{"id":294245,"date":"2025-05-05T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=294245"},"modified":"2025-05-05T09:31:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:31:01","slug":"somaliland-british-colony-palestinian-concentration-campsomaliland-british-colony-palestinian-concentration-camp-by-kit-klarenberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/05\/somaliland-british-colony-palestinian-concentration-campsomaliland-british-colony-palestinian-concentration-camp-by-kit-klarenberg\/","title":{"rendered":"Somaliland: British Colony, Palestinian Concentration Camp?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Somaliland National Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

19 Apr 2025 –<\/em> In recent months, Somaliland has become a subject of intense, unprecedented interest for the Western media. As Israeli and US officials scramble to find a destination to forcibly relocate<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Gaza\u2019s population from their shattered homeland, the little-acknowledged, unrecognised breakaway statelet is increasingly viewed as an attractive option. Multiple mainstream media reports indicate officials in Tel Aviv and Washington are making\u00a0discrete overtures<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to Hargeisa on the topic. On March 14th, the\u00a0Financial Times\u00a0<\/em>revealed<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cA US official briefed on Washington\u2019s initial contacts with Somaliland\u2019s presidency said discussions had begun about a possible deal to recognise the de facto state in return for the establishment of a military base near the port of Berbera on the Red Sea coast.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Somaliland\u2019s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has made international recognition a\u00a0major priority<\/a><\/strong>, and the prospect of a permanent US military presence insulating the breakaway territory from violent instability that\u00a0regularly engulfs<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Somalia is also no doubt enormously attractive. From Washington\u2019s perspective too, such an arrangement offers profuse geopolitical gains well-beyond the involuntary relocation of millions of Palestinians, to make way for\u00a0Trump\u2019s fantasised<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2018Gaza-Lago\u2019. For one, Somaliland\u2019s proximity to the Arabian peninsula makes the territory an ideal staging ground for strikes on Yemen.<\/p>\n

This would represent a vital new strategic foothold for the Empire in Africa, at a time French and US occupation forces are\u00a0being evicted<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from countries across the continent with\u00a0ever-increasing rapidity<\/a><\/strong>. Moreover, it could serve as a counterweight to constantly growing Chinese and Russian influence locally. In 2017,\u00a0Beijing established<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0its very first overseas military base in Somaliland\u2019s neighbouring Djibouti. Ever since, the country has been a\u00a0pugnacious critic<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of Western policy in the region, and allowed Iranian ships to dock at its ports.<\/p>\n

The geopolitical and military utility of Somaliland\u2019s recognition as a state has long-been understood in Washington.\u00a0Project 2025<\/a><\/strong>, a lengthy \u201cmandate for leadership\u201d drawn up by the right-wing Heritage Foundation think tank,\u00a0widely-perceived<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0as a blueprint for Donald Trump\u2019s second term in office, contained a dedicated section on \u201c[countering] malign Chinese activity\u201d in Africa. It specifically recommended \u201cthe recognition of Somaliland statehood as a hedge against the US\u2019 deteriorating position in Djibouti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s readiness to recognise Somaliland was furthermore advertised in\u00a0November 2024<\/a><\/strong>, long before the would-be country became a potential candidate for the resettlement of Palestinians. Former British defence secretary Gavin Williamson revealed he had been engaged in \u201creally good meetings\u201d with the President\u2019s \u201cpolicy leads\u201d on the issue, and expressed confidence the White House would act accordingly. Williamson has long-been an ardent advocate of Somaliland\u2019s independence,\u00a0regularly undertaking<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0all-expenses paid trips to the breakaway territory, and receiving honourary citizenship for his\u00a0lobbying efforts<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Williamson\u2019s pronounced interest in Somaliland is a uniquely rare public manifestation of a little-known truth. While\u00a0formally granted<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0independence by London in 1960, and\u00a0having claimed<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to be a sovereign, autonomous region of Somalia since 1991, Somaliland is a modern day British colony. Were Palestinians uprooted there against their will, they would be entombed in yet another open air concentration camp, under the watchful eye of British-trained local security forces with a propensity for extreme violence.<\/p>\n

\u2018ASI Management\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0April 2019<\/a><\/strong>, prolific British government contractor Aktis Strategy declared bankruptcy, leaving scores of staff unpaid, and overseas suppliers owed vast sums. The company\u2019s abrupt disintegration came despite reaping tens of millions of pounds from the Foreign Office for \u201cdevelopment\u201d projects throughout Africa and West Asia. While largely ignored by the Western media, the\u00a0Somaliland Chronicle\u00a0<\/em>published a\u00a0detailed investigation<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0into the scandal \u2013 for Aktis was at the time of its collapse engaged in a \u201cjustice and security sector reform project\u201d in the statelet.<\/p>\n

Official records<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0indicate London earmarked over \u00a318 million for this effort alone in Somaliland, 2017 \u2013 2022. It is just one of many British-bankrolled projects in the breakaway territory, which results in Somaliland\u2019s entire state structure \u2013 including its government, military, judiciary, prisons, police, security and intelligence apparatus \u2013 being managed, trained, and directed by London. Such pervasive, hidden influence in these sensitive areas is amply exposed by the contents of numerous leaked British intelligence files.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

For example, one document discusses how\u00a0notorious<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0British intelligence cutout Adam Smith International provides \u201congoing training and mentoring\u201d to \u201cbuild the capacity\u201d of Somaliland\u2019s National Intelligence Agency and Rapid Response Unit, while overseeing the territory\u2019s \u201cforensics service\u201d, a \u201cPersonal Identification and Recording System\u201d that \u201ccaptures data at border posts,\u201d and \u201cprosecution procedures managed by the Attorney General\u2019s Office.\u201d Somaliland\u2019s dedicated Counter-Terrorism Unit was moreover created in 2012 with Foreign Office funding, \u201cunder ASI management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, ASI boasts of its \u201cproven history of establishing close professional relationships\u201d with senior government, armed forces, police, \u201csecurity sector\u201d, and Ministry of Defence officials in Somaliland. One file notes the contractor \u201cdeployed specialist ex-UK military advisers\u201d to run a program to \u201cimprove the capability\u201d of \u201cmilitary intelligence units\u201d in the army and coastguard. ASI \u201calso assisted with the development\u201d of Somaliland\u2019s Officer Cadet course, \u201c[mentoring] senior officers in leadership, management and military doctrine.\u201d The contractor has even drafted laws subsequently adopted by the government.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0Albany<\/a><\/strong>, another British contractor, was charged with tutoring Somaliland authorities in the art of propaganda and information warfare. This entailed \u201cstructured training and mentoring of key government ministers\u2026and other senior figures in working with the media,\u201d helping them \u201cproduce a steady flow of information detailing the government\u2019s work\u201d and \u201cengage proactively with journalists.\u201d It was noted \u201cunsatisfied public demand for information\u201d from the government \u201con nationally significant events\u201d gave independent information sources significant influence locally, which was to be countered at all costs.<\/p>\n

Public distrust of the government was moreover exacerbated by the regular \u201carrest of journalists and the closure of independent media outlets\u201d in Somaliland. By providing extensive media training to key government ministries and state organs, and appointing \u201cspokesmen and media officers\u201d, Albany would help authorities \u201cto use the media to better communicate their reform agenda\u201d with \u201cone voice\u201d, thus dominating the breakaway territory\u2019s information space, and silencing dissenting local elements.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

\u2018International Law\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For all ASI\u2019s boasts of professionalising and reforming Somaliland\u2019s armed forces and police, other leaked files related to the activities of contractor Coffey paint a very different picture. For instance, one document notes the statelet\u2019s military \u201cis the largest and most costly institution of state,\u201d but its chiefs \u201cresist oversight by the Ministry of Defence,\u201d and it is \u201clikely [army] funds are being used for purposes other than national defence and security.\u201d Moreover, capacity for holding the military accountable for abuses is \u201climited\u201d.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Coffey noted that Somaliland police have \u201ca history of applying disproportionate force to contain disorder,\u201d and the territory lacks a \u201cdedicated public order unit.\u201d The contractor suggested creating such an entity in the ranks of the Special Protection Unit, a paramilitary force created to protect foreign organisations operating in the aspiring country, and individuals they employ. At time of writing, it had no remit to professionally or proportionately respond to \u201cplanned and spontaneous events, peaceful protests and outbreaks of serious public disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

That document was authored in July 2015. It called for Somaliland law enforcement to be \u201ctrained and assessed by UK National Police\u201d in Britain. There, they would learn \u201cfirst aid\u201d, how to \u201cengage effectively with crowds or protesters\u201d, and gain \u201cunderstanding [of] human rights\u2026according to international law.\u201d Tutoring officers in constructive, peaceful methods of dealing with public disturbances would, Coffey pledged, ensure \u201cproportionality, lawfulness, [and] accountability\u201d throughout Somaliland\u2019s police forces.<\/p>\n

If such training was conducted, it evidently had no tangible impact whatsoever. In late 2022,\u00a0mass protests<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0broke out in the contested Somalian city of Las Anod. Somaliland security forces crushed the upheaval using lethal force, leaving dozens dead. Unrest only intensified thereafter, leading to Somaliland\u2019s military savagely shelling the city the next year. An\u00a0April 2023<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Amnesty International report branded the assault \u201cindiscriminate\u201d in the extreme, with civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and mosques struck, hundreds killed and injured, and hundreds of thousands\u00a0displaced<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Given this context, Somaliland\u2019s appeal to Israel and its Western puppet masters as a dumping ground for Gazans is obvious. A well-armed repressive domestic security apparatus stands ever-ready to brutally quell any and all local resistance. Meanwhile, if the US used the territory to strike Yemen, displaced Palestinian could be exploited as hostages and human shields, to deter AnsarAllah counterattacks. We can only hope this deplorable scheme crumbles as quickly as\u00a0prior plans<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to shunt Gazans into Egypt and Jordan.<\/p>\n

______________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kit Klarenberg is a British investigative journalist exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Original – popularresistance.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

19 Apr 2025 – As Israeli and US officials scramble to find a destination to forcibly relocate\u00a0Gaza\u2019s population from their shattered homeland, the little-acknowledged, unrecognised breakaway statelet is increasingly viewed as an attractive option.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":294783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[1854,87,865,1050,88,234,427,70,965],"class_list":["post-294245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-imperialism","tag-israel","tag-media","tag-palestine","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294245"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":294784,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294245\/revisions\/294784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}