Colonel Yusuf and his Ultimatum: What makes him Tick off?.

(Harowo News).
December 8, 2007

Colonel Yusuf and His Ultimatums: What Makes Him Tick Off?

As you may aware of it, Colonel bloody and the ailing warlord-trans-president of Somalia has spoken. He recently issued a chilling new ultimatum and empty threats against any one who dare to question and raise a finger about his endless murderous venture in Somalia including the world bodies, NGOs, civil society and anyone or entity he perceives of undermining his aspiration of dictatorial power quest.

With his usual stoic-faced, robotic-like stiff posturing and surrounded by an ever watchful eyes of the Tigrian security apparatus, on top of the Hottentots of ragtag squads from hometown, he blasted before a bunch of cowardly subordinate warlords and failed politicians of the so-called tfg’s civil servant in a dusty warehouse of Baidoa city.

As expected, the staccato comments punctuated by occasional shrill and dire warnings were typically bereft of logic, oratory, substance, statesmanship and cohesion while still lased with bitterness, banality, dooms-mongering and contempt. So what is noteworthy about it you may wonder? After all, a leopard never sheds its spots and so is the notoriety of the warlord’s clannish supremacy and hate-mongering nature: his moves, mindset, and treasonous actions are as much predictable as nauseating.

It is not uncommon for the colonel to make off-the-cuff and degrading comments against his adversaries, perceived or or otherwise. Such incidents often take place in those therapeutic sessions/excursions where he is conveying to enthusiastic Puntlander crowds. He often boasts how is going to teach a lasting lesson to the uncivilized Hawiye mobs and how those unruly and renegade northerners will soon be dealt with accordingly , thereby resurrecting eventually Majertenia’s past hegemonic glories. To prove the point, he often cites the successes of rewarding a prime diplomatic posts or ministerial portfolios to his illiterate remnants and orphanages of the former SSDF affiliates and so on.

Nonetheless, couple of things are worth mentioning about his latest rumblings likewise:

1. The timing of event with respect to the deteriorating situation of the South

2. The length of the vent and the amount of expletives spewed, which many people suspect as having something to do with some serious setbacks of his life-long ambitions to rule Somalia

3. His fading cognitive thought due to his age and health related factors

4. The choice of the venue/place (Baidoa) and type of audience.

Lately, the alpha-warlord has felt threatened from all fronts at once for non other than blunders and mess of his own makings. Let us see few obvious plausible explanation behind the recent distress signals.

First, the so-called counter-offence military strategy, which mainly conducted by Ethiopian invaders against a popular uprising is becoming ineffective and toothless by the passing day. More destruction and carnage aren’t producing any desired results. Not even close. Pulverizing a countless of neighbourhoods, rampant abduction, and targeted assassinations showed little impact so far. As matter of fact, they have exasperated the situation further causing more death and misery on the civilian. In turn, the said earth-scorching policy has generated unprecedented outrage from human rights watch-dog groups around the globe while alienating every conscionable Somali mind. Also, more Abyssinians invading militia are losing their lives in vain and thus prompting extensive low morale and fear among its rank and file.

Second, the extent of suffering from the illegal occupation becomes so obscene that many international actors and co-sponsors of the Somalia’s current terror are now become so embarrassed and started having second thought about the whole misadventure. Some of them are fielding questions and explanation to the warlord clique and its ruthless main regional backers of the alleged widespread human rights abuses. Especially, an impending cut-off or stringent financial hand-outs seems inconceivable nightmare for survival of the TFG outfit at this juncture.

Third, the token "president" found himself lurking in the farthest spot that one could imagine in reaching his life-time goal and wild dream– living in the dilapidated and bullet-riddled of the old Villa Somalia — since he was forcefully parachuted with Ethiopian tank last December. It all started with an ignomous cockfight with the Pinocchio, former PM in the midst of the nationalistic resistance waves. As a legendry assassin and clannish avenger, lord Yusuf immediately sensed imminent danger from the locals after the dispute became public and packed for Baidoa. Rumour has it that a salivating but nonetheless pigeonholed native thug known as warlord Mohamed Habeb, a kin of the dumped PM, was the prime suspect behind the panic flight. It must have been terrifying decision both at personal level and ambition wise for the “president.”

Fourth, the street-smart of Ethiopian PM, Melez Zenawi, and the main co-sponsor of the current genocidal scheme in Somalia is anxious about some positive spin for the world audience for his own sake, and not so because of that he cares bit about the lives of Abyssinian ragtag draftee Gabares ( bare-footed-peasants) dying like flies in Somalia let alone to have genuine empathy in relation with future of Somali stability. Any purported notion of sympathy from him seems to rank minimal concern among his priorities if not laughable stuff, to say least.

The self-styled autocrat now leads a nation of more 70 millions impoverished and previously misruled masses for a century which has become synonymous with periodic starvation scenes and ethnic strife. As a result, international donor and do-gooders pour in millions of dollars of the so-called phantom aid each year in the country just to avert or mitigate these known and perennial man-made disasters. This funds hardly reache to its intended target and most h of it diverted into military hardware and/or ends in the pockets of the ruling elites. It isn’t surprising then if the handler (Mr. Zenawi) presses now on for warlord Yusuf to show some window dressings in the name of elusive victory and progress of the Somalia’s mission for diplomatic consumption per se and hereby protect Ethiopia’s own credibility and financial interest which are at stake. Here again, as he could offer none, Col. seems to be caught between rock and hard place.

Fifth, another unexpected blow stems from the failing situation of the Puntland enclave, where Yusuf heavily relies on for moral support and militia recruitment of the conflict as well. His support base were wrecked by endemic corruption and ineptitude for years so much so that any one who can afford has his own money ( false} printing machine and papers at home .Why bother with any rule when you could make the magic stuff with your god-given hands and become instant rich? Also, lawlessness and gun violence are as rampant as ever in the region. But above all, the known lucrative business of human trafficking still thrives with unprecedented pace.

Here is also where the strange irony comes in: We heard how some Somali communituies shed crocodile tears about the alleged hand-overs of ONLF affliates to the neighboring country by the SL admn’t. I personally abhor such deviant, draconian policy and all its forms, if it is true. But still, it appears to me as if selective memory at play here — Puntland administration has been doing worse. Since Abdullahi Yusuf’s rule back in the 1990s, Marjertenia has been selling Ogadens and others to Ehiopian regime while feeding many more to hungry sharks in the Red Sea in exchange for few buckcs without red flags raised .Where is the outrage? Where is the supposed intra-community solidarity bond? Perhaps my former compatriot of Faisal A. Roble from Jijiga ( Kilil 5) and other associates of the quasi-slanted Editorial board of Wardheernews & com. ( I’m no way demeanig its diverse opinions controbuters ) may shed some light on the mystry. It is about time to get real the issue and stop smear campaing against Gadabursi, Issaqs et.al.as if they held unified tribal prisma on everything under the sun.

Lastly, as if these weren’t enough, SL regime, along with disfranchised natives, has evicted last month Punland’s militia out of Las’anod city and other parts of Sool region with little effort. Las’anod incident was one more nail on the coffin as the prospect of virtual collapse of the ‘presendent’s" support base seems not far-fetched notion, according to some keen observers.

Add all of the above-mentioned failure or disappointments to the nearing expiration date of the so-called tfg mandate (though may suspect that he will give up peacefully) and then one can imagine the real sense of panic and desperation of the current situation and that what makes him tick off.

So, one episode of humiliation after another and one more blunder after another, the “president” felt overwhelmed, cornered and powerless. He fears loosing the grip on the whole thing. Nothing seems working as anticipated and no one seems coming fast enough in his rescue either. Thus, he resorted to whatever his raw emotions tells him by issuing clownish threat to the sworn enemy of all directions, real or imagined, which he suspects of spoiling and undermining so nefariously his efforts of despotic thirst. Does any conoschible Somali person care about his latest distress and Parthian shots? I doubt it.

PS: As I wrap up the note, I heard that the ailing warlord presiden is gravely Ill.The relavant question now is then will Somalia better off without him ? Only time will tell, but I believe Somalia will not miss him anyway and history will judge him very harshly.
Mohamed A. Awale

Email: Moe-awale@hotamil.com