The Buhodleh and Widhwidh Massacre: an opportunity for peace and stability

The concurrent disparaging incursion of the Ethiopian forces – the overlords of Somalia – in to the peaceful town of Buhodle that resulted in an all out massacre of multitude of innocent civilians and Somaliland militia’s savage hammering of Widh-Widh district with the sole aim of forcing unwilling people to vote for the ruling party (UDUB) has come at the least desirable time. This military action is ill-timed as the region is in the run up to the long awaited election and thus can neither afford to give any ropes to the weak and bewildered opposition that has no viable agenda, nor to disappoint the international community that invested heavily on the election project, who are watching from afar. In times of confusion and civil war, history teaches us that the extremist ride on the back of the society and if this policy of belligerence is not tamed rapidly it will certainly backfire to UDUB who so far glided Somaliland through perilous times in which the opposition were prepared to stage pointless civil wars. Attention of the leaders should always focus on the fact that Somaliland’s fragile economy can’t sustain an open ended war of aggression against the SSC – the SSC is the third administrative region in Northern Somalia besides Somaliland and Puntland.

It is very plausible that the opposition will use this unfortunate aimless militarism to their advantage if they play their cards right. The opposition is bound to depict (UDUB) as undemocratic and corrupt  administration that is using- the funds the international community donated to Somaliland’s administration to conduct safe, fair and peaceful election - to start wars in the neighbourhood to uproot civilians from their towns. The current policy of militarism has the potentiality of tainting the success UDUB party is expected to reap from the ballot box which is due to take place very soon as the opposition is in no position to throw out a significant challenge other than to cry foul and claim the vote was rigged. To score few political points, against the insane and far right opposition that live in the days of the now defunct and controversial SNM that has no relevance to the current situation except in the minds of the out-of-touch opposition, isn’t worth derailing the centrist UDUB party.Read the whole