The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend”. Somaliland’s geopolitical strategy vs. the current events should dictate the ways and means of neutralizing the efforts made by Farmaajo and clowns to harm Somaliland and its interests.

The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend”. Somaliland’s geopolitical strategy vs. the current events should dictate the ways and means of neutralizing the efforts made by Farmaajo and clowns to harm Somaliland and its interests.
Somaliland should strengthen its diplomatic ties with Kenya in the wake of the tension the latter is having with Somalia. We should be realistic and put emotions aside.  In the regional geopolitical chessboard, Mogadishu is Somaliland’s No1 potential enemy since they deny our self-determination and existence as a sovereign and independent country. Therefore, Somaliland’s geopolitical strategy vs. the current events should dictate the ways and means of neutralizing the efforts made by Farmaajo and clowns to harm Somaliland and its interests. Universal wisdom says: “The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend”. Therefore, Kenya should be classified as Somaliland’s strategic partner and ally. In addition to that, Kenya and Somaliland do not share any borders and have no potential bone of contention to fight over. On the contrary, Somalia is in the middle of deep-rooted territorial dispute with Kenya. Furthermore, the emergence of potential oil and gas deposits in the disputed offshore waters has further exasperated the Somalia/Kenya crisis.
In the circumstance, I would urge the Government of Somaliland to quickly and forcefully engage in the business of fostering strong relationship with Kenya. This will give the Somaliland government strong negotiating edge and also would demonstrate to the entire world that Somaliland has valuable cards to play in the dynamic Horn of Africa geological game.  Somaliland Representative Office in Nairobi should liaison with the Kenyan authorities and arrange for the exchange of high-level diplomatic visits, including an official visit of His Excellency the President of Somaliland or His Deputy to the Kenyan Capital of Nairobi. The purpose of such visits wil be to reassure the Kenyan President and his people that Somaliland is keen to establish and strengthen longstanding mutually beneficial relationships with Kenya. We should demonstrate that Somaliland is and has always been a reliable and trustworthy ally of Kenya.
Hassan Abdi Yousuf
Hargeisa, Somaliland
Business & Political Analyst