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S O M A L I L A N D H I S T O R Y
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Although it has been almost completely ignored in the
Middle East (thought not in Eu rope and US), the
Northern, formerly British part of Somaliland proclaimed
itself the in dependent Republic of Somaliland in May
1991. While southern Somalia has continued to be torn by
civil war and has sought through five reconciliation
conferences to put itself back together again, the
long-dissident northern region ( Somaliland ) has set
of f on its own.
Somalilander insist that they have not " seceded", since
their independence was gran ted by Britain prior to their
adherence to the union of northern and southern Somalia
in 1960, and thus they also are not violating the AU "
African Unity " principal that colonial boundaries are
sacrosanct. They were a British controlled, separate
from the Italian-colony-south.
Somaliland contains more resources than the southern
Somalia, including some oil,and Berbera is one of the
best harbors on the Red Sea, coveted in the past by both
the Soviet and US fleets. Somaliland, after years of
civil war with the southern-dominated regime of Siad
Barre, has come through the war intact and with an
internal stability not matched in the still-troubled
southern Somalia. At this point, no foreign governm ent
has recognized the “Republic of Somaliland", and Arab
League officials have expr essed their hope that Somali
unity will be restored. But “Somaliland " seems in no
hur ry. Even without recognition, it has begun to forge
links with the outside world, with two airline, money
and new passports. Its President has made a tour of
European cou ntries including England. One of my friends
in Hargeisa “Dr. Shiine” told the Estimate that “We may
become the Taiwan of Africa "---with trade and other
links but without formal political recognition.
The African Union (AU) has always adhered to the
principle that colonial boundaries must not be tampered
with. Supporters of the new " Republic of Somaliland "
say that their " reproclamaiton" of their independence
does not violate the African Union (AU) principle,
because they were a separate British Controlled which,
after independence freely united with the former Italian
colony to create the Republic of Somalia. After years of
southern domination, they insist, they have merely
reasserted their original independence. We not secession
we reasserted the original independence.
In Fact, the Somali people have long been scattered
across various international bou ndaries. The
five-pointed star on the flag of the Republic of Somalia
represented Ital ian, British, French Somaliland (the
latter now independent as Djibouti), plus Somali
-occupied regions in north-eastern Kenya "NFD" and in
the Fifth region of Ethiopia. In the late 1970s Somalia
fought a war with Ethiopia over the region. But today
the Republic of Somalia is not an irredentist state
trying to annex other Somali territories, but a remnant
of a state trying to hold itself together. Its
potentially richest region (devastated by years of civil
war), the Former British Somaliland in the North, has
dec lared its independence as the Republic of Somaliland.
The south has yet to successf ully bring its own internal
conflicts under control, and has done nothing to counterthe Somaliland declaration of independence.
Although Somalis are proud of their heritage and speak
of brotherhood with other So malis. The heritage of the
long rule of Siad Barre (1969-1991) left the country
deeply divided along tribal and clan lines. Somaliland
is the heartland of Isaac, Gadabiirsi, Dhu lbahante,
Warsangali, Essa, Gabooye and numbers of smaller clans
also live in Somalila nd.
The coastal ports of Somaliland attracted European
attention in the late 19th centu ry, and were also
coveted by Ethiopia and, for a grief period in the
1870s, by Egypt. By the 1850s France was already gaining
ground in what is now Djibouti. Italy having planted
itself in Eritrea began to acquire Somali Territory in
1889. In the 1890s Britain and Italy delineated the
frontiers of British and Italian Somaliland, and the
latter's frontier with British Kenya.
During World War II, Italian forces invaded British
Somaliland in 1940, but by May 19 41 British colonial
forces had retaken not only British Somaliland but had
occupied the Italian sector as well. After the war the
British considered uniting the two regions but the
United Nations chose to place the Italian sector under
Trusteeship to Italy for 10 years beginning in 1949 with
UN supervision to oversee preparation for independenc e.
The British meanwhile encouraged the growth of
nationalist organizations and parti es in the Somaliland,
though many of these had tribal affiliations.
Britain expected and encouraged the nation that British
and Italian Somaliland would unite on independence, and
accordingly granted independence to Somaliland June 26,
1960. On July 1, with the independence of the Italian
Trust Territory, The unification of the two regions was
proclaimed. The legislative bodies of the two former
colonies merged to create the new Somali Parliament in
Mogadishu, The southern capital beco me the national
capitol; southern leaders held the major posts in the
new governm ent, and the majority of seats in Parliament.
The North (Somaliland) acquiesced this. But there were
many differences from the beginning: the dominance of
Italian as a second language in the south, versus
English in the North; the differing political and
economic systems of the two former colonies. Efforts to
bring the Somalis of neighbor ing countries into the
nation helped downplay the divisions initially. In 1969
the elected government was toppled by a coup led by
officers including Siad Barre. Over the more than 20
years which followed, Siad consolidated power in his own
clan and its allies, naming many of his own in-laws to
key posts. Northerners were increasingly alienated.
SNM..............
In 1981 the Northern created the Somali National
Movement (SNM), which would lead the fight against Siad
Barre in the North and become the core of the new
provisional government of Somaliland. SNM had five
leaders in its 10 years of existence, a sign of its
internal democracy. The first Chairman, Mohamed Jimaleh,
Second Yusuf Ali Sheikh Madar, the third Abdulqadir
Kosar, seized power in a military coup and was
assassina ted after 10 months in Hawiye land, but in the
meantime he builds up the military org anization which
would eventually fight the Siad's government to a
standstill. On his death of Kosaar the SNM elected Ahmed
Mohamed Mahmoud " Silaanyo" and held that post for six
years. He was replaced by Abdulrahman Ahmed Ali " tuur
".
The SNM was a mixture of left radical, and Westernized
nationalists, unity by their op position to Siad Barre
and, now by their commitment to separation of the north
from the south. The SNM fought Siad Barre for a decade
and in 1988 began making major gains, and holding the
northern capital of Hargeisa against heavy air attacks
by gove rnment forces. The northern cities were
devastated in this period, but increasingly the SNM was
able to control the countryside. In the last months of
1990 and the be ginning of 1991, as Siad Barre kits his
last tenuous grasp of power, the SNM was able to
consolidate its control in the north. On January 27 in
1991, Siad Barre fled Mogadi shu as another rebel group
the United Somali Congress (USC), took the city. As the
USC struggled to consolidate power in the south, it
announced an interim government including a northerner
as Prime Minster. But the SNM had not been consulted in
adv ance and simply preceded with its own affairs. In May
a Congress was called in Burao, bringing the SNM Central
Committee together with the leading clans of the north:
besides the Isaac, the Dhulbahante, Gadabirsi,
Warsangali, Essa, and Gabooye. This Congress declared
May 17 that the Act of Union had been rescinded and that
the Republic of Somaliland had reclaimed its
independence, on May 18 1991.
ANIIS ABDILLAHI ESSA……HEADS
SOMALILAND ADVOCACY GROUP
WASHINGTON DC...USA
Aniis@yahoo.com
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