jigjiga ( Cakaaranews ) Saturday jully 2, 2016. During kebri-dahar airport opening ceremony, at Arrival of federal delegates led by Dr. DebreTsion & welcoming by regional president Abdi Omar.
In response to Mr. Olad Guled’s article “The mad mullah of 21st century, Abdi Mohamed Omar, Somali Regional State President” that apparently appeared on Somalilandpress.com on the eve of June 8, 2016, I felt to react in the context of the article based on genuine arguments. To express opinion contrary to the writings of another person with the aim of clarifying facts and disclosing the leadership quality of President Abdi Mohamoud Omar.
Early in this month I saw webpages posting articles that badly blaming Ethiopian Somali region President which are more biased and away from the reality but simple looks like to against the rising bright hope and prosperity of eastern region of Ethiopia so called—Ethiopian Somali region and our visionary young leader of Somali region HE President Abdi Mohamoud Omar. When you critically analysis the essence of that articles, we can be easily understood the writers of the articles are intentionally campaigning two things which are more critical to us and impossible to happen in our country.
First and foremost they want to rationalize a means that terrorist groups in the horn of Africa, can smuggle into Ethiopian Somali region across borders that we share with Somalia and possibly terrorists would have to carry out explosive terrorist missions inside Ethiopia which is not acceptable to create an opportunity that our enemy as well as global enemy can use to harm our peace loving society.
The second agenda that writers are campaigning is to have a chance that illegal outsider traders would have free illegal business movement across Somali region and the country as a whole which is totally against Ethiopia trade policy, strategies and goals that would have negative consequent to our general economic development strategies in line with Growth and Transformation Plan 2 of the country.
Referring with article posted somalilandpress.com, Ethiomedia.com on June 8 2016, by Olad Guled stated “The Somali Regional State is inhabited by all Somali Clans. Despite the fact that the Somali Regional State is inhabited by all Somali clans, the regional state is currently completely dominated by one clan (Ogaden)” in this regard, I would like to rectify—that Ethiopian Somali region is the only place where all Somalis people reside and live together without differentiating their sub-clans, so this region is Somali region which is holistic for all people residing within theregion and commonly shared its resources and administration. Whatever population density might varies but it is still Somali region—that all Somalis community belong together which has no disease so called tribe or clan like Somalia that strongly manifested clannish mentality to localize into extreme minute segments that Somali peoples are discriminated to each other based on their tribes or clans.
Ethiopian Somali region has ruling political party known as Ethiopian Somali People Democrat Party (ESPDP) which is alliance with Ethiopia Ruling Party EPRDF. So the region is self-autonomy state which has a system governing by constitution and ruling by a political party (ESPDP) –that administration is completely determined by ESPDP and tribe based power sharing system does not work in Ethiopian Somali region like that of Somalia where predominant clan has political influence for power sharing in government administration.
In our case; Ethiopian Somali region, people in the higher positions are selected based on their performance profile, educational background, political view, strength, contribution and roles that they have the ruling party. It is a system which policy oriented but clan has no weight for it. Mr. Olad and his collogues who are trying to disgrace credibility of Ethiopian Somali region should not expect this region like what happening in Somalia—that dissected into small pieces based on clan/tribe. Where administration and power shared are based 4.5 a mechanism in which tribes and clans are predominant to rule and determine government bodies and governing system.
As matter of fact, in Somalia tribe/clan has deep rooted political influences—that rendered widespread distortion of government system over past 25 years which has desperately negative impacts in political, economical and societal wellbeing and generally devastating the countrywide into further destructions, hostility, dis-integrity and lack of co-existence among Somalis community and eventually that caused Somalia to be a home of international terrorist and considered as failure state.
In fact, to overcome such tribalism and clannish mentality which is known catastrophic to societal wellbeing Ethiopian Somali region has passed very hard and challenging radical structural changes across the region’s woredas and zonal administrations so called Dib-curasho. That means people within the leadership framework no one should be administrator his/her place of origin to avoid injustice. Because if woreda or zone administrators are from their place of origin where their families, tribes and intimate relatives are there may be possibility to manage government resources through injustice and inequitable distribution within people of some woreda.
So that woreda and zone administration people are assigned from other woreda and the people they administer no one closer than other; primary objective of such radical change is to minimize the risk of injustices & inequitable resources distribution among people of some woreda as well as to make the role of clan in governmental administration system zero tolerance.
Mr. Olad Guled stated “The Liyu Police, Special Police, which had primarily been set up to counter the armed insurgency of ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Movement), is now used to advance one clan’s economic, political, cultural development. No Somali clan has been spared of the Liyu Police butchery.” http://www.somalilandpress.com/ethiopiathe-mad-mullah-21st-century-abdi-mohamed-omar-somali-regional-state-president/ in this regard the reality is different what Mr. Guled citied on his article. However, for better clarification; Liyu police is Ethiopian Somali Region owned special force that—was established in 2008 G.c. in line with police proclamation per national constitution of Ethiopia. First and foremost is to protect people and their properties of the region from any threats either internal or external, and to stabilize long-standing conflict—that impaired the region’s progress and making to be lagging behind from other regions of country for decades. Before special force was established 8 years back.
This force was born from tears, tortures, rapes and killings of civil society by ONLF and they are from people and for people of Somali region to protect the safety of their own people and security of region, and Ethiopia country at large. This police force has a mandate to protect the people of the region, secure and stabilize the aged conflict in Somali region of Ethiopia. Special force is not a like tribal militia from any specific sub-clan in the region rather; they are holistic and governmental arms—who are screened, registered and recruited from kebeles and woredas based modality and trained standard Ethiopian military training package and armed with modern arms. Besides being regional state special forces; they are part and parcel of Ethiopian arms and they are also the products of Ethiopian military.
As a matter of fact, when it’s necessarily Ethiopian Somali region’s special force can be used to take part security operation in other parts of the country as well as, they are still part of Ethiopian arms in AMISON peacekeeping mission inside Somalia. Somali region special force is also strongly force that fights against terrorist groups in the horn of Africa like al-shabab (al-qushash) and has an excellence success record against al-shabab inside Somalia in several occasions.
I want to make clear about misunderstanding and irrelevant arguments of Mr. Olad. Addressed on his article “Most of the border districts have strong trade ties with the neighboring Somalia/Somaliland to access basic services and products. Ethiopian market is too far and expensive for the local people and regional state has closed all borders” this is the way Mr. Olad Guled is trying to justify Somali-lander illegal traders to cross our borders illegally into Ethiopian Somali region which is incredible and he undermined the right of Ethiopia to keep and monitor its borders to preclude the intrusions of illegal traders into its territory which is an international convention of sovereignty right.
On other hand; border districts are not only those of Ethiopian Somali region shares with Somalia/Somaliland, but there are many other woredas/districts that Ethiopia share borders with its neighboring countries such as Djibouti, Eretria, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan and everywhere in Ethiopia borders are strictly monitored which is not allowed to enter into country illegal traders and immigrants.
Currently, Ethiopian Somali region has 93 woredas of which 41 of them are new woredas that regional parliament endorsed since 2013 when the first 16 new woredas and 4 city administrations have officially approved. Since President Mr. Abdi Mohamoud Omar came to the office of presidency, regional state started to ensure and exercise regional autonomy and power inherited as per 1995 constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and It was the first time in history that regional state president was established and legitimated 16 new woredas and 4 city administrations in the region.
Later Ethiopian Somali regional state recognized system expansion to lower level is fundamental importance for service provisions, developmental infrastructure expansions and security related concerns; then in 2016 G.c. regional parliament has endorsed 25 new woreda, 2 zone and 2 city administration—that made Ethiopian Somali region to has 93 districts/woredas, 11 zone, and 6 city administration which is great achievement for people of Somali region. The ultimate aims is to expand service provision and development expansion to reach unreached peripheral & remote areas in the region including hard to reach areas due to nature of geography location and topography landscape and those areas with security strategic importance. Actually this is great achievement and success for people of Somali region and it’s not crisis and we must appreciate people behind this remarkable and historic achievements led by HE Mr. President Abdi Mohamoud and his government.
Mr. Olad Guled “Ethiopian Somali Regional state president order Liyu Police to harass other clans and making life hard for the pastoralists of other Somali clan. ” It is very disgusting to blame our president some things baseless and fabricated. How can it be possible the president of six million people to command special force to harass his people. This is not genuine argument its nonsense fabricated propaganda but so far; we are well familiar when the president subjecting commanders of Liyu Police to be and become like civil society a shoes in many stages including media TV and mass gathering events. However; our special force is reliable security force in the horn of Africa!
I would like to remind the people of horn of Africa region around world particularly; Somalis who are misconceived about Liyu Police or those of you hosting international terrorist and deliberately against Liyu police for doing good security jobs in the horn should understand this force is reliable security force in the horn of Africa region—that fighting against terrorists in the horn; who are part & parcel of Ethiopian arms.
Mr. Olad Guled’ s article was absolutely biased which cannot represent the factual status of Ethiopian Somali region in terms of political, economic, and societal concerns. It’s like a piece of writing that lost its neutrality, accuracy, and ethics of writing, and minded clannish ideology with intentions of attempting to disintegrate the solidarity of people of Ethiopian Somali region. Further; his writing seems that he is seeking tunnels that anti-peace and terrorist groups can smuggle into our country Ethiopia, and justifying to create a room that illegal traders would have an opportunity to invade into our country through border areas of Somali region“ Which unlikely to happen in our set up.
Eventually; President of Somali Region Mr. Abdi Mohamoud Omar is most respected and genuine president ever came across Somali region of Ethiopia, he dramatically changed black history of our region and opened a new golden historic page for people of Ethiopian Somali region "The history of the world is the history of a few people who had faith in themselves." - Swami Vivekananda
President Abdi Mohamoud Omar has leadership qualities of decisiveness, strength, resolution, risk-taking, vision and imagination are differentially distributed, irrespective of wider structural circumstances. And finally I could say he is not deserve to offense his quality of leadership and political maturity to direct and lead his people for better livelihood, peace, security, stability and development. We are highly appreciated and admired his leadership strength and dedication to his people. "Successful leaders recognize that great innovation comes from observing the same ideas as everyone else and seeing something different." - Reed Markham. Thus HE Mr. president Abdi Mohamoud Omar has such leadership quality.
Finally, I would like to click a valuable message to Somalis people around world—that we share common language, culture, belief and borders but what we differ are only country nationalities & Citizenship, and people of Somali region are Ethiopian and part of big family of Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Somali region is one of prominent pillars of Ethiopia country, therefore, if people of Somalia knew when people of Somali region of Ethiopia were misguided 25 years back and some of them were used to make Somalia defense force, some others refugee camps in Somalia and other remaining parts Somalia were used to arm and send back their home country and open fire. Such trends have changed during last 25 years, people of the region and federal Government of Ethiopia have common goals and Mutual understanding which are principally based on Ethiopian peoples, nations, & nationalities interests at large for solidarity, integrity, Co-existence, development, peace, security & prosperity to all Ethiopian Citizens.
Ethiopian-Somali region has witnessed tremendous economic and societal transformation, which based on developmental policies and strategies of country and directed by President Abdi Mohamed Omar and his administration to attain the maximum requirements in achieving broader developmental and transformation goals. Due to security improvements, on other hands; Ethiopian Somali region has inborn obligations to curb the intrusions of terrorists and illegal traders into its territory, and there would not be a deal or negotiation to anyone against our peace, security, development, stability and legal system of our country, who wants to destabilize our region and country at large.
Writer: Ahmed Deeq Hussein, independent analyst, if any concerns or question don’t hesitate to contact me via ahmeddek2015@gmail.com&Twitter: @AhmedDek5
N.B. for further reading about Olad Guled article, you can find this link: