Alexander Stafford, a Conservative Tory MP, has recently spoken for Somaliland, gaining recognition from the UK in Parliament, and also published an article urging the United Kingdom government to begin the stages of recognition of Somaliland. In this article, I will be analysing what he has said and competing with his ideas.

 Like many other non-Somali politicians and journalists who call for the severance of Somalia, there is a pattern in ideologies. Most of these characters are adamantly anti-Palestine and are supportive in Israel’s occupation and genocide of Palestinian people. He has tweeted about finding Palestinian flags alarming as he drove through the streets of London and has also stated in the past on Twitter that all UK citizens must side with Israel and that barbaric and senseless terrorist attacks from Palestine must be responded to. He has also shared articles from The Sun, which is a famously reputable newspaper, claiming that 40 babies were murdered with their heads cut off and called Palestinians child murderers and rapists. 

“The evil and depravity of these people know no bounds. We must all stand with Israel. We cannot allow such evil to flourish.”

Although the topic of my discussion is Somalia and Somaliland, it’s important to draw this line of pattern in ideologies with other Successionists. There is a correlation between those who call for Somalia to be annexed or severed usually hold typically similar colonial beliefs when it comes to Israel and Palestine. The same way they have no respect for the indigenous people of the land of Palestine and support Israel, a proxy to the United Kingdom in taking lands from these people is dissimilar in how they support the indigenous people of Somalia’s wishes to not be granted and for Ethiopia, which is a known proxy for the West, to be supported.

It is not due to Alexander Stafford’s empathy for the Somalilanders, why he wishes the state to gain independence. We know he’s not sympathetic towards Somalilanders and their struggles because of the way he speaks about Palestinian people, calling them evil and barbaric, when Somalilanders unanimously are supporters of Palestinians as they share similar struggles and religion. If Alexander Stafford sees Palestinians as evil, depraved, barbaric terrorists, then he sees Somalis in a similar light. So we know it’s not because of the goodness of his heart why he wants Somaliland to gain independence, it’s based on interest. The same way Alexander Stafford and other conservative politicians call for support Israel as there is financial and economical gain in supporting Israel, it’s the same way why they want to see Somalia severed as there is financial gain in the severance and the loss of Somalia.

 Alexander Stafford begins his article by saying that Somalilanders made the brave choice to break away for the good of their country and their people in 1991 and is ready to emerge onto the world stage. “The choice to break away from Somalia in 1991 was a no-brainer in terms of regional preservation and economic development of the north which was already operating in a semi-autonomous way.” He states that Somaliland enjoys a healthy and thriving democracy modeled on our own, our own being the English democracy. 

It is important to note that Somaliland does not enjoy a healthy and thriving democracy. Somaliland has been known to force regions and states which want to be a part of Somalia. Somaliland has been known to bombard these regions and oppress these peoples in order to push their political agenda of being a separatist country. Somaliland has gotten to the stage where it’s at now through the annihilation of LasAnod and the violation of the Awdal people in the MOU agreement and among many other things. Somaliland government is known to go to great lengths and do heinous things in order to gain this recognition that it desperately is looking for.

Therefore the claims that Somaliland has not been seeing any instability or war in the last 15 years is false. Somaliland has had multiple battles and skirmishes with regional military forces of the Sool- Sanaag region in LasAnod and has been known to engage in conflicts with the Habar Younis people in Burco etc. 

“The danger of terrorist violence from the likes of Al-Shabaab while not zero is lower than anywhere else in Somalia”, Alex Stafford says. However, I am sure Alex Stafford is unaware that the majority of Al-Shabaab leaders historically actually hail from the Isaaq clan native to Somaliland. He (akin to most European politicians that speak on Somali politics) likely doesn’t know any of the inner details of what he speaks about as his statements come from a place of personal interest and disingenuity rather than the honest truth. His knowledge on Somalia and the geopolitics of the region seems to be very limited. The same way his knowledge on the Israel and Palestine conflicts seem to be very limited as he makes bold false claims in both situations. 

So these claims that Somaliland has solid foundations, which is why they’re able to reach the stage that they are now, are false. The foundations of Somaliland are very shaky and fragile. Most of the cities which the Somaliland government claims to be a part of their government are anti-Somaliland and expressed their strongly held opinion of remaining a part of Somalia. However, Muse Bihi’s government attacks these regions in hopes to strongarm them into accepting his dominion. The public of Somaliland themselves have all come out in fury at the MOU agreement between the Somaliland government and Ethiopia and have been recorded chanting the Somali national anthem and praises to Somalia’s president and insults to Somaliland’s president. 

Alexander Stafford calling for England to recognise Somaliland as a separate nation is tone deaf and outright unethical. England has no right, as it was once the coloniser of Somaliland, to once again involve itself in the affairs of the Somali people and make a detrimental decision in recognising Somaliland as independent, which will have drastic effects on the Somali people. We were granted independence, and we decided to unite; the UK choosing to recognise Somaliland would be reminiscent of its previous colonial historic powers and goes against the wishes and betterment of the Somali people. A former coloniser should not have the right of that power over Somalia. 

I urge the people of Northern Somalia to be vigilant and careful, those foreigners calling for our country to be severed are not your friends and do not have your interests at heart. Our tribe is Somali and we have no other name. Our people led the longest anti colonial war in African history and it is imperative now, more than ever,  that we take heed in the sacrifices of our ancestors. Allowing Europeans to once again attempt to separate us is counterproductive to the decades of war and hardwork our forefathers gave for those who came after them.