It Is Time For Egypt To Stop Blocking ‎The Recognition Of Somaliland‎‎‎

By Osman Jama

Your attitude towards the former Somalia is outdated, outmoded and unrealistic. Your persistent call for the maintenance of Somali unity is a discredited idea in the past. We understand you are still pursuing your age-old policy of keeping the flow of the Nile River by any means necessary, even at the expense of Ethiopia and other Nile countries. All you are after, by hook or by crook is that Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda should not conduct huge agricultural projects in their countries, in order to keep the Nile water level at all time high. You know that the 1925 treaty of the Nile basin countries was unfair. Some countries are not satisfied with that treaty, and they are demanding change in that agreement.

That unfair treaty will be changed sooner or later for the benefit of the Nile countries. You cannot block the existence of a whole nation based on that outmoded Nile basin policy of yours. Your rulers are the remnants of the 1952 military coup led by the so-called free officers. For about fifty years, you have monopolized power in the country, and denied anybody else to compete with you for the leadership of your country.

You seem frozen in the past and too reluctant to liberalize your economy, create an independent judiciary and give your people some freedom of expression, press and so forth. We know your presidential elections are mostly one man shows, while the emerging democracy you are denying the right to join the community of nations, have elected their president in a fair and free elections. I think it is about time that, you change you wrong-headed policy and let the people of Somaliland make their case in the AU and other places. It won't be too long when some countries may by pass you and recognize the people of Somaliland. The denial of the recognition of Somaliland is crumbling and loosing any legal ground according to international law. You mostly don't abide by international law and norms. Your policy is wrong, unfair and unjust. Somaliland recognition is about identity, it is about self-determination. It is about justice, fairness and fair play. The Au must understand that whenever discussion about the former Somalia is going on, there must be a Somaliland representative or representatives also urging for the Somaliland side. Whenever, the powerless Embagatti IGAD government is illegally claiming jurisdiction over Somaliland, there must be somebody representing the Somaliland side in that debate. Again this is about equal access, fairness and equal rights. It is quite amazing how the AU and others bestow recognition with successive non-existent entities of Somalia, while denying equal access to the elected representative government of Somaliland. The AU must act now to avert the gathering potential war between the Republic of Somaliland and Somalia. Does the AU and the government of Egypt will ever reward good governance, transparency, peace and good conduct in international relations.

I would also like to urge the AU to forestall the looming open confrontation between what is left of Somalia and the Republic of Somaliland. Because the way the so-called foreign constructed government for Somalia is formed is based on a false and baseless proposition, that Somaliland is part of Somalia. I am advising those who are bankrolling these meaningless and unrepresentative government composed of warlords, criminal elements, Islamic radicals and those who directly took part in the deconstruction and destruction of the now defunct Somali state, to mind their business and get out of Somaliland's business. All the so-called reconciliation conferences should focus on Southern Somalia. They must note that ignoring this problem now is irresponsible. The people leading the Embagatti entity has the old irredentist, recalcitrant and intransigent policies of the doomed and now defunct former Somali stat. The only way to avert an all out open warfare between the Republic of Somaliland, and Somalia is the amicable separation of Somaliland and southern Somalia. The urgency of the problem calls for an act now or never attitude.

I would also like to give a short note of advice to those who make a religion to fight, deny, distort and confuse every little achievement the Republic of Somaliland and its resilient people accomplish. I have to remind them what they were doing, since this country reacquired its lost independence is an act of war. What you are doing is an open warfare against the people of this land. You must remember this won't help your cause a bit. You know the deteriorating condition the rest of the former Somalia minus Somaliland is passing through. You need to concentrate your energies on Southern Somalia and stop your fantasy that Somaliland is part of Somalia. In order to bring meaningful peace and reconciliation to the people of Southern Somalia. You need to direct your energy to the terrorized indigenous people of Southern Somalia.

If you were for justice and human rights, you would have talked about the on going genocide against the indigenous people of Somalia. The homeland of these people in Kismayo, Merka, Mogadishu, Barawa, Daidawa were occupied, destroyed and most of these people are living in unbearable human conditions, which are not better than slavery in Southern United states in colonial America.

Why everybody who mentions and speaks out about the realities of Somaliland and Somalia is ravaged, disparaged, heckled and harassed? Your tactics are outdated, dictatorial and cannot work for you this time around. If they worked for you in the yesteryear in the now extinct former Somalia, they won't work for you today. Your despotic tactics will further antagonize the people of Somaliland and will harden their resolve to preserve their inalienable rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Professor Eqbal Jhazbhay, the ICG, Dr. Ali Masuri, Mr. I. Lewis, the Au fact-finding mission in Somaliland just put the prevailing condition in Somaliland into perspective. You know these people have a story to tell, while You have no story. I just don't know why you are becoming more desperate and disparaging anybody who says something positive about Somaliland. Are you doing these out of jealousy, because you are unable to do what the Somaliland people have already accomplished? Are you so despondent because you can't do anything for yourself, despite tremendous help you got from the corrupt UN, inept IGAD and other debating societies?

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the afore-mentioned distinguished individuals and organizations. I am encouraging them to continue the right thing and stand for justice and ignore the desperate tirades of those who destroyed the former Somalia, and now attempting to come back under new names, entities and management.

Our people will never be forced back into the now defunct union. We have given so much blood for the liberation of our country, and now we are ready to defend against the gathering winds of dysfunction, ineptness, those who failed to build any semblance of law and order for themselves for the last 16 years. Those who are dreaming of a long lost cause-Somali unity. You better do something for yourselves. I would like to tell the Embagatti's of the world. You already failed to attract any hearts and minds. The emergence of the so-called Islamic court was the beginning of your end. Your complete end is imminent.

Osman Jama

Somaliland Friends for Recognition

osmonja@yahoo.com

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