Somaliland fears more attacks could come on the heels of the assaults that rocked the area on Wednesday, as presidential elections in Somaliland draw near.
At least 21 people were killed and dozens were wounded in a series of bombings on Wednesday that hit Somaliland, a self-declared state in the north of Somalia.
Some reports suggested the death toll could be up to 40 [1].
Targets included a commercial office of Ethiopia in Hergeisa, the capital of Somaliland, a compound of the United Nations Development Programme and the presidential palace. Witnesses said the attacks were perpetrated by suicide bombers using cars.
Somaliland possesses national symbols such as a legislature, a president, a flag, a currency and a national anthem, but it does not have the recognition of the international community as a sovereign state.
Unlike the rest of Somalia, Somaliland has enjoyed relative quiet and a stable existence, while Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has not had a stable government in 17 years.
Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia are witnessing violence on practically a daily basis after Islamists, who briefly took power and were defeated in January 2007, regrouped and are fighting the local army and its Ethiopian allies.
Dr. Saad Noor, the Somaliland representative to the United States, said a minority of extremist Islamists were “hell-bent” on creating an Islamic emirate in Somalia, and Islamizing the whole of Africa.
“We have expected that we would be attacked. We know we’ve been targeted because we’re the only entity in the area today that is considered democratic,” Noor told The Media Line.
“We have a very liberal constitution with secular tendencies. We’re a beacon when it comes to freedom, democracy, a representative government, an open society and a free economic system. That makes us the number-one enemy for those extremist groups.”
Noor said he would be very surprised if there was no connection between the perpetrators of Wednesday’s attacks and the groups launching attacks against Somalia and Ethiopian forces, as well as against civilians and aid workers in the country.
There is speculation that Wednesday’s attacks were timed to derail presidential elections slated to take place in Somalia in March 2009. Voter registration for the elections began less than two weeks ago.
While the government of Somaliland is pursuing the perpetrators, Noor said it would be impossible to secure the country entirely.
“We have porous boundaries,” he said. “We have to be prepared for all eventualities.”