Somalia is a great country with a very beautiful and friendly people in a strategic location in the Horn of Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden in the north, the Indian Ocean in the east, Ethiopia in the west, Kenya in the southwest and Djibouti in the northeast. The flag of Somalia (a light blue field with a central white star) represents the five regions of Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Somalia has a long coastline of more than 3,300 kilometers – being one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in the Somalia’s territorial waters and two main rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba.
There is plenty of river fish in the Shebelle and Juba rivers – there is plenty of seafood in the Somalia’s territorial waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. For agriculture – farming business in Somalia, there are fertile lands, a lot of livestock (camels, sheep, cattle, goats, chicken and etc. ) and fishing in Somalia. Somalia has one language and one culture. The Somali language is a beautiful language with a rich literature and spoken in Somalia, the Diaspora and the Somali regions of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
The Somali language is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. The Somali language (Latin alphabet) was officially written in 1972 and the Somali language became the official language of Somalia. The Somali literature, history, culture and traditional rules were passed down through generations by oral tradition. Traditionally, Somalis is a kind and generous people – Hawala money transfers is a lifeline for many people in Somalia – Somalia receives more cash from the Diaspora than from the humanitarian aid to Somalia. Somalis give a warmly welcome to the guests and all foreigners.
However, Somalia is already in a dire situation suffering at the hands of Somali political opportunists, the Al-Qaeda linked group Al-Shabab – insurgent militias (clan militias), corrupt traditional leaders, civil-war and famine, lawlessness, clan warfare, droughts, international interventions, including a foreign military intervention in Somalia – The African Union Mission (AMISOM) including neighbouring countries of Ethiopia and Kenya, the peacekeepers proposals out there for a desire to gain the money support to Somalia donated or pledged by the world community mainly from the West and finding employment for their citizens.
The piracy – international navies – many countries, including the powerful nations send their warships to the Somalia’s territorial waters to combat piracy in the Somalia’s territorial waters. But, these powerful nations each compete for military base in Somalia’s territorial waters just in case of war or other military situation, the rich oil deposits in Somalia. Many companies are dumping the toxic waste of the powerful nations and illegal fishing in the Somalia’s territorial waters.
Deforestation in Somalia – cutting trees and burning them to make charcoal. Somalia – Being close to the political, economic, military conflicts and etc. in the Middle East. Al-shabab – insurgent militias (clan militias) is a violent branch of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) which seized control of many parts of the south and central of Somalia from the clan warlords in the south of Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu in 2006 and opposed the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) – clan based – so called ‘formula 4. ‘ – the clans – Hawiye, Dir, Darod, Rahanweyn and others – a new Somali politicians and the main warlords led by President Abdullahi Yusuf which was formed in Kenya in 2004 and at the time of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) based in Baidoa. Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was one of the leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts before he was elected as a president for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) by the parliament in 2009. Ethiopia troops, an old enemy of Somalia invaded many parts of the south and central of Somalia after the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) made jihad threat against Ethiopia.
There were two major wars (1964 war and 1977 – 1978 war) between Somalia and Ethiopia. In 1977, the whole Somali region in Ethiopia was captured by the Somali forces, but in 1978, the Somali forces were defeated by the Soviet Union and Cuban forces during the Cold-war era – the situation between the U. S. and the Soviet Union after the Second World War. Many Al-shabab Islamist group, including Alshabab commanders were killed in U. S. air strikes in Somalia since the Al-Qaeda linked group Al-shabab was founded.
The United States troops left Somalia in 1993 after two U. S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu in 1993 by warlord Mohamed Farah Aided’s militia. The United Nations force – Multinational forces, including the United States troops were sent to Somalia to protect the humanitarian operations (the Operation Restore Hope 1992-1995) in Somalia. The United Nations mission was unable to protect the humanitarian operations in Somalia and left Somalia in 1995. The Al-Qaeda linked group Al-shabab imposes its own strict version of Islamic in Somalia – they stone people to death and amputation – they prohibit smoking, music, singing and etc.
They force the women to cover their body from head to toe. Traditionally, the very vast majority – 99 per cent of the Somali women never dress from head to toe in black in Somalia – this is a shock to the Somali culture. Sometimes, some Somali women in Somalia used to wear T-shirts, shorts, short skirts, blue jeans and etc. In search of freedom and liberation, many Somalis fled to safety from the war-torn country of Somalia crossing over the oceans and national borders of the world, particularly to the west and the oil-rich Gulf Arab region.
Many drown or die at the oceans and national borders of the world. Somalis living in Somalia, view those who reside in North America and Europe as people living in paradise. News agencies do not allow accurate reporting and insightful and reliable coverage of political, economic, social, security and media news to the long suffering Somalis and the generous international audiences. These news agencies often misinform and mislead the passive powerless audiences, sensationalize what is happening in Somalia and the Somali
Diaspora. They often glorify the stupid Somalis and other thugs. The mass media, including many Somali mass media to label Somalis as bad people, in particular these news people throw the interest of Somalia and the Somali Diasporas into disarray. Sometimes, they do not contribute anything positive in order to restoring peace to Somalia. Many Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders as well as the current administrations of the neighbouring nations benefit from the dire situation in Somalia.
Their aim is to get attention and money from the Western world and other world financiers, particularly the Somali political opportunists and corrupt traditional leaders are wreaking havoc and chaos, resulting Somali civil war. These Somali political opportunists, corrupt traditional leaders as well as the administrations of the neighboring nations are gambling their hopes of getting Western money and other world money on the suffering Somali people. This is preposterous.
For the past twenty years or so, the Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders have not shown any real interest in a creating a Somalia nation because of their selfishness and power-grabbing mentality. Their real fear is ceding power to a contending clan, which will have the sole controlling the power of the Somali people. Then their chance of sharing the power of the clanbased government would go flying out the window. This premise may ring true when we think of what has been happening in the country for the last five decades or so.
Somalis have tolerated this one clan domination system in their country. Somalis relied on a careless selfish political system of the military regime (1969-1991) led by President Mohammed Siad Barre who took power in coup in 1969 after President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke was assassinated and the previous corrupt governments. Somalia gained independence from Britain – north Somalia and Italy – south Somalia and Aden Abdulle Osman was elected as a president for the Republic of Somalia in 1960 and Mogadishu became the capital of Somalia.
Now, the Somali parliament members – clan based are selected y corrupt traditional leaders – clan elders and the president is elected by these parliament members. The president appoints the prime minister and is approved by the parliament and the prime minister appoints his/her cabinet – ministers in the cabinet – the government members and is approved by the parliament. Then again, Somalis have carelessly relied on the visionless Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders to correct the past mistakes. As a result, these Somali political opportunists and corrupt traditional leaders began to divide Somalis into separate groups.
They often created conflicts and clan frictions, which caused the loss of up to one million lives of innocent people and destruction. These Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders claim they are protecting their people; however, they have their own hidden agenda to protect and promote their personal aggrandizements, power, money and fame at the expense of their own people and country. These Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders do not care about the Somali people and the country.
The confusion, hypocrisy, violence, chaos, greediness and lack of vision of these Somali politicians and corrupt traditional leaders as well as international interventions including the neighboring countries discouraged and blocked the many valuable, honest, understanding, reasonable people, the ablest Somalis to get involved in the Somali politics. Similarly, many countries, particularly the current administrations of the neighbouring nations divide Somalis into separate groups which create more chaos and confusion.
They claim they are helping Somalia to become a stable country; however, they have their own hidden agenda to protect and promote their own interests – they do not want to see peace in Somalia and they do not care about Somalis and the country. In conclusion, Somalis make Somalia; they must take care of themselves and their country. The international community must understand that they should treat Somalis the same way as they would like to be treated. Somalis, including the Diaspora and the Somali regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti can make Somalia a great nation.