The Ogaden (Somali Regional State of Ethiopia-SRSE) is a political jungle on its own right. In this theatre of the political kingdom, all kinds of animals and insects are found: chameleons, dogs, sand-in-head ostrichs, podgy pigs, tiny macaan-jecel ants, even elephant-legged bipeds. The snake was also there with its stealth menace and multifarious array of poisons.
Few years ago, the snake ran away from fellow stooge cats and vultures that fancied it for dinner and holed itself up in the island of shiny gadgets and automobiles - the land of Suzuki and Toshiba; Far away from danger, far away from endangering the species it preys on. But, the snake is now in London, full of grass and shrubbery, and there is no more munching sleeps for the SRSE Diaspora in Britain and continental Europe.
Abdirashid Dulane Rafle is the new Deputy Ambassador of Ethiopia in United Kingdom. That Abdirashid is a certifiable political coward, cowardice made worse by congenital paranoia, is not news. That he is, yet again, a deputy of a condescending Abyssinian, in his long sell-out career shorn of larger purposes, is neither news nor an anomaly. It is a continuation of a debilitating deputizing role he has accepted with melancholy; and coped with, wiping tears with the back of his hand, nostrils sore and drooling. The news is that the snake did not take long time prowling and acclimatizing, but has already started biting with venomous spittle.
Why a whole holder of graduate degrees limits his career success target to ‘spoiling’ the political fortunes of perceived rival clan is hard to figure out. By his own admission, denying ‘Rer-Abdille’ - a sub-clan of the Ogaden clan, political space and opportunity is what Abdirashid lives for, what expiates his misjudgments, what justifies taking the scorn and humiliation he got from his Tigre handlers on more than one occasion. Throughout his tenure as the President of Somali Regional State, he pursued this antediluvian hatred for the said clan. Why and where this schizophrenic hatred started is not known to this writer, but some hypothesize that it has much to do with filial duty to avenge for ‘wronged’ father. Apparently, Abdirashid believes a whole clan wronged his father; not individuals, not rival chieftains who all competed for the attention and resource of Haile-Sellassie, the Imperial king of Ethiopia, if at all the old man was wronged.Reviewing what Abdirashid did in SRSE when he was President - the corruption, nepotism, and unlawful arrests that ensued; it is easy to understand why education doesn’t necessarily mean enlightenment at a personal level. Back then, an intellectual in the region described Abdirashid’s government as a carbon copy of Siyad Barre’s Somalia in its twilight days. Abdirashid’s brothers, uncles, and close clan members were let loose into Jigjiga, with some becoming de facto bureau heads whose verbal approval was sought more than the signatures of sitting heads of offices. Others carved political niche markets in the business sector, often acting as brokers of contractors, shareholders by decree, and freelance hecklers of anyone seen to be a critique of the regional President.
Fittingly, Abdirashid Dulane’s end came in a manner reminiscent of the fall of the dictator whose leadership style he emulated. A semi-illiterate bunch of hooligans he assembled around himself finally kicked him out - bitten, battered and bleeding. Who can forget the scenes of Mohamed Ibrahim, the then Former Police Commissioner of the region, manning Karamardha check-point with police to stop Abdirashid and his family from leaving Jigjiga, in the words of the Police chief, ‘with their loot’?
In the past, Abdirashid has invited humiliation upon himself with his follies and fights against phantom enemies and one would have hoped he will use the new assignment to redeem himself and salvage some sparkle in an otherwise personal history darker than African midnight without a moon.
Who doesn’t know about how he was humiliated, by a mere Amhara store-keeper in his office, through series of newspaper exposés of sleaze and corruption in the President’s office? Does he think residents of Wardheer Zone have forgotten about his iniquitous role in the clan clashes that rocked the Zone under his rule? What about the indigenous NGOs closed - Ogaden Welfare Society (OWS) and Dr. Korfa Garane’s Guardian-SERRO- and assets confiscated with no due legal process? What about immunities revoked and over a quarter of members of the regional parliament who either fled the land or finished their terms in prison, all because of political paranoia which informed the President’s policies and actions?
But, when all thought Abdirashid has learnt lessons from that undignified experience, he is at it again, singing the same clan jingo to oblige the Federal guardian of the zoo of stooges in the fable regional states of Ethiopia. Today, Abdirashid is telling his sub-clan that they must join the ‘peace’ process, because if they don’t, ‘Rer-Abdille’ will take advantage of the situation and will assume more political offices in Ethiopia. This bucolic reasoning is unbecoming of a man who is educated and exposed to urban life. Far East Asia hasn’t obviously changed him much. There is no harm in him courting the support of his constituency for the cause he is paid to defend, but it is irresponsible to sow disharmony and division in a community already plighted by clan hysteria and confusion.
It is not however all doom and gloom for every Diaspora member in the UK. Those with penchant for rumour-mongering and gossip-telling can leap in joy and break into dhaanto, saylici, or batar whichever they enjoy, for Abdirashid has big and pervasive ears for such monkey business. The af-minshaars and ruffians will thrive, but a snake doesn’t discriminate in choosing victims and some will soon get stung when they least suspected. Abdirashid can pawn own son, without blinking twice, if he can draw political fortune out of it. The man is a classic caveat emptor: buyers beware!!
The Author Mowlid Mohamud can be reached This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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written by ABDIRAHMAN, January 06, 2011
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written by Daahir, January 06, 2011
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written by Budul, January 06, 2011
Budul.
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written by Geeljire, January 06, 2011
Please don't bring Adeer Duulane Rafle into the conversation. This article is about Abdirashid and him ONLY.
Adeer Dulane Name was mentioned, but nothing bad was said about him.
Let us not read between the lines.
Thnx
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written by Maxamuud, January 06, 2011
If you thought it stands for anything else, well you were wrong! If you thought calling Abdirashiid and the likes of him what they really are, cowards and sell-outs, well again you were wrong!
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written by Dulmane, January 06, 2011
If Abdirashid is a rational person, this disclosures will give him the opporunity to wake and reflect on what he is doing and who he is representing. To the extent he doesn't sleep with Meles and the enemy, he is our son and will be forgiven. Let the prodigal son come home!
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written by Mohamoud, January 06, 2011
As loyal follower of Ogaden online and its nobble public information role, I urge the its management to remove this divisive articles from the page and deny the wayane and their Dabaqoodhis the benefit of undeserved clan sympathies.
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written by Jimcaale, January 07, 2011
Which brings the issue of the calls for removal firmly on the foot of Abdirashid's supporters. The rest of the critics should highlight the weaknesses of the article and condemn it where they think it erred. But calling for censorship, just to preserve a name of a stooge, is outright dishonest. Ninkii dhuumanaaye dhabarku muuqdoow is the somali adage.
There is nothing divisive about narrating the story of what a man who wants to divide people is saying in private.
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written by Budul, January 07, 2011
At this stage I think it is futile exercise to ask the removal of this article, I would like, therefore, to address my brotherly advice to the author. In my view you are someone who is well educated informative and not hesitating to use the power of the pen in advocating for the noble cause of our oppressed people. Generally, I do not only admire your writings, but adore them whole heartily and hope that this article is not the last but many more of yours to appear on this website. However, as a human beings, we can not avoid errors, which, some times, we may only know them by the feed back of the others on our actions. And on this occasion, I do not think it was wise to be posted on this website a material that mentions Reer X and Y. That is the only reason why I did not like it and asked ( not ordered) for the board to remove it. I trust this criticism will not discourage this talented author and his likes.
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written by Mowlid Mohamed, January 07, 2011
For far too long, men like Abdirashid had done what they want to do in the belief that no one will hit them where it hurts without inflicting some pain on himself. I feel the pain and carry the shame of saying what is clearly not a pleasant thing, but I also feel we should not shy away from exposing out and out opportunists because of a non-existent risk of creating clan tensions. I have the experience to know that this article will expose more closet clanists at worse, who will show their colours by clanising a clear personal matter of a criminal diplomat. In the end, no regrets!
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written by Maxamuud, January 07, 2011
Mowlid, I would ask you to keep writing and exposing this filthy individuals who are so quick in selling their people at the highest bidders. Please keep writing for the pen is mightier than the gun sometimes.
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written by Nuradiin, January 08, 2011
In conclusion , Abdirashid Duulane is not personally paranoid, but politically paranoid. This reminds me a nice sroty between Suldan Cali saafi and some Ogaden elders when Cali Safi became wardheer Governor some time ago. According to the Story, Cali safi one day asked his visitors(Ogaden Elders) in his office at Wardheer to evacuate the office immediately without telling them a reason , All elders including him got out of the office and Cali Safi turned in to the toilet leaving his visitors outside .by the time he emptied his stomach and returned his office and the elders joined him. One of the presenters raised a moral question about the reason behind asking them why he ordered the Elders to get them out. the answer from Cali safi was simple and productive , He said that he would never ever leave his office with presence of Ogadens inside , as one possible result could be illegal occupation of the office.
This story morally justifies action of C/Rashid Duulane as there have been always paranoid politics in the region.
cheers, Yahye
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written by FAYSAL YARE, January 08, 2011
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written by Haradigeed, January 08, 2011
I don't want to find out of what the writter's belief ... but the article is realy so charming...
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written by Ladan (You know who she is & you know what she does - Don't you?), January 09, 2011
Dheman
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written by Mowlid Mohamed, January 09, 2011
If she does, there is a monologue of a character who decries how no one is listening to him at his house and expresses his anger with the methapor "what I say is no more mightier than the fart a dog breaks out to put off a furnace". It is a methapor we can invoke as far as your cyber threats are concerned. our threats really resemble the efforts of the dog in the lines above. It is like the fresh fart of a rapacious eater who spent hours chewing on crushed ground nuts!
So bring it on. We shall not reciprocate with incense and deodearants.
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written by askar, January 09, 2011
Thanks for your deception but we undersand it.
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written by Ladan, January 09, 2011
I would have made sure that my response where addressed to Ogaden Online editorial rather than you, a deceptive, narrow minded, hater and divider of a community that needs any meaningful way to lend a hand to its people that lost everything in a senseless & endless war.
My writing would have been more in line with Chinua Achebe’s 'THINGS FALL APART' as the ‘assumed’ concept of Ogaden Editorial to its ‘loyal audience’ were defending the rights of the Ogaden-Somalis in Ethiopia, but apparently their headlines revealed the truth behind its existence in the first place. Good news to those who knew what it stands for in the first place and bad news for those who just got awakened and shocked with the headlines of an Ambassador so and so hates sub clan X & supports sub clan Y.
While I am not in any way here to defending the Ambassador Mr. Dulane, it is appalling to see the beginning of an end of an era of your so called advocacy & existence in the first place. The fact the matter is I rarely read your editorials in the first place and I lost when all I read was lies after lies. And that was long time ago thanks in part to good friends of mine who send this headlines via email and in so I decided to respond to the editorial.
For those who believed Ogaden Online Editorial was a hub for the hopeless to get news and advocacy here is my message there is no hope for our hopeless people in Ogaden and I therefore urge you to seek any other opportunity of hope including and not limited to pursuing all other PEACE DEALS open to our Community at home & aboard so those who survived from the endless war can get opportunity of new beginning in line with the current peace deals that is taking place in the region.
For those of us who always believed there is much that we can accomplish, we will continue to do so without ever wanting to know what sub-clan X gives, hates, loves, shares, marries to sub clan Y as the Paranoid Author would have wanted us to believe. We are too civilized to even mention sub clans of Ogadens when we have a lot to accomplish Mr. Paranoid Author for our kids are dying of hunger, preventable disease and because of your misleading war it’s hard that the NGOs cannot operate the region to safely help the poor people that are desperately in need of humanitarian assistance.
Hope I said enough..
Ladan
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written by Cabdi khaalaq Maxamad siraad, January 09, 2011
Indecency, insanity, and damn right poor journalism. few are the words that i am able to fit in this box let alone describe this abomination and violation of journalistic integrity. I will not even begin to fully refute your claims with a rebuttal for i need a longer stretch of words to wholly voice my utter disgust for this distasteful report. From the beginning it is obvious that this report is dishonest and even bias yet it is the sheer TRIBALISM driven message, however much concealed with fancy wording and seemingly patriotic rhetoric, that gets me. let me repeat that for those who are now dizzy with astonishment that someone has the ability to contradict nay accuse the untouchable "patriotic" authors, I SAID TRIBALISM IS AT HAND FELLOW OGADENIS and it is striking each and every one of you in the face. this author using his fox news style of writing sweetly described by an American as the "scare'em 'till they believe us approach" has used fear mongering targeting more specifically the Reer Cabdile clan by re-heating bad blood that from the start was non existent. I consider myself a big supporter for the cause and i have done my part however small it may be by singing to the best of my ability usually preaching for all of Ogadenis and all Somalis to come together for the greater good. but it seems my efforts were futile if such nonsense is being passed for good journalism. This man being insulted is a public figure not just for a sub clan but for an entire province. He is an Elder and should be treated with respect as i treat other Elders who were or still are part of the Ethiopian Agenda such as Mahdi Ayuub. During his time in office Mr Dulane was known famously for the public support he enjoyed and at one time was even protected when the civilians all across the Ogaden held protests. his time was a time were violence was rare and stability was very much noticeable. Although Editors have apologized the article still exists with in there website and i condemn them too. i request please and please take this article out this is diminishing our pride and our respect for the editors
thank you.
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written by Abdifatah, January 26, 2011
And to “Ladan” who ignorantly stated that it is our peoples fault for the inhume treatment and continuous suffering that our children have faced at the hands of the Ethiopian regime, I ask why is it that individuals such as yourself are so quick to denounce the rightful struggle spearheaded by the ONLF but are so cowardly whiling to accept and lay in bed with the tyrannical Ethiopian regime that has for the past century shown absolutely no interest in recognizing the rights of the people of the Ogaden? Individuals such as your self are so quick to yell “Peace With Ethiopia” but fail to realize that successive Ethiopian regimes have for the past 100 years occupied and suppressed the people of the region.
As long as our people remain under Tigray and Amhar rule we will never be able to achieve the “peace & justice” we all desire.
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written by mahir abdi, February 25, 2011
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