05/24/07
Special reporter - DMC - Minneapolis    

Dear Mr. President,

Assalaam Caleikum,

I hope and pray that you are in good health and spirits and that this letter finds you in your best mood. I am writing to you in my capacity as the Secretary General of the Southern Somalia Union (SSU) and on behalf of the Central Committee of the SSU. The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention our disappointment with your administration especially with the way it is handling the affairs of all the regions in Southern Somalia and that of Shabeellada Hoose in particular.

We are aware that a new governor has been appointed for Shabeellada Hoose region but that he can not start his duties until a special interest group composed of the current occupiers of that region are appeased. We are aware that a proposed list of individuals for each district is on the table and that it has omitted some communities that are indigenous to the region while including clans from the Central Somalia regions. We are disappointed that violence, terrorism, rape and looting have been rewarded by your administration. We find this mentality incredulous because we believe that appeasement has never worked anywhere before. We know that giving in to blackmail is a sure recipe for disaster because tomorrow they will come back and ask for more.

Mr. President, please consider the viability and fairness of the following scenarios:

1.    Shabeellada Hoose has more than ten (10) highly populous communities that are indigenous to it. The Provincial Administration will be composed of seven (7) members, which means at least three (3) of them will not get representation in the Provincial administration. On the other hand supporters of Indha Cadde, the person who masterminded the New Year attack on your base in Baydhabo will be rewarded with full membership in the Provincial Council although he is not indigenous to the region.

2.    Indha Cadde supporters will also get membership in each and every district council in the Province, a chance not available to the Biimaal or any of the seven (7) Digil community members. In other words although the Digil clans and the Biimaal will only be confined to particular districts the Habar Gidir will have representatives across the board, a message meant to emphasize their ‘presence’ and ‘majority’ status in Shabeellada Hoose. It will be a dark day for your administration and Somalia as a whole when this list finally sees the light of day.

3.    Mogadishu which is the Capital of Somalia has been identified as a sole domain of a particular clan. Not even its original owners and builders were recognized and honored with a single member in its administration. The plan for Shabeellada Hoose is that it will go the way Mogadishu and Banaadir went after a few years.

4.    We know that there are terrorists in Mogadishu. We know that they are fighting in order to keep their ill-gotten riches. We know that your administration is negotiating with them and that their main demand is the acceptance of Shabeellada Hoose as their homeland. By including them into the district administration you have tacitly agreed to that demand. You have given in to coercion and blackmail. You have surrendered to terrorism. Despite your battlefield victories you have shown that you are no much for a handful of trigger-happy, blood-thirsty criminals masquerading as clan militia. Your personal reputation and the legitimacy of your administration have come under scrutiny. You are about to make the same mistake made by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) when they tried to legitimize Indha Cadde’s illegal administration and if you are not careful your administration might face the same fate.
   
5.    Mr. President, would you find it appropriate if the refugees from Bay and Bakool who are now living in Gaalkacyo demand that they be given representation in the Puntland administration because they happen to be there now? What would you say if the President of Puntland actually insisted on giving them representation and paralyzed operations in the whole region until his demands are met? If you think that would be ridiculous then consider our situation and concern.

We have suffered lots of injustices over the years and we are nearing the end of our saintly patience. We know that we are represented by a handful of incompetent, corrupt and very weak individuals who got into your government mostly through dubious means. We are aware that some have been compromised or have been bought out right. Their signatures therefore are not worth the piece of paper on which they are written.

Mr. President, did you stop to think about what is really in it for those who are so anxious to be included in the administration of that region although they know that they do not belong there? The answer to that question is simple and obvious. These people have dominated that region for a long time and have invested heavily and control all aspects of life there. They have assets and resources that they hope to protect by playing leadership roles in those districts. Those assets and resources might one day be used against the legal authorities in the land and the proximity of Shabeellada Hoose to Mogadishu should be a matter of great concern to your government.

As the indigenous people of that region we welcome all Somalis and any other person of good-will to come and invest legal money into our region and revive the economy and create employment. But we will not accept anybody from the other regions to come and dominate us and control our lives and resources. We will hasten to add here that so long as the people of Shabeellada Hoose continue to suffer under the brutal occupation and enslavement the rest of this country shall not get peace and justice. We therefore demand that the complete list of all provincial and district administrations be released and that anybody who does not belong to an affiliate clan of that region should not be included.

We demand that an indigenous police force be dispatched to that province immediately and all illegal roadblocks and other revenue generating operations be suspended until a proper administration is put in place.

Mr. President, we have confidence that your sense of history and justice shall prevail over your search for a quick fix for the problems of Somalia especially when such fixes will mean the violations of the principles of Federalism and Equality. We wish you luck in all your endeavors and pray that Allah give you the will-power and courage to overcome the difficult task of pacifying Somalia.

Yours Sincerely,

Eng. Abdulkadir Khalif
Secretary General, Southern Somalia Union (SSU)  
 Khalif8888@hotmail.com