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In a land where loyalty to Somaliland is expected to be unwavering, the spectacle of its leaders pardoning traitors with ease is both shocking and demoralizing. The latest farce—Osman Aw Mohamud Buurmadow’s grand return—starkly reveals the systemic hypocrisy undermining our nation’s sovereignty. Mr. Mohamud, a self-styled king colloquially known as Boqor Buurmadow, was welcomed with pomp befitting a monarch rather than the scorn his treachery demands. This turncoat, having shamelessly sold his birthright for a mess of pottage in Mogadishu, finds himself not only absolved but embraced as a returning hero.
Although President Bihi is said to be highly allergic to folks who go to Mogadishu, his actions tell a different story. The president’s capitulation to tribal pressures while violating the rule of law reflects the broader inconsistencies in Somaliland’s political approach. This debacle reveals the farcical nature of our governance, where leaders claim to fight treason yet rehabilitate the very individuals who have betrayed us.
Is this the Somaliland for which our forebears fought and bled? Did they envision a nation where betrayal is not just forgiven but celebrated?
The Pardoning of Traitors
This revolving door to Mogadishu extends far beyond Buurmadow. Consider the cases of Somalia’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Mohamed Omar Arte, and former Minister of Finance, Abdirahman Duale Beyle. Both men, after serving a government actively working to undermine Somaliland, were granted unconditional pardons upon their return. In a world where Somalia seeks to obliterate our claim to sovereignty, these pardons send a chilling message: betrayal isn’t just tolerated—it’s our new national industry.
Even more repugnant are those who openly supported forces fighting against Somaliland in Las Anod, ghoulishly reveling in the deaths of our fallen soldiers. That these despicable individuals will likely be next in line for state pardons is not just a failure of governance—it’s an unforgivable betrayal of every drop of blood spilled in the name of our independence.
The Role of Tribal Politics
This farce is not merely a stain on our political landscape; it is a metastasizing cancer, eating away at the very foundations of our aspiring nation. The rot extends far beyond the gilded corridors of power in Hargeisa. Our populace, afflicted by a deeply entrenched tribal mindset, bears its share of culpability in this national disgrace. This collective malady sees large swathes of the public rallying behind their clan’s standard-bearers, regardless of the reprehensible acts these individuals may have committed. It’s as if we’ve replaced our national conscience with a tribal slot machine, always ready to pay out loyalty to the lowest bidder.
Both the ruling Kulmiye Party and the Waddani Opposition Party view Buurmadow not as a traitor but as a pawn in their quest for power. Their eagerness to court this self-styled “king” is nothing short of a national disgrace, revealing a sickening display of moral bankruptcy where those who betray Somaliland are elevated to positions of influence, while the nation’s genuine patriots are left to watch in horror.
The Complicity of Businesses
Why has Somaliland consistently failed to rein in businesses that actively undermine it – enterprises that eagerly follow directives from Mogadishu, erasing our very existence from their systems? The answer lies in the same poisoned well from which these endless pardons are drawn. Our leaders, those compromised custodians of our national interest, care more for securing personal loans or acquiring the latest luxury vehicles than safeguarding the nation’s dignity. They have traded their duty for comfort, their integrity for a handful of shillings.
Inconsistency in Applying Justice
To illustrate a broader point about consistency in justice, consider the case of MP Mohamed Abib Yusuf. While we take no position on the merits of his arrest, it serves as a stark contrast to other recent events, laying bare glaring inconsistencies in Somaliland’s approach to national security. A sitting parliamentarian now faces imprisonment on treason allegations, while individuals who have openly aligned with Somaliland’s enemies walk free, even celebrated as heroes upon their return.
This dichotomy – swift action against an MP versus leniency for known collaborators – exposes a troubling selectivity in the application of justice by Somaliland’s political elite. If safeguarding national interests is truly the priority, how can we reconcile such disparate treatment? These apparent double standards suggest a system where political expediency, rather than consistent principles, governs the course of justice. Such practices not only undermine the rule of law but also corrode the very foundations of national integrity that Somaliland’s leaders claim to uphold.
The Path Forward
Somaliland’s leadership today stands as a monument to moral bankruptcy—too timid to fight for real independence, too compromised to deliver justice, and too myopic to see beyond the next election cycle. But let us not absolve ourselves, the public, of blame. Our unwavering devotion to tribalism has fertilized the soil in which these betrayals flourish. We have become willing accomplices in our own national sabotage.
If Somaliland is to break free from this cycle of treachery, it must not only purge itself of these Janus-faced leaders but also excise the tribal tumor that has metastasized throughout our body politic. We, the citizens, must awaken from our clan-induced stupor and confront an uncomfortable truth: every time we support a traitor for the sake of tribal loyalty, we drive another nail into the coffin of our national aspirations.
The stakes could not be higher. A nation cannot survive, let alone thrive, when betrayal is its most lucrative export. Somaliland’s very existence as a sovereign entity hangs in the balance. Our current path leads not to independence and prosperity, but to a future as a footnote in history—a cautionary tale of a dream squandered on the altar of tribal politics and personal greed.
This is Somaliland’s moment of reckoning. Will we continue to embrace this revolving door of treachery, watching helplessly as our so-called leaders shuttle back and forth to Mogadishu? Or will we slam it shut, bolt it, and throw away the key? The path forward demands nothing less than a complete reconstruction of our political culture, a vehement rejection of tribal politics, and a renewed commitment to placing our national interests above all else.
Only then can we hope to build the Somaliland our founders envisioned—a nation governed by leaders worthy of the torch they bear, supported by a populace united not by clan, but by an unwavering commitment to true independence and shared prosperity. The choice, as ever, remains ours to make. Let us choose wisely, for the ghosts of our betrayed past and the specters of our threatened future are watching.
