The United States, the West, and Africa should recognize Somaliland officially

[Jacaylbaro]

One other bold diplomatic initiative would make a difference. To the north of the warlord- and al-Shabab-run zones of Somalia is Somaliland, which has run itself sensibly and mostly democratically since 1991. Its leadership is having problems, but for many years it delivered positive political goods to its citizens in a manner that has never occurred in the rest of Somalia. No nation recognizes Somaliland even though its neighbors do business there and the United States. has long kept an official eye on it.

 

The United States, the West, and Africa should recognize Somaliland officially. Doing so would provide an incentive for the rest of Somalia to begin moving toward good rather than bad governance. The Somaliland example provides a path that could now entice Somalis to forsake their battles in favor of a peaceful future.

Source: The Boston Globe

[Jacaylbaro]

The US must help rebuild Somalia

 

 

By Robert I. Rotberg | September 19, 2009

 

THIS WEEK’S US raid in Somalia that killed Al Qaeda operatives removed dangers to the United States and its allies, but did little to bring progress to one of the least governed places in the world.

 

Eliminating Saleh Ali Nabhan, the alleged mastermind behind the 2002 attacks on Israelis in Kenya and possibly the US embassy bombings in 1998, is salutary.Nabhan was a leader of Al-Shabab, a fundamentalist Islamist youth movement of Somalis, which runs a large swath of southern Somalia and has ties to Al Qaeda.

 

Although the attack could deter new anti-American escapades in Somalia and East Africa, it did nothing to weaken al-Shabab’s hegemony in southern Somalia. Nor did it strengthen Somalia’s nominal overall government led by the American-backed Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed in Mogadishu.

 

The United States has been backing his beleaguered government with large shipments of arms and has been attempting to deter Eritrean and Gulf Arab funding for al-Shabab. But the struggle for Somalia is much more than a military one. In much of central and southern Somalia there has been no central government, only clan and sub-clan based warlords, since 1993. Al-Shabab, like the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006 and 2007, offers security and plausible forms of Islamist-inspired harsh governance in critical sectors of the country. For ordinary Somalis, however much they chafe at the Islamist restrictions, at least al-Shabab provides some kind of stability.

 

Sheik Ahmed’s government offers little security and governance, and itself depends on protection from an African peacekeeping force of Ugandans and Burundians. Sheik Ahmed only controls parts of Mogadishu and a few smaller centers. If the African Union and the UN, backed by US funding, could supply thousands of additional peacekeepers, perhaps the Sheik Ahmed administration could weaken al-Shabab’s hold. But more troops are not likely anytime soon. Without them, the United States. will achieve little in Somalia until it can help win popular support and legitimacy for Sheik Ahmed - a tall and improbable order.

 

Diminishing Islamist and Al Qaeda franchise influence in Somalia will only come by growing the influence of secular, non-governmental (if Muslim) Somalis, by finding a way to restart a state school and health care system, and by assisting the drought-prone Somalis with their water (and agricultural and grazing) requirements.

 

In other countries, the United States would extend aid to a government and to NGOs. But Somalia does not work that way. The United States, operating from neighboring Kenya, will have to find clever ways to support new leadership initiatives - another tall order. To do so, it might have to break its connection to the weak current government. It certainly has to distance itself from Ethiopian aspirations in the region.

 

The Obama administration would do well to begin thinking about Somalia as a post-conflict arena, needing reconstruction and new incentives, rather than an Al Qaeda outpost run from Pakistan by Osama bin Laden. It is not such as outpost, even though a handful of persons like Saleh Nabhan will continue to agitate in or pass through the badlands of Somalia and work closely with al-Shabab.

 

One other bold diplomatic initiative would make a difference. To the north of the warlord- and al-Shabab-run zones of Somalia is Somaliland, which has run itself sensibly and mostly democratically since 1991. Its leadership is having problems, but for many years it delivered positive political goods to its citizens in a manner that has never occurred in the rest of Somalia. No nation recognizes Somaliland even though its neighbors do business there and the United States. has long kept an official eye on it.

 

The United States, the West, and Africa should recognize Somaliland officially. Doing so would provide an incentive for the rest of Somalia to begin moving toward good rather than bad governance. The Somaliland example provides a path that could now entice Somalis to forsake their battles in favor of a peaceful future.

 

 

___________

Robert I. Rotberg directs the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Intrastate Conflict and is President of the World Peace Foundation. He edited “Battling Terrorism in the Horn of Africa.’’

[Harag Shabeel]

Originally posted by jacaylbro

"The United States, the West, and Africa should recognize Somaliland officially."

kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[Jacaylbaro]

You can laugh again ,,,,,,,,

[NASSIR]

"Somaliland" had never existed as a de jure state. Better recognize the farmers of Bay and Bakool than the nomads of Hargeisa and Bur'o. At least the farmers have a distinct language and suffered immensely under the nomadic invasion and occupation.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Originally posted by NASSIR:

"Somaliland" had never existed as a de jure state. Better recognize the farmers of Bay and Bakool than the nomads of Hargeisa and Bur'o. At least the farmers have a distinct language and suffered immensely under the nomadic invasion and occupation.

One thing I know for sure dadku hadanay rabbin inay dall wadaagaan waleh wadaagii mayaan oo is raacii mayaan , and dadka Somaliland waddadooda way jeexdan ciid ka soo celiin karta ma jirto.

Somaliland existed in 1960 and it was recognized by 34 states including 4 security council members.

Somaliland joined another country to form a greater Somalia. There is no difference between Somaliland and Eritrea, The only difference is Ethiopia was a kingdom And Somalia was not.

[NASSIR]

Xaaji_xunduf, let me share with you this piece of history from the archives of the NY times before our political independence.

 

 

Youth League Active

 

The Somali Youth League operates from Mogadiscio, the Italian capital, but has its counterpart in Hargeisa, the British capital, where it is known as the National United Front, under Micheal Mariano.

The more explosive Somali National League also operates from both Hargeisa and Mogadiscio, where its headquarters are hung with smiling portraits of President Nasser.

 

At first blush this seems like much ado over two wild wastes of broiling African desert. But there are several complicating elements.

 

Bluntly, the Ethiopians consider that, for their own safety, the entire seaboard of the horn of Africa should belong to them. They were invaded twice from the sea. They still remember the Italian occupation of 1935-41.

They are not sure that the United Nations could restrain a United Somalia from aggression.

 

Britain, too, is interested in keeping a strategic foothold in a free Somalia: both to guard the back door in East Africa and to help preserve Aden Colony and her Arabian sheikhdom protectorates.

 

Both Eye Nasser

 

Both Britain and Ethiopia are anxious to keep Nasser's influence out of all Somalia,

as well as powerful independent Sudan, whose borders march with those of both Kenya and Ethiopia.

 

Ethiopia is an ancient Christian nation, but nearly half of her 17 million illiterate, poverty-stricken peasantry may be Moslems..

[NASSIR]

God bless the pioneers of the SYL, the NUF, the SNL, and the USP for their tireless effort in creating a United Somalia.

[Taleexi]

[kyz]

The United States, the West, and Africa should recognize shankaroon officially kakakakakak loooooool ah ah war yadiibaa manta lagabaqayaa inee kala daadato