Subject: State Building in Somaliland – Feats, Fallbacks, and the Need for Urgent Reforms
Hargeisa, Somaliland
April 2025
Dear H.E. President,
Through the course of State Building in Somaliland, remarkable feats have been gained, and within this period of state formation and democratization, serious gaps had been experienced, that occurred as a result of lack of enough foresight and commitment by the majority of the political elite. As a concerned citizen, I write to respectfully highlight key areas that require urgent attention to ensure the sustainability of our progress and to strengthen the foundations of our nation-building efforts.
The prospect for positive developments and chances of sustainability would depend on the extent of vision, seriousness, and determination of the leadership. Mr. President, I therefore bring to your attention the following critical areas that require immediate and deep reform:
- The Council of Elders (Guurti):
The Somaliland Guurti had come into being as the need of struggle against the Siyad Barre regime required by taking care of three equally important duties: Recruitment, Mobilization, and Fund-raising issues for the SNM armed wing (fighters). After the liberation of the country by SNM, both the nature and functions of the Guurti have changed. Immediately after the liberation, the Guurti started operating in the area of peace and reconciliation campaigns and continued leading the efforts for stabilization, and as the pillars of reconciliation, they remained as an indispensable factor. From these positions, they turned out to be the Council of Elders and then as the upper chamber of the Parliament. Unfortunately, this very important institution had not been reelected or reappointed and remained an unrepresented body till today. That is the reason why this lawmaker Council should not remain unrepresented but should be legitimized by either public election or renomination by their communities. - The Civil Servant question:
One critical issue for the state-building process lies in the lack of clear Civil Servant policy. For example, on a global level, Civil Servant is the main pillar of the State in any country of the world, and based on the civil servant law, any person of the Civil Servant body remains in his post until his retirement. What is happening here in Somaliland is something contrary to the norms in use in the world, in relation to the place and role of the Civil Servants. Unfortunately, after every election, the new president starts to discharge almost all civil servants and substitutes them with supporters of the new president. This started to happen from the Silanyo government and continued with President Muse Bihi, continued with President Abdulahi Irro. However, since the State Bureaucracy (Deep State) is not only the state management but also is the memory of the state and government, here the non-politicized body of the state apparatus became a matter of necessity to exist. Through a non-politicized concept of the state bureaucracy, the state becomes a national ownership; it does not belong to one party, or one clan, or region, or a certain group of people. That is the reason why the civil servants should remain neutral and out of politics. It is well known and acceptable globally that without a well-experienced and depoliticized state bureaucracy, there is no state at all. - Somaliland Political Parties and the virus of Clannism.
In the Somali society, clannism in politics is a historical dilemma. It is a social phenomenon that holds back the process of state building. Therefore, the tribal nature of the Somaliland Political Parties is a matter of political pandemic and a historical disadvantage, and thus a stumbling-block to the deeds and endeavors of detribalization of the political parties and organizations. On the other hand, it is a matter of unavoidable historical reality, which emanates from the socio-economic reality of the society. Tribalism or Clannism, even as a backward historical category, is not the problem, but the problem begins when the majority of the political elites lack a patriotic mind and adhere to tribalism, and lead political parties from positions of opportunism.
De-Tribalization of the Somaliland parties should come through a process of qualitative renovation from clan entities to national institutions. This needs to be understood, not as a matter of short-term process, but a long and painstaking transformation of the society from clan-based to community-class based society. Because it is to deal with a crucial need for the evolutionary nature of society. The required goal is two things: 1) a highly educated, cultured and honest political elite as leaders of the Political parties’ and 2) a party building program that can produce new generations of leadership. The current of corrupt political-illiterates prevalent on the Somali political arena will remain the source of reproduction of Clannism and Statelessness.
In Conclusion:
Mr. President, the challenges outlined above are not new — but they are urgent. The success of Somaliland’s statehood project depends not only on what we have achieved, but on the reforms we are willing to implement. We need a credible Guurti, a professional civil service, and political parties built on political national ideology rather than clan identity — parties that transcend narrow clan interests and reflect the national vision.
I respectfully urge your leadership to initiate serious reforms in these three areas. Your legacy, and the future of our republic, will be defined by the courage to act in the national interest. The people of Somaliland are ready — now, more than ever — for a new chapter of inclusive, professional, and visionary governance.
Respectfully,
Adam Muse Jibril
Concerned Citizen