By: Ali Omar Ghedi (Ali Garabey) –

The Consultative Conference that was organized by the U.N., and held in Mogadishu on 4-6 September, the bulk of Somali people couldn’t absorb as they couldn’t take seriously the Kampala Accord. The idea of the CM wasn’t own by the Somali government or its people’ but it’s imported from external world and labeled to theTFG. The reality is that the Consultative Conference was customized by the UN and some donors; in another word, it wasn’t inclusive. Many stakeholders like Somaliland, the mini –state administrations, Alshabab, the civil society and women’s organizations have been excluded completely from it.

According to some members of the Parliament, the United Nation is trying to correct the old error with another one linked to it. What is clear in this entire process is that UN can’t attain what it has neglected or didn’t want, for the last twenty years. Whatever might be the reasons, the step took by the US and UN was a wrong move, politically and militarily.

In 1991-92 UNOSOM could disarm the clan militia. It was easy and convenient, since the Somali people feared the U.S army and at the same time appreciated.

In December 4, 1992, President George W. Bush, said: “To the people of Somalia…we come to your Country for one reason only; to enable the starving people to be fed.”

The UN and the international community missed the opportunities to make Somalia stable and better place to live, because they lost in between delivering food and establishing a government for Somalia.

That was the first chance the world misplaced; wasting millions of dollars on human resources and military hardware just to protect food supplies and delivery. The second occasion that UNOSOM lost is that it couldn’t recognize the aid distribution may well go simultaneously along with the disarmament of the militia, but that option wasn’t tried.

The third mistake was when United State backed up a group of warlord who called themselves Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT).

Those warlords were paid millions of dollars, just to avoid the advancement and popularity of Islamic Court Union (ICU) that produced peace and stability in a large part of the Somali regions. Not only that, but also they opened the sea port and the international airport of Mogadishu.

Currently, after 14 conferences, Somalia is still a failed state and UN/donors orchestrated another conference which was held in Mogadishu 4-6 September 2011. The UN and donors maintain that that the
Consultative Meeting is owned by Somalis; but some expert in Somalia’s issue and intellectuals turn down that; they believe it’s owned only by the donors and United Nations. According to some politicians, this kind of Roadmap would not have been successful though the next meeting was scheduled to be held in Garowe on 19 October 2011, apparently a wasting time and resources.

Here is what Dr.: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University in Chicago said:” A possible insufficiency of resources (the escape hatch from the plan for the Somali players) is not the only reason that the Roadmap is likely to lead nowhere. It is conceivable that “Somalia” will have a constitution by August 2012, but it strains belief that it will have broad legitimacy. Indeed, the entire transitional exercise borders on fantasy, given “Somalia’s” extreme political fragmentation and many-sided conflicts.

According to some elders, Somalia is in search for independence; first from itself (Al Shabab, piracy, political conflict, corruption) and then from international interference. One of elders named Abdullahi said:” We have to take the experience from Somaliland and use it, I mean from the Borama conference. It’s known that Somaliland got on its feet without any resources from the world community, let alone the international recognition.

The indigenous reconciliation and peace process of Somaliland continue Abdullahi “can be applied to Southern Somalia. It has to be organized a conference of elders: Sulan, Garad, Imam, Malaaq and call them to get involved in peace process like Somaliland did at Borama conference. It was a gifted move and that’s what Somaliland saved from disintegration and displacement of its society. Today comparing to Southern Somalia, North is safe and it’s better place to breathe”.

The elders can solve the internal dispute and settle difference between the clans. They use “Xeer” which is a customary law based on Sharia. In the discussion must be included some respected authorities like religious scholars and sheikhs, and they must be present as long as they know the xeers (customary laws) between one clan and another.

Abdullahi concluded his long explanation that the TFG, “should held the upcoming conference in Somaliland and not in Garowe.I don’t mean that Somaliland must join the conference, we have to respect its sovereignty, but we have to request the people of Somaliland to host (Our Conference), because they got the experience of solving clan dispute better than we do and they have proved clearly. If we lean on donors and UN, Somalia will be under political and economical subjugation, thanks to the Kampala Accord.”

Ali Omar Ghedi (Ali Garabey) is a member of the Diaspora and Member of the Transitional Federal Parliament
He can be reached at Email: alighedi@yahoo.ca