Policy towards Ethiopia: Future of the Somali Territories 1946

[Curly]

The National archives is a little goldmine!

I stumbled across a number of interesting documents released by the UK Foreign Office in the freedom of information Act. The documented label secret were mostly around the time Somalia was colonised and the period leading up to what they referred to the "Unified Somalia Project" and how they were negotiating the handing over of some of the Somali territories as a bid to have Ethiopian favour. It's definitely made me see it all in a different light, thought I suspect that the document was altered to make it that more palatable it alarmed me to see the politics at work. The British Secretary of State were deciding over the fate of hundred of thousands of Africans without their knowledge with only the interest of the Empire in mind. Some of the document does refer to the consultation of the Somali people however I find it highly unlikely that if they were indeed consulted that they agreed to any of the decisions that inevitably followed as a result of the British rule leaving Somaliland.

 

Segment from document...

 

Other States, as well as the United Kingdom and Ethiopia will thus necessarily be involved in any final settlement. Nevertheless, we have a particular interest in seeing the question solved and a particular reason for favouring early action. The latter arises from the Anglo- Ethiopian Agreement of 1944, which is liable to expire on three months' notice as from December 1946. Our present occupation of the ****** and Reserved Area derives from this Agreement. Now that the war is over there are no grounds on which we could insist on a renewal, and it is most unlikely that the Ethiopian Government would agree to grant it. Once the ****** and Reserved Area had been returned to Ethiopian administration, it would be virtually impossible to detach them from Ethiopia to form part of a unified Somalia; yet without them, the unified Somalia project is unworkable.

 

---

 

Another document dated 2nd June 1960 were cabinet minutes from a meeting held in 10 Downing Street discussed a range of issues including whether or not to include the Somali Republic in the Common Wealth and how this would effect a legions with neighbouring countries. The reason to refuse Somalia into the Common Wealth was surprisingly convoluted and was completely fixated on the possible Russian infiltration into Africa. However what astounded me the most was the method in which they chose to resolve matter in.

 

The article detailed below is an extract from

a document titled Conclusions. A meeting held at 10 Downing Street on 2nd June 1960. Agenda item 5.

 

5. The Cabinet had before them a memorandum by the Foreign Secretary (C. (60) 91) about the admission to membership of the Commonwealth of the new Somali Republic which was to come into being on 1st July, when Somaliland and Somalia united.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the arguments against admission of the new Somali Republic to the Commonwealth were very strong. It would not for many years be a financially viable State but would be dependent on aid, not only from ourselves but also from the United States and Italy. Its admission to the Commonwealth would, moreover, antagonise the Ethiopians, the French and the Italians, the last of whom had made it clear that in that event they would discontinue their financial aid.

While there was no evidence of any definite desire on the part of the Somalis to join the Commonwealth, it would be embarrassing to have to refuse a formal request if one should be made; and it was therefore proposed that the Consul-General at Mogadishu and the Governor of Hargeisa should be instructed to adopt a discouraging attitude if any informal approach were made to them.In discussion it was suggested that, while admission of the new Somali Republic to the Commonwealth might do something to counter Communist infiltration, the reactions of the Ethiopian Government, who were already deeply suspicious of our intentions, would be so hostile that they in turn would be likely to become more subject to Russian influence. In view of the attitude of France and Italy, the balance of advantage therefore lay on the side of discouraging any advances which the Somalis might make, and our intention to do so should be made clear in strict confidence to the other Governments concerned.

The Cabinet—Approved the proposals in C. (60) 91.

 

You can find the full documents and more on the National Archives website www.nationalarchives .gov.uk

[N.O.R.F]

Interesting. The Brits have always been favouring Ethiopia and do so today.

[BOB]

They had/have to favour them Ethiopians because remember Soomaalidu waxey tiraahdaa Ul Cidaad Ka Qaadan Kartaa Loo Dhiibtaa...

 

If they favoured us over them they knew we wont give an ounce back to them laakiin xabashidu waa dad iska maangaab ah oo aan sidaa usii fikrad dheereyn and I am not being bias or stereotyping waa xaqiiq.

 

 

Peace, Love & Unity.

[Chimera]

Britain was ready to withdraw from Somalia during the 1910s when it was involved in a situation very similar to Turkey in the 1920s when a hopeless war they could not win raged through Anatolia, which forced them to withdraw. But unlike the Turks who saw the bigger picture (the allied power's wish to eradicate the Ottoman Empire without an independent Turkish State replacing it - See treaty of Sevres) and who put their weight behind the Kemalist army, the Somalis did not fully support the Dervish State because of myopism. If they had done so, all of this favoritism crap would mean nothing as the territories would have been absorbed by the now well established Somali State much the same way the O-gaden was absorbed very fast in the late 70s war, but unlike the 70s it's very doubtful any European power in the 20s/30s/40s/50s/60s would have done such a massive military intervention as the Soviets did in 77/8 war, so the only powers the 'Dervish established Somali State' would have to contend with would be local powers and they are weak without their western patrons.

[Allamagan]

With that rebelliousness so characteristic of the somalis (somalidii hore) and the fact that somalis were hard nut to crack, resulting the british colonialism's Total Submission upon the somalis was something far far away and therefore they, the british had to look out other alternatives; so ethiobia was hot cake for them at that time.