Friday, October 16, 2009

In commemoration of the late Somali President Abdirashid Ali sharmarke


Today is October 15, 2009. It precisely marks the gloomy day, 40 years ago, when the late Somali President Abdirashid Ali sharmarke- May his soul rest in peace, was assassinated. Probably like many other writers, I wish to write a few paragraphs to pay homage to the first Somali Prime Minister and its second president Abdirashid Ali sharmarke. It is funny that I was born some weeks later when that depressing incident took place in the same autumn. I could have been most likely named after him if he was not slain!

The idea to run this short article on the late president occurred to me following the striking impression I have formed when

I was honored, this afternoon, to attend a banquet and chat with H.E. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, the current Prime Minister of Somalia and the son of the late president, in his residence –cum- office in Mogadishu. Coincidently, the feast was not intended to commemorate the late president but rather to consolidate the effects and impact of the current government.

Prior to delving into my writing, let me express the impression I have come under while attending the get-together with the presence of this promising young man, H.E. Omar Abdirsahid Sharmarke. Despite the wearisome and lengthy ministerial meeting previous to the feast, the prime minister was gracefully attentive and following each and every bit of the discussion. He was frankly cheerful and optimistic to the sense of the words throughout the talk. All the whispers and the side line natter pointed to the fact that Mr. Sharmarke, the son, has all the traits and the characteristics of his father who is remembered for his unequivocal patriotism and nationalism. On the whole, like father like son was the mood in the discussion. Holding degrees in political science/economy and having diplomatic capacity in his background compounded with his genetics, Mr. sharmarke undoubtedly fits the hot seat he is occupying. I have come to the conclusion that if he is given a chance, he can lead the tattered nation back to statehood.

Back to the core subject-matter of the article, Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was born in Mudug region in north-central Somalia in 1919 but grew up in Mogadishu the capital of the country. As the tradition is in Somalia, he started his early education with the learning of the Holy Qur’an. After receiving his primary and secondary education, he went to Italy where he graduated in political science at Sapienza University of Roma in 1958. A year later, he was elected to then legislative assembly through the Somali Youth League (SYL) ticket. All along, Mr. Sharmarke was an enthusiastic proponent of SYL since its inception in 1943. He also tried trade and worked as a civil servant in the Italian administration.

At independence after the unification of the British-somaliland and the Italian-somaliland in 1960, Abdirashid became the first prime minister of post independence Somalia. One of the major achievements during the premiership of Abdirashid was the establishment of ties with the Soviet Union where Moscow agreed to provide loans to finance the training and equipping of the Somali armed forces. The Soviet Union also provided nonmilitary assistance, including technical training scholarships, printing presses, broadcasting equipment as well as agricultural and industrial development aid. As Prime Minister, Abdirashid also travelled abroad extensively in pursuit of a non-aligned and neutral foreign policy

During the first Somali general elections in 1964, Ethiopia marched into Somalia and war erupted along the Somali-Ethiopian frontier. Being the then Prime minister, Mr. Sharmarke was asked how his government could manage the elections and the Ethiopian aggression at the same time. He remarked his popular utterance “we will fight with one hand and hold the elections with the other”. His subsequent election as the second president of Somalia in 1967 was an extraordinary landmark in the African democracy leading to the first peaceful transfer of power in Africa.

Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was assassinated in Las Anod, in the present Sool region, by one of his bodyguards on October 15, 1969.

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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

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