Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Any good Lawyer’s around? The Case for Somaliland’s recognition.
As Somaliland’s 17th anniversary of independence approaches, I marvel at the fact that the international community remains reluctant to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign nation. Here we are, a stable, democratic country, while the country the world wants us to remain attached to has been plunging deeper and deeper into anarchy these past 17 years. I started to wonder, is the case against Somaliland recognition truly that strong?
If there was one thing I learned in my four years of university it was how to do research. So one afternoon, I went down to the basement of my university’s library where the archives are kept and searched the dusty shelves for all the journals and papers containing information on Somaliland. As I searched through the old copies of the Economist, Washington Post, and the Review of African Political Economy, I found paper after paper building a strong case for Somaliland’s recognition, each one rebutting reasons against recognition, dismissing them as baseless.
Some of the main legal arguments for Somaliland recognition are:
– Somaliland was once an independent state. It achieved independence on June 26th 1960 and notification of this independence was registered with the UN. Thirty five countries (including the US, and UK) then recognised it. Somaliland would remain independent for five days before voluntarily joining with Somalia.
– The two parliaments approved different Acts of Union, and the legal formalities were never fully completed. The Somaliland Act of Union required the signature of representatives from Somalia which it never received. The Somalia Act of Union was approved in principle but never enacted into law, and therefore the union of Somaliland and Somalia has no legal validity in Somalia.
– Somaliland fulfills all the requirements of Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on the rights and duties of a state. These requirements are: 1) a permanent population; 2)a defined territory; 3) a government; 4) capacity to enter into relations with other states
One of the key opponents to Somaliland’s recognition is the African Union. The AU opposes Somaliland recognition because of their belief in the sanctity of colonial borders and the associated intolerance to secession. The irony lies in the fact that Somaliland wishes to return to the borders that it had when it gained independence from its colonial power. It is also important to point out that, Somaliland’s case is one of voluntary withdrawal from a union between two countries and not a cessation of land area incorporated into a sovereign state. Their stance on Somaliland also contradicts with their willingness to dissolve other African nation unions, such as Gambia and Senegal and Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau.
An African Union fact finding mission sent to Somaliland in 2005 reported Somaliland status was “unique and self-justified in African political history’, and that ‘the case should not be linked to the notion of ‘opening a Pandora’s box’” as feared by the AU.
Therefore, it can be logically argued that the AU’s refusal to recognize Somaliland is completely unjustified. And so, it appears the AU is trying to buy time, sending fact finding missions to make reports they intend to ignore, hoping against hope that someday a functional government will arise in Somalia, and if that day were to come, all hopes for an independent Somaliland will cease to exist.
We the people of Somaliland have had our fate hanging in the balance for too long. We have been held hostage to the will the world for the past 17 years. We must take our fate into our own hands. We need to take our case to the International Court of Justice, and remind the world, as Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently put it that "justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere."
By: H. Farah, SYONA Vice President
hfarah@live.com
If there was one thing I learned in my four years of university it was how to do research. So one afternoon, I went down to the basement of my university’s library where the archives are kept and searched the dusty shelves for all the journals and papers containing information on Somaliland. As I searched through the old copies of the Economist, Washington Post, and the Review of African Political Economy, I found paper after paper building a strong case for Somaliland’s recognition, each one rebutting reasons against recognition, dismissing them as baseless.
Some of the main legal arguments for Somaliland recognition are:
– Somaliland was once an independent state. It achieved independence on June 26th 1960 and notification of this independence was registered with the UN. Thirty five countries (including the US, and UK) then recognised it. Somaliland would remain independent for five days before voluntarily joining with Somalia.
– The two parliaments approved different Acts of Union, and the legal formalities were never fully completed. The Somaliland Act of Union required the signature of representatives from Somalia which it never received. The Somalia Act of Union was approved in principle but never enacted into law, and therefore the union of Somaliland and Somalia has no legal validity in Somalia.
– Somaliland fulfills all the requirements of Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on the rights and duties of a state. These requirements are: 1) a permanent population; 2)a defined territory; 3) a government; 4) capacity to enter into relations with other states
One of the key opponents to Somaliland’s recognition is the African Union. The AU opposes Somaliland recognition because of their belief in the sanctity of colonial borders and the associated intolerance to secession. The irony lies in the fact that Somaliland wishes to return to the borders that it had when it gained independence from its colonial power. It is also important to point out that, Somaliland’s case is one of voluntary withdrawal from a union between two countries and not a cessation of land area incorporated into a sovereign state. Their stance on Somaliland also contradicts with their willingness to dissolve other African nation unions, such as Gambia and Senegal and Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau.
An African Union fact finding mission sent to Somaliland in 2005 reported Somaliland status was “unique and self-justified in African political history’, and that ‘the case should not be linked to the notion of ‘opening a Pandora’s box’” as feared by the AU.
Therefore, it can be logically argued that the AU’s refusal to recognize Somaliland is completely unjustified. And so, it appears the AU is trying to buy time, sending fact finding missions to make reports they intend to ignore, hoping against hope that someday a functional government will arise in Somalia, and if that day were to come, all hopes for an independent Somaliland will cease to exist.
We the people of Somaliland have had our fate hanging in the balance for too long. We have been held hostage to the will the world for the past 17 years. We must take our fate into our own hands. We need to take our case to the International Court of Justice, and remind the world, as Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently put it that "justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere."
By: H. Farah, SYONA Vice President
hfarah@live.com
We stand united- The Diaspora Grieve over Wednesday’s attacks.
This was written by the Vice-President of SYONA, with regards to the Wednesday October 29, 2008, attacks that occurred in Hargeisa. It was published in the Somaliland Times.
As I read about the monstrous attacks on innocent lives that happened in Hargeisa on Wednesday my heart throbbed with anguish, and my eyes began to swell up with tears. Though I live in a city with very few Somalilanders, as I came across some of my compatriots on my way home, one look at the sad, far off expressions on their faces was enough to tell me that they too had heard the dreadful news. When I got home, I frantically began searching the internet for more news on the attacks, and came across the heart wrenching video showing the attacks, on YouTube. As I watched the footage and saw places I use to walk past carefree during my summer vacations, my mind quickly turned to my first ever trip to Somaliland.
I was born abroad and raised abroad. I had never taken any interest in the little Republic, thinking of it only as the place my parents left because of the war; I saw my future in North America, the only home I had ever known. My father thought differently. He told me that Somaliland was not just a country but was a part of who I was as a person, a part of me that could never be severed, and that one day I would learn to love it as dearly as he did. So I went to Somaliland with my father’s words in mind, completely unaware of how this trip would have such a huge impact on my life. As I learned more about Somaliland’s rich history and culture, I found that I learned more about who I was as a person. Growing up in North America, I faced a lot of racism from a very young age, in Somaliland however I was someone; the daughter of so and so and the granddaughter of so and so. I was welcomed with open arms by people I had never met, and felt a strong sense of belonging, of finally being home. After my trip I came to regard Somaliland as my little corner of the world, my home, my future. Somaliland had become a part of me and a feeling that had been dormant in me had final been awoken: a feeling of true, genuine patriotism.
As I scrolled down the YouTube page reading the comments left by my compatriots, I could see that no matter where Somalilanders lived, whether in the Australian outback or the California valley, the feelings of pain, anguish, and loss, was universal among us all. We grieved together, united by the sadness we all felt over the lives lost and destruction that occurred in a homeland many of us have not seen in years, if ever. Disbelief that such a senseless attack of terror could be carried out against such compassionate, caring, people, who have strived and struggled to maintain a peaceful, free, tolerant and democratic society. All Somalilanders, everywhere felt the loss of those innocent lives very keenly, and although we might not be able to be with you at this darkest of hours, our hearts, minds, and prayers are. We have faced worse than this before and Insha’Allah we shall overcome.
H. Farah, 2008 Vice President of SYONA
As I read about the monstrous attacks on innocent lives that happened in Hargeisa on Wednesday my heart throbbed with anguish, and my eyes began to swell up with tears. Though I live in a city with very few Somalilanders, as I came across some of my compatriots on my way home, one look at the sad, far off expressions on their faces was enough to tell me that they too had heard the dreadful news. When I got home, I frantically began searching the internet for more news on the attacks, and came across the heart wrenching video showing the attacks, on YouTube. As I watched the footage and saw places I use to walk past carefree during my summer vacations, my mind quickly turned to my first ever trip to Somaliland.
I was born abroad and raised abroad. I had never taken any interest in the little Republic, thinking of it only as the place my parents left because of the war; I saw my future in North America, the only home I had ever known. My father thought differently. He told me that Somaliland was not just a country but was a part of who I was as a person, a part of me that could never be severed, and that one day I would learn to love it as dearly as he did. So I went to Somaliland with my father’s words in mind, completely unaware of how this trip would have such a huge impact on my life. As I learned more about Somaliland’s rich history and culture, I found that I learned more about who I was as a person. Growing up in North America, I faced a lot of racism from a very young age, in Somaliland however I was someone; the daughter of so and so and the granddaughter of so and so. I was welcomed with open arms by people I had never met, and felt a strong sense of belonging, of finally being home. After my trip I came to regard Somaliland as my little corner of the world, my home, my future. Somaliland had become a part of me and a feeling that had been dormant in me had final been awoken: a feeling of true, genuine patriotism.
As I scrolled down the YouTube page reading the comments left by my compatriots, I could see that no matter where Somalilanders lived, whether in the Australian outback or the California valley, the feelings of pain, anguish, and loss, was universal among us all. We grieved together, united by the sadness we all felt over the lives lost and destruction that occurred in a homeland many of us have not seen in years, if ever. Disbelief that such a senseless attack of terror could be carried out against such compassionate, caring, people, who have strived and struggled to maintain a peaceful, free, tolerant and democratic society. All Somalilanders, everywhere felt the loss of those innocent lives very keenly, and although we might not be able to be with you at this darkest of hours, our hearts, minds, and prayers are. We have faced worse than this before and Insha’Allah we shall overcome.
H. Farah, 2008 Vice President of SYONA
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Somaliland: A Brief History
The Republic of Somaliland is located in Horn of Africa and occupies the same land colonized by the British prior to 1960. On June 26, 1960 Somaliland became the first Somali country to be recognized by the United Nations. Somalilanders at this time had hopes of bringing all Somali-speaking communities together within a greater Somalia, and that is why Somaliland merged with Italian Somaliland on July 1,1960 to form the Somali Republic. The euphoric feeling that had taken hold in Somaliland regarding unification quickly changed to disenchantment as Somalilanders became increasingly marginalized in government and other sectors of society.
On October 15, 1969 the democratically elected President of Somalia, Abdirashid Ali Shermark was assassinated in Lasanood. A power vacuum arose allowing Siad Barre to stage a coup on October 21 1969, and take power. He would end up carrying out a brutal genocide against the people of Somaliland. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children would loss their lives.
In 1981, a group of Somalilanders living in the United Kingdom formed the Somali National Movement, a resistance movement that aimed to topple Siad Barre’s government. The SNM ultimately defeated Siad Barre, and on May 18, 1991 the people of Somaliland declared independence from Somalia. Since independence the people of Somaliland have been hard working to rebuild their country with nearly no international assistance and have successfully formed a democratic, prosperous nation. Often regarded as Africa's Best kept Secret, Somaliland is the only country on the continent to have no foreign debt.
On May 31st, 2001, a referendum on independence was held in Somaliland. Of a total population of about 3.5 million, the total number of people who voted stands at 1,188,154. Of these, more than a million people, or 97% of the voters, voted in favor of independence with only 34,460, or 3% of the voters, voting against it. All regions of the six Somaliland regions voted in favor of independence by landslide majority.
Jama Ali, President SYONA
jama_ali@live.ca
On October 15, 1969 the democratically elected President of Somalia, Abdirashid Ali Shermark was assassinated in Lasanood. A power vacuum arose allowing Siad Barre to stage a coup on October 21 1969, and take power. He would end up carrying out a brutal genocide against the people of Somaliland. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children would loss their lives.
In 1981, a group of Somalilanders living in the United Kingdom formed the Somali National Movement, a resistance movement that aimed to topple Siad Barre’s government. The SNM ultimately defeated Siad Barre, and on May 18, 1991 the people of Somaliland declared independence from Somalia. Since independence the people of Somaliland have been hard working to rebuild their country with nearly no international assistance and have successfully formed a democratic, prosperous nation. Often regarded as Africa's Best kept Secret, Somaliland is the only country on the continent to have no foreign debt.
On May 31st, 2001, a referendum on independence was held in Somaliland. Of a total population of about 3.5 million, the total number of people who voted stands at 1,188,154. Of these, more than a million people, or 97% of the voters, voted in favor of independence with only 34,460, or 3% of the voters, voting against it. All regions of the six Somaliland regions voted in favor of independence by landslide majority.
Jama Ali, President SYONA
jama_ali@live.ca
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Articles Coming Soon
- History of Somaliland
- Why Somaliland separated from Somalia?
- The Case for Somaliland's recognition
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