Overcoming Semasociological Perversion

If you don't understand where my hammer is hitting, go back to the olden days of "je, huu ni ungwana" by Leonard "Mambo" Mbotela when he was a broadcaster at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Radio Mogadishu's "dhageyso oo dhuux" and "wax weydiin ogaal." Labaatan jir intuu geed ka boodo buu talo ka boodaa!

If you are a whippersnapper, you have a long way to master the language of the elderly Kub-ka-cirro. Avoid behaving like chokora pipa (scavenger). Look at the broader picture or the message content and not at the messenger, think deeply before making unnecessary exaggerations, focus on the content, and if all attempts to comprehend the theme fails, ask or simply steer away from the scene, otherwise, you'll be branded "habar fadhida lagdinta la fududaa."

Empty bragging is one major characteristic of the braggadocio whose abilities and qualities may not even match the two opposing mindsets of Maan Barreey and Maan Bilaal. Even though Bilaal was a slave of the Barrey family, his most burning desire was to have Barrey as his wife, while Barreey longed for beads and bracelets like her age mate foodleys, the only way to achieving her adornments was to have Bilaal sold in the market.

To overcome semasiological perversion, use your senses to navigate through the murky waters of rhetorical hyperbole, or else you could be dejected and thrown overboard for performing unsatisfactorily where others excel. Be kind to others and learn from them for no one is born an expert in a specific language.

Ethnic Classifications

The black race has been associated with everything evil by Western writers. If Nimrod or Nimrud--the brutal monster who fought Prophet Abraham (AS) was the son of Kush or Cush who was the grandson of Ham--the great grandson son who was cursed by his Prophet Noah (AS), what is the logic behind associating the bad egg with the saints of the African continent that is the "Cradle of Civilization."?

Ethnic classifications such as Cushitic (from Cush or Kush), Hamitic (from Ham), and Afro-Asiatic (miscegenation or intermarriage between African and Asian) should be sent to the dustbin and rejected altogether. Somali history is either in par with the ancient Egyptians if not older. 

Janan Yemeni ah iyo Gabadh Soomaali ah

Soomaalida qurbaha ku nool wey meelo galgal badanyihiin. Taasina waxaa ku kallifeysaa sidey ku heli lahaayeen nolol maalmeedkooda iyo xoogaa dheeri ah illeyn maata gaajeysan ayaa ka danbeysaaye.

Waa mar kalee, haddana waa dalka Yemen. Gabadh Soomaaliyeed ayaa waxaa shaqo ku saabsan nadaafadda laga siiyey guri uu lahaa nin Janan ahaa oo goor danbe ku naf waayi doona diyaarad nooca qumaatiga u kacda oo ay cillad farsamo soo ridday.

Gabadhii waxay cabbaar shaqeysaba, waxaa la ogaadey in ay si wanaagsan u taqaan cunto karinta. Xaaski Jananka ayaa waxay gabadhii u xil saartay in Jananka ay u noqoto cunto kariye.

Khariidadda Yemen

Cuntada ay kariso, xitaa carruurta ayaa ku dagaallami jiray. Haddey noqoto saambuuska marka aad goosato aan laheyn saliid dililiqeysa oo aan dharka kaa wasakheyn, baasta alfoorno oo dhadhan macaan iyo udeyg ku soo jiidanaya, bariiska bilaaw iyo biriyaani.

Subax baa Janankii gabadhii quraac ka dalbaday weyna u keentay waloow uu ka maqnaa khubuskii uu jeclaa ee uu ku goosan jiray. Gabadhii buu ka codsaday in ay u keento khubus waxayna u sheegtay in suuqa laga soo waayey.

Wuxuu faray bal in ay qaboojiyaha wax un ka raadiso.Wax yar kadib ayey ku soo noqotay una sheegtay in waxa ay qaboojiyaha ku soo aragtay aheyn wax uu cuni karo. "Waxba igama geline, xitaa hadduu toddobaad yiillay ii soo kululee iina keen", ayuu faray inantii weyna u keentay. Intuu ku quraacday khubuskii qamiirka ahaa, kana dhergay ayuu u mahad naqay gabadhii.

Wax yar kadib ayuu u yeeray gabadhii kuna yiri, "dad baan haaysan khubuskaasi qamiirmay ee weligaa cunto ha qubin."

Comparative Political Struggles in Somalia

The former Somali guerilla movements such as the United Somali Congress (USC), Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), and the Somali National Movement (SNM) in their pursuit of freedom from the military government in Somalia, each used violent and extreme ways to disengage and penetrate peaceful civilian settlements and government military barracks or garrisons

United Somali Congress

leading to the collapse of a nation that has been at peace with itself since the October 21, 1969 military takeover.

In their stiff struggles with other armed resistance groups, whether government troops or civilians guarding their towns, villages or livestock, former guerilla fighters left behind inestimable deaths and destructions in their paths. Since the devastations left behind by the combination of the former guerilla fighters have not been statistically recorded, theoretically, the indiscriminate deaths caused by the same armed rebellious groups could have exponentially surpassed the total 21 years of military rule in Somalia.

From the early sixties when the African Continent woke up to decolonization and armed struggles against European colonialism became the norm, the number of coups in Africa instigated by power-hungry military despots became so common that many totalitarian leaders were overthrown, killed or exiled. Since 1952, Sudan has been the leading in Africa in terms of attempted military coups. With 15 attempted military interventions, 5 have been successful, the latest being the ouster of Hassan Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

While Burkina Faso had 7 successful coups, in general, Africa has seen 206 coups followed by South

Somali Salvation Democratic Front

America that had 95 total attempts though only 40 were successful. Globally, since 1952, the world experienced 476 coups. The first coup d'etat in Africa happened in Togo. On 13 January 1963, Silvio or Sylvanus Olympio was overthrown and murdered by Gnassingbe Eyadema. Nicolas Grunitzky was chosen as his replacement. Son of a German father and a Yoruba mother, the Civil Engineer who was trained in Paris, was overthrown by Lieutenant Colonel Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema who was behind his coronation in 1963, simply because he wanted to create a multiparty system of governance.

Now, going back to Somalia's political scuffles after the 1977-78 war with Ethiopia when guerilla movements were conceived by aggrieved, contemptuous, and scornful military commanders who felt betrayed by the military regime in Mogadishu, who do you think had more bloodstained hands, the military junta or the men who took arms because they could not hold their anger?

The claim by some tribal elements that they were indiscriminately targeted and bombarded with hired military jets commandeered by foreign mercenaries creates skepticism because, Baidoa that was a major breadbasket was nicknamed "the City of Death" by the international media since it experienced genocide of a wider scale, Kismayu experienced the worst forms of human decimations, today's Marka is host to new marauding settlers after the original owners became displaced, Gaalkacyo has beeen rendered a divided city, the masters of farm produce and agricultural production have been displaced from Jilib and Jamame, while Mogadishu, the "Pearl of Africa" and the "Seat of the Shah", has not seen stability since 1991.

The bloody wars of Somalia show no single trace of the definition of Islamic jihad. When each side sees the opposite direction that is contrary to Islamic definition of Jihad, both could be entombed in ignorance and arrogance of the highest order. The indiscriminate killing of peaceful, unarmed civilians is obviously a

Somali National Movement

gateway to hell, for Islam, in simple definition, means Peace or Submission to the Will of Allaah.

While some Muslim Ulamaa define Jihad to mean waging wars against the enemies of Islam in the forms of Offensive and Defensive approaches, it is different from Qitaal (killing) and Harb (struggling). Jihad connotes effort or struggle. To struggle to live by following the rules and regulations laid down by Islamic foundations and inculcating an internal effort that rhymes with Islamic way of life and building a reliable Muslim society are the first requirements of a Muslim. The dismemberment of the Somali nation into tribal regions is not the best way to create a united Muslim society.

Neither the Jihadists nor the armed warlords of the past and present time have understood the true meaning of the foundations of Islamic unification, Islamic governance, Islamic self-struggle, Islamic co-existence, Islamic advancement and finally ways of dealing with people of other faiths. In conclusion, Islam defines the significance of having Assembly and compromise.

South Sudan: Africa's Newest Republic

By Adan Makina

March 14, 2020

 

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle. And so, we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent---Martin Luther King, Jr.

After two-decades of armed insurrections, rebellious transgressions, and wanton belligerence, representatives of the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) finally signed a peace treaty in Naivasha, Kenya in 2005 under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). Led and represented by Dr. John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) in the historic signing ceremony, the inhabitants of South Sudan looked forward to a day when they would cast their votes in order to determine their future. That anticipated time has finally come. An internationally supervised voting referendum was held from January 9 to January 11, 2011 on

whether Southern Sudan should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. Consistent with reports by the global media, the week-long voting has so far been peaceful apart from a few isolated incidents. According to Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, the referendum met all expectations and international standards. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the natural resources rich Abyei region of Sudan are also expected to hold a referendum at a later date to establish their wishes. South Sudan is expected to become Africa’s newest republic on July 9, 2011.

Modern Sudan evolved from the ashes of the collapsed Ottoman Empire. It became part of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium that lasted from 1898 to 1955. Colluding powers England and Egypt set two separate administrative arrangements for the north and south. Sudan, Africa’s largest country has been through two devastating wars: the first lasted from 1955 to 1972 and the second and the longest from 1982 to 2005.

Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has been led by a system of government dominated by leaders claiming Arabian decent. Demographically, north Sudan is dominated by people of Arab origin who are for the most part Muslims while the south is divided between followers of Christianity

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit

and traditional African religions. For over half-century Sudan has been at the mercy of a succession of military leaders with appalling human rights records. Unequal distribution of wealth and imposed hierarchy practiced by north Sudanese leaders plunged the nation into systemic violence. Following the toppling of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi in a coup d’état instigated by the current sitting president Hassan al-Bashir in 1989, Sudan descended into a cycle of violence consequently setting the stage for a prolonged conflict. In 1981, President Ja’afar an-Nimeiry, working in cahoots with the Islamic Brotherhood, the world’s largest and oldest Islamist group, endorsed a dramatic shift toward Islamist political governance. An-Nimeiry’s staunch Islamist views culminated in a clash with modernism and reformism. An-Nimeiry was once described by New York Times writer Dennis Hevesi as a “leader with shifting politics”. [1]An-Nimeiry was a man of shifting alliances such that he switched from being an ardent supporter of Arab nationalism to socialism, from having friendly relations with the Soviet Union to being pro-Western and a close ally of the United States. The imposition of Islamic Shariah and the discovery of oil in the south agitated the predominantly black population who aggressively intensified their fight for self-determination. The application of defensive realism (a variant of political realism) by the bureaucracy in Khartoum resulted in protracted security dilemmas. Thus, too much emphasis on security by the state set the stage for greater instability. Likewise, northern Arab rulers applied Hobbesian anarchy as the

The Late Dr. Garang de Mabior

dominant instrument to dominate the southerners. Successive administrations inclined to various theoretical thoughts ranging from realism, constructivism, and Marxism. Foreign powers driven by raison d’être also defined as national interest which incorporates a country’s political, military, and cultural goals and ambitions jumped on the bandwagon to scavenge for available scarce resources in South Sudan. The primary historical contention in a nation’s survival depends on the search for wealth, economic growth, and power.

In his book, Conflicts and Politics of Identity in Sudan, Amir Idris describes how northern Sudanese rulers manipulated black Sudanese Muslims. The author describes tormenting inhuman practices employed by northern Arab leaders that were aimed at crippling all forms of insurgency by black Sudanese confessing faiths other than Islam. By conscripting black Sudanese Muslims into the army to fight black rivals who did not profess the Islamic faith, northern Arab leaders employed a strategy

Hassan al-Bashir

that became known as “Aktul al-Abid bil Abid”-a phrase that translates to-“kill the slave through the slave”. [2] In response to the north’s forcible imposition of Shariah law and gross injustices against fellow Christians in the south, right-wing Christian groups pressured the U.S. Government for intervention. To avoid a repeat of the Rwanda massacre of 1994 in which majority Hutus slaughtered over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, the United States applied international diplomacy to find an everlasting solution to south Sudan’s simmering political imbroglio.

According to American national security policy, sovereign states are categorized as either being allies, adversaries, potential adversaries, or others. NATO member states are best described as allies; potential adversaries are those countries that explicitly display open hatred to the U.S. and at the same time possess military muscle; and with the exception of some friendly nations in the Middle East (Egypt) that fall under the “allies” category, almost the entire third world belong to the “others” category. [3] Accordingly, the United States, working in concert with the United Nations, made a smart move against the government in Khartoum by using the United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Changes which led to the successful mobilization of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). UNMIS was established by resolution 1590 of the Security Council on 24 March 2005. [4] Other than having national interests in Sudan, the U.S. is driven by moral responsibility to prevent human rights abuses in South Sudan and as well to end the genocide in Darfur. Further institutionalized by the UN reform effort in 2005, The Responsibility to Protect-or ‘R2P’-report of 2001 by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) established the intervention of the international community should nations fail to protect their citizens. The statutes of ICISS promoted and strengthened America’s resolve in Sudan. [5]

Salva Kiir Mayardit, the current president of the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan and the Vice President of Sudan-the man slated to be the future president of Southern Sudan-has in the past called for the separation of the south from the north. While commenting on the recent referendum in 2009, Kiir admonished southerners to either choose being “a second class in your country” or “a free person in your own independent state”. Political analysts and commentators and media personalities who have been closely watching the political events in southern Sudan, noted unifying sense of euphoria and a yearning for national sovereignty that was visible on the faces of millions of southerners casting their votes.

Countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR) that share border with Southern Sudan have a lot to gain from Africa’s newest republic. For example, apart from having cordial relations with the anticipated republic, Kenya has vast business dealings ranging from banking, energy, transportation, and education in Southern Sudan. An estimated 70,000 Kenyans reside in Juba alone. In the past, the Kenya government played a major role in Sudan’s quest for peace and reconciliation. Top SPLA/M cadres established residences in Kenya’s major cities with top cadres owning palatial homes in Nairobi and other cities. Likewise, Kenya resettled thousands of South Sudanese refugees in its northern camp of Kakuma and a vast number of Sudanese students call Kenya home. Chances are that thousands of ordinary Kenyan citizens will flood Southern Sudan once Africa’s newest proclaims independence. There was even mention in the Kenya press about modeling future Southern Sudanese education from the Kenyan system. The East African Community (EAC), a regional body whose members have been drawn from nations within East Africa for the purpose of boosting the regions economy with an eye on future confederation, has reserved a space for the newly emerging nation of Southern Sudan.

Final Voting Results

As a final verdict, global media reported that voting results exceeded international expectations. After decades of armed struggle, the new nation of Southern Sudan is now ready to embrace the international community of nations. And as its people rejoice in adulation and collectively celebrate with melodious applause, the type of political culture and mode of administration to be charted by the nation's technocrats will determine its future. For now, the nation's leadership is in the hands of Salva Kiir, doyen of political and armed struggle. Presumably, the way forward for a region like southern Sudan that has been devastated by military incursions, carpet bombings, inter-clan rivalry, disease and malnutrition, drought and locust invasions, is to embrace liberal democracy. Respect for the rule of law, educating ordinary citizens as a means to combating illiteracy, enhancing the foundations of the economy through aggressive agriculture, land consolidation and soil conservation, advancing political deliberations for the attainment of political maturity, inviting credible foreign investors, exploiting potential natural resources, and equitable distribution of the nation's wealth should be the foremost priority.

The writer is a frequent contributor to www.wardheernews.com. He can be reached at adan.makina@gmail.com

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References

[1] Gaafar al-Nimeiry, “a Sudan Leader with Shifting Politics, Dies at 79” by Dennis Hevesi, New York Times (June 11, 2009),  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/world/africa/12nimeiry.html

[2] Amir H. Idris (2005), Conflict and politics of identity in Sudan,

Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

[3] Sarkesian, Sam C. and Williams John A. and Cimbala, Stephen J. (2008), U.S. National Security: Policymakers, Processes, and Politics, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. Boulder, Colorado.

[4] United Nations Mission in the Sudan, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unmis/background.shtml

[5] Pease, Kelly-Kate S. (2008), International Organizations: Perspectives on Governance in the Twenty-First Century (3^rd Ed.), Upper Saddle River, In., New Jersey

An Approach to ALIGHT, Formerly the American Refugee Committee (ARC)

By Adan Makina

March 8, 2020

Abstract

While this article is exclusive to the humanitarian mission of the American nonprofit and nonsectarian organization ALIGHT, it would be more appealing to touch on the historiography of humanitarianism–a philosophical foundation based on the principle of uplifting human welfare. Humanitarianism has been a global concept among the followers of the five major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. An ethic of reciprocity, the Golden Rule, calls for treating others as one would like to be treated.[1] Though the rule dates to the era of Confucius (551-479 BC),[2] the innate sense of organization and human feeling is also engraved in the Code of Hammurabi. Like ethical monotheism practiced by Abrahamic religions, the observance of righteous behavior has been the means of propulsion that brought ALIGHT to light in times of human needs.

The observance of deontology or deontological principles that are normative ethics gave ALIGHT the moral duty to serve affected global communities without regard to religion, creed, color, race, gender, national origin, and political affiliation. The humanitarian concept of ALIGHT, unlike disguised organizations hiding under the banner of proselytization, primarily focuses on basic human needs such as food, water, shelter that are considered physiological, and mental and emotional afflictions or feelings that are part of human physical needs. The rise of Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) with uniform ideological foundations could be backtracked to the era of Greek city-states such as Athens, Sparta, and Macedonia that maintained common currency for international trade followed by strengthened military alliances to combat invading forces. In the Twenty-First Century, the world experienced the rise of IGOs such as the United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) immediately after World War II.

Introduction

Back in 1978, Neal Ball, an American businessman and a humanitarian who was based in Chicago, IL, sensing the dangers faced by the disadvantaged refugees who were cramped at the Thai-Cambodian border, took the initiative to organize volunteers to overturn what he perceived as a humanitarian disaster in the making. Neal Ball’s courageous action led to the formation of the American Refugee Committee–an international organization that changed name to “Light’ recently. A look at the history of how the Non-Governmental Organization evolved requires further elucidation. It all started from the political turmoil and misrule that came to fore after King Norodom Sihanouk’s reign that lasted from 1941 to 1970 culminated in the exit of French rule and the road to independence. However, the much-celebrated independence came to an abrupt halt in 1975 after the atrocious Khmer Rouge took over control. The overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1978 by the determined Vietnamese people triggered a reign of terror and unprecedented starvation that shook concerned Western nations.[3] While the French may be commended for being the first to take the lead in humanitarian efforts in our modern world, humanitarian interventions, relief operations, and aid organizations have increased exponentially over the years in the name of humanitarianism.[4] The impressionable conceptualization of humanitarianism and delivering of relief aid to affected people has been in progression for a long time.

While disasters could be caused by natural calamities or evolve from man-made factors, the need to intervene by concerned united communities and nations to overcome long-term effects such as the spread of diseases, destitution, and food shortages has become a global phenomenon. While humanitarianism encompasses various campaigns including even military intervention and the fight against human rights abuses, this essay will shed light on the efforts undertaken by ALIGHT since it was established. With headquarters in Minneapolis, MN, ALIGHT–an organization that is not restricted to certain religious groups and that is a nonprofit organization, has immensely changed the living conditions of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in seven African nations and a few other countries in Asia and Europe that experienced terrible wars such as Kosovo, Iraq, Pakistan to care for war-ravaged Afghan refugees, Thailand and Haiti–a small country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago within the Caribbean Sea and precisely in the Hispaniola Island surrounded by Jamaica and Cuba to the east, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas to the south.

From American Refugee Committee to ALIGHT

Formerly the American Refugee Committee, ALIGHT has transformed into an instinct-driven global humanitarian agency that has been inspired by the urge to fire with enthusiasm and discharge those in dire need the abundance of available resources to attain self-sustainability. A look at the Theories of Choice reveals reasonable contributing influences that enable organizations to change names. Name changes could be related to paternalistic, structural, and procedural influences that eventually lead to revolutionary changes. Organizational name changes increased after the Great Depression (1929-1939)–an economic disaster that struck industrialized nations and tremendously shook major investors including the Wall Street. Apart from the Federal government, the high records of Bankruptcies and defaulting borrowers became widespread.[5]

There are several types of name change factors commonly used by modern scholars such as revolutionary versus evolutionary, discontinuous versus continuous, episodic versus continuous flow, transformational versus transactional, strategic versus operational, total system versus local option. The application of different tools are requirements for the formulation of a new name for any organization. Overtime, after evolution, humanitarian organizations and even institutions of higher learning undergo revolutionary change.

An Organization with a Humanitarian Mission

By working with reliable partners and constituencies, ALIGHT’s mission statement is intended to provide multifarious opportunities and inject valuable knowledge to disadvantaged people in distress like refugees, IDPs, as well as the host communities. Its mission statement is simple: those partaking in any program or project have assured chance of taking control of living their conditions and attaining self-sufficiency. ALIGHT upholds the significance of ethical practices, the preservation of dignity, optimism that is meant to elevate hope in life and the delivery of appropriate and relevant services, attainment of self-sufficiency through empowerment, advocacy through global mobilization, and finally serving as stewards who distribute all the available human power and financial resources at their disposal to those in need. For ALIGHT, the name change factor is derived from the need for transformation and the total involvement of organizational members especially those committed to the philosophy of philanthropy and volunteerism. Like any other human organization, ALIGHT took the open system which implies continuous interaction with the general environment. To overcome social disorganization and sudden quietus in its commitments to human cause, the application of interpersonal trust helped subdue the organization’s move towards negative entropy.

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[1] Antony Flew, ed. (1979). "golden rule". A Dictionary of Philosophy. London: Pan Books in association with The MacMillan Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-330-48730-6.

[2] W.A. Spooner, "The Golden Rule," in James Hastings, ed. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. 6 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1914) pp. 310–12, quoted in Rushworth M. Kidder, How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living, Harper, New York, 2003. ISBN 0-688-17590-2. p. 159.

[3] Soffer, A. D., & Wilde, H. (1986). Medicine in Cambodian refugee camps. Annals of internal medicine, 105(4), 618-621.

[4] Fassin, D. (2011). Humanitarian reason: a moral history of the present. Univ of California Press.

[5] Romer, C. D. (1990). The great crash and the onset of the great depression. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 105(3), 597-624.

The Descripion of the Ancient Somali Warrior

They were amalgamation of men of all shapes and sizes; there were the slim, short, fat and even obese, tall and gigantic figures; some were extremely muscular in girth. No wonder there were the quiet and loquacious, the fast runners and slow movers, and the temperamental and phlegmatic. While others were more determined to fight to death, there were the atrocious and brutal who would keep on spearing the victim until the corpse appeared beyond human recognition. Before leaving for the battlefield, Somali Aji warriors were given instructions to have their daggers, spears, and shields ready for inspection by their commanders. It could take weeks to sharpen some of the tools using vintage sharpeners known as ‘Qarsa’–a type of stone that was mainly used to give the war implements the required sharpness to penetrate body armor.

The warriors would engage in practices for days under the watchful eyes of their trainers. While upholding peaceful coexistence was of profound importance to other ethnic communities encountered during the long treks or migrations to new lands, those who espoused antagonistic tendencies were dealt with accordingly using sheer force to subdue them. At times, Aji forces lost battles to those forces who were a combination of formidable tribes, were extremely armed, and countless in numbers. Before bidding farewell to their families and friends who were responsible for the safety of the villages and livestock together with the king and his council of elders, the fighters would smear their spears with congealed animal fat especially the type extracted from the humps of camels and that of the oryx (Oryx gazella beisa). Applying fat to spears had two meanings: the billowing dust from the approaching enemies would first splotch their spears–a forewarning there was enemy approaching while the second meaning was related to the easy penetration of the spears into enemy body and armor. A spear having fat content could easily perform the intended tasks better than the one that was dry.

To further elucidate the significance of fat application to warrior spears, borrowing a leaf from a previous war in Jigjiga between Somalis and their Oromo Cushitic cousins in the past is worth contemplating and revisiting. Led by a courageous king of the Bartire subclan of the Absame who, through the use of linguistic approach was able to convince and unite other Somalis to come to his aid. From oral historians, we learn that there was only one water well in Jigjiga by then. According to living Somali historians, Oromos and their livestock would quench their thirst one day and the following day it was reserved for the Somalis. However, to deny the Somalis access to the water well, the Oromo leader gave orders to some of his loyal warriors to demolish the water well in the middle of the night–a deliberate at that was intended to deter Somalis from using it. After discovering the Oromo conspiracy and their deceitful skullduggery, the Bartire king with hi s ardent supporters convened an assembly or shura to deliberate on the right action to take. By the end of the shura, a declaration of war was envisaged.

After determining the date of confrontation with the Oromo who were also notified of the approaching combat, Somali warriors were given the orders of smearing their spears with animal fat. Both parties prepared for the deleterious clashes that would take substantiable lives and properties. Despite the Oromo statistically outnumbering the Somali forces, the end results gave the Somalis the upper hand.

With the imminent approach of the Oromo forces signaled by the billowing dust that covered Somali warriors’ spears that brushed like a whirlwind, the Bartire king hoped on his remarkable, well-bred horse that was known for speed, energy, and drive. It was neither Seyid Muhammad Abdille’s renowned Xiin Faniin nor that of the ancient Bucephalus of the historical Macedonian General Alexander the Great III. It was a horse to reckon with since it was a breed with supersonic speed. It could have been the larger Galbeed (western) type horse or the Bari (eastern) that was shorter and had the perseverance to survive without grass if fed with camel milk. Somalis love for horses have been described in the poetries of Cali Bucul, Raage Ugaas, and the historical Seyid. For example, as translated by Professor Saciid Samatar (mey he rest in peace), the Seyid has this to say when describing his love for the horse he rode:

   This horse is infinitely dearer to me than any other stock,

And I cherish him as dearly as the parents that created me,

And as a beloved brother,

Is he an inheritance from blessed heaven!?

And if I don’t see him for a brief season,

I am smitten with an anxiety of longing,

And come close to dying from a nagging fear,

Is he not my very heart!

“A Fine War Horse” by Sayyid Mahammad, translated by Said Sheikh Samatar.[1]

Galloping alone, the Somali war hero at times increase speed and other times slowed down to have a view of the approaching enemy force.

Somali Warriors with Oryx Shields

Somali Warriors and Speke

Somali dagger

Though a daunting task, the lion-hearted Somali king sprang into action upon reaching the Oromo forces who were led by their decorated general. Throwing his doubled-edged sword that was sharper than a Wilkinson Sword, the Somali King cum commander struck the enemy general with sheer force then, with the blink of an eye, retrieved his weapon from the dead enemy and thereafter left scene relaying the message to his forces who were ready for any alteration. The dust from the Oromo forces whirlwind that resembled the rope tornado since they were banded together like a rope would eventually be overcome by the Somali multi-vortex tornadoes that transformed into clusters of satellite tornadoes due to the war strategy of splitting into groups. Using the flanking maneuver–a strategy that is also applicable at operational and strategic levels allowed the heartbroken Oromos to encounter defeat at the hands of the Somalis.

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[1] Susanna Forest. Horses, History and News: The War Horses of Somalia. https://susannaforrest.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/the-war-horses-of-somalia/. Retrieved 8 March 2020.