     Anonymous | Thursday, November 09, 2000 - 05:22 am
The Republic of Somaliland: Chronology of a Nation
Pre-amble:
Somali clan-families have inhabited in the region of Eastern Africa, better known as the Horn of Africa, for close to three thousand years as some historical records indicate. The people are organized in nomadic clans of herders. Therefore, there had never been any centrally-organized authority in the form of a state in the Somali territories before the advent of colonialism to Africa. But there were locally accepted customary laws in every Somali community which served each community or local area as its own indigenous constitutional arrangements, though there was very little contacts between those communities in different geographical places. Hence, the idea that all Somalis formed a nation-state, once upon a time and before colonialism, is nothing other than a modern invention. This important piece of evidence, which is a historical fact, negates the recent chorus of commentaries by some that Somalis should have one state under all circumstances. It indeed undermines the hopes and aspirations of the people of Somaliland, who have got every right to remain independent from the rest of Somalia, as they once were both under colonialism and for a brief moment before they voluntarily merged their post-colonial state with former Italian Somaliland. Now some important dates to remember as to how the Somaliland state has evolved since the colonial days.
1840: The British annex Aden, across the Red Sea in present-day Yemen. They began to trade with Somalis in the present-day Somaliland, mostly in order to import meat for their sailors. This trade contact initiated the first interaction between the people of Somaliland and the Europeans.
1870s: Threatened by the growing European presence in the region, Egypt laid claim to the Somaliland's coastal towns such as Seyla and Berbera.
1877: Egypt and Britain signed treaty over occupation of Somaliland. Instead of going to war over meat supply routes for its garrison in Aden, Britain signed a treaty recognizing the Egyptian presence on Somaliland coastal towns. They established a cooperative relationship with the Egyptians and hence co-existed with each other on both sides of the Gulf of Aden.
1884: Britain occupied former Egyptian Somaliland. When the Egyptians were forced to withdraw from Somaliland because of the military threats from other neighbors, notably France operating from Djibouti, the British took control of the territory they had occupied, i.e., Somaliland.
1887: The British Somaliland Protectorate was established. Major A. Hunt of Great of Britain, representing his government, drew up protection treaties with several Somaliland clans guaranteeing them military support, in case of an attack from other neighbouring territories, which were then occupied by other Europeans (See The Map of Africa by Treaty written by Sir E. Hertslet). As a result of this extensive colonial treaties, Great Britain sent its Vice Consuls to the Somaliland coastal towns such as Berbera, Bulahar, and Seyla. In effect, this was an introduction of the first modern state(Colonial State) to today's Somaliland.
1900: Trade increased both in volume and value in the British Somaliland due to the relative political stability created by the colonial protection, despite an on-going wars waged by Mohamed Abdulle Hassan, aka "the Mad Mullah of Somaliland" by the Europeans, against British occupation. The port cities of Somaliland were scenes of active trading during this era. In fact, Somaliland was the only British Protectorate/Colony in East Africa which not only balanced its books, but it had also constantly reported surplus. The key to Somaliland's opulence was international trade as the people in the territory were, in the words of one British colonial officer, "Natural born traders." (See Somaliland by Andrew Hamilton). It is this age-old trading skills and business inguinities on the part of the people of Somaliland, observed by the colonial officer in the early Twenties century, which currently sustains Somaliland's booming economy, despite its lack of international recognition.
April 1960: The British government agreed to Somaliland's independence. Britain reluctantly agreed to withdraw from the British Somaliland Protectorate, so that it can join with the Italian-Somaliland to form an independent state. To facilitate this request from the Somaliland people, the British colonial office had convened a constitutional conference held in London in May, 1960. ( See "Report of the Somaliland Protectorate Constitutional Conference"; a government document). Technically, Great Britain, acting on the strong request from the political leaders of Somaliland, set the wheels of abrogating its eighty-year old colonial treaties with the people of Somaliland in motion, which had culminated at independence day in June, 1960. Then the Somaliland leaders immediately merged their country with Italian Somaliland without any constitutional safeguards for their people. Arguably, this move by our leaders went down in our modern history as the biggest political mistake that any group of leaders could make. It is a mistake that we are still paying its price because of the simple fact that we are now seeking international recognition, forty years after we first won our independence from Great Britain.
July 1960: The Somali Republic became fully independent. Italian and British Somalilands united in an independent state formation. However, the presidency, the prime ministership and almost all of the key posts in Cabinet to the politicians of the South (Italian Somaliland). The seat of the government, Mogadishu, went also to the former Italian Somaliland. There were no constitutional guarantees for the people of former British Somaliland either, as the creation of the Union between the two Somali states was unimaginatively quick. For example, the first political rupture came when the southern politicians acclaimed the constitution in parliament, despite the very high percentage of nay votes from the people of Somaliland.
October 1969: A military coup overthrew the civilian government and ended nine-years of "artificial" democracy, as Prof. Hussein Adam of the College of Holy Cross puts it. Following the assassination of President Sharmarke, the military seized power and the coup leader, Gen. Siad Barre, assumed the control of the country. Siad Barre pronounced it a socialist state and re-named it The Somali Democratic Republic (SDR). General Barre established a tightly controlled dictatorship soon afterwards with severe curtailment of civil liberties. The already ill-conceived constitution of the first nine years was suspended and the country's civilian parliament was replaced with Revolutionary Council composed of military and police officials. The naturally democratic people of the North (former British Somaliland) were immediately in the firing line of the General, who had professed Marxist-Leninist brand of socialism. In end, Somalia's strongman waged a relently campaign of genocide against the Issak people of the North.
1981: The Somali National Movement(SNM) was formed in London, in order to save the people of the North from total anniliahition. This organization, which largely drew its support from the Issak clan of the North, sought to liberate the North (former British Somaliland) from general Barre's menacing army.
1988: General Barre signed a non-aggression pact with Ethiopia, the host country of the Somali National Movement (SNM). In return, Ethiopia expelled SNM members operating within its borders. The SNM then launched a major offensive in the North, capturing Burao and Hargeisa, the two larger cities in Somaliland. General Barre's government in Mogadishu bombed these cities and others to the ground, resulting in widespread death and destruction. Hired mercenaries from former Rhodia were even used to bomb civilians fleeing from artillery shells and burning cities. A six hundred thousand people of Somaliland crossed the border into Ethiopia to seek sanctuary from Barre's killing army; another one hundred thousand lost their lives in the process. The international human Rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Africa Watch have documented this widespread torture and killing of the Issak people in the North, who were the victims of a government purge.
1991: The SNM finally won the war with Siad Barre and hence rolled-back his army. They then called on other clan families of the North (former British Somaliland) to determine the future of their country. After long discussions in Burao, Somaliland, they all decided, across the clan lines, to revert to their old sovereignty and once again form their nation, the Republic of Somaliland. Today, this de facto nation stretches for 400 miles (644 kilometers) along the Gulf of Aden and to the east Djibouti. It has an estimated population of 3, 875,000 people. An interim legislature and judiciary were named, immediately after the SNM declared the state at Burao, and a constitution was planned.
1993: Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was named president of the Republic of Somaliland. Though not yet internationally recognized, Somaliland has already made great strides, both on economic and political fronts, since the declaration of its independence in 1991. For example, the constitutional work was completed in 1996, and was adopted at the Hargeisa presidential election's conference of 1997. |
