Sub: Request for a change of direction on the Somalia Situation

Gentlemen:

We thank you for a well-valued effort and sincerity in dealing with the difficult task you have undertaken. While we never question your expertise in conflict resolutions and enormity of your resolve, we felt that sharing with you our input may only help. We are convinced that current peace initiatives toward Somalia including this ongoing conference in Kenya (No 14 and counting) is not succeeding just like the numerous efforts preceding this one. Mechanical reaction to these failures has been predictably familiar and often expected. Given the magnitude of the predicament, the organizer’s manual that depends for its success upon the resoluteness of participants, while warlords seek to exploit a fevered atmosphere at conferences, is dangerously faulty.
A hope for Somalia’s new beginning has been steadily eroding over the past decade. Although there are no major opposing groups with credible power base capable of signing accords and competent enough to deliver it, the direct political, financial and military influences of the neighboring governments are proving to be troublesome and indirectly prolonging the deplorable conditions and chaotic fate of our people. With your help, we believe it is time to change coarse and act decisively by seriously considering other alternatives we hereby present to you.

Tragic facts speak for themselves:

Over the last decade, armed conflicts between feuding bandits have killed and seriously injured more people than all catastrophes combined in any period in the history of Somalia. The orphaned are countless. Millions are both internally and externally displaced. More than 95% of children are not in primary schools.

Three fourths of those individuals most frequently and severely affected by the Somalia humanitarian crisis are women and children, many are in the Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen refugee camps whose husbands, sons and brothers drown daily in the high seas in desperate search of safe haven.

Gunrunning, hostage taking and human trafficking are rampant in some areas. According to Green Peace, Outlaw-fishing vessels are constantly trespassing and illegally exploiting the Somali territorial sea line in ecologically disastrous fishing techniques.

Needless to say that NGO’s reports about the state of public health, education and infrastructure, illustrates that it is below any standard in the existing books. Alarming deforestation is underway beyond any imagination. Indexation is not available on child mortality rates and spread of deceases since 1990.

Therefore, we ask for your courage in recognizing the real reasons why these endeavors botched all through the years, in all formats and so far, in every venue including the current process which doom to fail as well:

Lack of maintaining a crucial distinction between political groups tied together by shared vision with an apparent core of leadership (which does not exist at the present time), and ruthless warlords wearing tribal jackets for their political convenience, most of them being the very perpetrators of the lawlessness in Somalia.

Each and every previous conference, created a new group like the so-called TNG that proudly accepted the status of a faction, after two years of mismanagement, deceitful practices, leadership vacuum and constant embezzlement allegations at the highest levels.

Demand for unparallel clan representation driven by;

a) Contemplation and sensing of inevitable corrupt system of government to be the final result of these processes that shall no doubt use the public affairs for private (clan) advantage.

b) Fear of domination by another clan, as all lived through the birth of Somalia to the present day, where constitution and the rule of law never materialized to anything and often abused.

The manipulations of the political process by the neighboring governments and often allying themselves with their favorite warlords by safeguarding them, facilitating them and often arming them in frightening ways, did more damage to people and country already in despair.

The sad truth is that, none of these groups, warlords or attendees has had the trust, the leadership or the slightest delightful admiration for a political mandate outside his/her immediate clan. And
The inadequacy of International resolves apart from lip service for clear and precise policy towards Somalia.

Therefore, the ability of these reconciliation conferences producing viable results has substantially diminished and no longer feasible. The Somali people’s hope should not continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on failing techniques that only courts and dignifies arrogant warlords and failed leaders, only to dishearten us, again and again.

We beg you to declare this and any similar conference of its kind, fruitless and even counter productive. We humbly suggest that you two gentlemen present the Secretary General of the UN the honorable Kofi Annan and the Security Council with the only humanely deed, presently suitable for Somalia, as being Trusteeship under carefully selected authority. Unprecedented Independent Trusteeship plan that does not involve neither the neighboring countries nor old colonial powers (except UK). 10-15 years Trusteeship plan that does not resemble by any means, a colonial format. We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your arbitration attention to implementing a strategy for this last hope, but reasonable hope.

The only alternative is to assemble another Arta council by the same cast only on different outfits and provide them the resource to subjugate the rest for the sake of completed task and congratulate each other. The result of such act will be humanitarian crisis of stunning proportions. This is not just a conflict between warring factions that only needs mediations and resolutions. This is a situation where every form of institution is obliterated beyond a degree any conferences can repair.

Although we are fully aware of the difficulties in implementing a new kind of Trusteeship plan and change of direction that accompanies this policy, but, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater for whatever left of Somalia, the region and for all humanity.
We respect your decisions in this matter. At the same time, in view of the above proposal, the following measures are recommended for your consideration.

That with respect to conference attendees, the subject of envisioned Trusteeship plan should be presented, thoroughly explained and debated.

The Conference should eventually develop ongoing Somali regional councils for human development. It is imperative that elected regional authorities be encouraged, facilitated with resources needed, and ground-up fundamentals be a matter of urgency rather then another Arta debacle (last conference in Djibouti).

The significance of the Trusteeship plan should be, to turn completely the fear and misery of anarchy towards the direction of peaceful mutual collaboration between the Trusteeship authorities, locally elected Somalis (political and bureaucratic trainees) and the International community for future Somalia.

That all warlords and bandits be declared detrimental to form any sort of rule or institution in Somalia by giving the planned trusteeship authority the right to prosecute future war crimes.

The Republic of Somaliland Question:

Somaliland should be granted a full diplomatic recognition, immediately. “No reason to punish, sanction or ignore a willingly seceded nation for so long, especially when the other pair (Somalia) is still in chaos. It does not make sense at all that the UN and IGAD get involved in Somalia situation and yet carry on a policy that encourages the only territory that acted upon its peaceful self-determination to fail and join the turmoil in rest of the region by participating hopeless squabble. This action only plays into hands of conspiracy theorist who argue that, chaotic situations and human suffering is what keeps these NGOs and UN organizations in business and the biased method Somaliland recognition is defied, is a prime example of such strategy. We believe that the instantaneous grant of diplomatic recognition for Somaliland will only help the regional economy and future stability.

We believe that how various conference organizers and some of the IGAD members undermine Somaliland Republic diplomatically over the years, is wrong and immoral. History will bear witness to the sort of Human rights and social developments institutions that Somaliland people and their authorities implemented thus far. Fundamentals of democratic society based upon freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble opposition parties, different layers of fair and free elections are some of the prime achievements. It is ironic that these achievements are not even in the political climate in some of the IGAD member states.

Somaliland secession was not the result or the architects of violent warlords or self-serving politicians. Its traditional tribal leaders and elders voted in a free assembly for the move in 1991 and later overwhelming majority of its citizens voted in May 31st 2001 referendum monitored by international observers. National Constitution was adopted; all institutions of government fully established, and for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa, none of these accomplishments are attributed to international aid. These kinds of achievements in sub-Saharan African country should have been highly commended. It is time hypocrisy about impractical border integrity gives way to reasoning and human justice. It is wrong and unwarranted to deny over 3 million people the dignity and the right to:

Be part of the world community, to trade and travel with their own national documents.

Access to bilateral trade and International trade organizations and other developmental entities.

Access International banking and credit institutions.

Educational scholarships, International seminars and educational funding. And access foreign capital and investment opportunities.

The UN resolution 1514 constantly used against Somaliland recognition provisions, does not even apply to its situation. This was a sentiment reinforced in consistent with the Organization of African Unity condemnations of separatist movements over the last four decades. It was the favorite resolution for members like Mabutu Sese Seko, Idi Amin, Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia, Jean-Bedel Bokassa of Central Africa republic, and these instance, remnants of Siad Barre whom you have already heard from in these conferences.

The United Nation’s 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Resolution 1514) declared that self-determination was legitimate only within the context of ex-colonial boundaries, and that historical or new communities outside this framework did not qualify as authentic candidates. Resolution 1514 declared that ‘any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,’ Resolution 1514 in United Nations, http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/c_coloni.htm

Somaliland did not breakaway from Somalia that had functioning centralized government intact. That is where resolution 1541 misses its mark and for obvious reasons, it was never applied after the cold war and the collapse of the soviet empire. In the cases of Slovenia, Macedonia Bosnia and others, none of the OAU members voted against the self-determinations resolutions of those republics. Therefore, employing resolution 1514 for deniability purposes is not objective and only constitutes to cruelty and lack of vision. At minimum, we ask you to recommend that Somaliland minister of foreign affairs get a hearing day in front of the security council and present the Somaliland case.

Conclusions:

We believe you two gentlemen have the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including consideration of our suggestions with regard to a new kind of Trusteeship for Somalia and the immediate formal request to the secretary general and the security council to appoint an envoy to draft a general assembly resolution for Somaliland membership.

When Trusteeship was introduced in 1945 most of today’s developing world was under colonial rule and trusteeship was abused in some instances as the case was with Eritrea under Ethiopia’s emperor. In this 21st century, it can be executed in an intelligent manner. 5-10 years of political and social rehabilitation for Somalia under a very capable authority. Differing parties can debate selecting a volunteer authority from the free world. This will require a full complement of diplomatic and political efforts and later a military one.

You have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this challenge. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the millions of powerless Somalis who are closely following your direction in this challenge, from all corners of the region and around the world.

Keep in mind; the faith of most tragedies in sub-Saharan Africa never comes across the steering power of three of its own sons. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat and the honorable Mr. Winston A. Tubman of Liberia, the head of (UNPOS). You have made yourselves the Trustees for those in everywhere who seek to mend the evils of our people’s condition by reasoned experiment within the framework of the existing international laws. We beg you try to heal the results of earlier thoughtlessness for the sake of humanity.
We remain ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary arrangement.

Thank you

Sincerely yours,

Abdirahman Waberi

Council for New Beginning

Washington DC

Info@CSNB.org

Cc: via facsimile

HIS EXCELLENCY Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations

His Excellency Collin Powell US secretary of state

President of Mali and the current president of African union his Excellency alpha oumar konare

His Excellency Amr Moussa The Secretary General of the League of Arab States

CONGRESSMAN EDWARD R. Royce US congressional chairman, subcommittee on Africa

Congressman elijah e. cummings chair, congressional black caucus

THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Republic of South Africa HIS EXCELLENCY Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma 

Ambassador Richard S. Williamson, United States Alternate Representative on the Security Council, on the Situation in Somalia




 

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