The Somalia traditional and social media offensive against the Republic of Somaliland has gained momentum of late sliding to new records on both veracity and distaste.
The Somalia-loyal media makes no pains to conceal its viewpoint on the professed sovereignty and independence of Somaliland from the rest of the former Somali Republic. It manifests this attitude in a number of ways:
- Making it appear that the 1991 all-clan conference in Burao where the Republic of Somaliland was re-born never happened.
- That Somaliland has always been part of something called ‘Somalia’ – a misnomer which has no legal basis.
- By going to all lengths not to admit that Somaliland joined Somalia in 1960 as a fully-fledged, internationally recognized sovereign state.
- By constantly referring to Somaliland as either ‘self-declared state’ or as ‘the Somaliland administration’, putting it on the same par as the burgeoning federal states that the former Italian Somalia broke up into
- By portraying Somaliland and Somaliland issues as insignificant distractions of a run-away regional state of Somalia to the outside world.
- By calculatedly insulting Somaliland norms and values to make it appear that Somaliland peace and stability happened by accident.
- By repeatedly posting on Somalia-loyal websites and social media distasteful pictures of prominent, leading figures among the Somaliland leadership ranks such as His Excellency the ROS President, himself, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
- By glorifying militant elements of Somaliland opposition to discredit state organs and time-tested institutions such as the Guurti.
- By drawing and publishing fabricated maps to confuse the issue of Somaliland-Somalia boundaries before the ill-fated union of 1960.
By sweeping Somalia’s dirty linen under the table and painting, in its place, a nation on the rise despite the wraith-like existence of an internationally propped administration which is run from behind AMISOM-manned barricades.
The sample above of tactics and strategies used by the Somalia media is sadly echoed and reprinted many on occasion by a fast deteriorating Somaliland media that much of which has long forfeited its old vibrancy, patriotism and bite.
The constant derogation of Somaliland and what it stands for on the part of the Somalia-loyal media, besides, is a direct contravention of one of the very first points the two sides agreed upon on their bilateral talks relating to the cessation of all adverse propaganda against one another.
In light above, that the Somaliland media, government and the public close ranks to repulse the encroaching threat of a bullish Somalia that is clearly aided and abetted by figures such as Nicholas Kay (UN) and d’Urso (EU) in addition to interest-driven Turkey and members of the GCC.
