An Instance of Juvenile Thinking of Somali Diaspora

Juvenile thinking of Somali Diaspora exhibited in the change.org petition seeking revocation of Ethiopian PM’s Nobel Peace Prize is amusing and entertaining.
Somalis residing abroad have started a petition to have Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Nobel Peace Prize handed to him revoked because of his forging recently Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland Republic.

The petitioner referred to the activities of the Ethiopian Prime Minister as aggressive and urged the Nobel Peace Prize committee to withdraw Abiy’s 2019 Prize, noting his involvement in the exaggerated escalation of violence in the Horn of Africa.

They asserted that there is a significant risk that the agreement reached with Somaliland by the Ethiopian PM to lease a portion of the Somaliland coastline will exacerbate the already grave security situation in the Horn of Africa.

They continued by adding that Ethiopia’s recent move would provide Al-Shabaab terrorists a chance to expand their activities by undermining the Federal Government’s current drive to destroy the group and bring peace and security back to Somalia, but did not elaborate how this deal would do so.

The world is aware that Al Shabab infiltrated and have weakened the Somali government, as the terror group is able to function freely inside the Somali administration.

It is also evident that the piracy is a crime of Somali government. This is the reason behind the current state in the Red Sea maritime route, which has put a dent on the international trade.

Nevertheless, their carefully constructed narratives are entirely at odds with the reality that exists in the region. After declaring its independence on its own, Somaliland has been out of Somalia for 32 years, attempting to gain international recognition while negotiating both internal and external issues and continuing talks with Somalia.

It is strange that Somalia’s feeble government, which has yet to take control of Mogadishu, has the audacity to assert that it is also in charge of Somaliland. It is evident that politicians in Somalia do not even comprehend the concept of jurisdiction.

The power of an authority to rule on a certain issue, make decisions and enforce laws within a given region is known as jurisdiction. Since May 18, 1991, when Somaliland unilaterally broke away from its union with Somalia and regained its sovereignty, Somalia has had no authority over Somaliland and the two countries have followed very divergent and independent trajectories.

While Somalia has found it difficult to accept the deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia, which opens the door for Ethiopia to have a sea route and the recognition of the Somaliland Republic, it has engaged in extremely repulsive and humiliating way.

This is the same route that PM Abiy Ahmed found himself during the height of the Tigray crisis. He has encountered this type of campaigning, which has since vanished without affecting his standing or power.

Just one year after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, in November 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration did send armed forces into the Tigray area under the leadership of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The battle has developed into a multifaceted civil war involving several armed factions, such as local militias and Eritrean forces. Critics argued that it contradicted the spirit of the peace prize awarded for ending the long-standing conflict with Eritrea. Many Nobel laureates have publicly criticized Abiy and called for the Nobel committee to review his award.

The Nobel committee emphasized it awarded the prize for past achievements, specifically the Eritrea peace deal. They recognized the potential for future conflict but acknowledged Abiy’s efforts in initiating reforms and promoting reconciliation.

When you consider the actions Somalia’s leadership has taken since the MoU between Somaliland and Ethiopia came to the spotlight, you will find that the leadership of the Somali government is not only less intelligent than the diaspora, but downright worse.
The president of Somalia initially made contact with the president of Egypt by phone to ask for assistance, as Egypt and Ethiopia are at odds over the GERD.

Taking a flight to Eritrea to visit Afaweki—who is presently at odds with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed—was his next, and admittedly worst maneuver amidst simmering tensions with Ethiopia over leased territory along the Red Sea by Somaliland.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, met with Chinese ambassador Fei Shengchao. Mogadishu is trying to get support from other countries against Ethiopia’s decision to lease 20 kilometers of territory from Somaliland near the Red Sea. Villa Somalia stated that the Chinese envoy “conveyed China’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

After all, the erroneous accusations of the Somali government and its citizens cannot ruin the cordial ties that have existed for a long time between Somaliland and Ethiopia, two adjacent nations.