Defending Or Defeating Somaliland State (The Red Article)
THE current situation of Somaliland State is very worrisome. Besides the ongoing massive corruption, fuel spike, and constitutional crises in the country created by president Riyale`s government, the growing tribal military arsenal in Puntland is a new threat to Somaliland independence that has been already undercut by the occupation of Sool and Eastern Sanaag. This tribal military build up should not be underestimated especially when the timing is unfavorable to Somaliland Republic as there are no preparations for long time conflict on the side of Somaliland government that already failed the nation for being responsible for the infamous invasion of Eastern Somaliland. The arms in the hands of the government to day are planned to guard the ruling regime and suppress the public, not to defend the country. Unless there is miraculous change, the probability of another war looming against Somaliland Republic is very high and in the making. The clan-oriented, totalitarian colonel, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed elected president of Somalia on October 10, 2004, has embarked since on relentless campaign for amassing arms, forces and money. He receives shipments of arms, armored vehicles, artillery, ammunition and others regularly through Bosaso Seaport and Airport to invade Mogadisho and the rest of Sool and Sanaag of Somaliland including Erigavo and Ainabo or even more. The weapons piled up in Bosaso in the hands of a tribe and the nature of the tribal war-monger in charge, Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, should be sending chilling message to Hargeisa too. If he defeats the powerful warlords in Mogadisho and succeeds in establishing corrupt tribal rule like Siad Barre did for 21 years in Somalia (1969-1990), he will mobilize Somalia within 1-2 years under the banner of well-crafted moving, ardent nationalism to invade and subdue Somaliland in order to restore the defacto union at gunpoint. If he is defeated, he will reorganize and beat tribal drums to turn against Somaliland with the intention of completing the annexation of Sool and Sanaag or even seizing more to establish tribal state in the middle that he dreamed of for a longtime. In both scenarios, Somaliland Republic is well in the picture of the tribal hatred stained-minds of the colonel and Puntland leadership. In my article, Puntland`s Growing Threat Against Somaliland, posted on Somaliland Web Sites in August 2003, I warned of the impending invasion of Puntland but it was ignored and the invasion took place 4 months later. Col. Abdullahi Yusuf treats Somaliland Republic today as a province of Somalia equal to Puntland province. This degrading attitude may well indicate the existence of a secret treasonous connection between president Dahir Riyale Kahin and president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. The likelihood of the above scenarios to happen is very real under the leadership of president Riyale under whose watch and presidency influenced Puntland Administration to easily invade and still occupy most of Sool and Eastern Sanaag. Without doubt, Majeerteenia will pay heavy price that will haunt it long for its arrogant repeated aggressions against Somaliland but the true retribution against Puntland is unreal under president Riyale`s leadership. He is not the right leader to defend the country because he already undermined Somaliland national unity and territorial integrity. President Riyale should not be allowed to take the country to a war of his own choice whose objective is to divert public attention from the crises in the country to prolong his regime or to a war without assured victory but defeat. Under this dangerous situation, president Riyale and his henchmen in the power seem indifferent but, instead, are busy accumulating money stolen from public funds for enrichment and for stealing elections. President Riyale recently sent his wife, Mrs. Huda, to Cairo carrying millions of dollars stolen from the toiling, poor masses of Somaliland including the disabled, the orphans, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the homeless, and the elderly to buy one million dollar home in the rich neighborhoods of Cairo to have pleasant learning-environment for their children. Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin and his conspiratorial associates in the abused power represent immoral, disgraceful and corrupt regime for continuously stealing millions of dollars from public funds for personal enrichment, for rigging elections, and for creating inter-clan tensions while the country is under threat. These stolen public funds were originally intended to build strong, updated defense for the country in this dangerous world as well as investing in development projects and alleviating or subsidizing soaring prices of food and fuel for the public. On the day president Riyale took over the office of the presidency, he started appointing and gathering unionists, mostly remnants of Siad`s regime, and reactionary puppets in his administration for subversive reasons. That was when everything went wrong in the country. Studying his actions and behavior, it is clear that he is not fool, he is not weak and he is not coward under pressure, he is traitor, wrecker, betrayer, faithless and selfish man, who is committed to bring Somaliland and its people down through the ongoing destructive policies. Those puppets who bow to him and destroy the country with him are the real cowards. He is embarked on a process of destruction against Somaliland independence and statehood through the following three steps: FIRST, president Riyale deliberately damaged all aspects of governance and statehood of Somaliland Republic. He succeeded in dismantling the three major branches or pillars of Somaliland Government namely: Executive power, legislative, and judiciary, then he compromised territorial integrity and national unity, created constitutional crisis, eliminated democratic process, crippled economy, weakened defense, disabled local government functions, undercut social services, abused human rights, cracked down freedom of speech, banned political debates etc. He has established treasonous dictatorship instead that is responsible for the current crises. President Riyale has also showed no respect for the celebrations of May 18 and June 26 which are important dates in Somaliland history. SECOND, president Riyale apparently encouraged Puntland Administration to invade and conquer Sool and Eastern Sanaag as the easiest way to damage Somaliland statehood and its long-awaited diplomatic recognition. The successful invasion of Puntland on Las Anod, capital of Sool, on December 31, 2003 and the subsequent advance of Puntland Administration into Eastern Sanaag marked the beginning, not the end, of Somaliland disintegration. President Riyale does not want to bring Sool and Eastern Sanaag back into the fold of Somaliland State for anti-Somaliland motives. The people of Sool and Eastern Sanaag know well that they share country, history, government, and borders with the rest of Somaliland and most of them are more than willing to be part of it but they feel unwelcome because of Riyale`s treasonous policy. President Riyale does not want to hold parliamentary elections in Sool and Eastern Sanaag to give them away to Puntland province. THIRD, president Riyale and his conspiratorial associates are involved in creating inter-clan civil wars, as their election campaign language and clandestine activities clearly indicate, especially within the clans of Central and Eastern Regions of the country to turn Somaliland into lawless, failed state like Somalia with the objective of justifying another unwelcome, humiliating merger with Somalia. The country is undergoing through this final step, the first two steps have been already successful, which could trigger the end of Somaliland Republic unless saved by its people. The destructive actions of president Riyale and his henchmen are much louder than their misleading, deceitful words, comments, and speeches to divert public attention from what is happening in the country. While in this process of destruction, president Riyale`s policy is to keep Awdal in low profile and silently displace the inhabitants of Zeila and Lug-hayo coastline area causing tribal confrontations in that part of the country too. SOMALILAND is in dire need of urgent political change to save it from the ongoing destructive process and from another infamous tribal invasion from Puntland or Somalia. With the parliamentary elections upon Somaliland, the people may face another disappointing situation in the hands of the regime. There is very slim chance that the coming elections will be clean and fraud-free if held and not suspended by the regime. If the parliamentary elections take place without fraud on September 15, 2005 and UDUB Party loses, president Riyale should be impeached immediately because the consequences of letting him and his henchmen in power will be far graver for the nation in future than removing them. If the election results are stolen, under the current circumstances, with loyal armed forces, public transport, and huge corrupt money as a cargo of forged money arrived in the country recently at Berbera International Airport to interfere elections, the nation should face the reality that forceful removal of president Riyale from power is the only compulsory remaining option to save Somaliland Republic from destructive civil wars and humiliating defeat in the hands of its sworn enemies. President Riyale previously refused to step down and blocked the impeached process which is an unavoidable constitutional process if a democratically elected president betrays his nation as happened in many countries of the world before. Stealing parliamentary election results, should immediately lead to his inevitable forceful removal from power unless president Riyale and his henchmen change their minds for the common good of all and step down. Impeaching or removing president Riyale from power will not affect Somaliland diplomatic recognition as the scare tactics of the regime tell the nation but will defend the country from external aggressions and will unite again the people and the country. Somaliland people should not resign their responsibility of expelling president Riyale from power for the sake of recognition as the country is already on a runaway train on collision course and facing news serious threats. Beware of president Riyale, the betrayer, and his reactionary puppets. Appealing to tribal emotions and using massive corrupt money, they will work hard to create inter-clan clashes especially when they realize they are losing the parliamentary elections to the opposition parties. The nation should be also beware of the few Somaliland Web Sites which unfortunately have become mouth piece for Riyale`s destructive administration. Somaliland people should not let president Riyale and his anti-Somaliland plot associates defeat Somaliland State infamously for its enemy through government-created devastating crises, civil wars, and surrender. They should unitedly defeat president Riyale and his Party UDUB, the ruling party that purposefully betrayed Somaliland cause, in the coming parliamentary elections before the clique defeats Somaliland State and its independence for its sworn enemy. If the forceful removal of president Riyale from power becomes necessary, which is disappointing but unavoidable, the oppressive, repressive and subversive offices and residential buildings of the tyrannical regime of president Riyale should not remain safe havens or hideouts any longer and Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, should lead the charge for the national salvation as these places are located in its heart and the destructive process against Somaliland independence is taking place in its center. Always the people, the masses, rise up to bring down reactionary or treasonous regimes when their existence are threatened and bring saving political change and relief to all. Because Somaliland existence and independence are at stake, people must find another rise of government led by carefully elected progressive leader that defends the country and the people from external aggressions of the enemy and restores unity, stability, and democratic process that treats all regions fairly, promising peace and prosperity for all.
Long Live Somaliland.
Written by: Ibrahim Hassan Gagale Email: Ibrahim_hg@yahoo.com
Date: July 10, 2005.
