SUNDAY EDITORIAL | For all Somalis, Independence Day under today's grim conditions should be a time of reflection.

Undoubtedly, many will insist that it is meaningless to celebrate another spiritless Somali Independence Day's [July 1] 48th anniversary this year – marking a moment in history when this wounded nation as a whole embraced the spirit of liberation and regained the people's and land's dignity and honor. That nationalist spirit of yesteryear has, like other elements of the Somali Republic, dissolved under the chaotic conditions of state collapse. The argument stands – that while the spirit of Somali Independence Day suffered a dramatic blow during the eruption of civil war in 1991, independence as a way of life ceased to exist with the Ethiopian invasion of 2006.

Calankeena Iftiimay, Xiddigtaa ku Astaysan

The faults are many that have led the Somali people down the dark corridors of history. In the post-colonial period, successive governments pursued policies that were aggressive towards Somalia's immediate neighbors – namely, Ethiopia and Kenya, both of which control vast territories inhabited by Somali-speaking populations. From the democratically-elected government of President Aden "Adde" Abdulle Osman (1960-1967), to the short-lived administration of President Abdirashid Ali Shermake and Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal (1967-1969), and throughout the 21-year military dictatorship of the Gen. Barre regime, the Somali psyche was held captive for generations by the irredentist notion of 'Greater Somalia.' Somalia went to war with Ethiopia and Kenya several times during that period, most notably the Ogaden War of 1977. These costly wars were aimed at liberating Somali-speaking territories given to Ethiopia and Kenya during the colonial era. The emotional sentiments of 'Greater Somalia' far outweighed reasoning, especially in the application of government policy.

That policy of military aggression, with respect to Ethiopia and Kenya, only helped to embolden Somalia's regional enemies. Clearly, the Somali Republic was investing massively in the military – but not in education and healthcare, technology and infrastructure. To this day, the Somali people are still suffering from the long-term effects of excessive military spending, a policy that helped pour heavy and light weapons into the country and fuel a seemingly endless civil war with no clear victors to date. After 16 years of clan warfare, a war-battered Somali population was thrown into the deeper abyss by the Ethiopian invasion, ostensibly at the "invitation" of Somalia's UN-recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Predictably, the Ethiopian invasion led to a drawn-out military occupation that continues to date, once again turning Mogadishu into a war zone following a six-month reign of peace under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that ended in December 2006.

And with Mogadishu under occupation, it remains true that there is not much spirit in celebrating Independence Day. But the gallant struggle for freedom by the Somalis' forefathers – from the Sayyid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan's war of liberation in the early 20th Century, to the Somali Youth League's (SYL) successful push for independence in the 1950s – can never be undervalued. Somali Independence Day is a celebration of the heroic deeds the men, women and children who sacrificed their lives and property to ascertain a Somalia free from the tyranny of foreign subjugation and to ensure that Somalia's destiny is not decided in Rome, London or Addis Ababa.

For all Somalis, Independence Day under today's grim conditions should be a time of reflection, a time of reevaluating our national priorities vis-à-vis selfish clan interests. An Ethiopian occupation of Mogadishu can happen – and exist – only under one condition: division among the Somalis themselves. If anything, today's sorrowful reality should serve eternally as memory for future generations, that the "Somaliland" and "Puntland" models are a blueprint for clan-based divisions that are subserviant to Ethiopia's interests in the Horn of Africa region.

A new mindset, free from clan loyalties, is a must to save Somalia from self-destruction. Blaming one clan group or another for today's misery – or yesterday's injustice – will not bring positive change to the lives of the masses, 2.5 million of whom are in urgent need of food assistance, according to UN estimates. What difference does it make which clan leader is in charge, if Somalia cannot feed its own citizens?

Happy Independence Day, Somalia! While some of your sons have ushered in a new era of foreign domination, one day, your son's sons will liberate you and restore your honor  – again. God Willing.

Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com