Somaliland’s current aggression
in
Hudun is likely to escalate
into Kalshale II
By Ali H Abdulla
Nov. 14, 2012
“All we have in Somaliland is Tribalism and Kat” :
Faysal Ali Warabe – Chairman of the Justice and Welfare Party in Somaliland
“This year, it is
apparent that Somali Women have worked hard and as a result achieved a
lot of progress. The appointment of Fosiya Haji Adan as a Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Somalia is the result of
such dedication and hard work.” :
Haji Abdi Warabe (No direct relation to the previous Warabe) –
The oldest surviving member in the Somaliland House of Elders
 |
It seems that the Somaliland House
of Cards is finally tumbling down slowly but surely, and that the
misguided ambition of a separate state that is based purely on clannish
sentiment is finally giving way to reality and pragmatism. A large
number of Somaliland politicians who held respectable positions in the
Somaliland Administration are flocking daily to Mogadishu in search of
better and more sustainable future. Many seem to be running away from
the reality correctly described by the outspoken Mr. Faysal Warabe, one
of the most outspoken secessionists in the clan-based enclave. He once
called for the ethnic cleansing of the clans that are opposed to the
secession of Somaliland from the rest of Somalia. His words above
portends the unraveling of the Somaliland project. No wonder that the
attempts of mercenary lobbyists like Peter Pham and Iqbal Jhazbhay to
secure world recognition for Somaliland have fizzled out and their
futile attempts have failed to bear any fruit despite receiving
millions of dollars diverted from much needed development projects in
Somaliland. Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, suffers from chronic
water shortages while millions were awarded to foreign lobbyists who
failed to do their homework, before embarking on such a wild goose
chase. They and others like them ignored the fact that the word
Somaliland stands for the land of the Somali people who are scattered
all over the horn of Africa.
While it is a big relief for Somali Unionists to
witness a welcome change in Somaliland, the phenomenon of shifting
alliances like sand dunes has given rise to a new breed of
self-serving politicians who are ready to sell their souls for the sake
of a political post. Even the new Minister of Foreign Affairs in the
new Somali cabinet, Fosiya Haji Adan, switched sides after her party in
Somaliland failed to garner the level of support deemed necessary to
compete in the upcoming elections in Somaliland.. Can the Somali people
trust such a person who is capable of changing her loyalty as easily
as changing her wardrobe? I just hope that the President and Prime
Minister know what they are doing.
Yabarag has addressed this issue very well in a recent article.
 |
The recent defection of Suleiman Issa Karr,
the chairman of the Council for the Salvation and Unification of the
Unionist SSC regions in North Central Somalia, to the secessionist camp
is testimony to such a new trend. Just before the treacherous
defection of Mr. Karr in return for a measly $100,000, delivered to him
by Silanyo’s whip Hirsi the Dagger in Djibouti, and a second grade
Ministry stolen from our brothers in Awdal, Mr. Karr told an audience in
the United Arab Emirates that he will never contemplate selling his
soul to Silanyo’s Somaliland or Farole’s Puntland , the two
Administrations that colluded to marginalize the regions that chose him
to lead them in their struggle for defending Somali Unity and
developing their territories peacefully. Both administrations prevented
international organizations from venturing into these regions which
were unfairly labeled as disputed territories. Even the popular Somali
writer Muktar M. Omer, inadvertently used a map labeling these regions
as disputed territories in his latest article posted in
WardheerNews.
In addressing the unionist audience
in Abu Dhabi, Mr. Karr reiterated his commitment to a United Somalia
by using the famous words of Ismail Mire, the Darwish commander who
defeated and killed Richard Corfield in the battle of Dul Madoba in
1913, and who even with the collapse of the Dariwsh struggle in 1920 as
a result of merciless British aerial bombardment that massacred
thousands in cold blood, refused to acknowledge the rule of the British
colonialists. When asked to address the British Governor as Sir,
Ismail is said to have answered “Afkaan Sayid ku idhi. Sir ku odhan
maayo”. Roughly translated it means that the same lips that used to
address the Darwish Commander in chief, Mohamed Abdulla Hassan, as Sayid
cannot address a colonialist as Sir. Now, those were the days that
honor, chivalry, courage and a man’s word were valued and meant a lot.
Even the British admired and respected men like Ismail and the Sayid
and derided traitors like Ina Igarre who collaborated with them against
their own people. Jardine alludes to this fact in the closing remarks
of his book “the Mad Mullah of Somaliland”
When Mr. Karr defected, he was given a red
carpet treatment in Burao and Hargeisa, and his demands for the
theatrical and deceitful partial withdrawal of the Somaliland militias
from Kalshale, an area that witnessed recurring battles between the
Somaliland militia and the Khatumo Unionists, was met. This meaningless
and temporary withdrawal gave the impression that Silanyo and his
secessionist enclave were serious about peace and that Karr was their
partner for peaceful co-existence in the area. It was all staged to
promote Karr as a man who freed the Khatumo prisoners and negotiated
the withdrawal of the Somaliland militia from Kalshale. Osman Hassan
has an excellent article on
WardheerNews that appropriately describes Karr as a Khatumo dropout.
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But Silanyo is not serious about peace and he
has embarked on a new adventure that heralds a replay of the Kalshale
conflict but this time in a different area. The town of Hudun lies
around 160 kilometers to the north east of Kalshale and falls within
the jurisdiction of the Khatumo State of Somalia, a unionist state that
is opposed to the dismemberment of the Somali State. A few days ago,
the residents of the town woke up to unwelcome guests armed with more
than 40 Technicals, four-wheel drive vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft
weapons. These militia relocated from Kalshale and blocked all the
exits from Hudun which is surrounded by a range of mountains.
The reason behind this new and flagrant
aggression is not fully known or understood as yet, but it can ignite a
destructive war that can go out of hand and engulf the whole area. So
far, a large number of young men have assembled from all the
surrounding areas to defend their territories against the invading
secessionist militias. Kalshale II, in which scores of young men may
lose their lives like in Kalshale I , is in the making since the
Khatumo forces will not tolerate the presence of secessionist militia
in their midst. While Las Anod was relinquished to Somaliland by
Puntland without any credible resistance, the matter is entirely
different when it comes to areas upon which the livelihood and survival
of Khatumo nomads depend such as Hudun and Kalshale.
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Fuad Aden Adde
|
Some attribute the new aggression to
Silanyo’s attempts to stir clan passion in his secessionist enclave in
order to stem the constant and steady outflow of many Somaliland
politicians and their families from Hargeisa to Mogadishu, the capital
of Somalia where security has improved considerably and business
opportunities are opening up. Others attribute it to the upcoming
elections in Somaliland and the attempts of Silanyo’s party to inflate
and maximize its seats in territories that cannot be monitored easily.
This attempt is spearheaded by self-serving politicians like Mr. Karr
above and others who are native to the area. Among these politicians is
Fuad Adan Adde another self-serving politician who claims Hudun as his
home. Fuad pretends to be an important Somaliland figure in Hargeisa
but failed to secure any meaningful posts in Somaliland after being
sacked by Dahir Rayale, the former president of the secessionist
enclave. He may be trying to prove himself this time to Silanyo by
participating in the invasion of his place of birth where many of his
relatives were killed in cold blood during the destructive civil war
that toppled the Somali government. There are also strong indications
that Silanyo and his Minister of Mineral Resource signed deals with
small British and South African companies to prospect for oil in
Holhol, an area close to Hudun. The Holhol area has considerable oil
reserves which Conoco proved before the collapse of the Somali
government.. It is part of the Nugaal Valley block.
Whatever the reasons for this aggression, it is
incumbent upon the new Federal Government to at least express its
displeasure and call for the withdrawal of these militia before the
eruption of hostilities that can claim the lives of scores innocent
young Somalis on both sides of the conflict. Since the TFG, under
Sheikh Sharif, already recognized Khatumo as one of the Federal States
of Somalia, its residents expect nothing less than the full protection
of the new Federal Government of Somalia.
Hudun deserves the same attention that Kismayo is getting from the President and his new government.
Ali H. Abdulla
