Dear Neighbouring countries don’t encourage Somaliland enter the discussions with Somalia.

Currently, Somaliland is entering talks with the southern region of Somalia to become united on again, and it appears that the neighbouring countries, Ethiopia, Djibouti are encouraging this unity. However, if we learn from the history of such unity, this is indeed a trap, which is one of deception and can lead to the destruction of our newly established Somaliland.
Somaliland is a relatively small and new country in the Horn of East Africa, it recently has ceased to be a part of Southern Somalia in 1991. The area of Somaliland prior to 1960 was called British Somaliland and it had gained independence as the State of Somaliland which then voluntarily joined the Trust Territory of Somalia (Former Italian Somalia) to form the Somali Republic in 1960. The intention for this union was to create a Greater Somalia later on which has all the areas unified. Somaliland has met many difficulties and injustices in the unification of Somalia. The ideal situation and hopes was crushed in reality, because there was no act of union. Somaliland a former British Protectorate, was seeking to create a Great Somalia which consisted of 5 unions which were; French Somaliland (present day Djibouti) , Western Somalia under the rule of Ethiopia, and NFD that became part of Kenya in 1963, as well as British Somaliland and Italian Somalia. Later the Greater Somalia dream became a nonstarter.

The two Somali regions, North and South, who united in 1960, had a parliament which consisted of 125 members. With only 33 members from Somaliland. Therefore, Somaliland was dominated by Southern Somalia in terms of political representation. In 1961, the military cadet which trained in Sandhurst tried to regain the Somaliland independence which has been lost and stolen from Southern Somalia. From a military group, the young officers led by Hassan Kayd and others did not become successful. Since then, members of parliament from Somaliland who were based in Mogadishu experienced oppression and no freedom of exercise and were restricted in doing anything productive for their country. They were living and staying in stressful and anxious conditions. The general public of Somaliland who used to go to Mogadishu to seek employment and education experienced bullying, discrimination, prejudice, and insults such as, ‘’Somali Khaldaan’’, which means an abnormal or confused Somali or ‘’Ilnortheso’’ and other vulgar language. Even some Southern Somali people never showed respect to their peers on schools and university.

The people of Somaliland in such situations, were not allowed to have any employment in Southern Somalia. And those who have already graduated, were not allowed to go to other countries for further education and promotions were limited. All the educated people of Somaliland were not allowed to work in Somaliland but they were transferred to Mogadishu to benefit from their knowledge as fewer people were educated in southern Somalia with limited skills in comparison to their counterparts of Somalilanders. The governors were thoughtless and unjust with economic distribution, as a result this had impacted many parts of Somaliland.

Whilst the people of Somaliland were living in such circumstances for 9 long and hard years whilst hoping and expected for a change. They were trying not to lose patience and unification for Great Somalia. On the 15th of October 1969, suddenly the President of the Somali republic had been assassinated in Las Canood, Somaliland. After six days, a military coupe happened to take place on the 21st October 1969. This was lead by General Siyaad Barre, who was a heavy handed and merciless tyrant.
The introduction of scientific socialism and the power of the government has been centralised. All public resources, management of people, become under the rule of dictatorship under Mohammed Siyad Barre.
In 1976, Mohammed Siyad Barre provoked a war, against Western Somalia and Ethiopia and tried to capture this region. The aim was to consolidate power in the Western Region and take more control of a powerful tribe called Ogaden. The war destabilised the whole of the Horn of Africa and damaged the country economically, socially, and the started a non-ending society of War. The Somali Republic lost the war because as a result of the initiation of the war, the Soviet Union which was previously supporting the Somali Republic had shift to the opposition Ethiopian side who promised Socialism. The Soviet Union ascertained that Siyad Barre was a Tribalist and did not adopt Socialism. After that Somalia went back to the tribal lifestyle in full effect. In April 1978, after this war with Ethiopia, whilst the Somalia Republic became weak and were recovering the Majeerteen tribe which is based in Central Somalia (now present day Puntlaand State) who had many of the military elite and had aspirations of taking full control of Somalia, attempted to conduct a military coup and overthrow Mohammed Siyad Barre. However, this planned coup was aborted as Siyad Barre managed to capture the leaders of the planned coupe and swiftly assassinated them in Mogadishu. Those who luckily escaped fled to Ethiopia, who then joined a Military Group called SSDF which opposed Siyad Barre and aimed to overthrow him by force.
Mohammed Siyad Barre who had a very sophisticated military and considered to be one of the strongest forces in the Africa Continent; attempt to destroy the public of Marjaraten, killing the people indiscriminately. Tribalism wars were apparent in Southern Somalia, however in terms of Relative comparison the dictator Mohammed Siyad Barre was more lenient towards tribes like Marjaraten, despite killing the, whom belongs to Darood tribe in comparison to Isaac people of Somaliland. He attacked these people mercilessly and had acquired jet fighters hired from the former apartheid government in South Africa. That genocide had continued for years and years, regularly bombing the cities of Burco and Hargeisa indiscriminately as well as the countryside villages. He destroyed the wells and water reserves. In 1981, the policy created by Siyad barre was twisted and now a target was placed on the Somaliland people particularly the Isaac people of Somaliland.
Siyad barre and his government also created hostility and annuity amongst different tribes within Somaliland. The beginning steps of genocide and his fascist style started to be established and he began to ethnically cleanse the Isaac people and replace them with his own tribe, in Western and Southern Somalia. He created an environment of hostility between the neighbouring tribes in Somaliland, for his actions led to wars for remaining resources between fellow Somaliland tribes. This caused the Somaliland people to unite and to defend their people and their country. And they set up an organisation called SNM in 1981, which become based in Ethiopia.

The dictator Siyad Barre and his military treated the people inhumanely, they raped the women, they imprisoned the elderly and created injustices based on their tribes. They began to assassinate the educated people amongst the Isaac and began to conduct extortion ( ‘baad’) money to those entering the country from the UK and Arab world.
Since 1960, Somaliland had gained independence from the British government and the hopes and dreams of the Somaliland people was to see unification. But this unification has caused destruction, injustice, and oppression upon the Somaliland people. As a result, this had led to the separation and focus on Somaliland as an independence state and country that now enjoys their own independence. We can see the establishment and strong nation Somaliland has now become since the independence of Somaliland. The strong sectors within Somaliland society can show how independent the country is without Somalia.
The Somaliland public are do not want to have their government to involve other mediation talks led by Ethiopia and Djibouti who are openly against Somaliland independence and urging for the unification of Somalia and Somaliland.
We now urge the leaders of Ethiopia, Djibouti and other people from the Arab World, as well as USA to not get involved and attempt to prevent our autonomy from the Region. Somaliland strives to become independent; they have worked very hard to achieve a current state of peace, unity and development. As well as a democratic environment. We do not wish this to be compromised by bending our knees to Somalia.