By Ali H. Abdulla
“And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.” Chapter (8) sūrat l-anfāl (The Spoils of War)
Abas is a six years old Somali boy who lives in a remote village that straddles the Somali-Ethiopian border. The border was drawn by the colonialists that disfigured the Somali map by dividing it into five parts. The colonial border which left millions of ethnic Somalis under Ethiopian domination contributed to the Ethiopian-Somali war in 1977 which later contributed to the destruction of the Somali army and the eventual collapse of the Somali state.
The village, Balicad which is known for its beautiful horses and hospitable people, witnessed several momentous occasions in the last few months. Its red soil hosted the body of Garad Abshir Salah, one of the wisest traditional leaders in the area, after he passed away in Sweden. Before his death, the Garad expressed his wish to be buried in another village known as Widhwidh. Unfortunately his wish could not be fulfilled because the village was, and still is under occupation by Somaliland forces and its paid collaborators. Silanyo, the president of the secessionist enclave known as Somaliland, even ignored the appeal of the Garad’s son, a collaborator himself, for evacuating the area during the burial ceremony to allow dignitaries from all over Somalia to attend the ceremony without being harassed by the undisciplined Somaliland militias.
Balicad is also known for its brave stand when it risked hosting several conferences for Khatumo, a unionist administration which has been engaged in a war of liberation with the well-equipped, well-trained and well-financed Somaliland army. The funds used to build this clan-based army are siphoned from development funds Somaliland receives from international donors such as Britain and the European Union.
The latest conference hosted by Balicad brought together little Abas and Dr. Galaydh, the president of Khaatumo. The two have diametrically opposed views on talks between Khatumo and Somaliland.
Little Abas believes that Khatumo should not open any talks with Somaliland and refused to be among the masses who welcomed
Dr. Galaydh when he arrived in Balicad for the conference that was expected to discuss the possibility of opening talks with Somaliland, Puntland and the Somali Federal government. The conspicuous absence of little Abbas from the welcoming masses prompted
Dr. Galaydh to invite little Abas to the conference to talk about their opposing views on the matter. Abas agreed to meet Dr. Galaydh but refused to change his views and remained opposed to opening any talks with Somaliland. Dr. Galaydh, a seasoned politician, failed to convince the little warrior.
The position of Abas resonates with the position of many in the SSC regions. Among them are the hundreds of families who lost loved ones in Kalshale and other areas. Among them are the thousands of young Somalis who were denied a decent education because of the deliberate campaigns of both Somaliland and Puntland to classify the Khatumo regions as a disputed zone for 25 years, and as a result failed to receive any development funds from international donors directly. Even the little humanitarian funds earmarked for the area by UN agencies went through crooked NGOs controlled by the two neighboring administrations. As of today, Las Anod, the occupied capital of Khatumo does not have clean water, good universities and proper medical facilities. Intellectuals and prominent businessmen get murdered in cold blood by invisible culprits who never get caught by the police working for the occupying forces from Somaliland. The taxes collected from the city and its surrounding areas end up in the coffers of the Somaliland administration and does not benefit the tax payers but are used to pay the local militias collaborating with Somaliland, or bribe some of the collaborating elders. The preferred instrument of bribe comes in the form of a Toyota land cruiser, a coveted vehicle in the area.
Given these disturbing historical facts and the hostile behavior of the Somaliland administration, It is not surprising that little Abas and thousands like him in khatumo territories feel this way about Somaliland and are suspicious of any talks with it.
The Balicad conference that introduced us to little Abas and his unequivocal opposition to Somaliland ratified talks with Somaliland. According to the current khatumo administration, these talks have been requested by Somaliland which may have been pressured by the international community. The talks will supposedly be held in a neutral country under the auspices of international observers.
As practicing Muslims, many in Khatumo respect the Koranic verse “And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing”.
So if Somaliland is ready to negotiate in good faith, I personally think that such talks be given a chance provided that the Khatumo negotiating team members are known for their unwavering stand on the following issues:
- Somali Unity and integrity.
- Compensation for those killed in Kalshale and other areas.
- Orderly withdrawal of the occupying Somaliland forces from Khatumo territories and replacement with local forces.
After these issues are resolved to the satisfaction of Khatumo, the talks can progress toward other matters such as an equitable Power-sharing formula among Awdal, Makhir, Khatumo and the North West (aka S/L) in a form of a just and fair federal structure that can then negotiate with the South for an acceptable union.
The satisfactory resolution of these issues can remove the lingering mistrust among the various clans in the North and bring back the good old days when kids from Las Anod like Dr. Galaydh attended schools in Sheikh and Amoud and most of the officials in Hargeisa hailed from the SSC regions.
Little Abas and thousands like him can accept talks with Somaliland only if these talks can resolve the above issues to their satisfaction. The failure of these talks can only lead to hatred, mistrust and a young Abas toting a machine gun when he comes of age to defend his dignity and his ancestral land. Those in Khatumo who are opposed or concerned about these talks should realize that any negotiated deal has to be ratified by the Khatumo parliament and the Khatumo High Council of Traditional Leaders, the Isims. Khatumo may enter into talks with any party but the final say lies in the hands of this Council which was formed in the provisional capital of Khatumo and the old capital of the Darwish movement, Taleh.
For the sake of little Abas and millions like him in Somalia’s North, let us give peace a chance and negotiate in good faith.
Somalis should also realize that the unity of Somalia rests on these talks and cannot be imposed from Mogadishu or Garowe. They have to support it and stop opposing it like Abdi-Weli of Puntland is trying to do by playing the clan card which is the major destroyer of Somalia.
Ali H. Abdulla
Email: [email protected]
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