Commentary

By Abdirahman Ahmed Ali

In much analysis, Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS) failed to restored law and order in southern Somalia, including the vicious Mogadishu that paralyzed the country for about two decades. IGAD and Arab League also failed to install government is Somalia after 14 Peace Conferences in Arab and IGAD territories. It is likely that UN Trusteeship System that worked in Italian Somaliland for about ten years in 1950’s will again restore law and order in Italian Somaliland.

Effective from January 27 th 1950, General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending that Italian Somaliland be placed under an international trusteeship system, and requested the Italian government to be administrator of Italian Somaliland until further recommendations to lift the resolution. The decree worked fine between 1950 to 1960 and established local administration for the Italian Somaliland until the unity of Italian Somaliland with British Somaliland on 1 st July 1960. Now, international community has all the legal authority it needs to shape a solution to humanitarian crises and armed conflicts around the world including Italian Somaliland, Mogadishu.

Whereas, the General Assembly, after having examined the question at its third and fourth sessions, adopted at its 250 th plenary meeting on 21 st November 1949 a resolution recommending, with respect to the territory formerly known as Italian Somaliland, that the territory shall be an independent and sovereign state; that its independence shall become effective at the end of the ten years from the date of approval of the Trusteeship Agreement by the General Assembly with Italy as Administrating Authority, aided and advised by an Advisory Council composed of representatives of Colombia, Egypt and the Philippines. This was first UN decision to impose the trusteeship, where Italian Somaliland remained under the trusteeship for about ten years.

Its, however, strongly recommended that United Nation must accept and act upon its responsibilities to maintain international peace and security more aggressively then its has in the past, and support the governments that failed to restore domestic peace and human rights respect in their areas like that of TGS, as well as to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of all the peoples in the world. Its clear that United Nation maintains minimal role in the failed state of Somalia especially Italian Somaliland compare to IGAD, where Ethiopian forces invaded in Somalia to support the suffering Somalis in their own hometowns.

In other hand, Arabs preserve their policy of using oil for money as Arabs especially rich gulf countries distribute money to warlords like current Abdullah Yousif of TGS and his henchman, who later turned foe Former Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Geddi. This kind of Arabian nonsense policies in Somalia will not lead Italian Somaliland into stability instead build muscles of new warlords in Somalia politics.

One of the analysis, Ambassador Marks suggests the need for the international community to search for a structure of governance that would assist and strengthen a country experiencing internal and civil turmoil, guide it through an unstable transition period, and allow it finally to reach a mature condition of governance in the world community. He is aware that some authorities do not consider the past League of Nations mandates system and the United Nations international trusteeship system as successes or the type of structures needed in today’s environment.

Ambassador Marks described in his article how the international community, as an alternative to the trusteeship system, has attempted peacekeeping missions where the United Nations “aggressively interfered” in the internal affairs of member states such as in Cambodia, Somalia, Haiti, the successor state of the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Georgia, and Iraq — all with varying success.

In his conclusion, Ambassador Marks asserts that the world community must assume responsibility in international and internal conflicts, and that the United Nations is the most effective institution to accept this responsibility because of its consensual base. He suggests that the principle of a trusteeship system should be revisited with variations, even perhaps to supplement peacekeeping activities. UN should enforce again the UN Trusteeship System in Italian Somaliland ( South Somalia), as the system worked successfully in 1950’s. The system will create local authority for Italian Somalilanders who suffered for two decades from civil wars.

Somaliland: The Modern State in the Horn of Africa

In other hand, 18 years old independent, democratic and stable Republic of Somaliland remains neglected as international community preferred to remain uncommitted, although the peace loving people of Somaliland established complete infrastructure of statehood in their part of the world. Even IGAD countries that enjoy strong diplomatic and economic relations like Ethiopia and Djibouti remained silent to cause of Somaliland. On the other hand, Somaliland leadership made clear to international community that Somaliland will remain independent with or without international community. Somaliland has peaceful border with all its neighbors unlike Italian Somaliland where terrorist and Islamist fundamentalists operate against other IGAD members like Ethiopia.

Somaliland voiced up many times to international community and officially requested African Union membership in 2005, after fact-finding team led by Deputy Chairman of African Union suggested to the African leaders to consider Somaliland case different, and even highlighted to the leaders that recognizing Somaliland will solve the chronicle problems of Somalia. I believe that Africans should help the active and hardworking members of their community in the black continent like Somaliland that have security and democracy better then many AU members. Somaliland has entire necessary tools to build nation including modern government, defined border and populations, which is necessary conditions for statehood.

Somaliland managed stability and continues growing through its democratic policy, but its foreign policy has been paralyzed by diplomatic embargo against Somaliland, where the international community realizes process, democracy and statehood in Somaliland but still remains blind and even refuses to hear the Somaliland voice of freedom. In 2007, Somaliland diplomacy started shinning after Rwanda Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Charles MURIGANDE highlighted Somaliland development followed by a lecture delivered by Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Mohammed Duaale in the last AU Foreign Minister’s meeting. Besides, the recent statements of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, that he supported Somaliland during his visit to U.S. Forces in Djibouti
Clearly, we can say Somaliland is victim of other regional policies. As I.G.A.D. is committed to Somalia's unity fearing that a successful secession of Somaliland could be misinterpreted as a precedent of other secessionist movements in East Africa. Arab countries are trying to balance Ethiopia's influence in the Horn, to ensure their interest in the region like Egypt with Nile Water Policy and Gulf Arab countries securing the path of oil exports to the west that crosses the Somali-Yemen coastal areas.

My final word,

UN should consider imposing similar trusteeship resolution to save Somalia, and support the independence of Somaliland in order to reduce the size of the problem in Somaliland. This shows that keeping Somaliland away from current chaos in Somalia may save Somaliland. UN should know Somaliland can be helpful in restoring peace and stability in horn of Africa.

By Abdirahman Ahmed Ali

Email: an.ahmed@somaliland.net