Final preparations are currently underway in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, to welcome Hon. Osman Abukar Duube, a prominent politician from the region. He is scheduled to arrive in the capital tomorrow. Large banners featuring Osman’s photo can be seen throughout the city. He will meet with Somaliland government officials and deliver a speech to the public, where he will appeal for forgiveness. Recently, he resigned from his position in the Senate of Somalia’s Upper House of Parliament and renounced his unification ideology. In his own words, “For the past three years, I have been advocating in the Somali parliament and on the streets of Mogadishu to end the suffering and hardships subjected to the people of Somaliland. However, I was always met with the response, ‘Did you give up your parliamentary seat?’ Today, I want to tell those in charge of the Mogadishu administration that conscience is more important than my parliamentary seat. I have resigned, just as my uncles did in 1980.” Hon. Abdirahman Bayle, who also hails from Somaliland, and who previously held a ministerial position during Farmajo’s presidency. He, along with other former supporters of unification, have since left Mogadishu. Hon. Bayle is now the economic adviser to the President of Somaliland.
