Somaliland is in diplomatic isolation both from it’s neighbours, regional and international organizations such as the IGAD, AU and the United Nations. They have alienated the big donors and democracy promoters such as the USA, European Union and other non-EU European countries such as Norway. The European Union are closing their office in Somaliland which was opened in 1991 due to Silanyo government’s confrontational, inflexible, and non-conciliatory foreign policy .
Somaliland is less democratic and more authoritarian today in 2015 compared when the former president Dahir Rayale Kahin peacefully handed power to the incumbent president, Silanyo in 2010. In his farewell speech at the inauguration ceremony of the incumbent, The former president Rayale Kahin said quote ” I’m handing power to the president elect , Silanyo a united and peaceful country and united Somaliland people, I hope my successor will keep it that way.”
Enormous national difficulties have been meted out by the Silanyo administration in all possible areas but the four most poignant challenges are the systematic destruction visited upon the once thriving democratization process , the loss of cohesion and coexistence among diverse communities, the backward moving push for recognition that resulted from a lackluster foreign policy and the deflated livelihoods that have come through nepotism at all levels of government . The Silanyo government’s policy is to divide the people, isolate some, punish some and enrich the inner circle of the president’s family members. Corruption has been created and nurtured in every level of the government where by it became part of the culture.
The political and security situation in Somaliland resembles of that South Sudan before the months the full blown out war broke out. The wanton killing of uniformed armed personnel by their colleagues is on the rise and became a new phenomenon in Somaliland’s military bases. One of these incidents saw the death of Corporal Aidarus Awaleh from a hail of bullets fired by Private Mustafa Slah Samatar at Gambada military base in sool region.
In mid September 2014, captain Mohamed Aw-Rabah YUSUF and lieutenant Jama Mohamud Hadith, the commanding officer of Somaliland’s 17th army battalion respectively we’re killed at their Qorilugud military post in Togdheer region by a soldier under their command. The culprit Serviceman,Farah Mohamed Ismail is still at large more than a year after the incident.
In this year 2015, the killing of officers by soldiers under their command continues. On Saturday 13th June 2015, major Saeed Abdi Warsame ,the commander of red pirates army battalion of Erigavo,Sanaag region, was shot dead by a soldier under his command, as for today, the shooter is still at large. On 11 August 2015, Colonel Hassan Aqli, the western division commander of Somaliland army was shot and badly wounded and lieutenant Farah Arale was killed by a soldier under their command at their Borama Military Post and the shooter is caught and under custody.
The country’s direction and the political situation in Somaliland seems to be the very reminiscent of that in Somalia in the last days of the former dictator of Somalia, Mohamed Siyad Barre. The only enemy Silanyo. Government have is their own people. The people who elected them. In just one week of this month ( August 2015 ) ,the Somaliland Police officers shot and killed three unarmed under age civilians in Hargeisa with live bullets. One of them was a boy in police custody. He was shot in a police cell in Koodbuur police station in Hargeisa.
North Korea and Silanyo regimes have some striking similarities when it comes to sense of humour or lack of it towards their leaders Kim Il Un and Silanyo , when it comes of making fun of their leaders. Cyber attack against film making company, SONNY by North Korea was triggered by a comedy called THE INTERVIEW showing actors plotting to kill North Korean leader Kim IL Un.
On the other hand, Somali Telivision Universal angered Silanyo regime. It aired a satire show where by an imitator/reporter interviewed Silanyo’s Look alike mimicking the president in a satirical way and singing at the end of the show . This resulted the banning of Universal TV from Somaliland soil for a long time, Until they apologised ,closing their Hargeisa Studios and jailing their reporters.
Silanyo’s government mandate expired on 27/07/15. Elections were not held on time (I.E on 26/06/2015 ). It is the duty of the government to to hold elections. They have persuaded the NEC to delay the polling day for a year. It was a pre planned project and the government was heavily involved. After they got this year of so called Technical delay from the NEC and the elections postponed and passed the legal time, the government lubricated the hands of the upper house members and twisted their arms to extend Silanyo’s government term in office. Now the incumbent government has put its feet on the road to dictatorship and have NO intention of holding an election even in 2017.
The disunited Somaliland people will unite against injustices and malpractices of Silanyo regime and will never be defeated as they did against the oppressive regime of the former dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre. The SNM (Somali National Movement ) war veterans are convening a conference soon to discuss the way the country is heading, Yet in trying to placate an outraged citizenry, the incumbent government is making a major miscalculation and is playing with fire.
The author is Abdirahman Mohamed Jama (Awxoog ) an elected member of Somaliland Parliament, House of representatives.
Abdirahman M Jama , Somaliland MP
Hargeisa, Somaliland.