“The US government will only do what Somalians in the US tell them to do”
This is an interesting development. One that will infuriate the nation of Somalia. But Somalia now has its Islamist tentacles deep in our political system. Or at least it thought that it did.
Somaliland, a self-governing region within Somalia, will be much closer to being recognized by the United States as the world’s newest country when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
Support for the region has grown strong among Republican US-Africa policy leaders on Capitol Hill, right-leaning Washington DC think tanks, and likely Africa advisors of Trump’s incoming White House. Many of these people told Semafor Africa they would encourage Trump to recognize Somaliland “even if it wasn’t on Day One.”
Recognizing Somaliland could enable US intelligence to set up long term operations to monitor the movement of weapons in a volatile region as well as keep an eye on Chinese activity. China already has a permanent military base in neighboring Djibouti. It should allow the US to better monitor Houthi activity in Yemen.
While most people think Rep. Ilhan Omar’s big priority was hating Israel and Jews (which she certainly does), it was about empowering Somalia and stopping recognition of Somaliland.
You may remember this Rep. Ilhan Omar rant from earlier this year that laid bare her agendas.
Some of the translated quotes have her asserting Somalia’s supremacy over US foreign policy in response to Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland.
“We as Somalians,” the translation describes, are an “organized society”, “people of one blood”, “brothers and sisters”, “people who know they are Somalians first, Muslims second.”
“The US government will only do what Somalians in the US tell them to do,” the translation states. “They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders.”
“We Somalians must have that confidence in ourselves that we call for the shots in the US… the US is a country where one of your daughters is in congress to represent your interest for as long as I am in the US Congress, Somalia will never be in danger, in waters will not be stolen by Ethiopia… the US would not dare to support anyone against Somalia.”
“Sleep in comfort knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the US system,” she says.
(Omar claimed the speech was mistranslated. I don’t know the language well enough to know, but this wouldn’t be an issue if she actually delivered political speeches in English as if she were an American elected official.)
Here’s another speech, via Alpha News, in which Omar stands smiling while former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Khaire states, according to the translation, that “the interest of Ilhan are not Ilhans, it’s not the interest of Minnesota, nor is it the interest of the American people, the interest of Ilhan is that of the Somalian people and Somalia.”
“The success of Ilhan is the success of Somalia.” He then urges Somalis everywhere on the planet to “support and give money to Ilhan’s campaign”
Looks like that money was wasted. If Trump recognizes Somaliland, Omar’s efforts to maintain the interests of the Somali regime will have failed.
