By Ali H. Abdulla

The Security Council has finally spoken on the situation in Las Anod. It took them a while:  but as they say, “better late than never.” The Statement calls for the immediate withdrawal of Somaliland security forces from the area. It also reaffirms its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia.

It seems that the UK which has been dragging its feet on the final wording of the statement has realized that it does not make any sense to support one Somali clan against another in an area that it once colonized. It may have realized that it could be dragged into the ICJ for bankrolling the forces the Somaliland Administration used to forcefully suppress dissent in several cities, and which it also used to spearhead the indiscriminate shelling of the city of Las Anod resulting in the displacement of more than 200,000 civilians, the loss of  thousands of young lives on both sides, the serious wounding of thousands of combatants and civilians; and the destruction of  hospitals, utilities and places of worship.

Despite its delaying tactics, the people of Las Anod are thankful to the UK for finally supporting the statement and they expect the UK government to rectify its past mistakes by helping them rebuild their city, treat their wounded and resettle their IDPs. They would also like to remind the UK of its dark history when it used airplanes to bomb their ancestors in 1920 killing thousands in the process just for saying no to being colonized. The people of Las Anod deserve the same, if not more, compensation received by the Mau Mau in Kenya for the atrocities the British committed against them before Kenya’s independence.

As usual, Somaliland’s response to the Security Council statement was defiance. It continues to insist that its forces are defending its territories against terrorists, Puntland forces and misguided clan militia. It continues to justify its presence in the area and the mayhem it has caused by the mere fact that it once shared a colonial legacy with the rightful owners of the land, the people of Las Anod who marshalled all their meagre resources to defend their territories.

The Security Council needs to realize that it is dealing with a delusional leader with Hitlerian tendencies who if he had the same might that Hitler had would not hesitate to reclaim all the territories within the old British Protectorate by force despite the misery and destruction that such an illegal action would cause.

Muse Bihi, the Somaliland leader, is well known for his role in the 1994-1996 civil war within his own Issac clan when he massacred thousands in the cities of Burao and Hargeisa. He is famous for proclaiming: “There is no reason for me to accept peace when I have the ability to kill.” More recently he used the British trained RRU force, Rapid Response Units, to kill peaceful demonstrators against his illegal extension of  his term by one year. Therefore, the Security Council should not expect him to heed their call for withdrawing his forces and resolving the dispute peacefully.  On the contrary, the traditional leaders of Las Anod have fully accepted the Statement of the Council and vowed to refrain from attacking the Somaliland forces if they agreed to withdraw peacefully. In a recent defiant speech, Bihi boasted of solely holding the keys to ending the war, and that no one can force him to end the conflict, even Nuclear Countries. It is horrifying to imagine a Bihi presiding over a country that the world recognizes and having access to resources that enable him to acquire more deadly weapons.

Somaliland somehow managed to convince some western countries of its democratic credentials and its respect for the rule of law unlike Southern Somalia, where according to them, pirates and terrorists reign supreme. Their roaming Ambassador, Edna Adan, spends most of her time lecturing European parliaments about the difference between Somaliland and Southern Somalia. She gets support from misinformed parliamentarians like Gavin Williamson who bolster her claims and encourage their governments to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign State. These parliamentarians fail to understand that their misguided support has emboldened and encouraged Mr. Bihi to use Russian weapons left behind by the overthrown Somali government to bomb innocent civilians in an indiscriminate manner that violates the most basic human rights. These weapons include anti-aircraft guns, tanks, long-range mortars, and artillery. They have recently added to this motley of old Russian weapons modern drones that can carry deadly payloads. They have also acquired rifles with high powered scopes enabling them to station sharp shooters along the hills surrounding the city to target civilians at will in order to instill fear among the population left in the city.

Democracy is a way of governing which depends on the will of the people. Somaliland Democracy is confined to a segment of the population and ignores the aspirations of thousands who believe in the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia as the Security Council has reaffirmed in its Statement. Gavin Williamson and others like him have no right to interfere in Somalia by supporting the one-sided secession of a certain clan.

The Security Council started its statement by affirming the Unity of Somalia and its territorial integrity. Since the Somali Government is weak and cannot safeguard its territorial integrity and protect its citizens against a determined and well-equipped rogue, secessionist entity, the people of Las Anod seek the full protection of the Security Council and the resettlement of their thousands of internally displaced citizens who live in camps that lack the most basic human needs. Most of the IDPs live in mosques and schools in surrounding villages while some live under trees where they are exposed to the elements. Mogadishu and Puntland hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded whose numbers keep growing everyday since Somaliland keeps sending bombs from its well-fortified bunkers in Goja-adde which is around five kilometers from Las Anod.

The Las Anod IDPs are mostly women and children who do not deserve to be ignored by the international community for more than 5 months. While they welcome the Security Council Statement, they are hopeful that the Council will enforce its content by taking concrete actions that will end their nightmare and misery.

Ali H. Abdulla
Email: aliegeh@gmail.com