The Soviet and French delegates dismissed the SYL’s proposal as primitive

Evidence

A footnote authored by the Soviet delegate dismissed the SYL’s program: “The Programme prepared by the Somali Youth League is a primitive document, has many contradictions and cannot be considered serious.” The French commissioner added, “In the course of its enquiry the Commission has observed that the interference of the League in tribal matters often gave rise to protests and troubles.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 258

Categorization

• XREF: Great-Power condescension toward the colonized SYL foreshadows the external pressures shaping early Somali democracy in later chapters.