Friday, October 14, 2011

Op-Ed: The Somali Road-map

The Consultative Conference that was organized by the U.N., and held in Mogadishu on 4-6 September, the bulk of Somali people couldn’t absorb as they couldn’t take seriously the Kampala Accord.

The Consultative Conference that was organized by the U.N., and held in Mogadishu on 4-6 September, the bulk of Somali people couldn’t absorb as they couldn’t take seriously the Kampala Accord.

The idea of the CM wasn’t owned by the Somali government or its people’ but simply imported from outside world and labeled to theTFG. The reality is that the Consultative Conference was customized by the UN and some donors; in other words, the Road-map wasn’t inclusive.

Many stakeholders like Somali-land, the mini –state administrations, Alshabab, the civil society and women’s organizations have been excluded completely.

According to some members of the Parliament, the United Nation is trying to correct the old mistake with another one related to it.
What is clear in this entire process is that UN can’t achieve what it has neglected or didn’t want, for the last twenty years. Whatever might be the reasons, the step took by the US and UN was a wrong move, politically and militarily.

In 1991-92 UNOSOM could disarm the clan militia. It was easy and convenient, since the Somali people feared the U.S army and at the same time appreciated.

In December 4, 1992, President George W. Bush, said: “To the people of Somalia…we come to your Country for one reason only; to enable the starving people to be fed.”

The UN and the international community missed the opportunities to make Somalia stable and better place to live, because the U.S. lost in between delivering food and establishing a government for Somalia. That was the first chance the world misplaced; wasting millions of dollars on human resources and military hardware just to protect food supplies and delivery.

The second occasion that UNOSOM lost is that it couldn’t recognize the aid distribution may well go simultaneously along with the disarmament of the militia, but that option wasn’t tried.

The third mistake was when United States backed a group of clan warlords who called themselves Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (AR PCT). Those warlords were paid millions of dollars, just to avoid the advancement and popularity of Islamic Court Union that produced peace and stability in the largest part of Somali regions in more than a decade. Not only that, but also they opened the sea port and the international airport of Mogadishu.

Now, after 14 conferences, Somalia is still a failed state and UN/donors orchestrated another conference which was held in Mogadishu- between 4-6 September 2011.The UN and donors maintain that that the Consultative Meeting is owned by Somalis; but some Somali analysts believe that the ownership of that consultative meeting goes to the donors and United Nations.

According to some politicians, this kind of Road-map would not have been successful though the next meeting was scheduled to be held in Garowe on 19 October, apparently a wasting time and resources.

Here is what Dr.: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University in Chicago said:” A possible insufficiency of resources (the escape hatch from the plan for the Somali players) is not the only reason that the Road-map is likely to lead nowhere. It is conceivable that “Somalia” will have a constitution by August 2012, but it strains belief that it will have broad legitimacy. Indeed, the entire transitional exercise borders on fantasy, given “Somalia’s” extreme political fragmentation and many-sided conflicts.

According to some elders, Somalia is in search for independence; first from itself and then from international community’s interference. One of elders named Abdullahi said:” We have to take the experience from Somali-land and use it, I mean from the Borama conference. It’s known that Somali-land got on its feet without any resources from the world community, let alone the international recognition.

The indigenous reconciliation and peace process of Somali-land continue Abdullahi “can be applied to Southern Somalia. It has to be organized a conference of elders: Sulan, Garad, Imam, Malaaq and call them to get involved in peace process like Somaliland did at Borama conference. It was a gifted move and that’s what Somali-land saved from disintegration and displacement of its society. Today comparing to Southern Somalia, North is safe and it’s better place to live”.

The elders can solve the internal dispute and settle difference between the clans. They use “Xeer” which is a customary law based on Sharia. In the discussion must be included some respected authorities like religious scholars and sheikhs, and they must be present as long as they know the xeers (customary laws) between one clan and another.

Abdullahi concluded his long explanation that the “TFG, should held the upcoming conference in Somali-land and not in Garowe.I don’t mean that Somali-land must join the conference, we have to respect their sovereignty, but we have to request them only to host (Our Conference), because they got the experience of solving clan dispute better than we do and they have proved. If we lay on donors and UN, Somalia will be under political and economical colonization, thanks to the Kampala Accord.”

This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com

Source: www.digitaljournal.com

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