Somali Mostly Hawiye Talaban government Faces Pressure

March 06, 2010

During the last few years, the EU and US and many other donor nations pledged millions of dollars to Somalia, half of the money went to the Government, and Yet Somali government is asking more money: "Where did the money go?Remember hen Sheikh Sharif was elected at the Somali reconciliation conference in Djibouti. Most of the Somalis inside and outside of the country have welcomed Sheikh Sharif´s election. He was advertised as the moderate voice, exemplar of Somalia´s past leaders. in August 6/2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said Ahmed is the "best hope" the world has had in years to return stability to Somalia, prevent it from becoming the next launching pad for global terrorism and snuff out those annoying, skiff-riding pirates who operate off the country´s coastline."After years of relying on veiled external pressures to check the advance of terrorists in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. government has embraced Ahmed and given him diplomatic and financial backing. The aid already includes 40 tons of weaponry, $10 million in direct assistance and training for government soldiers. As Somalis we were happy and already proclaiming the new Somalia will be a breathtaking accomplishment and a successful model for African countries in civil war. However as everybody now knows, the Ahmed´s government has failed to do something about the country, the corruption of his administration and the fact that he has not done enough to win the hearts and minds of the people.Half of the Somali capital city lies in ruins, that many people still live in tents, that thousands can't find jobs, that children go hungry, that there no schools and hospitals are dirty and have no equipment, that women and children begs in the streets and turn to prostitution, that children are kidnapped and sold into slavery or murdered for their kidneys or their eyes. In addition he was Unsuccessful to negotiate with the Islamist rebels and bring them into the government and to end the conflict that has destroyed Somalia. His approval ratings is Lowest of any President in the last fourteen years, it seems that government support from the ordinary Somalis is diminishing and further endangering the AU Troops in the area.To understand the failure and corruption -- of the donor money to Somalia, you have to take a look at the peculiar system of corruption in Somali government. During the last year alone, the United States and many other donor nations pledged millions of dollars to Somalia, half of the money went to the Government, and Yet Somali government is asking more money: "Where did the money go? The donor nations and the American taxpayers should be asking the same question. The official answer is that donor funds are lost to Somali corruption. But shady Somalis, accustomed to two-get bribes, are learning about big bucks from the masters of the world.Other answers appear in a fact-packed report issued in 2009 by a Transparency International, a widely respected nongovernmental organization headquartered in Berlin. The report based on dismal public opinion poll results. The report known as Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) scores show Somalia is the most corrupt countries in the world; Somalis see corruption as an inevitable, everyday part of government. After all, they experience corruption in almost every sphere of their lives.The Long War Journal reported that Somalia's State Minister for Defense Sheikh Yusuf Mohammad Siad collaborated with Shabaab to conduct a dual suicide attack against a high-level meeting in Mogadishu airport on September 17 2009. The long Journal added that Shabab had excellent intelligence on when and how to launch the coordinated attack because the minister, a former warlord also known as "Indha'adde" or "white eyes," had sold Shabaab the necessary information for $50,000 through a middleman.Somali online media reported that a group of lawmakers in Somalia have publicly criticized the government led by sheikh Sharif of mismanaging public funds and taking steps to "destroy" his interim government, even though other international community had been ready to rebuild his government. In Somali Government, the level of corruption is so high that government vehicles and weapons routinely end up in the hands of the Somali rebel groups. acording to Long War Journal On Oct. 6, Shabaab's governor for Mogadishu bought from the Transitional Federal Government police a car donated by the United Nations Development Program. The car was registered as police car number 251. Both the Transitional Federal Government and Shabaab are fully in agreement to explain such cases as defections. The same process occurs with humanitarian aid. According to The New York Times, "American officials are now concerned that United Nations contractors may be funneling American donations to Shabaab."The US, alarmed at the prospect of aid and weapons falling into the hands of Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, has suspended some of its support to the Transitional Federal Government. "United Nations officials say the American government has been withholding millions of dollars in aid shipments while a new set of rules is worked out to better police the distribution of aid," The New York Times reported.There is an urgent need for the Somali government to show that is it serious. The government, in my opinion, must commit to ensure that public office in not held by individuals who are perceived by the public to be corrupt. Otherwise the international community should pressure Sharif to resign.