Protection of Somaliland’s Territorial Integrity

By resorting to violence in order to put down any peaceful form of opposition to his dictatorial rule, warlord Abdillahi Yusuf has helped trigger a full-scale civil war among his own people. His most recent attempts to turn the conflict into a tribal warfare between his subclan, the Omar Mahmoud, and the Osman Mahmoud is a clear indication of not only his desperate situation but also of the enormity of the challenges he is being faced with. And as usual, the warlord is trying to blame others for his own mistakes.

This time he is accusing Somaliland of giving sanctuary and aid to his rival forces, led by Ade Muse, a former military officer and SSDF veteran who recently returned from a long exile abroad to organize armed resistance against the dictator.

Following the assassination attempt carried out by Abdillahi Yusuf’s agents against the life of President Dahir Rayale Kahin in Las-Anod on Dec 7, Somaliland has every right to retaliate or provide assistance to the warlord’s enemies. The only thing is it hasn’t done so yet. Not even after the agents of Abdillahi Yusuf were spotted towards end of December at eastern part of Somaliland recruiting Warsengali and Dhulbahante men to join his fight against Ade Muse. This lack of action on the part of the Somaliland government to at least seal off the border area against any further incursions by Abdillahi Yusuf’s forces has encouraged both sides of the conflict to bring their fighting into Somaliland.

The Somaliland government’s position of not going for Abdillahi Yusuf’s attempts to draw it into this tribally-based conflict, can be understandable. But what is not understandable is the government’s failure til now to take the necessary measures for securing and protecting the country’s territorial integrity from the growing violations being committed by the two warring factions from Garowe and Galka’ayo. This policy of inaction has to change immediately. The government is a government only when it carries out the jobs that the people have entrusted it to do. Prominent among those duties is safeguarding the territorial integrity of the nation at all times. Failing to do so will be a dereliction of duty.

It is also the solemn duty of Somaliland’s government to ensure that its citizens in eastern Sanag and Las-Anod do not take part in the conflict as proxy forces for either side. Tribesmen in the eastern parts of Somaliland need not be reminded of how Siyad Barre’s policy of pitting Somaliland clans against one another eventually backfired on him. For anyone in Somaliland not to have grasped the lessons learnt from our recent bloody history is a terrible mistake. Warlord Abdillahi Yusuf’s troublemaking in Somaliland must not pass without consequences.

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