The Self-appointed Viceroy of Somalia Is at It Again!

[IRONm@N]

The Self-appointed Viceroy of Somalia Is at It Again!

by Abdul-Aziz Mohammed
Tuesday, June 21, 2011



On this past Monday, June 20th, this headline on Hiiraan.com stared me in the face: “Fresh row between president Sharif and Speaker Hassan over possible Farmajo successor.”
It has not even been 2 weeks after the supposedly resolved conflict, in Kampala, between top Somali leaders, when a brand new erupts.
How long is one political bickering after another, instigated by one speaker Sharif Hassan, going to continue on the lifeless country and people of Somalia? What the heck is this?
The self-appointed viceroy, Sharif Hassan, on whose palms rest all Somali politics, is at it again.
Past customary responses to inter-conflicts of Somali leaders, of blaming them equally, will no longer suffice. Unless the underlining cause of any problem is not identified and rooted out, the solution is usually one of bandage.
By now, it should be clear to all that the Kampala Accord, heralded as the best solution of a difficult problem, was nothing but a temporary dressing on a political wound. The political wound is there because of a deadly, to the people and the country, political infection. This infection of mischief-making and selfish opportunism in current Somali politics, I am afraid, is Sharif Hassan, the Speaker of the Somali Parliament.
For a one man, this Sharif Hassan has too much negative power in a country on its existential death-bed. He is the clear obstacle and obstruction source in Somalia’s recovery.
Sharif Hassan opposed the nomination of premier Farmajo then; when he did not succeed in derailing that nomination, his next negative attempt was on the nominations of Farmajo’s cabinet. He was Negative on that attempt again. Then, Sharif Hassan targeted, using the Somali Transitional Federal Institutions’ end of mandate, the whole government. Finally, Sharif Hassan got to get rid of Farmajo as a consolation price.
One would think Sharif Hassan will then take a break for a little while! No, Sharif Hassan will be Sharif Hassan, always true to his ways. Now he is at it again. On this past Monday, President Sheikh Sharif summoned the speaker to Villa Somalia on the nomination of the new prime minster. It was reported by eye-witnesses at the presidential building that the speaker stormed out of that meeting with anger showing all over his face.
I am asking: Is Sharif Hassan the president of Somalia? What is the source of Sharif Hassan’s one man absolute power?
There is one thing I am sure of, and I am not alone on this, that the fate of Somalia and its people cannot afford the shenanigans of one man or two or a small group. Unless the problem of the Speaker of the Somali Parliament is addressed effectively, constant political-sparring of Somalia’s top leadership is a fixture there in Mogadishu.


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Abdul-Aziz Mohammed
Amohammed4@insight.rr.com


Good article that tells the truth

[Meru]

well it seems AMISOM is very popular with Mogadishu residents, read this article http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/AU+ ... index.html
Standing on the roof of what used to be the Defence Ministry of Somalia’s government but is now used as a base by the Burundi contingent of the Amisom peacekeeping force, the horizon looks very nice
The area is dotted with satellite dishes and a massive communication tower of a mobile telephone firm known as Hormuud.

This is where the Bakara market is located. Also in this area are the city’s main stadium and the former cigarette factory. From a distance, it looks very prosperous.

The district, known as Hodun, is the last major stronghold of al-Shabaab militants in the city.

On the front line in Mogadishu, where we spent the better part of the day, the Amisom force is conducting “suppressive firing” to keep the insurgents on their toes.

Buildings close to the front line have been vacated by civilians. The area has lots of deep trenches dug by the militants who have also blocked streets with shipping containers. There are also tunnels that run right under the road.

Travel on the roads near insurgent areas is strictly by South African-made Casper armoured cars, two soldiers atop with guns at the ready. Inside, each passenger wears a bullet-proof vest and helmet, all weighing 14 kilogrammes. Many are soaked in sweat.

The speed of the armoured vehicle keeps changing. As the driver passes hostile areas, the speed is increased.

Anyone standing on the road is met by massive hooting, indicating he or she jump off to safety or risk being swept off by the furious convoy.

Since the peace-keeping force arrived in 2007, the advance has been slow but the gains made in the last few months have been major.

“At this moment, we believe the city’s main stadium is the headquarters of al-Shabaab,’’ says Captain Prosper Hakizima, spokesman of the Burundi force.

The target of the peace-keeping force that fights alongside the transitional government’s army is to capture major landmarks from which they monitor other key areas.

The big prize would be the Bakara market but the question is how to take it without causing too much damage to what is among the most prosperous parts of the city.

At this moment, both the Burundians and their Ugandan counterparts are approaching Bakara from two different fronts, the aim being to meet at the heart of the market.

Amisom’s secret weapon has been the residents of the areas it occupies whom it wins over with free medical care, and water and food supplies.

One such area is located at the former Siad Barre University. At the hospital run by peacekeepers, close to 1,000 patients are treated every week.

But, the patients carry no cards as being spotted with such an item would mean instant execution by al-Shabaab militants.

The patient simply says his or her name and it is checked. Even al-Shabaab fighters get treatment at Amisom hospitals so long as they arrive without guns.

In Mogadishu, it is not unusual to see small children carrying guns. Schools no longer operate in the city except a few that mainly teach Sharia law.
The Ugandan and Burundi peacekeepers share the little food and water they have with the communities that live next to their camps.

The bad news is that humanitarian agencies cannot operate in the areas controlled by al-Shabaab, leaving needy civilians at the mercy of insurgents who force them to dig trenches and provide other forms of hard labour.

At the moment, the Somali government and Amisom control eight districts of the city while five are being fought over. Al-Shabaab controls only three districts.