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.

Young and talented leaders for Somalia

Finally, after almost two decades of conflict and power vacuum, Somalia has found the blessings of two young under-fifty talented leaders: President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. The President is known worldwide as a peace loving moderate Islamist who is always in favor of dialogue and reconciliation. Since December of 2006 when his faction-the Union of Islamic Courts-was kicked out of Mogadishu by the heavily-armed Ethiopian occupation forces, President Sharif has been in the forefront of garnering support from warring Somali factions and the international community for an everlasting peace for Somalia. Besides, President Sharif had his university education in Sudan and Libya respctively. On the other hand, Prime Minister Omar is the son of slain President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. Omar is a graduate of a reputed Canadian university and has been a longtime employee of the United Nations.

So far, most of the deafening big guns of Mogadishu have fallen silent and that even some of the volatile Jihadists and vicious warlords who have been the cause of lawlessness and destruction have been given ministerial posts in the 36-member cabinet. Despite sporadic fighting in some parts of the country, the most we can say for now is that Somalia is headed towards the reclamation of its lost glory in the international political arena.

Does Somalia need tribal elders?

We now know leaders are made and not born. In African tribal communities, predominantly male leaders publicly known as either 'chiefs or chieftains', 'tribal elders' or 'communal heads' wield considerable wealth, respect, and power to an extent they have their rightful places in the legal and constitutional frameworks of their respective governments that give them executory muscle to handle matters pertaining to declaration of war, restoration of peace, and judicial deliberations, if need be. Thus, they run double-faced parallel foundations that sometimes do more harm than good to the communities they serve and to the constitutions they pledge allegiance to. We learn from the history of slavery and slave trade how African chiefs played great roles in the selling and enslavement of their own kith and kin and how they monotonously depleted the natural resources that collectively belonged to those under their commands.

While chieftainships in some peaceful African states spearhead social integration and coherence, oversee spiritual and religious commemorations and the observation of political stability, what boggles the mind is the sorry state of the devastated sparsely populated nation of Somalia whose sense of pride dissipated when tribal chiefs and warlords took over control of its affairs beginning 1991 when the central government collapsed leaving behind a big power vacuum.

Depending on clan, dialect, region or locality, Somali tribal elders are known by various names. Most commonly and before the emergence of the modern state of Somalia in 1960, a powerful leader could be referred to as "Boqor", "Ugaas" or "Suldaan" which implied they enjoyed Kingly statuses. Ahmed "Gurey" or "gran" (the left-handed), a man whose identity and nationality is shrouded in mystery because he is claimed by several Abyssinian tribal groups, enjoys greater popularity among Somalis because he is regarded as the most powerful leader in Somali history and therefore is categorized as king and a religious figurehead. Most of the wars he fought were directed at the Christian kings of Abyssinia. The man the British Empire nicknamed "Mad Mullah", Muhammad Abdille Hassan, was a "Seyyid" as he epitomized a religious figurehead and not a king. Mad Mullah fought vigorously for over twenty years until his sudden death in 1929 in the village of Imey in the predominantly Somali inhabited Ethiopia-occupied Ogaden region. Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan had direct military and diplomatic cooperation with the Mahdi of Sudan; he performed pilgrimage in the Holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at a time when few dared travel great distances ; he received his religious education in the Middle East and he is regarded to this day as the best poet Somalia has ever had. Thus, his elevated profile, his poetic eloquence, his struggle for Somali nationalism, his unchallenged worldly adventures and his military prowess remain challenges for modern Somali men to this day.

In contrast, men who play the roles of "Malaaq", an inferior designation commonly reserved for tribes inhabiting the central and southern regions of Somalia, wield little power and influence. Lately, Malaaqs have become popular in several central restive regions, in Mogadishu and its environs. Their proliferation among rural communities has hampered the effective delivery of humanitarian supplies by relief agencies whose employees often become victims of extortion, assassinations, and abductions because the types of administrations these Malaaqs oversee are dependent on the strength of highway robbers and armed hooligans drawn from a wide range of hardcore criminals whose livelihood is dependent on the subjugation of law and order. The scramble for land and competition for dwindling resources have seriously hampered the powers of most Malaaqs who, due to worldly temptations, finally jump on the bandwagon to fully participate in any conceivable illegal activity as a last resort.

Amazingly, most Somali transitional governments collapsed because they could not receive the unanimous or collective blessings of the multifarious tribal structures operating in the country. Some powerful tribal leaders threw their weights behind the transitional governments of their choice. Others rejected them forthrightly because of difference of opinion or categorically refused to endorse any entity due to the existence of tribal schisms with the respective head of state or with his immediate trusted lieutenants. Ironically, when the military junta was in power, Somali tribal chieftains or tribal elders hardly received any attention in the government-controlled media. They started emerging and receiving ethnic recognition after 1991 when law and order dissipated.

Currently, the largest and most famous clan-based tribal leadership in the center of Somali conflict is the so-called Hawiye council of tribal elders headed by Ahmed Dirie. Despite the existence of Somali tribal elders since time immemorial, there has never been a time in recorded Somali history when community heads failed to reconcile warring tribes other than today where tribal animosity has become an incurable affliction whose remedy has evaded divine admonitions, jurisdictions, and interferences of the international community, friendly and neighboring states, saintly scholars, and even the peace-loving layman. The irony is that even Somali academics and government heads of our modern era fully support tribal elders and revere them so fondly such that they are considered to be living saints.

Ironically, all previous reconciliation efforts blessed by these tribal leaders were either short-lived or ended in disarray. Somali tribal elders have no offices to operate from; many are illiterate; because they are not deeply religious, they cannot be categorized as Imams; they are never elected by popular vote; all came to dominate the throne of authority by way of inheritance or through automatic succession after the eventual death of next of kin.

In a male dominated society like that of Somalia, often, no mention is made of an incumbent female tribal elder or chieftain. Somalia's most idolized female leader is the historically famous Arawelo-an astute woman mentioned in oral literature who was notorious for castrating male offenders. The national origin of Arawelo is in doubt though popular opinion states that she was of Portuguese descent and not Somali as many would want us believe.

Since Somalia's tribal elders have a hand in the prolonged conflict, is it not wise to reduce their powers and the considerable influence they have in society? In my view, the era of tribal leadership is over and without an iota of doubt, I am overly convinced that tribal chieftains are the major cause of Somalia's two-decade civil disobedience and that this position of influence should be abolished whenever a stable Somali government emerges from the ashes of destruction.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys: What does he want?

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys was a former colonel in the defunct Somali Army. When the Somali central government collapsed in 1991, he became a member of Al-Ittihad Al-Islami-a notorious religious movement that became famous for guerrilla activities in Somalia. The movement was finally disbanded after Ethiopia's Armed Forces inflicted heavy losses on its file and rank in the Gedo region. Sheikh Hassan Dahir is said to have even captured former President of Somalia, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who was at that time head of a guerilla movement, in combat in the 90s, though he finally released him. The Sheikh appeared in Somalia's political scene in 2006, when together with the current Somali President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, they defeated the vicious warlords that terrorized Somalia for over a decade and a half. When Ethiopia's occupation forces invaded Somalia in December of 2006, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys defected to Eritrea where he was given asylum and a base to operate from. He was added onto U.S. "terror list" after the 9/11 incident for having links to Al-Qaeda. Though he claims to be innocent of any terrorist activities, his frequent outbursts targeting Western regional influence, his alliance with Eritrea's strongman Issaias Afewerki, his opposition to the fallen Ethiopia-friendly Somali transitional government headed by former foe Abdullahi Yusuf, and his desire to spearhead a strong imaginary Caliphate, saw formidable forces opposed to his whimsical designs mobilize to his own detriment. So far, several of his comrades-in-arms have perished in aerial bombardments carried out by highly sophisticated military air crafts that catapulted from naval warships from the coasts of his tiny war-plagued Horn of African nation of Somalia or by precision-guided remote-controlled cruise missiles that delivered the most debilitating blows upon contact with enemy hideouts.

While President Sharif enjoys a degree of moderation, Aweys embodies extremism and Jihadist philosophical thoughts. His struggle and determination rests on the eventual creation of an Islamic Caliphate encompassing the current war-ravaged Somali state, the occupied-Ogaden region of Ethiopia, and the former Northern Frontier Districts in Kenya. His concurrent fire-spitting declarations, threats and intimidation, and his unwarranted vituperation upon crushing the warlords resulted in Ethiopia's two-year occupation of Somalia without seeking approval from the international community and the Africa governing body-the African Union.

Despite the departure of Ethiopian troops from Somali soil, Aweys has never given up his mouth-bashing, tongue-lashing, and explosive rhetoric aimed at the Transitional Somali Federal government and the African Union peace keeping troops in Mogadishu. Despite the selection or election of his former colleague in struggle, Sheikh Sharif as President, Aweys seems not satisfied with any political deal and policy implementation that can be of benefit to Somali cause and stability. For him, Somalia without Sharia rule is tantamount to hypocrisy. He is an Islamic scholar who is vigorously in pursuit of the imposition of divine rule for Somalia-an ideological rule perceived by the West as a threat to the region and to their political and economic interests.

Sheikh Aweys belongs to the same clan as the current President, Sheikh Sharif, though of a separate sun-clan. The Henna-dyed, goateed septuagenarian Aweys has opposed almost every Somali transitional government, political dialogue, and reconciliation. The Sheikh seems to be in opposition to any political ideology and the formation of any central central government with secular leanings that differ from his strong Islamic beliefs. With so many warring factions and political divisions wrecking havoc on Somalia, Aweys has not shown any inclination to any political party of interest. Despite the fragmentation of the Asmara-group in to two divisions with differing thoughts and processes, Aweys' group remains in complete limbo politically, socially, and economically.

Despite President Sharif making avowed enemies in the past, at present, he seems to be admired even by the administration in Addis Ababa that was responsible for the defeat, collapse, and fragmentation of his powerful Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Ironically, Sharif was feted by Africa's heads of states at the recently concluded African Union convention held in Ethiopia. Surprisingly, he met and shook hands with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia-the man who once branded him a Jihadist and extremist. He is currently seen as the only hope for the future of Somalia and has so far captured the hearts and minds of many Diaspora Somalis. With the exception of a few web sites spewing hate and division, majority of online publications that are owned and operated by Somalis seem to concur with his heroic achievements. Many nations have thrown their support behind him and the number of press congratulating his election successes are quite overwhelming. President Sharif has gone down in history as the most popular transitional Somali President since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

On the contrary, Sheikh Aweys' activities, location, and influence in Somali politics remain shrouded in mystery. On the other hand, he issues communiques and gives interviews from undisclosed locations-a sign of seclusion and rebellion. His Somali opponents are dumbfounded by his failure to compromise and give peace a chance. Islam means 'peace' and peace can only be attained when Muslim leaders take the lead responsibly by avoiding all sorts of transgressions that undermine stability, life, and property. If Sheikh Aweys has the welfare of the Somali people at heart, why can't he make peace with his Muslim brothers-in-arms? What is preventing him from taking the right measures to avert further death and destruction of his Muslim nation? Why can't he absolve himself of the crimes he is said to have committed through legal process if he feels he is innocent rather than hiding under a veil of deception in a material world of amusement and play that is clearly stated in the Qur'an?

The proposed Saudi initiative circulating in Somali media aiming to reconcile Aweys with President Sharif, will, if effectively scrutinized, bear fruit and pave the way for Aweys' inclusion into the much anticipated Somali administration. Perhaps, Aweys is in search of recognition; may be he is being driven by the power of greed and that he wants nothing short of the Presidency; he could be a petty spoiler who only wants to shine in the Somali political arena and nothing more; or may be he wants to prove to be a dynamic hero who wants to fight tooth and nail against all kinds of foreign influences and alien religious practices; or maybe he wants to prove to the world that he is the reincarnation of an ancient saint. Only historical chroniclers and his army of admirers will prove to the world the kind of person he was long after he reclaims his place in the after-world.

Sheikh Sharif: Somalia's new President

Somalia has a new President. He is none other than Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed-the former head of the Union of Islamic Courts. Part of a handful of contestants, the youthful moderate Islamist leader garnered 263 of the votes in an election that included political heavyweights like the current Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, former Prime Minister Professor Ali Khalif Galleyr, and Maslax Mohamed Siyad Barre, son of the former deposed President Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre who trailed behind by a wider margin. The much-awaited Somali Presidential election was held in the neighboring state of Djibouti in the glare of international media.

The man who was once demonized by the West for waging a political onslaught and sacrilegious war against the West-funded, much-despised warlords in 2006, has made headlines in every media outlet. In the broader Somali community, some see him as an idealist, triumphalist, and a hero while others harbor the same Western sentiments by referring to him as a tribalist, religious fanatic, Islamo-fascist, terrorist, and other similar vulgarities aimed at maligning his good name and reputation.

According to media reports, leaders of neighboring Ethiopia were against the election of the Sheikh for fear he may be tempted to transform the Somali nation in to an Islamic state. Somalia's dispute with Ethiopia over the occupied Ogaden region, the rise of armed fundamentalist groups in Somalia, internal strife within Ethiopia's political landscape coupled with a devastating drought, the desire of the Somali people to avenge Ethiopia's two-year occupation of their country, armed guerrilla activities in Ethiopia, and the inauguration of Islamist President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh must be a source of unease and apprehension for the administration in Addis Ababa.

Sheikh Sharif fought the Ethiopians several ago years ago in the streets of Mogadishu and Kismayu before sending his fragile movement underground to fight a prolonged guerrilla war-an armed struggle that subsequently resulted in the signing of a peace deal with the TFG which subsequently led to celebratory victory for the Somali people and a grievous humiliating defeat and complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia.

Subsequent to his departure from Somalia, the Sheikh forged alliances with Ethiopia's number one enemy, Eritrea. Eritrea, a nation that seceded from Ethiopia in the early nineties after a 30-year armed struggle, has a territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the border towns of Badme and Zalambesa. To ensure Ethiopia's territorial ambitions and surreptitious political attempts never materialized in Somalia, President Issaiah Afewerki, Eritrea's strongman, became a source of inspiration for Somalia's weakened armed groups. By providing material and moral support, Eritrea finally succeeded in her long cherished goals that culminated in the defeat of the Ethiopian army followed by total withdrawal from Somali soil. Thus, Asmara, Eritrea's capital, came to symbolize a symbol of hope for Somalia's armed movements. Together with a handful of renegade parliamentarians from the TFG seat in Baidoa, Sheikh Sharif established base in Eritrea where he formed a political movement that came to be known as the Alliance for the Restoration of Somalia (ARS). As fate would have it, the initial alliance split in to two political groups. The Sheikh's moderate and reform-minded splinter group epitomized marvelous dialogical framework and good intentions.

On the other hand, the other splinter group espouses a philosophy of war devoid of any form of reconciliation with the enemy-an ideological foundation party stalwarts think will lead to the emergence of a formidable Somalia in the long run. They use threats and intimidation to advance their aims and objectives. However, the death of innocent civilians in any armed event is none of their business. Because the leaders of this armed splinter group are wanted in the West for either being hardcore terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, they will do everything in their power to escape intentional as well accidental dragnets. Put it another way: they will do everything in their power and apply all means at their disposal to ensure Somalia does not see stability because, as they portend, if Somalia settles for posterity, it will lead to their subsequent arrests and trial in the International Court of Justice to face crimes against humanity.

Going by the old adage "a coward dies many times before his real death", Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and his compatriots who are engaged in genocidal crimes have no other alternatives left except to continue dragging the Somali insurgency until they achieve their dubious aims and objectives and emerge as winners and heroes or until they get killed by foreign forces so as to attain martyrdom-the easiest path to paradise. The first entity to denounce the inauguration of Sheikh Sharif was the hard line Jihadist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys-a man who once was in the same political camp as the new President before parting ways. The two rivals belong to the major Hawiye clan.


Despite Sheikh Sharif's election as President of Somalia, the nation's current political, social, and economic affairs calls for the collective efforts of all concerned Somalis and the international community as the entire infrastructure and institutions of governance have been destroyed beyond repair due to the long running civil disobedience that spans close to two decades.

Ironically, the Sheikh's enthronement is seen by his bitter rivals as contravening the teachings of Islam, because, as they claim, he has opted for a man-made constitution that is contrary to the divine teachings of the Glorious Qur'an. To those Somalis and foreigners who have read the Somali constitution, there is no mention of a single article that contradict or contravene Islamic Sharia law.

Currently, most of southern Somalia is in the hands of a religious faction known as Al-Shabab that is perceived by Western powers as a terrorist group. So far, the leaders of Al-Shabab have denounced the Djibouti initiative which calls for dialogue and mutual respect and cessation of hostilities among the signatories to the convention-a convention that brought together the Transitional Federal Government and other various armed factions fighting to oust Ethiopia's occupation forces and AMISOM peace keeping troops from Rwanda and Uganda. Al-Shabab is neither Hamas of Palestine nor Hezbollah of Lebanon. It constitutes an amalgamation of poorly-armed, poorly-trained youth fighters drawn from various tribes or clans struggling for scarce resources in the absence of equity and efficiency of economics.

The new President, in a speech delivered to parliament, pledged to work tirelessly and to strive hard to bring peace and harmony to Somalia and he also promised to respect the territorial integrity of Somali neighbors-a reference to Ethiopia and Kenya. So far, several nations have congratulated the new President. As the world media outlets broke the silence in order to relay the victory of Sheikh Sharif across the globe, rancorous applause, adulation, reveling and jubilation among the ranks and file of his ardent supporters continued throughout that memorable night in major cities across North America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Celebrations have been reported in Somalia's major towns and cities most notably in Mogadishu, Bossasso in the autonomous region of Puntland, in Beletweyne, and in Baidoa-the former seat of the Transitional Federal Government currently in the hands of Al-Shabab.

President Sheikh Sharif has so many birds to kill with one stone and many rivers to cross. His first step will be to win the hearts and minds of Al-Shabab leaders and other armed factions that oppose the presence of foreign forces on Somali soil. On the other hand, he will have to deal with pressure from the international community; he will be responsible for marshaling forces to combat crime and lawlessness; he will be tasked with combating piracy off the coasts of Somalia; it will be his prime responsibility to solicit funds from international donors; in like measure, the President will embark on a major plan that will oversee the relocation of the internally displaced persons and refugees in camps across Somali borders; his prime target will be to devise measures to micromanage the economy in a land known for greed and misappropriation of funds, and above all, uniting the nation remains the most touching issue.

How to deal with the unrecognized breakaway republic of Somaliland will depend on how the new Somali administration applies wisdom and sound judgment. Any attempt to use force against Somaliland could lead to unprecedented hostility and armed resurrections. Whether to leave Somaliland remain a sovereign entity or admit it back to Somalia will depend on the will of the people of Somaliland and her leaders. An internationally supervised referendum for the people of Somaliland may be the best option to alleviate any political miscalculations and misadventures.

Paradoxically, Somalia harbors men who have been mentioned as belonging to terrorist groups or are financiers of terrorist networks. Some of these men control heavily armed militia groups and large swathes of land in the volatile central and southern regions. Some have instituted Sharia law as a deterrence to crime with amputations for petty theft and stoning to death for adultery becoming the norm in the absence of legal defense systems. For now and in the foreseeable future, how the new President deals with these most-wanted men, remains a burning issue for many political pundits.

Opponents of the new Somali administration are of the view that President Sheikh Sharif is a reincarnation of or a replica of Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Will the new administration fail to deliver as happened to past failed Somali leaderships? Ironically, the size of the current parliament is raising eyebrows. With Somalia's population estimated at approximately 10 million, how to instill discipline and how to finance the 550 members that constitute the legislature is beyond comprehension.

A few hours from now, Somalia's new President, Sheikh Sharif, is expected to rub shoulders with African leaders with differing political thoughts and processes in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. With strong security detail and multitudes of supporters to his credit, the Sheikh could as well set foot in his war-ravaged hometown of Mogadishu within days and perhaps receive a heroes welcome. The President hails from the popular Abgal sub-clan that wield strong political power in Mogadishu and its environs. Unlike former Prime Minister Professor Ali Mohamed Ghedi, a fellow tribesman who accumulated immense wealth under the recently ousted hard-nosed ex-President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Sheikh Sharif's rationale ought to focus on accountability, execution of justice, national defense, and social coherence.

Somalis should give Sheikh Sharif a chance to govern

After two years of brutal occupation of Somalia, Ethiopian troops hurriedly vacated Somali soil entirely this week with little or no farewell from the broader Somali community. The vacuum left by Ethiopian troops is being fought over by vulturous warring Somali groups constituting Jihadists, forces of the otiose Somali Federal Government, plunderers, warlords, petty thieves, and bullet-scarred scavenging civilians. Widespread looting has been reported in the areas vacated by the Ethiopian army; the heavily-armed Al-Shabab militia is reported to be now in control of Baidoa, the seat of the Somali federal parliament; and there exist much jostling for supremacy in central Somalia and the Gedo region.

Media sources report that, Al-Shabab, Somalia's most powerful religious fighting force, has imposed Sheria law in Baidoa and that it has publicly carried out the first Islamic ruling by amputating the hand of a man said to have been caught in the act of stealing. This form of punishment does not augur well with western democracies.

In neighboring Djibouti, the formation of a new government is in the process; a new batch of 275 parliamentarians took the oath; the breakaway unrecognized Somaliland enclave has voiced its objection to any invitation to the talks in Djibouti by claiming to be a sovereign entity with fully working democratic institutions in place; and Somalia's southern neighbor, Kenya, is sending back thousands of Somali refugees back to Somalia citing security concerns, shortage of food, and arms proliferation.

After intense lobbying, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the head of the disbanded Islamic Courts Union (ICU)is being predicted to garner considerable support from the 550 parliamentarians currently in Djibouti and thus proclaim the Presidency. A former Qur'anic teacher with little political experience, Sheikh Sharif came to the political limelight in 2006 when an amalgamation of eleven courts he headed routed the callous warlords that held Somalia ransom for over a decade and a half. The courts disbanded in December of 2006 when Ethiopia's well-armed troops bombarded the city of Mogadishu before heading to the southern port town of Kismayu to pursue fleeing court members.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a man often referred to as a moderate Muslim by Western media, has a greater chance of becoming Somalia's next transitional President. The Sheikh seems to have some leadership qualities notably that of director, producer, facilitator, broker, and mentor. Given the chance to effectively govern a failed state like Somalia, the Sheikh may prove himself better than the likes of General Mohamed Farah Aideed, Ali Mahdi Mohamed, Abdiqasim Salat Hassan, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Ali Mohamed Gedi and the host of political rejects who failed miserably due to futile political ambitions driven by selfish aims and tribal proclivity.

Sheikh Sharif climbed the ladder of political success within a short period mainly because of his vision which is centered on the formation of an all-inclusive unified Somali government based on mutual respect and justice. The Sheikh is a graduate of universities in Sudan and Libya and is knowledgeable in the fields of social governance, social equality, religious justice, and political leadership. For his leadership to be fruitful, the Sheikh will need honest, reliable, and experienced advisers in matters pertaining to national security, national reconstruction, political pluralism, social recovery, agricultural revivalism, constitutional reviews, religious propagation, and tribal affairs.

Should the Sheikh win the Presidency, one burning political consideration will be finding the right person for the powerful post of Prime Minister. Having a candidate who has the Somali nation at heart assume the role of Prime Minister will tremendously boost the President-elect's rating and usher in an era of peace and prosperity. It will be of paramount importance if the bloated parliament is broken in to two houses: upper and lower houses of parliament. The effectiveness of the new administration will depend on how quickly it reconciles the various waring parties, how it quickly disarms all armed groups, and how it tactically tackles property reallocation. Regardless of who becomes the next President, Somalia must not be left in its current state any further. The country has had enough of evil for two decades.

Welcome, Mr. President

On Tuesday, the 20th of January, 2009, President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in President of the United States of America. It will be the most crowded historic swearing-in ceremony in the history of the United States of America with over a million spectators from all walks of life expected to converge on to the City of Washington, DC to witness the first ever democratically elected black President take over the helm since America's proclamation of independence from England in 1776. On this historic day, millions of the world's citizens will be glued to their television sets to catch a glimpse of the coronation of the most powerful black man in modern history. It will be the first time in U.S. history a black family will take over the administration of the White House.

Outdated Somali Cultural Practices

How can a nation so often mentioned as sharing the same religion, the same culture, and the same language espouse outdated cultural practices in this 21st century? To begin with, anyone with an iota of mercy in his/her heart will be perplexed at how erroneously the current Somali federal constitution was drafted. This is a constitution based on what the drafters refer to as 4.5 with the 4 digit implying a lion's share of the political process for the four major tribes while .5 being the share reserved for all minority tribes combined. The four major tribes of Somalia comprise of the Darod, Isaaq, Hawiye, and Digil/Mirifle. However, if each and every minority tribe represented by this accursed .5 digit was to be counted in a census as one big community, they would undoubtedly exceed in number any of the major tribes. In essence, if all of Somalia's minority tribes were statistically placed in par with one majority Somali tribe, the figures representing the combined minority tribes would be enormous and a big show of force. For a long time, Somalia's majority tribes have enjoyed leverage over all other minority tribes for centuries either through the use of force and coercion or through other unconstitutionally dehumanizing applications.

From the time Somalia attained independence in 1960 up to this day of lawlessness, these four major tribes dominated major government sectors like the military, economy, education, agricultural and the fisheries sectors without giving minority tribes a share of the national cake. These four major tribes have placed permanent restraining orders on these industrious minority tribes in all aspects of their lives with intent to cause political, social, and economic degradations such that all of Somalia's minority tribes have been denied the right to exercise their inalienable rights as enshrined in the Qur'an, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and as depicted in Somalia's traditional, customary, and constitutional laws.

From time immemorial, Somalia's minority tribes spearheaded the advancement and manufacture of all material goods that pertained to agricultural production, herbal medications, farming implements, war gear, other important arts and crafts and all other important household goods demanded by the pitiless, green-eyed, uncivilized, war mongering, malnourished, and livestock rearing nomad whose life entirely depended on the consumption of milk and meat 365 days a year.

Ironically, outdated Somali cultural practices exist to this day even in major cities of the western hemisphere. For example, the prohibition of intermarriages between Somalia's ostracized minority groups and majority tribes remain in effect despite acculturation of either party in to new western ideals and manners. Going by the adage "old habits die hard", cultural transformations remain impossible especially among old folks despite exposure to new western ways of life. No wonder many love affairs between majority and minority clan lovers ended in disarray after their efforts to tie the knot got scuttled due to disapproval by majority clan elders entrusted with final jurisdiction over such matters.

Somalia's ostracized minority clans are pejoratively referred to as Midgo', Tumaal, Yibir, Caadaqaate, Rer Baxar, Gabooye etc. Technically, these names may be translated to mean untouchables, blacksmiths, archers, technicians, and things of like nature. What may sound as important trade names to the western mind may appear repugnant to Somalia's aristocratic cum autocratic tribal mindset. The irony is that, Somalia's existing outdated cultural practices and observances have no place in Islamic teachings. These are cultural malpractices that have been passed on from generation to generation, from father to son, from mother to daughter and so on.

The desire to preserve clean tribal heritage and unblemished genealogical lineage is what majority aristocratic clan members wish to see when marrying off their children. Fear of being associated with despised minority clan members seeking marriage to partners of the opposite sex from majority clans created the old Somali tradition of arranged marriages. On the other hand, to control the free movement of ostracized families, Somalia's hard-nosed majority clans observe centuries-old segregation techniques akin to the forgone practices applied by the architects of apartheid.

Huseein Farah Aideed

Hussein Mohamed Farah Aideed is the son of former warlord General Mohamed Farah Aideed and a former U.S. Marine Sergeant. His father was a famous General in the now defunct Somali Armed Forces and a former Somali Ambassador to India respectively. Young Aideed's father headed the United Somali Congress (USC) militia faction that was behind the overthrow of President Siyad Barre's government in 1991.

One of the most fortunate of Somali children, Hussein Aideed grew up in the United States where he eventually joined the United States Marine Corps. He also served as a translator in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope because he was the only Somali serving the United States Marine Corps by then. Young Aideed's famous military quote is "Once a Marine, always a Marine".

Upon the death of his father in 1996, Hussein Aideed returned to Somalia to succeed him and was elected "interim President" of the Somali National Alliance (SNA). His burning desire to lead the straying Somali nation has been stained by the same negative leadership styles common with most Somali warlords. In an earlier interview with an online newspaper, young Aideed was quoted as saying: "When I was a boy, I made a promise to my father to serve the people of Somalia in whatever way I could. When he died, it was time to honor that promise"-a promise he has not fulfilled to this day.

In 2000, Hussein Aideed or "Aideed Junior" as he is called, refused to recognize the initial Transitional Federal Government founded in Djibouti accusing it of "harboring militant Islamic sympathizers". Despite his objections, a close relative, Abdiqasim Salat Hassan-a man who served the former government of President Siyad Barre as Interior and Finance Minister, was installed President. However, when another Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was founded in 2004-in order to manipulate Somalia's political opportunism-Aideed was given the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs where he was responsible for internal security of the Somali nation despite the transitional government's limited power and little resources. As a gesture of goodwill, Aideed vacated Villa Somalia-the historical Presidential Palace so it could house the newly created Presidency.

In the cabinet reshuffle of February 7, 2007, Aideed fell off with the then Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi who demoted him and placed him to oversee the Ministry of Housing and Public Works-a post that did not augur well with him and with his sub-clan. The man whose loyal militia massacred 60 innocent civilians in Baidoa and Daynunay, eventually became a critic of the Ethiopian occupation forces. "Like father like son", Hussein Aideed espoused erroneous political miscalculations like that of his father by failing to give popular opinion considerable thought; his lack of vision for the Somali nation blockaded his political aspirations while his absolute reliance on clan superiority and tribal hegemony scuttled his efforts to create a fiefdom of his own desires.

However, Hussein Aideed's reputation began to decline when on the 2nd of January, 2007 he was quoted as suggesting that Somalis within Ethiopia and those of Somalia share a common passport-an utterance many Somalis thought was aimed at the annexation of Somalia by neighboring Ethiopia. Such shortsighted utterances by Hussein Aided incited renewed fighting in the country. Many Somali clans became his avowed enemies overnight.

By the time Ethiopian troops were pouring in to Somalia in December of 2006, the of Islamic Courts Union (ICU)-an amalgamation of eleven courts drawn from fighters from the Hawiye clan, controlled most of Mogadishu and almost the entire south of the country. A strong opponent of "jihadists", "extremists" and "Islamists", Aideed was opposed to the emergence of the Islamic Courts Union headed by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys-two religious figures who spearheaded the creation of the Islamic Courts Union and belonged to Hussein Aideed's Hawiye clan. As fate would have it, the Islamic Courts Union disbanded when heavily armed Ethiopian troops swept through Somalia.

Finally, on May 13, 2007, Hussein Aided was relieved of his post as Deputy Prime Minister for failing to dispense his duties. This drastic action led Hussein Aideed to seek refuge in Eritrea and join the so-called Asmara Group-a group that composed of the remnants of the Islamic Courts and other splinter group. Under the watchful eye of Eritrea's President, Isaias Affewerki, the Asmara gathering created the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC). Since his defection to Eritrea, little has been heard from Hussein Aideed despite the group's active participation at the recently concluded reconciliation efforts that paved way for the signing of the Djibouti peace treaty that led to the ongoing eviction of Ethiopian troops from Somalia.

Goodbye Ethiopia's Occupation Forces

Ethiopia's occupation forces are withdrawing from Somalia after two years of heavy presence that caused untold suffering to the residents of Mogadishu and its environs. There is much celebration among the residents of Mogadishu and no one can predict what is to follow next in this lawless country. When the central government headed by the military was deposed in 1991, celebrations of the same kind kicked off in many parts of the country only to be followed by the emergence of a long protracted rivalry and mass killings of innocent civilians by the forces of the United Somali Congress (USC). The forces of General Aideed that deposed the junta was no better. There is no reason for jubilation until Somalis form a unity government that will respect the will of the people.

So far, renewed fighting between various factions seem to be accelerating now that Ethiopian forces are withdrawing. Until the many factions fighting in the name of religion are either reconciled or overpowered, Somalia will remain a haven for many armed groups-terrorists included.

With increased rebel activity inside of Ethiopia and a border conflict with Eritrea, Ethiopian forces departing Somalia will not simply redeploy to their barracks. Instead, they will be watching Somalia's internal strife from a distance. These forces will obviously be retrained and then be deployed in other hot spots. The experiences gained from Somalia will tremendously boost their effectiveness at fighting all sorts of rebellion within Ethiopia. The several liberation movements fighting inside Ethiopia including those engaged in the Ogaden region and Oromia will have to bear the brunt of the merciless Ethiopian forces.

On the other hand, Ethiopia will have to deal with the border conflict it has with Eritrea and place a cap on the tribal rivalries that revolve around its border with Sudan. Even the unresolved Djibouti-Eritrea border dispute will have an effect on the sovereignty of Ethiopia. Cattle rustling and tribal clashes that often explode in its border with Kenya will have to be curtailed forthwith. The increased growth of religious fundamentalism in Somalia should be a worrying trend for Ethiopia in the long run.

Ethiopia has now become a nation in international spotlight for humanitarian abuses and constant arrest of the opposition. Looming drought and developmental failures in many sectors of the economy will exacerbate civil disobedience. Unless a reliable replacement takes effect after Meles Zenawi's mandate expires, Ethiopia will remain a nation in turmoil politically, socially, and economically.

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.

The impacts of black and white slavery and the legacies of imperialism and colonialism on the African continent

"The slave is an instrument of instruments. If every instrument could accomplish its own work, obeying or anticipating the will of others…if…the shuttle would weave and the plectrum touch the lyre, chief workmen would not want servants, nor masters slaves.” -Aristotle

The most monstrous illustration of opportunistic utilization of the African continent by European powers has been the wanton advancement of slavery, imperialism, and colonialism that lasted several centuries until the 19th century. Slavery has been used by the European powers driven by the urge of industrial development and self-gratification as an excuse to civilize the “Dark Continent.” Despite slavery being in existence since the time of the Greeks and even beyond, the kind of slavery imposed on the African continent is, in reality, the worst human injustices ever recorded in history. The use of powerful African chieftains to subdue weak and unarmed Africans spearheaded the spread of slavery to African hinterlands leaving no stone unturned such that at least every periphery of the continent was in one way or the other touched by Europe’s materialist ambitions. In his book, Africa: a Biography of the Continent (1998), John Reader, a photojournalist and writer born in London and who spent considerable time covering events in Africa, wrote that “in western imagery slaves are commodities that may be bought and sold and disposed of at will. Slaves have no control over their destiny, no choice of occupation or employer, no rights to property or marriage, and no control over the fate of their children. They may be inherited, given away, or sold without regard to their wishes, and may be ill-treated, sometimes even killed, with impunity. Furthermore, their progeny inherit their status.”

The above striking description of slavery by John Reader exactly epitomizes the horrendous and barbaric ill-treatment of African slaves, colonial subjects, and imperialist servants. Millions of Africans destined for European, Caribbean, and North American destinations through the infamous Trans-Atlantic slave trade suffered pain and anguish beyond human comprehension as the proportion of slaves that perished at sea and those who arrived famished equally displayed appalling images of disheveled faces, fatigue, and afflictions. European slavery of Africa bore the hallmarks of religious justification as heads of churches and revered kings and queens blessed explicitly in the name of God. It was a tall religious order hatched with unanimous continental declaration within European cities with religious fraternities assuming the roles of civilizing and evangelizing the uncivilized, demon-worshiping, and pagan tribes of black Africa.

The demand for material goods accelerated the proliferation of slavery and the slave trade. The Arabs had long discovered the importance of sugar which was novel to Europe and other parts of the world. Squeezing sugar out of sugarcane required intensive labor. Creating massive plantations for the newly discovered sugarcane plant could only be possible with the sweat and free labor of the redundant Black man. This led to the exploitation of the seas and the creation of dockyards for the construction of bulk freighters needed for the transportation of slaves and for the movement of raw and finished materials.

On the other hand, Europeans arriving Africa for the first time stumbled upon West African gold in Ghana where it had been used for centuries by flourishing African empires ruled by ruthless chiefs. According to Iranian scholar Ibn-al-Faqih who compiled for encyclopedia of the Muslim world in c. 900 wrote that “it is said that beyond the source of the Nile is darkness and beyond the darkness are waters which make the gold grow…to the town of Ghana is a three month’s journey through deserts. In the country of Ghana gold grows in the sand as carrots do, and is plucked at sunrise.” Arab chroniclers reported Ghanaian kings adorned in gold and that some had exhibition areas that were surrounded by horses prettified in gold. The town of Koumbi Saleh, identified by archeologists in present day Mauritania reveals wonderful excavations that they believe consisted of stone houses, mosques, cemeteries and narrow streets. This town flourished between the sixth and eighteenth centuries AD. Pieces of pottery with Koranic inscriptions have been unearthed from the same site. The king who ruled over Koumbi Saleh was well respected by his subjects and visitors alike and that he was extremely generous.
Africans mined copper, brass, bronze, and gold before European intrusion of Africa-credible evidence that civilization had taken root centuries before foreign exploitation of the continent’s resources and manpower. The kingdom of Mali demonstrates the existence of a well organized urbanized society ruled over by a succession of kings who traveled to as far as Arabia often through the Sahara desert with a retinue of caravans loaded with gold, ivory, and knitted materials in exchange for other valuable products not available in their domains. Even in the Horn of Africa, the Axumite kingdom of ancient Abyssinia paralleled Greco-Roman civilizations as the ruling Negus dynasties stretched their areas of influences to as far as present-day Yemen. Many a flotilla of ships crossed the Red Sea headed for Egyptian ports in search of valuable merchandise. European writers often perceive Arab manuscripts with suspicion and regard them as controversial and unreliable simply because they chronicled advanced African civilizations which to Europeans were either mere exaggerations or out rightly non-existent because it was in the interest of the Europeans to demonize Africans and Africa.

African kings trading in slaves destabilized many permanent African settlements along the coast and in the hinterlands. This led to the decimation of many permanent healthy settlements and the subsequent magnification of trade in humans and the depletion of material resources that exclusively benefited the African and European conquerors. Arab merchants had their share of the evil human loot though it is evidently clear those African slaves taken to Arabia lived exceptionally better than their compatriots shipped to European lands and dominions. Children born as a result of Arab men cohabiting with African women slaves were classified as free unlike those raped and molested by the Europeans. These children and their mothers enjoyed a degree of freedom and higher social statuses and that they were considered as part and parcel of the free community of that time.

The legacy of slavery led to colonialism and imperial domination with industrialization paving the way for the creation of protectorates and dominions in almost every society with the exception of the Abyssinian empire that escaped the brunt of European hatch up because it was a kingdom that practiced Christian values that stretched to the time of Solomon. King Leopold II of Belgium, a brutal man who was prepared to sacrifice everything in his possession instigated what became known as the “scramble for Africa” in 1884 in Brussels attended by powers including France, Austria-Hungary, the United States, Britain, Denmark, Turkey, Germany, and other European powers. The demand for copper, tin, tea, rubber, and other products including cotton that were desperately needed in Europe proliferated the scramble for the African continent and Asia. The legacies of imperialism in the former Belgian-Congo illustrate horrifying pictures of torture and collective punishment such that a missionary, John Harris, who was stationed in Baringa in Congo had this to report to King Leopold II of Belgium:” I was so moved, Your Excellency, by the people's stories that I took the liberty of promising them that in future you will only kill them for crimes they commit.” The evil deeds of the European powers saw Africa undergo a newly concocted way of humiliating Africans until 1957 when the first republics proclaimed independence through bitter struggle and bloodshed. The Algerian War of independence in the 60s claimed the lives of a million people. It was a war between Algerians and former colonial power, France. English settlers who set up permanent settlements in Kenya's lush green Rift Valley named the area surrounding Mount Kenya, the "White Highlands" not because of the snow on the mountain, but because they felt the land was exclusively to be owned by white people and also the climate was the right one for whites given the cool and temperate nature of the soil that was perfect for agriculture and for raising families. From there on, white families migrated from Britain enmasse which led to the establishment of tea, coffee, sisal, and pineapple plantations on a wide scale. One of the greatest entrepreneurs in Kenya's Rift Valley was Lord Delamere, a man whose roots still shine in Kenya's farming industry.

Libyan struggle equally took considerable lives and property. Kenya’s Mau Mau uprising led to the detention of Jomo Kenyatta in a remote prison in northern Kenya. Somalia’s blood spilling struggle spearheaded by Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan, lasted for well over twenty years. Coinciding with the struggles of the Mahdi of Sudan, Somalia’s war of independence came to an abrupt halt when squadrons of jets of the Royal Air force of Britain returning from World War I missions catapulted from their bases in Yemen and inflicted heavy losses on Somalia’s poorly-armed dervishes. Thus, Somalia's liberation movement went down in history as the first movement to be bombarded by military aircraft.

Thus, the legacies of slavery and slave trade, colonialism and imperial domination of Africa did not end there. To this day, former colonial powers continue to suppress African nations through the formation of blocs, dominions, and commonwealth meant to pull together former colonies to form rigid blocks to advance their selfish and materialist ideologies. For now, Africa is divided between Anglophone and Francophone nations. The use of colonial languages as medium of instructions in schools and for administrative purposes by Africans may be attributed to the extinction of many African vernacular languages. The massive migration of African professionals and doctors has left a great vacuum in African social institutions and created what is often referred to as “brain drain.” Colonial trained African leaders have opened a path for embezzlement of state coffers, institutional corruption, maladministration, and dictatorships. Such deceptive modes of administrative styles and dependence on colonial material and moral guidance have left the African continent absolutely bankrupt. Massive reliance on expertise provided by former colonial powers is cause for the economical hardships found in almost every African state.

Another dangerous instance that left many African states bow down to pressure happened during the Cold War that saw African nation’s pledge allegiance to the opposing forces of that time: Warsaw Pact and NATO respectively. Nations like Somalia and Ethiopia suffered quagmires of political uncertainties with the former U.S.S.R playing host to both nations by providing dangerous weapons with little room for agricultural advancement. In exchange, the Soviets pilfered the natural resources of these two poor nations until the collapse of the central governments in Addis Ababa and Mogadishu simultaneously in the early nineties. What is worth noting is that Africa’s colonial trained leaders killed combined millions of Africans either through deliberate imprisonment, executions, food deprivation, collectivization, poisoning, and other forms of torturous applications and inhuman practices. As the descendants of former slaves suffer the agonies of discrimination and other forms of social disparities, their brethren in African suffer similar , if not worse.

Africa’s giant, Nigeria, reeled under the devastating Biafra War followed by a succession of coups orchestrated by callous military dictators until the arrival of Olusegun Obasanjo as President-a rule that lasted from 1999 to 2007. Obasanjo was once a military ruler while holding the rank of General. This was between the years 1976 and 1979. A Yoruba from Ogun state, Obasanjo took over power after the death of President Murtala Mohammed. He handed over power to the first civilian elected government of President Shehu Shagari despite the army seizing power again in 1983.

Africans have either been victims of military dictatorships or prolonged misrule by civilian governments that suppressed multi-party democracy most notably Kenya where Jomo Kenyatta ruled 15 uninterrupted years and then succeeded by Daniel Arap Moi who clung to power for another 24 torturous years. Others have been victims of kingship rule like in Morocco and in the tiny landlocked southern African nation of Swaziland. Some lost the long cherished ambitions of nationhood after their heinous power hungry dictators resorted to using foreign mercenaries to topple existing legitimate administrations as happened in the Comoros and elsewhere.

The ancient kingdom of Ethiopia is unable to come to grips with misrule since the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie who was deposed and killed mercilessly by Colonel Mengistu Haile Miriam who is currently hiding in Zimbabwe at the invitation of Dictator Robert Mugabe. The Horn of African nation of Somalia remains without a central government since 1991 after the overthrow of the Junta that ruled with iron fist for 21 years. The last dictator Somali dictator, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed,who was elected interim-President in 2004, resigned on the 29th of December, 2008 leaving a big power vacuum and internal clan fighting that could destabilize the entire region. The latest coup happened in the tiny western African nation of Guinea when a low ranking army officer, Captain Moussa Camara, seized power after the death of President-for-life Lansana Conte.

Several African countries are still in the midst of guerilla activities. The expansive People’s Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) has not seen peace since the overthrow of Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 by the forces of Laurent Kabila. Kabila himself succumbed to an assassination in 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila. Massive humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan is causing international outcry which leaves the regime of President Hassan Al-Bashir in the balance. After almost three decades of guerilla war, southern Sudan has seen some semblance of peace and inclusion in to the government in Khartoum. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is wrecking havoc in Uganda with resistance leader Joseph Koni waging devastating skirmishes which often include the torching of villages, abduction of school children, and calculated murders on a wide scale. The West African nation of Ivory Coast has not been immune from gross human miscalculations either. After decades of civil war, the West African state of Liberia has now the first democratically elected female President. Liberia has been at the mercy of the likes of Samuel Doe, Prince Johnson, and the heinous dictator Charles Taylor who is now in the hands of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda remains one of the most appalling mass killings in modern history. With President and General Paul Kagame in the helm, Rwanda has for now a strongman who has the interests of his people at heart. The only troubling political tension for President Kagame could come from General Nkunda, a Tutsi general who is waging war in some parts of the PDRC. General Nkunda's war ambitions is raising eyebrows in the West.

The most stable and most democratic nation in Africa is the southern African state of Botswana. Abundance of diamonds coupled with democracy, Botswana has become the envy of many African nations. Despite the wealth and stability of Botswana, the scourge from HIV/AIDS is reducing the life expectancy rate to mere 37 years. The bulk of teachers has drastically diminished with the HIV/AIDS menace. Even mighty South Africa has not been immune from misrule. Thabo Mbeki recently handed over power to a less familiar face after years of corruption and massive unemployment. Despite the abundance of natural resources, industries, and manpower, South Africa has along way to go before the majority black population can obtain some degree of economic stability and educational enrichment. Whites still remain majority stake holders in industries and services, real estate and farmlands; whites also dominate the tourist industry and have a big stake in the fields of education, health, and import and export of goods.

From time when the initial tectonic plates were laid down billions of years ago to serve as the birthplace of man and as the cradle of human civilization, Mother Africa, as Africa is popularly known, has had its equal share of natural and human hazards.

Religious compulsion

Islam has been described as the “misunderstood religion” because all the good and kind words of the Qur’an have been misinterpreted and taken out of context either by the enemies of Islam or by semi-literate Muslims driven by ego and lust for power and recognition. For example, some anti-Muslim people use some verses of the Qur’an to refer to or stereotype Islam as a religion of intolerance like claiming Islam was spread by the spread. Specific verses of the Qur’an relate to the past; others pinpoint the present; while others solely discuss future aspects that are beyond human comprehension. For instance, the verse "Remember thy lord has inspired the angels with the message: Give firmness to the believers and instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Smite them above their necks and smite the fingertips of them" (Qur’an. Sura 8: 12) is in reference to the Battle of Badr-and does not surmise in any way some daily affair. The verse “"When the sacred months have passed, kill the idolaters wherever you find them" (Qur’an. Sura 9: 5) is in reference to the invasion of Muslims on all fronts by heavily armed idolaters in the city of Mecca. No one in his sane mind will stand like a log to wait to be smitten by an enemy. The defense of one’s life, property, and family is a requirement in human security and wellbeing. Moreover, all prophets and messengers sent by Allah had their own adversaries and that they were not immune from attacks, aggressions, vituperations, bodily injuries, imprecations and vilifications by men and women who renounced the rule of law.

The only verse, seemingly though, that appeases the hearts of the enemies of Islam, is the verse, “There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clear from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing.” (Qur’an. 2: 256)

The prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon him), has been most kindhearted to non-Muslims because of how he was concerned for their daily living conditions and how he warned Muslims against harming them in any manner whatsoever. He was known as “the trustworthy” not because he could be trusted with material goods but because even Allah Almighty trusted him and chose him among humankind as the best servant who could be entrusted to deliver His message in the best applicable manner. That is why Muhammad (PBUH) advised Muslims to be careful of how they deal with non-Muslims. This is a testimony to his kindheartedness as can be seen from his saying: "He who believes in God and the Last Day should honor his guest, should not harm his neighbor, should speak well or keep quiet." (Bukhari, Muslim) Advising Muslims against harming those who do not belong to the broader Islamic community, Muhammad had this to say: "Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God." (Bukhari)

It is senseless and absurd that people calling themselves Muslims have taken the law in to their own hands by making ludicrous decrees and causing havoc to a great many innocent populations by blowing up themselves in the name of Jihad and Islamic revivalism. Islam is a supranational religion that traverses boundaries and that it is being divinely driven by its creator and He knows best where it is headed to. If these mentally distorted men wish to elevate Islam to greater heights, then, the best application is through propagation and rigid missionary activities without harming any single soul. The human soul is sacred. Compulsion in religion is unacceptable. Those extremist Muslims who compel others, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are out of touch and need to repent for the good of their Hereafter. Allah has made Islam simple and easy for any willing soul. Furthermore, the occupants of hell are more than the occupants of paradise. Which means many among humankind will disbelieve in their creator and it is the promise of Allah that they will have their place in a raging hellfire reserved for them and their kindred. From the lines below the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH) will be a witness against those Muslims who harmed non-Muslims under their sphere of influence. "Beware on the Day of Judgment; I shall myself be complainant against him who wrongs a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state or lays on him a responsibility greater than he can bear or deprives him of anything that belongs to him." (Al-Mawardi)

Islam means “peace” or “submission to the will of Allah” and must thus be preserved and observed in theory and practice. Ostracizing t people of color, practicing slavery, mistreating women and children, having bellyful when neighbors sleep on hungry stomachs, hoarding property, and killing without a just cause, adultery and fornication, backbiting and deceiving people is unacceptable in Islam. Waging sacrilegious wars and killing in the name of Islam, pirating and plundering have become common practices in today’s world. There is nothing better than having dialogues to solve conflicts and there is nothing better than reasoning. Those who consider themselves leaders must reason before undertaking actions that may have drastic consequences on others and on those they rule. The claim that it is a requirement to wage wars to overcome population is a dangerous mentality.

Daggers drawn up north

International media is abuzz with news about the departure of Ethiopian troops from Somalia yet up north, the unrecognized breakaway Republic of Somaliland and the State of Puntland have daggers drawn as each gears up for the much-awaited Presidential elections. The current standoff is in the town of Widhwidh in the Cayn province claimed by both sides. Unreliable sources claim that the commander of the Somaliland Army responsible for military operations in Cayn has been killed by Dhulbahante clan loyalists when the officer brought in ballot boxes meant for the Presidential elections for Somaliland.

According to reports in the local media houses, a number of unaccounted for civilians and military personnel died in the ensuing battles. Both sides, Somaliland and Puntland are mobilizing forces in order to secure the Cayn region that attracted much publicity in the last few years.

On the other hand, Ethiopian troops have begun complete withdrawal from bases in southern Somalia. The power vacuum left by the departing Ethiopian troops have attracted various armed groups and created scuffles in and around the capital city, Mogadishu. Some of the vacated police stations are now in the hands of the forces of the Union Courts headed by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed while there are also reports that the militant group Al-Shabab is flexing muscles and sweeping vacant stations in Mogadishu. Thus, the departure of Ethiopian troops is a harbinger for renewed fighting in the north and south of Somalia as well.

Likewise, premeditated attacks on the African Union peace keeping forces in Mogadishu have intensified with increased mortar fire and heavy artillery becoming the order of the day. For the moment, things will get worse until winner takes all.

Light at the end of the tunnel for Somalia

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born -- that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born-Warren G. Bennis

The greatest problem bedeviling Somalia thus far is not how to rule the country but how to find a competent visionary leader who excels in the art of governance. Somali leaders lack faith in themselves; they have failed to create articulate visions and they have failed to present themselves as role-models. Lack of moral conviction, deficiency in inspirational communication, and being short of moral-correctness has been the determining factor that disqualified the abilities of many who attempted to govern Somalia in the past.

The absence of situational interaction, charisma, knowledge, and the skills required to effectively drive the nation to its right course have all led to the formation of enormously absurd power vacuums. The notion that leaders are born is no longer accepted in academia; instead, leaders are made. Heaping blame on tribalism and the legacy of imperialism, colonialism, and foreign meddling is not an excuse. Somalia needs to get out of the current quagmire. It is time to head-hunt for transactional, transformational, laissez-faire, task-oriented and people-oriented leaders who will get the country back on track and return its lost glory.

Since the collapse of the military regime in 1991, Somalia has seen several Presidents and an equal number of Prime Ministers come and go. Of the Prime Ministers, two were Professors. Of the Presidents, some were military men while others were civilians. Unfortunately, the Prime Ministers were used as one-time-use instruments while the interim Presidents left without finishing their official mandates. The last President, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, an uncompromising colonel and ex-guerilla fighter, bowed out a few days ago in a pensive mood without fulfilling his dream of pacifying and uniting the country. In fact, he hurriedly left behind convoluted networks of mysterious splinter groups with varying levels of unrelenting militancy. Pressure from the international community coupled with pounding political entanglement with his then Prime Minister, Hassan Nur Hussein, forced Yusuf to pave the way for a better breed which to me seems hard to create given the tribal, stubborn, spurious, egotistic, and nomadic paths Somali leaders have chosen to follow. The acting President, Sheikh Aden Madobe, who has been speaker of Somalia’s bloated parliament before Yusuf’s departure, is a former warlord lacking the administrative skills required of a leader. If there is any truth to it, the claim by unreliable sources that Sheikh Aden Madobe intends to hold on to the Presidency is obviously an outright infringement of the Somali constitutional charter. Sadly though, the power sharing agreement recently signed between Somalia’s otiose Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and some resistance groups in Djibouti is, according to some political analysts, an irrelevant enterprise. How a beleaguered, impoverished, and war-ravaged nation of 10 million foots the bill required to maintain a 550-member parliament is a question worth deliberating. The calculated departure of over a dozen parliamentarians allied to the former President from the government seat in Baidoa and the subsequent evacuation of hundreds of military personnel and their families from Mogadishu to the State of Puntland, is equally worth debating. Concern for their safety or fear of retaliation from antagonistic forces in the aftermath of the power vacuum, may have been the major reason for their swift departure. Also, the announcement by the Ethiopian government that it is withdrawing its forces from Somalia culminated in the creation of an impending threat for anyone associated with the former President regardless of tribal, political, and ideological affiliation. Thus, allies of the former President, Ethiopian forces included, as Franklin Roosevelt echoed in one of his inaugural addresses, had “…nothing to fear but fear itself.” Consequently, this out of the blue encroachment of revolt resulted in the creation of psychological reactions and distortions, inexistent mental creations and titular hardships that could lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for many fallen warlords and their on the guard followers in the long run.

The greatest threat after the departure of Ethiopian forces from Somalia will likely come from the armed religious group known as Al-Shabab. This is the militant group that has vested authority over almost the entire south of the country and henceforth there is the fear that if left unrestrained, Baidoa and Mogadishu will fall immediately when Ethiopian forces pack up and leave. The creation of Al-Shabab, a religious faction regarded as a terrorist organization by western governments, evolved not as a result of Somalia’s protracted war but as a deterrent to the TFG and the heavily-armed Ethiopian occupation forces immediately the Islamic Courts Union disbanded in January of 2007.

In conclusion, the world is ready to celebrate the 2009 Gregorian calendar while Muslims, followers of the Islamic faith, are rejoicing at the birth of the year 1430 of the Anno Hegirae. Equally and hopefully, the people of Somalia will be pleased to see the formation of a government based on justice, peace, and liberty a short time from now Insha Allah.