The Awdal State Movement (ASM) and its leader, Dr Ali Ibrahim Bahar, issued a heartfelt plea. It sheds light on the Gabiley and Awdal communities’ suffering under the Somaliland administration. Dr Bahar emphasized the need for international action against the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland.
Ottawa, CANADA. By Dalmar:
The ASM leader recounted the turbulent history: “The SNM [Somali National Movement] was in conflict with the Somali nation, the Republic of Somalia, in the late 1990s. The rebranding of the SNM to the Somaliland administration remains an unsolved paradox that challenges the existence of a unified Somalia.” He highlighted that the collapse of the Somali Republic in the 1990s contributed to the disintegration of Somali society. Furthermore, it paved the way for the emergence of “merciless militia groups like the SNM,” Dr Bahar said.
Dr Bahar brought the matter to the attention of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), regional institutions such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), and all partners of Somalia. He stressed that Somaliland’s declarations of independence as a sovereign state in Northern Somalia are baseless. According to Dr Bahar, the SNM militias forcibly invaded the regions of Awdal and Gabiley during the fall of Somalia’s central government in 1991.
Announcing the breakaway from Somaliland
Earlier in September, the Gadabursi community convened in Ottawa to announce the Awdal region’s breakaway from Somaliland while exerting support for Somalia’s unity. The convention rejected the secessionist agenda. Furthermore, it called the Awdal soldiers to return to their home region to “liberate it as soon as possible.”
Even Dr Bahar’s most recent statement firmly asserted that the FGS bears sole responsibility for the unity of Somalia. He suggested the central government should not engage in discussions with the “separate secessionist clan” in northern Somalia while the majority of stakeholders stand with a united Somalia.
This appeal comes in the wake of Somaliland’s rejection of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda’s offer. Museveni offered to mediate talks between the FGS and Somaliland, intending to foster unity among the Somali people.
