Opinion: How Somaliland built thriving democracy from ashes of war, defying Africa’s election odds

By Ahmed Abdi Abdulahi

When I was a kid, I thought democracy was unique to Greece and only Greeks would do better exercising. This was partially true since I didn’t grow up in a democratic culture. I was born and raised in Ethiopia, which has for many decades been a hostile environment for democracy. What I did not know at the time was that a new type of democracy was taking root in one of the world’s most dangerous and corrupt countries, our tiny neighbour, Somaliland.

Somaliland is yet to officially make the map of the world, but its recent success in free and fair elections is living proof that democracy can thrive everywhere, small or big, east or west. Somaliland is a self-declared, unrecognized, autonomous region in the northern part of Somalia.

It officially broke away from Somalia in 1991 after a brutal civil war. It’s worth remembering that Somalia and Somaliland unified as one country in June 1960 after a collective victory against the Italian colony in the south and the British presence in the north. In a bid to centralize and consolidate his infant power in the south, Siyad Barre, who came to power in 1969 after a coup, left the southern regions underrepresented in a collectively formed government. The share of seats and resources dissatisfied northern clans, which ultimately led to the defection of northern representatives from the south.

As much of Africa’s power was swarmed by dictators, Siyad Barre’s vision was to create a unified Somalia under his rule. In 1990, the northern leaders announced that they had officially broken away from the south, a blow to Siyad Barre’s vision of building greater Somalia under his throne. In response to the shocking announcement of the northern leaders’ decision to decentralize his rule, Siyad Barre waged a devastating war against the north.

Months of relentless ground fighting and aerial assault left the region in complete devastation. Hargeisa, the capital of the northern regions, was levelled to the ground. In the following months, millions of people fled the region and sought refuge in the neighbouring countries of Ethiopia and Djibouti. Others risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean and desert in search of a better life, while millions suffered in the face of global media.

As shellings rained down on the capital and the region, insurgencies had begun to take root. In the north, a new frontier, mercenary soldiers led by some of the current and deceased Somaliland leaders began to mobilize people and resources to confront some of the attacks. And even though the newly formed junta was ill-equipped and had no resources to withstand any attacks, their determination to fight back was a sign of defense and hope for the people in the north. The liberation front was later joined by other clans in the region. The resistance was widening, and Somalia was facing both domestic and international pressure to halt the attacks.

International aid agencies warned that the war was pushing people in the region to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. For nearly half a decade in the bush and all-out war, a collective and bloody struggle, northern region leaders declared Somaliland’s divergence from the south on 18 May 1991. This gave birth to the current Somaliland.

As Somalia entered a new era of civil unrest with the collapse of the central government, Somaliland’s breakaway decision saved them from war. In a country levelled to the ground, rebuilding from the ashes of destruction required both sacrifice and resources. Refugees who fled the country during the civil war began to return to the country and those who made their way to Europe and America as refugees supported their loved ones at home. The region has gradually begun to rebuild while Somalia continues to defragment.

Over thirty years since its birth, the Horn of Africa’s tiny nation has enjoyed peace while standing still and alone. Somaliland has held six free and fair elections with the presence of international observers, all of which were undisputed and peacefully transferred. Elections in most of Africa are a time of great worry and uncertainty, but Somaliland has proven that it’s the ballot that decides the future of their leaders.

Ahmed Abdi Abdulahi is a part-time blogger and communications officer at New Ways Organization, a local NGO based in Mogadishu, Somalia.

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