By Osman Hassan
Puntland is in serious crisis and almost all of its own making. Such low are its relations with the rest of Somalia that some may rejoice at its difficulties and say it serves it right. Until recently, it was the star of Somalia, the darling of the West and the grudging envy of the rest of Somalia at being relatively successful while those in southern Somalia remained stuck in their own quagmire. As it is, the ethos driving its success- getting its way at others’ cost, whether within Puntland or the rest of Somalia- is the nemesis that ultimately caught up with it and brought about its current predicament.
Looking back, one has to recall that the driving force behind Puntland’s creation in the first place in August 1998 was not so much the common kinship among the clans per se though that was a necessary basis. Far those clans from the SSC regions facing a well-armed, separatist and expansionist enclave at their door, what mattered to them more than anything else was the pursuit of collective security which they believed could better be achieved through a larger clan association until a national government was restored which then would obviate the need for the association. Common defence therefore was the linchpin of the association and its raison d’étre.
The acid test for Puntland’s commitment to the defence of its territory against outsiders came in October 2007 when Somaliland militia captured Lascanod, the SSC regional capital, with no serious resistance from the defending Puntland forces who hurriedly withdrew to their safe heaven in Garawe. The reactions of the SSC people to the fall of the capital and their perception of Puntland fell into three broad categories: first are those who, perhaps prone to conspiracy theory, concluded that there was collusion between Garawe and Hargeisa for the capture of the town; secondly, there are those equally cynical who believed that it was never the intention of the Garawe administration in the first place to defend the SSC regions; and the rest are those convinced themselves that Puntland’s forces in Lascanod were relatively weak at the time and therefore prudently decided to make a tactical withdrawal to fight another day to free Lascanod.
Eight years have passed since Lascanod and other parts of Sool were captured and occupied by the secessionists and if Puntland had the will it would not have taken that long for the combined Puntland forces to drive out the dispirited Somaliland militia in their midst hundred of miles away from their bases in Burco, Berbera and Hargeisa. After years of patience, it is this betrayal that left the SSC clans no other alternative but to establish their own Khatumo Regional Administration and liberate their territory on their own and manage their affairs for their own benefit.
Far from providing brotherly moral and material support, the Puntland Administration in Garawe has instead placed every possible obstacle in the way of Khatumo in order to scuttle it and derail the liberation struggle. Worst, this aversion to Khatumo has gone to the extent of colluding with the occupying Somaliland forces in Sool and at times mounting coordinated operations and sinister conspiracies. An SSC that until recently was recognized by the UN and Mogadishu as part of Puntland, even when its people do not want to be part of it and had established their own Khatumo State, has given Garawe political and diplomatic clout and economic benefits. Not surprisingly, it is reluctant to forgo these advantages. From their perspective, maintaining the status quo, in which the SSC regions are trapped as “disputed territory” – occupied by Somaliland but still claimed by Puntland – and from which they can still derive all the benefits and avoiding all costs, is preferable to a free SSC having its own administration.
And yet, Puntland’s leaders, more so the current one, never miss an opportunity to reiterate their intention to liberate Lascanod form the occupying Somaliland militia. The current leader, Abdeliweli, perhaps aware of Puntland’s almost zero credibility with the SSC people, and eager to rekindle their fading trust in Puntland, would now and then remind his captive audiences in Garawe that he was sworn to Puntland’s constitution to defend its territory. It is as if this posturing settles everything and his pronouncement is as good as the required action. Only those self-serving SSC collaborators, the hangers-on hanging for handouts, and the dwindling devotees still hooked to Puntland for sentimental loyalty to the wider Harti clan, are prepared to lend their ears to such patronizing empty rhetoric. For the rest of the people of Khatumo, it only adds insult to injury.
For too long, Garawe has deluded itself that it can for ever milk the Puntland project on its terms as well as bully and blackmail the rest of Somalia to get its way. But it was bound to unravel sooner or later as it has done. It is amazing that a community that has hitherto prided itself on being smart and far-sighted and know what is good for them should now be engulfed by crisis of their own making. It is as if the political and social elite have abdicated in the face of the dangerously deteriorating situation.
The chicken is coming home to roost. Puntland stands at crossroads. Of all the problems it faces, the most existentialist one is the survival of the State and its soul. What started as a multi-clan association straddling the old colonial border is now becoming increasingly a one-clan enclave as other betrayed and disillusioned members, starting with those hailing from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC), deserted it. This could lead to a domino effect that could crack the core of Puntland’s inner heartland .
All this and more are happening under President Abdiweli Gass’s watch: the economy is in ruins, the security situation worsening by the day with unpaid security forces mutinying , a resurgent Al Shabaab, and relations with the rest of Somalia at its nadir. In the face of these challenges, it would be foolhardy for Puntland to dig in its heals and adopt a bloody-minded siege mentality. It should act now and address these problems one by one.
The first and easiest action behoving Puntland is to come to terms with the reality that the SSC regions have withdrawn from it for good and formed their own Khatumo State of Somalia. It is de facto recognized as such by the Federal Government and other Member States and it is only a matter of time before it is fully recognized as a Member State. Since Puntland can no longer block this process as it used to do in the past given the current balance of power against it within Somalia. Its for its own good as it is for Khatumo that it should not only go along with the tide in support of Khatumo but should take the lead and make amends for its past wrongdoing. A two neighbouring Khatumo and Puntland States, bound together as they are by ties of blood, geography, trade and development, and having harmonious relations, will have mutually supporting added weights and stronger voice at all forums within Somalia to the benefit of both.
Once the reality of Khatumo is accepted, Puntland should focus on resuscitating the moribund bond between its remaining parts. There are malcontents and their grievances are less grave than those that forced the SSC regions to quit the association. These feel that, unlike the SSC regions, they have always belonged to the inner heartland of Puntland and yet are marginalised. An inclusive and just Puntland is all they are asking for, a reasonable demand to meet if there is a will on the part of the ruling elite. Puntland should not force them to follow Khatumo and Makhirs’s footsteps, not by design but by default.
Regarding the areas in Mudug which have been part of Puntland since its establishment but are now deemed to be transferred to Gal-mudug State, what should be defended by all concerned is not the rights of States as such but the fundamental human rights of the people in these areas. If they want to remain to remain in Puntland as they had been over a decade that should respected. On the other hand if they want to join Gal-mudug that too should respected. It is the will of the people in these areas that counts and not deals done behind their backs, just as Puntland has to accept the will of the SSC people in choosing to withdraw from it and form their own State. Puntland should not therefore be dismembered just because Gal-mudug cannot be established without Puntland’s Mudug bits. That would create far more problems than it solves.
From the perspective of the rest of Somalia, the problem with Puntland lies in its irreconcilable unacceptable duality: on the one hand claiming to be part of Somalia and yet often acting differently as if it is a separate sovereign entity. Within Somalia, it adopts a negative defensive stand towards Mogadishu. This is partly because Puntland is still haunted by Mogadishu’s role in the destruction of the Somali State and the incalculable damage it left in its wake. It is hence understandably wary or distrustful of fledgling governments in Mogadishu. There is however another explanation: Until the Federal Government came on the stage in 2012, Puntland was the dominant functioning entity in Somalia playing a leading and influential role in the UN’s Roadmap for pulling Somalia from its failed state. There is thus bad blood at times between the Federal Government trying to reassert its constitutional authority and a Puntland reluctant to change with the times.
Puntland’s domineering stand and ultimatums in regard to the Federal Government would have been tolerable if they were meant to ensure that what comes out from Mogadishu is not only inimical to Somalia but also for the common good of Somalia. But what it does often is unfortunately driven by what it sees good for Puntland regardless of its consequences for others. This blinkered “us and them” mindset, often seeing Mogadishu as an adversary if not a foe, is detrimental to the spirit of building a new Somalia.
The other downside aspect of Puntland’s duality is its external relations. By definition, a region or Stat Member of Somalia cannot have relations with foreign governments. That is the prerogative of the Federal Government. While Puntland professes lip service to the unity of Somalia, this is belied by its actions. In all other ways, it acts as a separate country and more so when it comes to its relations with Ethiopia. How often have we seen, to the chagrin of true self-respecting Somalis, a Puntland leader, (more so the current one, of all people a former Prime Minister of Somalia) paying an “official” visit to Addis Ababa, swaggering on the stage, and doing deals with his hosts as if he was a visiting head of State.
The founding fathers of Somalia, the late President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and former Prime Minister Abdirazak Haji Hussein, both hailing from the area, must be turning in their grave at this unpalatable humiliating spectre. This undermining parallel diplomacy pursued by Puntland (and to some extent by Jubaland’s Ahmed Madoobe) makes a mockery of Somalia sovereignty – only there is little for now that a weak and divided Somalia can do much about it.
The people of Puntland have an honourable place in the history of Somalia- before and after independence. They would need to come back to their historical role. It is good for them and for Somalia.
Osman Hassan
email: ohassanomar@yahoo.co.uk
