SLF/MR-01-02/03
04.02.03
WHERE IS SOMALILAND?
Cairo, Djibouti, Sodere, Nairobi, Arte and now Eldoret .. All these places and many others have three things in common. None of these places is in Somalia, but they have all hosted internationally sponsored peace conferences for Somalis (yes, Somalis). There have been at least 14 such conferences that preceded the latest, which is taking place at the hotels of Eldoret, Kenya. The third thing they have all in common is that none of them concerned the people and the Republic of Somaliland. Yet, every now and again, and specially when the usual differences arise between the conference participants (and primarily between the warlords and the former Somalia dictator’s henchmen) the cry goes, “Where is Somaliland?”
We inform them that, at this moment, the Republic of Somaliland is busy preparing for presidential and legislative elections, having concluded successfully nationwide local elections. Moreover, the Republic of Somaliland has been at peace since it reasserted its sovereignty in May 1991. The statehood and the independent status of Somaliland are a reality, and its recognition by the international community is imminent. Like many other states, which withdrew from a voluntary union, our withdrawal from the failed union with Somalia is unequivocal and irrevocable.
It must be stated that the union between Somaliland, which was an independent country for a period of time, and Somalia in 1960, itself, was never ratified. The rationale behind the voluntary union between these two states was an attempt to form a greater Somalia in the horn of Africa by bringing together all the Somali ethnic people in the region under the umbrella of one Somali state. Never the less, the idea of Greater Somalia became an unrealisable dream when the Northern Somali-inhabited territory (the NFD), remained part of Kenya, the former French Somaliland remained a separate state after its independence, and, despite bloody wars, the Somali inhabited parts of Ethiopia firmly remained part of Ethiopia.
At the end, the brutal dictatorship of Siyad Barre, which imposed a brutal and genocidal regime on the people of Somaliland, which, as in the words of British scholar, I.M. Lewis made Somaliland “look and feel like a colony under a foreign military tyranny,” (I.M. Lewis, Horn of Africa, vol. 13, 1990, p. 58) brought about the death and end of the fragile union between the two states. Hence Somaliland reinstated its sovereignty in May 1991 and from there on embarked on nation building.
We, the Somaliland Forum - an organisation that represents the Somaliland Diaspora, say to those warlords who are harking back to an idea of Greater Somalia whilst their own country is still in chaos and war are simply prolonging the agony of their people. Somali irredentism is dead and gone! Somaliland wishes to live in peace and harmony with all its neighbours and when the people of Somalia build their own state, all the countries in the region, be they inhabited by ethnic Somalis or not, can and will look forward to peaceful coexistence and cooperation within the region and within the new African Union.
Hence, Somaliland has no place at any peace conference for Somalia, as it is not a party to the Somalia problems. Somaliland is a democratic, sovereign state with clearly delineated international colonial borders, which are in line with the OAU/AU Charter, a distinct population, and above all a functioning economy and a democratic government. It has achieved all that through the will of its people, as expressed on many occasions through conferences, a referendum in 2001 and, now, the ballot box.
We urge the organisers and the participants of the Eldoret conference not to be swayed by those who are using Somaliland as a diversion from the serious issues that are at hand and, which face Somalia. It appears that instead of working to stop the killing and mayhem in Somalia, some of these people are keen to export all that to Somaliland and beyond. This shall not pass.
The Somaliland Forum
www.somalilandforum.com
Background:
- The Republic of Somaliland is the former British Somaliland Protectorate from the 1880s to 26 June 1960 when it became the independent “State of Somaliland.” Many countries formally welcomed the new state. Somalia, which was formerly Italian Somalia, became independent on 1 July 1960.
- The legal formalities of a union with Somalia were never completed and Somalilanders realised very quickly that this was not a union of two states but practically an administrative take-over of Somaliland by Somalia. This realisation was evident from an attempted coup in the Somaliland territory by Somaliland young officers in 1961, and the fact that the new Italian drafted Somali Republic Constitution was rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Somaliland people.
- The long brutal dictatorship of Siyad Barre led to the total subjugation of the Somaliland people and in the 1980s, Barre and his government waged a vicious war against Somaliland - thousands were killed, cities were razed to the ground, and many were tortured, and imprisoned. With the defeat of Siyad Barre, the state of the so-called Somali Democratic Republic disintegrated.
- In May 1991, after a series of peace making conferences between the Somaliland communities, the Somaliland people decided to reassert their independence and the Republic of Somaliland was reborn. Since then, Somaliland has established a bicameral parliament, an independent judiciary and a government headed by a President. The Constitution of the Republic was endorsed at a referendum in 2001, and in December 2002, nationwide local elections were held. The local government is now functioning and political parties are now contesting the presidential elections, which will be held in May 2003. Parliamentary elections will be held this year as well.
- Although Somaliland has not yet been formally recognised, it fulfils all the criteria for statehood, and has enjoyed de facto recognition from various countries. The boundaries of Somaliland correspond to internationally delineated colonial borders and Somaliland endorses the African Union tenet relating to the inviolability of colonial frontiers.
- A note on terminology: The term Somalia is used and has been used in the past to refer to the former Italian Somalia. When Somalia and the State of Somaliland were joined administratively, they formed the Somali Republic, which was later renamed the Somali Democratic Republic during the dictator Barre’s time. Citizens of Somalia are referred to as Somalians, in contrast to Somalilanders who are citizens of the Republic of Somaliland. The term Somali is correctly used to denote anyone whose ethnic origin and language is Somali and includes all Somali-speaking peoples who live in the Republic of Somaliland, Somalia, The Republic of Djibouti, The Somali Region of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and the Northern province of Kenya.
- For further information about the Republic of Somaliland, please visit the following websites: www.somalilandforum.com
www.somaliandgov.com
www.somalilandnet.com
www.somalilandnews.com
For more information on Somaliland Forum, please visit: www.somalilandforum.com or contact one of the spokespersons, below:
Dahir A. Jama, Chair
London, U.K. –
Mobile (cell): (44) 7960 173 184
chair@somalilandforum.com
Ahmed H. Ismail, Vice-Chair
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mobile: 9665-459-8840
E-mail: ism4_98@yahoo.com
vice@somalilandforum.com
Omer Hassan
USA
Mobile: (612) 5590106
Email: xubin@somalilandforum.com