By Abdiqani Salafi “Kabtanka”
The opponents of Somaliland Republic sometimes raise insincere arguments about the legitimacy of its national borders and its quest for international diplomatic recognition calling its borders “Colonial Borders” to deny Somaliland sovereignty and diplomatic recognition. This hostile group is either ignorant of the historical origin of current borders of African States or purposefully engaged in misleading. The United Nations, African Union, and African States did not draw or make the current borders of African States.
Similar to the borders of Somaliland, all the borders of African independent states had been drawn by the colonial powers of Europe in the 19th century, before or after The Partition of Africa in 1884, and the independence and diplomatic recognition of each African State depend upon its own colonial demarcations or borders. Likewise, all the borders of Asian and South American independent States also emerged from colonial borders drawn by Britain, France, and Spain.
It is hypocritical that these opponents recognize the legitimacy of the border between Somaliland and Djibouti but challenge the legitimacy of the border running between Somaliland and Somalia (running along Garowe and Bosaso) knowing that both borders were drawn by colonial powers.
The borders of Somalia, Somaliland, and Djibouti have the same status and legitimacy because they were all drawn by European Colonizers. Most of such opposing elements are easily overwhelmed by unattainable ambitions for tribal state with tribal borders that does not exist in Africa or elsewhere in the world. Their denial of the legitimacy of Somaliland borders and independence is completely in contrary to the historical realities of African borders.
Anyone who opposes the legitimacy of Somaliland borders, its independence, and its diplomatic recognition is challenging the borders and sovereignty of all African independent states (54 states) whose borders rose from their colonial borders or demarcations. Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia have the same legitimacy for independence and diplomatic recognition.
Somaliland was the first of the five-Somali territories to achieve independence from the British Empire on June 26, 1960 based on its existing borders and, before the merger with Somalia on July 1st, 1960, the first Somali country to be recognized by the United Nations and 35 member nations immediately after independence like the rest of African States.
Independent Somaliland was also the first to pioneer the unification between Somaliland and Somalia in quest for Greater Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Somalia hijacked the governments of the union for the thirty years of its existence (1960-1990) and treated Somaliland as one of its own provinces like Mudug and Bay committing all kinds of injustices against it. When Somaliland people rebelled against injustices perpetrated by Somalia in the twenty years between 1960-1980, atrocities were committed against them in the decade of 1980s instead of addressing their justified grievances….
To be continued…to party 2
