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     | Monday, October 09, 2000 - 03:55 am SOMALILAND FORUM COMMUNIQUÉ, Tuesday September 26, 2000 Ref. SF/EC-021-2000 THE REALITY OF GUELLEH'S SOMALIA GRAND PLAN On September 22, 1999, the President of Djibouti Ismael Omar Guelleh proposed before the UN General Assembly a "new peace initiative" for Somalia in which he recommended that "warlords be charged for crimes against humanity" and that "the international community should support regions, such as Somaliland, that have achieved relative peace, security and development." Fact of the matter: One year later, and after many selective consultations,Ismael Omar Guelleh has done exactly the opposite, and has re-created a shadow of the dictatorship of the old Somalia. Mr. Guelleh has invited former Siad Barre officials and war criminals to his so-called Djibouti conference for Somalia, which led to the appointment in exile of Abdulqasim Salad Hassan as 'president' of Somalia. Indeed, the Djibouti-appointed 'parliament' includes all the high officials of General Siad Barre, and some of the most notorious war criminals such as General Morgan and General Ganni. Mr. Guelleh claims that "the people have opted for government, law and order, and a certain future." Fact of the matter: No options have been presented to the people of Somalia and the choice Mr. Guelleh is speaking about is that group of personalities that he had invited to Djibouti. As for Mr. Hassan, the man handpicked by Mr. Guelleh as the 'president' of Somalia, the world by now knows, despite his having stayed in total obscurity for a decade, following the fall of the government of Gen. Siad Barre, that he was indeed a die-hard Siad Barre loyalist, a man without a vision who for twenty years held various ministerial posts in the fascist government that massacred thousands and razed whole towns and villages. Mr. Guelleh claims that his Somalia conference had the support of the "civil society." Fact of the matter: Civil society means all the social associations and professional groups. Guelleh's plan was never supported by the civil society in Somalia or by the factions involved in the conflict, as can be seen from the situation on the ground in Somalia. If the Djibouti conference had the support of the "civil society" and the parties involved in the ongoing conflict, as claimed by Guelleh, one would have expected at least a cease-fire and some peace. On the contrary, factional and communal violence has escalated in Mogadishu, and UN representatives and humanitarian workers are still the targets of militias. The UK, for example, has stated that "it remains to be seen whether the results of the Djibouti peace process truly reflect the will of the people" and that "the initiative will be tested on how it will establish an internal reconciliation process and how well stability and peace will be preserved in regions where considerable progress had been made." Mr. Guelleh claims that the Djibouti peace process "was inclusive and has embraced the whole country, including Somaliland." Fact of the matter: Somaliland has not participated in the Djibouti conference. In a series of people's conferences in 1991, 1993, and 1997, Somaliland has established peace and state structures in its own territory and is not at war with any of its neighbours. As long ago as 1991, the Somaliland people, through their chosen elders, intellectuals and politicians have agreed to reclaim their sovereignty after three decades of a disastrous merger with ex-Italian Somalia. The Somaliland people have rebuilt their state and have developed a dynamic civil society whose trade and employment benefit now all the countries of Horn. Somaliland has created an irreversible political configuration with "stability, security and a local representative administration"  US State Department, Richard Boucher, AFP/31/08/2000). Recently the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Mr.Seyoum Mesfin stated at the UN that dealing with the Somaliland case "requires great sensitivity and a sense of enormous responsibility." In short, peaceful Somaliland is not the same as Somalia and no amount of denial can erase Somaliland off the map. The world knows that and as the European Union has pointed out the peaceful areas of the Horn, such as Somaliland, will continue to get international support. And they should! Mr. Guelleh claims that his new creation, Mr. Salad, needs "international recognition and an immediate financial support of the International community." Fact of the matter: Leaving aside the detail that Mr. Salad has as yet to nominate his "government," the fact remains that his planned-for-publicity and well paid short visit to Mogadishu---when armed vehicles were hired from the local militias who of course welcomed the bounty---does not mean that he has any control over any part of Somalia. A paid-up whistle stop tour does not equate with popular Somali support. On the contrary, it shows the irresponsibility of this new made-in-Djibouti faction and a conscious act to lie to the international community in order to get a quick and easy international recognition. Instead of concentrating on building desperately needed internal peace in Somalia, and first in his own native region, Mogadishu, Mr. Hassan has gone on a well-choreographed visit to the Arab League, the UN, the Arab countries, Africa---anywhere that Guelleh and Salad can garner superficial support from leaders all too eager to hear some seemingly good news from Somalia. But the task of real peacemaking is different altogether from making the rounds in foreign capitals and asking for international recognition for a government appointed by a foreign president---real progress and peace mean the attainment of a negotiated peace first to the conflict in Mogadishu and in the rest of Somalia. It is a hard job that Mr. Guelleh and Mr. Hassan are not interested in. Mr. Guelleh and Mr. Hassan have rushed to form a government in-exile and a new faction for Somalia for their own personal profit. Mr. Guelleh apparently needs to forge for himself a hallowed image different from the one that he enjoys on the international scene, as the president of a small country mired in civil unrest and undemocratic elections, while Mr. Hassan hopes to fill in Siad Barre's shoes and install another dictatorial over-centralized regime in Mogadishu. SOMALILAND FORUM Backgrounder: The Somaliland Forum is an international organization that brings together Somalilanders from all parts of the world mainly, through the medium of the Internet. The primary objective of the Forum is to work with the Somaliland communities around the world in order to provide some lasting solutions to the needs of the Republic of Somaliland and its people. For more information, Please visit forum's web site at: http://www.somalilandforum.com North America: Ms. Amina Malko, Canada Email: chair@somalilandforum.com Tel: (905) 707-7442 or (416) 879-9279 Europe: Dahir Abdi Jama London, U.K. Mobile(cell): 07947 797246, Tel: (0)208 882 3764 Email: Dahir@dahir.freeserve.co.uk Middle East Mr. A.Ismail Kuwait City, State of Kuwait. Email:nero@ncc.moc.kw Tel: 965 2630592. Australia: Dr. Ahmed Diriye Mayogo Court South Guildford WA 6055 Tel/Fax: (08) 9279 76055 Email: aderia@carmen.murdoch.edu.au
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