April,25,2008
Over two hundred
Somali-Americans
gathered in
front of the US
State Department
to express their
outrage about
the blatant war
crimes and human
rights
violations
committed at the
hands of the
Ethiopian forces
in Somalia.
They are equally
outraged by the
State
Department's
misguided
approach which
is creating a
wide spread
anti-Americanism
in the Horn of
Africa.
There is an
utter lack of
integrity and
moral authority
on the part of
the U.S. State
Department
because it
provided
tactical support
the invasion and
the subsequent
occupation of
Somalia and has
remained silent
about the war
crimes and human
rights
violations
committed at the
hands of the
Ethiopian
forces.
Human Rights
Watch and United
Nation confirm
that, in the
past 16 months,
the Ethiopian
troops
repeatedly
shelled civilian
neighborhoods.
In violations of
the
international
laws governing
conflict and
occupation, the
Ethiopian
occupation
forces ignored
United Nation's
warning to cease
the continued
shelling and
deployment of
military forces
to residential
area.
In less than a
year, over
800,000
civilians have
been displaced
from Mogadishu
due to the
random shelling,
killing, and
insecurity in
the city as the
Ethiopian forces
and militias
loyal to the
Transitional
Federal
Government (TFG)
callously
prevented the
delivery of food
aid to the
displaced
civilians.
This forced
exodus has now
resulted in a
grave and
rapidly
deteriorating
humanitarian
disaster.
Former warlord
President
Abdullahi
Yusuf's November
20, 2007 speech
in Baidoa,
Somalia
demonstrated the
President's
animosity
towards the
International
aid agencies.
He accused the
aid
organizations of
helping fund the
rebels by
monetizing food
aid and that the
World food
Program (WFP)
executives in
Nairobi were
stealing the
food aid.
This week, over
80 Somalis are
dead, the leader
of the
nonviolent Sufi
sect (i.e.,
Tabliq) and
several of his
colleagues were
"slaughtered" in
a mosque, and
over 40 children
and students of
a Koranic school
were abducted by
the Ethiopian
forces.
The US State
Department added
insult to
injury. Its
spokesman's
response to such
atrocities was
"We are going to
continue to work
with the
Transitional
Federal
Government, with
the Ethiopians,
with the AU and
others who are
interested in
trying to help
bring peace and
stability to
Somalia and
improve the
situation in
that country and
give the Somali
people a better
future.
" When did the
killing of
religious
leaders in their
house of worship
become “trying
to help bring
peace and
stability to
Somalia …”? This
is the epitome
of Orwellian
newspeak.
The United
States and the
United Nations
must end their
support for the
blatant gross
human rights
violations in
Somalia and
demand
accountability
for these war
crimes so that
any peacekeeping
force would be
seen by the
Somali public as
neutral and
beneficial to
Somalia. The
Ethiopian forces
must withdraw
without
preconditions.
The United
States and
United Nations
must take the
lead in a
multifaceted
humanitarian
assistance to
avert the
disaster in the
making.
Besides food and
potable water,
the availability
of basic health
services and
sanitation
facilities are
very crucial.
Lack of these
facilities is
causing a huge
and preventable
number of deaths
to the
population of
children under
five.
In order for a
lasting peace to
take hold in
Somalia and
restore the
Somali State, a
genuine and
carefully
prepared process
of
reconciliation
and peace
conference must
take place.
Such a
conference must
ensure the full
participation of
all stakeholders
including the
TFG, Islamic
Courts, members
of the Free
Parliament,
civil society
organizations
inside the
country and
those of the
Somali
communities
abroad.
Somali Community
of Greater
Washington D.C
Somalidiaspora@gmail.com
