In 2010 the International community hosted a conference on Somalia in London. It was a truly international gathering over 50 nations, including heavyweights such as British PM David Cameron, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, UN chief Ban-Ki Moon and many others. The conference was intended to set up a road map for Somalia’s recovery from anarchy, piracy and terrorism. The conference also, for the first time laid the foundations for talks between Somaliland and Somalia as two distinct countries.
Six years later and after billions of dollars and countless lives, the weak federal entity in Mogadishu, has after more than a year of deliberations reverted to the discredited and futile 4.5 system to form a new government, because, national elections cannot be held due to security reason. What a mess!!
To make matters even worse, the UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon hailed this pathetic reversal as a victory. Extra-ordinary!
The 4.5 system didn’t work in Somalia in 2010, 2012 and will not work in 2016, because certain communities in Somalia, will feel that they have no hope under this system and would prefer a district and settlement based formula or better still, one person, one voter. After all it is the 21st century.
To compound this misery even further, the weak federal entity in Mogadishu has mentioned Somaliland in its final communique. Really, this would be funny, if it was not tragic.
Somaliland which has reclaimed its sovereignty, affirmed its constitutions in 2001, held several free and fair elections, transferred power in a peaceful manner and currently conducting a voter registration drive for the 2017 presidential and parliamentary elections (over 100, 000 registered so far), has been included in the 4.5 formula. No, thanks. We are doing fine as we are.
Somalilanders understand that whatever “majaajilo” (farce) that takes place in Mogadishu has no bearing on the nation. And for the few dollar chasing mercenaries, who have neither the power nor prestige, truly, they do not matter, no one pays attention to them, not even their staff; are basically overseas workers, this kind of nonsense is laughable.
But, what annoys me as a Somalilander is not the idiocy of the fools in Mogadishu, nor the lack of forceful response from the ailing administration of President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silaanyo”, it is the apparent stupidity of the United Nations and other international community stakeholders to keep buying this, if you pardon my french, this bullshit, that keeps emanating from Mogadishu.
How long must the UN and International Community keep getting take for a ride by the bottomless pit in Mogadishu? Forever, it would seem.
But, here is the thing, as a former federal foreign minister, Dr. Bayle, who left the comedy of errors in Mogadishu, after just a year, had said “Somalia is nothing but a project for the UN and the international community. It has become a project designed to further the careers of the UN bureaucrats in Nairobi and New York. It is a project to train, appropriate funds, and implement feasibility studies”. Remarkable.
The proof is in the pudding, Ban-Ki Moon hailed the reversal to the 4.5, other regions in Somalia have rejected it, the EU is noticeable by its silence and Somaliland is laughing its head off.
Allaa Mahad
