Mahiga and Farole could lead Somalia Astray
there are other political-lords who want to put hurdles in the pursuit of peace which the RoadMap claim to represent. Do intellectuals, elders, young and patriots allow these political-lords to rule Somalia the next 21 years?
Warlods has gone from the surface of the Somali soil, but there are other political-lords who want to put hurdles in the pursuit of peace which the RoadMap claim to represent. Do intellectuals, elders, young and patriots allow these political-lords to rule Somalia the next 21 years?
Somalia has been without a functioning central government for the last 21 years. After Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, Somalia was immersed in a brutal civil war and chaos. The results are all too well-known, with all the humanitarian, social and economic disasters that the country endured ever since: human displacement, migration, famine, and now Alshabab.
International community has tried to bring peace to Somalia though countless peace conferences but all to no avail. And now, where other initiatives have failed, we have the Roadmap whose godfather is Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, the UN Special Representative for Somalia and whose interest is not so much Somalia standing on its own feet but never to do so, a prospect that will guarantee him a job for life.
RoadMap
The so-called RoadMap “Somalia End of Transition RoadMap” was initated on 6 september 2011 at a meeting attended by the Somali Prime minister, heads of territorial units Puntland and Galmudug, the head of Ahlul Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah (ASWJ) militia group, the UN envoy to Somalia, representatives of the Arab League, African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).This RoadMap has been through several conferences among London Conference in February 2012 and finally Istanbul conference in May 2012 where the timetable is adjusted and some limits and deadlines were set. As a result, the scope of the RoadMap has changed from the origin detailed schedule.
The RoadMap has now reached the stage where the traditional leader shall appoint members of the MP. According to the RoadMap should this process be independent of political institutions in Somalia, neither the TFG, Puntland, Somaliland, Khaatumo state or Galmudug would interfere whom the traditional leaders must choose to parliament. It is also vital that the newly elected MP must to meet the established requirements.
Mahiga Mission
UN Special Representative Augustine Mahiga was appointed in June 2010 to succeed the highly respected Ambassador Ahmedou Ould Abdalla of Muritania who had held the post for three years. Given his performance thus far, and his ways of acting more as a Governor-General than a UN Special Representative for Somalia, many Somalis are now very unhappy and see the Ambassador’s continued holding of this post as part of the problem and not a contributor to the solution required. A UN SRSG’s job is to facilitate the RoadMap rather to support some specific leaders or groups or feather his own job interests. It is not part of the SRSG’s mandate to rule the country as the Ambassador does now even more so since the already TFG is now a lame duck body. During his term, Mahiga has virtually become the ruler of Somalia together with some international NGOs. Clearly, Mahiga is only interested to continue to have his job and has no interest or ability to help in working to find the right solution to the Somali political problems.
The role of the Somalis is nothing better than that they had under colonial role. The question is how long will the Secretary-General of the UN impose his appointee and perhaps personal friend Mahiga on Somalia with all its clear detrimental consequences? Somalia comes before personal considerations.
Farole’s fashion
The Puntland president, Abdirahman Mohamud Farole had tried to be heavy weight of Somalia’s political arena but has been increasingly on a losing side as he had been outmaneuvered or isolated due to his unhelpful arrogance and domineering. The watershed was Istanbul conference where he lost the support of Ethiopia. Since Abdirahman Farole has lost his role in Somali politics, his eyes are directed only against neighboring state, Khaatumo state, who have been part of Puntland at one time but broke with it after the SSC clan conference in Taleex in December 2012 decided on this and established Khatumo State of Somalia. All Farole’s efforts so far to destroy Khatumo State has failed. Now he has Mahiga on his side but how far can Mahiga stop the unstoppable and the rights of the Khatumo people? Obviously not for long.
Mahiga and Farole’s latest number
Nothing more reveals the double-dealed ways the Signatories of th Road map operate than their deliberations and decisions at their last meeting in Nairobi on August 6th. Rather than deal with their own work program, Farole has managed to impose on the meeting another agenda regarding a dispute on the selection of the parliamentarians for the Khaatumo State and asking the Signatories to arbitrate on it, something that has nothing to do with the Signatories. As the Dhulbahante’s traditional leaders made it declared in a subsequent presssrelease, they did not send any complaints at all and that they were not represented in that meeting. The Dhulbahante share posts along three groupings. All three groups had already selected their 8 parliamentarians. The traditional leaders therefore has to deal with his grouping and not be allowed to dictate to the whole of the Dhulbahante clan as Farole is now conspiring with Mahiga’s support. In any case, the Somali traditional leaders had established procedures for settling disputes among clans and within a clan.
Conclusion
The latest actions at the Nairobi meeting which led to President Sheikh Sharif walking out, could dig its own grave thanks to Mahiga and Farole’s respective agenda’s: If the failure of the Roadmap is to be averted, much attention will need to be give to the following considerations:
- Khaatumo State in any case may not accept the decision of signatories of the RoadMap met in Nairobi last week.
- Somali traditional leaders must stand together against the face of this interference from Mahiga and Farole.
- The current president of Somalia must show his ability to prevent RoadMap to collaps.
- International players in Somalia must not let Mahiga alone to manage this process, countries such as Turkey and the Arab league must be more actively involved in the the implementations of what remains the RoadMap.
In conclusion, Somalia can only stand on its own foot if the Somali people stand together and defend their rights and prevent foreign interests to interfere with the future of their country.
By
M I Bullale
Short URL: http://allssc.com/?p=37130
Posted by mukhtaar muuse
on Aug 10 2012. Filed under Fikradaha.
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