An open letter to British Government. Seeking self determination independence sovereignty Of HAWD and Reserved Area State ….

To :,The Rt Hon Boris Johnson,

British Prime Minister 

I call on you, as Prime Minister of Britain, on behalf of the people of HAWD and Reserved Area (called ‘The Territories by Ethiopians) to help end the torture, oppression and massacre of our community.

I ask, on behalf of our community, for the reversal of the three acts carried out years ago, that have caused devastation to the Somali people, community and region:-

1) The Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897: Britain ceded the Northeastern part of the Hawd plateau to Ethiopia. In 1969 the newly independent Somali government refused to acknowledge the transfer and a major dispute erupted in 1964

2) The Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 1941: The joint effort between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom at reestablishing Ethiopian independent statehood following the ousting of Italian troops by British and Ethiopian forces during the Second World War

3) The 1954 Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement: Gave Ethiopia control of the Ogaden, including Hawd and the Reserved Area.

The above agreements were not made by the Somalis or even agreed between the Somali and Ethiopian people. Indeed, the 1954 Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement was secured by Britain.

There are several reasons why these historical Treaties and Agreements violate international law:-

● The Colonial powers (Britain and Italy) had no valid title to transfer parts of the Somali territory to a third party state. If the protecting powers (Britain and Italy) have no legal ownership of the Somali territory then under the principles of the law “Memo dat quad non habet” (no one gives what they do not have) they can not legally transfer a valid title to another state, i.e. Ethiopia.

● The Somali people were not aware of the colonial agreement under which Ethiopia allegedly acquired Somali territory. There was no consultation with the Somali people regarding the transfer of their lands and rights.

● The Somali people had an express legal agreement not to give up their rights to their territory except to the protecting powers (Britain and Italy).

● Self-determination is expressed as a legal right in the Charter of the United Nations (UN). Self-determination refers to the right of a people to choose its own political status and its own form of economic, cultural and social development. Ethiopia is in direct violation of the UN by not affording the Somali people this right.

For years, Ethiopia’s ruling government have not taken any measures to develop Somali regions in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, education, water supply, and housing. In fact, the Ethiopian government have failed to protect the basic human rights of the Somali people including their right to safety, dignity and well-being.

Historically, Ethiopia is not a fertile ground for democracy or respect of the law.  The ruling of Ethiopia has been undemocratic, oppressive, totalitarian manner. Within the context of Ethiopia, the rule of consent law exists mainly as an idea or a phrase but in reality, it remains a dream.

The British regime imposed the Ethiopian government upon Somaliland and it has been a humanitarian disaster for the people of Somalia.  Lennox Boyd aptly demonstrates the use of the word ‘imposed’ during the 1955 Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement when he states:

“Her Majesty’s Government had every confidence that the Ethiopian government would observe the Treaty in the spirit as well as in the letter … While recognizing, as I do, that the Somali people do not like this arrangement, I hope they will do their utmost to see that the situation is handled in a calm and statesmanlike way.”

To expect a non-consenting minority group, wretched and broken from the brutal treatment against them to ‘handle’ the arrangement in a ‘calm’ and ‘statesmanlike’ manner speaks volumes about the disinterest towards the well-being and rights of an entire community.

One of the most important examples of the historical mistreatment of the Somali people is the horrendous treatment of prisoners in regional establishments. Prison officials and security forces have arbitrarily detained and tortured prisoners for years. In the notorious prison, ‘Jail Ogaden’ prisoners suffered solitary confinement, electrocution, denial of food and water, rape and humiliation at the hands of their captors. Female prisoners were raped and subsequently delivered babies, often without any medical supervision. Former judges have now given statements revealing that Somali Region officials, acting on behalf of the government, have pressurised them to sentence detainees without evidence or court meetings, to prison terms.

I am speaking to you, Boris Johnson, and all the peacekeeping institutions of the world, and I ask you to end the oppression and obliteration of our communities by Ethiopia. We request Britain, as a nation, and you as the leader, to look back at history and take responsibility for the torture inflicted upon our people over decades, as a result of the political unrest in Ethiopia. I ask that not only do you take responsibility but that you take immediate action to right the wrong. The land that was transferred to Ethiopia by Britain in 1897 and 1955 is our land, our home, our community and our culture. Our people do not identify with Ethiopia and its politics. The dictatorial government of Ethiopia has persecuted us to the point that we no longer feel safe, protected, or secure.

I call upon you to give the situation in HAWD and the reserved regions some serious considerations. It is our legal right to seek compensation for the atrocities committed against us over the decades.

The people of Somaliland are reaching out to all the peacekeeping organizations over the world, but we ask you, Boris, to assist Somaliland in reclaiming our land and attaining our legal right of self-determination by reversing the actions taken many years ago by Britain.

Please help end the torture, oppression and massacre that has been the result of the agreements and treaties entered into between Britain, Italy and Ethiopia.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Dr Sultan Saciid .H .Diiriye 

Acting President HAWD & Reserved Area State