By Abdi Dagal Faahiye
Is this the new reality in Mogadishu after the FSG leaders successfully expelled the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Mr.Haysom? Or is the celebration in Villa Somalia premature?
The UN statement that confirmed Mr. Haysom departure, the Secretary-General expressed his intense regrets for FGS decision to declare the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), Nicholas Haysom, persona non grata, but respected the FGS decision for the sake of ensuring that the needs of the Somali people are at the forefront of the work of the United Nations in Somalia.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in this highly diplomatic statement also stated that the doctrine of persona non grata, is not applicable to UN personnel as the UN is not a state and that its personnel are not accredited to Somalia but rather work under the sole responsibility of the Secretary-General.
Reading this statement should make you very uncomfortable, but only if you have any sense of responsibility or familiar with diplomacy or diplomatic communications. Instead, Villa Somalia and their so-called advisers who receive their monthly salary from the UN and donor countries, are openly and on social media, celebrating the departure of the SRSG and the mortar attack at the UN compound that injured three UN staff. Please see my previous at WardheerNews on .
How is this scenario possible, in which, Guterres is the one prioritizing the interest of the Somali people, that Haysom is the one valuing Somali lives by asking questions about the Baidoa killings and not the Somali leaders living lavish lifestyle in Villa Somalia?
Unfortunately, the International Community is just waking up on Villa Somalia’s disregard for human rights, freedom of speech and assembly but this was an accumulative process. The regime in Mogadishu did not come into existence overnight. For the past 14 months or so, members of the opposition, MP’s, the Speakers, the Federal Member States, the Traditional Elders and the judicial branch were asking for intervention or change of course and any journalist who tried to cover the irrational quest by the President and the Prime Minister for full control and powers outside the constitutions and contradictory to international laws, were silenced. Now the FGS leaders have full control of all three branches and the FMS, it seems that the next obstacle that Villa Somalia wants to remove or silence, are the UN and the International Non-Governmental Organizations.
Members of the parliament are now relegated to spectators and dispensed their duties to the UN, by asking the UN to investigate the killings in Baidoa. The parliament committees are utterly aware of the fact that they can be dismantled anytime without prior notice or legal process, as happened to the financial committee two weeks ago, after they raised questions about the millions of dollars that somehow got lost in budget transfers. For self-preservation purposes, the MPs rolled up like armadillos for the time being.
The UN, and the donors in particular, will have to demark their position with regard to the human rights violations that is committed with resources they made available to the regime in Mogadishu. When, not if, the legal process commences, the countries who facilitated these crimes, regardless of whether they did this bilaterally or through the UN, will have to accept their share of the responsibility in court of law. The UK, Germany and the EU should not be silenced that easily. The concerns that caused the suspension remain. These concerns cannot evaporate because of the SRSG departure.
One is wrong to assume that the FGS leaders will see the Baidoa killings and the ousting of the SRSG as an opportunity to reflect, to identify where things went wrong and to draw lessons. Instead they are in celebratory mood as they consider the installing of their presidential candidate in South Waste State and the SRSG expelling a victory.
Maybe one can find solace in the fact that the uncorroborated wave of nationalism the regime is riding will rather sooner than later, subside. It is impossible to maintain the usage of the nationalism card, while people vividly remember how the regime, illegally and shamelessly handed over a decorated Somali war hero to the foreign army he fought and currently is using foreign troops outside the AMISOM mandate for killing and abducting Somalis and to determine the outcome of the election in Baidoa.
In an attempt to preempt future human right violations cases at courts outside Somalia, the leaders in Villa Somalia instructed the de facto president of South West State, who they forcefully imposed to the people of South West, to appoint a committee to investigate what they called the ‘riots in Baidoa’. Framing the investigation in this manner and dealing it as though what happened in Baidoa is riot after a soccer match, is a big insult to the victims who died so Villa Somalia can have one of their own as a president in South West. The so-called investigation is an excellent example of self-dealing by the Federal Government and the de facto president of South West State, where the perpetrators are investigating their crimes.
In a statement issued by the Security Council expressed regret at Somalia’s decision to expel a U.N. envoy and noted “expectation of full cooperation between Somalia and the United Nations.” It is to be seen if the Somali leadership understands that killing unarmed civilians is an international crime and change course. Please read- Security Council statement.
Abdi Dagal Faahiye
Independent Researcher/Consultant
Email: [email protected]
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