Nov 20, 2006

Somaliland: Islamic Courts Point to Dialogue


Islamic Courts have revealed intentions to engage in dialog with the administrators of Somaliland to talk about the general interest and a common future for Somalia.

Below is an article written by Aweys Osman Yusuf and published by Somalia’s Shabelle Media Network:

Mogadishu - Somalia’s Northern provinces that broke away from the rest of Somalia and dubbed themselves “Somaliland” have once again surfaced to main agenda of the Union of Islamic Courts that entirely puts a question over their secession.

Following the fall of former military government led by late president Mohammed Siad Barre, politicians, scholars and the foresighted of northern provinces came to a decision of breaking away from Somalia and become a full independent sate of Somaliland on 18 May 1991, but failed to achieve the UN and international recognition.

Somalia’s Union of Islamic, which is now in control of most central and southern provinces of the country, including the capital Mogadishu, has revealed it would apologize to population of Somaliland for any ordeal inflicted on them by former military regime that collapsed in 1991.

In an interview with Islamic Courts consultative leader Hassan Dahir Aweys by Shabelle Radio Aweys said, “We sympathize with our fellow citizens in northern provinces and we promise we will compensate them in the right time for the destructions of their livelihood and the loss of lives they had faced during former military government that oppressed Somali people in general”, Aweys said.

Aweys reiterated an apology to the people of Somaliland; influencing them to unite once again with the rest of Somalia.

Islamic Courts have also revealed they intend to engage in peaceful dialog with the administrators of Somaliland to talk about the general interest and a common future for Somalia.

Somalia’s Islamists took control of the capital Mogadishu early June, evicting warlords from the capital after deadly battle in which hundreds of the civilian population lost their lives.

“It is time that all Somalis everywhere they live to be unified against their enemies desperately wanting to split Somalia up and engender animosity among us”, Aweys said.

This is the first the Islamic Courts have pronounced their intention of uniting whole Somalia by trying to persuade Somaliland to unite with southern parts of Somalia that was in tribal feuds and racial wars for the past 15 years.