Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, addressing an African American History Month forum in Detroit on February 28, 2009. (Photo: Cheryl LaBash)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Resistance movements deny responsibility for attacks while TFG crumbles
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
A bomb blast at the Shamo Hotel in Mogadishu has further destabilized the fragile Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that is backed by the United States through the deployment of 4,500 troops under the auspices of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). The attack killed over 20 people including four ministers in the government headed by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
The TFG has never had control over more than a section of the Somalia capital despite the allocation of millions of dollars in weapons and equipment to the AMISOM forces from both the Bush and Obama administrations. The government’s position has become even more precarious with the expulsion of three top military officers in the TFG bringing to light the splits within the regime.
On December 6 it was announced that new police and military commanders were being appointed to handle the worsening security situation. Garowe online said that “Gen. Ali Mahamed Hassan [Madobe] is the new police chief, replacing Gen. Abdi Hassan Awale [Qaybdid] while Gen. Mahamed Gelle Kahiye is taking over the military from the sacked Gen. Yussuf Hussein Osman [Dhumaal].” (Garowe Online, December 6)
This same report went on to state that “The embattled Somali government recently sacked Somali military and police commanders for failure to curb the rampant insurgency in the war-torn country.” Although the TFG cabinet and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke praised the newly-appointed police and military commanders, there was opposition to the decision which was reflected in demonstrations of hundreds of people in the capital who supported the former officials.
In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, the TFG placed blame on the main Islamic resistance organization, Al-Shabab, which denied responsibility for the attack. The other organization fighting the TFG, Hizbul Islam, also refuted the allegations that they were involved in the explosions that took place during a graduation ceremony for Benadir University.
A spokesman for Al-Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, said that “We declare that al-Shabaab did not mastermind that explosion…. It is not in the nature of al-Shabaab to target innocent people.” (Al Jazeera quote from Reuters, December 4)
The al-Shabab spokesman went on to stress that “We know that some so-called government official left the scene of the explosion just minutes before the attack. That is why it is clear that they were behind the killing.”
Nonetheless, the Somali police have warned of other attacks by al-Shabaab which controls large sections of the southern and central regions of the country. According to Abdullahi Hassan Barise of the Somali police, “Our intelligence reports say al-Shabaab has prepared two suicide bombers in high-ranking police and military uniforms. They are going to target the airport and seaport. We have alerted all our forces. They should not be deceived by these al-Shabaab suicide bombers.” (Reuters, December 8)
Security Situation Deteriorates
These developments in Somalia illustrates that the situation is quite unstable in the capital where the AMISOM forces and the TFG are based. As a result of the instability, the TFG prime minister has called for greater direct U.S. military involvement in Somalia.
Comparing the situation in Somalia to the U.S. policy towards Afghanistan, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke wrote in a letter to the Times of London that “We accept that…the situation in Somalia will appear beyond repair but the reality is very different. What is so startling is that all the conclusions are as true about Somalia as they are about Afghanistan.” (Reuters, December 5)
The prime minister of the TFG continued by arguing that “Piracy and the growth of Islamic extremism are not the natural state of being. They are but symptoms of an underlying malaise—the absence of government and hope. The irony is that it would cost only a quarter of what is being spent right now on the warships trying to combat piracy, to fund our plan and actually solve the problems rather than simply chasing them round the Indian Ocean.”
This appeal is closely associated with the view by the United States that Somalia is a haven for Al-Qaeda. Corporate media reports claim that there are hundreds of “foreign fighters” inside Al-Shabaab. The Al-Shabaab organization has denied these accusations and say that they are a movement led and supported by Somalis.
The U.S. has already dispatched a tremendous flotilla of warships as alluded to by the prime minister. The Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean are shipping lanes for billions of dollars in goods and weapons. The problem of piracy derives from the failure of U.S. interference in the region which has sparked increased instability and conflict.
Apparently there are other problems with the U.S.-backed AMISOM forces, which are composed of troops from Burundi and Uganda. The troops have been accused of committing atrocities against Somali civilians in carrying out the war against the Islamic resistance movements.
Despite the allocation of millions of dollars to the AMISOM forces and the TFG, recent reports indicate that the soldiers have not been paid in months. In an article published by the Ugandan Monitor, “Failure by African Union officials to account for millions of dollars for Somalia operations has dried up payments for 4,500 peace-keeping troops after upset donors abruptly halted disbursements.” (Uganda Monitor, December 5)
Ambassador Nicholas Bwakira, who is the African Union special representative in Somalia, said in an interview with the Voice of America that the Ugandan and Burundian troops had not received any salaries since May. “This has a very bad impact on the morale of the troops and that of the government concerned,” Bwakira said. (Uganda Monitor, December 5)
Uganda reports that 37 of its troops have been killed in the fighting in Somalia. Burundi admits to losing 43 of its soldiers. In a statement by the AU Defense spokesman Felix Kulayigye, the official says that “We are confident the matter will be sorted out sooner rather than later. Our troops know that they are not in Mogadishu for money. They have a mission to accomplish and are doing their work very well.” (Ugandan Monitor, December 5)
Meanwhile the leader of the Hizbul Islam organization Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, called for an escalation of the struggle against the U.S.-backed AMISOM forces. The Hizbul Islam head stated that “The people can reach peace and progress if they fight against the foreign troops in Somalia. The Somali people can return their prestige and honor after 20 years of conflict and political deadlock.” (Shabelle.net, December 5)
U.S. Escalate Attacks on Somalis in Minneapolis
The interference by U.S. imperialism in the internal affairs of Somalia has prompted federal intelligence agencies to seek prosecution of at least 14 people in the Minneapolis area. In November it was revealed that the federal government was pursuing charges against expatriate Somalis for supposed involvement with the resistance movements fighting the TFG inside the country.
In a New York Times article published on November 24, it states that “The case represents the largest group of American citizens suspected of joining an extremist movement affiliated with Al-Qaeda, senior officials said. Many of the recruits had come to America as young refugees fleeing a brutal civil war, only to settle in a gang-ridden enclave of Minneapolis.” (NYT, November 24)
Hence some of the same tactics used against immigrants from the Middle Eastern states and countries with large Muslim populations in Asia, the U.S. is now targeting people of Somali origin in purported “anti-terrorism” operations. Ralph S. Boelter, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Minneapolis, told the New York Times that “The potential implications to national security are significant.”
Boelter also went on to indicate that the investigation into the Somali community was nationwide and that there would probably be more arrests in connection with the ongoing war in Somalia.
These developments clearly show that the escalation of repression inside the United States, including the recent assassination of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah outside Detroit, the seizure of mosques in New York, the prosecution of the Fort Dix defendants, the imprisonment of people’s lawyer Lynne Stewart and other actions, are clearly related to the increasing military operations of U.S. imperialism in its military attacks on Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa.
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