By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye
Somalilandsun – Afghanistan embroiled in conflicts for decades, but all of a sudden, “religious” students by the name of Taliban, a blessing in disguise to many Afghan suffering people, launched all-out wars against warring parties in Afghanistan and spectacularly won capturing 99 percent of the Afghan territory. Three countries immediately recognized and others nodded. But sooner the September 11 occurred, events in Afghanistan took u-turn: Taliban regime sheltered Osama whom the US allegedly masterminded the WTC attacks in New York. The Taliban, however, insisted on not to hand over Osama, their bankroller, to stand in US for trial but they paid enormous price. The US led invasion of NATO made Afghanistan upside down and ultimately slaughtered Osama and buried his corpse beneath the ocean. Afghanistan’s Mujahid or Talib didn’t prevent Osame’s demise nor defend US’s mighty Marines from entering their country. But does Somaliland case in point? Since Kulmiye led revolution backed by surreptitious Islamist forces, Somaliland recently found itself in similar dilemma: to keep the key allegedly masterminds of American interests in Djibouti and face the consequences of the international community’s wrath or hand over them and encounter financial and security crisis.
Somaliland so far had extradited suspects of minority clans to Djibouti. But how much longer will Somaliland protect the masterminds who are said to be the key ministers for mere clannish affiliation at the expense of the nation? And why?
Untenable allegations of terror distracted Somaliland “what is wrong with us?” yelled by a senior dignitary, but surely, it is a serious setback for Somaliland ambition. The frequent travels by Hirsi Haji Ali Hassan alone, and Ali Waran’ade and Fadal, the Police Head to US military base are doubtful, but it’s a clear crystal US intelligence cross-examine of their silly utterances. Ali Waran’ade may utter differently not just from them but from his previous intelligence data during Riyale’s credible reign. His outcry that foreign intelligences are operating inside the country without his knowledge proved that the world intelligence community lost confidence in him when he commissioned the assassination of his closest colleague, the Deputy Security Chief for divulging confidential info.
Afghanistan was bombarded to the death for the sake of sheltering of one foreigner, Osama; he was neither semi-divine nor was neither incarnation of prophet Mohamed nor official agent of Islamic Caliphate but a cult of his own creation. Applying Islamic core tenet of less of the two evils, he supposedly be extradited to US Court to save the millions of Muslims perished in the course of the subsequent deadly war, but didn’t, for me, the extradition of X Sheikh or Y Saint is not sinful if the rest remains intact.
Somaliland decided not to yield to any external pressure for the terror allegations of two or three ministers even if the people massively dies as a result of international embargoes as long as unknown parties feed them through backdoor channel! But are the suspects holier than the entire nation? Perhaps yes.
Post-Riyaale Somaliland recently defined as two Somalilands, one represent by emissaries painting good picture of it. The other Somaliland is defined by crazy daredevils. So you see there is state within state is in the making.
Sheikh Silanyo led-Somaliland lost its sanity, gave up diplomacy, and gave up dialogue with Somalia when the region has reacted to the growing security threats coming out of it, Somaliland turned to resort capturing waterless village of Taleh and spreading naked propaganda that the country is doing better than any time before, but there is some truth to it, roads are under reconstruction but we don’t know where the money comes. Former President Riyale has refused to accept any funds from any rogue states with extremely dangerous agenda consequently; he came under terror attack to succumb to their twisted demands but he remained a man of political integrity.
Radicalized Somaliland once “budding Democracy” or “bacon of stability” in volatile region is about to crumble. Somaliland used democracy as leverage over Somalia to tip the scale but it has gone forever! Somalia’ ruling elites are Damul Jadeed while Islah( the Reformists branch of Islamic brotherhood) rules Somaliland.
by the by, Deputy Security Minister Abdilahi Abokor Osman held a press conference and stated how he hid highly classified security data from his cabinet ministers for they have links with Al-Shabab. His speech, failed suicide bombing in Addis Ababa, and suicide attack on the Restaurant in Djibouti which killed several people happened in span of six months in between or closer to that. The minister declared that some of his cabinet members are Al-Shabab. This startling remark not just upset the powerful theocracy ministers but they decided to silence him and his family by storming his house with salvo but luckily survived. Now, he languishes in Mandhera Prison as the first political prisoner in Somaliland.
Somaliland has been working hard to secure international recognition but so far of no avail. For most of its Western advocates, Somaliland was a promising democracy with progressive people, and role model for the failed Somalia, but today the same advocates are saying Somaliland is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, beware of it! In addition, the news of terrorists dominant in the core system shattered any hope for possible statehood: The regional key partners of Somaliland sealed off their borders, airspace, and sea to prevent any threat coming from Hargaya in the form of false delegates, leaving Somaliland high and dry. Failed Somalia may follow suit too.
Alan Dershowitz said “the people chosen Hitler in 932 by democratic means and the people probably chosen Ahmednajed by democratic means, so democracy has to be structural, that elections but also functional, if you elect people then take away all the rights …, and deny the right to say?” in fact president Silanyo came in office by the democratic means but the democracy ceased to function when criminality were allowed to steer the ship.
For Arab governments which frequently invite certain key ministers, Somaliland doesn’t exist, however; they use the fifth column. Nonetheless, the threats Somaliland faces today are far graver than genocidal wars by Siyad Barre’s brutal regime, but if the allegation of terror link is proven by neutral intelligence personnel, our dear Somaliland had taken Taliban’s rough road to self-defeating, and self-destruction unless the regime recognizes the fact that institutionalizing Iranian style theocracy or militancy in return of mysterious cash neither fits in the political narrative in the 21 century nor be answer to the problem.
mrdirye@gmail.com
