From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Dec 12 2009 - 08:48:16 EST
Somalia: The Massacre of medical students in Shamo Hotel: - The TFG bears
the brunt of the blame
Dec 12, 2009 - 1:50:17 PM
BY: Abdikarim Haji Abdi Buh
The author is a political analyst based in London
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Opinion_20/Somalia_The_Massacre_
of_medical_students_in_Shamo_Hotel_-_The_TFG_bears_the_brunt_of_the_blame.sh
tml
Somalia is no stranger to suicide bombing, unexplained targeted chain of
assassinations, mysterious disappearance of young people, toxic waste
dumping, counterfeit currencies, pirates, unaccountable Your browser may not
support display of this image. criminal warlords, hired hands of the CIA,
Ethiopian intelligence operatives, mass starvation and endemic famine but
the suicide Bombing of the graduation ceremony for the medical students for
the first time shocked the war hardened Somali people and the world alike.
Two of the killed graduates were brothers and were the only surviving
members of their family as their father and three brothers and a sister died
earlier as the result of the violence of Mogadishu. I, for one, couldn't
stand to watch the gruesome video footages put on our screens- cutting the
bud of the hope of Somalia.
The young graduates who spent the last six years ducking from artillery
shells, narrowly missing roadside bombing and just whiffing off the whistle
sound of the bullets from their ears on their daily journey to their faculty
were looking forward to make a difference for a nation that buried hope in
the sand. The young graduates and their teachers endured harassments from
government militia and ultimatums from the various Islamists who are
hostages to their Wahabi fiery brand of Islam which stands against all forms
of modernization and established to become expert in destabilising even the
most powerful states. What is left of the once mighty state of Pakistan?
Daily bombardment of markets, universities, mosques - even the Islamic
university wasn't spared and the same goes in Iraq and in other Islamic
countries.
The young graduates worked hard to help treat the daily Mogadishu casualties
during their time in studies in makeshift hospitals which was a target for
the warring factions. Doctors, military elite, elders, journalists and the
educated people were for a long time at the top of the shopping list of the
flourishing assassination conglomerates that sprang out recently in
Mogadishu. The latest atrocity involved a doctor who was killed by an
Islamists for smoking a piece of cigarette during his lunch break in Afgoye
- a bag of tomatoes carry more respect then a human being in the eyes of the
Wahabis and the TFG militias not mentioning the AMISOM forces who are paid
to bombard the Bakara market and the civilian residential areas of the city
with impunity.
My heart goes to the survivals of the bombing, their parents who
steadfastly supported the children in an impossible and hostile environment,
their friends and acquaintances and all those whose hopes were ruined by a
lone bomber (disowned by all factions) disguised as a women - could we say
the bomber and his handlers killed the youngsters because their graduation
uniform sinned as they look like the uniform of the Christian clergy.
This dark Thursday puts four the death toll of the TFG ministers
assassinated by way of suicide bombing which bears the hallmark of Al Shabab
although they vehemently denied their involvement in this one alone which
can be attributed to the gravity of the horrendous deed and the emotional
out pour of the Somalis where ever they are. Funeral prayer in absentia
were prayed in Jigiga, the capital city of the Somali regional state in
Ethiopia and amazingly president faroole of Puntland became the first to
send condolence on behalf of Puntland state and as such this act touched all
without exception .
The Ex - Minister of security was killed in Baladweyne by an Islamist
suicide bomber on the excuse to stop him from waging attacks sponsored by
Ethiopia on them. Minister of higher education, Minister of Education and
the Minister of health were confirmed dead on site while the Minister of
Youth and Sports is struggling for his life in hospital.
Your browser may not support display of this image.Who is the culprit this
time? TFG or Islamists
Accusations and counter accusations are flying all over the media since the
fateful blast went off on the 3rd of December. The Al Shabab faction is
pointing its finger at the TFG security chiefs especially on General Abdi
qaydiid, the chief of the Police, who was relieved from his responsibilities
an hour ago along with the army chief General Dhumaal. The two newly
appointed Chiefs for the police and the army are respectively General Ali
Mohamed Looyaan and Major General Mohamed Geele Kaahiye. Their appointment
has nothing to do with the Shamo carnage but was an overdue follow up of TFG
government revamping exercise of which Mogadishu Municipality reorganisation
preceded a month ago. The question is would changes make any difference on
the ground? President Sharif's earlier reshuffle of the municipality of
Mogadishu by appointing a new team for the ghost job had no effect on the
ground because of the fact that such thing as Mogadishu municipality doesn't
exist in the first place - Mogadishu is run and controlled by the Islamist
Al Shabab and they have their functional team on the ground. Today's change
of the top brass of the security forces will add no value to his bleeding,
weak and ill disciplined militias - unless sent out of the country Gen Abdi
Qaybdiid will either strike Galmudug which is in a state of confusion
engendered by the struggle between the two heads of states on one side and
Ethiopian paid Ahlu Suna Wal Jama on the other side or start a bandit
brigade (Brigato Roso) in Mogadishu.
The TFG is accusing the Islamist Al Shabab to have carried out this ugly
butchery of innocent civilians and politicians see
<http://www.aminarts.com/> Somali Political Cartoonist . The TFG is in no
fit state even to investigate a daily petty crime because it has neither the
specialized work force nor the institutions in the country and AMISOM's
mandate has nothing to do with criminal investigation but to kill every one
including camels in the name of the protection of the Sharif and his
government. The Al Shabab are the only force that run the southern Somalia
including Mogadishu and some parts of the central regions and as such we
can't rationally expect them to incriminate themselves.
I am of the opinion that this bombing could have been prevented if the TFG
security forces were up to their job. The venue and the date was known to
the public for over a month so the TFG had as much as necessary time to
secure the place and if in doubt had the option to switch venue at the last
minute - element of surprise. Some sources are saying that some of the TFG
invited digniteers abstained for fear of their life and also it is known
that the secretariat and the staff of the three murdered Ministers didn't
show up at the venue - be it coincidence or flagged up by a source.
This case which is a disappointment of the highest order might drive us to
lend a favourable ear to the conspiracy theory which teaches the populace
that some of the TFG security apparatus were aware about this premeditated
killing but chose to ignore it to use the ensuing chaos to their advantage -
as a fall out of this massacre the security chiefs who were about to be
shown the door might hang around for a while which in reality didn't
materialize as they certainly lost their respective portfolios an hour ago.
Al Shabab showed time and again that they are formidable force capable of
striking the impossible and impregnable targets with ease and to envisage
that this over publicized venue at Shamo would have escaped the attention of
their secretive intelligence arm is foolhardy. The Al Shabab or in this
case who ever was involved was also banking that the TFG faction leader and
his Prime Minister will show up for the event.
The suicide bomber was escorted to the hotel masquerading as a guest from
Qoryooley three days before the event. An unknown man, from Qoryooley,
registering as a guest in Hotel Shamo which is at the top of the nation
should have raised alarm bells in the first place as such a guest fits the
cheaper end of the hotel market. In the famine stricken and war weary nation
only pirates, money launderers, warlords, TFG officials and the likes can
afford to buy accommodation at Hotel Shamo.
The perpetrator's plan of operation was meticulous and spotless; they knew
before hand, in the likely event, the president and his prime minister or
for the same token some important Ministers come to the venue they will
surely come in the armoured vehicles of AMISON and that AMISOM will as usual
curtail traffic and put a security cordon around the hotel which technically
dwarfs any Islamist frontal attack of the hotel.
To circumvent the above security instrument they put their suicide bomber in
the middest of the unsuspecting graduation ceremony attendees cheaply and in
a stress free condition so as to lie in Waite until every one took his seat
to get the maximum yield out of their explosives. There is no evidence that
the TFG did directly collaborate with executers but there is an amble
indications that support the scheme that the TFG facilitated the execution
of the plan by not putting appropriate security checks on the ground and so
are to be blamed for this barbaric act - the young graduates were TFG guests
and their protection manifestly rests with the host.
Knowing Mogadishu is the most dangerous place on earth and that the Islamist
head hunters of the TFG are at large and in force in the city; it is
unacceptable that The TFG who put the youth in harms way through negligence
from their part can wash its hands off this massacre. The TFG should have
hosted the graduation ceremony at the presidential palace, the Airport or at
the sea port where the strong contingent of AMISOM are based.
The TFG faction Boss (Sh. Sharif) for the best part of the last four months
was grousing that some members of his phoney government are working closely
with the Islamists without producing any evidence to support his
allegations. It is an open secret that TFG Asmara wing works with the
Islamists and it is also known that their loyalty is in Lukewarm. The man to
investigate this carnage is Sharif but his mental state turned out to become
a cause of concern for many except Sharif Sakin(finance Minister) and
professor Abdirahman Ibbi(fishery Minister) who are milking the system at a
rate not seen before. The Sharif is condemning every faction for petty
issues - He labelled Ahlu -Sunna wal Jama, Ethiopian sponsored Militias, as
the same league as Al Shabab and Puntland state, another Ethiopian sponsored
enclave, as challenging his authority when they only asked for fair
distribution of development funds received in the name of Somalia. Your
browser may not support display of this image.
His behaviour these days is akin to witch-hunt which is a classic symptom of
an acute paranoia induced by his 11 month incarceration in the presidential
palace. His doctor prescribed foreign trips as his only way to beat the
solitude and in exercising his prescription he clocked enough air - miles to
take him to the moon or to qualify him to train as a pilot. The guy is
completely unaware of what is going on in the country and is lost in his
dreams - he thinks he is president Bare
<http://wardheernews.com/Articles_09/Dec/03_last_somali_abdulaziz.html> The
last lion of Somalia .
Having said so the TFG does only exist on paper but has no functional
control in any part of Mogadishu and by slip-up the media portrays that it
controls three Kilometres in Mogadishu when the facts on the ground stands
against the claim. The area is controlled by AMISOM forces but not the TFG
and the government ministers have no staff or offices to work in because
AMISON can't put a tank under each and every tree. TFG is confined to few
blocks guarded not by the TFG militia but by the foreign legionnaires in
Mogadishu and the legionnaires (AMISOM) are also indispensable to interfere
and to stop the daily in fights among the TFG militias - A fortnight ago the
Prime minister's militias and the militias of rival minister fought inside
the premises of the presidential palace as it is the norm that each has his
own militias drafted from his own tribe as body guards
Conclusions: - the remedy for whom who has no remedy is patience
When the Ex- Minister of security was assassinated in Hotel Medina in
Baladweyne the Sharif's reaction was to go public and ask for international
foreign intervention to safe his seat. The international community turned a
deaf ear to his plea - even the Ethiopian regime that he works for declined
to send a token army to help.
According to Sharif , the most suitable way to address this heinous attack
is just to go public again and read the same message once more ""We are
asking the world powers and neighbouring countries to intervene and stop
extremists from taking over Somalia,". When ever any thing testing takes
place he just runs to the Microphone to cry for international help like a
child shouting for help from his parents. It never occurs to him to take the
responsibility and tackle the problem head on. In the wonderful mind of
Sharif the problem is swiftly dealt with, dusted and shelved by uttering the
above few words at the site of the mass grave of the deceased - the smart
boss of the TFG's wisdom knows no limits.
Having seen how feeble the TFG is let us take time to look in to the
etiquette of the other side of the coin - Islamists. These two anecdotes
which happened in Balad and afgoi during the short time I was penning this
article will show how the two Islamists have unequivocal contempt for human
life.
At the time of this writing I learned that four men were killed and
scores of others wounded by the forces of AlShabab at Basra, a village 15
miles, away from Balacad as confirmed by the Al Shabab Governor of Middle
Shabeele region sheikh Abdirahman Hassan Husein. The crime of the local
people was that they were paying traditional homage to the grave yard or
mausoleum of their famous Mufti Sheiokh Hassan Ma'alin. The animals and
other food stuffs put in place for the sacrifice were confiscated by Al
Shabab and some of the clergy were put behind bars. In the book of Wahabis
such practices constitute a major sin which could attract heavy penalty.
In a separate incident Husbi Islam soldier killed two youngsters and
injuries scores of others in Hawo Taako district last night. Stone was
thrown at the soldier that narrowly missed him from the direction where the
youngsters were congregating and with out even asking he started showering
them with bullets. This soldier is from the same regiment that killed the
doctor a month ago in Afgoi. Mujahid always knows the best - a bag of tomato
attracts more respect then human life in the book of Wahabis.
Truth must be upheld at all costs, and by all, especially the learned. Truth
must be upheld even if it hurts a friend and benefits a foe.
We shouldn't blame the messengers, Islamists, but rightly the message -
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the source of the fiery Wahabia sect that ruined
the Muslim nations and antagonised all other human beings. Saudi
universities churn out thousands of indoctrinated graduates every year for
export to the Muslim world to challenge the values of their societies and
through force to install their uncompromising creed. This current Wahabi
hold of the world to ransom is not an accident but a result of thirty years
of investment by the kingdom. This is a global problem that is calling for a
global solution which is beyond the capability of a puppet TFG and its
likes.
Whether we love or loath, the truth is that Al Shabab and its likes will
stay and will consolidate its grip on the country for the foreseeable future
until a secular, native and unifying leader who stands for the values we
dream to enjoy emerges - most probably the awaited Mahdi will save Somalia
as the west's hands are full at the moment and as the Somalis refused to
grow out of tribalism which has become the Achilles heal of the nation.
Mr. Abdikarim Haji Abdi Buh
Email: <mailto:abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com> abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com
