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Recognise "Somaliland" and a can of worm opens

By Ahmed Dowlo

 

In his missive with the title “Somaliland has case for independence” Jean-Jacques Cornish was not mindful of the detrimental social and political consequences of supporting what he termed in his own words “the cardinal sin of secession”.

 

Just for the information of the unsuspecting South African masses who may get confused the terms of Somalia vs Somaliland let me clarify that “Somaliland”; is a region of the northwest Somalia, which declared itself “independent” in 1991, which UN, OAU, Arab League, IGAD, NAM, and all other international organisations which Somalia belong to refused to recognise.

 

Without presenting concrete facts Mr. Cornish has got him self into a political disarray in which he has very limited knowledge. It seems that Mr. Cornish who first visited in that part of Africa in last April has since then authorised himself as a full-time campaigner for Somaliland recognition (Somaliland: Hope in the Horn of Africa, Mail & Guardian Apr 30 2003).

 

Without doubt, he unleashed very controversial issue that South Africa’s Department of Foreign Affairs has commissioned a report concluding the onus rested on the international community to “recognise” this breakaway Somali region.

“It is undeniable that Somaliland does indeed qualify for statehood, and it is incumbent upon the international community to recognise it” reads the report which comes at a time when Somali factions are meeting under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with the aim of establishing all-inclusive Somali government in Kenya.

 

If this is the case; i.e. recognition for each African province viable for statehood, then South Africa will soon have whole list of candidates. The Western Sahara, the Southern Sudan, the Ogaden and Oromo regions of Ethiopia, Caprivi of Namibia, the disputed Bakassi peninsula between Cameroon and Nigeria, to name but a few, would have all preferred autonomy and believe they have been incorporated into foreign states. Whether or not South Africa can spearhead such a costly political adventure is a question open for discussion. However, one can only wonder how can President Mbeki’s peacemaking in Africa and NEPAD initiatives move forward and rebuild Africa if it calls for the balkanisation of the Republic of Somalia?

 

South Africa is at forefront of the African Renaissance program. She is brokering many peace plans in the continent. The Inter-Congolese Dialogue sponsored by SA was good portent SA commitment to peacemaking in Africa. The former President Nelson Mandela’s endeavor with the blessing of the government, to mediate the warring factions in Burundi is also acknowledgeable. By doing so, South Africa, which adopted quiet diplomacy over its northern border (Zimbabwe) to show its disinterest of intervening other African states’ domestic politics will pretty soon realise that by giving statehood status to Somaliland will be akin to reintroducing apartheid bantustans through the back door. The SA law makers and advisors who are quoted in the report know that this goes against the spirit, soul, word, and deed of the ANC. Many people believe that words were put into their mouths. Professor Abdi Samatar of the University of Minnesota recentl! y noted that if Somaliland is recognised as a sovereign country, then it is highly likely that Puntland, and other sectarian elites in other regions will demand similar treatment. This will result in at least five tribal fiefdoms emerging from Somalia.

 

Mr. Cornish was right to highlight the AU predecessor; the OAU who feared that if colonial boundaries were not respected it would lead to endless intra-state wars.

 

The reason was simple. Colonial rulers established nearly all-present borders of African countries and often drawn them on latitude and longitude lines rather than the interest of the communities concerned or geographical features. They often cut across ethnic groups, causing modern border conflicts and refugee problems.

 

Somalia is a classical example of that mess. Many believe that the rebirth of the name "Somaliland," more than four decades after the hard earned self-determination and the reunification of Somali people, is an imprudent sanc! tioning of the arbitrary land and people's separations inflicted upon Africa by the European colonists. How else can one explain the slapdash borders drawn up to separate Somalis into British Somaliland, French Somaliland (Djibouti), Ethiopian Somaliland (Ogaden), Kenyan Somaliland (NFD) and Italian Somaliland?

 

The nation of Somalia was formed in July 1960 when the British protectorate and the Italian trust were joined and the rest of the Somali people were abandoned in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. The merger of South and North “Somaliland and Somalia” had been a voluntary unification and an endeavor from both sides in which the three remaining Somali territories would also ultimately be incorporated The civilian administration that assumed power after independence became hopelessly alienated and incompetent. In 1969 the army commander, General Mohamed Siad Barre, seized power in a bloodless coup and the country had descended into military state which was effectively administered by the army and its satellite branches like: Nabad Sug! ida [sic] (Security Services) Hangash (military intelligence), the Dhabarjebinta [sic] (military counter-intelligence) et al.

 

Yes, “Somaliland” has suffered from the totalitarian government based in Mogadishu, but does Mr. Cornish aware of that Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin whom he referred as ‘democratically elected president” was head of the much feared and powerful Siad Barre’s National Security Service (NSS) in Berbera “Somaliland”? Is he aware of that he was listed by human right groups a prime suspect of most of extra-judicial killings that occurred the city he calls now the capital city of “Somaliland”; Hargaisa? (See the book: A Government at War With Its Own People: Testimonies About the Killings and the Conflict in the North, published in New York in January 1990 by Rakiya A. Omaar)

 

If “Somaliland” had suffered ‘genocidal union with Somalia’ as report wants us to believe, what about apartheid? Why it did not result two parallel South Africas; one white and other black? Where is the role of forgiving and reconcilia tion?

 

It is common knowledge that the African borders are coming more and more under pressure. An important question is whether the present clientelistic state model will remain capable to protect the territorial status quo as defined by the OAU during the decolonisation era or will the crisis of the post-colonial state also lead to the dismantlement of some existing states?

 

Since Mr. Cornish does not address this issue holistically, his promotion of “Somaliland” comes off as suspicious and the good news is that the “Somaliland” lobby who abuse the SA national broadcaster and media at large is not the decision makers at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

Finally, no one can deny that the southern part of Somalia is a scene of awesome devastation for the past 12 years, while the northern part “Somaliland” has achieved remarkable accomplishments such as security, but does that justify secession from the rest of the country? If so, Mr. Cornish, the Western! Cape (SA province) will be ideal for self-independence because unlike Gauteng it has lower crime rate and excels in education.

 

Ahmed Dowlo

E-mail: dawlo@hotmail.com

Somali Association of South Africa

Johannesburg

 

 

Recognise "Somaliland" and a can of worm opens