Somalis Underpin Fozia Yusuf Haji Adan, the Deputy Premier and the Foreign Minister

By Abdirahman M. Dirye

Imagine this: you are trapped in Mogadishu, a ruined ghost capital, the most dangerous zone on earth, your safe sister or brother, Hussien Arab Isse, ex-defense minister who much like Robert Gate of the US deserved to be retained for another four years , for instance, came to your rescue but so called unionists yelled at them out of ethnic hostility and prejudice, and you found out that they were with you in theory but allied with your enem in practice, the same applies to opponents of Ms Fozia. In fact, her envy opponents have very little influence on political realities back home as they chat in distant places.  They are incredibly marginalized to extent where they have no say in who will be their next town mayor like Kismayo; they are simply entertaining the past dreams. They don’t know a Man can be castrated in more than one way. There is no physical presence of such people.

At the least 6 days, before Fozia’s nomination as foreign minister and deputy premier was speculated by the Somali press once she disappeared from Hargiesa. Nomination, however, came as shock to many prejudiced writers including Yabarag and his ilk who wants to harm Somalis in proper Somalia though he belongs to Wardheer village, Ethiopia, and nothing to do with Mogadishu or Hargiesa. The recognition of Somaliland will result in the permanent loss of land by certain clans and people of the same family divided on different territories, bitter reality hardly to accept but that was not what intended to achieve.

Her nomination marks big leap in women’s rights as Somalia’s Taboo Breaker First Woman Foreign Minister  by Bashir Goth’s  analysis  reveals  “History is writing itself…despite the inherent dangers of…, she stated in her inaugural speech, gala affair in Mogadishu. “ If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wisely stated.  Her father, Adan Qabile, educator and co-founder of Somalia’s modern education with Mohamoud Ahmed Ali, Somalia’s Father of Education; her father’s passion to enlighten youth along with her life’s experience and insight inspired her to establish Hargiesa University which benefited  many generations who were not lucky enough to have access to higher education.  She is Benazir Bhutto of Somalia next to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Africa in terms of power.  “there are too few women in the top jobs around the world…,” EU’ Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton stated, so Fozia Yusuf will be the third most powerful figure in the government; she will remake her country much as Ellen from the ground up. And she is very optimistic.

A graduate of Johns Hopkins and American University in Paris; she worked with Somalia’s foreign ministry in various professional capacities as career diplomat. She was diplomat, too, in Berlin, Germany before Somalia’s central government’s collapse.

Immediately, after her return from UK, she involved in Somaliland politics and formed what she called Independent Party alongside the three national parties, but the late president Ibrahim Egal’s administration refused to recognize her newly formed party referring constitutional law. But she insisted to stay the course and unsuccessfully formed again National Democratic Party (NDP), but when her application was unfairly turned down twice, but she soon broke away disenchanted.

Somali women in Abudwaq, a village in Southern Somalia, and many other places including overseas held a big rally in support of her nomination as deputy premier and foreign minister of the country. Having worked as key diplomat in many western countries, she has a reputation for dutifulness and finesse and thus she will change notorious embassies which sell medical and engineering scholarships for illiterate aged woman who wants to aimlessly travel to EU or North America.

Despite the fact Somaliland has peace-building knowledge, the new Somali president recognized her that she can contribute her wide range experiences to the government but her nomination won’t has any impact on Somaliland independence, nonetheless; one thing is quite worrying: Somaliland is losing cream of its people including Fozia and Ismail Buba, Abdilahi Omaar , Hussien Arab Isse to rival country, Somalia. But politically, she is not much different from the governor of Djibouti’s Central Bank who was originally came from Somaliland. If talks between Somaliland and Somalia resumes, Fozia’s role as foreign minister of Somalia will be the most uncomfortable political realities facing the little minister of Somaliland who is ill-equipped and poorly-spirited because she know his cheap argumentative skills in advance.

Many Somalis who lobbied for certain individuals to get good positions in the current government but utterly failed are asking themselves: how did Ms Fosia get the post? Maybe “money” “ethnicity” or “unique skill and experience”, not gender balance as the president can get a woman from Mogadishu or elsewhere, but the latter most people agreed on. The inclusion of Fozia into Somalia’s cabinet minister and the repetition of Somalia’s unity is not compulsory by the new president to create a scenario whereby tribal activist sites in disguise of dead cause of unity hits a  brick wall   is enormous concession and a step in the right direction. But will Somaliland take avail of the opportunity instead of talking about Somalia building its own house? I doubt it. Creating unnecessary tensions between Hargiesa and Mogadishu is huge gift to for those want to keep Somalia at the violence.

Her opponents are basically saying “ Fozia is automatically unqualified for her position by regional association, her home region no matter whether she believes in Somaliland’s right for independence ”  next decades, we should know people born in Nebraska will be ministers , nonetheless;  that cannot be a rational reason to lose her job as General Perves  Musharraf born in Delhi on August 11, 1943 in Delhi and became president of Pakistan, so birthplaces do not affect loyalties. Adan Gabyow, Kenyan-born, was Somalia’s defense minister and finally  his decomposed body was found in Kenyan hotel last but not least, Somalia’s current ambassador to Cairo is from Jigjiga of Ethiopia and he represents Somalia’s mission.

Fozia has being working hard behind the scene to better the lives of Somalis for the sake of God for  so long in and out of the country, and her efforts was somehow appreciated by the new government but this coincided when  she realized Somaliland democracy is about to fail because of multiple bureaucracies from Parties Registration Committee to bypass the National Election Commission (NEC)  and to approve certain individuals’ interest by continuous ad hoc tasks of change-resistant  which only designed to marginalize the functioning institutions in Somaliland , therefore; injustice has compelled her to build her future on her own.

Dirye is Somaliland Activist and Volunteer. mrdirye@gmail.com