Fyr Posted September 29, 2004 Unforeseen Dangers At the Somali Peace Talks Unforeseen Dangers At the Somali Peace Talks Abdikadir Mohammed Nairobi The Somali peace talks at Mbagathi are in their final stage and they will result, it is hoped, in the formation of a government that will bring the elusive peace and justice to the people of Somalia. However, the talks, in the present form, have serious flaws, one of them being the inclusion of a delegation of people purportedly representing the people of the Republic of Somaliland. This delegation is composed of people who have no standing in Somaliland and some are literally fugitives in their own country. This fact is known to most observers in the peace talks and to both the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Steering committee and the IGAD council of ministers. The selection of some of these people to the transitional Somali parliament leaves most observers with more questions than answers. The main question that begs to be answered is; why did the IGAD steering committee and the council of ministers allow the Somali peace talk delegates to include people who claim to represent the people of Somaliland while it is very clear to everyone that they do not? Peace talks that are based on fraud and lies are expected to produce not peace but another round of war and the resultant destruction. The way forward for the peace talks facilitators would have been first to secure peace for the people of Somalia. This would entail holding peace talks between the clans of Somalia and when peace is achieved and an all inclusive government established, then and only then can talks be arranged between the governments of Somaliland and Somalia. This is the only way a just and agreeable peace may be possible. This position taken by the government and the people is greatly undermined by the inclusion into the peace talks of the delegates purporting to represent the people of Somaliland. A brief overview of the history of Somaliland would suffice in helping one understand the position taken by people of Somaliland on the peace talks in Nairobi. The Republic of Somaliland is the former British protectorate and it borders Djibouti to the North West, Ethiopia to west and south and the Republic of Somalia to the east. It has a population of about 3.5 million people. This country got its independence from Britain on 26 June 1961. It was recognised by 34 countries right after independence. In the spirit of pan Somalism, the independent Republic of Somaliland agreed to form a union with the then newly independent Italian Somaliland to form The Somali Republic State. The rest is history. On May 18, 1991 the people of Somaliland in a national conference held in Burao decided to dissolve the union between Somaliland and Somalia. Somaliland then reverted to the state of fully sovereign and independent Republic. Its president is Dahir Riyale. What happened in Burao in the view of the people of Somaliland does not amount to secession but a dissolution of a union between the two formerly independent countries. The Republic of Somaliland had existed as a recognized independent country before Republic of Somalia got its independence. The assertion that Somaliland is seceding from Somalia is as unfounded and baseless as is to assert that Gambia seceded from Senegal when the sene-gambia union was dissolved. There are many instances in recent history of countries uniting and going their separate ways when it becomes clear that the union they have formed is not in the interest of their people and their country. Egypt and Syria are good examples of this. The case of Somaliland and Somalia is not different. The existence of Republic of Somaliland does not contravene the African Union charter particularly the inviolability of colonial borders as Somaliland occupies the territory of the former British protectorate. It has not taken nor claimed an inch from the territory of the Republic of Somalia nor of the neighboring countries. The people of Somaliland held a referendum in the year 2001 and about 98% of the voters voted for the independence for Somaliland. In 2003, the people of Somaliland went to the polls again to elect the head of state in an election that was free and fair according to both local and international observers. Somaliland has had peace for most of the years Somalia had been lawless. The Republic of Somaliland exists both as a state and as a government; it has a President who is the head of state, a parliament, a standing army and a booming economy. Further, the country is a very safe place to work and live in. This can be noted from the fact that women freely sell gold and people run currency exchange in open markets without fear of being robbed or their wares looted. Therefore not recognizing it or overlooking it would not negate the fact of its existence. It might be more prudent for the regional governments to open communication channels and to follow the example of the South Africa government in establishing a liaison office. The recent invitation of Somaliland to a conference in Nanyuki for regional governments is a good first step towards that direction. The Mbagathi peace talks offer a historical opportunity to bring peace, stability and prosperity for the greater Horn of Africa countries. To achieve this, the IGAD facilitation committee must be honest, just and open minded and should heed the wishes and aspiration of the people of both Somaliland and Somalia. The policy of completely ignoring the wishes and aspiration of the people of Somaliland will result in more instability and war in both Somaliland and Somalia. That is not in the interest of the countries in IGAD. Relevant Links East Africa Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution Kenya Somalia It is never too late to correct mistakes done in these peace talks. People purporting to represent people of Somaliland must be expelled from the peace talks and be allowed to live in the luxury of their self-imposed exile in Europe, Gulf Arab countries and America. If this is not done in time then this will no longer be peace talks. It will be war talks. The talks that fueled the next round of war. 2004-09-29 Source: The East African Standard Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
