By Dr. Ali Bahar
The poor public, to a larger degree, bought into this shortsighted argument of “Me Against my Brother (tribalism)”. We the public have shortchanged our national character and strength, the basic elements for a strong nation, in exchange for clan allegiance.
There was once a Somali spirited nation that, though young and with its all growing pains and shortcomings, was rich with a sense of pride and nationalism; a courageous nation that was once considered exemplary for those Somalis still remained occupied against their will. Our strength and pride emanated from a long list of socially recognizable perennial ethnic ties. Realization of such originality and ethno-symbolism gave rise to our common heritage and nationalistic movements. Such attributes of pride in one’s own self; a trust with his fellow brother and country, utilized our sense of understanding our common destiny and the attributes that our forefathers sacrificed for our sacred territory and self-autonomy. Unfortunately, we have chosen to take a wrong turn, a violent departure from our decades-old, established social order of peaceful coexistence and brotherhood, the power of unity, just to replace it with a badly weakened state of anarchy where only the stronger is the sole lawgiver; we have paid a high price. We have lost our pride as a people, and at the end, we all lost vision and sense of loyalty for our nation, which lead to the despicable state of affairs we found ourselves in today. We have opened the doors for anyone with the intent to take advantage of our situation. It could have been anyone of a long list of people, organizations or countries. It does not matter much whether
Never seemed to exert their will against the warlord domination and the rendered humiliation, the public, as a result have been victimized by their own lethal medicine of “What’s in For Me And For My Clan” tribal allegiances. Under this mindless attitude everyone has been a loser, or at least so it seems to any rational and objective analysts of the Somali situation. This resulted the lack of legitimate governing body in the country, especially in
The TFG had her eye on the president’s seat in
An intellectually analyzed article (cited above), with significant historical facts and insights, by Abdalla A. Hirad, has been published in many Somali websites today. Mr. Hirad, as always, presents a compelling series of historical events and anecdotes that summarize the intricacy of a seemingly intractable elite-militarist power struggle that have been evolving the last 16 years. As someone with no interest in power or position, nor never had in any government, Mr. Hirad treated us with his objective examination of the question of who is fighting for power in this despicable state of affairs we have in
Another group who had their eyes on the prize was the Islamists. The emergence of the UIC, though short-lived, has forced out the ruthless warlords from
However, tactless and probably due to bad advices from the so-called civil societies, the UIC thought they had their prize, the TFG, secured in their pocket, right where they wanted them, and wanted to encapsulate them in Baidoa and destroy them. However, the clan-centered-emotion driven-Islamic revolution seems to have melted away with the same speed it has risen to power. Dropped like a rock from their short-lived papacy, the Islamist’s empty promise of revolution is now using al-qacda tactics to prolong the painful Somali war. They never had the vision nor the knowledge, skills and the temperament of leadership. Having been associated with the ruthless Al-Qacda, a charge they vehemently denied, and with the remnants of al-Itihaad al-Islaami hardliners in Sheikh Dahir Aweys on their helm, they early on became an easy and justifiable target for the
Today’s young “Kacdoon”, the core of the so-called Islamic revolution, have already experienced a let down by their nation. Many, at a very early stage in their lives, experienced unimaginably tough life of mass killings and crimes on the streets and in their own homes, displacements and misplaced values in refugee camps, which included criminal activities, like rape and distortion in hands of their own kind as well as foreigners who see them as something less than human. Haunted by the war’s horror of 16 years, terrorized by the preventable deaths of many of their love ones, hindered and hammered by the lost years in their schooling, this young generation feel unwanted by the collective Somali community. They were never instilled with a feeling of pride and responsibility that they are the future of something big and beautiful, the Somali Nation. They had some critical questions about the war, their lives and their future. It was [and still is] a war that, after 16 years, our children cannot even tell who won and who lost; except the horror they will remember and the psychological lifetime scars left behind. Somali children were drawn into a war that they never understood, much less demanded to know the full truth about it. And once more, this time, these young men were mercilessly ushered into a war, under the false premises of Islamic revolution, to fight the Ethiopian Mighty; a war they knew little about how to fight. They once again paid a high price, though no one, just as it has always been, is willing to talk about how many and who died in this war. Whether they died while defending a warlord or Islamists cause, their death is just another death, a dead body, no more. It should not have been that way.
They soon realized that a mere knowledge of how to shoot AK-47 assault rifle was not enough to fight the Ethiopian mighty. They were unorganized and never had the tangibles to understand war. In war, one must know who is to trust, should be able to distinguish between a friend and a foe, and above all you should have the broad support of national alliance behind you. Many had the desire to fight and kill, the only way they valued themselves, but never learned to reason why nor did they believe strongly and committed enough to Aweys’s hallow rhetoric of Islamic revolution. He had his prize on the eye, Abdillahi Yussuf, and cared not much about who died to get him there. They were promised the heaven if joined the movement and fought the TFG-Ethiopia mighty in Baidoa, a war they did not have to fight.
After facing heavy casualty and early lost of high human lives in their attack on Baidoa, the Islamists declared a change of tactic of the war. They played their tactic of the war not so much to save the lives of these young men, nor to protect the public from yet another unnecessary human casualties and property lost, but in fact, to have an unorganized, unsupervised, freelance resistance and explosions in every corner of these cities they have evacuated from. It was, in fact, a very calculated irresponsible act on the part of the UIC. They were counting on the public to take the guns and fight what they called the enemy of
My advice to the UIC is to come to their senses and save their nation from yet another long al-Qacda war. Today, as I am writing this article, the number 2 man in Al-Qacda organization is once again appealing to the Islamists to continue war. He has no regard for who and how many of our children could die while supporting his war, this proxy imported al-Qacda war. Sheik Aweys should realize that the al-Qacda elements he is protecting have become the
The TFG, too, had her eyes on the prize for a long time. And though the recent success of the Ethiopian-backed Transitional federal government (TFG) is yet another new chapter of the Somali saga, only time will tell whether it is an attempt of reviving yesterday’s Warlordism or a restoration of law and order in the country. Everyone,
Today, even with this sudden power shift from UIC to the Ethiopian-TFG company, things still look really murky in the troubled Somali Capital,
The TFG dreamed that one day the Somali people would welcome them to their homes and their hearts in approval of their claimed legitimacy as the only government recognized internationally to rule the country. Too early to tell, but there are at least signs that the Somali public might have opted for peace—so it seems at least. It was the Somalis in these cities, from Hiran to Kismayo, who decided to save their cities from yet another war.
It is imperative, however, that the TFG realizes, rather earlier than later, that though tables turned in their favor and the political lineups are once again taking some twists and turns of their own, the war is not over yet and that the wounds of the war are still fresh and still bleeding; that the dead is not buried yet and that flies and vultures alike have yet to identify who of our young men are still alive somewhere, alone and waiting for help. Everything is too early and the Somalis everywhere have yet to digest the question of why Ethiopians are on our streets. More importantly, perhaps, what the TFG should realize is that the Somali people want to see the Ethiopian forces out of the country as soon as possible. What is critically important for the TFG to gnaw on is that the Somali people bear enough humiliation to be imposed on unpopular Ethiopian intervention in our Somali affairs. TFG has yet to win the hearts and minds of the majority in these cities. Only swift disarmament and quick return of law and order in return, could ease the tension, build our confidence and wash away our skeptics. Disarmament has to be the number one priority for the public to at least feel safe in their homes and on the streets.
There are immediate and long-term responsibilities expected of the TFG if she is to prove itself as a government that cares about the people she wants to rule. Some of the immediate actions expected of the TFG include, though not limited to, the following:
- Removal of all Isbaroto from the streets of these cities and quick actions of disarmament of the warlords and their militants (militias)
- Restoring a sense of law and order and stability on the streets
- Creation of police forces in these cities to enforce law and order
- Swift and convincing tangible actions that could indicate the government is in control and has guarantee security
- Mobilizing and empowering the public to rebuild and put their lives back together
- Early departure of Ethiopian troops from the Somali cities (could be replaced by Somali forces, if available, or by other Africans if possible, at least for a while)
- TFG, its cabinet members and parliament should come together as soon as possible for the sake of saving this nation from another war; it is no more about these individuals. It is rather about this nation as whole.
- Opening dialogue and discussions on how to move forward with clearly articulated vision for the future of this badly tarnished nation.
- Presenting clearly articulated plans on how to rebuild the badly damaged infrastructure of the whole country—delegating authority to the local people to assess their local needs and how they want to go about fixing it, of course, with the support of the government in building schools, public health facilities, sanitations and water systems, roads, ports, airports, and secure and safeguard the mobility of businesses across cities and across states.
- Quick and convincing actions and campaigns to invite and encourage the international communities in bringing humanitarian aid and investment strategy in their promise of rebuilding this nation again
For the long term, I see it very important that the TFG should find a way, through charter amendment or otherwise, to maintain her seat in Baidoa. There has been too much priority and price put on
As much as our cities need effective rehabilitation, 16 years of neglect and illegal waste dumping of solid waste, chemical waste and nuclear waste have threatened our oceans and could have done irreversible consequences that may take our coastal oceanic ecosystems to extinction, unless quick rehabilitation is taken. A recent report on the illegal fishing practices on the coastal areas in Awdal region,
Mr. Rayale, a man described as being incompetent, rigid, callous, corrupt and insular by those who know him, is acting as if he is running out of time in his scheme of getting-rich soon. He has once taken a solemn oath, in his earlier line of work as an SNN officer in Siyad Barre’s regime, to protect the Somali nation in its totality. He denounced that oath when he supported the breakaway region (
These kinds of atrocities are very rampant everywhere in our coastal areas; illegal fishing and abusive practices are terrorizing many powerless local communities, who benefit nothing whatsoever, from these powerful and lacerating fishing fleets in our unprotected coastal areas. We are blessed with a vast array of seaports; most of them dilapidated due to neglect, along the coast from Zeila to Kismayo. It is time we take control of our oceans, build more seaports or improve the existing once, and empower the local communities to protect their rights and resources from abuses. Time to empower the local communities and give them access to free trade to where they want and to whom they wish to have trade exchange with. It is a critical time for our nation. Time to move beyond
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