The unholy coalition of Christian Neocons and secessionists in Northern Somalia

Somalia's continued political instability has for years provided resources and space for secessionists to pursue their agenda almost completely unhindered. Indeed the lack of peace and governance country wide has affected Somalia's sovereignty in more ways than one. For the Somali federal government, this loss of independence affects their ability to project power into Northern Somalia. 

With secessionists taking advantage of the weak central authority, the encroachment on Somali territory continues with little to no resistance. It was just a week ago when secessionist officials provokingly went to Lasqooray, a port city in the Sanaag province that has so far been spared the violence and oppression much of Sanaag's unionists live under today. This provocative and dangerous expansionist policy employed by "Somaliland" is being aided and supported by some lobbyists in the United states. One such lobbyist is J. Peter Pham. 

So who is this Mr. Pham? The Strategic studies institute has a comprehensive profile of Mr. Pham which reads as follows:

Dr. J. Peter Pham is Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. Previously, he was tenured Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science, and African Studies at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where he directed the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs. He has also regularly lectured at the Foreign Service Institute, the Joint Special Operations University, the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management, and other U.S. Government professional education institutions. Dr. Pham has testified before the U.S. Congress on a number of occasions and conducted briefings or consulted for U.S. and foreign governments as well as private firms. In May 2008, at the invitation of General William Ward, he gave the keynote address at the first Senior Leaders Conference of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Mainz, Germany, and subsequently served on AFRICOM’s Senior Advisory Group. Dr. Pham is the incumbent Vice President of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), an academic organization chaired by Professor Bernard Lewis representing over 1,300 scholars of Middle Eastern and African Studies at more than 300 colleges and universities in the United States and overseas. He regularly appears in numerous national and international media outlets. Dr. Pham is also Editor in Chief of ASMEA’s flagship Journal of the Middle East and Africa. A specialist on U.S. foreign and defense policy, African politics and security, and terrorism and political violence, Dr. Pham is the author of over 300 essays and reviews and the author, editor, or translator of over a dozen books—most recently, Somalia: Fixing Africa’s Most Failed State, co-authored with Greg Mills and David Kilcullen.

Mr. Pham's long resume can simply be summarized as someone who has a keen interest in what goes on in Africa. His interference in Somalia goes several years back and he is even frequently quoted by various prestigious news outlets on anything concerning the country. It is safe to say that he has convinced many in the international arena of being the "go to" guy when it comes to the far away country of Somalia.

Mr. Pham has a consistent track record of what can only be described as attempts to strip legitimacy of any government in Somalia and either promote the status quo, or strategies that will ultimately lead to further deterioration in Somalia. Indeed he has consistently argued for the dismantling of Somalia, which you can read here and here , and the downgrading of relations between the US government and Somalia's federal government which you can also read here. 

Mr. Pham has among other things compiled and actively promoted a document titled "African game changer?",detailing how to recognize "Somaliland" and permanently divide Somalia. The document explicitly argues for forcibly re altering Somalia's borders with the financial assistance of European countries as well as the political from regional African countries. According to Ali H. Abdulla, someone that has researched and written about Mr. Phams "African game changer" project. 

Mr. Pham and his colleagues believed the recognition of "Somaliland" would "kill" the Greater Somalia project by arguing that: 

" Recognition would also ensure that the ambition of a ‘five-star’ Somali nation incorporating Djibouti, Somaliland, Ethiopia’s Region Five, and the north-east of Kenya along with south-central Somalia would be even less likely. This is, of course, especially in the interests of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti "

Although this has not been taken seriously by most foreign officials nor international policy makers, it certainly has a very receptive audience in the horn of Africa.

It is not often mentioned that J. Peter Pham is a former priest from the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in Illinois and has written several papers for religious institutes. The fact that he went from being a dedicated priest two decades ago, to a lobbyist today is very strange and peculiar. Mr. Pham is also a senior fellow at the "foundation for the defense of democracies", which source watch describes as a "neoconservative think tank and lobbying organization that claims to conduct research and education on international terrorism". Upon a closer look you will notice that the think tank on its leadership council includes well known Zionists such as Louis J. Freeh, Newt Gingrich, Bill Kristol, and Joseph Lieberman.

While it seems that religious fundamentalism shapes the worldview of Mr. Pham. That does not necessarily mean that Peter Pham is consistent nor transparent. Indeed while Mr. Pham advocates for dissolving Somalia, he is equally lobbying against the same for Morocco. Mr. Pham has feverishly been against the independence of west Sahara and has written extensively on why the west Saharan's don't deserve freedom, which can be read here, here and here. Not only does this show the hypocrisy of Mr. Pham, but also the neocolonialist attitude that guides his actions. Men like Mr. Pham see Africa and the third world in general as their playground. Independence and sovereignty only matters when it benefits them.

Another aspect of the work Mr. Pham is carrying out, is the financial aspect. As a lobbyist, Mr. Pham is most likely receiving payment for his articles on Somalia from the "Somaliland" political leadership. Unfortunately i have not been able to find any source that discloses this amount publicly. But any financial transaction to Mr. Pham, is most likely coming out of local revenues in Northern Somalia. Specifically tax revenue from the Berbera port, Hargeisa airport and whatever local Somali businesses pay. Such irresponsible and non transparent use of public funds lends credence to the recent allegations of pervasive corruption.

In the end, we come back to the sad fact that Somalia has many detractors, and while this arises from the fact that Somalia is experiencing instability and war, we much unite as Somalis to condemn whatever foreign interests that try to use Somalia's instability for their nefarious agenda. To this end, i really see no difference between Al Shabaab and men like Mr. Pham. Both sides are foreigners and both of them are ultimately fighting Somalia's sovereignty and independence.

Hazardous political environment in Somalia requires activism

As Somalia is facing what can arguably be described as its worst period of insecurity since the era of the Transitional federal government. There is a need to identify the wider underlying issue that is at the root of Somalia's problems. Already into two years after Somalia left the transitional government phase, the country is facing a crisis that has many layers, including but not limited to insecurity and political instability. The six pillar policy that was touted by the then newly elected Hassan Sheikh has all but crumbled. 

It can arguably be said that the situation has worsened on all fronts. The offense against Al Shabaab has halted and AMISOM nowadays spends its valuable time on over stepping its mandate and preventing peaceful public gatherings on private property. Something that is aching to restricting the right to peaceful assembly, which is a basic human right. The recent secretive and bizarre agreement the federal government has made with Ethiopia, has resulted in thousands of Ethiopian troops joining AMISOM and pouring in to Somalia. 

The Somali president has so far shielded himself from public outrage regarding the controversial decision, but there are already signs it can come back to haunt him. Indeed similar sentiments were made by the former US ambassador to Ethiopia, David Shinn. The former American ambassador has publicly called the agreement a "mistake". Mr. Shinn also noted that this agreement was done with the full consent of the Somali federal government, something i suspect was surprising for him. But not for the director of the American National security agency, James Clapper. In a sign of growing frustration, Mr. Clapper publicly termed Somalia's president "weak". Which can be construed as low faith from the American intelligence community and the foreign policy makers.

On the humanitarian front, the situation is as grim as it has ever been. For the third consecutive year, Southern Somalia is facing starvation on a mass scale. This has the potential to reverse fragile gains and torpedo the southern rural population into Mogadishu once again. Which would worsen the current IDP problem. Because not even the internally displaced are safe in Mogadishu. Indeed the increase in sporadic attacks by Shabaab has made the capital so insecure, there has been over hundreds of residents emigrating from Mogadishu just last week alone.

As i previously mentioned, the dilemma of achieving peace and good governance in Somalia is not possible without addressing the underlying issue. That issue is the lack of representation and commitment by those who aspire change in Somalia. To this day, there is almost no politically active parties in the country. I purposely excluded Hiil qaran, a party mainly consisting of intellectuals and moderates. However they are currently not much different from the rest, since they have not bothered to update their party website for the past eight months. 

Somalia in general is rife with political opportunism and one man candidates are far more prevalent than real opposition parties. However, those Somali politicians that do create political parties are only interested in the country when it is election time. Indeed "fake" political parties are usually created in the last months before an election in Somalia. The purpose of such actions is to deceive the domestic public and well meaning diaspora Somalis for funds and publicity. 

We saw this in the elections of 2012, when the then very popular Somali-American politician Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmaajo" was challenging the incumbent Sheik Sharif for the presidency. Mr. Mohamed saw many political donations and support from Somalis both inside and outside the country, indeed the support for him included Somalis from all backgrounds. Mr. Mohamed recognized this and created his political party "Tayo". However when he along with many other candidates lost to Hassan Sheikh, the political will to transform Somalia abruptly ended. Nothing confirms this more than the now defunct website of the Tayo party. This is a perfect illustration of what i call "short term patriotism".

The recent Puntland elections is another example whereby Faroole the incumbent was facing an opposition consisting entirely of individuals almost unknown to the wider public, excluding clan elders of course. They had no stated positions, nor any prior history in grass roots campaigning for social issues. However the winner of that election was Abdiweli Gaas, a man himself not a member of any political party. As it stands now, Somalia's major political parties, are the main big clans. You don't have to have a plan, ideology or integrity. The most important for them is what clan you were born into and how deep your pockets go. 

If the democratization of Somalia is to happen, true patriots will have to organize and engage with each other both in Somalia and the wider diaspora at the grass roots level. Activism must be embraced by those Somalis who wish to see a change in the homeland. It was the great Philosopher Plato that said, lack of political participation ends in you being governed by your inferiors. My fellow Somalis, let us not be governed by our inferiors anymore.

Remembering the slaughter in Borama 1984

On the 30th January 1984, something terrible occurred in the sleepy little town of Borama. It was almost six years after the Somali led attempt of liberating the occupied Somali territories in Ethiopia. The horror of war was almost but forgotten in this Somali town situated in the Northern Awdal region. The early morning seemingly looked like any other morning. Parents fed their children and dressed them up for school. Teachers planned their schedules and were always there to teach their students. However this morning was not like any other. Around 10 AM the schools in Borama, along with other civilian infrastructure were mercilessly attacked. The Ethiopian war planes targeted four elementary schools, including the Hawo Tako middle school. Four parents were immediately killed, all of them were mothers.

In total, there were 37 dead children in the age group between six and fourteen years old. As well as four dead teachers, 5 injured teachers and 39 injured children. The devastation and the sight of burned bodies were horrifying. There was absolutely no military strategy behind this cruel inhumane crime, other than to spread fear of course. It was a deliberate targeting of civilians, and could constitute a war crime. As the Ethiopian savages are still committing atrocities on both sides of the border, i believe it is important we dont forget these barbaric actions. Children no matter what country dont deserve to be robbed of their lives and those that commit such actions should be held accountable. It has since been precisely three decades, and i feel there should be more Somalis aware of these crimes. Because of that reason, i have here an informative list of the child victims names, ages as well as their grade levels. If you want to learn more, you can check out this great page. If you wish to honor these children, the most effective course of action you could take is remembering them. I honor these innocent Somali children, teachers and parents through spreading their story that has sadly been almost forgotten. 

Allah ha u naxariisto ummadi ku dhimatey xasuuqi Boorama Janaayo 30, 1984

N°	Magac (Names)	Da' (age)	Fasal (Grade)
1	Ilyaas Ibraahim Maydhane	12	4
2	Ismaaciil Muuse Tubeec	13	4
3	Abadir X/ibrahim Xaaji	11	4
4	Axmed Idiris Ibraahim	12	4
5	Axmed Ibraahim X/ bookh	12	4
6	Ubax Cumar Maydhane	10	3
7	Anisa daahir Caateeye	10	3
8	Maxamuud Maxamed Daahir	10	3
9	Yaassiin Daahir Ibraahim	10	3
10	Abdi Hassan Cali	9	3
11	Abdi Ahmed Yuusuf	10	4
12	Husseen Maxamed Nuur	12	3
13	Sacaada Cabdulle Faarah	10	3
14	Maxamed Xasan Faarah	9	3
15	Nimca Maxamed Xirsi	10	3
16	Raashid Huseen Cige	10	3
17	Cabdi Ismaaciil Xasan	11	3
18	Maxamed Aw/ Aadan Cabdi	8	2
19	Khadra Maxamed Xirsi	9	2
20	Maxamed Idiris Miicaad	8	2
21	A/risaaq SH/maxamed	10	2
22	Sahra Aaden	6	1
23	Faadumo orod ku dharag	6	1
24	Fa’isa H/Ibraahim Muusae	12	4
25	Ruqiya Maydhane Muxumed	10	2
26	Hibo Axmed Ali yey	11	4
27	Maxamed Xasan Xandulle	13	4
28	Hinda Axmed Cilmi	10	3
29	Hibo Barkhad Qayaad	9	3
30	Qayaad Barkhad Qayaad	11	4
31	Deeqa Yuusuf Cige	10	3
32	mustafe Cilmi Weyrax	9	2
33	C/laahi Nuur Cumar	14	8
34	Axmed Cabdi Barre	11	3
35	Kaltuun Abubakar Sheekh	10	4
36	Warla Cilmi Subagle	9	3
37	Sucaad Cali Obsiiye	14	7

Somalia's looted heritage

As conflict and insecurity prevails over most of Somalia, there is one aspect that is barely discussed. That aspect is of course the state of Somalia's archaeological sites, artifacts and museums. Somalia in the past notably had two official Museums. One was situated in the northern Somali town of Hargeisa, and the other in the capital Mogadishu. Today, none of them are in service and the facilities themselves are either completely destroyed or in need of rehabilitation. Because of the civil war, Somalia has become a country that is almost devoid of any visible heritage. 

This of course usually happens in conflict prone areas of the world, widespread looting and illegal excavations are the norm. Indeed you could see this occurring in the midst of civil war in Syria, and many other countries. The looted artifacts are usually sold in the international black market by a web of different criminal actors, and the buyers are typically wealthy collectors that spur demand for these items. That  however does not mean they are directly involved in the illegal excavations themselves.

According to a recent report, there is rampant illegal excavations and grave looting ongoing in Somalia. Grave robbing and illegal excavations are rarely reported in Southern Somalia. The nature of such crimes in Southern Somalia, is usually religiously motivated with relatively old Sufi graves bearing the brunt of the attacks. However most of the reported illegal excavations in Somalia are taking place in the Northern part of the country.

Sada Mire, a famous Somali archaeologist has been at the forefront in efforts of preserving important sites. In 2010, she documented 139 different historical preservation areas, but because of inadequate financial resources it has been difficult to preserve the sites. Sada Mire and her Archaeologist colleague Xavier Gutherz eventually discovered that there was systematic looting and grave robbing on going in northern Somalia. She and her colleague believed the artifacts were shipped through dealers in Djibouti, and then on to the black market in the Arabian peninsula. The situation is so bad that it was not even possible for Sada Mire to push for legislation, such as banning the sale of Somali artifacts abroad. This in one way can be interpreted as the "Somaliland" parliament being plagued by conflicting interests, even down to obvious matters such as national heritage.

                                                         Looted Somali Votive. photo by Mark Hay

Because of these issues, the preservation of Somalia's heritage is in critical condition. I believe the most damaging factor to our heritage is the political factor. Because of rampant separatist politics, Somalia's heritage is suffering. The obvious fact that "Somaliland" is unable to protect these various sites should not be surprising. There is simply not enough resources available for such projects. However the most important sites in these areas can be granted protection under a world heritage status. One such site that could qualify would be the famous Las Gaal cave .

World heritage status are given to national properties within recognized countries. Somalia's is entitled to apply for it. This would make it possible for Las Gaal and perhaps other important sites to be granted the world heritage status. But because of secessionist illogical hatred, these politicians are willing to put  important sites and artifacts in harms way. Thus making it possible for criminal groups to continue their crimes against our Somali heritage.

I believe it is of utmost importance that preservation of Somali heritage is done irrespective of politics. Common heritage for Somalis should have been logically off limits for any political brinkmanship. But because the country is ruled by men that rather pursue hate than unity, we are left with such a dangerous situation in Somalia.

Is enough being done to preserve and develop Af-Soomaali ?

For the last twenty something years there has been a dangerous stagnation in regards to the advancement of the Somali language. Af-Soomaali is the language spoken mainly by Somalis living in the Horn of Africa and those in the wider diaspora. It has its roots in the Cushitic languages alongside those spoken by Oromo and Afar peoples. There is no reliable consensus on how many speakers Af-Soomaali has globally, but it is generally estimated to be between 15-17 million. The absence of an effective Somali state and a vibrant literary community has brought the development of the language almost to a complete halt. It is important to note that much of the advancement of the Somali language was done under the communist era and not under Somalia's first decade of democracy. 

Between 1960-69, Somalia had no defined scripture for the Somali language. The newspapers, magazines and books were mainly printed in Italian and English.The educational system did not fair any better with only the two aforementioned languages being taught. Indeed there was such a crisis of illiteracy that the gap between the intellectual urban Somali class and the rural nomads was subject to frequent ridicule. This was in its own way Somalia's own division of class.

With the communist coup 1969, Somalia had in some ways improved. The regime adopted Somali writing and promptly made the advancement of the Somali language a priority.  Af-Soomaali was especially promoted and used in academia with subjects such as Mathematics and Physics translated and regularly updated. Here is for example a short list of terms associated with basic Physics and maths translated into Somali.

Astronomical unit = Halbeegga xiddigaha

Diameter = Dhexroorka

Formula = Hab-xisaabeed

Particles = bitaanbitooyin

Anti-Particles = lidka-bitaanbitooyinka

Nuclear reaction = iskushubmidda bu’aha

Magnetic Field = Birlabta

Charge electricity = Cabbeynta Shixnadaha Jacda

Under a brief period of time Af-Soomaali was experiencing its own golden age. State backed literacy campaigns coupled with a developing national identity helped make the Somali language central to means of communication. Almost any profession ranging from artists to Science teachers expanded the Somali language and added new words to explain new concepts. Modernizing an African language was at this time very controversial as most of the other African countries adopted the colonial language. It was this conservative attitude in regards to the Somali language that gave Somalia an identity as a country. 

However when the civil war erupted in the late eighties and in the early nighties, these gains were eroded as the consequences of dictatorship has begun to take root. Since then any development of the Somali language has been almost non existent. 

I believe today we have Af-Soomaali bearing all the hallmarks of a dying language. I believe this because almost all advancement of the language has been abandoned. Priority is given to more "developed" languages such as Turkish, Arabic, English or Amharic as is the case in Hargeisa . It is the vulnerability of the Somali language in Somalia that is the issue. Af-Soomaali is vulnerable in Somalia due to the weak nature of the state, the apathy of Somalis in general, and the exploitation of foreign actors. 

One such example is Turkey, in just a short period of time Turkish is being promoted across Mogadishu. Such examples are Turkish billboards and signs, Somali students learning Turkish, as well as poor mothers giving their newborns Turkish names instead of Somali ones. The underlying economical conditions is of course a big reason. The Turks are perhaps associated with wealth and "good fortune" in their eyes, while perhaps the perception they have of themselves is that being Somali and speaking Somali does not give you any benefit, and indeed in many cases the opposite. 

In this regard however Turkey is not the only actor, it is something Al Shabaab has been doing for many years. In Al Shabaab occupied territory it is mandatory to learn and speak a foreign language, Arabic. For those that can afford radio and television, Al shaabab has forced  them to only intercept Arab media. This is a deliberate tactic of undermining the Somali language. Therefore it is important Somalis are aware and mindful about Af-Soomaali, and that there is some kind of push back against those kind of foreign forces.Thus it brings me to one last question, is enough being done to preserve and develop Af-Soomaali? 

Why is the UN not upholding human rights in Africa's "best kept secret" ?

For Somalis that deeply care about human rights, there has been a general sense of confusion and disappointment with the UN's approach to violations of human rights in "Somaliland". Indeed the UN which has its branches all across Somalia's major cities has met human rights violations in this particular area with apathy. The violations in "Somaliland" typically include article 19 and 20 in the Universal declaration of Human rights which can be read here. 

According to NUSOJ's annual press freedom report for 2011 and 2012, "Somaliland" has increased its campaign of silencing independent media and arresting editors for even reporting about human rights violations and corruption. Also According to the secretary general of SOLJA,  Mohamed-Rashid Farah :

“More than 60 journalists were arrested in the first six months of 2012 compared to less than 20 journalists in the last six months of 2011,”.

If this trend has continued, we can only imagine the escalation of these violations in 2013. The latest high profile case is Universal TV's suspension from "Somaliland". The suspension stems from a popular satirical clip which pokes fun at the undemocratic practices of the leadership in Hargeisa. Apparently the irony of silencing Universal TV by using undemocratic means has not dawned on those officials. 

                                                                                         Brilliant political satire

"Somaliland" however called the clip "anti government propaganda" and proceeded to close down the stations office. But the owner of Universal TV, Ahmed Abukar, rejected the accusations and said  :

"It is not only illegal, but it is also the wrong decision and we are saddened by it," "Even if the [Somaliland] administration thought that the television [station] committed a violation, it should have taken the legal route and the court should have clarified what their case against us would have been," he said. "But we view the minister of information's solitary decision to revoke the television station's license as a grave violation against the free press."

That is a great point. Mr. Abukar's statement revels how laws and legal procedures are circumvented and ignored with impunity by these ministers. The ineffectiveness of the courts can also be measured by the fact that not a single judge to this day has pointed this flaw out and objected to the solitary decision made by the ministry of information.

It all comes down to criticism of those in power. In this case it was done through brilliant political satire. It is because of satire one can peacefully express his or hers discontent with how pressing issues are handled by those in power. But it is not only the rights of journalists that are curbed by "Somaliland". 

Indeed it is the right to freely express ones own opinion that is heavily restricted. There has been many instances in Las Anod such as this instance, where 15 elderly women were arrested and detained by "Somaliland'" for expressing their support for Somalia. Expressing their support in this instance means waving the national recognized flag of Somalia. One participant, a Somali mother, escaped from the mass arrest and was interviewed by VOA. Although she agrees on being interviewed, she insisted on her identity remaining anonymous for fear of repercussion. This is what she said:

"All my colleagues are in custody and I am in hiding. I can’t recall the exact number of the detainees but I guess they are more than 10 women"

Imagine an American being arrested in Ohio for waiving the US flag, or a German being arrested in Hamburg for waving the German flag? It is this level of madness many of Somalia's citizens are living under in "Somaliland", yet the United nations and its representatives in Somalia are not taking the required stance in support of these vulnerable groups.

It is of monumental importance that UNSOM and its representatives in Somalia including Nick Kay understand that they need to stand up for vulnerable groups that dont have a voice and stop prioritizing politics over basic human rights. Because silence is always interpreted as consent.