He calls for a clear policy on the conference and similar forums
By M.A. Egge
The Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Somaliland, Yasin Mohamed Yusuf, has said that the main objectives of the Heritage Institute Forum Conference held in Djibouti are clearly against the essence, issues and independence of Somaliland, and a clear-cut policy needs to be specified and established as concerns the forum and similar ones in future.
The Deputy Minister of Education and Science took a swipe at the forum which featured sessions on research and history of the Horn of Africa, as well as the economy and politics of Somaliland, Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Deputy Minister said that the conference was conveying two different messages, which he said were to launch a direct attack on the MoU agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia and also to establish rules to tether some countries in the Horn of Africa, including Somaliland.
The Deputy Minister added that the history presented at the conference was one against Ethiopia, which they accuse of having perpetrating wars from time immemorial along the coast of Somaliland with the intent of disseminating lies about the real happenings in the past.
Speaking on the matter, Minister Yasin said, “The objectives and contents of the Heritage Conference were to attack the MoU between Somaliland and Ethiopia and to deny the existence of the Somaliland Cause and Independence, hence obliterate the essence of Somaliland-hood. In addition, the conference aim was creating and formulating laws of special interest that were intended to tether some countries by putting Somaliland out of the picture”.
The Deputy Minister clarified that the research presented there was false and biased, and aimed at a specific intention, and he also noted that they deliberately left out parts of real history by hiding it.
He said that they intended to openly attack the MoU and mislead the public with this historical information. He also noted that their sessions discussed international laws and they attacked the Somaliland-Ethiopia maritime agreement, which made wrongly Somalia inviolable and inalienable giving it territories that are not her’s.
The Deputy Minister also pointed out that during these sessions, the existence and independence of Somaliland were denied, as well as the existential facts of two separate countries that once united was obliterated.
Same is the fact that out of the picture was the fact that Somaliland indeed re-asserted her independence and sovereignty.
In conclusion, the Deputy Minister suggested that the Somaliland community at home and abroad be vigilant against false histories being presented at such forums with the intentions denying the existence and sovereignty of Somaliland.
He also called on the government to have a clear policy on meetings and conferences that undermine the independence and factual history of Somaliland.