By: Abdulkadir Osman “Aroma”
Somalilandsun- In the aftermath of Second World War, in a meeting held on 24th October 1945 in San Francisco, the Charter of United Nations Organization was finalized and countries liberated from the AXIS Forces were named “Occupied Enemy Territories” and they were recognized as existing countries.
In the line with the UN Charter, Somalia was placed under UN Trusteeship and again on 21 November 1949 UN finalized the draft constitution for the Trusteeship with Italy as administering authority. Since 21st November 1949 All Governments and International Organizations recognize Somalia as existing country.
Nowadays there is confusion among Somali people about the notion of “State recognition and Administration recognition”. Over 63 years USA recognized Somalia as sovereign State but recently recognized the current administration. Let me raise a very important question about the current issue. What benefit Somali people can get from recent administration recognition? Since the only remaining Super Power recognized the new Somali Government, other countries may extend aid to Somalia and ease indirect sanctions that US imposed on Somalia after Blackhawk down fight on 3rd October 1993.
The US recent diplomatic demarche has triggered widespread jubilation from the Somali Community, believing and hopeful chanting that if US recognizes our government the sky will rain gold and diamond. This expectation is a day dream with nightmare. Dear brothers and sisters don’t expect too much aid from Washington and please glance back the history lines and long diplomatic relations between USA and Somalia:
• 01/04/1950 UN established in Somalia Trusteeship, under Italian administration. Known as “AFIS”
• Mid 1950 USA opened liaison office as Consulate in Mogadishu.
• Late 1950 Trusteeship administration granted drilling concessions to two American Oil Corporation: “Sinclair and Rogers”
• From 1950-2013, except ambiguous Peace Corps agenda in 1960s and yellow maize dumping, plus millions of dollars channeled through the UN agencies, the few US funded useful projects (useful to the public) that ever USA undertook in Somalia are four:
1. Training Teachers Institute known LAFOLE in Afgooye
2. West wing extension of Kismayo Port
3. Water installation in North Mogadishu known Eel-Arfit Wells
4. Extension farms project in Afgooye……
Let us compare 60 years US Aid projects to Somalia and 30 years Chinese Aid projects to Somalia. Late Chou En-Lai, Prime Minister of Communist China visited Mogadishu early February 1963. It is worth to mention that, in less than two decades Chinese government built very important projects “useful to public” in Somalia, including:
Long tarmac road which links South and North
Fanole Irrigation Project
Banaadir Hospital
Stadium Mogadishu
National Theater
Institute for Political and Management studies
Hargeysa Water installation known as Geed-deebleh Wells and etc.
After 1977 war between Somalia and Ethiopia, Somali people has experienced unbearable chaotic turmoil situation. However, the USA who is today’s sole Hyper Power and de-facto world leader and dominant International leadership responded passively to rescue Somali people. Although the US Government has recently recognized the present Somali Government, we believe that more could have been done given the power of USA. A Persian proverb said “The King has many eyes and many ears”.
Today USA is king of world and has many ears and many eyes, with its resources and powerful intelligence agencies; they never listen to Somali concern and grieve. It is narrated that in the 1970s in one School in remote village, a teacher asked his pupil “Which is nearer to Somalia, America or the Sun?
The seven-year old pupil replied “of course the sun is nearer to us because we can see the sun but we never saw America”. Again the teacher asked, “Americans and Chinese who is sincere friend to Somali people? Another pupil replied: “my mother, who was ill, was treated humanely by a Chinese doctor and she recovered well”. There is no doubt that the US has neglected Somalia over many years and whatever Aid it gave to Somalia it provided through the UN Aid agencies. Despite US evaded duty toward Somalia, there is a deception from UN and its bureaucratic agencies as well as the so-called international NGOs.
In the last quarter century, international mass-media nicknamed Somalia: a country of refugee, a country of famine, a country of terrorist, a country of piracy, a country of NGO, a country of bogus projects, a country of maladministration and corruption, failed state etc, etc. Moreover, the International Mafia hijacked Somali destine and they act as Good-Samaritans Beasts rescued domestic animals and act as follows metaphorically:
Can lion be caretaker of camels?
Can hyena be caretaker of cattle?
Can tiger be caretaker of gazelle?
Can fox be caretaker of lambs?
Can raccoon be caretaker of chicken?
Can cat be caretaker of rats?
Can termite be caretaker of woods?
The above questions and their ironic meaning is that the wild beast can take the role of guardians for the domestic animals, exactly in the same way as may reflect the real opposite meaning of the international community working today in Somalia as Aid Agencies on humanitarian grounds. From fire to frying pan is that workshop for FGM or AIDS awareness or contraception for family planning projects can touch the reality on the grounds in Somalia today? Can these projects be helpful to the current situation and change the lives of thousands of Somali vulnerable who have been enduring all forms of social agonies for the last 22 years of anarchy condition? Can FGM and contraceptive pills be the right project to address the appalling condition of Somali people today?
Currently, there are over 200 International Aid Agencies working in Somalia, but they are based in Nairobi residing five star hotels and luxurious riverside compounds. Except workshops of ridicules vain projects; is there any locality in Somalia whereby the activities of these Aid Agencies are visible? To add insult the injury, are they all working on Intelligence Network activities? Or to look it from the right angle, are they working on invisible developmental projects which can be useful to the next generation of neighbouring countries. To whom these Aid Agencies are accountable to? Who can unmask the real purpose behind screen? Does 10% of total aid from donors allocated to Somali people reach the field destination?
Unfortunately, Somalia has been indirectly governed by international Mafia over the last 22 years. Panhandle agencies working in Somalia as aid workers are part of the problem and are contributing negatively to the unending chronic dispute among Somali factions. They add fuel to the fire and promote sinister plan based on “divide and rule” in order to keep Somalia stateless forever.
Millions of dollars that the world had donated to Somalia, plus a number of national assets including ships and civilian aircraft as well as other valuable equipment were looted. We have been let down by the International Community and feel like being robbed by remorseless thieves. We desperately need sincere international audits for accountability. On 13th May 2013 UN-ICAO transferred part of aviation jurisdiction to Somali Government, but what about the past. Over the last 22 years, the UN formed agency “Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia” based in Nairobi, has been handling the aviation service of Somalia, yearly they collect from Somalia airspace huge revenue estimated at millions US dollars as royalty, no one knows where these money ended up. Nowadays Western countries are very busy on how to uproot what the biased media branded as Somali Piracy but locally known as “fighters for survival” but the whole world is looking blind eye to what we call “airspace piracy” and foreign ships dumping waste toxic in our seas and illegal fishing as well as disaster desertification encouraged by the Arab Gulf Countries and charcoal exported to Middle East. “Col ku dhac oo tuugo ku ciidamisay = Robbery victims assisted by thieves”
An old wisdom has said that two strong men caught a Satan and they threatened him “we will kill you by choking” the Satan said “if you choke me I will produce worse than me. They choked him and then the Satan vomited disease. The second time they choked, he vomited drought. Third time they choked and then the Satan vomited poisonous thorny tree. Having realized their mistake they stopped choking the Satan. This anecdote teaches us a lesson: From 1977 the world has choked Somali people. The first effect from this choke was exodus of refugee and human trafficking. The second product was famine and drought. The third product was the work of fanatic elements boys of Al-Shabaab linked to al-Qaed. The fourth product was greedy guys of piracy. If Somalia is choked for a fifth time, the result will probably be Nuclear Bomb which can wipe out the entire human being, because there is plenty Uranium in Central Regions of Somalia.
During the last 60 years whilst Russia and China won Somali public confidence, conversely, the West never succeed to win the hearts and minds of Somali people, instead of capturing people’s will, they create unfriendly atmosphere. West’s sinister plan and negligent evaded international responsibility toward Somali debacle caused severe catastrophic plight to the Somali society. Thus many Somali youth easily accepted fundamentalism doctrine and hated Western ambiguous ill faith culture. Furthermore Somali historians “middle aged persons like me” still remember the golden days and how Eastern Bloc built our country honestly and the famous slogan “Allow Ruush ama Roob = Oh Allah either Russian or rain, as national anthem”. Still we remember developmental projects implemented by Russia and China and their generosity. A friend in need is friend indeed. Time is best teacher who distinguishes friend from foe. Premier Tayib Erdogan’s historic trip to famine camps in Somalia will remain forever in the memoirs of Somali people and it seems that Turkey will replace Russia and China. Centuries ago, Somali poet said:
Nin i xooray maalintaan xumaa amse xaasoobay,
Ku xilli’i maalintaan xoog iyo xoolo leeyahay
“Person who neglected me the hardship needy days
I won’t bother good days of wealthy and ability”
Without deviating further from the main point, unless US and West act now and set-up concrete tangible plan to rescue Somali people, the majority of Somali ethnic roughly (50%) wherever they are, will become religious fanatics and ardent supporter of Shabaab. Please revise Somali dossier in your office faithfully and stop double standard policy and hidden agenda, for instance the millions of dollars that you are spending in anti-piracy warships stationed in Indian Ocean, kindly allocate only 10% to Somali Coast Guard and local police force, in exchange for guarantee of no more piracy. Piracy is inland problem not high-seas problem.
Similar the millions of dollars that you are spending on AMISOM forces stationed in Southern Somalia please allocate only 10% of the funds to Somali army; it is guaranteed that, within short period of time, they will restore the stability. The former golden days when Soviet Union trained Somali army, they were called the Best Black army or African Tigers. Regarding the current semi-disaster situation “drought and merciless so-called religious war” Somalia does not need stockpile of weapons in AMISOM hands and fruitless Federal system implementation, but desperately needs effective reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes. I know that this issue is raised many times by Somali scholars, but my aim is to remind the world that international community is watching carelessly the semi-genocide acts that are taking place in Southern Somalia for the last 22 years.
Samuel Huntington the author of “Clash of civilizations” wrote in his book “Haiti and Somalia” are phenomena without next kin. This is a valid assertion, based on truth because it seems that, Somali people are cursed seclude creature, not member of human family because in 19th century, the colonialists dismembered Somali people and divided into five portions and now another conspiracy is taking shape to divide Somali Republic into the so-called loose Federal mini-states of tribal-lands. Whatever happened in the past, please open now a new chapter and treat Somali people as human being and what you are cooking behind the curtain please put on the table, because 22 years of punishment is enough to Somali people, enough is enough. Sure all humiliation nicknames and anarchy will vanish forever and Somalia will stand its own feet soon.
Abdulkadir Osman “Aroma” – Shirwac55@hotmail.com
