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Desperate times can make sworn enemies bedfellows. This could be the case with Puntland and Somaliland, two northern self-administered regions in Somalia, until now at loggerheads over many issues, including the control of Sool region. Now all that bad blood may soon become something of the past as they bow to the dictates of the hard times they live in. New initiatives are in the works to forge an unholy alliance between these two regional administrations against their common enemies or to further their common interest. Its aim is to shield their fragile regimes from the gathering storms blowing from southern Somalia and make a last stand against the inexorable advance of the Islamists to the north or suppress those within their regions. To meet the security challenges they face, Somaliland and Puntland are turning to the Western countries and the United Nations for support, counting on their antipathy towards the Jihadists. As they woo each other, their marriage of conveyance could only be consummated if they clear the deck and reach a deal over unfinished businesses such as the control of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC). That should be no problem since Puntland, taking its cue from Meles Zenewi, has handed the area to Somaliland on a plate without a fight. All that remains now is for Puntland to formally renounce any claim on these regions and for Somaliland to provide as a quid pro quo joint defence to Puntland against the Islamists. Where do the SSC people fit into this entire scenario, you may ask? Sadly, they only count as pawns in deals made over their heads. The tentative collaboration between Somaliland and Puntland outlined above, and the support they require from the international community are the subject of a letter from six underemployed parliamentarians in the TFG, some hailing from Somaliland and the rest from Puntland, one of whom is a maverick from the SSC. The letter has been sent to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (SRSG) for Somalia, His Excellency Ahmedou Ould Abdallah and has been published in some of the Somali Internet websites. The signatories’ message to the SRSG are two fold: first, Somaliland and Puntland regions are the only two bright spots in an otherwise dooms-ridden Somalia and for this reason their security, development and humanitarian needs deserve unqualified support; secondly, they counsel that the “dispute” over the control of the SSC regions be left aside as an internal matter for the two neighbouring regional administrations who could strike a deal to their mutual satisfaction – most likely over the heads of its inhabitants. Unmistakably, the parliamentarians’ action is merely a timely ploy to nip in the bud recent initiatives by Garaad Jama Graad Ali and the Northern Somalia Unionist Movement (NSUM), to take the bull by its horns and seek an SSC-driven and owned solution to the problems imposed upon them by their neighbours. Their mission to Nairobi in April, in which they met, among others, the SRSG, the Special Representative of African Union (AU) and other heads of UN agencies dealing with Somalia, had provided a golden opportunity to get their message across to the international community. In particular, the mission took advantage of its presence in Nairobi in order to express its total rejection of the secession imposed upon them by use of force and to present a damning indictment against the war crimes and human rights violations committed by Somaliland’s militia following their invasion and occupation of Sool. Above all, the mission availed itself of this auspicious occasion to put on record its strong objections to the outrageous dubbing of the SSC regions as “disputed” ones, as if they were no man’s land, or its people had no right to have a say in their affairs and destiny. All this had fallen on receptive ears, much to the chagrin of both regional administrations. Hence, this desperate rear-guard action mounted by their agents in the TFG. Far from being beacons of hope outshining the rest of Somalia, the establishment of Somaliland and Puntland represent on the contrary the worst epitaph on what followed the ouster of Siyad Barre in 1991. Both regional administrations are unashamedly clan-based chauvinists. The first, Somaliland, went as far as to declare secession from Somalia, while the other professes to be still part of it but otherwise acts, for all practical purposes, as a separate country like Somaliland. In their desire to distance themselves from Mogadishu, they ardently turned to Meles Zenewi, letting their enclaves to be vassals under Ethiopian hegemony, and stopping at nothing in doing his bidding. One only has to look with disgust the slavish regular “pilgrimages” they make to Addis Ababa at the behest of Meles Zenewi, in order to report on their performances or to receive new orders. Or witness how low they openly kidnap innocent Somalis from the Somali Eastern region of Ethiopia -technically protected under international law -and hand them over to the fascist Ethiopian security forces, fully aware of the destiny awaiting them. There is a limit how much people under these regions could take, and sooner or later, they are likely to revolt against these egregious crimes in their name as happened to the warlords in the south. It is not al Shabaab they should fear but their own outraged people. What Somaliland and Puntland need is not so much to be saved from improbable al Shabaab assault, but from their own follies. Either they redeem themselves or else face the inevitable consequences of their actions and the ultimate demise of their regimes. That should be the advice which the SRSG should give them for their own sake and for that of Somalia. Unfortunately, neither Riyale nor Faroole are susceptible to persuation. For their own part, the SSC mission representatives have conveyed to the international community that they are not a “disputed” people or territory but are a free people who are part and parcel of Somalia like other regions, and who have no truck with secessionists or with those who engage in heinous crimes against Somalis in neighbouring countries. Rather than aligning themselves with these two anti Somalia pariahs, the interest of the SSC people lies in being part of Somalia, coming directly under the Transitional Federal Government now recognised by the entire international community. The Nairobi mission has served as a trailblazer, setting in motion the renaissance of the Darwiish values and sentiments among the SSC people and their readiness to struggle for their own rights and those of Somalia, both at the regional and national levels. People with that history have little or nothing in common with the regimes running Somaliland and Puntland. The SSC regions are the bridge that binds northern and southern Somalia and serves as the artery that keeps Somali unity alive. Better then that they are not bonded to regimes whose raison d’etre is the antithesis of Somali national aspirations. Yours sincerely, -------------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________ 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 Copyright © 2009 Wardheernews.com |
