JidbaaleOn the anniversary of the battle of Gooja Adde, Wardheernews carries an article by engineer Mohamed Ali Mire in which he’s calling on the victorious SSC-Khatumo to “re-evaluate its relationship with Somalia’s federal government”.
One might ask what drove the normally sanguine engineer (whose father Ali Mire was the well-known nationalist who composed the national anthem) to throw in the towel and call for this rather drastic proposal. It basically emanates from what he and SSC/Khatumo people consider betrayal by the federal government, and precisely by the head of State,HSM.That bitter experience is deep-rooted and spans both during the liberation struggle and the post-liberation period.
As the engineer spells out, SSC-Khatumo was fighting the occupation of their regions by the one-clan secessionist enclave, not merely to be free like others in Somalia, but above all to defend Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity. They took it for granted that this noble sacrifice would deserve the undivided support of HSM, as the de facto one-man ruler of the federal government.
Far from responding to what Khatumo deserved, he did everything to undermine its struggle by denying the help it needed while simultaneously aiding and abetting the secessionist enclave, not only to succeed with the secession but to suppress at any cost Khatumo’s liberation struggle. He went to the extent to embargo news about the genocidal shelling of Lascaod, and blocked all international humanitarian aid to the victims.
Once free, Khatumo was hoping it would be admitted into the federal system. Once again, their nemesis is HSM. He has been playing games with them- giving them green light now and then to join the federa system only to close
the door on their face. Part of his game is
to move the goalposts frequently. It’s not only impossible to keep up with his games but it’s the continuous humiliation he wilfully subjects to Khatumo that explains the disenchantment of its people with HSM and all he stands for.
This is the stuff that serves as background and justification for engineer Mohamed’s proposal. It calls basically for the SSC-Khatumo to end its fruitless pursuit of federal membership while HSN remains in office. He points out the strengths of SSC-Khatumo as a people who have a history of struggle and perseverance. His main message is that SSC-Khatumo should relay on itself and to look to life after HSM, assuming
Somalia survives his remaining time. Read on…
Osman Hassan Badawi.
