Investigative Reports

Major Corruption Allegations Rock Somaliland Finance Ministry’s Recruitment for World Bank’s Public Resource Management Project

According to documents examined by Somaliland Chronicle, serious allegations...

Financial Turmoil and a New Questionable Venture Cast Shadows over Boodhari Mills’ Future

In our previous coverage, we explored Boodheri Mills, a...

Somaliland Office in Taiwan Rejects Sexual Misconduct Allegations

The Republic of Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan has...

Somaliland: The Diaspora vs homeland

“Three main periods of migration can be identified, when comes to giving an overview of the history of the African Diaspora. Historically, the first wave of forced African migrations began during the Transatlantic Slave trade (16th-19th) century…The second African diaspora generation was the result of the difficult process of decolonization. During the late-colonial period, early post-independence, starting from the 1950s…this diaspora was mainly the product of ‘voluntary migration’. This period marked a rather important increase in emigration aimed at acquiring a better quality of life and education. 

Starting from the 1980s, the most common grounds on which Africans left their countries changed in its nature. Fleeing from broken and breakable states, wars, hopeless poverty or political persecution became a major cause of emigration, up until today“ (Experience Africa, n.d.).

The Somali Diaspora, in general, was the result of fleeing the broken state, civil war, and political persecution. Somalilanders in particular were subjected to ethnic cleansing and genocide by the late dictator of Somalia. 

The Somaliland Diaspora played a major role during the armed struggle in defeating the brutal regime by funding the cause or by joining the forces to reclaim the Somaliland independence again. They still continue to be the main source of economic development through remittance and by investing in the local business which creates employment to improve the lives of fellow Somalilanders.

Today Somaliland is an island of peace and prosperity, surrounded by walls of despair and uncertainty beyond the boundary lines to Somalia, Ethiopia including east beyond the shorelines to Yemen. Democracy in Somaliland has flourished as it was witnessed by the latest successful simultaneous local and parliamentary elections.  

Nevertheless, today’s Somaliland Diaspora seemed to be blind-sided by the local issues between political parties or concerns rising from clan rivalries, which are mostly resolved through traditional means by elders or by local government authorities. In theory, the Somaliland diaspora having lived in most civilized western democracies were supposed to see beyond the clan loyalty and expand their visions and build on the successes already accomplished in strengthening the young democratic that does not exist beyond our borders. 

Fortunately, today there are homegrown smart educated young Somalilanders who are more issue-oriented than partisan tribal disputes, as they have proven in the most recent election when they successfully elected two very talented young leaders, Barkhad and Abdikarim to the parliament and to the mayorship respectfully.

Maybe the diaspora has a lot to learn from those less traveled with no exposure to western civilization, yet more civil than the ones claiming otherwise. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mohamed Adan Samatar is a Former State of Arizona Government Management and holds BSc, MS Agriculture. He can be reached madan.samatar01[@]gmail.com

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of the Somaliland Chronicle, and its staff. 

Creative Commons License

Notice: This article by Somaliland Chronicle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under this license, all reprints and non-commercial distribution of this work is permitted.

Latest

The Last Will and Testament of a Dictator: Djibouti’s Precarious Transition from Guelleh and Its Global Reverberations

As Ismaïl Omar Guelleh’s once-iron grip on Djibouti loosens,...

Somaliland Supreme Court Vacates Case Against MP Abib, Upholds Parliamentary Immunity

KEY POINTS: Somaliland Supreme Court vacated the case against MP...

Taiwan Commits $2 Million to Support Somaliland’s 2024 Presidential and Party Elections

The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has...

Prodigal Sons of Betrayal: Why Somaliland is Unable to Close the Revolving Door to Mogadishu

In a land where loyalty to Somaliland is expected...

Stay Connected

Don't miss

The Last Will and Testament of a Dictator: Djibouti’s Precarious Transition from Guelleh and Its Global Reverberations

As Ismaïl Omar Guelleh’s once-iron grip on Djibouti loosens,...

Somaliland Supreme Court Vacates Case Against MP Abib, Upholds Parliamentary Immunity

KEY POINTS: Somaliland Supreme Court vacated the case against MP...

Taiwan Commits $2 Million to Support Somaliland’s 2024 Presidential and Party Elections

The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has...

Prodigal Sons of Betrayal: Why Somaliland is Unable to Close the Revolving Door to Mogadishu

In a land where loyalty to Somaliland is expected...

Somaliland Orders Closure of Egyptian Cultural Center Amid Strategic Diplomatic Maneuver

In a bold diplomatic move, the government of Somaliland...

The Last Will and Testament of a Dictator: Djibouti’s Precarious Transition from Guelleh and Its Global Reverberations

As Ismaïl Omar Guelleh’s once-iron grip on Djibouti loosens, the Horn of Africa teeters on the brink of upheaval. Whispers of the president’s failing...

Somaliland Supreme Court Vacates Case Against MP Abib, Upholds Parliamentary Immunity

KEY POINTS: Somaliland Supreme Court vacated the case against MP Mohamed Abib Yusuf on constitutional grounds. The court ruled that MP Abib's arrest and detention violated...

Taiwan Commits $2 Million to Support Somaliland’s 2024 Presidential and Party Elections

The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has taken a significant step in supporting Somaliland's democratic journey by committing $2 million for the...