On October 22nd, 2009 the African peace keeping force unleashed wave after wave of mortar shells into the busiest open air market in Mogadishu. Hundreds were injured, 61 killed with devastation unlike any seen for a long time in the history of this afflicted city. The psychological damage caused by this indiscriminate mass slaughter far surpassed the quantifiable number of physical deaths or property destruction it wrought upon defenseless civilian population. 

An ambulance driver described the mayhem as “the most brutal shelling” the city has experienced in its 20 year long civil war. And a local journalist simply put it as “unprecedented.”

Friends and family members hauled the victims in wheelbarrows, donkey carts and some carried dazed victims on their backs to the nearest medical center. Unclaimed or unidentifiable bodies because of severe burns or with harrowing disfigurements were simply scooped up in backhoes and dumped on flat bed trucks for mass grave burial.

Apparently; this unusually cruel and atrocious act of targeting civilians by AMISOM forces was supposedly a retaliatory measure against insurgents lobbing inaccurate shells towards the general direction of the presidential convoy on its way to the airport. Of course this was not the first time the market was targeted, but what set this one apart was its disproportional use of lethal force, deadliness, the duration of the siege and the devastation of its aftermath.

The complete and total disregard for human life by knowingly and repeatedly shelling indiscriminately a public gathering place with impunity for the sole purpose of causing maximum destruction and death by AMISOM forces seems to be getting bolder and more lethal with every passing day.  

On the other hand, Somalis have come to accept and live with the indifference of the world to their plight, but the shameful silence of the president on the face this barbarity has irreparably damaged any sense of hope or belief they had in Shariff’s administration and had annulled his credence or integrity, if ever he had any. Worse yet; it legitimized Al-Shabab and made defeating the insurgency more difficult.

Recall Mr. Shariff’s first night in Mogadishu after flying in from D’Jibouti when he was welcomed with salvos after salvos of artillery shells and he ordered no retaliations. Where did that sympathy and courage go? Where is that President today?

More than the eye sees: A sinister objective?

A government, legitimate government, should not lower itself to the level of criminals to defeat criminality. There is no strategic value in killing the very civilians one took solemn oath to protect. There is no honor in killing the defenseless. In fact; the effect of shelling Bakaraha will result the unintended consequence of further coalescing the insurgency ranks, strengthening their fighting capabilities and most certainly will undermine public support for the transitional government. It is counterproductive to the stated objective of weakening the armed bandits.

Yes! The claim is made that Bakaraha has transformed into the command center and the hub of Al-Shabab where all the attacks against the government are hatched up. However; the fact remains that it also serves as the nerve center of the country’s economic activity. It is indefensible to knowingly target it with the full knowledge that thousands of innocent people gather to shop and trade in the open market.

Clearly; shelling the market over and over again has not brought its collapse except of course causing utter terror and mass killing. Then what is the strategic goal or objective behind it? One can not help but suspect other motives. Could it perhaps be to eliminate the fierce competition posed by the entrepreneurial nature of the Somalis in countries donating peace keepers to Somalia?

There is no question that there is deep seated envy and jealousy of the reach and power of the Somali business people in the entire East African markets. The bargains and quality of goods Somalis offer in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda has generated a feeling of discomfort to say the least or an outright resentment often manifested in violence. Take the innumerable cases of violence committed against Somalis in South Africa and Kenya.

Now; the patrimonial relationship between the ruling elite of East Africa and the business sector is well established fact. Thus; it is not completely implausible that successes Somalis have achieved in those countries presents unwelcome competition and poses direct threat to the earning power of top ruling echelons or government officials of nations providing peace keeping forces to Somalia.

Moreover; the pervasive notion held throughout East Africa that the Somalis enjoy unfair competitive advantage as a result of the lawlessness in their country where no tariffs are paid allows them to offer cheaper bargain prices are unsubstantiated. There is also a widely circulated rumor that the Bakaraha market is the logistical hub and supply center where all goods shipped to east Africa originate.

Therefore; if the opportunity presents itself to cripple rivals who pose credible threat to diminish one’s income levels, and deal with them once and for all to drive them out of business, why not? Could this possibly explain why the market is incessantly bombarded?

A Point of Converging Interests: Why is the TFG a Willing Partner?

Again! The $1 billion dollar question remains - why is the TFG silent in the face of this barbarity against its people? Not a single word expressing displeasure or a show of pain or sense of anger from the Prime Minister or the President to address the shocking events of October 22nd.  Absolute silence as though nothing has happened.

Evidently; the daily bombing of the market is not returning any verifiable military dividends. Truth is there is no strategic or tactical value in lobbing mortar shells every now and then; killing dozens or hundreds of civilians without following up with decisive measures to dislodge the insurgency, capture, hold and pacifying the area.

This leads to enquire about the whereabouts of the thousands and thousands of army personnel trained inside and outside the country. Why is it that all security functions fall onto the shoulders of the 5,000 strong AMISOM force?  What is it that the Ugandans can do and the Somalis, once one of the most powerful army in the continent, can not do? And, if the armed forces leadership has failed in its duties, why we don’t hear expulsions and the nomination of more competent and able officers?

It appears, whatever Mr. Shariff’s plans are, winning this fight is not one of the priorities.  And if it is or ever was; the administration is woefully unprepared to tackle the insurgency. What went wrong?

On reflection; it seems that Mr. Sharif has been dealt underhand and finds himself in an impossible situation where he has no power or say to affect in any meaningful way the course of events in the country.

Consider the international community’s fervor and all the hubris of coming to the aid of the new administration with far fetched promises and guarantees of support.  IGAD nations gave assurances to send additional troops. In the Brussels summit, EU and Middle Eastern countries pledged millions. America shipped military hardware; and France offered to train national defense force in Djibouti.

Of course, those promises have yet to materialize, and the government leaders continue to spend their precious time traveling around to raise operational budget and to afford pay stipends. Indeed; the president’s last trip of October 22nd, where so many innocent civilians have to pay with their lives, came exactly after a week from the president’s return of almost two weeks absence in North America.

The net result of Mr. Shariff’s overdependence on foreign consultation, direction, handouts, military or finance has caused the administration to gradually but completely remove itself from the daily realities of life of the common man.

Mr. Sharif, an ordinary man and a teacher was once regarded as inseparable from the bonds of the common man. So mush hope was affixed to the very person of the man that he was incorruptible and will bring peace.  Nowadays; it is a different matter.

Leaders, who fail to hear and respond to the call of help from their people, rarely last long.
It is tragic that Sharif dug himself the very same trap that led to Yusuf’s downfall.  We live in a very cynical geopolitical world where when you offer a finger, they ask for an arm and when an arm is given they ask for a leg. The sad part is; just like what happened to Yusuf, when they eat off the flesh, they throw the bones to the wolves.

How much is Shariff’s protection costing him or for that matter how much is the nation paying?
The entire administration is reduced to cower under the protection of AMISOM. In fact; the very personal safety of the President, the Prime Minister and top ministers is carried out by foreign body guards from AMISOM forces. How does one chastise the actions of his protector?
From necessity; it appears that the TFG has traded its duties of securing the country with guarantee of their physical safety. AMISOM and foreign interests do what they desire in return for protecting a government on paper. What a trade-off and a perfect convergence of interests?

Rashid Yahya Ali
Baltimore; MD
Email: Folkugul@gmail.com

______________________________________________________________________________

We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com
So please email your article today Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews
Maqaalkani wuxuu ka turjumayaa aragtida Qoraaga loomana fasiran karo tan WardheerNews 

Copyright © 2009 WardheerNews.com