The intellectuals of the Sool community in Hargeisa gathered at a reception made for welcoming Raage Garaad Abdiqani Garaad Jama into the city, and emphasized one key message: return to the negotiating table with the Somaliland government and voice any concerns or issues of the region at the table for a reasonable solution.
The governor of Sool region, who spoke at the reception, called on Raage to work on the pacification of Sool and the end of the crisis there.
It is about time that intellectuals from Sool who support Somaliland’s cause and are loyal to her stand up and in a loud and clear voice reject what is taking place in their soil.
The message from Sool’s elites, combined with one from the late Garaad Abdiqani Garaad Jama’s son, counters the accusations made against the Somaliland Republic that are causing the Las Anod war to go on. Such public statements cast doubt on the notion that the entire populace of that region supports continuing the war.
Speaking there as well, MP Yasin Hagi Mohamud (Faratoon), who has held numerous positions in the various administrations of Somaliland, stated that there is absolutely no hostility planned against the people of Sool and that the feelings and mistrust there are being driven by outsiders who do not care about the peace and stability of the region.
In his speech, MP Faratoon went further and said that although some segments of the Sool region’s tribe reside in neighboring nations like Kenya and Ethiopia, no one questioned their merger with these countries. So it is important for Sool region natives to ask why Somaliland’s Sool region is the only one being targeted.
The inception of the present-day Somaliland Republic in Burao took place in 1991, following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War. On May 18, 1991, a grand conference was held in Burao. The conference was attended by over 2,000 delegates from all over Somaliland, and it resulted in the resumption of independence of the Republic of Somaliland.
The elders and politicians who met in Burao argued that Somaliland had never been fully integrated with Somalia as an equal sovereign state and that it had the right to self-determination
Garaad Abdiqani Garaad Jama – the father of Raage – played a significant role in the Burao Grand Conference. The conference was a crucial event in the history of Somaliland as it marked the beginning of present-day Somaliland’s quest for unilaterally dismantling its unification with the now-defunct Somali Republic.
Garaad Abdiqani was one of the key organizers of the conference, which brought together various clans and political groups from Somaliland. He was a prominent traditional leader and a respected figure in the region, and hailing from the Sool constituency. His involvement in the conference helped to legitimize its proceedings.
During the conference, Garaad Abdiqani played a crucial role in mediating between the different clans and political groups to broker agreements and resolve disputes, which were essential for the success of the conference.
The Declaration of Independence was met with mixed reactions. Some Somalis welcomed it, while others saw it as a betrayal of the Somali nationalist movement.
However, the government of Somaliland has been able to maintain its independence for over 32 years, and it is now considered to be a de facto state.
The government of Somaliland has made significant progress in building a stable and prosperous society. It has established a functioning government, a strong economy, and a well-trained security force.
The Sool region is one of the six regions of Somaliland. It is located in the northwest of the country and borders Ethiopia to the south, Puntland to the east, and the Togdheer and Sanaag regions of Somaliland to the west and north. The region has a quite large population, and its capital is Las Anod
Sool district politicians have played a significant role in the administration of Somaliland since its declaration of resuming its sovereignty from the failed union with Somalia in 1991. They have been at the forefront of Somaliland’s development, and they continue to play a vital role in its future. The Sool region is an integral and indispensable part of Somaliland’s internationally recognized borders. Without it, the Somaliland Republic as we know it today would not exist.
The Somaliland Republic turned 32 years old this May, and the young generation undoubtedly makes up the bulk of the country’s population. This youthful generation, who reached adulthood in modern-day Somaliland, is frequently bombarded with completely false information and either has no strong recollections of the carnage and devastation that led to the restoration of Somaliland sovereignty or has none at all.
The propaganda of the federal government of Somalia, which is unable to fathom that Somaliland had left and that a second unification between the two is next to impossible, is the main source disseminating of such false narratives.
A small percentage of Somalilanders mainly concentrated living in the eastern regions of Somaliland are the majority of people who fall for this. A perfect example is the conflict in Las Anod.
It is an ongoing armed conflict between the Somaliland National Army and a Somali militia – disguised as disgruntled Sool region locals – supported covertly by Majertenia administration and Al-Shabaab terrorist group fighters. The conflict began on February 6, 2023, after Somaliland security forces held a violent crackdown on civil protests. On February 8, the supreme Garaad of Dhulbahante, Gaarad Jama Garaad Ali, declared an intent to secede and reunite with the Federal Government of Somalia.
The conflict has killed quite a sizable number from the aggression side and made close to 150,000, as some unverifiable sources claim, as refugees who externally crossed to the Ethiopian border and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled to other areas within Somaliland such as Taleeh, Hudun, and Buuhodle towns.
There is a significant amount of distrust of the Somaliland administration in the Sool region. This distrust is due to a number of factors, including:
The long-running conflict between Somaliland and Puntland over the control of Sool. This conflict has led to a great deal of instability and violence in the region and has damaged the trust that many people in Sool have in both Somaliland and Puntland.
The perception is that the Somaliland administration is not doing enough to improve the lives of people in Sool. Many people in Sool feel that they are being neglected by the Somaliland government and that the government is not doing enough to provide them with basic services such as education, healthcare, and security.
The belief that the Somaliland administration is corrupt. Many people in Sool believe that the Somaliland government is corrupt and that the officials in the government are more interested in enriching themselves than in serving the people.
This distrust of the Somaliland administration has made it difficult for the government to effectively govern the Sool region. It has also made it difficult for the government to attract investment and development to the region
