It is an undisputed historical fact that Somaliland like many other nations became independent in 1960, and as was duly recognised by a total of 35 countries around the world including UK and USA.Just four days after the short-lived independence, Somaliland misguidedly took the wrong step in seeking to make the ill-fated united Somali Republic on July 1st, 1960 – and Therefore, voluntarily entered into an incompatible and unappreciated union for love of the Greater Somalia, that was ultimately proved to be a disastrous dream. we connected and were United to the southern Somalia without any status or agreement at all, Somaliland elders and politicians traveled all the way to Mogadishu to achieve their dream of uniting Somalis, they handed over their sovereignty without any conditions except one – to see united Somali or greater Somalia, it was so quick and premature do or die situation to fulfil that headless aim of uniting with Southern Somalis, where the British and even the first President of Somali Republic Adan Adde – one of the Somali Intellectuals – asked Somalilanders to stay away for a while. He requested the Somalilanders to wait until the southern Somalia solves their problems and differences before we can even speak about that unity. But the enthusiastic, ignorant and headless (those responsible) Somalilanders rejected to wait and demanded immediate unity without any preconditions or form of agreement, however, That initiative of unity cost Somaliland lives of thousands of its citizens with unprecedented demolition of the entire Somaliland cities and villages and forced the entire nation to seek refugees in the neighboring countries.
Somaliland was first Somali-speaking state to gain independence on June 26th, 1960 from Great Britain and four days later Italian Somalia (Former Somalia) on July 1st, 1960. Djibouti gained independence from French in 1977.
Our arguments are now the facts that we were recognized in 1960 and therefore still known as a sovereign state, irrespective of our intermarriage with the southern Somalis, no country has taken back that granted recognition in 1960. Thus, then, technically we are still without a doubt an independent nation, We just are reclaiming our sovereignty back after the failure of that so called Union for more than 31 years, which has never worked properly from the very beginning.
Somaliland without doubt had an identity as a sovereign state before we rushed off into a quick first sight love, marriage with the Italian Somaliland to form a dream bigger nation.
Therefore, Somaliland is now demanding to restore centuries old British Somaliland Protectorate border, which survived until 1960. On July 28th, 1886, British Parliament and Queen Victoria duly ratified current borderline of Somaliland, as the field was under Great Britain. Great Britain and Italian Government signed an agreements delimiting border between British Somaliland and Italian Somalia on 1884. This agreement will without a doubt supports Somaliland´s call to restore its colonial border with former Somalia.
Somaliland Colonial Border is a victim of AU Policies, which implements regulations to some countries and denies the others.
As a matter of fact, all the following nations joined to achieve social, love, religious or political agendas and later retreat from such unions because that unity has never worked as one should have wanted.
Now the question arises here, what would be the difference between Somaliland and the following countries? All the following nations joined to achieve social, religious or political agendas and later withdraw from such unions because it never worked for them
1- Egypt and Syria were a republic once, like Somaliland and Somalia, but were distinguished and then were taken over by the international community without any problems.
2- when the Soviet federation collapsed. 15 independent states emerged from the Union of the Soviet socialist republics in 1991 (remember Somaliland declared its independence once again in 1991)…. On March 11, 1990, Lithuania was the initiative to declare its independence, with Estonia and Latvia following suit in August 1991. All three Baltic states claimed continuity from the original states that existed prior to their annexation by the Soviet Union in 1944 and were admitted to the United Nations on 17 September 1991.
The remaining 12 republics all subsequently seceded and emerged as an independent nation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. The international community did not hesitate to recognize them once more
3- then came the old Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Kosovo emerged as an independent country. Everyone rushed off to recognize them.
4- recently South Sudan, a country that was always part of Sudan and never received an identity or independent status had been given a fully independent state. I am asking the international community why not Somaliland
5- Other examples are Ethiopia and Eritrea.
6- The marriage between British Somaliland Protectorate and Italian Somalia was unconstitutional, since the parliaments of Somaliland and Somalia did not ratify it as a single act of union. Not a single year elapsed when the people in the north showed the initial signs of resentment around the ill-fated marriage between the two Somali regions.
That notion was expressed in 1961, when a young army officer by the name of Hassan Kayd – a Sandhurst graduate and other northern military young officer’s launched an unsuccessful coup in the north against the Somali government. These northern officers were brought to Mogadishu for trial. Citing the illegality of the union, the British judge in the court dismissed the case against the officers on the grounds that as Northern, they could not be tried and judged by a Southern court, because it had no jurisdiction over the citizens of Somaliland, as the Act of union between the two states was not enacted into the law.
In that respect, the union between Somaliland and Somalia was unlawful.
Twenty five-years of nation building cannot be reversed, therefore, Somaliland meets the Montevideo criteria for statehood.
Furthermore, Somaliland has managed to match Ghana’s feat by becoming the only second African country to peacefully change governments through the vote. This is a feat that has eluded some of the influential and model democracies in the African continent. The entire universe has witnessed post election violence that broke out in Kenya after the December 2007 elections. Yet unrecognized Somaliland has just conducted elections that all observers, including its neighbor, Djibouti and Ethiopia have admitted were “free and fair” and the losing parties have admitted defeat.
Then what is the case or the crime that Somaliland has made against the international communities, Is it merely the mistaken step that our forefathers took in 1960, where they hastened to unite the southern Somalis?
Can the international community tell us why on earth we are dissimilar from the above mentioned intermarriage countries that were United and then divorced.
The world must recognize our democracy.
Please also read the following relevant articles
Open letter to the leaders and nations of the world by a Somalilander
Ahmed Yasin Mohamed Jama
