future of the coming generations as our forefathers did.
By Ahmed Ali (Somalidoon)
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WATCH UR SOMALI UNITY VIDEO
There have been a number of letters published in Somali websites against ONLF and its legitimate struggle. I can understand some concerns of decent Somalis who want to unite the Somali clans under the Ethiopian colonialism. But there are many who disguise their intention with excuse after excuse, just to spread distrust among us. They know who they serve; it is the common men of Somali descend that severs at their expense.
Do not jump to our mistakenly and hasty conclusion. I am Isaaq and I fought against the rotten government of the late dictator as SNM fighter. I succeeded and was delighted to see Somalia without Siyad. I am in borderline now, to evaluate my short lived success and the black future for all Somalis in the horizon. I love Somaliland free and independent. But not at the expense of my fellowmen in the Ogaden. I do not equally like my brothers to be slaughtered in Mogadishu, nor do I believe in the fictitious war between Somaliland and Putland over Sool. All serve no purpose, than to mitigate all of us into feeble cantons under the paws of the so called lion of Judah.
Many of you expressed your dislike of the name Ogden. I too do not like as it connotes a clan name. However, it is a historical and geographical name that existed centuries. Rather than folding our hands to help ONLF because of the name, we have to join, and then demand the change of the name. Though there are nearly the same numbers of Isaaqis in Somali zone as in Somaliland, you rarely find an Isaaq protesting Ethiopian occupation of his land. The same goes to Gadabursi, Issas, Dhulbahante and Gurgure.
Because of our nature of clannish and short sighted inter-clan rivalry, we lost our national identity. We lost the most precious thing a nation is proud of: our common culture, language, religion and shared history. We accepted the colonial division of our nation. We call ourselves Somalilanders, Somali Ethiopian, Somali Kenyan, Djiboutian and Somalipuntlander, Somali South and so on.
I just returned from Hargeysa and saw Ethiopian cultural invasion. It is a silent colonialism. The Ethiopian Ambassador in Hargeysa acts like the statesman. He officially opens projects, holds meetings with government and opposition at will!
Let us build on what is working to liberate us from the hegemony of Ethiopians who are always aided by the West, but moreover by our disunity. Do not seek demise of ONLF from outset, join and strength their force. Let all clans in the region, who suffer equally, demand their rights. Divided we will suffer. My fellow Somalilanders, think and remember History!
Hawd and Reserve area were part of so called Somaliland. The area is bigger than our Somaliland, pastorally better and we cannot survive if their border is sealed up. That can happen any time as we gave into Ethiopian domination even in our Hargeisa. If we maintain our head under soil, a day will come when we will fight not to liberate Jigjiga, Gaashaamo, Shiniile, Dhagaxbuur and Ferfer, but Hargeisa and Buroa.
Think about the future! Do not be blinded by the low ambitious leadership who see nothing behind the range of their eyesight. Worse applies to corrupt and cruel leadership in the South and Puntland. They cannot envision their personal future down few years coming. They are blinded and deafened by greed. They lost their sense of morality. To be fair the recently appointed PM Nour Adde looks of different make. I hope he can figure wood from the forest.
As to OLF, they have to assess their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. They have to realize that, without a united Somali front, their success will be dear and far away, if not impossible. They have to engage all Somalis and accommodate all of us. I know it is not easy, for the whole Ethiopian strategy in the region is built on that disunity of Somali clans. The Tigre regime will pay every possible price and more to perpetuate these divisions. I know our culture of forgiving foreigners but not our brothers. But that irrational tendency must be eradicated. Let us start a campaign of selling our commonality. We are one nation, and can survive only if we united.
Ethiopia succeeded to colonize us all, when they failed centuries without us having any sort of government. History tells us Somali clans from Baidoa to Zeila repulsed Ethiopian invasions for centuries. Then came the white man and with trick and empty treaties took over our land, then gifted large portion of it to Ethiopia from 1889 till 1954.
To be specific, it was no one but Britain that gave the land of our fathers as a gift to the Ethiopian Empire indoor to be enslaved till we are compelled into Christianity, as Oromo nation and others experienced. We know many clans of Somali origin that are assimilated into other nationalities and religions in Ethiopia.
Let us wake up and I implore our youth and scholars to dig the Internet and look for our history search for the relations between us and Ethiopia, search British Empire and its unforgivable crime against us.
As to the websites, please do publish the many letters and reports that weekly appear in International websites, but are missing from Somali sites, about the Ethiopian violations of Human Rights in Somali Zone.
Equally, I can say same on Somaliland issues and those who advocate Somali Unity. Many of them, instead of calling for unity for the common advancement, either push all Somalilanders to the extreme or, even worse, attack on Isaq clan, sweeping them out with single and same brush. They leave no space to dialogue and bring back the mistrust that divides us.
I believe those Somalilanders, who indulge into Somali unity, are either cheap cheats that want to live on a diseased prey or demonstrate a definitely low intelligence - even those who are adorned in Unity website like the two Samatar professors.
Let us be frank! Have you ever heard the two professors talking about corruption, injustices, and twisted democracy in Somaliland?
Have you ever heard them challenge the strongman of Somaliland President Rayaale?
Have you ever heard them trying to persuade their fellow Somalilanders for unity?
They just negate every step taken by the Southerners for building their state. The same goes to Jama Yare, Buuba and Ceelaabe and Maareeye. They tell nothing wrong in disunity and nothing good of the government they are or were part of.
We need to be outspoken to each other, to evaluate our leaders seriously, and to engage more openly, without trying to fight for clan dominance in disguise of national unity. This attitude will not work, and this is not said about a long-term perspective; it will never take off.
After a clan rivalry of decades, we are all eyes, and no clan can cheat another. With clan objectives, we will all fail in Somali Zone, in Somalia, in Somaliland and even in relatively peaceful Djibouti.
We have a duty to safeguard the future of the coming generations as our forefathers did.
By Ahmed Ali (Somalidoon)
