SOMALIA: A SLOW RESTORATION OF TRUST AMONG SOMALIS

Nowadays one would notice in Garowe, especially in hotels, guest houses and city restaurants a considerable number of new and repeat visitors from different corners of Somalia across the spectrum of Regional States. These visitors include not only politicians, but also business people, professionals, Somali passport applicants, private transporters, educators and non-governmental agencies.

One would appreciate that despite the unnecessarry political tension between Puntland and “Northwest State of Somalia” (Somaliland), the bulk of the new daily visitors of Garowe are coming from urban centres such as Hargeisa, Burco and Berbera. Many among them are looking for business and professional job opportunities in Puntland. Education and hospitality sectors benefit tremendously from the influx of job seekers from the Northwest.

Puntlanders go to Hargeisa and Mogadishu for medical care due to the fact that the leaders of Puntland had abysmally failed to address the acute health needs of the people of Puntland during the entire course of twenty years of state’s existence. Shame and dereliction of national responsibility! Trade and commerce never stopped between Puntland and Somaliland and Northeast and Southern Somalia even in the height of the War.

Nearly a decade ago, it was a taboo-like topic to share information on movement of people between between Mogadishu-Garowe-Hargeisa axis. Relationships between different regions of Somalia had changed since then. Public trust is key here after the most vicious civil war in the history of Somalia. There is an opportunity and golden chances for those perpetrators of the War to come forward and show repentance for heinous crimes and pillages they had committed. Compensation is due to the children of the victims of the War. It is time for them to ask for forgiveness.