London(Sunatimes) Proud to be the direct descendants of the Awdal (Adal) empire inhabitants, we are happy to announce that from now on we are Awdal state; an autonomous state of Somalia, and we will revive our civilization and bring it back to the track from which it was derailed by the SNM forces.The Awdal state that already emerged around the World will be an autonomous, democratic , compassionate and civilized state of the Federal Somali Government. Certaintly when we achieve our goal, gone will be the days when the Awdalites were the naked needles that sewed other people’s clothe; gone will be the days when our destiny was in unfriendly hands and gone will be the days when we believed blindly in the so called Somaliland nationalism.

We believe strongly that a nation is a nation when the basic right of every individual is guaranteed but when the state in whose bosom the individual is supposed to feel secure is turned into a clannish spear to tear the flesh of the former rival clans, then it becomes the responsibility of every group to protect its citizens. Awdalites are no exceptions.

By breaching the terms of the ceasefire treaties with the Awdalites, the SNM derailed our state and played poker with our people. The Awdal region joined unwillingly to Hargaisa Administration on 1991. The only fruits of the self declared independence became a nightmare: the loss of sovereignty, denial of basic rights of the individual, naked nepotism, intentional underdevelopment by taxing the people without ever spending a penny for the Awdalite welfare.

The streets of Hargaisa sucked and absorbed that revenue. ” We cann’t fill the bag whose bottom lies at Burco and whose rim touches Loyi’ado – a distance of more than Six hundred kilometers-!”, an awdalite complained once. Awdal became the true stepchild of the so called Somaliland. A single project was not carried out in Awdal since the self declared independence. The virtual nonexistence of any infrastructure in Awdal, its neglected landscape that was denuded of both flora and fauna, and the abject poverty of its citizens speak poetically for the kind of union that we were duped into.

In addition, the Awdalites carried the brunt of the wars against Siyad Barre regimes of ex-Somalia. As a result the ex-SNM’s troop shelled, gunned and burned all towns and villages in Awdal. On 4th Febraury 1991, the Silaanyo militia killed in two days more than nine hundred civilians, including two hundred children, at Borama. While all this was going on, most Somalis were ignorant of the plight of these people and no one reported their continual suffering. Moreover, the Awdalites shared with the rest of the northern part the brutal oppression of SNM.

On top of all these calamities, the SNM, spearheading an entire division of Mengistu’s troop, slaughtered nine hundred innocent people in Borama, Dila, lughaya and Zeila on February 4th, 1991. And when the SNM had occupied, with the “generous” assistance of these troops and had inherited the ammunation dumps in the north of somalia, the first step they took was a deliberate clan-cleansing of the non-Isack clans from their homes at Gebiley, Hargeisa, Arabsiyo, Eiragavo and Ainabo.

To humilate farther the clans in the north, they hijacked their elders and took them first to Harar (Ethiopia) in April 1991 and later to Burao where they were intimidated to sign a “compulsary declaration of independence” that has been concocted directly by “Isaaqis” violating directly the sovereignty of the Somali state, were directing that so-called conference at Burao. Thus, by carrying out these repugnant deeds that are contrary to whatever values or culture we shared as Somlis since the millennium, the SNM dealt a mortal blow to any bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood we shared.

Now, if Somalia disintegrates, the Awdalites, who has been the victims of the so called Somaliland nationalism, cannot be blamed. History is our testimony that we have persevered despite all kinds of oppression and that we have striven to keep northern Somalis together(Isaaqis) and as a nation and but that earned us only scron and a threat to our very survival.

We cannot be part of another tribe guided by the whims of crazy clannish zealots; nor shall we be part of unrecognized dream kept together by coercion, and we will never accept again to be the underdogs waiting at the offal.

We understand fully that the decisions we have taken are not light but God has ordained that we become the guardians of the Somali nation. After seeing half of a million of its people starved to death and millions of others obliged to go through all kinds of humiliation, Somalia is not the same any more and is preparing for federal system.

Therefore, by solemnly declaring our autonomousness, we are confident that the Somali people will support us for they understand fully the conditions and circumstances that abliged us to undertake this historic decision.

Henceforth, we are the Awdal State – the heart of the GADABOURSI clan – and our boundaries are those of the Awdal region of the ex-Somalia.

Preparatory Committee of Awdal State

Dr. Hiirad Keeynaadiid