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A
BDISALAM
M
 
I
SSA
-S
ALWE
 
H
ISTORICAL
P
ERSPECTIVE ON THE
C
HALLENGE
F
ACINGTHE
S
OMALI
S
ACRAL
U
NITY
 
P
APER PRESENTED AT
"I
L
C
ORNO
D’A
FRICA FRA
S
TORIA
,
 
D
IRITTO E
P
OLITICA
"H
ELD AT
R
OME
,
 
13-14
 
D
ECEMBER
2002
 
 
C
ONTENT
 
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................12. Brief Background of the
 Midnimo
Concept........................................................................13. Internal Blow: the Breakdown of the State........................................................................23.1 Misconception of the Concept..................................................................................23.2 The Erosion of The Traditional Authority...............................................................33.3 Illusionary View of Misleading Policy.....................................................................44. The External Setback: Uniting with the ‘Organic’ State.....................................................55. Redefining
 Midnimo
..........................................................................................................75.1 Somaliland Republic...................................................................................................75.2 North-eastern Regions (later Puntland)........................................................................85.3 Bay and Bakool Regions (now Southwestern State).....................................................95.4 Problems Facing the Process of Resuscitation............................................................115.5 The Fear of Group Domination..................................................................................116. Pros and Cons.................................................................................................................117. Conclusion......................................................................................................................138. Reference........................................................................................................................14
 
1 
1.
 
I
NTRODUCTION
 
The disappearance of the Somali state in 1991 from the international scene is seen as a uniquephenomenon in this nation-state era. No one expected Somalia to disintegrate in the firstplace. Somali society is unique in Africa as it is a homogeneous ethnic group. As thecohesion of the Somali population was much stronger in the early years of independence, inthe 1960s, the logical conclusion was that Somalia was less prone to disintegration than themajority of African states. However, this has proved an illusion.Somalis’ national consciousness is based on the shared heritage of Islam, belief in a commonancestor, language and culture. This notion, which is also called
midnimo
(unity)
 ,
haspreserved Somali-speaking people for centuries. However, currently it appears that the
midnimo
is losing out to the challenges of the twenty-first century.After four decades the dreams and expectations arising from their
midnimo
look vanished. Acloud of human misery and uncertainty spread over the Somali nation as their crisis led to adual blow: (i) the breakdown of their state and (ii) the Somali Republic's failure to unite withthose of her people who remained outside the boundaries of Somalia drawn by the colonialpowers. What went wrong? What made Somali aspirations fail? What caused
midnimo
to letSomalis down?As what is at stake is the survival of a nation whose problems could not solve within a nationframework, this paper attempts to put forward a new paradigm on the challenges anddilemmas facing the
midnimo
(unity). It will examine what caused the ‘sacral’ Somaliconcept of 
midnimo
(unity) to disappoint the Somalis. This assessment leads the analysis tolook at the courses which reversed
midnimo
and to derail the country from its originalundertakings.
2.
 
B
RIEF
B
ACKGROUND OF THE
 M 
 IDNIMO
 
C
ONCEPT
 
The
midnimo
concept is based on Somalism. This in turn has its roots the feeling of nationalconsciousness which focuses on the shared heritage of Islam, belief in a common ancestor,language and culture and, in addition, the geographical continuity of the areas they inhabit.The clan is the most important political unit in the traditional system. Clan membership istraced through the male line to a common male ancestor from whom the group takes its clanname. Through this patrilineal, agnatic genealogy system enables all Somalis to related eachother.The language creates a feeling of unity, a unity which has sacral characteristics. This feelingfocus on the basis of the Somalism. As the Somali
midnimo
has its roots in the oral traditionof Somali culture, the interiorising force of their oral word relate in a special way to thesacred, to “the ultimate concerns of existence” (Ong, 1982). Thus for the Somalis,
midnimo
 cannot be violated (
midnimada Soomaaliyeed waa muqaddas).
This makes Somalinationalism, in the words of I M Lewis, “…tailor-made, and their problem was not that of nation-building, but of extending statehood outside the frontiers of the Somali Republic toembrace the remaining portions of the nation” (Lewis, 1980).
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