http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/world/a
Let’s run some solid numbers to understand the big picture.
Canada, Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area is used here for illustrations only to make it easier for those with no back ground geographical knowledge of the territory that Smaliland one clan secessionists are promoting for a nationhood status. Somalia territory as a whole is equal to almost half of the province of Ontario. The province of Ontario is roughly 1,100,000 Km2, while all Somalia is around 639,000 Km2.
Mean while Canada is about 9,984,000 Km2, and Ontario is one of 10 provinces and 3 territories making up Canada. Now, the one clan secessionist Somaliland territory is about the size of the Greater Toronto Area (the GTA). Well, one can think of why the GTA with its about 7,000,000 populations and economic power is not opting out of Canada and also the rest of the Ontario Province. The one clan Somaliland secessionists claim to number about 2,500,000 (this number is far from the truth, because it’s far less than that). Economically, the secessionists are very poor; their GTA sized clan territory is barren land with a small strip of Red Sea coast line, and very poor nomadic livestock herders. More than 95% of the livestock shipped from the Berbera Port to the Gulf countries of Arabia come from the rest of Somalia (Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions, Puntland, Galmudug, Galguduud, Hiiraan, the Shabeelle’s, Bay and Bakool, Lower Jubba, and the Kililka 5aad (Somali Autonomous Region of Ethiopia). Obviously, even 5% of the livestock does not originate from within the ISSAK territory. No agricultural land, rivers, lakes, or sufficient water supplies in the secessionist territory, where vegetables, fruits and other agricultural products/crops continue to arrive from the fertile and agriculturally very rich Southern Somalia. Produces as simple as water melon are transported from Southern Somalia. In terms of fish and sea food products, the small strip of coast line they share with other Somalis in the area is no where close with the abundant riches of the Indian Ocean coast line of Somalia’s south – the whole Red Sea Coast Line (ISSAK’s share less than 10% as it stretches from Puntland through Djibouti) is like a drop in an ocean when compared with the Indian Ocean. Similarly, there is no meaningful natural resource such petroleum and other valuable minerals in the secessionist enclave, while a promising petroleum prospects exist in the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn territories – controlled and home for the major Dhulbahante clan that firmly opposes the secession project.
The sad thing is the ISSAK youth are fleeing and abandoning the enclave on a daily basis for better opportunities and dying on record numbers in the high seas – the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. If the imaginary animosity and hostility created by the secessionist so called leaders toward the innocent other northerners and the south of Somalia is removed, these youth would not need to put their lives at risk, and more than enough economical opportunities would have been easily available for them in the south.
One would ask the question, “Why the secessionists do relentlessly are pursuing the secession project?” The straight forward answer is to secure an international aid funds to steal and enrich them. They see a golden opportunity that they can’t afford to let it go!
Is There Any Practical Solutions on the Horizon to Reverse the misery in Both the South and North of Somalia
Of course yes, if all Somalis and current leaders (or the right leadership emerges quickly in all or most parts of Somalia) in every part of the country come to their senses. First of all, let us look into one important overlooked truth. The truth is, however short comings, grave mistakes, and political blunders the Hawiya Clan of Somalia gone through the last 20 years or so, they proved they are not as clannish as the Puntlanders and Somaliland secessionists. As much as they suffered socially and politically, they beyond any doubt have proved they can’t organize themselves clannishly in the way Secessionist Somaliland and Puntland have done. The Noble Hawiya Somalis have shown their ability to change from one situation to another – from a rebellion group (USC), warlordism, Islamist Movements each with its grave blunders. It’s an indication that the Hawiya possess the ability to rally around another cause, this time, around a noble cause of Somalism, Religious Moderation, Peace and Secuirty, Good Governance and Prosperity for all Somalia. The Hawiya's on going transformation is positive and far from the worst example the secessionists would like to point to, any time they refer to the south Somalia, labeling the Noble Hawiya Clan as big time failures. Noble Darods will have a prominent role to play in this process. As well, noble Rahan-Weins, Noble Sama-Roons, Noble Essas, Noble Issaks, and all Noble Somali Clans without exception have their work cut for them to make the process of genuine reconciliation a successful under-taking. Somalis have collectively destroyed their nation state along tribal lines and its imperative on them to reverse the wrongs and resurrect their country, examplary governance, and rule of law. Positive contributions from all Somalis and the international community will go a long way to solve this mess and quickly.
Most importantly, noble Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions of Somalia (Dhulbahante) are inviting all noble Somalis to join forces to put Somalia in order and on the map again. As Somalis of the present generation, we need to be true to our historical responsibilities and obligations, and follow the foot steps of the truth and reconciliation process of South Africa – Our differences is much less and easier than the case of South Africa. SSC populations and leaders offer that SSC regions become the temporary launching base of this process, and would assume the role of mediation to facilitate and bridge the gap of invented differences of the southern Somalis and Puntland, as well as the differences of the Issak secessionists and the rest of Somalia. God help Somalia.
No comments:
Post a Comment