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_________________ Introduction Beginning with the failed Somali republic2, coupled with the unilateral declaration of secession by the Somali National Movement (SNM) on May 18, 1991, separatism in the north has taken new heights. In the last two decades, the Hargaysa administration made a concerted effort to establish a new “reality on the ground” to effectuate a separate state in what was Northern Somalia.3 After several inter-clan and intra-clan conflicts in the 1990s ended the second inter-Isaaq’s civil war “in part by awarding a greater share of parliamentary seats to members of "opposition" clans and in part through the development of an "interim constitution" which, after much negotiation and modification, served as the prototype for the current version,” “Somaliland” seems to have established a new “reality on the ground.”4 The surprising fall of Las Anod into Hargaysa with ease on October 15, 2007, a town that rejected secession in favor of unity, could be viewed as an effort to complete the reconstruction of a new “reality on the ground” by those seeking secession. Nevertheless, the region still remains part of Somalia, albeit with a relatively better administration than the rest of the country. As the West re-engages the ailing Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG), headed by President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, to secure the capital city, Mogadishu, the prospect for any forthcoming recognition for Somaliland becomes more challenging.5 There is a general understanding by both unionists and secessionists alike that stable Southern Somalia may greatly hinder, if not fatally kill, the hope for recognition. And this is a source for political frustration in “Somaliland,” often leading it to mount intermittent cross-border raids against the neighboring autonomous region of Puntland. With the emerging new debate in the US Pentagon to recognize “Somaliland,” the State Department standing in the way notwithstanding,6 a complete change of “Somaliland’s” status quo may lead to larger scale inter-clan conflict in the region. Read the Full Article We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com So please email your article today Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews |
