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DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS FOR OIL

May 22, 2011   ·   2244827 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2Fdemocracy-and-human-rights-for-oil-22448DEMOCRACY+AND+HUMAN+RIGHTS+FOR+OIL2011-05-22+21%3A43%3A39Mo+Guledhttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D22448

The Western countries are attacking the Libyan dictator’s forces day in and day out until the dictator is either killed or he surrenders power. We are told that this is carried out to safe the lives of the Libyan civilians, which I very much doubt. I agree with the capture and overthrowing of all dictatorial regimes in the Muslim and the Arab world, however I think the Western military mission in Libya is neither for human rights nor for democracy, but instead, I believe it is all about oil and nothing but oil. To prove my point let me remind the world that there is another Muslim and African country, whose population suffered far worst human rights violation than Libyans of today and whose rights are being deprived of up to this day by the Western countries. That country is Somaliland.

More than three decades have elapsed since Somaliland; a nation of with population of almost four million became the target for Somalia’s ruthless Siad Barre’s war machine. As consequence almost all the Somaliland population was expelled from their home country to the neighboring hostile Ethiopian desert, where tens of thousand of children, pregnant women and elderly people’s lives were lost due to malnutrition compounded with malaria, cholera and other water-born illnesses. Additionally, tens of thousands who were not so lucky to flee early enough across the Ethiopian boarder were plainly tortured, raped and murdered in cold blood by the Mogadishu’s military regime. The Somaliland villages, towns and cities were reduced to ashes. Even the Somaliland livestock was not exempted from the regime’s appalling crimes – their sources of drinking water were poisoned.

While ethnic cleansing was taking place in Somaliland, the United States of America was supplying arms to Siad Barre and needless to say the rest of the western world was watching- not uttering a single word in opposition to those crimes against humanity. Most of the Siad Barre deputies, who perpetrated all these immoral acts, live in peace in many capitals of the free world without the fear of reprisals or prosecution. Think of the lieutenants of Adolf Hitler seeking refuge in London, Washington, Paris or even Oslo, the home of the noble peace prize. You might say “unbelievable” but a similar version of this is indisputably in attendance today in those cities – do the western leaders feel or sympathizes with Somaliland’s anguish and frustration? Certainly not!
In spite of what you would think, for the last two decades Somaliland demonstrated to the world that a small impoverished nation in sub-Saharan Africa was able to build single-handedly one of the highest standards of political stability and democratic governance from the ruins of thirty years of genocide and destruction. Somaliland’s democracy was not imposed by the Western countries nor was it invaded and its leader overthrown, but it was built from the bottom up by its own people without external help.

Unlike Somalia, the home of international terrorists and sea pirates, Somaliland is democratic and is in peace with itself and the rest of the world. Paradoxically, instead of rewarding Somaliland for its democratization with international recognition and helping it access the international mechanisms for development and capacity building, The Western leaders are waiting to get “the beatifying nod” of the Somalia warlords and the seal of approval from African dictators. This is as absurd as telling someone to chase a mirage to quash his thirst. Now, tell me how unpractical and deceitful the western leaders are towards Somaliland? Without a doubt, every sane person on earth will not call this tail-chasing- stumpy production a democratic sincerity, but as an alternative will name it the mother of all hypocrisies! I am sorry to strip it down, but this is the veracity.

Yusuf Dirir Ali, MD

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By Mo Guled

Tags: Oil in Somaliland, Somaliland, Somalilandpress