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Mogadishu residents flee the Somali capital - .(AFP/File) |
This is an open letter for all Somalia women living in the diaspora who are concerned about the situation of Southern Somalia. Please join us by adding your name at the bottom of the letter.
Further to the ongoing violation of human rights in Southern Somalia, we write as concerned Somali women in the Diaspora to request urgent intervention.
We are very worried about the increasing number of civilian deaths and casualties in Mogadishu as a result of the indiscriminate acts of terror being waged by Ethiopian troops and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) on civilians in retaliation of mortar attacks from insurgents. Entire districts of Mogadishu have now been vacated by fleeing families jut to be robbed on their way to safety.
Background
Somalia has suffered 15 years of lawlessness and chaos, with no effective state institutions; warlords split cities into fiefdoms, controlled the country by force, terrorized people, intimidated and held clan leaders hostage. The clan leaders became just the rubber stamp of warlords and lost the trust of constituencies they represented.
Albeit a depressing life, ordinary people made their lives as best they could and created community institutions of their own. The roots of such institutions that they created was their common faith in Islam and their trust in the religious leaders among them.
The Islamic movement emerged from the grassroots of Somali society in Mogadishu to replace the political vacuum and serve the need of peace and security for the nation. These individuals had popular support as they brought back semblance of normality to the lives of the people and in particular to the lives of women and children who were able to walk the streets without fear for the first time in 15years. The media reported the sudden improvement of safety in Mogadishu after many years of anarchy. People started to hand back properties to their legitimate owners. Roadblocks and gun men who had held the residents of southern Somalia hostage were removed and businesses thrived as people united to rebuild infrastructure and institutions such as roads and schools. The sea and air ports were re-opened and the cities cleaned for the first time in 15 years.
However, this was a short lived aspiration of any Somali who had the welfare of Somalis at heart as Ethiopian tanks and troops entered the country with the support of the US administration. What some diplomats call a window of opportunity left many nationalist Somalis in a state of shock and disgust.
Current situation.
Daily killing of innocent civilians or ‘collateral damage’ as the trendy military terminology would label it, mirrors the current situation.
Ordinary people are left at the mercy of criminals during the day and flying mortars and shells from all corners during the night. Many residents have been left with no choice but to flee Mogadishu and face being robbed of their little valuables by criminal gangs on their root to a safer place for their children to sleep the night. With car jacking on the rise, most bus services in Mogadishu stop at 6pm.
Last month a group of children were swimming, they were hit by wanton shelling: killing one and wounding six. The traditional elder Muridi Mayow said as he was taking the children to the hospital. "The children were hit as they were swimming. They are from other parts of the city so we do not know their identity."
For 16 years our future generations of Somalis are continuously killed, maimed, drown in the sea and displaced internally and abroad for no excuse than Somali men seeking power to govern and their innate inability to comprise.
Governing who and at what cost? We are saying ‘enough is enough’.
The TFG appears to be misusing the war on terror as a tool to murder innocent people including women and children in order to gain control over the country by imposing martial law, causing the displacement of many residents, calling for forcible disarmament of Mogadishu without providing security, removing the Speaker of Parliament, and refusing dialogue with the Islamic Courts. These are all clear indications that the TFG prefers to impose victor’s peace rather than creating real peace and reconciliation in Somalia. Religious scholars, UIC supporters and people from particular constituencies such as the Oromo have all been targeted by National Security Services and at times murdered or transferred to Ethiopia.
On the other hand, opponents of the TFG appear to be intent on rendering Mogadishu ungovernable as a means of blocking the TFG and allowing the clock to run out on the TFG’s remaining two and a half year mandate.
The Ethiopian military machine is heavily armed and has no mercy on civilian casualty; their goal is to impose the unpopular TFG ‘by any means possible’. Most Somalis consider the TFG a puppet government created by Ethiopia and consisting of warlords who they see as the cause of their misery and the destruction of their country.
Our stand
As the ‘Concerned Somali Women in the Diaspora’ we would like to denounce all parties involved in the crisis in Southern Somalia and call for:"
1. All parties to STOP the killing of innocent civilians at wanton.
2. The provision of aid to the injured and displaced civilians of Mogadishu and Southern Somalia.
3. The immediate and unconditional pull out of all Ethiopian troops from the Somali territory and respect for the territorial integrity of Somalia.
4. A clarification of the pretext used to invade Somalia as Ethiopia has yet to prove the “real” and “imminent” threat posed by the Islamic Courts to its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
5. The observance of Human Rights by the Kenyan government and an end to the killing and rendition of ‘suspected’ UIC members and their supporters particularly children.
6. The observance of Human Rights by the TFG and an end to the imposed martial law.
7. The observance of Human Rights by the ‘all entities’ claiming to oppose the TFG and Ethiopian army’ by ending the use of civilians as human shields.
8. A real and transparent dialogue and reconciliation with contribution from all relevant social strata of the Somali society and genuine stakeholders to pave the way for a national government.
9. An investigation of the American bombings of Southern Somalia following false intelligence fed by Ethiopian government which cost the lives of many civilians and their livestock.
10. Compensation from the US government for the loss of lives and properties in Southern Somalia.
11. The right to self-determination to be given back to the Somali people. No party except Somalis themselves have the legal or moral authority to dictate what is good for Somalia or the people of Somalia and how they govern themselves.
12. We believe that the reason for the failure of our country is bad governance and tribalism. The current TFG is based on clan formula of 4.5; we consider this illegitimate as it favours some clans against others. Seats were allocated based on clan affiliation and not on merit. Consequently, most of the TFG members are incompetent and have done nothing constructive for the Somali people since its inception. Providing Peace-keeping Forces to Southern Somalia without a proper reconciliation and without a legitimate government that represents its people will only worsen the situation.
13. We appeal to the international community to assist the Somali people to have a proper reconciliation and a real national government.
14. We appeal to all Somali women in the diaspora to unite our voice on what really matter to us.
Signatories:
Fadumo Abdinor Fiqi, Australia
Maryam Ibrahim Hassan, Kenya
Mohamud Galony, Minneapolis Minnesota
Hashim Abdullahi Sabriye, Pakistan
Zahra Siad Naleie, The Netherlands
Farah Yusuf Farah
Halima Ali Ahmed, USA
Zainab Ali, MN USA
Ilhan Omar, Columbia Heights, MN,USA
Fardous Hagi, California, USA
Jamaad Cabdi Jamacnuur, Sweden
Burhan Ahmed Gabanow, London
Hiba Dahir, UK
Carla Toffolo, Venice, Italy
Amina Adan Abdi, Australia
Nafisa Abukar M- Mursal.
Maryam Alas, Houston Texas
Abdirizak Hussein, Houston Texas
Fatuma Shek Ali Jiumale, Denmark
Khayrta S. Alawi, Canada
Mohamed M. Elmi, Canada
Maryan Colaad Nur, London, UK
Hawa Mohamed, UK
Mohammed S. Abdi- Lewiston, Maine, USA
Siraad Yasin Hashi, St. Paul. MN. U.S.A
Farah Yusuf, New Zealand
Amal Hassan (Falisha) Minneapolis,MN, USA
Amina Ahmed Abukar- San Diego, CA
Marina Haji ElmiUK
Faduma Haji MHusseinUK
Asha-Kin F DualeUK
Amina Haji MohamedUK
Zahra AliHassanUK
Miski S. Abdalla UK
Zahra HajiHiddigUK
Adar AhmedAbdullahi UK
Farhiya H Munye, Columbus Ohio, USA
Abdulkadir Hussein (muqtaar) MN, USA
Samatalis Hussien Haille, VA, USA
Halima Dahir, Seattle, WA, USA
Saido Mohamed GobdoonFinland,Helsinki
Khadra Sulub Ibrahim, MN. USA
ZainabNur, Canada
Udbi Wallin, Minnesota, USA
Hanna ,Denver, Colorado
Asha SiyadJiqley-Ottawa,Ontario
Saida Mohamed, Hopkins, MN, USA
WardaMahamed, UK
ZahraAbdulle, Sweden
Hannaan Mohamed Hagi-Abdi, Canada
Mohamed Abdi, Canada
Asli Ismail Duale, Zam-Zam Foundation, SouthCentral Somalia
Abdi Dheere, Minneapolis USA.
Ilyas AhmedMN, USA
Xamdi Sh MaxmedSeattle WA USA.
J Egale,London UK
Fadumo Abdinoor Fiqi,Australia
Maryam Ibrahim Hasan, Kenya
Mohamud Galony, MN, USA
Hashim Abdullahi Sabriye, Pakistan
Abdirahman- Ontario , Canada
Fartun Nur- MN , USA
Farhia Siad- , USA
Please join us and send your e-mail to [email protected]
(Required: Your Name, Country you live )