Faysal Ali Warabe is right about Djibouti

[Jacaylbaro]

EDITORIAL

 

Recently, several prominent Somalilanders took Faysal Ali Warabe (the Chairman of UCID party) to task for criticizing Djibouti government’s policy toward Somaliland. We think it is healthy to debate issues and to correct politicians when they are wrong, but in this instance, Faysal Ali Warabe is right and his critics are plain wrong. This is very easy to see from the record of Djibouti’s government, a record of continuous attempts to subvert Somaliland, going all the way back to the 1988 mediation between Somalia and Ethiopia, one of whose main aims was to expel the SNM from Ethiopia, passing through the creation of a Djiboutian supported clan militia in Somaliland, the Arta Conference, the anti-Somaliland diplomatic activities, culminating in the unceremonious expulsion of Somaliland’s representative from Djibouti. This is Djibouti’s record, and by any criterion, it is a terrible and indefensible record.

 

With a neighbor that is constantly engaged in such hostile activities, it would not have been surprising if armed conflict erupted between Djibouti and Somaliland. Fortunately, that scenario has not materialized, largely due to Somaliland’s restraint. On the contrary, Somaliland has ensured that the border with Djibouti remains safe and peaceful. In retrospect, this may have been a mistake, because it gave Djibouti a free hand to continue its mischievous activities against Somaliland, something that Djibouti could never contemplate against Eritrea even though, according to Djiboutian claims, Eritrean troops have crossed the border and dug in new positions inside Djibouti.

 

Although the border between Djibouti and Somaliland mainly concerns these two countries. This issue has an international dimension. By keeping its border with Djibouti safe, Somaliland is not only doing a great service to Djibouti, it is also contributing to the safety of the multinational forces stationed there (if anyone has the least doubt about this, all they have to do is look at what happened this week in Kenya where armed men crossed from lawless Somalia into Kenya, attacked the Kenyan town of Dhadha Jabula, and fled back to Somalia after confiscating Kenyan weapons and vehicles).

 

Instead of criticizing Faysal Ali Warabe, Somalilanders should remind Djibouti’s President-for-life, Ismail Omar Guelleh, that Somaliland has been a good and reliable neighbor, that Somaliland cannot continue to be a good neighbor if Djibouti keeps engaging in anti-Somaliland activities, and that Somaliland is losing patience with Djibouti. That is the message that Faysal Ali Warabe was sending to Djibouti. It is the right message.

 

 

Source: Somaliland Times