Somali Diaspora Network (SDN)
[email protected]
http://www.somalidiaspora.org
Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 1 February, 2008: Mr. Nur Hassan Hussein Adde, the Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) new Prime Minister, participated in a one-hour long BBC call-in show on January 18, 2008. His answers to questions asked by callers were entirely different from the previous TFG Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi and the TFG President, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. While their statements threatened civilians with bombardment, and insisted that civilians evacuate whole neighborhoods, Mr. Adde's tone was encouraging and conciliatory. He promised to talk to the opposition without precondition, and release the Mogadishu elders and journalists who were illegally detained. When radio callers spoke about their predicament, Mr. Adde's answers were supportive and sympathetic. Furthermore, he offered to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to over 800,000 displaced civilians who now live on the outskirts of Mogadishu.
To many Somali observers, the conciliatory talk initially seemed just that; talk! However, with the January 27, 2008, release of some of the Mogadishu elders and journalist detainees, Somalis saw the first concrete action in line with Mr. Nur Adde's conciliatory approach. We congratulate Mr. Nur Adde on his confidence building steps and urge him to continue on the path of reconciliation; challenge those in the Transitional Federal Government who believe in only a military solution; and distance himself from the warlords and those in the TFG who committed war crimes against the Somali people.
The TFG President, Abdullahi Yusuf, in his first interview since Mr. Nur Adde's conciliatory approach (Voice of America, January 27, 2008), has already launched his divisive tirades and contradicted the conciliatory tone and offer of talks by Mr. Adde. Obviously, there are those within the TFG who believe that genuine peace talks is not in their interest, and will continue to be obstacles to any effort to reach out to the opposition group. Therefore, it is vital for the International Community, particularly the United Nations, the United States, and the members of the European Union to use their leverage and exert pressure on the TFG and the Ethiopian government to allow Mr. Adde to conduct negotiations, unimpeded, with the opposition in order to find a viable political solution.
We believe that the continued presence of the Ethiopian occupying forces is the number one factor causing the current crisis in Somalia. The Somali Diaspora Network strongly urges Mr. Adde to build upon the positive momentum before it is too late, and take the following steps right away:
- Immediately halt all military operations and release all detainees
- Present a timetable for the immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia without precondition or delay
- Ensure timely delivery of humanitarian aide to the Internally Displaced People by removing bureaucratic and physical roadblocks
- Begin negotiations with the opposition in order to form a unity government, pave the way for elections, and bring a lasting peace to Somalia
ABOUT SOMALI DIASPORA NETWORK (SDN) – SDN is a grass-roots organization committed to advocate on critical policy matters pertaining to Somali-American interest and issues of concern through communication and information sharing, raising public awareness, and educating the public and government officials.
Source: SDN, Feb 01, 2008