Somalia: New year speech of Somalia’s Wagosha leader

Assalamu Aleikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

We all thank God for allowing us to be here again in this new year of 2013, in a time that we recall what we have achieved last year. On behalf of the Wagosha clan of Jubba land in Southern Somalia, I am greeting you and congratulating you on the new year of 2013, bearing in mind that our country has a long way to go to end the prolonged civil war. A lot have been achieved last year nationally, like the creation of the new Somali government after 22 year of civil war and chaos in our beloved country. I would like to congratulate President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, his Prime Minister Abdi Shirdon Farah, the entire cabinet, and the parliamentarians for their tireless efforts to help the country out of the current mess.
After that our country faces many challenges, politically, economically and security wise. All these challenges can be dealt with the unity of Somali people, leaving behind their differences and holding sincere talks, with the participation of genuine representatives of the concerned groups.
Somalia and International community
It has been a very crucial victory for Somalia to reappear in the international stage as a formal and official government legally elected by Somali people. The President has shown his mature manner in dealing with the international community, specially the regional neighboring countries. I believe all his visits abroad since coming to power were important to the country and to the people of Somalia.
The international community on their side, despite carrying the burden of helping a country, that is beginning everything from the scratch, yet they are expected to recognize and respect the sovereignty of our country, which is a full member of the UN.
Somalia is part of a wider problem that exists in the Horn of Africa and the international community needs to get more effective at conflict prevention, better coordination by the international community as a whole. Some may think that the issue of Somalia is the hardest ever in this world, but always the approach of the international community was not well evaluated or not well coordinated, because of listening views of one side and ignoring the others.
Social Services
Somalia has been without a strong central government since 1991, and its not going to be an easy task to fulfill everything in one day. We know the country needs services like education, health, security and other important things.
We must expect many disappointments, and many unpleasant surprises, but we may be sure that the task which we have freely accepted is one not beyond the compass and the strength of the Somali people, who showed bravery and generosity during the 22 years of ordeal and endless fighting.
Early in 1992, After his visit to Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, the British Foreign Affairs Secretary had to say these words, given the extent of the destruction our country is facing until today
“One million people have died in those 20 years, out of an average population of nine million. More people are dependent on food aid – literally kept from starvation – than the entire population of Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool put together. If you are born in Somalia today you can hope to live to the age of 48, roughly the same average life expectancy of people in Britain in 1880. Large areas of the country are controlled by extremists and militants. Most people live without access to justice and human rights, and Somalia has become a haven for the some of the worst criminality and terrorism in the world. Piracy has flourished and innocent British holidaymakers have been seized in neighboring countries and surrounding waters, including Kenya and the Seychelles”.

I believe that we must expect many disappointments, and many unpleasant surprises, but we may be sure that the task which we have freely accepted is one not beyond the compass and the strength of the Somali people, who showed bravery and generosity during the 22 years of ordeal and endless fighting in their country.

Regional states, Jubbaland crisis
According to the constitution, Somalia has to adopt a new political system based on federal states within the Somali Republic. To my understanding in some cases few people have misunderstood the kind of federal system the constitution calls. For example for the case of Jubbaland, people from Ethiopian region of Zone Five and others from Kenya’s North Eastern Province have gathered in Kismayo to set upo a regional administration based on clan. Its obvious that these people are violating the country’s constitution, because they are officially foreigners who are meddling Somalia’s internal affairs.
Ahmed Madobe, Mohamed Abdi Gandi, Kenya’s state minister for defense Mohamed Yusuf Haji, his son Nuradin, and other Somali Kenyan politicians have made up a clan project supported by other warlords from Puntland to invade Jubbaland and exterminate the real inhabitants of the region. As President Hassan Sheikh of Somalia earlier said that all conflicts in Jubbaland were created by outsiders, this project is not different from previous wars that destroyed the lives and the property of Jubbaland indigenous people.
The aim of the Ogadeni clan mongers is to take over by forces the entire Jubbaland area, while Puntland warlords have revenge motives against Marehan and also a repeat conspiracy of massacring other communities in the region, including the Wagosha majority.
Kenyan government is being used to pursue clan interests, while the international community funded the Nairobi military operations in a bid to eliminate Al Shabab militants. With the instructions of Kenyan Ogadeni officials, Kenya Defence Forces helped only Ogadenis to capture Kismayo, deliberately neglecting Marehan clan militants in Gedo region. Its clear that the Marehan militants are under Kenyan military sanction, because there is fear that if they move ahed and liberate all areas in Gedo region, they will also come to Kismayo, something that will annoy the Kenyan Ogadeni politicians and the entire Ogadeni clan.
In this case there is no any genuine operation against Al –Shabab in southern Somalia, and instead there is one clan being helped by a foreign country against other clans in the region.
Opposing to the stand of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Jubbaland crisis, which is to adopt a bottom up approach of reconciliation, Kenyan Ogadeni politicians launched an operation to deport Somalis from Nairobi, and this operation caused looting of Somali property and other damages.
The Wagosha clan has been calling for genuine reconciliation and talks, but that does not seem possible at the moment, because of the obstacles set up by the invaders from Ethiopia’s Zone Five Region and those from Kenya’s North East Province and Puntland.
We managed to hold talks with many Somali clans, who fully understood our case, and in support of Wagosha people to have the absolute rights of their land, prominent Hawiye clan elder Mohamed Hassan Had accused foreigners from Ethiopia and Kenya’s North East Province of being obstacle to the peace of Jubbaland. http://rajonews.com/2013/01/02/dhagayso-nabadoon-xaad-kismaayo-wax-qasaya-dad-ka-yimid-kilinka-shanaad-iyo-nfd/
 
Self defence call to Wagosha people
In 1991, when the Wagosha clan faced the worst genocide ever in the Somali history, carried out by an alliance of Darod clans, the Wagosha clan organized themselves in different forms. More than twenty years now these efforts have resulted public awareness among the Wagosha wherever they are, and everyone is ready toi die for his land. The world listened to the lies of the criminals, and even helped in creating false history against our people with the aim of destroying completely our future and our rights.
Thanks to the situation on the ground that facilitated our people to arm themselves with only one and genuine reason of self defence and liberation.
We will not only fight to save our people, but to save the Horn of Africa Region and the world.Region and the world.
As the former British premier Churchill said during the world war two.“This is no war of domination or imperial aggrandizement or material gain; no war to shut any country out of its sunlight and means of progress. It is a war, viewed in its inherent quality, to establish, on impregnable rocks, the rights of the individual, and it is a war to establish and revive the stature of man. We are sure that these liberties will be in hands which will not abuse them, which will use them for no class or party interests, which will cherish and guard them, and we look forward to the day, surely and confidently we look forward to the day, when our liberties and rights will be restored to us, and when we shall be able to share them with the peoples to whom such blessings are unknown”. (Winston Churchill).
We know that the invaders considers themselves as heroes of or born to be fighters, but I tell my people no aggressor has the right to be respected at all.
Stalin the Soviet leader during the war said “Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon’s army was considered invincible, but it was beaten successively by the armies of Russia, England and Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm’s German army in the period of the First Imperialist War was also considered invincible, but it was beaten several times by Russian and Anglo-French troops, and was finally smashed by the Anglo-French forces.”
In every war, the enemy uses tactics like dividing people or wooing them with money and other valueless materials, so we have to bear in mind to wage a ruthless fight against all dis-organizers, deserters, panic-mongers, rumor-mongers, spies, enemy followers and anyone who is undermining the blessed and the legitimate struggle of the Wagosha people.
In this kind of struggle we should not forget to adopt all forms of combating the enemy, lime fomenting guerrilla warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone, all sorts of communications.

For the complete destruction of the invaders!
Death to the invaders!
Long live our glorious Motherland, her liberty and her independence!
Under the banner of Liberation or death
Victory  To Wagosha!

Engineer Yarow Sharif Aden
Leader of Wagosha people