An Appeal to Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your resounding victory as prime ministry for Somalia.

In this article, I wish to share with you some insight on the key issues that may enhance your performance and shape the future of your politics in Somalia as a newly appointed PM.

In the opinion of many media analysts, your twenty year sojourn in North America renders your capacity for Somalia leadership in doubt. However, I believe this freshness also sets you apart as a fresh player with an opportunity to play an out of the box charismatic and pragmatic leader.

Your academic qualification and work experience is an added advantage which may inspire hope, energy and peace for the Somalia people. All the same only time will best judge the relevance and value of your curriculum vitae to the bleeding people of Somalia. But I want to draw your attention to this significant piece of advice.

A Failed State:

The country that you’ve taken an oath to lead is, by the international standards considered, a failed state. It is the most dilapidated, ungovernable and hopeless country in the face of the world map today

As you are already aware, the responsibility and duty that you’ve accepted is most challenging. It is set in the most complex political theatre of violent human conflict and suffering.

Mr. PM, as you settle on that political seat, with all the armed security personnel around you, remember that in the twenty (20) years of your absence Mogadishu has been a theatre of death and blood. Today, the statistics on human slaughter stands shockingly at between fifty 50 to one hundred 100 human kills per day.

In the foreseeable future, The Al-Shabaab will not stop shelling their targets from the densely populated areas like Bakaro Market while on the other side of AMISOM will sustain their disproportionate military response. And, sadly, the innocent civilians’ remains caught in the bloody middle.

Past Failures and Present Challenges:

Mr. Farmajo, Somalia has a shameful record of previous PM failures. Your predecessors, Mr. Omar Abdirishi Shar’marke, Ali Gedi and Nur Cadde have miserably failed to stop the death and misery. These leaders roamed around the world capitals and spent time in conferences, seminars and all, but neglected fundamentals to seeding peace in Somalia.

No leader, PM or President, worth the title will sit pretty in extremism of right-wing or left-wing debate despite the wailing and smell of his peoples’ blood all around him. This is why I appeal to you not to fail and become statistics of former PMs. Somalia is facing a humanitarian catastrophe of hunger and disease. Some 3.8 Somalis require food emergencies (one-third to one-half of the total population), and, approximately, 1.6 million are internally Displaced People (IDPs). A quarter of the population you want to lead is living in makeshift camps, while half of the same population is destitute refugees in neighboring countries.

Bottom-line and Appeal:

The government under your watch is being trusted as the turning point in the Somalia conflict. Initiate action to minimize death and physical destruction of Somalia. Think and act out of the box. Start with a reconciliatory thought, voice and action. Pursue the slightest opportunities for dialogue and negotiation with opponents and insurgencies. This attempt is tricky, elusive and guarantees no success but to a wise leader, these are oldest known keys to peace.

Equally bear in mind , peoples’ priority is not the national constitution, not advocacy for human rights, not even good governance, not justice and democracy but rather one thing: STOP THE BLOODLETTING and bring the Diaspora population back home to safety and development.The moment you will start saving one life at a time, believe me, Mr. PM, you’ll start recording success for your government.

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Abdihakim Aynte is the moderator of Somali Forum for Progress, a think-tank initiative based in Finland and Kenya. He can be reached at: abdihakim.aynte@gmail.com

The opinions contained in this article are solely those of the writer, and it does not represent the editorial opinions of Banadir24 Media