Hiiraan Online

by Abukar Sanei
July 8, 2008

"Waabaa baryay bilicsan aroorya baxsan maalin boqran" Xuseen Aw Faarax

If you subtract from the years of the civil war, and warlord based conflicts, and from the last two years of the brutal occupation of the Ethiopian forces, which has put the country and its people into another dark situation, I am not sure if anyone can count it as a complete years of independence from the European colonies in 26th of June 1960 for the Northren Somalia, and July 1st of the same year for the South. However, despite the current grievances that can not be ignored; despite the sorrows and gloomy nightmares that many mothers have suffered from by losing their sons, let’s turn our memories back, and reflect how the situation was forty eight years from these days. Let’s remember the patriot Somalis who have fought for that precious independence. Moreover, let us refresh our reminiscences and think back that this country, which is now occupied for political and resource reasons, had once celebrated its liberty from such a powerful colonies!

Nevertheless, the truth is that situations change from time to time, and what you had yesterday may not be available to you today. By the same token, individuals can not share the same personal qualities. One may sell his country while another prefer to die for it. One just wants to be in the chair of power without thinking who is going to be under his ruling. One is greedy and selfish while another one may want to share. For instance, from these different characters, you can imagine the character of the thirteen young men and their colleagues who brought this liberty and freedom to their country, and fully celebrated it in the streets of Mogadishu in 1960! In addition, what result would you get if you compare these men to the ones that claim “leadership” now? I guess there is nothing comparable here, but the fact is that every Somali individual is indebt to these brave men and women for their struggle to achieve their dreams of founding a country known Somalia in July 1st, 1960 !

There is no question that there are many lessons to learn from these five decades that part of it, Somalis enjoyed a relative peace and stability until the total destruction of the country in 1991. For instance, what were the main causes of the total destruction needs to be addressed. There are two main important issues that have not been paid attention to them, and these two issues are lack of justice and vision that those who claimed the “leadership” position have totally ignored!

Injustice and its impact on destroying nations is the number one lesson that can be learned from where Somalia is today. Not only did this injustice start after the civil war, but it has been in place before the civil war erupted in 1991. Many Somalis witnessed in mid 1970s when the late regime put a number of scholars on the execution tree, and fired bullets at them. What a sin have they committed to be executed for? These scholars simply rejected Marxism ideas, which rejected the teachings of the revelation, and specifically, they spoke out against the ruler’s unjust decree that disregarded the Islamic perspective of inheritance. Those scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, refused any humiliation against the consecrated revelation that they have learned, practiced and taught in their life time, and eventually preferred to die for it. Some thinkers within the Somali community believe that all the catastrophe and destruction that are faced by Somalis since then is the outcome of the injustice execution of those innocent scholars, because the rest of the society has kept silent, and could not dare to speak out against what they were observing from the ruling party.

Another injustice action was carried out in the late 1980s when the entire city of Hargeysa was bombarded from the air and land respectively. For instance, the perpetrators of this massacre have totally taken out their minds that patriot grandfathers of the sons and daughters of the city of Hargeysa were those who recognized the importance of the unity and carefully thought that this country can only be one, and handed their liberty to their brethren in the south. The result of this bloodshed is what has led those in the northern region to secession from the rest of the country. In fact, no one else can imagine how the painful of this bombardment was to the dwellers of the second largest city of Somalia , and its people except those who have tested it. And this is one of the reasons that are behind the whole idea of separating this region from the rest of Somalia , and calling it as “ Somaliland State .” However, what strikes people is that some of those who were behind the bombardment of the city of Hargeysa, who were supposed to be trailed for the crimes they have committed against innocent civilians, are now holding “leadership” position in the so-called TFG!

Lack of strategic plan and not even examining what the future may hold is another lesson that needs to be taken into consideration. This can be seen as the most serious situation that Somalis did not care about. However, Somalis have witnessed so-called “revolutions" that could not come up with a vision and plan of what they were trying to accomplish. This problem started from those who were leading the opposition groups against the ruling system that was in power from 1969 to the beginning of 1991. The so-called “leadership”, who later on turned to a cluster of warlords, could not even think about what comes after the ousting of the regime, and failed to prepare for good governance that can overcome oppressions and injustices, and replace it with peace and justice. Despite the fact of their failure, none of them have admitted any failure.

The same failure and lack of vision came two years ago when a militant cleric from the ICU, needless to mention his name, claimed that he will conquer and pray in Addis Ababa without even evaluating his capacity to make that possible, and what consequences that will lead to Somalis. In fact, this imprudent rhetoric has given a green light to the one that was looking for an excuse for invasion of this country.

These are the two ills that Somalis were not able to heal from them, and find the best way possible to get out of it. Without justice and clear vision, Somalis have seen all kinds of suffer; without justice and forward thinking were the reasons of the total destruction, and eventually, that's what led the occupiers occupy this country, but let’s not despair from the future, and keep in mind that it’s not too late to reclaim them back!