Ali Mazrui in conversation with the President of Somaliland, Dahir Rayale Kahin, Hargeysa, March 2006.

By Ali A. Mazrui
General Theme: Public Intellectuals in Africa’s Experience

Somalia versus Somaliland?

In 1960, former British Somaliland and former Italian Somaliland united into one country called the Somali Republic or Somalia. This was supposed to be the first step towards the reunification of all the five components of the Somali people, who had been fragmented by imperialism. It was hoped that eventually the Somali people of Northeast Kenya, the Somali of the Ogaden in Ethiopia, as well as former French Somaliland (now renamed Djibouti), would be integrated into Greater Somalia.

After a while, the people of former British Somaliland began to feel discriminated against and marginalized by their brothers and sisters of former Italian Somaliland. As relations deteriorated further, separatist sentiment in the former British sub region began to grow. Conflict escalated, including the central government’s air raids on Hargeysa, the regional capital of former British Somaliland. Finally, this Anglophone part seceded completely and named itself the Republic of Somaliland. They have since established a government and have held democratic parliamentary and presidential elections.

Unfortunately for this new “Republic”, the international community does not recognize it as a legitimate state. The African Union and the United Nations still regard it as part of the greater Somalia, which was created in 1960. The new separatist entity has received some sympathy from neighboring Ethiopia and from the Republic of South Africa, but even these two friends have not extended diplomatic recognition.

The Republic of Somaliland needs friends and allies primarily from among other states. But it also needs friends and allies from international organizations, from prominent citizens of other African countries and from high profile individual celebrities of other societies.

This is where I came in. For about two years, the Republic of Somaliland had been trying to get me to visit their part of the Somali nation. In the year 2005, I finally agreed to go, especially after the precedent set by the visit of former President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia. It was finally agreed that my own visit to Hargeysa would occur in March 2006.

What I had not expected was the high level of protocol accorded to my visit. I was received almost like a Head of State!! Four senior members met me on the tarmac as I descended from the plane. There was a guard of honor, consisting of women singing praise songs. I inspected the guard of honor, accompanied by the Foreign Minister, a distinguished medical woman called Edna Aden Ismail. I was also expected to address a joint session of the two Houses of Parliament the next day, followed by a dinner with the Head of State, President Dahir Rayale Kahin.

On the gender question, I was greatly encouraged that Somaliland had a woman as Foreign Minister when it had taken the United States more than two hundred years to have a woman Secretary of State (Madeleine Albright) under the Administration of Bill Clinton. Minister Edna Aden Ismail spoke four languages fluently (English, French, Arabic, as well as her native Somali), and was manager of a special maternity hospital of her own when state affairs permitted. It was an awe-inspiring performance.

On the gender question, the Legislature was less impressive than the executive branch. Out of the dozens of members of the two Houses of Parliament, women members could be counted on the fingers of one hand at the most. I took the liberty of encouraging both Parliament and the Head of State to set an example to Africa and the Muslim world, by pursuing more enlightened gender policies.

My other main lecture was given at the University of Hargeysa, under the chairmanship of the President of the University. Although my visit to Somaliland was the nearest thing to a state visit, my official hosts were an academic institution – the Somaliland Academy of Peace and Development (APD), assisted by the African Renaissance Center.

In my two lectures (to Parliament and to the University), I referred to other states which had started as one and have since become two separate countries – such as Senegal and Mali, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and Malaysia and Singapore.

I also discussed the name of their Somaliland Republic. They could retain the historical name of Somaliland (although the suffix “land” was too English and too colonial). Or they could call themselves The Republic of Northern Somalia (similar to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). But, in solidarity with a dozen other Muslim societies, they could call also themselves The Republic of Somalistan (such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and potentially

Kurdistan). I had a separate session with intellectuals of Hargeysa. We debated the concept of “clash of civilizations” and whether or not the Somali people were caught up in it. I was also driven to Somaliland’s second city, the Port of Berbera. When restored to full operation, the Port would be invaluable, not only to Somaliland, but also to neighboring Ethiopia. The people of Somaliland are probably already the most Ethiopia-friendly Somalis in centuries! I was introduced to Ethiopia’s official representative in Hargeysa. He was not yet called “Ambassador”. I believe his title at the time was “Liaison Officer for Ethiopia”. He seemed quite popular in Hargeysa.

On my way back to the United States, I stopped for an extra night in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia. Professor Iqbal Jhazbhay of the University of South Africa had helped to arrange my program in Ethiopia, as well as my trip to Somaliland. In Addis Ababa, I had consultations with senior civil servants of the African Union. The main items on the agenda were (a) the future of Somaliland; (b) the future of the Group of Eminent Persons on Reparations for African peoples. This latter group (of which I am a member) was created at a summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity meeting in Dakar, Senegal, in 1992. The new African Union [created ten years later] seemed to be ambivalent about financing this group. I was recently seeking clarification from the African Union. I was assured that the work of our Group on Reparations was still valid, but the African Union was short of resources. I was promised further clarification later.

Since I returned from Somaliland I have been paying the political price for my visit to Somaliland. I have been receiving hostile e-mails from pro-unity Somalis, denouncing me for “lending legitimacy to secessionism and tribalism”. In replying to one of the e-mails I politely suggested that since Hargeysa was peaceful and Mogadishu was conflict-ridden, should not Mogadishu try to learn something from Hargeysa (Somalis learning from Somalis)? Unfortunately, my suggestion was regarded as adding insult to injury!

Ali Mazrui(Center) addressing the Joint Session of the two Houses of Parliament, Hargeysa, Somaliland, 2006.

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