Government Corruption in Somalia of Yesteryears

[Che -Guevara]

Government Corruption in Somalia

of Yesteryears

 

By Hassan M. Abukar

July 21, 2012

 

Peter Bridges served as the American ambassador to Somalia from 1984 to 1986.

In his memoir, Safirka: An American Envoy (2000), Bridges chronicled

his dealings with top Somali government officials.

 

Ambassador Peter Bridges

 

Bridges was considered a straight shooter. Before his appointment, his knowledge of Somalia was scant, and his experience in Africa nil. His prior postings had been Panama City, Moscow, Prague, and Rome (twice). In all, he served under seven American presidents. Bridges became the first ambassador appointed by Ronald Reagan immediately after his reelection, and he was one of 280 former American diplomats who overwhelmingly endorsed Obama in 2008. In one of his articles in The Huffington Post, Bridges concluded his ringing endorsement with a familiar phrase: that American politicians use after airing their commercials, “…and I approved this message.” Bridges wrote, “Barak Obama did not approve this message. It’s all mine.”

[Che -Guevara]

Click

[Samafal]

Full Peter Bridges memoirs below:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_7/bridges1.html

[GaraadMon]

Not much has changed it seems.

[UZTAAD]

musuqmaasuq waa somali maheradeedii, .

[Saalax]

Italian aid to Somalia in the 1980s amounted to a quarter billion US dollars. The money was spent on such projects as a road in northern Somalia, the renovation of a pharmaceutical plant, and the construction of a fertilizer plant that never produced a sack of fertilizers. According to an article in the Washington Post, “ The Italian Connection: How Rome Helped Ruin Somalia,” (01/24/1993), a former Somali minister testified in Italy that at least 10 percent of the Italian aid to Somalia was pocketed by members of Siad Barre’s family and their cronies. Many of the Somali state-owned companies made “no economic sense,” argued Bridges, but “did make business sense—family business sense.”

 

Bridges also mentioned how the Somali government inflated the number of refugees in the country in order to secure more foreign aid. For example, Abdi Mohamed Tarrah, Commissioner of the Somali National Refugee Commission, had the tendency to play with refugee numbers. “If there were no refugees,” Bridges stated, “there would be no commission—and no Commissioner.”

 

One issue that angered Bridges was how Siad Barre courted Libya during a period of high tensions between Washington and Tripoli. Reagan had bombed Libya and Qaddafi’s compound in Tripoli, and the Libyans, were, of course, itching to retaliate against the Americans by any means necessary. Siad Barre, meanwhile, started courting Libya in part to dissuade Qaddafi from aiding Somali rebels based in Ethiopia. Bridges warned Barre about re-establishing diplomatic ties with Libya. However, Barre, the wily politician, saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: court Libya’s financial assistance and undermine his rivals. One day, Bridges read a news item from the Somali News Agency about Somalia and Libya resuming diplomatic relations “in consideration of the emphatic necessity to prepare for and face the problems posed by imperialism and its likes.” Bridges was livid! He asked to see Abdirahman Jama Barre, the foreign minister, who reassured him that the statement referred to the Ethiopian imperialism. However, when Bridges met Siad Barre, the Somali president said the word “imperialism” was in reference to the Soviet Union. One thing became clear to Bridges: Qaddafi had bribed Somali officials to resume diplomatic relations. Bridges said that he had heard credible reports that Jama Barre pocketed $1 million from the Libyans.

 

In November 1985, the World Bank organized a conference in Paris to provide urgent aid to Somalia which was experiencing a budget gap of $100 million. Many countries pledged to help except Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Bridges could not understand why fellow Muslim and Arab countries would not lend assistance to Somalia. He was later told by an Arab ambassador that Siad Barre had diverted $20 million to “private pockets,” that was intended for Somalia to purchase oil. In one instance, oil from Saudi tanker was even sold to the Apartheid regime of South Africa, a country under economic boycott, rather than delivered to Somalia.

[The-freeman]

Many governments are corrupt the difference with Africa is what I call "unintelligent corruption". Stealing money destined for roads,hospitals and education is what is crippling the continent. In the West, corruption is getting a kick back when governmens award defense contracts and so forth. Though this is bad it doesn't have a direct and detrimental effect on the average person.