From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Thu Jul 30 2009 - 12:57:25 EDT
Not Only Somali Sovereignty But Also Its Political Process Needs To Be
Free From Interference
By Staff
Jul 30, 2009, 05:32
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has recently
made remarks in regard to Somalia and the situation unfolding there on
July 23rd. The remarks of the Secretary General seem to further
complicate matters instead of finding solutions.
In his address, the Secretary General pointed out that the legitimate
and 'popular government' of Somalia is facing internal opposition and is
on the verge of collapse. He appealed to the international community,
especially to IGAD to extend a helping hand to the 'Somali government';
win the hearts and minds of the Somali people; to eventually weaken and
crush the opposition.
Does the Secretary General have tangible and reliable ground information
of what goes in Somalia? Perhaps, he should have raised questions such
as the following before making such a statement.
. What does the United Nations mean by 'legitimate government'? Who
elected it and who does it represent, and under whose authorization has
it become legitimate?
. Does the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon have any legitimacy to
decide on the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political freedom and
unity of the Somali people?
. Does the United Nations afford its recognition to the governments of
Somaliland, Puntland and Kismayo as legitimate governments or regions of
greater Somalia, and with what legal means?
. If the United Nations affords its recognition to Kosovo and its
citizens as freedom fighters and thereby extends its acknowledgment to a
state that has never been its member how then does it fail to recognize
freedom fighters that are fighting for their country, which is a member
of the United Nations? How does the United Nations label them as
'terrorists' and 'fundamentalists'? Don't the fighters have the right to
protect their territorial integrity according to Article 58 of the
Charter of the United Nations?
. Why are the Somali people deprived of their right to make their own
choices in regards to the stability and the political process of their
own country?
. Who will take responsibility of the heinous crimes that are being
committed in Somalia? Who will take responsibility for the displaced 1.8
million Somalis and to what the Human Rights Envoy for the United
Nations, John Holmes reference to the crisis in Somalia as the 'worst
humanitarian catastrophe in the world'?
. Why hasn't the United Nations defended a member state when its
territorial integrity was compromised with the Ethiopian invasion?
. How was it possible for Ethiopia, a poor country which is dependent on
relief aid, to finance its invasion of Somalia?
. How is IGAD, the non-aligned intergovernmental association, which has
supported the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia from the outset, expected to
extend a helping hand?
. What has happened to the 17,000 strong force that the International
Community has trained and armed for the 'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf.
. Who pays the salaries of the members of 'parliament' of the so called
TFG in Somalia, a country which is commonly referred to as a 'failed'
state by many?
. What has happened to the 500 million USD of aid money donated to the
'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf?
. Furthermore, why is the International Community attempting to impose a
'government' of its choice upon the Somali people? Would they have
accepted one themselves? Is the International Community fully aware of
the fact that Somalia is not only demanding freedom from invasion, but
also in its political process?
Article 1.1 of the Charter of the United Nations clearly stipulates that
the purpose of the UN is to maintain international peace and security
and to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal
of threats to that end. It further underlines the ready involvement of
the UN in controlling acts of aggression or any other breaches of peace.
But is the UN working along that same line in its member state Somalia?
This is the question that should be addressed by the International
Community, including by the United Nations Secretary General.
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