OLOL Posted June 16, 2005 http://amipalazzi.ifrance.com/gb/palazzi08_gb.htm More Colonels and Some Torture The AMI - "Associazione musulmani italiani" or "Association of Italian Muslims" (however the organization prefers the English translation "Italian Muslim Association") - has undergone a complete change in recent times. This website, however, is not about the AMI but about Palazzi, so here we are taking a look at how the AMI used to be when Palazzi belonged to it. The AMI - "Associazione musulmani italiani" or "Association of Italian Muslims" - seems originally to have been an association of dictator Siad Barre's top colleagues, plus of course Palazzi's later additions: The Somali officers living in Italy and who joined the Italian Armed Forces during the 64th course for officers at Valtomorizza identify themselves with the position of the Association of Italian Muslims, one of the most moderate ones, led by Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi: their spokesman is the former ambassador to the Holy See, the Qadi Ali Hussen.[1] In December 2001, Palazzi's friends launched an ambitious plan to regain power in Somalia, with help from the US army, no less: "The ten generals who have set up the new Alliance of Somali Officers, established in Tampa under the hegemony of the USA and of the United Nations, have all studied in Italian military academies, and are the sons or grandsons of the 'Ascari' [mercenaries] of the Kingdom of Italy who used to be led by Duke Amedeo d'Aosta. One of them, the general Osman Hajji Omar, called "Falco" [The Hawk], will perhaps be the future chief of staff, if the US approve, once armed intervention has been decided in Mogadishu to clear out the accomplices of Osama Bin Laden." [2] Generals Osman Hajj "The Hawk" (on the left) and Ali Hussen (on the right), when they were cadets of the Guardia di Finanza It is a bit worrying to read [1] that Osman Hajj Falco, besides being a founding member of the AMI, was also the deputy chief of the national police under Siad Barre's military regime. Falco "The Hawk" is not the only veteran of Siad Barre's regime in the AMI. There is also the former commander of the military district of Migiurtinia; Gen. Yusuf Aden, former comptroller general of customs and drug trade surveillance under Siad Barre, then head of the press office of the government; Gen. Osman Iyoò, a founding member of AMI and former legal adviser of the Somali embassy in Italy; Gen. Abdullahi Warsame, former commander of the Somali military intelligence; Gen. Hasan Farey, member of AMI, former Minister of Social Infrastructures and currently the guardian for the real estate and agricultural assets of Italy and the Holy See in Somalia; Gen. Omar Hashi, physician and former commander of Siad Barre's scientific police. This information comes directly from the AMI [2] ; whereas a source which is quite close to AMI - [3] tells us that Iyoò was actually the head of Siad Barre's Secret Service. One wonders whether these people were completely unaware of what happened during the last years of Siad Barre's regime. If they were not spending all their time in Italian nightclubs, they must for example have been aware that Barre had hurled his impoverished country into a disastrous war against Ethiopia, which led to a general revolt in Somalia itself: In May 1988, fierce fighting broke out in the north between the Government and rebels who contended they had been discriminated against by the Siad Barre Government and were fighting for a more democratic Government. A report commissioned by the State Department and made public in September 1989 said the Somali Army "purposely murdered" at least 5,000 unarmed civilians over a 10-month period in the early phases. The Government denied the allegation. More than 10,000 people were reported killed in the months that followed, with allegations that the Somali military had bombed towns and strafed fleeing residents. Amnesty International said in August 1988 that since 1981 the Government had used torture and "widespread arbitrary arrests, ill treatment and summary executions" of civilians suspected of collaborating with the rebels.[4] The whole issue is quite complicated, and we are no experts on the tribal alliances in Somalia; however, putting the pieces together, it seems quite clear that there is a group of military people tied to Siad Barre's regime and living in Europe who want to take advantage of Bush' "Enduring War" in order to take back their old countries. Ali Hussen has thus become the "Co-ordinator of the National Somali Alliance", modelled on the "Northern Alliance" of Afghanistan. Rather than thinking of a band of bloodthirsty torturers living in Europe on what they plundered from the starving people of Somalia and plotting to start all over again, we prefer the more romantic image of the French aristocrats in exile after the Revolution, dreaming of how to get back their chateaux. One question does arise. We are willing to believe that all these former chiefs of police and secret services were quite unaware of the horrors going on under Siad Barre. However, if they were, one wonders whether such short sighted people are really the most suited to govern Somalia in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOOTNOTES [1] Fabio di Chio e Anna Maria Turi, Costituita dall'ONU la "Alleanza antifondamentalista per la Somalia", 24 dicembre 2001, www.iltempo.it. [2] "Aggiornamento sulle operazioni in Somalia del 13 Shawwal 1422 - 28 dicembre 2001", e-mail A cura del Dipartmento Informazione dell'Associazione Musulmani Italiani. [3] Dimitri Buffa, "Falco, il generale educato all'italiana, capo di Stato Maggiore in Somalia", Libero, 29 dicembre 2001. [4] George James, Somalia's Overthrown Dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre, Is Dead, The New York Times January 3, 1995. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
