To anyone familiar with the politics of the Horn of Africa, Somaliland and Ogadenia are the longest running separatist enigma in the region. Somaliland wants to split from Somalia on the basis of colonial borders and a short-lived independence in 1960 (literally lasting just four days), and Ogadenia wants to split from Ethiopia on the basis of ethnic dissimilarities.
But where both aspiring states fail is that in the same way they accuse their mother-nations of forcefully incorporating them into nationhood, they are doing the same to large chunks of their own claimed territories.
Somaliland claims its territorial extent as a pseudo-nation back to the colonial subject of British Somaliland. This covers all of northwestern Somalia, and the proponents of Somaliland independence are indifferent to the opinions and ideologies the people in the five provinces that make up the declared state.
Almost half of Somaliland’s geographical extent is made up of clans that give no support to the separatist cause, and this has been the cause of intermittent fighting and territorial shifts for the past ten years.
Ogadenia is no different. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claims all of Ethiopia’s Somali Region. Unlike Somaliland, which has at least attempted to reconcile with disaffected clan groups, the ONLF maintains its vision as a clan-based organization despite its claim to the entire Somali territory in Ethiopia, of which they make up no more than half of the population.
The stubborn path of clan hegemony has caused even nastier hostilities than those experienced in neighboring Somaliland, and it has ensured that the ONLF exists only within the confines of a few loyalist villages.
This is not a precedent in the long line of blind separatist movements. When South Sudan, a Dinka-dominated organization, broke off with all of Sudan’s Christian and Animist provinces, they took with them countless tribes and ethnic groups that were engaged in a decades-long war with the South Sudan Liberation Army (SPLA).
As expected, South Sudan didn’t get any relief after independence. In fact, the fighting in South Sudan after independence ushered in some of the fiercest combat the region had experienced in almost 60 years of war. The same is in store for Somaliland and Ogadenia if they were to ever receive their elusive recognition.
In the case of Ogadenia, where the federal government in Addis Ababa is supporting anti-ONLF militias, the non-Ogaden clans would take preemptive action against what they would rightly perceive as an impending genocide. The situation would be the same, though lesser in Somaliland, but the defensive measures by traditionally anti-secessionist provinces would be similar.
When the victorious Dinka came away with their prize country in 2011, they made up only one-third of the population. Their arch-rivals, the Nuer, made up a significant 15% of the population, and another 6% percent of the population were Muslim Arabs and Shilluks. In an independent Somaliland or Hargeisa, the respective new regimes can count on similar proportions of disaffected opposition.
There’s good reason why the world is always hesitant about recognizing new states, especially in third-world countries with a history of conflict. As far as anyone is concerned, Somaliland is Somalia’s problem and it can be addressed through one portal. Why make one problem into two?
As for Ogadenia, the international community is satisfied with Ethiopia’s conduct in the region. The alternative would likely create another Somalia in the Horn.
{DN Staff Writers}
DissidentNation.com
08/08/2012, 01:35 pm
“But where both aspiring states fail is that in the same way they accuse their mother-nations of forcefully incorporating them into nationhood, they are doing the same to large chunks of their own claimed territories”.
This is ridiculous, its understandable that anti-Somali land clans want to be apart of Somalia and disagree with forming a new Somaliland state due to this been divisive and perhaps politically disadvantageous.Which Somali clan would refuse independence from Ethiopia(foreign enemy #1 to most Somalis/seen as occupier) if given the chance in an open and transparent environment.The examples are contradictory one is the further division of a Somali state and the other is the founding of a Somali state occupied by a foreign state.In the first example this is typically contentious and in the next most Somalis as a political unit would agree to forge a state there is 100% agreement here on the issue of independence from Ethiopia.Even the most seemingly ardent Somali supporters of the Ethiopian regime will tell you independence would good but put forward the argument that Ethiopia is too strong to disintegrate. Even a skeptic in his heart would jump on the opportunity if given.
08/09/2012, 05:19 am
The myth of the ONLF having some grand clan agenda is really misleading, the ONLF has never uttered anything of this sort nor has it ever been apart of its policy framework.This accusation stems from the historical colonial name which ONLF has chosen to identify with in the process of liberation putting forward the argument that “Somali-Galbeed” has been hijacked dictated as a mere border conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia rather than secessionist /self-determination struggle between Somalis in the Ogaden and Ethiopia .Indeed Somalis been a very tribal society this has caused a lot of suspicion regarding the ONLF agenda but in reality the ONLF has strung far from been embroiled in clan conflicts(despite been accused at times by some to gain the support of Ethiopia) in the region and acts as a mediator in many.From many of the documented footage’s that i have watched and from the officials of the ONLF that I have listened to they emphasize a complete rejection of embroiling the force in these conflicts as it is the intention of Ethiopia to destabilize the region by pitting clans against each-other.
The Ethiopian government is willing to compromise with the ONLF if its aims were clan related, it is willing to give the “Ogadeen” clan unchallenged authority over the region so why then does the ONLF sacrifice the lives of so many of its so-called “clansmen”if the clan agenda they seek is already to be delivered on a silver platter.I can only conclude that the ideals of freedom and justice weigh more heavily in the conscious of the ONLF than some foolish clan objective.
08/09/2012, 05:30 am
On the issue of the plausibility of Independence, in the case of the Ogaden a quick look into the Ethiopian constitution created by the minority tigray regime(for perhaps there own convenience) shows that it allows for the secession of nations/nationalities under article 39 via a referendum.unlike Somalia where separating a homogeneous state is difficult for the International community to stomach, Balkanizing Ethiopia or allowing the Ogaden to secede could seem desirable in a country brewing with ethnic tensions that almost is certainly a ticking time-bomb as the acceptance of the tigray dictatorship could come to its climax.Coupled with its vast resources and the historical injustice of been transferred to Ethiopian rule(Berlin), the Ogaden has great potential to find space to lobby in its quest for independence.It is likely to find major regional allies like Egypt and Sudan-(Arab-league support)- who see a weaker and disorientated Ethiopia as beneficial to there policy outlooks in the region especially in regards to the Nile water allocation which has caused a stir between the upper and lower Nile nations instigated by Ethiopia.Another important regional ally is the former Ethiopian province of Eritrea who will favorably back independence for the Ogaden having already broken the once non-negotiable sovereignty of Ethiopia.
The article attempts to further paint the ONLF as rag-tag force not capable of militarily engaging the Ethiopian military effectively.The Ethiopian military has been far outmaneuvered by the ONLF on many occasions , its actually a common narrative that many soldiers see the Ogaden as the most dangerous region to be posted.The ONLF has secured the resources of the land by halting all operations by multinationals engaged in resource extraction in a war-zone… In fact it was the Ethiopians who gave this account”It is our assessment that Prime Minister Meles and the GoE leadership likely view the ONLF as a long term threat to the survival of the EPRDF government.”
The Ethiopian government has currently requested peace talks with the ONLF to be hosted by the Kenyan government.With Meles Zenawi extremely ill the regime is in a vulnerable position.Both the Europeans and Americans are pushing for talks “The US prefers EPRDF reaches out to the opposition, especially in the Ogaden region, which has waged a secession war”- recently in the Standard.
I don’t believe any Somali believes that the ONLF is incorporating them into nationhood or a “future clan state”.Most Somalis in this region welcome independence although they vary in there interpretation and tactics.
The conflict is unreported and many of the facts on the ground are misconstrued and falsified as a result of the imposed media black-out of the region, it helps to do some research besides wikipedia and Somali coffee-shop political dissertations.
Let our criticism be constructive, however criticism that renders a people under the guise of colonialism hopeless in there quest for self-determination is in my opinion rash, mean-spirited, and unsavory concluded from a clear lack of understanding regarding the politics of this region.