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Tifatirayaasha Farshaxan way ka madax banaan yihiin fikradaha gaarka ah ee ku sugan halkan |
Farshaxan Farshaxan Bahda Farshaxan EMAIL ..
_________________________________________________________________ Somali clan-families have inhabited the region of Eastern Africa, better known
as the Horn of Africa, for close to three thousand years as some historical
records indicate. The people were organized in a highly decentralized nomadic
clan system of herders. Therefore, there had never been any centrally organized
authority in the form of a state in the Somali territories before the advent
of colonialism to Africa. But there were locally accepted customary laws in
every Somali community that served each community or local area as its own indigenous
constitutional arrangements, though there was very little contact between those
Somali communities in different geographical places of the region. Hence, the
idea that all Somalis formed a nation-state, once upon a time and before colonialism,
is nothing other than a modern invention. This important piece of evidence,
which is a historical fact, negates the recent chorus of commentaries by some
that Somalis should always share one state under all circumstances. It, indeed,
undermines the hopes and aspirations of the people of Somaliland, who have every
right to remain independent from the rest of Somalia, as they once were both
under colonialism and for a brief moment before they voluntarily merged their
post-colonial state with the former Italian Somaliland. Below are some important
dates to remember as to how the Somaliland state has evolved since the colonial
days. v 1840: The
British annex Aden, across the Red Sea in present-day Yemen. They began to trade
with Somalis in the present-day Somaliland, mostly in order to import meat for
their sailors. This trade contact initiated the first interactions between the
people of Somaliland and the Europeans. v 1870s: Threatened by the growing European presence
in the region, Egypt laid claim to Somaliland's coastal towns such as Seyla
and Berbera. v 1877: Egypt and Britain signed a treaty over
the occupation of Somaliland. Instead of going to war over meat supply routes
for its garrison in Aden, Britain signed a treaty recognizing the Egyptian presence
in Somaliland coastal towns. They established a cooperative relationship with
the Egyptians and hence co-existed with each other on both sides of the Gulf
of Aden that divides Somaliland and Yemen. v 1884: Britain occupied the former Egyptian Somaliland.
When the Egyptians were forced to withdraw from Somaliland because of the military
threats from other neighbours, notably France operating from the French Somaliland
(now Djibouti), the British took control of the territory they had occupied,
i.e., Somaliland. v 1887: The British Somaliland Protectorate was
established. Major A. Hunt of Great of Britain, representing his government,
drew up protection treaties with several Somaliland clans guaranteeing them
military support, in case of an attack from other neighbouring territories,
which were then occupied by other Europeans (See The Map of Africa by Treaty
written by Sir E. Hertslet). As a result of these extensive colonial treaties,
the Great Britain sent its Vice Consuls to the Somaliland coastal towns such
as Berbera, Bulahar, and Seyla. In effect, this was an introduction of the first
modern state (Colonial State) of today's Somaliland. v 1900: Trade increased both in volume and value
in the British Somaliland due to the relative political stability created by
the colonial protection, despite an on-going wars waged by Sayid Mohamed Abdulle
Hassan, a.k.a. "the Mad Mullah of Somaliland" by the Europeans, against
the British occupation. The port cities of Somaliland were scenes of active
trading during this era. In fact, Somaliland was the only British Protectorate/Colony
in East Africa which not only balanced its books, but it had also constantly
reported surpluses. The key to Somaliland's opulence, by African economic standards
of the day, was international trade as the people in the territory were, in
the words of one British colonial officer, "Natural born traders."
(See “Somaliland” by Andrew Hamilton). It is this age-old trading skills and
inherent business ingenuities on the part of the people of Somaliland, observed
by the colonial officer in the early 20th century, that currently sustains the
Somaliland's booming economy, despite its lack of international recognition.
v April 1960: The British government agreed to
Somaliland's independence. Britain reluctantly agreed to withdraw from the British
Somaliland Protectorate, so that it can join with the Italian-Somaliland to
form an independent state. To facilitate this request from the Somaliland people,
the British colonial office had convened a constitutional conference held in
London in May 1960 (See "Report of the Somaliland Protectorate Constitutional
Conference," a government document). Technically, Great Britain, acting
on the strong request from the political leaders of Somaliland, set the wheels
of abrogating its eighty-year old colonial treaties with the people of Somaliland
in motion, which had culminated at Independence Day in June 1960. Then the Somaliland
leaders immediately merged their country with Italian Somaliland without any
constitutional safeguards for their people. Arguably, this move by the Somaliland
leaders entered in the annals of this nation’s modern history as the biggest
political mistake that any group of leaders could make. It is a mistake that
the Somaliland people are still paying its price, because of the simple fact
that the Somaliland people are now seeking international recognition; forty
years after Somaliland first won its independence from Great Britain. v July 1960: The Somali Republic became fully independent.
Italian and British Somalilands united in an independent state formation. However,
the presidency, the prime ministership and almost all of the key posts in Cabinet
went to the politicians of the South (Italian Somaliland). The seat of the government,
Mogadishu, went also to the former Italian Somaliland. There were no constitutional
guarantees for the people of the former British Somaliland either, as the creation
of the Union between the two Somali states was unimaginatively quick. For example,
the first political rupture came when the southern politicians acclaimed the
constitution in parliament, despite the very high percentage of Nay votes from
the people of Somaliland (see historical references to the Referendum of 1961). v October 1969: A military coup overthrew the
civilian government and ended nine-years of "artificial" democracy,
as Prof. Hussein Adam of the College of Holy Cross puts it. Following the assassination
of President Sharmarke, the military seized power and the coup leader, General
Siad Barre, assumed the control of the country. Siad Barre pronounced the country
a socialist state and re-named it The Somali Democratic Republic (SDR). General
Barre established a tightly controlled dictatorship soon afterwards with severe
curtailment of the civil liberties. The already ill-conceived constitution of
the first nine years was suspended and the country's civilian parliament was
replaced with a Revolutionary Council consisting of military and police officers.
The people of the North (former British Somaliland), with their natural tendencies
to democratic ideals then immediately found themselves in the General's line
of fire, who had prophesed Marxist-Leninist brand of socialism. In the end,
Somalia's strongman waged a relentless campaign with genocidal tendencies against
the people of the North. v 1981: The Somali National Movement (SNM) was
formed in London, in order to save the people of the North from total annihilation.
This organization, which largely drew its support from the Issak clan of the
North, sought to liberate the North (former British Somaliland) from general
Barre's menacing army. v 1988: General Barre signed a non-aggression pact
with Ethiopia, the host country of the Somali National Movement (SNM). In return,
Ethiopia expelled SNM members operating within its borders. The SNM then launched
a major offensive in the North, capturing Burao and Hargeisa, the two largest
cities in Somaliland. General Barre's government in Mogadishu bombed these cities
and others to the ground, which resulted in widespread death and destruction.
Hired mercenaries from the former Rhodesia were even used to bomb the civilians
of the North who were fleeing from artillery shells and burning cities. A six
hundred thousand people of Somaliland origin crossed the border into Ethiopia,
circa 1988/89, to seek sanctuary from Barre's killing machine; another one hundred
thousand lost their lives in the process. The international human Rights organizations
such as Amnesty International and Africa Watch have fully documented these widespread
torture and killing of the Isaak people in the North, who were the victims of
a government purge. v 1991: The SNM finally won the war with Siad Barre
who hence rolled-back his army to cling to his last power base which was also
being challenged by the United Somali Congress (USC) in the South. The SNM
leadership then called on all clan-families of the North (former British Somaliland)
to determine the future of their country. After long discussions in Burao, Somaliland,
they all decided, across the clan lines, to revert to their June 1960 sovereignty
and once again form their nation, the Republic of Somaliland. The National Charter
that was adopted in Burao was later affirmed in subsequent people’s conferences
of Borama and Hargeisa, Somaliland. This de facto nation stretches for 400 miles
(644 kilometers) along the Gulf of Aden and to the east of Djibouti. It has
an estimated population of 3, 875,000 people. An interim legislature and judiciary
were named, immediately after the SNM declared the state at Burao, and a constitution
was planned. v 1993: Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was named president
of the Republic of Somaliland in the Borama conference. Though not yet internationally
recognized, Somaliland has already made monumental strides, in both the economic
and political fronts, since the re-declaration of its independence in 1991.
For example, the constitutional work was completed in 1996, and was adopted
at the Hargeisa presidential election conference of 1997. Recently (the Year
2000) a law governing a multi-party system was promulgated to pave the way for
the 2002 popular municipal and presidential elections. Now the only thing that
Somaliland lacks is a De Jure status under the international law of nations,
so that it can turn the page and write a new chapter of its own political history. http://somalilandforum.com/somaliland/history/Somaliland-History.htm |