Issue 289

Federal Republic of Somalia
Transitional Federal Government
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

In regard to the recent press release of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) of Britain, where the support for the ongoing National Reconciliation Conference (NRC) in Mogadishu was posted, we would like to express our gratitude for the interest of such well reputed institute to current situation in Somalia and to its assistance in the complex course of Reconciliation and Peace building in our country, because the Genuine Peace and True Reconciliation are the necessary pre-conditions to all processes of further reconstruction of the Somali Republic, restoration of the law and order, rebuilding of Government Institutions and the Civil Society, securing of economic development and integration of Somalia into the world community.

However we should note that it is extremely important, how this delicate reconciliation process is carried out, and we would expect greater help from our British friends in this regard, because obviously the NRC organized by Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia will not be able to repair huge mistakes that were already made by this TFG.

Regretfully, since the triumphant arriving of the President of Somalia and the TFG in the capitol Mogadishu, when they were greeted by almost all Somalis as long-awaited power that is capable to bring the peace, security and prosperity to war-torn country, the TFG did not justify hopes of Somali people, and its awkward activity even degraded the situation, which resulted in sharp rise of violence, killing of thousands innocent Somalis, new wave of refugees running from tormented city, where TFG, with the help of Ethiopian troops, is trying to establish the order, as they understand it, with gun, stick and suppression of freedom. The outcome of this TFG policy is more than 500,000 displaced persons only from Mogadishu (about quarter of its population) without access to basic goods, nearly destroyed weak economy of the country, growing tensions between clans and sub-clans, steady division of the country into separate fiefdoms, increasing aversion of presence of Ethiopians on Somali soil, which can make Ethiopians and Somalis the bitterest enemies for tens of years.

The causes of it are clear, and it is surprising that our friends in Great Britain, as well as all friends of Somalia in the international community, did not pay special attention to the following problems:

The TFG does not have the qualified and professional officials. The specialists, who were capable to organize the normal work of Ministries and departments, the specialists, who understand basic economic and administrative principles, were squeezed out of the Government. New specialists are not welcomed by top TFG officials, instead of it they are hiring their own relatives or members of their clans, who do not have basic knowledge of future profession, but are devoted and grateful for obtaining of the post in government office.

The lack of specialists results in the fact that recently there is no Ministry, which is properly operating. The Ministries of TFG are not the working bodies, but just the collection of pseudo-clerks, who are trying to think that they are Government officials and shall be paid well, but who do not want and are not able to organize any simple work process. The reason of this idleness and absence of any positive result of simulated activity is presented to the world as that TFG simply do not have enough money to put things in order (“Give us more money and then we will organize everything”).

Meanwhile, the money, which TFG already obtained before, is disappeared, and nobody will know, where this money went. This happened because main goal of TFG leaders, especially PM Ghedi and President Yusuf, is just personal enrichment through stealing of government money and obtaining of paybacks from foreign companies, with which TFG is signing numerous contracts. PM Ghedi is trying to establish his personal control over the money flow, but sometimes it is contradicting with intentions of Yusuf – one of the examples of this undercover wrestling we got not so long ago, when some news about Chinese companies, which obtained exclusive rights for exploration of Somali mineral resources, were unsuccessfully denounced by Ghedi as news about the deal that is non-authorized by him. The stealing and selling of people property is going on without any open procedure that shall be accepted in civilized world, and nobody inside TFG is surprised by it, nobody raised his voice against it. The structure of corruption, built by Ghedi, is the only thing within TFG that works well – government clerks at all levels know that they shall get their own piece of cake, small or big, and nobody is shocked, because same things are going on at the top of Ministries.

There is absolutely no control of TFG activity as from Parliament, as from civil society. Parliament is divided and harassed by Ghedi and his satellites. Civil society is frightened and is completely unable to do anything to preserve basic civil freedoms and rights. The huge exodus of refugees from battle-burdened Mogadishu is not allowing civil society and NGOs to think about something else. Such situation is beneficial for corruption and stealing of funds, and we should not be surprised if it will persist for long time due to the efforts of TFG.

When TFG just started its work, there were good intentions to invite some foreign specialists as consultants in order to build normal administrative and legal system. Several such experts were invited (in particular by First Deputy PM H. Aideed), and essential job for planning of the structure of Ministries as well as for application of some primary importance Government Programs was done. However, these professional advices were not taken into account and no program was realized (including, for example, comprehensive disarmament and rehabilitation program).

Instead of it, the TFG, controlled by Ghedi, was implementing unrealistic and sometimes destructive ideas, probably given by some illiterate Ethiopian advisors. This process was transformed into the chain of continuous mistakes at all levels and resulted in current sad situation in Somalia, when reconciliation and establishing of the order in the country is becoming less and less possible. The professional level of Ethiopian political advisors could be properly evaluated, taking into account how they handle the situation during and after the elections in Ethiopia one year ago with accompanying bloodshed, imprisonment and suppression of opposition. Clearly, their advices are very useful and are fully accepted by Ghedi and his team. That’s why they are shouting at every corner about Islamic terrorists and Al Quaeda conspiracy trying to cover their own incompetence and to hide the fact that their own people is revolting against their corrupt and unskilled rule.

There could be certain assumptions that such circumstances could be even the result of special Ethiopian politics toward Somalia, because Ethiopia seems is not interested in strong Somali state, but prefers shaky regime with controllable Government, which could consist of corrupted people that can be easily manipulated by Ethiopian puppeteers. In fact even stupid and illiterate person sometimes accidentally could made proper decisions. Surprisingly, the mistakes of Ghedi and TFG are uninterrupted, which could become very suspicious.

Generally, we should note that nor President Yusuf, nor Prime Minister Ghedi, nor their Ethiopian friends now are not interested in any sort of reconciliation or negotiations with opposition groups, because they consider current state of affairs as normal and even favorable for them. They think that everything is moving well (at least for them), just few extra efforts and so-called opposition will be physically exterminated, nobody will shake their status, and very soon the money, sweet money, will come to the country into the hands of TFG, into their hands. And they will share this money between themselves (or they will fight each other for it) and their families will become rich and prosperous.

And of course nobody from TFG was interested in Reconciliation Conference. This NRC was started under the pressure of international community and (very important!) international donors, which insisted on such conference, as one of conditions for obtaining of funds. The smell of great money that shall come from donors pushed Ghedi and TFG to organize something, which for the outer world, and for donors especially, will look as real Reconciliation Conference. They expect the world will accept their trick and will make them wealthy. They do not have any thought that the semi-conference based on the clan principle in recent situation can make more complex the relationship between clans and sub-clans, they are just thinking about money that they shall get.

We hope that the international community will give special attention to the situation in Somalia, will put into deep consideration the activity of TFG and will establish effective control of its unpredictable corruption-driven operation. We hope that UN, EC, FCO of Britain will increase their efforts to force the leaders of TFG to start real moves for reconciliation and reconstruction of the country. We hope that the world will not accept the trick of Ghedi and Yusuf with this NRC and will provide clear and direct judgment on it. We hope that the FCO of Britain will send unequivocal signal to leaders of TFG regarding necessity of real reconciliation in a name of peace and prosperity of Somalia.