by Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo
Thursday, June 23, 2016
President Silanyo of Somaliland meeting former UK Foreign
Office minister Henry Bellingham in 2011. Credit: FCO.
On 24 June 1960, The London Gazette published a proclamation
by HM the Queen terminating British protection over the Somaliland Protectorate
and declaring that Somaliland would become ‘’an independent country” on 26
June. That day, in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, the union flag was lowered
for the last time and the US Secretary of State sent a message of
congratulation. Five days later,
Somaliland voluntarily joined Italian Somalia to form a new state: the Somali Republic.
It was a disastrous mistake for which Somaliland continues
to pay. The brutal Siyad Barre regime
provoked a civil war in which over 50,000 Somalilanders were killed and
hundreds of thousands of fled. Following
the implosion of Somalia, our people exercised their right to self-determination,
dissolved their failed union with Somalia on 18 May 1991 and reclaimed their
independence.
Today, mass graves from that terrible era continue to be
found, but Somaliland has managed to move on. In sharp contrast to Somalia, our
people built their own internal peace with minimal outside involvement and from
the grassroots up. We have established a
viable democratic state in which power transfers peacefully from one party to
another in internationally-monitored elections.
And we have developed key institutions including a judiciary, army and
police force.
We have also worked hard to develop the economic potential
of Somaliland. Last month, we signed a 30 year agreement with DP World to
manage the strategic Port of Berbera. Significant investment in the port and
the road corridor that links Berbera with the Ethiopian border will be
unlocked, and Ethiopia plans to import and export 30% of its goods through
Berbera. This will help create jobs for our people and Somaliland will become
more integrated in the regional economy.
Meanwhile, Somaliland plays an active role in UK and
international efforts to combat extremism and piracy in the Horn of Africa. We
dedicate significant resources to security and our people co-operate with our
security forces to prevent al-Shabaab getting a foothold.
We want to see a stable and peaceful Somalia and have
lessons to share from our experience of peace-building and democratic
governance. But Somaliland’s integration into Somalia would only destabilise
Somaliland without achieving peace in Somalia. A realistic solution must be
found which acknowledges our people’s right to self-determination and takes
into account the realities on the ground.
Although Somaliland enjoys a strong legal basis for
statehood under customary international law, Somaliland is still denied
international recognition. This is both deeply unjust and short-sighted. If
Somaliland were recognised, it would be able to access international credits
and attract FDI, strengthening our economy. This would create jobs, deterring
our young people from migrating to Europe or joining extremist movements.
Our exclusion from international forums denies our people
the right to be represented and heard on issues of global concern. Although
Somaliland suffered from a serious climate-induced drought this year, causing
widespread loss of livestock and livelihoods, we had no opportunity to
contribute to the climate change talks in Paris.
We are deeply grateful for the support which the UK has
provided to Somaliland in recent years, especially the development assistance
from the Department for International Development (DfID), the training for our
armed forces, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s help in facilitating
talks between Somaliland and Somalia in 2012.
Nevertheless, we believe the UK could do more. As the former
colonial power, the UK has a unique understanding of Somaliland and its
history. Many Somalilanders have made
the UK their home and are eager to contribute to modern British life. Yet the British government sometimes seems
more concerned with the fate of the former Italian colony of Somalia than the
former British Protectorate of Somaliland.
Our people would like the UK to help them with their desire
to be recognised as a sovereign state.
In 2001, the people of Somaliland voted overwhelmingly in favour of
independence and successive elections
have returned governments which support recognition. A recent petition started
by Somalilanders calling for recognition has already garnered half a million
signatures.
Britain needs to show some leadership and restore the
recognition which it granted Somaliland in 1960, encouraging other states to do
the same. Recognising Somaliland
represents not just the ‘right’ thing to do, but enlightened self-interest:
Somaliland will provide security for Britain in a strategically sensitive
region, a growing market for British goods and services, and an important
bulwark against terror and extremism in the Horn of Africa.
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo is the President of the Republic
of Somaliland
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