A message from the SSC regions: If Somalia

Somaliland is a beacon of stability, a peaceful and democratic state in Africa. It is Africa’s best-kept secret and therefore it deserves to be recognised internationally. Or so frequently spread the proponents of Somaliland. These misleading persons are either some hired pen-mercenaries who for pecuniary reasons propagate loads of baloney or others who take a secessionist’s propaganda at face value. But certainly much of the mantra comes from people who hail from a pretend and clannish enclave that calls itself Somaliland. A case in point is Mr Adan Isamil (Liban) whose article has recently appeared in the Somali websites. Mr Adan has attempted to rebut an open letter, stirring hornets nest in Somaliland, written by Mr Osman Hassan to the USA assistant undersecretary for African Affairs, Jonnie Carson. In this open letter Mr Osman has brilliantly highlighted the fallacy of Somaliland and further put forward how best the USA policy would help the Somalis. Unfortunately, the letter must have been pretty galling for Mr Adan and obviously it prompted him to respond with a familiar rehash of hackneyed collection of claims and distorted historical facts. Additionally he has also tried to disparage the existence of Sool, Sanaag and Ayn(SSC) regions and depict these regions as parts that identify themselves with a so-called Somaliland.

Before discussing the issue of SSC regions and where its people stand in today’s prevalent situation of Somalia, I prefer to debunk some points, raised in the aforesaid article which are either baseless or of wishful thinking.

The undeniable entity of Somaliland

Mr Adan has passionately tried to make us believe that there had been a country, called Somaliland from 1884 and up to 1960, the date the British had left what was once known as British Somaliland Protectorate.

Well, to be fair enough to some of his points, it was Europe’s scramble for Africa in 1884, which resulted in Britain, France and Italy to curve up Somali populated regions or a common Somali homeland in the Horn of Africa. It is also true that Britain took control of the territories of northern part of this Somali homeland and named the occupied territories as British Somaliland Protectorate. It is clear that, to Mr Adan and like-minded secessionists the term “Somaliland Protectorate” connotes a special closeness and consanguinity to the British occupiers and in fact it is for this reason the name “Somaliland” has been picked for their cause. Read More