Ahmedou Ould- Abdalla at the Horn of Africa Conference in Lund Sweden
Photo: Dalmar Gure (HOL)
Friday, June 18, 2010
Perhaps his final appearance at Lund conference in Sweden earlier in June, Amb. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the outgoing United Nation Special Envoy for Somalia, received an unceremonious goodbye from some participants who posed some outlandish questions. The Lund confernce, which merely brings together academics and renowned scholars every year -- mainly from the Diaspora--, dealt a blow to Amb. Ould-Abdallah's exit posture.
A veteran Mauratanian diplomat, Ould-Abdallah was appointed by United National Secretary-General Banki-Moon earlier 2007 to delve into one of the most treacherous political tasks in the world, Somalia, a country beset by internecine civil war, cataclysmic state failure and global jihadist movement.
To many, he was unknown envoy until Djibouti peace process, where he remarkably emerged as the chief architect of the current TFG, after months of political gridlock in Djibouti. Arguably, this role, which ended the brutual Ethiopian invasion and forced the cantankarous Abdullahi Yusuf to resign, brandished his popularity among Somalis.
To his critics, however, he is the broker who threw the country into a complete ditch -- a ditch of mismanagement and pervasive corruption, orchestrated lavish conferences around the world that do little for the destitute people of Somalia, increased radical militant in much of the southern part of the country, did more dividing then uniting, arrogantly refuse to listen people's view.
He was further criticized for the abysmal failure of the TFG and his unequivocal support to president Sharif Ahmed, who, undeniably, spearheads a very fragile government that commends a few block at its disposal, but internationally legitimate. Ould-Abdallah is arguably the most liked and/or disliked special envoy to Somalia.
To his admirers, on the other hand, he is the man who planted the current internationally backed government since the collapse of the central government in 1991, a seed that may yet bear fruitful results, but a commendable attempt he contributed to the Somali will.
Ould-Abdallah's place in Somali history depends on alternate narratives that are hardly to reconcile. Surely, his greatest accomplishment and the one achievement he will be most remembered for in history is his vigorous advocacy for the Somali cause around the globe, from Djibouti to Brussels to Turkey where he relentlessly pursued Somali agenda to many leaders around the world and, more crucially, his intrinsic relationship with Somali politicians, civil societies, Diaspora community, a position that many of his predecessors tragically failed.
If Djibouti accord turned "one day" into a stable and effective institution for Somalia, indeed, that will be a huge plus in his legacy and he will live upon it. Whatever Mr. Ahmadedou-Oulad's virtues are, good or bad, many people would unfortunately remain unappreciative.
As he prepares to leave office after tumultuous three years in office, however, Amb. Ould-Abdallah would definitely depart without any appreciation from the Somalis.
In a nutshell, however, Amb. Ould-Abdallah is truly the unsung hero of Somalia, whatever his shortcomings are. He may have not delivered much of the onerous task he was asked to undertake, but he really introduced and kept Somalia before the international community.