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Mogadishu, Somalia, July 18,
2009 (SL Times) – In last week’s editorial, the Somaliland Times pointed
out that militias belonging to Somalia’s so-called Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) are undisciplined, often switch to the side of their
opponents, and have been infiltrated by terrorists. The Somaliland Times
also described Somalia’s TFG as riddled with corruption.
Two events that took place this week proved that the Somaliland Times
was right on both scores. First, there was the abduction of two French
security experts. What stands out about this abduction is that it
happened in Sahafi hotel, an area that falls within the few blocks
controlled by the government and AMISOM troops. Clearly it was an inside
job, with most fingers pointing at the ministry of interior. The only
thing that remains to be known is whether the kidnappers did it for
money or for political reasons. Either way, this incident highlights a
simple fact that should have been known to the French experts before
they landed in Mogadishu: the so-called government that they are trying
to rescue is not reliable and many of its members of this government are
colluding with the terrorists.
The Second event took place in Nairobi, where several members of the
TFG’s parliament, including Mohamud Ahmad Nur (Tarzan) and Ali Bashe
Haji Mohamud, held a conference in which they confirmed the allegations
of corruption and mismanagement that were leveled by the Somaliland
Times editorial. The press conference was aired by the BBC’s Somali
service on July 15.
It is hard to believe that the French government did not know the real
situation of Somalia’s so-called government. It is even harder to
believe how easily the French walked into such a trap. There is some
evidence that the French authorities may have been misled by Djiboutian
officials.
The French government has pledged to train troops for Somalia’s
government in Djibouti, but Djibouti’s agenda in Somalia does not always
coincide with the agendas of its Western patrons. Some in Djibouti’s
ruling elite and security services also have a score to settle with
France, despite France’s generous aid to Djibouti. Furthermore, the
kidnapping of the two French security experts shows that the militias
that will be trained in Djibouti may still have links with terrorists
and obviously pose a security risk for their would-be trainers.
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