On January of this year, the UK government Parliamentarians debated over the question whether or not to officially recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign nation.

Members of the UK House of commons articulated about the historical connection, mutual friendship and the common shared interests between UK and its former British Protectorate Somaliland for over hundred or more years until Somaliland gained its independence on 26 June, 1960.Unfortunately, five days later it unilaterally united with the former Administered Italian Trusteeship Somali Territory under UN mandate. For 30 years under the union, Somalilanders hopes and aspirations were tragically destroyed by the brutal dictator Mohamed Siyaad Bare and his henchmen forcing Somalilanders to reclaim on May 18,1991the sovereignty that they gave up for the sake of Somali unity.

The UK Parliamentarians emphasized the facts that Somaliland has de facto recognition by European, Canada, the US, Asian and middle eastern countries where Somaliland has offices. In short it is very clear from reading the whole debate transcript in the UK House of Commons that Somaliland is on the right track to gain de jure recognition in the near future.

Sadly, that very near future will not be realistically achieved if the current incumbent president Musse Bihi awards himself an extension to remain in power, postpone the scheduled presidential elections scheduled to be held on November 13 of this year and then contest the next elections to win another five-year term in office. Somaliland cannot afford that extension let alone another 5 years of Musse Bihi's increasingly dictatorial rule which tragically is a major set back on the democratic gains it has thus far achieved.

Mr.Bihi is poised at consolidating his autocratic rule by creating an atmosphere of chaos so that elections are impossible to hold. He has also created a strong military and police forces loyal to him who recently killed five people in a rally organized by the opposition parties and arrested several people and injured many others. The government also blacked- out the internet services including Facebook and what's up. It has also banned free publication like BBC services, Hadhwanaagnews website, and other social media services.

Somaliland cannot afford to give Mr. Bihi an extension or another term because of his disastrous policies during his last 5-year term in office. On foreign policy he has failed to pursue with due diligence Somalilands number one foreign affairs project for international recognition and miserably neglected to create a proper banking system for the country. There is no internationally recognized central bank or commercial bank and that means we are cut off from the global financial system.

Under Biixi leadership, international foreign investors were reluctant to come to the country, as he alienated local businessmen and women by refusing them to take their advice.

 The economy is in shambles. He has invested in creating intelligence agencies, unnecessary spending on the army and the police. By doing so he neglected to invest in technical vocational schools which would have created skills and jobs for both sectors for the youth. Under his leadership, unemployment is sky high and inflation is beyond control.

in addition, Mr.Bihi already created fictitious political parties to weaken the two legal opposition parties and win re-election by taking away votes from them. Further, instead of uniting the people of Somaliland, he has instead used divide and rule tactics based along clan lines to create chaos and confusion and foster animosities and cleavages among and between clans. He has not prepared the country for the up coming election by dismantling the Electoral Commission and replacing them with dishonest and corrupt commissioners who are loyal to him.

For among the many whose lands were expropriated was prominent Somali Canadian lawyer, Mr, Gamal Ahmed Jimaleh who was recently murdered in Hargeisa  over land grab when properties belonging to his late father, Mr. Ahmed Jimaleh was illegally sold to a family that paid bribes to corrupt judges with the blessings of the Interior Minister, Mr. Mohamed Kahin Ahmed. Mr. Gamal, an international lawyer, was a graduate of University of Toronto and Queens University of Kingston, Canada. Canadas foreign affairs department is investigating the mystery surrounding his so-called "suicide" death in which the judiciary he was attempting to help reform and the interior minister are complicit.

Mr. Bihi spent his five-year term in office planning to circumvent democracy and the rule of law to extend his autocratic rule and eventually remain in power another 5 years or more. If successful, he will plunge the country and its people into tribal in-fighting and Somalilands current status as a de fact nation will be lost and recognition a figment of one’s imagination.

Instead of seeking an extension beyond the deadline for election to be held on November 13, 2022, it would be wise for Mr. Bihi to resign and hand over power to interim care-taker government. Somaliland cannot afford to lose all the gains it had achieved for the past 30 years to become an international model of democracy and peace in a volatile Horn of Africa region. It would be prudent for Mr. Bihi to resign and save Somaliland from self destructing itself because of his premeditated and well orchestrated tactics to remain in power by any means necessary. If he refuses to do that, he should be impeached period.

Omer Musse Kahin

based in Toronto, Canada