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Will London Talks dismantle Somaliland Stability?

June 22, 2012   ·   3074524 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2Fwill-london-talks-dismantle-somaliland-stability-30745Will+London+Talks+dismantle+Somaliland+Stability%3F2012-06-22+09%3A11%3A04Hassan+Alihttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D30745

OPINION | JUNE 22, 2012

By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

In 21 years since Abdirahman Tuur created Somaliland, a nation without recognition under duress, he made a brick without straw. Somaliland born out of armed bloody struggle that lasted almost decade from 1981 to 1991 with the disappearance of Somalia. Thousands of combatants lost their lives during the deadly war to liberate Somaliland. The founder as well as the first president and the last chairman of Somali National Movement knew the possible repercussions and forewarned the inherent dangers of any unilateral declaration that come with the secession: the dire consequences, the inevitable isolation and the subsequent suffering; therefore, he tried to change the course after realizing how difficult to get Somaliland recognized, but naysayers mobilized the masses against his ideal principles whereby they instigated a deadly civil war that foiled his mission in 1994. But leaders go off in new direction when things do not work out as planned. Anyone in his circumstance would do the same thing.

We have been fighting for nationhood over the 21 years ; quarter of Somaliland population have died as result of gunshot or its aftermath, and many others maimed , on the other hand Somalia had fought to keep Somalia’s integrity intact but eventually plunged into ocean of blood and chaos . Tsunami of starvation and terrorism followed by devastating civil war of religious dimension and all these factors made the territorial unity of Somalia a joke.

However, Somaliland ultimately won and captured its territories, though a political war of securing political recognition seems a pipedream. However, the said talks underway in London if aimed at restoring Somalia unity, are nonsense, simply, it does not make sense to lose thousands of our beloved people in the fight and then back to square one: negotiating to join Mogadishu whose paradise destruction was solely blamed on us. Somali National Movement (SNM) triggered the ongoing crisis in Somalia for instance besides the drivers of religious curse there.

It is quite obvious to me and probably to anyone else that President Sheikh Sharif who believe the godly-union of Muslim Ummah , utopia of some kind, but conceded due to reasons we know after he was bombed back to Mogadishu after so many lonely days in the wild beast caves near Kismaayo, Somalia. It is also clear to us all that neither Somaliland nor Somalia would sit down the negotiation table until the other made startling concession: so either Somaliland conceded sovereignty or Somalia ignored the begging pleas calling the territorial unity of Somalia, a thing of past, nevertheless; Somaliland said it will never talk Somalia unless its sovereignty is respected, so Somalia might abandoned its rigid position of irrelevance. Somaliland will never yield to outside pressure.

Moreover, Somaliland negotiators are not the right ones to talk on our behalf: a bunch of men from the diasporas and with the foreign passport are leading high level talks. Somaliland suffering people need someone whose blood is shed for the freedom they enjoy today. Besides, Somaliland delegates must grieved for and wept for the orphans whose father responded to the outcry of their people and widows whose husbands died for our cause. Does Dr Abdilahi Omar or Hirsi Gab or Faysal Warabe, members of the delegation, meet this criteria? Absolutely no, what bilateral talks are we offered when Esse Arab, Somalia TFG defense secretary, the only minister in the system from Somaliland was removed from the list?

After military campaigns of several surnames ranging from TFG to Puntland, SCC and to Khatumo proved futile, enemies developed new methods of destabilizing in Somaliland, Kashmir was taken over through mere signature of its governor, not force, the notion that Somaliland would be appeased when given a prime minister or president is totally myth. We will remain Somaliland and we have always been Somaliland.

We Somalilanders are not prepared to give up our dearly acquired freedom for free! We died for it, but that does not we hate Somalis but the regime the oppressed us all except the minority tribe whose survival rested on the crazy regime. However; many Somalis across the country celebrate 18 May and remember it as landmark day for all Somalis irrespective of their ethnicity. Exiled nationals returned to Somalia to celebrate the downfall of the regime, one of Africa’s most brutal regimes in the world, it was a moment of truth, a moment of contemplation and remembrance unless you are coward whose father died in defense of injustice and brutality that has gone.

The armed struggle was not against a certain tribe or group, the country is shared by all despite diverse ethnic s but the loyalty of the country is shared by all.
At this critical juncture, we Somalilanders must stand together against those who, from any tribe, who want to undermine what our beloved youth has died for – the freedom of the present and future generation.

Dirye is Somaliland Volunteer and Activist based in Addis Ababa. He can be reached at: mrdirye@gmail.com

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By Hassan Ali

Tags: Abdirahman Ali Tuur, Britain, European Union, Mogadishu, Norway, Somalia, Somaliland news, TFG