A Criminal Enterprise Called The TFG

EDITORIAL

What kind of prime minister bombs his people and when he is told that his people are suffering and dying as a result of the bombing, says the bombing of civilians will continue and the best thing for them to do is to flee their homes? It is the same kind of prime minister who when asked why his government is blocking food assistance that the international agencies want to deliver to the hungry and homeless refugees, says the reason food is not getting to the hungry is because the international agencies have not met the requirements of his government. It is the same prime minister who when asked about the conflict between two clans (Majeerteen and Marehan) in Kismayo, says al-Qaida is behind the conflict, even though both clans are supposed to be part of his own coalition. It is the same prime minister who said al-Qaida was behind the recent confrontation in Dhahar between Somaliland and Majeerteenya (Puntland). That “prime minister” is none other than Ali Gedi, the prime minister of Somalia. He is the one who made all those statements. These statements are not exceptional slip of the tongue or anything like that, but typical of what he says in public on a given day, where he would combine deep callousness with the utmost silliness.

Listening to him makes one wonder if he lives in the real world. He invokes in one the feeling that there is something obscene and incongruous about calling him a prime minister, the same way that the there is something revolting about calling Abdillahi Yusuf president or calling Salad Jelle deputy defense minister. The gap between what these people are, and the titles they claim, is just too big. That is why anyone who tries to analyze their behavior or that of Somalia’s Federal Transitional Government (TFG) using the tools of political analysis is bound to be frustrated. A more fitting approach would be to realize that these fellows are con men and the TFG is a criminal enterprise headed by Abdillahi Yusuf with Ali Gedi as his deputy. Applying to them such an approach would explain all of those offensive statements by Ali Gedi and similar ones by Abdillahi Yusuf. It would make clear that these fellows are not interested in politics or public service. What they are interested in is to run their con game and use Ethiopian military muscle and international recognition as a cover. Anyone who needs proof, all they have to do is look at some of their actions:

1. One of the first things that the TFG did after it was formed was to print false currency. A member of Abdillahi Yusuf’s clan was in charge of this operation and was caught by the authorities at the United Arab Emirates. No real government would start its tenure with printing false money, but a criminal gang would do so such a thing.

2. Early on, the TFG decided to issue a new electronic passport, at $100 for each passport, which made it one of the most expensive passports in the world. Politically speaking such action doesn’t make sense. But if one sees it as part of a larger criminal enterprise, then it does make sense, because it gives that crime syndicate a global reach.

3. At the height of the fighting in Mogadishu, the TFG blocked the delivery of food supplies to the hungry and homeless people of Mogadishu. Again, no real government would have done such thing. But if one looks at the TFG as a criminal organization, then one would not be surprised, for criminals try to make a buck regardless of who suffers as a consequence.

4. Militias belonging to the TFG hijacked a ship that was docked in Mogadishu and took it to Majeerteenya (Puntland). No government would hijack ships that dock at ports under its control, but a criminal gang would do such thing.

It is noteworthy that many of the criminal activities undertaken by the TFG are linked with Majeerteenya (Puntland). This should come as no surprise because Abdillahi Yusuf (the head of the TFG) is from that region (Majeerteenya or Puntland). It is in Puntland that Abdillahi Yusuf gained a lot of experience in criminal activities such as money laundering and human trafficking. That network is still intact and is at the core of the TFG’s various schemes. Actually, when it comes down to it, the TFG is basically nothing more than an expansion of Majeerteenya’s criminal network into Mogadishu and beyond.

Source: Somaliland Times

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