Somalilandsun: The Republic of Somaliland is a sovereign state that has dissociated itself from the failed Somali Republic on 18th May 1991 after a bloody war of liberation.
Why Somali Republic? It’s because when Somaliland obtained it’s independence on the 26th June 1960 from the United Kingdom it was recognised by 35 nations. The UN Security Council and General Council approved this new nation pending a union with the UN Trusteeship Territory under the Italian government to be form the Somali Republic being the first step in unifying all Somali territories under foreign occupation (French Somaliland (Djibouti), NFD of Kenya and the Somali territory of Ethiopia). Somaliland was the initiator of this expansionist ideology.
The hasty attempt to unify Somaliland and Somalia was not ratified by either parliament and its’ constitution referendum was boycotted and rejected by Somaliland regions. An attempted coup was crushed and those Somaliland officers were tried in Mogadishu courts but couldn’t be found guilty. They didn’t give their allegiance to the Somali Republic thus the court had no choice but to let them go.
In spite of grievances Somaliland politicians were willing to continue to work in this bogus union to try and achieve their goal of Greater Somali State. As time passed with NFD remaining with Kenya, Ogadenia with Ethiopia and French Somaliland changing its’ name to Afar & Issa Territory then becoming Djibouti Republic in 1978 and Siad Barre taking over power through a military coup in Somalia in 1969 the union dream choked to a complete death.
The coup destroyed all hopes for the defunct union to survive with Sadistic Siad Barre’s regime starting repressive measures against the people of Somaliland. His military operation against Somailanders increased after his government lost its’ unjustified war with Ethiopia. The refugees from Ethiopia were settled in and around the big cities of Somaliland. These were promised as incentive the properties of Somalilands’ citizens if they would participate in the repression measures against the natives. An ethnic cleansing program was initiated to depopulate the cities of the indigenous population and substitute them with Somali refugees from Ethiopia. After all Barre was from Ethiopia. Barre’s men tortured, maimed, raped indiscriminately and confiscated properties of its’ rightful owners.
This culminated in 1988 in the total destruction of Somalilands’ main cities, the death of over 50,000 people and over half million refugees fluxed onto eastern Ethiopia almost naked. The Somali government planted over two million landmines in every inch of the destroyed cities, towns, villages and in the hinterland were nomads kept their livestock. Kill all except the crows!
When the Somali army, which was the strongest army south of Sahara, was defeated by determined young Somalilanders who wanted to liberate their country from these black colonialists; it declared its’ Re-Birth on the 18th May 1991 after reconciling with all citizens of Somaliland consisting of all clans.
What happened after this is the miracle of Africa. Without foreign intervention Somaliland rebuilt from the scratch. After the referendum of 2001, where 97% of the population accepted the new constitution and opted to rehabilitate and reinstate its’ sovereignty received on the 26th June 1960. Since then free and fair elections have taken place for the parliament, local governments. The last three Presidents were elected in elections with international observers present and declared to be fair. Somaliland is the first country to use bio-metric technology in its’ presidential elections in the African continent.
With this information in mind how is it possible that the EU Representative in Somalia Mr Nicolas Berlanga is allowing this bogus selection of the so called Somaliland’s representatives to be elected in Mogadishu knowing that for the last 30 years Somaliland has not been part of Somalia and the federal system was created for them.
It is shameful for Mr Belanga and by extension for the EU to become complicit in such a bogus selection process and by endorsing misleading reports from Somalia. It is an insult to the EU tax payers, insult to the 4 million Somaliland population and its’ hard earned liberty and sovereignty. We ask the EU countries to curb this unprecedented behaviour of its’ representative. It reminds us of the colonial era when European colonialists were in charge of African affairs. Somaliland is not Somalia, is not part of Somalia and never will be part of Somalia.
By: Dr Hussein Abdillahi
