The Horn Of Africa States: Why The 1961 Framework Is Somalia’s Path To True Sovereignty – OpEd |
For over three decades, Somalia has been adrift in a sea of “provisional” governance and foreign-inspired political experiments. Since the collapse of the central state in 1991, the international community and various transitionary governments have attempted to suture the nation back together using a complex, clan-based federalism. Yet, despite these efforts, the country remains fragmented into what many perceive as clan-based fiefdoms, where local loyalties supersede national identity. The solution to this perpetual instability does not lie in a new, externally drafted document, but in the resuscitation and amendment of the only constitution the Somali people ever collectively approved: the 1961 Constitution.
The fundamental crisis in Somalia today is not a lack of laws, but a lack of respect for the original law. The 1961 Constitution was not merely a document; it was the legal anchor of a sovereign, unified Republic. It was ratified through a national referendum and served as the bedrock for the country’s most stable democratic period.
While critics point to the 1961 referendum’s lukewarm reception in the north as a reason to discard it, this argument ignores the universal........