By Abukar Sanei
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Earlier this year, a diplomatic figure had the perception that there was a progress in Somalia, but this notion was not really true! For instance, in November 2007, the head of the TFG, Mr. Yusuf followed suit on this counterfeit view and stated, "Somalia now is the best situation ever", while many Mogadishu residents have been forced to evacuate, and other innocent civilians lost their lives. However, this statement that was uttered by the "head" of the TFG was another misleading, too.
Having these baseless claims in mind, based on the realities that are on the ground, the current situation is the worst that Somalis have faced after the independence. The UN has recently described the crisis of Somalia as "the worst crisis in Africa." Yes, there has been a civil war that erupted the country after the collapse of the last regime in 1990s, but the current situation isn't comparable to any situation or event that occurred in Somalia for the last four decades. However, there are many reasons that are behind this tragedy that the unfortunate Somalis are suffering from, but two main points may contribute the most: The Ethiopian occupation and the corrupted warlord entity that is called TFG.
The Ethiopian occupation on Somalia, and how it's devastated the current situation, to begin with, is something that needs to be repeated and talked about in every public and private discussion. Thanks to some Somali intellectuals, like professor Ahmed Samatar, who has already made his points and proved how this occupation is unproductive. Nevertheless, the fact that needs to be stated here is that the Ethiopian dream of conquering Somalia isn't something that just started today. It has been in the minds of every Ethiopian ruler, starting from the emperor Menelik, and the statehood of Somalia was even really in doubt by those who have ruled Ethiopia. Having this dream in mind, and to make it a reality, the current leadership of Addis Ababa has not reserved anything, but it utilized to destroy this nation and keep it as bad before the invasion, or worse after it. As a result, this paralyzing method has finally made it easy for the Addis Ababa regime to fulfill the past dreams and invade this war-ravaged nation for its strategic purposes rather than a national security. For instance, seeing the "defeated" Islamic Courts Union as a threat to the Ethiopian security was just a scapegoat that was used to justify for the invasion. Only in the recent conflicts between the nationalist fighters one one side, and the Ethiopian forces and the mercenaries of the so-called TFG on the other, many innocent civilians have been slaughtered and an estimated number of 170, 000, according to Chicago Tribune, evacuated their chattels behind. Other sources have reported that around half a million people fled the capital because of the heavy clashes. However, the haphazard carnage that the Ethiopians carried out in Mogadishu was the factor that pushed the European Union parliament to discuss if the invaders have committed any human rights violation.
There is nothing worse than to be governed by puppets and corrupted individuals, but that is exactly what is happening in Somalia. Therefore, the warlord based "government"that is called TFG is nothing but another problem that has put the history of Somalia in a dark era. The reason that this government is nothing is that it's just made up by the Ethiopian regime. Moreover, this TFG has secretly "kept" the Ethiopian forces in the Somali soil, and eventually "let" them to invade the entire country. However, those warlords, from top to the bottom, have greatly played for the destruction of the country. They were, without any exception, patrons of Ethiopia; they were divided and used against each other; and then they were named as MPs in the Mbagati conference in 2004, which lastly put Mr. Yusuf, the eldest warlord, who has been fighting for presidency for the last three decades, on the top of the TFG. Yesterday, they had their roadblocks, which they used to collect their illegal income from the defenseless Somalis, not only from Mogadishu, but from every corner of the southern Somalia. Today, they hold seats from the so-called parliament, which cannot take its legislative decisions unless there is an order from Addis Ababa. The fact is that these thugs, who are claiming to be the "national leaders" are not capable to establish peace and stability in Somalia, because seventeen years of experience proves this. However, it may not be hard to find an alternative and genuine leaders that may save the country from this turmoil, but they may not be considered as legitimate leaders if they don't beat the drums of the invaders even if they are overwhelmingly elected.
What must be done to overcome this crisis? Well, this is the question that its answer sums up the solution of the calamity of Somalia. The Ethiopia's political interference of Somali affairs for the last seventeen years was the machine that has kept the security of Somalia fluctuant. Furthermore, the current military occupation has added salt to the injury, and it's the cancer of the current crisis. Therefore, the end of this occupation is not just an option, but it's a must. On the other hand, even though the so-called TFG enjoys an international recognition, it lacks the recognition of "its" people. The reason that the TFG lacks the support of the people is simple: The warlords. Consequently, these warlords will never be able to enjoy any support from the majority of Somalis regardless any foreign power they [warlords] are embedded with. However, a complete pull out of the political and military interference, and changing the corrupted warlords, who claim "governance", [if they even know how to govern] in Somalia is the action that needs to be taken in order to establish a long-term peace and security in Somalia.
Abukar Sanei
[email protected]