An Open Letter to AU, Arab League, EU, Ethiopia, IGAD and USA.
The main reason why Somaliland people joined Somalia and scarified their nationhood was driven by the Pan African nationalism movement in 1950s and 1960s against the European colonizers, to unite the Somali ethnic separated by the boundaries created by Italy, England and France. Somaliland was the only country which rejected the boundaries created and put between the Somali people by the European colonizers.
The Somaliland people gained their independence June 2, 1960 from the British Colony, and five days letter July 1, 1960 joined Somalia in search of a doobie Great Somalia. In return the Somaliland people were cheated off their independence and nationhood, instead of fair power sharing Somalia leaders took most important government positions, like presidency and premiership, late Aden Abdule Osman was elected president and Abdirashid Sharmarke was nominated prime minister both from Somalia , where non essential cabinet positions were given to Somaliland leaders, late Muhamad Haji Ibrahim Egal who was leading the Somaliland delegation was nominated defense minister of Somalia while his colleagues took non important positions. There was widespread of distortion, discrimination and injustice against Somaliland military officer by Italy trained Somalia police officer who had no clue of military task, which lead to aborted military coup against Somalia by Somaliland Military officers in 1961, which was the beginning of Somaliland people struggle to reclaim the lost nationhood and independence.
In the beginning 1980s until 1991 Somalia late dictator Siad Barre executed and buried in mass graves as many as 200, 000 men, women and children in retaliation against the SNM, Somali National Movement, formed by elite Somaliland military officers, including current Somaliland president Muse Bihi to topple the dictatorial regime of Barre. Which led to the ouster of Siad military regime and declaration and re-claim of Somaliland independence lost in 1960 for a doobie Great Somalia.The Somaliland people were killed and massacred by Somalia government of Siad Barre, in the name of “The sovereignty and the territorial Integrity of Somalia is sacred”
Today the nephew of Siad Barre, Farmajo, Somalia president is beating the drums of same slogan “The sovereignty and the territorial Integrity of Somalia is sacred” with the help of Turkish government training, re-building his military infrastructure and personnel to wage a proxy war against Somaliland from Puntland, which militia and federal forces begun massing near the border of Tukaraq, Somaliland, to sabotage the DP World, Somaliland and Ethiopia joint agreement to develop and invest Port Barbara of Somaliland located in an strategic location of Gulf of Aden, which Turkey is eyeing to take control of like Moqdisho port and Air port to limit the access of the Arab world to the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and African trade , particularly the massive Ethiopian customer .The Somaliland people’s freedom, democracy and independence didn’t came on silver plate, but came with heave price of sacrifice and shed of blood.
Somalia/Puntland is claiming borders regions of Somaliland like Sool and Sanaag, because of clan affiliation, but the irony is Somalia/Puntland doesn’t claim parts/border regions of Ethiopia and Kenya because of clan affiliation since both sides of the borders are inhabited by same Somali clan.
The international community must grant Somaliland recognition and it’s right place of UN member instead of awarding the corrupted and failed state of Somalia until she ready to wage a proxy war against Somaliland and destabilize the Horn of Africa?
According to UN and AU Charter and definition to become a nation, a country must have have an internationally recognized boundaries created by an European colonizers, and also had gained independence from that particular colonizer.
Somaliland should have been granted its right of nationhood from the day the people of Somaliland declared their withdrawal from the union from Somalia. So many countries/nations in the world united and became one nation and when the marriage didn’t work went their own separate way. Egypt and Syria were united and then went their own separate way when the union failed to work.
Eritrea is a nation today, because it had been colonized separately from the rest of Ethiopia. And if the Oromo nation were colonized separately from the rest of Ethiopia, Oromia would have been a nation today, the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia, ten times larger than the Eritrea population . Fortunately the Ethiopian Federal Government adopted Federal system which allows all Ethiopian nationalities to be self-governed.Eritrea is also a nation today, because the Ethiopia Federal Government acknowledged the international law, and handed Eritrea its independence, instead of choosing the continuation of bloodshed between the two brotherly people.
There are 193 counties in the world that are member states of the United Nations. The citizens of the 193 countries or nations gained their independence from a foreign occupier or own tyranny after a bloody war and struggle for freedom and independence which led to a territorial claim, membership and a seat at the United Nations. Even though most the citizens of nations enjoy and relish their hard earned freedom and independence, some think they were better off under foreign occupier instead of own tyranny and dictators who are killing and committing atrocities against innocent civilians and dissidents of a particular ethnic, clan or religion in the name of sovereignty and territorial integrity, a license and permission from UN.
The Kurdish people are denied their right to be a nation simply, because the Kurdish territory was divided by the colonizer, as one part went to Iraq colonizer, another part went Iran colonizer, and more parts went Syria and Turkey. The Kurdish people are not Turkish, Arabs nor Persians, but those countries refused to accept the uniqueness of these people/Kurdish and refused to grant them nationhood and independence because their argument is based on the boundaries that were left behind by the colonizers. And simply because the Kurdish territory was not colonized by a particular European country, neither the UN nor any an other international organization recognizes the nationhood of the Kurdish people. Where on the other hand Somaliland who meets the conditions to be nation is denied its right to be a nation.
The Assad regime of Syria and his allies are committing crimes against humanities, wisely using their UN license, membership and permission from UN. Turkey, Iraq and Syria are also killing innocent Kurdish people and freedom fighters by exploiting their UN credential. The Myanmar regime is an other UN member committing crimes against humanities against the Rohingya people simply for being Muslim and non Hindu. The perpetrators who have committed crimes against humanity in any country or above listed countries will not be held accountable, because”The sovereignty and the territorial Integrity of X or Y country is sacred” is a UN license and permission to kill and commit genocide.
In conclusion the International Community, AU, Arab League, EU and UN must send AU or UN peace keepers between Somaliland and Somalia borders to safe lives and keep the peace and the stability of the HORN of Africa and Gulf of Aden until the two parties reach an agreement to choose their future and goal in the presence of the International Community.
Mohamud Aden Samatar