The arrest of Cabdi Qaybdiid in Sweden for possible crimes he might have committed against innocent Somali civilians is thus far the most solid act of solidarity by the international community for the long-suffering Somali people under the tyranny of barbaric warlords. It is reasonable to believe that those who complained to the Swedish Authority must have had provided convincing grounds for the apprehension of this warlord-cum-parliamentarian. We the Somalis are notoriously prone to attribute clan vendetta as the motive behind charges made against the warlords pillaging Southern Somalia . A good example is the article by Shaacir Mataan in Wardheernews who has dubbed the accusers of the warlord Qaybdiid as supporters of President Abdullahi Yussuf , and who are motivated, according to him, by travel malice. In other words, if you belong to the clan of the president, then you are automatically disqualified to raise any finger of accusation against warlords even if you, or your family, or kith and kin had been victims of these warlords. This peculiar logic is not specific to Shaacir Mataan but is typically the trade mark of Somalis generally, and it is the kind of mindset hat has so far spared these warlords to outlast their overdue demise.

Not surprisingly, the alleged warlords Shaacir Mataan mentions in his article for equal treatment as Qaybdiid are President Yussuf , General Morgan and General Ali Samatar - all belonging to clans different from that of Qaybdiidd . No mention by Shaacir of those big sharks in Mog and beyond – holding the regions of Marka , Brava and Kismayo as their personal   conquests and fiefdoms. Isn't Shaacir himself being selective and subconsciously harbouring the very clan biases he inveighs against others? If President Abdullahi Yussuf , Morgan, General Ali Samatar have committed crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide, then so be it, if you can bring the case against them at the international criminal court or at future Somali truth commissions. Indeed, plaintiffs in London had requested the arrest of President Abdullahi Yussuf during his visits to the British capital for the alleged murder of a well-known clan leader. Unlike the case of Sweden , the British have not acted on that complaint and you can draw your own conclusion. In the meantime, it does not follow that international legal action should not be taken against Qaybdiid and the other big warlords in Mog only because no similar action had been initiated against others perceived to belong to other clans. If we are honest and care about justice, human rights and Somalia 's revival, we should agree to one overriding principle: that all those who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity against civilians should be brought to justice at the international criminal court or at home when circumstances allow .

For now, we can all rejoice at this good news coming from Sweden . This must be a very worrying time for the warlords in Mog . More supplementary action needs to be taken by the IGAD community, the AU and the Arab league such as imposing travel ban on the warlords and the freezing of their ill-gotten financial and real state assets in East Africa and Dubai .
 
Mohsin Mahad
<mohsinmahad@yahoo.co.uk> 

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