Peace, Education, and Economic Development in Somaliland

Peace in Somaliland

The peace and stability that are enjoyed in Somaliland today have been hard won and have been achieved through the sheer determination of its people and its elders. Unlike peace conferences in other parts of Africa, peace was brokered in Somaliland entirely on the initiative and with the resources of its people.

Between 1988 and 1991, peace had to be wrestled from the troops of Siyad Barre, whose army pounded the cities and the people of Somaliland with airplanes, tanks, and every other type of heavy artillery without the least pity. In the process, a quarter of a million people were killed and 95 percent of the cities of Somaliland were destroyed. The atrocities that were committed by the troops of Siyad Barre are still visible and have been well documented.

One month after the defeat of Siyad Barre and the flight of his troops from Somaliland, the elders of the major Somaliland clans met in Berbera and unanimously agreed to let bygones be bygones, and not seek revenge among themselves or against any person from Somalia living within Somaliland territory. The leaders also agreed to convene a National Peace Congress in Burao as soon as possible. As a result of the general amnesty, Somaliland is proud to have a large number of laborers, merchants, and other residents living and working in Somaliland without any restrictions or fear for their lives.

• The First Peace Conference. In April/May 1991, the First National Peace Congress took place in Burao, when elders and representatives of the people living within the territory that was formerly the British Somaliland Protectorate, met under the shade of acacia trees and agreed to separate from the Somali Democratic Republic. On 18 May 1991, the Republic of Somaliland was born and was declared an independent and sovereign state.

• The Second Peace Conference. This conference took place in Hargeisa in October 1992. This time there was a strong involvement of women, who held mass demonstrations for peace and who handed petitions to the elders, threatening that these demonstrations would continue unless the elders, politicians, and government representatives declared an immediate cease-fire and swore in public that all parties would adhere to the terms and conditions of the cease-fire.

• The Third National Congress. This congress took place in Borama in 1993. It was convened with the intention of developing a system of governance for Somaliland. After four months of deliberations and debates in Borama, the 500 representatives of all the clans of Somaliland elected the first elected president and vice president. At the same time, the "Borama Charter" was drafted and adopted and became the blueprint for the civilian system of government that has been in place since that time. This charter also laid the foundation for the development of the constitution that was later overwhelmingly approved by 97 percent of voters during the referendum of 2001, and which further guides Somaliland toward the district and general elections.

Following the Borama Congress, Somaliland became the first and only African state that managed to achieve a general and voluntary demobilization of its militia. Freedom fighters took turns to lay down their arms without international assistance or international troops.

During that historic and highly emotional demobilization ceremony, the militia of one of the largest and strongest groups of Somali National Movement (SNM) freedom fighters smartly paraded into the fully packed Hargeisa Sports Stadium, saluted the flag and the president of Somaliland as well as their sultan, and proceeded to line up their military hardware. This became the first of several other daily and weekly parades with different militia groups laying down their arms and becoming incorporated into the National Army.

All the above-mentioned reconciliation exercises, peace conferences, and congresses that took place inside Somaliland territory were conducted without external assistance and with purely national resources. They were convened in humble and traditional settings instead of taking place in expensive five-star international hotels. The peace conferences of Somaliland have enjoyed full community support, that in turn has ensured adherence to the agreements that have been reached on every occasion.

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