Somalilanders breathe a sigh of relief

EDITORIAL

As news of talks between the government and the opposition parties became public, Somalilanders both inside and outside the country breathed a sigh of relief that the threat of violence and civil strife that hung over them was finally lifted. Particularly reassuring was the upbeat statement by the Chairman of UCID opposition party, Mr Faysal Ali Warabe, in which he emphasized that the opposition and the government were determined to reach an agreement over the issues in dispute. The vice-President’s statement reinforced this positive mood, although his reiteration that the government still views the extension of its term as legitimate raised the question of how a settlement is going to be reached if the government does not budge from its position?

At this point, the good news is that the government and the opposition are talking. They already had met twice and have promised to meet again on May 19 th. The lingering question in many people’s mind is: will the next meetings result in an understanding or did Somalilanders celebrate too early?

If the government and the opposition reach an agreement on the way forward, it would be a demonstration, yet again, that Somalilanders have not lost that quality that makes them unique in Africa, namely, their ability to sit down together and solve their own problems. If, on the other hand, the talks fail, especially after such a promising start, it would be the beginning of a dark and difficult chapter in Somaliland’s history. With such momentous and contrasting consequences for themselves and their people, it should be clear to Somaliland’s government and the opposition that failure of the talks is not an option.

Source: Somaliland Times

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