'The Arabs and Somalis need each other': Barre's speech as Somalia joins Arab League
Barre told an audience that Somalis and Arabs had strayed from one another during the colonial era, but adding there would be no more straying
On February 14th 1974, Somalia became the first non-Arab country to become a member of the League of Arab States. It was the 20th country to join the intergovernmental organisation and in the process it also made Arabic an official language of the country.
The regional backdrop was the aftermath of the Ramadan War or the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Egypt’s defection to the western camp was well under way in a foreign policy shift the New York Times described as the “the most severe defeat the Soviet Union has suffered since it began to buy friends.” Cairo would later become isolated in the Arab world for agreeing peace with Israel; the Saudis were similarly riding high off the proceeds of a spike in oil prices after King Faisal used the “oil sword” and instituted an embargo on countries supporting Israel. Cairo and Riyadh were the Arab world’s leading powers and the wind appeared to be their sails.
For Somalia, Egypt’s shared enmity with Ethiopia made Cairo a reliable counterweight to Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. Egypt feared Ethiopia’s ambitions for the Nile and Somalia coveted the Ogaden. Saudi Arabia was a source of financial backing for Somalia and a market for its livestock. Given Somalia’s principle partners were in the Arab League, it made sense FOR officials in Mogadishu to pretend they were Arab if that meant a greater say in a club of states which could enhance Somalia’s strategic autonomy in the Horn. In his book, on Somalia during this period, Suicidal State, Mohamed Haji Ingiriis observed the following about the move:
the regime’s decision to join the Arab League met with a joyful salutation from the Somali public. The consecutive achievements that the military regime made in 1974 on external fronts—due in large to the sharp and shrewd diplomacy of the respected ambassador to Cairo, Abdullahi Aden Ahmed ‘Koongo’—such as signing a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the Soviet Union in February, joining the Arab League in March and hosting African Heads of State conference in Somalia for the first time in history in June, all spectacularly in the same year, spiralled Siad Barre’s reputation and paralleled to the highly-respected Arabo-African nationalist leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, seen by many Somalis as a role model. The formulation of the external policies—forged not through national interest, but opportunism—revealed confusion. In the official publication for foreign policy published in June 1974, the regime used Islam, communism, Arab brotherhood and third world solidarity, all simultaneously. This served Siad Barre well for a while and provided him with a temporary prestige in the global arena. It is no wonder that the regime’s official English newspaper continued to permeate as late as 1980—when Siad Barre turned to the West—that Islam and communism fit together.
AP have this archive footage of the flag raising event in Cairo which was attended by Hussein Abdulkadir Kassim, who was essentially a special envoy for Siad Barre. He made a point of addressing his counterparts in Arabic as another minister sat by with a cigarette dangling from his mouth:
Three days after Somalia joined the League, Siad Barre addressed a mass rally in Mogadishu of his supporters. Here is a transcript of what he said, taken from a collection of his speech in a volume titled My Country & My People: Speeches of Jaalle Siyad, 1973-1974.
Jaalayaal [Comrades],
I convey to you my greetings on behalf od the Supreme Revolutionary Council, the Council of Secretaries and Somali people at large eon this great occasion which you came out to show your support for the historic decision of the two Councils to join the Arab League.
The reasons that led us to apply for admission to the Arab League or the reasons that safeguard our national interests in being a member of the Arab League or the Organisation of African Unity are based on the declaration of the Revolution to promote Somalia's socio-economic progress in all aspects of national activity.
The Somali Nation has always had close ties with the Arab nation, economically, educationally, culturally and commercially. From the days when we were struggling for our independence and when our patriotic citizens were shedding their blood as sacrifice to our freedom, fraternal Arab people were giving us material and moral support in a brotherly way devoid of all vested interests. The Arab nation had fought for our cause: the sacrifice of Kamaladdin Salaah here in Mogadishu for the unification of the Somali people stands as a symbol of the Arab struggle to liberate and unify their brotherly Somalis from colonial domination. It was Kamaladdin Salaah and many of us who are here today, including me were witness to this, who said that Somalia is for the Somalis.
The Somali nation can never forget the support we were given and heated debates on our behalf by independent Arab countries when the future of the Somali people was being discussed in the United Nations in the postwar years. We always remember that when we gained political independence we had many difficulties to circumvent, particularly in regard to education, and it was then that the Arab nation rose to the occasion and announced that they were ready to give out scholarships to educate the Somali people. I remember the day when 750 Somali students flew from Mogadishu Airport to receive higher education in the Arab world. This generous offer of the Arab nation spearheaded the other scholarships granted by foreign countries to educate Somalis.
You can understand from this the importance of joining the Arab to our people. On the other hand, the Somali people have not been to mean to forget the assistance given to us by Arabs. We have in fact tried our possible way to repay them. The Somali nation has shown its unequivocal support to the Arab cause in all international gatherings. Our people are deovted to the cause of the Arab struggle, this devotion of our people has in fact been acknowledged by the Arab nation. The Arabs and Somalis need each other, by becoming one all our potential will be that much increased in realising the aspirations of our people and fulfilling the objectives of our cause.
As you all know, we have fought against colonialist and imperialist designs and conspiracies meant to create discord among us and alienate us from the Arab world. The imperialists retarded our economic development and sabotaged our efforts towards better education.
We can take a leaf from the chronic misunderstandings among Arab countries. These disputes have no doubt been created and fanned by the imperialists forces because it is the custom of the world imperialism to frustrate the efforts of people towards unity, progress, and better education. In the same way, the African people had been disunited, disintegrated and balkanised so much so, that each group have become tied to former colonialist metropoles.
That is just one mere example of what imperialism and neo-colonialism can do to developing nations. The imperialist forces have specially put weight on creating obstacles among neighbourly and brotherly peoples. For example, they put cleavages and created misunderstanding between the Arab and African nations.
I am glad we have understood the tactics of imperialist intrigue. In the last four years of the revolution we have constantly told the Arab nation not to be guiled by the imperialists and fall into their trap, we must understand imperialist methods and motives, we must not be diverted from the rights things and from our interests. In the same way we have preached understanding and strengthening of relations among African countries. Likewise we have promoted Afro-Arab relations which we believe if strengthen will be beneficial to both sides. The Middle East War of October 1973 clearly showed the motives of world imperialism on one side, and the aspirations of developing nations on the other. That war has polarised the objectives of the oppressed and oppressor.
The revolutionary Somali people must aim high and look far beyond their shores. We must increase our efforts in cementing the relations between the African and Arab peoples. We believe closer Afro-Arab ties will be a boon to their interests and to the cause of world peace and national liberation movements in Africa, and the Arab world.
In conclusion, the Somali and Arab peoples had strayed from one another many times, especially during the colonial era, but in each time the ties of friendship and fraternal feelings between us had never been erased. From now on there will be no straying. We have at least all realised the interests of our people, economically, socially and politically. We must play our right role in the world affairs and take our part in the solution of world problems.
The struggle of our people both Arab and African is to protect our interests and complete independence. The imperialists should no longer be allowed to run world affairs according to their whim. When we say that we must keep in mind the struggle of the working people in imperialist countries.
Finally, I must once again congratulate the Somali people everywhere for our admission to the Arab League.
Interesting read