Sunday, October 30, 2011
Somali Diaspora Leadership Forum (SDLF)
2740 Minnehaha Ave suite 130 PBB 35
Minneapolis, MN 55406
HE: Ban Ki Moon
United Nations Secretary General
760 United Nations Plaza
New York, 10017, USA
RE: Somalia top Government leaders must to rise up to the occasion
Your Excellency,
The Somali Diaspora are deeply disappointed the endless political dilemma created by the Transitional Federal Government leaders and with the dogmatic authority delegated to them by the international community, which lacks the clear vision. The Somali Diaspora Leadership Forum (SDLF) unquestionably supports sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Somalia nation despite the circumstance that Somalia finds itself currently where defense institutions are very weak to protect neither its borders nor the borders of others. The current statement given by the Somalia President speaking in relation to Kenyan troops crossing the Somalia border questions the joint operation between Kenyan troops and Somalia soldiers that have driven out Al-Shabab fighters from several towns near the border, according to a Somali military commander.
We call upon the Somali leaders in the country and those in the Diaspora to rise up to the occasion, unify their voices for the good of the country and avoid political expediency that doesn’t serve the country or its long suffering people well. Having said that, we understand the security threat that the extremist group Al-Shabab and their affiliates inflicted upon the Somali people and neighboring countries including Kenya. Make no mistake, Al-Shabab is the biggest threat that the entire Horn of Africa face today with their perverted and troubling views. These views are un-Islamic in their core and completely foreign to the Somali way of life.
The Somali Diasporas Leadership Forum also had concern about the preceding position taken by the Somali Prime Minister. We strongly argued the Prime Minister to take a firm stand and support Kenyan military support presence in the areas controlled by Al-Shabab. The SDLF also supports TFG solders trained by the Kenyan Government with the help of AMISOM and IGAD to stabilize areas freed from Al-Shabab and to avoid vacuum as Transitional Federal Charter indicates.
In addition, SDLF strongly supports the political Roadmap of Somalia signed by the President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Speaker of the Parliament on which President Yoweri K. Museveni is the guardian to grantee this political responsibility. This initiative appears by all Somalis as first optimistic initiative taken toward the peace process.
The Roadmap process seems to be ending the current Somali impasse of political mayhem: lack of leadership and political vision, atrocities by the Islamic extremism, international manipulation, and military intervention. The Roadmap also empowers Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI), put pressure onto political stake holders to engage peace process initiatives, and to end transitional period. The international community and the office of UNPOS are, hence, obliged to uphold the ongoing Roadmap initiative and forcefully expel anyone who acts otherwise.
Furthermore, the (SDLF) also offers the warmest congratulation concerning the leadership aptitude has shown hitherto the office of the Prime Minister in short time in observe to the Somali national consultative meeting that was held in Mogadishu in September 4-6, 2011, on which the Prime Minister and UNPOS was the key architect and has end thriven. This consultative meeting has come at a crucial time, a less than a year before the end of the Transitional Federal Government, wherein Somali people are waiting a new leadership and a new direction. With this context, we also acknowledged the peace initiative taken by the UNPOS to reconcile Transitional Federal Government and other Somali stake holders. The strategy of political inclusion has given the Somali people to regain conviction political Roadmap set by the various stake holders.
Finally, we hope that the current potential upraise between the TFG leaders mustn’t validate to breach the Roadmap initiative. We argued international community closely to monitor whether the Kampala Accor and the Roadmap agreements is intact.
We, the Somali Diaspora Leadership Forum, including community members, educators, professionals, community activists, and intellectuals request from the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, and the International Community to:
1. Support the Kampala Accord and the Roadmap with few adjustments, such as downsizing Exclusive Economic Zone references also known EEZ.
2. Support all efforts to destroy Al-Shabab’s aggression by the Somali Government and its allies.
3. Provide ongoing food aid and other support to the victims of the draught and famine
4. Create new initiatives by returning Somali professionals in the Diasporas back to Somalia so that it rebuilds the country from its ashes.
5. Regardless the current unfortunate situation that Somali finds itself today, the international community should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country including the Exclusive Economic Zone of Somalia put into Law in 1972.
6. Assist Diasporas civil society organizations that have shown leadership capacity to attend the ongoing peace process and contribute their expertise of good governance, transparence, and other areas.
7. Support local and regional governments that manifested managed to bring about peace and relative calm to their areas.
Sincerely,
List of Signatures:
1. Tarabi A. Jama
2. Ali Warsame (Abdihabib)
3. Osman Ali Khalaf
4. Ahmed A Muxumud (Hurayra)
5. Dahir Mire Jibriil
6. Qoraa: Mohamed Hassan Ow-Osman
7. Prof. Idris Hasan Mohamed (Lugogod)
8. Prof. Abdiaziz Ali
9. Saleeban Mohamed Cawaale
10. Aadan Ciise Ali (Dhagax)
11. Gooni Abdi (Gawiido)
12. Abas Abdihalim Kenadid
13. Abaas Yusuf Ahmed (Yeey)
14. Abdicasis Ali Farax (Shabeel)
15. Abdi Khaliif Ali (Biligsey)
16. Warsame Hassan (Kaytoon)
17. Abdirisaaq Bihi Matan (Sayruuq)
18. Abdullahi Ali Bare
19. Abdullahi Ali Shire
20. Fadumo Ali Warsame
21. Abdulqadir Dhafuuje
22. Ahmed Adan (Cubayd)
23. Ahmed Mohamed Warsame (Gurbe)
24. Asad Ali Bihi
25. Ciise Mohamud Haji Hassan
26. Daud Tahliil
27. Habiib Abshir Farax
28. Ismahan Mohamed Yusuf
29. Deeqa Warsame Ali
30. Hure Hassan Ali (Dari)
31. Hussen Shiekh Mohamed
32. Ibrahim Cadeysey
33. Fardowsa Ali Warsame
34. Ladan Mohamed Ali
35. Ubax Mahamud Ciise
36. Joomo Farabadane
37. Maryan Khalif Saleebaan
38. Mohamed Ahmed Nur (Jabdhurwaa)
39. Mohamed Jamac Bihi
40. Yasin Yabarag
41. Sheekh Yusuf Omar