USAID/OFDA Assistance to Somalia - $47,077,637
USAID/FFP(2) Assistance to Somalia - $197,415,500
State/PRM(3) Assistance to Somalia - $20,100,000
Total USAID & State Humanitarian Assistance to Somalia:
$264,593,137
Click here to retreive the full report by the USAID, et, alt.
Source: RW
The Gulf News reports:
As Arab efforts to stop the war intensified, the UAE yesterday called on Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia. The appeal was made by Mohammad Hussain Al Sha’ali, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, during a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Mahmoud Ahmad Jaz, an envoy of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who delivered a message to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Voicing the UAE’s concern over armed hostilities in Somalia, Al Sha’ali urged Addis Ababa to “halt this war” and called for “the withdrawal of foreign forces from Somalia,” WAM reported. He urged Somalia’s neighbours to “encourage reconciliation among Somali factions”.
Click here to view the full report
The South African News 24 reports:
Kenya plans to hold talks with Somalia’s embattled Islamic leaders in a bid to end escalating fighting with Ethiopian forces backing government, said diplomats on Wednesday. The talks in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday “will seek ways to urgently end the conflict”, said a diplomat, requesting to remain anonymous. The diplomat said that the Islamic courts leadership has confirmed participation. Asked if Ethiopia and the Somali government would participate in the talks, the diplomat said: “We will deal with only those whom we can manage.”
Click here to view the full dispatch.
The European Union’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, condemned Monday the escalating battles in Somalia. Speaking in Brussels, he was quoted as saying:
I express my deepest concern on the reported involvement of foreign forces in Somalia and urge all external players to refrain immediately from intervening militarily in Somali affairs and provoke further violence.
Click here to view the full dispatch.
In an interview he gave to Al-Jezeera Television yesterday, President Isaias Afwerki reiterated that Eritrea did not send troops to Somalia.
Click here to view the full article on Shabait.com
The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
The aerial and ground assault was the first open admission by Ethiopia’s Christian-led government of its military operations in Somalia, where it has been supporting a weak interim government threatened by forces loyal to the Islamic clerics who control the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the rest of the country.
Click here to view the full report.
Terrence Lyons of the Center for Preventive Action wrote a report titled: “Avoiding Conflict in the Horn of Africa: U.S. Policy toward Ethiopia and Eritreaâ€.
The entire report (PFD format) can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here.
According to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations the Bush Administration is worried about Somalia becoming a “Terrorist Havenâ€:
Because Somalia is a chaotic, poor, battle-weary Muslim country with no central government. As former Secretary of State Colin Powell has said, “terrorist activity might find some fertile ground there, and we don’t want that to happen.†Moreover, U.S. government officials say that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network supported Somali radical Islamists, organized training camps in Somalia, and threatened American troops in Somalia who were there on a U.N. humanitarian mission in the early 1990s.
Click here to view the full “backgrounder†on the CFR.
You may also like to click here to view Eben Kaplan’s note on “Somalia’s Terrorist Infestation†notes.
David Gollust of Voice of America wries:
In a bleak assessment of the Somali situation, Assistant Secretary Frazer says radicals including al-Qaida figures have taken control of the Islamic Courts movement, and that it may be too late for a plan approved by the U.N. Security Council earlier this month to stabilize the situation. On December 6, the Security Council approved a resolution granting an exemption to the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia to allow an East African military mission to enter the country and shore up the country’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) based in Baidoa which is under siege from the Islamic Courts. Uganda has agreed to take part in what is termed a protection and training mission by the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, but the process of assembling the force has been slow. In a talk with reporters, Assistant Secretary Frazer said the United States has lent diplomatic support to the effort, but that it may be too late to achieve the objective of Resolution 1725 - to bolster the transitional government in order to prompt the Union of Islamic Courts to return to talks on the country’s future: “It could possibly be too late,” said Jendayi Frazer. “And I think we need to be very clear that the Africans believe they asked for these two and a half years ago. When the TFG first went back to Somalia from Nairobi, they asked for this exemption. And so there are some African countries that will definitely state that we waited too late.”
The Irish Breaking News network reports:
Thousands of Islamic militants today surrounded the only town Somalia’s government controls, the prime minister said. It came as a top Islamic official promised to attack within a week unless troops from neighboring Ethiopia leave the country. The surrounded town of Baidoa was today teeming with soldiers patrolling the city and manning checkpoints. Ethiopian troops are believed to be based around Baidoa.
I think the Somali Islamic Nationalists should not attack Baydhabo; the provincial seat of the failed TFG. However, I do believe that Somalia’s territorial integrity must be respected. More importantly, I do believe that Somalis must have, like everyone else, the right to self defense and they must be allowed to push back Ethiopia’s aggressive attempt to annex Somalia by military force.
I also believe that the TFG must disband and choose honorable exit. Otherwise, they will be forced to go away. Hopefully, that will happen through the ballot box rather than the barrel of the gun.
Click here to view the full article.
The online “Peace Peporter†writes:
The moment feared so much may have arrived. Monday morning, following the conquest of the center of Buur Hakaba on the part of joint Somali and Ethiopian forces, the Islamic courts have declared a holy war against Ethiopia, accused of having invaded the country and of being the party responsible for Somali instability.
Click here to view the full article.
The Houston Chronicles quoted a resident of the Somali port town of Kismaayo as saying “We welcome the Islamic courtsâ€. The paper also reported Hirale’s deputy, Yusuf Mire Mohamud, as saying “the Juba Valley Alliance has collapsed today.â€.
Could Bosaaso and Berbera be next? It is unbelievable to see the speed of political and military advancement of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)!
Click here to view the article.
Sunguta West writing for the “Global Terrorism Analysis†of the James Town Foundation says:
The ICU remains under the leadership of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who observers say is a moderate Islamist responsible for steering the courts in a convincing political direction and establishing a sense of law and order in Mogadishu and the southern parts of the country. Yet within this period, one of his moderate deputies, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, has appeared to bloom, speaking frequently and outlining ICU policy on issues including the training of its militia, peace talks and sometimes defending the courts when they make unpopular or extremist decisions. With the courts enjoying success after wrestling Somalia’s formal capital from a faction of warlords, Sheikh Omar defended the courts against accusations that the Islamists were harboring wanted terrorists in Mogadishu. Sheikh Omar, who is one of the vice chairmen of the executive council of the ICU, had on behalf of the courts said that such claims were not true. “If you can find a terrorist, let us know,” he told journalists in June. “If we find one we are very much prepared to hand him over. There are no foreign terrorists in Mogadishu” (Islam-Online.net, June 18).
I am not sure political significance of what Sunguta West is talking about.
Be the judge and read the full article by clicking here.
The BBC News reports:
The African Union has approved plans to send 8,000 peacekeepers to Somalia to support the interim government. An alliance of Islamic courts which controls the capital and much of central and southern Somalia says it will oppose any deployment by force. A meeting at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, agreed that the first soldiers should be in place by the end of the month. But obstacles remain as the AU does not have the funds to pay for the troops. The approval for the force by the African Union Peace and Security Council also appears to fly in the face of a shaky agreement between Somalia’s interim government and the Islamic courts not to allow any foreign intervention.
This is a big political mistake that could potentially ignite new armed confrontation between Somali Army on one side and Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf and his tribal militia with Ethiopian army on the other side. As I wrote before, Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf and the failed TFG must understand that the political legitimacy cannot be achieved through the barrel of the gun. It must be earned through popular support!
The Somali people must defend their country against the looming threat of foreign invasion!
Click here to view then full dispatch by the BBC.
To date contributors to WFP’s Somalia programme in 2006 are:
United States: US$26.2 million
UK Department for International Development: US$9.64 million
The Netherlands: US$5.3 million
Saudi Arabia: US$3 million
Canada: US$1.3 million
Ireland: US$1.2 million
Italy: US$1.17 million
Sweden: US$1.16 million
United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund: US$851,000
Australia: US$752,000
Belgium: US$643,000
Finland: US$605,000
African Development Bank: US$500,000
Switzerland: US$379,000
Turkey: US$300,000
Norway: US$206,000
US Friends of WFP: US$74,000
Private donations: US$55,000
WFP needs a total of US$37 million to assist 1.1 million people in Somalia until July 2007.
Click here for more on this. You may also click here to learn more about WFP.
Mogadishu is once again a key entry point for getting food stocks into the country. The reopening of the port makes it easier for us to reach more than one million people across the country who rely on our assistance.
Leo van der Velden
Somalia Acting Country Director
UN World Food Program (WFP)
Wangui Kanina of the Reuters news agency writes:
East African leaders pushed ahead on Tuesday with a contested plan to send peacekeepers to Somalia, despite a separate military deal between the country’s rival powers that appeared to block foreign intervention. The regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which led talks that produced Somalia’s interim government in 2004, urged the African Union to speed approval of the proposed peacekeeping mission, release funds and help raise more money to support the deployment of troops. IGAD also called on the U.N. Security Council to meet “urgently” to consider lifting its arms embargo on Somalia, torn apart by factions fighting for control of the Horn of Africa nation since warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Late on Monday, Islamist and government delegates meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, agreed in principle to join their military forces if they could agree on sharing political power. The pact stressed that neither side would accept military interference inside Somalia by neighboring countries and seemed to set up yet another possible conflict between the government and the Islamists.
The TFG must put screeching halt on this ill-thought and counter-productive plan. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and Cali Geedi cannot say we want to negotiate peace while at the same time they keeping fueling the conflict by pushing for African troop deployment in Somalia.
Somali peace talks need more honest peace brokers from the Arab and Islamic countries. As the saying goes “ Baadida ninbaa kula daydayi, daalna kaa badin, aan doonahayn inaad heshana daaying abidkaaâ€. Both Ethiopa and Kenya are working tirelessly for permanent break up of Somalia and further fragmentation of the Somali Nation.
We cannot and we must not allow Somalia’s enemies to sit on the driver’s seat as we did in the past!
Click here to view the full article onn Reuters.
Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News reports:
Top African military officials are studying a proposal to send a 3,500-strong peace force by October to Somalia, where an internationally recognized government appears increasingly weak in comparison to and its fundamentalist Islamic rivals. Officials said Thursday that four battalions, made up of Ugandan and Sudanese troops, will be trained in Kenya before being deployed in an initial phase to the conflict-ridden country, African military experts told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.
I think it is a huge political mistake to bring unwelcome African foreign troops into Somalia. Indeed, it will do more harm than good. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf and the TFG cannot and should not be forced into the throats of the Somali people. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of the Somalia people refused to accept the legitimacy of the failed TFG.
Many people including myself have argued endlessly in the past that the TFG could function as a transitional government that could potentially pave the way for a more permanent political settlement for Somalia. Well, we were wrong and as it turned out the people of Somalia knew what is good for them better than any one else!
Now, let me tell you why I believe the deployment of foreign troops into Somalia is very bad idea. First, neither Kenya nor Ethiopia is an honest peace broker that cares about the well being of the Somali people and Somalia. On the contrary, the fact is that neither Kenya nor Ethiopia want emergence of strong and united Somalia. They want fragmented, weak, and disintegrated Somalia surrounded by strong Christian countries with Western political, economic and military support. The reason is that both countries annexed Somali regions illegally and they are afraid that strong future Somali government will revive Somali Nationalism and the noble idea of Greater Somalia including NFD and Western Somalia (Ogaden). I do believe that one of the reasons why the Somali peace process has failed thus far is the fact that both Kenya and Ethiopian were on the driver’s seat. In my opinion, the Somali political conflict need more honest peace brokers, preferably from the Arab and Islamic countries!
Second, the TFG is no more as it collapsed under its weight with cabinet ministers and federal MP’s deserting everyday by their dozens. The question is why would any body care to protect disgraced bunch of warlords, murderers and tribal chiefs with myopic political agenda that are doing nothing other than continuing endless political bickering among themselves? Democracy dictates the supremacy of the political will of the people. And the political will of the Somali people seems to be somewhere else at the moment!
Third, the Somali people will not like Ethiopian or Kenyan troops patrolling their towns and villages imposing illegitimate rulers that are protecting foreign interests that are detrimental to the well being of Somali Nation as a whole. Needless to say, any troops from those countries will most likely aggravate current political conflict in Somalia. As result, the security situation in the country will worsen!
Why put more gasoline on flaming fire?
Bottom-line: there is no rational argument for deploying foreign troops from Africa into Somalia!
The Irin News reported yesterday that:
After initially refusing to take part in peace negotiations, Somalia’s transitional government and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital Mogadishu, have agreed to resume talks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, officials said. “We have decided to participate in the talks in the interest of the people,” Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the UIC chairman, said on Tuesday. The two sides announced their participation after meeting a Kenyan delegation to the country, led by Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, on Monday.
Personally, I do not understand what difference a “talk†between the collapsed TFG and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) will make? I mean, the ICU control the most strategic parts of the country including Mogadishu and they seem to be advancing politically and militarily with an amazing speed. Meanwhile, the powerless TFG is disintegrating everyday with a serious and widening political gap between Cali Geedi and Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed. More importantly, neither Cali Geedi nor Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed has done anything tangible for the Somali people since they came to power almost two years ago. The fact is that Col. Cabdullahi Yusuf Axmed was busy building tribal government of his own appointing former taxi drivers and waiters as ministers while Cali Geedi was unable to understand what his role as a prime Minister was really all about!
In this scenario, there is no political incentive for the ICU to even contemplate talking with the failed TFG. Without a doubt, they are the victorious party in this political and military chess game. Hence, they do not need the TFG at all. However, some have argued that the “Western†powers could isolate them if they succeed to take over the entire country and as a result incapacitate any future government by ICU. Therefore, the ICU should try to talk to the TFG in order to reach power sharing agreement that could potentially pave the way for a coalition government.
I do not believe that this is an argument worth any consideration at all. There are several reasons for my out right rejection of this line of argument. First, neither Cali Geedi nor Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf is popular with the West. Second, as I argued before, The ICU made several important political signals indicating that they were willing to address U.S. security concerns in Somalia. Indeed, the initial U.S. policy regarding the ICU did not seem hostile at all. However, the fact that Sheikh Dahir Aways is appointed to very prominent and politically powerful position complicates the matter somewhat. Third, the overwhelming majority of the Somali people are at the moment with the ICU politically and militarily if need be.
In short, the ICU is increasing looking like the legitimate power in Somalia while the TFG is seen by the fast majority of the Somali people as bunch of murderers, warlords and tribal chiefs bickering endlessly among themselves with NO one around to listen them.
Can any sane person tell me why the ICU would waste time talking with those folks? They must push on and liberate the rest of the country including the northern and eastern regions!
Click here to view the full dispatch on Irin News.
Mike Clough writes an opinion article on the Los Angeles Times and says:
(…) Somalia is on the brink of becoming the fourth front in the U.S. war on terror. As in Afghanistan, Iraq and in Lebanon, the U.S. is allied in some way against radical Islamic fundamentalists. The Islamic Courts Union, a growing alliance of Islamic militants, recently routed U.S.-backed warlords and took over Mogadishu. It seeks to oust a transitional federal government, which is supported by the African Union but controls only the town of Baidoa. On the sidelines is the U.S.-backed regime in Ethiopia that is eager to lead the battle against the Islamists, who may have ties to Al Qaeda. (…) In many ways, this latest front in the war on terror is the culmination of nearly 30 years of alternating Washington policy blunders and neglect in the Horn of Africa. That history has left the U.S. with few good options in a worsening situation. U.S. missteps in the region date to 1977, when policymakers tacitly — and foolishly — encouraged Somalia to take advantage of political instability in the Ethiopian capital and grab control of Ethiopia’s Somali-inhabited Ogaden region. The move backfired when Soviet and Cuban troops rushed in to defend the Marxist regime in Addis Ababa, turning Ethiopia into Moscow’s staunchest ally in Africa. In response, Washington armed Mohamed Siad Barre’s thugocracy in Somalia.
Mike Clough concluded by saying:
With a growing likelihood of war in the Horn of Africa, Bush has little maneuvering room. He could accept the emergence of an anti-American Islamist Somalia. He could back Ethiopian intervention on the side of the transition government in Baidoa, which would lead to a bloody war. Or he could try to persuade another African government to militarily support the transitional government. None of these are particularly appealing, even when practical. This time, Somalia doesn’t seem to be going away.
I do not believe that more U.S involvement, the kind of political and military involvement Mike Clough seems to favor would have made any difference at all. The fact is that, the “Right Wing†bullish U.S foreign policy advocated by Mike Clough and his like-minded folks is at best counter-productive and at worse destructive as the catastrophic military adventure in Iraq proves beyond any doubt. Indeed, the failed U.S. clandestine military involvement made things more complicated in Somalia by helping popular political upraising that propelled the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) to higher political ground.
I believe strategic U.S. interests can best be achieved by talking to the leaders of the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia. The ICU made several important political signals indicating that they want to address U.S. security concerns in Somalia. The U.S. should not blindly refuse to engage Somalia’s new rulers exclusively on unrealistic ideological grounds that is based on dogma rather reason and realpolitik!
I do not believe that ICU is hiding “terrorists†in their camps as some “Right Wing†political commentators (propagandists) would like us to believe!
Click here to view the full report (PDF).
The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEW) paint a grim prospect for Somalia by saying:
Prospects for the 2006 main “gu†cereal crops, for harvest from August, are poor due to insufficient rains; the rainy season is complete, with patchy results. This would lead to the third consecutive season of below average harvest. Despite some heavy rains at the beginning of the season, large areas in Gedo, Bakol, Hiran, Bay, Lower Shabelle, Lower and Middle Juba, Galgadud, Toghdeer, Sool, Sanaag and Bari received below normal rains (see map). The gu is the main rainy season (April–June) with about 70 to 80 percent of annual cereal production in normal years.
Despite favourable rains in several drought-affected regions of Somalia, the food security situation of about 2.1 million drought-affected people thus remains precarious. Extremely high levels of malnutrition persist in many areas including Gedo, Bakool and Juba Valley. Recent nutrition surveys of these areas found unacceptably high rates of acute malnutrition between 16.2 and 23.8 percent (GAM), with corresponding severe malnutrition rates of 3.7 to 4.2 percent (SAM).
This is one of the tragedies of the Somali political conflict, while the so called “leaders†(Myopic triblists) are bickering among themselves, thousands of Somalis die everyday due to hunger and starvation!
C. Bryson Hull of the Reuters News Agency writes:
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, a veterinarian thrust into office two years ago, finds himself clinging to power in the Horn of Africa nation. But whether he stays or goes, many believe he is the pivotal figure in deciding the fate of his fragile administration — the 14th attempt to restore central rule since Somalia fell into anarchy in 1991 after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted. After narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote on July 30, Gedi must name a streamlined cabinet by Monday and deliver on a plan of action to be reviewed in three months under a deal brokered with President Abdullahi Yusuf on Sunday. “Whether he stays is not important. It is whether he creates a competent cabinet,†legislator Abdullahi Haji said in Baidoa, the government’s temporary capital and only stronghold at home.
Interesting perspective… worth reading!
The Reuters News Agency reports:
Somalia’s interim cabinet has been dissolved and a new one will be appointed within a week, President Abdullahi Yusuf said on Monday. “The bloated cabinet of (Prime Minister) Ali Mohamed Gedi’s government did not do anything during its tenure,â€Yusuf told parliament. “From today onwards, the government has been dissolved, only the prime minister will remainâ€
Well, this should not surprise anyone at all. The TFG collapsed long time ago and Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf has been trying hard to resuscitate a lifeless government that nobody really cares about. He has also been trying hard to distance himself from Cali Geedi and the rest of failed cabinet in a futile attempt to save himself from eminent political onslaught from the Somali Islamic Courts’ Union. I do not believe that Col. Cabdullahi Yuusuf will be able to fool anyone other than himself!
Cabdullaahi Yuusuf had amble opportunities to find lasting political solutions to Somalia’s tragic civil war. The fact is that he failed and he failed miserably on everyone’s eyes! Hence, he is part of Somalia’s biggest problems not part of the solution as he mistakenly believes to be. Therefore, Somalia will be better of if he goes to where he really belongs; Addis Abba! His biggest political aspiration seems to have been to be an Ethiopian Viceroy in Somalia and he did indeed succeed doing that to some extend even though it may not have been long enough for him.
As I have written many times on this page, there is no viable alternative to the rule of the Islamic Courts Union! They must be given a chance to show what they are capable of doing! They succeeded to clean Mogadishu from the tyrany of warlordism. I am sure they will be able to clean the rest of the country including the northern and easter regions!
Click here to view the full dispatch on Reuters.
The Eritrea Daily Newspaper (Online Edition) reports:
Twelve more ministers walked away from the Western-backed weak interim government of Somalia Tuesday, raising fears of imminent collapse of the government, said reports from the area. Minister of Minerals and Water Mohamud Salad Nur and three other assistant ministers announced their resignation less than a week after 18 senior officials also quit, dealing a blow to the fragile interim government. Eight more ministers and assistant ministers later resigned after Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi called for peace talks with rival Islamists, scheduled for this week, to be postponed. “We had no option but to resign because we believe if the talks are postponed again it will affect the reconciliation efforts,” Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Hassan Abshir Farah told Reuters. “Gedi’s government is unpopular among most members of parliament and its work plans will not be accepted by the national assembly,” Water and Mineral Resources Minister Muhamoud Salat Nur told reporters Tuesday.
Let’s face it; there is no viable alternative to the Islamic Courts Union. Hence, they must be allowed to take over the executive branch of the government. The Federal parliament should stay for the time being as a transitional body while the ICU consolidates the control of the country including the northern and eastern regions. Col. Cabdullaahi Yuusuf should go where he belongs; Adis Ababa! Cali Geedi can be allowed to stay in the country and work on animal “behindsâ€.
However, both of them should stand trial for treason once peace is restored through out our beloved country! Anyone who dares to betray the Somali Nation should not go unpunished! Period!
Click here to view the full report on Eritrea Daily.
Dr. Jendayi Frazer; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs was quoted as saying:
Very clearly the transitional federal institutions are considered the legitimate entities for government and they need to have some type of defense.
Dr. Fraser went on by saying:
We as a matter of urgency need to consider the request for some type of force to come in and train up those transitional federal institutions. That’s the best way to keep out these more immediate neighbours.
I agree with Dr. Frazer that federal institutions have some limited political legitimacy. I also agree with her that in order to keep the Ethiopians out, Somalia must build strong defense force. However, I do believe that the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) should be given the benefit of the doubt and should be allowed to proceed with their relentless campaign to eliminate the tyranny of warlordism once and for all from our beloved country! They have succeeded to weed out the tyrannical warlords from the Mogadishu. As a result, life in Mogadishu is clearly getting back to normal with both the Airport and Seaport open for business. It is worth noting that neither the TFG nor the United States could ever manage to achieve what the ICU achieved with such amazing speed and less bloodshed!
It is true that the ICU did not spell out their true political agenda thus far. Understandably, this makes lots of people included my self nerves. However, I do believe that Sheekh Shariif Axmed is an honest man who has the best interest of the Somali people in his heart. Unlike the more belligerent and hard-line Sheekh Daahir Caways, Sheekh Shariif Axmed looks like a true Muslim; humble, kind, gentle and soft spoken with no ill-will to anyone.
My hope is that Sheekh Daahir Caways will step down from power for the good of the country! I also hope that the ICU will be able to put screeching halt to the secessionist madness in northern Somalia soon by uniting the country peacefully.
Speaking to reporters in London, Lord David Triesman; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the British Foreign Office was quoted as saying:
I think it would be profoundly damaging to the interests of the people of Somalia … were he to be a leading member of government….. It would be unacceptable … for people to seize by force the government of Somalia.
Lord David Triesman went on by saying:
It would be deeply disturbing … if a force led by people who we have good reason to believe were involved with the bombing of embassies in East Africa were the leaders of that government.
I do not think that Lord David Triesman is in a moral position to preach Somalis about their political problems. The question many Somalis are asking is: were was Lord Triesman for past last fifteen years when the Somali people were butchered everyday by the warlords? He is talking like someone who just woke up from a long hibernation! If the truth is to be told, the British government and Lord Triesman were looking the Somali conflict with a blind eye. Indeed, I have sent countless number of emails to Lord Triesman and his office asking him what the British government wanted to do about the tragic Somali civil war. For the record, I never got more than a short reply saying “we are looking into the issueâ€!
Lord Triesman has never been a friend of the Somali people and I believe he will never be for obvious reasons! Therefore, he should leave Somalia to its people and to those others who care about their plight!
Click here to view the full dispatch on the AlertNet. You may also like to click here for more Lord Triesman and Somalia.
According to the South African Mail & Guardian newspaper, Cali Geedi; the failed Somali Prime Minister was quoted as saying:
Egypt, Libya and Iran, whom we thought were friends, are engaged in fuelling the conflict in Somalia by supporting the terrorists.
Cali Geedi went on by saying:
We call for the international community to put pressure on these countries who want the problems in Somalia to continue.
This is nothing but foolish and a desperate attempt by Cali Geedi to smear friendly Arab countries that cares deeply about the plight of the Somali people. The fact is that Cali Geedi has failed as a prime minister. Hence, the current Somali political conflict will continue as long as he is still the head of the failed TFG.
He ordered the invasion of his country by a hostile force! Yet, he is saying that those who oppose his treachery against the Somali people are “terroristsâ€. This man must be sleeping walking in the dark!
He must resign as soon as possible. If he refused to do so he must be forced to leave. Working on animals “behind†is his chosen profession and he must go back to that! I am sure everyone will better once he does that!
Enough is enough… he gotta go period!
Click here to view the full article on the Mail & Guardian.