By Abdulakdir Aden Mohamud “Jangeli”
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The literature you are about to read is divided into several parts. Its contents are based on facts and fictions. The main players are Ethiopians and Somalis.
Part V
"The Ethiopian army has successfully completed its mission in Somalia, and has fully withdrawn from the Somali territory. Our major task was to get rid of the extremist threat and was accomplished in a swift way," said Minister of Communications Bereket Simon.
“Ethiopian troops left from Mogadishu, but they would be stationed at the border areas“, said Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. When asked about the possibility of sending Ethiopian troops back into the Somali territory, he said "It would be very prudent to be alert," and he added. "We have more than a decade of experience in this regard, we need to have a robust deployment of troops across the border“.
“Ethiopia would continue to help the Somali government, but ruled out sending forces back to the country. We will assist in a lot of ways to bring peace in the country, but that will not involve our army as it did before,“ Said Mr. Simon Bereket.
Most of the Somalis especially those who have been fighting against the Ethiopian brutality were showing their unquestionable joys at the streets of Mogadishu as soon as they have witnessed the withdrawal of Ethiopian trucks full of humiliated and defeated soldiers. Yet there were lot of questions that Somali's were asking themselves: What will happen now since President Abdullahi Yusuf and Ethiopian troops are no longer in charge of Somalia? Is Ethiopia's withdrawal limited to just their troops or they will continue running the Somali affairs behind the scenes as they were doing before?
In fact for the last 17 years Ethiopia was the mastermind of the vicious cycle that Somalia was in. They were using the Somali warlords and now it seems they are recruiting the active clergy members.
Prime Minister Nur Adde and acting President Aden Madobe fled to Addis Ababa and met Prime Minister Meles Zenawi upon President Abdullahi Yusuf resignation. As usual they came back with different instructions from Mr. Zenawi. Prime Minister Nur Adde was pleased with the instruction given by his counterpart, which was the continuation of the Djibouti reconciliation conference and the encouragmen to run for presidency. On the other hand Mr. Zenawi told the Speaker/President Aden Madobe to hold the presidential election in Baidhabo on the date specified by the charter.
As always the Ethiopian authority was confusing with conflicting instructions to the top TFG officials which was ultimately leading constant internal dispute. We have seen that during the past four years, as the leaders traveled from Somalia to Ethiopia and back..
Mr. Ahmed Ould Abdallah the UN envoy for Somalia decided to moved the presidential election into Djibouti. So far there have been only 61.2 individuals who have been declared as candidates. The speaker of the parliament appointed three representatives Mr. Ali Dirir, Mr. Ibrahim Coday and Ms. Barako to examine the eligibility of the candidates. Mr. Ali Dirir, the chairman of the committee called Gen. Morgan and Prof. Ghedi as the first two candidates to debate.
Mr. Ali Dirir
: I am calling Gen. Mooge and Prof. Fanaxay on the floor.
Gen. Mooge:
The level of my education and experience qualify me as the best candidate for this position. After all I am the General with highest theoretical and practical training, and I can fix all the Somali problems with an iron fist.
Prof. Fanaxay:
I have a stronger background as far as education and experience goes. I was a Professor at the National University and I was the most effective Prime Minister that Somalia has ever had since we won our independence.
Gen. Mooge:
What? It is a disgrace that somebody like you, who used our enemy’s army for the demolition of our capital city Mogadishu and displaced millions of people to claim that you were the most effective Prime Minister. Truthfully speaking your place is not here, but in a prison or in a trial at The Hague, the International Criminal Court.
Prof. Fanaxay:
Look who is talking! You are the man who destroyed Hargheysa! The one was supposed to be in The Hague 20 years ago, is trying to occupy the highest office in Somalia? No!…No Sir, as soon as I assume the presidential office I’ll start the process of your trial and you will pay for all the crimes you committed. You made a big mistake if you think you can get away with all the pain and the suffering you caused so many voiceless Somalis.
Gen. Mooge:
First of all, unlike you I was not a Prime Minister, if I committed those crimes that you are accusing me of, do not forget that you were the Prime Minister of the country when you ordered the killings of thousands of innocent Somali people and the wounds are still fresh as we speak.
Ali Dirir:
Gentlemen please stop here. I am disqualifying both of you, because so far, you have not offered any plan or strategy to solve the Somali plight. You have just accused each other for the known crimes you both have committed in Somalia. In the near future, just remember what you have said here today, because soon you will testify in a court of law.
And now I’m calling Col. Nur Hassen Hussein and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
Col. Addaawe:
I am the man of the year. Do you see Mr. Abdullahi in this historical conference. Since 1992 he was the main player for every Somali reconciliation conferences, but this time I convinced the Ethiopian brothers through Ahmed Abdisalam to rid of Abdullahi because I could serve our countries better than him.
Shariif:
Salama caleykum (Peace be upon you). Mr. chairman, brothers and sisters thank you very much for this opportunity. Amma bacda (After that) I would like to ask my brother Mr. Addaawe how he will run a devastated country if he could not manage his cabinets or could not reconcile with his boss, the president? In Somalia we say, Ninkaad kabahaaga ka tolaneyso kabihiisaa la eegaa (You should look first the shoe maker’s shoes before you order your shoes from him). We are aware of how Somalia is shattered, so during these years you occupied this prestigious office of Prime Minister what tangible accomplishments have you achieved? I can’t think of any!
Col. Addaawe:
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, before I became the Prime Minister, all my adult life I was either chief of various police stations or Pubic prosecutor at Maxkamadii badbaadda qaranka (National Security Court) which was the highest court of the land . I solved thousands of cases and I jailed hundreds of bad officials and politicians. All of that requires management and problem solving skills. But you, Mr. Sharif the first office you ever held was when the UIC selected you as their chairman and we all recall you fleeing abroad while your colleagues were still fighting against the Ethiopians aggression. I want to be polite, but we are also all aware that couple of days after the Ethiopian troops entered into Mogadishu and they were hunting down with high-tech helicopters to your followers, you were enjoy first class hotel in Nairobi, Kenya entertaining some western diplomats. Your second job ever, was when the ARS elected you as chairman of the resistance group and you defected from your seat in Asmara leaving behind the majority of the ARS… Therefore, how can you put a troubled country in order when you have a patter of abandoning groups that invested on you. This shows that you are lacking the skills necessary to hold this country together.
Sharif:
Bismillah, Brothers and sisters, I am guilty of my brother Addawe’s accusations, but I did all that for the sake of the peace and political change in our country. As many of you recall in the late 1950’s Chairman Hajji Mohamed Hussein who was one of the 13 founding fathers of the Somali Youth League (SYL) defected his party, the party that he was presiding and founded new party called Somali Democratic Union (SDU). Therefore,
Ali Dirir
: Stop right there Mr. Sharif and please be seated. I believe you don’t need further proofs for your political skills and the ability to govern our nation . I congratulate you for the wonderful presentation. Regarding Mr. Addaawe’s presentation we have many doubts, so we may call you one more time before I disqualified you. Now, we go for one more debate and then we break for the launch so, I am calling onto the floor Mr. Geele Shire and Mr. Qanyare.
Geele Shire
: On behave of my brother Col. Barre Hiiraale I am presenting to you his candidacy papers. My brother is not here to today because he is defending our country from the insurgency and he..
Ali Dirir:
please stop ..stop….. God!! Who put this guy on our list!? Sir, not only you and your brother are disqualified, but all your kin members are ineligible for this postion…….. And now it is Mr. Qanyare turn.
Geele Shire:
Mr. chairman I believe you are acting unjustly. Please be patient and listen to what I am about to say.
Ali Dirir:
No Sir, I have no appetite for your thoughts….. Security, will you please take this gentleman out from my sight.
Barako:
Good for you Mr. Chairman. What goes around comes around.
Ali Dirir:
Thank you Ms. Barako…. Now, Mr. Qanyare you may start your obtuse presentation.
Geesyare:
Mr. Chairman, I don’t like to fight right now, so please restrain your unnecessary remarks. Thank you. Members of the committee, honorable representatives, ladies and gentlemen I am one of the pioneers who overthrew the dictatorship in 1991. And since then, I was either the chief executive of UCS or the Autonomous District of Dayniile
Ali Diri
: Halt there. What is UCS? If you can’t say the abbreviation of the United Somali Congress properly, the party you claim to be the chief executive of, then why should we waste our time with you? Sorry, you have made yourself ineligible for this position. And now it is perfect timing for our lunch. We have 45 minutes break.
At the launch hall most of the presidential candidates rushed to Mr. Ali Dirir’s table. They asked him why he was disqualifying all the candidates who presented their credentials and political platforms except Sharif. They also pointed out that Mr. Sharif’s presentation was not different from the others, yet you were so pleased with him. “They did not present a plan nor a political platform,” responded Mr. Ali Dirir. As soon as he finished his sentence the security moved all the individuals who were not assigned to Mr. Ali Dirir’s Table. Coincidently, Col. Nur H. Hussein was seated the same table with Ali Dirir.
Addawe: Mr. chairman why are you so bluntly unfair? I have better credentials than Mr. Sharif, yet you doubted mine and accepted his without hesitation.
Ali Dirir: Sir, are you serious about this or what?
Addawe:
Damn, I am!.
Ali Dirir:
Doqoni weligeed wax ma garato (Oh! fools never get it) This was the only way I could have given you all a tip. In another words, it was my humble way of telling you not to waste your time or money on this position. I am not sure where this decision originated from: Bruxelles, Cairo, New York or Washington DC, but the decision of the next Somali president has been made 2 years ago.
Addawe:
Who decided and who is he?
Ali Dirir:
Still you don’t get it? It doesn’t require a brain surgeon to figure it out…. Mr. Shariif is obviously our next president. It was clear for me 8 months ago when Mr. Ahmed ould Abdulle, the UN special envoy to Somalia pressured the reconciliation group in Djibouti to increase the number of the parliament from 274.8 to 549.2 and added 2 years for the parliamentary and presidential election.
Addawe:
Did you receive any pressure from Ethiopian officials? Because Ahmed Abdisalam promised me that I’ll be the next president. He planned long time ago with Ato Seyoum Mesfin. It was also my perception when I met my counterpart three weeks ago in Addis Ababa when Abdullahi reigned.
Ali Dirir:
My friend, this is bigger than Ethiopia. They have been forced to get rid of Abdullahi in order to fill the position with Mr. Sharif. Get it now? Now, lunch time is over.
Addawe:
What is the point of debating?
Ali Dirir:
Just to complete the formality!
While the Somali presidential debates were going on in Djibouti, the five Abdis (Abdullahi, Abdirahman, Abdisamad, Abdulkadir, Abdihakim) and Ibaada-suuban met again at Watergate hotel’s lobby in Washington DC.
Abdirahman:
It is almost one year from today when we met here to discuss the Somali situation. A lot of changes have happened, but a lot also remains the same..
Abdisamad:
Why are you saying that? Abdullahi Yusuf is gone, Ethiopian troops are defeated and all the Somali territories are free from our enemy, the Ethiopians. Also the Djibouti reconciliation conference organized by UN is going on smoothly, so I am very optimistic.
Ibaado-Suuban:
Are you sure we are free from our enemies? They are still every where in Somalia just under different brands.
Abdulkadir
: It is very good to be optimistic, but Somalia’s Solution is only in the hands of the Somalis. If all the nations of the world came together to implement one single political or economical project they would no succeed if it would not came from the Somalis themselves. Look at Afghanistan! The most powerful countries in the world could not succeed for eight years to implement a viable and functioning government for that country. Therefore, as long as some other people are organizing the Somali reconciliations and plan the agendas of the conferences we should forget any improvement of the Somali situation.
Abdihakim:
Somalia survived because of the remittance ($1.5 billions). And the generous people who send all these monies are getting old and I repeated many times that they will be gone within the next 20 years. So I always send to my mailing list the fallowing three words: WAKE UP SOMALIA.
Abdirahman:
Also, it seems that Somalia went back to the 7th century when you look at the piracy, stoning of the young girls and beheading the young men. It is amazing that the perpetrators are claiming that they are acting for the good of the Somali people and their religion.
Abdihakim
: We can’t just watch, while the existence of the Somali nation is about to vanish.
Ibaado-Suuban:
We Should wake up and organize the talented Somali people who are abroad. Most of the Somali’s brain is outside the country, so we have to find out ways of unifying our efforts.