Mr. Farmajo on behalf of Somaliland four million population, I addressed this letter o you since you are the by-product for the regime that committed the most brutal acts in modern history in which over 50, 000 Somaliland were massacred according African watch report issues on January 1990. Over 22years, Somaliland civilians were subject of torture, detention, rape, absences of justices, absences of any rights, totalitarian rule, endless harassment, mass killing, baseless accusations, absolute rule, oppressive rule, baseless charges, daily curfews, fascist style rule, absences of trade freedom, war-like policy, harsh rule, systematic media control, surveillance against political opponents, using state power to punish opponents, ruling through violence, consider anyone opposes the dictatorship rule as the enemy of the country, employment policy based on kinship, retaining power through gunpoint, wide network of spies, police state system, personal opinion treated as enemy of the country, systematic looting, courts without defense lawyers, punishment without offensive, widespread arbitrary arrests, ill treatment, summary executions, forced disappearances, military junta rule, brutal security apparatus, death and destruction, compulsory ransom payments, Systematic human rights violations and cells formed terrorizing civilians. These are the hallmarks and the checklists behavior of the authoritarian system that ruled Somaliland over 22 years.
The early years of the union between Somaliland experienced steady political and economic isolation of former Somaliland and its main towns, with political and military positions being awarded disproportionately to “southern” Somalis. The 1961 an attempted coup by a group of highly qualified Somaliland military officers was an indication of the disenchantment with the union that Somaliland had entered into. After assuming power in a military coup in October 1969, Mohamed Siad Barre led a brutal military dictatorship, marked by widespread human right abuses. Somaliland people have experienced one of Africa’s most notorious dictatorships. The brutal regime that ruled Somalia almost 22 years behaved like the rule of the jungle whereby the strong eats the weak and the muscle determined the bright. Even women, children and disabled elders were not spared from the brutality of the regime. Mr. Farmajo, Somaliland has people invoked the failed union with Somalia in May, 1991 based on collective public support as the word Somalia considered trauma for Somaliland people being costing the death of over 50, 000 innocent civilians and destruction for the properties accumulated over 150 years.
This is why the word Somalia considered as a trauma for Somaliland people. The former Somali brutal regime that fall down in 1991 has reduced to rubble Somaliland major cities and towns in particular Hargeisa. The airstrikes and the artillery shelling have destroyed every building in the capital even the worship places like mosques as the regime leadership has issued instruction to destroy the entire city. 28 years ago, there was no single building in Somaliland capital saved from the regime bombardment as the dictatorship system instructed destroying every building in the capital including schools. Even the mosques were not spared from the regime air and artillery bombardment. Mr Farmajo, the regime that you were a member used human suffering as a political tool. Local residents have sad memory about the agony of the city those days. Eyewitness has told fighter planes lunched airstrikes from Hargeisa airport to bomb the highly populated centres to kill maximum number of civilians. Hargeisa was literally carpet-bombed. Almost half million of the local population were forced to flee from their homes in an effort to save their lives from the regime heavy bombardment.
The terrified civilians run away from their homes and become refugees in neighboring countries mostly in Ethiopia causing humanity crisis. . The relentless violence against civilians in 1988 resulted in the world’s largest refugee crisis. The regime has denied journalist and human rights representatives to enter Somalia to eyewitness the suffering, the misery and the agony of Somaliland people imposed by brutal regime. Many countries have inserted pressure the former oppressive to stop killings, violence and human misery against the innocent citizens, but no vain.
Mr. Farmajo, the suffering of Somaliland citizens under dictatorship rule cannot be expressed in words. The whole civilian population and their homes discriminately targeted by regime forces. Nowadays, memories of bloodshed and destruction are common stories in Somaliland.The destruction of Hargeisa was so total that it earned the nickname “the Dresden of Africa. The regime has bombed towns and strafed fleeing residents and used artillery indiscriminately. Many reports and book were written about the agony of Somaliland people during dictatorship regime like the government at war with its own people, the forgotten genocide and the Death Valley. Virally Hargeisa was razed to the level and as a result, became a ghost city to the extent two German journalists described it in relative similarity to Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan during second world II in terms of destruction ensued.
Mr. Farmajo, the crimes committed by the most ruthless regime was well-documented by the United Nations and other International Human Rights bodies who have witnessed the extent of the destruction the entire country had suffered and also how its schools and health services were razed to the ground. Even Somaliland citizens living in the seat of the regime were not saved from the ruthlessness killings as 47 middle-class Somaliland citizens living in the capital city of Mogadishu were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and then transported to Jasiira, a communal beach west of Mogadishu and summarily executed. These men included professionals, businessmen and teachers. The memories of those loved Somaliland citizens will remain our hearts and minds everlasting. War criminal Yuosuf Tuke was filmed while burning Somaliland citizens burning alive and laughing. This photo is the most horrifying photo ever we have experienced. This is the worst crime against humanity. He has committed this crime deliberately. This is most the horrifying campaign against humanity but justice that was silent almost 30 years has spoken finally this war criminal. The war criminal has failed to escape from just justices as injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Mr. Farmjo, the war criminal Tuke that you have taken photo with him has done the most merciless inhuman act in recent history. The war criminal was charged by US court of law to pay the cost of the ruthless crime he was committed against Somaliland innocent civilian. But unfortunately, the mass genocide committed against Somaliland citizens during Sayid Bare era were horrible and was largely overlooked by the rest of the world as those that committed system killing against unarmed civilians like, the butcher of Hargeisa Saed Hersi are still are large. This year marks the 31th anniversary of Hargeisa Holocaust. Mr. Farmajo, the trauma of brutal regime mass killing will everlasting memories for Somaliland people. The Somali air force pilot Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Yousef Tuke have committed two different acts. The war criminal Tuke behaved the most savage manner in history while the Somali former Ahmed Hassan proved the most honorable act, in words the mother of all humanity as he refused bombing population centers but instead dropped the bombs he was supposed to kill civilians at outskirts of Hargeisa.
Mr. Farmajo, at present, Somaliland has living memory for its citizens massacred by brutal regime, in other words the most savage of state-sponsored atrocities. In view of above, the world will not remain in peace unless these that committed horror mass killing will pay the cost of their savageness. Taken above into account, Villa Somalia leadership leading by Farmajo who was elected through vote buying and corruption must recognize the crimes committed by former dictatorship system that, he is the by-product of that merciless regime. Human rights groups have described the level of massacre committed against unarmed civilians by dictatorship system as genocide. The Syrian city Aleppo and Hargeisa have identical history being labelled as death cities. Until at present, the whereabouts of thousands are still unaccountable or remain missing, but presumably killed by the regime. At present, war memorial in the form of MiG fighter jet was erected in Hargeisa to mark the regime by airstrikes in 1988. This memorial was built as an indication for the death and destruction committed by the most inhuman regime in Africa. This was built to be remembered by future generations. Follow part 2 of the article shortly.
BY; Ismail Lugweyne