Ahmedou Ould Abdallah: Neutral Broker or Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's "Roaming Ambassador"

By Sophia Tesfamariam, USA Jul 26, 2009, 07:17 I read the 21 July 2009 Washington Post article written by Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, the UN Special Envoy for Somalia and I can't say that I am surprised. He has long compromised his credibility, integrity and neutrality by presenting himself as the Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's apologist and cheerleader. The UN Envoy is hell bent on shoving the illegitimate TNG down the throats of the Somali people and is today threatening to withhold international support if they don't accept the UN installed government for Somalia. Ould Abdallah wants the Somali people to accept a foreign decision was not enhanced through an all inclusive dialogue, but one imposed through threats and pressure. Ould Abdallah in his recent Washington Post article warned Somalis opposed to the Transitional National Government of Somalia that was established in Djibouti, under UN auspices, with the "moderate" Sheikh Sharif Ahmed at the helm. Writing about the conflict in Somalia between the TNG militia and those that oppose its rule, Ould Abdallah wrote: ".This is not a classic civil war but an externally funded attempt to overthrow a legitimate, recognized government. President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected by a parliament specially expanded to include opposition members who wanted to be involved in the U.N.-brokered peace process. Ahmed, who ran Mogadishu in 2006 under the Islamic Courts Union, has attended the U.N. Security Council as well as summits of the African Union and League of Arab States." The TNG lacks legitimacy and if there is any external funding and attempt, it is the funding and attempt by the US led international community to establish a government for the Somali people in violation of their sovereign rights to choose their own leaders. N matter how he wants to spin it and present it to the international community, the only foreign forces in Somalia that are aggravating the situation in that country is the presence of Ethiopian forces and others invited by Sheikh Sharif to "prop up" the TNG. The hastily put together UN brokered peace process was fundamentally flawed. Expanding the "parliament" to accommodate "opposition members" does not mean that the Somali people were represented there. What about those that did not want to attend the Djibouti talks? Does the acceptance of the Djibouti invitation and attendance of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and a few chosen individuals mean that the people of Somalia were adequately represented? Were those present chosen by the people of Somalia to represent them? Were Somalis who reside in Somaliland, Puntland, Kismayo etc. etc. also represented, if the answer is no, why not, if the answer is yes, by whom? Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, the TNG was established externally and the people of Somalia have rejected it, not just because it was formed outside Somalia, but rather because it is unable to govern Somalia without being "propped up" by external forces, such as AMISOM and other mercenary entities. The TNG's legitimacy is not just a question of not being popularly elected, but rather it is about its inability to meet the basic needs, such as food, security and health care for the people of Somalia. To achieve legitimacy requires the rule of law and the provision of infrastructure, justice, security, healthcare, education and other services that make populations better off than they would be without government.. As for attending the UN Security Council, African Union and League of Arab States summits, that is all well and good, but that still does not make him legitimate in the eyes of the Somali people. As the UN Envoy for Somalia, Ould Abdallah needs to maintain his neutrality, impartiality and integrity if he wants the entire Somali people to accept him as an honest broker. In this article and in previous Press Conferences, he sounds more like Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's " roaming ambassador" or spokesperson, than a man seeking to reconcile Somalis. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah has to stop insulting the intelligence of the Somali people and stop telling them what they can and cannot have. He should also stop telling them to settle for less than what they deserve and what is rightfully theirs. For instance, in a 29 May 2009 in a Press conference, Ould Abdallah admitting the weakness of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's government said: ".it had as strong a claim to legitimacy as most African Governments." How condescending! Is he is insinuating that the Somali people have to accept the externally imposed government, or governments such as the ones in Ethiopia and Kenya and else where in Africa, where the people's votes have been stolen, are ruling their people against their will? The sacrifice paid by the Somali people entitles them to much better..not less. Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah wrote in the Washington Post article said that: ".those who attacked Mogadishu in May are extremists with no common agenda except to seize power by force. They include individuals on the U.N. Security Council's list of al-Qaida and Taliban members and a few hundred experienced fighters from other areas of Africa, as well as Arabs and Asians. While the world focuses elsewhere, groups of foreign extremists are trying to take control of a strategically placed country." First of all, regurgitating accusations made by Sheikh Sharif and his handlers serves no purpose. The "foreign fighters" line is a deceptive tired old scare tactic and the UN envoy need not resort to fear mongering to garner the international community's support for the people of Somalia. Second, the persons and groups placed on the US State Department's list are not necessarily on the UN list; Ould Abdallah ought to check his facts before writing such defamatory pieces about Somalis who are defending Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yes, Somalia is a strategically placed country and those seeking to control the Horn of Africa have set their eyes on it, including the world powers. Somalia is not neighboring two "regional powers" as Ould Abdallah puts it, it is in fact neighboring two corrupt failed States who have taken advantage of the chaos in Somalia to advance their own interests there. Somalia's strategic location and ports are desired by landlocked Ethiopia and those who have maritime interests in the strategic Horn region. As for Kenya, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah should know, he was party to, and brokered, the recent illegal maritime agreement signed by Kenya and the TNG in Somalia. This a violation of the UN Charter As for providing for the Somali people, the US-led international community has a duty to support the Somali people and alleviate their suffering as it is a result of the UN and US-backed Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia. The reconstruction and rehabilitation of Somalia, its pulverized villages and farms, destroyed infrastructures including schools, clinics, hospitals etc. etc and the welfare of over 2 million Somalis who have been displaced from their homes is the responsibility of the United Nations. Ould Abdallah wrote: ".Their opponents keep changing their "justifications" for the continued violence. For example, one group had maintained that its sole objective was to force Ethiopian troops out of Somalia. Those troops left early this year, yet these Somalis are still killing their own people, creating a renewed cycle of suffering, displacement and violence." Obviously, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has not filled him in on the latest decision by the TNG to allow Ethiopia to remain in Somalia. It should be recalled that when residents in a Somalia border town with Ethiopia recently said they saw Ethiopian troops there, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said that authorities had discussed the matter "and they have agreed that Ethiopian troops will remain inside their [Somalia's] border." So, there is no change in the "justifications"-the presence of Ethiopian, AMISOM and other mercenary forces on Somali soil remain the casus belli for the conflict in Somalia. The UN Special Envoy for Somalia should seek to reconcile all differing groups and not fuel the conflicts amongst them. He ought to be representing the people of Somalia and not Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and his handlers. He can begin by enforcing international law and the UN Charter and calling for the unconditional removal of all foreign forces, including Ethiopia and AMISOM, from sovereign Somali territories.