Somaliland’s Reaction to Farmajo’s Appology/Excuse

Somaliland’s Reaction to Farmajo’s Appology/Excuse

As they say, every actions has a reaction. So did Farmajo’s message to Somaliland. His message was both a lame excuse and a thin appology.

In the last two days, many luminary  former SNM founders and members negatively reacted to what Farmajo called a two-way forgiveness.

It is an understatement to say that his words received little or no traction in Somaliland.

Mohamed Hashi Elmi, a founding father of SNM, who never minces at his words, right away chastised Farmajo’s lukewarm gesture. Boobe Yusuf Duale, a man of letters who spices his Somali language with carefully chosen words, damned what appeared to him a non-contrite and lame apology.

Mr. Boobe witingly questioned the timing of Farmajo’s Message. He inquired about how on earth would Farmajo offer a positive gesture to Somaliland when he started a new war in Jubbaland? Add to this the fiasco unnecessarily created in Galmudug and Villa Somalia’s audacity to grab the mandate of managing the education sector of Puntland, Boobe questioned the sincerity of Farmajo’s offer to Somaliland.

Upset was also Mr. Boobe because of Farmajo’s silliness to equate what has been done to Somaliland and what the discredited and cruel military junta regime did to the masses of Hargaisa and Buroa.

A wise man once said ” Never ruin an appology with an excuse.” Somalis also say ” Hah maxaad u tidhii wiil marti  hilib intaas siisay.ah intaad hilib siisay.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what Farmajo did.

For Mohamed Hashi Elmi, all that Farmajo did was remind Somalilanders the jets that bombarded population centers of Hargaisa and Buroa in the thick of what he called “planned genocide.

In a way, I agree with Boobe in that the Farmajo, hell-bent to start a new bloody conflict in Jubaland, als is apt to destroy the little federal arrangement Somalia thus far agreed on, would do any good for Somaliland.

If Farmajo has not been sincere on this issue, then what does he want?

There are two plausible answers: one is that he wanted to project a false image that he is starting a new round of talks with Somaliland prior to the 2021 elections. He also wants to feed his idealistic lot that he is the guarantor of a “united Somalia.”

Whether this will give him any political capital is too early to tell, although signs thus far seen don’t bode well for him.

Faisal Abdi Roble