The much hipped Somalia International Conference in Istanbul, Turkey on May 22nd 2010 is a much awaited event both locally and internationally. Indeed, I am one of the admirers of H.E. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, United Nations Somalia Envoy. He is an honest statesman. And wants Somalia succeed as a nation. No doubt. However, his enemy has been only one. His own institution. The United Nations organizations in Nairobi, UNDP and WFP who ransacked several billion dollars of Somalia’s international pledges. And his own inner clerical incompetent staff who undermine his credibility.

Recently, an organization has been examining  how the distribution of funds go for Somalia. 65% is spent as “in-house” expenses by United Nations and other  expatriates in Nairobi. About 40% is siphoned by parasitic Somali businesses that handle the corruption for the white folks as instrumental cover-ups . Only 5% barely gets to the mouth of a few hungry Somalis. Most goes for Al-Shabab and Hizbi-Islam, the power. To the much dismay of many Somali professionals, those the WFP and the UNDP is now scouting those same Somali corruption handlers to represent them in the Istanbul conference. These are illiterate Somali millionaires playing businessmen whose only knowledge is how best to steal international aid on behalf of the expatriates. Sharing the resources with these masters of deception, lords of poverty.

Having checked the list of the approved Somali businesses for participation of the conference, it was discovered that 90% of these are the very same Somali businessmen who robbed the Somali people. Who stole WFPs food and who stole millions in UNDP funds for fake schools, hospitals and prisons that are all constructed sub-standard and most never completed or were fake paper white elephants. The Istanbul fiasco is simply a shadow game by UNDP and WFP.

It is adding insult to injury to organize a Somali conference that is to entertain these robbers. And present them as Somali businessmen. The re are only 3 legitimate businessmen that are in the list. The rest 67+ are non but the Nairobi club. Somalia’s WFP , UNDP and other international organizations shadow henchmen and women as well as a few who are coming from Kampala and are the new men and women who are racking millions from the fake schemes of the so called  Somali military training in Uganda. Another wasted Somali fiasco that needs investigation on the corruption of the Somali military trainings in Uganda that never did any good for Somalia as most of the soldiers joined Al-Shabab, who wisely took advantage of the Uganda training fake schemes. Indeed, an international organization is now investigating how more than 35% of the trainees to Uganda and Djibouti were indeed from Al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam. These two organizations are believe to have paid about 150$ as bribe to sneak their trainees into the program. Money that they recovered right back by having the Somali businessmen and women involved in the contracts of feeding the soldiers in Uganda!

And now, new details are emerging that indeed, the UNPOS’s clerical staff handling the Istanbul conference are demanding bribes from any Somali businessman who wants to be invited into the Istanbul conference. There is some possible claim that most businesses paid between $2000-5000 to be “invited” to participate this conference, even though they are paying themselves for all their travel costs. This is well over what the many real small businessmen who employ people on the ground inside Somalia can afford.  Indeed, most of the genuine Somali businesses inside Somalia who wanted participate were told they are “threat to conference” because they work inside Somalia and that means they must be in bed with Al-Shabab!. So how will this conference, whose sole purpose is to encourage investment and business inside Somalia justify this type of discrimination where genuine Somali businesses from inside Somalia were denied participation and visas to Turkey? There is evidence that more than 16 high profile international businesses who wanted to participate the conference were rejected by junior UNPOS staff, mostly Somalis and native Kenyans who demanded kickbacks. Indeed, with my own eyes, I saw admirable papers by high caliber Somalis  that UNPOS clerks rejected. These are all exceptionally brilliant ideas prepared for the conference but were rejected by the UNPOS clerks.

In order to make this conference a success the UNPOS needs to disclose the names of all those Somalis businesses that were approved for the conference and those that were denied. And filter out any business that was tainted by the WFP scandal, UNDP scandal and others who robbed Somalia. If any good from this conference, any Somali businesses implicated in the WFP and UNDP scandals should be arrested in Istanbul and face the wrath of our European tax payers laws and cough-up the millions they stole from the Somali people. The Turkish Embassy in Nairobi needs to be aware of the visa sales business of the TFG in this scheme also. Every Somali is awaiting the great Somali artist, Amin Aamir, to share his depiction of this Istanbul fiasco! 

Girma Gizaw
E-Mail:girma.gizaw@gmail.com