INTRODUCTION - American International School of …



JoMUN XVIForum: General Assembly 4Issue: Dispute the Legitimacy of SomalilandStudent Officer: Abhimanyu RaiPosition: President (Under Deputy Secretary General)INTRODUCTION Somaliland, officially recognized as the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared state in the North-Western part of Somalia. Somaliland considers itself the successor to the former state of the British Somaliland Protectorate. The state has a large population of 4 million people, with the capital city of Hargeisa containing 1.5 million residents. Somalia is known well for being terrorized by pirates with vessels being hijacked and people being killed regularly. Somaliland believes that this issue is caused by the lack of authority and ability of the Somalian government. Somaliland, though still in a similar state to Somalia, faces less acts of terrorism by these pirates and holds the potential to eradicate the issue of piracy in the region. In 1988 the Somali government, under the rule of Siad Barre, began an initiative against the Somali National Movement based in Hargeisa as well as other militant groups. This action began the uprising leading up to the Somali Civil War leaving Somalia’s economic and military infrastructure severely damaged. With the Somali Civil war already inducing a large-scale internal power struggle, the people of the North-West region, the people of Somaliland, saw this as an opportunity to finally gain independence from Somalia. However, this just fuelled the fire of the war focusing it on the border of the newly declared state of Somaliland. This led to the arrival of United Nations military observers and a heavy influx of peacekeeping troops in the area. For the duration of two years in 1990-2, customary law collapsed due to fighting. With the absence of any form of central government, Somalia was declared a “failed state”. In 1955, after incurring significant casualties, the UN withdrew its peacekeeping troops yet no central government had been re-established. Unexpectedly, after the withdrawal of the United Nations troops, there was some order restored with the return of customary law. Soon after, the two states established governments leading to a decrease in the fighting and its intensity.Despite recently celebrating its 25th self-declared independence, Somaliland is still not recognized as a state in the eyes of any foreign government. Though it has many of the trademark attributes of most countries such as a functional political system, police force, borders and its own currency; Somaliland’s sovereignty is not recognized. Many countries acknowledge the region separate from Somalia, countries even sent delegations to observe the 2017 presidential election. Somaliland is an upcoming nation with the possibility of a secure and stable future up ahead, however, until it is internationally recognized as an independent state progress will remain slow.DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS PirateA pirate is typically known as someone who sails across the seas with their crew hunting for treasure and hijacks other ships. The proper definition for pirate is ‘someone who commits acts of piracy such as theft and hijacking’. In Somalia, there are pirates close to the coast; they hijack ships and terrorize people on the ocean and land. TerrorismDespite contrary belief, terrorism is quite common all throughout the world and is committed by people of all different races. It is ‘the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims’. The acts committed by the Somali Pirates are classified as acts of terrorism and should be seen as such.Civil WarAn internal war, typically fought between citizens of the same country. The war between Somaliland and Somalia can be interpreted as a civil war, however considering Somaliland has declared itself an independent nation state, it is not exactly between the citizens of the same country.InsurgencyA group of people engaged in an active revolt or uprising against another organization. It is considered less organized than a revolution and is not recognized as belligerency.SovereigntyThe ability of a state to govern itself and its authority. The battle between Somalia and Somaliland is regarding the sovereignty of Somaliland.ProtectorateA state that is controlled and protected by another state, similar to a colony. BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE Throughout the post-World War era, African nations have respected the borders laid out by the European colonial powers from the 19th century. The case of Somaliland is not the first of its kind, with other significant disputes since the 1960’s such as the division of Eritrea from Ethiopia and South Sudan from Sudan. In the eyes of the African Union, the international organization which tends to defer on boundary issues, has maintained the view that “to recognize Somaliland would be to open a Pandora’s box of separatist claims in the region. Only with the consent of greater Somalia should Somaliland be granted independence.” This seems logical enough, however, for a region to declare independence from its father nation signifies some sort of dispute between the nations which causes the former nation to declare independence from the latter. Very rarely do the two countries agree on splitting the countries and the situation of Somaliland is no exception.Despite the African Unions views, Somalilanders point out that this view is inconsistent: Somaliland, unlike Somalia, sticks to its colonial borders. It has prior experience with statehood as a separate British colony. Formerly British Somaliland’s union when merged with Italian Somaliland to its south, brought about modern Somalia in 1960, was a voluntary merging according to Somalia. This gives Somalia the grounds that it has gained the Somaliland territory through just means and Somaliland’s independence should require merely divorce, not reinvention.With Somalia’s civil war raging on for almost 25 years, and despite the introduction of a new constitution in 2012, the Somali Federal Government’s claim to territorial authority is unwarranted. Many fear that the creation of a new state in the region, which would encourage Somalia’s other provinces to do the same, would lead to the balkanisation of Somalia along clan lines, while simultaneously reigniting old regional tensions between Somalis and Ethiopians. MAJOR COUNTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED SomaliaSomalia has faced an immense amount of internal dispute over the last century. With a civil war and breakaway states emerging, Somalia has been declared a ‘failed state’ by the United Nations. However, if Somalia proves it is able to handle its situation with Somaliland, Somalia’s economy and infrastructure could begin to be restored. Somalia believes that Somaliland has no justified or legal grounds to attempt to become an independent nation. Additionally, Somalia is aware that if Somaliland is given independence, other states such as Puntland will follow its steps until Somalia is reduced to a quarter of what it was. Therefore, Somalia will continue to do whatever it can to keep Somaliland as part of Somalia. SomalilandSomaliland is a breakaway state which declared independence after the military dictator Siad Barre was overthrown. The separation of Somaliland from Somalia followed secessionist struggle during which Siad Barre’s militants pursued rebels into the territory of Somaliland where over ten thousand people were killed and entire towns were destroyed. Somaliland was formerly known as the British protectorate, both states once separated from Somalia avoided the chaos and violence which occupies much of Somalia. However, despite having many of the qualities of a state, Somaliland is not internationally recognized and according to the African Union it will not be recognized until Somalia grants independence to the breakaway nation.EthiopiaRelations between Ethiopia and Somalia have never been too strong with disputes over territory and religion dating back to the 17th century. However, Ethiopia and Somaliland have been on very good terms with both countries working on trade deals and investments. There was an opportunity to help build upon relations with all three states in a port deal with a company in the UAE. However, Somalia rejected this offer as it believes Somaliland should not be getting any of the profit as the land is rightfully Somalia’s. Though it can be assumed that Ethiopia recognizes Somaliland as an independent state, there has never been any official statement or documentation to indicate as such. TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS1888Britain establishes the protectorate of British Somaliland through agreements with local Sultans.1889Islamic Dervish State is created by cleric Mohammed Abdullah, state fights against the British rule. 1920Dervish State is destroyed by British troops. 1960British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland gain independence and merge to form the Somali Republic. 1991Fall of Siad Barre, dictator ruler of Somalia and rebel movements are ignited. 1991Former British Somaliland declares independence following the fall of Siad Barre which sends rest of Somalia into anarchy. 1992UN intervention to “provide humanitarian relief and help restore order in Somalia after the dissolution of its central government”.1992UN peacekeeping troops enter Somalia led by the United States of America, to use “all necessary means” to guarantee the goal of humanitarian aid.1995UN withdraws peacekeeping troops after incurring several casualties. 2008Alliance of Re-liberation of Somalia and Islamist rebels participate in peace-talks.2009Islamic Militant, Al-Shabaab, group declares wages war on the federal government of Somalia2016Somaliland celebrates 25 years of self-declared independence, however is still not internationally recognized as a state. RELEVANT UN RESOLUTIONS, TREATIES, AND EVENTS Mudug Peace AgreementTwo rival areas in Somalia, Puntland and Galmudug, signed a peace treaty due to the fighting that has ensued in the last 25 years. With the help of the new president Mohamed Abdullahi this agreement was reached.UN SC Resolution 733 and 746Creation of the United Nations Operation in Somalia I “to provide humanitarian relief and help restore order in Somalia after dissolution of the central government”.UN SC Resolution 794Unanimously passed to form the Unified Task Force aligned with the task of securing and stabilizing all humanitarian efforts. When the troops arrived in Somalia this marked the beginning of United Nations Operation in Somalia IIPREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE ISSUEPeace Talks/NoneThere have been no official attempts to resolve the issue within Somalia as no party is willing to come to a compromise. There have been peace talks which have been initiated between Somaliland and Somalia and even rebels. There have even been UN resolutions to help maintain the issue, however, none have come even remotely close to solving the issue. The Somali civil war can be seen as a means to resolve the conflict, however considering it is an ongoing war it has not had its effect as of yet.POSSIBLE SOLUTIONSOfficially Recognizing Somaliland A state is officially recognized when it accomplishes the following criteria: It must have a permanent population, defined borders and it must be able to enter relations with other states. Somaliland has proved it can do all three of those things, however it cannot be recognized as an independent state until Somalia has allowed it to do so. Understandably Somalia will be reluctant to do so as this could encourage other regions within Somalia to do the same. Therefore, there should be agreements if Somaliland wishes to gain independence from Somalia.Building States Somaliland wants to be rid of Somalia; however, it is also clear that Somalia does not wish for this to happen as this could lead to a domino effect. That is why it would be in the best interest of the nation of Somalia to create a system such as the ones implemented in India or the United States of America – A system of states. Countries with states operate tend to be too large for just one government which is why they branch out into states with different sections of government dedicated to a state and one larger government dedicated to the entire country. For Somalia, regions such as Somaliland and Puntland could become states within Somalia. Each state would have its own government of sorts, but ultimately all states would answer to the central government of the country. This could provide Somaliland with the independence it seeks and Somalia with the ability to maintain the territory of Somaliland.WORKS CITED “Do You Have Concerns About 'Concerning'?” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,“Africa Debate: Does Somaliland Deserve Recognition?” BBC, BBC, “Can Somalia Seal the Galmudug-ASWJ Peace Deal?” , Somalia Newsroom, 20 Jan. 2018, Duale, Mohamed Abdilahi, and Saeed Mohamed Ahmed. “Re-Examining Somaliland’s Relations with Neighboring States.” Re-Examining Somaliland's Relations with Neighboring States | Pambazuka News, 21 May 2014, “Federal Government of Somalia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2018, Felter, Claire. “Somaliland: The Horn of Africa's Breakaway State.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 1 Feb. 2018, Jazeera, Al. “Ethiopia to Join Somaliland, UAE Port Development Venture.” Djibouti News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 1 Mar. 2018, “Somali Civil War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, “Somalia: Are Somaliland Statehood Claims Legitimate?” , 2 Aug. 2016, “Somalia: Galmudug and Puntland Sign Peace Deal in Galkayo.” , AllAfrica, 22 June 2017, “Somalia Rejects Somaliland Port Deal with Ethiopia and UAE Company.” Africanews, Africanews, 4 Mar. 2018, “Somaliland Profile.” BBC News, BBC, 14 Dec. 2017, “Somaliland.” UNPO: Somaliland, UNPO, 1 Feb. 2017, “Somaliland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2018, “Why Somaliland Is Not a Recognised State.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 1 Nov. 2015, APPENDIX OR APPENDICES of why Somaliland is not recognized as a state and what actions have been taken so far Somaliland details and struggle to gain independence as well as progress timeline and details ................
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