As soon as Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf was elected illegitimately by Ethiopia on October, 10.2004, Ethiopia and its Somali agents have congratulated themselves and for one another. For Ethiopia, it was a lifetime dream comes true. The election of Abdullahi Yusuf was more important than winning a war in battlefields. No doubt Ethiopia have done very well and seriously for its homework, while the rest of Somalis were honestly thinking that everything will be on level playfields. Ethiopia dispersed money, weapons and even committed other mergers, alliances and amalgamations such as marriage with some top current Somali governments. When Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf heard, his election, he paid tribute to Ethiopia and sat under the Ethiopian flag. He requested a 20,000 occupation forces from Ethiopia and other IGAD countries to enslave for the entire Somali citizens, and paid homage unexpectedly to his handlers in the Ethiopian capital Addis-Ababa. These successive ill-judged, rudeness and inflated arrogance decorated with lack of rudimentary political judgment of the current Somali situation have changed everything that has been achieved in the Kenyan capital of Somalia’s reconciliation and the healing process. 

 

   As suspicions and the collaborations between Ethiopia and Abdullahi Yusuf grew rapidly, the ordinary Somali citizens and politicians alike decide to counter the matrimonial conspiracy instigated by the allies of Ethiopia, Abdullahi Yusuf and those who share with his anti-Somalia attitudes and pro-Ethiopian ideologies. The Somali parliamentarians have decided to reject both the fact finding mission’s report, which was funded by Ethiopia and based on the intervention of Ethiopian led forces into Somali territories. Likewise, the ordinary citizens have protested and voiced clearly their views and rejected out of hand any Ethiopian intervention forces into any part of Somali territories.

 Both Ethiopia and Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf, have realized now that their illegitimate and consistory polices have been discovered by the Somalis and the international communities which concern the welfare of the Somalia nation and its sovereignty, and the policies of Ethiopia and Abdullahi Yusuf’s victimization against the Somali nation, which have tired enough and over the Ethiopian aggression and Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf collaboration.

 Both Ethiopia and Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and their companies have now changed the colour and strategies. They decided to use the local international media outlets in order to propagate their illegal and unofficitiated political marriages against the Somali nation and its sovereign territories.

  It has been becoming obvious lately that, the supporters of Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his supporting media outlets and its contributors have revamped and rejuvenated. This is because as many assumes Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf is using any charity money that he received from the Arab World and other international donors in the name of Somalia and its Tsunami affected crises, in order to  improve his media images locally  and enhance his lackluster international standings. Employ those who belief his policies and believe their hard work will bring a family advantage and illegitimate gains. Past nostalgia is what we are witnessing at present. It is particularly worth noting and remarking; the majority of Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf’s admirers are happy about his policies of invading the southern Somalia-particularly Mogadishu and its environs and the relocation of the seat of the power-base of the government and the parliament some other cities other than Mogadishu. There are some individuals who do not appreciate the disintegration of the government led by Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf, and discordant with the action  of the national assembly’s rejection to rubber stamp Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf’s political and policies directions, which they admonish their Warlord leader’s slow down of media utilization. There are others who accuse their Warlord leader’s decline of popularity and increasing abhorrent of his policy as due to his adversaries. Between the lines, there is realignments and literally understanding to be supported and validated by the Warlord –Abdullahi Yusuf’s undying supporters of his pro-Ethiopian stand and unwavering agenda to blame his problems for others. No one can fail to read, heard and observe the foulmouthed action of pro-Ethiopian and Abdullahi Yusuf’s supporters literatures. Such people, do not leave a stone unturned. They do not respect or distinguish the identity of their victim, whether he/she has status, politician, businessmen or an ordinary fold. They just shoot as long as their victims does not hail or belong from them. But if you are stamped or blessed by Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf or do support the wishes of Ethiopia’s occupation of Somalia, this is only way you can be safe from their skirmishes.

This reminds me a decade back, when gentlemen of Abdullahi Yusuf’s clan’s man said publicly “I’m sad because European hosts are treating their Somali refuges equally when they have never been equal in Somalia, historically, politically, educationally, socially or status- particularly he singled out the word (H)” The identity and the status of this gentlemen is still well-known and can be verified. Perhaps his past caught him or he feared that the future may become a level play-off. This also reminds me the Somali proverb which says “ Nina caadadi madaayo Waraabena cunista hil qeeriin madaa”. If we follow the instinct of such people, they want to have and decide everything unchallenged.  They alone desire to own the destiny of the Somalia: the politics of Somalia, the economic of Somalia, the education of Somalia, and the national and international affairs of Somalia. They act as if they alone are Somalis. They speak as if they alone are responsible for the destiny of Somalia and they claim and the whispers the ears of the gullible Somalis and an informed foreigners that they are goods and gracious and the rest of the Somalia are none existence or worthless rotten punches.

 

   In the last FOURTEEN YEARS, there were successive administration and inclusive transnational governments in Somalia, however, all of them were undermined by Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his companies. They undermined with tooth and nail, with collaboration of Ethiopia, their trademark sabotages, until they see themselves on the helmet the nation.  Abdullahi Yusuf and his tribal mindset and baptized followers, wants the cake of the nation and to eat it alone. They are the assassins of the Somalia’s last democratically elected president, they have engineered a military coup against the Somali nation, when the Somali nation was reeling the loss and the defeat of the Warsaw Pact against our infant nation, when  we attempted and successfully liberated the Somalis hostages and their land held illegally by our historical enemy-Ethiopia.

 

   Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his minions are the innovators of insurgencies, national sabotages, enemy informing and finally want now, to transfer the sovereignty of our nation, people, pride and integrity into our heinous Ethiopia. They are doing this, because they do not belief the rest of the nation will trust them with our nation’s destiny, believe them with what they say, the agreements they made without having an enemy to protect them and rely on in their pockets. They now started to wage a cry fool and poisonous with venomous and propaganda trashes against the head of the BBC Somali Section and other innocent reporters (Farxiyo Ali Qajo), who are only executing their daily and professional duties with impartiality, integrity and inclusivity. The only factor, they attack and dislike these people, is because they work professionally and earn their daily meager for themselves and families, and are not idles as Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his coterie wished. These apparent victims have acquired knowledge that at last the world has given recognition. They are not scavenging under Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf’s feet.

 

    The case of honorable Yusuf Garad, the head of the BBC Somali Section, has become the matter of life and death for them. Because they are so envy, covetousness, grudge, hatred and jealous for the status reached by someone who does not belong for their family folk. Yusuf Grad has not been promoted with bribe or personal favoritism by either his clan’s men or the British Foreign Office. He achieved what he is today through his knowledge, courage, hard work and indefatigability. Many times before has been made attempts by Abdullahi Yusuf’s rented enemies to unseat Grad from his demanding position, however, none of these hate policies and day and night relentless propaganda and unsubstantiated baseless and factious hostilities damaged or dislodged him. He is there because, the British Foreign Office which funds the BBC need his work, leadership qualities, which brought the BBC Somali Section unrivaled and untainted prestige among rivals and fragmented Somali listeners.

 

   It is a high time that, the Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his companies, to realize that the world has changed for good and should slow down the temperature, the more you up the ants, you are awakening your previous victims, forgiving masses. The BBC Somali Section is neither belongs to your clan nor any other Somali clans. If you do not know so far, take pen and paper and learn it now: it belongs and funded by the British Foreign Office, in order to monitor the world’s masses’ opinions and attract into its sphere. The BBC Somali Section staff is only doing what they are being told to do everyday. The policy guidelines of the BBC Somali Section do not supposedly intend to benefit for the Somali masses but it is there to promote the interests of the British Foreign Office in Somalia.

 

   The supporters of Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf should not mix facts with fantasies, the BBC Somali Section, does not favour any sect of Somalis or belongs to biologically any Somali region. As far as we know, there are regular reporters in every major region of Somalia. Bosaaso, Hargeysa, Mogadishu and Baidao. All of these individual reporters dispatch any daily events worth reporting. They also belong and report where their clan ethnicity are in major.

 

 The attack on the head of the BBC and his diligent reporters has nothing to do in many people’s views with how the BBC runs its programmes. It is an old age of clan and power issues. Do Abdullah You and his companies sense insecurity or their political and conspiracy mishaps are not working as they envisaged? Since the collapse of the Somalia’s last Republic, any attempt to resuscitate the disintegrated nation was destabilized deliberately by Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his Ethiopian handlers and naïve admirers. As soon as, they saw Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf on the political billboard, they enchant his name and carryout their previous attacks whom they think is his adversaries. In the past their attacks were reserved for certain dignitaries or factional leaders such as Muse Yalaxow, Caato, Qanyare, Abdiqasim and Aways, Indhacade and now Yusuf Grad. What are these Warlord-Abdullahi Yusuf’s victims are in common? They do not share with him a clan identity and political beliefs with him. Unlike Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf, they are not calling for the occupation of our beloved country by our historical enemy of Ethiopia. They are calling political independence, freedom and the Somalia’s intractable crises to be solved through and in Somalis affairs only. Foreign enemies like Ethiopia will never desire to see a stable, sovereign and proud and cohesive Somali nation to revive again.

    

    Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf wants to usurp and dominate the destiny of Somali with dictatorial manner backed military and manpower by Ethiopia. Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf and his companies’ wishes are only to be agents of Ethiopia, which is an only route that can satisfy their undiminishing desire of power, wealth appropriation and marginalization of others. This can be only understood the attack they wage on the God fearing, honest and benevolent-gentleman of our national Speaker, who does not hail from Mogadishu but comes from as far as Baidoa. He deserved to worth the relentless criticism and the curse of Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf’s supporters, because he refused to accept or entertain Warlord Abdullahi Yusuf’s political and military marriage with Ethiopia, which is a recipe for the lost of what left our nations’ sovereignty and the existence of the name of Somali nation.

by: Cumar Kulmiye

email: kulmiye222@yahoo.co.uk

The fledgling government of Somalia does not only have to contend with the well-armed and well-funded warlords of Mogadishu but also has to face another mightier weapon at the disposal of the warlords: that is the regular propaganda support they receive from the BBC Somali Service sadly headed by someone by the name of Yussuf Garaad. For those who do not know it, the name Garaad is a nickname which would normally evoke qualities such as wisdom and fairness. In Yussuf?s case, it is a misnomer. He is simply a warlord collaborator masquerading as a respectable BBC employee. From the time he took over the BBC Somali Section, the service has changed from an icon among the Somali broadcasting stations inside and outside the country to a mediocre service pandering to the personal agenda of the head of the Section

Those who are old enough will no doubt recall with nostalgia those golden old days of the BBC Somali Service. A broadcasting service is of course as good as the quality of its broadcasters and those who manage it. The BBC Somali Service has been very fortunate in the past in both these respects- until unfortunately Mr. Yussuf Garaad came on the scene some years ago. Its first broadcaster, seconded in 1957 from Radio Hargeisa, was the well-known and highly respected Haji Abdi Dualeh, the father of Somali broadcasting. A stream of distinguished announcers came after him: men like Aden Farah, Mohamed Abokor Haji Farah, Mohamed Abshir Yussuf, Mustafa Haji Nur, Ismail Haji Abdi, Hussein Mohamed Bullaleh, Osman Suguleh, Ahmed Ismail Samater, Idris Hassan Deria-just to name a few. It has been headed for many years by the late. C.J Martin who will always be remembered for his deep attachment to Somalia and its people. After his retirement, he was succeeded by Hugh Walker, AbdiRahman Abby
Farah, Patrick Gilks and Mohamoud Abdullahi, all of whom had maintained the highest standards and integrity of the Service that its listeners had came to cherish.

What Yussuf Garad has done to the BBC Somali Service is a mirror image of what his alter egos, the warlords, had done to Mogadishu. Just as the warlords unleashed a systematic and savage ethnic cleansing in Mogadishu soon after the fall of the Siyad Barre government and thereafter turned their guns on one another thereby reducing the once beautiful and historical city of Mogadishu into ashes and ruins to the detriment of future Somali generations if not mankind, so has Mr. Garaad eviscerated, some would say vandalised, the BBC Somali Service soon after his appointment as its Chief Editor. In one swoop, he got rid of more than half of the staff of the service only to replace them with inexperienced novices from his clan. Those victims were highly experienced and popular announcers whose only misfortune was to serve as sacrificial lamps to give place to Yusuf Garad?s nominees

Parallel to his in-house revolution at the Somali Service in London, he also recruited correspondents inside and outside Somalia, most of them from his clan. This brutal restructuring of the Service has given Mr. Yussuf Garaad almost total domination of the service which he now uses in pursuit of his personal whims but above all in support to the warlords. Those who know him close enough would diagnose his tribalism as typical of that mindless strain that would see anyone not from his tribe (Hawiye) as an enemy, and within the Hawiye anyone who is not from his sub-clan (Habar Gidir) as an outsider and in the end anyone who does not belong to his sub-sub clan (Cayr) as no kinsman. This is the worst form of tribalism. It afflicts not only ordinary folks back home in Somalia whose defensive psyche may have been shaped by their security and basic needs in the absence of government. But its carriers also include so-called sophisticated individuals among the Diaspora who peddle in this
primitive evil from their safe distance abroad but in the end ensure that the ordinary people back home are the victims irrespective of their tribe or clan

Those who regularly follow the programmes of the Somali Services can doubtless point to numerous occasions when the Section under Yussuf Garad?s supervision has been flagrantly one-sided and partisan. You only have to compare the different treatments meted to President Abdulqasim Salaad Hassan and President Abullahi Yussuf at the time of their election. In a nutshell, Yussuf Garaad?s BBC Somali Service gave full backing to President Abdulqasim, his cousin. Much as this smacks of nepotism, I would still continue to support such a stand which did not only benefit Abdulqasim but could also have served as the necessary catalyst for the revival and restoration of the Somali State. Has he treated President Abdullahi Yussuf and his government in a similar manner or at least remained impartial?. As it is, the BBC Somali Service has spared no effort to derail the government of Abdullahi Yussuf well before it sets its foot in the country. This is the same objective as that of the warlords and
their backers. Full publicity had been given to the wayward speaker of the national Parliament, to dissident MPs, and above all to the warlords, all of whom are united in their opposition to the deployment of peacekeeping forces from neighbouring countries.

The worst examples of the use of the BBC Somali Service for propaganda purposes are the coverage given to demonstrations organized and orchestrated by the warlords in Mogadishu, Marca and other places. On a number of occasions, the BBC correspondent in Mogadishu, Farxiya Cali, would devote her entire daily dispatch to the BBC to the mantra of well selected individuals almost all saying the same thing as if the whole show has been rehearsed in advance. This should not be surprising as the demonstrators may be the militia of the warlords or their hangers-on. I cannot recall a single individual interviewed who said anything different. This is reminiscent of Siyad Barre?s days when pro-government demonstrators would predictably chant the same slogans with no discordant voice.

How did the BBC come to be used in this sordid manner? That is the one-million dollar question. What is certainly true is that the BBC would have heeded listeners? concerns if they were to mobilise them selves and complain to the top echelons of the organization. This is essential not only to defend the new Somali government from Yussuf Garaad but no less importantly to save our beloved BBC Somali Service from his mischievous machinations. There will come a time in the near future, we hope, when Somalia will have an ambassador in Britain who naturally will look after our interest and ensure that Yussuf Garad is defanged and can no longer visit any harm on Somalia or on the Somali Service. In the meantime, protests through all possible channels, including email messages, would serve an important role. Silence is the worst option.

Mohamoud Oogle UK
Email: mohamoud_oogle@yahoo.co.uk