The sour and sweet in somalia

The country has been at war for the last 27 long years but positive statistics from there would put many African countries to shame. The Writer reveals some facts that make the country surely a paradox. Somalia has been at war with its self since January 1982 when fighters belonging to the Somali National Movement (SNM) attacked, the then armed forces of Somalia under dictator, Gen. Mohammed Siad Barre, from bases in Ethiopia. Formed in 1981 in Rome, the SNM was predominantly made of Somalis from the Isaaq Clan in Northern Somalia. The rebellion caused the deaths of 40.000 people. In 1989 the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) was formed by mainly ethnic Ogadeni military Officers such as General Mohammed Said Hersi aka “General Morgan”, General Colonel Bashir Bililiqo and Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess. The SPM rebels operated in southern Somalia. In 1981 the Democratic Front for the Salvation of Somalia (DFSS), later renamed the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), was formed in Aden Yemen by majorly Majerteen and Darood Clansmen. In 1988 the governments of Somalia and Ethiopia made a rapprochement and consequently the Ethiopian government started closing SSDF camps, seizing weapons and arresting its leaders including then Col. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who would later become president of Somalia. They were based in the North East of Somalia.In February 1989, the Hawiye Clan, particularly the Murasade and Abgal Sub-clans started the United Somali Congress (USC) operating in central Somalia. Led by Gen.Muhammed Qanyare, Ali Mahid Mohamed from the Abgaal clan and Mohamed Farrah Aidid from the Habar Gidir clan; a former General during the Ogaden war with Ethiopia, intelligence Chief and Diplomat to India under the regime of Barre, the Congress caused much of the suffering in Central initially and later other parts of Somalia. In 1989 the Somali Democratic Movement (SDM) was formed by the Rahawayn Clan and operated around the city of Baidoa. By the regime of Gen. Siad Barre fell on the 26th January, 1991 different factions controlled different parts of Somalia and more factions appeared thereafter. During the early 1993 Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia there were more than 15 different factions which were themselves factions of factions. The SNM declared independent the region they controlled and renamed it Somaliland. Gen. Siad Barre tried to retake Mogadishu with the support of remnants of the defeated Somali National Army, his Marehan and allied Clans but was defeated twice by Gen. Aidid before fleeing into exile where he died. The USC was split into two factions that fought fiercely for control of Mogadishu with Aidid Habar Gadir faction renamed USC- Somali National Alliance tussling it against Ali Mahdi Mahammad’s Abgaal clan and later Aidid’s former financial backer Ali Hassan Osman Atto. The SSDF mainly made up of Harti and Tanade clans declared the area under their control independent in 1998 and called it Puntland in reference to the ancient kingdom of Punt. The Rahanwayn Resistance Army (RRA) declared the area under their control autonomous State of Southwestern Somalia. The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) a ragtag bands of Somalis commanded, funded and financially supported by Arab and other foreign “Jihadists” managed to build increasingly stronger fighting capabilities and by 2006 they captured Mogadishu sending the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) then the internationally recognized authority in Somalia into disarray. Apart from the inter-Clan rivalry, drought, floods, only 2% of Somalia’s land area of 637 540 km is arable. With no central government for a period of 18 years many Somalis depend on international aid. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. But misery is not all there is in Somalia and the statistics show. With no Central Government, private Schools have risen from 600 before the civil war to 1,172 schools today, with an increase of 28% in primary school enrollment over the last 3 years. The small industrial sector based on the processing of agricultural products, accounts for 10% of the Country’s GDP. In 2006 Puntland followed Somaliland and offered free access to primary School education. More than eight Universities are functioning in Somalia and three of them are ranked among the best 100 in Africa. It is estimated that as much as $1 billion USD is annually remitted to Somalia by Somalis in the Diaspora. Mogadishu alone has two private TV stations, with private radio stations or newspapers in almost all of the major towns. Internet usage in Somalia increased 44,900% from 2000 to 2007, registering the highest growth rate in Africa. Somali IT companies currently serve more than 500 000 thousand Internet users. The country has 22 established ISP’s and 234 cyber cafes with a growth of 15.6% per year. Somalia has one of the best telecommunications systems in Africa: several companies such as Golis Telecom Group, Hormuud Telecom, Somafone, Nationlink, Netco, Telecom and Somali Telecom Group provide service, including international long distance, for about $10 USD a month.Like the Title to the 1998 novel by Somali writer Nurrudin Farah “Sweet and Sour Milk” Somalia has some of the most sour and most sweet news. Will the African Union do something about the suffering people of Somalia in accordance with its Anthem Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together, as goes its chorus O sons and daughters of Africa, flesh of the sun and flesh of the sky, Let us make Africa the tree of life. Email: Ekaba2002@yahoo.com