Somali -Halting The Divide: President Mahmoud's tours deliver nothing of value

By Warsan Cismaan Saalax Jan. 03, 2013

It took Somalia almost four months from today to get a full government. Mr Mahmoud, the president who took office on Septemper 10, 2012 has become “preoccupied”, so much so that the new cabinet has education and health as sub departments of Social Services and not as independent ministries required to deal with a country that is yet to emerge from twenty two years of chaos.  When he first assumed office, Mr. Mahmoud, claimed that he was unable to attend a UN meeting in New York, because according to him, he did not have, neither the means nor the intention to leave his country at this critical juncture.  But he soon found both the resources and the causes required to act energetically and swiftly.  While a government had to wait, he went on nine consecutive foreign trips in four months.  Not that the country needed to come to a halt any further than it has been, but to lobby against the formation of Jubaland Federal State of Somalia that is backed by neighbouring Kenya, for the lifting of the arm embargo against Somalia on the pretext of the war on terror, and most recently to recover frozen Somali funds in foreign banks. 

Jubabland is significant change to the status quo in the South of the country.  It is home to a large number of the “Darood” clan, who were subject to clan cleansing(1) during the early part of the Somali civil war.  The area was invaded few times by different warlords and recently by al-shabaab fighters due to its strategic importance.  It has been the hub for the charcoal trade which funded both the southern warlords and the militant extremists alike.  During the Islamists rule, Mogadisho, currently being represented by president Mohamoud, was not so preoccupied with Jubaland; if anything it slowed down the liberation of these areas.  Kismayo, the capital of Jubaland, forms an economical loss to both Mogadisho warlords and the Islamists.  After the fall of Kismayo, 23 million dollars’ worth of charcoal was held in Kismayo port, prompting Mr Mahmoud to send a private plane packed with warlords and their media mouthpieces in a circus like attempt to cover up the economics of the war in south Somalia.  At the heart of this however was the recovery of the charcoal money.Continued