Somalia breaks UK link over NFD, Britons evacuated

[waryaa]

That was three years after independence in 1963!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ws ... alia&hl=en

[KimJongIllest]

Interesting stuff.

I've heard quite a number of the Somalis in the NFD were killed after they started protesting and demanding that allowed to join Somalia, uniting with Italian and British Somaliland. The death figure was a few hundred I believe or a few thousand.

Really sad.

[Salah Al-Din]

waryaa,

Pan Somalism died from inception when Somalia Proper decided it owns everything Somali. Today NFD, SomaliGalbeed & Djibouti are all outside the former Somali Republic.

The former Somali Republic has disintegrated first into Somaliland & Somalia. Somalia has then further disintegrated into many federal states that overlap with many different people claiming authority.

Today, Somalia is for all intent and purposes under UN Trusteeship and Somaliland's quest for Sovereignty has yet to be answered.

I for one see nothing to be nostalgic about from the past. Maybe our future will be brighter. May Allah have mercy on all of us.

[waryaa]

what surprised me was how well put the government was just after two years from independence. They had tanks too!

[qoraxeey]

[Salah Al-Din]

what surprised me was how well put the government was just after two years from independence. They had tanks too!

It was so well put together? Yet the constitution was rejected in Somaliland in 1961 but ratified anyway which lead to a coup attempt in December 1961. It wasn't even full 1 year and six months until Somaliland realized what grave mistake it had done. The writing was on the wall from the get go. You could tell the new Somali Republic formed in 1960 was headed for a tragic end right from inception.

[waryaa]

salah why did they reject the constitution and what was the grave mistake? I am asking u just for educational purposes. Most guys who were in politics at that time are dying like flies and few are leaving written literature behind. Did Egal leave an official (one he approved) behind?

[AbdiWahab252]

Credit must go to the unsung hero: Abdullahi Ciise Maxamud, Father of Somalia, Prime Minister of the Caretaker Government of Ex-Italian Somaliland. His contributions were never lauded by the postcolonial governments.

[waryaa]

Credit must go to the unsung hero: Abdullahi Ciise Maxamud, Father of Somalia, Prime Minister of the Caretaker Government of Ex-Italian Somaliland. His contributions were never lauded by the postcolonial governments.

awahab, how come this man is not known?

[GIJaamac]

Credit must go to the unsung hero: Abdullahi Ciise Maxamud, Father of Somalia, Prime Minister of the Caretaker Government of Ex-Italian Somaliland. His contributions were never lauded by the postcolonial governments.

[AbdiWahab252]

Waryaa,

He is known by your father and grandfather's generation and avid Somali historians. He was the Chairman of the SYL, made the case for Somalia's independence at the UN, lobbied for support for independence and helped oversee the creation of the SOmali police, and civil service for Italian Somaliland. He was the man who saved MSB's job during the civilian government and in return MSB arrested him after the 1969 revolution and threw him in jail. After being released with no charge, he was exiled to Sweden as the Ambassador where he worked until the mid 1980s when he quit after the Norwegian oil scandal (in which the Somali government pocked several million dollars that the Norwegians had sent to start oil explorations in South and Central Somalia). Abdullahi Isse was in Mogadishu for nearly 1 year (at the Uruba Hotel) trying to get the Somali government and MSB in particular to make sure the money was sent back to Norway. He argued with his Abti MSB saying that an oil boom for Somalia would benefit the young generation the most and not old timers like the two but MSB would not hear it and cleverly pushed the blame to others. Once the Norwegian funds were returned, Abdullahi Isse left for Italy where he tendered his resignation and was even refused by the Somali government to renew his passport. He died shortly after stateless staying in Italy as a guest of the very government that he fought against while the one he fought to create denied him his most basic rights. Prior to his death, he wrote in his will that the Somali government should not pay for any of his burial costs and not score any political goals with his death. His funeral was the very well attended by Somalis of all walks of life from every qabiil and was the last occasion for a truly united Somali event as the civil war broke out less than a year later.

Abdullahi Isse suffered injustices but he always rose above them and refused to do anything that would draw controversy against his Somalia. Even when he was urged to be a political opponent or voice of descent, he refused and instead preferred quiet diplomacy.

[waryaa]

awahab, tnx. did he try to become the 1st president of new Somalia?

[Salah Al-Din]

salah why did they reject the constitution and what was the grave mistake? I am asking u just for educational purposes. Most guys who were in politics at that time are dying like flies and few are leaving written literature behind. Did Egal leave an official (one he approved) behind?

1. No single Act of Union was ratified. There were two versions, one passed in the Somaliland Parliament. The other passed in Somalia's Parliament before the formation of the Somali Republic.
2. Somaliland was not consulted with the formation of the constitution. It was the one drafted by Somalia and its Italian advisers. Since this constitution was supposed to be for the new Somali Republic, it was boycotted. Only 100,000 voted in Somaliland and majority voted against it. Conversely, it was said 1.7 Million voted for it in Somalia therefore by default it was passed. Another Act of Union which which would be in effect retroactively was passed in January 1961. This too was passed by simple majority as Somaliland had 33 seats in parliament as opposed to 90 from Somalia.
3. All the Top positions from Army to Police, to President, Prime Minister, All the Senior Ministries and the Chairman of the parliament went to Somalia. Police Officers in Somalia were promoted and given higher rank in the Army commanding military officers trained in Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from Somaliland. This was one of the reasons which lead to the attempted coup by the Officers from Somaliland.
4. All international trade via the port or airports were to be through Mogadishu alone.

Considering the above, it looked like Somaliland went from A British Colony to a Colony of Somalia. Every single issue concerning the union of the two nations, the constitution, the power sharing formula was railroaded down the throat of Somaliland. This situation lead many famous poets, from Qaasim to Timacade (Mr. Somaliweyn) himself to ponder what was gained from this union with Somalia?

Qaasim:
Danbi ku hadli maayo'e ma'arag dawladdaan rabaye
Isma doorin gaalkaan diriyo daarta kii galaye
Dusha midabka soomaalibaad dugulka mooddaaye
Misna laguma diirsade qalbigu waadirkii Karal'e
Meeshaan dad aan urursho iyo darar ka eegaayey
Iyaba waa darxumo ii hadhaye dacar miyaan leefay
Ma dorraato raadkaan dhigaan dib ugu soo laabtay
Sidii aan deyeysanahay miyaan dawgii ka habaabay
Waxba hadalku yuu iladurkine waxan ku soo duubay
Mar uunbuu dafsoo odhan nabsigii diinku soo sidaye
Mar uunbay daruur caafimaad dooxa soo rogiye
Dirridaa abaarta ah marbaa doog kasoo bixiye
Dibjirkiyo reer miyigu marbay daasadaa qubiye
Mar uunbuu digiigixan raggii daalanaan jiraye
Dibnihii shakaallaa marbaa dooda loo furiye
Markaasaa la daydayan xaqii naga dahsoonaaye.

Tima Cade:
Dowlad soo gashay ma'ehine
danteena laba diiday.
Dunjigii Barlamaankow.
Dakadii Xamar baa leh,
Berbera daadku ha qaado,
dooni yaaney ku leexan,
Makhirkoos ha duloobo,
duqeyddii barlamaankay labadaa kala daayaa

In the poem, Timacade stated: "We are not a government which has surrendered but we thought it is the interests for both of us to be one single government, Your Excellences. The harbour is for Mogadishu and Berbera harbour should be deserted without a single ship calling at it and all the coastal towns of the north (Somaliland) to be left underdeveloped. These are two sets of treatments that are unacceptable, Your Excellencies". "

All this happened during the “democratic phase” of the Somali Republic. Then came the dictatorship. So you can see the writing was on the wall. The experiment to unite Somaliland & Somalia was still born and dead on arrival.
This is why when people from Somalia say, oh we wish we can go back to the good old days for the people in Somaliland they say no thanks. We don’t wish to go back to those days, the current situation today even without Somaliland recognition is a million times better. Alhamdulilah

[Navy9]

Salah,

I am impressed that you know your history, good job!

[Salah Al-Din]

Salah,

I am impressed that you know your history, good job!

Thanks walal. Ramadan Kareem & Eid Mubarak.