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By Alisha
Ryu
Nairobi, Kenya, August 8, 2009 – Escalating tensions ahead of a
presidential vote in Somaliland are raising fears that a prolonged
political crisis may give the al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group, al-Shabaab,
the opportunity to spread its extremist ideology.
The associate professor of religious studies and Arabic at the
University of South Africa, Iqbal Jhazbhay, says political bickering
between the government and opposition parties in Somaliland is
threatening to derail much-delayed elections there, scheduled for
September 27.
Jhazbhay says the feud must be resolved quickly before it inflicts
irreparable damage on the breakaway territory's democratic system.
"There is no doubt that this is a defining moment," he said. "This
polarization could pose a threat to peace and security in the sense that
it would polarize the populace, lead to possibly things spilling out of
control, the possibility of extreme Islamic elements like al-Shabaab
seeing this as an opportunity to advance their agenda."
At the center of Somaliland's brewing crisis is the question of whether
the territory can hold an election without a voter registration list.
A U.N.-partnered organization called Interpeace had been helping the
government of incumbent President Dahir Riyale with the voter
registration process, and was planning to monitor the election.
But last week, the government expelled the head of Interpeace from
Somaliland, accusing the organization of, among other things, illegally
sharing voter information with officials of Somaliland's two main
opposition groups, Kulmiye and UCID.
Interpeace has denied any wrongdoing. But it acknowledged that the voter
registration system was, in its words, seriously abused while being
implemented. Some government supporters have charged that multiple
registrations in favor of opposition parties had taken place in several
districts.
Somaliland's National Election Commission ruled that the presidential
election could proceed without the voter registration list, and the
president quickly endorsed the ruling. Kulmiye and UCID said the
decision to abandon the list is tantamount to high treason. Opposition
members of parliament are now said to be preparing a motion to impeach
President Riyale.
Professor Jhazbhay says he fears if a compromise cannot be reached soon,
the feud may cause some Somalilanders to become disillusioned with
democracy, and he fears that could strengthen the hand of al-Shabaab
extremists. Al-Shabaab, which is listed as a terrorist organization by
the United States, is currently battling to overthrow a U.N.-backed
government in the Somali capital Mogadishu, and has vowed to fight until
all of Somalia is united under an ultra-conservative Islamic caliphate.
"In the case of Somaliland, they have tried to shape an agenda and a
discourse saying that advancing democracy is a Western exercise, where
countries like Somaliland end up being led and following an American
agenda," he said. "It is an attempt to mobilize people and alienate them
from what is clearly a home-grown democracy of Somali customary laws and
Islamic law."
Top al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane hails from the Somaliland
capital, Hargeysa. Godane is suspected of ordering the deadly suicide
attacks in Hargeysa last October at a U.N. compound, the Ethiopian
consulate, and the presidential palace.
Somaliland's current president, Dahir Riyale, was peacefully elected to
his first five-year term in 2003, and, until recently, the territory was
held up as an example of what the rest of Somalia could achieve through
democratic reforms and good governance.
But the presidential vote that should have taken place in August 2008
has been postponed several times. The delay has raised concern from key
allies, such as the United States and the European Union, about
Somaliland's commitment to democracy.
In recent years, Somaliland has been closely cooperating with the West
in combating terrorism and piracy, in exchange for the international
diplomatic recognition it has sought since declaring independence from
Somalia in 1991.
Source: VOA
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