Somalis
in the US stand up in Support of Former Vice President
By Abdullahi Ali-Jiir
A huge storm of controversy brews over a lopsided program
aired by ABC’s 20/20, dubbed: The Monster Next Door.
Hundreds of Somalis in the United States watched in
disbelief as the channel aired the program on Friday,
February 19. The program discussed a civil case involving
the Vice President of the last legitimate Somali government,
Mohamed Ali Samatar, and Bashe Yousuf who alleges to
represent the people of Somaliland, a region in northern
Somalia which unilaterally declared independence from
the rest of Somalia .
“It is sad that a channel of that stature could display
that low level of professionalism” said Ahmed Ahmed,
an American citizen of Somali origin and a former member
of the Somali military, who currently lives in Minnesota
. “This was the most unfair and unbalanced coverage
I have watched in recent times” he added.
The program had only interviewed Mr. Yousuf and the
director of the CJA, an organization that represents
Mr. Yousuf in this case. The story alleges that Mohamed
Ali Samatar committed atrocities against the Isaaq clan
that Mr. Yousuf hails from.
“This is an attempt to scapegoat Mr. Samatar and the
allegations are baseless and unfounded” said one Somali
American. “The accusations leveled against Samatar are
unfounded and he is being accused because of his ethnic
origin.” He continued.
Somali-Americans in various locations throughout the
United States agreed on various facts including that
Mr. Samatar was a national leader who never authorized
any form of human rights violations. He is a living
symbol of Somali unity they stated. In 1989, the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights gave a commendation
to Somalia for its handling of the descent of the Isaaq
clan.
Samatar’s government drew its biggest support from
the United States . In the 1970s and 1980s, the United
States provided the highest level of support for any
African nation to the government of Somalia in response
to democratization efforts undertaken by Samatar’s government.
The basis for his prosecution is his membership in
a marginalized Somali tribe. He comes from a tribe that
was historically isolated. On the other hand, Mr. Yousuf
comes from the tribe that initiated the armed conflict
in Somalia and which continues to spread anarchy. It
is worth mentioning that the leader of Al-Shabaab, a
terrorist organization, comes from the same Isaaq tribe
that Mr. Yousuf claims to represent in his allegation.
The current leadership of Somaliland is composed of
high-ranking officials of Samatar’s government. The
President of the self-declared state of Somaliland ,
Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin, was a colonel in the Secret
Service Agency of Somalia. He should be prosecuted first
if working for the government is a crime. In addition,
the Isaaq tribe is responsible for one of the biggest
human rights violations: they wiped out thousands of
refugees from the Ogaden region after the collapse of
the central government in 1991. These refugees were
registered with the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees. No one was ever held responsible.
Mr. Mohamed Ali Samatar is the Chairman of an advisory
committee of former Somali leaders, convened by the
International community to seek solutions for the growing
problems of piracy and terrorism in Somalia . The goal
of the legal proceedings against him is to ensure that
members of the Isaaq clan remain at the helm both in
Somaliland and Al-Shabaab in their respective leadership
positions. This is a case of crying wolf. The perpetrators
of violence are suing the innocent in order to delay
justice and accountability for their actions.
Members of the Somali community in Minnesota held an
event to show their support for General Samantar. Speakers
included Saado Ali, a well-known Somali singer and composer,
who declared Samatar as a hero. Fadumo Hiirad, a former
Somali journalist concurred with Saado. In Columbus
Ohio , the community has sent out a press release in
support of General Samatar. Members of the community
in Ohio will meet on Sunday to add their voice to the
growing disquiet about the case and the coverage of
20/20.
The Somali communities are deeply perturbed by the
actions of this one individual who claims to represent
a secessionist regime within Somalia . The courts should
dismiss this worthless case which was doctored by terrorists,
pirates, and anarchists to sue the leadership of Somalia
in an attempt to continue the state of lawlessness in
Somalia . The community supports Samatar’s attempt to
clear his name and condemns the unbalanced coverage
of the issue by ABC’s 20/20.
Abdullahi Ali-Jiir is a freelance writer on Somali
issues. He can be reached at abdullahialijiir@hotmail.com.
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