The facts that NSPU do not want you to know

[XidigtaJSL]

The facts that NSPU do not want you to know



Along with number of Somalilanders, I have been deeply troubled by the recent report of Awdalnews on all the fake argumentation used by NSPU during their high energy anti Somaliland campaign. Of course, every Somalilander is free to favor Somaliweyn and every Somali has a right to lament that Somaliland people had chosen to restore their independence. Having said that, civil discourse, transpartent debate and intelligent argumentation ought to prevail, what approach NSPU is unwilling to grasp.

First of all, while ostensibly talking in the name of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn inhabitants, NSPU fails to disclose the fact that none of its members hails from these regions. As a matter of fact, along with longtime Somaliland critic Abdallah Hirad, NSPU director and all its agit-prop team are Puntlandlers without any relevant knowledge of Sool and Sanaag. Therefore, NSPU extensive report on the political mood in Sool and Sanaag are like supermarkets tabloids titles: over promising but short on content. As a matter of fact, none of the knee-jerk criticism of NSPU is supported by evidence or diligent interpretation. Instead, the authors chose to draw from the usual Siadist mythologies, often simply condensing the tired rhetoric coined by famous anti Somaliland propagandist. For example, what is the merit of claiming that elders were forced into voting for Somaliland independence when first hand witness overwhelmingly testify to the contrary. Prime minister Galaydh, a delegate during the conference, flatly rejected any coercision while doubting the merits of the separation. If concern for an accurate analysis was not minimal, NSPU would have learn that Eastern Sanaag delegates were the most adamant to vote for separation for a variety of reasons, mainly pertaining to the mayhem in Mudug region. They would have also learned that SNM leadership was way cooler towards separation that the masses on the street, just remember the famous blue print coined by Ahmed Siraanyo. To young and gullible audience, you could purge and politicize historical facts and present Eastern Somalilanders as adamantely opposed to separation, but I personnaly witness a conference in Badhan in 1991 during which 11 out of 23 delegates (including Jibriil Ali Salaad, Makhtir new leader) voted for secession, days before Burao conference. So much for the SNM coercing elders .

Another popular urban legend promoted by NSPU argues that Somaliland has never been recognized as a State during its 4 days stint as an independent country (26 June/01 July 1960). Nothing could be farther from the truth since a quick search through the UN archives indicate that almost three dozens states welcomed the new nation.

More importantly, besides these historical discrepancies, there are relevant facts that NSPU extremist do not want you to know. They can claim day in and day out that Sool and Sanaag are administratively an integral part of Puntland, but invariably points invariably otherwise. All Eastern Sanaag NGO are based in Hargeisa and while Lascanood health, sport and school infrastructure are supposed to be funded through Garowe, Somaliland proudly undertakes the training and remuneration of all Sool teachers. And when Sool players brilliantly make their way through Somaliland games, I am confident that, despite the problems and frictions my Somaliland includes Lascanood.

Mohamed Sougal
mohamedsougal@yahoo.com
http://soolsomaliland.blogspot.com

[XidigtaJSL]

Siadists, Sool and Burco conference



I would like to thank Awdalnews for allowing a much-needed debate among Eastern Somalilanders of different political affiliations. It is a grim reminder of our dead-end political situation when this discussion cannot take place inside our local media since Sool regional websites, along with our Garaad, have simply become a mouth-piece for the Puntland leader of the day. In the case of our media, constant bullying and several arrests made them so servile that they are the only ones painstakingly reporting the most uneventful of Puntland cabinet gatherings.

Now coming back to the NSPU ramblings, Mohsin contends that "Abdalla Hirad and the director of NSPU are from SSC regions as are other members of the team. They also belong to Puntland since SSC is part of it. This link may have escaped Mohamed mind". Without spreading the beans on the among cited gentlemen tribal lineages, I can assure the author that I know firsthand (I spent almost two decades in small town Ottawa) that none of NSPU members sub clan falls within Somaliland borders. But therein, I believe, lies the disagreement between me and Mohsin: Puntland is a tribal entity and therefore believes that it encompasses each parcel inhabited by one of its sub clan. The majority of NSPU members hail from Bosaaso and the western part of Bari region, but having tribal lineage with some Somaliland sub clans does not give them the right to define their team as a grassroot Sool and Sanaag movement. By this process of pushing out boundaries as widely as possible, NSPU might as well pose as Ethiopian Somali advocacy group; but don't laugh this might happen since oil smell in Ogaden could well entice them irresistibly.

On the Burao conference matter, there has been a great deal written by Siadists and here is the basic charade going on in their mind: after Faqashia fall, the most respected elders from each Somaliland clans were peacefully convening when a horde of trigger-happy SNM militiamen forced them at gun point to declare Somaliland separation.

Of course, this ludicrous historical account have been time and again rebuked by direct testimony from participants, but the entanglement began with a couple of high powered Siadist household asserting it on every media, of course without producing one single evidence, fieldwork or witness. Throw enough mud, they say, and part of it should probably stick.

As you could expect from a faithful Siadist, Mohsin borrows from the same manta when he calls the Burao conference "hijacked by extremist SNM hotbeds" but he adds with rare candor that "the participants from SSC were disowned and the secession declaration rejected out of hand". Here is something I fail to understand: how can you disown someone based on decisions he was forced to make when he was held at gunpoint? Shouldn't you feel compassion and empathy for him instead? And why SSC elders did not denounce this plot when they were safely back in their homeland? Why did not they flee to Puntland and took to the airwaves?

As a Somalilander, I feel amazed to hear this loosely accurate folk story but as a Lascanooder, I feel insulted at the suggestion that my nine Garaads and statesmen like Qaybe, Galaydh, Afqudhac could have been held at gunpoint during Burao conference and kept silent about it. How can some fellow Lascanooders sell themselves short by attributing?How could they attribute to our elders such unflattering and baseless behaviors? Why do they promote these lies?No one could bully the late Garaad Abdi Qani to sign, at gunpoint, unwarranted deal subsequently get away with.

Despite all the huffing, duffing and rumblings, Mohsin's self-serving window dressing diguised as political analysis can be tested out to naive foreigners but cannot convince a Lascanooder like me. Indeed, contrary to Mohsion's contention that "SSC never joined the secession", the historical facts point otherwise: my region was fully represented with all its nine Garaads, senior statesmen like early SNM member Afqudhacac (Puntland current VP), Xaabsade, Galaydh, Qaybe... I understand that when you are trying to gain visibility one way is to shock people with outrageous claim, and NSPU is exactly doing this, but the circus has to stop.

Mohamed Sougal
mohamedsougal@yahoo.com