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****** Somalia: Not Only Sovereignty But Also Political Process Needs to Be
Free From Interference ******
30 July 2009
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editorial
Asmara — The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has recently
made remarks in regard to Somalia and the situation unfolding there on July
23rd. The remarks of the Secretary General seem to further complicate matters
instead of finding solutions.
In his address, the Secretary General pointed out that the legitimate and
'popular government' of Somalia is facing internal opposition and is on the
verge of collapse. He appealed to the international community, especially to
IGAD to extend a helping hand to the 'Somali government'; win the hearts and
minds of the Somali people; to eventually weaken and crush the opposition.
Does the Secretary General have tangible and reliable ground information of
what goes in Somalia? Perhaps, he should have raised questions such as the
following before making such a statement.
- What does the United Nations mean by 'legitimate government'? Who elected it
and who does it represent, and under whose authorization has it become
legitimate?
- Does the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon have any legitimacy to decide on
the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political freedom and unity of the
Somali people?
- Does the United Nations afford its recognition to the governments of
Somaliland, Puntland and Kismayo as legitimate governments or regions of
greater Somalia, and with what legal means?
- If the United Nations affords its recognition to Kosovo and its citizens as
freedom fighters and thereby extends its acknowledgment to a state that has
never been its member how then does it fail to recognize freedom fighters that
are fighting for their country, which is a member of the United Nations? How
does the United Nations label them as 'terrorists' and 'fundamentalists'? Don't
the fighters have the right to protect their territorial integrity according to
Article 58 of the Charter of the United Nations?
- Why are the Somali people deprived of their right to make their own choices
in regards to the stability and the political process of their own country?
- Who will take responsibility of the heinous crimes that are being committed
in Somalia? Who will take responsibility for the displaced 1.8 million Somalis
and to what the Human Rights Envoy for the United Nations, John Holmes
reference to the crisis in Somalia as the 'worst humanitarian catastrophe in
the world'?
- Why hasn't the United Nations defended a member state when
its territorial integrity was compromised with the Ethiopian invasion?
- How was it possible for Ethiopia, a poor country which is dependent on relief
aid, to finance its invasion of Somalia?
- How is IGAD, the non-aligned intergovernmental association,
which has supported the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia from the
outset, expected to extend a helping hand?
- What has happened to the 17,000 strong force that the International Community
has trained and armed for the 'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf.
- Who pays the salaries of the members of 'parliament' of the so called
TFG in Somalia, a country which is commonly referred to
as a 'failed' state by many?
- What has happened to the 500 million USD of aid money donated to the
'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf?
- Furthermore, why is the International Community attempting
to impose a 'government' of its choice upon the Somali people?
Would they have accepted one themselves? Is the International
Community fully aware of the fact that Somalia is not only demanding freedom
from invasion, but also in its political process?
Article 1.1 of the Charter of the United Nations clearly stipulates that the
purpose of the UN is to maintain international peace and security and to take
effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to that
end. It further underlines the ready involvement of the UN in controlling acts
of aggression or any other breaches of peace. But is the UN working along that
same line in its member state Somalia? This is the question that should be
addressed by the International Community, including by the United Nations
Secretary General.
Copyright © 2009 Shabait.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica
Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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