Sarah Kimani of the SABC was among a dozen or more top African journalists who attended the 28th commemoration of Somaliland’s restoration of independence in 1991.

Following intensive consultations among clans who had been on opposite sides of the 10-year long armed struggle which culminated in the ousting of a cruel military dictator and his equally heavy-handed regime, Somaliland decided to bury the hatchet and build a modern state based on the pre-colonial boundaries.

Somalia, however, conveniently clouding the issue that Somaliland was the first-born among 5 siblings planned to, together, form a Greater Somalia state, started to claim that Somaliland was part and parcel what never was – a state called ‘Somalia’ – a fallacy it stills to the world.

Greater Somalia never materialized and the union Somaliland formed with Somalia was a non-starter right from the beginning. Somalia intentions were not concealed even to the overzealous ‘Landers who rushed their independence to Somalia when it all offered for their pain was an education Minister to the man who sacrificed the country’s independence to the union.

On Saturday, Somaliland, again, celebrated 28 years of success as a modern, ultra-democratic state that laments the dismal state of affairs in Somalia but has no intention of ever making the same mistake twice.

Sarah Kimani reports:

Transcript:

the breakaway state of Somaliland health

00:02

celebrations in the capital here in Hargeisa

00:03

to mark its 28th year of independence

00:06

Somaliland president Musa be extended an

00:09

olive branch to Somalia but ruled out

00:13

Somaliland declared independence from

00:15

Somalia back in 1991 but it is yet to

00:18

receive legal international recognition

00:21

ceremony filed this report a sea of red

00:28

white and green filled the independence

00:31

square as thousands of Somali Landers

00:33

marched past the diocese in jubilation

00:35

it’s close to three decades since

00:37

Somaliland broke away from Somalia and

00:39

this day holds a special place in their

00:42

history books we are so tired because

00:45

we’ve seen that the Somali land is

00:46

growing today people are united in a

00:57

show of my term nationhood the military

01:00

parade then followed close to three

01:02

decades in Somaliland declared

01:04

independence its status remains in limbo

01:06

at the Independence Square that seemed

01:09

to be put aside it was time to celebrate

01:12

other diplomatic recognition will always

01:15

about how Somaliland perform its economy

01:18

it is social it is military it is a

01:22

knowledge base the rest of it it will

01:25

come that can I have no problem your

01:27

countries the international community

01:29

continue to snap Independence Day

01:31

celebrations here in Somaliland but the

01:33

breakaway nation is not giving up its

01:35

resolve to seek international

01:38

Somaliland was left in ruins after the

01:40

civil war that ended in the 1980s

01:42

citizens however managed to reconstruct

01:44

without international community’s help

01:47

the breakaway state is now riding on

01:49

that success to love its neighbours for

01:51

recognition and we are yet to act the

01:54

international community visit the item

01:56

to recognize the Republic of Somaliland

01:58

president Musa Behe reached out to

02:01

Somalia urging that the two countries

02:03

work together he was however clear that

02:06

reunification with Somalia which has

02:08

refused to recognize Somali lands

02:10

independence is off the table

02:12

Sarifka money as a bussiness hargeisa

Source: Somtribune