Somaliland: Standing Taller than ever
Somaliland is standing tall on this silver jubilee, a quarter of
century post since nullifying its union with its southern neighbor
and reclaiming its independence and still undeterred by the lack
inter national recognition.
As Somaliland celebrates this mile stone, its neighbors in the north
and south are also both celebr ating their own mile stones of sorts
and the contrast could not be any greater. In Djibouti ,Muse vani-junior
dictator Omar Guelleh was sworn in for his fourth term as President,
And in Somalia an other unflattering milestone reached when for the
first time ever ISIS proved that it was not only present but
operational .
Back to Somaliland
Every 18th of May, the festivities are animated in Somaliland, just
as the euphoria was back on th e 26th of June in 1960, when
Somaliland became an independent sovereign state and recipient of
congratulatory messages from 35 countries bestowing their wishes to
the young nation.
In the first year of this millennia, back in 2001 a resounding 97%
of Somalilanders reaffirmed their independence in a referendum vote
that cumulated from the learnt lessons of the previous gener ation
that so easily in 1960 forwent their statehood for the greater idea
of unity and the brother hood of united people, nothing is ever given
that easy, even our elders in 1887 formulated the fr amework signed
with Britain for the formation of the Protectorate of the British
Somaliland.
Somaliland remains steadfast and resolute in its quest for
Self-determination, as the ideals and the idioms it profess now are
shaped by its historical context of crawling out of the rubble
without any assistance.
Come the next 25 years with or without international recognition,
Somaliland will still be standing and our values and virtues will
continue to radiate. As an unrecognized nation with enormous
int ernal constraints and burdens of economic-woes, monetary
inflation, nascent institutions, climate change, severe draughts,
the loss of youth to the allure of economic-migration, and the
strenuo us unemployment rate, We welcomed the Yemeni refugees fleeing
the war with open arms, we ext ended our hands to the famine stricken
Somalia couple years prior to that. Somaliland will always stand for
humanity and mankind even if the world refuses to stand with
Somaliland.
Somaliland is not Prosperous nor Perfect but it is Peaceful!
As long as we have peace, the resilient and ingenious people of
Somaliland will find the solutions to the problems confronting it,
just as they were able find the mechanism for the conflict
manage ment by looking inwards and relying on its indigenous
traditions that were already available.
Somaliland’s sovereignty is not up for discussion, come famine or
feast, and the sooner the intern ational community realizes that, the
sooner Somaliland can start contributing solutions to the myriad
problems facing the world.
Samo Ku Waar
Geleh Ali Marshal
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