By Muhammad Suldaan Sa’id

“I have no intention at all of being an indifferent spectator, if distant powers hold the idea of dividing Africa, Ethiopia has been for the last fourteen century, an island of Christianity in a sea of pagans”  Menelik II, in a letter dated in April 10th, 1891 to Queen Victoria

It’s been the source of some gossip among historians that Abyssinian kings in 19^th and 20^th century would frequently ponder over the crushing defeat by Imam Ahmad bin Ibrahim (Imam Ahmad Gurey). That historic battle between the Muslim forces, mainly a coalition of Somali tribes except of some Arab fusiliers and canoners, and the Christian Abyssinian forces aided by Portuguese soldiers, seem to have left a permanent scar on Ethiopian leaders’ psyche. The 16^th century religious campaigns led by Imam Ahmad Gurey against the Abyssinian emperor Lebna Dengel saw the conquest of three-quarters of Ethiopia bring under the Adal Sultanate and a complete meltdown of Abyssinian army.

The well-documented battle of Shimbra Kure in 1527, the unquenchable Imams’ armies triumphed over the emperors’ soldiers and gallantly marched “northward passing through the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Gheralta, Teka-Tesfay all the way to Tigray region until they finally reached Axum.” (Sihab ad-Din Ahmed bin al-Qader. Futuh Al-Habasha: The Conquest of Abyssinia translated by Paul Lester (2003) Stenhouse.)

This overwhelmingly devastating defeat at the hands of Imam Ahmad Gurey precipitated an expeditious European intervention in Africa. As Emperor Lebna Dengel fully realised the dominating characteristics, determination and the doggedness of Imam Ahmeds’ armies, he desperately in a humiliated state begged an immediate Portuguese assistance to rebuff the invading Muslim armies.

If past experience is anything to go by, Ethiopian leaders have a reason to hold a grudge against a strong and united Muslim neighbour, Somalia. The Ethiopian political upper echelon is hell-bent on dictating the course of geopolitical events in its neighbour to the east.  Furthermore, they have been exhibiting some head- scratching behaviour of late through their puppets in Somalia.

In order to ward off any return of that frightening scenario ever again, and to place Somalia under its sphere of influence, Ethiopian imperialist strategists are using their surrogates and vassal regional entities within this fragmentary tribal federalism to sow the seeds of our nations’ final balkanization. Under the guise of mutually beneficial cooperation, this historical arch-enemy is intentionally interacting with Somali regional governments like sovereign nations with separate jurisprudence. It is a highly choreographed divide and rule master plan, a strategy that is already driving a wedge between the Somali federal government (which is far from being flawless itself) and the federal member states.

With its irrational megalomaniacal ambition, the regime in Addis Ababa and its spooks in Garowe and Hargeisa are working hand in glove to carry through this existential thinly veiled dismemberment scheme. Somalia is teetering on the brink of falling into this pernicious triangle conspiracy. As other newly formed federal member states take shape, Puntland which is run like a private fiefdom, is uneasy about its dwindling and rapidly disappearing influence. Like sibling rivalry in childhood when children compete with parental attention, Puntland is resentful of other federal member states as it fears losing its influential position in the current federal dispensation. Its leadership cannot bear the sheer idea of other regions utilising their constitutional rights to put in place their own self administering entities.

Being both treacherous and Ethiopia’s poodles, they take pleasure in undermining any attempt to form regional state in Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions of Somalia. With their proudly celebrated past, these communities have a historical right to establish their administration in accordance with the federal provisional constitution. The Puntlands’ “sibling rivalry” condition seems to have progressed into “sibling envy” by bringing into play a method straight from the imperialist playbook. Not long ago, Puntland administration has maliciously invited the self-proclaimed president of Bakool Sare Ahmed Mohamed Mashruc to deliberately sabotage the emergence of any vibrant and unified autonomous administration in South West. It is not unreasonable to assume, that Puntland felt its imaginary world of being the only functional federal member state in the country has been disrupted and became a distant mirage.

In an earlier article published last year that was titled, ‘The new age of Ethiopian imperialism,’ I had passionately argued that “Ethiopia has a clear choice to make as it continues to grow economically and militarily; it can either choose to build up its political and diplomatic status as a major responsible country in our sub-region or behave like a big bully brother. Despite the lingering historical enmity and suspicion between our two nations, nevertheless we are bound by multiple factors and therefore, we must adopt the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, namely; mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence with that we shall all prosper.”

War is primarily the product of human nature especially tribal society like ours. Throughout modern human history, there have always been tribal conflicts, civil wars and even continental wars. But unlike us, communities and countries come to terms with their darker side of history and lay the foundations of a safer future coexistence. Somalis need to create an environment for proper countrywide reconciliation and dare the democratic compromise necessary for lasting peace in our war-ravaged nation. If Somalis ever want to resuscitate our lost Somali brotherhood, if we want to salvage Somali nation from its current fragmented quandary, then we must put the past behind us and face the future with realistic optimism.

Muhammad Suldaan Sa’id
Email:Suldaanz@hotmail.com

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Said Studied Sociology and History at Kingston University in London, UK  

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References:
Sihab ad-Din Ahmed bin al-Qader. Futuh Al-Habasa: The Conquest of Abyssinia translated by Paul Lester (2003) Stenhouse.
Pakenham, Thomas (1990) the Scramble for Africa.
Bowering, Gerhard and Crone, Patricia (2013) the Princeton Encyclopaedia of Political Thought.