Hiiraan Online

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. PHOTO/ WILLIAM OERI|FILE 

Friday, September 20, 2013

“The joint financial board will manage the nation’s (Somalia) economy in the most transparent manner,” remarked Mohamud. He added that donor countries and organizations are going to have a significant representation.

The Somali leader’s remarks comes after it was declared that a total of Euro 1.8bn ($2.4bn) was pledged by more than 70 countries and organisations that took part in the New Deal for Somalia conference.

President Mohamud underlined that the funds pledged will be equitably distributed to all regions of Somalia for rebuilding, recovery and development.

The conference in Belgium was co-chaired by Ms Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy–cum-Vice President of the European Commission and President Mohamud.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab, the radical Islamist group in Somalia, strongly criticised the New Deal conference and its outcome. It referred as a ‘gathering to deceive the Somali people.’

Sheikh Ali Mohamud Raghe, the Spokesman of the zealous Islamist movement, told the media on Tuesday that Somalia could not build a state by begging around.

“The main outcome was to agree on a measure to wage aggression against Somalia,” said Sheikh Ali Dhere. He added that donors’ intention is to offer some funds but rob more from Somalia.

“They pay money, but their intention is to compete for the country’s natural resources in return,” said the hardliner sheikh, stating that the donors attached strings of conditions to what they offer.

Sheikh Ali Dhere predicted that foreign countries and agencies will abandon Hassan (President Mohamud) once the Al-Shabaab militants wreck the government and the funds it receives.

“Hassan Gurguurte (a popular nickname for President Mohamud) will end up in shame once the jihadists confront his plans and Reer Yurub ‘the Europeans’ abandon him as they did to former Somali government leaders,” reiterated the clergyman.

“I advise the ‘non-believers’ (donors) to keep their endowment. We shall never accept your tactics of giving little and looting more natural resources.”

The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab lost most of the major urban settlements in Southern and Central Somalia following advances made by the internationally supported African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

Mogadishu, Kismayu, Beledweyne, Baidoa, Jowhar, Garbaharrey and Marka are among the regional capitals taken over with the help of  Amisom peacekeepers over the past two years, forcing the fanatical Islamists to adopt guerilla tactics.