Col. yusuf milks a clueless donor community
By : Ahmed Raghe Hassan

Col. Abdullahi Y. Ahmed President of Somalia

Somalia is once more on the brink of a devastating civil war, as the president of the federal government, colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, discards all peace options and instead chooses to wage a bitter civil war in the southern regions of Somalia. The president`s provocative and aggressive policy may unnecessarily jeopardise whatever Somalia has acheived during the two-year reconciliation talks in Kenya.

In a futile attempt to conquer Major cities in the south, Yusuf, had dispatched on thursday, 21 July, 2005, 1200 militia force, equiped with 37 battle wagons, seven fuel tankers, nine heavy duty trucks full of logistics, four trucks with cranes and 42 paramedics. According to eye-witnesses, the concerned army was collected, trained and rehersed in Abqaale, a stronghold in Puntland, for three months and ready now for military operation.

In addition to that, other militia army trained and prepared by Col. Yusuf was already stationed at Ferfer, Hiran region. The new militia is to reinforce the previous one in ferfer and then launch an attack against Baidao, merka and Mogadishu. After 15 years of civil strife, the newly elected president is bracing yet for another new cycle of bloodshed and destruction. Analysts predict that this will be the last straw that has broken the camel´s back.

Sadly, the international community fuels the looming danger indirectly by supporting Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, who is using the foreign assistance for the war effort on the horizon and therefore harming somalia. Since his election, last October, the president has avoided all peaceful avenues to bring peace to somalia and adopted belligerent policy, military exercises and intimidation which reversed the reconciliatory atmosphere before his election.

While the donors are to be thanked for their generous assistance to Somalia regardless of who leads the country, to support one side of the conflict at the expense of tthe other is both wrong and unjust. If the donors can´t help us, as united Somalia, would they not at least hurt us by supporting a dangerous predator. Yes, a well known predator with an unblemished record to kill.

On the other hand, the southern warlords and their allies are gearing everything to the war effort. Anticipating an attack, they have moblised their militia forces and prepare for engagement. It is a matter of time before Somalia slips back to civil strife. There is a dangerous stand off as each side inches towords the other. Frontline countries like Ethiopia are pushing col. Yusuf to war and give him military support to re-ignite civil war.

The world donors must not be fulled to invest in a military campaign in Somalia, fueling a costly and destructive civil war. Furthermore, the federal government of somalia must be condemned for using humanitarian assistance for military purpose at a time one million Somalis are facing starvation. The donors assistance funds should have gone to the vulnerable and hungry, not to sophisticated military hardware with the intent to begin a new war.

Ahmed Raghe Hassan
E-mail: [email protected]