|
After
the Black Hawk was downed in Somalia
in 1993, Somalia just disappeared
from the newspapers and from the
screens of the televisions. Their
attention turned to other
developments. The suffering of the
Somalis was not worth the attention
of the international media. But now
as a new war has begun, Somalia has
again caught the attention of the
international community. Today,
before this knowledgeable audience
of students and scholars, I want to
present a Somali perspective. I
regret to say that vested interests
had launched a campaign of
misinformation to malign the name of
my country. I am however, confident
that the truth will ultimately
prevail.
SOMALIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Before
I discuss the present situation, I
would like to briefly sketch the
developments that have led to the
present crisis. In 1950, the United
Nations placed the former Italian
Somalia under the UN Trusteeship for
a period of ten years to prepare it
for independence. Italy was named as
the Administering Authority by the
United Nations and administered the
country until its independence in
1960. On June 26, 1960, Britain
granted independence to the
territory it had occupied - the
British Somaliland. The former
Italian Somaliland which was under
the UN Trusteeship became
independent on July 1, 1960 and the
two joined to became the Republic of
Somalia.
Having
been under a European
administration, the country adopted
the western system of democracy,
electing its first parliament by
universal suffrage. Of course, there
were short comings, like riggings of
the elections, etc. However, it was
seen as better than all the other
systems. After nine years of
“democracy”, if it could be called
democracy, came to its end, when the
incumbent President of the Republic,
Dr. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was
assassinated by one of his
body-guards on October 15, 1969.
Soon after his burial, the Army
staged a coup d’etat, on October 21,
1969, suspending the Constitution,
closing the doors of the Parliament
and abolishing the political
parties. According to the Military
Administration, the justification
for the Coup was the rampant
corruption, mismanagement and
nepotism. As the dissatisfaction
reached to the point of no return,
the masses just wanted a change.
They welcomed the take-over of the
armed forces, with green leaves and
hope that things would change for
the better.
But
the hope was like a camel milked on
the sand. However, in more than two
decades of its rule, it built
schools and constructed roads and
abroad, the image of the country
soared. However, the Military
administration was toppled in 1991
by a bloody counter coup. The leader
of what was known “The Bloodless
Revolution”, Major General Mohamed
Siad Barre, who, for two decades was
welcomed by foreign countries with
red carpets and guards of honour,
had to flee the capital hidden in an
armoured car. He first went to Kenya
by road and then to Nigeria. He
became a refugee in the latter where
he died in exile in 1995. After
having been in power for more than
two decades, the body of the long
time President of the country, was
flown back to Somalia in the cargo
compartment of an aero plane and
buried without any ceremony. I have
a simple explanation for the down
fall and the fate of Mohamed Siad
Barre and those like him. If a
leader over- stays in power
convincing himself or herself, that
he or she is the only suitable or
clever person that can govern the
country and no one else can do what
he/she can do, is lying. The person
who came to power to fight
corruption, mal practices and
nepotism himself lost power because
of same maladies in his own regime.
It once again proved that “Power
corrupts and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.” The regime or the
leader would have earned the respect
of the people had he given back the
power to the people, after ascending
to the summit of success. People
would have loved him much more, and
forgiven for the mistakes.
AFTER
THE FALL OF THE SIAD BARRE
After
the collapse of the military regime
of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and a
new era of uncertainty began, those
who were opposed to the old regime
could not agree who should lead the
country. A struggle for power among
them soon began. All attempts to end
the uncertainty through the process
of negotiations and dialogue
initiated immediately after the fall
of the regime by the neighbouring
Djibouti, failed. The Northern part,
former British Somaliland, which was
part of the Republic of Somalia,
decided not to participate in any of
the reconciliation conferences
organized for the establishment of a
new administration for the country.
In the South, the factions, who were
involved in the conflict to end the
military regime, started fighting
each other for the seat of the
power. The people in the Northern
region, which declared itself
“Republic of Somaliland”, reconciled
themselves through traditional
method.
On
December 2, 1992, the United States
launched what it called “Operation
Restore Hope” landing on the
Mogadishu beaches thousands of the
US Marines. In May 1993, the
Operation was taken over by the
United Nations and re-named the
Mission as UNOSOM. During the
mission and confrontations that
followed between the Somalis and the
foreign forces, thousands of Somalis
were killed. In October 1993,
Americans wanted to arrest one of
the Somali leaders, namely, General
Mohamed Farah Aidid but failed to do
so. In the operation a Black Hawk
Helicopter was shot down and 18
American soldiers were killed. This
event was portrayed in the film
Black Hawk Down. Following that, the
then President of the United States,
Bill Clinton, withdrew his forces
from Somalia.
On December 9, 1992 a Unified Task
Force headed by the US command, was
deployed in Mogadishu “to establish
in Somalia a secure environment for
urgent humanitarian assistance.” At
that time former President of the
United States, George Bush, Sr.,
sounding very human and sympathetic
to the Somali people, said that
“every American has seen the
shocking image from Somalia. The
scope of suffering there is hard to
imagine.”
However, the Journal Arab Oil and
Gas quoting The Los Angeles Times,
wrote on 16 February, 1993 that:
“US intervention in Somalia could
have been prompted in part by former
President Bush’s determination to
protect the interests of US firms.
These allegations have been
dismissed as ridiculous in US Oil
circles.”
Similarly, a special report OIL and
GAS Journal dated 2 April, 1993 said
among other things:
“Geologists have been speculating
about the possibility of oil in
Somalia since the last century, but
it took the US military “Operation
Restore Hope” to bring this
possibility to popular attention.
The widespread notion that US troops
were sent to Somalia to protect the
interests of US oil companies, and
their supposed huge oil finds, has
been treated with amused derision in
oil industry circles.”
In 1993, the former British
Somaliland, declared a break-away
“Republic of Somaliland”. So far, no
government and the United Nations
recognize it, although the UN
agencies and NGOs cooperate on
humanitarian and private projects.
In the African Union, there are
certain countries that have sympathy
with them, but officially preferred
not to expose themselves as
supporters of the declaration of
independence of the break-away
Republic.
For the following decade and a half,
the country has been in turmoil. The
unscrupulous and fractious warlords
have destroyed the entire national
infrastructure and looted private
properties, killed the intellectuals
and professionals and raped teenage
girls and kidnapped people for
ransom. The warlords reduced the
country into several private
enclaves establishing their own
airstrips and sea-ports and placing
road blocks in the areas that they
held. They did not allow any
government to be established for
fear of losing the privilege they
enjoy in their enclaves.
In 1999, the President of Djibouti,
Ismail Omar Guelleh, after having
seen that no one was interested in
Somalia’s fate, announced at the UN
General Assembly that his country
desired to arrange a reconciliation
conference. He did organize the
conference that ended in success in
August 2000.
Prior to this conference held in
Arta, Djibouti, in 2000, nearly a
dozen conferences had been held for
the warring factions. None was
successful because both the
organizers and the participants were
not sincere. Both the sides wanted
the chaotic situation in Somalia to
continue, because, if the organisers
gained politically from Somalia’s
lack of stability, the participants
gained economically and financially
from absence of an organized
administration.
During the decade of crisis, the
enemies of Somalia offered moral and
material incentive to factions
promising them heaven on the earth.
They gave them titles, such as
“Presidents” or “Leaders” and
supported them in the creation of
private enclaves as their kingdoms,
calling them “Lands”. Those who
denied Somalia stability and peace
gave the different factions guns,
ammunition and financial support and
set against each other. The system
of divide and control worked, and
worked perfectly to keep Somalia in
a state of no State. They put fire
under the feet of the Somalis and
planned to show to the world that
Somalia was “hell”. They opened
their doors for them so that they
could run from their own country to
an easily accessible asylum.
For the first time in ten years of
no functioning administration,
Somalia had a Transitional National
Government through a national
reconciliation conference sponsored
by the President of Djibouti and
supported by the entire people of
the Republic. Djibouti hosted over
three thousands of Somalis, men,
women, young and old from February
to August 2000. One big reason for
the success of the conference was
that it was held without the
participation of the faction leaders
and the so-called regional
organization, IGAD, The
Intergovernmental Authority on
Development. It brought back many
symbols of nationhood like The
National Flag – the sky-blue and
white –five-pointed star in the
center - A President of Somalia –
Dr. Abdikassim Salad Hassan, who was
elected by the conference, finally
attended the United Nations
Millennium Summit in 2000 as the
President of the country. But
for some, the return of Somalia into
the international community was
difficult to swallow. They embarked
on a mission to destroy the newly
established government. The
Opposition groups were immediately
established by Ethiopia at Awasa and
armed to the teeth to kill the just
born baby. With extremely difficult
situation, the Transitional National
Government (TNG) survived its three
years term and upheld the flag until
a new government was established in
Nairobi, Kenya in 2004.
Somalia Today
After two years of conferencing in
Kenya – starting in Eldoret and
ending in Mbagati, Nairobi – in
October 2004, Col. Abdullahi Yusuf
Ahmed was sworn in as the new
President of Somalia for a period of
four years. For the first two years,
the President and the state
institutions could not move to
Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital,
because of a lack of security there.
The new government requested the
African leaders who were present at
the swearing in ceremony in Nairobi
to send troops to Somalia for the
security of the government
institutions. It was known that for
the decade prior to the
establishment of the new government,
those who killed, looted and raped
and closed the airports and sea
ports replacing these with their
private facilities and manning road
blocks with militias were the
factions leaders. The Only exception
was freelancers roaming the roads
with rusty AK47 machine guns. All
faction leaders, later on named
warlords, were included in the new
government and became cabinet
Ministers. In fact, there remained
no opposition that could have posed
problems of security for the
government.
When the Government of Kenya, which
hosted the conference for two years,
was pressurized by its members of
Parliament to tell the Somalis to go
to their country, instead of
lingering on in Kenya, the new
Somali Government had no alternative
but to move to the country. It
decided temporarily to locate in
Jowhar, and later on in Baidoa.
While the leaders played their
games, the agony of the people
continued. The warlords, who were
now Ministers, continued harassing
the people and no country or
organization, regional or
international, moved a finger to
alleviate the suffering of the
masses at the hand of these
unscrupulous “Ministers/warlords”.
Enough is Enough
Kidnapping and killing continued, in
Somalia. A man would just say:
“Nafta mar ayay go’daa” literally
meaning “Man dies only once”. When
the suffering became unbearable a
young school teacher told himself
“Enough is enough” and approached
some others. His name is Shaikh
Sharif Shaikh Ahmed. He was born in
Jowhar, 90 km north of Mogadishu. He
is in early 40s and educated in
Mogadishu and studied Law in Libya.
In an interview with the United
Nations sponsored News Agency IRIN
on June 22, 2006, Shaikh Sharif
explained how as a school teacher in
2003 in Yaqshiid district of north
Mogadishu, one of his students was
kidnapped by militiamen who demanded
a ransom.
According to IRIN: “While trying to
get the boy released, he and others
mooted the idea of an Islamic court
to deal with rampant crimes and
banditry in their area. The
community then got together, set up
the court and elected Shaikh Sharif
as their chairman.”
As no one came to rescue the people
of Somalia from the warlords for
over fifteen years, the creation of
the Islamic Courts was like the
people taking the law in their own
hands and defending their lives and
properties, as there was no a
government to do so. They did
succeed in bringing law and order to
the areas where they were in
control. Gradually, their action
attracted more and more people. Men
in the streets found relief from the
activities of the Courts, which
accorded severe punishment to those
who were found to be guilty. They
cut the hand of the thieves and
harsh punishments were given for
crimes.
The Court then was joined by others
established in different parts of
the capital and formed the Union of
the Islamic Courts. They expanded
their activities from fighting
against petty thieves or freelance
militias to wider enemies. They
started widening their scope of the
cleaning the capital from the
masters of all the crimes: the
warlords.
When it was realized that some
independent minded and nationalists
were emerging in Somalia, the United
States using Ethiopia as proxy,
started accusing Somalia as a safe
haven for the terrorists of the
notorious al-Qaeda and harbouring
those who bombed the US Embassies in
Kenya and in Tanzania and the
Israeli Hotel in Mombassa. United
States intelligence officials told
the New York Times that a Somali
group linked to al-Qaeda may have
been responsible for the suicide
bombing and the missiles fired at
the airliner, speculating that the
suspects could have smuggled the
missiles into Kenya from Somalia.
The BBC correspondent in Addis
Ababa, Martin Plaut, who interviewed
Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of
Ethiopia on December 7, 2002 after
the terrorist attack on the Israeli
Hotel in Mombassa, Kenya reported:
“Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi has said that indications are
that a group operating out of
Somalia may have been behind last
month’s attacks on Israelis in
Kenya. Meles told the BBC that
Somali group with links to al-Qaeda
– known as al-Ittihad – may have
traveled to Kenya by boat to carry
out their operation. “He offered no
evidence to substantiate these
views”, said BBC.
In the meantime the Somali people
were squeezed between the United
States, Ethiopia, Kenya and the
Warlords. They have been battered
from all sides. Those who were the
enemies of the people, and
terrorizing the country for a decade
and a half, the warlords, have
become the friends of America and
adopted a new title as "Alliance for
the Restoration of Peace and
Counter-Terrorism" and according to
Reuters, June 5, 2006, “the United
States has been funneling more than
$100.000 a month to warlords
battling Islamist militias in
Somalia”.
John Prendergast, who monitors
Somalia for the think-tank
International Crisis Group, said he
learned during meetings with
alliance members in Somalia that the
CIA was financing the warlords with
cash payments.
Prendergast estimated that
CIA-operated flights into Somalia
have been bringing in $100,000 to
$150,000 per month for the warlords.
The flights remain in Somalia for
the day, he said, so that U.S.
agents can confer with their allies,
said Reuters.
This US interference in the Somali
affairs has caused more anger among
the Somalis. The militias that were
employed by the warlords defected
and joined the Islamic courts and
fought against their former masters.
A Period of unprecedented
Calm
The United States financed the
warlords to contain the Union of
Islamic Courts and probably locate
the hideout of the “wanted” al-Qaeda
members allegedly harboured by the
Islamic Courts. With all the money
and probably even sophisticated
equipment received from the CIA to
trace the alleged bombers of the US
Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and
Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, in August
1998 and the Israeli Hotel,
Paradise, in Mombassa, Kenya, on
November 22, 2002, the warlords were
not able to find anything. The names
of the alleged terrorists, accused
by the US were said to be as
follows:
Fazul Abdullah Mohamed, Comoros
Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, Kenya
Abu Taha al-Sudan, Sudan
None of them is Somali and by
nature, no foreigner can hide
himself in the country, as he is
identifiable among the people and
Somalis, known as talkative people,
would never be able not to speak
about new comers, even in gossip.
From mid June 2006, since it became
publicly known that the warlords
were paid by the Americans, the
popularity of the Islamic Courts
grew. Some warlords, who were
frightened by the speed with which
the movement of the Islamic Courts
grew, have donated to the UIC their
anti aircraft guns mounted on
pick-ups, known as Teknico. Those
who resisted were, in no time,
running for their lives, crossed the
border by land and some ran to other
Somali coastal towns by boat.
In a very short time the streets of
Mogadishu, which were known to be
awash with guns became fear-free.
Orders were issued to return the
looted properties including houses,
to their legitimate owners. People
could not believe that the meat they
bought from the market, they would
be able to carry to their homes
unlike in the times of warlords when
gunmen used grab it by force.
Within six months of the Union of
Islamic Courts’ rule of Mogadishu,
the people truly felt secure. For
the first time in the last fifteen
years, Mogadishu streets were free
from gun-totting boys.
The Washington Times dated July 18,
2006, quoted a former US Assistant
Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs Herman Cohen as saying
“Somalia could become a big thorn in
America's side if U.S. officials
don't support moderate Islamic
elements and prevent an invasion by
Ethiopia.”
At a press briefing, Cohen said:
"You talk about mistrust, fear and
tension nowadays, and Somalia is
even worse than Iraq”
The Islamic Courts Union (ICU), the
dominant Islamist movement in the
narrow nation in the Horn of Africa,
controls more than 20 percent of
Somalian territory and 40 percent of
the Somalian people.
Mr. Cohen said Somalis have enjoyed
more security and stability after
the ICU's June takeover of the
capital, Mogadishu, than they had in
the past 15 years.
"Word is getting out that life in
Mogadishu since the ICU is pretty
good. They ended the reign of
corrupt warlords who only took
money, kidnapped people and set up
roadblocks," he said.
Publicly, it looked that the
warlords were the ones who were
blocking the government’s coming to
the capital. They acted as they were
the enemies of the government and
those who supported it. That is why
the President and the Prime Minister
had to establish their offices not
in Mogadishu but in Jowhar and in
Baidoa. Some member countries of the
IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on
Development) were accusing the
warlords as obstacles to peace in
Somalia.
On March 15, 2004, President of the
Republic of Uganda, who was at that
time the Chairman of the IGAD
speaking at IGAD Defence Ministers’
meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, said:
“We are going to deploy with or
without the support of the warlords.
Why should the warlords for example
reject Ethiopia and Kenya?”
Since the swearing in of the new
President in October 2004, the
African Union and IGAD were talking
of sending troops to Somalia to help
the government. The President asked
Africa to establish security to
enable him to return to the capital.
Who were trouble makers? They were
Warlords who were part and parcel of
the same government of President
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Even
President Museveni of Uganda, who
was talking big and Ethiopia that
was supporting the government sent
no troops to remove the warlords cum
Ministers.
When the militias of the Union of
the Islamic Courts defeated and
chased the so-called "Alliance for
the Restoration of Peace and
Counter-Terrorism", out of the
capital on March 16, 2006, the first
reaction of the Transitional Federal
Government was positive. Both the
President and the Prime Minister
welcomed it as good act. The Kenyan
Government expelled those who
escaped into its territory deported
them as “enemies of the Somali
people” and closed their borders to
the defeated warlords. Everything
looked normal and logical, but few
days later, all those who rejected
the warlords changed their position
and started welcoming the renegade
warlords and verbally attacking the
UIC. Even the government leaders
were told not to speak well of the
Courts.
Strangely enough, the warlords were
received in the government
headquarters and sat in the
Parliament as nothing happened. It
seemed like those who were looting,
raping, killing and holding the
country hostage for fifteen years,
were just part of the system and
allied with those who denied the
country stability and peace. As the
things ended up like that, it is
clear that there must have been a
plot against the people.
Within six months of the Union of
Islamic Courts rule of Mogadishu,
the main airport was opened and
rehabilitated and the main Mogadishu
Harbour was reopened and started its
normal operation. While during the
fifteen years of warlordism, the
factions had established their
private ports and airports and
collected tax not only for the use
of these facilities, but even for
the use of public roads.
What encouraged them most was that
even the international community,
such as the United Nations’
Specialised Agencies and the NGOs
used the facilities of the warlords
including their makeshift sea-ports
and airstrips and paid handsomely
for the services provided to them.
With the incomes from these
facilities, the warlords were able
to pay their militias and maintain
their Tekniko. Had the UN and other
International organizations
boycotted them, and forced them to
establish administration, the
Warlords would not have survived
even for a day.
For over fifteen years during which
the country had no central
government, the UN, AU, IGAD and the
NGOs extended the warlords all
necessary co-operations as they were
a de-facto administrations. Such
co-operation could be considered a
tacit approval of the activities of
the thugs.
No one cared about the sufferings of
the Somali people for the entire
period of fifteen years under the
cruel rule of the warlords.
Surprisingly enough, only when the
country was nearly liberated by the
Union of Islamic Courts, the
so-called international community
started worrying about the “destiny”
of the Somali nation.
For the majority of the Somalis, the
emergence of the Union of the
Islamic Courts was a positive step.
But the US and its allies saw their
victory over the warlords and
eventually taking over the power in
the country, as a success for the
“fundamentalist” and “pro al-Qaeda”
elements in Somalia which had
already accused of harbouring
terrorists linked to the bombing of
the American Embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania and the Israeli Hotel in
Mombassa, Kenya.
The President of the Sudan, Omar
Hassan Al Bashir, in his capacity as
the Chairman of the League of Arab
States, organized a reconciliation
meeting between the UIC and STFG in
Khartoum in June 2006. After the
talks, the Government and members of
the Islamic Courts agreed to stop
military confrontation in a bid to
avert more conflict. But to the
observers who closely follow the
situation in Somalia, believed that
the agreement signed in the meeting
on June 22, 2006, and the subsequent
talks which were agreed upon would
yield nothing positive as there was
no common ground between the two
sides from which they can find
common solution.
The distance was very far from each
other’s position:
The gap between their respective
positions was too wide. The
Transitional Government insisted
that foreign troops, including
Ethiopia’s be sent by the African
Union, “to establish a protection
and training mission in Somalia.” On
its part, the UIC categorically
opposed any foreign troops to be
sent to Somalia. There was no
compromise on this. Besides, a day
before the two sided signed the
Khartoum Declaration, the United
Nations estimates “as many as 8,000
Ethiopian troops may be in the
country backing the government while
regional rival Eritrea has deployed
some 2,000 troops in support of the
Islamic group.”
The presence of the Ethiopian forces
have been seen by the foreign
observers or by the Somalis, but no
one has confirmed the UN claim that
“the regional rival Eritrea has
deployed 2000 troop in support of
the Islamic group”.
The Invasion of Somalia
To prepare for the invasion and air
attack on Somalia, war plans similar
to those used in Iraq and
Afghanistan prior to US invasions on
these countries, were put in place.
In Afghanistan pre-attack ground
work was prepared in form of
propaganda, using the media, that
the Taliban were harbouring Osama
Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda groups.
Invasion was legitimate with or
without the approval of the United
Nations.
In Iraq, the existence of WMD
(Weapons of Mass Destruction) was
the justification for the invasion
of the country and removal of the
country’s leader.
The aims of the Khartoum meeting
sponsored by the President of the
Sudan, on behalf of the Arab League
and the inspection of WMD in Iraq by
the Commission led by Hans Bliz on
behalf of the United Nations, were
the same. They were just to
entertain others and to wait for the
right time. Their results would not
have changed anything, because the
decision by the US for regime change
was already made.
In fact, there were rumours, that
after Afghanistan and Iraq, Somalia
would be the third in line to be
attacked. The Somali case has been
delayed because Afghanistan and
Iraq, which the war-planners thought
would be as smooth as the Ice cream,
got stuck in their throat and they
were unable to put it down or pull
out.
Instead of supporting Somalia for
the peace that it found, the west
started a new mechanism to sabotage
the gains. They established
something called “Somalia Contact
Group” to interfere in the internal
affairs of the country. The group
members were the following:
The original members of the group
were:
United States (the initiator)
Norway, Italy, Sweden, United
Kingdom, the European Union and
Tanzania. Kenya which was the
Chairman of the IGAD was not
included.
Those following organizations which
were directly involved in the Somali
problem were excluded and invited
just as observers only. They are:
The African Union, IGAD, the League
of Arab States and the United
Nations.
The influence UIC was growing day by
day. It reached close to the
Headquarters of the Federal
Government, Baidoa. Ethiopia which
had a big stake in the government
was extremely worried about its
fate.
It sent thousands of troops into
Republic of Somalia on the pretext
of supporting “the legitimate
Government”.
Despite being without a permanent
base or having no support in the
country, and in the manner in which
the government had been installed,
the United Nations and the European
Union, and African Union recognized
and stood behind the government.
The United States, whose voice is
more important than that of all
others did not recognize the
legitimacy of the TFG, led by
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Instead the
CIA funded and supported the
warlords, by the labeling them as
“seculars”.
Only when it became evident that,
the United Nations supported weak
and unpopular government, was on the
verge of being toppled by the Union
of Islamic Courts, the US choose to
recognize the government which it
had ignored for two years since its
birth.
The UN Security Council
Resolution
To pave the way for invasion
For fifteen years, since 1992, the
UN Security Council invoked the
Resolution 733 1992) adopted on
January 23, 1992 on arms embargo on
Somalia. It was in force since then,
but the UN did nothing to prevent
flooding Somalia with arms and
ammunition from all the corners, not
from private corporations, but by
governments. That is why for fifteen
years Somalia was engulfed in the
world’s longest and most devastating
civil war.
The Security Council adopted one
resolution after another, naming the
violators of the Resolution 733 but
never took action against them. But
when their interest dictates to
invoke Chapter VII of the Charter of
the United Nations, found it
convenient that Somalia continue to
be kept in that situation.
The suppliers of the arms with which
the Somalis killed each other,
watched from a distance and enjoyed
the proxy war done on their behalf.
During this period, powerful
warlords, supported by foreign
countries, succeeded in
destabilizing the country and
prevented the emergence of any
government.
When in June 2006, the young group
calling themselves the Islamic
Courts emerged to save Somalia, the
UN Security Council swiftly passed a
resolution S/2006/940 on December 3,
2006 sponsored by the Congo,
Tanzania and United States gave
green light to foreign forces to
invade Somalia and ending the arms
embargo on Somalia.
The Resolution state among other
things:
Decides to authorize IGAD and Member
States of the African Union to
establish a protection and training
mission in Somalia, to be reviewed
after an initial period of six
months by the Security Council with
a briefing by IGAD, with the
following mandate drawing on the
relevant elements of the mandate and
concept of operations specified in
the Deployment Plan for IGASOM
(S/2006/xxx):
(a) To monitor progress by the
Transitional Federal Institutions
and the Union of Islamic Courts in
implementing agreements reached in
their dialogue;
(b) To ensure free movement and safe
passage of all those involved with
the dialogue process;
(c) To maintain and monitor security
in Baidoa;
(d) To protect members of the
Transitional Federal Institutions
and Government as well as their key
infrastructure;
(e) To train the Transitional
Federal Institutions’ security
forces to enable them to provide
their own security and to help
facilitate the re-establishment of
national security forces of Somalia;
4. Endorses the specification in
the IGAD Deployment Plan that those
States that border Somalia would not
deploy troops to Somalia;
As it has been the case in the last
few years, Resolutions are adopted
but not implemented, particularly by
the most powerful states. Only the
weaker are generally forced to abide
by the rules of the International
Law.
In the Somali case, the above
mentioned resolution adopted to deal
with the Somali situation, clearly
states (see para 4) that “[Security
Council]
“Endorses the specification in the
IGAD Deployment Plan that those
States that border Somalia would not
deploy troops to Somalia”.
While talks were going on for the
continuation of the dialogue between
the Government and the UIC in
Khartoum, the US and Ethiopia, were
planning an all out attack on
Somalia, on the pretext of fighting
against the terrorists groups.
On Monday December 25, 2006,
Ethiopian airplanes bombed two
Somali airports, Mogadishu and
Balledogle airports in two
consecutive days.
A day after Ethiopia invaded and
occupied Somalia, US State
Department issued instructions to
its Embassies, according New York
Times (Washington, Dec. 26, 2006)
“signaled its support for the
Ethiopian offensive, calling it “a
response to “aggression” by
Islamists…”
According to NY Times: “On Tuesday,
a day after an Ethiopian jet strafed
the airport in Mogadishu, the
capital, the State Department issued
internal guidance to staff members,
instructing officials to play down
the invasion in public statements.
No
matter what the Resolution said,
Ethiopian, being a country bordering
Somalia, claimed that it has the
right to defend itself from Islamic
Group, which “threatened to attack
it”. For the United States gave
itself the right to attack Somalia,
to capture the “terrorists” who
allegedly bombed their Embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania and the Hotel in
Mombassa and who are allegedly being
harboured by the UIC.
The success of the Islamic Courts
was not due to the fact that they
were more armed than the warlords or
the government of Ethiopia, which
was behind the Transitional National
Government. But their victory was
due to the solid support of the
masses for their dedication to the
welfare of the people and their
behaviour and most importantly the
hatred that the people nurtured
against those who were calling for
foreign forces to invade the
country.
There was no way that the UIC could
match the mighty US support to
Ethiopia, as the UIC were armed only
with the old guns captured from the
warlords who were running away and
few out-dated AK47 machine guns.
According to the New York Times,
(Washington Feb.22, 2007),
“The American military quietly
waged a campaign from Ethiopia last
month to capture or kill top leaders
of Al-Qaeda in the Horn of Africa,
including the use of an airstrip in
eastern Ethiopia to mount air
strikes against Islamic militants in
neighboring Somalia, according to
American officials.
“The close and largely clandestine
relationship with Ethiopia also
included significant sharing of
intelligence on the Islamic
militants’ positions and information
from American spy satellites with
the Ethiopian military. Members of a
secret American Special Operations
unit, Task Force 88, were deployed
in Ethiopia and Kenya, and ventured
into Somalia, the officials said.”
According to the paper, by the order
of General John P. Abizaid, then
commander of the United States
Central Command, as result of the
Ethiopian request, the director of
national intelligence at the time
then authorized spy satellite to be
diverted to provide information for
Ethiopian troops.” The Ethiopians
promptly denied providing base
facilities. No one expected them to
admit and embarrass their patron.
According to Reuters News Agency,
dated January 9, 2007, Many people
died when a U.S. gunship hunting al
Qaeda suspects attacked a village in
southern Somalia as part of a wide
air offensive against fugitive
Islamists, officials said on
Tuesday. Thursday, January 11, 2007.
The
BBC said that the US air strikes in
Somalia failed to kill any of the
three al-Qaeda suspects they
targeted, a top US official says.
Reuters quoting Oxfam report, dated
12, 2007, said that US Air attacks
against fugitive Islamists in south
Somalia in recent days have
mistakenly targeted nomadic herdsmen
gathering round fires, killing 70,
British-based aid agency Oxfam said
on Friday.
It was a surprise to me that
some people were surprised about the
swiftness with which the UIC
withdrew in the face of a combined
assault guided by the American
satellites. Not to do so, would have
been suicidal. Without US support,
Ethiopians could not have done so.
The legendary Hero of Somalia,
who the British called “the Mad
Mullah of Somaliland”, fought
against the British and its allies
from the British colonies in Africa
and Asia, for twenty years from 1899
to 1921. He only withdrew from the
battle field when the British used
air power against him. He was
neither killed nor captured, but
died in the Imey, an Ethiopian
occupied territory in December 1921.
Since December 24, 2006, Ethiopians
are in Somalia, in the capital,
Mogadishu. For them it is a dream
that came true. This was Emperor
Menelek’s dream. In 1894, the Acting
British Political Agent and Consul,
Somali Coast, Captain Abud, provided
the following information about
“Koufur” [South] which Menelek
threatened to conquer.
“Koufur” is a country formerly
Hawiya and lies between Webbe
Shabeli and the Juba and to the west
of the Rahanwein (Jabartis); its
ports are Merka, Haman [Hamar] and
Barawa.”
Today the Ethiopians are in Hamar,
(Mogadishu), Merka and Barawa,
places that Menelek wished to
conquer, thanks to the US. They were
not welcomed with flower and
ululation. They are facing stiff
resistance from the people. Daily
encounters are reported, causing
death of innocent people and
destruction of private properties.
Somalis oppose foreign troops in
their country. More outsiders are
sent, Somalis would fight them more
resolutely.
Since the Ethiopians invaded and
occupied the country, with the
support of the United States, the
situation in Mogadishu returned as
chaotic as it used to be before the
Islamic Courts chased the warlords.
The Ethiopian troops escorted to the
capital not only the TFG but also
the warlords that used to terrorize
the people. Killing and raping has
become the order of the day. The
Ethiopians are shelling the capital
with heavy artillery,
indiscriminately destroying lives
and homes. The Bad days are back.
According to Hiiraan on Line, dated
February 25, 2007, the people of
Mogadishu do not sleep at night for
the fear of being killed by
artillery fire, while in bed. When
the sound of guns start, they come
out of their homes and gather in the
houses which are constructed with
concrete, hoping that they can save
their lives.
The sea pirates who were eliminated
by the UIC, are now back in action.
On Sunday, February 25, 2007,
Pirates are reported to h ave
Hijacked a
UN-chartered cargo ship delivering
food aid to north-eastern Somalia,
according to BBC.
This is Mogadishu today, after
having enjoyed six months of quiet
nights and peaceful days under the
UIC. It was short lived, but the
people will remember for long time
to come. It has become part of the
Somali history.
The
history of Powers objecting that the
Somali people apply Islamic rule,
dates back as far as 19th century.
On February 11, 1870, the British
Consul at Aden, in charge of the
Somali Coast, Major General Russell
wrote to his government, among other
things, that…The Bey of the Egyptian
Government (Turkey) had returned to
Berbera, that it was his intention
to remain there and keep possession
of the sea-coast territory of
Berbera and Bulhar. The General
added that, “he was about to send
Her Majesty's Ship Sind to the spot
to keep a watch on the happenings
and to prevent, if possible, the
tribe from committing their kingdom
to Moslem rule.”*
If this is what the international
Community wanted to have for the
Somali people, it has succeeded.
Innocent people and livestock were
killed by US air bombardment in the
villages. Ethiopia occupied
Mogadishu and keep shelling day and
night the people’s homes. After all,
neither US found, dead of alive, the
“wanted” al-Qaeda terrorists, having
killed so many people nor the
Ethiopians found a peaceful place
for the Government after exerting so
much effort.
The only way out from this abyss of
despair, is a new and free from
foreign interference reconciliation
conference. Somalia needs a
government not made for them but
made by them. If the international
community is sincere about helping
the people of Somalia, it should let
them decided freely. Any one can
establish a government, and bring to
the capital by armoured cars, but
what is impossible is that no one
can make the people accept. The cat
is not made to drink water holding
it by the neck.
Thank you for your kind attention
and patience.
(Signed)
MOHAMED OSMAN OMAR
Ambassador
Ambassador Mohamed Osman Omar |
