by Ali Said Faqi

The SSU senses obligation to formulate its position regarding the recent developments in Mogadishu that predominately impacts the future of its members in Southern Somalia.  The SSU understands that the victory of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Mogadishu came at a time when the public lost faith against malicious warlords who panicked Mogadishu and Southern Somalia for the last 15 years and is very pleased to see the brutal era of the warlords coming to an end.  Although the defeat of some of the Mogadishu warlords was very well received by all the Somalis inside the country and those in the Diaspora; nevertheless, there have been skepticism surrounding the events that led to their downfall.  It was very clear from the inception that ICU has received supports from the warlords who forcefully occupy the land and resources of the Lower Shabelle and Jubba.  In addition, the biased media including the BBC Somali Branch in UK have played a supporting role to mobilize the public opinion against some warlords while portraying others as fine men.  This well orchestrated media campaign coupled with the mobilization of clan militias occupying the Lower Shabelle and Jubba were deemed to be some of the forces behind the ICU victory in Mogadishu. The Southern Somali Union (SSU) is profoundly concerned about the partnership that forged between the ICU and members of Jubba Valley alliance in general and the vicious warlord of the Lower Shabelle in particular.    SSU believes that the criteria for criminal warlords were limited to only the group that fought against ICU in Mogadishu, while those who supported the ICU regardless of their criminal background seem to have been granted immunity.  While the public was expecting to see the enemies of peace and stability be treated equally and removed from the power, the active involvement of Mr. Indha Adde and his supporters in these new changes is very troubling. This partnership appears to be a political deception aimed to legitimize the forceful occupation of Southern Somalia through religious means.  The SSU is extremely worried about the use of religion as a ruse to legitimize the land grabbing and further sustaining the resources of Southern Somalia.  

The ICU which operates under Islamic faith has indicated to be willing to curb the chaos and the lawlessness dominating the daily life of the people in Somalia, while the clan militias occupying the majority of the southern Somalia and their infamous political leaders has prospered in anarchy and lawlessness and are unwilling to transform the status quo. The only logic reason for the involvement of Mr. Indha Adde in these changes would be disrupting developments that might lead to the end of his domination.   We plead to the ICU to distance itself from Mr. Indha Adde and his cronies and urge the ICU to dismantle his illegal administration and empower the indigenous people of Benadir, Lower Shabelle and Jubba to determine their political future.

The exploitation and the pain inflicted to the indigenous people of Benadir, Lower Shabelle and Jubba are worse than those imposed by colonial powers.  The SSU has recently received credible information regarding the employment of children under 15 years old in the war against warlords in Mogadishu. Young children from minority clans were gruesomely taken away from their families and sent to the frontline in Mogadishu without any formal training.  Mr. Indha Adde and his clan militia raided villages in Lower Shabelle and taken children as young as 10 years old to the frontline.

Horn Afrik online and TV, Radio Shabelle, several media websites and BBC Somali Branch which control 95% of the Somali News are blamed of siding the criminal administrations of Southern Somalia and depicting rosy pictures in the areas illegally occupied by Mr. Indha Adde and his supporters, and therefore, it is very unlikely that the macabre inflicted to the natives of Southern Somalia reported. The use of the media to divert the public opinion turned to be a successful tactic to deflect the attention of the international community from the facts in the Lower shabelle and Jubba.   

Mr. Indha Cadde and his close cousins control every district and villages of the Lower Shabelle and Jubba with an iron fist.  The revenue generated from illegal taxation, drug harvesting and trafficking, chopping trees for charcoal and over fishing is used as a financial source for acquiring military arsenals to maintain the illegal occupation. 

The human rights abuses in Southern Somalia are in fact signs of failure of the international community to address the atrocities that is perpetuated against unarmed and peaceful people of Somalia.

It is our considerate opinion that Mr. Indha Adde and his associates are fudging the issue of Islam to derail the completion of the peace process and the pressing agendas of the fledging Transitional Federal Government with the purpose of extending their domination in the South.

We welcome the US initiative to convene a strategic session on Somalia and plead to the international community to grasp the plights of the unarmed and peaceful indigenous people of the south.  We appeal to the international community to send international observers to investigate the atrocities inflicted on the indigenous people of Benadir, Lower Shabelle and Jubba.  We call upon the USA, Europe and the IGAD countries to support the current peace process in Somalia and pray that this new interest in Somalia shown by the big powers will accelerate the establishment of a new democratic and peaceful Somalia.  Thank you." 

Dr. Ali Said Faqi

Co-founder and Political advisor of SSU

E-mail: [email protected]