Every good dream comes to an end at one point in time, and Somaliland’s secessionist project is no exception. #Hargeisa elites have long been pursuing an elusive goal and have been deluding themselves from facing the truth, only to find out when it was too late the house that they built on fairy-tales was on fire. No time has left to even save the furniture.
The sooner secessionists wake up from their slumber and realise it is all over, is the better. Otherwise, it would be like the old adage: ‘insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’
The blue revolution that swept through Las Anod city – the epicentre of ongoing struggle against secessionist – will have far reaching implications throughout Somaliland.
This major development that unfolded in Las Anod will not stop there: it will reach out other cities and villages in Somaliland such as: Boorame, Bur’o, Erigavo and El-Afweyn – whose loyalties had long rested on a shaky ground and had relied upon coercion.
What Hargeisa elites could have done differently over the last 30 years? Hargeisa elites – rather than pursuing a secession from the rest of Somalia on the basis of no reasonable and no discernible grounds, they could have engaged in good faith with Mogadishu and have genuine political representations in Somalia.
Late Mohamed Ibrahim Egal had attempted to do just that on two occasions. One of which was when #Somali factional leaders gathered in Cairo in 1997. Late Egal had signalled, through Egyptian and Arab league diplomats, that he was prepared to engage in power sharing agreement with Southern functional leaders should they were prepared to make major concessions to him, which was a code for putting aside for him either of the top political positions.
Likewise, late Egal had engaged in secret negotiations with Abdikassim Salad Hassan upon his election in Djibouti in 2000. However, Abdikassim appointed late Ali Khalif Galeyr to the prime ministership to kill two birds with one stone. Abdikasim wanted Galeyr to represent both Hargeisa and Garowe.
The most recent negotiation was in 2020 when Farmaajo and Bihi met in Djibouti. Farmaajo had offered Bihi everything including his job, on the proviso that Bihi drops the secessionist demands. While Bihi was tempted to accept the offer, he was unable to convince hardliners in his delegation to take the deal.
Now with the #BlueRevolution sweeping through across SSC cities and with Awdal is now on the cusp of following through, Bihi will have nothing to bargain for.
Should HSM is prepared to seize this opportunity, he has all his ducks in a row.
Back to Hargeisa elites, blindly pursuing an elusive goal will take you nowhere; but it is never too late to face the truth and change course.
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By Sharkie @1_PolicyWonk
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