[allAfrica.com] Beware, Abdillahi is Coming: the View From Mogadishu The East African (Nairobi) OPINION October 25, 2004 Posted to the web October 27, 2004 By Abdulkadir Khalif Nairobi Clad in a Hamas-type face scarf and wearing a fez cap, a bearded man arrested worshippers' interest when he stood up in the middle of a mosque just after the afternoon prayers. He did not look like a beggar asking for contributions, but like a young man with a message. "What the Americans are doing in Iraq is a genocide," he said, a statement that pulled the crowd to him like bees around a hive. Having ensured that he had his listeners' attention, he turned to the target subject. "Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is an Ethiopian stooge and his coming rule in Somalia must be challenged," he said. He had touched a nerve by broaching the subject in a mosque; the tension between advocates of Islamic Sharia and Col Abdullahi Yusuf's beliefs in non-religious democratic politics are well known. Outside the mosques, in the street too, some people agitating against the colonel's elevation to leadership. At informal debate cells known as Fadhi-Ku- Dirir, some partisans said that Col Abdullahi Yusuf did not care for clan loyalties and wanted to "enslave everybody" and force them to follow his way of thinking. Others averred that he wants supremacy for his clan and will do anything to achieve this goal. He is variously accused of wanting to employ the state machinery to suppress all opponents. They say, getting excited now, that anyone who opposes him will automatically be labelled a terrorist and will end up in Guantanamo-Bay type cells. Still others accuse the colonel of being the first person to have waged an armed struggle against the government of the day in. The new president's enemies are not limited to teashop frequenters in Mogadishu or to those who use mosques as debating forums for all sorts of issues, including governance. In fact, his most relentless foes are found in the self- declared Republic of Somaliland. Indeed, the leaders in the breakaway republic seem to have lapsed into confusion ever since Abdullahi Yusuf appeared as the front-runner in the race for La Villa Somalia (State House) in Mogadishu. The administration of Dahir Riyale Kahin, the president of the breakaway republic, has accused the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of being biased in extending the airtime of its Somali service to give the Somali presidential election special coverage. On the other hand, the colonel is on good terms with Djibouti and Kenya. Indeed, he is said to be the apple of the Ethiopian Prime Minister's eye. This is what upsets Somaliland. Even as Mr Riyale campaigns against Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf's election, what about the men and women hailing from the northwestern regions of Somalia who believe in the clan-based power sharing concept and become MPs in the newly instituted Somali Federal Parliament? It is said that Mr Riyale is so angry with them that they would be well advised not to set foot in their constituencies. The "opposition" in Somalia may not be formidable but it is a force to be reckoned with. It is an indication that Col Abdullahi Yusuf cannot remain complacent and needs to move quickly to follow up on the course of action suggested during his swearing in ceremony on October 14 at Nairobi's Kasarani Stadium. While many dignitaries, mainly from Africa, converged on Nairobi, Kenya to congratulate Col Abdullahi Yusuf, they also carried the message that the road ahead might not be as smooth as he would wish. Still, the new president had every reason to smile when the leaders and top officials assured him of their support, morally and materially. The gentle words of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni indicated regional solidarity. As the current chairman of IGAD, the president was ready to urge the other six countries to welcome the new Somali government into their fold and even pledge material support. Other dignitaries came from around the East African region, from Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen across the Gulf of Aden, to wish sickly Somalia a prompt recovery. They indicated that a fully reintegrated Somalia would benefit the whole region. Even the presidents of equally troubled Burundi and Rwanda jetted in to Nairobi to witness the lighting of the torch of hope for Somalia. Somalis who followed the swearing in via radio, TV and the Internet welcomed the words of optimism uttered by influential heads of states from South Africa to Nigeria. President Olusegun Obosanjo was unambiguous when he categorised the Somali reconciliation conference as a success story of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. Indeed, Africans helping to solve the difficulties of fellow African nations constituted the values and principles of the APRM. Mwai Kibaki, the president of the country that hosted the peace talks that lasted for two years, has had first-hand experience of the Somali people's suffering. His country received and accommodated the largest exodus of Somalis fleeing the armed conflict. "Enough is enough; it is time to rebuild the shattered country," according to Mr. Kibaki. His words were echoed by representatives from major bodies including the UN and the Arab League. News of Somalia getting a new president flashed across the globe, from Kiribati Island in the deep Pacific Ocean to Guatemala in Central America. For many people, it was a welcome break from the ominous news from Iraq, where a fresh assault was being mounted on Fallujah by the US and kidnappings and beheadings continued to spread. If experience is of any significance, it must help shape the future. Thus, one person who volunteered to indicate his bitter experience was Dr Abdiqassim Salat Hassan, the president of the defunct Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia. He lamented that his three-year transitional period ended without making progress, blaming internal and external forces who contributed to his administration's failure. It was a warning signal for the new man from the incumbent. The new Somali president, Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has promised to do all he can to stabilise and reunite the war torn Horn of Africa country. Referring to an old Somali saying "Fulay xantiisa ma mooga (Even a fool knows what others gossip about him)," he stated that he wanted to prove the warmongers wrong. That he is a man who is for peace, contrary to the stereotypical image that he was a war hardened military man, addicted to settling disputes by force. The most immediate danger is if the new government's opponents join hands. Already there are press reports that the Somaliland authority is encouraging clansmen from Mogadishu and surrounding areas to instigate hostile acts in the capital. Pessimists say that Col Abdullahi Yusuf and the rest of his ruling team will end up between devil and deep blue sea. Optimists, however, believe that the group chosen to run the country are not coming home empty handed. The transitional charter endorsed at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, and other guiding documents spell out what is to be done in the coming five years. The president's latest statement, that he is a man of peace, may be tentatively interpreted to mean that while the laws permit him to hold a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other, he is prepared to offer his opponents the carrot first. The colonel may be known as a master of military tactics that can rip apart enemy defences; nevertheless, he and his team must wage not war, but reconciliation. Only a win-win situation can heal the nation's psychological scars and bring lasting peace. Abdulkadir Khalif is the former assistant manager of the Mogadishu Milk Factory.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 The East African. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================