Home
/
Isiam
/
Islamic World
/
Somaliland: A radical change?
Somaliland: A radical change?
Jul 6, 2025 7:37 PM

  Although the international media has under-reported it, the world has recently witnessed a major event in the Horn of Africa - a free, fair and generally peaceful election in Somaliland.

  On July 2, Isse Yusuf Mohamud, the chairman of Somaliland's election commission, announced that Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo, the leader of the opposition Kulmiye Party, won the presidential election with 49.59 per cent of the 538,246 votes cast. The incumbent president, Dahir Riyale Kahin, came a distant second with 33.23 per cent of the votes.

  International observers declared the election "free and fair" and praised the conduct of political actors and stakeholders involved in the election campaign.

  Even more significantly, unlike many leaders in the region, Kahin embraced the popular verdict and accepted defeat gracefully.

  A peaceful transfer of power is now underway.

  Two options

  However, this significant event brings into focus two contradictory approaches to the future of the region: (1) recognizing Somaliland as a new state or (2) establishing the Somali state from Somaliland.

  Proponents of the secession of Somaliland as an independent state argue that Somaliland has fulfilled the criteria of statehood - a permanent population, defined borders, territorial control and government.

  They also note Somaliland's achievements in the wake of the Somali government's collapse in 1991 - particularly impressive considering the heinous crimes Somalia's military regime committed against the people of the north before it fell - and assert that the region established peace, demonstrated a commitment to democracy and presented mature leadership.

  Challenges of creating a new state

  But creating a new de jure state can only come about from two directions: the international or national front.

  Internationally, political considerations have often outweighed legal and historical arguments for most of the 25 countries that have joined the UN over the last two decades.

  Interestingly, although Bosnia-Herzegovina has not fulfilled all of the criteria for statehood it has been recognized as a state.

  But, despite the recognition of two permanent members of the Security Council, the US and the UK, and another 67 countries, Kosovo is not yet a member of the UN. Serbia, Russia and many other countries facing secessionist challenges refused to recognize it.

  In Africa, only Eritrea has attained de jure statehood since 1992. The African Union recognised it after Ethiopia relinquished its claim and recognised Asmara.

  The African Union is reluctant to address the issue of recognizing new African states because it wants to maintain pre-existing boundaries. It is not a coincidence, therefore, that the African Union has not formally processed Somaliland's application even though it was submitted in December 2005.

  For Somaliland to secure a UN seat, it requires the support of the majority of the countries of the African Union, nine members of the Security Council, including the five permanent members, and two-thirds of the General Assembly. In today's security cautious and politically charged atmosphere, consensus among the five permanent members is often difficult to achieve, no matter what the issue.

  But with meager resources, Somaliland cannot mobilise the lobbying efforts needed to deliver state recognition. Its ability to access international forums and to impose sanctions if some states refuse to recognize it is limited. Achieving recognition through international channels will, therefore, prove extremely difficult.

  The second, and perhaps more feasible, option is through what political scientists call the consent of a parent or partner state - in this case Somalia. If, as in the case of Eritrea and many states that separated from Russia, Somaliland's parent or partner state relinquishes its claim to it, the international community would have no choice but to recognize it.

  At this time, however, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu has neither the will nor the capacity to make this decision. And the international community has not accepted the dissolution of Somalia as it supports the government and has sent peacekeeping troops there.

  Neither the national nor the international option, therefore, appear to offer an easy solution.

  Radical solution

  But, there is an alternative.

  A win-win solution for all involved is still possible. Given the fact that efforts to establish a legitimate and functioning Somali state from Mogadishu have failed, the international community and the Somali elite should consider the creation of the Somali state from Somaliland.

  There are several reasons why the time is ripe for this option.

  Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, there are no religious, cultural or language differences separating Somalis - the homogeneity of the Somali people is an obvious reality. Somalis have a shared culture and history and a collective destiny.

  Moreover, there is no minority issue here. The dominant Isaq clan in Somaliland is one of Somalia's major clans.

  Secondly, recent events in Somalia have contributed to maturing the general public and preparing them for a radical change. The two-year-long Ethiopian occupation of southern Somalia has had two unintended consequences. It has revealed the vulnerability of all Somalis regardless of region and, by displacing hundreds of thousands from the south, it has increased levels of contact between average Somalis, thus having a normalizing effect.

  For the first time, there is a growing realisation among large segments of Somali society that their survival is interlinked. Religious, cultural, language and ethnic unity can, therefore, be more easily transformed into a political order that is at peace with itself and its neighbours.

  Thirdly, the transitional government in Mogadishu is struggling against multi-clan extremist groups, many of whom are from the north. Unless a miracle occurs, the TFG's chances of success are slim. And with just one year until the government's mandate ends, the establishment of a state from Somaliland offers more promise than yet another conference producing a dysfunctional government or an extension of the TFG's mandate.

  Finally, Somaliland's experiences and institutions can easily, in theory at least, be replicated in the rest of Somalia.

  Dialogue and consensus

  In a globalized world, life is not easy without a stable, legitimate, functioning and recognized state.

  Somalis in the south long for peace and stability, while those in more stable regions experience difficulty in accessing development assistance or in travelling to nearby countries for work or trade. Young Somalis who perish in the desert between Sudan and Libya or on the Mediterranean Sea come from across Somalia.

  Establishing the Somali state from Somaliland would be one feasible option that the world should consider. Perhaps, moving the main UN agencies in Nairobi to Hargaysa would be the first step towards this end.

  In the final analysis, however, the ultimate decision on either unity or separation has to come through dialogue and consensus. In other words, neither force nor emotion-driven rhetoric will take the country anywhere - a genuine debate must begin.

  PHOTO CAPTION

  Men queue in June, 2010 to vote at a poll satation in the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland.

  Al-Jazeera

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Islamic World
Cruel exile for Syrian Palestinians
  Life in overcrowded refugee camps of Lebanon is proving difficult for Palestinians fleeing Syria.   "We are discriminated against here. The Palestinians think we take their jobs and other things. But you see, here, we have nothing.   We don't feel welcome."   The Palestinian refugee from Syria sits in the single small...
Unrest in Egypt spells trouble for Gazans
  Visiting the Gaza Strip to join his Palestinian family during the Eid holiday has proven to be an unwise decision for Wael Salem, a 24-year-old engineering student. He didn't know he was putting his academic studies in Sweden at risk.   Salem is stuck in Gaza because Egypt has closed the...
690 Egyptians detained, claims rights group
  The Egyptian Defense Center of Human Rights has stated that 690 people were detained after the incident when fire was opened on civilians outside the Republican Guard HQ in Cairo last Monday morning and that there were children, women and elders among the detainees who were holding a pro-Morsi sit-in....
A new life in Aleppo amid snipers, missiles and explosives
  One of the most memorable objects from the Bosnian war two decades ago was the sign that said "Pazi Snajper" (Watch out, sniper). Hundreds of Bosnians were killed by snipers up in hidden posts around Sarajevo.   Dozens of people collapsed in streets, shot dead silently. It was the "sniper death,"...
Amnesty accuses Israel of judicial bullying
  Two female Palestinian activists have gone on trial in an Israeli military court over their involvement in weekly demonstrations against an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.   Rights groups and activists said on Tuesday that the prosecution of Nariman Tamimi and Rana Hamadeh coincided with a rise in Israeli...
Survivors describe horrors of gas attack
  The early-morning barrage against opposition-held areas around the Syrian capital immediately seemed different this time: The rockets made a strange, whistling noise.   Seconds after one hit near his home west of Damascus, Qusai Zakarya says, he couldn't breathe, and he desperately punched himself in the chest to get air.   Meanwhile,...
Egypt tunnel closure costs Gaza millions
  Egypt's closure of tunnels used to smuggle goods into the Gaza strip has caused monthly losses of $230 million to its economy, a Hamas official has said.   The "closure of the tunnels caused heavy losses to the industry, commerce, agriculture, transport and construction sectors" of about $230 million monthly, said...
Egyptians' missing Ramadan spirit
  While the notions of peace and cooperation are celebrated in the Muslim world at this time of year, Egyptians are struggling with those concepts during the holy month of Ramadan after the divisive military overthrow of the elected government.   Egypt's Muslim population, which makes up the majority of its 84...
'Family size' protests at Egypt's Rabaa al-Adawiya
  Life hasn't settled down in Egypt, the state going through the most important days of its history.   Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has left behind 36 days of demonstrations at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square which has become the center of attention of the world recently. Crowded groups, at times exceeding...
Egypt's revolution: Dead or alive?
  As crowds dominate political discourse in Egypt - on one end, those who support the military, and on the other, backers of deposed president Mohamed Morsi - a middle ground is mourning the loss of a dream.   "My hope was that we don't live in injustice anymore, because we were...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved