Crisis turns into an opportunity in Somaliland

EDITORIAL

Motivational speakers often claim that the Chinese word for crisis is composed of two parts, one denoting danger, and the other opportunity. We know of at least one Sinologist who disagrees with this thesis. But whether this thesis is true or not, the observation that crises often bring with them opportunities is accurate. Last week’s kidnapping of Daniel Bronkal, a staff member of German Agro Action (a German NGO) in Erigabo, Sanag region, had the potential of turning into unmitigated disaster, but with Mr Bronkal’s speedy rescue, and the capture of all five kidnappers, that catastrophic prospect has turned into a moment of joy and celebration.

Some are probably wondering how was it done? As far as we can tell, three factors have helped in ensuring this positive result:

With the kidnappers now in police custody, the next step is to find more information about the kidnapping and the motivations of the kidnappers. Two important questions that need to be answered are:

Finding answers to these questions will probably take time, but at the moment one fact does stand out: The rescue of Mr Bronkal is the latest in a string of successes that Somaliland’s police and armed forces have had lately, foremost among which is the ejection of Puntland’s militias from Las Anod and the immediate arrest of the man who shot the Halo Trust employee. These successes have increased Somalilanders’ confidence in their police and military.

Somaliland is clearly doing its part in bringing peace and security to the Horn of Africa, but the question is: will the international community do its part? How can the international community help? Mr Bronkal himself has already pointed the way when he said that Somaliland’s police have done a good job despite the shortage in resources. The implications of his statement are self-evident: if Somaliland’s police had better resources they would have performed even better than they had already done. That’s where the international community’s role should kick in by providing badly needed resources to Somaliland’s police and security forces, if the international community is truly concerned about peace and stability in the Horn, that is; otherwise, it can keep on bitching about the lawlessness of Somalis until the cows come home.

Source: Somaliland Times

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