Hargeisa (PP News Desk) — The President of Somaliland Administration, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, inherited the unresolved conflict in three regions: Sool, Togdheer and Sanaag. Unlike his predecessor, Muse Bihi Abdi, President Abdirahman feels constrained partly by Finnish laws due to his Finnish citizenship.
The Somaliland Administration waged the 2023 Laascaanood conflict on the claim that it is a sovereign state that seceded from Somalia in 1991 and that Sool, Sanaag, Cayn and the Khatumo interim administration “is a terrorist organisation affiliated with Al-Shabaab.” Somaliland had to shift its sovereignty claim in mid-2023, proposing a two-state solution as a precondition for a ceasefire in Laascaanood.
Last week, a spokesperson for President Abdirahman’s new administration stated: “The Somaliland administration calls for unconditional talks with all factions involved in [sic] the Eastern Somaliland conflict.” “While this statement is commendable, it will not translate into a tangible peace agreement as long as President Abdirahman adheres to the spurious claims of “Somaliland as a republic” said Ali Hassan, a peace researcher in Garowe.
Article 10 § (13.5.2011 / 511) of the Finnish Penal Code on hate speech stipulates: “Anyone who publicly make available or otherwise public spreads or publicly provide information, opinions or other messages which a group is threatened, defamed or insulted because of race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation or disability or on grounds which are comparable to those basics, be for ethnic agitation to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding two years.” Article 10 a § (13.5.2011 / 511) on Rough Hate Speech outlaws: “…crimes against humanity, serious crimes against humanity, war crimes, serious war crime, murder or manslaughter committed with terrorist intent…”
Finland donates to Somaliland’s administration and its institutions. Additionally, the International Solidarity Foundation (Solidaarisuus), a Finnish civil society organisation, has been operating in Somaliland since 2000. Existing Finnish laws governing citizens’ behaviour and Finland’s position on the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia constitute major legal obstacles for the Finnish-Somali President of Somaliland Administration. How he addresses the conflict in Sool, Togdheer and Sanaag without resorting to secessionist rhetoric will determine the trajectory of his new administration.
© Puntland Post, 2024
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