“Never Again: Reclaiming Our Shared Future as One Somaliland Family”

By Somaliland Unity & Recognition Initiative (SURI)

Across the timeless plains and rugged hills of Somaliland — from the bustling markets of Borama to the sun-drenched plateaus of Erigavo, from the proud townships of Las Anod, Burao and Berbera to the heart of Hargeisa — runs a single truth: we are one people, one family, with one shared home.

Though we may bear different clan names — Dhulbahante, Warsangeli, Issaq, Gadabursi — our bloodlines are intertwined, our languages and traditions mirror each other, and our histories are fused in a bond stronger than politics or geography. Our grandparents held court together under the sheltering Acacia tree, resolving disputes with dignity, restoring harmony with wisdom. And our children — born of marriages that cross every clan line — deserve that same legacy of peace.

It is in this spirit of family, heritage, and shared hope that we, Somaliland Unity and Recognition Initiative (SURI), launch Project Peace Bridge — a grassroots movement to rekindle trust, restore reconciliation, and reimagine our shared nation with justice, dignity, and equality for all.

We say this with heavy hearts, for we cannot deny the pain we have endured — especially in Sool and Sanaag. The 2023 violence that swept through Las Anod and beyond was not only tragic; it was a betrayal of everything our people stand for. Innocent civilians, our own kin — mothers, sons, uncles, and daughters — lost their lives in senseless cycles of violence. And each family, Dhulbahante, Warsangeli, Issaq, or Gadabursi, carries wounds that words can barely touch.

Yet, even now, hope remains.

We must reach deep into our collective soul — into the inherited wisdom of elders who never needed courts to settle disputes, who knew that no grievance could outweigh the value of peace. For centuries, Somalilanders have resolved conflict through dialogue, consensus, and shared sacrifice. Our democracy, however imperfect, was born not in foreign capitals, but under the canopy of the Acacia tree — where fairness and participation were measured not by force, but by reason and honor.

Now is the time to bring back that wisdom — one last time.

We at Somaliland Unity and Recognition Initiative, believe it is time to say “Never Again.” Never again will we allow ourselves to be divided by violence. Never again will a Somalilander raise arms against another. Never again will political exclusion or marginalization fester into resentment and bloodshed.

We must now embrace a new covenant — one that binds us not just by history, but by a shared future. That means:
• Equally distributing resources so that no region — whether Sool, Sanaag, Awdal, Togdheer or Maroodi Jeex — is left behind.
• Genuine power-sharing in government and economic opportunity, where all Somalilanders have a seat at the table, not just a few.
• Constitutional reform led by all Somalilanders, to address past grievances and build a national framework that reflects everyone’s voice.
• A National Truth and Reconciliation Commission modeled after South Africa’s, to openly admit and account for wrongdoings, especially those committed in 2023, and to deliver restorative justice, not through revenge, but through truth, healing, and forgiveness.

Let us remember: we are not like others. We are not divided by vast languages or histories. We are not separated by deep cultural chasms. We share one defined geography — former British Somaliland, a territory that has been distinct for over a century, and where our identities have grown together, not apart.

Whatever our clan labels, we are closer to each other than to distant kin across artificial borders. Our reality, our customs, our grievances, and our hopes — are all Somali and all Somalilander.

Our children deserve a future built not on old wounds, but on common purpose. The olive branch extended by the Somaliland government — to engage with community armed groups, reintegrate them into the national army, and rebuild peace — must not be rejected. It must be embraced, improved upon, and led by communities themselves, especially the proud people of Sool and Sanaag, who have always been central to Somaliland’s history and future.

We are one people. One land. One family.

Let us reclaim our shared dignity. Let us rise, together, above the pain of the past. And this time, let us resolve:

Never Again.

— Somaliland Unity & Recognition Initiative (SURI)

For Reconciliation, Peace, Unity, Equality, and Shared Nationhood.

#NeverAgain #SomalilandUnity&RecognitionInitiative

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