The World Must Recognize Somaliland On Its Historical Borders

The Arab World with the
leadership of Saudi Arabia must show the courage of recognizing
Somaliland Republic on the basis of its own historical, colonial
borders as the diplomatic and international recognition of every
Arab country is based on its own historical, colonial borde rs so
the West will follow to recognize Somaliland too.
The United Nations, African Union, African States, or the Arab World
did not draw or make th e current borders of African States and Arab
World. All the borders of Arab World and Afric an independent states
had been drawn by the colonial powers of Europe. The independence,
statehood, and diplomatic recognition of each Arab and African State
as well as each Asian or South American country today are based on
its own colonial demarcations or borders.
Similarly, the statehood, independence, and the expected diplomatic
recognition of Somaliland Republic are based on its own colonial
borders drawn during British Somaliland Protectorate era.
The borders of Somalia, Somaliland, and Djibouti have the same
international status and legiti macy because they were all drawn by
European Colonial powers. Anyone who opposes the le gitimacy of
Somaliland borders, its statehood, its independence, and its
diplomatic recognition is challenging the borders and sovereignty of
all AfricanS, Arab World, Asian, and South Ame rican independent
states whose borders rose from their colonial borders or
demarcations.
Some people confuse Somaliland Republic with Puntland Region of
Somalia for either not kno wing the history of Somalis or for
irrational political reasons. Puntland is an integral, insepara ble
part of Somalia because it is located within Somalia’s historical
borders with which So malia achieved independence on July 1st, 1960
from Italy while Somaliland Republic emerged from British Somaliland
Protectorate and achieved separately its independence from Britain
on June 26, 1960. Somaliland Republic has undeniable rights to claim
independence, statehoo d, and recognition based on its own unique
borders while Puntland can not have such rights because it is part
of Somalia and shares borders and nationhood with it.
Somaliland and Somalia are not the first two countries in this world
whose union ceased to e xist. The Soviet Union that had 15 Socialist
Republics created by the Bolshevik Revolution led by Lenin in 1917
broke up after social upheavals and political discontent ended its
existence peacefully in 1989 with new countries emerging from it
such as Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Estonia,
Latvia etc. They are all recognized by the UN and international
community on the basis of their original borders existing before the
union. The federation of former Republic of Yugoslavia that had 8
countries broke up too after bloody civil wars betw een 1991-1995
and new countries such as Serbia, Croatia , Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo etc emerged from its ashes. All are
recognized diplomatically too for their original borders existing
before the
federation.
Some Somalis believe that Somaliland can not withdraw from the union
with Somalia claiming that Somalis share language, religion, color,
and culture. If this claim were true for achieving union, the Arab
World which has nearly 17 independent countries such as Algeria,
Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunis ia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen,
and Sudan and that also share language, religion, culture, and color
would not have separate independent sates. They do not have any
federal or union for disagreeing to share one. Only justice and fair
power-sharing are the most important factors for a union to survive
and that is what Somalia failed to understand in the years of the
union.
Independent Republic of Somaliland was the first to pioneer the
unification between Somalila nd and Somalia on July 1, 1960 in quest
for Greater Somalia in the Horn of Africa. The union was doomed
after Somalia hijacked the governments for the thirty years of its
existence (1960-1990) and then committed atrocities against
Somaliland people when they rebelled against injustices and
humiliation perpetrated against them.
The idea of “Greater Somalia†emerged in the middle of the Second
World War [1939-1945] and the main objective was to liberate the
five Somali Territories and bring them toge ther under the same
banner and government in the Horn of Africa. That idea of “Greater
Somalia†(Somaliweyn) is as elusive as “Greater Arab†today and
no one knows when it will come true.
The Somaliland Congress held in Burao on May 18, 1991 unanimously
proclaimed the withdraw al of Somaliland from the union with Somalia
and reclaimed its independence of June 26, 1960 naming itself
Somaliland Republic. The referendum held in Somaliland on May 31st,
2001 reaffi rmed Somaliland independence from Somalia with 97% in
favor of Somaliland sovereignty. Somaliland, as any African state,
has the right to be diplomatically recognized by the United Nations
and international community for its own unique borders that rose
from British Somaliland Protectorate borders.
Somaliland Republic will only discuss future relations with a
government of Somalia ( Former Italian Territory ) which is
democratically elected and which represents and controls the ent ire
people and territory of Somalia. Somaliland will not meet with a
government or parliament that includes individuals claiming to
represent Somaliland. Any meeting or discussions with Somalia that
does not fulfill these two conditions would violate the basics of
Somaliland`s sovereignty.
The Arab World and the African Union must lead the diplomatic
recognition of Somaliland for sharing same historical borders that
all rose from colonial borders. It would be unfair to deny
Somaliland of diplomatic recognition based on its own historical,
colonial borders while the nationhood and statehood of their
countries are based too on their own historical, colonial borders.
Ibrahim
Hassan Gagale
Email: Ibrahim_hg@yahoo.com
February 20, 2012 |
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