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by Ali Osman E
Saturday, February 21, 2009
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For Sale: Somali Embassy in Germany |
It is a sad reminder of the magnitude of the work waiting for the incoming Foreign Minister of Somalia.
Many of Somalia’s infrastructures are in tatters and this includes the Somali Diplomatic Missions abroad. The embassies are repossessed, vacated, transferred to private properties or simply functioning as a mouth piece to which ever country pays the ambassador’s salary. Somalia has once competent diplomats and military attaché in key countries that were vital to our national interest. Today, those ambassadors have moved on, are old, retired, or have died.
Few who have stayed behind, some literally get their livelihood by selling government passports and ID’s to other nationals such as Ethiopians and anyone who is black and wants to claim refugee status in Western Europe or North America. It is quite common to run into Ethiopians, Eritrean, Tanzanian and Yemenis carrying our passport bought from our embassies in the Middle East or Africa. Many of the current ambassadors and their support stuff are incompetent and really are an embarrassment by represent Somalia.
Somalis are being abused, mistreated and sometimes killed or imprisoned without a cause and you would not hear them say even a word. It is a sad reminder of what happens when we misplaced our priorities and replaced nationhood with tribalism. No one wins and everyone loses.
Prime Minister Sharmarke named Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, a heavy weight for the position of the Foreign Minister. He is someone who has strong credentials in international experience who is from a prominent family within Somalia. He was the deputy chairman of the former Islamic Courts that ruled Mogadishu back in 2006. The hopes are high that a new generation with modern education and International experience will be appointed to represent our nation in vital and key countries for our national interest. It is our hope that the foreign minister will name people who can represent and form positive political relations with our neighbors and allies but also can promote our other national interests such as promotion on investment, marketing and collaboration.
The Foreign Ministry also has a huge task in repatriating thousands of Somalis wallowing in foreign refugee camps that are indescribable misery such as Yemen, Kenya and Ethiopian refugee camps. There is a need to work with the United Nations and donor nations to make sure these refugees are returned with agreeable condition and terms. The United Nations and donor nations would be key in paying the repatriation cost and continue to financially support until they are resettled in favorable conditions. The United Nations have vested interest to support such an efforts to resettle these refugee population back in to their societies where they are not victimized and can gradually integrate into their societies. Refugee transportation, food, medicine and housing are all components that are requirement for resettlement of refugees.
Ali Osman
E-mail: [email protected]