Se hai capito qualcosa SPIEGACELO!!!

The Islamist Transitional Government of Somalia announced a few days ago that it intends to fight militarily the Islamist opposition, after these conquered other parts of the capital Mogadishu.

The Somali Minister of Defense maintains that after the reconciliation conference of Djibouti, from which this Transitional Government came out in January 2009, that his government has done everything possible to talk with the opposition and to avoid a fratricidal war.

Indeed, the new President of Somalia's interim government Mr. Sheikh Sharif is the head (or former?) of the Union of the Islamic Courts, opponents of the government of Yusuf, his predecessor. And the current opposition, Al Shabab and Hisbul Islam were part of the Islamic Courts.

About two and a half years ago, after having gained control of much of Somalia and having brought order after 17 years, the Islamic Courts have been dispossessed by the regional power, Ethiopia, with the mandate and military support of Bush administration.

Although it lasted only six months, the rule of the Union of the Islamic Courts had shown that it is possible to create order and for the first time in many years, one could leave the house at night, without going in for a certain death. They reopened the port of Mogadishu and the airport. Finally a ship could dock and bring humanitarian aid.

For these reasons and many others in time of war against the Ethiopian invasion, the Islamic Courts had a great moral support of nearly all Somalis wherever in the world, because fighting against the historic archfoe of Somalia which has planted its own flag in the Somali presidential palace, as US Marine in the palace of Saddam.

But I believe it is very interesting to bring attention to a short period before the invasion of Ethiopia. During the Transitional Government of Abdullahi Yusuf, the Islamic Courts ruled much of southern Somalia, as today the various Al Shabab and Hisbul Islam control large part of the south.

At that time, the old wolf, Yusuf, proclaimed Transitional President asked the opposition to lay down their weapons and not to trigger a war between the Somalis. He used to talk about peace and the end of decades of civil war.

The opposition, then led by the actual President Mr. Sharif, used to say they wanted to liberate Somalia form the Ethiopian influence and the interests of the warlords.

It was also very common in speeches of Mr. Yusuf a cry for help to the world against terrorists and their foreign jihadist allies.

In a press conference in October 2006 “Yusuf initially blamed al-Qaida for carrying out the attack. But, on Thursday, he said his security forces had uncovered evidence that linked Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys in a plot to kill him and 16 other politicians in the transitional government.

Yusuf also said that the radical wing of the Islamist movement had invited foreign fighters from Arab countries, Europe, Afghanistan and Chechnya to join its militia”. Global Security.


"Somalia has been invaded by foreign fighters, who are using Somali factions and their objective is to keep the country in chaos and international criminals to hide," President Sheikh Sharif told reporters yesterday (25/05/09) at the Villa Somalia presidential compound . Garowe Online.


The surprising thing for me now, if not confusing, is the resemblance of language between the current president Mr. Sharif (former opponent) and his predecessor Mr. Yusuf.
Mr. Yusuf as a President used to accuse Mr. Sharif, as opposition, of inviting foreign fighters.
Obviously Mr. Sharif always denied such “allegations”.
Mr. Sharif used to accuse Mr. Yusuf of working for Ethiopian interest.

Today as a President Mr. Sharif accuses the Islamist opposition of inviting foreign fighters in Somalia.
Moreover, the current opposition (Islamists) uses the same language that they used against Yusuf's government to justify the war against their own Islamists leaders, Mr. Sharif.

Something must be wrong.

Se hai capito qualcosa SPIEGACELO!!!

Hussein.

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Donors' Conference in support of the Somali Security

Today I watched the debates at the Donors' Conference in Support of the Somalia Security, hold in Bruxelles yesterday, and hearing what Jose Manule Barroso, Ban Ki-Moon, Javier Solana, and in order Shiikh Shariif said, I realized that Somali pirates have given a vital contribution to the recreation and the future of Somalia.

For the first time the world, seeing the threat to sea trade routes take into serious consideration the solution of the anarchy in which Somalia has been in the past two decades.

For the first time we talk about the construction of the Somalia security forces , not only for the seas but for the control of the entire Somali territory.

Having already tried to support the bloodthirsty warlords, grouping them under one curious as fun flag -Alliance for Democracy and against Islamic terrorism in Somalia-it seems now that someone has realized that the problem is not democracy or Islamic terrorism in an Islamic country and again in internal civil war for decades.

It is just the banal survival.

I think it's time to lay the groundwork for a Somali State able to hold control of the violence and all the distinctive characteristics of a State.

Thanks to the Somali pirates finally it became clear that these conditions are also in the interest of the whole world and not just Somalia.

Hussein Aden

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Real situation

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Somali piracy and the strange concentration of Navy

Under the assumption that nobody has ever worried about Somalia in the past 18 years of civil war, now "thanks" to the Piracy there’s a race to bring warships in Somali waters.

Considering how narrow is the Gulf of Aden, which separates Somalia and Yemen, I naturally wonder whether such concentration of warships is normal.

By now there are 24 countries that already have the navy in the area, and every day one more country is joining the list. Norway has already announced its intention to send the Royal Norwegian Navy.

On the other hand the situation of the Somali civil war shows no signs of improving, despite the efforts and good intentions of the new President of Somalia.

I am convinced that if only these 25 countries were to support the new Somali government, instead of sending only warships, could win easily the piracy, saving so much money and time.
Time will tell.

List of the navies in the Gulf of Aden to "combat" piracy

Royal Australian Navy
Canadian Forces Maritime Command (NATO)
People's Liberation Army Navy (SCO)
Royal Danish Navy (NATO)
French Navy (NATO)
German Navy (NATO)
Greek Navy (NATO)
Indian Navy (SCO)
Italian Navy (NATO)
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (SCO)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Republic of Korea Navy
Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy (NATO)
Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal Saudi Navy
Russian Navy (SCO)
Republic of Singapore Navy
Spanish Navy (NATO)
Swedish Navy
Turkish Navy (NATO)
Royal Navy (UK-NATO)
United States Navy (NATO)
Finnish Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy


Hussein Aden

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A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

"The war in Somalia is about to become Barack Obama's problem."

The corporate media declare that Barack Obama's first foreign crisis will be in Gaza where the Israelis will likely still be engaged in the work of massacre when the president-elect puts his hand on Abraham Lincoln's Bible, January 20.

The 60-year U.S.-Israeli connection is but one of many unholy alliances in which Washington is perpetually mired. In truth, the criminal entanglements of American empire is a minefield of crises waiting to explode. They pop up at the most inconvenient times. Chickens are liable to fly home to roost from all sorts of places - like Somalia.

Two years ago, George Bush conspired with Ethiopia to invade Somalia, its neighbor in the Horn of Africa. Somalia's crime was to have achieved a brief, six-month period of relative peace under an Islamist regime. At first, the Americans massively funded combinations of warlords to fight the Islamists, preferring the chaos of bandit rule to a peaceful Somalia under an Islamist government. When the warlords were defeated, Washington encouraged and bankrolled the Ethiopian invasion, just before Christmas 2006. U.S. advisors accompanied Ethiopian troops down to the company level, while American aircraft and warships bombarded Somalis from air and sea.

"Ethiopia found it could not remain among the Somalis, no matter how much the Americans paid for their services."

If any stimulus could be predicted to unite Somalis, it is invasion by Ethiopia, Somalia's historical rival in the region. The Americans and Ethiopians succeeded only in creating the "worst humanitarian crisis in Africa" - worse than Darfur, according to the United Nations. Nearly half of Somalia's seven million people were put in danger of starvation, with well over a million displaced from their homes. The capital city, Mogadishu, was virtually emptied. Washington could convince only it's client states Uganda and Burundi to contribute troops to a puny United Nations "peace keeping" force that spent most of its time trying to keep out of the way. Ethiopia found it could not remain among the Somalis, no matter how much the Americans paid for their services. Its army is in the process of withdrawing.

The farcical, puppet Somali government installed by the Ethiopians and Americans could never survive on its own, and has effectively disintegrated. Some form of Islamist force will soon take power on the ground. The United States has talked itself into a corner. George Bush justified the U.S. and Ethiopian assault on Somalia as a necessity of the War on Terror, a blow against Osama bin Laden's friends among Somali Muslims. It was a lie, of course, but now the U.S. is stuck with it. Washington cannot simply allow people who it claims are affiliated with Al Qaida to form a government.

George Bush started the war against Somalia, but it's about to become Barack Obama's problem. Obama's soon-to-be United Nations ambassador, Susan Rice, is a rabid believer in America's right to intervene in Africa, generally, and in Somalia, specifically. Obama and George Bush share the same Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, who was sworn into office on December 18, 2006, just one week before the U.S.-backed Ethiopians stormed Somalia's capital city.

It's been Gates' and Bush's war for two years. Now Obama must decide if he will kill Africans based on George Bush's lies.

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at
Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com

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Mr. Kipkorir: Annexing and dividing Somalia is a call for balkanization of Horn of Africa

As the piracy of the Somali coast took a new and dangerous turn with the hijacking of a ship carrying T-72 Tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and other ammunition destined for Southern Sudan, a Kenyan lawyer had the audacity to call neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia to annex the hapless country and divide it between them as a final solution for the Somali problem.

In his opinion article carried by Kenya’s Daily Nation, Mr. Donald Kipkorir, who is an advocate of the Kenyan High Court, argued annexing Somalia was the strategic interest for Kenya, viewing it as the only way to stop Kenya’s tourism industry from teetering towards destruction.

But what Mr.Kipkorir sees as a strategic interest is a strategic miscalculation for disaster which will not only bring the destruction of Kenya and Ethiopia but will usher in an era of balkanization in the entire region of the Horn of Africa.

Mr.Kipkorir forgets that Kenya and Ethiopia are tribal mine fields that are waiting to be triggered and his call for the annexation of Somalia is only what it needs to start genocides in Kenya and Ethiopia.

One has to remember the recent election crisis in Kenya and how the country stood on the brink of ethnic fragmentation. Kenya has more than 42 ethnic groups, speaking more than 62 languages and adhering to various religious affiliations while Ethiopia has about 118 ethnic groups with almost similar number of languages and different religions.

The summer 2008 ethnic strife resulting from the Presidential election crisis had exposed the fragility of the Kenyan peace and stability and the degree of hatred and hostility among the Kenyan tribes.

The scenes of machete-wielding mobs slaughtering their neighbors and looting shops reminded the world of the horrors of Ruwanda. These were just symbolic of how ugly a tribal strife can turn in Kenya if something disturbs the elusive patchwork of loose tribal confederation called Kenya.

Mr.Kipkorir also seems to have forgotten that despite its current problems, Somalia is the only homogenous country in Africa. Somalis are one ethnic group who speak the same language and adhere to the same religion. They may look divisive and anarchic in their internal skirmishes on the country’s meager resources but they have history of quickly clinging together when they face a common foreign threat.

Remember Mr.Kipkorir, it is these people that you call rag-tag army of semi naked men that stood against the British and Italian armies for 20 years in one of the longest drawn out African rebellions against foreign occupation.

It was the dervish movement led by the Somali hero Mohammed Abdulla Hassan, known in history as the Mad Mulla, the derogative name given to him by the British, that the Royal army failed to defeat until it used military aircraft against them in the first aerial bombardment ever used by a European power in Africa, even before the Italian air bombardment of Libya.

It was the same rag-tag Bedouin army led by another Somali hero (c1507-1543), who conquered much of Ethiopia; prompting vanquished Ethiopian emperor Lebna Dengel (reigned 1508–40) to appeal to Portugal for help.

By then, the Imam, known as Gran or Guray, left-handed, marched all the way to the province of Tigray where he defeated an Ethiopian army that confronted him there, and on reaching Axum destroyed the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in which the Ethiopian emperors were coronated for centuries.

It is the same rag-tag army of semi naked men that forced the American army to flee from Mogadishu after the Black Hawk Down battle. Despite its gruesome history which we Somalis are not proud of, it showed the grit and the mettle of the Somali people when they are forced into a corner.

Now, Mr.Kipkorir if you really want to invite these modern Mongols to Kenya to turn Nairobi into ruins, then you better know what you are calling for. Invading Somalia will not be a piece of cake as you tried to portray it and the Somali legislatures in Nairobi will not be easy to walk over.

The moment the first Kenyan bullet is shot inside Somalia, Nairobi will explode and the Kenyan patchwork will fall apart. And God knows how many Kenyan mini-states will emerge from the ashes. And this is not a thing that I wish for my Kenyan brothers. I am proud of what they have achieved until now because unlike Mr. Kipkorir, I pride myself in the progress made by any African country, let alone my neighbors.

Contrary to your argument Mr.Kipkorir, Somalia was not a lawless state until 1960 and if you are not aware, Somalia was the first country in Africa where an elected civilian president was replaced in a democratic election in 1967.

Aden Abdulla Othman was the first African President to hand over the reins of power to his successor Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke when Kenya was languishing under one-man rule. Somalia was not a haven for terrorists and pirates as you tried to paint it but as you know Somalia had the strongest and best disciplined army in the 70s.

It was Somalia that negotiated a peace deal between the neighboring countries of Nyerere’s Tanzania and Idi Amin’s Uganda.

You must know Mr.Kipkorir that with the exception of Mogadishu every other town in the Somali region whether it is in Somaliland, Puntland, Baidoa or even Kismayo at the border of Kenya have better degree of security than your cosmopolitan Nairobi.

In Hargeisa for example like any other town of former Somalia, women sell gold in the open market and leave it without any guard at times of prayer without anyone stealing it, while in Nairobi people are killed for the watches they wear and the mobile phones they carry in bright day light.

It is true that we have problems in our country and that due to a strange amalgam of tribal and alien ideological factors, Somalis cannot make reconciliation among themselves but by the same token one cannot deny the ingenuity of the Somali people in creating business and managing to prosper amid calamity. The bustling business the Somali community has established in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area is something that should invoke a sense of pride in you as an African and not enrage you.

It may also be worth mentioning that over the past difficult 18 years, the Somali people have founded more airlines than they ever had, created more schools and universities that any African country has and built some of the most beautiful hotels and bungalows in the peaceful parts of the country.

As an imminent lawyer, you should have known better Mr.Kipkorir than taking America’s annexation of Texas from Mexico in 1845 as a legal precedent to support your alleged invasion and annexation of Somalia.

You know that the 19th century was a time for international robbery. Although slavery was in its dying days, European powers were dividing Africa as booty among themselves in the Scramble for Africa conference of Berlin in 1884. It is therefore a pity that a man of law, a son of Africa in the 21st century and an heir of Jomo Kenyatta and the Mau Mau warriors, a semi-naked men like us, had to call for the colonization of Africans by Africans in the 21st century.

I hope you are aware Mr.Kipkorir that if your wish were ever realized, you would be the first to suffer and that you would not be writing such insidious articles in ritzy hotels in Nairobi but will be biting your fingers in a feeding center in the African bush, probably feasting on dates donated by the Arabs whom you pride yourself in their enmity, ignoring that you owe so many things to them even your Swahili language. I hope you could handle that because the semi-naked Somalis have handled it for so many years.

How shameful, Mr.Kipkorir, that in your desperate attempt to give your loyalties to the West, you had to belittle your country by describing it as an ally of the West and therefore a natural enemy of the Arabs. “The truth of the matter is that as a Western ally, Kenya is an existential enemy of the Arab countries, Sudan included,” you said, forgetting that 11 out of 53 African countries are Arabs and that the West will not blink an eye to sacrifice the whole of Kenya including its safari tourism for the Arab oil.

Mr.Kipkorir, it would have more becoming of you as an African intellectual to call for united Horn of African countries where the brotherly countries of the region can share their resources and face the challenges of globalization, rising oil prices and crumbling financial markets as a common front instead of calling for the colonization of Africans by Africans.

This is exactly what Djibouti, that little African country that you tried to trash in your article, is doing by attracting hitherto unprecedented international investment for one of the dream projects of Africa; which is to link Africa to Arabia with a bridge across the red sea. This is what I call strategic thinking my African brother and not mobilizing your forces to blunder your suffering African neighbors.

I am not sure whether you are intentionally trying to reopen the old wounds of the division of the Somali people by the colonial powers and test the resolve of the Somali people to reviving their dream of greater Somalia, but if that is your intention then rest assured brother that unlike you Somalis know that in the 21st century they would be in a better shape to have greater Africa than greater Somalia.

Bashir Goth

Email:bsogoth@yahoo.com

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Why Kenya and Ethiopia ought to annex and divide Somalia

by DONALD KIPKORIR

dkipkorir@ktk.co.ke

Last month, Lehmans Brothers and Merrill Lynch, the world’s foremost investment banks, went bankrupt and we witnessed the financial chaos in the western capitals.

In the fog of international headlines on finding a financial bail-out in Washington, a rag-tag army of 50 semi-naked men on rickety boats captured a ship carrying 33 T-72 tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns off the coast of Somalia. The capture of mv Faina and the stalemated talks amid the surrounding American and Russian warships made me think that maybe this is the time to find a final solution to the Somali problem.

Since 1960, the country has been a lawless state that is a haven for terrorists and pirates. The pirates have told us the destination of the captured weaponry causing tension and panic in Washington, Nairobi and Khartoum.

If it is true that the final consignee was the government of Southern Sudan, as they allege, I will be on the same page with the Kibaki government for the first time.

I am a fervent supporter of a strategic foreign policy even if it attracts us enemies of such malevolent and despotic regimes as that of Khartoum.

Supporting the Southern Sudan government is in our long-term strategic interest and we should not shy from it. The truth of the matter is that as a Western ally, Kenya is an existential enemy of Arab countries, Sudan included.

Annexing Somalia is thus in our strategic interest and we must do it now as the financial meltdown continues to take away the attention of the world.

Somalia as a state exists only in world maps. It is a classic case of a failed state. It is a state dismembered into as many independent units as there are sub-clans. Its 90-strong cabinet is emblematic of the actual number of units.

The Horn of Africa country has no functioning government. The so-called transitional federal government, led by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, is confined to a shell-shocked presidential compound.

There is no standing or even sitting army or judicial systems. By all accounts, Somalia is a black hole in international law. Together with Afghanistan and Pakistan they are known as the training grounds and refuge for international terrorism.

Kenya has been a victim of such terrorism, leading to near-destruction of its tourism industry. We cannot afford another such attack. We have the potential to develop our tourism to compete with, if not outpace, Egypt and South Africa. But we cannot do so if Somalia continues to be a non-state.

Somalia neighbours Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Of these, it is only Ethiopia and Kenya that have strategic interest in Somalia. Djibouti is a primitive entrepot that can’t even supply water to its 600,000 people, who are forced to drink that imported from France or Coca Cola. Therefore, Djibouti is out in the quest for the final solution to the Somali puzzle.

Kenya and Ethiopia must and ought to dismember Somalia and divide it between themselves along the 4 degrees latitude, each taking all the land below and above the line.

The division will make both countries extend their territories by roughly 300,000sq km and additional populations of about five million. Once Kenya and Ethiopia have sent their combined army to Somalia and declared the annexation, we will present to the world a fait accompli.

In 1845, America annexed Texas from Mexico and forced the Texan legislature to pass a specific legislation stating that it accepted the annexation. The annexation has stood to date and, for good measure, President George W. Bush is a proud American Texan. For Kenya and Ethiopia, having the Somali legislature to endorse the annexation will be cake-walk. At any given time, most, if not all, Somali legislators are in Nairobi.

We will have them convene in one of our hotels and to pass the appropriate statutes dividing their country. When the allied forces liberated Germany from Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, they sent the bill to Berlin.

Our cost of annexing Somalia will be settled by Mogadishu. Somalia is known to have huge deposits of oil, natural gas, uranium and iron ore. Immediately after the annexation, we will invite our strategic foreign friends (not China please) to come and exploit the resources for us.

Kenyans ought to know that although Somalia is a failed state, its positive statistics are impressive. Without a structured economy, its gross national income per capita is US$600 (Sh40,000), when ours is $550 (Sh36,800). Of its universities that operate without budgets and with armed militia guarding them, three are in Africa’s top 100.

International law forbids the use of force by states against the territorial integrity and political independence of others. Somalia doesn’t have either.

But the law also recognises irreversible processes like the extinction of states such as in the USSR, emergence of new states from former USSR and Yugoslavia, and annexations like that of Texas. International order hates reversing completed processes, more so if the world is a better place.

If we do not annex Somalia and now, we will be a victim of its failed status and pulled down by it. We will not be able to achieve our strategic foreign policy in the region, or attain the Vision 2030 goal.

The time to annex and dismember Somalia is now; Washington and Moscow will be grateful.

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Yusuf's permanet power struggle

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has said Islamist insurgents now control most of the country, and have advanced to the edge of Mogadishu.

The President was speaking to Somali parliamentarians in Kenya, a day after he rejected new cabinet members named by the Prime Minister, Mr Hassan Hussein and then consequently talks on forming a new cabinet failed.

Only few days ago he was claiming his government controls the whole country and that, thanks to the Ethiopian Army, his opponents were no more in Somalia.

It is not the first time that the President, to draw attention waving the danger of Islamists, changes suddenly his mind.

The thing that Mr. Yusuf has not yet understood is that time of the scarecrow is over and Ethiopians themselves realize that the situation is not any more sustainable and can no longer bet on him against the rest of Somalis.

All previous governments have failed for the unacceptable position of Mr Yusuf who was so far supported by the administration of Bush and his devoted attendant Meles of Ethiopia.

Mr Yusuf blamed parliamentarians for the failure of the cabinet talks although he rejected the list of ministers before they arrive in front of the parliament.

"The government controls Mogadishu and Baidoa and people are killed there every day," Mr Yusuf told the meeting in Nairobi.

"Islamists have taken over everywhere else, so if I ask you parliamentarians: do you know the situation we face? Who causes all these problems? We are to blame." He added.

On the other hand the Prime Minister on Sunday accused the President of blocking the creation of a new cabinet, undermining efforts to restore stability in the lawless country.

"The President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed [a former warlord in the breakaway region of Puntland] had refused to approve a new cabinet list seen as a key step in ending nearly two decades of bloodletting" Said Mr. Hassan Hussein.

"It is unfortunate that the President has become the first to oppose the IGAD directives though he was one of the signatories." The Prime Minister added.

A similar power struggle forced Ali Mohamed Gedi to resign as Prime Minister last year. He accused the President of interfering with the government's operations.

At a summit in October in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), set a deadline of November 12 for the feuding sides to agree a new transitional government.

Now the Prime Minister Hassan Hussein vowed to ignore the President and present the cabinet list to Parliament for approval in order to get his government going.

Hussein also accused Yusuf of refusing to support a recent power-sharing and truce agreement between the government and the opposition, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), at UN-mediated talks in Djibouti.

"I am sorry to say that the president never supported the Djibouti peace process aimed at uniting the government and the Islamist," said Hussein, who supports the deal.

"I am the prime minister of Somalia who has great respect for the president, but I am not interested in his personal dictates that are against the rule of law." added Mr. Hussein.

Hussein Aden

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Somalia After the Ethiopian Occupation

by Abukar Arman

"Ethiopia has become Africa 's hegemonic brute."

In light of the development of several critical issues that include U.S. economic volatility and the new political direction it's likely to turn towards, it's not farfetched to predict that Washington-supported Ethiopian occupation of Somalia will soon come to an end. However, what ensues might not provide comfort to some who erroneously bought into the mindset that politics and Islam cannot and should not mix. But, unfortunately, their reaction would be the element that would tip the scale.

Evidently, Ethiopia is unable to feed her own people and thus could not feasibly sustain this occupation without Washington 's financial, political and technical support. In fiscal year 2007, the U.S. awarded the Ethiopian regime approximately $300 million dollars in a non-humanitarian aid, and it was supposed to award double that amount in fiscal year 2008 in order to "fight against Islamists in neighboring Somalia." Be that as it may, unless Ethiopia takes drastic measures (and soon) it can become the next epicenter of violence in the Horn of Africa.

The cruel occupation and the violent insurgency that it inspired have paved the way for the creation of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. According to the UN estimate, 3.5 million Somalis are now on the verge of starvation, and about 1.5 million are IDPs (internally displaced persons). This, coupled with the widely documented brutal oppression against ethnically Somali people of Ogadenia, has profoundly contributed to the rapid erosion of Ethiopia 's international image. Ethiopia has become Africa 's hegemonic brute with a long record of gross human rights abuses and war crimes violations.

"Ethiopia is unable to feed her own people and thus could not feasibly sustain this occupation without Washington's financial, political and technical support."

Last year, ten U.S. Senators sent a bi-partisan letter to the Secretary of State expressing their grave concern over Ethiopia 's mounting human rights violations. Likewise, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that became known as the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act to restrict U.S. military aid unless Addis Ababa improved its human rights record.

Compounding the pressure, the insurgency becomes much fiercer and more popular every day, while public trust for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has eroded beyond repair. There is no escaping the writing on the wall: the lethal debacle that led to the worst misery in Somali history is coming to an end.

Now, the question is: Would an end to occupation establish peace and order in Somalia? Or, would that set the stage for Somalia to become, as some have been saying, a breeding ground or a safe haven for fugitive terrorists? Would that ensure security for Somalia's neighbors and respect for their territorial integrities?

Of course, it would be naïve to think that the Somali political problem, an intertwined set of complex issues, could be solved the day after the Ethiopian troops vacate Somalia . It will take a process, a painful one at that; but certainly nothing like the current nightmare.

Naturally, the insurgents will declare victory. But, they are not monolithic; neither in ideology nor in identity. They are a mixture of what's left of the ICU (Islamic Courts Union) and its radical wing Al-Shabaab, secularist nationalists, victims of the occupation, and clan loyalists. However, it's highly plausible for an inter-factional power struggle to ignite. One that is reminiscent of the May 2006 when ICU was fighting for its survival against a CIA-backed gang of the most abhorred warlords in Mogadishu who called themselves the Alliance for Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism.

"The Islamists have an unmatched record of public service."

In due course, there will be peaceful surrenders, amnesty, and disarmaments. How soon will this come to pass, and, whether or not the triumphant entity will be willing to share power, and, how susceptible would they be to radicalization depends mainly on how Washington reacts. And the last thing that Washington wants to do is to repeat the same ill-advised reaction that led to the current catastrophe in the first place.

For almost a decade, the mention of the word "Islamist" has blurred the West's sense of perspective. Everything was seen through the biased prism of "global war on terrorism," hence a blanket rejection was thrown over any form of "political Islam" - a loaded phrase that, to many Western ears, connotes something sinister and evil.

However, even in this landscape of predisposed negative attitudes toward anything that mixes Islam with politics, the Islamists have an unmatched record of public service. They operated schools, hospitals, and for six months before the occupation removed every checkpoint in Mogadishu and brought a semblance of peace.

Of course, the Islamists have made many reckless mistakes. Certain hardliners within the courts have haphazardly restricted certain liberties such as the right to watch movies and the right of women to opt out of wearing hijab.

But Islamists still ride high when it comes to sincerity of action. However, the masses, with their vigilant skepticism, will ultimately prevail. People look forward to a new, consensus-building leadership that puts law and order first. Leadership that would bring an end to the kidnapping, rape, human-trafficking, and piracy. Leadership that would subscribes to enlightened nationalism devoid of irredentist aspiration. People will embrace pluralistic, non-puritanical Islamic governance.

Lastly, people are yearning for a wise and a charismatic leader who would articulate a new vision and inspire the masses to dream a new Somalia.

Abukar Arman is a writer who lives in Ohio . His work has appeared on the pages of International Herald Tribune, Al-Jazeera Magazine, Arab News, and Foreign Policy In Focus.

He can be contacted at abukar_arman@yahoo.com

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Proxy war

Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin said his country has been promoting its position that the international community and the (UN) Security Council keep on discharging thier responsibility of extending appropriate support towards maintaining peace and stability in Somalia.

Seyoum told ENA (Ethiopian News Agency) on Wednesday (8 October) that Ethiopia has been calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to extend their support to the deployment of African peacekeeping forces fully to Somalia.

He further said his country has also been repeatedly calling, through the AU and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces to Somalia.

Ethiopia has also advanced the same position in the 63rd UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Seyoum said the international community has not played a meaningful role to ensure peace in Somalia while it was torn apart by civil war for 18 years. He said the international community and the Security Council need to discharge their responsibility appropriately in this regard.

Mr. Mesfin intends to make it clear that "the international community" has not provided adequate commitment to “maintain peace and stability in Somalia”

Well! We all know that there is no peace to maintain in that country in an endless civil war, and talking about stability in Somalia is really a bad joke that does not make anyone laugh. We need first to create peace before maintaining it.

I can understand that there is a diplomatic vocabulary which the Foreign Minister can not escape, but that vocabulary is not used at random and by anyone.

It works if used only from a position of strength.

When the U.S Secretary of State says the "international community" must do more in Afghanistan, in reality she's not talking to a non-existent "International Community", but to specific countries and to clear Heads of Government from precise position of a strength . Read, if you don’t do so and so I’ll do that to you".

His words have different weights on the Pakistani government and Chinese or French. The first, the government of Musharaf has already fallen because his commitment was not considered sufficient by the U.S. China is not even aware of this "lack of international engagement."

The same thing said by the Ethiopian Foreign Minister for a different circumstance, has no effect.

In fact, the Ethiopian Minister speaks with precise Heads of Governments, those who have encouraged him to invade Somalia and from which one expects a political, economical and military support.

The difference is that one says, "Hey, if you do not do this thing I’ll do this and that to you," while another says, "but hell! you promised to help me if I had done so".

Ethiopia is facing a decision not enough pondered before being made. Invading Somalia.

Ethiopia could not think to control Somalia. It does not have enough military and economic forces, but thought to work by proxy in the "war on terror" and thereby gain support and sympathy from the chief, Bush.

The same thing did Saddam Hussein in the Iran war of the 80s, when the Ayatullah came to power.

Even then it was necessary to contain Islamist fervour that radiated from Iran to the rest of the Islamic world, putting in trouble U.S. allied regimes like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Then the strongest army in the Middle East was unleashed, properly prepared and armed by the U.S. and that annihilated in a day, without any protest from the world, two Iranian islands. The war continued for a decade.

Only the Austrian UN ambassador said he was surprised and was immediately recalled and replaced by his government.

Saddam Hussein made a proxy war, and everyone knows the end of the story. He's hanged in Direct TV after the public exposure of the bodies of his sons, killed by the same persons that once sponsored him.

Meles is now doing a proxy war, but starts to realize that the mandant wants to wash his hands of this problem. The important thing for the mandant was that Islamists were ousted, and if he can save money once they’re driven away he has everything to gain. So why paying who left for the war without first cashing the check?

From here begins the problem of Meles. He asks himself what to do without money from the boss when his troops are hungry and without shoes like fascists who invaded Ethiopia decades ago and Somalis are fighting instead of surrendering all at once?

I wouldn't like to be in his shoes right now, but gonna give him a hint. Withdraw from Somalia without waiting for any "exit strategy". Only those who have a face to lose, like the U.S. in Iraq, and do not want to lose, can afford that long time approach. Not the Ethiopian army in Somalia.


Hussein Aden

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Somali political class convoked in Nairobi, Kenya

As appeared in a news recently published, also on this site, few days ago the entire political class of Somalia was convoked in Nairobi, Kenya. President, Prime Minister, Parliament spokesperson and nothing less than entire Parliament members including.

The peculiarity of this convocation reveals the institutional volatility of the warlords, now endorsed by Presidents and MPs, in terms of total absence of sovereignty, institutionality, and lack of the slightest authoritativeness recognized by the citizens.

In short, it’s like if Germany convokes in Berlin the French President, Prime Minister and the entire French Parliament for "consultation". What would French people feel like?

This fact has obviously enjoyed all Somalis, particularly those still in Somalia. People often ironic and sometimes very sarcastic.

Could hear like "But how? Are they all convoked!!!!?" "Sure, Must been summoned for the payment of these months of work." "You know, have been convened to receive orders of what should do next". "They have been called to be spanked by dad Meles.

Someone has even talked of government reshuffle.

On the other hand, these warlords who once used to determine, each in his feud, life and death of the population, were ousted two years ago by Islamists.

Now that you are re-established by the Ethiopian armies, they have to face an armed Islamist opposition with a large following of the "serf" of a time.

Sulky and moody for each gossip story, because they no longer have the authority of a time (never had authoritativeness) they wheezy breath upset, so is that someone says not willing going to the call.

The Parliament Spokesperson, Mr. Aden Madobe, said that "We are elected by ourselves, and I won’t leave my office for any government reshuffle."

His absolute lack of institutional culture is evident by his inability to distinguish between government and Parliament.

He is not part of the government. He should be the second highest authority of the State. The President of Parliament. But I understand that this is making heavy demands on illiterate warlord.

Another former mayor of Mogadishu, a bloodthirsty warlord dismissed to resolve a dispute between the President and Prime Minister accuses the Government it self of connivance with the Islamists.

Aren’t Government and Parliament made by the warlords? And however in that case between who and who is the current war? Between Parliament and the opposition? Only President on one hand and government and the opposition on the other?

What the hell’s Mr. Gacmadheere talking about?


Hussein Aden

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Some are forgetting the most important thing

Happened few days ago that some Somali “Ministers” (in Somalia there is no Ministry of any kind) pro-“President” have resigned in protest against the “Prime Minister”, which has accepted and signed the resignation.

A few days later, they claimed they are still Ministers even without a new acceptance of the “Prime Minister”. However they needed the confidence of the “Parliament”, which refused them confidence.

Now they state they are “Ministers” , even without the confidence and acceptance of the “Prime Minister” because the “President” (which does not name the Ministers) did refuse the no-confidence of the “Parliament”, and some of them went to participate the UN General Assembly.

Indeed nobody knows what do they do as Ministers since they’re without Ministries.

To me it seems some are forgetting the most important thing.

Rather reminds me of the strange story of the 4 disabled and hungry Somalis in the bush. A deaf, one blind, one without legs, and the last naked.

"A cow roar on the horizon" shouts the deaf. "I see it and is also gray " agrees the blind. "With a leap we can capture it" suggests that without legs. "And if they strip us (of all possessions)?" concludes fearing the nude.

Everything is tragicomic.

Hussein Aden

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Funny Joke: Somalia to recognize Abkhazia and S. Ossetia

Somalia will soon recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two Georgian breakaway regions recently recognized by Russia, the Somali ambassador to Moscow said on Wednesday.

"The government of Somalia will be preparing documents as swiftly as possible on the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Ossetia, as well with Georgia and Abkhazia," Mohamed Handule said.

So far only Nicaragua has joined Russia in recognizing the two republics. Moscow said recognition was a necessary step to protect the republics after last month's conflict.

The question is, will Somalia recognize even Somaliland? What about Basque Country or Padania in Northern Italy? Will South Ossetia and Abkhazia appreciate this recognition?

Last but non least, who really consider now Somalia as a State, since it's known as a failed State and who recognize Mr. Yusuf's authority as a President?

That sound really very funny.

Hussein Aden.

Suorce: RIA Novosti

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Somali Pirates vs Toxic waste trade

For many years the long Somali coast has worked as world landfill of toxic waste.

Already in the late '80s there was much alarm, as highlighted in the report "The Deadly Trade: Toxic Waste Dumping in Africa." (September-October 1988) of Africa Report.

The reality of this illegal and very harmful Trade is then clearly highlighted by several articles of Famiglia Cristiana, Italain weekly magazine, in'98, (http://www.stpauls.it/fc98/4798fc/4798fc84.htm), and by research and the same murder of Ilaria Alpi and Miran Hrovatin.

Of course everything happened with the active collaboration of the warlords of various Somali clans. Individuals of a shameful moral lowliness, which for a few (or many) dollars have destroyed an entire nation and undermined its future in many ways, including nuclear sludge dumped into the Somali coast.

At that time everything could arrive in Somalia without any control. Even more easily by sea, where not even the AK 47 of the various militias could act as a deterrent.

What has changed since then in the Somali coast?

Just today (18/09/08) a Greek vessel was sized off Somali cost.

A maritime official says armed pirates have hijacked a Greek bulk carrier with 25 crew members off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau says the ship was headed to Kenya when it was attacked early Thursday off the coast of Mogadishu.

It was 13th ship seized in the notorious African waters in the past two months.

He says the latest incident shows Somali pirates have expanded their area of attack from the country's northern coast in the Gulf of Aden to Somalia's east coast.

A multinational naval force patrolling the area has been informed, and that ships have been warned to stay clear of Somalia's coast, he added

The modern Somali piracy has nothing to envy to the fearless pirates in the past, and only by January of this year 55 vessels were attacked off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

Almost two ships every three days, and at least eleven of them are still under seizure.

But how this affects the trade of toxic waste?

If these pirates are controlled by various warlords, becomes obvious that the seizures are targeted, at least not to attack "friends" that carry the waste in exchange for money.
In this case the situation can only deteriorate.

Personally, however, I believe that these pirates not respond directly to any local warlord, but are people who have sniffed a bargain of kidnapping as the only source of income in a country that lives only of remittance of emigrants.

I am convinced of this because if they were controlled by warlords would be very easy to stop them, since the local lords are directly controlled by Melez of Ethiopia, in turn he's directly controlled by Washington.

In addition, only two days before, for the second time French commandos attacked a base of pirates in the north of Somalia, an area controlled by an ally of the war to the pirates.

I therefore hope that fear of being kidnapped keeps away many who would otherwise conclude illegal and harmful business, and as immoral as it could appear I’m grateful to the pirates for this.

Hussein Aden

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Ramadan Mubarak

Every year, more than one billion Muslims around the globe observe the importance of the month of Ramadan. This time of the year is a time for reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. During the month of Ramadan, this year from 1st sept to 29th sept 2008, Muslims show their devotion to God by fasting, or abstaining from food.

Many religions encourage some kind of fasting for religious purposes. For instance, Catholics give up meat for Lent and Jews fast during the holiday of Yom Kippur. For Muslims, fasting is a very important component of Islam. The benefits of fasting for Ramadan are numerous. The most important, though, is the idea that through the self-control of fasting one can pay special attention to his spiritual nature.

Ramadan is an important time for Muslims, not simply because it helps develop a closer relationship with God, but also because Ramadan is a time to think about those who are less fortunate. Another goal of fasting for Ramadan is to experience hunger in sympathy for those without food. It is a way that many Muslims learn thankfulness and appreciation for what they have.

Hussein Aden

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Ethiopian troops in Somalia: Feeling the heat!

Since December 2006, when the Ethiopian troops occupied independent Somalia at the invitation of the weak government led by col. Abdullahi yusuf, more damage has been done in terms of property destruction, human rights violation and displacement of innocent population than the previous 16 years combined together!

According to aid agencies and local sources, the Ethiopian occupation forces have committed the worst atrocities imaginable in a barbaric world where rules of engagement and accountability are virtually absent. The absence of accountability has apparently contributed to such behaviour.

See (Human rights watch, 8/07; U.N. humanitarian office report): “human rights abuses committed by the Ethiopian troops include arbitrary arrests, summary executions, looting, pillaging, targeting hospitals and bombardment of populated neighbourhoods” to quote one of the numerous reports.

Oblivious of aid organization reports and appeals to stop the carnage in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, the Ethiopians intensified the ruthless campaign against defenceless civilians causing huge suffering and death. So, Mogadishu was reduced to a ghost town largely inhabited by the occupying forces, the insurgents and cats!

Now, the tide changes in favour of the liberation forces of Somalia. The inevitable consequences of a bitter entrenched warfare in a hostile environment is adversely affecting the Ethiopians- the relentless and constant suicide raids by the Somali fighters, the insomnia, the trauma, the logistical nightmares and …./

For the first time during the occupation, the Ethiopian troops in Somalia are beginning to feel the heat! The ferocity and intensity of the insurgent attacks, their determination and will have stunned the enemy.

In Mogadishu, the hunters are being hunted and pinned down in heavily fortified trenches which look like pressure cookers in the scorching sun; out of desperation, they respond with savage artillery barrage which serves for no military purpose.

Outside the capital, the two major artery routes connecting the capital to the strategic Hiiran and Bay regions are controlled by the fighters, cutting supply lines and reinforcements. Hiiraan and Bay, two crucial regions, spin out of control.

Many analysts believe that if this trend continues, a military debacle will be inevitable, ending the wild dreams of imperial Ethiopia to annex the seaports of Somalia and probably pave the way for lasting reconciliation. That is why any future peace keeping mission to Somalia should have the endorsements of all stakeholders in Somalia!

Ahmed Raghe Hassan

Source:Hiiraan Online

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Ethiopia starts "training" Somali journalists

Ethiopia has launched a month-long training programme for under-pressure Somali journalists, Addis Ababa said Saturday 21st.

"The Ministry of Information in collaboration with the publicly-owned media offers a month-long training in journalism to practitioners from Somalia,” a statement read.

Around 10 journalists working for radio stations in Mogadishu Baidowa and have started the training programme, focused on radio broadcasting, journalists' code of ethics and scheduling.

The regime of Addis Ababa, a country where there is no press freedom and no respect for human rights, as demonstrated by the recent report of AAAS, US-based Human Rights Watch (published on this site).

A country were at least 200 of the opposition where killed in the last "elections", failing to counter the fight for re-release of Somalia, began a campaign of propaganda and disinformation.

Meles wants to hide the daily destruction of human lives and of all Somalia.

This campaign begins with a project to counteract the Somali press, much more free because no one controls the country and so neither the press, hostile to the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia, organising training of journalism for Somalis.

The fact that the Ministry of Information of a dictatorial and aggressive regime organise a course of journalism for the invaded country confirms the fascist nature of the regime.

The reality is that the Somali press has influenced Ogaden Somalis, a vast region between Somalia and Ethiopia, where the Somali ethnic population is at war for decades for independence from Ethiopia.

The pro Ogaden press has bases in Somalia and is disclosed both from Somalia, via web, and by migrants of Ogaden who are seeking asylum abroad as Somalis.

Infact, the Ethiopian Somalis, the Ogaden migrants, normally seek asylum as Somalis from Somalia for which is recognised statelessness.

It’s precisely in that region where there have been villages burned by Meles, who now can no longer deny because there are satellite photos of AAAS.

It will not be this move to save a shaky dictatorship.


Hussein Aden

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Somalia: Most unstable state

Somalia has been ranked as the most unstable country in the world, according to a new report by the US magazine, Foreign Policy, and the Fund for Peace, which promotes sustainable security.

Seven of the top 10 states on the list are in sub-Saharan Africa, said Monday's annual report.

Sudan was named as the second most unstable state, due to the continuing crisis in Darfur and the country's growing number of refugees, the report said.

The index uses 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators to rank 177 states in order of their vulnerability to violent internal conflict and the deterioration of their civil society.

Bangladesh suffered the most drastic decline in the past year, rising to 12th on the list after a year of internal political crisis and the effects of a deadly cyclone that left 1.5 million people homeless.

Israel and the occupied West Bank got into the index's top 60 - at No. 58 - for the first time, just behind Angola and Georgia.

Source: Aljazeera

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"Agreement" between Transitional Federal Governament and the Allaince for Re-Liberation of Somalia

But what agreement? What new to sign this agreement?

Meles has always said that when the UN soldiers arrive and ensure the security of government and the country (Somalia) will withdraw his soldiers from Somalia.

Just as Bush has always said that before leaving the country (Iraq) it is necessary to strengthened democracy in the country and that there is more Alqaeda.

So what changed to sign an agreement with Meles (TNG) after argued that before to speak it's necessary that the Ethiopian soldiers leave Somalia or at least plan a precise date for their departure?

How come up to yesterday (09/06/08) the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia have adhered to this position, forcing the representative of Ban Ki Moon to announce failure, planning his departure from Djibouti?

Why only yesterday when the opposition has met the ambassadors of some Western countries have accepted in all its parties the position Meles?

Hussein

Read agreement points

1. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) attending a meeting from 31 May to 9 June 2008 in Djibouti, facilitated by the UN. They are hereafter referred to as "the Parties".
2. The Parties gave their respective analyses of the 18 year old crisis and made proposals aimed at restoring trust, confidence and at ending the conflict. Their discussion led to the present Agreement.

3. The primary requirement of this Agreement is to: ensure the cessation of all armed confrontation and a political settlement for a durable peace; promote a peaceful environment; avoid a security vacuum; facilitate the protection of the population and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and call for the convening of a reconstruction and development conference.
4. The Parties noted that:

a. Over the past eighteen years, Somalia has suffered massive human losses, insecurity and vast destruction of its physical infrastructure and other vital public investments. A whole generation of young people and adults has been sacrificed or denied education and development;

b. The human and humanitarian situation is continuously deteriorating. At the same time, the country’s international image and standing have been seriously undermined;

c. This tragic situation, and the fact that eighteen years of war and conflict have brought neither durable peace nor stability and inspired by patriotic and religious examples of compromise.

5. Decided to:

a. Reaffirm the dignity, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Somalia;

b. Take courageous measures to finally bring this situation to an end and resolve the crisis through peaceful means.

6. Agreed on:

a. The termination of all acts of armed confrontation by the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and its allies and by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allies;

b. The cessation of armed confrontation shall come into force thirty (30) days from the signing of this agreement throughout the national territory;

c. The cessation of armed confrontation is approved for an initial period of ninety (90) days, renewable.

7. The Parties agreed from the date of coming into effect of this Agreement:

a. To request the United Nations, consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1814 and within a period of one hundred and twenty (120) days, to authorize and deploy an international stabilization force from countries that are friends of Somalia excluding neighboring states;

b. Within a period of 120 days of the signing of this agreement the TFG will act in accordance with the decision that has already been taken by the Ethiopian Government to withdraw its troops from Somalia after the deployment of a sufficient number of UN Forces;

c. The ARS shall, through a solemn public statement, cease and condemn all acts of armed violence in Somalia and dissociate itself from any armed groups or individuals that do not adhere to the terms of this Agreement.

8. To ensure the effective implementation of this Agreement, the Parties agree to:
a. Undertake all necessary measures to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and assistance to affected populations;

b. Refrain from declarations and actions inconsistent with the peaceful spirit of this Agreement;

c. Establish a Joint Security Committee to follow up the implementation of security arrangements within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement. The composition and mandate of this Committee, chaired by the UN, shall be adopted within the same period.

9. A High Level Committee, chaired by the UN, should be established within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement to follow up on issues relating to the political cooperation between the Parties and concerns over justice and reconciliation. These issues will be discussed at a conference to be organized by 30 July 2008.

10. The Parties will work with all other relevant Somali stakeholders to ensure the full and effective implementation of this agreement.

11. The Parties call on the international community to help provide the adequate resources for the implementation and follow-up of this Agreement. The Parties also consider it a priority to convene within the next six (6) months an international conference aimed at addressing Somalia’s Reconstruction and Development.

Djibouti

9 June 2008
Transitional Federal Government
Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia
United Nations

Observer Groups:
African Union
League of Arab States
Organization of Islamic Conference
European Union

Observer States:
France
United Kingdom
United States
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Djibouti

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LA VOGLIA MATTA DI CANCELLARE LA SOMALIA

ll Makrizi racconta che Ahmed Gurey (il Mancino) mosse una guerra generalizzata nel Corno d’Africa, soprattutto contro l’Abissinia che si proclamava una “isola cristiana in mezzo a un mare mussulmano”.

L’imperatore abissino di allora, lebnan Deghel, chiamò in suo aiuto i paesi “europei cristiani”, per una nuova crociata. Nel 1541 il regno cristiano portoghese (uno degli stati marittimi più potenti del momento) rispose prontamente inviando la sua flotta e sbarcò a Massaua un nutrito contingente militare che soccorse il Denghel.

Tra gli sbarcati c’erano due fratelli del ben più noto navigatore Vasco da Gama (citato in “Mogadiscio”, di Pietro Petrucci, Nuova Eri, 1993). Da allora la guerra tra somali e abissini, poi diventati alla epoca di Menelik, etiopici, non cessò quasi mai.

Questo è stato uno dei primi tentativi di cancellare la Somalia.

Durante la colonizzazione, gli italiani utilizzarono armate somale (ed eritree) per invadere l’Etioipia. L’Ogaden non fu l’unica base di contesa tra somali ed etiopi. C’era di mezzo la necessità, che l’Etiopia ha sempre proclamato, di avere in qualche modo l’accesso al mare, a un mare qualunque.

L’annessione dell’Eritrea, nel 1963, avvenne palesemente per soddisfare questa esigenza. Ma dopo l’indipendenza di quest’ultimo paese (dopo 30 anni di guerriglia!) e le recenti battaglie sul confine, l’Etiopia ha perso questa opportunità. Haile Selassie, il re reimposto dagli inglesi nel 1943, dopo l’uscita dell’Italia dall’Etiopia, in un suo intervento ha dichiarato che i confini Sud dell’Etiopia arrivavano fino alle spiagge dell’Oceano Indiano.

Altro tentativo di cancellare la Somalia Quando la Somalia accede all’indipendenza (luglio 1960) non aveva un esercito addestrato nè completo nei suoi ranghi, perché l’Amministrazione Fiduciaria italiana aveva formato solo un corpo di polizia, avocando a sé e alle Nazioni Unite la difesa del Territorio somalo; il confine coloniale non è stato demarcato ufficialmente, infatti è tuttora provvisorio e gli incontri tra i rappresentanti dell’Etiopia e quelli dell’Afis, guidati dal Dr Vitale del MAE, si sono arenati con un nulla di fatto.

Perciò la Somalia ha dovuto affrontare, già nel 1963, una massiccia penetrazione dell’esercito etiopico, forse per realizzare il suo primario obiettivo. Da lì ha inizio la relazione somalo-sovietica, due paesi che prima di allora non avevano mai avuto contatti. Siamo nel pieno della guerra fredda e l’URSS, dopo il gran rifiuto dei paesi occidentali di sostenere la Somalia (pur armando l’Etiopia, adducendo accordi precedenti) ha offerto armi, addestramento in loco e in Urss, tecnici e risorse economiche non indifferenti.

Nel 1976-77, durante il regime di Siad Barre, scoppiò l’ennesima guerra fra la Somalia e l’Etiopia. Là c’era Mingistu Haile Mariam, qui M. Siad Barre. Ognuno aveva foraggiato e sostenuto gli avversari dell’altro (i signori che oggi governano l’Etiopia, Meles Zanawi e l’Eritrea, Isayas Afwerke, hanno vissuto per anni in Somalia, hanno viaggiato col passaporto diplomatico somalo e utilizzato ampiamente risorse somale).

Quando scoppiò la guerra, i somali oltrepassarono la linea Maginot etiopica (Kara Mardha) e questo portò all’intervento dei sovietici (a favore dell’Etiopia contadina e copta) e dei cubani
(a favore dell’Etiopia socialista e più affidabile:15 000 soldati in suo soccorso!).

Altro tentativo di cancellare la Somalia Quando Mingistu stava per essere scacciato dall’ultimo baluardo (Addis Abeba) intervennero le forze occidentali cristiane, si fece in quattro e quattro otto una conferenza a Londra, si offri al dittatore un sicuro rifugio (Zimbabwe) che lui forzatamente accettò. Così si salvò Addis-Abeba! Al contrario, quando l’altro dittatore somalo uscì da Mogadiscio per rifugiarsi in uno dei lembi della Somalia, dove il suo clan lo avrebbe protetto, l’Europa (Italia compresa), si offrì per dargli un asilo politico.

Per cancellare la Somalia, bisognava prima gettarla in un indicibile caos! Nel 1991 sono nati movimenti incontrollati, ognuno dei quali faceva riferimento a uno o più clan somali. Chi conosce la Somalia sa che le città, anche se intorno vi abitano specifici clan, sono tuttavia aperte a tutti gli altri clan; dove commerciano, si sposano indifferentemente tra le donne dei clan differenti, i figli diventano patrinimicamente del clan del padre ma ci sono legami fortissimi e indissolubili con la famiglia materna (che spesso è di un clan diverso!). Questi Signori della guerra hanno trasformato la Somalia in una terra di nessuno.

L’Etiopia ci ha lavorato molto coi suoi alleati, propiziando secessioni e distacchi e soprattutto mantenendo legami fortissimi con alcuni signori, a cominciare da Abdullahi Yususf e la Somalia del Nord. Distruggendo ogni vestigia statale, questi signori hanno eretto, con foga, muri e muri difficilmente valicabili tra i somali mercificando tutte le risorse del paese: dall’impalcature metalliche delle industrie, dal rame dei fili elettrici ai tubi delle acque potabili, dalle risorse marine al sistematico disboscamento e alla distruzione della ricca fauna. Questa non è stata una conquista, ma una vittoria di Pirro su Siad Barre e una distruzione fisica della Somalia e del suo tessuto sociale.

Dopo di che il resto era prevedibile: la reazione di qualche raggruppamento somalo per salvare il paese dal caos (in questo caso le corti islamiche) e per dare respiro alla popolazione; la coalizione Etiopico-USA per invadere la Somalia (con l’accusa non sostanziata di essere un covo di Al Qaeda!), in un momento di estrema debolezza della Somalia, con l’obiettivo esplicito di occupare la Somalia e di far arrivare quindi i soldati etiopici sulle sospirate spiagge dell’Oceano indiano.

Il 3 Dicembre scorso è stato organizzato un incontro (sponsorizzato anche dal Ministero Affari Esteri italiano) tra alcune persone: Massimo Alberizzi del Corriere della Sera, Nino Sergi, Mauro Raffaelli e Gian Paolo Calchi Novati, tutte persone rispettabilissime, ma nessuno di essi è somalo. Il titolo dell’incontro, molto esplicativo, era “Somalia: il Paese che non esiste”.

Vedete che non siamo paranoici, ma non è facile oggi colonizzare un paese, come fecero gli europei nel secolo scorso, soprattutto tra vicini. No. L’insurrezione in corso contro la presenza etiopica, specie nell’area della Capitale, è massiccia e arruolerà sempre più gente e più ribelli contro lo stato attuale.

Meglio fermare in tempo l’Etiopia prima che divampi un incendio globale su tutto il corno. E’ già cominciato in Kenya, domani sarà la volta dell’Etiopia. E poi chissà!


Dr. Mohamed Aden Sheikh

medico ed ex ministro somalo

Pollicino Gnus, Febbraio 2008

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