Abdullahi Yusuf's Chief of Staff Retells Puntland Overtures to Somaliland

[Mintid Farayar]

Self-Governance Options

for Somaliland

By Ismail Haji Warsame

Oct. 08, 2012

For the sake of this argument, let us put aside any emotions regarding who is a “Somalilander”, the demographic composition or geographical boundaries of Somaliland. Let us assume that “Somaliland” is the Former British Somaliland Protectorate, which had declared unilateral secession from the Somali Republic following the Civil War and seeking international recognition as a new sovereign state in the Horn of Africa. For the moment, we are not getting ourselves into the controversies of who is for and against the secession and disappearance of colonial demarcation lines after union of July 1st. 1960.

I believe that all would agree that the bottom-line for the objective of the secession is self-government for the inhabitants of that part of Somalia. If that is the case, are there any other better options to achieve the same while remaining within Somalia, but at the same time avoiding the enormous complications of unilateral attempt to break away without a national referendum, a legal separation and negotiated agreement between Somali parties?

 

 

As South-Central Somalia was in chaos and had no creditable representatives to talk to, in the course of our debates on Bottom-up Approaches to restore Somalia’s State and embark upon reconstruction plans, leaders of Puntland State of Somalia approached their Somaliland counterparts in the late 1990s on working out ways, conditions and terms for a fair, united and prosperous Somalia. Multiple letters and envoys had been exchanged between the Late Leaders of Somaliland and Puntland: Mohamed Ibrahim Egal and Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed. This was done discreetly and diplomatically through mutually trusted envoys who shuttled between Garowe and Hargeisa.

 

To spearhead and champion for a federal system of government in Somalia, Puntland State proposed to Late President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal to agree to the creation of a rotating Common Presidency between Puntland and Somaliland in which Egal assumes the leadership of the first term. Under this arrangement, each state was to retain its local public institutions in a federal fashion while mutually benefiting from all advantages each had to offer in the way of economic, political and security cooperation. A Puntland Plan (B) in that initiative was to remind President Egal that legally and technically he was the last Somali Prime Minister overthrown illegally and he had every right constitutionally to reclaim Somalia’s leadership. While maintaining Somaliland as the first federal state, he could move on to be a central leader in a Federal Republic. Puntland offered him its full support if he was to choose the second option.

 

 

 

 

In the course of these diplomatic exchanges, there were two obstacles President Egal could not handle despite his known political shrewdness:

 

1.

The President’s political base in Somaliland was so polarized towards Gooni-Usu-taag (Secession, independence) that no politician could dare to remind them of returning to Somaliweyn without risking outright ridicule and treason. This situation is still true in Hargeisa however with much less intensity (Another good reason as to why Somalis will never accept a one-city-state republic again).

2.

The sticking friction (disputes) between Puntland and Somaliland on Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions.

For Puntland State of Somalia, the issue of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn was easy to resolve, i.e. holding an internationally observed referendum for the residents in those three regions to decide their own fate and respect the final outcome. Moreover, if the two states were to integrate into a federal system the political tension surrounding these regions would have disappeared immediately for all parties to benefit, particularly inhabitants of these regions, who suffered such much under these political claims and counter-claims.

 

These negotiations finally collapsed with Egal holding a Somaliland “Constitutional Referendum” in May 31, 2001 with little or no say by the inhabitants of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn as they massively boycotted it. Deceptively, there was a last minute insertion in the questionnaire of that orchestrated referendum regarding Sool, Sanaag and Cayn approval of it as “considered” their acceptance of the “Somaliland” rule. This is a historical mistake that will haunt Hargeisa political leaders for years to come and make any “Gooni-Usu-Taag” impossible.

 

Missed opportunities are in abundance in Somali politics as the new Somali President, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, himself an unknown quantity and untested, suffered one this weekend by producing a new prime minister out of the blue consistent with the same fashion himself came to the Presidency. The Somali saying, Buur baa wax badan docotay, deedna dhashay jiir (a mountain has been painfully laboring for a long time and finally gave birth to a rat) is quite appropriate in this context. While I do not harbor any bias whatsoever against the appointment of the new Prime Minister, this selection does not sound the right choice to unite a country already in de facto decentralization bordering on a dangerous fragmentation. It is also an ominous sign for the federal political arrangement agreed upon and enshrined in the Provisional Constitution (See Public Trust Deficit in Somalia).

 

Let us hope for those missed opportunities to present themselves again for leaders to seize in the best interests of their people and Somalia.

 

By Ismail Haji Warsame,

E-Mail: ismailwarsame@gmail.com

 

____

 

The author is the former Puntland Presidency Chief of Staff and long-time participant of most Somali National Reconciliation Process since 1995. He lives in Toronto, Canada

[A_Khadar]

Wrong time to bring such stuff...

[Mintid Farayar]

A_Khadar;878840 wrote:

Wrong time to bring such stuff...

 

Just highlighting the difference between political posturing and 'reality'....

 

 

 

In the course of these diplomatic exchanges, there were two obstacles President Egal could not handle despite his known political shrewdness:

 

1.

The President’s political base in Somaliland was so polarized towards Gooni-Usu-taag (Secession, independence) that no politician could dare to remind them of returning to Somaliweyn without risking outright ridicule and treason.

 

 

 

 

The immovable object called 'Somaliland'.....

[Jacaylbaro]

Bacaaaaaaaaaaaaac

[Timur]

The man must have had the patience of tree if he actually attempted to sit down with the cabal of khat-addicted clowns in Hargeisa.

[The Sage]

^^^ Such eloquence. Kind overtures like that is just what is needed to convince the citizens of SL to rejoin the south

 

Anyway, I think the mutual distrust was what is really the reason why this supposed plan never came to fruition.

[Miyir]

The Sage;878949 wrote:

^^^ Such eloquence. Kind overtures like that is just what is needed to convince the citizens of SL to rejoin the south

 

Anyway, I think the mutual distrust was what is really the reason why this supposed plan never came to fruition.

Distrust or maturity? Puntland although most vilified Somali group if they have done this 15 years ago and Somaliland had maturity then Somalia may have avoided alharam and decade of destruction.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Pirates begging Somaliland what else is new.

[Taleexi]

At the end of the day Somalis are destined/obliged to talk and work around their differences. I personally found the communique interesting had it being given a chance.

[Carafaat]

Taleexi, this initiative was made in 1999 and it would have undermined the Artah conference

which was under full preparations back then. Don't think that such a move would be appreciated

just before Embaghati either.

 

wax fahan.

[Taleexi]

Carafaat: Thanks for the insight but is the glass half empty or half full? sheekada ha ka dhigin. Many variables are at play and function of one another in Somalia's political arena regardless of time and space. Considering "ceteris paribus", this endeavor would've transformed the Somali political landscape enormously had it not died at its infancy. Ugu danbayn, waa isku dayaa maalin kasta oo i soo marta inaan wax fahmo.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Maxaad fahmi hadaad kuwi waxba fahmayn aad la rabtid kuwi wax fahmaya inay fahmaan kuwaa waxba fahmayn.

[Somalia]

Puntland keeping Somalia together through reconciliation and compromise. One must appreciate the lack of secessionist denial in this topic, but the original poster makes a good point, they want nothing to do with Somalia, so it's up to the custodians of the Federal Somali Republic to keep us together.

[Carafaat]

Taleexi, Egal(aun) was the early architect of Artah. Eventhough he disagreed with Omer Guelleh and Abduqadim Salat in a later stage. Second Puntland was hardly an administrative goverment in 1999, Muqdisho not destroyed as it is today and Somaliland was just recoverin from decades of civil wars and not really in any mood in political turmoil. I am just adding some important variable the author 'forget' to mention.

[Somalia]

Carafaat;879514 wrote:

Taleexi, this initiative was made in 1999 and it would have undermined the Artah conference

which was under full preparations back then. Don't think that such a move would be appreciated

just before Embaghati either.

 

wax fahan.

Cairo conference was already a failure, Arta turned out to be a failure, so this initiative was indeed a glimmer of hope, shame it didn't pan through!