GARAACA ARDADA AFRIKAANKA DHIGTA ISKOOLADA

Guumeeystihii markuu soo cago dhigtay Afrika, wuxuu sammeeyay labo qeybood oo waxbarasho ama manaahij: Mid loo qoondeeyay ilmahii Caddaanka ahaa iyo mid loogu talo galay carruurta Madowga ah. Guumeeystayaashii waxay tabo bareen macallimiin Madow ah.

Ardadii Caddaanka ahaa lama garaaci jirin, laakiin kuwii Madowga ahaa waa la tumi jiray loomana ogoleen in ay ku hadlaan afkooda hooyo Garaacii waagaa billowday weli wuu socdaa oo guud ahaan Afrika, garaaca ciyaal iskoolka dhigta waxay iska noqotay wax iska caadi ah oo ilmaha lagu edbinayo.

Dherbaaxo dheg dillaacisa, shabiiq maqaarka ardeyga ku reebta nabarro, bakoora lafaha baduuqda, garruun ardeyga curyaamisa, toontooma feeraha riiqda, haraanti aan kala joogsi laheyn, ayaa ka dhaqan galay qeybo badanoo Afrika kamid ah.

Waxaa intaasi u sii dheer,gaajo baahsan iyo calool madhan, harraad ama oon, kaneeco ku reebta cudurka maleeriyada, nadaafad darro,,iyo gurigii oo aan laheyn nolol maalmeed aanan laysku halleyn karin. Waalidkii dhalay cannugan dhibban, wuxuu aamminsanyahay ilaa hadda, in haddii aan canuga la garaacin, uusan wax baraneyn.

Muqdisho: Daryeel La'aanta Deegaanka Muqdisho, WQ Feysal Rooble

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The Consequences of Debt

The U.S. is moving deeper and deeper into debt and there is little sign that it is getting out of this problem. According to Hyman (2011, debt can have impact on future generations who have to shoulder the responsibility of repaying that debt. The burden of debt causes reduction of income on future generations because they will have to live with compulsory tax for a long time to come. While foreign borrowing can stimulate the economy for a certain period of time, what is hard to tackle or avoid are the long term implications debt may have on the economy and on society as a whole. A case in point is when, in 1982, the nation of Mexico declared that it was no longer in a position to service its foreign debts (Were, 2001). Despite being an oil producer, Mexico was left to live with the long term implications of foreign debt.

Debt inundates the market with surplus goods and services, competition becomes cutthroat, and consumers will have less to spend. Environmental protection becomes less of a priority with explosive debt, jobs diminish, and there will be an increased movement of corporations to poor overseas countries. Debt forces producers to borrow more money consequently accelerating price hikes and interest rates. Debt held by foreign interests can have long term implications for the U.S. Because Americans don’t save much, the government will be compelled to keep on borrowing from foreign entities such as China. Americans have more concern for U.S. borrowing from China than the political situation and confrontation with Iran (Zhang, 2012).

With increase of debt we will see flooding of cheaper goods lacking value, merger of corporations leading to bigger and bigger conglomerations, and retailers embarking on the importation of goods produced in countries where wages are extremely low. Foreign debt leads to furious competition in international trade. Instead of exporting goods and services, debt forces nations to import which is a sign of weakening economy. Consequently, nations with bigger deficits run to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for bail out an example being Third World countries notably in Africa Asia who are dependent on the IMF when there economies get worse.

References

Hyman, D.N. (2011). Public finance: A contemporary application of theory to policy (10th). South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Were, M. (2001). Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.debtweek.org/content/the-impact-of-external-debt-on-economic-growth-and-private-investment-in-kenya/index.html

Zhang, M. (2012). Are foreign holdings of U.S. national debt a threat to our economy? Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.com/are-foreign-holdings-us-national-debt-threat-our-economy-721691

Developing Strategies to Address Strategic Issues

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The African Union (AU), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was formerly known as the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It changed name in 2002 to become the African Union. The AU represents the political, social, economic, and cultural issues affecting the African continent. It was formerly established to fight colonialism and apartheid. Despite being formed to usher the continent into a new environment of peace and prosperity and foster solidarity with newly independent states and preserve the idea of sovereignty, the continent got immersed in explosive debts and bureaucracy, genocide, conflicts, and dictatorships in later years (Carbone, 2002). Modeled from the European Union style of governance, the AU is composed of an Assembly, a Commission, a Central bank, a Court of Justice, a Parliament and eventually a common currency. The Assembly, the supreme organ of the Union, is populated by all heads of states drawn from fifty-four member states. The Kingdom of Morocco is the only state that is not a member of the Union. Morocco left the Union in 1982 after the OAU recognized the Sahrawi Democratic Republic as a sovereign nation.

The AU has various strategic issues that need addressing; however, the two most burning issues are commitment to democracy and failure to intervene in the affairs of member states. Since the AU is managed by a difficult bureaucracy, it is hard to convince other heads of states to come to agreement as to how the issues can be curtailed. To get out of this stagnation and usher in tranquility and prosperity, member nations will need to speak with one voice and ensure every agenda is fulfilled. Imposing mentality is still ingrained in the minds of many African leaders who are themselves vestiges of colonialism.

The two approaches to strategy development that would best serve to bring about progress in the way the AU is organized would be implementation of the five-part process and the oval mapping approach. Since the AU is unable to come to grips with daily natural and manmade occurrences, it would be prudent for decision-makers to imagine grand alternatives by formulating proposals that will help them prosper in their endeavors. In the case of commitment to democracy, member states will need to pledge to transform their governing styles within a certain period of time. Nations found contravening democratic norms will have to be censored and denied further funding. By working with foreign financiers, the AU can monitor the democratic processes in the said states.
Failure to interfere in the internal affairs of other member states is caused by skepticisms and paralysis caused by competing interests of member states who at times side with one party against the other (Carbone, 2002).

According to Alemayehu and Kebret (2007), an organization like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has been struggling with several issues that include lack of political commitment, overlapping memberships, and poor private sector participation. By applying the five-part process to the problems encountered by the AU, strategic policy implementations can be achieved. African leaders will have to undertake conventional strategies by posing questions then imagining when dealing with specific issues noted above. These questions will give the leaders ideas as to the exact causes of evasions in the implementations of desired practical alternatives, dreams, and visions. Another point worth deciphering will be uncovering the causes of barriers to the realization of major alternatives, dreams, and situations. This should be done by taking actions that are conducive to the environment. Union leaders will have to follow the laid down proposals. To overcome the bureaucracy that has been impeding the smooth operations of the Union, member states will need to charter a new course that ensures those endowed with authority work meritoriously and bring in recognition to the affected department under review. A commission could be used to make follow ups and prepare final recommendations so that differentiations can be made between the unproductive and efficient leaders.

The five-part process, according to Bryson (2004), can be an effective tool in dissuading misconceptions and conflicts in the workplace environment.
In its final analysis, the commission will be tasked with taking specific actions to rectify the volatile situations. AU’s strategic planners, who are part of the proposed commission, will have to come up with a final solution and make recommendations to member states and donor nations so that travel restrictions, economic sanctions, and other measures can be imposed on nations found to be contravening the set up norms. On the other hand, commission members will need to use the oval mapping process to activate mandates, mission, and stakeholder analyses. Graphs will be required to chart progress and failures. Thus, the oval mapping strategy and five-part process will serve as the most helpful strategies in the formulation of an effective work ethic in the AU’s official structural foundations.

References

Alemayehu, G. and Kebret, H. (2007). Regional Economic Integration in Africa: A Review of Problems and Prospects with a Case Study of COMESA. Journal of African Economies, 17 (3): 357-394.

Bryson, J.M. (2004). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, 3rd Ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Carbone, M. (2002). From OAU to AU: Turning a page in the history of Africa. The Courier ACP-EU. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/development/body/publications/courier/courier194/en/en_030.pdf

Superfluously Unrefined Political Theories That Brought Somalia to Her Knees

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"When I came to Mogadishu... [t]here was one road built by the Italians. If you try to force me to stand down, I will leave the city as I found it. I came to power with a gun; only the gun can make me go"-Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre, former President of Somalia.

After decades of horrendous struggle with the forces of European colonialism, Somalia became a sovereign republic in 1960. Former colonial masters England and Italy left Somalia in haste leaving behind a potpourri of baffling and undecipherable political condiments that instantaneously generated ripple effect in a society used to pastoral and nomadic lifestyles. Somalia may have been the first African country to grasp the values of liberal democracy albeit the redundancy of its improvised political elite, clan configuration, and the explosion of nomenklatura retarding the propagation of an inflexible political philosophy that would serve as the structural foundation for the immature and fragile emerging nation-state.

From its inception, Somali leadership was reminiscent of a kindergarten without a guardian. Of the thirteen founders of the Somali Youth League (SYL), only three had college degrees. Shortage of educational institutions made governance a recipe for disaster as emulsification of tribalism and preferential treatment widely practiced by the authorities eroded cultural homogeneity and social cohesion. Instead of embarking on streamlining the values of social equality and economic emancipation, the nation’s leaders sought to engage in unnecessary quandaries of political irredentism by igniting a regional confrontation with neighboring Kenya and creating restlessness for the regime in power in Ethiopia. Lack of guiding philosophical thoughts, inherently aggressive behaviors, and the application of unworkable approaches and obsession with the fundamentals of defensive realism brought about an overarching security dilemma for the entire Horn of Africa region.

The assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke in 1969 shepherded contention and strife among a pastoral and orally effusive nation. On October 21, 1969, a day after Shermarke’s funeral, Somalia’s hybrid democracy was thrown overboard when a group of military officers headed by Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre, took over the reins of power in a bloodless coup. Drawing heavily from the traditions of China, the military junta adapted scientific socialism for the governing of the nation. Theoretically pioneered by Karl Marx, the term scientific socialism was used by Friedrich Engels to refer to social-political-economic developments and is largely determined by material (economic) conditions. The military junta under Barre nationalized almost all industries, banks, insurance companies, oil distribution firms, and businesses while cooperative farming received a big boost.

Akin to the communist system of volunteer work, unpaid laborers built roads and hospitals and planted and harvested crops. As he predicted during the early years of his presidency, Barre was forced to exit the political spectrum in 1991 by a ragtag militia using the barrel of the gun thus bringing to an end a repulsive political theory not in agreement with Islam. Barre passed away peacefully in Nigeria in 1995. His remains were buried in Garbaharey-the same town he claimed to have been born during his early quest for enlistment into the Italian administered Carabiniere (Carabineer).

Despite holding elections, the initial republic lacked fairness and equal justice. The few registered electors voted along tribal lines. Barre was the type of leader who, despite embracing scientific socialism, applied wise sayings to win the hearts and minds of his fellow citizens. A form of rule entailing the use of words and known as logocracy could best describe Barre’s governance from a broader perspective.

After Barre’s departure Somalia descended into chaos and civil disobedience. The line-up of notable figures that ascended the throne include Ali Mahdi Mohamed (January 1991 – 15 June 1995), General Mohamed Farah Aideed (15 June 1995 – 1 August 1996), Hussein Mohamed Farah Aideed (2 August 1996 – 22 December 1997) Abdiqasin Salad Hassan (27 August 2000 – 14 October 2004), Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (14 October 2004 – 29 December 2008), Adan Mohamed Nur Madobe (interim) (29 December 2008 – 31 January 2009), and the incumbent Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (31 January 2009 – Present). From 22 December 1997 to 27 August 2000, the post of president remained vacant.

From July 1, 1960 until 21 October, 1969 Somalia was officially known as Somali Republic and that the governing party was the Somali Youth League or SYL. From 21 October, 1969 until 27 August, 2000 the official name for Somalia was Somali Democratic Republic and that the succession of ruling parties included the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), the United Somali Congress (USC), and the Somali National Alliance (SNA). Somalia changed name again on 27 August, 2000 with the rise of Abdiqasin Salad Hassan when it was baptized Republic of Somalia. Abdiqasin, Abdullahi Yusuf, and interim president Adan Madobe were not affiliated with any party and that the official name of the government was the Transitional Federal Government or TFG. The current president, Sheikh Sharif, belongs to the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).

A thorough and accurate research on the metamorphosis of government types and governing styles Somalia has been through from the day the flag of independence was hoisted on July 1, 1960 could fill volumes. From 1960 to 1969 a flawed form of democracy devoid of conventional representation existed in name only. Even to this day, many countries exist that claim to espouse real democracy. But that is not the case; in fact they are defective democracies because they lack the right attributes of democracy. These are nations that lack social and economic modernization; they do not have class culture; and there is the absence of a political culture that is the embodiment of cultural beliefs, norms, and values relating to politics.

Economic giants Brazil and India are partial democracies because ethnic inequalities and social prejudice exist. Brazil is home to the largest population of the blacks outside Africa yet the minority white population control almost all of the economy. On the other hand, India has millions of Harijans (god’s Child) who lack basic social amenities. Nations like Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Chile, and Indonesia are partial-democracies.

World War One instigated the implosion of World War Two. Likewise, the end of World War Two set pace for what became known as the Cold War. The tremors of the Cold War made many African nations incline to communism and thus began the explosion of authoritarianism. A greater percentage of the nations that adapted democracy as their preferred mode of governance ended up resorting to communism after successions of coups engineered by disgruntled military cadres imposed Leninist-Marxist forms of governance that retarded their forward match to economic developments. The rule by central committees, collectivization, militarization, and nationalization of economies resulted in a backward match to despondency, poverty, and general decline.

The taking of hard to digest counterfeit political prescriptions has been the major cause of Somalia’s current statelessness and disintegration. A complete democracy requires the hallmarks of liberalism and constructivism/idealism to advance forward to a brighter future. And for a democracy to succeed, it has to be substantive in general context. All citizens must have equal access to education, healthcare, and other available social amenities without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender or national origin. Liberal democracy leads to substantive democracy. Nations that exercise ostracization and marginalization of minorities, suppress the press (media), arbitrarily arrest opponents, and harass the opposition are doomed to fail. And that is how Somalia measured in the Democracy Index in its heydays. It was a nation with too many conflicting theories and superfluous governing styles.

The Colorful Stripes of a Totalitarian Ruler

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Africa has seen the true colors of totalitarian rulers. Some were harsher than others. This system of rule may be described as the most brutal and inhuman form of all types of governance. Millions got killed, maimed, raped, and detained without judicial recourse since colonialism exited the African continent. Multitudes of Africans perished due to food deprivation; others were decimated by curable diseases; denial of basic necessities left unaccountable number reeling in abject poverty.

Colonialism gave birth to the legacies of neocolonialism and economic slavery, scientific socialism and communism. Africa’s totalitarian rulers finally embraced pseudo-democracy or hybrid democracy which came about as a result of Western pressure and the want of economic aid-aid that gradually trickled in with many strings attached.

Post colonial Africa was ruled with the barrel of the gun; African dictators preferred to rule while in military uniform-an irregular fear-instilling dress that belonged to the barracks. Almost every African head of state preferred to be called “His Excellency” or “Mheshimiwa” in Kiswahili. Others were conferred on with the title of “Sir” by Her Majesty, the colonial master queen at-large. Former African colonies still remain orphans of their colonial masters. Calling an African president “Mr. President” was, in some countries, until recently, punishable by death by hanging until pronounced death. Some leaders admired the terms “Father of the Nation” or “Baba wa Taifa”, “Mzee” or “Victory Bearer”. Wives of head of state-regardless of health condition and physical appearance-took the title of "Mama” or “Mother of the Nation”. The title “First Lady” is a recent creation.

In preparation for a ceremonial event or delivery of address to the nation by the president, the national security apparatus embarked on wide-ranging skirmishes of executions and arbitrary arrests of innocent civilians days before the occassion. Suspects were shot at point blank range; people gathered around ramshackle diases hours before commencement of ceremonies; others lined-up along pot-holed roads waving olive branches in the scorching sun of the equator without food and water; expectant mothers, children, and the elderly got flushed out of their grass-thatched houses by dreaded security forces in riot gear.

School children rehearsed school choir choruses in praise of the president while drenched in perspiration, dehydrated and on empty stomachs. After thunderous applause, those heads of states who happened to be illiterate issued diktats or communiqués signed with their thumb prints.

Somalia’s Proliferation of Tectonic Cantons and the Quest for Tribal ‘Lands’

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All of Somalia’s so-called leaders share one mindset: the dismemberment of the country into cantons ruled by ruthless tribal chieftains whose ultimate goal is to ensure the security and protection of their clans. Previously, it was Somaliland that seceded in 1992 though not recognized by the international community. What is currently referred to as Somaliland, was before the collapse of the military government in 1991, composed of five separate provinces, namely Awdal, Sanaag, Sool, Togdheer and the North West region. However, despite Somaliland claiming sovereignty, the three regions of Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn remain violence prone as the inhabitants of these regions prefer to remain with the rest of Somalia.

In 1998, Somalia’s former Eastern region, declared autonomy with established governing institutions in place headed by a president and seconded by a cabinet. During the colonial era, this part of Somalia currently called Puntland was known as Majertinia-a reference to the Majertein clan that is the dominant clan in the region. Now we have Maakhirland, GalMudug, and Hiiraanland-each drawing governing styles from their predecessors Somaliland and Puntland.

The current transitional government of Somalia has no mandate over the rest of the country because it is surrounded by hostile Jihadi forces determined to enforce sharia law by sheer force. With his mandate restricted to an area the size of the Vatican, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the current transitional president, relies on African Union forces for protection.

The recent inhuman expulsion by the Puntland autonomous government of internally displaced persons from central and southern Somalia to the unforgiving city of Galkayo demonstrates the sadistic and appalling behavior of Somali tribal leaders and their total disregard for harmony and coexistence of Somali tribal groups. Perhaps, the current visible territorial divisions will set the stage for a future federal government based on tribal demarcations.

Al-Shabaab Bans Music, BBC Broadcasts

Always expect the worst form of treatment from African leaders whenever they feel threatened. Southern Somalia's powerful Islamist groups have once again imposed stringent measures on the locals they govern: no more playing music by local radios and a shut down of the BBC transmissions. And that is exactly what the Tigre regime in Addis Ababa did to VOA broadcasts in Amharic for fear of raising political tensions as the elections approach. Strange as it may sound, another ban has been slapped on schools this time warning headmasters (principals)and school teachers to refrain from ringing bells at anytime. The islamists contend that bell-ringing is a Christian culture which has no place in Islamic Somalia.

Leaders of southern Somalia's religious movements who are eying to topple the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu prefer banging of walls, desks, and clapping of hands as replacement for bell ringing. In the southern town of Afmadu controlled by Islamists, the teaching of English and Science have been terminated forthwith. We will leave these contentious and burning issues for Islamic scholars to debate on.

In this era of globalization where the world has transformed into a global village due to interconnectedness brought about by interaction and integration, one cannot understand how any nation can survive in the absence of international trade and investment. With the rapid rise of India and China as global economic powers, even mighty United States and her European allies are rewriting their school curricula so as to accommodate science, medicine, and engineering. While it is not a bad idea for the Jihadists to resuscitate, reinvent, and revitalize vital subjects that have long been abandoned, I find it laughable when science, which hardly contradicts Islamic teachings, is deemed unacceptable in the schools that fall under their domains. In the next few decades, a nation's survival will be determined by how far it has excelled in the sciences.

Islamist leaders have become masters at digging the skeletal remains of revered persons. There are even reports of these master-gravediggers mixing the skeletal remains of Somali shaikhs with those of persons of unknown religious following. These actions are meant to confuse the followers of the revered persons from identifying the exact human remains of their saints. At times they unearth the remains of non-Muslim religious symbols in the glare of the media. From what I know, people don't worship the saints or the graves that hold them, but that they are paying homage to their beloved departed souls.

While Islamists carry out desecration of graves, the government that is supposed to protect the people from harassment remains powerless, toothless, ineffective, and cowering behind the artillery and tanks of AMISOM-the African Union Peacekeeping Force in Mogadishu. According to observers of Somalia affairs and general politics, the current president of the TFG has become the world's most widely-traveled leader.
Undoubtedly, Shaikh Sharif's government has enough troops to counter the daily provocations from the heavily-armed opposition.

Lack of reliable military hardware, defective leadership compounded by corruption, and embezzlement of funds are the major obstacles crippling the current government. A fulfilling promise can only be warranted when the TFG and the opposition engage in a final onslaught so that whoever wins the battle emerges the final undisputed winner who will steer Somalia for many years to come.

A New Year, an Eclipse of the Moon, and Escalation of War

Millions of people across the world have been reveling in commemoration of the beginning of the year Two Thousand and Ten (2010) corresponding to the Gregorian calendar. It also denotes the birth of Jesus Christ 2010 years ago. In some regions of the world especially in Africa, a unique eclipse of the moon was sighted while in some other regions a blue moon shone in the heavens-phenomena experienced twenty years ago. The bluish moon, according to cosmologists, is attributed to the dust and other chemicals emitted by the lower heavens. Volcanic ash and other chemical reactions on earth coupled with the rays of the moon and the stars cause the outer atmosphere to turn bluish. The eclipse of the moon must have been a source of solace for many who turn to the heavens for divine guidance.

While millions celebrate the fruits of peace and liberty, there are millions who continue to experience insecurity, hunger, illiteracy, thirst, political instability, poor governance, and a host of other ills caused by Mother Nature and by callous fellow humans. A prime example is the tiny nation of Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Somalia remained a democracy from its inception in 1960 until 1969 when a group of military officers took over the helm after the sudden assassination of the then democratically elected civilian president, Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. Since that goes around comes around, the tiny Horn of Africa nation descended into chaos when the military government headed by Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre was overthrown in 1991 by a ragtag militia led by General Aidid . Aidid died a few years later after being hit by a stray bullet from a warring faction that was pursuing him. To this day, Aidid’s followers commemorate the day he died for they consider him to have been a hero and a saint.

The ruling junta applied brutal force to advance its agenda. The government trade and marketing strategy was one based on monopoly where select agencies delivered goods and services to the public. There was hardly any sort of privatization.
The president and his henchmen enjoyed the fruits of independence while the rest suffered. The military government, which espoused opportunistic, cunning, and arrogant illegitimate political behavior, opposed any from of protests or demonstrations, peaceful or aggressive by university students or the general population.

Thus, most Somalis have been raised in a land of aggression, poor governance, and intolerance. Undoubtedly, some of those bad leadership traits deliberately filtered into their thoughts and processes. Immense pressure from the government-operated security apparatus known as the National Security Service (NSS) eroded their ability to think effectively in terms of leadership.

Task conflict, dysfunctional conflict, and potential opposition to governmental operations retarded any prospects for compromise. The absence of reallocation of resources, unclear performance evaluation systems, low trust, zero-sum reward practices, and lack of promotion opportunities hampered people’s prospects for leadership success. In a nutshell, the confused and convoluted form of leadership style espoused by the military regime ultimately led to the disintegration of Somalia.

As I write, the religiously-inclined Al-shabab faction that is in control of the central and southern regions of Somalia has issued a stern warning to all forces-domestic and foreign-engaged in the pacification of Somalia. During religious sermons delivered across mosques in Mogadishu, Al-shabab leaders pointed fingers mainly at the United Nations and the United States. These same leaders have been reported to have sent messages of relief to their brothers and sisters across the Gulf of Aden. Al-shabab leaders have been quoted as saying that they will take the war to Yemen. In a show of force, Al-shabab paraded hundreds of newly-graduated fighters in the streets of Mogadishu.

On the other hand, Somalia’s transitional government is devising a war plan that is meant to clean the country from Al-shabab menace. With the help of fierce firepower from the African Union troops in the country, the federal government aims to secure the areas under Al-shabab control within a short time. Hundreds if not thousands of government troops trained in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, and Rwanda are expected in the country soon to take part in the all-out-war against the insurgents wrecking havoc in Somalia.

The anticipated massive mobilization of troops and hardware by the Somali government could lead to the unexpected unification of the forces of Al-shabab and the hard-line Hizbul Islam group led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys who is wanted in the west for terrorism related activities. The two factions are on the process of establishing an emirate for the Horn of African nation. They intend to have a Somalia governed by an Emir-an Emir who will have absolute power over the affairs and foundations of the entire nation while eying further expansion to neighboring countries.

The imaginary caliphate will eventually extend invitations to foreign fighters driven by religious zeal so that the theocratic beliefs of the Emir may be transported across Somalia’s borders. The aftermath of the resounding blitzkrieg will obviously lead to a humanitarian disaster. Wherefore, Somalia will be transformed into a new killing field where corpses will litter everywhere like in the era of black plague. Millions of unfortunate citizens will be affected with refugees spilling over to neighboring countries and across the shark-infested waters of the Indian Ocean and even beyond. There will be an increase in banditry, escalation of piracy, environmental pollution, sealing of borders, and increased naval and aerial reconnaissance. Businesses will come to a standstill, hospitals will run out of medicine, there will be shortage of food, taps will run dry, and in the initial end none will emerge winner.

Africa is Penniless and Broke

The same old guards of the sixties continue to rule Africa unabated. The modes of leadership they impose on their people are multi-faceted. Some practice kleptocracy. These group devour their nation's resources without measure while millions of their loyal citizens perish for lack of food and water. Some are dictators who either kill, maim, or jail the opposition without legal justifications. Others have enthroned themselves kings. These bunch have created gloomy pictures of destitution which are visible in the eyes of their subjects while they live lavish lives in palaces surrounded by loyal, well-fed mistresses and bodyguards.

Africa has every kind of natural resource enough for the entire continental population. Africa prides to have great rivers, lakes, oceans, forests, minerals, culture of tolerance, and a wonderful sunny tropical weather all-year-round. Yet, Africa is poor and penniless because her leaders have decided to keep to themselves every shining dime and nickel. African leaders wear the best woolen, cotton, and silken three-piece-suits bought in Paris, London, Rome, and New York. These leaders drive the most expensive imported cars in the world. They cherish custom-made Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Audi limousines that are bullet-proof and well-furnished. They ride the most expensive rodeos, barbecue in expansive ranches surrounded by vineyards, exotic plants and wildlife. They swim in crystal clear waters surrounded by mademoiselles clad in bikinis. Yet, a few miles from their palaces their subjects remain destitute, naked, and sickly.

The children of African leaders abhor local education systems. Instead they prefer to enroll in the best educational institutions located overseas. Upon graduation, they return to their countries of origin where they are ushered in to a world of splendor and merrymaking. Millions of dollars, gold and jewelery looted by their parents-in-power await them upon their return. Had African leaders embarked on philanthropic purposes by dispersing the monies they spend on expensive regalia and lavish lifestyles, millions of their countrymen could be saved from abject poverty.

Africa is penniless and broke as depicted in the world Economic Freedom Index (EFI). The continent lags behind in labor freedom, freedom from corruption, investment freedom, financial freedom, monetary freedom, government size, fiscal freedom, trade freedom, business freedom, and property rights. Africa is being devastated by HIV/AIDS, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases or STD, diabetes, hypertension, and hazardous wastes that contribute to the spread of deadly diseases.

The continent suffers from poor infrastructure; vital medical and educational facilities are scarce if not nonexistent in many rural and remote areas; many regions remain impassable due to lack of reliable roads and bridges; scarcity of food and water shortages afflict millions in the countrysides and even in many major cities; insecurity and corruption remain the biggest obstacle to good governance. Africa has no one else to blame. It is the leaders' old habits that is dragging the continent to unpredictable disaster.

Al-Shabab: Somalia’s New Kharijites and Masters of Death and Destruction

Ever since Al-Shabab rose to power in the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia, the rate of human decimation has been skyrocketing enormously such that no human being is immune from death, terrorism, chaos, violence, and insecurity. Al-Shabab is brandishing a perilous novel religious ideology that will engulf many places in the African continent and even beyond if not restrained in time. To countless fundamentalist-minded people and their sympathizers, the leaders of Al-Shabab are “saviors of Islamic spirit”. To those opposed to Al-Shabab’s religious extremities, the group is nothing more than a replica of Al-Qaida and the Taliban of Afghanistan struggling to overcome the threats of democracy and human freedom. The main reason Al-Shabab is waging a bitter war in Somalia is to ensure Western influence does not get a foothold in the Horn of Africa. It has indoctrinated thousands of Somali youth and attracted Islamic fighters from almost everywhere in the world. These "foreign guests" provide training to the forces of Al-Shabab in arms handling, mine laying, suicide bombing, and enemy surveillance. Western intelligence sources believe there is credible evidence to suggest the presence of 300 foreign Jihadi fighters in Somalia. Now we hear of an ex-Pakistani general leading the onslaught against Somalia's lame duck government. If such information is to be believed to the fullest, then, Somalia has obviously become a safe haven for terrorists from all walks of like. Unashamedly, the leaders of Al-Shabab have in the past mentioned the presence of these "guest fighters" in their domains.

Hiding under the banner of bringing pure Islam to the entire globe, a distance spanning from Alaska to Cape Town, the group whose name means “youth” in Arabic, invented innovations alien to the Muslim Somali: Khariji thoughts that deserve absolute rejection. Al-Shahrastani defines a Khariji as: “Anyone who walks out against (seeking to overthrow) the true appointed Imam (leader) upon whose leadership the Jamaa'ah is in agreement is called a Khariji. This is the case, despite whether the walking out (against the Imam) occurred in the days of the Rightly-Guided caliphs or other than them from the Tabi'een.” [1] (Wikipedia)

"According to Kharijite doctrine, not only descendants of the Prophet Muhammad and members of the Muslim aristocracy but anyone—even a slave—could become a caliph if morally and religiously pure. A caliph, to be legitimate (in accord with God’s will), had to be elected as the free choice of the entire Muslim community. An unsatisfactory caliph could be deposed or put to death. The Kharijites, both extremely pious and puritanical in religious practice and theory, also accepted only a literal interpretation of the sacred Qur'an (Koran). They developed their own laws and collections of Hadith—the Traditions, or Muhammad’s actions and utterances witnessed by his companions and transmitted by reliable authorities. Today a few hundred thousand Kharijites, usually referred to as Ibadites, dwell in North and East Africa, Oman, and Tanzania. Their puritanism and idealism have greatly influenced the present-day Wahhabi movement, which includes the majority of Saudi Arabians."[2]

Since rising to stardom in 2008 when Ethiopian occupation forces departed Somalia after being bogged down in the capital city of Mogadishu, Al-Shabab has carried out on a wider scale assassinations of senior Somali government figures, tribal heads, and journalists it perceives as a threat to its existence. Just recently, a reputed government minister, Colonel Omar Hashi and Abdikarim Laqanyo, an astute 39-years old rising diplomat who was Somali ambassador to South Africa and former Somali ambassador to Ethiopia in Colonel Yusuf’s government, met their untimely deaths in the city of Beletweyne when a vehicle loaded with explosives and commandeered by a suicide bomber destroyed the hotel they were residing in. The explosion, as claimed by Al-Shabab, killed several dozen government soldiers and unsuspecting civilians that were caught in the predicament. A spokesman who spoke for Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. Al-Shabab claimed to have carried out the suicide bombing after obtaining credible evidence from its intelligence sources that the current government headed by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was hosting Ethiopian military officers planning strategic military operations against its areas of influence.

This gruesome and wanton incident that cut short the lives of many Somalis, surprisingly, utterly left Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys devastated, a man wanted in the West for crimes related to terrorism. A former colonel in the defunct Somali army, Sheikh Hassan Dahir was the former head of the rebel group al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, an Islamic militant group linked to terrorism in the 1990s. The former colonel is currently the head of Hizbul Islam that is opposed to the presence of foreign troops in Somali soil. Narrated Aisha: Allah's Apostle said, "If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected." Volume 3, Book 49, Number 861 of Al-Bukhari. “Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "There is a Sadaqa to be given for every joint of the human body; and for every day on which the sun rises there is a reward of a Sadaqa (i.e. charitable gift) for the one who establishes justice among people." Volume 3, Book 49, Number 870 of Al-Bukhari.

The Somali Government of National Unity decried the collective atrocities being committed by Al-Shabab such that the Speaker of Somalia’s Parliament appealed to neighboring countries that include Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen and the member states of IGAD to send in military reinforcements within 24 hours to deter Al-Shabab aggression. Local media houses in Somalia reported seeing Ethiopian forces pouring in to Somalia upon receiving Somali parliamentary speaker’s pleas for immediate help. On the contrary, the Ethiopian has reiterated its stand in Somalia: that it can only intervene in Somalia with international mandate. On the other hand, the Kenya government is said to be amassing heavily-armed troops alongside its border with Somalia. Both Kenya and Ethiopia are host to thousands of Somali refugees displaced by Somalia's internal strife and both have territorial disputes with Somalia over the former Northern Frontier District in Kenya and the Ogaden region in Ethiopia claimed by Somalia.

Currently, the Kenya government feels the brunt of Al-Shabab aggression. The jihadi group made several incursions in to Kenya in the past. The downing of a military helicopter belonging to the Kenya military in the not so distant past has angered a section of Kenyan's and parliamentarians with many calling for Kenya's direct involvement in Somalia. While the intention of Kenya's military buildup along the long porous border it shares with Somalia may not be speculated, there is a great possibility Kenya may this time land troops inside Somalia. Both Kenya and Ethiopia have sizable military personnel of Somali decent in their military ranks. Supposedly, by borrowing a leaf from the saying, "send a thief to catch a thief" both nations could tactically utilize the strengths of their Somali citizens to overcome the fundamentalist aggression perpetuated by Al-Shabab.

The refusal by Al-Shabab to negotiate with any entity has further diminished the prospect for peace in Somalia. Despite the Somali government calling for moderation and reconciliation, Al-Shabab continues to kill, maim, and mutilate in the absence of a sovereign authority. Despite modern leadership qualities entailing communication, delegation, selection, and training, Al-Shabab’s mode of leadership rests on perpetrating pseudo-anarchism and territorial expansionism and unwarranted psycho-politico-socio-economic annihilation of human population and properties.

Consequently, the otiose Somali government lacks influence tactics and impression management techniques. Perhaps, the newly inaugurated moderate Sheikh Sharif is too inexperienced to win the hearts and minds of the opposition. Lack of horizontal thinking; the absence of theories and practice; the President’s inability to macro and micro manage the volatile Somali environment has left him in the lurch. Conceivably, majority of the men and women holding ministerial positions in the current government hold foreign citizenship which makes them unfit to govern a nation in a chaotic and frustrated atmosphere. One may may ask: do these leaders have mission and value statements and do they espouse concrete statements of intentions?

Undoubtedly, a nation is a massive organization that demands concrete planning and conceptualized responsibility. Failing to realize the motivational components of human behavior is cause for disaster. Factors that apply to leadership include communication, delegation, selection, and training. All attempts to have a fully-trained armed force have been shattered either because the government was unwilling to pull resources together or because the financial resources to deliver the projected figures were hard to secure. Why is it that every created government collapses before completing term of office? Those of you who follow Somali politics will recall how the previous governments headed by Ali Mahdi, Abdiqasim Salat, and Abdullahi Yusuf collapsed due to imprudent tribal politics and gerrymandering. All these political fiascos happened due to lack of religious and ethical considerations and the absence of organizational structure and culture.

In the Somali vernacular language, the word "Khariji" denotes to mean "to exterminate, to kill, to silence". Perhaps, it could be a good description that fits the callous actions of Al-Shabab because of the way they kill with impunity. For the two years Ethiopian troops were in Somalia beginning in 2006 until last January, majority of Somalis who were opposed to the dreaded Ethiopian presence, gave Al-Shabab a standing ovation because they brutally defeated them in street battles.

Ironically, the international community is not doing enough to overcome the growing threats of anarchy in Somalia. Instead of training a strong and reliable defense force that would secure Somali borders, all it has done is sending naval warships that protect Somalia’s coastline from the threats of piracy that cripple international maritime shipping. What they don’t realize is that piracy can only be overcome when Somalia gets a strong civil and national defense. As long as the international community is not fully committing itself to the problems inland and inside of Somalia, piracy and terrorism will continue to flourish unabated.


http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558674/kharijites.html

What Kind of Government do Somalis ardently desire?

Before the fall of Somalia’s military junta, men who were considered beacons of hope and who were thought of as Somalia's future leaders, went to the bush to fight for peace, liberty, and justice. These men went to Somalia’s enemies asking for military hardware so they could topple the regime in Mogadishu. Finally, they got all they wanted from the enemy next door and succeeded in their futile struggles by chasing the cadres of the central government out of the country and into prolonged exile. There was jubilation and lavish merriment and even religious festivals were held in honor of the men who shed their blood to free their people from two decades of tyranny. Instead of forming an all-inclusive legitimate government that would install law and order, those who toppled the regime that ruled Somalia for twenty one nonstop years, thought of a different idea: kill each and every member of the regime’s clan and also wipe out those who supported it tooth and nail. To be brutally honest, because what goes around comes around, the hunted became hunters. The after effects of these heartless actions brought about a long-drawn-out civil war that spread beyond the borders of Somalia. General Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed developed into two irreconcilably negative adversaries with diametrically opposing mind-sets in all facets of government and clan politics ultimately creating a scenario that baffled Somalis and onlookers and made Somalia a laughing stork in the international arena.

Then, a dozen avaricious warlords jumped on the bandwagon each scavenging for a share of Somalia’s remaining natural resources by engaging in multifarious dastardly acts including dumping of nuclear and other hazardous wastes, contrabandism, counterfeit monies, money laundering, illicit charcoal trading, marijuana cultivation, and communal theft that instantly made them dreaded entrepreneurs with indomitable flexed muscles. Thereafter, tribal supremacy led to the cantonization of Somalia giving birth to names like Somaliland, Puntland, Maakhirland, GalMudug, and Hiiraanland. Political movements that took sides and based on tribal ideologies started growing roots everywhere.

Leaders of these cantons applied propaganda to advance their evil designs. The use of the internet, radio, newspapers and poets to convey derogatory messages resulted in immeasurable clashes and deaths beyond measure. The theory behind the innuendos and clash of ideas was aimed at maligning the good name and reputation of fellow opponents and garner support from unwilling or uncommitted clans. However, the main idea behind the political squabbles and hurling of invectives at each other was to win the highest office in the land and to become the most powerful person in the region. But one thing the warlords failed to realize was that what was at stake was to analyze the needs of the Somali nation and not the wishes of clan members. The young of a donkey suckles its mother from behind with confidence while any other creature is certain to receive a devastating kick.

The warlords came to symbolize the horrendous savages and barbarians of aforetimes until the arrival of the saintly sheikhs whose leadership styles utterly created panic and confusion as they embarked on public flogging, stoning to death for some crimes, amputations, and closure of video dens, cinema halls, and forbidding of cigarettes smoking and alcohol consumption. As a result, Somalis, horror-struck by the sheikhs’ modus operandi, felt duty-bound to search for other alternatives. Somali leaders wandered around the world in search of a way out of the protracted quagmire. The Sheikhs’ mode of communications was in the form of sermons and religious decrees-a coordination that was entirely unique to Somalia and Somalis. Despite having Western-educated personalities in their midst, the Sheikhs advocated a “love it or leave it” form of information diffusion alien in nature and unpalatable to Somalia’s nomadic community.

The use of threats against nations and entities they perceived as enemies of Somalia’s resulted in the intensification of hostile forces internally and externally. In modern research methodologies, the best way to overcoming erroneous representations is to conduct a thorough and extensive exploratory study, while being organized, and then write so as to produce a reliable manuscript that is to be presented to a reliable proofreader before being distributed to the public readership and consumer distribution.

The administrations of the succeeding transitional governments were no better either. Abdiqasim Salat Hassan took pleasure at lashing out at the administration in Addis Ababa while that of Abdullahi Yusuf publicly demonstrated its adoration of neighboring Ethiopia. It was Abdullahi Yusuf who directed the occupation of Somalia by Ethiopian forces. Lack of experience coupled with poor leadership approaches accelerated the fall of both regimes. Failing to comprehend the needs of the ordinary citizen is always a gateway for disaster. Abdiqasim Salat Hassan is a man who has been in government business for a long time. He is said to hold a doctoral degree and also fluently speaks several languages. He is said to be a friend of the Arabs yet he miserably failed to negotiate with his Somali people who brag to have Arab ancestry. On the other hand, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has been recorded to have claimed that he is descended from Yemen. If so, how comes he failed to come to terms with his own people who also claim Arab lineage? Of the various cultural dimensions in the world, the negotiating styles applied by the Arabs seem to be the most appealing. Arabs use emotional appeals through objective feelings; they are willing to make concessions; they approach deadlines casually, their negotiators treasure broad authority, and they are determined to build long-term relationships with their bargaining partners. As a result, Arabic, the language of the Arabs and of the Qur’an, is a divine language full of compassion that is appealing to the listener.

Practically, a government is a big organization and so for any government to prosper, it must demonstrate tremendous energy and display extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and be open to experience and have emotional stability. Quality assurance, innovation, commitment, goal achievement, clarity of measurement, being results oriented, problem solving, displaying influence, nurturing assured security, and tenacity are some of the required tools needed to advance an organization that is in the forefront for merit and reputation.

It is heartrending that Somalis have rejected every succeeding administration since 1991. Sardonically, they boisterously give a brand name to every new administration. For example, they consider any transitional government created in Addis Ababa as “gacan kurimis”-which may be translated to mean ‘artificially inseminated’. Leaders of these unfortunate administrations are referred to as “cadow kalkaal”, meaning ‘those who aid the enemy’. Likewise, if a government is not all-embracing, it is pejoratively identified as “dawladda laso dhoodhoobay” meaning ‘pieced together, patch-worked, collaged or jerry-rigged’. Similarly, when on the verge of collapse, it is “naf lacaari”. Leaders who call for the imposition of Sharia law are labelled “wadaadada waalan” or ‘crazy mullahs”. Because Somalis have witnessed a wealth of leadership qualities including that of the unsympathetic warlords, the perilous modes applied by the succession of previous transitional governments, and the sword-wielding mullahs with complicated religious or radical ideologies, what could be the best administrative style that best fits their ways of life politically, socially, and economically? Also, when will Somalia produce reputable leaders like Barack Obama, Mahatma Ghandi or Nelson Mandela?

Somalia's Pharaohs, Korahs, and Ammons

Something must be wrong with the brains of some of Somalia's most power hungry infidels. Known for their fundamentalist and extreme ideologies, these men will do everything in their power to ensure they get some sort of ministerial or departmental positions so they can be seen among men of like nature. They claim to be the rightfully chosen representatives of their clans and that any attempts to belittle their desired goals and ambitions will have disastrous consequences for the entire nation. Thus, without fulfilling their demands, no legitimate government will ever be established for Somalia. They claim to be Muslims, but in reality they contradict their faiths by not conforming to the accepted religious obligations and spiritual dimensions expected of a good Muslim.

It seems none of these men have the conducts of professionals. The service of a professional is an advantage to the people he/she serves and does not in any way benefit the professional. In contrast, unprofessional people are known for being exploitative and fraudulent. Utilitarianism, which is the category to which these men belong, is using one another for selfish gains which in the end lead to totalitarianism. Societies that exploit people do so only for selfish gains. Impulses, attractions, and evil inclinations are major gateways for drug abuse, alcoholism, quarrels, hopelessness, diseases, wickedness, self-aggrandizement and self-immolation, jest, and other inappropriate behavioral distortions that render the human soul hopeless, miserable and devoid of intellect and resolution.
Humans have natural intellects which empower them to choose precisely because they have the brainpower that help them differentiate between rights and wrongs.

It is important we denounce the imaginary beliefs of men especially their audacious magnification of the characters of their wives-to-be. The ideology of a rational man rests on the believe that people have different characters and dissimilar behavioral mannerisms. It is a bad reflection for a man to anticipate supernatural personality from his wife-to-be prior to tying the knot. Humans see each other as objects because of the fall from grace. People do things in different ways because each and every human being has a different trait. Children are commanded by attractions, impulses, and senses. On the contrary, adults follow reason and truth.

Materialization may be described as the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of pride. These three lusts lead to perdition and destruction of the individual and the society as a whole unless otherwise individual and broad-spectrum corrective measures are taken to turn them around. The lust for evil leads to anxiety, doubt, worry, ignorance, pride, guilt, selfishness, fornication, adultery, sodomy, barbarism, and murder. All these evil deeds can be overturned by espousing obedience, prayer, poverty eradication through alms giving, chastity, and fasting.

When one has no faith in God; when religious devotion disappears into thin air, and when ethical guidance dissipates, material wealth transforms into a misleading glittering ornament and a dangerous figment of the imagination. Like a distantly appearing mirage, wealth without faith, spontaneously formulates an empire with evil underpinnings that is of no benefit to human beings. With the right use of intellect, memory, and will comes faith, truth, hope, and trust. We should inculcate equal justice and equanimity when dealing with our parents because it is in the best interests of every human being to look ahead to a hassle-free world. A child who abandons his/her parents will, in retaliation, be abandoned in his/her final days of life. Likewise, those with authority who abandon their subjects will ultimately be abandoned when they attain old age. Therefore, it is expected of us that we observe human dignity by respecting the sacredness of the human life as expressed in the Holy Qur'an and authentic Hadith.

Because we are the vicegerents of God on earth, it is equally important to have preferential option for the poor so that the underprivileged are cared for ad infinitum. Likewise, the only way to eradicate poverty is to give to the poor generously without regard to religion, race, color, gender or national origin. We need to have solidarity with the orphans, wayfarers, the poor, and the homeless by forming communities that exclusively cater for their needs. I find it strange that we have in our midst millions of homeless men and women while millions of dollars get wasted due to corruption and misuse each day. Where are the millions of dollars donated by the international community to the various transitional governments in Somalia since the collapse of the central government in 1991? Have these monies been accounted for? Who took them and how were they used?

Children should care for their parents when they attain feeble age just as they cared for them when they were helpless in infancy. Children need reflect how the affectionate bird cares for her immature hatchlings and that they should likewise care for their parents unreservedly by spreading their wings of humility around them. Love, affection, and devotion to the welfare of the aging parent should be the best appropriate tool for every son and daughter yearning for the mercy and grace of the Almighty God who created his servants for a reason. In Africa, children are considered to have social benefits because they will care for their parents in old age.

Despite the formation of a unity government to which they were party to, these infidels remain at odds with the rest of peace loving Somalis. These bunch of idiots need realize that the era of power struggles is over and that wisdom lies in conceding defeat for the sake of giving peace a chance. Today's Somalia is filled with so-called leaders who possess the hearts and minds of Pharaoh, Korah, and Ammon of ancient Egypt. For now, the greatest struggle for Somalia is how to get rid of these selfish, barbaric, and merciless dirty dozen.

Hopelessness of Kenya's Northern Regions

In 1884, in the European city of Berlin, Otto von Bismark of Germany and the King of Belgium, Leopold II, chaired a lavish conference that came to be known in history as the Scramble for Africa. In this conference, European powers divided up Africa among themselves. This slicing of the African continent triggered the most repugnant territorial division in recorded history. The slicing of the massive African Continent finally created what the Europeans referred to as "areas of influence, protectorates and colonies."

Somalis, who had for centuries wandered in an expansive land as livestock herders, became victims of Europe's deliberate redistribution of their lands and demarcation of their borders. It was only Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan, a man described by the British as "Mad Mullah", who inspired what became known as Somali nationalism and the struggle for independence-a bitter struggle for self-determination that dragged on for over twenty years until his death in the early part of the 19th century.

Power struggles within the European powers led to the dismemberment of Somali inhabited lands in to five separate entities. These included French Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, the Ogaden, and the Northern Frontier Districts (NFD). British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland united to form the Republic of Somalia in 1960. French Somaliland got independence in 1977 and became Djibouti. The Ogaden, a vast region predominantly inhabited by Somalis became part of the Kingdom of Ethiopia while NFD was given to Kenya despite a referendum carried out in 1953 recording over 90% of the inhabitants of this vast region voting in favor of joining the Republic of Somalia.

As the people of Somalia enjoyed peace and prosperity from the time of independence in 1960 up until 1991 when the central government collapsed, the cluster of tribes inhabiting Kenya’s Eastern and North Eastern provinces have been living under the oppressive governments of Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi such that the scars inflicted on them remain visible to this day. These poor peripatetic communities who have been up to their throats for centuries became victims of orchestrated collective punishments; they endured concentration camps similar in some ways to those of Nazi Germany and Czarist Russia; they bore the brunt of repeated massacres; they saw the rape of their women; they had their material possessions confiscated at random and above all they continue to experience the same dreaded conditions to this day.

One wonders why the infamous Wagalla massacre outside of Wajir town on the bloodletting day of February 14, 1984 has evaded constitutional and legislative considerations despite the loss of hundreds of lives and the displacement of thousands. Events of the massacre painstakingly filmed by Dr Annalena Tonelli and handed over to the Kenya government seem to have been swept under the carpet and never acknowledged by the Kenya government despite outcries from all walks of life. Dr. Annalena Tonelli was immediately expelled from Kenya by the then Internal Security minister, Justus ole Tipis (unfortunately a Maasai himself) after this horrific event. Annalena Tonelli was an Italian nun and recipient of Fridjof Nanasen Award (named after Norwegian explorer) for her dedication in working with refugees in Africa. Inexplicably and apprehensively, the only witness who would enlighten how events unfolded on that fateful day in Wajir, Dr. Annalena Tonelli, was gunned down by a lone gunman in 2003 in the town of Borama in the current unrecognized breakaway republic of Somaliland. This courageous woman whose humanitarian activities did not represent any government, missionary or agency, finally got her lasting wish: her body was transported by plane and buried in the very haunting town where the dreaded massacre that she was an eyewitness to took place, Wajir.

Ironically, majority of the dead in this mass annihilation belonged to the Degodia clan. In addition, the Degodia had been at variance with the Ogaden and Ajuran clans of Wajir town over land for a long time which frequently resulted in clashes that did not augur well with the Kenya government. Proliferation of small arms available to every clan exacerbated clan rivalry. Soldiers deserting Somalia and Ethiopia reinvigorated Kenya clans’ dwindling arms markets with replenishment of light weapons in exchange for money, livestock, and wives. Such worrying trends rekindled Kenya’s perception of the old shifta uprising of the sixties and seventies.

The torturous and draconian laws that exclusively applied only to the Kenya-Somali Community immediately after Kenya’s attainment of independence in 1963, was grudgingly lifted during the run-up to the multi-party elections during President Moi’s tenure of office-not as a gesture of goodwill but because of heavy pressure from within the country and by concerted efforts of the international community that demanded democratic reforms. Likewise, in the span of two decades, the town Garissa went through two devastating massacres of equal proportions. In these two horrifying events that received little international media attention, hundreds of unarmed civilians were shot to death point blank range. Ravenous crocodiles feasted on uncountable corpses thrown in to the Tana River. The collective rape of women and young school girls by the security forces left many lives in utter shock. In these two incidents, the residents of Garissa were hounded into unhygienic concentration camps and kept under guard by well armed security personnel for days without food and water until some of the frail and elderly and infant children succumbed to their own deaths. The outbreak of contagious diseases caused by lack of sanitation added to their misery. As nights fell, residents slept in the open with full exposure to blustery cold temperatures coupled with bites from the deadly African mosquitoes that cause fatal malaria. At daytime they had to endure the scorching heat of the tropical sun with no roof over their heads. Acute dehydration saw many feeble souls pass away while groaning in pain under the watchful eyes of the heavily armed soldiers. Due to government leverage over the media, little news regarding these two incidents leaked out of the country.

From these events we are able to adduce evidence of tribal hostilities, legal prejudices, political exploitation by unscrupulous Somali and non-Somali politicians, territorial ambitions emanating from scarcity of resources, and adverse living conditions-conditions dictated by mother nature in poor tribal societies whose only source of income was livestock-livestock that solely depended on scarce rain followed by intermittent drought that decimated a great many populations scavenging for the few available resources in a vast desert-whipped Somali Abbo and Somali regions stretching from the Northen tip of Moyale to the southern topography of Garissa.

Students interested in the history of NFD need exploit the atrocious wars between the Auliyan-a sub clan of the Ogaden-Somali and the heavily equipped British Colonial Administration. Names like the Sakuye and Murille may at first sound non-Somali though the vast majority of these tribes concentrate in Wajir and Mandera respectively to as far as Moyale, Marsabit, and Isiolo in the expansive Eastern Province-a land formerly known as the Northern Frontier Districts. Though little has been mentioned about the exquisite Wardey-a clan that originally owned this vast region-history students need to remember that their original name was Gabbra or Galla. Names like Hargeisa, Garbaharey, Caabudwaaq, Afmadow and many other towns, places, and villages that now form part of Somali territories, have their origin in the Wardey and Borana vernacular languages.

From the little historical knowledge we have about NFD, the first batch of men on horseback consisted of bachelor warriors who started their journey in the current Somali region occupied by Ethiopia or most likely from other parts of Somalia traversing thousands of miles until they reached areas occupied by the Wardey (Oromo) and the Malakote-people of Bantoid features who still live along the Tana Tiver on subsistence farming and fishing. These dyed-in-the-wool men intermarried with the Wardey and thereafter set up permanent settlements for Islamic religious propagation. Perhaps, massive influx of Somali migrants followed until the capture of the region was finalized before the arrival of the British and Italian colonial administrations. Tribal clashes weakened the Somali desire to form governable permanent settlements of their own. In later years, the use of divide-and-rule tactics applied by the European powers fragmented social coherence and also displaced many nomadic families settled around water holes. The birth of the nation of Kenya under Jomo Kenyatta in 1963 and the preceding Somali political irredentism of the 60s created worrying predicaments for the nomadic tribes living in the former NFD and further dashed any hopes for social equality and economic emancipation.

The creation of the Shifta armed movement funded by the Somali government placed great pains on the infant Kenya government. Land mines buried beneath the region’s rough roads placed great burden on the security operations of the Kenya government-encumbrances that prompted the Kenya government to embark on the creation of concentration camps which progressed in to permanent settlements afterwards. Despite its infancy, the Kenya government undertook tremendous efforts to militarize unstable areas and in June of 1963, even before attainment of independence, military posts had been established in the towns of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera followed by smaller outposts set up in Buna, Malka-Mari, Gurar, and Moyale.

The main arm of the shifta movement was the Northern Frontier District Liberation Front (NFDLF) headed by guerilla fighters who were exclusively from the former NFD. Initially, the main artery that nurtured NFDLF’s ragtag fighters was the livestock impounded from the poor nomadic communities. This forceful confiscation of domestic animals is an issue of contention among the affected communities to this day. Mismanagement and embezzlement of funds provided by sympathetic foreign entities and the Somali government coupled with Kenya’s formation of close ties with Somalia’s military government in the 80s led to the collapse of NFDLF altogether. In later years, the fighting force of the NFDLF was nothing more than war-wary ex-combatants crowded in refugee camps living on rations provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees while top commanders lived in complete luxury in Mogadishu’s posh suburbs. Demoralized, a good number of the NFDLF fighters resorted to poaching-exploits that greatly reduced the rhino, elephant, cheetah, and leopard populations of Kenya’s Amboseli and Tsavo national parks.

Likewise, the Ethiopian government flexed its military muscle by clinging to the Ogaden region predominantly occupied by people of Somali extraction. To scuttle attempts at self-determination, arbitrary arrests of suspects, torture and intimidations, torching of villages, confiscation of property and killing with impunity remain a long running strategy applied by successive Ethiopian governments on the poor nomadic homogeneous Somali community even to this day.

Consequently, the use of violence and censorship of opinion by clichés of the Kenya government after attainment of independence weakened all nomadic people’s right to freewill, free movement, and hindered the formation of healthy societies. Nomadic tribes mostly affected by Kenya’s constitutional abuse included the Oromo, Borana, Somali, Korey, Ajuran, Garre, Murille, and Sekuye. Areas occupied by these nomadic tribes remain at lowest levels in education, agriculture, practical infrastructure, and delivery of health services.