Among the odd and sad Mogadishu stories, but not strange to the City’s recent history during Somali’s Civil War include one in which a man from Northwest Regions was kidnapped. The hostage then exchanged hands upon auction.

The new hostage-taker/owner was a religious and pious man, according to the hostage upon his release later. One day the hostage asked his new master, why such a sacred man was holding him hostage for ransom against his will and personal freedom?

The hostage keeper answered that according to the religion, there are two angels on the shoulders of human being, one counting the virtue and the other recording the wrong-doings of every person. How could I employ only one of them?

Luckily, the hostage had managed to escape during the outbreak of fighting in the vanity of the hostage keeper and got returned to Hargeisa with the help of a relief organization in Mogadishu at the time. Happy ending!

This story was related to me by a colleague, Osman,who met the former hostage in Hargeisa.

PS: correction. The hostage was a man with the nickname of Firdhis from Northeast (Puntland) – a true story.

https://ismailwarsame.blog/2019/04/08/banadir-state/

The idea behind the desire of establishing a Banadir State is an attempt to return to clan cleansing of 1991-1993 by unseating the Federal Government with an alternative to own the Government exclusively. It is highly provocative approach to preemptively prevent Mogadishu from becoming the Nation’s Capital City with a special status as a Federal property.

It is a temptation to violate the articles of the Federal Constitution both in letter and the spirit.

In a nutshell, the attempt is blackmail and conspiracy against national reconciliation and restoration of trust among Somalis.

In short, it is to perpetuate the wrong-doing of the past and crimes against humanity committed during the Civil War of 1990s.

QUESTIONS begging for answers:

1. Where will the capital of a Banadir State?

2. Where will be the Capital City of Somalia and its national status?

3. Does that mean that all the Heads of Mogadishu Districts will hail from Banadir localities only with no national or Federal public service personnel?

4. What will be the differences between a regional federal state from a Banadir state with Somalia’s National Capital located there?

5. How many regions will Banadir consist of?

6. How two capital cities in the same town with common infrastracture be handled?

7. Will Mogadishu be divided into two cities: Banadir and Federal?

8. Will Mogadishu be a bargaining chip in the political power-sharing arrangements? Equally, would capital cities of federal regional states be subject to power-sharing contract in their respective localities as well?