Saturday, April 25, 2020

Protect Our Oval Earth Container

Since you have been rubbished, trashed, or wasted, there is no doubt that to many people apart from the few worthless and careless who give little attention to the upkeep of our planet Earth, you belong to the elements of unwanted objects that are disposed off as refuse for collection by municipalities. You could be solid waste from households, hazardous materials from radioactives, or wastewater from sewage that emerge from human discharge such as feces and urine. Even in addition to the historically decorated latrine veteran Duq Goofoow (old kettle) and his buddy the yellow five liter jerrican filled with water for each person to clean up after latrine use, still, sewage flow at times becomes heavy task for employees due to unexpected leakages and blockages. Since the statistics could be a drop in the ocean, the newer and modern pipe sprinkler system in flash toilets that was first made for the use of Muslims won't add up to this garbage coverage. The first flash toilet was made for a Queen of England while the metallic folk that comes with salads and dishes was crafted for an Italian female millionaire.

When a human being dirties the earth intentionally without having short term or long term corrective measures to overturn his negative actions, the earth complains to the Creator for recompense and that's why we experience different kinds of natural disasters. Until we discover the other six earths Muslim scholars often differ if they exist at all, in the meantime, our only container that serves as a home and graveyard is our current dwelling we refer to as planet Earth. However, if I punch my donkey memory harder in order to have a glimpse of what I read in the past, there is a plan to catapult to a newly discovered earth in 2026. With the selection of 120 people specialized in various fields, their departure will end up in a no point of return venture. After the newly discovered earth gets populated and technologically advanced, a dangerous chemical warfare could be imminent between the two earths.

Regarding the other six yet to be settled earths, a prominent Muslim scholar was once asked how it would be possible to traverse a distance of light years before getting to the new planet. In response to that question, the scholar asked the questioner how America was discovered by the new settlers from Europe. The construction of bigger, faster and stronger vessels that covered thousands of nautical miles, loaded with enough medical supplies and food and clothing was the answer to his query. On the same length, the modern rocket being built to deliver the 120 scientists having different specializations, astronomical engineers, paleontologists, archeologists, geologists, surveyors and others will cover millions of miles within a short period. If the anticipated space exploration materializes, religious and theological studies will obviously receive alterations in the areas of eschatology, exegesis or interpretations, translations and commentaries.

By the way, there is no objection to the eyesores of most of the garbage we see on a daily basis emitting bad smell are human discharges. Broken furniture, old clothes, plastic bottles, animal bones, plastic bags, livestock carcass and other unnecessary things tossed away by people are the major causes of the unprecedented environmental degradation that is afflicting many innocent people especially in developing countries. The results of such negative human actions lead to air pollution and the spread of communicable or contagious diseases. Blaming industrial waste for causing global warming is inaccurate and outright propaganda.

With increasing decline in the recycling of valuable items for reuse at it's lowest ebb, what we see is you Mr. Garbage son of trash son of waste son of defecation son of hazards son of human evil whose main aim and objective and intention is to destroy our beautiful planet Earth. I feel perturbed and flabbergasted when I see dewy-eyed, smart-aleck imbeciles for hire turn unguarded regions into dumping grounds while the poor succumb to death for inhaling the same noxious wastes without recompense from the culprit.

The deceased whose precious life was taken by you Mr. Garbage the vainglorious, remains the most unfortunate, because, our grandparent's old saying "nin dhintay kabihiisa ka roon", denied him the heroic legendary connotation that would have made his name engraved in many golden historical pages. Prior to his departure from planet Earth, the proverbial expression "kab iyo xaarkeed ba waa laysla tuura", left him barefooted for elephant years. His loss of the dozen different shoe models he acquired after toiling for a lifetime, if we are to use the most accurate donkey memory, were caused by his constant stepping on human defecation and animal fecal discharges that were strewn everywhere, the only ceremonial red carpet he had known in his entire lifespan.

It boggles the minds of many, that a person of such caliber with unblemished character had so many cuts and bruises on his feet that were inflicted by the uncollected 'Qajacleey', the thorny 'Mathenge' (Prosopis juliflora), and the frequent skippiping over waste scattered almost everywhere. Another medical condition worth mentioning was the permanent blindness he struggled with for years after being slapped by a black plastic shopping bag blown by a whirlwind that was presumably moving at the speed of light. Your Dishonorable Mr. Garbage, according to modern statistics, apart from Rwanda that prides to be the cleanest in Africa, you have penetrated the rest of the continent with tremendous speed and zeal.

With the abrupt disappearance of the major indigenous tree and plant species that were common defining features in the past, the arrival of the dangerous and thorny the locally known Mathenge or  Prosopis juliflora that originated in South America has negatively impacted humans and livestock. Even though Mathenge has fruits resembling those of other acacia trees such as Acacia albida, Acacia Senegal, Acacia seyal and Acacia Nilotica, it's fruits affect livestock dental make up. In a conversation I had with a lady who keeps sheep and goats, her claim that Mathenge consuming livestock permanently end up toothless after several years. To the contrary, the centuries old Azaradirachta indica that is also known as the Neem tree or Mwarubaini in Kiswahili originated in the Indian Sub-continent. To the Swahili people, it is a cure for forty diseases one of which is diabetes. It is also a good herbal medicine for malaria. Burning the dry or wet leaves of this tree helps keep mosquitoes away. Much better than Mathenge, the Neem tree has numerous medical benefits. One of the best shadowy tree, it provides shade that is much better than the humid houses of tropical Africa that lack air-conditioning. The seeds of the Neem tree are a joy for various aves species and the landless stray colobus monkeys that invade neighborhoods during morning and evening hours.

Smaller wildlife species such as meerkats and mongoose could also be part of the garbage or waste that is the main topic of this paper. Even crickets and the blind night flying bat could be hazardous to human living conditions. Termites are demolishing structures made from wood while the mongoose and the occasional meerkats, in their harrowing searches for insects, dig into the foundations of expensive houses such as villas, mansions and tourist style designed cottages and their perimeter walls, ground septic tanks and makuti style houses. Attempts by owners to abandon such damaged structures create a different form of ecological damnation.

Though not abandoned for good, there are those cows, sheep and goats that are released by their owners to tend for themselves within specific areas in towns and villages especially around fruits and vegetables markets. Living on robbery with violence tactics, these abandoned domesticated animals return home bellyful by sunset to be milked and suckled by their young ones. The waste they leave behind everyday that could be turned into manure eventually decay and transform into dangerous pathogens. Theoritically, within 365 days, the wastes they emit generously transmutate until new deadly pathinogens emerge and with the mixture of rainwater, what is left behind could be unknown bacteriological calamities.

Even the philosophical adage "haddaad dhimmanina, dhareerka waa layska dhowraa", was of no use to his deteriorating health. Despite his close relatives doing everything possible to keep his mouth free from drooling and phlegm drainage, he continued foaming in the mouth ceaselessly because the clean and naturally filtered oxygen that would have propelled his respiratory system had already been rendered unfit for human inhalation by your concealed and heavily contaminated rubbish. By the time he was shrouded and laid to rest six feet underground, a bitter fight ensued among his kith and kin over who had the inalienable right to inherit his beyond repair shoes that were laced with 'janjana', 'mal', 'shuban' and 'xaar dhabcaan' and the bacteriological germicidal remnants from the spitting act known as 'akhay tufoo'.

A close relative who performed CPR before the deceased kicked the bucket, passed on a week later of a sudden ailment that left many in total suspense. The pain and suffering plus the weird symptoms encountered by the second victim seemed surprisingly discombobulating. During the autopsy, the pathologist with the help of an epidemiologist got dumbfounded after the discovery of a previously undiagnosed COVID-19---a novel viral pandemic that still lingers in the world to this day. The medical conditions of two other relatives who partook in the quick response mechanism to resuscitate the previous victim remain elusive. It has been determined that one had halitosis and the other gingivitis.

Societies that are denied constant and continuous garbage collection services by municipalities usually suffer the most, because of the accumulation of  mounds of rubbish or scattered trash that consequently disperse airborne diseases whose containments become beyond human control. The absence of immediate response to anything that is hazardous to human and animal health, degenerates into reconnoitering haphazards afterwards. It is like being sick for sometime, then embarking on the rush behavior of seeking medical attention after condition worsens.

Areas with unprecedented explosive human populations have the propensity of experiencing unmitigated outbreaks of diseases that could be hard to contain at a later date because of the massive widespread and negative residual effects. Poor town planning and diminished quality control, the absence of precautionary and evacuation procedures in the cases of natural and human-made disasters could afflict entire populations residing in crumbling neighborhoods.

While the world cries foul over the current COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China, a comparative study with the number of Africans who die yearly as a result of malarial parasite infections caused by plasmodium could be astonishing indeed. Most affected by the scourge of the anopheles mosquito are innocent African children and the yearly numbers are a staggering. While malaria infects about 200 million people globally, most of the patients reportedly reside in Sub-Saharan Africa with 80% of the fatalities being children under five years.

After eradicating the widespread mosquito hazards in the early sixties, the United States of America abandoned the use of the dangerous  Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane​ or  DDT after the publication of the book, "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson in 1962, an American lady who was later on promoted to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To add insult to injury, the U.S., in conjunction with friendly nations, totally banned the production and use of the same DDT that eradicated the same mosquito that is wrecking havoc in Africa. Finally, DDT was classified as carcinogen, meaning it was a cancer forming substance.

In the era global exotic plants exploration, the best tree and plant species were taken from Africa and then shipped overseas. The most admired of all trees was the Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) tree and the precious Ebony (Diospyros ebenum) that is perfect for the manufacture of the best doors and windows and other beautiful furnitures like chairs, desks, cabinets and drawers and countertops and musical instruments. Even simple things like rulers for school children were made from the mahogany tree. On the other hand, handles for strong spears and daggers, and bows and arrows required the strong Ebony tree. The famous Diospyros crassiflora is regarded the true African Ebony with the Democratic Republic of Congo being the top exporter.

Apart from navigational aids instruments that were also made from Ebony, even the art of shipwright engineering that deals with the construction of marine vessels, required the African Ebony. Before the discovery of metallic elements such as bronze, copper and iron, most vessel keels were crafted from Ebony and that's why Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt took the long voyage to the Land of Punn or Punt to acquire the long sought after timber, ivory, aromatic resins, wild animals and gold. Sophisticated chariots of the Pharaohs had to be constructed from rigid materials and no doubt the almost extinct African Ebony tree played its rightful role. To allow the charoteers ease of manoeuvrability at times of peace and war, certainly, the wheels of the chariots must have been made from strong materials. The first to venture into Punt was King Sahure around 2,500 B.C. who returned with 80,000 measures of myrrh, 23,000 staves of wood and 6,000 measures of natural alloys of gold and silver. In the 9th year of her reign, Queen Hatshepsut sent a flotilla during the 15th century. Her return journey brought record breaking assortments of the marvels of Punt. Finally, in the 12th century B.C., Rameses III delivered to the Land of Punt limitless goods from Egypt though what he returned with have not been recorded.

Most Arabian dhows that were mast driven during Monsoon seasons before the discovery of coal and conventional power engines, were constructed from the same tree. Once upon a time in Damascus City that is the current capital of Syria, foreign travelers like Mark Twain and others, mistook it for a worldly paradise. Visiting Muslim Ulamaa of that time avoided overstaying in olden days Damascus lest they got immersed in satanic temptations because of the beauty of the landscape and the various exotic plants and trees that resembled a Shangri La. Taking the good things and avoiding the bad and the ugly, was a custom in ancient times.

The historical marauding hooligans from Mongolia who were known historically as the Tatars or Mongols, learned a lot from the societies they captured during their 400 years harassment of the regions they masqueraded as peacemakers before their abrupt arrivals that transformed into the most aggressive, bloodletting and brutal slaughterhouses. The poorly equipped volatile soldiers of the Ilkhanate, gained advanced craftsmanship in their areas of sojourn before their foward match to newer territories. Obviously, the corroded and poorly moulded daggers, bows and arrows they brought with them from inner Mongolia, received advanced technological replacement, sharpening tools and chipping modes and artistry of the best quality.

Before the Mongol invasion, the Khwarazmian Dynasty had it's capital in the city of Samarkand. Etymologically, from the Sogdian language that was spoken in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Samar meant stone or rock while kand implied fort or town. The city of Samarkand has been recorded to have been one of the most beautiful cities in the world during the Mongol encounters. One could travel five consecutive days outside of the city from any side and still feel engrossed in a world of beauty, delight and amusement. Currently located in eastern Uzbekistan, the collection of exotic plants from different regions of the world tranformed it into the most beautiful city in the world of that era.

There is no doubt that diseases are more rampant during heavy downpours. The accumulation of twelve different types of bacteria in stagnant leftover waters in ponds could have bacteriological consequences and the spread of other waterborne diseases. Virologically, stagnant waters pilfer microbacterial infestations and without the interference of local authorities, many healthy lives could face endangerment. Remember, even nations that have advanced chemical and biological defense mechanisms don't have the audacity to circumvent impending dangers.

In their attempts to establish successful goals, the top echelons of the affected communities should first and foremost take the lead in social education. Having equitable distribution of resources for all communities that fall under a municipality, without making distinctions such as wealthy suburbs or poor neighborhoods, should be the best public formulation if the need to create a healthy society will serve as the hallmark for those in the forefront of maintaining social well being.

All aspects of social development require those in charge to have the right potentials for dispensing the anticipated project implementations such as the right fiscal estimates and resources, logistics and facilities and duty-bound manpower to tackle the new tasks ahead. In developed countries, people keep dogs and cats as pets. After receiving rigorous training on the concepts of good behavior, these two admired friendly animals eventually become part and parcel of the owning family. In the cases of medical emergencies, all the necessary arrangements are made to ensure they are seen by special veterinarians unlike in some poor countries where a witch doctor or a herbalist acts as a Physician, OB/GYN, Oncologist, Physiotherapist, Psychiatrist, and as well as reliable MRI or X-ray machines.

Allow me to condole the poor man who recently lost his beloved sagaareey, shaaro and ceesaan yarooy goats to a simple and manageable livestock disease. His Herculean built donkey that served as his only Kabeyr Land Rover got mercilessly devoured by hyenas after it accidentally broke loose the ropes that held it in safe position nightly. With no shuushuu and shabalakee, shamuurey and sharbeed for his malnourished children after the death of the only animals that sustained them, Odey Masallaf keeps on crying and grieving, "tol la'ayeey" day and night. He is Masallaf because he had forgotten that God is The Giver and Taker.

As a substitute to medical insurance, modern herbalists and and witch doctors require only the delivery of a well fed 'wan baraar'. While I wouldn't discourage anyone from seeking medical attention from traditional healers, it is worth comprehending that Africa is transitioning from the 'Kud ka guur, qanjo u guur' philosophy. Within that period of transition, many could die from 'Kud iyo Kaar'---the feverish anthrax that erupted in 2001 after aggrieved individuals dubbed fundamentalists delivered biological weapons through postal delivery system.

In Islam, the Hadithic saying, "cleanliness is half of faith" and the Christian faith belief in "cleanliness is second to godliness" both teach the significance of maintaining cleanliness. There is no doubt that the cleanest human being to walk on the face of the earth is the practising Believer, while the dirtiest is the Mushrik or polytheist. What makes the disbeliever, polytheist or pagan to be naturally dirty is the divine disease in their hearts---a form of unknown ailments that get multiplied by The Lord of the East and West and The Lord of the Two Easts and the Two Wests. Since they are deaf, dumb and blind and will never return or repent to get to the straight path, the Lord increases for them the incurable disease until they depart for the afterlife.

"Mwenyezi Mungu amepiga muhuri juu ya nyoyo zao na juu ya masikio yao; na juu ya macho yao pana kifuniko; basi watakuwa na adhabu kubwa (Al Baqarah, 2: 7).

In Sub-saharan Africa, strategic reconnaissances are required to keep eye on nations having long term plans of imposing neocolonialism on the poor suffering African after their own lands turned out to be artificially and naturally overexploited. Their lands have been denuded of vital nutrients after years of natural resources extraction and due to overpopulation, they will play all kinds of possible tricks to steal what you have in store for the present and for posterity.

Since Sub-saharan African leaders have become dead like the Dodo, it is up to educated Africans to take the lead and safeguard their people and their productive lands that suffer only from garbage disposals and other dangerous predetermined Nuclear Biological Chemical Defense (NBCD) adventures from greedy and hostile foreign powers. There is the need to have Garbage Control Countermeasures from foreign influences and Internal Garbage Control Initiatives within the affected African Continent, otherwise, continued denial of the poor state of human hygiene and environmental degradation could result in prolonged future disasters beyond human control.



Saturday, March 14, 2020

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
Text Box: Salva Kiir Mayarditpast, 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



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 (3rd Ed.), Upper Saddle River, In., New Jersey

Sunday, March 8, 2020

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.



[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 medicine105(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 Economics105(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.



[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.

Battles of the Past

Introduction First and foremost, I would like to inform our ardent reader that I started writing this book on the 23rd of August, 2024. The...