Osman Jama & Mohamed Sharif Mohamud
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Somalia in the last twenty years has suffered enormously, in terms of collapse of law and order, natural and human-made calamities, displacements of its citizens, the rise of piracy and the spread of insurgence movements and seditious militias, that wreaked havoc not only to the survival of the nation, but also dampened the morale of the people and their sense of national pride. Foreign sponsored formulas for solving the crisis ended up in failure, because they deliberately ignored the main aspirations of the Somali people in respect for their national sovereignty, territorial integrity and its right to self determination.
In this year things got out of hand, when the worst famine and drought experienced by the world since the last 60 years hit hard Somalia and threatened the lives of 750,000 Somalis.
This human tragedy alarmed the human conscience of the world and international solidarity was demonstrated superbly by the influx of the international aid agencies and especially those of the specialised agencies of the United Nations, though huge obstacles were on the way due to the harassment and obstructionism of the “Alshabab” resurgent movement.
But, the response of Turkey was unique and unparalleled, as it was full of symbolism. It was a demonstration of solidarity with the people of Somalia in their hour of distress in the most magnificent form and an endeavour to draw the attention of the international community to her plight and in defiance to all notions about Somalia as a pariah state. So Turkey, represented by her first and foremost statesman the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyib Endogen, accompanied by his wife and children and a big delegation of ministers, parliamentarians and bureaucrats landed in Mogadishu on Aug.19 to show compassion with the people of Somalia and that they are not alone and that Turkey is on their side in their hour of need, in a gesture never attempted by anyone in the last twenty years, amid a very tense security situation. The Somali people appreciate this act of bravery and nobility wholeheartedly. That is why thousands of new-born boys after the visit were given the name of Erdogan and the new born girls Istanbul. His example inspired so many across the region, and delegations of high level from the region flowed to Mogadishu, such as the visit of his royal highness of Saudi Arabia Alwalid Bin Talal and the Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Akbar Wilayati.
Prime Minister of Turkey, was the only head of government who stood on the rostrum of the last General Assembly of the United Nations in October, to outline the drama that is suffered by the Somalis for the last twenty years and the plight of the famine that hit the country and appealed to their sense of humanity and values of civilisation to live up to their responsibilities.
Those two feats alone are sufficient to imprint the memory of Erdogan in the minds of the Somalis forever, but the leader of Turkey would not stop there. He used his prestige and influence among the members of the organisation of Islamic cooperation, a regional group that incorporates fourty countries, to hold a meeting in Istanbul on August 17 at the ministerial level, where he succeeded in persuading them to allocate the amount of half a billion dollars for relieving the famine in Somalia. This achievement reveals the moral authority and leadership role played by Turkey as a regional power in the Middle East, Horn of Africa and across the Moslem countries.
Furthermore, the Turkish people in a spirit of solidarity, had generously collected donations worth approximately $280 in support of the international effort to sustain the country overcome this disaster.
Turkey is supporting Somalia to achieve peace and stability. The road to that goal passes through the establishment of government institutions, economic development, advancing human development by promoting health, education and transportation. In contrast, to aid given by other countries, which is confined only to military assistance designed to combat insurgency, the Turkish initiative covers a wide-range of objectives, including nation building, economic infrastructure and a commitment to stabilise the capital and to restore tranquillity in it. Most of the projects promised are already under way. Vice-prime minister of Turkey, this week was on official visit to Mogadishu to inaugurate the expansion of the airport of Mogadishu and other projects. Other projects of strategic importance pledged by Turkey are the contribution in agricultural and livestock development, construction of wells which are vital to eradication of drought and famine as well as building and renovating government and parliament edifices. These projects are the lifeline for empowering the Somali government to stand on its feet and to satisfy the basic needs of its people.
Other projects of equal importance which will particularly benefit the city of Mogadishu are the construction of a 400 bed hospital, the pavement of road between Mogadishu airport and the city centre, the provision of garbage trucks for the streets of Mogadishu and the building of a waste-disposal facility to burn the garbage.
Erdogan noted that Somalia is abandoned by the international community, and this does not serve the cause of peace and stability, thus in his article of 12 October, published in the Turkish magazine “Foreign Policy” in which he underlined his perception of how Turkey will contribute towards the rehabilitation of Somalia and the obligation of International community vis-a-vis this crisis, he appealed to the United Nations to move the U.N agencies involved in serving Somalia, located actually in Nairobi, to be transferred to Mogadishu. Such act is a sign of confidence in the country. This is the right call on behalf of the Somali people at the right time, because there is no security problem in Mogadishu, since the insurgents have been eliminated from the capital, and to prove the point, Turkey opened its embassy, and a big Turkish Community made up of experts and technicians are living peacefully in Mogadishu.
Turkey has done for Somalis no other country can rival, has offered moral support, humanitarian and developmental assistance in quality and quantity, no one can match. This deed has overwhelmed the Somalis, inside the republic and in the Diaspora. It gave them a sense of hope and confidence in the future and a faith that we can overcome all challenges. That is why we are grateful to Turkey.
Osman Jama
Chairman of the Somali Imitative for Dialogue and Democracy
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia
Mohamed Sharif Mohamud
Vice Chairman and former Ambassador of Somalia and Arab League