Elections Must Be Held On Time

by Ali Gulaid

The Las-Anod attempt to assassinate the President of Somaliland is an unprovoked aggression, which is designed to cast a spell of chaos in order to abort the upcoming elections for security reasons. This incident shouldn’t perturb our resolve to hold elections as scheduled. This naked aggression is a setback to our stability and international reputation of being a peaceful oasis in the midst of a region devastated by civil wars. In my view, Somaliland should do the following:

Hold elections as scheduled on time. Postponing the election would be perceived as a sign of weakness and that is precisely what the enemy wants.
Explore peaceful means before waging war. War is terrible thing to engage. It is death and destruction and nobody wins. If it comes to war, Somaliland would lose international goodwill.
Consult with Somaliland’s allies in the region and other international players who are campaigning for the stability of the region. We must exhaust diplomatic channels and we mustn’t lose the support and sympathy of the international community. We have to campaign vigorously to make the warmonger, Abdillahi Yusuf, a pariah.
Cooperate and coordinate any military response with Abdillahi Yusuf’s detractors such as Jama Ali Jama for any military option. I hope it wouldn’t come to that.
Changing the regime in Puntland should be discussed after holding the Presidential election.
Respond deliberately without reacting emotionally.
Avoid being dragged into war without our choosing. It could be protracted.
Support the leaders without reservation.

Finally, this act of naked aggression shouldn’t derail Somaliland. We have a lot to lose.

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