Somalia: Is Federal Future Order Worth Defending?

[miles-militis]

This piece put together by the Puntland delegates in the Somali peace process truly touches the nucleus of the matter so far as the Somalis quandary is concerned. Not only did it provoke the mind making a good reading unlike other pieces lacking any intellectual depth, but it truly depicts the true nature of the predicament in Somalia of the present day.

 

Enjoy, Cheers,

 

././

Somalia: Is Federal Future Order Worth Defending?

What are the conditions that predispose the future Somali political order toward the direction of a federal regime-type outcome? In this paper we are going to posit some critical reasons why any other alternative regime type is essentially beyond what is politically feasible at this particular post-civil-war time period.

 

We identified two set of political conditions resulted from the past political mismanagement which had the depleting effect of the social and political trust (inter-group cooperation and institutional trust) necessary for the restoration of a shared national political institutions. First, the painful political experience under the rule of centralized-authoritarian military regime limits the trustworthiness of any future order with features of centralized form of government – credibility gap sentiment associated with distance abusive authority is still very strong. Second, the violent civil war that ensued the state collapse had the political impact of both un-mixing the urban population along clan lines and legitimizing armed clan militia as the only source of group security in the absence of state. Thereby, the prevailing warlord culture in some parties of the country has more to do with the insecurity of the existing stateless situation, rather than a form.

 

We argue that nurturing the necessary social capital (inter-group trust) and political capital (institutional trust) requires a prolonged incubation period through which an alternative political consciousness to develop and mature. Hence, the past thirteen peace conferences, prior than the current Nairobi one, since the Somali state collapsed were not in vain, as often portrayed by the cynics and the naïve political neutralist. In retrospect, the political pay offs of these reconciliation conferences seems so too obvious given the gradual but widening popular receptivity to the idea of political federalism as the future national political order.

 

All political indications of the current national political mood are showing hopeful signs, suggesting the emergence of a federalist political consciousness at the grass root level. Federalist political formula is equally gaining acceptance at the clan leadership level. Despite this overoptimistic political observation, yet we recognize that regions a little pit differ about the stage of their political development regarding generating supportive popular consciousness for a federalist future national political order and reestablishing regional administrative machinery.

 

Puntland, Somaliland and in a lesser extent RRA driven state, Hiiran and Shebelaha dhexe not only succeeded in preparing their popular groups for the idea of federal regime type in the post-civil-war Somalia state but they equally succeeded in institutionalizing the regional self-government by embodying the idea with an administrative and political infrastructure. In these regions, at this juncture, there is a high degree of political consensus or congruence of feelings between popular groups, political thoughts of regional authorities and the sentiments of their Diasporas communities. In all these three levels, there is an exceptionally strong political commitment in advancing the level of institutionalization of the existing regional self-rule and strongly support the national effort to achieve the valued-end of shared political community – restoration of the Somali state with federal constitutional foundation.

 

The formation of these regional authorities constitutes a high political achievement toward the goal of restoring national political community.

Thus the idea of federalism as the future political order gained strong enthusiastic popular support in all corners of the country. The evolution of the idea of federalism though still is an embryonic stage yet is has gained a momentum in translating the idea of regional self-rule into an actual governance structure – both administratively and politically.

 

In some regions the political work to establish regional institutions are still in progress, even though is not in years away for its completion as some argued. However, the source of political difficult in general emanates from the civil war’s political outcomes and its impact in terms of altering the configuration of traditional clan territorialities. These civil war induced demographic shift in some regions violated the sanctity of clan “home well” principal, a central principal of traditional nomadic political relationship. Due to this incongruence, between traditional clan territory and actual demographic reality, the time period required to workout a political understanding that makes possible in forging a winnable political coalition – able to sponsor a regional self-rule agenda and national federal political project – is not temporally far away.

 

The closeness of the gap among regions in terms of their political recovery – institutionalization of regional self-rule as a necessary first step toward a future federal political order – is in itself is an opportunity the conference has to exploit. As a reflection of these stages of the regional political development, two irreconcilable political preferences are emerging regarding about what the mandate of the conference should be? Should the mandate of the conference be limited to the task of formulating an interim government or should the mandate be both forming an interim government while simultaneously settling the federal character of the future constitution. We believe this matter cannot be settled through legalistic or scholarly debate, the matter is strictly political hence it should be entrust its settlement through the Nairobi political process.

 

The Nairobi assemblage represents both the most broad based political gathering since the Somali civil war as well as the one that provided the best opportunity for a prolonged political engagement among the most significant national political forces, except the Somaliland. Hence we believe that this forum should have the mandate both to form an interim government and equally define, the federal charter of the future national constitution.

 

We strongly oppose the viewpoint that espouses in entrusting the definition of the future constitutional order solely to the whim of an interim government. Our opposition to this idea is based on our belief that it is impossible for a regime to unseat itself, an eventuality that defies the political logic. One should take into account the legacy of TNG’s - Arta group - political behavior. Even though it was entrusted to develop and implement federal constitutions and define the regional units yet its actual political actions worked against any progress toward that goal.

 

Those questioning the forum’s mandate to address, the federal character of the future national constitutional order do so either in citing technical reasons, such as the forum is unequipped technically to deal with the complexity of constitution framing or blame the existing lack of political progress to a sinister hidden-hand from the neighboring states, particularly Ethiopia.. The logical argument of such discursive form is deficient in two ways. First, its stance lacks a sense of political realism given the prevailing circumstance of clan controlled territorial fiefdoms. This discursive form can’t envision the possibility of state restoration through the use of traditional political forces. If such forces were instrumental for undermining one regime type (authoritarian one), what prevents them to be converted again into supportive political-forces for a new type of political arrangement? Second, this stance lacks a political imagination to think about a co-created institutional design and a co-managed shared national political community, specifically one with a built-in security mechanism against the possibility of narrow clan domination of a city-state. We view such among clan groups - and at worst it could have a counterproductive effect in creating a false hope for technocratic quick fix – there are no short cut other than facing the inconvenience of negotiating with hostile rivals groups.

 

Again we do strongly emphasis that these matters are political and is no way it is amenable to a legalistic quick fix or external solution, hence it requires to be settled within the frame of the existing political process – inter-group political negotiations that Nairobi conference generously offered. We view the Nairobi forum represents the best opportunity for constructing the broadest possible political consensus and collectively negotiated understanding of a shared political community of the Somali state. Aborting this opportunity in the name of unrealistic phony ideas will do a great disservice to the prospect of the Somali national political recovery as well as the international diplomatic investment for Somali political reconciliation. We plea for the Security Council to redouble its political support aimed to secure the Nairobi Somali National Reconciliation Conference to achieve its valued-end – restoration of the sovereignty of the Somalia state – and support IGAD’s diplomatic effort in helping the Somalis to deal with their decade long agonizing political impasse.

[General Duke]

PUNTLAND

 

I truly love Puntland, Puntland = progress

[India]

BEFORE PUTLANDERS CAN PROPOSE CONSTRUCTIONS FOR OTHERS I SUGGEST THEY PUT THIER OWN SH** TOGETHER FIRST. SO MUCH FOR PUTLAND IS PEACEFUL AND IT IS JUST "MOGASDHISHO" that is lawless BALH BLAH BLAH. SEE THIS IS HOW FRAGILE PUTLAND STATE IS AND THE VERY REASON IT WAS ESTABLISHED WAS TO UNDERMINE SOMALILAND'S CASE---NOT GONNA WORK MY BROTHERS.

 

I HOPE THEY RECOVER AND ATTAIN THE PEACE THEY HAD AND I AM SORRY I HAVE TO PUBLISH SUCH NEGATIVE ARTICLES OF PUTLAND BUT PEOPLE LIKE SAMURIA LEAVE YOU WITH NO CHOICE AS I DONT WANT TO TALK OUT OF MY **** LIKE HIM AND OTHERS. SO MR SAMURIA THIS ARTICLE AM SURE TELLS ME OTHERWISE THAN WHAT YOU CLAIM OF PUTLAND TO BE:

 

Dagaalo ka dhacay meel ka tirsan gobolka Mudug

 

 

Xassan Bariise - BBCSomali.com

 

 

Xassan Bariise

Waxaa uu mar kale dagaal qaraar ka billowday tuulooyin fog-fog oo ka tirsan gobolka Mudug, halkaasoo ay ku dagaallamayaan labo beelood oo wada dega gobolkaasi.

 

Sida lagu helayo wararka xagga isgaarsiinta fooneeyeyaasha iyo weliba talefoonnada waxa uu dagaalkan ka socdaa gudaha iyo agagaaraha tuulo la yiraahdo Cawle oo ilaa 200km dhinaca woqooyi bari ka xigta degmada Gaalkacyo ee gobolka Mudug.

 

Fogaanshaha goobta uu dagaalkan ka socdo oo ku beegan woqooyiga dooxada caanka ah ee la yiraahdo Dooxada Golol una dhaxaysa degmooyinka Hobyo iyo Jarriiban darteed ayaanan saamaxaynin in warar badan oo sugan laga heli karo dhibaatada inta ay la egtahay.

 

Si kastaba ha ahaatee, wakiilka ururka USC/SNA ee Gaalkacyo, isla markaana ka mid ah duqeyda magaalada Gaalkacyo, Cali Diiriye Alloore, oo aan khadka talefoonka Gaalkacyo kula xiriiray ayaa sheegay in labada dhinac mid ka mid ahi ay dagaalkaasi kaga dhimatay 25 nin inta la hubo, iyadoo in ka badan 50 kalena ay kaga dhaawacmeen.

 

Dhaawaca kontonkan nin ayaa xalay la keenay magaalada Gaalkacyo si loo daweeyo, kuwaasoo in badan oo ka mid ahina uu dhaawacoodu fududyahay.

 

Cabdullaahi Maxamed Cali oo loo yaqaanno Dayib oo isagana ka mid ah waxgaradka dhinac ka mid ah dhinacyada dagaallamaya ayaa ii xaqiijiyey in dhimashada dhinaca kalena ay tahay 18 nin inta la hubo, dhaawacuna uu ka badan yahay 40 kale, taasoo guud ahaan tirada dhimashada labada dhinac ka dhigaysa 43 nin, halka dhaawacuna uu cagacagaynayo ilaa sagaashan kale, kuwaasoo u badan dadkii dagaallamayey.

 

Sababta rasmiga ah ee dagaalkan kicisay ayaanan la ogayn, hase yeeshee waxay duqeyda labada dhinac isku raacsan yihiin in colaaddu ay salka ku hayso muran xagga milkiyadda deegaanka ah iyo aanooyin qabiil oo dad la kala dilay ka soo billowday oo aanan si rasmi ah xal looga gaarin.

 

Waxana ay dilalkii ugu dambeeyey labada dhinac dhex mareen horraantii bishii la soo dhaafay goortaasoo labo nin la dilay, isla markaana wada hadallo laga galay aanay waxba ka soo naasocaddaanin.

 

Meesha uu dagaalku ka socdo oo fog darteed iyo labada dhinac ee dagaallamaya oo aan muujinaynin dabacsanaan ayaa meesha ka saartay ilaa iyo hadda in cidi isu taagto joojinta dagaalkan ay dadku ku hoobanayaan.

 

Sida uu ii sheegay Cali Diiriye Alloore, meesha lagu dirarayo waa meel cidlo ah oo hawd ah oo aanayba oollin wax lagu diriri karo dhul ahaanna dadka ku diriraya iyo xoolahoodaba ka badan iyagoo weliba ku martigelin kara qabaa'il kale.

 

Sababta khasaaraha badan keenaysa ayaa lagu sheegay in ay tahay iyadoo uu dagaalku ka socdo meel bannaan ah, isla markaana la adeegsanayo baabuurta qoryaha ku dul rakiban yihiin ee loo yaqaanno tiknida, baasuukeyaal iyo qori gacmeeyo intaba.

 

Waxaana dhibaatadan ay mar kale hoosta ka xarriiqeysaa baahida weyn ee loo qabo in Soomaaliya hub ka dhigis guud lagu sameeyo si ay u yaaraadaan khasaaraha ay geysan karaan dagaallada qabaa'ilka Soomaaliyeed ee reer guuraaga ah ku dhex mari kara meelaha fog-fog kuwaasoo weligoodna jiri jiray, laakiin aanan dhibaato baaxaddan leh geysan jirin.

 

 

Take note of the initial opening sentance "mar kale" giving way to my argument that Somaliland is the only part that has experianced constant peace.

 

Take a leaf from our chapter, clear you cache"heartS" of the hate you consume for Somaliland and for the sake of humanity stop killing each other.

 

Peace

Dusty.

[miles-militis]

Angel-dear – As usual what your sources did not quite tell you was that the warring clans do not come under the control of the Puntland administration, and unlike the Hargeysa administration, Puntland does not claim to rule areas that do not come under its administration. The two groups involved in these skirmishes though reside in the countryside in southern Mudug which falls outside the peripherals of Puntland have allegiance with Mogadishu. I suppose geography was never your favourite subject, eh. Still as these are Somalis, we shall pray the hostiles to be brought to a halt.

 

Last time I checked Barrise was in Nairobi with A/Qassim.

 

Would you care for the true account of what really happened, or is that a bit too hard to absorb?

 

Of all the theories and analysis presented in the paper, were you able to find anything you could challenge or disprove?

 

Stay focused now?

 

././

 

Dagaalo kasoo cusboonaaday Deegaanka Afbarwaaqo

- Wednesday, July 09, 2003 at 12:36

 

Afbarwaaqo, (AllPuntland)- Dad gaaraya 12 qof ayaa ku naf waayay dad intaasi ka badanna way ku dhaawacmeen dagaalo ka soo cusboonaaday halka Loo yaqaan Bud-Bud ee deegaanka Afbarwaaqo ee gobolka Mudug ka dib markii halkaasi ay isku farasaareen beelaha Dir iyo Habar gidir oo muddo dhowr bilood ka hor ah colaaddii ka dhaxaysay la qaboojiyay.

 

Dagaalkaan oo sida la xaqiijiyay bilowday waqti ku aadan 10kii barqanimo ee shalay ayaa lagu soo waramayaa inuu maantana socodo.

 

Odayaal is xilqaamay oo ka tirsan beelaha aan dagaalka ku jirin ee ay isku haybta yihiin beelaha dagaalamaya ayaa isku diyaarinaya safar ay ku taaan goobaha uu dagaalku ka socdo si ay xaaladda u qaboojiyaan.

 

Wariyaha AllPuntland ee magaalada Gaalkacyo oo isku dayay inuu xiriir la sameeyo goobaha dagaalku ka socdo ayay u suurtoobi wayday inuu wax tafaasiil ah helo is gaarsiinta oo xun daraadeed.

 

Cabdulqaadir C. Cusmaan (Farayaamo)

 

AllPuntland, Somaliya

[A.J. Timacadeh]

SIMPLY

 

NO

 

NO

 

NO

[General Duke]

Angel my dear,

 

while Puntland is larger than Somaliland it is only part of Somalia.

 

Puntland does not cover the whole of Somalia.

It covers the whole North east and parts of the centre.

 

Dear there is no fighting in Puntland but there is trouble in the neighbouring southern Mudug region.

 

Afbarwago is a twon south of Galkacyu, it is not part of PUNTLAND.

 

Even though it sadens us greatly and we are troubled by the fighting of our brothers, we hope and prey for a swift resouloution insha Allah.

[LANDER]

Originally posted by SmithNwestern:

Angel my dear,

 

while Puntland is larger than Somaliland

Do you honestly believe that?

 

keep telling yourself that my friend, if it validates your beliefs in the Puntland administration. Far as I'm concerned the legitimate territorial control of the administration in question can be compared to that of the former TNG who controled a few city blocks. Sure they might control a little more than that, but their control is very sketchy at best. The issue of SS&H aside they still do not control all of their "properly" claimed territory. Ironic I find it, that its the same Puntland supporters who critisize Somaliland's sovereignty over SS&H, that are turning a blind eye to these clear cut problems of control within their own region. I'm not gonna point out all the other faults of this administration as it's simply a waste of time and it would be counter-productive to focus on the negative. Its not in my nature to worry about other peoples problems and point them out, but in this case I had to share this point of irony.

[miles-militis]

Lander – I know I did promise not to engage the Somalis from Northwest regions, but by God your style of partaking debates truly amazes me. When not brown-nosing others with similar opinion, you go on the attack with observations of your own with very little substance, if any, and when challenged, you tuck tail like your friend Oodwayne. And when not doing that, you approach an issue with a critical eye of which you demonstrate total lack of understanding, then turn around and negate yourself in the conclusion. What kind of reasoning are you sporting here, L man?

 

Allow me to inform you. May I?

The reason that you might get the impression that Puntland administration is rather “sketchy” is a matter of design of which its theorists deliberately shaped it as such. The embodying mechanism is as such that loose relations which promote regional and segmental growth whereby each region on its own would flourish by way of forging strategic, loose connections, trade or otherwise with other regions of Somalia of all, North, South, or even “Kilinka-Shanaad” would exist. The administration though seated in Garowe allows each region to conduct its business independently to some extent free from domination and dependence upon a central authority. That is why you have not only Bosaso, the business hub for the region, but also Galkacyo, the second largest city trade-wise servicing central regions and the Kilinka-Shannad, and Lascanood, recently made the centre for livestock trade by design mind you, servicing SS&H, and Somalia by and large in that regard. Could you comprehend that, L man?

 

Let me put you out of your misery, and make the connection for you old chap. It is the contrary philosophy of the isolationist ideology adopted by the Hargeysa administration which makes the administration seem “sketchy” to the uninformed. This allowed the reason that Hargeysa is the only place with lights on whilst other once major cities such as Burco and Berbera are dimmed in many aspects. Sad, would you not you agree? Borama is left out for a reason.

 

This is called federalism to its minute form to the local authority in case it did not dawn on you old chap.

 

It is better to stay well clear of what you cannot comprehend old chap including the subject matter of the title.

 

By the way did you know how big topographically speaking the region of Bari by itself is?

 

So long!

 

And here is a humanitarian plea from the administration calling upon warring clans to secede hostilities.

 

Baaq loo jeediyay beelaha ku dagaalamaya Koonfurta Mudug iyo Dhawaac dagaalka oo Gaalkacyo la keenay - Thursday, July 10, 2003 at 11:43

 

Garoowe, (AllPuntland)- Madaxwayne xigaha dawlad goboleedka Puntland Maxmed Cabdi Xaashi oo ay weheliyaan golaha wasiirada ee dawlad goboleedka Puntland ayaa maanta ayagoo ku sugan magaalada Garoowe ee caasimadda Puntland waxay baaq nabadeed u direen beelaha ku dagaalamaya dhinaca koonfur bari ee magaalada Gaalkacyo.

 

Waxaa madaxwayne xigaha iyo wasiiraduba ay ka codsadeen in beelaha dagaalamaya ay xabadda dhigaan oo ay bad baadiyaan dadkooda uu saameeyay dagaalku.

 

Sidoo kale waxay madaxda Puntland ee dalka iyo dibadda joogta ka codsadeen maamulka gobolka Mudug in dadkaasi dagaalamaya gar gaar bini aadamino loo fidiyo, ayagoo gaar ahaan codsaday hay'add Bisha cas ee goboka Mudug inay gar gaarka deg degga ah la gaarto dhaawaca la keenayo magaalada Gaalkacyo

 

Dad gaaraya 20 qof oo ku soo dhaawacmay dagaaladii shalay iyo doraato ka soconayay deegaanka Afbarwaaqo ayaa haatan lagu dawaynayaa isbitaalka wayn ee magaalada Gaalkacyo

 

Tiro dad ah oo ka badan 45 qof ayaa ku dhimatay 100 ku dhawaadna waa ku dhaawacmeen labadii maalmood ee ugu dambeeyay dagaal ku dhexmaray jifooyin ka tirsan beelaha Dir iyo Habar-gidir deegaanada ku dhaw Afbarwaaqo oo ku beegan Koonfurta Bari ee Gaalkacyo, dagaal lala xiriirinayo inuu ka dhashay aano qabiil iyo deegaan kala riixasho.

Cabdulqaadir C. Cusmaan (Farayaamo)

llPuntland, Somaliya

[Sophist]

Simply perfect refutation: calankaa ha jiro Samurai-yooooow you are a true Darwish.

[A.J. Timacadeh]

i believe that a federal republic of somalia would not work wheter it included somaliland or not. the fact that it works for the americans alone is too vague and too different a country to compare to the situation in the horn of afirca.

 

when the federal government is brough forward and into action it wont be able to take control of the neccesary national situations and will eventually be isolate and we will descend into anarchy again. every federal state is going to oppose whoever is leading government if he/she is not from their cland and political point of vieuw. i think that the future for the somali's is bleak. we are troubled up to our chins and cannot think about our own sitaution instead we critzize the oposition.

[Gediid]

The senseless arguments here just make me crack up.Walaahi specially the Puntland Vs Somaliland ones and I guess I find them quite humorous knowing the fact that the 2 regions are simply not comparable.Come on people Somaliland is smaller,poorer and weaker than Puntland,hello...you don't have to have Samurai,Smith,Bari Nomad and Sophist to tell us that,day in day out.Just pray that one day we in Somaliland will get the wisdom and leadership of our neighbours to reach the same heights.

 

Amiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!

[miles-militis]

Gediid – do you realise you just committed an act of treason in the eyes of many by simply saying those words, and gallows shall become your ultimate destination after a mercilessly swift, yet brief deliberation in many digs and households. My Oh My.

 

On another note, tell me Gediid aside the natural neighbourly rivalry between the two camps; did you have a chance to absorb the nucleus of the piece? If so, what were you able to derive from it? Where do you stand so far as the argument which sits the centre of piece?

[General Duke]

S- Warrior many thanks for your astute observations. Puntland is a model matket economy its strength is from many cities and not one.

 

Gediid,

 

for once you spoke the truth how Ironic that one who used to wear Siilanyo's face can be so honest.

 

Angel Dust,

 

You are mighty quite but alas you are getting bored with Somaliland Vs Puntland and you want a Somaliweyn, lets hope shall we.

 

Lander, Bro what can I say, Puntland is Bigger than Somaliland.

[miles-militis]

Hey SmithNWestern, my man, the feeling is mutual. Cheers.

[Rokko]

So now Lander, Angel Dust and the rest think that USC wild-west country like Hobyo and Xarardheere is part of Puntland?

 

The warring tribes are not part of Puntland. Period. USC and Caydiid's malitia are not part of Puntland. No single puntlander has ever claimed their land.

 

We respected the wishes of the people of HOBYO, HARARDHEERE and SOUTH GALKACYO not to be part of Puntland. Talk of self-determination and peace.