Hassan Keynan

Somalia is in the throes of a relentless and merciless assault. And Somalis have become a nation marked for liquidation. There is an epidemic of two inter-related evils perpetrated against Somalia and Somalis routinely, with impunity, and with catastrophic consequences: lethal violence and massive looting/transfer of public assets.

Somalis of all ages, sexes, backgrounds, occupations, affiliations, and outlooks have perished in their thousands. They have been massacred or maimed in their homes, schools, universities, mosques, hospitals, markets, shops, restaurants, hotels, offices, on highways, city streets, peaches, and farms. The residents of the country’s Capital, Mogadishu, have been particularly and mercilessly targeted.  The massive, incinerating hell that was let lose on ordinary Somalis going about their daily routines and businesses at the heart of their Capital and seat of their Government on 14 October 2017 still haunts and traumatizes the inhabitants of Mogadishu and all Somalis. 

The perpetrators of this crime are many and variegated; as are the motives implied or stated, the assets and capabilities deployed, the explanations and justifications peddled, and the outcomes expected. The bulk of the bloodletting is blamed, rightly, on Al-Shabab (AS). In fact, AS took responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks publicly and proudly. However, it is well known that there are myriad other forces that are present and active in the theatre of conflict. These are predominantly external actors, notably AMISOM forces, non-AMISOM Ethiopian troops, USA (AFRICOM Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa), European Union, Turkey, Qatar and UAE. These actors are either directly involved in exercising massive violence, legitimate or otherwise, across the country; or they have dogs in the violent scramble for Somalia. Some have vested interest – financial, diplomatic, political, or geopolitical – in prolonging the crisis in Somalia. For example each of the five countries contributing to AMISOM forces receives $1,028 per soldier per month. This comes to around  $20.5 million per month, or nearly $250 million yearly. The European Union has been the principal paymaster of AMISOM, providing an estimated €1.25 billion through its Africa Peace facility scheme during the past ten years. In addition, these countries receive substantial training, logistical and intelligence support for their armed forces. The US relies on Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the war on terror; and Addis Ababa seeks and, at times, demands to have Washington’s unconditional political and diplomatic support, especially in matters related to the growing international criticism over frequent violations of human rights and brutal suppression of dissent at home. Even tiny and sisterly Djibouti fights tooth and nail for its bound of flesh either through direct participation in AMISOM or by providing military base and logistical facilities to other forces operating inside Somalia.  

These actors, therefore, see no value or benefit in eliminating the threat of Al-Shabab altogether. Protracted conflicts and endless political chaos in Somalia perfectly suit internal usurpers and external predators and serve their hidden agendas and vested interests. Getting rid of AS would mean slaughtering their fat and lucrative milk-cow, Al-Shabab. 

Somalia is at once a strategic beachhead for the on-going fierce scramble for Horn of Africa and a principal target if the price is right. Poor and vulnerable Somalia is being fleeced openly and with total impunity.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and Ethiopia are after Somalia’s strategic ports and airports, often in clandestine deals concluded in collaboration with unscrupulous senior Somali officials at both federal and state levels. The Berbera Port deal, between Somaliland and DP World, was officially unveiled in Dubai in March this year. The deal included a 19% share for Ethiopia, a matter that was kept secret for months Here. The Prime Minister of the FGS, Mr. Hassan Khaire, was in town, i.e. in Dubai on official visit, when all three stakeholders, DP World, Somaliland, and Ethiopia signed the agreement. However, when he returned to Somalia, the PM scrambled for an impromptu news conference, declaring that he had no knowledge of the deal. 

Areas in Somalia with promising oil reserves are also being targeted. Many western oil companies are involved in the hunt. Even wealthy, peace-loving and benevolent Scandinavians have not shied away from this dubious and murky enterprise. Sweden and Norway have been complicit in shedding Somali blood for oil as the bloodletting in the dusty and desolate town of Tukeraq has shown in graphic details Here. Norway has also been implicated in the maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya, a case that involves issues connected with oil, and is currently in the hands of the International Court of Justice (ICC). 

The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) is becoming increasingly irrelevant when it comes to representing the country and its people or defending the national interest and the safety and dignity of ordinary Somalis. The FGS has proven incapable of uniting and defending the country either through deployment of legitimate authority across the country or promoting genuine and meaningful reconciliation. In fact, in the eyes of many Somalis, the FGS has for all intent and purpose become a willing, Mogadishu-based party in the on-going brutal scramble for Somalia, operating either as a lucrative brokerage or a Trojan Horse. Many of its senior officials seem to have assumed the role of brokers hell-bent on engaging in shady deals aimed at liquidating the country’s strategic assets, or colluding with foreign predators in the service of greed and corruption, and with total impunity. Take the case of the secret deal between the Federal Ministry of Defense and the UAE-based SKA international. Federal Defense Minister, Mohamed Mursal, and Army Chief, Gen Abdiweli Jama Gorod, entered into the contract with SKA secretly and in clear violation of the national procurement rules and procedures, according to a detailed and well-researched report by the Voice of America’s Investigative Dossier aired on Voice of American Somali Service on 24 April 2018. The next day, the interim Federal Minister of Information declared the agreement null and void in an official letter Ref:WWDHD/00090/2018 dated 25/04/2018 Here. Five days later, on 30 April 2018, the former Defense Minister who signed the Agreement was elected the Speaker of Lower House of the Federal Parliament. The Senior Minister, who broke the law and committed fraud, is handsomely rewarded and crowned as the country’s chief legislator. Informed Somalis need to be perpetually on guard and keep an eye on the laws enacted by the Federal parliament during the tenure of the current speaker of the Parliament. 

Hassan Keynan