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By
Ibrahim Hassan Gagale
The Arab World with the leadership of Saudi Arabia must show the courage
of recognizing Somaliland Republic on the basis of its own historical,
colonial borders as the diplomatic and international recognition of
every Arab country is based on its own historical, colonial borders so
the West will follow to recognize Somaliland too.
The United Nations, African Union,
African States, or the Arab World did not draw or make the current
borders of African States and Arab World. All the borders of Arab World
and African independent states had been drawn by the colonial powers of
Europe. The independence, statehood, and diplomatic recognition of each
Arab and African State as well as each Asian or South American country
today are based on its own colonial demarcations or borders.
Similarly, the statehood, independence,
and the expected diplomatic recognition of Somaliland Republic are based
on its own colonial borders drawn during British Somaliland Protectorate
era.
The borders of Somalia, Somaliland, and
Djibouti have the same international status and legitimacy because they
were all drawn by European Colonial powers. Anyone who opposes the
legitimacy of Somaliland borders, its statehood, its independence, and
its diplomatic recognition is challenging the borders and sovereignty of
all Africans, Arab World, Asian, and South American independent states
whose borders rose from their colonial borders or demarcations.
Some people confuse Somaliland Republic
with Puntland Region of Somalia for either not knowing the history of
Somalis or for irrational political reasons. Puntland is an integral,
inseparable part of Somalia because it is located within Somalia’s
historical borders with which Somalia achieved independence on July 1st,
1960 from Italy while Somaliland Republic emerged from British
Somaliland Protectorate and achieved separately its independence from
Britain on June 26, 1960. Somaliland Republic has undeniable rights to
claim independence, statehood, and recognition based on its own unique
borders while Puntland can not have such rights because it is part of
Somalia and shares borders and nationhood with it.
Somaliland and Somalia are not the first
two countries in this world whose union ceased to exist. The Soviet
Union that had 15 Socialist Republics created by the Bolshevik
Revolution led by Lenin in 1917 broke up after social upheavals and
political discontent ended its existence peacefully in 1989 with new
countries emerging from it such as Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia,
Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia etc. They are all recognized by
the UN and international community on the basis of their original
borders existing before the union. The federation of former Republic of
Yugoslavia that had 8 countries broke up too after bloody civil wars
between 1991-1995 and new countries such as Serbia, Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo etc emerged from its
ashes. All are recognized diplomatically too for their original borders
existing before the federation.
Some Somalis believe that Somaliland can
not withdraw from the union with Somalia claiming that Somalis share
language, religion, color, and culture. If this claim were true for
achieving union, the Arab World which has nearly 17 independent
countries such as Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia,
United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Sudan and that also share language,
religion, culture, and color would not have separate independent sates.
They do not have any federal or union for disagreeing to share one. Only
justice and fair power-sharing are the most important factors for a
union to survive and that is what Somalia failed to understand in the
years of the union.
Independent Republic of Somaliland was
the first to pioneer the unification between Somaliland and Somalia on
July 1, 1960 in quest for Greater Somalia in the Horn of Africa. The
union was doomed after Somalia hijacked the governments for the thirty
years of its existence (1960-1990) and then committed atrocities against
Somaliland people when they rebelled against injustices and humiliation
perpetrated against them.
The idea of ‘Greater Somalia’ emerged in
the middle of the Second World War [1939-1945] and the main objective
was to liberate the five Somali Territories and bring them together
under the same banner and government in the Horn of Africa. That idea of
‘Greater Somalia’ (Somaliweyn) is as elusive as ‘Greater Arab’ today and
no one knows when it will come true.
The Somaliland Congress held in Burao on
May 18, 1991 unanimously proclaimed the withdrawal of Somaliland from
the union with Somalia and reclaimed its independence of June 26, 1960
naming itself Somaliland Republic. The referendum held in Somaliland on
May 31st, 2001 reaffirmed Somaliland independence from Somalia with 97%
in favor of Somaliland sovereignty. Somaliland, as any African state,
has the right to be diplomatically recognized by the United Nations and
international community for its own unique borders that rose from
British Somaliland Protectorate borders.
Somaliland Republic will only discuss
future relations with a government of Somalia ( Former Italian Territory
) which is democratically elected and which represents and controls the
entire people and territory of Somalia. Somaliland will not meet with a
government or parliament that includes individuals claiming to represent
Somaliland. Any meeting or discussions with Somalia that does not
fulfill these two conditions would violate the basics of Somaliland’s
sovereignty.
The Arab World and the African Union
must lead the diplomatic recognition of Somaliland for sharing same
historical borders that all rose from colonial borders. It would be
unfair to deny Somaliland of diplomatic recognition based on its own
historical, colonial borders while the nationhood and statehood of their
countries are based too on their own historical, colonial borders.
Ibrahim Hassan Gagale
Email: Ibrahim_hg@yahoo.com
February 20, 2012
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