Prof Gaandi was prevented from building strong SNA(video)

[EEGA9]

Prof Gaandi as DF was fired at the request of certain countries mainly Ethiopia for attempting to build a strong SNA after inviting a large number of former Somali army officials to help build the new Somali army .

[EEGA9]

he Untold Story Behind the Replacement of Prof. Gandhi
Published: 31 August 2009

The removal of Professor Mohamed Abdi Mohamed “Gandhi” from his portfolio as Somalia’s Minister of Defense was received by many as mind-shattering news. Before the cabinet reshuffle took place, who would have thought that Professor Gandhi, an intellectual man with a great deal of foresight, would be treated in such a degrading way?!

In comparison with the rest of the cabinet ministers, Professor Gandhi is a sincere politician who does not believe in tribal allegiances but fully committed in putting Somalia’s national interest above anything else. If he is not faithful to his country, he wouldn’t have left the university teaching career in the West and his dust-free, tension-free luxury life in Paris. Instead, he chose to serve for his country and live in Mogadishu, the most volatile and dangerous city in the world.


Professor Gandhi has a wealth of academic and administration experiences under his belt and holds PhD in Geology and another PhD in Anthropology and History from Besancon University in France. He was awarded the prestigious International Laureate from French Academy and played a key role in shaping the Somali Civil Society since its inception. When I evaluate Professor Gandhi’s contributions to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and I compare how he was treated in return, I can only recall Nuruddin Farah’s wisdom in his novel Close Sesame, “that a traitor can betray only the one who trusts him”.


As Defense Minister, Professor Gandhi was the driving engine and the towering figure in a government that never speaks with one voice. He did his best to produce something that was alternative to the propaganda that was being put out by the enemy of the Somali people. He is a leading Somali intellectual who believes the rule of law even in a lawless nation like Somalia. He is a man who seeks peace at a time when peace lovers are few and far between in Somalia. The change of his portfolio from Minister of Defense to Minister of Transport will only serve as another blow to the already fractious government that is hiding in Villa Somalia, the Presidential Compound in Mogadishu.



When the Somali cabinet was reshuffled recently, I talked to my Somali colleagues about their views on who is behind the replacement of Professor Gandhi as Somalia’s Minister of Defense at this critical stage, is it the Somali President or the Prime Minister? Without any hesitation, their fingers of blame all pointed at one man, Meles Zenawi, Ethiopai’s Prime Minister.


The answer I received from my colleagues will not be very much different from the responses you would get if you were to ask the same question to any truthful Somali who is living either in Somalia or beyond its borders. If you give a careful thought to this judgment, it seems that it makes sense, given the fact that many unproductive ministers with no performance culture still hold their portfolios. Worse than that, some corrupt yes-men, former warlords and potentially future tyrants remain key figures in the Somali cabinet ministers.


Starting from his appointment as Somalia’s Minister of Defense in February 2009, Professor Gandhi has kept the flames going and has been riding a wave of popularity ever since. He gained trust both from his people and from the international community alike.

So what went wrong?! In other words: what are the things that Professor Gandhi has done that upset Ethiopia and gave the regime in Addis Ababa the jitters?



As Somalia’s Minister of Defense, Professor Gandhi’s strategy was to build a powerful Somalia army, which he believed is the only way to bring Somalia back on track. And to make this strategy workable, he brought together high ranking officers from former Somali armed forces in Washington from 1 – 5 August 2009 for in-depth discussions on the re-establishment of the Somali National Army and subsequently, disarming all armed militias. He urged the former Somali military officers to prepare to defend Somalia from both internal and external enemies and to secure the territorial integrity of the nation. Professor Gandhi was also against the TFG’s strategy of relying on clan militias and the so-called Ahlu Sunnah wa Al-Jama’ah who are indeed a deviated group that founded a most unholy alliance with the regime in Addis Ababa, and still hiding behind this beautiful name (Ahlu Sunna wa Al-Jama’ah).


Many Somalis – including myself – believe that the sole objective behind the cabinet reshuffle was just to replace some influential key ministers who are not pro-Ethiopia such as Professor Gandhi and the former Foreign Minister Mr. Oomar, in exchange of political and military support from Ethiopia. To many Somalis, the “cabinet reshuffle” was just a cover-up to hide Sheikh Sharif and Sharmake’s total submission and obedience to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister from becoming publicly known.


Professor Gandhi wanted to build a strong Somali national army to replace those poor armed, poor trained clan militias who are now in government uniforms. And of course, these initiatives have angered Ethiopia, which is Somalia’s rival and historical enemy.


If truth be told, this is the untold story behind the replacement of Professor Gandhi as Somalia’s Minister of Defense. And as a final point, I would advise him to resign from his new portfolio.

[Tanker]

We have to admit the Ethiopians are smart they have done everything they could in the last 22 years for Somalia never to return as a nation, they observe every minut in the Somali conflict in order to stop anyone who could benefit Somalia. The Ethiopians have made it clear they want us destroyed totally. In the 1990s CIA exposed Ethiopia arming two different warlords at the same time in order for everyone to lose in the conflict.

[Bermooda]

Ghandi is not so innocent when it comes to being clannish. Wikileaks showed that he was against the Marexaan (who were being supported and still are by the Xabashis) participating in defeating HSM in lower Juba especially on Kismayo reason why Azania failed but about Ethiopia making sure anyone creating a strong SNA is taken to the exit is 100% true.

People think i'm nuts when i tell them that Somalis are being threatened to refrain from changing the status quo of Somalia (which not only comes from our neighbours but in reality is mainly from their true master mr West) and when they don't listen called spoilers and get sanctions put on them. Yes there are treasonous collaborators who get financed to the teeth but when you have a huge wound that needs healing keeps being infected through billions of hard ca$h and when that don't work physically get invaded the people who keep feeling the brunt of it start to get tired.

Its easy for us diaspora to judge those back home but unless you have experienced the pain they have been going through and still are then you haven't got the authority to do so. I have said on here once how someone who just came back from Somalia told me how every few months there are these non Arabic white men with big beards flying into HSM held territories with suitcases full of money. I remember one being caught in Mogadishu but i cant remember if he was Arab or white there is even a youtube video but cant remember what it was called.

I think only the diaspora can now safe Somalia from this predicament cos God knows how those back home are tired and worn out but in order to do this we need to organize (stage by stage) a huge and genuine reconciliation conference especially for Hawiye and Daroods

[Tanker]

The West are not the ones who tries to stop Somalia returning, they have many interests in a stable Somalia. The Ethiopians/Amisom and Kenya is the biggest threat. But we have to first get rid of the tratiors among us who supports them.

[Substance]

Now even the likes of Ghandi are called nationalist.

[Bermooda]

The West are not the ones who tries to stop Somalia returning, they have many interests in a stable Somalia. The Ethiopians/Amisom and Kenya is the biggest threat. But we have to first get rid of the tratiors among us who supports them.

The West (who knows it can't control us like they do to with African countries) fears once is stable its natural resources especially the massive uranium will be making its way to China while the Arabs have a vested interest to keep our oil in the ground.

For some being in a strategic region with abundance of resources is a blessing but with us Somalis those 2 combination and our neighbours fears of us trying to reclaim our occupied land has turned it into a curse that is why i call for a real diaspora led reconciliation cos they will not let that happen in

[Estarix]

The West are not the ones who tries to stop Somalia returning, they have many interests in a stable Somalia. The Ethiopians/Amisom and Kenya is the biggest threat. But we have to first get rid of the tratiors among us who supports them.

The West (who knows it can't control us like they do to with African countries) fears once is stable its natural resources especially the massive uranium will be making its way to China while the Arabs have a vested interest to keep our oil in the ground.

For some being in a strategic region with abundance of resources is a blessing but with us Somalis those 2 combination and our neighbours fears of us trying to reclaim our occupied land has turned it into a curse that is why i call for a real diaspora led reconciliation cos they will not let that happen in

I believe the west have a vested interest in curbing "islamist" influence in somalia, now if that means they will engineer false flags in somalia, or wage war indiscriminately then this is plausible. But i doubt it has an interest in keeping down a secular or friendly "islamist" regime down.
A somalia which is dependent on aid in all sectors such as government, food, services and a somalia that destabilizes and is a place which harbors "terrorists" (which is how somalia is today) is not in the interest in the west as the west's money is being drained in this situation. A somalia which is united and developing but is neutral is in the west's interests.
On the other hand ethiopia irregardless wants somalia to be divided and weak because its clear a Somalia that deals with external problems will inevitably target ethiopia's ogaden region. So for ethiopia a divided and weak somalia is to their benefit as it effects them existentially - i would say the same for Kenya but to a lesser extent.
on the other hand the west does not have an existential fear of somalia and keeping somalia down because it might one day sell china uranium or give china a foothold into east africa (they already are in east africa) is not a strong enough argument.

[GIJaamac]

The West are not the ones who tries to stop Somalia returning, they have many interests in a stable Somalia. The Ethiopians/Amisom and Kenya is the biggest threat. But we have to first get rid of the tratiors among us who supports them.

The West (who knows it can't control us like they do to with African countries) fears once is stable its natural resources especially the massive uranium will be making its way to China while the Arabs have a vested interest to keep our oil in the ground.

For some being in a strategic region with abundance of resources is a blessing but with us Somalis those 2 combination and our neighbours fears of us trying to reclaim our occupied land has turned it into a curse that is why i call for a real diaspora led reconciliation cos they will not let that happen in

I believe the west have a vested interest in curbing "islamist" influence in somalia, now if that means they will engineer false flags in somalia, or wage war indiscriminately then this is plausible. But i doubt it has an interest in keeping down a secular or friendly "islamist" regime down.
A somalia which is dependent on aid in all sectors such as government, food, services and a somalia that destabilizes and is a place which harbors "terrorists" (which is how somalia is today) is not in the interest in the west as the west's money is being drained in this situation. A somalia which is united and developing but is neutral is in the west's interests.
On the other hand ethiopia irregardless wants somalia to be divided and weak because its clear a Somalia that deals with external problems will inevitably target ethiopia's ogaden region. So for ethiopia a divided and weak somalia is to their benefit as it effects them existentially - i would say the same for Kenya but to a lesser extent.
on the other hand the west does not have an existential fear of somalia and keeping somalia down because it might one day sell china uranium or give china a foothold into east africa (they already are in east africa) is not a strong enough argument.

Wrong. SFG has no short or long term plans for Kilil5 and xabashis know that.That area is gone forever. Isaga sabar. Ethiopia just wants to maintain it's boss status in the horn.

[Estarix]

And how do ethiopians know about this? since when did not having a somaliweyn agenda become illegal or given up on amongst the somalis, just becuase its not being pursued today doesnt mean it has died (it is dormant). The Ethiopians know a somali cause could well exist if there is a reason for it; a good enough reason is the opposition of occupation and atrocities being committed in ogadenia.
first, it was no so long ago when somalis had a somaliweyn agenda, al itihad which is a somali "islamist" umbrella movement that waged wars in ogadenia - this was in the mid 90s. In the 2000s similarly it was the ICU. An example even when somalis are in a weak state when united under some cause they have somaliweyn tendencies imagine when they are in a more powerful state. Lastly im talking about the long term not today - the sfg may not exist in 10 years time.

[Tanker]

Estarix well said