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So much tribal warmongering can be found on Somaliland websites these days. It seems many have lost the ability to discuss tribal matters without hate and blind emotion. Unfortunately, those of us outside have absolutely no effect on events on the ground no matter how heated the discussions get. Most of us have little concept of the reality back home.
There are those who relish the Habar\Habar dirt-throwing which unfortunately is started usually by non-Isaaqs posing as Isaaqs. The Isaaqs in their unthinking emotionalism quickly react in knee-jerk fashion and attack the other branches of the clan with all the venom and dirt they can summon. It’s a shame that the thinking of the so-called diaspora hasn’t changed that much since the sad days of the early and mid-90’s. I guess some learn the hard way.
The situation is more complicated than most of us would paint it. The arrest of Boqor Bur Madow raises some questions on both the actions of the government as well as his legitimitacy in representing his people. It’s interesting to note that the gov’t promptly arrested him after he made some accusations against the President and alleged previous contacts between Rayale and Abdullahi Yusuf. A lot of questions remain regarding the manner in which Adde Musse and his militia first came to Somaliland, settled in El Afweyn, trained and gathered munitions, and then unexpectedly signed a peace treaty with Abdullahi Yusuf after all the destruction he (A.Yusuf) had brought upon them. The question remains what was in it for Somaliland? What did Somaliland gain or lose in the end? It seems the government miscalculated initially and thought Adde Musse’s forces could be used as a pressuring point against Puntland. However, certain business interests in the East of Somaliland who had critical business ties with Bossasso in particular felt this posed a danger to their economic transactions and quickly commenced working on an armistice among the Majerteen. It was this faction, which the good Boqor represented (The Boqor himself has strong, close family ties to Majerteenia which many leave out of their political calculus). Having been outmaneuvered, the Somaliland government just kept quiet about the whole matter and licked its wounds.
Some in their myopic viewpoints will immediately see this as pointing the finger at the Habar Jeclo. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Habar Jeclo just like everyone else have their divisions. It’s interesting to note that the champion of Habar Jeclo causes for the last 30 years, Saleban Gaal, is a loyal supporter of Udub and has kept quiet about the arrest of the Boqor. Many Habar Jeclo within the country feel the same way and see the Boqor as a fifth-columnist in Somaliland. Some sources even say influential members within his own tribe were behind the arrest of the Boqor. Many others mistake the many calls in Somaliland for the Boqor’s release as sympathy for his cause. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, many are troubled by the break in protocol by having a current Boqor in jail. It just looks plain bad in our culture. Others of the Sultan class have been just as troublesome if not more so, i.e. the Eidagalle Sultan. However, there are a lot of cultural underpinnings to be considered which make the continued jailing of the Boqor undesirable. Hence, the calls for his release from so many quarters, not all of which are Habar Jeclo.
As for President Rayale, the allegations about his contacts with Abdullahi Yusuf are worrisome. Previously similar allegations have been made about his meetings with Ismail Gelle and an alleged meeting with Abdiqasim Salad of the Mogadishu-based TNG. Rayale has never answered these accusations in any forum. The quick timing of the Boqor’s arrest after his allegations leaves one to wonder if there’s any truth to some of what the Boqor says. While the Boqor in most Somalilanders’ eyes has been a royal pain when it comes to the issue of Southern Sool, Eastern Sanaag, and Puntland’s claims, he was left free to roam all along whether it was within Somaliland or embarking on trips to Bossasso and Dubai. So why did he all of a sudden become such a threat? These questions deserve a clear, concise answer from the current administration to clear up some of the reservations and distrust, which exist in certain segments of the society.
One thing is clear though – Somalilanders are united that this issue of Eastern Somaliland should be settled once and for all…. And decisively! The strategy that Somaliland is currently playing has so far proven very effective in that it minimizes loss of life while showing Puntland and its sympathizers in Las Anod that they face an unwinnable war. One can observe this from the change in Puntland’s extortations from war-mongering ("We’ll go all the way to Buroa and Berbera" – Ina Afgudud, commander of Puntland forces present in Las Anod during the first week of Las Anod’s occupation) to the current pleas coming from most Puntland media outlets for Somaliland to come to the peace table and talk about the issue. This change is due to the Majerteen realization that Somaliland’s resolve in this matter was grossly underestimated. The panic has reached the highest levels of the Puntland administration. Abdullahi Yusuf this week plead and plead with the international community in a meeting at the American Embassy in Nairobi that he must be allowed to go back to Garowe due to the grave danger facing his regime from the "Somaliland invasion". The vested business interests in Somaliland that had significant relationships with Bossasso are unable to swing back the tide this time to the old status quo. Ironically, the status quo was shattered by their business partners in Puntland with the forceful occupation of Las Anod. Somaliland is finally determined to march to the borders and will tolerate no internal discord on this matter.
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