On May 18, 1991, as Somaliland declares its independence, reverting to its original borders (and not breaking away from Somalia), successive Somali regimes resort to obfuscating the reality on the ground rather than facing the bitter truth that Somaliland and Somalia are two equal and separate nations. Time after time, the Somali regimes fail to persuade the International community that Somaliland is part of Somalia. And now the so-called African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) not only succeeds to keep Al-Shabab terrorists on life support but also remains frontrunner for the Mogadishu regime’s massive disinformation to persuade the International community that Somaliland is participating in Somalia’s 2016 “election”, where the mighty dollar can buy you as many votes as you can afford.
Among other AMISOM’s deceptive tactics, recently its “news” outlet publishes a piece entitled, “Somaliland holds Upper House elections, elects six MPs in the first phase of the exercise“. Just reading the title alone would convince those who don’t know much about Somaliland and its history that it indeed reunited with Somalia. But the truth is far from the AMISOM’s deceptive article.
What AMISOM portrays as the “Upper House of Somaliland” members is, in fact, another sales gimmick for a defunct Somali unity designed to mislead the International community. That is, these members are none other than a handful of Somalilanders who either genuinely support Somali unity or eagerly accept opportunities as they present themselves, under the guise of resurrecting Somali unity. Watching these Somaliland individuals elect one another in Mogadishu is a comic relieve, one of its kind.
Repeatedly, Somalia’s puppet regimes showcase a handful of Somalilanders in the Somali Transitional Government a.k.a Tigray Founded Government (TFG) as the representatives of Somaliland in the TFG. But there are a number of problems with this claim. For one thing, Somaliland has its democratically elected leaders (as opposed to hand-picked Somali leaders) isn’t part of Somalia. For another, the Somalilanders in the TFG are neither sent to Somalia to represent for Somaliland people nor crowned to be leaders, at all. (Tigray is the power-dominating tribe in Ethiopia. The US commissioned Ethiopia to invade Somalia in 2006 to rid off the Islamic Court Union which was on the right path to stabilize Somalia. And on December 24, 2006, the Ethiopian tanks rolled into Mogadishu, giving the US an early Charismas gift as US headlines put it. The curse, not the gift, that the Somalis got, however, was the Al-Shabab terror group which was conceived during the invasion. Thanks to the US.)
Now, a question worth pondering is: if the so-called Somalilanders in the TFG truly represent the Somaliland people, why aren’t they participating in the talks between Somaliland and Somalia? The answer is very simple. The Somalilanders can be conveniently showcased in front of the cameras as the representatives of Somaliland but beyond the boundaries of Mogadishu these self-nominated Somalilanders, also known as marti sharafta Muqdisho or the guest of honor in Mogadishu, are powerless and voiceless in Mogadishu much less represent the Somaliland people in an International conference.
Now coming back to the drawing board, why is AMISOM joining the efforts to mislead the world? Well, AMISOM perceives Somalia as its cash cow; so prolonging the war, parachuting Somali leaders into the presidential palace and publishing misleading reports are all part of the AMISOM’s tireless efforts to cling on to Somalia for as long as the Somali “leaders”, the fifth column, are pre-occupied with performing spectacular lap dances for General Gabre Heard, the Ethiopian General who literally runs the show in Mogadishu and the AMISOM forces who obediently execute his orders, under the false pretext of defeating Al-Shabab.
Although the US-Ethiopia invasion gave birth to Al-Shabab, AMISOM has done a wonderful job when it comes breastfeeding the notorious terror group.
In addition to nurturing Al-Shabab, AMISOM remains a mouthpiece for the current Mogadishu regime. As history will attest, AMISOM’s ephemeral monetary-based interest in Somalia will run its course. But no sooner will Somaliland gain an international recognition than AMISOM’s cash cow, Somalia, will come to its senses.
AMISOM leaders should know better by now that Somaliland isn’t Somalia (the new Uganda) and any efforts to mislead the International community, deliberately or inadvertently, will backfire, complicating any future relationship and cooperation between the republic of Somaliland and the countries in which AMISOM forces represent.
Dalmar Kaahin
dalmar_k@yahoo.com
dalmar_k@yahoo.com
