To: Prof. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia
Villa Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia
Friday, September 28, 2012
Letter of Support to the New President of Somalia
Your Excellency,
All praise is due to Allah, the merciful, the compassionate. We, from the Khatumo Diaspora, who are members of the Khatumo Forum for Foreign Relations, would like to convey to you our overwhelming joy on your election as president for Somalia. We believe that God has at last responded to the prayers of the Somali people to bless them with a leader who, like Moses to the Israelites, may deliver them from all the years of misery and suffering and bring unity, peace and development to our once proud people.
The mere fact of your election before you even took office has already done wonders: re-awakening the Somali people and reviving their long dormant nationalism and patriotism. This is particularly manifest in the north whose unrivalled nationalism played the leading role in the union between former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. Once again, they have displayed, apart from the separatists, their spirit of national pride and patriotism on the day of your election, when instantaneous irrepressible jubilations swept across the entire unionist regions - from Zeila, Borama, Buhoodle, Badhan to even occupied Lascanod - running the gauntlet of Somaliland's occupying militia. This outpouring of support for you personally testifies to the confidence they have in you as the leader they had been waiting for over two decades.
Your Excellency
No doubt you will be getting countless support and advice from so many quarters, inside and outside the country, all for the good of Somalia. For our part, we, the Khatumo diaspora will limit ourselves to the area in which the Khatimo, people had historically made their name and that is defending Somalia's unity. As the Somali State collapsed and the unity of the country was shattered through secession and absence of a functioning central government, Somalia has become a by-word for failure. We strongly believe that we can only restore Somalia only when we restore its unity for it is only when our people are united that we can proceed to mobilise our energies and resources for nation-building. Where there is a will there is a way, and knowing how much you are determined to restore Somalia's unity, we have every reason to believe that we shall achieve our goals under your leadership and God willing.
Your Excellency
The talks between your government and the administration of Somaliland are of the utmost importance and the challenge facing you is how to reconcile the need for restoring Somalia's unity with their likely demand for separation from Somalia. The balance of power between Somalia and the secessionists has been shifting over last year in favour of Somalia and the outcome of the selections for parliament and the elections for the Speaker and the presidency had immense catalytic and cumulative impact on the region. As attested to by the last resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations few days ago, the international community is now fully behind Somalia and its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. There is now increased pressure on the secessionists to come back to the fold.. In the light of these realities, many former supporters of Somaliland's secession are increasingly returning to the union: businessmen, opportunity seekers, and migrants are all moving to the south attracted by the immense opportunities in the rebuilding and boom in Mogadishu. Clearly, the secessionists are coming to the talks with a very weak hand.
Thus, the process of the re-unification is taking its course ahead of these talks. But what these talks should do is to reinforce that process and discourage the secession with the help of the international community and in particular those countries like Great Britain that for historical reasons have a sway with the secessionists. As for the talks themselves, we would like to emphasise for the record that the people in the north west region of Somalia (former British Somaliland) are not monolithic in their support for Somaliland/secession as outsiders have been made to believe by the secessionists.
Needless to say, the demand for secession from Somalia is sought by one clan alone while all the other four unionist clans are adamant to remain in Somalia for which they had paid a heavy price through occupation and related atrocities at the hands of the secessionists. Nothing shows more the unionists' desire to remain in Somalia, and hence their opposition to the secession, than the long-running clashes around Buuhoodle region, the resistance in occupied Lascanod, the frequent demonstrations in Borama, the establishment of regional States of Somalia, their selections of their MPs to Somalia's parliament, and participation in the elections for the Speaker of Parliament and yourself.
As such, your government's talk with "Somaliland" should be confined to those who claim to have seceded from the union. It can not apply to the unionist regions/clans, and above the Khatumo State of Somalia, given that they have not seceded from the union and have no wish to do so now or in the future. The Khatumo State for one would resist to the utmost any attempt to lump them with the secessionists. That should put to rest for good any claim by the secessionists that they represent the whole north west region of Somalia and that that they are mandated to speak for them at these talks. The fact these clans were once together in a defunct British colony through no choice of their own is not a reason to push the unionists to the secessionists' camp.
Your Excellency
In embarking on these talks and all the other priorities facing you, you can count on the Khatumo people at every level: politicians, traditional leaders, the elite, Islamic scholars, the diaspora, etc. to support you to the hilt just as they have always supported all true Somali leader before you, all the way to Sayed Mohamed Abdallah Hassan and his Darwiish movement. They expect nothing in return other than the defence of the nation, its territorial integrity and its unity. May Allah guide you and us all towards these noble goals.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.
Osman Hassan Geneva, Switzerland
Farah Warsame, London,U.K.
Ahmed Shabel Ottawa, Canada
Fadumo Osman Ahmed, London,U.K
Mahdi Mohamoud Ali, Toronto, Canada
Jamal Abokor, Minnesota, USA
Hiis Hersi Duale California, USA
Mohamed Ismail Minnesota, USA
Ahmed Tabatiig, Kuwait