Ambassador Abukar Osman, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UN in NY continues to hammer his country’s jaundiced political view of Somaliland at United Nations conferences and targeted sessions, finding receptive ears on the part of ill-informed ambassadors. Needless to say, he is not recognized by the Republic of Somaliland as he represents the interests of a Somalia which does not include Somaliland.
The ambassador, addressing the UN body only yesterday, 27 March, stated:
“The Somali Government will continue to be one that strives towards unity and works to enhance constructive dialogue in order to settle the outstanding issues between the Federal Government and all Regional Authorities. Nonetheless, we cannot abide any unconstitutional decisions taken by a Regional Authority, including the Northwestern Region of Somalia (Somaliland) – since such actions would undermine the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, which are all guaranteed under our Constitution.”
To him, and his President, Farmajo, Somaliland, is still a ‘regional authority’ called the ‘Northwestern Region of Somalia’.
Bringing his point closer home, he goes on the attack:
“…with sights set on preserving the unity of Somalia’s territory and people, our
Parliament voted to unanimously reject the United Arab Emirates-based DP World agreement with Northwestern Region Authority (Somaliland) and to commit the Government of Somalia to taking measures to secure Somalia’s unity and sovereignty under Article 1 of our constitution.Two years ago, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an agreement with Somaliland Regional Authorities to establish fi UAE military base in Berbera without the consent of the Federal Government of Somalia. The Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group confirmed in its latest annual report (S/2017/924) that construction of the new facilities is underway. The Monitoring Group further stated that the establishment of a foreign military base in Berbera, involving the transfer of military material to the territory, would constitute a violation of the arms embargo on Somalia.
These actions taken by the UAE in Somalia are in clear violation of international law, the
Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international relations and international
cooperation. Therefore, the Federal Government of Somalia calls on the Security Council to take the necessary steps, in accordance with its mandate to maintain international peace and security,to put an end to these actions and ensure the implementation of its resolution concerning
Somalia. The Federal Government of Somalia strongly condemns these blatant violations, and reaffirms that it will take the necessary measures deriving from its primary responsibility to defend the inviolability of the sovereignty and the unity of Somalia in accordance With the Somali constitution and international law and covenants.
None of the ambassadors listening to him correct the pomposity and erroneous references to Somaliland and the bilateral agreement it entered with UAE or indicate anything different to reflect the realities on the ground.
Ambassador Abukar concludes his brief by expressing much gratitude to the Security ‘for the continued efforts made by the United Nations to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and to guarantee its peace and political stability‘ last six words of which saying it all as what they refer to do not exist as his imaginative claim over Somaliland sovereignty and right to self-determination.
The views of the Ambassador and those of the Mogadishu administration he represented were to be expected. What was not is the continued putdown of traditionally, close allies of the people of Somaliland, such as the United Kingdom.
A draft resolution of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 26 March 2018, Ref No. S/2018/257, copying a Security Council decision on Somalia, thoughtlessly and so regardlessly sweeps in Somaliland to the cauldron that is called Somalia and its federal states, going against all its moral obligations and age-old, in-depth knowledge of Somaliland and its historical roots.
The resolution seems to be ashamed of calling Somaliland by its rightful name but, instead, prefers to put it between quotation marks:
“…expressiing concern over continuing tension between “Somaliland” and Puntland in Sool and Sanaag”
Above reference chooses to completely ignore the rightful claim of the Republic of Somaliland well within the boundaries Britain itself set during its 75-year old rule of the British Somaliland Protectorate.
The UK draft, again, places the 28-year old Republic of Somaliland on the same par with small, regional ‘states’ Mogadishu institutionalized compromising its credibility and neutrality by stating:
12. Emphasises the importance of reconciliation, including inter and intra-clan
reconciliation, across the country as the basis of a long-term approach to stability, and
urges the Federal Governrnent of Somalia and the Federal Member States to pursue
reconciliation talks at local, regional and national level, including a resumption of the
dialogue with Somaliland.
In contrast to above, a briefing paper to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Somalia: March 2018 update, written by Jon Lunn, does not blame anybody for the absence of rapprochement between Hargeisa and Mogadishu, but implies that the international community expected Farmajo to put more effort to mend fences with Somaliland.
President Farmajo has so far had no success in improving relations with the self-declared independent state of Somaliland. P5
Touching on the tensions between the Republic of Somaliland and Puntland Federal State of Somalia, the paper correctly states that Mogadishu has no authority over one of its states, let alone the self-declared republic of Hargeisa that had shown the region many of the finer points in democracy and consensus bargaining.
The much longer-established polities of Puntland and Somaliland are officially included as regional states by Somalia; in practice Mogadishu has little or no purchase over them. P 6
The writer cannot be faulted for still pulling Somaliland into the Somalia fold as if it was one of the regions of that half-doomed country. He is just echoing the mistaken views and sentiments of his government and a great number of others.
Such an attitude on the part of countries such as the United Kingdom and the United Nations Security Council- who should have approached the Somaliland issue mush more amenably, continue to mislead Mogadishu as they continue to add more and more fuel to the already simmering tensions between Somalia and Somaliland.
Somaliland has been presenting its case to the world for over a quarter of a century now to no avail. Perhaps, why those efforts did not meet any success could be explained by the intransigence and absence of reciprocal trust on the part of countries such as the UK for which the people of Somaliland viewed as ‘Friends’ – a view not, obviously, harbored by the other side.
Download the FULL text of docs cited here:
