The Credibility Problem Of European And American Officials Dealing With Somalis

EDITORIAL

"We received the invitation ... We will be back on Sunday." That was what Italy's Special Envoy to Somalia Mario Raffaelli said on Wednesday regarding the reconciliation conference that was supposed to open in Mogadishu on Sunday. Well, Sunday came and neither Rafaelli nor EU Special Envoy to Somalia Georges-Marc Andre were to be seen anywhere in Mogadishu. The reason for their absence is not a mystery either: fear for their lives. Mogadishu is a dangerous place and a conference organized by the hated and despised Transitional Federal Government (TFG) would only make it more dangerous. The Europeans knew this, but they said the opposite. It is all part of the wicked game that is going on in Somalia, a game of deceit, lying and murder. The international community is a big part of this dirty game. Saying they will be back when they knew very well that they won’t be back is part of the game. Painting a positive picture of the grim situation in Mogadishu is part of this game. Spending millions of dollars on a doomed conference that will only create bigger problems between Somalis is part of this game. Claiming to want peace among Somalis while at the same time stoking the fires of conflict is part of the game. But it is one thing to play with someone else’s life, and quite another when it comes to your own. It is one thing to gamble with the lives of a thousand or so desperate and foolish Somalis by encouraging them and paying their way to a “reconciliation conference” in the middle of an inferno, and quite another to risk your own valuable European life.

There is one bit of good news though: most Somalis know enough about the situation in Mogadishu not to take the Europeans’ rosy statements seriously. The Africans, too, are adequately informed about what is like in Mogadishu, and that is why there were less than a handful of African representatives in the conference. The same is true of the Arabs.

Judging by what the international media wrote about conditions in Mogadishu and the circumstances surrounding the conference, it is clear that the rest of the world was not taken in by the misleading pronouncements of the European diplomats. To cite just a few examples, Newsweek described Mogadishu as “A burning place”. The New York Times called it, “another Baghdad in the making". Reuters quoted one of the inhabitants of Mogadishu as saying, "I'm afraid for my life. I want to flee the city."

Since the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia, Somalis have become accustomed to hearing American diplomats spin self-serving positive descriptions of the situation in Mogadishu. Now it seems that some European diplomats have joined them in this sleazy ritual.

European and American government officials constantly lecture other countries about the virtues of integrity and transparency. It is high time that they should practice what they preach. They could start by talking honestly about the situation in Somalia.

Source: Somaliland Times

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