By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

I recently learned that Somaliland and Somalia talks were relocated to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and I am shocked.   Why did Somaliland delegates accept the venue given Turkey’s well known position towards the partition of Somalia?  In my judgment, holding talks in Turkey is tantamount to unconditional return to square one, that is ill-fated union with Somalia.

Somaliland delegate Dr. Abdilahi Omar’s paradoxical statement “Turkey is our brother” was ridicule to the notion of a free Somaliland.  Maybe he is referring to the generosity of Turkish oil firm, Genel Energy.  In our culture, it is O.K. to describe the donor of quick bucks as “king” or “surrogate father” and etc, but this type of comment is undiplomatic.  Turkish preferential treatment, including the risky maiden flight of its national airline to precarious Mogadishu, rules out any potential outcome acceptable by both parties because the neutrality of the hosting country is critical for talks to succeed.

Prime Minister Davutoğlu has always said that a strategic target for Turkey is its own accession to Euro-zone despite the ongoing financial storms tearing member countries apart. Yet, the people of Somaliland have left the business of reunification with Somalia behind and are looking forward to neighborly relations with all countries in the region including Somalia.

The Turkish government should know the sensitivity and complexity of the matter: that neither Somaliland President Silanyo nor his flippant minister of foreign affairs will capable to sell Somaliland with or without his sycophant parliament. President Silanyo categorically rejected the upcoming London Summit, probably for personal reasons, but accepted Ankara’s oil-sponsored one without any consultation of his cabinet never mind, the Somaliland senate, known as the Guurti.

The history of participating in past conferences in London, Ankara, and Dubai dashed any hope for successful outcome or meaningful communiqué as there simply did not materialize any positive development. Many analysts believe the acceptance of these conferences by Somali political figures was lured by inflated expectation of material gain as they flip flopped several times before saying the big yes. The talks miscarried even before they began because of this flip flopping behavior on the part of Somaliland authority and the flippant minister heading the delegation.  The addition of Sheikh Hassan, a chauvinistic die-hard with violent Islamist background united with Damul Al Jaded (a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Somalia much the same way Al Shabab is the branch of Al Qaeda), will complicate the talks further.

Nonetheless, even if Turkey is willingly ready to compromise its sovereignty and national identity in return of better life for its nationals by union with Europe, Somaliland is more deserving to stay out of failed Somalia. Somalia remains cobbled together from warring tribal peoples and suffers at the mercy of African Union peace keeping forces which have been accused of turning their military deadly firepower towards civilian population when Western governments are unable to pay their wages on time!

Don’t Jeopardize Somaliland Region’s Peace

Somaliland whose people have been brutally slaughtered and their dwellings rendered ghost towns sanely decided not to go back to union with those who displaced them. Ankara’s talks seem to be failing before they begin as the venue organizers declared their viewpoint to the existence of Somaliland and cast doubt on her status as a nation seeking outright independence following standard practice and precedent of states like South Sudan.  Yet, regrettably for Somaliland, Ankara has the power to kick the can down the down road.