemblies and after reviewing how much they had suffered under the union decided to take their destiny in their own hands and reclaimed their sovereignty in 1991.
Somaliland has since been quietly rebuilding its destroyed infrastructures and economy without outside help, while the world has spent billions of U.S dollars trying to reconcile the factions in Somalia proper. The question is what interest does Mr. Hassan have in trying to undermine Somaliland and hurrying to deny its existence when even his legitimacy is not recognised anywhere in Somalia?
Mr. Hassan’s words of denial about the reality of the existence of Somaliland will not make Somaliland disappear from the face of the earth. We stand to recall that the people of Somaliland liberated themselves from a government in which Mr. Hassan was a high-ranking member and then decided to rescind the union with Somalia. Since then, the achievements of the people of Somaliland have been noticed by the world community and have contributed to improve the economies and the lives of the people of the Horn of Africa. Thousands of workers from Somalia, Ethiopia, and even Djibouti, and as far as Tanzania have flocked to profit from the atmosphere of peace, reconstruction and progress undertaken by the people of Somaliland over the last decade.
Indeed, in just 10 years, the people of Somaliland have rebuilt their economy and lives from scratch after the government in which Mr. Hassan was a minister had razed their country to the ground and had killed and massacred thousands of people. Today, there are two universities and many colleges in Somaliland, built entirely without outside help. In short, the economy of Somaliland is thriving and the whole region of the Horn is reaping benefits from the rebirth of Somaliland. In the endeavours of democratic institutionalisation, Somaliland has a parliament of two houses, a constitution, and an independent judiciary and indeed a free press. A multiparty political system has recently been approved by both houses and the executive branch of the government.
All that the industrious and peaceful people of Somaliland ask of the world and the neighbouring countries is a peaceful co-operation. And what has Mr. Hassan to offer towards improving relations between the Somalia he hails from and Somaliland? Absolutely nothing, except another round of violence for all Somalis, if he gets his way.
Apparently, Mr. Hassan has not learned any lessons from his time as loyal minister in the fascist Barre regime; he does not remember that the people of Somaliland fought for their freedom for a decade from 1980 to 1991; he does not remember that they had survived the onslaught, massacres and pogroms of his government of the day, the fascist Barre regime. Apparently, he has no recollections of the causes of the conflict that brought down the government he was serving loyally until its collapse in 1991. Is he taking the whole world for a sucker or has the world lost its sanity?
6. There is no reason why the world should welcome a person who has been appointed by a foreign country in a land without a state for 10 years.
As is known, sovereignty is vested in the people and it is the collective will of the people that represents sovereignty. When the people of Somalia proper get reconciled with each other, they, as a sovereign people and not as a subject people, will elect their own government and president.
At this point, for the UN to accept Mr. Hassan’s claim as a president for Somalia is to give the prerogative of the sovereignty of the people of Somalia to the foreign country and the foreign president that appointed Mr. Hassan. It is indeed evident, except to the prejudiced eye, that Mr. Guelleh of Djibouti has appropriated for himself the rights of the people of Somalia and Somaliland, since he has manufactured a Trojan president and a Trojan parliament for them in a grand design aimed at advancing his geopolitical needs in the region. We urge the sensible world not have any dealings with a man who claims to be the president of Somalia when the people of Somalia have neither appointed nor elected anyone to be their president at this moment.
7: A Feeling of Deja Vu? Djibouti has immersed itself again deeply in the affairs of Somalia and Somaliland.
This is the indeed second time that the government of Djibouti has immersed itself deeply, for its own geopolitical interests, in an exercise to appoint a president and a government for Somalia. The first time was in 1991 when the government of Djibouti appointed Mr. Ali Mahdi as an interim president for Somalia—the immediate result was the urban war in Mogadishu that set off the famine viewed around the world and which led to the international intervention that brought death and injury to hundreds of UN peacekeepers and to thousands of Somalis. Mr. Hassan’s appointment by Djibouti is already affecting the relative peace that some communities have established for themselves and can easily set off a far worse fighting in Somalia if he gets external support for his foreign-appointed ‘presidency’ and ‘parliament.’
8. Mr. Hassan will be applying the lessons he learnt from his master, Siad Barre—Kill, kill and kill.
Mr. Hassan is a man without a vision and his first words after his appointment by the Djibouti president were: ‘we will not kill the boys.” The ‘boys’ refers to the militiamen that are fighting in Somalia and to the factions. It should be mentioned that the allusion to the word ‘kill’ is a chilling reminder of what brought Somalia to its present situation at a time when Mr. Hassan was a minister and a trusted friend of the late dictator Siad Barre. The solution to the problems of democracy and legitimacy of representation was then ‘kill and kill whoever questions you.’ Mr. Hassan seems to be harking to some old ways and means that he has been familiarised with under his boss, Siad Barre. This is not a simple slip of the tongue but a revelation of a man who parades himself now in the front of the UN as the ‘president of Somalia.’
9. Mr. Hassan’s so-called government in exile has no control over any of the territory.
Despite the craftily arranged visit to Mogadishu, paid for by Djibouti and which saw the renting of technical (armed vehicles) at $4000 apiece from the Mogadishu militias, who of course welcomed the unexpected bounty, there are no signs that this so-called government has any effective control over any parts of Somalia proper. And indeed, this will be the first time that an émigré government, which was unlawfully instituted in exile by a foreign country, has been extended recognition by the UN!
We implore the sensible world leaders not to be taken in by the machinations of Mr. Hassan and his puppeteer, president Guelleh of Djibouti. The people of Somalia need the assistance of the world to reach a peaceful solution; but they do not need the additional onus of a foreign-appointed president and parliament.
We urge the world to reward the efforts of nations that help themselves and create the conditions of peace that foster prosperity for their citizens as well as those of neighbouring countries and the citizens of the world in general. Somaliland has created the conditions of peace and statehood that benefit its citizens and those of its neighbours. We urge the leaders of the world gathered in New York for the Millennium Summit to recognize the rightful existence of Somaliland and its people. We also request from the leaders of the world to help the people of Somalia proper to find a lasting peace that can help them to reconcile and to prosper.
References:
1. Somalia: Observations Regarding the Northern Conflict and Resulting Conditions, General Accounting Office, Washington (16th May 1989).
2. Africa Watch (1990) A Government at War with its own People.