Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Sharmarke Comes back to Villa Somalia Empty Handed

By Faisal Roble

Mr. Omar Sharmarke’s visit (July 14 through July 22) to Garowe’s Statehouse for talks with Puntland’s Gaas and Jubbaland’s Madobe ended up to be more symbolic and less substantive.

For a succor, the politically demeaned Prime Minister was sent away with an inconsequential four-point communique (Respect for the Somali Federal Constitution, Protect Somali Unity, Strengthen consultation and cooperation between States and the Federal entity, and work on a comprehensive reconciliation). At a close examination, the communique amounts to nothing more than a face saving for Putnland’s first son.

cumar iyo CabdiwaliNotwithstanding traditional niceties exchanged between the PM and his kin, Mr. Sharmarke also painfully learned the limits to his own political clout in the very region he hails from.

The timing of the PM’s visit was not strategic; it was not the right time for Villa Somalia to vainly dispatch its main, and perhaps most “potent” ammunition to cool off matters between Puntland and Villa Somalia at this juncture, especially when the political environment in the two capitals was obviously contaminated.

Puntland challenged the PM with regards to the establishment of GalMudg. First, it questioned the legality of the formation of GalMudug in that it is “unconstitutional for 1.5 states to form” its own federal entity. This, according to sources close to Puntland, is a gross violation of the federal constitution. On his part, the PM failed to mount any counter argument to this challenge except to tell Gaas and the community at large that Puntland’s borders are “untouchable.”

Second, Puntland is more apprehensive about the coming of a Dumal-Jadid controlled administration in its doorsteps. This may be suggesting that a more moderate leadership in Cadaado would have found a more palatable ground to and a better reception by Garowe. In the final analysis, though, both issues made Sharmarke’s visit inopportune and therefore rendered the PM’s long stay in Puntland inconsequential.

Equally important is that Sharmarke’s futile visit took place only days after the Parliament of that region condemned and then severed its relationship with Mogadishu, this time with gusto and with the full backing of its residents. The political environment was contaminated enough so much so that the long running legitimacy of the Sharmarke political dynasty failed to be translated into a political capital.

Sharmarke did not get what he travelled for. He failed to get “recognition” from Jubbaland and Puntland for GalMudug. As much as he failed, he quickly took a three-hundred-sixty degree turn around and confirmed the “territorial integrity of Puntland,” thereby undermining the new administration in Cadaado. By so doing he became less credible in both Garowe and Mogadishu. Worse, his use of such a  phrase ias the sanctity of Puntland’s “territorial integrity” was not measured well, only because such a phrase is used when referring to neighboring countries.

Neither did Sharmarke won support for the illegal commissions unilaterally established by his administration. (Some of the members populating these commissions don’t believe in the federalist constitution). He also failed to convince Gaas and Madobe to attend the Mogadishu consultation/planning conference slated to take place on July 29, 2015, thus throwing off balance the expected 2016 elections. As this piece goes to the press, the President is in Kismayo seeking a change of heart with Madobe, whose gullibility is proverbial.

A Wounded PM

abdiwali _ Kenya
Abdiwali leavng for Kenya

Symbolism means much to politics. In a well-choreographed stunt show, Sharmarke was verbally and symbolically ambushed lest he was shown his irrelevance to the political affairs of Puntland.

One can’t underestimate the symbolism of President Gaas waiving his hands from his privately rented jet, purposely wearing a big smile and publicly announcing his departure for Nairobi, while Sharmarke was most often idle, shaking hands with tribal chiefs, or at best visiting families and historical relics, some of them belonging to his immediate family.

Gaas obstinately trashed the Prime Minister and his Villa Somalia cohort. For example, Gaas uncharacteristically used harsh words against Villa Somali in Sharmark’s presence. Noted examples were phrases such as “Villa Somalia scribbling on the constitution,” or “We created federalism,” and the likes.

A subdued Sharmarke could not do much to place a check on Gaas’s newly acquired acerbic tongue. Sharmarke stood there emotionless despite all the itching and irritations such diplomatic gymnastics by his counterpart had caused for his boss whose dreams for a second term is steadily slipping out of his grip.

Cumar_PuntlandTo make matters worse, the PM’s visit came at the wake of a renewed debate on the delimitation of the Somali Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with Kenya. Rightly or otherwise, the ghost of Somalia’s EEZ will always haunt Sharrmarke. By now, most Somalis believe that Sharmarke as a prime Minister in 2009 had authorized the infamous Memorandum of Understanding – MOU -) which created the prerequisite for the current legal dispute where Kenya’s claim over Somali waters has received a new life of its own.

By the time Sharmarke concluded his ten-day visit, both Gaas and Hassan Sheikh moved on to more of their respective (pressing) presidential duties. More painful for the PM is that both Garowe and Villa Somalia equally but quickly erased from their memories the nuance of the visit. Hassan Sheikh on his part flew to Caaado to participate in the coronation of that state’s president right after Shamarke arrived at Villa Somalia and forfeited any briefing on the matter. Few days after, he took matter into his own hands and flew to Kismayo to twist the more gullible Modobe.

From this visit, the PM had absorbed enough dose of realty on the ground that Puntland has one boss, a Vice President, a thriving legislative chamber, and a populace so acutely aware of contemporary issues. The combined weight of these institutions in essence paled the capacity of the PM to peddle what Garowe thinks Villa Somalia’s venal scrawling on the constitution.

In short, Sharmarke has shown neither the ability to convince Puntland on Villa Somalia’s agenda nor possesses a persuasive stamina to make a case for Villa Somalia’s position on Cadaado. What else his office can do in the remainder of his tenure remains to be seen.

Faisal Roble
WardheerNews contributor
Email: [email protected]
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Faisal Roble is a writer, political analyst and a former Editor-in-Chief of WardheerNews, mainly interested in the Horn of Africa region. He is currently the Principle Planner for the City of Los Angeles in charge of Master Planning, Economic Development and Project Implementation Division.


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