Somaliland Societies in
Europe
360 Great Western Street
Manchester
M14 4BY
Mob: 00447930655099
Website: sseuro.com
Email: info@sseuro.com
Date: 20th January 2012
Ref:SSE 20919012011
A Response to the London Conference on Somalia: Building Momentum
Dear Sir and or Madam,
Somaliland Society in Europe (SSE) is a network of organizations
representing about 45 Somaliland Diaspora community organizations
from 11 European countries.
We are writing to you to share with you our position on the upcoming
London Conference.
We welcome that the British government by hosting this International
Conference has bravely decided to actively engage in restoring peace
and stability in Somalia. It is a noble act and a goodwill gesture
on the part of the British government to help Somalia stand on its
feet again. As SSE we welcome every genuine effort to end the
anarchy and lawlessness in our neighboring country, Somalia, and
help her emerge from the abyss of total failure.
We have closely studied the key objectives of the Conference and are
startled to note that one of the key objectives of the Conference is
to offer:
“The opportunity to reinforce the relative stability in areas of
Somalia, such as Somaliland and Puntland and in the south”
This statement clearly indicates that the organization of the
Conference is not carefully considered. It indicates a fundamental
confusion and misrecognition on the part of the organizers of whose
problem they want to address and whose interest they want to serve.
The organizers intend to clumsily drag the peaceful and stable
Republic of Somaliland into the lawless and chaotic Somalia. This is
an ill-advised objective which at best will certainly fail to
deliver any positive outcome, and at worst jeopardize the very peace
and stability it very much seeks to establish. The organizers have
failed to appreciate that the central themes of the Conference
(peace and stability) are not relevant to the Republic of Somaliland
anymore than they are to the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and
Kenya and Yemen across the waters.
We want to draw your attention to your gross negligence of
acknowledging the de jure status of the Republic of Somaliland and
mentioning it in the same breath as Somalia’s regional state of
Puntland casts doubt upon the genuineness of the Conference. The
aspiring Republic of Somaliland may not have secured an
international recognition, but one cannot deny what it has achieved
over the past twenty years and what it wants to achieve: an
international recognition for its sovereignty. It is certainly clear
that the organizers of this Conference have on both of these two
accounts committed serious miscalculation and misread the political
dynamics and developments on the ground.
We fully acknowledge and trust you will agree that the Republic of
Somaliland can play an instrumental role in restoring peace and
stability to the Horn of Africa, in the fight against piracy and
terrorism, and it can be a strategic partner in curbing the
unpredictable and uncertain political situation unfolding in the
Gulf of Aden. It can play a constructive role in the wider region
because it has established effective and working institutions
despite being unrecognized by the International Community and
despite being surrounded by extremely violence, terrorism and
piracy. However, the Republic of Somaliland will fulfill its role
if, and only if, its aspiration to join the list of free nations is
fully endorsed. SSE strongly believes that a recognition of the
aspiring Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign state is in the
interest of the International Community.
For this London Conference to have any chances of success one should
consider the previous 16 failed internationally endorsed Somalia
Conferences. They all had one thing in common: piecing the fractured
former Somali Republic together. For this Conference not to join its
predecessors in the dustbin of history its organizers should
seriously consider the dynamics on the ground. Any attempt to revive
the failed Somali nation state either federalized or centralized
will be disastrous and dangerous; and any attempt to persuade the
government of the Republic of Somaliland to participate in this
ill-advised Conference will surely be counterproductive. We,
therefore, call on the London Conference organizers, the UK
government and the International Community to seriously consider a
Two-State Solution to the Somali conundrum.
SSE fully endorses for representatives of the Republic of Somaliland
to participate where there is a national interest for that emerging
nation. We consider that this Conference is not serving the interest
of Somaliland. On the contrary it undermines its aspiration to
secure a de jure status. We, therefore, call on the government of
the Republic of Somaliland to abstain from attending the Conference
and strongly discourage our member organizations or individuals
affiliated with us to participate.
We fully support and welcome the decision of the government of the
Republic of Somaliland that it will not be taking part in the
Conference. Any change to this position due to pressure from the
International Community will be considered as a dangerous move and a
historical mistake.
We sincerely hope that the organizers of the Conference will
consider the concerns raised in the foregoing and correct it
accordingly in order for the Conference to deliver positive outcome
for all concerned.
SSE Executive Committee,
CC:
- The Presidency, the Republic of Somaliland
- The House of Representatives of the Republic of Somaliland
- The House of Elders of the Republic of Somaliland
- National Political Parties of the Republic of Somaliland
- Dr Augustine Mahiga, UN Special Representative for Somalia
- UK All Parliamentary Group for Republic of Somaliland
SSE is a network organisation for Somaliland Diaspora organisations
from across Europe. Drawing on the Diaspora resources and expertise,
SSE aims to contribute to the cultural, economic and social
development in Somaliland as well as to raising the political
awareness of its members.
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