Sunday, May 31, 2009

Somalia’s new government: Presenting new hope or false hope?

In recent years, attention on Somalia has been focussed primarily around the domestic political tensions, as well as the increasingly alarming humanitarian crisis in the country. In late-December 2008, issues came to a head when the then-Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned from power.
The Western-backed government headed by Yusuf since 2004 had failed dismally to restore peace and security to the strife torn country, which was faced with further indecision following the announcement that Ethiopian troops would be withdrawing from Somalia. Yusuf’s resignation was further prompted by increasing tensions between himself and Prime Minister Nur Adde Hassan Hussein over the composition of the government. In addition, increasing acts of piracy were abounding off the Somali coast, resulting in obstacles to the delivery of much needed aid services in the country. Following the resignation of Yusuf, Parliamentary Speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe became interim president according to the Constitution and elections were scheduled to be held within a 30 day time frame.
New beginnings
Due to safety concerns, elections were held in Djibouti, where Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a moderate Islamist leader, was elected into office on 31 January. Sharif won with a majority after the other leading candidate, Prime Minister Nur Adde withdrew. Sharif represents the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and was Chairman of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006 before Ethiopian soldiers removed them from power. Immediately after being elected to Government, Sharif called for co-operation from all Somalis, as well as assistance from the international community in rebuilding the country.
International support
At the forefront of support for the new Somali President is the United Nations. The peaceful elections were praised by the Security Council and they echoed Sharif’s calls for peace and co-operation from all factions in Somalia. Council members also requested that Sharif constitute a Government of National Unity at the earliest possible date. According to various media reports, the United Nations has, in addition, invested millions of dollars to support the process of governance in the country. However, peace and security in the country will be ultimately dependent on Sharif’s success or failure to reach out to the different clans and propose a solution that is acceptable to all.
Domestic challenges
Already, a challenge is being faced from the al-Shabaab group, who is on Washington’s list of foreign terrorist groups and has control of large areas of Somalia. Al-Shabaab, headquartered in neighbouring Eritrea has denounced the elections and described it as an illegitimate ‘puppet’ administration. Another group, the Hisbal Islam (Islamic Party), has said that it will keep fighting against the new Government and the African Union forces in Mogadishu. This group has been joined by three other factions who also do not support the new Government, including the Asmara wing of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia led by Hassan Dahir Aweys, the Ras Kamboni Brigade, and a little-known group, Anole. One of the main reasons for their opposition to Sharif was that he would not adhere to Sharia law, but Sharif had since indicated that his Government is ready to practice Sharia law.
Sharif has also recently announced a new Cabinet, consisting of many former opposition politicians, as an attempt to have an inclusive Government. The 36-member Cabinet has Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, the Islamic Courts Senior Ground Commander during the two-year insurgency, as the Minister of Interior, while ex-Parliamentary Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan became the new Minister of Finance. The Minister of Security, Omar Hashi, was a key member of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), while the new Minister of Defence is Prof. Mohamed Abdi Gandhi. Sharif has also promised to hold elections in two years. During a meeting with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), he indicated that he believed it was vital to the long-term peace effort in the country to set a timeframe for elections. Sharif also communicated his vision for the political, economic, security and humanitarian development of the country to the various leaders and called for their assistance with regards to his objectives. Sharif has also pledged to work in conjunction with African Union peacekeepers to restore order to the country.
The humanitarian crisis
It is without doubt that Somalia will require international support in order to launch a recovery programme. Infrastructure in the country is severely underdeveloped and in some cases, non-existent. Running water and electricity is not available in some regions and years of overall neglect to the economic sectors will require massive input, not only from the Government, but also from the donor community and international investors.
However, the main challenge lies in dealing with the humanitarian crisis that prevails in the country. According to reports from various UN agencies, approximately 3 million Somalis are dependent on food aid, 1.3 million are internally displaced and countless others are refugees in other countries. These people have paid the largest price relating to the conflict and will continue to be helpless victims until peace is fully restored in Somalia.
Whether peace is possible is the question on everyone’s minds. President Sharif has ‘talked the talk’ and there is presently no doubt of the sincerity of his intentions. However, he has thus far failed in attracting even the possibility of talks with any of the clans opposing his rule, and unless he is able to make a breakthrough, he may be doomed to remain as the Head of a government effectively in exile. While new hope blooms in the hearts of many Somali’s, only perseverance and a concerted effort to compromise by both the government and the various opposing factions will be able to avert yet another case of false hope.

No comments:

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Blog Archive

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

Terror Free Somalia Foundation