Soon after they ascended to power and gained the support of the public, the UIC hastened to provoke the TFG and its supreme backer, the Ethiopian government. It was a fatal error in judgment that we forewarned the UIC to avoid.
Our call—and that of thousands of peace-loving Somalis, was turned down by the UIC.
Now, the TFG is on a fast track to provoke the Somali people with its blatant refusal to engage in a genuine political settlement with its real adversaries on a neutral ground. Instead, the TFG is turning to old tricks that hardly work: Imposing draconian measures, severely muzzling the media and worst of all, retaliating with vengeance.
Insofar as the harsh and punitive firepower used and/or approved by the TFG kill innocent people everyday, they also kill the prospects of hope in
If nothing, the UIC proved that you don’t need to have foreign troops to pacify lawless
The minimum responsibility of a government is to be able to protect its citizens. The TFG has so far been doing exactly the opposite. The TFG’s mantra for a “reconciliation conference among tribes inside
In that backdrop, the Hiiraan Online Editorial Board can only offer few timely recommendations, as we did with the UIC at their peak:
1. The TFG should open direct, unconditional peace talks with the UIC on a neutral ground. The UIC was at least talking to the TFG when the latter was holed up in Baidoa. The short term goal of the talks should focus on quelling the violence in
2. The TFG should ask Ethiopians to withdraw their forces precipitously. Their presence is the perfect ingredient for more violence.
3. Any peacekeeping mission should be one that’s not hostile to either party; a number of neutral countries have expressed interest in helping with the pacification, pending diplomatic settlement.
4. Together to two should quickly move to establish an independent elections committee that sets the ground work for elections in 2009. This is particularly important cognizant that the mandate of the TFG is expiring in two years.
If the TFG deviates from those somber recommendations, the reasonable upshot of that is going to be clearly self-incineration. The TFG’s success hinges largely on its willingness to talk to its opponents.