A Winter of Discontent for Somalia's Beleaguered President - By Hassan M.
Abukar
Posted on
<
http://africanarguments.org/2014/02/18/a-winter-of-discontent-for-somalias-
beleaguered-president-by-hassan-m-abukar/> February 20, 2014
Mark Twain one said, "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as
you please." When news of his demise spread like wildfire, Twain astutely
remarked, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Last week, Somali President Hassan S. Mohamoud had his Mark Twain moment.
When Turkey sent a special plane to take Mohamoud to Istanbul, the Somali
Government spokesman told the mass media the president was having a medical
check-up. Several Somali websites reported that the president was suffering
from a stress-related condition and he had been placed in intensive care;
others even floated the bizarre idea that he had actually died.
After several days of silence, President Mohamoud gave a five-minute
interview to Radio Mogadishu. He was furious he had been reported dead or
was in intensive care. He contradicted his spokesman and stated he had come
to Turkey to visit his wife and children. And yes, he'd had a medical
check-up and the results were great.
A simple question about his health that required a simple answer morphed
into a tirade against his rivals that lasted several minutes. "These rumors
and innuendos are the work of the enemies of the Somali people," he warned.
"In fact, these gossip-mongers are supporters of Al-Shabaab." To emphasize
his fitness, the president asserted, "I am 100% healthy," six times in five
minutes. Repetition of the word "healthy" was accompanied by a dire threat
to his enemies. "I ordered the Prime Minister and the Minister of National
Security to investigate the people behind these false reports," he added.
For the president, this has been a winter of discontent.
First, the West has all but abandoned his government. Last year, his
government was heralded as the best option for ending Somalia's two decades
of chaos and anarchy. Western donors met in Brussels and pledged $2.5
billion to help the country rebuild itself from the ashes of ruin. British
Prime Minister David Cameron convened an international conference in London
to help Mohamoud and his government. Mohamoud also got a warm welcome in
Washington, Rome, Tokyo, and other capitals.
Last July, the Somali government suffered a setback when the United Nations
Monitoring Group for Somalia and Eritrea accused it of systemic corruption.
The report concluded that 80% of aid given to the regime was missing, and
the Somali Central Bank had become a "slush fund," for the country's
officials. The bank's governor was forced out and replaced by Yusur Abrar, a
former Citigroup vice president. Then, the shocker came when Abrar herself
resigned from her post after only seven weeks in office. She accused top
government officials of graft and of pressuring her to open an account in
Dubai so that funds from the Gulf States could be funneled through it
instead of being deposited in the central bank. It was embarrassing for the
government that Abrar submitted her resignation in the UAE where she felt
safer after assassination threats against her in Mogadishu. Her resignation
was so damaging to Mohamoud's reputation that Western donors withheld all
aid to Somalia. Mogadishu has yet to receive a penny from the $2.5 billion
pledged by these Western donors.
Second, Turkey, the only government that had been transparently providing
cash aid ($4.5 million a month) directly to the Somali Government cut its
aid in late December, 2013. When a Turkish official was asked if aid would
be resumed, he said, "We have no such plans at this stage. It is not our
agenda." Fortunately for Mohamoud, his government is still getting millions
of dollars from Qatar and other Gulf States, monies whose size and frequency
have never been revealed.
Third, Al-Shabaab has intensified its bombings in Mogadishu, especially of
the presidential compound. These terror acts are unprecedented in their
ferocity and frequency. The lack of safety in the capital is a manifestation
of the regime's inability to reign in the terror group. Recently, James
Clapper, the American Director of National Intelligence, accused Mohamoud of
being weak and for heading a regime marred by chronic political infighting.
To add insult to injury, a confidential report by the UN Monitoring Group
for Somalia and Eritrea, that was leaked to Reuters this month, accused the
Somali government of diversion of arms to Al-Shabaab. "A key adviser to the
president, from his Abgaal sub-clan, has been involved in planning weapons
deliveries to Al-Shabaab leader Yusuf Isse Kabatukade who is also Abgaal,"
the report stated. These were weapons the government purchased as part of
the partial lifting of the UN arms embargo last year.
This is not the first time Mohamoud has been accused of having ties with
Al-Shabaab. Last August, in an interview with a Somali channel, former prime
minister and current parliamentarian Ali Khalif Galeyr accused Mohamoud of
being in cahoots with Al-Shabaab. According to Galeyr, PM David Cameron of
Britain had withdrawn an invitation to Mohamoud to attend the G-8 summit
when the ties between Somali officials and Al-Shabaab leaders were
uncovered.
The reports of Mohamoud's ill health are indeed exaggerated. However, what
is not in doubt is his growing isolation from the international community,
especially Western donors and Turkey, a country that has been a stalwart
supporter of Mogadishu. Mohamoud might claim to be as fit as a fiddle, but
his government today is ailing with endemic problems of corruption, lack of
financial resources, serious security matters, and poor leadership.
Hassan M. Abukar is a political analyst and can be reached at
<mailto:abukar60_at_yahoo.com> abukar60_at_yahoo.com .
Received on Thu Feb 20 2014 - 17:02:12 EST