An Open Letter to David Lammy

To: The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdom

While one-person, one-vote elections are laudable ideals, they cannot be achieved through labelling or through a diabolical attempt to leverage the influence of Somalia’s international partners to impose the will of one leader on others.

Garowe and Kismaayo (Statement) — We, the undersigned, are the elders of Puntland State of Somalia and Jubaland State of Somalia. We express our dismay at the partiality of the British Ambassador to Somalia Mr Micheal Nithavrianakis, who represents a country that holds the penholder role for Somalia at the United Nations Security Council. Our intention is to bring to your attention the statement made yesterday at the British Embassy in the Halane Compound in Mogadishu by the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during a birthday party for King Charles III.

President Mohamud called on the British government to “decisively act against spoilers.” By “spoilers,” President Mohamud refers to any leader or region that does not align with his electoral model. While one-person, one-vote elections are laudable ideals, they cannot be achieved through labelling or through a diabolical attempt to leverage the influence of Somalia’s international partners to impose the will of one leader on others. We deplore the opportunity given to President Mohamud to urge Britain to act against his political rivals.

The British government has not distanced itself from the politically motivated remarks made by President Mohamud during the birthday ceremony for King Charles III.

President Mohamud alluded to the imperfections of democracy. In a country recovering from state collapse and civil war, where large segments of the population still suffer political and economic marginalisation, it is absurd to put trust and consensus-building on the back burner in favour of top-down one person, one vote elections.

The march towards representative democracy in Somalia cannot be separated from a piecemeal approach to building institutions founded on accountability, equality and inclusivity. If the President of Somalia retains the privilege to make political demands to a superpower in the hope that his critics or political rivals will be branded as spoilers, the state-building initiative in Somalia, to which we, as elders, have contributed significantly, could begin to unravel.

We expect Britain to play an impartial role in the state-building journey that Somalia embarked on 24 years ago. If Britain sides with one politician or party in Somalia, it will be violating the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia. We call on the British government to prevent any diplomatic missteps that could tarnish the United Kingdom’s image in Somalia.

Signatories:

1- Sheikh Ayub Ali Dahir, Kismaayo

2- Mohamud Abdi Shidane, Kismaayo

3- Aweys Mohamud Buulle, Kismaayo

4- Hussein Mo’allim Abdulmajid, Kismaayo

5- Abaadir Mumin Bulqaas, Kismaayo

6- Hiirey Ali Elmi, Kismaayo

7- Salah Aw Mohamud Dirir, Garowe

8- Jimale Ahmed Muuse, Garowe

9- Abshir Ali Yare Said, Garowe

10- Ahmednur Jama Hersi, Garowe,

11- Said Hassan Roble, Garowe