Somaliland and Somalia Talk End Result

The host summit between Somalia and Somaliland in Djibouti has ended on June 17, 2020, with little progress. This is better than nothing. Five points were reached: Creating the code of conduct, confidence building, airspace administration issue, humanitarian aid and foreign investment issues, and the security cooperation issue. The foreign investment issue is the biggest issue that instigated the summit. The IMF was conditioned in order to release the debt relief by implementing the resumption of Somalia and Somaliland’s dialogue. The IMF and World Bank are intended to finalized debt relief as well as commence a new debt to the Somalia government, which is the reason Somaliland vowed to be part of the delegations.

The summit set up a new subcommittee of the three above mentioned points. As foreign minister of Djibouti demonstrated, the subcommittee will be coming back to Djibouti after fifteen days, in order to resume the meeting again. After forty-five days the ministerial committee of both countries will also be meeting in Djibouti to examine the outcomes of the subcommittees’ meeting.

Somaliland is the only democratic nation in the horn of Africa. Somaliland has been exercising all basic democratic values such as implementing electoral process and pluralism, political participation, functioning government, civil liberty and political culture.
Somalia and Somaliland were two different countries that had two different colonies. Somaliland was a British protectorate while Somalia was an Italian colony. They unified both countries after they received their independence in 1960. After the elders met in Burao, on May 27, 1991, they unliterally declared the independence of Somaliland. Somaliland withdrew from the unity of Somalia.

In 2002, Somaliland established the multiple party system, after conducting the first local elections and formed three parties: United of Democratic People Party (UDUB), Peace, Unity, and Development Party (Kulmiye), Justice and Welfare Party (UCID). These were the first formed parties. In 2003, again presidential election ensued, and finally parliament election was fulfilled.

Let us talk and make remarks of the neighboring countries to Somaliland. Ethiopia has never exerted democracy, it has been ruled by absolute monarch, communists, and dictatorship. Ethiopia has never had elections and the people of Ethiopia did not know what election meant. If you asked the average person in Ethiopia, what does it mean to have election he/she could not explain because he/she has never practiced it. Ethiopia is the second largest populated nation in Africa, and they still have not exercised the liberty, freedom and democracy.

Djibouti is the second neighboring country to Somaliland, it took its independence from the French colony on June 27, 1977. Since that day Djibouti has two presidents, the first was Hassan Gouled Aptidon, from June 27, 1977 to May 8, 1999. Their second president is Ismail Omar Guelleh and he took power on May 8, 1999 and still holds the position. Ismail has changed the constitution twice so that he can tailor to fit his political positions. Djibouti administration has no tolerance for free of speech, free press, and freedom of peaceful assembly.

Somalia is also a neighboring country to Somaliland and has been an anarchy, chaos and lawless for almost 30 years. It is a failed state. The foreign force has maintained the security of the country since 2007. Somalia does not have a good government, army forces, effective parliament, and good quality leaders. On the top of that, Somalia leaders have claimed the sovereignty of Somaliland for that of 30 years. The problem is not the Somalia leaders claiming sovereignty of the Somaliland, but rather the international community.

Those who I refer to on the top are asserted and exercising the ultimate power of the regions and want to shut off the light of the oasis at the horn of Africa. Instead of promoting the democracy, liberty and freedom of the horn Africa, they preferred to ruin and destroy it. A good example is this garbage outcome of a summit that initiated Ismail Gulled and Aby Ahmed as well as the United States with IMF and World Bank.

By Osman Awad