Introduction

In November 2023, I concluded the manuscript of this book, which I started in early 2022. At the time of beginning the project, the region of northern Somalia was peaceful and served as a perfect example for my argument. On submitting my finished draft to the publishers, one of several book reviewers drew my attention to the crisis that had embroiled Somaliland and Puntland. The conflict was tearing the region apart as deaths and the number of internally displaced persons swelled. The reviewer noted that it would give this book greater relevance to capture these recent events. This review comment prompted this section. However, the essence of the previous chapters and the argument made therein were to show the folly of the AU, its lack of belief in its own dictum, and how its dependence on external actors has kept it hind-sighted in its handling of conflict on the continent. The conflict in Somalia was perfect in telling explaining this. The stability in Somaliland was used to show what African States can achieve on their own, and in which case, some support from a focussed and truly Pan-African AU would help such indigenous causes. As far as this argument goes, it was a job done with the preceding chapters of this book. The recent conflict in Somalia's northern region falls outside the original scope of this book, but in order to bring this book up to date, this section has been added to briefly discuss this conflict and what it means for the recommendations already made.

Bad Policies and Political Hind-sightedness: The Conf lict of the Northern Regions

Somaliland, in seceding from Somalia, laid claim to the area of British Somaliland in the north before its merger with Italian Somaliland in the south in 1960 into what today is Somalia. Unfortunately, the Dhulbahante who are a subgroup of the Darod clan in Puntland, and who inhabit the border areas of Sool and Sanaag claimed by Somaliland do not share the secession objective of the Isaaq clan who are the dominant group in Somaliland. This became the cause of friction that blew into full-scale conflict.