Located just a bit out from Hargeisa, the Independence Monument symbolizes a nation within a nation. The monument is a large hand holding a detailed map of Somaliland. At the base on the right hand side is the date 18th of May and on the other is the Somaliland Flag. Somaliland on May 18th, 1991 declared independence from a war torn Somalia after clearing the Somalia Army out of its territory. This day is so important to the people of Somaliland that it is a national holiday.
The reason this will be on my checklist is because the monument embodies peace in a country that has been rooted by war for more than two decades. War has destroyed the country on many different accounts: physically, socially, spiritually, and economically. This monument is a reminder of the brutal price of civil war.
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| Independence Monument, Hargeisa |
