As Ethiopia enters a new era of democracy and political stabilisation the Somali region (region 5) is still one of the most undeveloped parts of Ethiopia, despite it being one of the largest federative states in Ethiopia. The Somali region’s educational level is low and the basic  infrastructure of state is in collapse. Drought and famine constantly haunt the Somalis. A question that needs to be asked is why is it this state, which has so many resources, is so poor? To answer this question we need to look into the complex history of the region also called “Ogaden”. A name that hails from colonialism. Somalis have lived in “western Somalia” in the last 1000 years and
Somali clans inhabit the Ogaden region.

The Somali society back then was built upon nomadic pastoralism. It never had a centralised state. In the 19th century with the help and the blessings of Christian European colonialist powers the Abyssinian emperor Menelik conquered vast lands belonging to the Somalis. The Abyssinians expanded further from the Ethiopian highlands and conquered the ancient Muslim sultanate of Harar. The fall of Harar in 1887 led to the end of Somali independence in the region. A 100 year colonisation that could only be termed as” black colonisation” was perpetrated by the ethnic Amharas. With the fall of the Mengistu regime in 1991 Ethiopia have acknowledged the existence of the various ethnicities of Ethiopia. According to the new Ethiopia that was created in 1991, several self governing states were formed, each regional State for respective ethnicity.

This has effectively put down any wide scale insurgency and even created a climate of peace in some parts of Ethiopia but not in the Somali region. As we enter the 21- century the Somali region seems to be an issue that has not be resolved despite the claims of the Ethiopian government that the country is completely stable. Several rebel movements are active in the region. One such movement is the ONLF (ogaden national liberation front) led by Mohamed Omar Usman. The Ogaden National Liberation Front was created in 1984 by disappointed Somali rebels that felt at odds with the Somali government. The ONLF is today one of the largest rebel movement that is in armed opposition against the Ethiopian government. 

It’s  insurgency against the Ethiopian regime is concentrated mainly in three towns Qabdir Dahar, Fiiq and Godey. These three towns are populated by ogadeni somali clans that the ONLF gets logistical support from.

Established in exile the ONLF has established an excellent functioning propaganda radio  "radiyo xoriyo” (radio Freedom). The ONLF  receives  funds mainly from  Somalis in exile but it is also speculated that the Egyptian government  supports  the ONLF by providing financial aid. The Egyptian government  have  threatened to take military actions against the Ethiopian governments  for its plans to build a large  dam in the blue nile. The construction of the of the dam would lead to serious  water shortages in the Egypt and would certainty cripple its economy.

Despite the fact that the  ONLF has been fighting the Abyssinian neo-colonalism since 1984,  its achievements  as a political organisation is minimal. Politically It has  failed to  gain the vital support it needs amongst the non-ogadeni Somali clans and more importantly The ONLF continues not to pose a serious risk on the Ethiopian government with its  sporadic hit and run attacks.

In opposition to its predecessor WSLF (western Somali liberation front)  the ONLF seem to have taken a path of ogadenism. Ogadenism was a policy created by the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selaasie  to divide the Somalis in the region in the 1950+ By ignoring the unity of the common Somali identity Haile Sellasie would address the Somalis in clanist terms. These long efforts to suppress Somali nationalism in the region by inciting Somali clans against each other ultimately  failed. Sadly the ONLF revived the old colonialist policy of Haile selassies's "ogadenism”. The ONLF has has decided to name the area of the Somali regional state with the disputed name “ogadeniya” This policy of ogadenism by the ONLF is one of the reasons that the organisation  has divided the Somalis in the Somali regional state  along clanistic lines.

As Somalis belong to many different clans, clanism in political organisations is often viewed with suspicion by Somalis who do not belong to the clan of the political organisation. Instead of supporting the interests of the Somalis  the  simple Somali man would without a doubt support what his clan commands him to. The clan has an absolute power in  Somali politics that can not be overseen nor be denied. Something that we need to understand is that the Somalis in in the Somali region of Ethiopia will never attain independence if freedom movements are associated with a specific clan. Neither can we attain independence and an end to the Abyssinian neo-colonialisms that begun in 1991 by peaceful democratic ways. As we saw in the Ethiopian elections 2005 were undemocratic.

ONLF leader  Admiral Mohamed Omar Usman

Every Somali in Somali Galbeed wants independence. Everyone agrees upon that. But why are we forced to choose between these two  extreme options to achieve independence? These options that ultimately leads us to division?

The dogmatic ONLF approach to the Somali masses in Somali Galbeed should really be questioned. No political organisation has a right to hijack the  struggle for freedom in Somali Galbeed.
As Somalis we should learn lessons from the failed state of Somalia. How destructive it is to create armed fronts (jabhad) built upon clanism.

Despite that we have not yet fully even understood the horrors from the Somali civil war. Many feel that the Somalis in Somali Galbeed are taking that same destructive path. As you all know Iimey, Raaso, Jigjiga (the capital of the Somali region) was the scene of fierce fighting’s in 2005 between rival Somali clans. The ONLF were accused by the non-ogadeni Somali clans of directly aiding fellow ogadenis in the fighting’s. This forced non-ogadeni clans to seek protection from the Ethiopian colonialist regime. The fighting’s further divided the Somalis along clan lines. An estimated thousand Somalis are believed to have perished in the  futile fighting’s . A climate of hatred and chaos is growing in Somali Galbeed. The climate that caused devastation in Somalia. The futile fighting’s between the Somalis serves only the interests of the colonialist regime of Meles Zenawi. Our message as freedom loving Somalis to the  parties that have hijacked the struggle for freedom in Somali Galbeed is that no political organisation has a right to hijack the struggle for freedom and independence to a way of clanism and division. Nor is the habash-allied administration led by Lugbuur a legitimate one.

The Future of the Somalis in in Somali Galbeed seems to be a miserable one, just as it was in 1991 when winds of independence and freedom swept Harar and Jigjiga after the fall of Mengistu’s fascist Amhara dominated regime. Instead of organising themselves in 1991 and showing a united front for secession from Ethiopia the Somalis turned against each other. The short slick Meles Senawi the EPRDF leader wisely played the divide and conquer card against the Somalis in 1993. Fightings occurred between the Somalis, Independence was lost at that wonderful moment. Fifteen years have gone now since the creation of the Somali Regional State. It’s about time that we refuse to submit to clanist ”jabha's” that claim will lead us to freedom. It’s also time for us to see that the Somali Regional Government is a puppet machine created cleverly by the neo-colonialist Abyssinian regime. The deceiving motives behind the creation  of the Somali Regional State for the Somalis in Ethiopia is to downplay any desire  for freedom and independences in the state. If  Lug Buur truly  represents the Somalis of the regional state he should go to Addis Abeba and demand a referendum for the  status of the Somali regional state (Somali Galbeed). Either   independence as a sovereign state of  Soomali Galbeed or  continuing the federation with the Ethiopia.

Finally, We ask All Somalis who dwell in the Horn of Africa to show solidarity and brotherhood with Somali Galbeed. Maybe, If God wills, The dream of Somaliweyn will become a reality that no one can question.

Ayuub Raajis Maxamed.
E-Mail:ayuubrajes@hotmail.com

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Ayuub is chairman of the Somali Student Association of Sweden (SSAS)

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